Dolce Far Niente

Our residence in Glenelg on Google Satellite

I picked up this expression in "Eat, Pray, Love" (on my way to Australia). The sweetness of doing nothing in Italian has come to define my lifestyle in Australia!

Glenelg Beach

Glenelg - a beach-side suburb of Adelaide where we reside is a typical resort town swirling with holiday crowd and service industry built around making the vacationers happy and full. The spirit of eternal holiday permeates the streets - people lounging at the beach, sitting back in coffee shops, shopping, dining. When we first walked down the streets, the Little Nomad exclaimed: "This is like the Fun Land in Pinocchio!"

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if I did grow a donkey tail, Pinocchio-style, by end of my stay here: I spent the first month in South Australia in a state of lethargic trance that had completely enveloped my mind and body. Spending sluggish days at the beach slathered in sunscreen, with a chic-lit book (that I would normally scorn) in hand and splashing in the Bay's warm waters have been the pinnacle of my self-discipline. It is only now, 4 weeks later, that I am starting to regain my energy. Is it the southern sun that strips you of any resolve and will power? Or maybe, the sprint across Europe had worn me out so much? Or was it the climate and time adjustment? In any case, I can hardly remember any time in my life when I was actually relaxed to the point of numbness and complete indifference to anything that would require me to get off the beach mat. And I would not be truthful if I said that I am not enjoying it!

The Glenelg Beach

Our apartment is tucked away from the hassle and noise of the main strip and is 50m away from Jetty Rd - a happening street with a long ribbon of shops and restaurants, more shops and restaurants, that is about 2km long. 300m away from the apartment is the best beach in Adelaide - the Gulf of Vincent with incredibly warm transparent waters, white sand, a long jetty, and a strip of entertainment facilities, hotels, and restaurants. A walkway runs along the beach on Esplanade st and stretches about 5km with a magnificent view of the beach.

Every single day the Bay has significant low-high tide changes. The character and the mood of the beach changes so drastically in mere 6 hours, but is extremely attractive in either condition! In the morning, the ocean drains by at least 150 meters in 3 hours (a tide-tracking website indicates the high-tide at 2.4m today). While you stand watching the water fade , a large strip of white sand gets exposed right under your feet. It leaves behind shells of all colors, shapes and forms, fish, and crab. The receding ocean is very shallow, warm, and calm presenting a safe environment for kids' endless games. By the evening, the ocean's high-tide brings higher waves, stronger wind, and deeper beach line. A different crowd comes out to the beach - novice surfers, adventure-seeking swimmers, and teenagers. The changes in the Bay waters are swift but the difference they bring add to the variety of activities we can add to our arsenal.

Alongside the faceless supermarkets, Glenelg sports numerous small butcher and sausage shops, fish stores, and bakeries where the owners know their produce and their clientele. Early on Sat morning the Little Nomads run for the croissants, twice as big as the French ones (and twice as expensive), still warm from the oven. No kissing up to a butcher here - he's come to know what the kids like. He's an incredibly friendly guy, but he's also the only person whose accent I have a hard time understanding. People are friendly, the weather is perfect, and there are still two more month of this bliss ahead!

The Glenelg Marina

Sunset over the bay

Moseley Square
clock tower

Freshly-caught crab