LFL AT SEA

Tuesday, 29 November

Adelaide, Australia (Day 1)

The Westerdam is docked in Port Adelaide, Australia. She arrived at 2pm today, right on time. Since leaving Hobart two-and-a-half days ago, she has been at the mercy of heavy winds and high waves. The rocking was so bad that I decided to take precautions for nausea. Fortunately they worked so well that even in the Dining Room at the very back of the ship I was able to enjoy my two dinners. This morning the weather turned better and the half-day sail into Adelaide was quite pleasant.

The cruise port here is at quite a distance from the center of the city. There is a local train right at the port; travel time into the city is about 40 minutes. I will use the train when I go into the city myself to explore its neighborhoods and sights tomorrow.

Today I have a four-hour shore excursion that starts at 2:30, almost as soon as the ship is docked and cleared. Titled "Adelaide Highlights," the coach takes almost an hour to reach the CBD, which doesn't leave much time for sightseeing, other than a quick blink as we pass many interesting sites. Passengers are given 40 minutes at Rundle Street Mall, a wide street that has been turned into a pedestrian shopping area.

Our guide tells us to meet back at the bus at 5pm so that we will get back to the Westerdam by the scheduled 7pm. But there's always one--this time a late middle-aged woman--who decides to hold us up for half an hour. Obviously, she really doesn't care about others.

As a result it is too late to make stops, even briefly, at other locations. The driver uses the freeway to get us back in time, rather than fighting end-of-the-day traffic. So I am looking forward to touring by myself tomorrow, using the train from and to the ship. We don't sail until 11pm, so I will have plenty of time for my explorations. As in most Australian cities, the use of public transportation in the city center (trains, trams, buses) is always free.

But I do have a few photos from today's shore excursion, mostly from the Rundle Street Mall, where there are some interesting artwork and historic buildings adjusted to consumer use. I will add more Rundle Mall artwork in the next day's blog (see below).

Rundle Mall Displays a Wide Variety of Architecture

Adelaide's Official Christmas Tree

Post-Modern Architecture Near Victoria Square

Wednesday, 30 November

Adelaide, Australia (Day 2)

Today my visit to Adelaide is self-guided. After breakfast I check the train timetable from Outer Harbour (where the Westerdam is docked) to Adelaide City (I printed it before leaving Tucson), and discover that I have exactly 15 minutes to finish getting ready, exit my stateroom, get off the ship, go through security, walk through the three-story terminal building, and walk two blocks to the station to buy a ticket. The 9:50am train is already loaded and waiting to depart. I am the last person on line to buy a ticket and I make it aboard just as the doors are about to close.

The train takes 40 minutes to reach central Adelaide and although today it is filled with cruise passengers, it is used everyday by commuters, shoppers, and students.

Adelaide's train station is large and impressive:

Just one block away are the old and new parliament buildings:

Adelaide's CBD is laid out as a perfect square grid, with trams running on all the major thoroughfares. At one edge of the grid, just past the campus of Adelaide University (one of three major colleges in the city), is the spacious botanic garden.