Adelaide

Sad to leave Tasmania, we made our way to Adelaide. Although we were there on business, Mark was looking at his apartment and trying to make some decisions about it, we got to have three wonderful nights with two of Mark’s old university mates, Chris and Lexi and their adorable cat Cocoa. While I had been warned about the place, although I’m still not sure what the warning was about (something to do with the locals being crude or something), I greatly enjoyed myself (even the boring hour at the real estate office). I finally had my first outing to an Aussie pub, which happened to be a terribly charming one (with gluten-free options on the menu and fantastic décor). We retired rather early the first evening, saving our stamina for the next day.

After the time spent doing business, we made it to McLaren Vale and visited Mark’s first boss, Justin. We drank some fantastic Tempranillo at Samuel’s Gorge, enjoyed the beautiful views and fantastic company. O’ to have money and success!

Next we went to the beach. While not as unique as Nine Mile in Tassie it was nonetheless wonderful. Then, back to home base and the most wonderful Indian takeout I’ve had here yet!

The last day we looked at the Central Markets, which every town must have they are fantastic, and did some exploring around town. We also stopped by another friend's house, had a delicious lunch, and enjoyed the gorgeous afternoon with Andrew and his daughter Rachel. After a nice barbeque, we spent some time imbibing . . . and then some more . . . and then I went to bed because we had to be at the airport at 5:30 am . . . and then Mark drank some more . . . Finally, the night ended and it quickly turned into day and we were off to another airport and to work.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the markets at Salamanca! The best ones ever! Seriously! Saturday morning we walked down the multiple block market and admired the beautiful selection of goods. Unfortunately, we don't live there so it was be pointless to buy up all of the wonderful deals they had (but cheeper). However, I did find a few items I couldn't live without (although I didn't indulge in any of the gluten-free treats or snags).

Tassie

The beautiful thing about Tasmania is that the lifestyle is easygoing and laid back. However, this is not such a good thing when one gets off of a flight late at night after working their rear off for the previous day and a half. The wait for our bag was painful! We got our rental car and went to the hotel. Fortunately, Mark had found a lovely place, the Hotel Collins. Unfortunately, the car that Hertz gave us was the stupidest thing since Sarah Palin. A word to the wise, don’t get a Nissan tiida. We thought that the gas wasn’t full, it was automatic, it rattled when we went down hills, etcetera. And when we went to fill it with gas we realized that it wasn’t the previous drivers who were cheep but that the gas gage didn’t actually go to full! Oh well. It did get us from point A to B. Before we retired for the evening we luckily found a restaurant that was still open and lo and behold it was Indian! We couldn’t have been happier!

The first morning we went to this fantastic café in Salamanca, the Machine, which is a launderette too. Wonderful coffee and delicious breakfasts! Much to my amazement they had gluten-free bread on their menu (a phenomenon which would continue to pop up all over the state)! That afternoon we drove up the Coal River Valley and tasted some lovely wines. We made it to Richmond and enjoyed some fresh air by the beautiful bridge, which I bet has a name but I don’t know it. That evening we drove up to the top of Mount Wellington, which is about 1250 km above sea level. Although this is not very high compared to the surroundings it is massive! You can see everything! The perfect way to spend the afternoon I reckon. Finally we found a nice place or dinner, cargo, and Mark found his new favourite wine, Kelvenon Pinot (I think that is right).

The next day, after another breakfast at the Machine, we drove up the East Coast to Swansea and had lunch at Trellis. Here too there were gluten-free options . . . and cake! Ridiculous! Then we had a drive past a nice property, found Nine Mile Beach, and went for a swim all by our selves! Fantastic!

On our last day we went to Cygnet, which is also beautiful (and has a completely gluten-free bakery). Lunch at Peppermint Bay was divine and the drive to our friend’s new property was breathtaking. Once we arrived we were fed fresh oysters that had just been taken out of the water, an experience I had never had, and enjoyed the excellent company of Rod and Jen.

Unfortunately, our stay was only a few short days but we loved every minute of it!

Photos of Tassie

Views of Salamanca and Mount Wellington!

Vintage Hurts

We got into Melbourne airport and were picked up by lovely Marilyn. The drive out to the vineyard was beautiful but dry and unlike the lush flora I had enjoyed in Bowral or Laurieton. However, once we arrived I realized how amazing the bush is. Unfortunately, this quick stop was not intended for lounging and enjoying the sunset, rather we were there to work and were welcomed by a dirty press and a substantial amount of two day old fruit waiting to be processed! We set to work. The first evening we cleaned. I cleaned the lab and Mark whirled through the winery. Then we cleaned some more. Finally was got to a stopping point and had a lovely dinner. We were up the next morning (Mark a couple hours before me) and began to process. All in all it went well. However, the hard work, and yes vintage is bloody painful, was rewarded by an extremely stressful race to the airport! We flew with Tiger Airways who are notorious for being sticklers about checking in at a certain time. We made it! So, we hopped on yet another plane and flew to Hobart.

