Day 1 - Melbourne, Aug 5, 2012

From Tullamarine - Melbourne's international airport - a convenient bus service departing every ten minutes takes a 20-minute ride to the Southern Cross train station located at the western edge of the city's CBD (Central Business District). We can take a taxi to the hotel but we decide to walk the 2.5 Km distance after a full day of sitting in a plane and recycled airport air. We definitely need fresh air! Setting foot outside the Southern Cross station after 9 PM reveals that the hub of a metropolis of some 4.3 million souls is nearly deserted. We didn't expect to find ourselves in the middle of a party but the postnuclear-like situation is a bit strange. Not that we look for food - our tummies have benefited from the Thai Airways' so-so kitchen - but many restaurants are closed already. It's a sign that this country, or at least this city if not in this part of it, stops shortly after dusk. At least in winter despite it's certainly balmier than the one we know. We chuckle when thinking that back home, and even better in Spain, businesses may not yet be open at this time. The GPS walks us flawlessly to the end of Flinders Street past the homonym station and through Federation Square. Next to the hotel/apartments door I spot an open convenience store as a source of munchies and liquids, but let's check-in first. Just the time to drop our backpacks and go down to the store by 10:04 PM proves too late. They close at 10. Complimentary water in the room and cookies out of my hip purse - nope, I can't call it a "fanny pack" here - solved the minor issue. Especially after a scorching couple of weeks in Torino I'm happy it's cold here. Deborah doesn't otherwise share the grin on my face. She wouldn't anywhere below 22C in any case and she's therefore much ready for the tropics ahead of us. She has to wait a little as we're about to sample Melbourne for a full day.
The sun is out in Federation Square where an occasional audience of a handful of individuals is enjoying delayed and live action from the London Olympic Games played on a big screen. Others are pacing with cameras speaking French and Spanish while school kids in uniform are heading to the Art Gallery. People flow in and out Flinders' station across the street while we take a quick visit to the underground information center with access from a glass structure in the middle of the square. Queensland is far from here but some information is available to keep company to the maps we had brought from home. The CBD offers two free hop-on, hop-off transportation methods: a bus loop line and a tram loop line. These would operate until 6 PM (or earlier) and aren't used by tourists alone. We decided to take the bus for a full loop - about 80 minutes - just to check what the nearby areas have to offer, but only after walking for hours through the CBD on our own. Wandering through the hidden arcades lets us sample a bit of European-style environment, abounding of coffee bars where a couple of plastic banknotes can be traded for an expensive cup and a muffin. It's probably a good thing that Asians brought their cuisine along as we're not craving for pizza nor eager for a McBun or Colonel's chicken. At first sight it seems Australian food is hard to find or understand and we rely on a Spanish-style place for dinner. Nice venue but say the smallest portions for the biggest price I've ever had. No complaints though as we knew in advance it's an expensive country.
A good propaedeutic day, now ready for some rest to recharge for the upcoming adventures.