Visitors from the land far, far away (The Finale)...

As my parents' visit drew to a close we took a trip to Sydney's wine country, Hunter Valley.  In order to get there we had to rent a car.  This was our first driving experience in Australia.  For those who don't know, in Australia the drivers seat is on the right side of the car and they drive on the left side of the road.  Mark did an excellent job and got us to our destination safely. 

 On our way to Hunter Valley.

Just another everyday sign.

We started the weekend off by sampling some wine Mark and I had tried before in Sydney.  My Dad who is not a wine drinker even took part in the activities.  I think over the course of the weekend we got him to enjoy wine.  That evening we had a nice meal at a restaurant on a vineyard.

The following day, we got our own personal chauffeur who took us all over Hunter Valley.  We got to see some beautiful vineyards, learn how they make wine, sample some delicious wines, and enjoy some locally made cheese at the Smelly Cheese Shop.  We also stopped by the chocolate shop for some dessert.  We decided to try the chocolate with chilli, which I would not recommend, such a horrible, spicy combination.

 All of us at a beautiful vineyard.

 Lots and lots of wine.

Mom and Dad enjoying some good wine and great weather.

The following morning we headed to the Hunter Valley Gardens, which were beautiful.  We all enjoyed walking around looking at the variety of gardens they had.  They even had a Storybook Garden where we all got to act like kids again.  After enjoying our time in the gardens we had to head back to Sydney so Mom and Dad could get ready to head off to Hawaii.  Overall, they really enjoyed their trip and Mark and I were so glad they were able to spend 2 weeks with us to take in all the sights and sounds of our temporary home.

 Enjoying some tea with Alice and the Mad Hatter.

Huge chair, Mom had some trouble getting on.