Sydney

Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the Wood’s, Mark and I have been having a comfortable and entertaining stay in the big city. Consisting of many walks around Glebe, a ride on the ferry, food, wine, and the occasional shop, we are keeping ourselves very busy. With a short trip down to Bowral to see Mark’s brother and his beautiful family, we have come to the end of our stay in this area. Tomorrow we hop on the plane, again, to go to Melbourne . . . and then back on the plane to see Tasmania. So, while there are many stories about each outing, I am going to keep it short for the time being.

Sydney is bustling. Bowral is located in some of the most amazing countryside I have ever seen or been in. Mark’s friends and family are all gorgeous.

A Look Around

More Photos From Port Macquarie

And here we have the view of Laurieton, a sleeping wombat, and an albino wallaby.

Chapter Two

We arrived in Port Macquarie, which is the quaintest airport, and were picked up by Mark’s wonderful parents, Ron and Joan. The beautiful drive back to their house was filled with the most beautiful countryside and a flock of literally thousands of giant bats. Once we got settled and were fed dinner we were off to bed. I am sure that there are many more details that were involved in our 72-hour day but now that it is in the past I seem to have forgotten some of them. So I will simply continue with our adventures.

Our first morning, after a delicious gluten-free breakfast, we went for a walk along the lake. I now realize what it is that Mark is going on about all of the time. This country is beautiful. The new flora (with the occasional decoration of gigantic spiders) is delightful to behold. The warm breeze through the gum trees produces the most wonderful summertime smell. Much to my delight we have been blessed with excellent weather (not too hot with the accompaniment of wind). We also wandered through the lovely town of Laurieton, bought some provisions, and had a lovely lunch on the porch.

After a restful afternoon, Ron took us to North Haven beach, which was amazing, and we spent our time soaking up sunrays (and not getting burnt) and swimming in the ocean. We strolled up the inlet and observed dolphins, a giant sea turtle, and a couple of charming pelicans. While the sun did take its toll on our energy level the afternoon was magical.

The next day Joan and I went to the Billabong Koala park, which had a collection of fabulous animals and birds. The during the rest of our stay we walked around Port Macquarie, ate well, drank lots of tea, and played a few games of skip-bo. Finally it was time to leave and we hopped back onto the plane to Sydney.

Don't Give Up On Me!

So, I know that I haven't been very good about keeping up with myself on this thing but I am trying. I have hundreds of photos to share with you all but they are on my laptop which is not connected to the internet. Therefore I can't show them at this time. So, I will continue as soon as I can. Sorry for the delay.

intermission

While I have much to tell all, I need to add some more pictures. I will continue with my narration later but here are some images.

Many Things Happen in a 72 hour Day

Chapter 1

Well, after having a slight emotional collapse under the stress of packing and preparing for take-off we made it to the airport. With the help of my lovely parents the start to the journey was smooth. While we were ready for a tumultuous traveling experience we were very happily surprised when everyone was charming and pleasant.
Checking in at the airport, we were helped (and surprised) by a lovely young lady. Then, the security men who checked our bags were not only pleasant but also jolly! One of them asked if the wine in Mark’s box was pinot, which some of it was, to which he replied “Good, that’s my favourite” and “we’re not checking any merlot today”. Humor at the airport?
We proceeded to get onto our Horizon airline flight to San Francisco, which we thought would be like any other shuttle flight, and we were astonished once again! Not only were the staff polite but they too seemed to have caught the nice smiley bug! We were happily attended to, served generous amounts of complimentary wine (which never happens in America) and it was good, and the flight was astonishingly smooth and quick! We are very impressed Horizon! Thank you!
Flying into San Francisco, which was sunny, we eagerly looked out our window. There she was, bustling and beautiful (and yes I did refer to the island of Alcatraz as “cute”). After an eight-hour layover in San Francisco, we finally boarded our Quantas flight to Sydney. While our lag time was filled with multiple games of Skip-Bo, Star Trek, and food and beverage, it was nice to be on our way. By the time that the flight took off, I was on my way to dreamland. Unfortunately, Mark did not get to share in my eight-hour snooze, but nonetheless the flight was quiet and not crowded (although it was 14 hours).
We arrived in Sydney on Monday morning. After the record short time through immigration, we were picked up by the lovely Mr. Mathew Wood and beautiful little Amelie. A nice shower, walk to the fish markets and lunch with the additional pleasant company of Mr. Morgan, rejuvenated us. Then, back on the plane to the beautiful Port Macquarie.