A PLACE LIKE HOME

Being gone for nine months makes you want "a homey place", an abode that makes you feel comfy. Kinda like crawling into a warm sweater on a cold morning. We have had some really cool places to stay this year. We haven't talked about a lot of them because they just aren't as “cool” as the places we visit. The Pearl Palace Hotel in Agra with it's wonderful owner Mr. Singh was great but did it compare to the Taj Mahal. No way. So you haven't heard about the goods and bads of our accommodations. Till now.

We are currently staying at "The White House", a detached house associated with Sandi's Bed and Breakfast in Rotorua, New Zealand. The place is great. Here's a rundown:

The place is huge. Maybe as large as the three floored house in Haarlem in the Netherlands. When we book places we generally know the size, usually quoted in square meters, so we have to do the conversion to square feet. I do this. lisa isn't nearly as anal as I am about numbers. Size is usuallly mentioned with places booked through services such as Homelidays or other travel accommodation sites. When you go to an individual you don't get as much: not the pics by room, not the details of internet access, etc. With Sandi we had a few details but not a lot. Not enough at the beginning to know we had a special place.


Everything works: The stove, the windows, the bathroom (sink and shower), the DVD player was simple enough to figure out, etc., etc. Our place in Coogee, a suburb of Sydney, had blinds that didn't work, screens that fell out of the windows. We have had ovens that we couldn't figure out or never got hot enough. Here we also have a really big refrigerator. In Venice we had one a little bigger than a cooler; same as in Krakow, St. Helens, Dubrovnik, Korcula, Montepulciano. Big kitchen, little frig.


Here at The White House, the girls have their own bedrooms for the FIRST TIME in their lives. Our first night here they separated at ten o'clock, Avocet to one bedroom with a double bed and Siena to one with a queen. We were scared they would be up throughout the night in our room scared because of the change. No way. They really liked having the rooms to themselves. But this blog isn't about Si and Av, it's about this cool place. I go on.




The thing that makes a place great is how it makes you feel. We just left a three bedroom apt in Christchurch that was very spacious and very efficient but its style was minimalist and lacked warmth. Our great place in Montepulciano in Tuscany was picturesque with great views but we didn't feel as good “together” as we do here. The walls have adornments of paintings or wall hangings that are appropriate and match the room. The living room has an alpaca rug. The window treatments match the carpet. The dining room table has a tablecloth that doesn't look like it came from the Salvation Army. The carpet is clean. The beds have comforters that match the colors of the room. The linens are quality. But it also has that unique intangible that just makes you feel good. Kinda like our rooms at home that we have made into our own. Those rooms make us feel good.

Thanks Sandi. Your place makes us feel good.

Rotorua - Geothermal Heaven!

Here we are in the city of Rotorua, a Geothermal wonderland! For those of you who don't know what a geothermal park looks like, then here goes: hot water geysers, sulphur lakes, hot mineral pools, and naturally formed craters that open into the Earth. Rotorua is also home to many volcanoes - extinct, dormant, or caved in.



Today we went to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. This park is home to much of the creations of the Geothermal activity and is most famous for their Lady Knox Geyser. It only goes off once a day at 10:15 AM. There were a lot of craters! Either made by explosions or by something that caved in. We also saw something called The Champagne Pool, a sulphur pool with lots of colours in it. There were lots of sulphur lakes made by caved in Earth. There was this really cool pool that had lime green liquid!

We also got to see the mud pools. In my opinion they were kind of creepy! The mud would be calm and then all of a sudden it would bubble up a little.



You can see geothermal activity not only in Wai-O-Tapu, but just go to the city park! If you're driving down the road, you'll see smoke rising from the streets because the city park has steam vents.



After Wai-O-Tapu, we continued our Geothermal day by going to Waikite Valley Thermal Pools (don't worry I can't pronounce Waikite either). It was like Hamner Springs (see earlier blog)except less crowded and much smaller. When you walked down to the office, you get to see the place where they get their hot water and you can see it tumbling down into the different pools. There are various pools with different temperatures. There are also private spas but we didn't get to see them. It was very warm and fun.

WHAT'S THE STORY WITH EGGS?

