The Indian Pacific trip
My friend and I flew back home on Saturday, and we brought the sun with us! We sure had a fun time on Kauai, taking in all the sights and beautiful attractions. We were so lucky to find a place with patio door access to the beach! It was great.
Looking back on my posts, I neglected to mention getting from Sydney to Adelaide. This leg of my journey was aboard the Indian Pacific railroad which travels from Sydney to Perth and back. I was fortunate in that I was able to get a cabin in Platinum class which gave me a private cabin, full size bed when made up and access to white dinner table service, tea, coffee or wine whenever! My travel was only an overnight to Adelaide, about 24 hours.
This service included a limousine pickup at my hotel, delivery to the train station, and the driver took my luggage right to check-in, and took me to where I needed to be! Fantastic. We left on time and the stewards and stewardesses (is that what they are called on trains?) came in and introduced themselves and first thing I have an appt plate and wine to my cabin. My only complaint was that in my cabin I was sitting backwards to the direction of travel...just the way the seating is set up. As the afternoon progressed, the motion of the train and sitting backwards with the terrain going flashing by I started feeling a little nauseous and come dinner time I knew food was not on my horizon! My cabin attendant (I do not think they are Stewardesses on trains!!) lady came in when I buzzed to have bed made up. She was trying so hard to help me, but all I wanted was to lay down. In the morning it had passed and I enjoyed the rest of the trip starting with lovely breakfast in the dining car reserved exclusively for Platinum passengers! Talk about feeling special! I discovered a small stool under the little table in my room and was able to sit on it and look out at the scenery going by and felt good when we finally pulled in to Adelaide station where I was so delighted to see my friend Nicci. So lovely to see her and reunite with her and Stephen again.
I spent two wonderful weeks there and each day was an adventure going somewhere for lunch in the Adelaide Hills. What a lovely area. For those wine connoisseurs, the Barrosa Valley is in the Adelaide Hills region. There are over 50 wineries in the Barossa Valley, and nearly 800 grape producers. The majority of plantings are Shiraz, Sauvignon, Reisling etc. There are delightful little towns dotted all over the Hills and one of my favourites is Hahndorf. Originally settled by Germans, today it still reflects that history but has also become a real tourist hub. There is a special little store in Hahndorf I love called Ophelias Cottage. I'm happy to say Nicci and I visited it twice for some retail bling therapy! https://www.facebook.com/opheliacottage.Hahndorf
Nicci took me on a two day, two nights trip away down to Robe on the ocean, then back around through Mt. Gambier to see the sinkhole garden and the blue lake in the crater. Naracoorte was our overnight stop and then back to Adelaide Hills in time to get dinner on. All in all, a great escape!
So now we are back home, I say we as my friend Val and I vacationed on Kauai together the last two weeks of my vacation. It's great to go away and miss the worst of winter, but it is virtually still winter right now, cool and drizzly, but spring is on its way by the looks of the bulbs sending leaves and flowers up. Thanks for following along on this trip!
Looking back on my posts, I neglected to mention getting from Sydney to Adelaide. This leg of my journey was aboard the Indian Pacific railroad which travels from Sydney to Perth and back. I was fortunate in that I was able to get a cabin in Platinum class which gave me a private cabin, full size bed when made up and access to white dinner table service, tea, coffee or wine whenever! My travel was only an overnight to Adelaide, about 24 hours.
This service included a limousine pickup at my hotel, delivery to the train station, and the driver took my luggage right to check-in, and took me to where I needed to be! Fantastic. We left on time and the stewards and stewardesses (is that what they are called on trains?) came in and introduced themselves and first thing I have an appt plate and wine to my cabin. My only complaint was that in my cabin I was sitting backwards to the direction of travel...just the way the seating is set up. As the afternoon progressed, the motion of the train and sitting backwards with the terrain going flashing by I started feeling a little nauseous and come dinner time I knew food was not on my horizon! My cabin attendant (I do not think they are Stewardesses on trains!!) lady came in when I buzzed to have bed made up. She was trying so hard to help me, but all I wanted was to lay down. In the morning it had passed and I enjoyed the rest of the trip starting with lovely breakfast in the dining car reserved exclusively for Platinum passengers! Talk about feeling special! I discovered a small stool under the little table in my room and was able to sit on it and look out at the scenery going by and felt good when we finally pulled in to Adelaide station where I was so delighted to see my friend Nicci. So lovely to see her and reunite with her and Stephen again.
I spent two wonderful weeks there and each day was an adventure going somewhere for lunch in the Adelaide Hills. What a lovely area. For those wine connoisseurs, the Barrosa Valley is in the Adelaide Hills region. There are over 50 wineries in the Barossa Valley, and nearly 800 grape producers. The majority of plantings are Shiraz, Sauvignon, Reisling etc. There are delightful little towns dotted all over the Hills and one of my favourites is Hahndorf. Originally settled by Germans, today it still reflects that history but has also become a real tourist hub. There is a special little store in Hahndorf I love called Ophelias Cottage. I'm happy to say Nicci and I visited it twice for some retail bling therapy! https://www.facebook.com/opheliacottage.Hahndorf
Nicci took me on a two day, two nights trip away down to Robe on the ocean, then back around through Mt. Gambier to see the sinkhole garden and the blue lake in the crater. Naracoorte was our overnight stop and then back to Adelaide Hills in time to get dinner on. All in all, a great escape!
So now we are back home, I say we as my friend Val and I vacationed on Kauai together the last two weeks of my vacation. It's great to go away and miss the worst of winter, but it is virtually still winter right now, cool and drizzly, but spring is on its way by the looks of the bulbs sending leaves and flowers up. Thanks for following along on this trip!
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