Barossa Valley Day 3

SPA DAY!!!!! As my birthday present to myself I had signed my self up at the hotels spa for their package of treatments. Turned out to be a bit less expensive than at home AND when you charge it it changes down to American dollars taking off like $150 bucks, i win!!! The whole thing was going to take 5 hours between a wrap, massage, pedicure, and facial, during which time Csaba had planned to maybe golf or just lay by the pool. However after reading the pamphlet in the hotel room about the spa he decided he too needed some TLC. He opted for a no polish pedicure and massage which came with a mini facial. When he booked they asked if we would like to be in the same room, personally i didn't see the point but about half way through my massage he and his massage therapist showed up for his.
I started my treatments at 10 am. First thing I changed into a robe and was given a little foot bath. From there we moved to the table where she rubbed me down with some lotion then honey and some sort of salt. This formed a sort of exfoliant as she rubbed it on. Smelled like a delicious way to marinate some meat.... After it was sufficiently rubbed on I showered it off in the private shower in the room. After getting the salt and honey rub washed off I was then slathered in a yogurt and herb mix and wrapped up tight. I think the yogurt mix would make a great dip for that meat you marinated in the honey and salt... I'm just saying. I got a really nice head massage while laying wrapped up. I didn't quite understand why they ask you in advance if you are claustrophobic until i choked a little on some spit and felt totally trapped since i was wrapped up tight mummy still in like 3 different layers arms tight by my side. Thankfully i eeked out a little cough and lived. During my head massage the therapist had a bath filling (in the same room as well) after my head massage she unwrapped me and I hopped in the warm tub for a soak to get the yogurt off. I have to say i know baths are supposed to be relaxing but I just get antsy trying to keep my head above water while still relaxing laying down. Plus the warmth sent my heart rate sky rocketing for whatever reason. Finally the half hour soak was over. As i mentioned from here I headed into my massage (as always the therapist recommended I get massages much more frequently because I'm so tense, alright buddy you gonna pay for it? I'd love to get massages more often!) Half way through Csaba showed up and got his massage and mini facial While my massage finished and i got my pedicure ( a nice candy apple red color). Once his stuff was done he left and I got my facial. By the time I was done I was STARVING! I come upstairs only to find Csaba has already eaten (that booger I opted to not have the spa lunch so i could eat with him!). We ended up heading over to Jacob's Creek the biggest winery in the valley, did a tasting and then made dinner plans. Ironically, the lady pouring for us was actually originally from southern california. She was quite a character and we ended up talking to her for quite awhile. During our tasting we also noticed a 14 yr old girl whose grand parents were tasting next to us who seemed to find us quite amusing. Classic little identity crisis 14 year old with bright red lip gloss braided pig tails, black beanie black 3/4 sleeve shirt and big baggy black pants. We saw her later at dinner that night where she was really excited when Csaba waved to her and we are pretty sure she had a big crush on him. Made me remember when I was her age, thinking you are so much older, cooler, and more mature than you are. I'm sure she was secretly hoping I was Csaba's sister.
After leaving Jacob's Creek we made a booking at a restaurant, 1918, that Essi the lady pouring for us at JC suggested. We went back to the hotel and got ready then headed out. 1918 is in a very cute little renovated house. we were sat in the front room which had a cute fireplace original to the building and beautiful molding on the ceiling. With mustard yellow walls it was sunny and inviting. I was excited to see the had Trevor Jones Virgin Chardonnay (virgin implies that it isn't fermented in any oak, only stainless steel) which we used to carry at Pizza Antica. We got a bottle and I decided to get their special entree which included a battered fried artichoke heart, mushrooms stacked with a cheese, and a savory tart (like a little quiche) i'm not quite sure what was in it but it was so yummy!!! For our mains I had the swordfish served over some yummy corn fritters with an asian type dressing some cilantro and peanuts and other flavors. WOW! Probably one of the best dishes I've had here it was sooo good. Csaba ordered the lamb saddle (yet again... it seems to be a favorite). For dessert we had a chocolate brownie type thing with hazelnuts amaretto ice cream and caramel. Over all very tasty but I was REALLY full by the time we headed back to our room. It was around 9 so we decided to rent a movie on pay per view and settled on Soul Men, a pretty funny movie with Samuel L Jackson and Bernie Mac playing former band members reuniting for a tribute concert to the third group member who had recently passed. We both enjoyed it but by the end we were pooped and had a big day of wine tasting ahead of us the next day!!!

