A weekend in Adelaide
by prudence on 23-Aug-2010
There were three motivations for this trip:
To catch up with the Bunny exhibition we missed in Melbourne;
To visit Adelaide in the cool season, as it was pretty damn hot last time we were there; and
To get some respite from Election Day.
We loved "Rupert Bunny: Artist in Paris", currently showing at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The blurb at the beginning said he was an expert "colourist", and you think you don't know what that means until you actually see the paintings. The reds and the blue-greens are especially stunning. Our favourites were the pre-World War 1 works. In fact, if we believe these gorgeously lit pictures of languid, dreamy women on hot, bright summer days, half the reason World War 1 broke out was that everyone was half-asleep at the time, and didn't spot it coming. I guess those renditions of rich fabrics, jewels, flowers, and swan-flecked lakes are so poignant precisely because we know what happened next...
But there are other fine things in the AGSA too -- Rodin bronzes, Tiffany windows, and a lovely little Asia collection, to name but a few. There's also a nice cafe/restaurant. Just the "casual deli" menu is available on a Saturday, but the sandwiches are well presented and the pies crisp.
Adelaide's Central Market was closed the last time we were here, so we were keen to explore it this time. It's a treasure trove, and we enjoyed stocking up on fantastic food and a nice bottle of South Australian red to take home for tea.
Having deposited the food in our hotel minibar, and briefly wondered how we were going to cut cheese and spread pate with only a teaspoon, we set out again for Haigh's chocolate factory, where you can ogle the chocolate to your heart's content before making up your mind which particular bits of decadence you want to buy.
Adelaide is a very picturesque city, with lots of imposing buildings, and acres of parkland. It's also enjoyably parroty, so our walk back to the hotel took a while, as we stopped to watch various samples of parrotkind going about their business. Parrots always look as though they're having a good time.
Had to watch the election in the evening, of course... Good job we had delicious stuff to eat and drink, because it was a fairly miserable affair.
Sunday was zoo day. We spent ages watching the giant pandas, whose cuteness is just impossible to exaggerate, but we also really enjoyed meeting the meerkats, the Barbary sheep, and the potoroo. For a surround-sound jungle experience, you absolutely can't go past the siamangs, whose daily territory-marking "a capella" performance can be heard far and wide. Photos are here.
Just enough time left now for lunch in leafy North Adelaide. We went to Kwik Stix on O'Connell Street, and I have to rave a bit about the Salt and Pepper Squid. Really very, very nice. Dusted in cornflour, wok-fried with just a little chilli and spring onion, served on shredded lettuce. Perfect flavour and consistency. Best enjoyed with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
A final pilgrimage to the statue of Colonel Light, who laid out the street plan of Adelaide, and then we had to head for the airport and the prospect of Monday. But I will take Colonel Light's pointing finger as an injunction to go explore some more soon.
To catch up with the Bunny exhibition we missed in Melbourne;
To visit Adelaide in the cool season, as it was pretty damn hot last time we were there; and
To get some respite from Election Day.
We loved "Rupert Bunny: Artist in Paris", currently showing at the Art Gallery of South Australia. The blurb at the beginning said he was an expert "colourist", and you think you don't know what that means until you actually see the paintings. The reds and the blue-greens are especially stunning. Our favourites were the pre-World War 1 works. In fact, if we believe these gorgeously lit pictures of languid, dreamy women on hot, bright summer days, half the reason World War 1 broke out was that everyone was half-asleep at the time, and didn't spot it coming. I guess those renditions of rich fabrics, jewels, flowers, and swan-flecked lakes are so poignant precisely because we know what happened next...
But there are other fine things in the AGSA too -- Rodin bronzes, Tiffany windows, and a lovely little Asia collection, to name but a few. There's also a nice cafe/restaurant. Just the "casual deli" menu is available on a Saturday, but the sandwiches are well presented and the pies crisp.
Adelaide's Central Market was closed the last time we were here, so we were keen to explore it this time. It's a treasure trove, and we enjoyed stocking up on fantastic food and a nice bottle of South Australian red to take home for tea.
Having deposited the food in our hotel minibar, and briefly wondered how we were going to cut cheese and spread pate with only a teaspoon, we set out again for Haigh's chocolate factory, where you can ogle the chocolate to your heart's content before making up your mind which particular bits of decadence you want to buy.
Adelaide is a very picturesque city, with lots of imposing buildings, and acres of parkland. It's also enjoyably parroty, so our walk back to the hotel took a while, as we stopped to watch various samples of parrotkind going about their business. Parrots always look as though they're having a good time.
Had to watch the election in the evening, of course... Good job we had delicious stuff to eat and drink, because it was a fairly miserable affair.
Sunday was zoo day. We spent ages watching the giant pandas, whose cuteness is just impossible to exaggerate, but we also really enjoyed meeting the meerkats, the Barbary sheep, and the potoroo. For a surround-sound jungle experience, you absolutely can't go past the siamangs, whose daily territory-marking "a capella" performance can be heard far and wide. Photos are here.
Just enough time left now for lunch in leafy North Adelaide. We went to Kwik Stix on O'Connell Street, and I have to rave a bit about the Salt and Pepper Squid. Really very, very nice. Dusted in cornflour, wok-fried with just a little chilli and spring onion, served on shredded lettuce. Perfect flavour and consistency. Best enjoyed with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
A final pilgrimage to the statue of Colonel Light, who laid out the street plan of Adelaide, and then we had to head for the airport and the prospect of Monday. But I will take Colonel Light's pointing finger as an injunction to go explore some more soon.