The first year we went, we decided to order the gourmet picnic baskets they had on offer. Those were actually a little disappointing, so since then we have brought our own picnics and they have been delicious. We did a 'make your own sandwich' bar at our house before leaving, plus we had salads, cheeses, meats, savoury scones and desserts. This was going to be a little challenging to cart to the winery on our bikes, but my friend Ngan is recovering from a knee injury and ended up driving. This meant we could offload all of the food, plus chairs, blankets, etc into the car. Ngan also arrived a little earlier than us and was able to secure us a spot, which was a bonus.
The rest of us hopped on our bikes and enjoyed the scenic ride down the Riesling trail. (Much more scenic on the way there, as our return trip was in the pitch black darkness - no exaggeration!) One of the fields we passed had about 10 kangaroos just hanging out, which is STILL exciting! Jeremy and I have done this bike ride zillions of times and it's really quite pleasant, but we had to go slow and steady for the rest of the group who aren't quite as accustomed to bike riding.
This brings me to - the weather! A little over a week ago we had a heat wave, four days of 40+ degree temperature. Yesterday evening, you could be forgiven if you forgot that it was Australia in the summer. I was internally mocking the people in their winter jackets and 'beanies' (toques), but I swallowed my mockery as I shivered violently in a sweater completely wrapped in a camping blanket. Holy moly. It was chilly. 10 degrees is not a balmy Australian summer night. We were lucky to have only a few drops of rain during the performance, but we did get rained on during our bike ride home.
The play itself was phenomenal. The group who does Shakespeare in the Vines is brilliant, and this year was no exception. It was funny, it was witty, it was even a little raunchy! There was an unexpected interruption due to a collapse in the audience. Luckily Jeremy and his boss, Steve, were both there. The lady was fine, but we waited half an hour for an ambulance at which point Steve decided to save her $1000 and just drive her to the hospital himself. She was checked out and discharged within an hour, so all's well that ends well (but that's another play!)
I would highly recommend seeing Shakespeare in the Vines. It's a great experience and always an enjoyable way to spend an evening - even if it is bloody freezing!
