Give me a home among the Gum Trees
Its good to be back. Real good. But the past four years have left my Australian memorybank in tatters. Uni was utterly consuming, not to mention that year in Europe, both subsequently leaving precious little room for thoughts of Oz. My first week back has served as a painful reminder how un-Aussie I am, despite having lived and visited the country periodically my entire life. Causes aside, I've got my work cut out for me.For the moment, that work involves getting to know Adelaide. So far, I'm impressed. The city isn't much to look at. In fact, its almost outstanding in its lack of engaging architecture. Interestingly though, it doesn't bother like one might imagine. This is partly a result of the city's clean planning. Downtown, central Adelaide is on a very rigid grid system, with wide roads and clear signage - of all the cities I've ever visited, this is by far the easiest to navigate. Excellent bus system, I might add.
Adelaide's real treasure lies underneath its boring facade. Thriving markets, culturally mishmashed shops, a vibrant student scene, great food, and a remarkably affable populace, even for Australians. My first night in took me to an excellent Greek joint (try the deep sea prawns in a feta/tomato sauce!) where I had a good hour of conversation with the staff. Later that same evening at a Gouger St. Pub the bartenders, along two Australian actors from Aussie arthouse films, and I all spent a few hours trading yarns. This is not to mention the wonderful staff at my hotel, the girls smiling at me on the street, and bus drivers who actually look like they want you on their bus. Remarkable!
posted by Jason @ 3:52 am
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