I had contemplated over and over again – what are the main places I want to see in Australia? In total, I had just over 3 weeks in this big country and there is SO much to see and do. I can’t possibly expect to see everything – that would be like trying to see the entire U.S. in 3 weeks, it’s not gonna happen. So, I made the conscious decision to chill out, enjoy the time I do have and no stressing out about what I did NOT fit in – right-O!
I had pretty much ruled out Brisbane, Perth, the Gold Coast and Cairns. Very sad, but with the floods in Brisbane, cyclone in Cairns, and bush fires in Perth, I just didn’t think this was time to go to these places. It’s been a rough natural disaster year for Australia.
That said, I wanted to see and compare the wine region of Australia to my favorite wine region of them all, Napa/Sonoma. I booked a flight to Adelaide. I said good-bye to Tasha and Matt for now and I was off. I arrived in Adelaide at noon with a ½ hour time change – never have I been somewhere that has only a ½ hour time difference. I took the city bus from the airport to the main city center and made my way to my hostel. I felt misled by my handy dandy lonely planet travel guide. I picked their recommended place to stay and didn’t like it one bit. If you are ever going to go to Adelaide, don’t stay at “My Place”. I wasn’t planning on staying more that two nights so, I forced myself to tolerate this cramped, dingy place. I dropped off my bags and first thing on the list - I wanted to see the very popular food market. I started walking and it was hot outside – did I say hot, I mean really hot, upwards of 35 degrees (=95+ degrees fahrenheit) with some humidity thrown in for good measure. I finally got to the market and was overwhelmed by everything they had. I was so hungry, but kept wandering because I just couldn’t make a decision on what to eat. Meats, cheeses, nuts, sauces, breads, fruits, veggies – pretty much anything and everything you’d want was there. I bought some pot stickers, veggies, pasta and some pesto for dinner and headed back to put my goods in the refrigerator. I ate an early dinner and decided to walk the town. I walked, walked and did some more walking and saw: The Adelaide University, The Art Gallery, The Rundle Mall and the grounds where the Adelaide Fringe was to take place - The Garden of Unearthly Delights. The Fringe Festival is an annual arts festival and consists of cabaret, theatre, music, comedy, dance and visual arts. The festival lasts for 3 weeks and is world renown. I was there for the opening , but just didn't have the energy to go the first night. I headed back to the yucky hostel and went to bed. Next up...some vino!
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