I am propped up in bed at the Wiltshire, an historic hotel on Market street in San Francisco, my eyes propped open with toothpicks. The BART station is right outside our door and we are packed and ready to go.
It's 36 hours or so since we woke up at John and Jo O'Neils in Melbourne on Wednesday morning and it's still Wednesday. We've had a busy few days. We touched down in Melbourne just before noon on Tuesday (Monday if you are east of the dateline), and John was there waiting for us as planned. The trip to their home was a little unexpected. A plane crashed into a mall next to the freeway that leads out from the airport so the freeway was closed and major arteries congested. It gave us lots of time to catch up with John and see a bit of Melbourne! We spent a quiet day: visiting over lunch, catching a much-needed afternoon nap, sitting in the garden, learning more about Tassie and Australia, ending the day with a great dinner out. A long cab ride to the airport in the morning, and we were on our way to Auckland, and then on to SFO arriving here at 1030 this morning, still Wednesday.
We hopped on BART at the airport and it brought us to within a block of our hotel which is great. Since we couldn't check in, we headed out along Market, stopped at the Downtown Farmer's Market up the street for tamales, and then made our way to Union Square where we picked up tix for a play. Then to Yerba Buena Centre, to check out the new SF MOMA. It's closed today but we did finally manage to get a glimpse of the new museum building ( a bit underwhelming-- hopefully it's more interesting inside than out!). Tonight we enjoyed a play called John (I referred to John as the proverbial elephant in the room-- in this case the "other man") at the Strand just down the street. Convenient to our hotel, funny and thought-provoking, but I have to admit that by intermission I was wondering if Wednesday would ever end.
23 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Dining out Tassie style
Except for ordering our coffee ( a FLAT flat white for me please) we really never quite figured out food and beverage service in Tasmania. In the tiny village of Belle Rive on the eastern shore near Hobart I would say we found what you would expect at dinner. You sit at a table where you peruse a menu, someone brings you a glass of wine, takes your order and serves your meal, your job being to order and to pay. Sans tip, we were assured, by locals at Three Ducks.
That double S in TaSSie-- that stands for self-serve. It comes in many variations which is all kind of confusing and sometimes even embarrassing, as in, "Excuse me. Can you tell me how it works here?" "Oops, sorry, sorry. I have to pay now? " Small cafes are pretty consistent so we figured those out quickly--order and pay at the counter, grab a table, and someone will deliver your lunch. But in Swansea we had to do everything but bus our own table. And pay, at every step, at the bar. In the only restaurant still open past 8 pm, we sat at the bar while waiting for a table. We ordered drinks, and paid. A pager told us our table was ready and someone pointed to it then directed us back to the bar, to order and pay for our dinner. We were handed another pager, and later picked up our dinners at the kitchen counter. Another drink? Dessert? Order at the bar, and pay. If your credit card charges foreign transaction fees, you do not want to eat at the top-ranked Bark something tavern in Swansea.
Strahan, on the west coast was totally bizarre. We're still confused. There was a line up at the only restaurant in town open late (closes at 8pm). We could grab a drink at the bar, pay for it of course (no tabs until you have a table number) and stand around or sit outside. We could order dinner at the bar, pick it up, and eat outside or put our name on the list and wait for a table. Once we got a table our server eventually took our order and delivered our dinner, but not our drinks. It's back to the bar. At least we could put those on our dinner tab. At the fish place down the street we waited patiently for a table, assured by the cashier that our dinner and a table would miraculously appear at the same time. We watched as a group of Aussie's negotiated for a table with seated customers while we watched. Way too Canadian is all I can say. We need to get our elbows up and push a little. It was BYO which we get. No corkage fee.
I'm sure there is a rhyme and a reason, but alas, I don't know what it is.
