Melbourne City Tour : Next Stop - Queen Victoria Market

Downtown Melbourne, especially the CBD area is a great place to walk around. Old and new buildings stood next to each other, the trams, cars, even the pedestrians create such a unique  and striking blend of being old world albeit a little cosmopolitan and hip. I am in love with my first Australian city!

Our tour guide told us we have an hour and a half to roam around the Queen Victoria Market. The market's name just drove home the point of the country's membership in the Commonwealth and that it is a territory that used to be a part of the British empire (my head just couldn't get around the fact that in Europe where the cradle of modern civilization is from, most of the countries there still practice monarchy even in the 21st century --- a bit antiquated and out of date). 

Too much over-thinking on a holiday hehehehe, so off we went........I so love markets!

Again, there is a little bit of history in this place. This open air market has been in existence since the late 1800s, and has continued to be the source of fresh produce and meats for the Melbournians for decades.

The first place we went to is a huge covered hall full of clothing items, reminded me of the "ukay-ukay"stalls back home. I'm sure most of the items displayed there either came from China or just are plain brand rip-offs (or maybe both).

This would not have been out of place in any Asian country --- parang ukay ukay lang! lol

We went inside the different zones (the market is divided into several zones, there is a deli hall, a meat & fish hall, the seafood section, etc) while munching on the beef jerky we purchased from one of the shops. 

The covered food arcades are definitely a delight! Shops selling different varieties of meats, cheeses, breads. Here, they are so big into the fresh and organic farm produce so everywhere you turn there are shops selling organic this and that.

There are also a few cafes where people were lining up for a cup of espresso or cappuccino (must be very popular). We also lined up for ours --- as we haven't had any breakfast at all. 

Loved the vibe.....loved the colorful graffiti in the walls outside!

This food truck selling doughnuts is so popular that the line snakes out all over the place. I would have wanted to also try how tasty it might be, but we just don't have the time to queue up.