Last week in Clayton!

Hi everyone! We had a great trip to Tasmania this weekend. Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, but we had spotty internet access this weekend (15 cents/minute), so I only used it sparingly.

We left for Tasmania early Saturday morning after a fun Friday night. On Friday, we went to dinner with Aude and Christelle at a posh Italian restaurant in the South Bay area of Melbourne. It was delicious! Afterwards, we met one of Christelle's French friends, Sophie, on the rooftop of a venue that was hosting the Melbourne Comedy Festival! It was a lot of fun and they actually had turf on the roof.

Once we arrived on Saturday, we picked up our rental car and headed into the city. Paula was very successful at driving on the left side. The only tricky part is making a right-hand turn and making sure to end up in the left lane again. I was glad I was only the navigator and didn't have to attempt it! :)

We headed to Salamanca Market in the heart of Hobart, Tasmania's capital. The market was a blast and we actually stayed there for about 3 hours! They had all sorts of things from Tasmanian honey to homemade candles and even some mortars and pestles. I had the best ice cream there I think I have ever tasted in my life! It was homemade vanilla ice cream mixed with strawberry ice cream, in a waffle cone, piled on with strawberries, and softserve on top! Yum! After our afternoon shopping, we checked into our hostel and then headed out to Port Arthur, on the Tasman Peninsula.

Port Arthur has a kind of creepy history. Back in the 1800's, it served as a prison for the "worst of the worst" criminals, where they were required to do hard labor. Several prisoners died/were murdered along with several other people in the area, so we went on a nighttime Ghost Tour! It was really spooky and they knew when to scare us at exactly the right times.

Sunday, we headed to Freycinet, which was pretty far from Hobart (about 5.5 hours roundtrip). I had met several Tasmanians on the plane down and they suggested Kabuki Japanese restaurant. It is in the middle of nowhere between Hobart and Freycinet and is right on the coast. We had a wonderful lunch (I had sushi!) and a nice view of the ocean. Luckily, we were inside because it started pouring rain!

Once we made it to Freycinet, we went on an uphill hike to the overlook of Wineglass Bay, supposedly one of the Top 10 Beaches in the world. Obviously, with winter coming, we did not make it down to the beach, but got some great views. At the overlook, we met some Japanese tourists. I asked them if they wanted me to take their picture as a group before we left. As they were leaving, they wanted a picture WITH US! They wanted to take pictures with their new friends. It was quite hilarious...I wish one of us had gotten a copy too. I know, though, I will be in some Japanese person's slideshow of their trip to Tasmania! :)

On Monday, we had reservations at the Cadbury Factory Tour! The aroma was tantalizing! I asked our tourguide if she ever got sick of the smell and she said never! We learned how they made Cadbury eggs and all of their chocolates. For each type that has a filling, they lay the bottom part of the shape in the mold, let it harden, inject the filling in the middle, and then add the top. They were making over 100 bars a minute! Unfortunately, they no longer allow tasting during the tour due to health regulations, but we received a large box of chocolate from the "treasure chest" at the tour conclusion. The best part of the experience was the Cadbury chocolate store! They had EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE (including many things not even sold in the US) and it was all very cheap! I loaded up with a large bag of chocolate presents for a mere $13!

After the tour, we headed to Russell Falls and stumbled upon the "Something Wild" Wildlife Reserve. We were able to pet a koala and feed all kinds of animals. I really have trouble deciding which ones are my favorites! The koalas, I think, are my favorite, but the wallabies and the wombats pull a close second! :) We were able to pet all of the animals.

We hiked to Russell and Horseshoe Falls and ran into some wild wallabies on the way. We had also seen a wombat crossing the road a few nights before! It is really cool to see the animals actually roaming around in the wild.

We arrived back in Clayton very early this morning (after a 6:15am flight) and I spent the day with a pharmacist named Miranda, who is in charge of the Nephrology pharmacy service. We saw some interesting cases and participated in Pain and Nephrology rounds.

Tomorrow is Anzac Day, celebrating the role of Australia and New Zealand in World War I. We are going to go on a tour of the Great Ocean Road for the day, since it is a public holiday.

I hope everyone is well. I can't believe April is almost over! We will be home on May 17th. We have everything planned for a two weeks of travel and leave this weekend for Ayers Rock, Cairns, and New Zealand!