The main reason I keep my camera in my pocket at all times (and punch things when I forget it) is because of the all the cool cars. Since they're all right-hand drive, they have the same importing laws, and thus the same models of cars that the UK gets. Holdens litter the streets here, but to me, this is Skyline country!
I'll get to the Holdens.. don't you worry.. but first more imports!
^ I've never seen so many custom license plates. Everyone seems to get exactly what they want.. I think because there are so few people in South Australia.
They also have all the sub-compact miniature cars from the UK that we never got. Ok now some Holdens..
The most popular ones are these Utes and their bigger brothers the Maloos. Redneck vehicles of choice! If you want to be stylish but still true to the Holden name, as well as a V8, go with the R8:
All the other Holdens just look like Taurus's that are way too loud. As much as this country loves those cars, they're quickly associated with the wrong kind of people. The Ford/Holden war is retarded too, because they both have models that look exactly the same, and are equally lame. Good day to you sir!
Now that the Fringe, Clipsal, and the Garden of Unearthly Delights is gone, the city seems back to it's normal self. There are still a lot of places to explore, though, so here are some pix:
Rundle St. has an abundance of classy restaurants, Gelato places (which are sometimes called Gelati), and stores with $3500 shoes. It's fun just sitting and people-watching, especially down in the mall area.
^ Blurry picture, but these two places are great. Cibos (chee-bo's) is their equivalent of Starbucks. Apparently Starbucks tried to set up shop here and Australia hated their coffee so much that no more exist in Adelaide. Cibos is pricey, but they're everywhere, and you can get gelato and sometimes free wifi. To the left is an awesome burrito place called Zambrero that stays open until 2 or 3am. The owner is American and the whole staff is quite cool.
^ The area we live in used to be the Adelaide Public Market, but now that's over in Chinatown and the original was transformed into an apartment complex. It has a very cool feel to it, as all the shops on the street are in that style.
^ This place is pretty cool.. picked up a ton of coasters when the bartender turned her back.
On Sunday Marina's friend and boss invited us out to pick grapes at her husband's family vineyard about an hour South of Adelaide. They make several wines under the name of Mosquito Hill. It was such a cool experience! Here's a heap of pix (Aussie terminology!!)
They had around 200 acres of land with two vineyards. We were having so much fun doing manual labor we wanted a career change! There were a few hired pickers that came over from the UK who reassured us it's definitely not as nice usually.
There were also huge bugs all over the place!
Not only did we get to visit this vineyard and pick grapes, but they also let us (wanted us to, really) stomp the grapes as well. So awesome!
This was Marina's first time in a hammock. The picture was taken right before we both got in it and it broke and fell on her head. We were told it was a two-person hammock. It was not.
After a great lunch and trying some of the same wine from the grapes we were picking, we cruised up to Victor Harbour.
Since work started, I haven't had much time at the computer, so now I'll try to sum up the last 2 weeks. The Fringe just ended, but we got to see quite a few more acts. There were street performers doing circus shows on Rundle and East Terrace, and all the big guys were at the Garden.
^ Giant inflatable maze across the street!
We missed Ross Noble (comedian who traveled around Australia on a BMW) and Rich Fulcher (Bob Fossil from The Mighty Boosh) but got to see The Boy With Tape On His Face a few nights ago. It was basically a mime act due to a strip of black tape over the guy's mouth, and it had heavy audience participation. He got people to do the funniest things! We also saw The Axis of Awesome, a comedic musical show famous for the 4 chords song:
The singer is exactly like Jack Black, but they're all really good and their other songs are hilarious. Also, I forgot to say.. Monday was a holiday for Adelaide Cup Day (horse racing) or Canberra Day for most of Australia. It was also the day for the Future Music Festival, which we couldn't afford. $130 to get in, or walk around the fence and see it for free? Yea, lol.
We ended up seeing Franz Ferdinand, David Guetta, and Prodigy!
From Thursday on, we were waking up with the sound of high-revving V8's. The Clipsal 500 has hit Adelaide! A block away, all the streets around the park were fenced off and transformed into a race track.
Once again, instead of spending $72 to get a little closer, we walked around the circumference of the track, which got us some decent views, and definitely amazing sounds for free.
Buncha rednecks, buncha Holdens, buncha Fords, and overall a ton of nice Aussie people :)
