Endless Enjoyment

Hey everyone,

I am still in Adelaide and still having such a good time. There is so much to see and do in the surrounding area that I have been kept busy. I guess that is a good thing.

Yesterday, Helen Roger and I drove down the coast (I saw my first Aussie beach) to Port Adelaide. Our plan: to visit a seahorse farm I had been told about in Sydney. It was pretty cool. They raise seahorses for commercial sale, which means that there are adult seahorses and even better... babies!! It was so amazing to see the little guys and to learn about these interesting creatures. Did you know that it is the male seahorse that is "pregnant"? And boy do they like to strut their stuff: the bigger the belly... I also got to pet a shark. AWESOME! It is scaly and kind of feels like sandpaper (not what I expected). From there we drove to a quiet spot for lunch before heading to St Kilda Mangrove Trail. There is a large area that is perfect conditions for mangroves to grow. I remember seeing Mangroves in Egypt but this forest trumped it: it was massive and we could walk along raised platforms to explore the area. It was peaceful and beautiful. Then it was home for dinner (or tea as the Bills call it) and a nice night of sharing photos. I saw some of their Kenya pics... oh, I have another place I would love to visit!

Today was excellent. A slow start (which was nice) and then a drive through the Gorge Valley to the Barossa Valley, a famous wine producing region. We visited our first winery, Jacob's Creek, and it was excellent. I have never done wine tasting before so this was a new and exciting adventure. They had an extensive list of wines to choose from so I just went for it. Now, some people choose to spit out the wine but me, well I decided to drink it all. So of course, by my fourth or fifth sample I was starting to feel cheery and warm. But the wines were excellent: I definately like the fruity and sweet wines. Of the twelve (!!!) wines I tried, my favourites were the Moscato white, the Orlando Liqueur Tawny (a fortified wine) and Gramp's Botrytis Semillon (a dessert wine). From there we had to stop for our picnic lunch (that much alcohol on an empty stomach... loopy!). Then we continued our drive through the Barossa Valley towards Seppeltsfield Wines. It was a beautiful old winery where I continued my tasting. But this time the wines were Sherry, Tawny and Tokay: much sweeter and richer and the alcohol content was averaging 17%. So I only managed 6 samples there. My favourite was the Selma Melitta Sherry (aged 20 years). It was a delicious day and I am ready to sleep! The great thing is that I learned about wines, how to taste and what I like. That is all good to know in a country that such excellent wines and brews.

So, tomorrow is my first day into Adelaide. I have the day to myself in town and hopefully I can explore most of the city. Then we are off to camp in the bush... that will be very cool.

Well, everything is excellent on my end. Having a great time in this remarkable country... and I have only just begun! I hope everyone else is well and enjoying yourselves wherever you are!

Love, Lisa