I've spent the last 20+ hours travelling, and the twinkly Christmas lights that are shining in Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center in New York are literally half a world away now.
After delays getting out of JFK and LAX, and a missed connection out of Sydney, it was wonderful to finally get off the plane in my home town and be met by this fantastic gingerbread village, right inside Adelaide Airport.
The delicious display is the excellent work of the patisserie students at the Regency Campus of TAFE (Technical & Further Education) SA and will be on show until 5 January. Snowy landscapes aren't exactly a feature of Adelaide at Christmas time - or at any time really - but I'll celebrate edible talent any way I can!
On the subject of Adelaide landscapes, I was a little dismayed to see how yellowed and crunchy the countryside looked as we commenced our descent into Adelaide this afternoon. The meteorologists have already predicted that Adelaide will have blistering summer heat waves this year. Days over 40 degrees Celsius (104F) aren't exactly uncommon during summer, but the dry heat can get awfully uncomfortable for people, pets, and gardens. Such a contrast to my other home town, huh?
Now I know we're all on vacation here, and we're not meant to be using our brains much, but before we throw ourselves into Adelaide tourism I think it's worth giving you some quick information so you can get your bearings.
British colonists (not convicts) first settled in South Australia in 1836, but the Kaurna (pronounced 'gah-na') people have been the traditional owners of the land in the Adelaide Plains area for millennia. The Kaurna people lived a nomadic existence on their land, which also include the area where Adelaide's central business district is now situated. We'll revisit Adelaide's indigenous history and culture in a couple of days time.
Fast forward to today though, and there are 1.67 million people living in South Australia, which is basically the population of Nebraska living in an area bigger than Texas. But 77% of South Australians reside in the "Greater Adelaide" area - which includes the capital city of Adelaide, and its surrounding major suburbs. We've basically clustered around the capital and the coastline - but when I show you photos, you'll understand why.
I grew up in this Greater Adelaide area and when I was at school, I was friends with "Aussie" kids, but also kids whose parents had moved here from Greece, Italy, and countries all across Asia. Over the years since, Adelaide has become home to a vibrant Filipino community, and families from Afghanistan, South Sudan, and beyond. Mass migration has been part of Australia's way of life for decades - very similar to New York, in that respect. And just like New York, Adelaide has become a more diverse and (I'd argue) a more interesting place for it. You can see this diversity reflected in our food, music, religious and sporting cultures.
But we will discover this all in good time. For now though, I'm going to unwind with a glass of local South Australian wine and attempt to sleep off this jetlag. We've got a busy couple of weeks ahead!
