Oh look, it's the Ocean!

Since we started to get old last month and decided we need to get out more before it’s too late, we’re always looking for places to go and things to see.  One day we decided we’d ride the bus and then the tram to Glenelg, one of Adelaide’s popular beachside suburbs, just for the heck of it – and because it’s been so long since we’ve seen a beach, it’s hard to believe we live in Australia.  But we didn’t want to get stuck on buses full of commuters and schoolkids, so the timing of the trip would be critical.  Linda puzzled over how to work it out, until Tony had a brilliant idea – ‘Let’s go really early, and have breakfast there, then we can come back before the kids get out of school, maybe even right after breakfast, and then we can go back to bed!’

Great idea!  That meant we had to get up at about 5am, so of course Tony couldn’t sleep and was roaming around the house at 2am – you know how delicate he is.

We got to the bus station with fifteen minutes to spare, due to Tony always wanting to go everywhere too soon in case we have a flat tire, which so far has never happened. It was cold outside, so we waited for the bus in the car. Then we heard a loud sports car arrive and do some complicated maneuvers to back in to a parking space so that he could drive straight out on his return, thereby saving time; this took him at least ten minutes.  When he left his car, we noticed that he hadn’t turned his engine off. So Tony went to tell him. The driver said in a strong Indian accent, ‘It is okay, I had a special switch installed on it so the engine stops one minute after I turn it off.’  And sure enough, it stopped. All Tony could think of saying was ‘Right.’  But what he was thinking was ‘Why?’

So we got on the bus with its narrow seats, which make it imperative that one’s journey is not in tandem with a stranger, especially a fat one, which would result in an unasked for intimate situation.  We managed the journey to Adelaide without falling on the floor, and walked to the nearest tram stop, where the tram to Glenelg was pulling up just as we arrived.  Tony congratulated Linda on her marvelous planning, but she said she had no idea what time the tram would be there, it was just serendipity.

The interior of Adelaide's trams used to look like this.

Now they look like this.  Shall we call it progress?

This was our first trip on one of Adelaide’s new trams, and we discovered, as everyone knows, that they’re very narrow and the seats are too hard. But heck, we ride for free, so can we really complain?  Apart from the man and woman screaming and swearing at each other at the back of the carriage, it was an uneventful, yet interesting journey through the back lanes of Adelaide’s suburbs.

After about half an hour, we arrived in Glenelg and went for a stroll down Jetty Road, which is packed with shops, cafes and ice cream parlours.  But as it was only about 8am, nearly everything was closed.  The street was almost deserted on this chilly winter morning, but a few intrepid shoppers were in the fruit and veg shop, and as we admired the avocadoes, a very noisy car roared up and parked alongside us.  It was an American car, and because we hardly ever see those over here, Tony was immediately entranced, and started taking pictures of it as its owner climbed out.

The big Chevy called Elvis.

And its proud owner.

He seemed to be a Russian gentleman, but it turned out he was only an Australian wearing a Russian hat, which we both admired very much.  He was pleased to discuss his great big Chevy, and told us it cost him $150,000.  Maybe that’s why he wouldn’t let Tony drive it.  He has a sign on it that says ‘Please do not touch’ because everywhere he goes, people want to look at, talk about and fondle his car. And sure enough, as we stood there, another man came along and started asking all the same questions Tony had just asked, and fondled the eagle on the hood.

We went to Bracegirdle’s House of Fine Chocolate for breakfast.   No doubt we could have had a really decadent chocolate breakfast, but we’re not quite as daring as that, so we opted for some very nice omelets instead, then continued our stroll towards the beach.

Soon Linda realized that once again, Tony had been distracted by something – this time it was a dog.  Not a remarkable dog in any way at all, just a dog called Stanley.  Stanley’s owner said he wanted to call the dog Derrick, but the kids insisted on Stanley, so what can you do?

Eventually we saw the sea and some sand, and deduced that we had reached the beach.  And there was the Glenelg Jetty, lonely in the winter weather, whereas in the summer it’s crowded with sunburned people fishing and jumping off it.  We walked along it, smelling the salty sea and a few other odd odours, and feeling dizzy when we looked over the side at the water.  Well, that’s that – we’ve seen the ocean again, something we try to do every 5 years or so.

A little way along the beach, we found a whole lot of large poles stuck in the sand.  A council worker told us they’re to hold up the volleyball nets in the summer, and he’s eagerly looking forward to the women’s beach volleyball competition where they hardly wear anything at all, and bounce around a lot.  Tony thought about staying there and waiting for this delightful spectacle, until Linda told him it would be few months yet before they even put the nets up.

Near the jetty, a memorial to South Australia's first settlers.

The Glenelg Town Hall, which houses the museum.

Then, just as we were heading into the museum all about South Australia’s history, Tony got a migraine.  That’s what happens when he gets excited about women bouncing around.  So he had to sit down for awhile and take a few emergency pills while Linda looked at the museum, and very interesting it was.  After 20 minutes or so, she had only seen a small part of it, but thought she should go and see how her beloved was doing, and whether he was able to join her.  She found him somewhat improved, but in no shape for a museum.  So instead, we went next door for coffee and scones with jam and cream.  We were the only customers in this little café on the beach, so the waitress and the chef both gave us their undivided attention plus lots of TLC for Tony, and delicious hot scones straight out of the oven.

We enjoyed our snack while sitting by a window watching a few intrepid dog-walkers, joggers and fortune-hunters with metal detectors on the beach, then decided we’d better head home so Tony could make a full recovery lying down.

The tram awaits - that's what we thought, but just when got within two feet of it, it left. 
Fortunately another one soon arrived.

On the tram back to Adelaide, we were entertained for the entire journey by a young man with a mobile phone plugged into his ear, perhaps permanently, talking VERY LOUD, probably to his mother, in Urdu or some other language that made it very frustrating to have to listen to all that noise without being able to understand a word of it.  Why didn’t everyone else on the tram rise up and protest, we wonder.  Indeed, why didn’t we start the protest movement ourselves?  Most people are just too damned polite.  Especially us.