Around Town

January 31, 2016

We attended the 21st annual Pride March.  The route ran past the end of our block.  A very different experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These guys walk better in their heels than I do. 

 

 

 

February 5, 2016

On our morning walk, Sampson and I saw a very large cruise liner at dock.  The Golden Princess.

 

 

Later that day, Torsten and I had a wonderful meal on Acland Street in St. Kilda and a leisurely walk home.  These 2 pictures are my viewpoint from my outdoor seat.

Our walk back home.  Here's Luna Park Amusement Park and the Palais Theater. 





 

 

February 16, 2016

Meanwhile back at Harbor Chase Assisted Living in Florida, Janell, the activities director got Dad up and dancing.  I love these pictures!



 

 

 

 February 12, 2016

We tried our hand at lawn bowling.  No pictures, but here I am getting primed.  Bowling was not a pretty sight.

 

 

 

I got a kick out of this Facebook posting! 

 

February 13, 2016

I bought a Groupon for a 3 hour sailing adventure with my Valentine.  It was great and the weather couldn't have been better!

 

 

February 14, 2016

The annual St. Kilda Festival.  Ten music stages.  And two old farts.

 









February 20, 2016

We went to a free outdoor concert series at the Sydney Meyer Music Bowl for some classical culture.  Hmmm.

 

Afterward we went to the much anticipated White Night, an annual night in downtown Melbourne where the city is lit up (and they say open) all night.  Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the light projections and overwhelmed by the crowds.  Got a few nice pictures though.

 

February 21, 2016

A beautiful Sunday morning walk to the end of St. Kilda Pier and brekkie at Little Blue Café.  Even saw a couple of penguins on the way.

Such unusual and tasty brekkies here down under.

 

 

G'day Mates!

Tasmania Part II

January 24, 2016

Today we took an all day tour of Bruny Island. 
It is an island to the south of Hobart with a population of 600.

We were picked up at our hotel at 7:00 a.m. and picked up 4 more people so we had a small tour group.  Then we headed to the marina to catch the car ferry to Bruny island.

 

 

 

Here is the view from the ferry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with being a sightseeing tour, it was a foodie tour.  We started at a shop to try cheeses, then on to breakfast where we had delicious scones with jam and cream.   Scones are way more better here than in the U.S.  Afterwards we met an orphaned baby wallaby wo was being lovingly cared for.

 

Then on to a delicious lunch with wine tasting.   After that we made our way to the Bruny Island Lighthouse, built in 1838, for a private tour.

After the lighthouse tour, a stop at a fudge shop, and then on to an oyster house called Get Shucked.  I do not partake in oysters and feel like the only person on the planet who doesn't.  But the others were happy to finish off my plate while I enjoyed a Casade Draught.

 

 

 

 

Then onward to a Whisky Tasting house.  This was an option that Torsten and I decided to do while others looked on.  Not that we were going to buy any of that stuff for a minimum of $200 a bottle!  They had a very unusual one with a Pino Noir finish.  Very good. 

 

 

 

 

And finally, on the way back to the ferry, we stopped for some Tasmanian cherries.  How lucky we were to be here during the cherry season.  These are the biggest and best cherries I've ever had!

 

 

January 25, 2016

Our day started with a fantastic breakfast (or brekkie) as the Aussies say.  The restaurant was called Machine Laundry Café. 

What unusual choices!  We all loved ours.  I had Sourdough bread topped with tomatoes, spinach, guacamole, chick peas and my new favorite cheese, Houllomi, which is a Turkish cheese served fried.  Yum!

Torsten and I then struck out on our own for a hike at Cape Raoul.  It was about 2 hours to drive there.  On the drive, the weather looked kind of dicey, but it looked like it was going to clear up.

 



 

Here's where Cape Raoul is, not too far from Antarctica!

We were lucky to catch a glimpse of an Echidna and a Wallaby on our hike.  Thankfully for them it gave me a chance to stop and catch my breath!  And then a very rare species called Torsten was spotted. 

 

I thought the hike up would kill me, but it was worth it!

 

We finished off our final day with a delicious meal at the Drunkin' Admiral.  Nancy, Don and I had a seafood smorgasbord that still cooked at the table which was made up of scallops, shrimp and Blue Eye, while Torsten had a "few" mussels.

 

That's it for now!  Feel free to leave comments below!  G'Day!