In the US eggs are sold in the refrigerator case. Not only are they sold in the refrigerator case, but there are “guidelines” printed on the egg cartons for the proper care of eggs, which includes keeping them refrigerated at all times and at what temperature they should be kept. Restaurants are almost forbidden to serve eggs that have not been fully cooked changing the recipes for Caesar Salad and Chocolate Mousse forever. Warnings exist at the bottom of menus about the risks of eating eggs that have not been fully cooked.

So why is it that here we are, in New Zealand, our 12th country around the world, and in not one supermarket in not one of these countries have eggs been refrigerated? The cartons sit on a shelf next to the rice or cereal or wherever they choose to put them – anywhere but in the refrigerator? No where else but in America does there seem to be this obsession with refrigerating eggs. Does the USDA know something that everyone else in the world doesn't???? Or does everyone else in the world know something that the USDA is hiding from us???? What is the real story about eggs?

The Weekend Market

Every weekend at the ChCh Arts Center, shop owners come from all over the city with tables and products to be a part of the Weekend Market. The Weekend Market isn't like the daily market on the banks of the Ljublianica in Slovenia, that was just daily stuff. Daily stuff at a daily market, go figure. This market is more like... Padington Market in Sydney, (Did we tell you about that?) or Salamanca Market in Hobart (Did we not tell you about that either?). Gifts and tzaatchkas from boutique shops are what makes up the market, but there are many food vendors too. And several street performers.

New Zealand has a native people like Oz's Aborigines or our Native American Indians. The Maori have a distinctive artwork, lots of curly cues and swirls with intricate patterns. These symbolic designs can be bought in cow bone (why not sheep?) or Nephrite Jade. Another popular item is Paua shell. Paua is one of the many varieties of Abalone. It's blue, green and sometimes black, usually all at once. Earrings, necklaces, hair ornaments, rings, bracelets, even decorative whole shells can be bought. I'm starting to think that the Paua is NZ's national shell if there is such a thing.

Street Performers are definately there. Today (the 22nd) we saw a girl about 13 years old who was playing Bouree on a violin from Suzuki Book 3. The first time we had been there we had seen a comedy act by a man from Scotland, he was awesome. There are other musicians and an occasional large crowd around a magician or actor/actress.

In the back where you exit from the theatre (on the premises), you will feel as if you have walked into the Epcot food court. The "best" Souvlaki in town, Hungarian dishes, Lebanese baba ganoush, Thai and Chinese cuisine, Czech Palinka (pancakes), make your hand float to your wallet, not to mention all the sweet waffles, crepes, and even fruit ice cream. Like I said, the Epcot food court.

THE BIG FIVE O

50 - it's one greater than 49, one less than 51, 1/2 of 100. It's just a number. But for some reason, in our culture, 50 is suppose to represent something. A long time ago, when life was harder and medical science hadn't had so many advances, making it to 50 was a big deal. Now, it's assumed that you will make it to 50. When people retired at 65 and traded in their working lives for a recliner, 50 meant the end of your youth. Now, people climb Mt. Everest at 50 or beyond. The goal post has moved on how we live our lives but somebody forgot to tell the greeting card companies or the paper goods manufacturers who print "cute" sayings like Over the Hill on napkins and paper plates.

People like to throw themselves or their loved ones big parties when they turn 50. I don't think it's really because they turned 50, I think they just wanted to have a party and have a good time with their friends and family. Kids have birthday parties all the time, not just at 5, 10 15 etc. But as adults, we need to justify having an event for ourselves so we celebrate the "big ones." What's wrong with a party at 48 if you feel like it? or even 52? Sounds good to me.

If I'm suppose to be feeling something special or unique today because I'm turning 50 someone forgot to fill me in on the details. I feel the same way I did yesterday only now it's today (at least until we hit the international date line when it will be yesterday again). No, I'm not as young as I use to be and the aches and pains and lack of flexibility are apparent, but they were there yesterday, and last week, and last year - they didn't miraculously appear today. The signs of youth don't disappear overnight, they erode over time and they started eroding a long time ago.

I have fewer acquaintances at 50 but more friends. The birthday messages that I have received from all of you are so warm and heartfelt and hold a special place in my heart - thank you, each and everyone of you, for being who you are and for sharing your life with me. I know that we will celebrate when I return home since all the time I spend with you is a celebration. And thank you Marty for organizing my email birthday party.

