Saturday 15th June, 2019

When warriors and wizards beckon, you skiddadle! Up and onto the tram in lightning speed, only to realise there’s a tram that goes directly past the National Gallery, my destination for the morning. Oh well, nothing like a walk to build up an appetite… for warriors. First time warriors have won out over bacon, actually, first time anything has beaten bacon, I think I’m sick…

So maybe this tram detour was a good thing, time to stroll along Southbank, smell all the yumminess from the restaurants… I think bacon is winning again… but in an effort to be on time for the session, my stomach takes a back seat for possibly the first time in my life and I’m wandering up to the gallery spot on 11… how is it I’ve been to Melbourne a zillion times and never seen how magnificent the National Gallery is?? Possibly because I’ve been too consumed with football or shopping, or maybe because I’m now at an age where I’m appreciating culture…

Heading into the exhibition I smugly thank my lucky stars I bought a ticket online and didn’t have to join the massive cue. Then around the corner, oh, another massive cue of smug peeps just like me. Cue to buy a ticket, cue once you have a ticket, and another cue around the corner to enter, lucky I’m not impatient…

Not sure if it was the wizarding world beckoning or just a general lack of interest in old bowls, the first room of the exhibition was a bit of a snooze, except for this dagger, wonder if it’s Valyrian steel…

But the next room is the money shot. The terracottta warriors themselves. Not sure what I really expected, knew there were only 16 on show but maybe I expected more of a cultured display, if that’s even the word?? Each warrior had its own pristine white mirrored display case, which had some epic inception type reflections, but they seemed a bit, lonely?? Maybe that was just my reflection. Nevertheless, they are magnificent. The expressions on their faces, their different hairstyles and moustaches, each serving a particular purpose – an archer, a warrior, an official, a swordsman, even in terracotta it was clear that back in the day you were one thing. Your role defined who you were in the world and how your life would be. Sometimes I wonder whether being just one thing would be more freeing than trying so hard to be so many people – a daughter, sister, aunty, cousin, friend, marketing manager, traveller, psychologist, widow… but maybe I am just one thing, I’m Holly. Ok – not sure how I went from warriors to defining my life but anyways… these dudes were impressive, I could imagine that in their thousands lined up they would have been quite the sight. But somehow there’s also a sadness to it all, how many people gave their lives to make these warriors? Certainly all the craftsman that got locked in the tomb so they wouldn’t share the secret of its location, and the concubines that had to be buried with the king for his afterlife… we certainly do live in a very different world to when these dudes were created. Grateful!

Teamed with the exhibition of the warriors was the art of Cai Guo-Qiang, a contemporary Chinese artist… may have had to google that one!! Not a massive fan of contemporary art, or possibly just don’t even know what it is. But wow, the first room looked a little something like this…

All these starling birds hanging from the ceiling to look like they are flying together in a murmuration – that phenomenon when they seem somehow connected, change direction together, seem to know exactly what one another are doing. Go google it!! And yes, I had to google to remember it was called a murmuration… The birds weren’t moving but still spectacular, even more so given the birds weren’t painted but covered in paint from explosions, hard to explain, you had to see the video!!! All the other pictures from the artist were colour explosions on canvas, didn’t quite wow me like the starlings but each to their own.

I probably legged it through the contemporary part of the exhibition quicker than a normal joe blow but time was ticking… mapping my way to Princess theatre, I coincidentally had to go past Hozier Ave again and that adidas jacket that I still had very strong feelings for… I was kinda cold, and didn’t bring a jacket today on account of all the buttons falling off my other one, damn those $$$ jumping out of my purse again but it looks good and winter is coming…

So finally back at Princess theatre there’s a few other lucky punks lingering but arriving at 12.25pm as the box office opened worked in my favour and I was first through the door, lucky I didn’t wait til 1!! I was a lucky punk today, scored a ticket to parts 1 and 2, woo hoo, cost me a small fortune but experiences are worth it, and adidas jackets…

So by now you’ve probs noticed a severe lack of bacon in my day, and coffee… finally tickets in hand, it was food time. Funny how even though I can be rushing somewhere a million miles an hour, I can still take note of yummo restaurants and somehow without a map find my way back, maybe a not so bad sense of direction after all, at least when it comes to food!! The place I noticed in my mad dash, MEATBALLS! Kid you not, what it’s called! Knew this place couldn’t disappoint, how do you go wrong with meatballs?? Well, if I’m cooking maybe but just forking out dough this time. By golly, it was heaven on a plate!! Keto diet firmly out of the window, it was pork and fennel meatballs in a home style Italian sauce with fresh parpadelle pasta, basil and Parmesan…one of the yummiest things I’ve ever eaten in my life!!!

And then, it was wizarding time!! I don’t hide the fact I’m a massive Harry Potter fan, never too old for magic! My ticket was in the Grand Dress Circle so the bit right at the top but could still see everything. Obvs no pictures allowed during the show and they are pretty adamant you #keepthese rets from the story so won’t spill!! Set looks like this and let’s just say, there’s moments where I did truly wonder if I was seeing magic!!

Part 1, although a little slow at the start while setting the scene for 19 years later, it ended in a cliffhanger which made part 2 all the more exciting! First part was a bit over 2 hours, understand the two part thing now!!

So, with just under 3 hours to burn before part 2, being kinda tired from all my “legging it” and still kinda full from meatballs I had no desire to do anything overly useful, with a Starbucks right in front of me, seemed like a good option. Comfy seat, good coffee and power for my phone. Got two out of three! And some down time to blog. Somehow, probs due to the lunchtime carb overload I was kinda hungry again so was on the hunt for cheap n healthy, and close!! Once again, I somehow recalled the Grill’d I’d run past earlier and strolled on over. Have to say, while it turns out a low carb BBQ brisket burger (with bacon) and zucchini fries ain’t cheap or overly healthy, damn it was good!

And yet, still I had another hour to waste and more power needed, and not the football kind, they lost. So back to Starbucks to try my luck on an Almond latte, had been trying to get on the almond milk bandwagon unsuccessfully so far… and with a coupe of Splenda sugars in there, ain’t half bad!! Took the same seat, plugged in and hey look, there’s my water bottle I left last time! Good to see the Starbucks staff are diligent with their cleaning up! Don’t mind me, I’ll just blog away…

So in what was a pretty awesome day so far, my only conundrum was that with an iPhone 7, you can’t charge your phone AND listen to music at the same time as they use the same jack. Serious design flaw. But when that’s the worst thing to happen in your day, pretty bloody good!!

And back to the theatre for part 2… May have had a little stitch from climbing all the stairs with a belly full of everything, but wow, just wow. The effects were amazing, the story bloody brilliant and the whole thing, well, magical. Loved delving back into the world of Harry Potter. Surely they can make this story into a movie?? So many parts I loved but I had to solemnly swear to #keepthesecrets… just get yourself to the theatre and see if for yourself!!!

Wrapping up at the theatre at 10.30pm, I did have an invite to a friends gig in Clifton Hill but feeling exhausted from all that magic, I trammed it back to my Air bob and raided the hosts stash of Ferrero Rocher, she did say to help myself to anything?? But one Ferrero in and I’ve regretted not heading out. Could have done with some tunes and a couple of gins to round off an epic, massively enjoyable day!!!