Walking Around Melbourne–Oct. 1

OOPS!  Looks like this post never got into the blog.  Here it is over a week late!

Got up early and drove from Geelong to Melbourne so that I could return the car by 9 am.  Got lost a bit in Melbourne due to poor map and confusing road signs and funny rules about driving around trams.  There are a number of electric powered trams running on rails around the town, with cars running alongside them.  The rental return was just a few blocks away from the Space Hotel where I am staying, so I just walked there pulling along my luggage.

Since I arrived at the Space Hotel way before check-in, I had to store my luggage there until 2pm check-in.  So before and after 2pm I did a lot of walking around the central part of Melbourne.   When I did get to check-in, I found that the hotel was very new and clean.  It really is a hostel, the room I have has 3 bunks (6 beds) and I got a lower one by the window – best bed in the room.  Space is tight but the beds are extra long and comfortable and there is a large, lockable storage next to my bed and a private light.  There is a large, clean, steel kitchen one floor down from my room.  There are several individual toilet/showers on each floor, all kept very clean.  Looks like a nice place to spend 5 nites.  The free tram is just a block away.

Walking around Melbourne I was impressed with the number of malls and arcades they have in town.  Many of them have decorative glass ceilings which give them a distinctive character.  In the mall close to the hotel, they built the mall around one of the historic buildings, with a glass dome enclosing the tower.  There are a lot of old, imposing buildings mixed in with the new modern ones.  It was raining on and off throughout the day, so the walk was a bit on the dreary side.

Today was the Footy Finals (rugby championship game) this afternoon, so the town was crowded with fans.  There was a protest group holding a rally outside the library in the rain – some sort of Pakistani group – not sure of the background.  There were also a few weddings and the custom here seems to have the bride and groom do unusual things like walking throughout the town and riding a boat down the river.  I did quite a bit of walking and when I got back to the hotel around 6 pm my legs were aching.  Must get some rest.