On The Sea Again, I Just Can't Wait To Get On The Sea Again: It Was a Hot Time in Adelaide

After 2 smooth days sailing across the Great Australian Bight, we arrived in Adelaide on Saturday. The crossing was largely uneventful except for one event. As the Oceania Club party was underway and presentations were being made, the lights suddenly went out. It soon became apparent that all power was lost and that we were dead in the water. Emergency lighting kept us out of the dark. The captain dashed to the bridge and the party kept going as much as possible. In the end it took about 2 hours for the total power to be restored and to get us back underway. Apparently there was a fault somewhere that caused the engines to get out of sync which caused them to shut down. Because of the power outage, we were limited to hot soup and cold dishes for dinner. Life on a cruise ship can be so tough!

In Adelaide the port is at the Outer Harbor.

It's about a 40 minute train ride into the center of the city. We had a plan which we pretty much executed. The train ride was easy. You have to love efficient mass transit systems.

The first planned destination was the Adelaide Botanic Park. After leaving the train station I followed the route set by Google Maps. It turned out to be a round about way to get there and it was hot - close to 90 degrees. But going that way we were rewarded by the sight of hundreds of bats that we probably would have missed if we had gone more directly.

As for the Botanic Garden, we'd have to say that it was a bit of a disappointment. While it was large and lovely, we did not see the floral displays that you would expect in such a garden. And did I mention that it was hot? That limited our interest in exploring too much. But here's a sampling of what we saw.

When we got to a corner of the garden that was near our next planned stop, Linda suggested that we just do it then rather than walk around the park more. And, what a great suggestion it was - the National Wine Centre! Air conditioning, wine, and food - what could be better. We started by touring the exhibits.

Then it was time for a sampler of reds and a nice lunch.

After being refreshed, we took a short walk to the Art Gallery of South Australia.

The collection was, to say the least, quite eclectic. Some of the art was good, some interesting, and some just plain scary!

After the gallery, we wanted to take one of the free circular bus routes around Adelaide. It didn't turn out so well. First off, the woman in the gallery directed us to the bus stop which was many long, hot blocks away. We later discovered that there was a stop directly across from the gallery. We also found that the route that covers north Adelaide did not run on weekends so we took the other. It was very uninteresting. At the end of the loop, we were going to catch the train back to the port. After some confusion over which stop to get off, we were assisted by a lovely couple from Adelaide who walked us to the train station. They also led us to one last viewpoint at the far end of the train station before getting on the train. Aussies are incredibly friendly.

Our day in Adelaide was a good one but we'll have to return when the weather is better and we have more time to explore. To cap the day off, we were rewarded with a nice sunset with dinner.