We had lunch today with Normal Habel. Norm is a pastor, an Old Testament Scholar, and a Holden faculty person from the 1970's who lives in Adelaide. He is from here. He ended up in St. Louis at Concordia Seminary and then returned to Adelaide in 1974 after everything blew up in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Norm is a fascinating and creative person with a deep passion for the environment. He is part of the planning for a big conference here in July, 2017, called EcoReformation. It sounds really good. We talked a lot about Holden, and church, and many other things. A very lovely time.
We then made our way back to our apartment, including a stop at St, Peter’s Cathedaral, the aforementioned Anglican cathedral we did not attend! It was an interesting and beautiful place.
I then remembered that I had not bought sago, that important South Pacific starch that is an integral ingredient in the Norwegian fruit soup I make. Over the years I have commissioned various people to bring me some when they visit down here, and I have been grateful for that service. But now when I have opportunity, I totally forget! And we found out that even more stores are closed on Easter Monday than were closed on Good Friday! But all is well. I have a good stash at home, and my cousin Sharon keeps me supplied from a New Zealand friends of hers.
So now our bags are packed and we are ready for a long 24+ hours of airports and flights tomorrow. We arrive in the US on Tuesday, but then head down to San Diego to visit Seattle friends who have been living there recently.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Australia 2016 - Easter in Adelaide
This morning we attended worship at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church. South Australia is littered with Lutheran churches, but we picked this one near where we’re staying because they had a really strong up-front statement on their website about ordaining women in the Lutheran Church in Australia. (One person told us that the Roman Catholics will ordain women before the LCA!)
So there we were at the 10 a.m. service, labeled “traditional,” the third of three. We were certainly in the right age group as the nave filled up. As I looked around I started thinking that maybe we should have gone to the Anglican cathedral after all. Maybe this was going to be more “traditional” than I thought.
The organ prelude was good, and we stood for the processional. (Oddly, the “March” from Scipione by Handel!) And then the opening hymn - “Thine is the Glory” - was introduced and the congregation began to sing. I said, “This is what Lutheran is - this powerful, amazing singing that fills room, and head, and heart.” As we talked later, Larry had noted the same. What a heritage of song with have with our sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the world.
The Children’s Word was very well done - a skit linking Christmas and Easter. Very funny moments and a well prepared cast. The sermon was really good. The pastor started out saying that all the Easter treats - bunnies, and so on - are pretty northern items. So Australia needs its own Easter symbol for the day being in Autumn. He offered the Granny Smith apple as the sign, and did a wonderful job talking about new life coming from the rubbish heap, just as the Granny Smith apple was begun from such a circumstance. And he had Granny Smith’s for each of us to take home with us.
After church we went to the South Australia Museum. We especially enjoyed the excellent presentations of Aboriginal Culture.
The day ended with snack for supper and the last Doc Martin (which we saw in England in October) and a Call the Midwife we’d already seen as well. But it was fine.
So there we were at the 10 a.m. service, labeled “traditional,” the third of three. We were certainly in the right age group as the nave filled up. As I looked around I started thinking that maybe we should have gone to the Anglican cathedral after all. Maybe this was going to be more “traditional” than I thought.
The organ prelude was good, and we stood for the processional. (Oddly, the “March” from Scipione by Handel!) And then the opening hymn - “Thine is the Glory” - was introduced and the congregation began to sing. I said, “This is what Lutheran is - this powerful, amazing singing that fills room, and head, and heart.” As we talked later, Larry had noted the same. What a heritage of song with have with our sisters and brothers in Christ throughout the world.
The Children’s Word was very well done - a skit linking Christmas and Easter. Very funny moments and a well prepared cast. The sermon was really good. The pastor started out saying that all the Easter treats - bunnies, and so on - are pretty northern items. So Australia needs its own Easter symbol for the day being in Autumn. He offered the Granny Smith apple as the sign, and did a wonderful job talking about new life coming from the rubbish heap, just as the Granny Smith apple was begun from such a circumstance. And he had Granny Smith’s for each of us to take home with us.
After church we went to the South Australia Museum. We especially enjoyed the excellent presentations of Aboriginal Culture.
The day ended with snack for supper and the last Doc Martin (which we saw in England in October) and a Call the Midwife we’d already seen as well. But it was fine.
