Once cleared to disembark in Melbourne, one would think we immediately scampered from the ship… but no… ‘there a place, a place where not even light can escape‘, which is a Cliff’ism, whose wit and intelligence are unmatched— Clifford, you will forever be missed. For such a place is the Crystal Cove. We stopped there for a cocktail— I having a freshly squeezed vodka with grapefruit added and Meredith a Sidecar.

We spoke to two security personnel at the gate as to which method of transport into Melbourne center was better: tram or taxi. They were split on this one, but the gal won us over and being so comfortable with the NYC subway system, we opted for the tram, which is conveniently located at the end of the pier.

The Melbourne tram system is extensive and one of the most efficient systems we have traveled— except for the first time use of the Myki ticket machine, which is not as intuitive as getting a NYC metro card. The cost of a first time Myki card it $6 and a minimum amount of $10 is required, per person and it it only good for one way. However, within the center, the tram system is free, and being a senior, there is a discount. I highly recommend using the tram.

With a craving for good Indian food, we found a place called Aagaman Restaurant (Elizabeth St stop on the 109). I highly recommend you cut through the arcade from Collins Street to Flinders Lane. There are so many arcades, which are covered streets lined with shops. More on this below.

After a delicious dinner, we hopped back on the 109 and made our way to casino station in time to see the fire show at the Crown Casino (weekdays starting at 9pm every hour). Weirdly entertaining, but not quite the fountains show in front of the Bellagio in LV.

We strolled through the Casino, which is an example of modern, sterile, technology of our times. There is no physical exchange of money and almost every part of it is digital, the next step is to replace the humans with robotic arms that deal out the cards.

Hopping back onto the 109, we made our way back to the ship.

The next morning we were out again on a walking excursion of Melbourne’s arcades and galleries— these are not rooms filled with pinball, pac-man or pachinko machines, but covered pathways, shells from of the eighteen hundreds, remodeled to contemporary standards.

These hidden gems are lined with shops, fitted together like legos that leave you speechless. Melbourne is a city of food, pastries & coffee, which spread out like ripples on a pond from the center.

Personally, I think it rivals Paris because you can snake through these galleries and arcades almost uninterrupted by the bustle of Melbournes corporate towers.

Fantastically, some of these galleries are covered by modern corporate shells, leaving these time capsules intact as they were when originally built.

And as much as your eyes will be drawn upwards, admiring the curved and decorated ceilings, don’t forget to look down some of the alleys for grafitti

and most importantly, down at your feet to admire the mosaic tiling.

If you were wondering about the dress….. I am putting together a separate post (next) on our dinner aboard Crystal at Nobu (Umi Uma) because there was too much to cover under this post.