Australia Adelaide July 20 - 22

We took an overnight train from Melbourne to Adelaide (10 hours). We have turned into major wimps! We started off in the "Red Kangaroo" class ...but after half an hour, we found it way too uncomfortable, so we upgraded to the "Gold Kangaroo" class. It was much more comfortable, but with all the rocking and motion of the train, we didn't sleep much.

Adelaide is a much smaller city than Melbourne, but the layout is pretty much the same. We walked around town most of the day. Hindley Street has a lot of shops, but Rundle Street seems to be the trendy area ...it's full of cool coffee shops, bars, and nice restaurants. It was a Saturday night, so Lon and I decided to go to a bar on Rundle Street ...but they wouldn't let us in because we weren't dressed properly (we looked like backpackers). That was a first for me! I've been kicked out of a few bars before, but I've never not been allowed in at the beginnning. I guess we really are looking the part now.

Adelaide is near the Barossa Valley ...where many of Australia's finest wines are produced (hey, Papi - including Penfolds). We took a full day tour with "Groovy Grape Getaways". There were 8 of us. We stopped at various scenic areas in the Barossa Valley. We sampled wines at the Orlando Winery (Jacobs Creek), Richmond Grove, Stanley, and B Seppelts & Sons. The tastings were very generous ...probably too generous (everyone fell asleep on the way back to Adelaide).

So, we're off tomorrow for a 10 day camping trip in Australia's outback. We hope to have great stories and pictures to share!

Oh yeah, before I forget ...the water in the southern hemisphere really does flow down the drain counter clockwise.