Having been born in February, I always envied those kids who could have their parties outdoors. I hate the cold and have always wanted a summer birthday. So here I am, in Christchurch, New Zealand, in the southern hemisphere, having my first ever summer birthday. Not too bad for a 50th birthday present. I am surrounded by my loving husband of almost 17 years and my two awesome daughters who all planned a wonderful evening of great food, champagne, a scavenger hunt, presents and birthday cake (we celebrated last night due to travel plans). I have been traveling the world for the last 8 1/2 months and will continue to do so for another 3 1/2 more. Life doesn't get a whole lot better than this.




I don't have my whole life ahead of me, I haven't had that since the day I was born. With each day that I live, that part of my life is behind me. Today, on my 50th birthday, I just have one more day behind me than ahead of me. It's just math.

HAVING A WHALE OF A TIME

Whale Watching is one of those things that I have always wanted to do but have never done. Mostly because I didn't want to be disappointed. I didn't want to spend 2 hours plus on a boat and then come back to shore not having seen a whale. You know, it's not one of those Disney things that's a guarantee; it's nature! On top of that, you would have to pay dearly (whale watches are pretty expensive) for the privilege of not seeing a whale.

In the town of Kaikoura, about 2 1/2 hours up the coast from Christchurch, they offer whale watches to see the Sperm Whales that reside on the New Zealand coast. They say they have a 95% success rate at spotting whales and that if you don't see a whale, they will refund you 80% of the cost of the whale watch. These are numbers that I can get behind. I'm in!

Due to weather and sea conditions, they don't determine if a particular whale watch is going to go out until 15 min. prior to its scheduled departure. We arrived at 2:15 for a 3:00 watch so we sat and watched a whale movie waiting to hear if we were going to go. The whale movie really psyches you up, so now if we don't go, the disappointment will be even greater. They call our trip - we're on! with a "sea sickness" warning. Great, I get sea sick on flat seas. While I could have backed out at that point (with a full refund), I had come too far on this journey. We swallowed our Dramamine (even Marty, you doesn't get sea sick, took some)and we were off.

It only took 10 minutes on this boat to realize that this was not going to be an easy couple of hours. The Pacific Ocean swells were not kind to my stomach. I took my slow deep breaths, stared at the horizon and prayed that we would at least see a whale so that it wouldn't all be for naught.


Since Sperm Whales can dive deeper and longer than any other whale, they spend a lot more time under the water than any other whale which makes finding them a little more challenging. But sometimes nature doesn't disappoint. After just 15 minutes at sea we spotted our first Sperm Whale - these suckers are huge. There he was, just floating on the surface, taking in his air. You could see the water bursting from his blow hole and then all of a sudden he made his move to dive and that magnificent tail was in the air.


Back inside the boat to search for more - ugh! Being inside is worse than being on the deck. At this point Avocet and Siena came to sit with me in the back of the boat where it is "supposed" to be better as they were not feeling too well themselves. Great, just what we need, 3 sea sick people.

Another whale has been spotted. We go out on deck to see this second beauty. This one gives us a blow hole performance but never does dive. It doesn't matter, my attention is not on the whale at this point as the swells have gotten larger and the sea sickness has gotten worse. I toss my cookies into the sea. Does some sea life eat this stuff or will it wash up on some beach onto some unfortunate swimmer? Time to go back inside.

Sometimes life is not cruel and makes a fair (?) exchange. After another 12 minutes at sea, two Sperm Whales are spotted side by side. This is rare as they are solitary creatures. I'm feeling a little better (little being the operative word here) and the girls are holding up O.K. We are trying to enjoy this incredible scene. Siena says "What if they both dive at once?" I told her that would be awesome but not to count on it. Well, they both started moving at the same time and yes, they both dived simultaneously. What a magnificent sight seeing both of those tails up in the air at once. I would include the picture, but there isn't one, just the memory.


Heading back to shore now I'm holding my own but Avocet gets sick. At least afterwards she says that she feels a little bit better. We swing by a Fur Seal Colony and get up close and personal with the seals and their pups. They really are adorable. We also get a look at an Albatross, the world's largest flying bird, gliding across the sea.




I had told the girls before we left that this was a once in a lifetime experience. They now say they know why. Who would want to feel like that again! I personally don't want to do it again but in hindsight, it was well worth it this time around.

