Day 15 – November 1, 2018 – Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
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| Trudy and Glenn |
G’Day, Mate! This was
our greeting as we went through Border Security and off the docks at our first
stop in Australia. So cool. The six of us walked up to the tree-lined Elizabeth
Street in Hobart, the very nice shopping area where the street is “decorated”
with colored bricks in geometric forms, with seating areas that abound around
the trees and cute statues of critters are placed all around the area. Hobart
is the capital of the Australian state and island of Tasmania, and lovely Mount
Wellington, which dominates the city, can be seen from the port as can much of
the city nestled in the hillsides.
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| Marcie |
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| Mary Jo |
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| Elizabeth Street Hobart, Tasmania Australia |
Its history, however, is not necessarily a proud one. The Aboriginal people have inhabited Australia for about 35,000 years, but the tribes on Tasmania were separated from the mainland when the land bridge disappeared 30,000 years ago. When the white explorers came, however, the Aboriginal people were mistreated horribly even up to recent times. At one point the Aboriginal people were banned to a remote island with no food, basically to be exterminated. But a
small group of resourceful Aboriginies did survive and have since fought hard
to revive their customs, traditions and land. In the early 1900s they did
achieve personhood status, followed by recognition as citizens, the return of
their dead ancestors’ remains and the return of some of their lands. It was
interesting to learn of their spirituality, their oneness with nature, especially
their belief that upon death, one’s body must be returned to the earth to free
its spirit.
The Hobart area was originally founded in 1804 as a penal
colony for the British Empire. Then free settlers came and by the 19th
century it became the Empire’s largest whaling and ship building operations. Today
Hobart is a bustling city with breathtaking seascapes and rugged hillsides
where the cost of living is quite a bit less than on the mainland. Summer
temperatures in Tasmania are in the mid-70s and winter temperatures run in the
low 50s. Because of this the flora is plush and beautiful and the vineyards
produce award-winning wines. Lavender is commercially grown, and stone fruit
such as cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines thrive here. Tasmania is
also the world’s largest supplier of wild abalone, oysters and mussels. The
Huon pine tree grows only here and can live up to 10,500 years old. It is a beautiful hard wood which, I believe,
also never rots. Plus, it has officially been declared that Tasmania has the
cleanest air in the world with the rainwater so pure it is harvested and bottled! So we breath deeply!
We’ve discovered that most museums in both New Zealand and
now here in Australia are free, so for about an hour and a half we meandered
through the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. I found it fascinating learning
about the history of the Aboriginals here and their interaction with the
settlers, about some of the many different kinds of animals, including the
famed and ferocious Tasmanian Devil (though we’ve yet to see one) and some
interesting facts about Antarctica and the various adventures to it.
Afterwards, Richard and Mary Jo walked around more of the City … Mary Jo
taking a bus tour to the top of Mount Wellington with its beautiful vistas both
going up and from the top. Richard managed to find a gorgeous Anglican Cathedral,
resting for a bit to pray for us! Glenn
and Trudy took a Fun Ride on a snazzy three-wheel type of motorcycle through
Hobart, to a unique housing development and to the top of Mount Nelson. Bob and I walked to Salamanca Place, an old warehouse
district that has been revitalized into many shops and restaurants. We had a bite to eat at a small Pub – Cajun Fish
Bites, a local wine for me and a local beer for Bob. Very nice!
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| The marina in front of the Majestic Princess Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
Then … you guessed it … Cocktails at Crooners and fine
dining at the Allegro Dining Room where we enjoyed the company of our wonderful
friends and great servers, fast becoming very good friends as well! Tonight’s entertainment was another top-notch performance
by the talented singer Will Martin. Very
enjoyable. What an amazing adventure
this is!
Day 16 – November 2, 2018 – Another Day at Sea
· ** A very entertaining culinary demonstration
attended by Richard, Trudy and me. Many tips on cooking an Italian meal plus
many laughs. On the Majestic Princess, food preparation has a staff of almost 250;
wait staff around the ship numbers close to 500; almost 24,000 plates served
per day!!
· ** From the demonstration, everyone filed through
one of the 14 galleys on board the ship – fascinating. There were also many cute creations made with
foods -- designs in watermelons, a rabbit using cauliflower and a carrot, a
bouquet of flowers and many other critters.
· ** Coffee with Trudy and Mary Jo, followed by a
delicious lunch at Alfredo’s Pizzeria where Bob and Glenn joined us.
· ** This afternoon everyone except me participated
in the Afternoon Trivia. They answered an impressive 15 out of 20 questions – the
winning team had 17. Great job! I had a
free facial exfoliation followed by a professional make up session. Feels good … I’ll be the belle of the ball at
tonight’s formal, right??!!
· ** Our normal evening cocktail routine was changed
somewhat … Trudy and Glenn went to Richard and Mary Jo’s room to “help drink up
their wine!” Bob and I were invited to
the Captain’s Circle Champaign Party where the Captain’s Circle members who
have cruised more than five times with Princess were treated to free drinks and
appetizers. The passenger on board who had cruised the most received
recognition for 1,037 days on board Princess! It was a lovely event.
· ** Because it was formal night, it was difficult to
choose from the amazing selections on the dinner menu. How do you choose between Pheasant, Beef
Wellington, Sea Bass, Lobster and Prawns???
Once again, the kitchen outdid itself in serving scrumptious and decadent
entrees. Simply marvelous! The others
went to the evening show; but because Bob and I need to be up and out of here
early tomorrow for a tour, we opted to turn in a bit early.
·
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| Tonight's dessert Princess Chocolate Mousse |
The Captain has warned us of high winds with some rough waves until about 4 a.m. … so I guess we’ll be rocked to sleep tonight! It’s been a nice relaxing day at sea … now to hope the night will be the same!
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