That double S in TaSSie-- that stands for self-serve. It comes in many variations which is all kind of confusing and sometimes even embarrassing, as in, "Excuse me. Can you tell me how it works here?" "Oops, sorry, sorry. I have to pay now? " Small cafes are pretty consistent so we figured those out quickly--order and pay at the counter, grab a table, and someone will deliver your lunch. But in Swansea we had to do everything but bus our own table. And pay, at every step, at the bar. In the only restaurant still open past 8 pm, we sat at the bar while waiting for a table. We ordered drinks, and paid. A pager told us our table was ready and someone pointed to it then directed us back to the bar, to order and pay for our dinner. We were handed another pager, and later picked up our dinners at the kitchen counter. Another drink? Dessert? Order at the bar, and pay. If your credit card charges foreign transaction fees, you do not want to eat at the top-ranked Bark something tavern in Swansea.
Strahan, on the west coast was totally bizarre. We're still confused. There was a line up at the only restaurant in town open late (closes at 8pm). We could grab a drink at the bar, pay for it of course (no tabs until you have a table number) and stand around or sit outside. We could order dinner at the bar, pick it up, and eat outside or put our name on the list and wait for a table. Once we got a table our server eventually took our order and delivered our dinner, but not our drinks. It's back to the bar. At least we could put those on our dinner tab. At the fish place down the street we waited patiently for a table, assured by the cashier that our dinner and a table would miraculously appear at the same time. We watched as a group of Aussie's negotiated for a table with seated customers while we watched. Way too Canadian is all I can say. We need to get our elbows up and push a little. It was BYO which we get. No corkage fee.
I'm sure there is a rhyme and a reason, but alas, I don't know what it is.
20 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Gourmet Tasmania
It's Monday here and we are in our hotel at the Hobart airport, mostly packed and ready to fly out tomorrow to Melbourne. We are spending tomorrow night with John and Jo, the parents of my friend Susan back in Edmonton. They have hosted us before and we are so fortunate to be able to stay with them again.
I've been off line for a few days so I have some catching up to do! It has been a busy crazy few days. After a long drive over two major mountain ranges between Strahan on the west coast and Bruny Island on the eastern shore on Friday, we collapsed into our cabin at Quiet Corner (seriously) on South Bruny Island. We found an early dinner at the only eatery open--the Bruny Hotel-- then headed home to bed. We heated up the electric mattress warmers and didn't budge until the sun came up over Adventure Bay.
South Bruny is home to Tasmania's #1adventure tour so we set out on foot in the morning to "follow the yellow boat road". The yellow boats are naiads, rubber zodiac-type boats that seat about 40 passengers and can skim over the water at amazing speeds without spilling your drink. Actually, there are no drinks or food aboard, but they do offer muffins and coffee before you leave and lunch when you return. So after hitchiking back to our cabin and piling on every bit of warm clothing we could find we boarded at 11, donned red full length water and spray proof capes, and sped off for the Great South Ocean. The geology of the south coastline defies description--walls of vertical dolomite cliffs that dwarf the boat, an amazing blow hole that drenches the cliffs (and the boat), birds and seals of course, caves, giant pillars of stone soaring up out of the water like sky-scrapers. Further off shore, we witnesed a feeding frenzy of bottle nose dolphins, tassie fur seals, albatross, cormorants, and more. We just sat in the middle of it all and watched nature in all its jaw-dropping wonder. The seals dive deep and bring food to the surface leaving their scraps for the birds who swoop in and grab what they can! Absolutely amazing to watch.
Last night we went out to the penguin rookery but saw only one little fairy penguin who had waddled his way up to his burrow earlier in the evening. We did finally find a great breakfast at the Bruny Cafe in Allorah this morning, then headed for the ferry. We stopped at the cheese-beer-bread shop and sampled cheeses; reluctantly we passed up the whiskey tasting curther down the road. From the dock we headed south into the apple orchards, stopping at a fine weaving studio high up in the hills above Woodbridge, a great cafe in Cygnet, found coffee in Huonville, and then made our way through Hobart and to the hotel. Whew.
We fly to SFO on Wednesday morning and arrive about the same time, on Wednesday, of course. We are home to Calgary on Thursday after a lay over in SFO. I'll try to catch up on some of what I've missed over the next couple of days. We are looking forward to warmer weather in Melbourne tomorrow before the big chill of home.
I've been off line for a few days so I have some catching up to do! It has been a busy crazy few days. After a long drive over two major mountain ranges between Strahan on the west coast and Bruny Island on the eastern shore on Friday, we collapsed into our cabin at Quiet Corner (seriously) on South Bruny Island. We found an early dinner at the only eatery open--the Bruny Hotel-- then headed home to bed. We heated up the electric mattress warmers and didn't budge until the sun came up over Adventure Bay.
