DAY 59 - DAY 53 CRYSTAL SERENITY

DAY 2 HOBART

We wanted to share additional information that we learned from tour guide James during yesterdays' tour.

- Tourism continues to grow in this region.  There has been a significant increase in the number of cruise ships visiting Hobart and one other port in this region over the past three years.  

- Other drivers of the economics of the region include fishing and agriculture.  Farmers try to maximize the use of their crops.  For example, potatoes are not only sold but also used to make vodka.  The region produces grapes used in various white wines including sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.  Lumber is another key driver of the economy.

- The airport that serves Hobart does not offer international flights.  Service is planned to New Zealand and there has been talk of a flight to Southeast Asia.  We believe the runway needs to be expanded to accommodate larger planes.

-We drove across the Tasman Bridge and James spoke about the fatal accident which occurred on the evening of January 5, 1975.  A bulk carrier carrying 10,000 tons of zinc ore concentrate struck the bridge.  Twelve people including seven crew on-board the vessel and five occupants in four cars died.  In addition to loss of life it resulted in economic impact to the area. The bridge reopened October 8 of 1977.

We also wanted to mention that yesterday was a holiday which is the Royal Hobart Regatta.  The long weekend includes water events on the Derwent River.  In addition to the water events there is continuous entertainment and a concert.  In the sky there are fly-pasts by the Navy and Air Force and a fireworks display.

We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at Palm Court before we had dinner at Waterside.  There was much to see including the sail boats from todays festival and the Azamara ship docked next to us along with the fabulous Crystal Serenity crew.

Keith tried a New Zealand beer that they brought on-board in Auckland.  They are trying to bring on-board a local beer where this is possible at many of the port-of-call stops.

We chatted with several guests and with members of Team Crystal.

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These are the restaurant menus from Waterside.

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​Thank you David and Rock Baum as we enjoyed some of the wine from the bottle that you gave us in early January on -board Serenity.    It was delicious and we will have more this evening. 

We both began the meal with the Seared Tiger Prawns appetizer.  The sauce that accompanied it was very tasty.  From a presentation point of view it looked like a sunny side egg.  We both had salad.  For our entree Keith had the Roasted Australian Emu.  Emu is a cousin of an Ostrich. It tastes like a steak but has almost no fat and is supposed to be healthy. Anne Marie had the Seared Tarakihi Fillet fish.  Head Waiter Augusto said a particular Cheese was available last evening so Keith planned to try it along with one other one.  He ended up getting more than he bargained for (LOL) so he had just a portion of each of the four cheeses shown in the photo below.  
  

Last evening was also White Extravaganza.  They held the Party earlier than in the past with a start time of 7:45 PM. We are thinking the early start time recognized that we are in port for an overnight and there will be tours tomorrow morning prior to our departure time of 1:00 PM.

We slept well even though we were docked in port.  We began the day as we normally do with a workout for Keith, coffee in our room and a breakfast of cereal and fruit.

We would have gone into port but Keith had a haircut at the salon.  The original plan was for Keith to have the cut tomorrow but we realized Anne Marie had an appointment for the same time so we moved Keith's appointment up to today as we have a tour two days from now in Kangaroo Island.  

While Keith was having his haircut, Anne Marie walked inside the ship.

By the time Keith was back from the Salon, with rain and cooler temperatures and with a 1:00 PM departure we decided to remain on the ship.  On our last visit we walked around Hobart and that is what we would have done today.

We returned to Marketplace for lunch.  Keith didn't think he could play Paddle Tennis but he checked the court and  he along with two other guests dried the wet spots.  The weather changed from sun to cloudy to wind to no wind over and over.  Before we departed Captain Giske spoke from the bridge.  He said because of very strong winds and sea swells we would go via a different route to stay in a protected path.  He will update us at 9:00 AM tomorrow and he expects that at Noontime we will leave the protected area and be out in the open seas and experience strong sea swells.  Keith played Paddle Tennis until it became too windy.  In fact, on one of the last plays his hat flew off and he turned and strained a muscle. Hopefully, it will won't be too bad.

Keith got together with friend Bob and Anne Marie read and wrote and spoke with our daughter Jennifer.

This is the daily Reflections Program from today.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith