Tuesday, August 23, 2016

St Patrick's Cathedral

An 'RDO' on a Tuesday enabled me to take a 'Me Day' and head off into the city on a solo adventure. I had a jam-packed itinerary planned for the day and was intent on fitting as much as I could into my 6 hours of free time.
A lap around Carlton Gardens and I found the Holy Grail of street parking on Victoria Parade - no time limit and 80c an hour. 
No, this wasn't 1972. It was 2016 and I got my whole day's parking for a fiver! 
Seriously.
A quick walk over to St Patrick's Cathedral for my first visit. I've walked past, driven past, even poked my head in the door once. Now, I finally had some time to walk around inside and admire the stunning Gothic Revival bluestone and sandstone building, the tallest and  largest church building in Australia.
St Patrick's Cathedral

St Patrick's Cathedral
Stepping inside, the vast expanse took my breath away. 
From the soaring ceilings...
St Patrick's Cathedral
 ...to the exquisite stained glass windows...
St Patrick's Cathedral
 ...the giant organ pipes towering over the church...
St Patrick's Cathedral

 ...to the smooth rich tones of the timber doors and rows of pews.
St Patrick's Cathedral
I exited out the rear doors of the building, where a large water feature sits amongst the beautifully manicured gardens. St Patrick's Cathedral

The Cathedral Shop was just around the back, and sells a range of items from books about the cathedral to handmade rosary beads and beautiful crosses like this one from El Salvador.
St Patrick's Cathedral
Back on the street I wandered off to my next stop, Parliament House. The route took me past location trucks filming "Offspring" and an Instagram worthy photo featuring a group of yellow taxis with the grand old Hotel Windsor in the background.
Hotel Windsor

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What: St Patrick's Cathedral
Where: 1 Cathedral Place, East Melbourne
When: Daily
Why: historic building, architecture
How Much: FREE to walk around and explore
 
Nearby: Parliament House

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