Australia 2016 - Barossa Valley
Saturday was our day to go to the famous Barossa Valley wine region. It’s about an hour NE of Adelaide. Again we drove through lovely country, including more bush fire areas. We were headed for Bethany, the first German settlement in the Barossa. Paul Kretschmer had contacted his good friend Robert Schrapel whose family has owned Bethany Wines for 5 generations.
Rob graciously gave us over an hour of his time on a very busy day. He’d given his regular crew the Easter weekend off, so he was doing everything from the tasting room to the wine vats! (There were other people doing the tasting room as well.) He took us up a hill behind the winery and showed us the whole valley and told us the story of its settlement. Ans Englishman named Angas first came there, and then invited Silesians from Germany, Lutherans who didn’t want to comply with their duke’s order to merge all the Protestants. An interesting story. He then gave us a private tasting of their wines. We had a wonderful conversation and a great time. I had met Rob briefly in 1976 when he dropped in at Holden for three days to visit Paul Kretschmer.
Rob gave us a good lunch tip and suggestions for the rest of our day. We had a great lunch at the Tununda Bakery where we also bought the last 4 hot cross buns for our breakfasts! Then we headed for Settesfield, one of the original German settlements. On the way we went by Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church - St. Michael’s it is also called - and went in as a group of women were decorating for Easter Sunday. They were putting up way cool stuff!
Settelsfield was very interesting and very touristy. We appreciated the Jam Factory craft studios. It reminded us of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, where an old factory has been turned into studios and support for artists.
We then went and looked at Wolf Blass. The very famous Barossa winemaker has a virtual wine city and it was pretty impressive!
We then headed home by a wonderful road through a gorge - beautiful, and another different landscape.
We splurged for dinner at the restaurant next door. Very good.
Rob graciously gave us over an hour of his time on a very busy day. He’d given his regular crew the Easter weekend off, so he was doing everything from the tasting room to the wine vats! (There were other people doing the tasting room as well.) He took us up a hill behind the winery and showed us the whole valley and told us the story of its settlement. Ans Englishman named Angas first came there, and then invited Silesians from Germany, Lutherans who didn’t want to comply with their duke’s order to merge all the Protestants. An interesting story. He then gave us a private tasting of their wines. We had a wonderful conversation and a great time. I had met Rob briefly in 1976 when he dropped in at Holden for three days to visit Paul Kretschmer.
Rob gave us a good lunch tip and suggestions for the rest of our day. We had a great lunch at the Tununda Bakery where we also bought the last 4 hot cross buns for our breakfasts! Then we headed for Settesfield, one of the original German settlements. On the way we went by Gnadenfrei Lutheran Church - St. Michael’s it is also called - and went in as a group of women were decorating for Easter Sunday. They were putting up way cool stuff!
Settelsfield was very interesting and very touristy. We appreciated the Jam Factory craft studios. It reminded us of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, where an old factory has been turned into studios and support for artists.
We then went and looked at Wolf Blass. The very famous Barossa winemaker has a virtual wine city and it was pretty impressive!
We then headed home by a wonderful road through a gorge - beautiful, and another different landscape.
We splurged for dinner at the restaurant next door. Very good.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Australia 2016 - Good Friday
On Good Friday we went looking for open things and headed into the Adelaide Hills to go to Hahndorf. The drive into the hills was very beautiful - reminded us a little of home! We went up a pass over Mt, Lofty, then down into the town of Hahndorf. This is the first German settlement in South Australia, and it’s kind of the Leavenworth of Australia, although not quite as over-the-top. We think everyone else in the area decided to head this way as well, finding open resturants and shops on a really beautiful day. It could not have been more pleasant. We had a good time exploring, found some things to purchase, saw lovely art and had a nice lunch.
When we left Hahndorf we wandered through back roads and made our way to the Cleland Wildlife Park. Although we arrive just an hour before closing, we did get to see the Koalas they bring out for people to hold and pet, albeit very briefly. We saw others asleep in their Eucalyptus perches, and walked to other areas to see Emu, different varieties of Kangaroo, Wallabees, and lots of birds. It was a beautiful spot and we’re glad we stopped.
We wandered down another back road to Adelaide and were rewarded with spectacular views over the city and the Gulf of Vincent, on which Adelaide sits. There are many gulfs and bays and peninsulas all around Adelaide, the Southern Ocean cutting into the land at many places. A truly beautiful Good Friday drive, with the St. Matthew Passion playing from my phone.
