“I can’t believe how busy it is on Christmas Eve,” said Jules, jogging on the spot next to Ash as they waited for the light at the pedestrian crossing.

“Yeah, it’s not a public holiday or anything, so some of these people will be heading to work. The others are probably doing last-minute Christmas shopping.”

There was a mix of people—families, couples, groups of friends, people in business attire and uniforms—but most were casually dressed, so Ash must have been right about the Christmas shopping.

The light finally turned green and Ash took off. Jules followed closely behind, once again in awe of how the petite Aussie negotiated the crowd with ease. She figured that you probably got used to it if you lived here.

Ash shot off to the left, then rounded a corner just past a large building with signs saying, “Taxi Kitchen”. They emerged into a large open space and the sight was so unlike anything she’d ever seen before that Jules stopped short. It took a moment before Ash realised she was running alone and came back for her.

“Impressive, huh?” she asked. “It’s Fed Square—Federation Square. Don’t you love it?”

Jules’s eye scanned the open space, which was shaped less like a square and more like a giant amoeba, clocking the mottled brickwork as it undulated up and away from them to the right and formed a set of wide steps to the left. There was a stage with a huge screen above it on their right, and the buildings surrounding the square looked like something out of a science fiction film. Panels, which could have been lifted straight from a space station, met with glass panels at irregular angles. She could have sworn there was a location like this in one of the episodes of Picard. Maybe they had filmed it here.

“It’s awesome,” she said, finally finding her voice.

They were on the move again, this time at a brisk walk, as Ash pointed out the various buildings, the most intriguing of which was named ACMI—the Australian Centre for Moving Images. “Hey, that’s on Chloe’s list,” she said, eliciting a grin from Ash.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I’ll come with you if you like. Their latest exhibit is supposed to be incredible; it’s all about film noir.”

“Oh, cool,” Jules replied.

“You ready?” Ash motioned towards a set of stairs that led back to the riverside path they’d been running.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” They jogged down the stairs, then turned left and headed down a mild incline onto an open area of packed, sandy-coloured earth that was surrounded by tall eucalypts. An enormous abstract sculpture that looked like a three-legged dog covered in decoupage dominated the space.

“They hold festivals here,” said Ash. “Food festivals, music … There was a Banksy exhibit here a few years back. It was awesome.”

Melbourne is awesome, thought Jules.

At every turn of the river—and the Yarra was quite twisty—the city revealed something new. Jules smiled to herself, her eyes absorbing each little detail—the way the Botanical Gardens on the far shore hugged the river, the varying architectural styles of the city’s skyline, the buzz and energy of it all. This city was alive.