Hanmer Springs

On the 16th, we left Christchurch EARLY in the morning to head out to Kaikoura, the Whale Watch Destination of NZ. Some background info: at anytime of the day, the weather may change at once, allowing you to experience a years worth of weather in one day. Somehow rain always seems to come into the picture. Another fact: most activities in NZ are weather dependent - do you really want to bungee in a storm? When we called the whale watch company from Christchurch, our boat was already canceled due to rough seas. And high winds. And rain. Our original plan was to go to Kaikora, spend the night and the next day head to Hanmer Springs, the famous hot springs. But because the Whale Watch was cancelled, we decided to reverse, and go to Hanmer Springs first.

When we arrived in the town of Hanmer Springs, we got out of our Nissan Sunny (the only sun we've seen, hahaha) and found that it was drizzling. After we changed out of our clothes and into our bathing suits, it was, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, only misting. They have many different types of pools there; the rock pools are moderate in temperature, the sulfur pools are 41 degrees Celsius (HOT!), the lap pool and the children's pool are normal swimming water (not hot) and there are several other pools that are pretty warm. We visited a 35 degree pool, a 39 degree pool, a 37 degree pool, and dipped a toe into the 41 degree pool. It was much too hot, my toe started to burn when it was exposed to the nasty stuff. Siena and I liked the 37 degree rock pool. It had one main pool from which a stream flowed to a much shallower pool. We liked the shallow pool and even made up a game in it called Cheeky Americano. To play, one person gets on their knees and the other holds the back of their legs. Then, the person in the back moves the persons legs to make them walk. However, the person in the front chooses the direction, and usually they move into a spot called the Cheeky Americano spot. The other person has to pull them out and they begin to walk again. The finale is where the person in the back picks up the walker and throws them onto the rock in the center of the pool yelling “Cheeky Americano!”

We all loved Hanmer Springs, we just wish it had been a sunny day!

Swimming With Dolphins - AWESOME!

When we first got to New Zealand, I saw a brochure for something that said, “Swimming With Dolphins”. It was where you got to swim with the tiniest dolphins on Earth: The Hector Dolphin. They're a little smaller than I am right now, and I am pretty tiny, and just about as wide. Just like a lot of other animals out there, The Hector Dolphin is endangered. There are only about 6000 – 7000 of them left and they're all located off the east coast of New Zealand. I didn't think we'd get to do it , but there we were in Akaroa (a town a little ways outside of Christchurch) standing on the main wharf, with wet suits, booties, and snorkeling gear.

There were only ten people in our group as they don't want too many people in the water with the dolphins. It makes them feel crowded. We took a fairly big catamaran out of the harbour and sailed until we reached the end of the harbour. On the way out there, we saw seabirds called Cormorants, and three White Flippered Blue Penguins – also the tiniest penguins in the world.




The Hector Dolphin likes murkier waters so we went out to the churned up part. Our guide told us to lookout for a dorsal fin just above the water but that was very hard because there was a lot of seaweed that could easily pass as dorsal fins.


We finally saw two dolphins. They were playing in the waves that the
front of the boat was making. The Hector Dolphin is not only tiny, but cute!!!!!! They really like to play and when we got into the water, our guide told us to make noises with our snorkel under water. It was really exciting!!!!!!! They were swimming really near us and would circle around you! The water was very cold though and so I shivered the whole time. We never got to use the snorkeling gear since the water was so murky – you wouldn't be able to see anything! After about five minutes, we got back into the boat and headed around the wide open ocean looking for the tiniest, rarest dolphin in the world. We didn't get to swim with them anymore, but from far away we saw one jump in the air! On the way back, we cruised near the rocks and took a look at the seal colony there. We saw one pup nursing!




Swimming With Dolphins was truly amazing!

ANTARCTICA!!!

Occasionally we see a place that is really cool. No pun intended. We visited the International Antarctic Centre on one of our first days here in Christchurch and we were not disappointed. This attraction is here because the NZ, US and Italian Antarctic research teams are based here.


We were picked up by the Penguin Express at Cathedral Square and the driver told us funny stories about Christchurch. We then watched a video put on by the staff, including bloopers, as to what we could expect to see. Upon arrival, there was something for all of us: we got to see Blue Penguins on the mend after being rescued. There was a simulation of an Antarctic winter storm which included wind and a drop in temperatures to about two below zero fahrenheit. I didn't tell them that Cincinnati has that temperature every winter and especially this one. Probably would be outdone by Canadians anyway. There was an exhibit depicting the four seasons there.




