I arrived in Adelaide dazed and confused after 30 hours of travelling to get there. It was morning, so dropped my luggage off at the Mantra Hindmarsh Square Hotel a took a stroll there in the downtown area. Historic heritage buildings interspese austere modern architecture. The Rundle Mall is a pedestrian zone devoted to convincing you to buy all the beautiful things you never knew you needed so much. My teenage daughter would have loved all the surfi girl clothing and accessories from Billabong, Hurley, Volcom and Roxi. Watching people do their Christmas shopping and listening to songs about snow there in the 42° baking heat was bizarre for this northern hemisphere mountain woman. I found a nice little gourmet gallery there with a food market with primarily Asian food. Feeling rejuvenated after some fresh sushi and a nice cup of sencha, I wandered over to Victoria Square where I discovered a few posh boutiques on King William Street. The Downtown Market was a buzzing hub of vendors of gorgeous fruits and vegetables, tasty local cheeses, meat, bread, olive oil and other food. I stocked up on some fresh fruit and walked back to the hotel to check in.
Adelaide is the captial of Australia and with a population of just over 1 million, the fifth largest city in the country. It is a coastal city located on the Gulf St. Vincent.
Temperatures had cooled the next morning and rain was predicted and I had another day to rest before the Master of Wine residential Seminar would begin. A run on the beach sounded applealing. Maybe some oxygen to my brain and muscles would help with the jet lag.
Glenelg is Adelaide`s most popular beach and can be easily reached by a half-hour tram ride from Victoria Square. There I found a alively beach volleyball tournament between South Australian primary schools. A couple of the kids informed me that it was only three more weeks until their summer break.
In the historic Glenelg Town Hall, the award-winning Bay Discovery Centre tracks how the region’s seaside lifestyle has evolved since European settlement.
Adelaide was founded in 1836 as the planned capital for the only freely settled British province in Australia. It was named in honour of German-born Queen Adelaide, consort of King William IV. The area was originally inhabited by indigenous Australians of the Kaurna tribe.
Jetty Road is filled with people relaxing at the numerous cafés and eateries spilling out into the street.