Rain was forecast for today however as I start this in the early evening, it has yet to arrive. Fortunately I have been able to get the load of washing dry, even though it was not on the line until 4.30 pm.
We rushed to catch the train this morning, literally, although the time I told Chris was six minutes too early. That would have made a difference in his style of driving however better to sit quietly at the station than just miss the connection. On arriving in the city, we transferred to the tram and travelled up to Grote Street where we entered the Central Markets. It is Thursday, still before midday, and still so very busy. We have been to Paddy’s Market in Sydney and that in Cairns; neither is a patch on this; however it must be acknowledged that Paddy’s Market is so much more than just a produce market. There were greengrocers, butchers, cheese sellers, bakeries, sellers of nuts and dips, and all kinds of weird and wonderful foods. There is also a cheapy shop that specialises in the sale of carry bags and trolleys for those who arrive like us too short of the wear-with-all to carry the goods home. We were offered a sniff of truffles, and told the difference between the yellow bananas and those with red wax skirts, the latter being “eco” or organic, hence twice or three times the price. We were tempted by the beautiful lettuces, the huge variety of sausages, the croissants, the cheeses and so much more, but did not have adequate carry bags having left them all back at the caravan, and with limited space, not prepared to buy duplications. And of course, we checked out the cherries; ranging from $6.99 to $12 a kilo. We were truly ripped off at the Olde Apple Shed in Balhannah yesterday! It was close to midday so we retreated to Victoria Square, found a bench seat and ate our lunch. After having done so and removed ourselves from all the temptation, we decided we would not return to the market, at least today, but might well do a special market trip another market day.
We also walked up and down Gouger Street, running parallel to Grote Street and connected by a labyrinth of malls and alleys to the Central Market. Here in this section of Gouger Street, two in three of the business are Asian, hence this is Adelaide’s Chinatown. Perhaps in years gone past, it was even more so but today it lacks the invasive Asian feel of Chinatown in Sydney which is like walking through the mirror to another world.
We spent some time walking about Victoria Square admiring the three courts; the District, Supreme and Magistrate Courts, the cathedral and the Town Hall, all very grand and beautiful buildings. From there we walked back down King William Street and returned for the third time to the Museum of South Australia, to complete our tour of this excellent treasure trove. Finally satisfied we had done so, we caught the train back to Glenalta, drove through to Blackwood to shop at Coles and home to the koala who is still munching his way through the tree near our caravan. When I last checked him out before we closed up for the night, he was lounging on his back with one leg propped up on a branch looking very relaxed about life indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment