Exploring Adelaide city on my own
Exploring cities by yourself can be lonely but this week I have been finding comfort in the solitude.
With my partner out of town and university work over, I am left wondering about things to do. What activities are even available for a solo traveller?
Exploring things on my own has always been a daunting prospect but I was determined to make use of my free time to catch up on some activities around town.
Wandering through North Terrace, I realised that the Botanic Gardens were but a hop, jump and a skip away. I hardly know of any city with such an amenity so easily accessible. They even have a Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit (students are $8 for entry) until July 24. Did you know you can even volunteer there? If you enjoy gardening, cooking and teaching they have programs where you can teach school kids how to grow and cook their own food, something I have always wanted to try and finally signed up to do! There is something so serene about just breathing in the smells and listening to the birdcalls of the garden, with nothing but your own thoughts.
When it comes to lunch my go to has always been Peter Rabbit Cafe. While a little more on the pricey side, it has locally sourced and seasonal ingredients and best of all, a couple of bunnies in the outside eating area. There is even a tree in the cafe! Quite frankly, with how cold and wet it has been their Mushroom Ramen was a life saver. It was a bit weird adjusting to eating by myself, because I always feel like people are judging!
This week I am also planning on going to see The Frozen Musical! Its something I have never done before, but the idea of dressing up and waltzing into a theatre like a 1920s flapper is quite glamorous. I haven't had many chances to do nice things over the semester so I am really excited to take the time out to do that. My tip is look out for the $50 tickets, or you'll be paying upwards of a $100 which is quite painful on the uni student's pocket!
Finally, if you love markets like I do, the Farmer's Market is on every Sunday at the Adelaide Showgrounds. I always love getting a salad and custard croissant for dessert. Alternatively, you can just go to look at the all the cute dogs that people bring in.
Doing things alone isn't for everyone and while fun in the short term often leaves me wanting some social time. In the absence of friends and family I have always found this hard. My advice is see what events clubs are doing and look for activities outside of university like Club 8 Sports and City Library events.