We are off to
Tasmania this morning. Since our flight was
at 11:15am, we were able to have a leisurely breakfast in the hotel before heading
out. Flight was delayed a little bit, but we got to Tasmania in good time.
Picking up the cars took longer since everyone rents from Avis (as they have
the best rates on a minivan) and the line was looong. Even after completing the
paper work, the car was not ready as they were still cleaning it. As a result,
we did not check into the apartment until 3pm. David, aunt Angela and two cousins went to MONA (Museum of Old and
New Art); while I stayed with the others to go for a bite and do some grocery
shopping. I find the fruits and vegetables in Australia to be very good. The
tomatoes are so sweet and even though the oranges look green and unappealing on
the outside, they are very tasty.
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| Garden at MONA where you can sip a glass of wine (or enjoy a craft beer from Moo Brew) while taking in the harbour view |
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The Word Waterfall by Julius Popp. Notice the wall in the backdrop,
it is real stone as the museum is carved out of a cliff! |
The other party also had fun at MONA. While they are very famous artists and the
displays are thought provoking, the feedback was just so so. But there were rave reviews for the grounds
and buildings and two exhibits. The
first was the Word Waterfall by Julius Popp, where water came down from the
ceiling and they form a word at certain height … it was really neat.
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| AMARNA (2015) - a skyspace installation by James Turrell |
The other was an outdoor exhibit by James
Turrell, where he created a picture frame for the open sky (as in a huge
skylight). David didn’t think much of it
until he observed the cloud dispersing in the opening and realized the
interactive nature and ever changing picture!
They actually have a light show at sunrise and sunset, but we did not
have time for it.
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| RESERVED parking spots at MONA - who'd dare to take those spots? |
Oh, I almost
forgot to mention our apartment. We have a two and a half bedroom apartment; the
third bedroom is so small that I call it a half. The apartment has two levels
and the bedrooms are all on the lower level. The living room and the master
bedroom face the harbour. We are in the penthouse and the living area has a
vaulted ceiling with skylights on one side, which makes the place even more
bright and airy. The kitchen is everyone’s dream kitchen - a 15’ island with
stainless steel counter top, a double Miele oven and a Miele coffee maker!
David can enjoy his coffee with the simple press of a button - no fuss and no
mess.
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| Notice the 2-storey atrium on the right - all 3 bedrooms in the lower level benefit from the light of this atrium! |
Dinner was in a
causal restaurant. I had a scallop risotto and David venison, they are both
very good. They were not as good as yesterday’s dinner, but were still above
average. After dinner, we went back to the apartment to prepare for the night’s
entertainment - gambling J. We saw fireworks in the harbour; it was o
the timid side, but the show lasted for more than 20 mins. We assumed it was a
celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Gambling was fun
and Aunt Angela was well prepared! She
brought the dice for the “fish, prawn and crab” game, the “three dice” or “sic
bo” game and the “blind dice” game. She
even had the double-sided mat for the games where we could place our bat on! I
lost a bit in the first 2 games but won the last hand on the “blind dice”, so I
ended up winning a little bit. David stayed for the black jack game while I
decided to leave and get ready for the call home.
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