Spring Break Part 3: Glenelg, Adelaide, Henley Beach
Day 8: Glenelg (22 degrees, cloudy)
Despite the tour being over, I still had to get up at 5:30 today. But for a very good cause: I was going to swim with dolphins!! Catching the bus to Glenelg I made my way to the catamaran boat with a beating heart. A childhood dream was about to come true! After some safety instructions we got into our wetsuits and set off to Adelaide's Gulf of St. Vincent, home to thousands of dolphins. The first jump into the water was cold, but we quickly got used to the temperatures. We could see the dolphins jumping in the distance, but they were too busy playing at the front of the boat so we had to wait for a second attempt to actually swim with them. Seeing the dolphins jumping and swimming around the boat, however, was already an amazing experience for me. As young as I can remember, dolphins have been my favourite animal, my room was full of dolphin posters, stickers, wallpaper, pens, pyjamas, bedsheets, dolphin everything. I have never ever seen dolphins in the wild before, however, so this experience still makes me smile every time I think about it!
Our second attempt in the water was really unforgettable. Several dolphins swam around us and one of them, believe it or not, kept swimming next to me! They are so beautiful, fast and smart! Every time one came near me my heart jumped and I was just so over-excited! (And I still am!) Our third jump into the water was a bit chaotic and one of the other guys jumped on top of me due to which I lost my underwater camera, but I couldn't care less because all I wanted to see were those amazing creatures. Despite the cold I did not want to get out of the water, all I wanted was to stay to the dolphins as close as possible. It was truly unforgettable!
As it was getting colder and colder due to the clouds hiding the sun, we were dragged back on board and watched the dolphins jump from there. We even saw a tiny little baby dolphin, a few months old, playing around with his/her mother! It was amazing!
Getting up so early meant that I still had loads of time left to explore more of Glenelg, a seaside suburb of Adelaide. I walked through the shopping street, went to the visitor's centre, relaxed at the beach and couldn't stop smiling about my morning experience. I then headed back to Adelaide to meet up with two Dutch girls, Tess and Laura, whom I had met during the tour to go to OzAsia, a festival in Adelaide about Asian culture. We had amazing dumplings and enjoyed the vibe while talking over our future plans in Australia, before we all headed back to our beds to catch some well-deserved sleep!
Day 9: Adelaide (23 degrees, sunny)
After sleeping in I headed into town to explore Adelaide's market, a very famous old building with lots of fruit, veggies and bread. I walked through Rundle Mall, Adelaide's shopping centre with some beautiful arcades attached to it, and known for its pig statues. The weather was lovely so I decided to go to the botanical gardens, where I quickly crashed on one of the many grass areas to give my feet some rest. I explored some more of the stunning gardens with beautiful flowers and a tropical forest and skyped with my mom for quite a while to catch up with what had happened the past week. I then took the bus to Henley Beach, less famous than Glenelg but definitely worth a visit. I enjoyed the last rays of sun and watched the sun set into the ocean with baguette and dips before heading back to the hostel to pack my back for the next day. A very relaxed day in the very relaxed city of Adelaide!
Day 10: Adelaide (16 degrees, cloudy)
After checking out of the hostel and taking one of their free books with me, I headed down to one of the many parks in Adelaide to read a bit in the sun before meeting up with Tess. Adelaide is the greenest city of Australia and is surrounded by parks on all four sides. It is also known as city of churches and on my way to the park I spotted several. After a pleasant start, I met up with Tess to go the Southern Australia Art Gallery where we spotted both beautiful and funny artworks. We walked a bit through the city, had an amazing lunch and went for a tea in one of Adelaide's many cafes. We did some groceries at Woolworths and then it was unfortunately time to say goodbye. I picked up my backpack from the hostel and headed to the bus station to catch my 11 hour bus ride to Melbourne. Spring break, you were amazing! Though I will need some more sleep before I am ready to start uni again :)
Day 8: Glenelg (22 degrees, cloudy)
Despite the tour being over, I still had to get up at 5:30 today. But for a very good cause: I was going to swim with dolphins!! Catching the bus to Glenelg I made my way to the catamaran boat with a beating heart. A childhood dream was about to come true! After some safety instructions we got into our wetsuits and set off to Adelaide's Gulf of St. Vincent, home to thousands of dolphins. The first jump into the water was cold, but we quickly got used to the temperatures. We could see the dolphins jumping in the distance, but they were too busy playing at the front of the boat so we had to wait for a second attempt to actually swim with them. Seeing the dolphins jumping and swimming around the boat, however, was already an amazing experience for me. As young as I can remember, dolphins have been my favourite animal, my room was full of dolphin posters, stickers, wallpaper, pens, pyjamas, bedsheets, dolphin everything. I have never ever seen dolphins in the wild before, however, so this experience still makes me smile every time I think about it!
Our second attempt in the water was really unforgettable. Several dolphins swam around us and one of them, believe it or not, kept swimming next to me! They are so beautiful, fast and smart! Every time one came near me my heart jumped and I was just so over-excited! (And I still am!) Our third jump into the water was a bit chaotic and one of the other guys jumped on top of me due to which I lost my underwater camera, but I couldn't care less because all I wanted to see were those amazing creatures. Despite the cold I did not want to get out of the water, all I wanted was to stay to the dolphins as close as possible. It was truly unforgettable!
As it was getting colder and colder due to the clouds hiding the sun, we were dragged back on board and watched the dolphins jump from there. We even saw a tiny little baby dolphin, a few months old, playing around with his/her mother! It was amazing!
Day 9: Adelaide (23 degrees, sunny)
After sleeping in I headed into town to explore Adelaide's market, a very famous old building with lots of fruit, veggies and bread. I walked through Rundle Mall, Adelaide's shopping centre with some beautiful arcades attached to it, and known for its pig statues. The weather was lovely so I decided to go to the botanical gardens, where I quickly crashed on one of the many grass areas to give my feet some rest. I explored some more of the stunning gardens with beautiful flowers and a tropical forest and skyped with my mom for quite a while to catch up with what had happened the past week. I then took the bus to Henley Beach, less famous than Glenelg but definitely worth a visit. I enjoyed the last rays of sun and watched the sun set into the ocean with baguette and dips before heading back to the hostel to pack my back for the next day. A very relaxed day in the very relaxed city of Adelaide!
After checking out of the hostel and taking one of their free books with me, I headed down to one of the many parks in Adelaide to read a bit in the sun before meeting up with Tess. Adelaide is the greenest city of Australia and is surrounded by parks on all four sides. It is also known as city of churches and on my way to the park I spotted several. After a pleasant start, I met up with Tess to go the Southern Australia Art Gallery where we spotted both beautiful and funny artworks. We walked a bit through the city, had an amazing lunch and went for a tea in one of Adelaide's many cafes. We did some groceries at Woolworths and then it was unfortunately time to say goodbye. I picked up my backpack from the hostel and headed to the bus station to catch my 11 hour bus ride to Melbourne. Spring break, you were amazing! Though I will need some more sleep before I am ready to start uni again :)
0 reactions