City of Sydney, Australia</h1> <article> <h1>City of Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Sun, 11 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +1100</p> DECEMBER 11 – LUNA AMUSEMENT PARK AND THE ROCKS A nice sleep in today and up to get to the park in time for opening. The Luna Park Sydney opened in 1935 and is a heritage-listed amusement park. It is owned by a reserve trust which is an agency of the government. It is a small park which seems to hold its size a mystery as I cannot find the acreage listed anywhere. But it sits 600 meters away from the base of the Harbour Bridge across from the Sydney Opera House. You can take a 7 minute ferry directly to the site or you can drive over the Harbour Bridge. To save some money, we took an Uber over and a ferry back. The ferry stops at Circular Quay which is right beside the Rocks. We arrived just before opening at the park. There is a small crowd buying passes and we line up to join them. The young woman explains the ride pass price which is $75.00 each. That’s nuts. But it is a once in a lifetime experience and so we go for it knowing full well that we would not be on any stomach shifting rides. Where do we start? Well the Ferris wheel didn’t have a line to speak of so we queued up with folks and got in the cage to begin our circular viewing of the harbour and the park. A very nice photo opportunity of the harbour, of course. Next? The carousel of course. We always ride the carousel if there is one to be found – Liverpool, Vancouver, Sydney – we hopped in line and waited our turn. With Christmas carols blaring, our horses took us round and round, up and down and we delighted in the experience. Likely to be done again before we exit the park! It’s just a thing we happen to enjoy. At ten in the morning, the heat is already upon us. It is passing 22 degrees already and we are feeling it. So, we pop into the ice cream shop for a small cone. Because anytime is the right time for ice cream. With my standard chocolate mint in hand and M with her salted caramel, we found a bench along the fairway in the shade. A perfect place to stop and people watch. Families of all kinds pass us with excitement as they march towards the more exciting and daring rides at the back of the park. Interesting thing is that there are condos that face on to the park immediately adjacent. So much so that I am confident you could see what someone is making for dinner as your roller coaster car screams past the window. Apparently, at one point the noise of the rides was such that it caused the park to close for a period of time until this could be addressed. The park has been plagued with closures and issues over the decades including a fire on a ‘Ghost Train’ ride that killed six children and one adult. A site that is constructed largely in Art Deco style with touches from other American and European influences, it has a very romantic historical appearance to it but given its ups and downs over the decades, I would say it is anything but romantic. There was, for a time, an enclosed wharf building tied to the dock through and after the war (WWII). It was featured during this time as a dance hall and was a favourite of the GIs. Many a girl met her future husband dancing at the floating dance hall! There’s that hint of romance! I guess the most interesting feature of the park is the entrance. Certainly, that is what drew my interest. This face is one of eight that have adorned the entrance through the years. The most recent was installed in 1995 and is based on Arthur Barton’s 1960 Old King Cole face. The sides resemble the top of the Chrysler Building in New York. At night it is lit up – the whole park in fact – beautifully and it is quite mesmerizing. We saw it from our dinner cruise and I was most impressed. The other ride we had fun trying was the bumper cars, what big kid would pass these up? I wish we had got in line a second time! Speaking of second times, just as I suggested, as we headed out of the park to catch our ferry, we stopped at the carousel once again and took one more turn around the circle. A small park with a big ticket price, I am glad we took the time to have the experience. It is an eye catching draw with a long history of ups and downs. For us today it was an up and down on a carousel! Next we tapped on to the ferry and took our seven minute ride across to the Circular Quay. One last look at the Bridge and the Opera House – beautiful architecture and both as busy as always with folks climbing the bridge up and down and crowds mingling at opera house events. Never a dull moment in Sydney. Once in Circular Quay, we wandered towards the Rocks area and found a restaurant/bar to have lunch as it was noon. As it turns out, we had stumbled with ease on to the Fortune of War – Sydney’s oldest pub since 1828. That’s just how far back the Rocks goes. And, I can tell you the Rocks has a rough history as this was where the convicts and other rabblerousers settled. Dominated by gangs, be they Chinese or Caucasian, it was a rough place where one would not think of entering an alley. Today, one is encouraged to slide down any alley to find unique treasures and shops that are very welcoming and curious in their own offerings of treats and treasures. We found a couple opal shops that drew us in but opted not to purchase… very pricey! After we had oysters (M, of course) and a cheeseburger for me, we continued our stroll of the Rocks for a few blocks and then called it quits for the day. Our exploring energy was all tapped out in the heat. Our last day done, we Ubered back to our hotel and began our preparation for our journey home. Last but not least, dinner tonight at Blackbird where the menu promises we will have our final Australian taste - kangaroo. Apparently, it is so lean it is to be cooked only one way - medium rare - or it is ruined. So, we are planning a final kick at the cat in style tonight. [NB: we had dinner and it was a disappointment. They overcooked the kangaroo which is verboten because it is so lean. It was chewy and flavourless, sadly. Service was abysmal. Ah well, it was a lovely evening at Cockle Bay Wharf just the same.] What a ride it has been these past few weeks. Starting with our dear friends in Sydney and on the cruise and ending with a multitude of adventures around Melbourne and Sydney yet again. It has been a great trip with my dearest one. Home again, home again, jiggety jig! <p><br/>the iconic entry to Luna Park</p><p><br/>our carousel steeds</p><p><br/>view from the Ferris wheel of the entrance</p><p><br/>ferry coming in to the park entrance</p><p><br/>the other end of the park - it's not huge!</p><p><br/>any time is time for ice cream</p><p><br/>another decadent ride entrance</p><p><br/>fun on the bumper cars</p> </article> <article> <h1>City of Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Sun, 11 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +1100</p> KING STREET WHARF - Had to add this post to be able to feature pictures from the dinner cruise. So... enjoy the pictures!<p><br/>our cruise hosts</p><p><br/>The Sydney 2000</p><p><br/>sunset as we depart</p><p></p><p><br/>view at Circlular Quay looking to where the cruise ship had been days earlier</p><p><br/>passing under the Harbour Bridge</p><p><br/>just us!</p><p><br/>still us</p><p><br/>tasty beef sirloin strip</p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>chocolate raspberry dish... rich but not too sweet fortunately</p><p><br/>M's lemon tart</p><p><br/>night city skyline with the opera house</p><p><br/>amazing sight is the Opera House at night</p><p><br/>Luna Amusement park at night</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>after on the Wharf</p><p><br/>King Street Wharf</p><p><br/>the Sydney 2000 after dark</p> </article> <article> <h1>City of Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Sun, 11 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +1100</p> DECEMBER 11 – LUNA AMUSEMENT PARK AND THE ROCKS A nice sleep in today and up to get to the park in time for opening. The Luna Park Sydney opened in 1935 and is a heritage-listed amusement park. It is owned by a reserve trust which is an agency of the government. It is a small park which seems to hold its size a mystery as I cannot find the acreage listed anywhere. But it sits 600 meters away from the base of the Harbour Bridge across from the Sydney Opera House. You can take a 7 minute ferry directly to the site or you can drive over the Harbour Bridge. To save some money, we took an Uber over and a ferry back. The ferry stops at Circular Quay which is right beside the Rocks. We arrived just before opening at the park. There is a small crowd buying passes and we line up to join them. The young woman explains the ride pass price which is $75.00 each. That’s nuts. But it is a once in a lifetime experience and so we go for it knowing full well that we would not be on any stomach shifting rides. Where do we start? Well the Ferris wheel didn’t have a line to speak of so we queued up with folks and got in the cage to begin our circular viewing of the harbour and the park. A very nice photo opportunity of the harbour, of course. Next? The carousel of course. We always ride the carousel if there is one to be found – Liverpool, Vancouver, Sydney – we hopped in line and waited our turn. With Christmas carols blaring, our horses took us round and round, up and down and we delighted in the experience. Likely to be done again before we exit the park! It’s just a thing we happen to enjoy. At ten in the morning, the heat is already upon