Adelaide

We arrived in Adelaide Monday morning and went to our hotel. They said we could have our room in about 45 minutes, so we went off to find some lunch. There was a Hogs Breath Restaurant nearby. We’d seen this chain in other places and decided to try it. They were just opening up. Easter Monday is a bank holiday here in Australia, so there was almost no one around the city. I had a coconut shrimp salad and Dan had a chicken caesar wrap. The decor is similar to an Applebee’s in the US; the walls were decorated with old US license plates.

A gelato shop just down the street finished off our lunch. Isn't it beautiful?

Our hotel is an apartment complex, with studios as well as 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom units. This gives us a kitchenette for making tea and a more spacious room. The garage and reception are on the ground floor and the rooms begin one level up with a nice plaza.

Next door they are replacing huge windows on a building of the University of South Australia.

After lunch we left for the suburb of Mitcham, where Abhra and his family live. They have a nice large rental home quite near Scotch College where he works and the children attend school. His parents were also visiting from Calcutta, enjoying their grandchildren. We had a pleasant afternoon visiting. Before dinner Dan, Abhra and I took a walk up their quiet street, where there are frequently koalas nesting in the trees. But not that day! We enjoyed a comfort meal of mince, dal and rice.

We thought we might do more sight-seeing on Tuesday, but decided to check out the city a bit more. We took the free tram to a shopping plaza. We visited a shop that sells opal jewelry and has a display mine in the basement. However, we passed on the opals, which were very expensive.

Our next and last stop in Australia is Alice Springs, in the center of this large continent. We are flying back to Sydney and onwards from there to Alice. We are looking forward to a completely different type of countryside, the real Outback.