When we left Hahndorf we wandered through back roads and made our way to the Cleland Wildlife Park. Although we arrive just an hour before closing, we did get to see the Koalas they bring out for people to hold and pet, albeit very briefly. We saw others asleep in their Eucalyptus perches, and walked to other areas to see Emu, different varieties of Kangaroo, Wallabees, and lots of birds. It was a beautiful spot and we’re glad we stopped.
We wandered down another back road to Adelaide and were rewarded with spectacular views over the city and the Gulf of Vincent, on which Adelaide sits. There are many gulfs and bays and peninsulas all around Adelaide, the Southern Ocean cutting into the land at many places. A truly beautiful Good Friday drive, with the St. Matthew Passion playing from my phone.
Australia 2016 - Exploring Adelaide
On Thursday we decided to explore Adelaide and get our bearings in this city. This is a very industrial city, but beautiful as well. A main industry has been the manufacture of the Holden automobile (a GM car like Chevrolet) and Ford. But now those factories are going away to other shores - the usual story - so important jobs will go away.
They have a free bus service for the city and North Adelaide (where we’re staying) called the City Connector. The stop for it was right outside our little complex of apartments, which made it really easy. One route goes clockwise, and one anticlockwise (that’s the word here!). As the stops are the same, it just all depends on when you want to get on and for how long!
We successfully made our way to the downtown (CBD - Central Business District they say in Australia) and to the Rundle Mall, a big pedestrian-only zone where all the major shopping is located. We stopped in at the Tourist Information to find out what would be open and closed on Good Friday. Good Friday is a national holiday in Australia, and large shops and businesses are legally obligated to close - they face big fines if they don’t. So everything pretty much just shuts down.
We looked around in the Rundle Mall for a while. These days downtown shopping in developed countries looks pretty much the same everywhere. But Australian shops have their own flavor and style - lots of nice clothing and shoes. We looked in at Country Road and Trenery, shops where our friends the Powelsons always go when they are in Perth/Fremantle.
After the mall we made our way to the Central Market. This is terrific. Like similar markets in other cities, it has farmers’ produce, meats, cheeses, bread, and flowers. It is a really fun environment, with a lot of activity and variety. We had fun picking out a couple things for dinner. People were lined up everywhere buying their food for their Easter dinners. Here that’s mostly fresh seafood - fish and beautiful local prawns. It was fun to be there and to stand in Easter-prep lines ourselves! We left the market and found our bus stop and headed back to the apartment. Along the way there was a lot of police presence in one area, with news cameras and all kinds of excitement. It was by the River Torrens, which flows through Adelaide. We learned later that a body had been discovered in the river. Our bus driver had an interesting (and successful) time negotiating the bus route so everyone could get where they wanted to be!
They have a free bus service for the city and North Adelaide (where we’re staying) called the City Connector. The stop for it was right outside our little complex of apartments, which made it really easy. One route goes clockwise, and one anticlockwise (that’s the word here!). As the stops are the same, it just all depends on when you want to get on and for how long!
We successfully made our way to the downtown (CBD - Central Business District they say in Australia) and to the Rundle Mall, a big pedestrian-only zone where all the major shopping is located. We stopped in at the Tourist Information to find out what would be open and closed on Good Friday. Good Friday is a national holiday in Australia, and large shops and businesses are legally obligated to close - they face big fines if they don’t. So everything pretty much just shuts down.
We looked around in the Rundle Mall for a while. These days downtown shopping in developed countries looks pretty much the same everywhere. But Australian shops have their own flavor and style - lots of nice clothing and shoes. We looked in at Country Road and Trenery, shops where our friends the Powelsons always go when they are in Perth/Fremantle.
After the mall we made our way to the Central Market. This is terrific. Like similar markets in other cities, it has farmers’ produce, meats, cheeses, bread, and flowers. It is a really fun environment, with a lot of activity and variety. We had fun picking out a couple things for dinner. People were lined up everywhere buying their food for their Easter dinners. Here that’s mostly fresh seafood - fish and beautiful local prawns. It was fun to be there and to stand in Easter-prep lines ourselves! We left the market and found our bus stop and headed back to the apartment. Along the way there was a lot of police presence in one area, with news cameras and all kinds of excitement. It was by the River Torrens, which flows through Adelaide. We learned later that a body had been discovered in the river. Our bus driver had an interesting (and successful) time negotiating the bus route so everyone could get where they wanted to be!