us. It is passing 22 degrees already and we are feeling it. So, we pop into the ice cream shop for a small cone. Because anytime is the right time for ice cream. With my standard chocolate mint in hand and M with her salted caramel, we found a bench along the fairway in the shade. A perfect place to stop and people watch. Families of all kinds pass us with excitement as they march towards the more exciting and daring rides at the back of the park. Interesting thing is that there are condos that face on to the park immediately adjacent. So much so that I am confident you could see what someone is making for dinner as your roller coaster car screams past the window. Apparently, at one point the noise of the rides was such that it caused the park to close for a period of time until this could be addressed. The park has been plagued with closures and issues over the decades including a fire on a ‘Ghost Train’ ride that killed six children and one adult. A site that is constructed largely in Art Deco style with touches from other American and European influences, it has a very romantic historical appearance to it but given its ups and downs over the decades, I would say it is anything but romantic. There was, for a time, an enclosed wharf building tied to the dock through and after the war (WWII). It was featured during this time as a dance hall and was a favourite of the GIs. Many a girl met her future husband dancing at the floating dance hall! There’s that hint of romance! I guess the most interesting feature of the park is the entrance. Certainly, that is what drew my interest. This face is one of eight that have adorned the entrance through the years. The most recent was installed in 1995 and is based on Arthur Barton’s 1960 Old King Cole face. The sides resemble the top of the Chrysler Building in New York. At night it is lit up – the whole park in fact – beautifully and it is quite mesmerizing. We saw it from our dinner cruise and I was most impressed. The other ride we had fun trying was the bumper cars, what big kid would pass these up? I wish we had got in line a second time! Speaking of second times, just as I suggested, as we headed out of the park to catch our ferry, we stopped at the carousel once again and took one more turn around the circle. A small park with a big ticket price, I am glad we took the time to have the experience. It is an eye catching draw with a long history of ups and downs. For us today it was an up and down on a carousel! Next we tapped on to the ferry and took our seven minute ride across to the Circular Quay. One last look at the Bridge and the Opera House – beautiful architecture and both as busy as always with folks climbing the bridge up and down and crowds mingling at opera house events. Never a dull moment in Sydney. Once in Circular Quay, we wandered towards the Rocks area and found a restaurant/bar to have lunch as it was noon. As it turns out, we had stumbled with ease on to the Fortune of War – Sydney’s oldest pub since 1828. That’s just how far back the Rocks goes. And, I can tell you the Rocks has a rough history as this was where the convicts and other rabblerousers settled. Dominated by gangs, be they Chinese or Caucasian, it was a rough place where one would not think of entering an alley. Today, one is encouraged to slide down any alley to find unique treasures and shops that are very welcoming and curious in their own offerings of treats and treasures. We found a couple opal shops that drew us in but opted not to purchase… very pricey! After we had oysters (M, of course) and a cheeseburger for me, we continued our stroll of the Rocks for a few blocks and then called it quits for the day. Our exploring energy was all tapped out in the heat. Our last day done, we Ubered back to our hotel and began our preparation for our journey home. Last but not least, dinner tonight at Blackbird where the menu promises we will have our final Australian taste - kangaroo. Apparently, it is so lean it is to be cooked only one way - medium rare - or it is ruined. So, we are planning a final kick at the cat in style tonight. [NB: we had dinner and it was a disappointment. They overcooked the kangaroo which is verboten because it is so lean. It was chewy and flavourless, sadly. Service was abysmal. Ah well, it was a lovely evening at Cockle Bay Wharf just the same.] What a ride it has been these past few weeks. Starting with our dear friends in Sydney and on the cruise and ending with a multitude of adventures around Melbourne and Sydney yet again. It has been a great trip with my dearest one. Home again, home again, jiggety jig! <p><br/>Arriving at Luna Park</p><p><br/>waiting to board the Ferris wheel</p><p><br/>on the carousel!