Hunter Valley Vineyards

Here is a picture of me and a couple of the German guys on the study abroad cruise.

Today I went with a group of about 13 to a tour and wine tasting in Hunter Valley. We woke up at 6am and by 7 we were catching a JetCat to go across the harbour and into Sydney where we jumped on a bus for our guided tour.


First, we stopped at a wildlife exhibit where we were able to pet koalas and kangaroos. I've always loved koalas and was sooo excited to see them. Unfortunately, koalas reminded me of cats. Their fur is very very soft and they are adorable to look at, but kind of a boring animal to be honest. I'm sure if I would have been able to hold it and not just pet it the story may be different, but all the koalas do are sleep and if you wake it up then it immediately starts to eat.....to think of it, koalas remind me of some people I know, too!


Then we hung around in the picnic area where the kangaroos were just hopping around freely. I've always been interested in kangaroos, but today they became one of my favorite animals. Honestly, they are just amazing. They have the neatest feet and hands and the way they kind of slowly walk/ sachet towards you when they want food is breathtaking. I was able to coax a few out of their resting area and feed them. I loved it. When the kangaroo ate out of my hand it was very similar to feeding a lama or something at the zoo...except it was a kangaroo!! Later on we saw a lot of wild kangaroos and quite a few dead ones on the side of the road. It was sad to me because it was a cute little kangaroo, but then I realized they are just like deer in Tennessee. Hmm..I wonder if it's legal to pick up road kill here?!

Last but not least, an animal that I would love to have would be a wombat. This bad boy was really neat. He kept pacing back and forth, back and forth. My friend Jan (pronounced Yan- pictured up top on the left) said the wombat was doing his morning exercises. I don't know about that, but he sure did win my heart over!! (The wombat, not the German.)

[Sarah from Michigan and Sam from Illinois]
After seeing the animals- which was worth all of the money we paid for our excursion today!- we headed out on a 2 hour bus drive to Hunter Valley. First we went to Tulloch vineyards, then Draytons, and finally Ivanhoe. I've never been a big wine connoisseur so it was fun and interesting learning about all of the different types. I finally found a type of white wine that I enjoy, Verdelho. We sampled verdelhos at all three vineyards. Its full of fruit flavors such as passionfruit and melon or lemongrass and it is very crisp and not too fruity. I'm not sure if we have anything similar to it in the states. Maybe we do and I'm just unaware. Either way, the wine tasting made me feel so cultured. Australia is known for some good wines and I enjoyed learning why that is the case. I'm looking into shipping some home...merry Christmas family:)

[Insa and Bastian from Germany]

In addition to the wine tasting and visiting with animals I spent some time getting to know a few of the German students here. First of all, I am amazed at how well they speak English. I forget that this isn't their native language because at school everyone is required to speak English, but today they were all gibbergabbering in their German and I was thinking wow, I wish I could speak Spanish that fluently. Then I thought- why didn't I take German in high school? I always loved Mrs. Briggs and it would have been great to have had her for a foreign language! I talked to Insa about how long she's been taking English and she said since she was 10. She also speaks Spanish. And in German schools they are required to do internships and study abroads to learn how to speak the other languages more fluently. How behind are we?
[This is Sofie and Anna from Sweden]
Secondly, I've started thinking about taking a trip to Europe. These European students have been everywhere. They are so knowledgeable and its been great just getting a feel for what life it like in all parts of Germany as well as Sweden. It would be so much fun to maybe do an internship over there in England or Ireland, then just spend time visitng Insa, Jan and Bastian in Germany, going around to Spain and then making my way to Sweden. These places sound wonderful and why not go while I'm young and have nothing holding me back? I have no set plans yet, but its only been two weeks and I've already heard plenty of stories that make we want to take a trip over there!!