Australia 2016 - Taralee Orchards
One reason we came to Adelaide and South Australia was to visit an old Holden friend, Paul Kretschmer and his family, in the above mentioned Wirrabarra. Our three hour drive north took us through beautiful countryside, including the wine-rich Clare Valley. It also took us through many areas where fire had blazed through, as recently as a couple months ago. Fire is a hazard all through Australia. We’ve been impressed, though, with the ways in which informaton and material is given to people to prepare them for fire. It’s quite thorough and straight-forward and lets people know the speed and danger of fire and that it’s not to be ignored.
We arrive at Taralee Orchards around 1 p.m. - just in time for lunch! It was lovely to see Paul again and to meet Denise and also Marie, their “Wwoofer.” Wwoof” stands for Wordwide Workers on Organic Farms, or Willing Workers on Organic Farms. In the 15 + years the Kretschmers have had their orchards and farm, they’ve had help from all over to assist with all the work. Marie is from Germany, and she was delightful! Lunch helped us get oriented to the the farm and the area. After lunch, we got right into the action, helping Marie package dried fruit for sale.
After lunch we wandered around the farm. What a beautiful place. They have several gardens, many chickens, 4 roosters, a few cows and sheep, and dog named Jet (who came with us on our walk), and their extensive stone fruit orchards. Their main products are the stone fruits, both fresh and dried, and many related items such as an amazingly delicious corn relish, among other things. It is quite an operation, all totally organic, all done by hand, and with a wonderful community spirit. Their sales include the usual wholesale, but they also go to weekly farmers’ markets throughout the region.
On the farm they do B and B with two lovely cottages. The one closest to their house - Apricot Cottage - was being remodeled while we were there, and we walked up the hill to Ruby Cottage, a lovely place with a wonderful view. We also walked down the road from their place a bit, through beautiful forest.
A terrible fire came through their area in 2014. They successfully defended their property, but were also fortunate in that the wind shifted at the last minute so that the fire did not continue their way. There were many properties burned in this fire and it was a hard time all around. The community had put together a book of people’s stories of the fire, and Renae Kretschmer wrote a wonderful piece about the fire at Taralee. She had also put together a picture book for their family of what had happened there. Paul said, given the hard work she was doing to defend against the fire, he didn’t know how she managed to have time to take pictures!
In the early evening, Sue and Trevor Lange arrived on their way back to south of Adelaide from Western Australia. Sue is Denise’s sister. It was very enjoyable to meet them. We all had dinner together out on the veranda - still warm enough to do that, even at the beginning Autumn - and enjoyed steaks from their own cattle. The Kretschmer son Raymon did the honors at the BBQ, and it was delicious! A wonderful day all around.
The next day we all gathered for breakfast at 8:30, and then Denise, Renae, and Marie all headed off for a sports day for Renae’s school. She is a track star! Later we heard from Paul that she had won 5 of her first 6 events and was well on track to once again win the individual over all award. We helped clean up, visited some with Sue and Trevor, and then later helped Paul slice fruit (peaches and plums) for the drier.
After lunch and another good conversation, we finally said farewell and headed back towards Adelaide. Our time at Taralee was really exceptional, and we are so glad we arranged to make this visit.
We arrive at Taralee Orchards around 1 p.m. - just in time for lunch! It was lovely to see Paul again and to meet Denise and also Marie, their “Wwoofer.” Wwoof” stands for Wordwide Workers on Organic Farms, or Willing Workers on Organic Farms. In the 15 + years the Kretschmers have had their orchards and farm, they’ve had help from all over to assist with all the work. Marie is from Germany, and she was delightful! Lunch helped us get oriented to the the farm and the area. After lunch, we got right into the action, helping Marie package dried fruit for sale.
After lunch we wandered around the farm. What a beautiful place. They have several gardens, many chickens, 4 roosters, a few cows and sheep, and dog named Jet (who came with us on our walk), and their extensive stone fruit orchards. Their main products are the stone fruits, both fresh and dried, and many related items such as an amazingly delicious corn relish, among other things. It is quite an operation, all totally organic, all done by hand, and with a wonderful community spirit. Their sales include the usual wholesale, but they also go to weekly farmers’ markets throughout the region.
