Our Arrival and Day in Adelaide.

We arrive early in Outer Harbour, Adelaide, and appreciate that there is no urgency as to leaving the ship and traveling into Adelaide.

We enjoy breakfast and are delighted that the weather is just superb. Clear blue skies and a light wind. Temperature expected to be 25-27 degrees Celsius.

Our departure from the ship is at about 8.50 am with a short walk across the car park to the Outer Harbour Railway Station, We use our Victorian Senior’s card to purchase or obtain the free senior’s tickets for the day. These are usable on all Adelaide Public transport. There is a train awaiting, but it departs and we suspect we will have a 30-minute wait for the next. There are many people at the station as another train unexpectedly arrives and it is the 8.58 am train running some 15 minutes late. We board and insert our ticket into the validation machine/ terminal. We enjoy the 42-minute trip through Port Adelaide and the Western Suburbs and arrive at Adelaide Station which is a beautiful old sandstone building at 9.52 am. We then have a short walk along North Terrace toward the Museum and the University of South Australia.

We walk past the Houses of Parliament which is a beautiful building with tremendous history. We come to the corner of North Terrace and King William Street and cross over and walk past the Botanic Gardens. We also notice the additional tram tracks and the additional lines up past the Adelaide Oval to North Adelaide or around the corner and then past the Station to the new Adelaide Hospital. There has also been a significant amount of development of student apartments etc around the University.

The walk is enjoyable and we walk past the Museum Cafe, where we are to meet Chris. We take further photos, then come back and observe Chris sitting outside the Cafe. We greet one another, then choose to sit inside the restaurant. Chris explains that Chrissie has an appointment to have an injection but will hopefully join us by 10.45 am.

We have an enjoyable coffee and snack, “chat like magpies” and it is indeed great to see one another. Chrissie does in fact join us at 10.50 am and we go over some of our earlier discussions. We have a great time together and it is sometime near 11.30 am that they decide they need to move as Chris has a dental appointment. So we say goodbye and thank them for the opportunity to get together after these years. This is a friendship that has endured. It has been very worthwhile.

From here we walk back through Adelaide Mall through several laneways then back to King William Street and then catch the tram down to Glenelg. This is an enjoyable tram ride of some 25 minutes.

We stop near the Hilton, Adelaide then the tram proceeds to South Terrace through the parklands. We are surprised by how dry the grasslands and parks areThen down the main roads to the Beach Suburb of Glenelg. We take photos, walk along the promenade and then stop to have a sandwich. We are very surprised by the significant hotel and apartment developments along the beachfront.

We enjoy a walk, sitting watching the beach activities then walk back along the promenade and through the streets to have a sandwich and drink. It is the perfect day for a walk and beachside visit. There are many tourists about as well as many off the Grand Princess

Following our trip to Glenelg, we consider going down to Adelaide Oval and to Memorial Drive, but the tram turns into North Terrace and stops in front of Adelaide Station. We decide against that as time is passing and we depart by 7.00 pm. It is about 3.45 pm. A decision to travel back to the ship returning by say 5.15 pm. seems sound.

At the Station, there are many people and the carriages are very crowded and it is only a two-carriage train. Fortunately, we both gain seats for the 45-minute return to Outer Harbour where the Grand Princess is berthed.

The train arrives around 5.10 pm and we amble across the car park then to board the ship. We return to the Suite, then go to have a cold drink.

Dinner is scheduled for 7.20 pm in the Crown Grill. Adelaide has turned on a beautiful day, our friends were welcoming and it was great to catch up. The trip to Glenelg was a highlight. a sensational time was had by all. We shower, change and have a drink before going to listen to some music in the Wheelhouse Bar before walking to dinner.

We are dining alone and order favourites such as scallops, the filet mignon and great deserts

The show tonight is the Princess Singers and Dancers doing a production show. It is very good.

Into bed at 11.10 pm after a wonderful day.