Day 47 - Downunder 2016 - Sat - 11/12/16 - Adelaide

While it's Veterans Day in the US as I write this, we're already about to finish the next day. Today found us in Adelaide where we docked at 8am. A bit later we were cleared to leave the ship so we headed on out. A short walk out of the terminal and across the parking lot found us at the train station where we purchased a day pass for cruise ship passengers for $10AUD each and boarded the 9am train.

It was a 40 minute ride into the heart of the city and today was their annual Christmas parade so we found a viewing spot on the corner on King William Road and North Terrace Street. It was a festive event called the Christmas Pageant with 350,000 of our new closest friends. We met some shipmates (J & J from San Diego) there and they invited us to join them in a walking tour at 2:30pm which we agreed to do.

After the parade we walked around downtown and found the HUGE pedestrian mall on Rundle Street. It  opened in 1976 and was the first of its type and is the largest. We found some lunch in one of the many foodcourts before walking to our meeting point to validate its location. We then walked to the Central Market which the busiest market we've seen in the world. We then walked back to our he meeting point and joined our tour guide, Bob, and our shipmates. For the next 2.5 hours we wandered the downtown area learned by all sorts of Adelaide's history.

Afterwards we found St. Xavier's Cathedral before using the free tram to get us back to the Railway Station where we caught the 5:42pm train back to the Outer Harbor where we were moored. On the train ride to the port a German Couple on the ship clued us in on a cool free navigational app called Here We Go. I downloaded it and will report back later as to how I like it.

We ate a very quick dinner in the Lido (noting that a storm was moving in) and then watched the movie, The Secret Life of Pets. I'm glad I didn't spend money in that one in a theatre. At least as much as I saw! ( ;-) )

The Tanunda Town Band came on the ship and played a rousing concert of German oompah music interspersed with some modern tunes. Jeremy, our Cruise Director, also announced that the ship would not be leaving until 3am as there is projected to be a lull in the storm. Our next port is Kangaroo Island which is a very short sail away and the exit from the Outer Harbor in Adelaide is very narrow.

While the destination is important, remember to savor the journey.