What time is it there?!

Wow....... what a great city. We have arrived at the perfect time because there is so much going on and so much to see and do. Coupled with many hundreds of thousands more people in residence than normal and you have a real party atmosphere. We will keep the Commonwealth Games and Grand Prix stuff separate so that we won't bore the non die-hard fans amongst you, this bit is just about the city itself.

Historically there is a real 'rivalry' between Sydneysiders and Melburnians, with the residents of each city constantly running down the other (Think England v Scotland, it seems that serious to some people!). We can safely now put the record straight as we have been to both. We promise not to be biased to the city we have spent the longest in ...!

Melbourne is an eclectic mix of the old and the new with some superb old architecture nestled between steel and glass. One of the hearts of the place is Federation Square .... icon or eyesore .... you decide. The Yarra river runs through its heart and wandering along the south bank could have you mistaken that you are somewhere else in the world. One of its other advantages is that it is relatively small so you can walk around it with ease. It has one of the most comprehensive tram systems in the world and took me fondly back to my days in Amsterdam, although I don't remember any being decked out as an indian love carriage! It also has a free tourist shuttle which takes you to all the main destinations although it helps if the bus driver isn't on his first day and knows when to turn the tape on and off! It gets terribly confusing when you are hearing about things that are nearly half way round from where you are! It has such a fantastic atmosphere and is a place that we can certainly recommend to anyone as a holiday (or job) destination.

We have had a couple of experiences where we have realised that we are not as young as we used to be ....... 5am bed times just don't work when you are over thirty!!!!! But we are persevering on getting our stamina up!

Melbourne, you get 10 out of 10, thanks. Sydney 'v' Melbourne - our verdict ....... the latter. Apologies to anyone who disagrees.