The Australian Newfoundland?

Well we made it safe and sound to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia yesterday morning bright and early. The island's a fairly rural place with the capital Hobart sporting about 250,000 people; it's Australia's second oldest city. It reminds me of what I imagine a Canadian maratime city to be. The things you would expect of a city, but a slightly more relaxed pace, friendly people and a small town feel - but what do I know? I've never been. Yesterday we shuttled to our hostel (don't use the microwave) then headed out for a walk around the harbour, to see the historical buildlings, fun boats, markets, etc. We ate a deep fried seafood "bag of treats" sold right off a houseboat looking thing and my stomach is still punishing me. In the evening we headed to a pub that was playing blues/jazz music, which was pretty great. We were in a fairly local place sticking out some and when I tried to order a cocktail I got a quizzical look. Apparently it's a beer only establishment, unless you want a $10 margarita. The environment was great though, young and old, casual and dressed up.

This morning we got our car rental sorted out - a surprisingly new two door echo and headed to THE CADBURY CHOCOLATE FACTORY. I am a terrible person but this may be one of the highlights of my trip. We got samples, good scents, a comical tour and the best gift shop I've ever seen! Unfortunately we couldn't buy gifts, except for for ourselves, because we have 3 weeks to melt everything before we come home. The factory is the 2nd ever, built in 1921. Kev's working things out with driving on the other side of the road, but Hobart's intense one way streets really make things complicated. We then went to the botanical gardens, and drove through Battery Point, a historical area where the original village was. Now we're planning for tomorrow's visit to some caves, hot springs, and a national park. Looking forward to it, especially since our last hot springs visit Kev wasn't quite up to.

Until next time...