</p><p><br/>a view inside the park</p><p><br/>The Fortunes of War pub - oldest in Sydney since 1828</p><p><br/>tasty oysters for lunch</p><p><br/>a simple cheeseburger hit the spot</p><p><br/>outside the Fortunes of War pub</p><p><br/>Posing at Cockle Bay Wharf before dinner</p><p></p><p><br/>fruit monster mocktails before dinner - yum</p><p><br/>our Kangaroo dinner -- a disappointment</p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Sat, 10 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +1100</p> DECEMBER 10 – FEATHERDALE WILDLIFE PARK & SYDNEY DINNER CRUISE It is all coming together now… we are winding down our trip with the last hurrah’s – fitting everything on our list in today and tomorrow, Sunday. So, today we embarked on a 45-minute Uber out to the outskirts of Sydney in Doonside. There we arrived just before opening of the Featherdale Wildlife Park where we eagerly waited as this would be our final koala encounter where we would be (finally) up close and personal with a little furry guy or gal as it happened to be. We stopped at a cabinet on entry that sold cups of food – not knowing what we were getting the food for, in anticipation, we bought three cups and immediately merged them into two to make it easier to carry. Good thing we did this as we were not only greeted by the loud call of a kookaburra as soon as we entered but a bunch of furry little guys eager to be fed. They look like miniature kangaroos or wallabies but they are in fact Pademelons. They are in the kangaroo family for sure and are quite the little terrors. Well, not that bad really but if you lower the food cup they know and they grab for it. What you are supposed to do is to take a handful of food and lower your open palm to them. They will then feed from your hand gently. But be mindful because they are sneaky and they watch for you to slip up! I had a tug of war a couple times with a bigger pademelon who caught my inattention and grabbed for the cup. Rascal. These little critters wander specific areas where they are blocked in by gates as you stroll through the park. So we encountered them a few times and had the opportunity to feed, pat, and chat with them. On one occasion we found a mother with a little joey in her pouch as well – cute as a button darn it! They don’t mind you patting them or scratching their chin and they are very grateful for the feed. They will hold your hand or fingers as they feed. They are very gentle really. Just watch your cup! As we began our stroll through, one of the first areas we encountered was the koala enclosures. Our timing was perfect because we were actually the first people in the park. So, no crowds and given how early it was it was very cool out still so the animals were all awake and roaming or climbing. Thus was the case as we started our walk through the koala enclosures. It was lovely seeing them active – as active as koalas get mind you. And, a guide pointed out a baby koala on the back of his/her mother… not much baby about this little hunk of koala – he/she is ready to go out on its own very soon considering his size. Momma must be getting tired of carrying him around though the guide said she still does. Such a patient mother! This area led us to where our koala encounter was being set up. It is decorated for Christmas of course so I guess our Christmas card this year could feature a koala! We lined up, first in line of course, and they brought in the koala. A two year old named Sage. A cute little thing – yes, small compared to some we had seen in the enclosures. The keeper gave Sage some leaves to feed on as she posed between us on the Y-shaped branch. There is no holding but we were allowed to pat her. A soft fur but not as soft as I would have thought. Almost wooly to touch. Sage wasn’t the least bit interested in us. And, before we knew it our photos were taken, printed, framed, and we were directed out of the area. Over before we blinked, or so it seemed. Next! The line had formed behind us. Wow. $30 each for us to do this – glad we did it – but we did get marvelous photos from it, that’s true! A life lesson – you really have to take in and attend to the moments because they do end before you know it. And so off we sauntered to find my next bucket list critter, a wombat. The Southern Hairy Wombat was fast asleep in a hollow log with his buddy. I could see the fat pads of his feet and his furry bum and thought, well, I guess that’s my wombat experience – a furry butt. However, I was not disappointed as we came upon two more wombat enclosures where we saw two completely different sized wombats. The larger of the two sauntered about slowly. He then went to the corner of his enclosure and pooped. Thanks for the show. Back to the corner now, he had to pee. Again, show’s over folks – he went back into his hollow and sat down again. Then came the little guy – well he just was full of energy and did a parade back and forth for us. Not the least disappointed, I have seen all the wombats I need for the duration. Thank you little fellas. We continued our walkabout in this Wildlife Park which was filled with all sorts of birds and critters including more echidnas, dingos (did you know dingos can’t bark but they can howl?), wallabies, kangaroos (fed them too), turtles, ghost bats, bilbys, kookaburras, Australian pelicans, cockatoos, A few Southern Cassowarys – a large ostrich like bird, emus, and speaking of birds we saw another bunch of the Little Penguins. That was a sweet moment with them again – they really are a pretty blue and quite captivating little fellas. I can’t name everyone we met but it was a worthwhile trip to see them all and it was quite up close and personal as these experiences go. We were there for just over two hours when we realized we had seen and done it all. Time to head home – Uber, come and get us! Thank you for a wonderful wildlife experience. I must get back to catch up on this blog! After a nap and a few hours of writing, we set out again for another adventure. This evening it would be our Sydney Harbour Cruise with the Captain Cook Cruises on the Sydney 2000. We arrived at King Street Wharf after a strange Uber ride where we got out in the middle of a street because traffic was so awful. Ten minutes we sat not moving and so the driver convinced us we would be better off walking. So we did! We boarded and left the dock without incident. Having been at the front of the line, we were able to score a window table midship. Perfect. Our view was spectacular. The menu: shared canapes (some Asian fusion attempt); I had a salad and M had smoked salmon for entrees (as they call appetizers), then we both had the beef sirloin strip with vegetables, and M had the lemon tart for dessert while I had the chocolate raspberry bomb – looked like a giant mallow cookie but it was chocolate through and through. I had a lovely glass of Fat Bastard Pinot Noir with my meal (yum). Our server seemed very anxious to please and it was a lovely meal all in all. The view was wonderful. It started with a sunset as the boat drew away from the pier. And then we saw all the good sites – the Sydney Harbour Bridge (went under it), Sydney Opera House, Luna Amusement Park and lovely landscapes and buildings all the while as we sailed through the harbour dodging and dancing with all the other water traffic including all the fast moving ferries sailing back and forth across the harbour. The Sydney Harbour is the second busiest harbour, next to Hong Kong, in the world and you can sure tell. It is amazing to me with all the shapes and sizes of the different vessels travelling in and about that they flow so freely and safely. Quite amazing. As we started out there was even a large freighter sharing the space as they headed out to sea. No cruise ship on this evening in the harbour though we had seen two others in the past couple of days pass through. The Sydney 2000 docked safely at 9:50pm and we disembarked – first on, first off. We plan well. We strolled this insanely busy Wharf – there are bars all the way along, full to the brim and playing music loud enough to be heard across the harbour. A crazy crowd, it is Saturday night after all, mills about with everyone dressed to the nines, with so many people having their Christmas parties this weekend. We find our way up to the street to call an Uber back to our hotel. What insanity is this traffic! It starts and stops with regularity and the vehicles swerve and dodge each other – enough to rattle my nerves. But they know what they are doing. Our Uber stops on a corner across the street and puts on his flashers. I realize it is our ride and we run across the street and hop in. We have a lovely man who is newly arrived from Lebanon. He has been here for 18 months – he lost everything back home and came here to start anew. He has lots of opinions on politics and the American Government. He identifies himself as a Christian and makes much sense as he shares his views on the world in our short ride with him. A whirlwind Uber ride of facts and fury! But a charming man, just the same and we wish him all the best as we say goodnight arriving at our hotel. What a night – tomorrow is our final day. We will be up early to take in Luna Amusement Park and the Rocks. Then dinner at My Angus and packing. WOW! 26 days done. What a ride. <p><br/>Entering the park</p><p><br/>Hungry little Pademelon</p><p><br/>introducing the Cassowary</p><p><br/>Handsome, wide awake koala</p><p><br/>contemplative koala</p><p><br/>feed me!</p><p><br/>more please</p><p><br/>busy little koala</p><p><br/>pademelon mum with joey</p><p><br/>Little Penguin</p><p><br/>the light just caught his eye perfectly</p><p><br/>time for a dip!