Up at 7 - once again awakened first by the vibration of the thrusters when we came into the dock, then by the call to say that our breakfast was on the way. I could easily get used to having breakfast delivered every morning. Unfortunately when we peaked out the window, we saw clouds and drizzle!
We met the 8 others from our Roll Call who were joining us for a full day tour of Hobart, in the Guest Relations area and exited the ship at 8:15. Then the fun began - first we were told by the security people that tour vans were not allowed to come through the security gate to pick us up at the Wharf (where we had been told that we would be met); so...we took the shuttle that dropped us outside of the Gate. No Van! Several other groups were waiting for their drivers as well, so we weren't concerned until we had been waiting 1/2 hour. With some grumbling, we finally borrowed a mobile phone from a nice tour guide competitor of our firm and called Heather to report our dilemma. She insisted that "Charles" had been waiting for us next to the ship since 7:30. It was a little like the keystone cops (first Heather left her tour to come over to speak with us, then another driver stopped by to see if he could help, then 2 members of our group sprinted back through the security gate to find Charles and THEN, Charles drove up with our folks in tow and we finally boarded and started our tour an hour late - after negotiating a $100 discount from Heather!
Phew! ruffled feathers relaxed and we headed on our way. First stop a drive up a steep mountain road to the peak of Mt. Wellington (a mountain that is the back-drop for Hobart), the weather was cool and gray but not raining. When we arrived at the end of a very curvy road, it was downright cold - I was thrilled to find gloves in the pocket of my jacket and really needed them. The views were spectacular and pictures were taken quickly
before the clouds rolled in.
Lining up for rustic bathrooms in the cold and finding the facilities less than desirable ended our stay at Mt. Wellington :)
Back down the mountain and a drive through Hobart's residential areas (with a discussion of real estate prices in Hobart), across one of the two bridges that separate the east and west parts of the city with pictures of the place where the bridge was reconstructed after being hit by a boat in the 1990s and keeping the people on each side of the river separated until a ferry service and pontoon bridge could be constructed. Then a lovely ride through the countryside to Richmond Village - one of the preserved historic villages in the area.
We walked around, had traditional pasties (pies) for lunch (one cauliflower and cheese, the other meat) mmmmm, very good. Then we stopped for a wine tasting at a pretty little winery.
The tasting was done by the owner - a young man who, with his wife, had moved to Richmond while continuing to work full time at their jobs in town and started the winery on their own about 15 years before. Now they run the winery full time and have a 2 year old and a 7 month old.
We also stopped at Nelson's point (part of Bicentennial Park) which had beautiful views and much nicer weather then returned to the ship.
Nice overview of Hobart and so much more to see - worthy of another trip.
Had another fun dinner with our new friends that included our desire to stay together for the next cruise. Art went to bed after dinner - these late dinners take a toll on you after a busy port day - but I went to the evening show with Elaine. And excellent performance by Mark Donoghue, a multi-instrumentalist. His choice of music plus amazing ability on the mandolin, guitar, harmonica and violin were amazing. Then off to bed to dream of a relaxing day at sea - our first on the Tasman Sea.
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