March 10 & 11 - Melbourne

I have spent two days exploring Melbourne and feel that I have only scratched the surface.  It is a big city with a great deal to see and do.  It's CBD (central business district), as we call it downtown, is a great place with a vibrancy to it.  They have unique little "lane ways" with cafes, restaurants and coffe houses.  They are similar to small one way streets that have been closed to traffic.  The sidewalks are for foot traffic and the street is filled with small round tables and as many chairs as possible surrounding them.  It reminds me a bit of Paris' sidewalk cafes.

There are many of these lane ways scattered throughout the central business district.

There are people walking everywhere.  It was a rainy day yesterday and yet there was still a good amount of foot traffic.  Today was a perfectly gorgeous day so there were throngs of people bustling about.  The Yarra River cuts straight through the downtown area and has walking paths and restaurants lining both sides of the river.  They have done an excellent job of creating a great pedestrian atmosphere.  

They have a wonderful tram system that moves people into and out of the city.  They are old electric trolley cars that still function well.  That and the well defined bike lanes keep the car traffic down to a manageable level even during the rush hour times.

Central station for tram and trains.

Electric trolley car lines through the central streets.

Pedestrian and bike specific bridges over the river in the CBD.

Here are some signs that are interesting...

Sign in front of a restaurant.  

The Golden Arches of MACCA'S?

Really???

I did a 35 kilometer warm up ride today to work the bugs out of the bike.  It was a great ride through the city along the river then down to the beachfront.  Got a good look and feel of a varied level of what Melbourne has to offer.  Great city to visit, I would come back when I had more time.

Tomorrow morning we start our Tour de Roo bike adventure at 7 am.  Wish me luck!