From Wine Bottles to Blue Bottles
Some of the finest wines in Australia come from the Hunter Valley, as do some of the prettiest countrysides.
Our trip to the Hunter Valley of Thursday (Australia Day and no work for Liz and most of the nation) was quite an event. Chris, Stephanie, Liz and I all packed into the Holden Astra and took a 2 hour drive north. Two of the distinguished wineries that we visited were Audrey Wilkinson and Tempus Two and they could not have been more polar opposite. Audrey Wilkinson was tucked back off the main road, away from the hustle and bustle on a dirt road. Atop a mountain overlooking the Hunter Valley, Audrey Wilkinson had some nice wines and a great old-world atmosphere.
Tempus Two was on the main road, right in the hustle and bustle. The feeling was as if you were pulling up to Dulles International. No trees and practically futuristic. There was no overlook and inside the atmosphere was more like a club than an old-world winery. With pulsing music and low lighting, it was hard not to feel as if you were in Miami or something. We stopped here because it is famous (according to Chris) and Chris insisted. Liz and I had a glass of wine and grabbed the Frisbee and tossed it around on what was the front lawn of the winery (more like a field).
The drive back was gorgeous, going on a side road (not the freeway that we took to get there). Among the many meadows and hills, fruit stands and cafes dotted the landscape.
Friday was great. Elizabeth got back from her trip to Brisbane around 2:45 so we started the weekend early by heading to Manly (our new favorite over Bondi). The beach is bigger there and the density of burned tourists isn’t as high as Bondi. It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky. I rented surf board while Liz read on the beach. This is where the story gets painful.
Blue Bottles are a type of Jelly Fish that will come into the beach area when the wind blows from the north. This particular day the wind was blowing from the north and I was out amongst them. No big deal right? Not all Jelly Fish sting. Oh contraire mi amigo. Blue Bottles sting. The float atop the water like big blue bubbles. Blue Bottles wouldn’t be that hard to dodge if it weren’t for their stingers that range from 3-10 feet long. I got entangled with a 10 foot stinger that wrapped from the top of my back around my arm, down my side, and around my hamstring and quad. They are hard to get off when they are that big because there is this stinger with tiny suction cups that is like a thread. I was in pain and there is nothing I could do about it. You are supposed to wash off with fresh water after you take out the stinger, or take off the stinger. I didn’t because I had an hour to surf before needing to return the board to the surf shop, so I stayed out in the salt water. The pain subsided as I proceeded to catch some of the best waves I have ever ridden.
After dinner and watching some great tennis, I started to break out in welts where I had been wrapped with the Blue Bottle stinger. Let me just say it was a very itchy night as I awakened Elizabeth with my frantic scratching (and probably a little snoring).
The next day we went to Manly again but we didn’t get in the water. It must have been the first time ever that I have been at the beach and had not jumped right into the ocean. There were Blue Bottles floating around too. I was scarred and wanted to save myself.
Liz and I did happen across two big sporting events that day at Manly. One was sea kayaking races with the Aussie teams all wearing speedoes. My dad would have fit right in. It was amazing watching them attack the waves head on as they paddled for the buoys on the horizon. The other was team rowing (in huge row boats). One guy steered as the other five cranked on oars. There must have been 20 teams with their boats on the beach. Their team names were plastered on the rear of their speedos. There were a few female teams as well. After about 20 minutes we had had our fill of men in speedos and walked back up the beach, tossing the Frisbee on the way.
Sunday, today, we are heading to the Blue Mountains—the major park just west of Sydney by about 150 kilometers.
Mini Glossary of Terms
Trading Hours=Hours of Operation
Vegemite=Yeast Extract (black and an acquired taste)
Coriander=Cilantro
Capsicum=Bell Pepper
Way Out=Exit
Thoroughfare=Highway
Blue Bottle=Jelly Fish that stung the bageebees out of me!!!
Snag=Sausage
Jumper=Sweater
Our trip to the Hunter Valley of Thursday (Australia Day and no work for Liz and most of the nation) was quite an event. Chris, Stephanie, Liz and I all packed into the Holden Astra and took a 2 hour drive north. Two of the distinguished wineries that we visited were Audrey Wilkinson and Tempus Two and they could not have been more polar opposite. Audrey Wilkinson was tucked back off the main road, away from the hustle and bustle on a dirt road. Atop a mountain overlooking the Hunter Valley, Audrey Wilkinson had some nice wines and a great old-world atmosphere.
Tempus Two was on the main road, right in the hustle and bustle. The feeling was as if you were pulling up to Dulles International. No trees and practically futuristic. There was no overlook and inside the atmosphere was more like a club than an old-world winery. With pulsing music and low lighting, it was hard not to feel as if you were in Miami or something. We stopped here because it is famous (according to Chris) and Chris insisted. Liz and I had a glass of wine and grabbed the Frisbee and tossed it around on what was the front lawn of the winery (more like a field).
The drive back was gorgeous, going on a side road (not the freeway that we took to get there). Among the many meadows and hills, fruit stands and cafes dotted the landscape.
Friday was great. Elizabeth got back from her trip to Brisbane around 2:45 so we started the weekend early by heading to Manly (our new favorite over Bondi). The beach is bigger there and the density of burned tourists isn’t as high as Bondi. It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky. I rented surf board while Liz read on the beach. This is where the story gets painful.
Blue Bottles are a type of Jelly Fish that will come into the beach area when the wind blows from the north. This particular day the wind was blowing from the north and I was out amongst them. No big deal right? Not all Jelly Fish sting. Oh contraire mi amigo. Blue Bottles sting. The float atop the water like big blue bubbles. Blue Bottles wouldn’t be that hard to dodge if it weren’t for their stingers that range from 3-10 feet long. I got entangled with a 10 foot stinger that wrapped from the top of my back around my arm, down my side, and around my hamstring and quad. They are hard to get off when they are that big because there is this stinger with tiny suction cups that is like a thread. I was in pain and there is nothing I could do about it. You are supposed to wash off with fresh water after you take out the stinger, or take off the stinger. I didn’t because I had an hour to surf before needing to return the board to the surf shop, so I stayed out in the salt water. The pain subsided as I proceeded to catch some of the best waves I have ever ridden.
After dinner and watching some great tennis, I started to break out in welts where I had been wrapped with the Blue Bottle stinger. Let me just say it was a very itchy night as I awakened Elizabeth with my frantic scratching (and probably a little snoring).
The next day we went to Manly again but we didn’t get in the water. It must have been the first time ever that I have been at the beach and had not jumped right into the ocean. There were Blue Bottles floating around too. I was scarred and wanted to save myself.
Liz and I did happen across two big sporting events that day at Manly. One was sea kayaking races with the Aussie teams all wearing speedoes. My dad would have fit right in. It was amazing watching them attack the waves head on as they paddled for the buoys on the horizon. The other was team rowing (in huge row boats). One guy steered as the other five cranked on oars. There must have been 20 teams with their boats on the beach. Their team names were plastered on the rear of their speedos. There were a few female teams as well. After about 20 minutes we had had our fill of men in speedos and walked back up the beach, tossing the Frisbee on the way.
Sunday, today, we are heading to the Blue Mountains—the major park just west of Sydney by about 150 kilometers.
Mini Glossary of Terms
Trading Hours=Hours of Operation
Vegemite=Yeast Extract (black and an acquired taste)
Coriander=Cilantro
Capsicum=Bell Pepper
Way Out=Exit
Thoroughfare=Highway
Blue Bottle=Jelly Fish that stung the bageebees out of me!!!
Snag=Sausage
Jumper=Sweater
posted by Logan | 9:42 AM
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