Valentines Day in Adelaide

After our yummy lunch yesterday we decided to not go out to eat again. So we ordered from room service. We split a club sandwich which was huge and featured warm grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, fried egg, lettuce and a side of some great beer battered French Fries. As it was we still left half of the sandwich. Food servings here in Australia- or this part of Australia- are enormous and also expensive.

The Sebel Playford Adelaide has been our home for 3 nights- with one more night to go. It is a 5-star hotel set in the heart of the city's vibrant North Terrace, opposite the Convention Centre and City Casino. The free downtown electric trolley runs right outside the front of the hotel.

Colonel Light

The Check-in Lobby features a reproduction of the statue of The Winged Victory- sort of a tiny slice of the Louvre here in Australia. Around the whole hotel are prints and sculptures that remind me of art in other places. There is a print of a statue of Colonel William Light, the designer of the city. The Sebel Playford Adelaide offers for us the perfect blend of classical style and contemporary luxury. The hotel has created a stunning Art Nouveau ambience.

The headboard with Peacock Feather design

Our room is quite comfortable with a desk, a sofa, two chairs, a coffee/tea preparation area, a mini bar and refrigerator and a comfy bed. There is a menu of pillows from which to choose. The tub and shower are not the easiest to navigate but we are managing to be clean, presentable and rested each day. The headboard of the bed has a lovely embroidered design of peacock feathers on a purple background.

The staff here is so helpful- especially the concierge and bell staff- calling taxis, confirming bookings, making reservations and assisting people in and out of cars.  The first person we met was a man named Carlos- Ambassador Carlos- with many pins from various countries on his uniform. His warm welcome greeting and complete explanation of the hotel and the surrounding area was a great start for this visit. He remembered being contacted by the agency to book our tour of the Barossa Valley.

Festival Center and the Torrens River

The Festival Theatre, Parliament House, central business district and major shopping and restaurant precincts are within walking distance. The Central Market is not too far away. They claim to sell the freshest fish, meat and produce in the city can be found there. Certainly was a busy place. It opened in 1860 and has been in business as a gathering place for merchants and farmers for 150 years.

Today the tour we were to take was canceled so we have decided to stay close to “home” and explore the area around us a bit more. With the aid of Jayne and then the grand day with Jenny, we both feel like we know Adelaide well.  Great “Festival City.” As Jenny said they will hold a festival or celebration at the drop of a hat. Fun way to live!

While we were out for the housekeeping staff to clean our room, Jenny called and insisted on coming by this afternoon and taking us to a few spot that we hadn’t seen. She is too sweet and too kind! We had a great look at one of the beaches which was quite lovely. We really hope Jenny makes her way to our part of the world so we can repay her kindnesses.

We had about a 4 hour drive around Adelaide with Jenny. We saw the actual statue of Colonel Light pointing down the hill to organize the city. We saw beautiful Victoria Square with a fountain that changes colors at night and lovely roses around. We drove through The Botanic Garden and saw the huge conservatory filled with tropical plants.

Victoria Square

We did see some signs of the US with KFC, Pizza Hut, K-Mart, Woolworth's, Target and Westfield Shopping Center. We did wonder if the Westfield Shopping Center could be related to the company that owns so many centers in Florida- logo looked very similar.

We drove to the seaside town of Glenelg and saw the replica of the ship Buffalo (now a restaurant)  that was the transportation for the 1st officials from England who came to proclaim this area as a free state. Jenny said they reenact this on Proclamation Day. Her ancestors came to this area the year before the officials arrived.

As we drove back we saw many of these signs on the sides of the buses warning people to be careful about what we guessed must be people walking while drunk.

Today is Valentine's Day and we have  learned that this is really a holiday for adults. Since Valentine's Day itself is today, Monday, most people took the opportunity to take their “love” away for a long week-end. Restaurants were booked. We are going to the hotel for dinner tonight and we had trouble getting them to fit us is. We are going at 7:00PM and they told us we would need to be out by 9:00PM. Never had that clear expectations from a restaurant before.