Adelaide -- City Down South

OK--so it is a whirlwind visit, only two nights and a couple very busy days.  But on first blush this is one fun city. It is alive and full of things to see and do. And as an added bonus, the drive from the airport is mercifully short.This is the view out my hotel window. In the very far distance, if you look hard you can see the ocean.

There is a China Town, where I ate dinner one night. It is was also bustling and full of life.

I was lucky enough to get an abbreviated afternoon in the city on Friday so I was able to walk to two attractions--the National Wine Center and the Botanic Gardens. This was about a mile from my hotel, but the walk through the central business district of the city was fascinating--especially the sculpture I found on the maing walking mall of a pig in the garbage.  I'm not too sure what that was all about.  But it was cute.

The National Wine Center is a nice museum/educational center spondored by the University of Adelaide. It lays out Australian winemaking history and procedures. The map shows all of the winemaking regions in Australia--and yes there is one intrepid vineyard in Alice Springs in the center of the country.

After my educational romp, I was able to get educated up close and personal with a tasting. Yup--good Australian wines. I would have bought a couple bottles except the walk back was so far. This place though, is a must see on a trip to Adelaide. And, I highly recommend Adelaide as a stop.

As the National Wine Center abuts the Botanic Gardens, I was able to wander around the gardens for a few minutes. As it was getting late, though, I was unable to spend as much time there as I would have liked. But it was a nice stroll.