A walk in the park

ADELAIDE, AU - Decided that I'd check out Adelaide's Botanic Gardens, as is my habit in all Australian cities. Nothing like celebrating my first full day in South Australia (known on the license plates as The Festival State, for those interesting in that type of trivia) with a face full of kangaroo paw (strange but cool flower found in these parts).

The day opened as it closed yesterday, too cool for my liking. I left my hotel with several layers that included a scarf around my neck, but Mother Nature had changes in store for me and I returned several hours later with my scarf tied around my camera bag and my sweater wrapped around my waist.

Never made it to the Botanic Gardens, however, as the University of Adelaide's campus stood in my way. I strode through the huge wrought-iron gates and was somewhat disappointed to see very few students. All in class maybe? Nice campus, though.

Having a vague idea where the gardens began, I headed through the campus toward Torrens River. Now the place reminds me of Melbourne, where it gave me glimpses of Perth yesterday. Melbourne features the Yarra River dividing sections of town and one must find a walkway across the Yarra to get to Melbourne's amazing Botanic Gardens.

But I digress.

Having crossed the Torrens, I found myself not at the gardens but at the entrance to the Adelaide Zoological Gardens. Okay, that works. I love zoos!

Can I put in a plug here for the Animal Planet show called "Meercat Manor"? Seriously folks, I can watch those critters for hours and nearly did in Adelaide. For sheer entertainment value, they really do rival the chimpanzees - and that's saying something.

Having viewed my buddies the meercats and some odd African creature called a mara which looked like someone put a rabbit's head on a small dog, I decided that nature was calling. Is it strange or very creative that the ladies room at the Adelaide Zoo is built into an aviary? Yep, brightly colored (and noisy) parrets were watching us pee from above.

I devoured a croissant sandwich, doritos and a water and decided to call it a day (since I had absolutely NO IDEA how long it would take to get back to my hotel.) I had been meandering around since 10:30 in the morning and since all of the grammer school field trips had departed, it had to be late.

Time to go.

On the way back, I stopped for a breather on a park bench near the Adelaide...oops, sorry, the Royal Adelaide Hospital (not sure what's royal about it, but whatever). Anyway, while sitting there enjoying the first real sun I've absorbed in days, I saw a group of young boys in white short-sleeved shirts and a few in matching white hats run across the street in front of me.

A few minutes later, more boys in the same shirt (with a purple stripe across the shoulders) trickled by and raced through the parking lot across the street. And more boys, these a few years older, followed a few minutes later.

There's a game on!

White shirts and hats?? Would it be cricket maybe? I remembered seeing an area called the "parade grounds" on the map and it wasn't too far from here. Maybe it's Aussie Rules football? I don't know squat about either sport, but what a great chance to find out!

I raced across the street in the direction that the boys went and found myself back on campus, but this time it was the University of South Australia. Whatever. I headed toward the river and spotted the boys on the far banks of the Torrens, gathered with some men near a small structure.

One look at the equipment spread out on the ground and I knew.

Not cricket, not football, but crew!