</p><p><br/>mum and baby, believe it or not</p><p><br/>such a cute little bottom</p><p><br/>Cassowary with watermelon, gone in a gulp</p><p><br/>blue winged kookaburra</p><p><br/>my big wombat friend</p><p><br/>hello kangaroo</p><p><br/>feeding the kangaroos </p><p><br/>a little wombat</p><p><br/>curious and hungry pademelons</p><p><br/>all smiles for the quick koala encounter</p><p><br/>our koala encounter</p><p><br/>Little Penguins... so darn cute, can't get enough of them</p><p><br/>hello roo, have a nibble</p> </article> <article> <h1>Pokolbin, Australia</h1> <p>Fri, 09 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +1100</p> DECEMBER 9 – HUNTER VALLEY WINE TOUR Honestly, there is not much to say about this wine tour. Peter was our driver and he was very good. Knowledgeable, good sense of humour and a safe driver! That’s all you can hope for. He was very flexible with things too – when there was time between winery’s he took us to the Smelly Cheese Shop which was full of every type of cheese imaginable. We bought cheese and crackers for our dinner for that evening. So, our first stop after an hour or more drive out to Hunter Valley, was at the De iuliis (pronounced DEE-oo-lis) Winery. Theirs is not one that goes back generations although it is Michael, son of Giuseppe, who runs it now. This was the best tour of the day and therefore I am glad it was where we started. I don’t know our guide’s name unfortunately, she never said, but she was FANTASTIC. She was not just welcoming but had a great sense of humour and was incredibly knowledgable. She took us into the back where the wine is made and walked us step by step through each, white, rose, and red wine’s process. It was fascinating and really well explained. Then to the tasting room. It was all set up and ready for us. She walked us through each wine and asked us which we liked of each pair of samples – left hand up if you like the first, right hand up if you like the second, both hands up if you like both – if you like both you must “whoot, whoot” with your hands in the air! People slowly chickened out of saying yes to both! I was brave and got my whoot whoot in for the Shiraz selections. M then asked about the late harvest at the bottom of the list. Glad she did. Thinking it similar to an ice wine – she was right. The late harvests are not ice wines but have high sugar ratios making them very sweet. This particular one had strong notes of pineapple – her favourite. Needless to say, they opened a bottle for us all to taste and this was the one everyone purchased! Including us. Happy, we were on the road again. This time we were headed for lunch. A mediocre buttermilk chicken burger (again, I have no appetite for food so couldn’t really enjoy it) with a glass of local beer sated us. We then went upstairs for a wine and cheese pairing that was rather odd. The fellow would appear with a bottle, talk about it, pour it, tell us which cheese to taste it with (great cheeses) and disappear! Then he would pop back up with another bottle and repeat. He was very nice but he did not do the educational piece that we had at De iuliis – so it was a bit scant. Starting to feel the wine, likely due to the heat, I was slowing down. Note, that I usually have my sample with M’s as well since she doesn’t really drink… I peter out faster than everyone else! Off to our next stop which is the distillery. Now this was a strange experience. We are welcomed by Maddie into a large open warehouse with long tables and metal chairs. Cold metal chairs. We sit and she places small stands with test tubes, six in each, in front of us. She begins to explain the gins and vodkas we will be sampling. Then grabs two samples at a time and squirts them into our test tubes based on our choices. I choose the Mystery gin and one other – not so captivating as I don’t recall the name. I ended up purchasing the Mystery gin which is a blood orange flavour. The other didn’t appeal at all. I tasted the raspberry vodka and the chocolate mint liqueurs. Overall, I just wasn’t impressed. Disappointing. She saved the poison for last. Everyone opted to taste the chilli vodka. WOW, what a mistake for me. Talk about fire in the mouth. It was made from a selection of Thai chillis. Great for a mix in a bloody Mary of course but not straight up. Holy makerel, were the words I uttered in shock. On to our final destination (following a pause at the Smelly Cheese Shop), the wine and chocolate pairing. Well, sadly, by this time and after the disappointing gin stop, I was rather done. I sampled the wines but nothing stood out as special. The fortified wine (port) at the end was too sweet and took me over the top. I had stopped having M’s samples by this point anyway. The chocolates were