Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Adelaide Day 1 - McLaren Vale

Our first stop after collecting our car from Hertz at Adelaide Airport was McLaren Vale, 35km or so away from Adelaide city. It is a wine region that is internationally renowned for the wines it produces. It also has an abundance of cafes and restaurants that happily showcase local produce.
Oliver and Heidi quickly settled into the black Ford Focus. Heidi is showing the 3 fingers.
On the way to McLaren Vale Motel, they felt asleep, and me and Sophia also felt into a deep sleep after checking into the room. The flight really made us very tired.
When we awoke, it was mid-afternoon. Time to fill our stomach and head to one of the more famous eating places, Blessed Cheese, which is a unique combination of cheese shop, cafe and provedore specialising in artisan cheeses.
This salad and the figs in it is really delicious. The fig looks like a lime from the outside, with pulp like grapefruit. But the taste is entirely different. How come they don't use figs in salad sold in Singapore?
Along the walkway outside Blessed Cheese, Oliver does his now signature pose.
Heidi loves the cappuccino. Which made her looks like Joker.
Why so serious?
Next stop was the Jubilee Park Adventure Playground. This is a very impressive fort-like construction made mainly of wood into mazes, towers and bridges. Even the floor is covered with wood shavings so that it cushions any fall.
Oliver loves speed. And he is game to go ever higher.
The community came together to build this playground with voluntary labour, and it has won numerous award with its design and innovativeness.
Just before we called it a day and head back to the motel, we stopped by this place atop one of the beautiful beaches in the region.