Prelude
To be honest, this is probably the most "laid-back" log to date.

Normally, I would start to pen this paragraph weeks before I set off to my trip but this time round I key these words just days prior leaving.

Probably, because this time I or rather we decided to head back to the agent to do all the "dirty" stuff for us thus having that "laid back" attitude to this trip.

前提
老实说，这或许是有史以来较“懒散”的一次日志。

通常我会在出发前的几个星期把这类的“前提”写好，不过这一回我是在出发前的前几晚才动笔。

也可能是这回又交由旅行社来打点一切，所以如此懒散也。
My meal onboard 飞机餐
Air stewardess on duty 空服员执勤 Maybe it's not a bad idea to get a pre-paid roaming 也许当时该办张漫游卡
Waiting at the arrival hall 抵境大厅 First impression of Melbourne - being "Victorian" 第一印象-古典建筑的住屋

Arrival at Melbourne and The Victoria Hotel
So laid back was my approach to this trip, I did not have any slight idea what to expect when we landed at Melbourne (all I recalled that I was about to doze off again when the thumping sound woke me up).

The first impression of the city was the number of Victorian-styled buildings dotted along the street (after all, we were in the State of Victoria, didn't we?), Even our hotel in Melbourne, which is located along the slope landscape of Little Collins Street in the CBD area of the city, was built in this architectural style.

It's interesting to note the rich history behind the hotel (The Victoria Hotel) we stayed.

It was opened in 1st November 1880 and it used to host the International Olympic Committee members when the 1956 Olympic was held in the city.

初到墨尔本 和 下榻的酒店

完全对墨尔本 （即是 维多利亚洲的首府）一点概念都没有。

只觉得这城市保留了许多为维多利亚时代的建筑物，就像我们下榻的酒店（The Victoria Hotel）是建於1880年，当1956奥运会在这城市举办时这也是奥委会所下榻的旅店。
You will not get lost in downtown area of Melbourne as the roads and streets are in "grid" format 没有拐弯抹角，只有直横的街道，初到墨城者是不可能迷路地
I didn't take a ride on the cab 我没乘搭过的“得士”

But had a "free" ride on this tram 但坐了一次“逼不得已”的“霸王电车”
Melburnians start their days in road-side cafes like this
墨城人的一天始於这类型的街边咖啡馆子		 Bought this ticket for my only underground ride in Melbourne, as it cost $2.80 for a three-station ride! 唯一乘搭一次的地铁票票根，2.80元车资=三个车站！
Inside the train 地铁车厢内

On the platform 地铁月台

Chinatown and Free Ride
  • Chinatown
    Can't blame us for heading a place to fill up our stomachs with some familiar tastes upon our arrival at Melbourne (so as to avoid culinary cultural shock).

    Good thing was "Chinatown" is located within the precinct of our hotel and a little bit of walk through a back alley had us reached the place where we settled our first meal.
     
  • Free Tram Ride
    Too good to be true but there's this free tram service offered in the downtown area that provided loop service that included stops to several places of attraction in the city.
     
  • Free Tourist Bus Ride
    On top of the free Tram Ride, to cut down the transport expenses, hop onto those "Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle" that circle around the major spots of this city because you don't have to pay for it.

唐人街 和免费的交通工具

  • 唐人街
    凡是有人多的地方就一定会有唐人街的存在，不管规模是大是小总是会有你我熟悉的语言和品味。墨尔本的唐人街就位于下榻酒店的附近。这也是我们在澳洲解决第一份午餐的地方。
     

  • 免费的电车服务
     难以置信，但此城市居然提供了这类免费的服务，据了解正当其他城镇已慢慢淘汰电车，唯独墨尔本延续扩充它的路线。
     

  • 免费的旅客巴士服务
     不知是否是个赔钱的生意，除了电车以外相关当局也提供了专为游客而设的巴士服务。跟点车一样，这两种交通工具穿行本市的主要地标及旅游景点。
Chinatown's snapshot 唐人街街景
You'll be sure that you're in Chinatown based on this Chinese signage 一看到有中文字的招牌就知道人身在唐人街啦
Your typical "entrance" to any Chinatown 好像每个唐人街的入口就是这扇门
My first meal in Melbourne “酶菜扣肉饭”是我在墨城的第一餐 Random Night shot of the Chinatown (although it don't look as if it is)
摄於唐人街（虽然感觉不像）
Free Tram Service 免费电车服务
The exterior of the tram 电车的外观 The interior of the tram 电车的内部
Took this picture while waiting for the tram 正等待电车之余所摄地

Frankly speaking, it's not cheap to take public transport so utilize the free service to the fullest if you can 充分利用免费的公共交通来减缓荷包的开销

 Tram cables are all over the city of Melbourne 电车的电缆线遍布整个墨城
Free Tourist Shuttle Bus Service 免费旅客巴士服务
"Say Cheese" as I posed in front the bus 旅客巴士前留影 Take note the departing times on the sign 旅客巴士的告示牌
Sights along the journey 路过的地标
The Victorian State Parliament House 维多利亚州议会大厦

Flinders Street Station, ironically the first time I saw this landmark on TV was for the wrong reason！具有吸引力的费林得斯街火车站是这城市交通枢纽。
St Paul Cathedral 圣保罗大教堂 Federation Square 联邦坊
Cars are to make way to the trams on the roads all the time 电车在这享有“优先权” The RMIT campus along La Trobe Street RMIT是墨尔本的一所顶尖大专学府
St Patrick's Cathedral was founded by Irish settlers in Melbourne
 圣巴特利奇大教堂具有浓厚的爱尔兰色彩		 Hotel Windsor was where the first Australian Constitution was drafted in 1898
澳洲的开国宪法是在1898年於温莎酒店拟定的
Afterthoughts on the "free transport":
Too good to be true again but that's the case.

However, the only drawback of both these complimentary services is its relatively short operating hours (if based on our expectations), perhaps it's because after 5pm everything come to a standstill here in this part of the world.

乘搭后的感想：
唯一的短处是，这两类“好康”的服务只限于白天而已。（因为五，六点过后，几乎整座城市就进入停顿状态。）
 
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