About Adders

Oh look how pretty life is from the air.

Especially when you have a polariser on the lens and you get this fun effect as you fly over the first piece of Australia....

Returning to Adelaide is always tough, after spending about 13 of the last 20 years away from the city I grew up in, you come back feeling oddly like a person who knows where everything is but a little lost at the same time. Friends move on, grow upwards, outwards and inwards. They grow families, lose families. Buy houses, businesses and can also lose them too. But the city itself always feels close to me. That said, I now feel like I am not part of it at all. Strange. A lot of time is reflecting, with family and friends if I get the time, although there are always many I miss out on seeing just because of time and logisitcs constraints.

One of the funniest things is that I do end up doing many of the same things as the last visit, the visit before and those that will come in the future as well. Like......

Visiting the central markets, one of my real loves in the world.

Even though I don't eat a lot of meat, eating well hung steaks from Barossa Fine Foods is a good way to make you feel totally Oz, and a little blokey.

We even got a summer storm.

 

Of course I spent plenty of time at Seacliff Beach.

I am loving how the sand dunes are replenishing so well.

And a beer or two at the Seacliff is normally in order. The local with the view.

Seems everyone was flying south....

Australia II - more than just a yacht

If anyone ever gets to the city of Adelaide, the easiest thing to visit and for my mind the best is the Adelaide Central Markets. I posted about this place last time I was in Adelaide for a reason. I just love it. Like I love Hale Mirowskie and my local sprawling Ursynow market place here in Warsaw and all the ones I have visited through Italy, France, Croatia, Holland, Spain, Portugal, England, NZ, and a few other countries. But, for me the Adelaide Central Markets compare to all the best I have visited in Europe and are better in some ways as they incorporate cafes, souvenir shops, restaurants which spill out along Gouger Street to the North of the markets. Here you can buy anything from French sheep cheese to kangaroo to partridges to crocodile to fresh Asian vegetables. It is all here under one roof, easy to access, and with the cheapest car park in the city centre. If you really feel like something high end you can even pop out to the Hilton hotel which sits next to the markets and try some of local quasi-celebratory chef Dennis Leslie's well-refined South Australian produce at The Brasserie.

 Me, I am too poor for that and dress a bit like a hobo so don't quite fit in there, so instead we ate on the run, also as we didn't have time and because I was desperate to get into my favourite laksa at Asian Gourmet right in the middle of the market. Let's go shopping!

Marty jumping into a French pastry at Breads 'N' More

Duck handling at one of the cafes

I love how "House of Organics" lay out their shop. Always a visual delight

This photo is for all the Polish men. I know they love Sausage... pun?

And again.

Probably the best Cheese Shop in the market.

Marty wondering why it is called Smelly....

Yeah I blame the Poles too.

What could these mean?

Oh yeah! Seafood Laksa Time!

Angelakis Bros. for all the best Fish and some really great game too. Shame no one else wanted to eat these with me.

So instead I invested in tentacles, and plenty of them! On the BBQ are delicious!

Recently when in Sweden I was saying how expensive Kurki were then I found them in Adelaide $AUD150kg means on current exchange rates is nearly PLN500, Sweden was PLN67 here we pay about PLN20! Wow.... Export Market?

Give you an idea about the Central Markets

So off home to the gang, to cook up some purchases

We wanted to combine a few tastes, so I stuffed a squid tube with prawns and a little garlic, adding our Polishness in the form of Pearled barley with olive oil and a simple salad of greens with ruby grapefruit and a light yoghurt dressing.

It was accompanied by a gorgeous twilight

As it fades it reminds me of Poland and our beautiful Spring/Summer twilights

Even the Adelaide glow looks decent in twilight

 

The next day when in Adelaide's shopping "High street" Rundle Mall we saw the Christmas decorations had gone up

Where is also plenty of street art in Rundle Mall

And a little street photography

And a of course their big Santa needs big balls

Off the Mall are many quaint arcades

You can even see some quaint architecture

At the end of another tiring day, it was time for a glass of wine and a chance to unwind.

With a great little sunset helping us

Colouring up a treat

And wishing us well on our holiday.