Hobart July 2009

I absolutely LOVE Hobart! What a vibrant, beautiful place. Coffee-shop culture, old mixed with new, beautifully preserved buildings.., nostalgic and modern at the same time..

Another plus - if you live in Hobart and you do not have good views, you are one of the very few unlucky ones! This picture was taken from my dear friend Bev's kitchen window. No comment.

People told me that we will think we stepped into a time warp when we entered Tasmania, and that is very true. It is a museum of Victorian buildings and old cars, set in a modern society, completely in touch with technology. It is unbelievable how old some of the cars are - from Nissan Skyline (yes, no typing error!) to VW Kalanderwagen. Just when you think that is old enough, a real old 50's convertable straight out of Grease shoots past you. Or, let me rephrase, drifts past you. Nothing can shoot past you at 40km/hr (also not a typing error!). No wonder the cars here are so well preserved..

Talking about coffee-shop culture, serving coffee here is an art. And you really need to know what you want when you order. No asking for a "normal" cofee here! Flat white, long black, skinny latte, machiato, cuppacino.... and make it snappy!

Some boats at the wharf..

Traffic... and Mount Wellington in the background.

This is Anel's orthodontist's place. The occupant is also very impressive, we were amazed to see the technology he uses, and how skilled he is!

Check the amazing detail on the buildings..

There is a constant stream of tourists, and the locals are wonderful people. I started telling you about all the bags of apples and apricots we are given by complete strangers, but it almost started reminding me of Desperate Housewives. Let me rather tell you about the fruit stalls. They are not staffed. You merely stop at the stall, take your bag of fruit, and toss the payment into a jar, box, or whatever is provided as the "honesty box". For some of us that concept is astounding, as there are countries where you would get killed for the mere contents of that jar....

We are truly blessed to be able to share in the beauty of this place.