Last day in Adelaide

Jan 4 We were a little slow getting started so we didn’t
get to go for our walk before we pocked up Liam. While our initial
plans were to visit the pandas at the Adelaide Zoo, we thought the
cost was a but excessive and opted to drive to McLaren Vale. We
chose to travel via the scenic route through coastal areas past
Port Noalunga and the South Western beaches. We were amazed by the
deserted beaches ( Aidan thinks it has a lot to do with the
frequency of sightings of and attacks by noahs), cliffs which
could- and have- been stand/ins for Gallipoli. We then headed off
to McLaren Vale in search of yet another wine region to sample.
Before we did this, however, we visited the local chocolate factory
from which you could purchase any lolly coated in chocolate
including snakes and red and green frogs. Once the sun was over the
yard arm, he headed to the pub for lunch and planned our attack.
First stop was Coriole where we tasted chenin Blanc and another
unusual grape beginning with “f”. We also tasted some of their
goat’s cheese including a chilli variety called “Goat on a hot Tim
roof.” The next stop was d’Arenberg which had the longest wine
tasting list we had encountered on a trip. We found out that the
McLaren’s best grapes are: Shiraz and Grenache and that they buy in
grapes from other SA regions to make their other wines. This winery
do interesting things with odd French varieties and Chris was very
taken with the roussanne and the tempranillo. We headed back to
Adelaide to do some last minute ironing and packing as Mark had
returned early. We then headed to Aidan and Shannon’s place for a
final meal together and the chance to meet Shannon’s parents. The
salmon and salads were beautiful and the khalua laced tiramisu was
a triumph. Shannon’s parents were delightful and it was nice to
share our mutual admiration of our children. A lovely, memorable
evening but at the same time sad.