South Bruny is home to Tasmania's #1adventure tour so we set out on foot in the morning to "follow the yellow boat road". The yellow boats are naiads, rubber zodiac-type boats that seat about 40 passengers and can skim over the water at amazing speeds without spilling your drink. Actually, there are no drinks or food aboard, but they do offer muffins and coffee before you leave and lunch when you return. So after hitchiking back to our cabin and piling on every bit of warm clothing we could find we boarded at 11, donned red full length water and spray proof capes, and sped off for the Great South Ocean. The geology of the south coastline defies description--walls of vertical dolomite cliffs that dwarf the boat, an amazing blow hole that drenches the cliffs (and the boat), birds and seals of course, caves, giant pillars of stone soaring up out of the water like sky-scrapers. Further off shore, we witnesed a feeding frenzy of bottle nose dolphins, tassie fur seals, albatross, cormorants, and more. We just sat in the middle of it all and watched nature in all its jaw-dropping wonder. The seals dive deep and bring food to the surface leaving their scraps for the birds who swoop in and grab what they can! Absolutely amazing to watch.
Last night we went out to the penguin rookery but saw only one little fairy penguin who had waddled his way up to his burrow earlier in the evening. We did finally find a great breakfast at the Bruny Cafe in Allorah this morning, then headed for the ferry. We stopped at the cheese-beer-bread shop and sampled cheeses; reluctantly we passed up the whiskey tasting curther down the road. From the dock we headed south into the apple orchards, stopping at a fine weaving studio high up in the hills above Woodbridge, a great cafe in Cygnet, found coffee in Huonville, and then made our way through Hobart and to the hotel. Whew.
We fly to SFO on Wednesday morning and arrive about the same time, on Wednesday, of course. We are home to Calgary on Thursday after a lay over in SFO. I'll try to catch up on some of what I've missed over the next couple of days. We are looking forward to warmer weather in Melbourne tomorrow before the big chill of home.
17 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Wombats
A wombat will steal your heart and then just as quickly leave you for a solitary life in a hole in the ground! Who knew these cuddly little creatures, with their wet button noses, are a relative of the koala. They have the same elongated faces, and the hard surface, cartilageneous plate on their bottoms. I guess it makes for safer sitting. The fur is course though, more like a raccoon than the teddy bear fur of the koala. Not that I've cuddled a raccoon or a koala, but at the wildlife park, you can hold a wombat in your arms and cuddle away.
Melissa or Meredith or whatever her name was had been rescued when she was very young. We won't talk about what happened to her mother but many of the rescued marsupial babies are still in the pouch when they are brought in. Once they have been weaned by a surrogate they are brought to Trowunna for safe keeping until they can be released. They have to be weaned off cuddling and allowed to become anti-social / solitary before they give them back to nature. They are often released at Cradle Mountain where we hiked a couple of days ago amid hectares of wambat friendly terrain. It's mostly a scrubby buttongrass -- bushy hay-like mounds that provide protection for wambat burrows. There is wambat poo everywhere and not a wambat to be seen, even at Wambat Poo lake. I'm sure glad I got to know one at the wildlife park. If you are a fb friend with Margaret (ask if you are not) she has apparently posted the video there. I don't have one. I was too busy getting a Valentine's Day cuddle!
We are in Strahan tonight on the west coast, and about a third of their annual three metres of rain has fallen since we got here. But we did get a mostly dry trip out to the rainforest on a tour boat for five hours today. I toured the infamous Sarah Island -- deemed in its day to be one of the harshest environments for convicts in Australian history -- and was deluged with rain in the last five minutes. But worth the trip, to be on the water, get a decent lunch, learn some things, and not have to drive at all.
Dinner time. The restaurants close at 8pm am and then everyone goes to bed. How civilized.
