Melbourne at first glance

 If Sydney is suit and tie, business first and scotch on the rocks. Melbourne is casual Friday and a cocktail with an umbrella. The city breaths creativity, quirkiness and a laid back multi-cultural atmosphere.

I stayed in St Kilda, a suburb in the south of the city right on the beach. My friend Helen was so kind to offer me a place to stay for as long as I needed. She made me feel very welcome in her house and in Melbourne. On the first day she gave me a guided tour of the city. Her enthusiasm and love for Melbourne is very contagious and definitely got to see why she liked the place where she lived so much.

Coming from Europe nothing in Australia is really old or breathes history. But I did get that feeling a little bit in Melbourne. The city is a mix of older buildings and architecture mixed with modern and progressive. The old shot museum in Melbourne central is a perfect example. The old shot factory is the center of a modern mall that has been built around the tall brick chimney covered by a giant glass cone. It illustrates how Melbourne is a modern progressive city without losing sight of their heritage or losing that old atmosphere.

That atmosphere is also found in the little lanes that run in between the big streets in the city center. Small graffiti covered alleyways are the home of cozy coffee bars and artsy restaurants. The hippest clubs are found in places where you would expect dirty needles and the ever present smell of urine. And it is not even the bars or little shops that are the hidden prizes. It is discovering them in the most unlikely places what makes it so interesting. The rooftop bar is a great example. Helen showed on the first day. We walked up to the 6^th floor following a grimy looking stairwell. Faded posters and graffiti covered the walls. The floors we passed held award winning restaurants and at the top we found the proverbial cherry. A small bar to the right, fake grass with chairs and tables, a food corner and a DJ booth to the left. And all around the tall buildings of Melbourne CBD. Old school hiphop pumping through the speakers as people enjoyed a beer in the open private space in the middle of town. An absolute gem.

What caught my eye and I feel illustrates how Melbourne is way more laid back than Sydney is the way the council warn for trams/metro trains. In Sydney it would be a sign saying to PAY ATTENTION! in a stern way. In Melbourne they opted for a picture of a Rhino on a skateboard. It brings the message across in a funny, friendly and yet very effective way. I thought it was genius.

Just cruising through the city there is a lot of art in the street to enjoy. Wire figures crossing a bridge. Bronze people waiting at the bus stop, a big bow on top of a bridge with one of the pylons of that same bridge transformed into a cocktail bar. Big pillars that shoot 5 meters tall flames in a rhythm. All along the banks of the Yarra River that snakes through the city you can find artsy and quirky things like that. But also the biggest casino in the Southern hemisphere. It took me about 15 minutes to walk from one to the other end and I still hadn’t seen everything.

Continuing my exploration of Melbourne enjoying street artists and musicians performing show their skills on every corner, I found heaps of good sushi places to satisfy my sushi addiction. There is a large population of Asians living in Melbourne. Ranging from Malaysian to Japanese. But the biggest group are the Chinese. There is even a Chinatown district in the city. Helen wanted to show me a restaurant where she and her boyfriend like to go and get dumplings. It was god food, but I will never eat there again, since they had shark fin soup on the menu. That really made me angry. I understand that it is normal in their culture, but that this is not China. And I was surprised that Australia would allow those backwards practices within their borders.

When I had enough of the city, I would read a book in the botanical gardens or take the tram back to St. Kilda and relax on the beach watching kite surfers fly by skimming the waves. The skyline of Melbourne in the background with small yachts and their colorful spinnakers engaged in a weekend race. Or just stroll along the Esplanade past Luna Park, where kids have a ball riding almost antique rollercoasters and other rides. And past the many bakeries with their windows full of sweets and pastry.   

As you can tell I really like Melbourne and would like to come back there. The only thing that u tem off a little was the weather. The first couple of days it was not very warm and they can have all seasons in one day. But I guess that fits this city, divers in every way.