Spent a few days last week with Nathan in Tasmania for a bit of rest and relaxation. Hobart, the capital, is a beautiful city nestled at the base of Mt. Wellington. I love the houses which reminded me of the dwellings in Boston.
We flew into Hobart late on Tuesday night and spent Wednesday wandering around the city, checking out the art galleries. On Thursday, Nate and I rented a car and headed out to the historic penal settlement of Port Arthur (which was also the site of one of Australia's worst massacres in 1996 when a lone gunman went on a shooting rampage and took 35 innocent lives). Port Arthur was an amazing place to visit and the whole tourist operation was extremely slick. We went on our guided tour and ferry ride and then spent several hours strolling through the settlement. We got back to Hobart in the early evening and decided to head up to Mt. Wellington. It was a breathtaking (and a little scary) ride up to the summit. When we reached the top, the clouds had completely enveloped the summit. It was dark and windy and sleety.
We took advantage of the late return of the car on Friday morning to head out to the Cadbury chocolate factory. There, we went on a tour and ate lots of chocolate. Unfortunately, recent OHS regulations put an end to the practice of grabbing and consuming handfuls of chocolates during the tour itself. I think the cadbury tour was the highlight for Nathan. After returning the car back in the city, Nate and I hiked up to the Botanical Gardens which is arguably one of the nicest in Australia. They even had a collection of subantarctic plants in a speacial greenhouse equipped with sea spray and the sound of nesting albatrosses!
Back in the big city again, with its heavy traffic and huge crowds and long queues.
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