Adelaide

Having just finished a game of darts (at which, I might add, I have failed miserably) and a few too many glasses of champange with Len and Jess in their Adelaide backyard, I return to my leather-bound, self-indugent journal.

There have been many instances in the past week where the question, "Why are you going to Adelaide?" has been raised, as if the city were a sort of cesspit. On the contrary, Adelaide is marvelous! The drive from Kangaroo Island (where i beheld not only kangaroos but koalas, goanas, wallabies and legions of possums, not to mention a fabulous visit with Maggie, her grandaughter and son!) to Adelaide twisted through wine country and cheese farms into the city. Aside from it's breathtaking beautiful beaches (say that 5 times fast...) Adelaide reminded me of the mellow, laid-back Calgary where I grew up, before it became the money-driven oil-drinking center of Alberta...

The past few days have been spent chillin' with Len and Jess, getting to know them on a more-than-casual basis, along with their friends Nick and Cass. It's always great to spend time and reminisce with people from home. It's been so damn hot (over 40 degrees) that our trips to the stunning, clean, not-too-crowded Brighton Beach have been short, although a dip into the cool ocean was much needed.

Today we drove out to Handorf, a German settlement outside of Adelaide. Although the "authentic" German pubs, and in fact the few streets making up the entire town, were somewhat tacky, the beer, sausages and saurkraut were phenomenal.

I'll be sad to leave, if I can ever pull myself away from this beautiful town and these quality friends.