My latest trip was inspired by Aziz Ansari. I haven't met him, but I feel like I know him after watching his Netflix original series Master of None. In the show's first season, Aziz's New York-based character takes a woman on a one day date to Nashville. Ever since I saw this episode, I found the notion of flying somewhere for a date very appealing. With this in mind, in April I bought flights to Hobart so Linnea and I could spend 24 hours of an August weekend on a date in Tasmania. The fun part? Linnea didn't know about the flights.
Linnea and I like to travel. We want to see as much of Australia as we can and are always keeping an eye out for good deals on flights. Between early April, when I bought our flights, and late July, when I told Linnea about our 24 hour trip, she mentioned wanting to go to Hobart several times. I fended off those suggestions, and, against all odds, managed to completely surprise her a week before the trip with (what I thought was) a very smooth line: "Do you know where we'll be a week from now?" Confused, she washed down her bite of pizza with a swig of Shiraz and let me know that she had no idea where we'd be. I told her we'd be in Hobart. She didn't believe me. After I repeated where we'd be, her disbelief changed subjects from where we'd be to the fact that I'd kept a secret since April.
For those unfamiliar, Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, which is an Australian island state around an hour flight from Melbourne. Upon landing, we drove our rental car straight to the iconic Salamanca Market, a diverse and surprisingly large market on Hobart's waterfront held every Saturday. Linnea's expression below makes it clear how she feels about trying a salmon sausage for lunch.
Our next stop was MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). While neither of us are typically art museum people, we gave it a go based on recommendations from friends. After being delighted, horrified, and intrigued during our wander through the museum, I second their recommendation.
Our evening was spent doing a few of our favourite things. We had happy hour oysters at Pearl + Co on the waterfront, tasted local craft beer at Hobart Brewing Company, and split a pizza at Ristorante Da Angelo before a great night sleep at Montacute Boutique Bunkhouse. Before catching our flight the next morning, we enjoyed coffee and eggs Benedict at the charming Harbour Lights Cafe while watching a gorgeous sunrise over the harbour. I wasn't ready to depart Hobart, but my dad would appreciate that I took his advice to "always leave wanting more."
I suppose the moral of the story is this: If you have the chance to explore a new place, do it. You can pack a lot into 24 hours.