Australia: Melbourne

We arrived in Melbourne around 6:30am.  After finding our way to the hostel (no more cheap hotel rooms on this trip!), we checked in and then immediately headed out to explore the city.  I indulged in my first latte in weeks (so satisfying!) as we walked to Federation Square.  We had a look in the information center and then went over to the Shrine of Remembrance, a memorial for Australian veterans.  From the top of the memorial, we got a nice view of the city.  Unfortunately, it also started to rain and continued to rain all day.  After the Shrine of Remembrance, we walked to the Queen Victoria Markets, hoping to get under cover.  We had a look around the stalls which ranged from souvenirs to fish to fruit to pastries, and sat down to consult our map.  A friendly man next to us made some suggestions and we were off again walking toward Little Italy.  Eventually, the light rain we had been trying to ignore had started to soak through and we gave in and went back to our little dorm room.

Queen Victoria Market

Shrine of Remembrance

City view from the Shrine of Remembrance

On our second day in Melbourne, the rain had cleared and we took the tram to St. Kilda by the sea.  Since it was Sunday there happened to be a market along the promenade where locals were selling all kinds of crafts.  We walked right past Luna Park so decided to go in and have a look around.  Much like the Santa Monica Pier, it's free to go in; you just have to pay for rides.  We entertained ourselves for a while with the fun mirrors.  After Luna Park, we carried on and had a walk along the beach and out to the pier where there was a great view of the harbor and the city center in the distance.  After lunch we took the bus back to the city center and visited the Royal Botanical Gardens.  Before heading back for the night, we stopped off at the National Gallery of Victoria for some culture.

Fun Mirrors!

Luna Park

Botanical Garden

View from St. Kilda Pier