Saturday, October 2, 2010

200 Reasons to Visit St Kilda

It was in 2003 when Mama first visited the market at the Esplanade of St Kilda beach. Then, there were 222 stalls selling all sorts of handicraft that she had blisters on her feet as she visited all of them - from #1 to #222!

I wasn't even born yet then. So, as part of my Australiana lessons, Mama took me there so that I'd appreciate home-grown art. You see, the organiser of the market is very strict in making sure that the products sold at the Sunday event is truly Australian - they'll even visit the home or factory where the products are claimed to be made.

And am I glad they do that. At least, I'm assured that we won't be buying some clunky products that are imported from some dubious manufacturers that employ child labour or prisoners! The downside is, however, as is typical of any Made in Australia product, the offerings at this market are pricy. But doesn't stop us from dishing out the moolah....as some of the products are just so exquisite and unique. It's as if they know my weakness for the finer things in life....Wish I were a millionaire like my namesake!!!

We took the tram from QVM to Flinders St, then changed to another one that took us direct to the Esplanade on St Kilda Rd.

The tram we took from QVM to Flinders St.

In the tram...gets more crowded as it picked up more passengers at every station.

Best burger in St Kilda? We didn't check it out though as that would mean getting off the tram too early and then walk far to the market.

As Mama had learned a very good lesson seven years ago, we didn't start from stall number 1. Instead, we started from the middle. That was where the tram stopped anyway. Then Brad and I tossed a coin to see which direction we should take (head = left, tail = right). It was the tail and so we headed to the right. I think we did good although we didn't get to see all 200 stalls.

At stalls where we actually made a purchase, the owners didn't seem to mind us taking photos. At the rest, we usually asked their permission first. Some put up notices that no photos are allowed. We had to respect that, don't we?

The first stall we visited at the Esplanade. Lovely bells, eh?

I love playing with puppets...the good Uncle allowed me to play with his.

That smiling fat white cat is now ours!!!!

Mama bought me a couple of these lovely silver bracelets....plus some other jewellery pieces.

The beach at St Kilda is always busy and crowded.

Interesting handicraft....Brad likes that alphabet thingy.

Wouldn't you want to take home one of these beautifully crafted time keepers?

Yeay! A new retail therapy "piggy bank" for me!

Aah...Mama's favourite - unique fridge magnets.

We saw many canines accompanying their masters....they must be envying us, two felines with a slave...har har har!

Errr....do we look like these? Definitely not....

I love pet-friendly stall owners.

Bold and beautiful...amazing talent...

Ice cream parlour @ St Kilda... Brad was happy enough to lick them scoops after all that walking along the Esplanade.

We spent quite a long time at St Kilda, at least three hours. My feet felt like lead by the time we took the tram back to the city. Mama said we can all take a nap as soon as we checked in at the hotel. Which hotel? Shhhh....it's a secret!

This tram goes round and round the city....for free!

Catch the pigeon! Stop the pigeon! Feed the pigeon! Ooohhh...can't decide what to do with these pigeons. Too many of them...aaaarrrgh!!!

Mama was checking out the train station. She'd have to take one to her meeting place the next day.

Hmmm...my sister-in-law Nicole seems to be well-known here. Must tell Tom about this.

We returned to Sydney on Monday. Oh, Virgin Blue had a computer glitch starting 9am on Sunday. Phew! Lucky our flight was earlier. Then, we thought our flight on Monday evening would be delayed or cancelled. It wasn't! Boarding was late by 30 minutes but the flight still arrived on schedule. Hmmm....was the pilot speeding up in the sky? purrr....meow!

31 comments:

mokja said...

Dell: How I wish I could join you all.But do they sell ikan goreng? Didnt see any in the pictures....I dont lick and like ice creams nor do I like burgers.

Ellen Whyte said...

We love that fat white kitty!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Dell,
We had fresh seafood at the QVM but only icecream at St Kilda. Then we had churros....yummm...purrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Au and Target,
We do too. That's why we brought him home... purrr....meow!

Monyet King said...

do they sell banana and peanuts ?

Pi Bani said...

Wow1 The smiling fat white cat now belongs to a sleepy fat cat??!

And oh, macam pakat aje... my latest posting is 2222 and your posting is about 222 stalls...

Cat-from-Sydney said...

My dear Monyet King,
We had peanut butter sandwich for breakfast. Same thing lor! purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Pi,
People say: Great Thinkers Think Alike. har har har.... Oh, I get to see that smiling fat white cat everytime I go to the kitchen. He's occupying space on the fridge door now.... purrr....meow!

Naz in Norway said...

Hi Cats!
I love places like this. Aduuhhh! tabung ayamku, bila nak penuh?

Wan Sharif said...

Mm..Mama bought me a couple of these lovely silver bracelets....
Looks like mama usually spoil the cats.. Non?

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Naz,
Kekanda Visa kan ada! Tak payahlah pecahkan tabung ayam.... purrrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang nak juga ke those silver bracelets? We can spoil you too....purrr....meow!

nurmisnan said...

salam cat
how is Sydney now?
Nice n beautiful places..

sherry said...

seronoknya jalan-jalan...

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Hallo Nur! Welcome to my world....Sydney is getting warmer now and more colourful as the flowers have started blooming! purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Sherry,
Lain kali ikutlah kita jalan-jalan....tolong babysit Brad sekali. purrrr....meow!

Sandy said...

Looks like a fun trip to St Kilda ! I'm loving the puppets !

Wan Sharif said...

Rasanya nak jugak pergi teman Brad berjalan tengok beach St Kilda.. nak tengok pantai.. nok kelih orang mengail..

TK said...

I collect cool fridge magnets u noe! I wanna have that smiling fat white cat too !!! Tiutnya!!

kay_leeda said...

Awww Angie, this post of yours sure brings back old memories of Melbourne visit in 2001. Perhaps it's time to re-visit eh...

~CovertOperations78~ said...

Oh my goshness! What lovely crafts! I want that fat white cat too, she is gorgeous, almost as pretty as you, Angelina!

And the tram! What a darling little tram! No need to go all the way to San Francisco, eh, Kitties?

Thank you for the lovely virtual tour. Now I will start saving up for St. Kilda!

ninotaziz said...

I miss these lovely open markets - Byward Market, Ottawa brings back so manynostalgic memories.

ninotaziz said...

Come to think of it, Central Market is ok, kan...

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Tante Sandy,
The puppets are so cute...but we didn't buy any. However, we bought some "cat" bookmarks from the same stall. Life is hard when you have a bookworm for a mum... purrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang,
We're not so sure about the mengail part but St Kilda is a swimmable beach, though you have to beware of jellyfish. Many tourists and locals have been stung. purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

TK Sensei,
You too? Mesti pintu fridge dah penuh tu. Sorry, that big fat smiling white cat is mine...and mine alone! purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Kay,
Jomlah! purrr....meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

CO78,
Oh dear! Another fat white cat fan. Actually, doesn't he remind you of my fiance #3 Casper?
Purrlease...do visit St Kilda. Oh, March would be fun as that's when they'll hold the Mardi Gras. purrrr...meow!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Ninot,
Central Market? Will have to convince Mama to take me with her first, then I can visit and write about it, kan? We'd love to take you to any of these markets. There are plenty around Sydney too. Similar ones to St Kilda would be the ones at The Rocks or Paddington. purrr....meow!

tireless mom said...

Definitely will go here when I set foot on Melbourne (hai... bila lah tu) and get blisters on my feet. How come only your mama got blisters on her feet and not you?

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Yatt,
Because she wore new shoes while I have padded paws....purrr....meow!