Our first day in Adelaide is Sunday and we sleep the day away after an unplanned four-day travel adventure including Johannesburg, Dubai and Sydney, delayed planes and rugby tournaments. The piece de resistance is Saturday night. We spend it in a Sydney McDonalds in a five-hour chat with a Jewish man from Auckland, New Zealand and traveling to Tel Aviv to marry by the Wailing Wall.
After sleeping on a plane for two nights and chatting for one we are exhausted by the time we take the bus from the airport. After the bus empties our bus driver goes out of his way to take us almost to our door…such a kind welcome to our new city.
We awake Monday in our little Adelaide house, Casa Tango, formerly a worker’s row house. Our house is within the one mile square of land that marks the city center. Our street is quiet but there is everything we need; grocery, pharmacy (chemists, here), library and coffee shops and restaurants right around the corner. No laundrette though, ah well.
Dana and I acclimate differently to new environs. Dana wants to go out and discover where he is exactly. I like to settle in and discover my new house generally. Somehow we manage to accommodate both needs on our first day. We unpack, move in and then set off to meander and get our first feel of Adelaide.
Wisteria in bloom
On our walk we discover broad avenues lined with trees and parks, vine-covered Victorian cottages and amazingly well-preserved historic buildings holding homes, museums, businesses, restaurants, shops and markets. Adelaide is the “city of churches” and we see many on our walk to be visited on another day.
The feel of Adelaide is “arms open” and, after Sicily and South Africa, very, very fast. People walk and talk quickly. Dana and I find ourselves struggling to keep up. We absorbed more of the slow and sunny Sicilian spirit than we realized.
On Monday night the owners of Casa Tango, Jill and Paul, come over to welcome us and bring a half-dozen eggs from their hens. They live in the street behind us, a 42 second walk door-to-door. They are delightful and welcome us warmly with great good spirits.
We are so looking forward to the new adventure…Adelaide.
MedFlies 
I asked Neil Gould, Ozian, exopolitician friend living and running his own business in Hong Kong, for suggestions for best fun things to see and do in Oz and he says: “Ozzy: Adelaide is a bit out of my area of joy; Of course the North east, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is a must; some extra cash though to visit Lizard Island or Hamilton Island to stay in the resort.” fwiw.
No problema, Senora, Tu tienes dinero, todos los gentes hablan Englese, en Valparaiso o Viet Nam………
Enjoy
n
All of those Australian sites sound wonderful but a long, long way from Adelaide.Our infinitesimal travel plan has us just in Adelaide and environs and of course Kangaroo Island. Thanks for thinking of us Neil.
Oh Jill, so glad you are there. I look forward to waking up in the a.m. and reading your stories in bed, iPhone in one hand and coffee in the other, with Pepper and Jon by my side. Best way to start the day. xoxD
Sounds wonderful. I will think of you there reading. xxooJ
So good to hear all’s ok. On to another adventure! Thanks so much!
glad you had a safe trip!
… glad you arrived safe and sound but your travel of four days sounds a trifle exhausting! …
A trifle, but the funny thing is once you arrive you forget all of the travails of the journey.
That was quite a travel story. Sounds like you made the best of it and can now relax into your new environment. The new home is adorable. Your 3 homes so far have been fabulous, each in their own way. We await your latest adventures in Adelaide. At least you don’t have to worry about learning a different language…
Yes the language is especially challenging in the first few days when you are setting up. I am hoping to recognize some of the words when we arrive in Chile. We’ll see. We met a young man who lives in Valparaiso on a ferry in Capetown. He says the dialect is so different in Valparaiso my Spanish class may not help. Yikes.