Day 2 - Melbourne

On the second day, we start with a walking city tour. First, we pass by St Paul's Cathedral and then walk through Hosier Lane. Hosier Lane is known for its urban art scene and graffiti. It's worth coming back multiple times as the graffiti keeps changing or getting painted over. There was even a Banksy here, but it got painted over by other artists. We end up in Fitzroy Gardens and visit Cooks' Cottage. Then we continue through Carlton Gardens to the Royal Exhibition Building, which is an exhibition venue. We make a detour to the Melbourne Museum and explore a free interactive exhibition on road safety in Australia (Vision Zero - zero deaths and serious injuries from road traffic accidents per year until 2050). The concept is very impressive, and we learn how little protection the human body has in a car crash. From that moment on, we pay even closer attention to road signs and pedestrian lights. We continue walking through the Central Business District to Queen Victoria Market. With about seven hectares, it's one of the largest open-air markets in the Southern Hemisphere. The market represents a part of Melbourne's culture and history, as it has been around for 144 years. Here, we can find fruits, vegetables, souvenirs, fashion, gourmet food, organic products, fresh fish, meat, as well as baked goods and small dishes. We decide to have a wrap and are quite disappointed.

Afterwards, we play a round of chess at the State Library of Victoria and visit the beautiful Ian Potter Queen's Hall and the octagonal La Trobe Reading Room. Then we head back to the hostel as we are getting quite tired and need an afternoon nap. In the evening, we finally go to the Melbourne Central Shopping Centre to grab some food in the food courts. We quickly realize that some snack bars, restaurants, and fast food chains close as early as 6 pm in Australia, some even at 8 or 9 pm. We soon learn that most supermarkets also close at 6 pm, as well as the stores in shopping malls. We're not sure if this is due to the Australian work mentality ("just a job") or the strict regulations. In the end, we're lucky to find an Indian fast-food restaurant among the closed eateries.