Hobart, Tasmania, with Mt. Wellington in the background.
Whenever I walk through Fredericton in the fall, and smell woodsmoke and look at little houses tucked away in trees, it really reminds me of the time I spent in my favorite city in the whole world. (Disclaimer: I have not been to every city in the whole world. Therefore 'favorite' is not an exhaustive list.) I was there in May of 2004, which is Autumn, and the personal charm and eccentricity -- and the huge mountain smack dab in the middle of it -- made me want to spend time there, living, going to markets for veggies, hiking, having fun.
The other day I was running through Odell in the morning and I thought: all the things I consider part of my perfect, hypothetical existence in Hobart, are part of my real existence here in Fredericton. Mind you, it's not in the Southern Hemisphere and the people don't have a strange accent, but everything else I could want is here. The integration of the natural world with the urban layout (Odell here, Mt. Wellington there), the friendly, down-to-earth yet somewhat cosmopolitan people, the farmer's markets that bring the country to the city, and the quirky historic buildings, all of these things contribute to my quality of life and are what attracted me to Hobart.
So in my mind, I'll continue to dream of Hobart, but it's really nice to realize that the life you're living is pretty darn close to the fantasy you had pictured for yourself. Pretty nice indeed.
PS I did not take that picture. I wish I had! But I got it from the site Discover Tasmania, which is really pretty and you should all check it out so you can see why I love that island so. damn. much.
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