Bed was so welcome last night that when I heard Bren making coffee in the kitchen I couldn’t believe it. Then I checked the clock and saw it was 8:30, and then it started to make sense. I groggily made my way to the living room slash kitchen and heard “tea?” To which I must have grunted affirmatively in an easy to understand way because a minute later a cup of green tea was in my hands. We sunk into the couch and, after Bren went to fetch the single remote we have for two TVs, chucked on the final episodes of Trigun. It’s one of his favorite anime’s and I have to say it was really good! By the time Trigun was over we had more or less decided on our plans for the day.
First stop was Salamanca Square which is right next to the hotel. A little disappointed that we missed the market on Saturday since it’s supposed to be the largest in the country but as Bren said, “and who’s fault is that?! (Points to self and smiles).” Still the square was beautiful and we were lucky enough to have a bright sun and brilliant blue sky to accompany our walk. I was starving and so when we stumbled upon a crowd of people eating breakfast food we decided to stop and join them. It didn’t hurt that it was one of the recommended breakfast spots in my travel guide. The restaurant was funky. An operational laundromat was on one side of the interior and the other side was split between a kitchen and eating area. After a short wait we got a seat outside. Poor Bren with his blue eyes sat there squinting at the menu as the sun shined down on us. He wondered how the sun managed to be brighter here and I fished out a pair of sunnies (sunglasses) from my bag and handed them to him. Now that Bren was able to see we were able to eat. I had a great egg roti burrito and he got some kind of sliced beef sandwich. We both got sausages, which for me is unusual because I don’t generally care for sausage much especially when bacon is an option but Australians don’t understand that bacon isn’t salmon - you don’t serve it seared and rare!
Well fed we restarted our wander through town. One of the tourist information pillars had a great map and as I studied it I laughed and pointed out that the entire central business district is 3 blocks wide and 2 blocks tall, talk about a small city! We popped into a grocery store which had a surprising number of random American things, and I explained to Bren that my two favorite things to do when traveling are grocery stores and the hop on hop off bus tours, so we’re already half way to completing my list. We continued our walk until we reached a made in Tassie shop. I walked in hoping to find something to bring home to my mother who texted me specifically to remind me to bring her home a souvenir (or many). I found something great for her and for dad amongst the stacks of wool garments, stuffed toys, and anything else you can make from wool. Even the cashier was knitting wool socks for her boyfriends family members. As we left Bren said that if anyone gave his family knitted socks that they’d probably make fun of them forever, but he’d definitely wear the socks. I’m not sure how ruthless my family would be but it would definitely get some strange looks to just get a random pair of socks. Scarf? Hat? Absolutely great but socks seemed like an odd choice.
Our wander then brought us back to the pier. Bren wanted to go back to the shops at the MONA ferry terminal, specifically the one with sheep whey vodka. We debated quite a bit the night before trying to figure out how it was made and he decided to go to the source to find the answers. It turns out that since it’s a sheep farm that specializes in cheese, they couldn’t figure out what to do with the leftovers from the cheese making process. Eventually they realized that they could use the natural sugars in the whey to make alcohol. The woman as she explained it was pouring us tasters of the two vodkas, gin, and later the vanilla milk cordial. They were all amazing. I wish I had been filming Bren as he tasted the gin, which is one of his favorite liquors, because I have rarely seen his face light up in such a way. I bought a tiny bottle of the vodka for a friend at work and added the tiny bottle of gin for Bren. He told me I didn’t have to but I responded that anything that made him react that way was worth buying. Bottles in hand Bren moved to the other side of the table to try their cheeses. I decided to pass on the cheese and he looked at me like I was crazy. I had already ventured into the unknown with lactose vodka, I wasn’t mentally ready to venture out into strange cheese tasting so early in the day. The woman behind the counter even pointed us in the direction of a local distillery and gave us some tips on where to find Tassie whiskeys to try. It was really a good stop on our wander.
Satisfied with our purchases and questions answered we continued the wander and ended up near the restaurant we ate dinner at the night before. Bren had to use the bathroom so we went into the fanciest hotel wharf in town. I’m glad we did because on the way out we saw the coolest bar. It was called Evolve and has fossils everywhere. Inside every table and on display on the walls. There was even a skeleton of what I think was a bear in the middle behind glass. The bar selection looked mind boggling as well. The only bummer was that it was closed until 4pm. We exited and stood at the end of the wharf for a while enjoying the sun and cool ocean breeze for a bit before continuing around the pier. I mentioned to Bren that we should look for a tour and so we made our way to the information center.
