Holiday in Hobart July 2011 Part 2

Holiday in Hobart July 2011

Pt 2: Botanical Gardens, the Tasman Bridge and MONA.

During my time in Hobart I decided to mostly use public transport to get about (whilst my mate was away). Whilst walking about the cold winter streets I listened to some fun upbeat tunes. I came across a couple of cd’s that I had been curious about buying but had never gotten around to doing so. These really made the walking effortless and I am sure I had a permanent smile on my face!: Firstly, off Phoenix’s LP “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”, here is ‘1901’ (Live on Letterman) from 2009:

And from Two Door Cinema Club’s LP ‘Tourist History, here is the track ‘Undercover Martyn’: (great clip… and how young do these kids look???)

An LP I brought across from home was Caribou’s album ’Swim’. This one also really complimented the cold weather. I just couldn’t stop listening to it, especially whilst on the bus! Well, I did stop listening when I visited the Royal Tasmania Botanic Gardens. The gardens were so peaceful and beautiful that no music was needed!

Pete's patch!!! say no more!!!

Other images from the Gardens:

Off Caribou’s LP ‘Swim’, this is the track ‘Sun’. This is what I listened to a lot of on public transport:

One objective I had on this trip was to try and take a nice picture of the Tasman bridge with my little automatic camera. There is something about the Tasman Bridge that I like.

This first one... Ok, yes they are cows... This Picture was taken literally a minute or two by car into the centre of the city! Gotta love that!

My mate Rod took me to this place on the Eastern Shore to try and get a good picture of the bridge. This is the spot where a temporary floating bridge was constructed weeks after the 1975 Tasman Bridge accident. Rod  also suggested trying to capture Mount Wellington in the background.. I mean who is taking the pics here??? Get your own camera!:


second attempt:

From up on Rosny Hill:




Mona. Many have heard about it and I have to say that this museum of old and new art is world class!. I have been fortunate to see the Tate Modern in London, as well as New York's museum of modern art (MOMA) and Tasmania’s MONA is up there with them. Not in terms of scale, but in quality!

Heading up past the vineyard.

The entrance, which took me forever to find:

Care for a rest before heading in?:

Inside and underground:

The room with the Sarcophagus. Only two people at a time are allowed in. The steps rise out of still water. It is a very cool room!

Madonna's greatest hits karaoke installation wall.... Cooler than it sounds!

Chinese coins left buried in a box and fusing together over time:

Part of a very long wall of plaster-cast vagina's.

Cool water installation and ummm...how far down are we?

I did say that we were underground! The tunnel to the library:

Finally:

It didn't rain every day I was there. On Rosny Hill looking out at a rainbow:

Mount Wellington, with the wind gusting snow off the top.

Different day and nicer weather, looking out across over Salamanca Square. Mount Wellington sits patiently in the background.

Ahh, Hobart, I love you and can't wait to return!

Holiday in Hobart July 2011 Part 1

Holiday in Hobart July 2011

Pt 1: Walking, eating and music….

Hobart, I love this city! A city which I see more as a very large warm town and I mean this in the nicest possible way. I have been to Hobart three times in the past two years, and If there was a good job offer I would seriously consider moving. So after a stressful long period of work and study, what better way to start my time of unemployment, then with a holiday to Hobart? (As kindly suggested by my mate Rod who lives down there). Apparently I arrived during some of the ‘as bad and as cold as it gets’ weather, but this did not dampen my trip. Rod also had to go interstate for four of the nine days I was there, but hey no problem cause I had his house and car to myself!! Yay.. that’s what friends are for!

So Hobart.. what did I do?.. walk about, eat, and write bad poetry… a 10 part piece called ‘winter is colder, since you died'. Yeah, bad and tragic! 

Walking about:

In the city itself, I walked a lot and checked out a few shops. I had a tarot reading done at Akashic (http://www.akashic.com.au/akashic_tarot_readings/index.html) in the Cat and the Fiddle arcade. Dianne was brilliant and spookily spot on! To it’s credit Hobart has a few record stores that stock an impressive range of vinyl!  One such shop was ‘Music without Frontiers’ in Collins St, Hobart, where I purchased three sublime new records:

Recorded in 1954, Sarah Vaughan’s self titled LP, was later reissued as Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown. 

Sarah Vaughan - 'Lullaby of Birdland':

Billie Holiday’s “Lady sings the blues’ recorded in 1955 and 1956…

Billie Holiday- 'Lady Sings The Blues':

Miles Davies ‘Kind of blue’. 1959

Miles Davis Quintet - 'So What' (April 2, 1959). This recording was done part way through the Lp’s recording…, which is kind of exciting:

Salamanca Place is a lovely area and has rows of converted sandstone buildings, which are now restaurants, cafes and various shops. Most days I made an appearance there.


Brunch or coffee at 'Machine Laundry café' in Salamanca Square was almost always on my 'to do list'.
I love this pic, it looks almost 3-D.   

Decadent and yummo!!!! You don't want to know what is in these beauties.... trust me and just order them!

One evening Rod and I had dinner at ‘Smoult’ in Salamanca Square (http://www.smolt.com.au/). I wasn’t impressed with the overly casual waiter who had has shirt purposely untucked and when he forget some of the ingredients in one of the specials, he described them as ‘some bells and whistles’. Having said all of  that, the food was delicious!

The gnocchi special, which had scallops amongst the bells and whistles.

Standard gnocchi dish..... both were yumm-tastic!

I also found this cool book of German poetry at the Hobart Bookshop in Salamanca Square (thank you to Peter for being my model).

Form the city to the waters edge, Salamanca is just around the corner to the left.

With my back to the city, looking out.

Rotunda in nearby St David's park:

Salamanca with Mount Wellington in the background.

From Battery Point walking into Salamanca:

 

Walking up and out of Salamanca to Battery Point via Kellys Steps built in 1830!.

Speaking of which, Battery Point has some beautiful old cottages (Georgian, according to my mate Rod).

I stumbled across this odd and cool looking place, situated under a park, I think I recall someone telling me that it was the entrance to the tunnels and underground magazine rooms for the actual Batteries.

At the end of the street, lies the sea.

I walked past this on the side of a fence, I have no idea what it is, but I like the look of it.

Narryna Heritage Museum in Battery Point:

Speaking of Battery Point, Hampden Road has the yum Jackman & McRoss Bakery. Where we brunched, lunched or just had coffee:

 

On my last day in Hobart, Rod took me to a lovely place called 'The Boathouse'. It is on Cornelian Bay (http://www.theboathouse.com.au/) and has a lovely view and warm fireplace:

to be continued......MONA and more....