Adelaide - Days 2 & 3

I was determined to begin my mornings in Adelaide with 30mins of mindfulness meditation. Usually at work, the up & down of my work scheduled, combined with various other social commitments make carving out meditation time a bit of a challenge.With the precious availability of leisure (yes, free time that was all my own!), I wasted no time devoting some attention to the health and well being of my mind.

I set aside some floor space in our tiny hotel room, facing west, which happens to be the window. Yes, that's the same window that when opened, confronts you with a bland grey brick wall. Thankfully, meditation doesn't require a view, just a cushion. I've always found it hard to practice when I'm away from my meditation room. Setting up a routine and getting to the cushion is always the hardest part but once I'm there, sitting has a momentum of its own. Meditating on holidays has always required a bit of research and thoughtful organization.  Over the years, I've gently taught my family that meditation does for my mind what yoga/exercise does for my body. And if they just give me that 30-45mins to myself, the rest of the time we spent together will hopefully be more pleasant, because I won't be as easily overwhelmed by my bad habits. After four years, Craig still seems a little skeptical at times but respects my practice enough not to intrude.

An Adelaide War Monument

By the time I finished my meditation, Craig is well and truly ready for a coffee. We decide to wander the city by foot. We seem a little out of place, strolling leisurely about in typical tourist fashion while everyone else rushes about, either heading to work or school. On this unusual tuesday morning, we are oddities amongst the native Adelaide folk.

An education centre at Botanical Gardens

Adelaide Botanical Gardens

Did someone say Meerkat?

Craig's favourite, Monkeys (Gibbons)!

Panda!

Getting friendly with a native.

Our wanderings take us past historical monuments, war memorials and into the botanical gardens. We even walk along the river Torrens. We seem to be mixing a lot with school children, young families or retirees. At the zoo, Craig is really enjoying getting behind the camera. He's a great photographer and I love his intensity and focus, qualities that I've failed to cultivate. I've tried learning the manual techniques of using a DSLR but I don't use them enough to feel comfortable yet. I'm more of a "spontaneous" photographer, but I know that I need to learn more about DSLR, if I'm to bring out the best in my pictures.

Craig went along easily with my craziness. I took us on what would seem like a lovely and gentle stroll to the Old Adelaide Gaol, but I'd underestimated the walking distance. It had seem far closer on the map but we persevered and finished the walk. At least we were helping to burn off some of the rich food we'd been having. Craig had been reluctant to visit a museum so I compromised, figuring that a building would still trigger our interest, without hopefully, the boredom of just walking past glass exhibitions. It was a little eerie, walking through stone rooms and barred windows where you knew so many other people had suffered.

Old Adelaide Gaol

Craig gets in touch with his convict roots

Needing something lighter, I took Craig to the Jam Factory, which is actually an arts & crafts gallery. There, we could overlook a glass-blowing workshop and as cool as it was, the heat from the furnaces easily made you forget about the Adelaide chill. Eating is always fabulous, an adventure of its own. The hardest part is working out what to try next, sometimes earmarking interesting restaurants/cafes for following days. We celebrated our 1st year anniversary at a Greek restaurant. It's good to spend time just chatting together. Sometimes, I get so caught up in commitments and work that I don't always give as much time as I should to Craig. I've long accepted that finding balance is part and parcel of all my relationships. And being in Adelaide has made it a little easier.

We are really enjoying ourselves. :) More to come, Demi & Craig