Just beginning our adventure into Tassie. Haven't met such warm and outgoing people in a very long time. Starting at lunch on Friday, a local couple overheard us chatting about our plans and graciously offered to give us tips and advice starting with the local bakery on Battery Point that both had delicious pastries but also wonderful views of the harbor. The special bonus with that little hike (and it was a very little hike) were the music students playing their classical instruments in the park sitting above the harbor view. It was a story book experience.
Yesterday was the market at Salamanca Place for which Hobart is renowned. It's a market of diverse offerings from arts and crafts to food, flowers, antiques and everything you can imagine. We bought fresh jam, organic cheeses, bread, marinated figs, a breed of pears we' never heard of, fresh blueberries, poppy seed cake and many more delicious things that I can't remember. We have enough food for at least 2 picnics and probably more.
We also attended a service at the oldest Jewish Congregation in Australia, built on the land of a Jewish convict -- and we even saw one of the benches where they brought convict Jews for Saturday services. It was a lovely old shul which included a prayer on the wall for the safety of the Royal Family and a plaque commemorating the gift of a sephardic Torah from Lady Sara Ezra, a member of the famous Sassoon family from India. You get a real sense that Tassie was a trading crossroads and the Jews were very much a part of it. Flash forward to 2010 -- we were 7 people at the service: my friend Shaul and I, a few native Aussies, a British couple, a woman of Dutch origin, a woman whose family came from Egypt via Spain (just like in the history books) and one other American. They welcomed us with open arms and in fact the British couple almost begged us to come visit them at their home. In the spirit of connecting with real people on this trip, we are going to have dinner with them tonight. It will be a special evening I'm sure.
We're off on out day trip to see some of the wilderness sites that are ubiquitous on this island. Updates to follow...
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wondrous Sydney
Arrived safely and easily from New Zealand, just a 3.5 hour ride away. Sydney is a world class city with the Opera House as an iconic emblem of everything that Sydney has to offer -- beautiful views, expansive harbors, bays and beach and a very cosmopolitan, bustling downtown.
My friend Shaul and I spent two days walking every which way with stops at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Botanic Gardens which, unfortunately, is infested with flying foxes (very large bats). The groundskeeper promised they were harmless but they weren't very appealing.
One surprise in Sydney is that we had the pleasure of standing near the very distinguished Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, as she was leaving a ceremony commemorating the 68th invasion of Singapore by Japan. As part of the British commonwealth, the governors of Australian territories (or states) are appointed by the Queen. I'm definitely game for offering my services to assist the Queen in staying close to her subjects.
In search of a real challenge, we picked up our rental car and headed to Canberra via the Coast and then the mountains, driving almost always on the left :) The coast is as stunning as you've seen on television. But the surprise -- and this is not to be missed -- is the drive across the mountains via the Royal National Park. We both remarked that the drive inland reminded us of the road to Hana (on Maui) with numerous hairpin curves and spectacular views, both of which could take your breath away. Don't skip this jaunt on your trips to Australia! Unfortunately, there were no kangaroo sightings. Just a sign warning us not to hit them.
By the way, for those of you who have seen Invictus and got a sense for what Rugby players look like (at least the movie star version), I had the pleasure of having the Sydney Roosters on board my flight from Auckland to Sydney. Well, what can I say. These rugby players were as big and athletic in person as the South African team looked in the movies. It was hard not to take notice. :)
Back to the real world. Today we head out from our very spartan B & B in Canberra to see the capital city. Stay tuned....
My friend Shaul and I spent two days walking every which way with stops at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Botanic Gardens which, unfortunately, is infested with flying foxes (very large bats). The groundskeeper promised they were harmless but they weren't very appealing.
One surprise in Sydney is that we had the pleasure of standing near the very distinguished Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, as she was leaving a ceremony commemorating the 68th invasion of Singapore by Japan. As part of the British commonwealth, the governors of Australian territories (or states) are appointed by the Queen. I'm definitely game for offering my services to assist the Queen in staying close to her subjects.
In search of a real challenge, we picked up our rental car and headed to Canberra via the Coast and then the mountains, driving almost always on the left :) The coast is as stunning as you've seen on television. But the surprise -- and this is not to be missed -- is the drive across the mountains via the Royal National Park. We both remarked that the drive inland reminded us of the road to Hana (on Maui) with numerous hairpin curves and spectacular views, both of which could take your breath away. Don't skip this jaunt on your trips to Australia! Unfortunately, there were no kangaroo sightings. Just a sign warning us not to hit them.
By the way, for those of you who have seen Invictus and got a sense for what Rugby players look like (at least the movie star version), I had the pleasure of having the Sydney Roosters on board my flight from Auckland to Sydney. Well, what can I say. These rugby players were as big and athletic in person as the South African team looked in the movies. It was hard not to take notice. :)
Back to the real world. Today we head out from our very spartan B & B in Canberra to see the capital city. Stay tuned....
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The end of the beginning..
When you talk to people about New Zealand they're always enthused about the south island. Well I'm a contrarian kind of guy and was pretty skeptical. In fact, travel along the eastern coast -- highlighted by a train right from the ferry station at Picton to Christchurch was pleasant (lots of rolling hills, endless plains with grazing sheep and periodic ocean views as the train periodically joined the coast -- was just ok. And Christchurch was just plain gritty.
