A fine welcome to Adelaide!

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The bus station at Adelaide was shut when we arrived. Brilliant. However our stand up comedian bus driver reassured us that this was normal and that the good folk of Adelaide would wake up soon, despite it being a Sunday, and we'd be free to go. Well, some of us anyway...

I need to get to Glenelg this morning and the trams don't start until nearly 9am. It's only 6am currently. Jumper at the ready and I'm snuggly warm at the bus station - the air con is set to minus 10 so every layer counts. The bus driver stops by to say goodbye (clearly I'm his favourite passenger), and I find a map to help me navigate to Paul and Jules's house.

Found my way to the tram stop, only to be surrounded by a million men in lycra. Turns out it's the Tour Down Under final leg today so it's cyclist-central. There are festival tents and sponsor tents all around, and cyclists bombing by trying to warm up. Still wearing my jumper, I was warming up quickly too - Adelaide is set for 38 degree temperatures today and I'm in a jumper and jeans. There's no shade at the tramstop and I'm baking like a Christmas turkey...

Paul and Jules remarked the same when I arrived - their first reaction was 'what are you wearing?!'. Spot the holidaymaker...

I'm staying with the Sparkes this week and it's going to be lovely to catch up with them, especially Paul who I worked with for years. After a quick intro to the house and a catch up, it's off to pick up their friends Mick and Katherine, and Molly-dog, for a lovely walk along to Brighton. I was instantly taken by the beach - beautiful sands, with barely a soul on them, littered with stunning shells. The walk to Brighton was entirely along the beach and was fantastic - you could imagine doing this walk every Sunday and never getting bored of it.

After a stop for lunch in Brighton, we did the walk back again, however stopped half way for a swim. The water was as warm as I'd swum in Australia - like a bath in certain pockets. Playing ball with everyone and Molly happily doggy paddling around was lovely - I felt instantly at home.

We then left Katherine, Mick and Molly back at theirs so that we could go off to see Mount Lofty, with its amazing views all over the city and towards Glenelg, and then to Hahndorf, a traditional German village nearby. Adelaide's roots are German/English so there's a big German presence here. Traditional German pubs where beer is served in steins, as well as puppet shops and Bavarian ice cream parlours. A really beautiful place which I've vowed to visit again before I leave Adelaide.

A whistle stop day but every minute fun. I'm already loving being here - so glad I made the decision to visit.

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