Melissa or Meredith or whatever her name was had been rescued when she was very young. We won't talk about what happened to her mother but many of the rescued marsupial babies are still in the pouch when they are brought in. Once they have been weaned by a surrogate they are brought to Trowunna for safe keeping until they can be released. They have to be weaned off cuddling and allowed to become anti-social / solitary before they give them back to nature. They are often released at Cradle Mountain where we hiked a couple of days ago amid hectares of wambat friendly terrain. It's mostly a scrubby buttongrass -- bushy hay-like mounds that provide protection for wambat burrows. There is wambat poo everywhere and not a wambat to be seen, even at Wambat Poo lake. I'm sure glad I got to know one at the wildlife park. If you are a fb friend with Margaret (ask if you are not) she has apparently posted the video there. I don't have one. I was too busy getting a Valentine's Day cuddle!
We are in Strahan tonight on the west coast, and about a third of their annual three metres of rain has fallen since we got here. But we did get a mostly dry trip out to the rainforest on a tour boat for five hours today. I toured the infamous Sarah Island -- deemed in its day to be one of the harshest environments for convicts in Australian history -- and was deluged with rain in the last five minutes. But worth the trip, to be on the water, get a decent lunch, learn some things, and not have to drive at all.
Dinner time. The restaurants close at 8pm am and then everyone goes to bed. How civilized.
15 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Wild things
Trowunna Wildlife Park is a great experience. They do rescue work with injured animals and they raise young animals who have lost their moms in road accidents. They are also a sanctuary for eastern quolls and devils, both of which are endangered.
Quolls are mole-like animals the size of a cat, with long snouts and polka dots. Seriously. They are either black or tan with big white polka dots. They are shy, but you can watch them slither around and bask in the sun.
You likely think you know what a devil looks like but you would be surprised at how small they are--about the size of a small dog and just as vicious actually. Those red ears? They only look red in the sun and they are nearly transparent. The white collar you see in pictures is sort of typical-- they always have white somewhere, but it varies. Devils have no natural predators--there are no large mammals on the island and marsupials are herbivores--but there is currently an epidemic of a facial cancer that has wiped out most of the population in the wild. Those vicious teeth do make them the toughest guys out there but they are lazy scavengers, picking up road kill or anything they don't have to work to get their teeth into. They'll scrap over the scraps til they nearly kill each other. Our guide coaxed a few out with a chunk of pademelon. While she held firmly on to the ankle with a gloved hand, three different devils tugged away at the thigh meat, grunting and baring their teeth. Picture three pitbulls tugging away at the same stuffed toy, and you are close. We both have great videos of this gruesome scene...for later viewing.
There are hopping marsupials there, and the larger ones run free on the site. Forestier roos mostly. They'll eat out of your hand. Wallabies and pademelons and several small ones whose names I can't remember. Cute as a button.
But the most fun are the wombats. More on wambats later. Time for bed.
Quolls are mole-like animals the size of a cat, with long snouts and polka dots. Seriously. They are either black or tan with big white polka dots. They are shy, but you can watch them slither around and bask in the sun.
You likely think you know what a devil looks like but you would be surprised at how small they are--about the size of a small dog and just as vicious actually. Those red ears? They only look red in the sun and they are nearly transparent. The white collar you see in pictures is sort of typical-- they always have white somewhere, but it varies. Devils have no natural predators--there are no large mammals on the island and marsupials are herbivores--but there is currently an epidemic of a facial cancer that has wiped out most of the population in the wild. Those vicious teeth do make them the toughest guys out there but they are lazy scavengers, picking up road kill or anything they don't have to work to get their teeth into. They'll scrap over the scraps til they nearly kill each other. Our guide coaxed a few out with a chunk of pademelon. While she held firmly on to the ankle with a gloved hand, three different devils tugged away at the thigh meat, grunting and baring their teeth. Picture three pitbulls tugging away at the same stuffed toy, and you are close. We both have great videos of this gruesome scene...for later viewing.
There are hopping marsupials there, and the larger ones run free on the site. Forestier roos mostly. They'll eat out of your hand. Wallabies and pademelons and several small ones whose names I can't remember. Cute as a button.
But the most fun are the wombats. More on wambats later. Time for bed.
14 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Road kill
We are about to head out to Cradle Mountain National Park for a day of hiking, or drinking coffee and eating home made meat pies, or whatever else we find. Margaret just had home made bread here at the b and b in Wilton, a tiny village just south of "post box row". More on that later.
