I Think I'll Go See The Queen Today!

"I think I'll go see the Queen today." That's what I said to Zack when I woke up this morning. How random is it that something like this could be on my agenda for the day? Queen Elizabeth II is in Australia for ten days, and today she made a stop in Melbourne for a few hours. She was here to open the new Royal Children's Hospital, view some Indigenous art at the Ian Potter Gallery, visit with her fans, and attend a royal reception. I would like to note (with glee) that she is not going to Sydney on this royal visit; that's because Melbourne is better-hehehe! :)

Anyway, I rode my bike down to Federation Square this afternoon and joined the masses to see Her Majesty board the specially decorated Royal Tram for a ride down St Kilda Road. It was very cool to be a part of it all. In this picture, you can see Flinders Street Station in the background, the large police presence watching everyone, the fancy horses leading the procession, and the Royal Tram about to start heading my way. You can also see one of the big hats that all of the schoolchildren here are required to wear when they're outside, because Australia's sun is so strong. Several schools took a little field trip downtown today!

This is a shot from when the Royal Tram passed by me the first time. Because I was biking, I could actually follow along on the sidewalk and see it several times. People waved flags (as you can see), broke out in renditions of "God Save the Queen," and one lady was yelling, "I love you Prince Phillip!" Australia, though led by a Prime Minister, is still officially a monarchy, and Australians love their Queen!

Queen Elizabeth was decked out in bright pink with a matching hat. She looked out the tram's window and waved at everyone. This is one of my better shots; it was hard to get a great one with the glare of the windows! I've got several more on my Shutterfly site, so head there if you're interested. I even got a little peek of her getting out of the tram at the end of the route.

I love that I live in a city where once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like this are just a bike ride away on a random Wednesday afternoon. They say this is probably going to be her last visit to Australia, so I was extra lucky to catch a glimpse of her! Very cool. I topped off my afternoon by enjoying a raspberry Slurpee (the color of the Queen's outfit) on my bike ride home in the sunshine. Pretty cool!

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip pass by in the Royal Tram