Despite tiring myself out during yesterday's adventures, I was still awake this morning at 0515. The day started out rainy, so it was clear that going anywhere outside of the city with my new “Myki” transportation pass wasn't a good idea (in other words, Ballarat was postponed). I spent some time reading and made reservations (online) to go on guided tour of the Great Ocean Road on Thursday. When I went to the hotel breakfast at 0630, I found the restaurant to be very crowded. Got my fill of food and then changed some big bills at the hotel bar (open 24 hours!). Went back to room to get ready and then (0810), because I didn’t want to be stuck inside all day, left the hotel. I walked across the Yarra River to Flinders Street Station and was able to sweet talk my way onto a train without using the Myki card. After arriving at Southern Cross Station (0855), I got help in finding the PTV Hub and talked to the nice people there about going to Ballarat on Friday, using the Myki card. The lady there said I just needed to coordinate use of the Regional Trains with the folks at the nearby V/Line ticket counter. She also warned me not to use the Myki for trams on days I used the Regional. Before I departed, the lady gave me a great transportation map and pointed out some good landmarks to see while I was in Melbourne. Since the Queen Victoria Market was closed on Wednesdays, she suggested I visit the South Melbourne Market instead. Saying thank you to her (it didn't seem like enough) as I departed the PTV Hub, I next checked with the V/Line staff (to make sure I knew the correct procedure for going to Ballarat). It was still raining so I next made my way to a tram (96) that was heading south and and took it to South Melbourne. It was easy to find the market because it was huge and had all kinds of amazing things to eat, wear and gift. I wandered around inside for a while and then spent some time reviewing my city guide for other activities nearby. Some nice locals sat near me and, once we got talking, they made a lot of good recommendations about places I should visit. Noticing that the rain had stopped, I next started walking west towards a rail trail I’d seen on the map. It took a lot of weaving in and out of residential neighborhoods to find it but I soon located a nicely paved path (Sandridge Trail) that paralleled the tram tracks through the village of Port Melbourne. I continued west to the end of the trail and found I had reached the beach and Cruise Ship port (Station Pier). The clouds looked ominous but it stayed dry while I explored the area. After a little while, I returned to the tram station so I could ride back to Melbourne City Centre. While waiting for the tram, a widowed pensioner named Lee (who lived in a condo on the beach) engaged me in conversation. He told me he had been to the US and had great stories about National Parks and big cities. We both eventually got on the tram (109) and headed towards Southern Cross. I wanted to get off when we crossed Flinders because I hoped to transfer to the City Circle tram (35). However, I was not able to get off the tram in time because there were too many people in the way. Instead, I exited at Southern Cross and walked south on Spencer Street until I reached Station Number 1. A bit later, the tram I wanted came along and I boarded. We then started on a clockwise circuit around the City Centre. The tram wasn’t too full at first but there was an American couple (clearly from somewhere in the South) “holding court” in the front of the car. Not wanting to listen to this conversation, I headed towards the back and tried to enjoy the guided tour recording that provided history and highlights of the city transportation system. Reaching La Trobe Street, the tram became so packed with people that it was impossible to follow the narrative or even look out the window. I stayed onboard but definitely considered getting off the tram (in frustration). Fortunately, almost everyone disembarked at Melbourne Central Station. The driver made an off the cuff reference to the Queen Victoria Market opening that evening and, when I asked for clarification, she explained that there was a special opening on Wednesday evenings. Armed with this new information, I started planning for later in the day... At around that time, I spotted some interesting architecture in the area near Parliament Station and I got off the tram there (1300). It turned out that I’d been looking at the spires of St. Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral. After checking the times for Sunday Mass (one was actually in progress so I couldn’t look inside the church), I walked across the street from to look at the big Parliament building for the State of Victoria. By this point, I was getting hungry and started perusing the menus of several restaurants in the area. I couldn’t find anything I wanted. Maneuvering back towards Flinders Street Station, I eventually found myself on Collins Street and ran across a quiet little restaurant called “The George on Collins”. It had a good lunch menu and the manager sat me at a nice table (rather than the high top bar). I ordered some Pad Thai with chicken and a glass of Shiraz. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was even better. As I was leaving the restaurant (1355), the manager invited me to come back for something she called “Boozy Brunch” on Saturday and I told her I’d consider the recommendation. Next, I went looking for the nearby “AC DC Street” and found it close to where I’d eaten the night before (a few blocks from Hosier Street). Walking south again, I crossed Flinders Street and paid a visit to the Ian Potter Centre of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). It was free and reminded me of the Smithsonian Hirschhorn museum (modern art). I did find some good things on the three floors of exhibits (the theme was “Melbourne Now”) but it was hard to really think of some of it as “art.” Exiting into Federation Square, I then proceeded down to the Yarra River (north bank) and explored to the east on the Birrarung Marr (Princes Walk). I found some interesting statues, saw great skyline views and watched rowers sculling on the water until it started raining again. Clive texted and, when he asked me to call him, I ended up talking to his wife (Robin) because he was driving. They suggested some more tourist ideas for me and I thanked them. After that, I walked over to my hotel and rested in my room for over an hour. At 1645, I went outside again (more rain) and crossed over the Yarra so I could board a northbound tram that followed Swanston Street. I got off at Melbourne Central Station and then walked west. It stopped raining, which was fortunate because I was unable to catch the tram that was running north on Elizabeth Street. Instead, I walked all the way to Queen Victoria Market, arriving at 1715. I didn’t know how to get inside so circled the entire complex. When I finally managed to get inside the special Night Market venue, I found several stalls with merchandise. However, most of the rest was food and drink related. The theme seemed to be Asian (Korean, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Thai, etc.). I looked around for a while but didn’t see anything that struck my fancy (after my Thai lunch). Eventually, I settled on a “corn dog” that ended up being a hotdog in fried dough. After finishing my “dinner” (while listening to a cultural musical performance), I moved over to the Brick Lane (local craft beer) brewery kiosk and tried two of their beers (“Red Hoppy Ale” and “One Love Pale Ale”). Some young Canadians (siblings from Toronto) came over to sit at the same table and I had a good time talking to them. An Aussie they knew came by and started talking about an upcoming “Footy” (Australian Rules Football) match on Saturday - he suggested I go and told me where to find tickets. By 1830, I’d had my fill of the market and decided to head home. It wasn’t raining so I didn’t mind waiting for the tram on Elizabeth Street. It ended up going all the way to Flinders Street Station and I was able to cross under the train tracks there and cross the Yarra much closer to my hotel. I was in my room by 1915 and bought a ticket (online) for the AFL match on Saturday afternoon - relaxed (more reading) until it was time for bed (2200). It’s been great getting a feel for Melbourne city navigation - tomorrow, I’m going on a tour!
