Adelaide

We just got back from a few days in Adelaide.  We were there for a three day course through work, and had part of the weekend to ourselves and to explore the city.

River valley near the Conference Centre

Adelaide is very different from the other Australian cities that we have visited.  The CBD is very small (1 square mile) and almost exclusively businesses.  There are very few residences and residents in the CBD, so it was incredibly quiet on the weekend (except for the 12,000 Anime and Video Game fans at the Conference Centre!)  It has a very pretty CBD, bordered on one side by the river and surrounded by hills. 

Adelaide Hills at sunset

Although we realize that we are a couple of years out of Canada and so have lost our appreciation for the cold by living in sub-tropical Brisbane, we still found Adelaide to be almost unbearably cold.  We spent about 90 minutes on Sunday, wandering the city, desparately searching for a place for lunch.  First we had a couple of things in mind: a cozy pub or bistro, then, as the realization sunk in that very few places were open, we decided we would go anywhere that wasn't gross...then finally lowered our standards to anywhere that was open.  We finally settled into a pub that was quite nice, but it took us almost all afternoon to find.  We have been assured that the suburbs are alive and vibrant all weekend but it was too cold to take the chance on a long walk to nothing.

Statue of Charles Sturt...perhaps looking for some warmer weather

It was a good way to spend the weekend but the next time we go we will definitely try to hit the Barossa or some other wine area.  The food and restaurants in Adelaide are fantastic and eating out was definitely the highlight. 

Horatio the Piggy

As much as we enjoyed Adelaide it was so nice to come home and walk out of the airport without needing a jacket.  Brisbane might have floods and 100% humidity with 35ºC in the summer, but you really can't beat the winter here!