Rainy Days in Tassie

Bruny Island
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I got into Hobart and had to trek with my bag to the Hertz office. I took the worst way possible - down an enormous hill, across a few blocks, and back up. Stupid map. I met my cousin Robin and her husband Alan at Hertz where I did all the paperwork (they forgot to charge me the $27/day for being under 25!!) and then we walked into Hobart for lunch. Alan left and Robin and I drove home. Well I drove. On the wrong side of the car and road. It was more or less successful, although it made me absurdly nervous. It was weird driving again. Their house is way up on a hill and it's really cute. The main room is an octagon with four big skylights, and their bedroom and kitchen are attached on opposite sides. The whole thing is open. Attached to the kitchen is a greenhouse with a loft (my room!) in it, and underneath the loft is a shower and tub... showering in a greenhouse is cool! The whole house is solar and generator powered. Robin went to work and Alan and I just talked for about four hours. He's awesome. We had omelets for dinner when Robin got home (fresh eggs from their chickens) with tons of veggies in them and then went to bed.

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The next day it was raining. Again. And they didn't have to work, so we went for a walk in the bush. Their cat Bruno is more like a dog and came on the walk with us. They have some beautiful land behind their house. After the walk we went into a nearby town for groceries and then to a winery where we tasted many many wines. On the way home we picked blackberries on the side of the road. Robin made lasagne for dinner and we drank a bottle of wine that I bought at the winery.

The day after (days of the week have eluded me) we hung out in the house for the morning and they worked on a routine for one of their dance classes (oh yeah, they teach dance... and theyre ridiculously good) and when they left for work I took an adventure out for dinner on my own. The rain makes me terribly unmotivated. I had a yummy dinner at a place right on the water. We spent the evening babbling at each other - we seem to be good at that.

the crazy bush cat
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Friday (I think) I got up and decided screw the rain, and that I was going out. So around 1 I drove over to the ferry to Bruny Island, which is sort of like two islands connected by a thin isthmus (what a horrible word. i cant say it and i dont have a lisp.) So I drove around Bruny and looked at some AMAZING scenery and had a picnic in the drizzle. I also went to a small museum there that was fairly interesting. I took the ferry back and packed up my bag. When Robin and Alan got home from work they made an incredible dinner of salmon, ravioli, and salad washed down with a few beers. Alan and I resorted to playing the bottle and making foghorn noises.

Robin and Alan
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Saturday morning I got up early and headed for the airport. I have the driving on the wrong side of the road down (yes the wrong side. not the left. the wrong.) so it was kind of fun. I returned the car and checked in for my flight to Sydney. I could not for the life of me find somewhere to stay in Sydney but I figured I'd deal with it when I got there.