A Great Day in Melbourne

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„Now arriving at Caulfield, for the Frankston service please change trains at Caulfield“. That is one of several announcements on a Melbourne commuter train on my way into the CBD. I’ve chosen the 10.08am Cranbourne train from Carnegie on a Sunday morning in March 2011. Surprisingly the train is packed with people – no seats available. Of course many people have to work on a Sunday; most shops in Melbourne's city centre are open for business.

I put myself in a comfortable position – leaning against a blue box which contains the ramp for a wheelchair. The train moves smoothly along, I can watch 10 people around me; six of them are equipped with earplugs and busy with paying full attention to their smart-phones. One woman is reading a book, another one a newspaper, an old man leans on his trolley and an Asian fellow takes a little nap.

I feel a bit hungry so I hop on the next tram which goes up on Elizabeth Street. My destination: The Queen Victoria Market. I love these markets with its unique atmosphere.The Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne has a big section of non food items like souvenirs, t-shirts, shoes, bags, and general clothing. Another part is reserved for fresh fruit and vegetables. It looks great to have all the apples, oranges, apricots and lemons stacked up nicely like soldiers in a row.

That is great footage for my video camera. There is also a section for fresh meat and fish, and the part I like the most is the one with all the speciality food. You get great loaf of bread, absolutely tasteful cheese, some fine olives, wonderful chocolate, a great variety of coffee, polish sausages, and a Bratwurst stall. Some places have nice take away food. My choice of the day is a bacon and egg roll with a serve of wedges for $AUD 7.50. Summary: Great place for food in Melbourne.

Back to the CBD in the same jam packed “96 tram”. Late afternoon - time for the exiting Eureka Skydeck 88, one of the great sights of Melbourne. The building is 300 meters high with a viewing platform. The lift travels 9 metre per second; I can feel the pressure on my ears. Up on top you can enjoy a really breathtaking view across Melbourne. A special trill is “The Edge” experience. Imagine you stay in a glass cube and this thing moves with you for 3 metres out of the building – 300 metres above the ground!! That happens with “The Edge” experience. There was a waiting time of 60 minutes to do “The Edge”. So a good excuse for me to give it a miss.

Another great day in Melbourne is over. I have a few minutes at Federation Square and keep an eye on the scenery. A wedding takes place at the church, a police car pulls up in front of a fast food shop, a horse drawn wagon is crossing the intersection and the trams never stop. Hundreds of people moving backwards and forwards and the old W-Class does still its city circle.

I had four and a half days in the capital of Victoria, and did most of the Melbourne attractions. But you can spend truly some more time if you want to have a look to every museum or famous house. Anyway - the Cranbourne train takes me back to my Bed & Breakfast place. And there it is – the friendly voice out of the train speakers: “Now arriving at Carnegie”

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