On 13/04/2010 3:29 PM, Jeßus wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Apr 2010 06:50:12 +1000, Krypsis reckoned:
>
<snip>
>
>> It not a lot different now! We were in Lonny on Monday and it was
>> dead... d e a d!! Almost nothing was open. You could detonate a bomb in
>> the main street with little danger to the denizens of that fair city.
>
> Yep
>
>> Even the rural cities in my home state have more life on weekends and
>> public holidays than Lonny. Kind of makes me glad I didn't take up the
>> offer of a permanent position in the department there though I probably
>> would have ended up in Hobart eventually.
>
> Hobart can be quiet as well. You can't have 24/7 shopping, entertainment and general conveniences
> AND maintain a genuinely relaxed lifestyle without all the drawbacks of the rat race, IMO. I think
> Launceston and Hobart are too big as it is

We spent most of our time in Hobart. You're right, it was quiet but
still a relative hive of activity when compared to Lonny. Went out to a
couple of restaurants whilst we were there. meant to get down to that
seafood restaurant down on the docks but didn't get enough time. Heard
that the seafood there is excellent and that the chef would cater to
special requirements. Even went down to Wrest Point Casino for a
flutter. Well, the women wanted to play the pokies at least. Casinos,
quite frankly, bore me to snores! I ended up reading the local and
interstate papers over a drink or two in one of lounge bars.
>
>> I didn't bother looking to see if the Wursthaus was open. I figured that
>> since nothing else was open, it wouldn't be open either. We drove past
>> the Quadrant Arcade, not a sign of life.
>
> Yep
>
>> A few new roads around Lonny, some new housing developments, but still a
>> quiet city. I did like the new freeway that almost goes right into the
>> city centre from the south.
>>
>> After a walk through the Cataract Gorge, we ended up continuing on to
>> Devonport where we had a meal in the Bistro of the hotel opposite the
>> Ferry Terminal.
>
> Sounds like a quick trip.
>
It was a very quick trip. I had some business here in Melbourne on the
Thursday so could only head off on Thursday evening. My wife had a
conference on the following Wednesday so needed to be back early to do
some final preparation for it. That's why we came back on the Monday
evening ferry. My wife had pretty much all of Tuesday to get her stuff
ready. The trip was, after all, just to visit some old friends so we
really weren't too concerned just how lively Hobart was.

The keep the topic on food, they have a food festival in Hobart through
the Christmas/New Year period.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taste_Festival
Missed it this time around so I might just organise to get back over to
Tassie when it's on again at the end of this year. Good excuse to go
back again. Also coincides with the running of the Sydney/Hobart Yacht
Race so Hobart should be pretty lively. The Wikipedia site suggests that
half a million people visited the food fair in 2009/2010. That's
equivalent to the entire population of the state so it must be a very
popular event.

Also popular was the Salamanca Market near the docks on Saturdays.
Noticed a section with nice fresh produce. We bought a variety of
vegetables there.

Grandkids had a great time in Tassie. They particularly enjoyed running
around the Cataract Gorge in Lonny. It's amazing that such a place can
exist right adjacent to a city centre. Went up to the Batman Bridge and,
with all the signage, the grandkids expected to see Batman and Robin of
cartoon and TV fame. Wrong person ;-)

Krypsis