Hobart Day 1: Brrrrrrrr (and some Sydney thoughts)

Sorry, but I couldn't get a blog posted yesterday. At the hostel I am staying at, Narrara Backpackers, internet costs 6 dollars an hour. Well, I found that way too expensive. Couldn't find any place with free WIFI last night, so I decided that a new blog would have to wait. Today I was more successful in finding free WIFI. After some clear directions (thanks mom!) I am now at a local McDonald's, full of high school children (all stacking up on calories before they go home).

My first thought about Hobart: it is cold here!! And rainy!! Brrrrr!! :( Sometimes I do see a little bit of sun. Hope to see some more sun during the rest of my stay in not only Hobart, but also the rest of Tasmania!

Since I didn't get to write a blog last night, I will now start with some final (sort of) thoughts about Sydney. I absolutely loved the hostel I was staying at, Bounce. Very centrally located. New, clean, spacious, luxurious and a nice atmosphere (with an equally helpful staff). I actually regretted not booking Bounce for the second leg of my stay in Sydney.

But, after my run yesterday morning (yes I did go running even though I had only a couple of hours of sleep, was still hyperactive yesterday lol :D), I remembered why I choose Sydney Harbour YHA over Bounce. It's running location. From Bounce, it takes quite a while (and quite a lot of traffic lights, which means quite a lot of stopping, which I don't like) to reach Hyde Park. From Sydney Harbour YHA, you are running along the harbour in minutes.

And I love the Sydney harbour! That is where I spent the last couple of hours before going to the airport. Went into the Opera House for a bit and enjoyed its magnificent architecture. From the stairs of the Opera House, Smurf then had a wonderful picture taken with the Harbour Bridge :D.

At one point, I heard someone calling my name. And there, in a city with millions and millions of people, was one of the girls I met at the EMU Run Tour through the Red Center. What a coincidence! Enjoying the harbour so much, I sort of lost track of time. Hurried back to the hostel, collected my luggage and took the train to the airport (a comfortable 12 minute ride).

After checking-in (and saying goodbye to my faithful suitcase for a couple of hours), I was ready for my first flight with JetStar. Well, this flight didn't leave on time. But it wasn't Jestars fault. There were high winds, and only one of the airport's runway was being used. It wouldn't surprise you to hear that the eventual take-off, about 30 minutes late, was pretty bumpy. But the pilot brought us to Hobart safely (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this blog ;)). Conditions in Hobart were pretty windy too, but the pilot still managed the smoothest landing of all.

Hobart International (!!) Airport is pretty small, so I had my luggage in no-time. The airport shuttle was already waiting to take me (and several other passengers) to the city center. I got a huge discount with my YHA Card, which was nice!!

When I arrived at my hostel in Hobart, Narrara, I was told that I was upgraded to a Twin Room (which I could use all by myself). Of course I didn't object to this :D. For dinner, I quickly had a bite to eat at a nearby Indian Restaurant. Then I began to feel the lack of sleep of last night. I was pretty tired, so on to bed it was. Quite a bit of exploring to do the next day.

Before the exploring could start though, I decided to go running first. It was sooo cold, I even decided to put a vest over my t-shirt. Hobart is not flat at all, a lot of bumps, so it was a pretty challenging run (and I wasn't feeling cold after the run ;)).

For the actual exploring, I picked another excellent walking tour out of the Lonely Planet. This tour guided me through the old city center of Hobart (Hobart is the second oldest city in Australia). What I particularly liked was the lovely harbor, Battery Point (the oldest part of Hobart), Salamanca Place and the parcs. I find Hobart to be quiet and small (well at least compared to Sydney :D). But it is a cosy little town.

Tomorrow, I will have the opportunity to explore the famous Salamanca Market in the morning. In the afternoon, I will take a bus to Launceston. I am not sure yet what I will do on Sunday. Originally planned to do a one day tour to Cradle Mountain. But I cannot seem to be able to get in touch with the tour operator.

It will be easier to post blogs though from the hostel I will be staying at in Launceston. Internet is free there :).