Friday, January 2, 2015

Saturday 20 December – To the big smoke, Tasmania day 4






















Current location: Hobart, Tasmania
11.11am, Driving to MONA. We got up very early again this morning, and the sun looked so beautiful on the water! We ate banana and peanut butter sandwiches on the sand, Andy went for a swim, then we had a walk out to the headland. Today we're going back into Hobart, to visit MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) and have a bit of city culture before we go back to the real world tomorrow (boooo).

I'd heard so much about MONA and it had been bigged up so much by so many people, but it didn't disappoint, on the whole. A couple of the exhibitions didn't quite live up to expectations (the queue for the Death Gallery, for example, belied what was behind the door that you could only enter two-at-a-time), but others far outweighed what I was expecting. What I loved most about MONA, though, was the architecture and experience in total... The location was stunning, right on the river with views over Hobart, and the general feel and atmosphere was very relaxed and happy. You could wander anywhere, there were big beanbags out to chill out in and listen to the live music, and I loved that everyone was given an iPod-like device with all the exhibition info on (captions and extra reading etc) so you could find out about your fave exhibits at your leisure. We spent most of the day there, then drove back to our hotel and had a little nap before our night out.

We got all dolled up and started off at the Lark Distillery, trying out the whiskies that Tasmania does so well. Next up, we went to the Quartermasters, a great little bar that Nick had recommended to us. We had a fab time in there, chatting with the barman who gave us some great tips on where to go and what to do, trying local wines, and eating possum and wallaby (sorry guys, but you were deeeeelicious!).

One of the barman Trevor's suggestions was a pub called The New Sydney. It was an Irish pub and, the second we walked in, it was the closest I've felt to home since being in Australia. There was a band paying Christmas songs on their fiddles, Christmas drinks aplenty (I couldn't get enough of the Christmas Pudding beer, which actually tasted exactly like Crimbo Pud) and such a happy, fun vibe. Andy and I plonked ourselves at the bar and stayed for hours, grinning and singing and feeling festive. What a bloody great recommendation, Trev!

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