On the way there we got sidetracked a bit when we came upon the distillery that the woman at the sheep farm shop mentioned. Distillery is a generous word but they did have a huge selection of Tasmanian whiskeys and gins. The staff was incredibly helpful too. We each described what we like in a whiskey and the woman set us up with a flight that included a little bit of everything including a whiskey that’s made by a local guy who has a sheep farm. He’s known for experimenting with his blends and distillations and only producing a few kinds for the general public. I thought that was so cool that he just happened to make his on whiskey on top of having a job in town and a farm and sculpting in whatever spare time he has. We sat outside with our whiskey flight, next to the famous hut that costs $15 to tour, and discussed the pros and cons of each one. In the end we decided if we had to buy a bottle we would have gotten the Spring Bay single malt that was aged in a sherry cask. It was a unanimous decision.
We then finally made it to the tourist information center which was great because they had something for every region of the island. It immediately became clear that we would have to return to Tasmania and explore the rest of the island. We also used this opportunity to figure out what we would do with our final day here tomorrow. I rented a car for the day so we would have the freedom to really explore. As we looked around Bren and I saw a poster for a hop on hop off bus tour and I told him I was bringing him on it. As we were buying tickets Bren announced that he needed lunch. My stomach rumbled a bit at the prospect and so we asked the guide where to go. He suggested a few places, most of which were no where near our current location but there was one he recommended that was and happened to also be recommended in my guide book. With only 30 minutes until our bus left we hightailed it to the restaurant.
Fish Frenzy was quite the popular eatery. There was a good sized but quickly moving line of people. It gave us enough time to figure out what to get (fish and chips for him, grilled salmon with chips for me). Finally there were only two people in front of us in line but somehow these women took twice as much time as the four different people who had ordered before them. I was quickly losing my patience and Bren giggled as he told me to settle down. I said to him how hard is it to order?! There’s only 10 things on the menu! Finally the one girl finished and the other, who STILL didn’t know what she wanted, after seeing my unamused facial expression allowed us to go in front of her. We ordered, sat down, drank a couple of disappointing un-spicy ginger beers, got the food and just as I finished my salmon Bren was packing up his food and said we better go. Now for a man who perpetually runs late or with only seconds to spare I knew if he was saying it was time to go then I had better not delay. Thankfully the bus was just two blocks away and already waiting. The driver nicely let us eat on the bus so we went to the top deck where I finished my chips and Bren enjoyed the rest of his lunch before handing me the left over chips to carry in my bag.
The bus set off and the narration began. I looked over to see Bren beaming with a huge grin on his face and asked him if he had ever been on one of these before and he said no. I was shocked. Later on the tour during a lull I told a story about being on one of these busses and nearly burning my butt off on the seat but I couldn’t remember what city it was in so Bren rambled off a list of cities and was a little surprised when I said I had done this kind of tour in each one of them. The tour itself was solid and it was certainly helped by how great the weather was. We decided not to hop off anywhere and just do the whole thing in one go. I was glad we did because I love learning about the city and the surrounding area, plus with out limited time here it was much quicker then walking.
The bus tour ended and we started the walk back to the hotel. I knew that Bren wanted a nap before we were going to meet his friend in the evening, I could just tell, but as we walked past a tiny chocolate shop I made him stop and go in with me. It’s called the Nutpatch and it was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a shop in a long time. We did a lap around the tiny store and admired all the different chocolate sculptures and shapes. There were candles and footballs and even LEGO. Then we turned to the case of chocolates and I saw what I was looking for. The night before we had been served chocolate whiskey truffles after our meal and I wanted to buy some. I pointed to Bren and said there they are! The chocolatier slash former chemistry professor finally glanced over at what I was pointing at and asked where we had had them. Bren explained we had them served after dinner at Landscape and the chocolatier said no you didn’t. I was confused and he continued to explain that a lot of the other chocolate shops copy him and his confections but none even come close. He said that he only sells them to the Macq hotel and their restaurant and even though we ate at a sister location around the corner there was no way it was the same thing. To prove it he handed Bren one and I looked over to watch his face. As soon as he started chewing I knew it was different and Bren confirmed it tasted totally different and much better. The chocolatier started to tell us stories of his life and his business and how his loyal customers will tell him when other people copy him. I knew he was very good when he told a story of how the Laphroig people asked him to make whiskey truffles out of one of their 21yo scotches and told him they were better then the ones they sell in their shop. Having had those truffles while in Islay with my brother (and loving them). He even had a customer come back from Switzerland and bring him a local candy to replicate for her. He showed me the box and I immediately recognized it. It was a chocolate hazelnut candy that they sell everywhere in Switzerland and I had eaten quite a bit of it and brought a bunch home as well. I told him so and then he sticks a popsicle stick in a bowl of chocolate and hands it to me. Sure enough it tasted the same and even a little better because it was richer in flavor. I told him so and he laughed and said that mass production makes the flavor suffer but he can reproduce anything. Eventually I bought a bunch of truffles including the whiskey ones and we walked out with huge smiles on our faces and continued our journey back to the hotel so Bren could get a nap.
