Forever Paisley

Queen Victoria Market.  Chapel Street.  South Yarra.  Flinders Lane.  Parliament.  Queen Victoria Gardens.  King’s Domain.  St Kilda Beach.  Flinders Station.  Yarra River.  I saw it all yesterday on my 24km city hike through Melbourne.

Queen Victoria Market really puts Pike’s Place to shame, it’s ginormous.  Fresh produce, fish fillets, olives, cheese, belts, magic genie lamps, luggage … you name it, it’s at the Queen Victoria Market.  Upon arriving to the infamous shopping center I, unintentionally, wound up in a maze of butchered animals.  I kept on, eventually finding the vegetarian friendly zones where I scored a quart of fresh strawberries for $1 and a delicious, soy-free veggie burger for $4.50.  Sorry all, I didn’t end up with any souvenirs … I thought I could find you something better than Levi’s and fake gold watches.

No longer famished and coke zero in hand I started to make my way South.  The city center itself is ridiculously packed with shops, restaurants and hotels on every corner.  I can handle the crowds, but it’s not what I live for by any means.   Upon passing the Yarra River things got much quieter and their were gardens, monuments and parks in every direction.  Now that’s my style.  I weaved in an out of the parks which eventually led me to Chapel Street.   Similar to the city center, Chapel St. is very commercialized but the crowd is more eclectic.  Outdoor patios filled with twenty-somethings sipping on an afternoon brew.  Cafe’s surrounded by sixty year old men, chain smoking and playing cards.   Kids in uniforms making their way home from school.  A cyclist, flat on the ground after being “tapped” by a smart car.  Me, an American tourist with a bottle of water in one hand and a map in the other.

My final destination was St Kilda beach, which had pretty much emptied out by the time I got there.  I took a few moments to enjoy the view and rest my legs.  For a moment I considered trekking back via a different route … surely, it was only 15 more kilometers.  I considered it, until the Eastbound 96 landed right in front of me.  I hopped on the tram and called it a day.

Today, I am going to do a bit more exploring in the city, grab some lunch and then head to Flinders Station to catch a Southbound train.  Lindsay, Dave and I are headed out on a camping trip for a couple of nights.  Kangaroos, snakes and wallabies … oh my!

Day 9,539.  Hitting the dusty road.

Cherrettie