KEY POINTS:
My nose is savouring the smell of gorgonzola as my tongue relishes the taste of anchovy-stuffed olives.
But then the hiss and clatter from an espresso machine drowns my conversation with the cheese vendor and the aroma of freshly roasted coffee takes over from the cheese.
Am I
in a Parisian market? Italy, possibly?
No, this is downtown Melbourne, only 3 hours away from Auckland, and I'm shopping at the Queen Victoria Market's Deli Hall.
The Deli Hall (built in 1927) is a feast for all the senses. It's not just the smells and sounds that envelope you.
The huge variety of culinary delights are displayed like a Van der Meer painting: fresh pastas and sauces, cheeses, salamis and cured meats, olives and oils, fresh pastries and bread, each presented in its own kiosk within the lovely glass-roofed, Art Deco hall.
The crush of people is warming, contrasting with the icy touch of the marble counter-tops - old-fashioned refrigeration - and the samples of cheese and olives, herbs and spices, coffees and teas, threaten to send shoppers into sensory overload.
Some products are imported, but Melbourne's large influx of European immigrants in the late 19th century brought the skills required to grow and prepare foods that have taken hundreds of years to perfect.
There are also some distinctly Australian flavours to be savoured: where else can you buy smoked kangaroo meat?
The locals come early, ready to pounce when the market opens at 6am (9am on Sundays). The tourists arrive later, making progress slow, but that means you can wallow in delicatessen heaven for longer.
Getting to the markets couldn't be easier.
Melbourne's transport system is comparable to any great European city with suburban trains and trams reaching all over the region.
Fares are cheap and the service is regular and reliable. And, while trams may be a little slow, they offer an opportunity to soak up the local architecture, varying from beautifully preserved ornate Victorian, through Arts and Crafts and Art Deco to strikingly modern.
The Queen Victoria Markets have been feeding Melbournian bodies and souls every day (except Mondays) for more than 125 years. They'll be around for a lot longer yet, I'm sure, so it's good to know that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to get a taste of Europe.
*Alex Robertson paid his own way to Melbourne.
