Walking around Melbourne CBD

Today, I was a real tourist in Melbourne :)

We left the house at around 930am.  Ate drove to Doncaster Park n Ride and left the car there.  It was 9C outside even if the sun was shining so bright.  Ang lamig!  I was chattering from the short walk from the car to the bus station.

The drive from Doncaster to the city was about 20 minutes.  The city center was not very crowded that time. We got off at Lonsdale and walked towards Flinders on our way to the Australian Center for Moving Images.

Flinders Train Station

While crossing the intersection at Flinders, there was a guy who was shouting.  I couldn't comprehend what he was saying but Ate said that this is the place where some individuals would usually air their grievances.  They would just stand at the corner of Swanston and Flinders and shout whatever they hate about their government or something of that sort. 

AMCI at the Fed Square

When we got to the Fed Square, we saw a long queue of people so early in the morning.  I mean it was not even 10.  Yun pala, there was a Disney star who was promoting her album and doing an autograph signing at the same time.  I found it a bit surprising to see an autograph signing so early in the morning.



That's half of the queue for the Bridgit Mendler meet-and-greet

We then went to Cafe Chinotto at the AMCI to have coffee.  There was a queue when we got to the coffee shop.  It is medium sized cafe which could sit probably 20-30 people at one time.  We joined the queue but we were directed to a table when we said that we were eating in.  Although, we already had breakfast at home, we still had croissant to go with the coffee.

Tomato and cheese croissant

One thing I noticed about the coffee is that they didn't serve it in cup or mug but in a short glass.  Sort of an old school, probinsya-style kind of serving where they use empty coffee jars.  (And I noticed that this is how they do it in most coffee shops.)

Warm latte
 

View from the coffee shop

We proceeded to AMCI after breakfast to see what's on.  There was a free exhibition of film paraphernalia since the Melbourne International Free Festival was ongoing that time.  Ate saw the Play School "watermelon lady" and she got so excited for her kids that she had her photo taken with her :)

Justine Clarke gamely posing for the camera

We were on our way out of the AMCI when we realized that we haven't paid for our breakfast yet!  We realized that because when we were ordering, the lady already directed us to a table instead of us paying at the cashier first which was how it was supposed to be.  Kaloka!  Buti na lang we were honest =D

After paying, we walked back to the city center to look for the State Library of Victoria where the meeting place for the tour is.  We walked along Swanston St and passed by St. Paul's Cathedral, a beautiful Anglican church beside AMCI.   We also passed by the Melbourne GPO (General Post Office).  The buildings are so pretty!  They brought out the old soul in me.



St. Paul's Cathedral
 

View of GPO from the side street

Facade of GPO with flowers in bloom



Another pretty building

Flowers for sale



Saturday morning traffic

And guess what we saw.....tadaaa!!! DOT ads plastered on the trams! Ang tindi ng marketing ng DOT! Kahit saang sulok ng mundo :)

 

It's more fun in the Philippines ads

We also went to some of the laneways to see graffitis which Melbourne is famous for.  I remember when I was in Wellington two years ago, my friend and I also went to some of the graffiti-filled alleys and I felt a bit uncomfortable because they had that "subculture" feel in them in the sense that going in those streets felt like intruding in someone else's territory.  The laneways in Melbourne though felt different.  I don't know if it's because of the location or because the laneways are well-lit or because they were bigger that made them felt safer.  Looking at the street art felt like just looking at an outdoor gallery.



Image of a girl

I found this a bit curious because it says "Free the Press, Singapore"

Row of restaurants



Human statues along Collins Street

 

One of the buskers along Collins Street



Another shot at one of the laneways

After walking about 4 or more blocks, we found the State Library of Victoria.  It was a sunny Saturday morning and there were a lot of people outside the library doing their own stuff: skating, having coffee, some probably waiting for their friends, tourists waiting for their guides.  Seems like a good place to just sit, have coffee and sandwich, and watch the world go by :)



The State Library of Victoria

Close up



Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology which was a few steps away from the library

Since we still had some time to kill before lunch, we opted to ride the free City Circle Tram which has a stop at La Trobe street beside the library.  The tram goes around the city, with stops at major points of attraction.  The "tram guides" would speak in loud voice and alert the people on what the next stops would be and what tourist attractions would be found there.  It's a good way to "orient" one's self about the size of the CBD and how close the attractions are from each other. The guides though were not the friendliest.  Medyo grumpy ang matatanda haha

It took probably more than thirty minutes for the tram to complete its route.  We got off at the corner of Queen St and La Trobe and made our way to Queen Victoria Market for lunch.  It was midday but windy which made us very cold.  I didnt even bother to take out my hands from my pocket to take decent photos!


Queen Vic

The place was full since it was lunch time.  We had pumpkin soup and chicken shnitzel wrap.  And while we were eating, someone sat beside us eating a hot bowl of Asian noodles!  Inggit!  Bakit ba hindi namin nakita kung nasaan yung nagbebenta nun?



Lunch.  Pag eto nakita ng nanay ko, sasabihin nya, asan ang kanin?

After lunch, we walked around a bit.  Para pala itong Farmer's Market sa Cubao na 10x mas malinis.  It was a market for fresh produce.  Ate was gushing at the fresh meat and vegetables which were way cheaper than the ones she gets from the grocery near their place.  We also bought cheap gloves ($5 each).  Ang lamig kasi! We also wanted to try the bicho-bicho-like donuts sold at the cart with a very long queue but we were running late for the tour so we opted not to.

We then headed back to the State Library of Victoria where the meeting place for the tour was.  There were already 4 people there chatting with the guide.

After the tour (which deserves a separate entry), Ate and I walked back to Flinders trying to find a nice place were we could havea  warm bowl of noodles.  We couldnt find one so we just decided to go to Melbourn Vietnamese Noodle House along Swanston St where she and her friends usually eat.



Melbourne Vietnam Noodle House

We shared a large bowl of pho and fried spring rolls for $19. I found the soup MSG-rich but it was still good for a very cold and rainy weather like what we had that night. 

 

Large bowl of steaming pho

  

Night scene at Swanston

After that, it was going home time.  We dropped by Woolworths to buy shoes for Eric.  The bus ride from the city back to Doncaster was a breeze and we were in Doncaster in a short time.  When we got off the bus and walking towards the car, ang lamig ulit!!!  We were "puffing tiny clouds" (harhar) in the air with our breaths.  Yun pala, it was 8C.  Good stuff!