Every spring in Melbourne (October) comes the Spring Carnival Horse Races. The races go on from the beginning of October through the middle of Novemer but the real festivities happen the week of the Melbourne Cup. The day of the Melbourne Cup is a public holiday for the state of Victoria but people come from all over Australia and it is considered "the race that stops a nation". It is a very big deal and we were lucky enough to be able to attend one of the main days thanks to Eve's generous birthday gift to Sherissa that allowed the three of us to attend Oaks Day.
We started the day with a champagne breakfast and even before we left the city, there were guys and girls dressed to perfection...guys in three piece suits and girls in gorgeous dresses with headpieces and hats. Then it was off to the Flemington race grounds on the train. I've never seen so much wonderful fashion all in one place. AND they were handing out free chocolate!! It was heaven! The weather was beautiful and we were literally right on the track to watch the races.
It was so much fun and the only problem was how fast the day went by. We all placed our bets and Eve walked with the most (she won $50). I was happy winning $15 just because it was something.
On the way home, we were supposed to have caught another train but an incident happened and shut down the entire system leaving 100,000 drunken, sunburnt, and wrecked people stranded 45 minutes away from the city. The trams - few that there were - were so entirely packed that they didn't even bother stopping at the stops but they had to go so slow through the crowds that people were hopping on anyway. Eve separated from us just before we were leaving and ended up on a bus (one of the few that were there and hidden at that) and there was a guy who was so drunk that the rest of the people on the bus literally threw him off. She said she'd never seen anything like it. When he hit the ground, he knocked his head so hard that he didn't move. Finally, after a few minutes of stillness, he perked up with a huge grin on his face and everyone on the bus busted out in hoops and hollers of cheer. It was pretty crazy.
For months prior to the event, we had been hearing from everyone that we HAD to go to the Melbourne Cup and now I know why! It was quite the experience~
This horse didn't win but it was the most beautiful horse I've ever seen!
Everyone thought Sherissa was Pink (the singer) all day. This is profile shot I took later in the night that's pretty representative.
