Taking a solo trip to Launceston, I had expected to spend a lot of time in quiet contemplation. Well, I did spend a lot of time in quiet contemplation, but I also ended up having plenty of good conversations with perfect strangers. Other than the general feel of the place, what impressed me the most about Launceston was probably the people.
Of course, not everyone is super eager to chat to everyone, but those that do strike up a conversation certainly make you feel very welcome. I didn’t always get names for these friendly people, and there’s probably very, very minimal chance that any of them will ever stumble upon my blog and read this post, but I wanted to dedicate a post to them nonetheless.
Thank-you to the group of older men (friends since their school days, a few decades ago) who shared a table with me at the Saint John Craft Beer Bar, and told me stories of Tasmania and of each other.
Thank-you to the woman who walked with me along the Tamar River that fine Wednesday morning, and gave me recommendations on which cafes to visit. It was lovely talking to you about Launceston and hearing about your travels abroad.
Thank-you to the woman in the library who chatted to me as we browsed the shelves of books for sale. I hope your friend (who you were buying books for) is feeling better now.
Thank-you to the waitress at StillWater who took the time to tell me a bit about the Tamar River, and let me know that you can sometimes find seals in the area.
Thank-you to the “apprentice” at Red Brick Road Cider House who taught me how to play “three up”, and also the proper English pronunciation of Launceston (although locals don’t tend to use that).
And thank-you also to those who simply exchanged kind smiles with me, and contributed to the general warmth of Launceston.
pistachio conspiracy #63 
So is the ‘correct’English pronunciation ‘Lorston’? That’s what it would be in the UK. What do the locals say? I’d imagine visitors call it Law-cess-ton. Am I right? Apparently I get weirdly excited by place name pronunciation. I wasn’t even aware I had this affliction until a few moments ago.
Yes, something like that (although I feel like I still can’t get it right haha).
I was pronouncing it like “lorn-cess-ton” – basically pronouncing all the letters. That’s how Aussies tend to say it.
And, don’t worry, I’m fascinated by words in general, so I understand this affliction 😉
Talking to strangers is so rewarding. Wished I had learnt that lesson earlier in life.