Yesterday was on our calendar as a driving day and that's what we did. After a hardy breakfast of poached eggs and sausage we bypassed all the wineries we missed the day before and headed up and over and up some more to St. Mary's where we found Purple Possum Wholefoods and Cafe, famous for its rhubarb cake, and now, its gluten free orange almond cake. And great coffee. There's one long hill down then we crossed the Fingal Valley, a mainly agricultural area populated with sheared sheep and milk cows. At the Brickendon Estate farm near Longford we stopped for lunch and a bit of a walk around. Brickendon is one of two World Heritage Convict Sites in the area. Our Wicked Cheese brie nearly ran off the table in the heat (finally) and was great with the Milton Riesling.
We rushed to make it to Trowunna Wildlife Park (here). Since so many of the marsupials here are nocturnal it's nearly impossible to see them, except as roadkill. Until today we'd seen more roos and wallabies, wombats and devils dead on the road than we had alive. But this was a great experience. More later. Off to Cradle Mountain.
Yesterday was on our calendar as a driving day and that's what we did. After a hardy breakfast of poached eggs and sausage we bypassed all the wineries we missed the day before and headed up and over and up some more to St. Mary's where we found Purple Possum Wholefoods and Cafe, famous for its rhubarb cake, and now, its gluten free orange almond cake. And great coffee. There's one long hill down then we crossed the Fingal Valley, a mainly agricultural area populated with sheared sheep and milk cows. At the Brickendon Estate farm near Longford we stopped for lunch and a bit of a walk around. Brickendon is one of two World Heritage Convict Sites in the area. Our Wicked Cheese brie nearly ran off the table in the heat (finally) and was great with the Milton Riesling.
We rushed to make it to Trowunna Wildlife Park (here). Since so many of the marsupials here are nocturnal it's nearly impossible to see them, except as roadkill. Until today we'd seen more roos and wallabies, wombats and devils dead on the road than we had alive. But this was a great experience. More later. Off to Cradle Mountain.
13 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Glow Little Glow Worm
I'm about ready to throw out this Ipad. Here is the link to Little Glow Worm that I could not get into the previous post.
Little Glow Worm
Little Glow Worm
Taz 2017 | Wine country
We left our bed and breakfast at Knophill late yesterday morning with a view to catching Wicked Cheese just outside of Richmond when they opened at 10am. The tasting started with three soft cheeses (double cream brie, goat blue, and camembert) then six or eight hard cheeses, and finally three yogurt cheeses marinated in olive oil and various seasonings. We came away with a supply to do us for a few days, which is good because where we are now there is absolutely no good food...
Except at the wineries, which are plentiful. The first is just after Richmond where we spent a few hours browsing the shops, drinking coffee and tasting whiskey...not necessarily in that order. But we held off on wine until we arrived in Swansea and checked in to our room at Redcliffe House. The bottleshop was still open so we picked up wine and sat in the charming guest lounge and indulged in both the wine and several cheeses.
Today we earned our wine tasting by first climbing up the trail to overlook Wineglass Bay. In the pictures it's crystal clear, but today it was covered in white caps which explains why our boat tour was cancelled and we had to walk up to the viewpoint instead. We stretched out our aching knees on a short (flat) walk (not to be confused with a short flat white which is what you order at the espresso bar if you want a latte without foam) along the coast to a lighthouse, then checked out of Freycinet National Park and headed for the wineries. We stopped at two on the way back to Swansea. The first was Devil's Corner, a casual winery/ cafe/ coffee bar combo with spectacular views over their vineyards and Oyster Bay. We tasted three whites (all good) and thai coconut mussels, and downed an espresso before heading to Milton Winery just a few kms up from here. The tasting room and cafe are in an old house, well decked out with wood furnishings, overlooking the lake and vineyard. No pretense here and the wines are delicious. Soft and mellow on the finish, smooth to the end. There's no bitterness or acidity--just long soft fruit. And I finally got a pinot noir with some muskiness. They've been pretty lame until this one. Given the cool evenings and hot sun during the day they grow lots of pinot noir and lots of riesling, two of my favourites, so it was a good day of tasting.
