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| Statue in Franklin commemorating World War I soldiers. |
When our cleaner became ill and could not do our place, Anne arranged for another cleaner to come by at 1:30 pm. As a result, we waited to go out for our usual weekly grocery trip and plan to take photos along the way.
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| Cute pizza shop in Franklin. |
As the time rapidly winds down until we depart Tasmania for the cruise from Sydney on March 1st, we’re now looking at only two weeks until we’re on our way to the second to the last of our seven cruises in the South Pacific over an almost two year period.
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| Tavern/hotel in Franklin. |
Then on April 22nd, after spending 40 nights in Manly (a suburb of Sydney with harbor views), we’ll embark on the seventh and final cruise. Six of the seven cruises have embarked from the Port of Sydney, with the first in the series had departed from Hawaii in May 2015 when we made our way to this part of the world.
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| Boats moored in the inlet on the Huon River. |
Having spent this extended period in the South Pacific, we feel comfortable with what we’ve seen in and around Australia. But have no doubt very little, in comparison to what Australia has to offer overall.
After all, Australia and its surrounding islands could literally keep travelers on the move for a lifetime. When we finally embark on the final cruise to the USA, we’ll post all of the islands and areas we’ve visited during this 22 month period since our arrival.
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| Tour boat serving customers at Petty Sessions Restaurant and park. |
Going forward, it’s unlikely we’ll spend this much time in and about one continent. But, the long distance from this part of the world to most others prompted us to stay for this extended period.
We don’t anticipate we’ll ever return to the South Pacific when we still have many continents to explore or…explore further, including our own North America, which we’ll tackle down the road at some point.
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| Petty Sessions Restaurant. |
As for our Valentine’s Day, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, we kept it low-key. With few restaurants in the immediate area, most of which are more casual where it isn’t easy to accommodate my way of eating, we enjoyed yet another homemade meal and evening together after returning from our drive and shopping trip.
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| This popular tourist spot, Petty Sessions, has a gallery, restaurant, playground park, and boat tours. |
We weren’t disappointed. How could we be when we so love our surroundings here in the beautiful Huon Valley? Although it’s cooler than we’d prefer, with us frequently bundled up in warm clothing, the area is still a feast for the eyes.
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| This morning’s fog was so dense we weren’t able to see across the Huon River. |
In fact, all of Tasmania provides some of the most exquisite scenery we’ve seen. For the first time, when we were about to leave Penguin, Tom actually said, “Of all the places we’ve visited, I could see living in Penguin.”
But, in reality, it’s all just “talk” when either of us makes such comments. We do not envision settling down anytime shortly. And, as we traveled, we’ve found our perception and opinions as to that which may be ideal for our “older age” may change from time to time.
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| This is the most fog we’ve seen since arriving in Tasmania. However, by 9:00 am, it began to clear. |
For those on the opposite side of the International Dateline, where it’s February 14th today, have a lovely Valentine’s Day with those you love. We’ll be thinking of you with love.
Photo from one year ago today, February 14, 2016:
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| A portion of the outdoor dining area where we dined on Valentine’s Day at Table Restaurant in New Plymouth, New Zealand, one year ago. For more photos, please click here. |