Week 65 - Adelaide (Australia)

The week started with a ridiculously hot day and the temperature soared to 44°C. Alan had tasked us with picking up a paddling pool for the garden while he was at work. When we got it home it took us over 5 hours to set it up and fill it, it’s a pretty big paddling pool. While it was filling we packed a picnic and headed down to the beach for a swim in the sea. Alan had been paddling when his mum was down (despite his constant shark warnings) and led us to belive it was warm, along with the hundreds of people frolicking in the waves when we got there we figured it must be lovely. It was freezing, I don’t know what these Australians consider warm but that isn’t it, Rhys didn’t even go all the way in and he’s Welsh. 

Back at the house we finished filling the pool and headed into the city for a walk around before we were due to meet Alan from work. We checked out Rundle Mall which isn’t a mall but a pedestrianised street lined with shops and shopping centres. We were expecting some spectacular Christmas decorations but they really don’t seem to go in for that here. After a mooch around some of the shops and realising we don’t have any money so shopping is a bit of a waste of time, we ended up walking towards what we thought was a church for a quick look as it was too hot to walk far. It turned out to be one of the university buildings and among a strip of really nice 19th century buildings, set around little grassy squares we stumbled upon the Art Gallery of South Australia. The air con was a saviour and the gallery was actually really good, a great amalgamation of pieces, lots of William Morris and Pre-Raphaelite interspersed with Aboriginal, Asian and Roman.

Adelaide Arcade, Rundle Mall, Adelaide.

An attempt at Christmas decoration, Rundle Mall, Adelaide.

University buildings, Adelaide.

Our next stop was at the bar across from Alan’s office where we met up with Al and Slater who had sacked off his work Christmas party to come into the city and join us. After a few drinks we wandered over to a hostel bar with a roof terrace for happy hour before heading to Heinley Street, a street lined with bars. The bar we ended up in had a rodeo bull, after several attempts Al won by one second, staying on the bull for a massive 17 seconds. We were then completely shown up by a girl who stayed on for 27 seconds. After a few more drinks and a lot of dancing by Slater and Rhys, we grabbed a gyros (Al swears it is different to a donor kebab but that’s very debatable) and caught a taxi with a very grumpy driver home.

Rhys, Al and Slater at the hostel bar, Adelaide.

Rhys showing off his rodeo skills!

Bad planning meant we all woke feeling a bit worse for wears just as Alan’s dad’s flight arrived from Sydney. It was great to finally meet David, Nettie and Nettie’s daughter Rochelle, David looks so much like Rhys’s dad Billy it’s a bit unnerving! We spent the morning in the garden making the most of the pool before they headed over to the house they’d rented nearby to drop off their luggage. Later that afternoon we met at the tram stop to head to the Morphettville racetrack for the twilight horse races. We set a $30 limit to betting and all put $5 in a pot as a prize for the person who ended the night with the most money. Rhys was having a blinder and chose 3 winners and a place out of the 6 races we saw but was overtaken by David when his outside bet came in. David ended up winning the prize pot and was the only person to end the night having made an overall profit. We had a great night, we had a table out on the grass near the finish line and close to the parade ground and the sparkling wine was cheaper than beer so we got to feel posh with our champagne flutes. By the time we got back to Glenelg we were all pretty tired and tipsy and after grabbing fast food for dinner, called it a night.

Rhys picking his horse, Morphettville races, Adelaide.

Rhys, Al, Nettie, David and Rochelle at the Morphettville races, Adelaide.

David and Nettie stopped by the next morning and we arranged to meet them later at the tram station to head into the city to the Central Market. Lauren, another of Nettie’s daughters had flown in and joined us to make it a real outing. We stopped at the China town food court for super cheap lunch and then dived in to the crowds at the market. As it was near closing time everything was on offer and we walked around picking up sausages, veg and cheeses. We left Al and the family and darted off to K-Mart to buy Rhys a cheap hat (surprise surprise, he lost another one leaving it in immigration when we flew in). That evening we headed over to the house David had rented for a delicious BBQ. We ended up staying there quite late, drinking goon, eating sausages and chatting. On the walk home we finished off the goon then sat up in the garden talking some more.

David, Nettie and family were flying the following afternoon and after they checked out of their house they headed over to ours for another BBQ. Although it was a very slow start (we’re really not very good at lighting charcoal BBQ’s) the meat cooked in the end and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye. 

That evening we had tickets to the Ben & Jerry’s Openair cinema. We arrived with a bottle of vodka to find we couldn’t take liquids in and ended up sitting on the beach, watching the final of a beach volleyball contest until it was empty. Then we headed in to the cinema and had a couple of hours to eat free ice cream, sample wine (we went back 4 times, we had a lot of free wine) and play giant jenga and mini golf, along with our goody bags we definitely got our moneys worth. Once the film started we got all wrapped up in our sleeping bag liners against the cold sea wind and laid down on our blanket to enjoy. Within minutes Rhys and Alan were asleep. Al was snoring so loudly the people behind were laughing and I had to wake him up. I don’t think anyone knew what the film was about- The Counselor, I don’t recommend it. I do recommend the Openair cinema though. Alan snuck out with a giant cowpat stuffed in the cool bag and nearly got chased by security and we headed home.

Beach volleyball, Adelaide.

Al, me and Rhys with our snazzy free hats at the Ben & Jerry's Openair cinema.

Sunset over Adelaide beach.

Monday was pretty uneventful, me and Rhys did the final Christmas food shop and other than that we just chilled at the house. It’s so different to at home, there are no queues in the supermarkets and there were even still turkeys left!

Tuesday was Christmas Eve. Al worked and me, Rhys and Slater had final chores before the big day. Slater bought a whole heap of chemicals for the paddling pool as the water had gone worryingly cloudy and him and Rhys spent a lot of time cleaning it and making it usable. I got my bake on and pumped out mince pies, sausage rolls, cheese sticks and the pastry case for the lemon meringue pie. Rhys did a final shop run to pick up the bits we’d forgotten. We stopped by the local bar for a few pre-Christmas ciders in the sun and when Al got home, we watched a rubbish Christmas movie - Bad Santa.