![](//3.bp.blogspot.com/-uyYpwYkLBwg/UOufCgEYO7I/AAAAAAAABpg/rfIeGOk1Ves/s320/sunset+over+Melbourne+Harbour+%281+of+1%29.jpg) |
Sunset over Melbourne |
We flew out of Auckland, where the temperature was 20 C,
and landed in Melbourne where it was 41 C.
What a difference! Melbourne, a
city of some 4 million, is the business capital of Australia. Once on the ship for our third cruise, the trip to
Adelaide was interesting, with 20 to 30 knot winds and 5 to 8 metre swells. It was a lot of fun walking on the deck, especially
for women wearing high heels. It also
made for an interesting art class with the ship moving up and down several
metres at a time. Fortunately, there are
very good seasick pills available on board.
![](//1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zr0uEomHilY/UOufNk31aUI/AAAAAAAABpo/YgGUkY_Gz_w/s320/Melbourne++Skyline+at+night+%281+of+1%29.jpg) |
Melbourne Skyline at Night |
Adelaide, in South Australia, possesses a mild climate
like that of the Mediterranean, therefore attracting many admirers to this
city. One of the more famous travelers to visit and stay for a while was Mark
Twain who described this city this as: “if the rest of Australia were half as
beautiful it was a fortunate country”. Adelaide,
named after King William IV’s wife, was first settled in 1836.
The early settlers of
South Australia were comparable to America’s Puritans. These rugged individualists built towns that
were carved out by free settlers, not convicts, in order to create a “sober and
moral society” allowing them to develop a civil code of laws and an efficient
civilized city. However, having visited
a few local bars and watched as nearly everyone here bets on every sport
imaginable, I’m not sure that these early settlers had achieved their goal.
![](//2.bp.blogspot.com/-3mqt8vEvavQ/UOufksdFOUI/AAAAAAAABpw/dqlwhvxQVJA/s320/Oldest+Church+in+Adelaide+%281+of+1%29.jpg) |
Oldest of many churches in Adelaide |
![](//1.bp.blogspot.com/-G36KzqnwxAs/UOuf0P_22PI/AAAAAAAABp4/Z5MYZjyBzGg/s320/Adelaide+from+above+%281+of+1%29.jpg) |
Adelaide from Mount Lofty |
![](//3.bp.blogspot.com/-TToMfOaf_us/UOuf-IpsShI/AAAAAAAABqA/Ra_FnoOyUvM/s320/Old+Farm+Market++Excxhange+%281+of+1%29.jpg) |
Farm market Exchange |
On our first day, where the temperature was 42 C (106 F
for those who care) Gail escorted a tour of several museums and art galleries
featuring Aboriginal art. This was
somewhat a déjà vu experience since Gail`s art class the day before featured
the influence of Aboriginal art. From
seeing a variety of local art, it turns out her Aboriginal art lesson was
pretty much `right on`. We had a class
of 35 students so it was a little crowded.
On the second day in Adelaide, Gail and John both escorted 4 hour tours
featuring a panoramic overview of the city, from the stores, churches and museums
downtown to the large number of parks, to the Mt. Lofty overlook, finally to
the white sand beaches of the community. We had a chance to see everything that
Adelaide has to offer, on a much cooler day (36 C).
![](//2.bp.blogspot.com/-vrI3DFPtuNQ/UOugO2NvCHI/AAAAAAAABqI/COoqVOAqiik/s320/Adelaide+pier+%281+of+1%29.jpg) |
Adelaide Beach and Pier |
Late this afternoon we will head off to Hobart Tasmania
and have been told to expect seas much the same as the ones we experienced on
our voyage here. With the ship rocking
somewhat, at least we sleep well.
Hi Gail and John,
ReplyDeleteAdelaide looks awesome!! What a trip you are having :-)) Bon Voyage to Tasmania and we hope the seas treat you well!!
Pete and barb