Trekking in Tasmania

It was only a two-hour flight from Sydney to Tasmania (or Tassie- pronounced Tazzie), an island located off the southern tip of Australia.(more info) After boarding, an older Australian guy sitting next to my husband Jeff said, "Do either of you want to sit in first class? My friend is sitting up there and the airline wouldn't let me upgrade. Ho he'll give up his seat to sit back here with me if one of you wants to sit up there."

I jumped at the offer to sit in first class. Poor Jeff had to stay in the back of the plane without me. Flying first class for the first time was exciting. However, in such a small plane, it wasn't much different than economy. The seat was a bit bigger, but there wasn't any extra legroom.

Halfway through the flight Jeff came up and said, "Those guys are getting me drunk back there. Do you have any cash on you? I need to buy the next round." "Don't drink too much," I insisted. "We're going out tonight." When it came to mealtime I told the flight attendant I ordered a vegetarian meal. She came back shortly and said, "The airline must have forgotten to order your meal. But the captain had ordered a vegetarian meal and says you can have his." Wow, eating the captain's dinner! What a treat.

Upon arrival at the airport, the two Australian gentlemen insisted on letting us share a taxi with them. In Hobart, they invited us to dinner. Since we didn't know our way around, we agreed to join them. (more info on Hobart) Dinner was at Mures seafood restaurant on the dock in Hobart. Decorated in fishing memorabilia with big wooden fish hanging from the ceiling and photographs of fishing boats hanging on the walls, the food was delicious and the atmosphere what I expected of Hobart. Jeff tried the must-have blue eyed cod and loved it. It was a wonderful evening getting to know our newfound friends, who were both traveling for business. One of the guys, Peter, did some work with the U.S. Secret Service. The other guy, John, turned out to be an avid fly fisherman and was trying to talk Jeff into taking it up as a hobby. At the end of the meal they invited us to look them up in Canberra (like Washington, D.C.), where they worked.

The 4 1/2 star Macquarie Manor bed and breakfast is where we stayed. A historical landmark. It was built in the 1830s. Now restored and decorated to its original design, there were lots of antiques. A beautiful place, but it kind of gave me the creeps because it was old and musty with dim lighting. Was it haunted? Our room was huge with a canopy bed, fireplace, lounge area and bathroom.

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