Stopover 2: Um Hobart
Stepping off the plane at Hobart I notice a vast difference in air temperature, in fact it has gone from glorious sunshine to pretty damn cold! I'm not prepared for this, my wardrobe has been designed around heat and sun.
The landscape is pretty unremarkable at the airport and I sense rain in the atmosphere, all in all I'm not particularly impressed thus far. Moving into the arrivals 'shack' I head straight to the tourist information board, after all, I'm here for 7 days, 2 of which I'm free to do as I wish. I collect an impressive array of tourist literature and head over to baggage reclaim. To my amusement the first item headed out from the plastic curtain is a lifesize stone seal, seemingly an advert for one of the many sea expeditions to Bruny island.
The Bruny island cruise, despite it's hilarious and rather tacky advertising looks like a definite contender for my weekend, taking in the ocean and it's marvelous wildlife is right up my street.
Following
a short taxi hop to Hobart I have arrived at my destination, this afternoon I will be visiting the office and meeting
the natives but later I will have time to explore.
I drop my suitcase at the hotel and locate the office close-by, following an afternoon of work I once again head-off map in hand for a new adventure.
40 mins later and having seen all there is to see in Hobart I'm back! Oh my! Not quite what I expected, it's cloudy, tiny and almost
deserted, it's 8.30pm, all the restaurants seem empty and I'm starting to shiver outside in the cold, the sail boats
are beautiful but not enough to inspire me tonight . With my sense of adventure dwindling and jet-lag ever present I decide to head back to
the hotel, I'll grab some food in the hotel restaurant and have an early night with my book, no stress.
OR
NOT......arriving at the hotel I am informed that the restaurant is closed on a Monday, despite a full hotel the restaurant is CLOSED!
I spin on my heels and head back out........I can see an Indian take-away at the bottom of the street, I can't go wrong, Indian food is pretty consistent anywhere in the world! WRONG, Indian food in Tasmania is horrendous! I take two bites of the lamb in spicy gravy, put down the plastic container and decide sleep is the prescription for tonight.
I'm not making judgement today....my vision is cloudy and my expectations of a week in countryside/sailing paradise seems scuppered. With a fresh head I will review again in the morning...........despite first impressions I'm optimistic Hobart will not let me down.