Tasman Sea, rougher than you might expect

I have a whole new appreciation for the competitors who sail the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race each year. Those waters are choppy.

Arrived late yesterday afternoon into Devonport, Tasmania, on board the Spirit of Tasmania III. I loved the 24-hour trip, and slept a good deal of it. (For me, there's nothing quite as comforting as sleeping on a boat, being rocked to sleep by the waves, or in this case, towering swells.) Husband didn't fare so well, and although he never actually got sick, he was queasy for the majority of the crossing. I feel bad that I will be hauling him across the Bass Strait to Melbourne in a few days. But that trip is shorter, and we will buy him some Tylenol PM to get him through it.

We're now in Swansea, on the east coast of the island near the Freycinet Peninsula, in the Internet access area of the local library. We just returned from a hike -- and I mean a hike -- to the Wineglass Bay overlook in the Freycinet National Park. My husband and I are very out of shape due to the constant Tim Tam-eating, and we got lapped on the steep climb by folks in their 70s. That's OK; they were friendly. We stayed last night in a lovely B&B in Swansea; our hosts, Karen and Bob, were wonderful. It is interesting to note that Swansea won the "Tidy Town" award in recent years. I must say, it is very tidy here.

As soon as we finish computing, we're off to Hobart, which is on the southeast coast of Tasmania. We plan on touring the Cadbury Factory (see our inability to hike, above) and visiting the convict ruins at Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsula. The Tasman Peninsula is harsh and forbidding and relatively close to Antarctica. I am so excited; Zanne is so jealous.