have I already been here two weeks?

 4:23 pm - Tuesday, 12 July 2012
Adelaide, SA, Australia
 (Somehoe my Blogger is refusing to put the correct time on this entry...hmmm)

Yesterday was the Queen's birthday--yes, the Queen of England. Because Australia is still a Commonwealth of the United Kingdom, the Queen's birthday is a federal/national holiday. Kids were out of school and people were off work. The Johnsons wanted to take me on a family outing, which if you know me, I'm ALWAYS up for one!

We got up later than usual (which was fine with me, this cold weather just makes me want to sleep) and left the house at around 10am. We headed for the Adelaide Hills and took a scenic drive around. On the way, we passed flocks of sheep, a mob or two of kangaroos, and a tree full of cockatoos! (All while listening to Van Halen. It's an awesome driving soundtrack, once you think about it.)

Our first stop was Gumeracha (pronounced "gum-err-OCK-uh"), the home of the largest rocking horse in the world! Yes, someone really did build a huge steel rocking horse and made it into one of the biggest tourist attractions of the region. We climbed to the top of it and looked around at the hills, but the horse is not in the most scenic of places.

Right next door to the horse is a wooden toy factory. We went in and walked around the shop. You can't actually go into the working area, but there is a window where you can see in. All of their toys are truly handmade, and it was almost like being in Gepetto's shop (I half expected to see Pinocchio hop up on a shelf).

Melba's Chocolate Factory

Our next destination was in the town of Woodside--Melba's Chocolate Factory. YES, a FACTORY of chocolate! Located in an old Farmer's Union building that has been restored, the factory is a step back in time. There is a main shopping area, and around this area are several rooms where the candy is made. There is a mixing room, a coating room, a fudgery, a cooling room, and a packing room. For the most part, I recognized the candies (Aussies call them "lollies") and chocolates, but there were a few that I had no idea what they were. (For example, Aussies call raisins "sultanas." So when I saw a bag of "dark chocolate covered sultanas," I was understandably confused until someone told me what it was.) I bought a bag of dark-chocolate-covered coffee beans, but my REAL prize was a set of Mustache cookie cutters. FOR THE WIN! There are five different shapes of mustachios (Aussies call them "mo's"--they like shortening everything): the Baron, the Imperial, the Walrus, the Woolford, and the Bristle Brush. Should I? Did I? Heck yes.

In another restored building right next door to Melba's is a local cheese making shop. I have never seen so many fancy cheeses in my life! Goat cheese, cow cheese, goat AND cow cheese, aged cheese and fresh cheese, Camembert, truffle-infused, grape-leaf wrapped, flavored, unflavored, salted...and every single one was good! The cheese maker is known for her gourmet touch, and it definitely lived up to the hype (as well as the high price tag expected!).

We hopped back in the car and took off on another beautiful drive to the town of Hahndorf. Now wait, you think, that sounds German! You'd be right. Hahndorf is a small community of German settlers high in the Adelaide Hills who were seeking religious freedom from the oppressive Church of England. Their descendants still live and farm there, and many of the original buildings are still standing (some of them dating back to the 1850s).

Hahndorf is uber-popular, and because it was a public holiday, the streets were bustling with people. Now me, I enjoy crowds and (being used to New Orleans-style Mardi Gras) I'm used to them. The kids weren't, and we had a rough time of it finding a place to eat lunch. Because of the busy-ness of the town, we unfortunately did not get to go into any of the small shops (such as the leather, alpaca, German Christmas shops, etc), so I'm definitely going to try to get back to Hahndorf sometime.

Our drive back was beautiful and extremely peaceful because the day had worn the kids completely out. They all slept almost the entire way back home, and the three adults enjoyed the views.

Me and my buddy, Bethany!

I was only home for a couple of hours before Ella came to pick me up for an evening out in Adelaide. Ella is a little bit younger than I, but she is one of the people with whom I've really connected while I've been here. We went to Chinatown in the city center for dinner, and then to Glenelg Beach for coffee/hot chocolate. We had some fantastic conversation about dating, God's plan for mankind, how screwed up America's politics are, the presence of racism in Australia, and our drastically different journeys to becoming Christians. It was absolutely fantastic to spend time with her and I'm already looking forward to the next time!

This morning I actually slept through the mayhem of school preparation and didn't get out of bed until 8am. I had a leisurely breakfast, did my laundry (which included hanging it outside on the clothesline because the Johnsons don't have a dryer--apparently not many Aussies do! It was probably only the third time in my life I've ever done that), read Robinson Crusoe, and gradually got ready to go out.

I had a nice 20-minute walk to the nearest shopping center named Tea Tree Plaza, where I spent the afternoon wandering through shops and checking out the local people. For some reason, my favorite people-watching (in this order) is at a theme park, at the beach, and at a mall. I find that I get alot of understanding of local culture whenever I do that. Over lunch, I watched people walking by and figured out that Adelaidians are extremely fashion-minded--but not in the posh, snooty way that big-city people are. And they aren't vain, they just pay attention to how they dress. Sure, you see the occasional sweatpants and Uggs, but most of the people are well-dressed, walk with a purpose, and are observant of their environment.

I bought a few random things that I've been needing. I also FINALLY found the book on Australian history for which I've been looking! I'm excited to read it and begin learning the history of this fascinating country. I also picked up a book about Aussie money and why there are certain people and symbols on their currency. Finally, I found out that there's a MOVIE THEATER in Tea Tree Plaza! WOOT! Although movies cost ALOT more money than at home, at least now I know where I can go to see Brave/The Dark Knight Rises/Abraham Lincoln/Spider-Man!

Today has been a very peaceful and restful day, a time where I've been able to just be quiet and enjoy my surroundings. The kids just got home and they're excitedly beating down the door to play, so I gotta go. Surely we'll play another round of a board game, for which I'm re-discovering my love!