But take the train that crosses the Alpine Alps and you'll have an entirely different, exhilarating experience. Both the trip through Arthur's pass and then up the western coastline (by bus) from Greymouth are breathtaking. The absolute highlight was at Punakaki, (www.punakaiki.co.nz) an exquisite site where tectonic events have created a large expanse of intriguing "pancake" rocks that intersect with nature as these enormous rocks and the Tasman sea come together.
http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/maps/index.cfm?incl=22
A few more days in Nelson with a harbourside room and a fabulous meal at a very fine restaurant were the crowning events of the New Zealand trip. Well.. and one more thing. I almost missed my flight to Australia from New Zealand. Even an experienced traveler can make mistakes. Who knew that the international terminal in Auckland was a 20 minute walk from the domestic terminal. I was just looking for signs for the lounge. Long story short, I hustled myself with a bit of sweat on my brown and made it with enough time to spare for a very comfortable 3 hour journey to Sydney.
Next up... Sydney.
But take the train that crosses the Alpine Alps and you'll have an entirely different, exhilarating experience. Both the trip through Arthur's pass and then up the western coastline (by bus) from Greymouth are breathtaking. The absolute highlight was at Punakaki, (www.punakaiki.co.nz) an exquisite site where tectonic events have created a large expanse of intriguing "pancake" rocks that intersect with nature as these enormous rocks and the Tasman sea come together.
http://www.travelplanner.co.nz/maps/index.cfm?incl=22
A few more days in Nelson with a harbourside room and a fabulous meal at a very fine restaurant were the crowning events of the New Zealand trip. Well.. and one more thing. I almost missed my flight to Australia from New Zealand. Even an experienced traveler can make mistakes. Who knew that the international terminal in Auckland was a 20 minute walk from the domestic terminal. I was just looking for signs for the lounge. Long story short, I hustled myself with a bit of sweat on my brown and made it with enough time to spare for a very comfortable 3 hour journey to Sydney.
Next up... Sydney.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
New Zealand -- fun, fun, fun.
The first part of the New Zealand adventure has been filled with --- adventure! My timing couldn't have been better. The weather is great and February is a month of great significance here in NZ. The Kiwis are warm and friendly, if not a bit insecure about where they stand relative to their larger Aussie neighbors who have more land, natural resources and, evidently, wealth.
Luckily, I was able to see much of the North Island which is much underrated and deserves a good amount of time for your visit here. Start planning and let me know as I want to come back :)
Highlights include:
-- a trip to the Northland, Bay of Isles and the Waitangi Treaty grounds where a treaty was signed between the native Maori people and the Europeans on February 5, 1840. I was there on Feb 4th with preparation for the festivities in full flight. This added a sense of the history and made it easy to imagine being there at Waitangi at the time of the signing. It is set in a beautiful spot in the Bay of Isles, about 5 hours north of Auckland. There were tunning views and important history to be learned.
-- Auckland, the northern commercial capital, is a great city -- small in size, but large in character, charm, activities and views. Really liked it there. So much so that I rented a bike so I could explore on my own within the city and across the harbor in Devenport. Future Kiwi visits, don't forget to rent those bikes. I'll fill you in.
-- Napier -- you've got to check out www.artdeconapier.com What a cool town. Destroyed by an earthquake on Feb 3, 1931, this town has one of the most well preserved examples of art deco design in the world. Really enjoyed the all too brief time here, and am thinking about coming back (in the future) for the festivities of the art deco weekend held annual the third weekend in February.
-- Wellington - the political capital. I had little time so decided to focus on what I couldn't see elsewhere in New Zealand: their political system. As luck would have it, I witnessed the debate on the day their conservative George Bush type Prime Minister gave his equivalent of the state of the union. It was a big debate on tax cuts. More of the same :) They mostly follow the British parliamentary system here so lots of catcalls, hissing and jocular banter among the debating members of parliament. Really entertaining to watch this form of democracy in action.
I'm off on the Alpine rail crossing today which traverses the Kiwi Alps. Then up to Nelson which is known as a hip (like me), artsy town.
Over and out. Next update from Oz.
Luckily, I was able to see much of the North Island which is much underrated and deserves a good amount of time for your visit here. Start planning and let me know as I want to come back :)
Highlights include:
-- a trip to the Northland, Bay of Isles and the Waitangi Treaty grounds where a treaty was signed between the native Maori people and the Europeans on February 5, 1840. I was there on Feb 4th with preparation for the festivities in full flight. This added a sense of the history and made it easy to imagine being there at Waitangi at the time of the signing. It is set in a beautiful spot in the Bay of Isles, about 5 hours north of Auckland. There were tunning views and important history to be learned.
-- Auckland, the northern commercial capital, is a great city -- small in size, but large in character, charm, activities and views. Really liked it there. So much so that I rented a bike so I could explore on my own within the city and across the harbor in Devenport. Future Kiwi visits, don't forget to rent those bikes. I'll fill you in.
-- Napier -- you've got to check out www.artdeconapier.com What a cool town. Destroyed by an earthquake on Feb 3, 1931, this town has one of the most well preserved examples of art deco design in the world. Really enjoyed the all too brief time here, and am thinking about coming back (in the future) for the festivities of the art deco weekend held annual the third weekend in February.
-- Wellington - the political capital. I had little time so decided to focus on what I couldn't see elsewhere in New Zealand: their political system. As luck would have it, I witnessed the debate on the day their conservative George Bush type Prime Minister gave his equivalent of the state of the union. It was a big debate on tax cuts. More of the same :) They mostly follow the British parliamentary system here so lots of catcalls, hissing and jocular banter among the debating members of parliament. Really entertaining to watch this form of democracy in action.
I'm off on the Alpine rail crossing today which traverses the Kiwi Alps. Then up to Nelson which is known as a hip (like me), artsy town.
Over and out. Next update from Oz.
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