Melbourne

I went downtown to explore the awesome city that is Melbourne.  I woke up at 7AM, got dressed, had breakfast, and walked out the house at 8AM.  Took the bus to the train station and departed for the city.  About 35 minutes later, I got off at Flinder’s Street, which is right in the heart of the city.  The train station is a local landmark with a yellowish European design.  I walked across the street to the Visitor’s Information Center to get some maps and the latest happenings in the city.  I wish all major cities had the type of resources and info centers like Melbourne because it would sure help tourists to enjoy their stay better.

I then walked back to Elizabeth St. to get breakfast at McDonald’s.  I usually get the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit meal, but they don’t serve biscuits here, only muffins.   Also, the size of the coffee was twice as small as the ones you normally get in the US.  Their medium is like a small, and their small is probably like a few drops of coffee, etc.  Maybe this is why people here are not as obese since the serving sizes are much smaller, which is bad for me since I’m naturally skinny and starving.

My first stop was the Federation Square across the street from the train station. The unique design and the open spaces are popular for people to chill out and absorb everything that’s happening around them.  Just around the corner and down the stairs is the Yarra River.  You can pay and go on the cruise for a little sightseeing.  I just lie down on the grass a few feet from the river to soak in some sun.   I usually don’t like the sun but it was quite cold and the sun felt good.  I also recorded a short video clip of the cruise as it made its way back to the dock and the guide gave me a nice salute which was cool.

Further down the street are different gardens including the huge Royal Botanic Gardens.  It’s a great walk that’ll take about one to two hours.  I walked even further down to the Shrine of Remembrance.  It’s a nice building that remembers the people who have fought and died for this country.  You can walk up to the top of the building and see some great views.  There are always a lot of students there on field trips all dressed up in their fancy uniforms.

I walked all the way back and across to the west side of the city to get to the Rialto Tower.   Up there is the Melbourne Observation Deck.  I paid about $13 to get up there.  The view was nice and it was a good time for me to take some HDR photos of the city with the Canon S3 I bought before I moved here.  There were cafes and little souvenir shops up there but that was it.  When you come back down, you can watch a half hour film about the history of the tower and the observation deck.  Since the show started just when I got down, I didn’t feel like waiting for 30 minutes so I just left.

I got out and then took the City Circle Tram (free trams that goes around the city stopping at major spots) to go to the Docklands.  The Docklands is a new development being called the Waterfront City.  There are upscale restaurants, shopping, and expensive apartments.   It is still being developed and I can see more apartment buildings are in the works.  I took a quick walk by the pier, took some shots, and then caught the tram back to the other side of the city.

It was about lunch time and I couldn’t decide what to eat.  I went to Chinatown (very small compared to the ones in the US) but didn’t see anything good.  I walked around some more and came across Taco Bill.  It’s probably the only Mexican restaurant in the city.  I was curious as to how it is compared to LA so I ate there for lunch.  I ordered the beef burrito with rice and salad lunch special.  They give you complementary chips and salsa.  The burrito was super small and semi-authentic.  They’re kind of like an El Torito or Acapulco.   I would say it’s better than Taco Bell, but still not as good as some family owned authentic Mexican restaurants I’ve been to.  And guess how much this lunch cost me?  $15 dollars!!!  I think it was worth about $5 dollars.  I knew it was going to be expensive, as food here is expensive compared to the US in general, but I wanted to try it just to compare.  As you can tell I probably won’t be going back there again unless I have an unexplainable craving for it.

More walking and exploring as there are still a lot of alleys and arcades with shops and cafes throughout the city I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet.  I don’t think I can buy any clothes here because it’s just more expensive than what I’m used to.   But once I start working and get adjusted to life here I will stop comparing everything to the US and things that I think are expensive would then be just fair and reasonable.

It takes about a few days to really get a grasp of what the wonderful city has to offer.  For people who plan to visit here, give yourself about 4-5 days so you can also check out the regional areas outside the city such as the Great Ocean Road, Philip Island, and the Grampians National Park.  So far I really like the city of Melbourne.  I also looked at the maps and attractions in Sydney, and on paper I think I will like Sydney even more.  I will probably book a flight up there when fares are on sale.  That’s all for now.  Peace!