The weather turned the wrong direction. We actually saw snow on the mountain above Hobart. I caught a picture early enough to see the snow, and it will be up on the photo album soon enough. But, because the weather was somewhat suspect we decided we'd spend the day touring interesting spots in Hobart proper.

Breakfast was again stellar. We had good food and hot coffee. I hope it ends up that we get our fair share of Vegemite back at home. Colleen and I agreed that we'd buy another jar.

Our first stop was the Cascade Brewery tour. Colleen told me after the fact that she wasn't expecting it to be interesting, but that it really was. Cascade is a Tasmania brewery that has been acquired by Carlton United Brewery, which means they are part of the same conglomerate that has produced some of the nastiest beer I have had in Australia. Cascade, however, has also produced some pretty good beer. We spent two hours in the tour, and got to sample a few quality beers, and bought some souvenirs. We also purchased their stout Cider. That's an 8.1% alcohol apple cider. Tasty stuff really. We got to see how beer was made, and even though part of the tour took me over some metal walkways that were hollow down three flights, we still saw some good stuff. I also learned that most of the leftover yeast from the Cascade Brewery is sent to Kraft foods to make Vegemite. It all comes full circle. I like beer, and I like Vegemite. Go figure! They also provide malt to the local whiskey distillery. Maybe we'll have the time to tour their site, but somehow, I doubt it. Once again, too much to do, and too little time to get it all in.

We had hoped to take the Cadbury Chocolate Tour, but they didn't hold those past 2 PM and we couldn't do that and the Cascade tour. So, as an alternative, we decided to take a tour of the Hobart rivulet. Now, the rivulet is a fascinating word to actually describe what is the storm drain. We put on helmets and took torches (OK, they are just flashlights, but they call them torches here) and walked into the storm drain. It was actually a fascinating tour. We saw some odd graffiti, and learned a little bit about the history of the town from underneath. Colleen and I even got to straddle some odd waste water and wind up in a fairly small storm drain. All in all very interesting.

We came back to the room, changed clothes and then wandered down to the Hog's Breath Saloon. We had a couple of rounds there. Colleen had an interesting drink called a Cowboy Saddle. The only complaint about that is the Australians suck at frozen drinks. It ended up that the majority of it was actually still ice. Work a blender for God's sake. We then decided to have dinner at the Ball and Chain Restaurant. It is a theme restaurant. Salamanca Place was built by the prisoners at Port Arthur, and this was one of the few places that embraced the convict theme. Damned good food. While we waited for our table (no bookings for tables less than 5) we actually got to witness a pissed Australian (that's local for drunk) take his pants off and change into jeans. He even waggled his ass at a group someone in his party suggested was uptight at him lowering his trousers. That was beyond interesting. Our table was very quaint, and we got to sit next to a window that actually still had bars on it. I had my first medium steak. Medium is a bit less done than I normally have, but it was still tasty. I had one of my first brushes with greatness that had nothing to do with work. It turns out the Sri Lanka cricket team was also at the restaurant. I got to gawk like a kid in a candy store. They beat South Africa during the day here in Hobart, and that meant they advanced to the finals of the VB One Day series. I didn't hassle them, though I was seriously tempted.

From there, we walked to a bar Irish Murphy's there in Salamanca. We did a sampler tray. That meant 6 2 ounce beers each. Colleen had actually thought we'd just split one, but I am apparently an alcoholic, as I ordered one each. It turns out that Hobart (or maybe Tasmania in general) locals are pretty stuck up about those people that aren't locals. Oh well, they can kiss our hiney. We had a good time.

We got to talk to our first local tonight. Smoking in the rooms is disallowed, Tasmania is the first state to actually bar smoking of any kind in any indoor facility. That means Colleen has to smoke outside. Because of that, we met a native Tasmanian in the smoke hole. He was actually able to trace both sides of his family to English convicts, and didn't seem to really give a damn about that. He also seemed to be annoyed with what Tasmanians call the North Island (that means the main Australian Island.) They were moving out into the country (here in Tasmania) and buying up land based on their cost of living in the mainland states. Very fascinating stuff.

I should point out that much like the U.S., dialects and accents are varied. It is actually tougher to understand Tasmanians, their accent is much different than it is in Victoria or New South Wales. Colleen and I agree that so far, we appreciate the Victoria state more than any of the three. Different strokes, I suppose.

Is that wrong? I love Tasmania, but some of the people seem so snotty! I'm sure you can tell it's Colleen! We have had a VERY INTERESTING holiday! I can't wait to put all the pics(well not ALL of them ;) on the website. Tomorrow is horseback riding and Mt. Wellington-I can't wait! I think the last time my big butt was on a horse was when I was like 12 or 13! Well, we are very drunk right now, and it's like 1:20 am here, so G'Night!! G'Day(in case you don't know).


Cheers!