The University of Melbourne Campus

Today was a more relaxed day for me. I needed to take care of some travel planning issues and other things loosely related to work. Luckily, the weather cooperated and the day has been steadily oscillating between periods of rain and periods of brilliant blue sky. After catching up on some much needed sleep, I had a very productive afternoon.

I wanted to get out at least a little bit today, so I figured I would walk over to the University of Melbourne since I haven’t been there yet. The university is just north of the Graduate House and a 2 minute walk is all it takes to be on campus. As it is Sunday and the university is still on holiday, there weren’t many people around – so it was a rather peaceful place to take a late afternoon stroll. I was struck by the contrast in architecture. Some of the (presumably) older buildings were constructed in beautiful old-English architectural styles while some of the newer buildings and (surprise, surprise) most of the engineering buildings have a 1970s or 80s feel to them that just makes you wonder how anyone ever thought that looked good.

I came across many unique areas of the campus and I tried to get a few pictures, though the clouds were starting to return. In particular, I came across the old quadrangle – a grassy area with some trees surrounded by arched walkways. It had an ‘Ivy League or Cambridge’ type feel to it and it was a lot of fun to walk around. This entire experience has really been rejuvenating in that I almost feel as though I’m younger again, starting college for the first time. Just walking around the university brought back some of those exciting feelings of exploration brought about by finding oneself in a new exciting environment.

I’ve always enjoyed places that convey feelings. As I was walking around the older buildings, I was reminded of the time when Laura took me through the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. I remember feeling a great sense of motivation and general desire to learn all wrapped up in the unique old-world architecture. These were the same sorts of feelings stirred up by my walk through the university today. I like being able to take a break from the craziness of work and school and escape to an environment suitable for recharging and reminding myself why I’m doing what I am doing. I have the feeling that I will enjoy many future walks around the campus of the University of Melbourne while I am here…