One of the magnets on our fridge right now says, “Enjoy the little things. One day you may look back and realize that they were the big things”. This couldn’t be truer of our trip. Honestly, it doesn’t matter where we go- the dynamics of our group and the epic moments that are created, in the most unexpected places (like giggle fests in grocery store aisles), are some of the fondest memories. That said, we were asked repetitively “Why are you going to Adelaide?” Apparently the city of churches isn’t on many travelers’ itineraries. We wanted to explore Adelaide for a few reasons, and although it’s definitely quieter than Sydney, Melbourne, or Perth- we soon discovered many reasons to be extremely thankful we stopped in this little South Australian city for Christmas!
We definitely scored with our accommodation in Adelaide. Turns out the only place available on ‘VRBO’ for Adelaide was in Glenelg. Oh darn- I guess we’ll stay in the beach district- if we have to! We arrived in Adelaide, and took the campervan for a quick rip around the city, one last hurrah, before handing it back into Britz. It was a sad, sad hour when we had to part with our 4-berth home on wheels. Much to our delight, the condo we had booked for Christmas was perfectly marvelous! It was right off of Jetty Rd. (home to heaps of great shopping, restaurants, cafes & pubs), and just a walk away from Glenelg beach. Not only that, Valena & Britt met the most charming guys at church the day before, who turned out to be perfect gentlemen. The best hosts 4 Canadian girls could ask for! We won’t talk about the horrifying bits- like the Aussie taste-test extravaganza they upheld us to (eeeek- Vegemite!)…ok, ok. It wasn’t all gross stuff. The boys bought us ginger beer, milo, tim tams, and yes, the infamous Vegemite after taking us out to listen to carols by the river. They helped us get into the Christmas spirit with thousands of people out to enjoy the music & fireworks. These same guys also drove us to Norlunga to go snorkeling along the reef & jump off the jetty. Such good memories!
V flew to Sydney to catch up with Uncle Doug, Aunt Karen & the kids for Christmas. We almost considered it a tragedy to let her go, if only for 1 week. I believe Britt’s exact words were “It feels like we’re missing a limb, literally, Team Canada cannot operate properly without V!”. Our friends seemed quite amused with this, as they clearly didn’t understand just how attached we are to each other. This sort of thing happens after spending a month in such close quarters. There may be some rehab needed as we transition to life back in Canada- when we can’t fall asleep to the sound of each other’s laughter, stories, antics…and snoring. Only ½ of the group make melodies through their nostrils- of course we’d never reveal who!
We spent the rest of our time in Adelaide exploring the city of churches, Jetty Rd., Glenelg Beach, and meeting more wonderful people. We woke up early Christmas morning to watch the sunrise, and open our ‘secret Santa’ gifts on the beach. We felt the million-mile distance between home & Australia as we unwrapped parcels in the sand in our flip-flops. I had received contact info. via family at home to meet up with Dan & Jill Edmonds, and Trudy Brentnall & Drew Gordon. We could never thank these beautiful people enough for inviting 3 strangers into their home to celebrate Christmas day with! Drew & Dan drove all the way to come pick us up in Glenelg, and drove us back to their beautiful home in the Adelaide hills. We witnessed the making of their secret family Egg Nog recipe, and were spoiled with a seafood and BBQ feast. Before lunch, we were also spoiled- somehow Santa was brilliant enough to know we were in the southern hemisphere this year, and dropped off some gifts for us under the Edmonds’ tree. Jodie, Britt & I all received TimTam packs with mugs, drinking chocolate, & all the goods!
Before making this entry much too lengthy, I will end with a funny story about the dodgy motel we stayed in for our last 2 nights in Glenelg. I hopped into the shower one morning, and furiously tried to get the shower to start, avoiding asking for assistance- so as not to look like a total fool. When suddenly, miraculously- the hot water was a flowin’. Sweet! Problems began when, after my shower with the long-legged spider, the steaming hot water would not turn off! Oh dear. Steam quickly began infiltrating the entire room from the bathroom, and the girls remained in bed as I ran for help from the maintenance man. He came in with his tool kit, with the girls still in their PJ’s, and spent a good 20 minutes fixing our little problem. Haha- give us the condo back please! Oh- I forgot to mention. This motel was so classy it also had a drive-through liquor store at the main entrance. Bogan all the way! Like I said, it’s the little things that count the most. We have so many special moments, you could stack tissue paper to the sky & nearly reach heaven. Merry Christmas Everyone! Xoxoxo. D.
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