First time on the other side of the world

In my first roster (schedule) in January I got amazing and desirable Australia. This time I made my way down to Melbourne. Australia’s second largest city with population of nearly 5 million people. This is twice as much as in the whole of Slovenia, my beautiful country. How does a girl from small Slovenia find herself in a big Australian city? She could say, “Don’t follow the majority, follow the right way. There is only your way. “

January 24, eight in the morning … I walked past E-gate and my thoughts were on the other side of the world. Although you can get Australian cities pretty easily as an Emirates cabin crew, I was thrilled to fly there. Australia is already the most remote continent for us, Slovenians. The journey is long and the country itself is really expensive. Not just airline tickets, but also Australian lifestyle. I had so many different thoughts in my head I almost forgot I travel to Melbourne with my batchmate Anna from Newcastle. At least someone with whom I can explore the beauty of this city.

After standard process of briefing, boarding and pre-flight duties we began a 13 hours long flight. Two full services and light snack in between. Required rest in so-called Crew Rest Compartment (CRC). How long is this rest? Depending on our productivity and length of the flight. However, according to the legality, we need at least two and a half hours of rest. With such a busy schedule, the 13 hours long flight passes quickly. And you are ready to land in Melbourne or any other Australian city. At six in the morning we landed at Melbourne Airport and took the bus to our hotel – Pullman on the Park. I think I was in my room around eight in the morning. I was tired, after zero sleep in the last 20 hours. As I had almost 35 hours long layover in front of me, I went to bed and fell asleep for the next four hours.

The very first day I explored the city on my own. Most of my colleagues already had their own plans (shopping, hanging out with friends), so I spent time with myself.

1. Melbourne is a city full of parks. Residents go there to hang out with friends, take a short break or even have a picnic party. Our hotel stands next to Fitzroy Garden, one of the largest parks in Melbourne. I walked past the lake, magnificent trees, the information point and also a small cafe. Worth mentioning and visiting in this park is definitely Cook’s Cottage – a house where James Cook’s lived.

2. Only a few minutes walk away you can find Melbourne Cricket Ground and National Sports Museum. You can get a free view of this stadium, but only from outside. For everyone interested in the history of Australian sport, they offer walk trough the museum (closed till February 2020 for renovation). Likewise, any Australian cricket fan can watch the match, but not for free 😊

3. It was time to go to downtown. But my plan changed on the way there. Although, we are really a sport family, I didn’t know that the Australian Open 2019 was taking place in Melbourne that day. What is it? One of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. I decided to take a look at the match scheduled that day. I grabbed a beer and watched women’s doubles final. The match was even more interesting, because of Australian player Samantha Stosur, who won doubles with Chinese player Shuai. Imagine this enthusiasm of Australian fans.

4. I ended my day with a walk along the Yarra River. The most fascinating is certainly the view of the Melbourne skyscrapers. But there are also many benches you can sit on during your walk. From here you can get a really good view of Melbourne and you can feel the whole city vibe. I stayed until sunset and headed back to the hotel in the evening.

The next morning, after breakfast (a must-have meal of my day) Anna and I set out to explore the city. It was January 26, Australia Day. It marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain in Sydney. This is an opportunity for people to think about what it means to be Australian. I was really lucky to be a part of this multicultural celebration in Melbourne. A parade took place around the city, there were concerts and picnics in the parks, and the day ended with traditional fireworks display at Docklands Harbor. I couldn’t imagine a better date to visit this amazing city.

5. We wanted to use public transport that day, but nothing worked, because of national celebration. But still, trams are the most popular and commonly used transportation in Melbourne. You have connections all over the place, from north to south, from east to west. Alternatively, you can use the free city tram number 35, which makes a circle around the city centre.

6. So we went to Queen Victoria Market, which is the largest open market in the Southern Hemisphere. The market is historically, architecturally and socially significant and has been listed as a cultural heritage site. Historically, it is the only survivor market since the 19th century and it is actually built on the Old Town Cemetery. Architecturally, because of distinctive construction style and socially, because you can learn about people’s habits and actually make proper contact. Today, the market is primarily a tourist attraction. It is open daily with the exception of Mondays and Wednesdays. And what can we find there? In seven hectares of large territory, we can buy everything – food (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish etc.), dresses (clothes), handbags, shoes, toys, souvenirs and more and more. Of course, we are girls, so we couldn’t get out of our skin. Each of us bought an Australian flag, in support of the National Day.

7. From Elizabeth street we reached Flinders Street Railway Station. It is one of the most popular places where people gather – “I’ll meet you under the clocks ” they would say. It is Australia’s oldest train station and therefore an urban icon.

8. Just a moment away, we can rest on Federation Square, which is an artistic and cultural centre. It is designed to connect the historic part of the city to the Yarra River and the new part of the city. There are many cultural buildings, including Victoria National Gallery (free) and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. But most importantly; you can have coffee here and enjoy the view of the hustle and bustle of the city.

9. Even before Anna and I talked about what we were going to do in Melbourne, she mentioned to me she really wants to see street art/graffiti. These can be found in different streets of Melbourne, quite legally. Street artists can create new graffiti in certain (not all) streets and enjoy drawing new patterns. Thus, in Melbourne we can see a lot of streets, which are completely covered with graffiti. Some of the famous streets are: AD / DC Lane and Duckboard Place, Hosier and Rutledge lanes, Centre Place, Flinders Court, Union Lane, Croft Alley and many others. If I had to pick one I liked the most, I would choose Hosier and Rutledge lanes. Definitely worth seeing.

10. Finally, we took a stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens, which are spread over two banks (Melbourne and Cranbourne). A relaxed and hot ending to a summer day in Melbourne. Next time, I’ll definitely take more time for this part of the city and I’ll explore it more closely.

We returned to the hotel in the afternoon. It was just enough time to hop into a nearby supermarket and buy fruits and vegetables for Dubai. Why? Fruits and vegetables in Australia are so good, that it is a sin not to buy them. Of course, I also bought the famous chocolates – Arnolds Tim Tam’s chocolates. Worth every bite. After a short shopping trip, I headed back to my hotel room and I fell asleep for at least four hours. I can say that I gained new strength for the 14 hours flight back to the city of sand, Dubai.

Melbourne – I am totally impressed. The positive energy of the people certainly helped. I believe I will visit this South Australian town again and explore the new hidden corners of it. Until then, see you in another Australian town. What do you think is next?