A very wet weekend in Melbourne - part I

The time had finally come for us to jet off to Melbourne after a long week of work. Our flight with Tiger Airways was delayed by around half an hour so we didn't end up landing until about midnight and then it took a $60 cab ride to where we were staying - The Greenhouse. Being my first time in a hostel, I was actually pleasantly surprised; apart from the fact that our room had no windows and it was quite noisy at times, it was a fairly nice place to stay! Really central, very cheap and, most importantly, clean. Breakfast was included in the cost but we went downstairs on Saturday morning to find just cornflakes and bread; we decided to eat out.

Venturing outside, we found a little lane full of buzzing cafes, which is apparently what Melbourne is famous for - we settled down to a coffee, newspaper and bowl of muesli. Relaxing and delicious. After this, we meandered around the streets of the city, familiarising ourselves with the place. Dave wanted to go down to the Yarra River so we took a walk there and decided to get a ferry up the river to a place called Williamstown. Although a little cold, this was a great way to see the city. Unfortunately, Williamstown wasn't as exciting so we decided to get the train straight back!

Back to Melbourne CBD we went to the Docklands for a spot of lunch and a wander round Harbour Town, which is an outlet centre. Typically though, when you've decided you want to go shopping, you can never find anything nice! By this time the weather had began to turn and our walk back to the hostel was a wet one.

Dinner was at Ca de Vin in the Melbourne GPO, which was a lovely little restaurant, hidden in an ambient alleyway - rather romantic! After this, we ventured to a bar we'd been recommended by a girl working in Ted Baker called Cookie, with four floors and a rooftop cinema and bar. We decided to brave the rooftop bar - great views but it was freezing cold and absolutely pouring down. We had a quick drink, took some photos (mostly obscured by the rain) and headed to the Crown Casino - the biggest casino in the southern hemisphere. Dave had a flutter, I had an Irish coffee to warm myself up, and we eventually made it back in one piece, but a bit wet and miserable, to our hostel.