The Barossa Valley day 1 and 2

It's hard even know where to begin on our trip to the Barossa there is so much to tell, so I will have to just start at the beginning. For the trip we decided to rent a car. It is a roughly 10 hour drive from Melbourne to Adelaide/ Barossa. Sunday morning we got up around 5 am got the car packed up and headed out for a day on the road. We took our first stop about 3 hours in at Mcdonalds for some breakfast. I was a little disappointed to see their Mickey D's (or Macca's as they call it here) breakfast selection was not as broad as ours. they do however have a ton of pastries and espresso drinks in their McCafe section which every McDonalds has here. After eating we headed back on the road. Our next stop was in Mt. Gambier and the Umpherston Sinkhole. Csaba and I took a ton of pictures as soon as i have them uploaded I'll include a link for ya. It was beautiful! After this stop we pressed on for a few more hours making only one more stop for gas and to grab a quick snack. We did pretty well with directions until we got to the outer edges of the Valley. At this point it got a little rough and my navigating skills were definitely not up to par. But in the end we made it to our hotel safe and sound. We took showers and decided to take it easy and just enjoy dinner in the hotel. We had a big day ahead of us the next day! Through the hotel I had signed us up for a Wine and heritage tour of the valley for Monday. It was a great way to start our trip and see a lot of the area. Our tour guide Werner was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and a lovely friendly man. On the tour with Csaba and I were another younger couple with whom we became buddies with and another older lady. A nice part of the tour was that we not only got to taste at a ton of wineries we also learned about the origins of the valley. It was actually originally settled by Germans who had migrated to South Australia to escape religious persecution, yep you got it, they were LUTHERANS. There are probably upwards of 20 Lutheran churches down there and 1 catholic. If you look it up you will notice it is not a large area. They have Lutheran Churches like we have Starbucks, one on every corner. The first place we visited was Bethany, a more boutique sized winery with nice wines including a yummy white port. We bought a bottle of that and their GR5 a 1997 Cab. This was the beginning of the slippery slop that led to us buying a total of 21 bottles on our trip. From Bethany we headed to Yalumba Winery, Penfolds, then Peter Lehman where we tasted some unique wines and also enjoyed a delicious platter lunch with cheeses, dried fruit, olives, almonds, fruit spreads, dips, salami, prosciutto, and Apex bread which is made fresh in the area. From here we went to Rockford, Charles Melton, and lastly Seppltsfield a dessert wine maker where we took a tour and learned how the family created their own village which included hundreds of Palm trees lining the roads. During the tour they talked about their famous 100 yr old port, $1000 a bottle, made each year from the very best product, set aside not to be released till it is 100 years old. They were pouring the current vintage for $50 a taste. Csaba, being the ridiculous person he is, absolutely had to have a taste. So after the tour they set him up in the special tasting area and for $50 in a souvenir 100 yr dessert wine glass we got a taste. Wow! what a complex flavor! layers and layers of herbs and tobacco aromas and flavors along with molasses and anise. You really couldn't try to taste anything else after that so it was a really good thing it ended our day! By 5:30 we were spent we headed back to the hotel, ordered some room service and made it an early night. We were both excited to enjoy the spa the next day!

Formula 1 race day!

For "our birthdays" Csaba's uncle Cornel bought us tickets to the Melbourne Grand Prix, just one of the stops for the F1 race series. Although the whole event is three days we went on Sunday the main event. The races are held in Albert park where the streets are closed off and set up. We got there early in the day and took a walk around the park to a nice spot on a hill where we set up our chairs. There was a big screen on the opposite side of the track so we could keep an eye on what was going on elsewhere in the race. The F1 wasn't actually till 5:30 so we had about 6 hours of other races before then. Some of my favorites were the mini cars and the V8 super cars. We picked a couple under dogs to follow and it was fun to watch them catch up with and pass other cars. During and in between races there were a number of fly overs including 2 blackhawk helicopters, stunt planes and Quantas Airlines biggest plane.
Lucky for us we had set up shop just up the hill from one of the 4 beer tents so hydration was a non issue throughout the day. We were also a close walk from the food booths where fish and chips and grilled corn on the cob were some obvious favorites. We had a couple bratwurst and an order of chips (thick cut french fries that are EVERYWHERE in this country) and a little later on i had a corn on the cob with salt and pepper and butter...mmmmmm....... By the time the actual F1 races began our hill had really filled up. We made friends with some nice older guys standing behind us, they had been in Australia for 12 or so years but were originally from Malta. Which is now firmly on my list of places to visit, it sounds amazing. The actual F1 cars ended up being really difficult to see due to the fact that everyone stayed standing for that race. Once the race was finished everyone walked down the track toward the stage area where (drum roll please........) THE WHO! were playing a concert!!!! With our entrance to the race Cornel had also gotten us upgraded tickets to the concert portion so were able to see really well. And what a show! #1 i knew a lot more of their songs than i realized, #2 it was all standing room so i was free to rock out and dance around, #3 the lead guitar player and singer talked every couple of songs about different stuff which was great! We had a blast at the concert- i went absolutely nuts for Teenage Wasteland, but we were pretty exhausted by the time it was over. A long day in the sun, lots of beer, fun races, great music very fun but exhausting!

