What a festive vision the Australia Day Parade was in Adelaide, on January 26! The photos show the variety of multi-cultural participants in the parade.
Australia Day is their national holiday, basically their 4th of July.
There is a lot of discussion going on here about changing their flag, as some feel it is too "colonial", and needs to be a design without any semblance of the Union Jack on it.
I guess they could always just put a kangaroo and an emu or cossawary, or a can of beer on a yellow and blue background, and that would be quite representative of the Aussies.
We took a paddleboat ride around the River Torrens, in front of the bandstand area where a free concert was held that evening, topped by fireworks over the city.
As you see, an American contingent was there, along with the Irish, some old-time bicyclists, the Brazilians, so many others, and, apparently, Gandhi was also in attendance!
Given the Australia Day holiday, we thought it appropriate to include some random observations about Australia and Australians thus far. Keep in mind, we are not yet on the east coast and more cosmopolitan cities.
- Board shorts are an everyday clothing staple.
- Typical male Australian is adorned with board shorts, tank top, flip flops (called thongs here), and a tattoo(s).
- Consistently bad beer (James Boag's, Crown, VB, Cooper's, Cascade, XXXX Gold, Toohey's)
- Ordering and paying for food at the counter in a restaurant. Probably reduces need for wait staff. Thus increases owner's profit. And no one tips, at all. Taxes and service charges included in bill.
- Brazilian bikini waxes advertised on the radio (it is summertime).
- America is not the only country with a weight problem (see large, yellow-shirted fella in a photo above).
- Wine with screw tops (actually very convenient).
- Where are all the dogs (and we don't mean dingoes)?
- Girls all 'tarted up' in the evenings, while their escorting males are still in board shorts.
- American influences of KFC and Subway everywhere (and not much else other than imitations of Target and Burger King).
- Extremely friendly, chatty, and good-natured people.
- Yet, there is a very palpable governmental presence in all media, with ads in theaters and on radio reminding people to have bushfire evacuation plans, and anti-smoking and anti-drinking campaigns, and admonishments to put on sunblock, wear hats and long sleeves to ward off skin cancer, all quite "in loco parentis", as my Concordia College friends will surely know what that means!
Next: the oldest rainforest on the planet, outside of Cairns.
So Viggo, when did you learn to play xylophone?
ReplyDeleteHee hee, that is a very good quip, my man, indeed!
ReplyDelete