The center had a lot of interactive displays where one could see the daily life that goes on at Scott Base on Antarctica. I really enjoyed that and felt a bit closer to understanding how a person could devote six months of their life at a timeto this icy continent. They even had the rules for the Scott base golf "course"...if it could be called that. Once in a lifetime would be cool (cold). The staff at the center all said they would love to go. Some of the displays had geeky things like temps, wind speed, when explorations were completed and the like which suited my geeky side. lisa asks "does Marty have a non-geeky side??? The girls also learned a lot in case any future teachers of theirs are reading this blog post.


Near the end we rode in a Haaglund, the big tracked vehicles used in Antarctica, around their training track. Everyone who is scheduled to go to Antarctica must experience Haaglund training - up 45 degree hills, 30 degree sidehills and how to go through water up to the middle of ther windows. Great!!




An interesting, educational and fun day was had by all.

CHRISTCHURCH, NZ

Christchurch: The Garden City; Gateway to Antarctica; Our South Island New Zealand home for two weeks. Christchurch is larger than Hobart but that's not saying much now is it? Being the largest city on the South Island, we are talking about a population of about 350,000. There are definitely more sheep and cows here than people!

We were told that Christchurch is more English than England. I don't know about that, but it definitely has a more English feel about it than Australia, which had a more American feel. And it's not that you can understand the Kiwis a whole lot better than you can understand the Australians. They may both speak English, but sometimes subtitles would be real helpful.





The city here is quite lovely with many older building, tree lined streets, beautiful gardens and the Avon River running (just barely) through the center of town. They seem to have a strong arts community with an art museum, art galleries and exhibitions, a theater, and an arts center with a weekend arts market.













Christchurch is not on the coast but just a 12 km jaunt will put you at Lyttleton Harbour. Other coastal areas are also not too far and there are plenty of "water activities" for you to enjoy. In fact, the whole island is a playground and there is a plethora of outdoor adventures awaiting you.


With New Zealand, United States and Italy having their Antarctic Research Centers headquartered in Christchurch, this city is also considered the gateway to Antarctica. 70% of all flights to the Antarctic leave from the International Airport here. It would be great if we could catch one of those flights in order to hit the seventh continent, but none of those flights are open to the public. Guess we'll have to save that one for the next trip!



Christchurch is such a quaint and charming city and everything would be just perfect if it weren't for the fact that our apartment is right next to Sol Square which is a street lined with 24 hour bars that blast music into all hours of the evening (and morning). So much for quaint and charming!

AUSTRALIA'S TOP TEN (PLUS TWO)

We surveyed the four participants of the One World One Trip team for their Top Ten (Plus Two) of Australia and the results are in:

12. Old Town Hobart Model Village
11. Cadbury Chocolate Factory Visit
10. Bridestow Lavender Farm
9. Louisa's Walk
8. Bondi Beach
7. Bay of Fires
6. The Faerie Shop and The Teddy Bear Shop
5. Alpenrail and Wildwoods Gardens
4. Koala Park Sancturay & Bonorong Wildpark
3. Sydney Opera House & Le Grand Cirque performance
2. Hobart Town and the Salamanca area

AND THE NUMBER ONE FAVORITE OF AUSTRALIA IS:

1. Coogee Beach and Coogee Town


A special mention goes to our wonderful evening with Shelly and Garry Johnson which can't be rated - it was priceless

LOUISA'S WALK

We had the brochure but didn't think too much of “Louisa's Walk” because it was probably just another“Class B” attraction here in Tasmania, with the business having enough money to put together a nice brochure. Fast forward a few days later to when we were looking through the “Visitor's Book” in our apartment and noticed that someone HIGHLY RECOMMENDED it. OK, let's give it a shot.

We met “Louisa” outside the Cascade Gardens parking lot where she was dressed in 1840's attire. She introduced herself as an Irish woman who's husband had passed away and wanted to tell us her story. She had apparently been caught steeling a loaf of bread and was eventually convicted by a magistrate for her crime. The sentence was to serve a seven year term in the prison on Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania's original name given by the British. She “befriended” us at that stage and we were with her on a prison ship in London, on her eight month passage to Tasmania, and eventually to a prison here, known as the “Female Factory,” in the Cascade neighborhood of Hobart . We were her friends. Siena helped teach her sewing techniques. She asked our advice whether she should tell the truth or not to the authorities. She told us her “secrets”. We felt like we were a real part of her journey (and Tasmanian history) as she spent her seven years in prison for the atrocious crime of stealing a loaf of bread to feed her starving family.