On the farm they do B and B with two lovely cottages. The one closest to their house - Apricot Cottage - was being remodeled while we were there, and we walked up the hill to Ruby Cottage, a lovely place with a wonderful view. We also walked down the road from their place a bit, through beautiful forest.
A terrible fire came through their area in 2014. They successfully defended their property, but were also fortunate in that the wind shifted at the last minute so that the fire did not continue their way. There were many properties burned in this fire and it was a hard time all around. The community had put together a book of people’s stories of the fire, and Renae Kretschmer wrote a wonderful piece about the fire at Taralee. She had also put together a picture book for their family of what had happened there. Paul said, given the hard work she was doing to defend against the fire, he didn’t know how she managed to have time to take pictures!
In the early evening, Sue and Trevor Lange arrived on their way back to south of Adelaide from Western Australia. Sue is Denise’s sister. It was very enjoyable to meet them. We all had dinner together out on the veranda - still warm enough to do that, even at the beginning Autumn - and enjoyed steaks from their own cattle. The Kretschmer son Raymon did the honors at the BBQ, and it was delicious! A wonderful day all around.
The next day we all gathered for breakfast at 8:30, and then Denise, Renae, and Marie all headed off for a sports day for Renae’s school. She is a track star! Later we heard from Paul that she had won 5 of her first 6 events and was well on track to once again win the individual over all award. We helped clean up, visited some with Sue and Trevor, and then later helped Paul slice fruit (peaches and plums) for the drier.
After lunch and another good conversation, we finally said farewell and headed back towards Adelaide. Our time at Taralee was really exceptional, and we are so glad we arranged to make this visit.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Australia 2016 - Travel to Adelaide
We arose very early on Monday morning to get to the airport for a 5:50 a.m. flight to Sydney. We managed to successfully leave the rental car and find our way to check to our bags and get our boarding passes. The main industry in Western Australia is mining, and it was very interesting to be there early in the morning to see all the miners geared up and heading for their flights to the mines. Reminded us of the Rio Tinto remediation workers at Holden Village. (Rio Tinto is a huge global mining company that started in Australia but is now headquartered in London. It owns the tallest building in Perth.)
Our flight to Sydney was uneventful. We had a couple hours to wait in Sydney for our flight to Adelaide. Ironically, our flight to Sydney flew right over Adelaide! (This trip has been an odd one for planning.) The flight to Adelaide was a delightful adventure. We were in aisle seats across from each other, and our seat partners were totally talkative. Those next to me almost instantly gave me their contact info if our trips in South Australia came near their home in the Adelaide Hills! Larry was sitting with one of four farmers wives who had gone to Sydney for the Madonna concert. The conversations lasted the entire two hour trip! One hilarious moment was when we said where we were going and pronounced the town “Wirrabahrra.” A chorus of about 10 people hollered “WiRAbarra.” (It’s spelled Wirrabarra.) Anyway, it was a very entertaining flight.
After arriving, we retrieved our luggage and easily picked up our rental car, and pretty easily found our way to our apartment rental here. It is a nice and comfortable place, although not as pleasant as our Fremantle flat. We found a very good dinner in the pub next door. So our Adelaide adventure begins.
Our flight to Sydney was uneventful. We had a couple hours to wait in Sydney for our flight to Adelaide. Ironically, our flight to Sydney flew right over Adelaide! (This trip has been an odd one for planning.) The flight to Adelaide was a delightful adventure. We were in aisle seats across from each other, and our seat partners were totally talkative. Those next to me almost instantly gave me their contact info if our trips in South Australia came near their home in the Adelaide Hills! Larry was sitting with one of four farmers wives who had gone to Sydney for the Madonna concert. The conversations lasted the entire two hour trip! One hilarious moment was when we said where we were going and pronounced the town “Wirrabahrra.” A chorus of about 10 people hollered “WiRAbarra.” (It’s spelled Wirrabarra.) Anyway, it was a very entertaining flight.
After arriving, we retrieved our luggage and easily picked up our rental car, and pretty easily found our way to our apartment rental here. It is a nice and comfortable place, although not as pleasant as our Fremantle flat. We found a very good dinner in the pub next door. So our Adelaide adventure begins.
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