TASSIE - DAY 2 - EXPLORING HOBART

Constitution Dock

I woke up at 6am, thinking its like 11am or something. I don’t understand why I can’t sleep in on my holidays. I couldn’t get back to sleep so I spent the next hour tossing and turning before getting frustrated. I jumped out of bed and threw myself into the shower.

After a relaxing shower I started preparing breakfast when there was a knock on the door. I opened the door to spot a random guy standing there holing a basket of towels. The guy looked more like a psycho killer than a doorman. He had shoulder length brownish scruffy hair with eyes like a hawk. I grabbed the basket of towels off him and slam the door shut as quickly as possible avoiding any unnecessary conversation.

The doorman leaves and the entire TV fuss starts again at 9am. I decide to call the agent for help. The agent tells me he will send someone over as soon as possible to have a look at it. 20 minutes later there is a knock on the door and it’s the psycho killer doorman again standing there with a crooked smile on his face. Stupidly I invite him inside in hope of him fixing the TV so this fuss can end.

An hour later the doorman is still playing with the TV. The guy’s enjoying it so much that his practically refusing to leave. He spends the next 15 minutes talking to my dad and brother telling them where to go sightseeing. He mentions that we should go to Wineglass bay and the Saturday markets are a MUST!
Bloody hell more markets.

Finally the psycho doorman decides to leave informing me that the owner will contact me with a pincode as the TV is locked. I tell him that’s excellent news as I shove him out the door. For fucks sake, who spends an hour trying to fix the TV when the TV is locked and needs a pin code. Thank god he left now we can go sightseeing. We head to Hobart City center as soon as the doorman walked out.

Victoria Dock

Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery

BREIF HISTORY – Tasmania was once connected to the rest of Australia but 13, 000 year ago, during the great melt down it separated into its own little island. The Dutchman Abel Tasman was the first European to set foot on the Island in 1642, and promptly named it Van Diemen’s land. The name officially changed to Tasmania in 1856. Tasmania is well known for their cheeses, fine wines, fruit and seafood. The natural beauty of Tasmanian’s lakes, large farms, mountains, waterfalls, ancient trees and heritage building are breath taking.

We walk towards the Wharf and start our day walking tour from Victoria Dock, down to Constitution Dock to Watermans Dock. This place sort of reminds me of Darling Habour in Sydney. Along the way we stopped to watch some street theatre.

Street Theatre

Along the way we spot Tasmanian’s "TASTE" festival. Apparently this is a yearly festival in Hobart where hundreds and hundreds of food stalls are set up in some random warehouse. You have the opportunity to taste some wine and cheese. We decide to settle here for a while to grab lunch.

Inside the shed of the taste festival

While wandering around the festival I spot a Turkish Kebab stall and show it to my mum. Before I finish pointing out the stall, my mum is already over there chatting to the woman behind the stall. Within 5 minutes we find out that they have a Turkish Restaurant in North Hobart and they hand over a brochure with address details. Great if we have withdrawal symptoms from Turkish food we have a place to go to now.

After lunch we decide to stroll past Battery Point towards Salamanca Square. Battery Point has some of the oldest buildings, originally a gun emplacement to ward off possible French attacks in the early days of settlement. It then eventually became the town’s first residential district.

Following Battery Point we headed to Salamanca Palace. This was one of my favorite places in Hobart. Salamanca Place was a unique row of warehouses that were built in the 1800s, which they had turned into galleries, studios and restaurants. I suppose in a way it reminded me of Sydney’s "Rocks" area. Salamanca Place was also were the Saturday markets were held.

Pictures of Salmanca Palace below:

After exploring Salamanca Square we decided to sit down and grab a coffee to gain more fuel to explore Hobart. We enjoyed a nice relaxing coffee and it felt good being on holidays again. Tasmania was a place I wanted to see one day and this was happening now.

We decided to continue walking when we stopped at a random park bench to rest for a little while.

Views of the Park

Similar tower in Turkey - Izmir

This is when some Old Italian looking guy slams a picture of a pig onto the bench while looking at us. I thought he had lost his pig in the park and was about to ask us where it was or if we have seen it. This is when he blurts out this is good meat. Like what the fuck? Why do all the freaks spot us? The guy kept going on about how good the meat of a pig was for 5 minutes when we decided to stand up and leave. The funny part was this guy wasn’t homeless or anything. He was wearing diamond rings on his fingers. Now the rings weren’t guy rings. He was wearing women rings. God help the freaks out there.

The Pig advertisment

We continue our stroll around Hobart when we finally end up back at our apartment. I head to my bedroom to relax and read my novel "When in Rome".
A few hours later we decide to cook dinner and settle in front of the TV for prison break.