Along with Louisa was a male actor who performed the roles of magistrate, ship's captain, factory doctor, and other “bad” characters. Both performed their roles admirably.


We got the adult version. So did Av and Si. The conditions for a female convict at the Female Factory were terrible: virtually no ability to converse with fellow prisoners, little sunlight, poor rations, beatings. Some with lesser crimes were called “assignables” because they would be “assigned” to work for wealthy “free-settlers” who often abused them in many ways. Any children born from this “abuse” were cared for for only a couple of weeks before being separated from their mother. Then the mother went to the worst section of the “factory” where they were beaten...because of their “crime” of getting pregnant. Louisa was one of these mothers. Her baby girl didn't survive. We experienced in a unique way the chilling history of female convicts in Hobart.



The “Factory” was shut down after about thirty years but not before untold numbers of women died or were scarred for life. All ended well for Louisa as she fell in love (at first sight) with a new master.
They were married and she survived. Interestingly enough, the actor and actress (Chris and Judith) performing the strolling theater were married in real life.


No “Class B” attraction here. I give it an A+!!

What to do in the Hobartian Suburbs - the gateway to two good attractions

The day after we went to the Cascade Brewery, we went to Richmond. Richmond is this little town about a fifteen to twenty minute drive from Hobart. It's one of those towns with boutiquey shops, an old fashioned candy store, and a little museum about the town's history. Please note too look for these three significant sites among the next two paragraphs.


Richmond

Once we got there, we headed to Old Hobart Town. Old Hobart Town is a model of what Hobart was like in the old days; kinda like Madurodam. (Madurodam – a humongous model of all the cities in Holland all put together in an amazing realistic model. Located in Den Haag. See previous blog for more details). The miniature town had the harbour and the old causeway connecting Tasmania to Hunter Island. There were boats on the harbour too! The town was really cool. They put in little streets, a creek, a mill, people, houses, and convicts. The old convicts of England were every where in the town. They even put in the old gaol! (Gaol - the Australian word for jail.)



When we finished Old Hobart Town, we walked along the streets looking at shops. We walked across the Richmond Bridge, which is the oldest bridge in Australia, and back again. Then we headed to lunch. After lunch was finished, we went to the Richmond Gaol. I guess it kinda counts as a museum about Richmond's history. Personnely, I didn't like it. After that “task on our list” was done, we got ice cream which was purchased at the old fashioned candy store.



Bonorong Wildlife Park



Australia is known for it's unique and different animals. But like I said in my Tasmanian introductory blog, Tasmania is often thought of as a different country, which means that they are known for two animals that the “mainland” doesn't have: the Tasmanian Devil, and the Tasmanian Tiger.



When we got to Tasmania, we had heard that Tasmanian Devils could be seen on the roads and in the bush. Well here we are in Tasmania sitting and contemplating why we haven't seen a Tasmanian Devil on the road, or in the bush! We heard that they are mostly found dead on the road, which is sad, but we never even saw one dead on the road! Tasmanian Tigers are now extinct. Someone tried to clone them but it didn't work out. How come they could clone Dolly the lamb then! Anyway, we saw Tasmanian Devils at Bonorong.

It was a long ride out to Bonorong, as it is all the way out in the bush. When we got there and had bought our tickets, we went off to see the Tasmanian Devils first. Well, we got sidetracked by an adorable baby wombat, and a silent, sitting, Kookaburra.


We finally made it to the Devils. They are soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They had adult Devils, pre adult Devils, and the baby ones. The babies were just so cute!!!! Tasmanian Devils are black with a stripe across their chest. They are pretty tiny, about a foot long, and about six inches wide. They look a little like dogs but their face has some resemblance to a bear.



We got to feed kangaroos again and touch koalas. We saw one Kangaroo with a joey and the joey's head was sticking out of the pouch! Some of the kangaroos would grab our hands when they were eating. It really hurt! All and all, it was a fun experience!!

