The Adelaide YHA is my first experience in a youth hostel ( a bit of a misnomer since about 25% of the guests are definitely over 30). We have a private room with a balcony overlooking a park and our own bathroom, but no TV or phone (who needs them!). In the lounge/kitchen/dining area, upbeat music from an itunes playlist (Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson are heard from time to time) keeps the atmosphere lively. We labeled our perishables in bags and shared refrigerator space with the other guests as well as having our own cubbie for non-perishables. More on the YHA later.
On our first morning in Adelaide at the YHA we bought Bill a breakfast of ham, 2 eggs, hash browns, tomato and toast for $5. The catch is that we had to cook it! I treated him that morning, but here he is the next day doing his own.
Of course I had my usual fiber cereal (found at a nearby health food store), soy milk, orange juice and banana. The coffee is instant, but surprisingly good.
After breakfast, we checked in with the in-house travel agent who booked us a wine tour for Wednesday, then struck out to explore and do a little shopping. Our first stop was Cosmic Pages, so named because of all the meditation and inspirational material there. It was a very peaceful place. Sam Chapman would love it. In the fiction section, I found, among other books, The Education of Little Tree, The Life of Pi, Mutant Messages From Down Under and other familiar titles. It seemed only right that Bill should have his picture made here.
It might not be obvious that Bill doesn't have his raincoat with him. That is because it is still in his closet in Metter. So our next stop was the same store where he bought a polar fleece jacket the last time he was here when it was really cold. He found a nice one for a reasonable price. Our trek continued to Rundle Mall, the Lenox Square of Adelaide, complete with Borders, Sunglasses Hut, etc. Because neither of us can hear the alarm on my new clock from REI nor do we don't know what time it is when we are wandering around, it seemed that a watch with an alarm would help our situation. Well, I now have the watch, but the alarm is even softer than the clock. Oh well, we will worry about that when we have to meet the next bus at 6:30 AM on Saturday. Not much charm or originality in the mall, but we did find this fellow checking out the trash. Actually he is part of a group of bronze piggies along the mall walk.
Having eaten at restaurants for so many days, we decided that we could find something at Central Market and cook at the YHA. One of the largest produce markets in the southern hemisphere, Central Market is full of local foods, including meat, fish breads, cheeses, and old-fashioned lollies (candies). Our choices were a container of lasagna and sauce and a small loaf of garlic bread. For less than $10 we had ourselves a gourmet dinner complete with a red shiraz chosen at the same market.
Quite ironically, as we returned to the YHA, what should be parked in front of the building, but this truck. Polly, we didn't see the "pool man", but wondered if he drives a Harley or if he is good-looking and single. Tell Larry he has a bit of competition.
For a while after dinner, we sat in the commons area of the YHA listening to music, reviewing our trip so far, and watching the other guests. It was a mellow evening. Later, as we drifted off to sleep, our thoughts were of the wine tour to Barossa Valley coming up the following morning.
One Response to Exploring Adelaide