melbourne nights

The last couple days have been work days, so haven't gotten out during the day, but I still managed to get out in the evenings. Randomly on Tuesday I realized that I hadn't searched local sporting events going on while I was here, and lo and behold, it turned out there was a Melbourne Victory soccer match in a few hours. And the stadium was about a 15 minute walk from me. Say no more. It was a pretty strange game, I have to admit, compounded by the flock of seagulls that had no fear of being on the field during the game. Atmosphere was not bad either as a small group of supporters was in full voice. (It seems the group officially disbanded a year ago because of conflicts with the team and league - sounds familiar. I'm not sure if this is the same group still there despite that or a new one - or not one at all.) I was a bit surprised - though maybe shouldn't be - how much the match was similar to one in the US. Last night I made a return to the Night Market at Queen Victoria Market as a dinner break. The crowd was a bit smaller than last week, but everyone was having fun. I can't say I ever got my hand on the pulse of Melbourne while here and I'm not sure why. Maybe its just too big for that, but there's plenty to like.