Melbourne Cup

Melbournians call it “the race that stops a nation,” and the definition is very close to the truth. I have a day off, so I do no work whereas the horses do it all. The first Tuesday in November, every year since 1861, is the biggest sporting, social and cultural event in Australia, the Melbourne Cup. The event revolves around the horse races, but it has a social side, a fashion-loaded aura and a typical Aussie flavor. People celebrate summer, have a picnic, and again, they relax… Not to forget the betting and the drinking. Phew… I recommend you never look at the after-race pictures, because so many people waste themselves and trash the Flemington grounds that photographers capture this after show with dark enthusiasm. The things I like about this event are to watch the hats and fascinators and the big race. I also appreciate the beauty of the venue, Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, and its British elegance, especially because the track is a superb green lawn, not a dirt track like in Santa Anita, California (the only other horse race I have ever watched). I attached a picture of a different kind of horse, which will calmly continue to graze today and sweetly posed for me somewhere in the Yarra Valley.