Dinner was forgettable-- pretty much awful. To start, it was totally self serve. You order at the counter, pick up when you are paged. Which would be fine if it hadn't been at premium prices. Next they'll be asking us to clear our own tables too.
Tomorrow we head north then west to a small town near Cradle Mountain. I'd like to stop and see the glow worms at Mole Creek. I asked Margaret if she had ever seen them and she said not, "but I've been one". And then she started singing, along with the Mills Brothers. Have a listen. I can only say that this had to be before I was born but I'm sure someone out there will remember her little black pantaloons...
Except at the wineries, which are plentiful. The first is just after Richmond where we spent a few hours browsing the shops, drinking coffee and tasting whiskey...not necessarily in that order. But we held off on wine until we arrived in Swansea and checked in to our room at Redcliffe House. The bottleshop was still open so we picked up wine and sat in the charming guest lounge and indulged in both the wine and several cheeses.
Today we earned our wine tasting by first climbing up the trail to overlook Wineglass Bay. In the pictures it's crystal clear, but today it was covered in white caps which explains why our boat tour was cancelled and we had to walk up to the viewpoint instead. We stretched out our aching knees on a short (flat) walk (not to be confused with a short flat white which is what you order at the espresso bar if you want a latte without foam) along the coast to a lighthouse, then checked out of Freycinet National Park and headed for the wineries. We stopped at two on the way back to Swansea. The first was Devil's Corner, a casual winery/ cafe/ coffee bar combo with spectacular views over their vineyards and Oyster Bay. We tasted three whites (all good) and thai coconut mussels, and downed an espresso before heading to Milton Winery just a few kms up from here. The tasting room and cafe are in an old house, well decked out with wood furnishings, overlooking the lake and vineyard. No pretense here and the wines are delicious. Soft and mellow on the finish, smooth to the end. There's no bitterness or acidity--just long soft fruit. And I finally got a pinot noir with some muskiness. They've been pretty lame until this one. Given the cool evenings and hot sun during the day they grow lots of pinot noir and lots of riesling, two of my favourites, so it was a good day of tasting.
Dinner was forgettable-- pretty much awful. To start, it was totally self serve. You order at the counter, pick up when you are paged. Which would be fine if it hadn't been at premium prices. Next they'll be asking us to clear our own tables too.
Tomorrow we head north then west to a small town near Cradle Mountain. I'd like to stop and see the glow worms at Mole Creek. I asked Margaret if she had ever seen them and she said not, "but I've been one". And then she started singing, along with the Mills Brothers. Have a listen. I can only say that this had to be before I was born but I'm sure someone out there will remember her little black pantaloons...
12 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Hobart
Tonight I am sitting in the Walnut Room at Radcliffe House in Swansea along the east coast, north from Hobart, on Oyster Bay. Our plan was to be within striking distance of the Freycinet Peninsula without paying champagne prices. It worked. Swansea is quaint. We spent an hour or so walking a shoreline trail, bought wine at the off sales behind the Hitchhiker Bar, and filled up on cheeses from Wicked Cheese, just the other side of Richmond. All good. Except the weather. It has been cool, then hot, then windy, then cool, then hot....and tomorrow promises foul weather. Our boat tour of Wineglass Bay is now cancelled and we are not able to rebook without totally messing up our itinerary, so we will not be on the water tomorrow. We will have to climb the hill to see it from above, as there is no access except from the water or the air.
We spent yesterday in Hobart. I'm going to try to upload some pics. They tell the story. It's a great waterfront town; and we did manage to tour a tall ship that was docked for the Wooden Boat Festival. Other than that, the festival was a bit of a bust for us as we missed the sail past of both the small and the tall ships. Other than there being lots of people in town--a 10-story cruise ship was also docked--we went to the Salamanca market, and the wharf, hung around the wharf and checked out some local design shops.
No luck with the photos again tonight. Wine tasting and some hiking tomorrow.
We spent yesterday in Hobart. I'm going to try to upload some pics. They tell the story. It's a great waterfront town; and we did manage to tour a tall ship that was docked for the Wooden Boat Festival. Other than that, the festival was a bit of a bust for us as we missed the sail past of both the small and the tall ships. Other than there being lots of people in town--a 10-story cruise ship was also docked--we went to the Salamanca market, and the wharf, hung around the wharf and checked out some local design shops.
No luck with the photos again tonight. Wine tasting and some hiking tomorrow.
11 February 2017
Taz 2017 | Driving lessons
I've just sat down with the remains of a glass of wine after discussing the ins and outs of going through round-abouts from the wrong side of the road. Clockwise. Yield to cars on the right, says our host. WELL YES OF COURSE. Yield to cars in the circle, which are on your right. Half way round in the outside lane, max. Use the inside lane to make a right hand turn.
I managed to delay the inevitable by convincing Margaret to asume driving duties for two days but today there was no getting out of it. We were headed out on to the Tasman Peninsula toward Port Arthur, the old penal institute, but first I had to get out of Rob's driveway, down the gravel road, onto the freeway and through the round-about. I missed the access to the freeway so we took the scenic route through towns and villages. It was good practice. Push the button on the stick shift for reverse, gear down to first before stopping, turn into the left hand lane, look right for cars, stay left, keep your eye on the centre lane, the signal lights are at your right, which is nearest the door, and the rear view mirror up and to the left. By the time I got to Sorrell which is about 10 km away I had to stop to catch my breath. But I cruised right up to the door without a hitch--okay there was that little problem at the traffic circle just below us here--after a fun day on the road.
Everything here is about getting around and across the water. There are peninsulas on peninsulas and bays inside bays. At Dunnaley, an isthmus that connects to the Tasman Peninsula, we found the Waterfront Cafe and Gallery where I had my first bit of gf bread since leaving home: toast with cinammon butter and raspberry jam, and a latte in a glass. We hiked 40 minutes up the Tasman Coast Track to spectacular views of the rugged coastline, and stomped around the blowhole and Tasman Arch. At Devil's Kitchen, we stretched ourselves over the ledge with our cameras down a 60m cleft in the cliff wall. We took a detour to catch White Beach, a half moon shaped stretch of ... you guesed it ... white sand, then went on to Lucky Ducks, another great cafe with gf options. Thank you, Lonely Planet!
Margaret cooked grilled blue eye, a local name for deep sea trevalla; for the uninitiated that's a deep sea fish we first tasted in the Cook Islands. Yum. I could get to enjoy Margaret's cooking on a regular basis!
Margaret cooked grilled blue eye, a local name for deep sea trevalla; for the uninitiated that's a deep sea fish we first tasted in the Cook Islands. Yum. I could get to enjoy Margaret's cooking on a regular basis!
09 February 2017
Tazmania 2017 | It feels good to be warm and dry
My friend Jane once said, wisely, that if we are talking about the weather then we've run out of things to say and it's time tp hang up. So...briefly...we left Calgary as the cold and snow hit on Friday, Santa Cruz on Monday as severe rains approached dangerous levels and have since destroyed homes, and arrived in Hobart to 22 degrees and wind. Its not tropical but it's warm. At 7 am the sky is clearing and we are hoping for a warm day in Hobart...if we can figure out our right-hand drive, five-speed manual transmission Hyundai. Age is catching up to us. It's not as easy as it once was. I have to pull myself up and out using the handle bar and leverage myself down by hanging on to the window ledge! In the future we should consider an SUV or maybe a car and driver!
I will be challenged to describe our room here until I get the photo thing figured out. We are atop Knopwood Hill in Rob's airbnb. The house looks variously like a hilltop Okanagan feature home from Western Living magazine and a post-earthquake container ensemble from Christchurch. I think its fabulous. Surrounded by forest and overlooking the expansive harbour at the mouth of the Derwent River, all the exterior walls are glass and many of the interior ones so that the views are in every direction. We meld into the landscape. A semi-structured gulch surrounds the multiple decks and outdoor living spaces attracting birds, and this morning, a wallaby who came by for a drink.
