The Big Day - Charlotte’s Wedding
After the long 33+ hours of traveling we finally made it to Hobart.
We had one night as we needed to make our way to Launceston for all the wedding festivities. Luckily the island is small and was a mere 3-hour drive. Plus, the fact there are few people on the roads in Tasmania.
It was nice to get back to cooler weather as Europe is experiencing a very hot summer. Thought we were done with these types of temperatures when we left Asia, but apparently not.
We were staying 3 nights at the Launceston Country Club to make things a bit easier as there would be a shuttle bus taking us to and from the ceremony.
The Friday evening, Charlotte and Jason hosted a party for their friends and family which was great as it allowed us to see and catch up with the gang again. After-all its been 4 months since we last saw the family and about 5 years since we had seen Charlotte and Jason.
The following day was what everyone flew down under for, Charlotte and Jason’s wedding. It was a beautiful sunny crisp winter day at the Quamby Estate, and the ceremony was outside, so almost everyone was dressed in wraps, winter jackets, or sweaters to keep warm. Charlotte on the other hand was sleeveless and perhaps from excitement, adrenaline or nerves, it didn’t seem to bother her as much as the rest of us.
The ceremony was beautiful and she looked stunning walking down the aisle/path with her father. Jason, looking handsome and grinning from ear to ear as he waited for papa to hand his daughter to his future son in law.
One of the highlights of the ceremony was the adorable 2 year old who was the ring bearer. When it was time to give Charlotte the wedding band, he wasn’t having anything to do with it. After a few coaxes, he reluctantly gave the ring to Charlotte but he was not happy. You would think his brand new puppy just died. He was so heartbroken and sad as he turned to walk back to his mother. Laughter ensued and after a brief interruption, the ceremony continued.
A great reception, with lots of food, drink, laughing, and dancing. The next thing you know it’s over, or at least for that evening. What a great day!
A very tired Ben!
The following day was dreary, with intermittent rain. We couldn’t believe the luck Charlotte and Jason had with the previous day. We decided to venture to Launceston which was about 5 kms from the country club. We thought we had been previously, however we didn’t recognize anything so I guess we hadn’t been or we have very bad memories. The town is much smaller than Hobart, with most stores and restaurants closed on a Sunday. Reminds me of my hometown when I was a kid. Everything was closed on Sundays.
Later that evening we went to have dinner with the family at a villa they rented on the other side of Launceston. It was quite the villa, given that there were 14 of them, they needed some room. There was a pool table, ping pong table, fussbal, indoor pool, games, you name it, the owners thought of everything. The kids had a blast during their stay.
The dinner was excellent, and one thing I will say, the Goh sisters know how to cook. This Goh sister however missed all the cooking lessons. After dinner, we organized the next days outing to Freycinet National Park.
Later, Charlotte graced us with her presence so we were able to to get her thoughts on how she felt the wedding went. Good to know like us, she too was cold and couldn’t wait to get the photos out of the way so they could go inside.
Following day, we arranged to meet at Charlotte and Jason’s place to drive about 2 hours or so to the park. Jason met us and told us we have to stop at the Elephant Pancake house which was on the way and known for their pancakes. Okay, we figured we need to eat, we can stop there.
The drive was up small and tiny roads with some good inclines. We had the boys in the back with us while Landis had a 14 passenger van. We were a bit concerned with his vehicle as these roads were narrow, and thankfully it was a nice day. The drive had it's moments, although beautiful, happily no one was coming from the other direction. The boys being teenagers slept through the whole thing!
Finally made it to the national park. Some of the information we had read stated the walk was a bit steep. Given that we had children from 5 years of age and up I was a bit concerned, but one forgets how agile children can be and they handled it better than some of us.
Finally made it to the top, and they claim, Wine Glass Bay is best in winter as it's usually a clear day and can view this better than the summertime. Although not super clear it still turned out to be a nice day. Snapped some photos, enjoyed the view and headed back to the villa as Jason was cooking dinner that evening.
Took the highway back as it was much easier and quicker.
Dinner was hosted by Jason, and held at the family’s temporary villa. What a treat! Jason cooked traditional food which he had growing up and we are still waiting for the recipes. Jason or Charlotte if you are reading this!
Nice way to end the time with family.
We were leaving the following day to Hobart to catch our flight to Paris, while the family had a couple more days in Tasmania before spending a few more in Melbourne.
Great to spend some time with the family as it may be a few years before we see each other again.