Adelaide

My first stop in Adelaide was at the Central Market, where I had some good coffee and read The Advertiser, a local newspaper, to know what's happening in the world. I have noticed two things when listening to (on the radio, when I was driving) or reading the news. The first thing is that there is a big focus on agricultural matters - fish quotas, milk production policies and so on are big issues here, which shows the important weight of agriculture in the Australian economy; the second thing is the focus on criminality. Both the news on TV and the newspaper seem to love murder fait divers, although this is one of the safest countries on Earth (but when reading the newspaper you could believe you are in El Salvador). Similarly, I find it interesting that although Australians seem to be very respectful of rules (when driving, for instance, or as far as their wildlife is concerned), you often see these threatening signposts warning you that should you dare to smoke or over speed or approach a seal or do this or that you will be fined xxx $ (the signpost will mention the amount).

 

After the Central Market, which I loved, I rented a bike for free at a place in the centre and went for a ride near the river - a short one, unfortunately, as I had to return the bike before 4:30pm. Still, I was able to see pretty much of the centre. Adelaide has a relaxed atmosphere for a city of more than 1 million people. I met a Brit who took a picture of me with the bike (how many pictures do I actually have of myself in Australia? 6? 7?) who has recently moved here precisely because of this  relaxed vibe with all the advantages of a big city.

 

Central Market

Adelaide from the river

 

After returning the bike I took the tram to Glenelg beach and decided to stay there for the sunset sipping a South Australian Sauvignon. That's when Lynn and Peter approached me and asked if they could sit at my table. We had a delightful conversation. When you meet people just for a short moment together it's often difficult to go beyond the standard conversation (how long do you stay in Australia, etc), but sometimes it does happen and I had a lovely time with them. The sunset was rather dull, but who cares about the sunset anyway.

 

Glenelg

 

Tomorrow I'm leaving South Australia by train (a 24h journey) and going to Alice Springs (Northern Territory). If everything goes well, soon I should see Uluru right in front of me, I can hardly believe it!!!