MEET THE JOHNSONS

In our eight months of travels we have met fellow travelers and have shared a meal with them in a restaurant or guest house kitchen. But never have we been invited into a locals home – until now. Shelly and Garry are owners of Apartments on Strickland, our home for eight nights here in Hobart, Tasmania. Our second morning here, Shelly stopped by to see how we were settling in and invited us over to her house for dinner. In shock, we said yes, and agreed to a date and time.

With easy directions to follow, we arrived and were welcomed into the Johnson's' home. Shelly is my age and Gary is Marty's age (and if you don't know what that is, too bad!) and they have two grown sons, Marcus and Sam. All four of them (along with Emma, Marcus' girlfriend) are warm and delightful people and gracious hosts as well. We enjoyed tasty hors d'oeuvres and a scrumptious Tasmanian salmon dinner followed by great homemade desserts. But of course the real feast was the enjoyable and endless conversation we shared. We were there for almost six hours and never once was there a moment of awkward silence.

Even Avocet and Siena had a nice visit. When they took a break from the family dinner table, they entertained themselves with a trampoline, a Wii, and a DVD, all generously shared with them by the Johnson's.

Thank you Shelly and Garry for a wonderful evening and an even better memory. Have a great trip to Japan and keep in touch.

Cadbury, Alpenrail and Wildwoods

Cadbury

On our first real day in Hobart, we (Siena and I) insisted on going to the Cadbury Factory. We had previously heard that they did tours of the factory. Yum, chocolate, why not go? Because they don't do tours anymore. Last year in March/April, (we missed it by one year), they had to close down the tours due to health issues. It doesn't mean that you don't see anything though, as you see a presentation, and if you look into the mirror afterwards, you see your eyes spinning 'round with all the goodies you have just witnessed being made (and the free samples you have received). The one they sell the most is Cherry Ripe, a dark chocolate outside with a coconut and cherry filling. The largest bar they make is 10 kg., and goes for about $145 AU in the shop! My favorites are Boost, Carmello, Roses and Old Gold Dark.

~ Avocet

I love chocolate! It is one of my favorite sweets and I love to eat it. After the presentation about Cadbury and chocolate, we went to their sweet shop and bought chocolate!!!! Cadbury mostly has milk chocolate products but we did find some dark chocolate (I prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate). Some of my favorite Cadbury chocolates are: Cadbury Dairy Milk, Cadbury Freddo, and Boost. Cadbury's main product is chocolate but they also sell some candy. The presentation was mostly about how you make chocolate and about Cadbury's history, and its chocolates. YUM!!

~ Siena



Wildwoods at Alpenrail

Before we visited the trains of Alpenrail (Below), we noticed a door with a picture of a fairy on it which read "Wildwoods Fairy Garden, One For All". There is a small door there, but you don't really have to go through it, you open the door by the small door's handle and the big door opens! You walk through a small entry way area and then you get to the garden, Wildwoods. There are many directions you can go. Some paths lead to things like the Enchanted Cottage while some of them are just pretty lanes with dead ends. Please enjoy your tour virtual of the miraculous Realm of the Magical.

~ Avocet

The first thing we did when we got into the Fairy Realm (Wildwoods) was go to the Enchanted Cottage. It looks like a regular cottage on the outside but on the inside, there's a pretty fairy set-up in the window. Then, we went to Fairy Glen Falls. Fairy Glen Falls is a miniature waterfall with fairies, pixies, brownies, etc., all around it. It was really pretty!! There is also a lot of moss. Nearby there is a little pond with mermaids all around it, with water lilies, and fish in the water. After that we walked around the garden and ended up next to Chalet Wildwoods where we had tea and biscuits.

~ Siena




The Trains at Alpenrail



Almost all little boys who grew up in the sixties had a train set. I did...and loved it. What I thought would be just another Tasmanian “Class B” attraction (re: the trains) turned out to be really awesome. There was an entire building measuring probably eighty foot square filled with an alpine scene of Switzerland.

In this space were handmade trains and landscapes. They are phasing out the purchased trains from long ago with their own pain-stakingly carved, molded or constructed from detailed plans of trains and scenery of that region. Some people have recognized the surroundings while visiting from Switzerland. So realistic is Alpenrail that they computer controll daylight into dark with a storm occurring high in the mountains. To coin a term from those sixties: cool!!

