I'm sure you've all been waiting on the edge of your seats for Part 3 of the Royal Adelaide Show, haven't you? I'd say the Show is probably a little under half the size (geographically) of the Iowa State Fair. And with about half the attendance (roughly a half a million people attend) it feels just as crowded! There is a midway area, that was LOUD and busy. We thought the rides were more expensive here, and we opted not to ride any, given we'll have opportunities for that in a few months (more to come on that in, well, a few months!).
Here's one midway attraction you won't find in Iowa. . .
The food - Iowa State Fair wins here. There was hardly anything on a stick! Overall there didn't seem to be as much variety. They let you bring in any food you want, so we didn't actually eat too much at the Show. We did buy Cheese Toasties (aka a grilled cheese sandwich) for $2.25 USD per sandwich - the best deal of the Show!
And now, let's talk about Showbags. There is nothing like this in the States, and I'm shocked, because Americans are crazy and would totally go crazy for them. Showbags are basically themed goodie bags you can buy. And there are hundreds of them. Some are character-themed; you can buy a Star Wars Showbag or a Hello Kitty Showbag. They are sold in this giant, packed hall. They put out fliers ahead of time advertising each Showbag and its contents, including the price and the actual value (so the showbag might be $30 but the contents are actually worth $49 for instance).
The cheapest showbag is $2 and the most expensive is $50. Some have candy in them - we broke down and bought a Tim Tams bag. I saw some with beauty products, sports teams gear, almost anything you can think of! Some people preview the bags online so they are prepared with their shopping list when they arrive :)
Attached to the Showbag Hall was a Market Bazaar, which had booths selling even more stuff! Collectables, jewelry, toys, clothing, ethnic items, etc. There are SO many ways to spend money here.
What was the boys' favorite part of the Show? We found a small animal shelter booth that had some cats for adoption on display. We came here twice so the boys could pet the cute kitties.
Micah couldn't understand why we could't adopt one. . .
Australia also has quite a bit of reality TV here, and thanks to my friend Tara, we've gotten addicted to a show called The Block. It's arguably the most popular reality show in the country, and involves 5 teams of 2 people each, who renovate a house over the course of 3 months. Each week, the teams work on the same rooms in their individual houses (we just watched main bathroom week, for example), and each week there is a winner who gets a cash prize to help with the renovation costs. At the end of the show, the houses each go up for auction (that seems to be how people sell houses here), and the teams get to keep any profit that's made at auction. Micah and I binge watched Season 13, and we just started Season 14, which is filming in Melbourne right now.
So MY favorite part of Show was getting to meet two teams from The Block! We met Jess and Norm, from Queensland. He is a carpenter and she is a morning radio DJ. And a hugger. She hugged us all. We also met Bianca and Carla, who are besties and professional netball players (a sport similar to basketball). Yes, they are super tall. We were standing in line for Norm and Jess when the girl team came up and joined them, so we were one of just a few people to get a pic with both teams!
Left to right: Jess, Micah, Me, Norm, Eli, Ked, Carla, and Bianca.
These are the two teams renovating the only two penthouse apartments in the building on the show, so one of these teams will probably win. My guess is Bianca and Carla - but both couples were VERY nice and would be deserving of a win. So that was our little brush with celebrity at the Show.
Overall - we had a great time!!
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