We arrived in Adelaide after a drive from Tailem Bend (a very small, sleepy town) and an afternoon in the McLaren Vale (wine country south of Adelaide). Wine tasting with Ella, our 20-something server, at Chalk Hill was most delightful. She paired some wines with my favorite – chocolates;). Our lunch was a Pinsa (pizza) from the the Cucina Di Strada paired with wine suggested by Ella. After a lazy early afternoon at Chalk Hill we headed into town for some chocolate! Time to head to Adelaide😊. Lots of traffic coming out of the city before the Public Holiday (Australia Day)! Today there is very, very little traffic in the city and most places are closed. The park across the street from out hotel provide a lovely venue for my morning walk. Saw lots of interesting sport venues – a Tree Climb area; tennis courts with portable nets on turf marked with tennis lines and field hockey lines; batting cages for Cricket; fields for Aussie Football; courts for Net Ball; a 6-lane track painted on the turf; and lots of soccer nets! After seeing so many people on bikes, Plan A today was to rent bikes and take advantage of all the parks and bike trails surrounding Adelaide, but NO – the bike rentals were all closed! On to Plan B – the Zoo and the Botanic Garden. Bonus – Free parking for the Public Holiday! On our walk to the zoo we encountered hundreds of flying foxes hanging in the trees…creepy! An early dinner at one of the few open places – The Original Cooper Alehouse at the Earl – was wonderful. Back to the hotel Alba to watch the Australian Open Women’s Semis🎾
New Zealand & Australia 