After Bren’s nap (which I spent writing) we got dressed and went off to meet one of his old coworkers who is from and lives in Tasmania. Bren had been talking about it since we set a time to come one this trip and was hoping to get a haircut from this guy while we were here. I originally was a little miffed that Bren and I were going to fly all the way here just for him to get a haircut when he works in a salon but I could understand why at the same time. Anyway after rushing to get ready we ran down the stairs and were off for the evening.
We met Bren’s friend Sid at the barber shop he works in and manages in the at the top of the five block wide and three block tall city center. Sid was just wrapping up at the register when we walked in and casually shook our hands. The barber shop was awesome, the kind of place I wish I had back home to hang out in the handful of times I’ve accompanied one of my friends or my brother while they got their haircut. Sid sent Bren upstairs to the storage area to grab us a beer and there was a small lounge area with a non-functional fireplace, darts, and a couple bottles of whiskey. We sat and drank our beers while Bren and Sid caught up. Bren helped him sweep hair and I sat in the chair as a fly on the wall while they chatted. Once Sid was done closing up for the day he asked us where we wanted to eat. He had a few places in mind and Bren picked the one I would have picked - a pub that was run by a former five star restaurant chef. Sid it turns out used to be in the hospitality (or hospo as they call it) sector before making the switch to being a barber. He also said he loved food and eating as we sat down in the pub. Bren picked a seat at a table instead of the bar and the two boys sat next to each other. I found it very kind how Bren made sure to include me in their chats about things. We shared stories of what we had been up to with Sid and eventually, as it does with coworkers, the conversation changed to complaining about work. I actually found it felt like being home because I knew if I had met Alec for dinner that we would be doing the same thing. The food itself was really amazing. Sid had recommended getting a starter to go with our meal and so I got us the fried chicken but it really wasn’t necessary. Later Bren and I spoke about it and realized we were so used to eating dinner at 9pm that sitting down to eat at 7pm we weren’t all that hungry. Still the food was so good. We got pastrami sandwiches that had a peppercorn gravy and I had never encountered such an amazing combination of flavors. I found it just as enjoyable as the dinner the night before and realized as we spoke to Sid who told us how restaurants source everything from local farms and Tassies love restaurants that we probably couldn’t find a bad meal here even if we tried.
After dinner we ended up walking all the way back to the bar next to the barbershop. I was so full I could barely keep up with the boys. As we walked I noticed that Sid really looked like his name. Short dark hair, dark eyes, a funky half beard and covered in black from head to toe with a biker jacket, Americana style tattoo sleeve, boots, a chain wallet, and piercings. Bren had told me earlier that he hoped I would like Sid, that he was a good guy and I had told Bren that if he likes him I’m sure I would and sure enough I was right. Sid was a laugh to hang with even as he was splitting his time between his local friends and Bren at the bar.
We arrived at the bar and it turned out to be hosting a bartender cocktail competition sponsored by a New Zealand rum company. It made for a good show but also a little difficult to buy drinks. They had five sponsored cocktails on the menus but all anyone drank was daiquiris and beer. Bren and I stuck to daiquiris and enjoyed watching the show of the bartenders displaying the cocktails they made. The winner was to receive $3000 and after a long night of hanging out with hospitality folks we finally found out the winner who just happened to be one of Sid’s long time mates and the reason we were there in the first place. By the time we found out the winner I was feeling a little pooped. Bren asked if I wanted another cocktail and I told him how about we go to the bottle shop instead. So we said our farewells to Sid and walked down to the bottle shop.
I found the place to be a little overwhelming. At first Bren said let’s get cider but then we decided to get red wine. I still picked up a small batch cider though and Bren picked a “cheap but good” cab sav then I called us an uber and we came back to the hotel to enjoy our bounty. I knew Bren wouldn’t last long with the way he was already yawning and shutting his eyes but I pushed him to stay up with me just a bit longer. We polished off the cider and most of the wine while watching Netflix and showing each other photos from when we were in our early 20s and I started talking about all the people I knew way back when. Finally I pried the empty wine glass out of Bren’s hands and we crawled into bed. Tomorrow we get to pack up and get our rental car and explore some more of Tasmania before heading home. I knew Bren would be a good travel mate but I didn’t realize it would be this easy to be on the road with him. Maybe I’ll try to convince him to use some of his paid holiday to come with me on a trip again. Definitely when I’m back next year, which we’ve already started planning our return to Tassie and we haven’t even left yet!
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