I am sitting at the centre of a cross. The kitchen, along one short arm, features a 10-seater stainless steel bar counter, a long built-in casual bench seating area-- grey suede with mauve and yellow cushions--and three mongrels. Behind me is a central iron stove, and the living room: large comfy suede couches, a big screen tv, glass all round. Doors lead to one of the many teak decks. Outside, seaside villages stretch below along the shoreline. To my right and left are the long sides of the cross. The mid-spaces are open seating, tables with chairs for dining, bookshelves, and more sliding glass doors leading out to more comfortable spaces. The floors alternate between teak and painted cement. There are five bedroms in total and ours is on the back side. There are drapes in some rooms but they were open in our bedroom and bathroom. There's nothing out there but nature. Truly a retreat. The downside? Everything is a bit tired. And the decor is definitely not Roche Dubois. There's a nasty gravel road to get up here, and although we love the naturalness of it all, it's a 20 minute drive into Hobart.
I will be challenged to describe our room here until I get the photo thing figured out. We are atop Knopwood Hill in Rob's airbnb. The house looks variously like a hilltop Okanagan feature home from Western Living magazine and a post-earthquake container ensemble from Christchurch. I think its fabulous. Surrounded by forest and overlooking the expansive harbour at the mouth of the Derwent River, all the exterior walls are glass and many of the interior ones so that the views are in every direction. We meld into the landscape. A semi-structured gulch surrounds the multiple decks and outdoor living spaces attracting birds, and this morning, a wallaby who came by for a drink.
I am sitting at the centre of a cross. The kitchen, along one short arm, features a 10-seater stainless steel bar counter, a long built-in casual bench seating area-- grey suede with mauve and yellow cushions--and three mongrels. Behind me is a central iron stove, and the living room: large comfy suede couches, a big screen tv, glass all round. Doors lead to one of the many teak decks. Outside, seaside villages stretch below along the shoreline. To my right and left are the long sides of the cross. The mid-spaces are open seating, tables with chairs for dining, bookshelves, and more sliding glass doors leading out to more comfortable spaces. The floors alternate between teak and painted cement. There are five bedroms in total and ours is on the back side. There are drapes in some rooms but they were open in our bedroom and bathroom. There's nothing out there but nature. Truly a retreat. The downside? Everything is a bit tired. And the decor is definitely not Roche Dubois. There's a nasty gravel road to get up here, and although we love the naturalness of it all, it's a 20 minute drive into Hobart.
06 February 2017
Taz February 2017 | Getting there
I am comfortably settled into the United Airlines lounge filtering out presidential news from the NY Times (I refuse to advertise for the media/ hotel mogul's businesses by using his name) while sipping on a glass of red. We left Calgary on Friday night and took an extended layover at Margaret's in Santa Cruz with the stormy weather and fog. So whats to do but eat and drink! We didn't want to dirty any dishes! Dinner at Jim's on Saturday night ended with a showing of the Tony Bennett birthday party (Alex Baldwin, KD Lang, Celine Dion, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bob Dylan all were great accompaniments to the lemoncello). Jim served house made tamales...yum. Saturday we had brunch at Mid-town Cafe and dinner at Liliane's then coffee ice cream and brownie cookies at Alan and Gene's. How perfect. We drove up the coast road today to Half Moon Bay and had a huge lunch of fresh-caught fish at Ketch Joanne in Princeton. We board at 7pm and likely won't get dinner until close to 9 or later so we thought we should fill up!
Our itinerary takes us to Melbourne via Auckland and straight on to Hobart in Tasmania. We will stop in Melbourne on the way back to visit with John and Jo O'Neil, my friend Susan's parents. We are looking forward to the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart to kick off our time in Tasmania. I will post the itinerary soon as well as our various hotel and restaurant choices. I'm still working on getting photos into the blog using this ipad and I'm challenged to type without errors and to edit so apologies in advance. More Wednesday when we arrive in Tasmania or on Thursday.
Our itinerary takes us to Melbourne via Auckland and straight on to Hobart in Tasmania. We will stop in Melbourne on the way back to visit with John and Jo O'Neil, my friend Susan's parents. We are looking forward to the Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart to kick off our time in Tasmania. I will post the itinerary soon as well as our various hotel and restaurant choices. I'm still working on getting photos into the blog using this ipad and I'm challenged to type without errors and to edit so apologies in advance. More Wednesday when we arrive in Tasmania or on Thursday.
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