Back in Melbourne City

Finally back in the city center of Melbourne, we first had a slight culture shock after the lonely and quiet weekend. The arrival at our hostel 'Flinders Backpackers' was crazy - the whole reception was full of people, as the room is also a kitchen and lounge area at the same time. And yeah: we do have our own double room, but with a bunk bed. :D So now we have to sleep separately for a week, but we tested it.. you can also sleep for a few hours together in such a small bed.

The location of the hostel is great - right in the center and within the Free Tram Zone. The disadvantage is that our room is right on the main road, so there is a lot going on at night and the sleep is not that relaxing.

We spent the rest of Monday wandering around the big city again. (Melbourne, by the way, has 4.7 million inhabitants.) We visited St. Paul's Cathedral and went to the ACMI - Australian Centre for the Moving Image. Here we could discover the development of film and television, but we actually stayed more in the part of the sensations, where there were shadow plays, VR glasses, and 3D cameras to discover.

Easter is also celebrated here in Australia, we are curious how. On Tuesday we witnessed a sweet action by the Maltese in Australia. A large box with 'rabbit tunnels' was set up in a mall, then you had half a minute to grab as much chocolate as you could from these tunnels and then you could keep it. So we now have plenty of Easter chocolate. :)

We discovered this action only because, thanks to Krissi, we have now been to almost every mall in the city and know every toilet - the reason: a bladder infection. :( The positive side - there are toilets in every even the smallest restaurant that are relatively clean and can be used free of charge. Small side information: in every restaurant, no matter how small, tap water is offered free of charge, sometimes enriched with a little lemon or even tea. Furthermore, you can find free drinking water dispensers all over the city. :)

On Wednesday we finally went to the beach. We cycled along the beach to St. Kilda. The water was quite cold. Kenny only dared to go half into the water - Krissi was of course all in. Although she had to panic briefly and flee from a plastic bag in the water - it could have been a bad jellyfish after all. After that, it was time to relax, lying on the beach for hours, reading and sleeping. In the evening, Krissi wanted to make another attempt to see the penguins at St. Kilda Pier - but then an Australian lady told us that they are only there until February. :(

On Thursday we went to the Queen Victoria Market. A big market that is open all week. Here you can find a lot of food, especially fresh fruit, colorful clothing, and all kinds of knick-knacks.

In the afternoon, an absolute highlight - the EUREKA Skydeck 88. In just under 40 seconds, you can reach the 88th floor, 285 meters above the ground. Two 300,000-liter water tanks in the 90th and 91st floors prevent excessive shaking of the building. Nevertheless, the skyscraper can bend up to 30 cm in radius in strong winds.

We spent our time here from 4 p.m. to 8.45 p.m. In the afternoon it was quite calm and we had enough time to see all the sights around us and enjoy the wide view. We spent some time until twilight with muffins and coffee (which is often offered in combination). The crowd of tourists got bigger toward the evening. Finally, we were able to enjoy the sunset until it was completely dark and many colorful lights glittered in the city.

There is a great timelapse video at https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg6Lpzqhigb/ :)