Our alarm was set for 4am, which hurt a lot. We got up, though, and Mum and Tom very kindly drove us to the airport through the sparse traffic. After goodbyes, we went into the terminal, went through security, and grabbed some breakfast (which for Christian was a beef and horseradish sandwich, and for me was a white chocolate and macadamia cookie). We went to the gate to eat, and had to drink our tea/coffee before we got on the flight. We used the mobile check-in for the first time, and they scanned the code and gave us a ticket anyway.
The flight was only an hour and ten minutes, and we mostly dozed, but there were some incredibly rude and ignorant Tasmanians behind us who made the trip a bit uncomfortable. We got off in Hobart, and took the only method of transport into the city that was available to us - the shuttle bus. It cost $17, but the man was nice, and there were hardly any people on it. He dropped us in the city, and we headed for the harbour. I couldn't understand why people were wearing summery clothes as it was cold. After seeing which lunchtime cruises were available, the first stop was breakfast, and we had that at T42 (degrees south). It was very pleasant, but the sun was incredibly bright and hot, and before long I removed layers and changed shoes. We repacked our bags with our boots, and wandered back to book a cruise. Christian really wanted to do a cruise on the tall ship, and I wasn't averse, so we booked that at $80 a head.
We decided to walk up to the Botanical Gardens via Queen's Domain and the Soldier's Walk, and it was hot and uphill. It was worthwhile, as the Botanical Gardens were cool and verdant. There was a Robin Hood pantomime running, which was very lively.
We took the easy way back into the city, and were ready to board the tall ship at 1pm. There was a bit of a delay, but we eventually got on, and Dylan gave us the safety briefing, including how to put on a lifejacket, where not to walk on the ship, and to look out for the harsh sun. We motored out a good way onto the Derwent, had a chicken and salad roll lunch, and then the crew went through the difficult process of putting the sails up. Gradually, they put eight of them up. The wind wasn't strong enough as we weren't moving very fast, but it was really interesting to see how they went about things - two of them had to go up the mast to unhook the sails. We then had some cheese and fruit, and we were taken on a tour below decks, which was claustophobic but interesting. We met the ship's cat, who lazily lifted her head as we talked in the room containing the sofa on which she slept, then went back to sleep.
Time was getting on, and I let Sarah know that we would be late meeting her. We went beyond where we started, almost to the bridge, before the sails came down and the motor went back on. The captain (Sarah) expertly steered the ship back to its dock under motor, and we disembarked. It was lots of fun, and I was really glad we did it.
We walked to the cenotaph to meet Sarah, and eventually found her lurking near some boot camp crazies. We drove to a supermarket to buy dinner, and Christian acted as basket carrier while he dealt with mine and Sarah's crazy conversation. We drove on to Richmond, though ever-increasing country scenery, and got to the house, which was off dirt road after the sealed part of the road ran out. Richmond is a beautiful, convict-built, sandstone town, with a famous bridge, a gaol, and lots of tourists. We met Nick, said hello to Persia, and they whipped up a delicious dinner of salmon, smashed potatoes, and salad. With fruit, ice cream, and ice magic for dessert. :-)
We watched some T20 cricket on TV, marvelling at how ridiculous it was, and then turned in for bed quite early.
The flight was only an hour and ten minutes, and we mostly dozed, but there were some incredibly rude and ignorant Tasmanians behind us who made the trip a bit uncomfortable. We got off in Hobart, and took the only method of transport into the city that was available to us - the shuttle bus. It cost $17, but the man was nice, and there were hardly any people on it. He dropped us in the city, and we headed for the harbour. I couldn't understand why people were wearing summery clothes as it was cold. After seeing which lunchtime cruises were available, the first stop was breakfast, and we had that at T42 (degrees south). It was very pleasant, but the sun was incredibly bright and hot, and before long I removed layers and changed shoes. We repacked our bags with our boots, and wandered back to book a cruise. Christian really wanted to do a cruise on the tall ship, and I wasn't averse, so we booked that at $80 a head.
We decided to walk up to the Botanical Gardens via Queen's Domain and the Soldier's Walk, and it was hot and uphill. It was worthwhile, as the Botanical Gardens were cool and verdant. There was a Robin Hood pantomime running, which was very lively.
We took the easy way back into the city, and were ready to board the tall ship at 1pm. There was a bit of a delay, but we eventually got on, and Dylan gave us the safety briefing, including how to put on a lifejacket, where not to walk on the ship, and to look out for the harsh sun. We motored out a good way onto the Derwent, had a chicken and salad roll lunch, and then the crew went through the difficult process of putting the sails up. Gradually, they put eight of them up. The wind wasn't strong enough as we weren't moving very fast, but it was really interesting to see how they went about things - two of them had to go up the mast to unhook the sails. We then had some cheese and fruit, and we were taken on a tour below decks, which was claustophobic but interesting. We met the ship's cat, who lazily lifted her head as we talked in the room containing the sofa on which she slept, then went back to sleep.
Time was getting on, and I let Sarah know that we would be late meeting her. We went beyond where we started, almost to the bridge, before the sails came down and the motor went back on. The captain (Sarah) expertly steered the ship back to its dock under motor, and we disembarked. It was lots of fun, and I was really glad we did it.
We walked to the cenotaph to meet Sarah, and eventually found her lurking near some boot camp crazies. We drove to a supermarket to buy dinner, and Christian acted as basket carrier while he dealt with mine and Sarah's crazy conversation. We drove on to Richmond, though ever-increasing country scenery, and got to the house, which was off dirt road after the sealed part of the road ran out. Richmond is a beautiful, convict-built, sandstone town, with a famous bridge, a gaol, and lots of tourists. We met Nick, said hello to Persia, and they whipped up a delicious dinner of salmon, smashed potatoes, and salad. With fruit, ice cream, and ice magic for dessert. :-)
We watched some T20 cricket on TV, marvelling at how ridiculous it was, and then turned in for bed quite early.
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