Society and Wicked

I know the title sounds like this is going to be some commentary on the similarities or differences between our society and the musical Wicked, or how it has effected society..... but it isn't. Society was the amazing restaurant Csaba and I had dinner at before we went to see Wicked. Near the house of Parliament in Downtown Melbourne Society has an Italian influenced menu with modern Australian favorites. The decor is sumptuous, antiquated, and eclectic. We had made a booking but since we were having dinner at 6:30 it wasn't really necessary. We had a cozy corner booth to ourselves. It was a pretty warm day so we went with a Sav blanc semillion blend for wine and browsed the menu. For my entree (they call appetizers entrees here and it is very customary for each person to have their own, it isn't like plates of buffalo wings in the states that people would share) i had a lovely carrot ginger soup and Csaba had a rolled up caprese salad (the thinly sliced tomato basil and mozzarella were layered and rolled up). For our mains I enjoyed an amazing lobster scallop and exotic fruit Tortelloni di Aragosta in a butter sauce. Being smart i got the entree size (smaller and less expensive) it had just 3 tortelloni but they were on the larger side and plenty filling. It was also served with three mussels on a half shell and garnished with those little orange fish eggs that you often find on sushi- so yummy. I had a side salad of arugula (they call it rocket) pear and shaved Parmesan with balsamic (this is a very standard side salad). Csaba had the Lamb saddle with some very yummy garlic mashed potatoes and a side garden salad. We couldn't resist when they brought around the dessert menu. Csaba got their specialty the chocolate ravioli's a chocolate pasta filled with vanilla bean custard and drowned in a bitter sweet chocolate sauce. I had the white chocolate Panna Cotta with peppered strawberries and a mint sauce, yummy!!!! After we finished our meal we checked out the rest of the restaurant including the bar upstairs which they call "High Society". It reminded me of the private tables you can find in some very swanky eclectic bars in Vegas it was really uniquely decorated and I could imagine having an excellent evening with friends over cocktails there. I enjoyed one of their signature drinks, a Pear kiss, with sparkling wine pear puree and elderflower liqueur Csaba had his classic Manhattan. After we had finished our cocktails it was time to head out, the show was starting soon!!!
As soon as you entered the theatre you were immediately transported into a storybook land. The curtain was a map of Oz including the Emerald city at the center in twinkling green lights. Over the stage looms a Huge dragon made from many pieces of metal. On each side of the stage there are sets of stairs and balconies twisting around. From the very moment of opening you know your eyes are in for a treat. The costumes are impeccable with intricate details and layers upon layers of sumptuous fabrics. I do had to concede that the sets and costumes did more for me than the actual story. Elphaba ( the wicked witch of the west) was very good but I often found Glinda annoying and one dimensional. Not until the very end did you get anything different out of her. Defying Gravity is far and above most of the other songs in the show, closing out the first act with a bang and giving me chills. Over all the show was very enjoyable and I was very excited to buy a Wicked Australia tee shirt!

Bondi Vet

Tall, blonde mcdreamy style hair, big buff shoulders, Aussie accent, veterinarian. I think all ladies out there should be aware of Chris Brown, Bondi vet, probably the hottest guy ever! His cuddling animals through out the show definitely doesn't hurt his appeal! click here to check him out

For Granny

From the first moment I walked into Gypsys, a restaurant cafe about a 20 minute walk from our house, I thought of Granny. This is the type of place she would love. Small and homey with whitewalls and decorated with a collection of antiques, cultural pieces, fresh flowers, and wood tables. The staff refer to themselves as Gypsys and dress in a casual Gypsy inspired attire. Serving just breakfast and lunch they change their menu frequently dependant on what is fresh and available and what their current theme is. Csaba and I went there for lunch the first time a couple weeks ago. He had a bagel with creme fraiche and smoked salmon with caper and onions. I had figs stuff with goat cheese wrapped in prosciutto served on micro greens with a sweet vinaigrette, yummy! Today I went in for breakfast. I sat on their lovely little patio that is built around a large shade tree out front. In one corner they have a great little child size wooden kitchen set for kids to play with while their moms have lunch or coffee. Right now they are going for a Tahitian theme. The ladies in charge were very excited about making their cafe a tropical escape and were quite pleased to hear they had succeeded. Light reggae music played in the background and the inside was decorated with palm fronds and flowers and a fun brightly colored large paper umbrella by the cash register. I ate the coconut pancakes topped with grilled bananas and served with coconut ice cream to be used instead of syrup or butter. The presentation was amazing! The ice cream was served in half a small coconut and the pancakes were served layered with the grilled banana on a deep square light wood plate with fresh banana leaves on the bottom. On a toothpick in the top half a small lime and a tropical flower. Beautiful!!!! And yummy. I enjoyed the pancakes with two cappuccinos and read my book for a little bit. I'm very disappointed i didn't have my camera for this excursion so I could post pictures for you all. I think I'm going to have to give in and buy an inexpensive one to use for the duration of the trip. I will definitely take some pictures of Gypsys to share with everyone before I leave. I'm sure those of you who know my Granny would agree that she would feel right at home there.

Australian Rules Football

A few weeks ago Csaba and I were checking out Docklands, the area where we had had dinner for Valentines, and decided to stop by the AFL arena to see if there was a game that night. Lucky us there was and with tickets only $20 we decided to check it out. What a weird sport. Nothing like American football except that there are goal posts, AFL is played on a round field with players in tank tops and little shorts. The sport semi resembles rugby but the also punt the ball with their hand similar to an underhand volleyball serve. It was fun though confusing. I really liked the HUGE team pom poms at each end of the field. I was a little disappointed with the snacks. No nachos, no churros, no hot dogs. They did have meat pies. Weird. Here are some pictures from the game....