- Marty

THE LOVELY TOWN OF HOBART

Just a thought before I start. Why are we here? Hobart? Hobart? It's name doesn't dredge up exotic images like Dar es Salaam or McLeod Ganj or Luang Prabang. It's because of where it is located. From the time I was a young boy in the fourth grade (coincidentally the age the girls are now) who loved geography, I have “known” the city situated on the bottom of Tasmania. I didn't know much about it, but I knew it was down there...way down there. When we started the trip planning, I couldn't pass up adding Hobart to our itinerary.


On one of our first days here we toured the Cascade Brewery. I wanted to tour Union Brewery in Ljubljana, Slovenia but they only gave tours once a month and we weren't there on the right day of the month. Not here, every day is tour day – three times a day! A good hour and a half but we all were bored after awhile with technical beerspeak. The tasting room was more fun. Lisa and I drank beer samples while the girls sampled soft drinks that Cascade makes. The gardens were very scenic as well.


Another day we went in search of books. Not for lisa and I because we still have a few unread in inventory, but the girls are down to nothing. Hobart has a lot of second hand bookshops. Unfortunately books of the genre Harry Potter or Percy Jackson are few and far between here. The area of the bookshops was Salamanca Place, an area of restored warehouses by the waterfront. It has sidewalk cafes and has the look of a European city.

Hobart has a very nice waterfront with beautiful yachts. We enjoyed sitting on a bench by the harbour eating fish and chips. Where we had meat on a stick in Thailand, we survive on fish and chips here. Not just here but in all of Australia; it's plentiful and inexpensive (not that anything is inexpensive around here). Hobart also has nicely designed parks and buildings that are typical of their time: mid 1800s. The place has a charm, from Salamanca Place to our apartment up from the Cascade Brewery. Our area is green from the tall eucalyptus trees to the lush undercover. It has the everpresent Mt. Wellington, soaring over 4000 feet just on the edge of town. I said it: town. This place feels less like a small city and more like a big town. You have lovely (a word used a lot by the Australians) small cottages with neatly groomed hedges and flower beds .



Just a “normal lovely” town.

DOING WHAT TASMANIA DOES BEST

I'm thinking back and trying to recall if I have been anywhere as remote feeling as Tasmania. When you are in a town, it doesn't feel remote, but you need only drive ½ km outside of the town to feel like you are in the middle of no where. Often we are the only car on the road, the only people in a shop, on a hiking trail, or on the beach, the only tourists at an attraction. There's not a whole lot to do out here with your time; you can relax, visit one of the the many tourist attractions, or experience nature.

The tourist offices are filled with tons of beautiful glossy brochures for “tourist attractions.” We all went through them and picked what interested us the most. After going to about 4-5 of these “attractions,” we came to realize that everything in Tasmania has a beautiful glossy brochure – whether or not you would really consider it an attraction or not. The fish store has a brochure but it is just a fish store. The candy store has a brochure but it is just a candy store. Anyone with a hobby, a collection, or a farm prints up a brochure and voila you have a museum or an attraction. It leads to a lot of over selling and a lot of underwhelming. After many disappointments, we gave up on the tourist attractions.

Where Tasmania doesn't disappoint is in it's nature. After all, it is the Nature State. We went to the Bay of Fires, recently rated the world's second most beautiful beach. Regardless of the rating, it is gorgeous. No fine dining restaurants, no boardwalk selling fudge, fresh roasted peanuts or salt water taffy, no hotels. No anything – just pure, pristine, unadulterated beach. There are hugh orange boulders jutting out which you can climb on and in between, kilometers of white sandy beach.




Another day we went “chasing waterfalls.” We hiked three separate trails to Halls Falls, St. Columbo Falls and Ralph Falls. If the falls itself wasn't spectacular, the trail offered something else. Incredible rain forest flora, spectacular views of the valley down below or sometimes, even wildlife - on our last trail we found an echnida and then saw a wallaby on the drive back.










On the way to Hobart, we detoured and visited Freycinet National Park. Like any national park, you could spend days on the hiking trails. We opted for a 1 ½ hour hike to the Wineglass Bay Lookout. A pretty trail lined by huge boulders led us to the top of a mountain over looking yet another gorgeous beach. Another hour would have taken us to the beach itself, but we opted to head back to the car to continue the long drive ahead of us. Near the park entrance we were treated once again to an echnida sighting.




At this point we have trashed most of those glossy brochures knowing that many fine trees died in vain – we've decided that we're going to stick to the trees that are living.