I enjoy wandering around a new place, just by myself, looking at things. I especially enjoy wandering down side streets, finding little shops and cafes and looking at architecture and just drinking in the atmosphere.
Right now I am in Adelaide. It is (to my shame) my first visit here and I am very interested in everything I see because my brother has lived here for a number of years. I am delighted to be staying with him while I am at a conference, for work. The work has been good but I have given my talk now and have decided that, after a quick look at the art gallery and listening to a couple more conference talks, this afternoon is for wandering.
It’s raining, but I’m from Tasmania and a little rain won’t hurt me. And it’s warm unless a drop runs right down your back (or front, as the case may be, that drop was cold!) so the rain is no problem.
However, I need to be careful, I was quite tired after wandering for an hour or so and I got caught by one of those people selling stuff in the middle of the mall. So I’ve spent $50 on a buffer, some cuticle oil, some moisturising lotion and a small bag to put it all in. I think I might give it to my niece for Christmas.
What I have been looking for, in my wanders, is a quiet space, a nice cafe to have a cup of tea and to write this and do some people watching. I’ve almost managed it. I prefer it when the tea comes in a pot, not just a mug of boiling water and a tea bag, but this is a nice place to sit and watch people and write this so we almost fit the criteria. At some point you just have to stop and sit for a while.
I spent a bit of time this morning in the art gallery – very interesting juxtaposition of pieces if you ask me but the stuffed horse/cow with no head hanging from the ceiling was a bit much. And the death gallery was also a bit confronting. I enjoyed the impressionist stuff. The thing I loved most was the use of crystal bowls, vases and plates with light shining through them in various situations. The boat filled with crystal light was beautiful!
I may just be in information overload right now. Just unable to think about what I’m seeing. But now that I am sitting and taking a break I can see that the sewing shop next to me has an unnecessary apostrophe on the sign in the window “30 Minute HEM’s” and that I’m near “Australia’s leading rare coin and banknote specialists” which would be helpful if I was in any way interested in rare coins and bank notes. Just down the way is another coin dealer, but they obviously cannot be Australia’s leading specialist because they don’t have that sign so I would stick with the one closest to the coffee shop!
So there you go, those are my random thoughts while suffering from information overload in the CBD of Adelaide mid-conference. Stay tuned for more exciting updates….