4pm. Adelaide CBD.
The warm sunshine and the cool wind brushed comfortably against my face as I walked down the crowded Rundle Mall. Both sides of the Mall were covered in shopfronts, exuberant signs overhead proclaimed brands ranging from Esprit to Sportgirls, from Borders Bookshop to Shields Jewellery, while the shopwindows displayed such a wide variety of new fashionable garments, they hit the eyes like a colour explosion.
The street was full of people: middle-age women laden with shopping bags and groceries; fashionably dressed young lasses tossing their hair, their stiletto heels clicking feverously on the pavement; businessmen dressed in suits and ties sitting outside the coffee shops; groups of girls and boys, still in their school uniforms, moving in large packs, chattering loudly. The city seemed to have awoken with liveliness, the excitement and delight on people’s face suggested that it was Friday afternoon.
In the middle of the street, prominent amongst the many shoppers and passers-by, stood a few large red umbrellas labelled with the name Cibo – Adelaide’s iconic coffee-shop, which could be found at almost every street corner in the city. I stepped into the little outlet, breathing in the familiar fragrance of coffee beans, and ordered myself a large cappuccino. As I carried the steaming red paper-cup out of the shop, I looked around to locate the nearest shoe store, and set out for my search of a new pair of summer shoes.