Weekend!

Yes, I'm updating already - really, I just don't want to forget details about my wine trip and if I wait too long I know that it's going to happen.

So, Saturday morning we wake up at 730 am to take a shower and walk to where we are to be picked up for the wine tour. We make it out there worried we're going to be late because the bus is supposed to pick us up at 8:55. It doesn't actually get there until 9:25, so that should tell you what kind of trip it was to be. We went on the tour with the Scuba Club (Steph is a member) and it ended up being all older people on the trip. I think the next youngest person after us was 26 and after that the ages just kept going up.

So what wines did I taste and what did I learn? Well, I had a bunch of different white wines - chardonnay, some champagne, a dessert wine and other such things. I also had a rose, a bunch of different red wines, some sparkling red, and port. So what did I take away from all this? That I'm really not a big fan of wine. I would much prefer a food or beer tasting. I sampled all the cheeses, marinated figs, olives and I had an interesting lunch as well. Most of the samplings were kind of rushed and you didn't get a lot of personal attention, but at the third one, Two Silos Winery, we went to one of the scuba ladies knew the owner so he gave us our own sampling session in the cellar area. I learned heaps of interesting things but the one that stands out most in my mind is that all the wines that we know - like champagne and port - are going to have to go by different names soon unless they are produced in the country from where the name originates. So champagne will soon only be allowed to be called champagne if it is made in the Champagne region in France. Otherwise, anything else that looks, tastes, or feels the same will have to go by a different name. We also had lunch at Two Silos - the menu was not very extensive and so I was forced out of my food comfort zone and I had to eat something that I would normally not eat. Here is the menu...which one do you think I picked?
SPICY ASIAN CHICKEN & COCONUT CURRY FLAVOURED WITH
PEANUTS & LEMONGRASS AND SERVED WITH STEAMED
JASMINE RICE

CORIANDER, GARLIC & LEMON MARINATED FISH FILLETS,
HAND CUT POTATO CHIPS WITH GARLIC AIOLI AND A SALAD
OF CAPSICUM, FETTA & OLIVE SALAD

SPINACH & RICOTTA CHEESE CROQUETTES WITH A SPICY
CAULIFLOWER PUREE & MINTED YOGHURT

PARMESAN & HERB CRUSTED VEAL WITH A TARRAGON &
ARTICHOKE REMOULADE, SERVED WITH WARM SALAD OF
POTATO, PANCETTA & ROCKET

MALAYSIAN FLAVOURED SAUSAGES , SWEET POTATO MASH
AND A ROASTED CAPSICUM RELISH

If you guessed veal, then you are correct! It tasted okay - I would still prefer a steak. I tried some of Caitlin's fish - it was pretty good too. I really didn't end up drinking a lot of wine at all on the tour - I'm sure other people would have enjoyed it more, but I still had a good time - it was a gorgeous day outside aside from some intense winds and we got to see some really pretty scenery (we were down in the Kiama region!)

We make it back to the train station a little after 5 and catch a 5:22 train into Sydney. We take little mini naps on the train, grab some Hungry Jacks (their version of Burger King) for dinner, and then get on a train to Olympic Park Station, where the ANZ Stadium and therefore the footy game are. Just as the name suggests, the Stadium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics. We were in a place of great history!

Although we had missed the first half and none of us understood Australian Rules Football (it's like every sport in existence combined except for the use of any sorts of sticks), we still had a great time. The tickets cost us $3 through our dorm so a lot of people from I-House were there. We attempted to learn a few of the rules just by watching, but really we decided it's an whatever happens happens and go with it type of game. It's not rugby so don't confuse it with that! Rugby is way more elegant, in my unbiased opinion. ;) The game was between the Sydney Swans and the West Coast Eagles and the Swans were up for the majority of the game (they play four quarters of 30 minutes each) up until the last ten minutes of the last quarter and that's when things got intense. You could feel that the stadium was charged with tension, even though it wasn't full! The Swans ended up being down by 3 with about five minutes left and the Eagles had possession of the ball, until the Eagles slip up a pass and a Swan picks it up and kicks it through two of the posts to score 6 points, putting the game at 104-101 (this is what I remember the score being, but somehow it was actually 106-101...so I guess the Swans scored twice more after that big goal). The crowd erupted after that goal and then all the Swans had to do was retain possession. It was a ton of fun and could only have been made better if we had dressed up in the Swans color. I'll admit it was a bit weird cheering against the Eagles because they are in fact my team at AU! We get on a train back to Wollongong and arrive back home around 1 am. Basically, it was a very fun and very packed day!

Sunday morning we woke up and went down to breakfast around 11 am. I got my hashbrowns and sweet chili sauce fix and we were all sitting at the tables outside, when Caitlin and I realized that it was decently warm, the sun was shining brightly, and there were no clouds in the sky. Basically, an absolutely beautiful day for going to the beach. However, our goal had been to have Sunday be a very productive day because I have papers due and Caitlin had an exam today (monday) that she had to study for. So, what do we decide to do? Be productive at the beach of course! Because I can't exactly bring my computer to the beach, I decide to bring my readings for the week. I get about 1/3 of the reading done and actually spent most of the time at the beach staring at the ocean, napping in the sun, or playing in the water! That's right, playing in the water. Although we are now entering winter down under, the water was decently warm! To give you an idea, it was warmer than the Atlantic will be in the middle of summer. It started out with Caitlin and I just standing in the water up to about our mid-calves looking for shells, and I kept wanting to look further out and I decided, what the hell, I can't go to the beach and not go in the water. So, we brave the imagined cold and head in and had a great time playing in the waves. My love for the Pacific is renewed once more.

Because I didn't really get a lot done yesterday, I made it my goal to get all my work done today...that hasn't really happened though. Instead I spent some time catching up with friends from home, finishing up my reading, and chatting with friends here. Oh well. I have at least started my essay - the word count is currently at 504/1500 words. Hm...I'm going to have to work more on this. Haha, but it's Australia so it's all good!

I'm working on a project for everyone who reads this blog - Aussie slang! I'm currently compiling a list and I'll have it up sometime soon with translations!