A Little Dust on the Bottle

The final countdown has officially begun. In exactly one week, I will be flying into BWI and running into my family's arms!

Together, us three girls have grown closer than imaginable.

I cannot believe how quickly the second half of my journey has passed. The experiences I've had, the new things I've tried and the friends I've made have turned these past four months into the adventure of a lifetime. Now I'm in the final stretch, and the feeling is bittersweet. But enough emotional rubbish for now! I can be soppy and reminisce the few weeks after I land in the States. 

As for my Aussie Adventures, I haven't had one major event to tell you about within the past few weeks, but now that it's time for me study for exams, I figure what better way to procrastinate than by blogging about all my recent mini-adventures! Plus, I need a distraction from the box of half-eaten Tim Tams I just devoured.

So first let me tell you about Hunter Valley Vineyard!  Two weekends ago, Danielle and I put our classy pants on and ventured to the Lovedale Long Lunch at Hunter Valley for a day of wine tasting and yummy food.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and we watched as groups of mothers and daughters, girlfriends, and families boarded the bus. Then to our pleasant surprise, the cast of Star Wars stepped on! I definitely thought they were on the wrong bus, but no, Chewbacca was more than ready for his wine and cheese. I was literally amazed as Luke Skywalker announced that hopefully Chewbacca wouldn't turn into Spew-bacca today. And no lie, Chewbacca complimented my hair as he sat behind me, petting me with his paws. They made the day quite interesting as the group skulled about six bottles of wine per vineyard; we visited four in total. From Storm Troopers dancing the robot,  Chewbacca stripping, the whole gang forming a drunken pileup and Princess Leia passing out on the bus ride home, Star Wars really kept Danielle and I entertained! They finally were kicked out at the last vineyard, but the security guard made sure to have them get together for a quick picture... too funny.

Photo credit: Danielle

Anyway, Danielle and I arrived at the first of four vineyards, wine tasting tickets in hand and relaxed in the lovely Sunday sun. The setup of white picnic tables, hay bales, chocolate stands, and live musicians was perfect. We listened to renditions of all the classic oldies, and of course, we sang along. The first vineyard, Sandalyn, featured Sandalyn Estate Chardonnay. I got the sparkling, but it wasn't particularly one of my favorites. Our bus driver then escorted us to Wandin Vineyard where Danielle and I both got the semi-sweet Wandin Valley  Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. This was my favorite of the day, and it went very well with the scrumptious lunch served. I was taken back to the States with the New England crab cakes served with spicy seafood Jambalaya. I was a little leery about trying crabs in Australia, you know, being a Marylander and whatnot and especially nervous due to my past experiences of Australian seafood! Those of you who read my "Attack of the Jumbo Prawns" post know exactly what I am talking about! But I was very surprised to find how good the meal was! We then hit two more vineyards before calling it a day, but before we left, we indulged in a decadent chocolate caramello cheesecake with vanilla bean creme anglaise that was to die for! The two of us had a wonderful girls' day out sipping wine, eating good food, sharing laughs, and telling stories about our loved ones at home. This will be a memory I cherish forever.

Dungeon corridor-- the best neighbours I could ever ask for

The next mini-adventure was TEDS second formal dinner of the semester. It's so weird to think back to our first dinner when we were only one week into our time here. It's really made a full circle. Once again, everyone worked the Harry Potter robes and dressed up for a "good" dinner in the dining hall. Actually, the food wasn't too bad this time.

Another pretty cool experience that I got to be a part of was the first game of the State of Origin rugby-league football series. Each year, Queensland and New South Wales go head-to-head in a best-of-three series. The two teams are considered one of sport's greatest rivalries. Edwards Hall had the cellar set up for all of us to get together and watch the match! I still don't know many of the rules of rugby, but it's sports nonetheless, so I definitely enjoyed myself. Rugby is a rough sport, so it was pretty fun getting caught up in the aggressiveness of the match. New South Wales, which is the team I'm supposed to be cheering for, lost for the seventh year in a row (I think), but they get a second chance in game two which is June 13, my birthday!  

The wonderful Walter!

The following night, still caught up in a sports high, a group of us went to the Newcastle Knights Rugby game. We huddled together inside Hunter Stadium. Yup, I'm in Australia and it's COLD! I was not prepared for this at all, and I do not appreciate all the Facebook statuses I see bragging about the 90 degree weather back at home! I deserve the torture though since I was doing nothing but sunbathing on white sandy beaches while all of you were trekking through white snowy pathways. But in exactly one week, I'll be back in the hot summer sun! Back to the rugby game. The Knights lost but it was another fun night out submersed in the Aussie culture that I've grown to love and will surely miss.

Well I don't have too much to look forward to this week besides exams and rainy weather, but Wednesday Tori and I will be going to Sydney with Danielle for her birthday and to see her off back to the States! Then two days later, it will be our turn to head back to Sydney for our looonnngggg flight home! It's time to get packing and shopping for souvenirs! I also have a special post coming up about a special Aussie, Chris the Awesome(great alias, I know), and all the adventures we went on together these past few weeks!

Hope everyone back home is enjoying the first week of June! Yesterday was the first day of winter here, which I am enjoying oh so much. Six days and I will be state-side again!

Cheers!