(I'm out in the boonies--so I'm having trouble downloading photos so I'll update the blogs with photos when I can--otherwise its just boring text)
So I’ve been itching like crazy since I got here. It is extremely dry here so my skin is going crazy. It’s not as bad as Arizona but close. So on this morning the goal was to find some good lotion and gather up supplies for our stay out on Kangaroo Island (KI). We want back to Central Market to get breakfast and resources. I love Central Market. I love market shopping. It’s just vendor after vendor. We went to Sarah’s favorite breaky (that’s what breakfast is called) spot. It’s very popular and we had to wait just a few minutes to get a seat which was fine. We all ordered the green eggs and ham which is eggs scrambled with a basil pesto over rye bread and a side of prosciutto. It seemed like the used a whole stick of butter for each plate so Paula Dean woulda been proud. As we devoured our dish, Sarah made a plan of action to gather our goods. Boone was supposed to help but, big surprise, he doesn’t like shopping. He only wanted to participate when we got the meat. I had to laugh…we followed the division of labor roles (gathering-produce and hunting-meat) unintentionally.
Anyway, we got lots of cheeses, crackers/wafers, fig spread, avocadoes, bacon, pasta (stuffed ravioli)…You can pretty much get anything here. They have a yogurt shop, a mushroom shop, a kangaroo meat market, a fish market, an Asian market, etc., etc. Fantastic! So after we did our shopping were set to go Cleland Wildlife part which was a great place to see native animals. It’s just outside of Adelaide in the hills. So basically, Adelaide is bordered by lovely jade colored beaches and lush hills and slopes. Poor bastards. We detoured to the Eagle of the Hill which was a closed-up abandoned tourist trap, but I was able to take a fabulous photo of the city and the ocean. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Well we could have, but I’m pretty sure the dude in charge of passing out great days would’ve said, “You have the best day…don’t get greedy.”
Cleland has wallabies, wombats, kangaroos, bandicoots, bilbies, dingoes, and of course koalas. I got to pet so many wallabies and kangaroos it was unbelievable. Roos are like deer back home, (hence the meat market) and there are two different kinds in the park. Brownish/gray fuzzy ones and the most recognizable ones, the large short-red haired ones. The wallabies look like roos but they are much smaller and so cute. We even got to see a couple with little joey’s! We also got to see an echidna in its little habitat going nuts over some ants. Crazy looking critter! It’s the only other mammal that lays eggs like the platypus.
We also got to see the wombats, and even a Tasmanian devil, which I must admit really cute. Then we got to go to the Koala’s. They are in an area that is not like the other sections of the park. The park is spread out and divided into different sections so the wildlife is free to roam. However, the koalas are a bit special since they are really sensitive and can be quite mean. The only way you can see one up close is with a ranger and only with four people at a time. So we took our pictures. I coulda held one but that was an extra 15 bucks. Pass. Instead I was able to get up close to a ferocious bandicoot. It was quite scary but I think I handled myself pretty well.
We spent a good two hours at the park so we ready to go do some wine tasting. Sarah volunteered to be DD since she had a big roller derby game tomorrow. The wineries are all up in the Adelaide hills in gorgeous country with lush trees, bright green pasture, slopping hills and valleys. I wish I coulda enjoyed it but the beautiful winding roads made me sick to my stomach and I had to make Sarah pull over so I could hurl on the side of the road. Blah. Pretty disgusting but it wasn’t long before we got to the first winery and once I got there I proceeded to taste every wine they had. The winery is called Woodstock and my favorites were “The Stocks” shiraz, the sweet white, and the awesome fortified shiraz (port). I was able to settle my stomach and we proceeded to Sarah and Boone’s favorite spot in the wine country of McClaren Vale. It’s a great outta the way spot off the beaten path that shows the hills, city, and ocean in one view. It was beautiful. We even got to see kangaroos in the wild hopping along the landscape. We stayed just long enough to be able to make our reservation at Russel’s in Willanga.
Now Russell’s is a pizza joint in the little town of Willanga that you need to make reservations for months in advance. Whenever we told people were going they were 1) envious, 2)salivating, 3)angry. One of the roller girls was particularly upset since she had never been herself and exclaimed “What! You’ve only been here five minutes and you’re going to Russell’s!!” I felt very privileged. And it was phenomenal!! The restaurant is in a quaint rustic house of an undetermined age with two large brick stoves that they cook the pizzas in. Words can’t really do it justice. I’ll try. Three course meal. Fresh baked bread with olive oil and duka (crushed nuts), fresh salad, pizza one was half margarita and half seafood (mussels, shrimp, squid), the pizza boad had half chicken and half lamb, and were given three deserts. Rhubarb tart, flan, chocolate cake with baked pears. This has been the highlight of the trip. So delicious. We were enjoying each others company, the wine, the food. I felt very lucky. And I still have 10 more days left….:-)
We spent a good two hours at the park so we ready to go do some wine tasting. Sarah volunteered to be DD since she had a big roller derby game tomorrow. The wineries are all up in the Adelaide hills in gorgeous country with lush trees, bright green pasture, slopping hills and valleys. I wish I coulda enjoyed it but the beautiful winding roads made me sick to my stomach and I had to make Sarah pull over so I could hurl on the side of the road. Blah. Pretty disgusting but it wasn’t long before we got to the first winery and once I got there I proceeded to taste every wine they had. The winery is called Woodstock and my favorites were “The Stocks” shiraz, the sweet white, and the awesome fortified shiraz (port). I was able to settle my stomach and we proceeded to Sarah and Boone’s favorite spot in the wine country of McClaren Vale. It’s a great outta the way spot off the beaten path that shows the hills, city, and ocean in one view. It was beautiful. We even got to see kangaroos in the wild hopping along the landscape. We stayed just long enough to be able to make our reservation at Russel’s in Willanga.
Now Russell’s is a pizza joint in the little town of Willanga that you need to make reservations for months in advance. Whenever we told people were going they were 1) envious, 2)salivating, 3)angry. One of the roller girls was particularly upset since she had never been herself and exclaimed “What! You’ve only been here five minutes and you’re going to Russell’s!!” I felt very privileged. And it was phenomenal!! The restaurant is in a quaint rustic house of an undetermined age with two large brick stoves that they cook the pizzas in. Words can’t really do it justice. I’ll try. Three course meal. Fresh baked bread with olive oil and duka (crushed nuts), fresh salad, pizza one was half margarita and half seafood (mussels, shrimp, squid), the pizza boad had half chicken and half lamb, and were given three deserts. Rhubarb tart, flan, chocolate cake with baked pears. This has been the highlight of the trip. So delicious. We were enjoying each others company, the wine, the food. I felt very lucky. And I still have 10 more days left….:-)
No comments:
Post a Comment