interesting to pair with the various wines and it certainly influences the palate. It was a great experience just the same. In the shop, we purchased a bottle of locally produced olive oil to complete our collection of bottles from Australia (good luck suitcases). Hunter Valley has a fine history of wine making and it is a beautiful area to tour. You can tell I am getting a bit tired as I am sharing less history in this post. But it was a worthwhile day with friendly folks and tasty wines. Back in the van, Peter drove us safely back to town for our drop off and that was our wine tour all wrapped up. Yet another great day in Australia! <p><br/>De iuliis Winery - first and best stop</p><p></p><p><br/>our knowledgeable guide and tasting leader</p><p><br/>part of the wine process</p><p><br/>these barrells are used indefinitely</p><p><br/>these may be used for 10+ years</p><p><br/>standard pose!</p><p><br/>our tasty selections</p><p><br/>vine views</p><p><br/>second stop and lunch stop</p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>cheese pairings</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>it's just us again!</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>gin tasting</p><p><br/>gin, vodka and liqueur menu</p><p><br/>smelly chees shop</p><p><br/>wine and chocolate pairings</p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Thu, 08 Dec 2022 19:00:00 +1100</p> HANDEL’S MESSIAH – SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE It opens with a musical interlude that is captivating and then the choir silently rises to its feet and the air is filled with voices, magical voices that envelope the entire space that is the Sydney Opera House. The conductor, Brett Weymark, clearly inspires as he bounces back and forth, up and down, and side to side waving his arms and mouthing the words with expressive eyes and head bobbing in ways that show passion and joy for all he is enticing his musicians and chorus to present. It is captivating. It is moving. It is an experience of a lifetime. In this 2,679 seat concert hall, the acoustics are magical and the house is nearly full. Constructed of various woods to enhance the sound, even the seats are made of wood. The performance is rich. It is marvelous and I cannot explain what I do not understand but the choir itself is made up of over 400 performers from five total choral groups. They were seated on the stage with the Sydney philharmonic orchestra and then stretched all the way up to the ceiling surrounding them. We were seated in the front row. This was purely by chance, not deliberate in any way. Not the best seats to see the principal singers or the orchestra but a fantastic view of the conductor and all his joy. It wasn’t an experience where the view was important anyway as it was all about the sound and this did not disappoint. When it came time for the Halleluiah Chorus, the audience rose as is apparently tradition. According to my research, “A standing tradition: Audience members usually rise to their feet when the famous "Hallelujah" chorus begins. Supposedly King George II was so moved during the London premiere of the Messiah that he stood and then everyone else in the theater followed so as not to offend him.” And I can understand why. I was moved to tears by the vocal power of this part of the performance. It felt even richer being a part of the standing audience. There came the point where it was clear in story and music that we were approaching the end of the performance when a key moment of silence occurred. It was intended to have powerful emphasis, this was clear. And in this concert hall a moment of silence is just as powerful as the music. However, just as the conductor lifted his head to coax the next notes there was a distant ‘ting, ting’ (this hall picks up EVERY sound) and he turned. On the second ‘ting’ he dropped his head in frustration. Then turned back and willed the music to begin again. It was a palpable moment of disappointment. BUT with the force of his conducting the moment passed and the music brought us all together again in rapture. Rich and magical this marvelous performance concluded as strongly as it began with a chorus of A-MENs – amen. What an evening. I can honestly say this was the most moving and emotional musical experience of my entire life. It will not soon be forgotten. Thank you Sydney Opera House. It is true, the tour was a great education but the performance is a life changing experience. <p><br/>Handel's Messiah</p><p><br/>nearly a full house</p><p><br/>the chorus occupied stage behind the orchestra and all the upper seats surrounding</p> </article> <article> <h1>City of Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +1100</p> DECEMBER 8 – BACK IN SYDNEY I didn’t cover yesterday as it was a very tiring AND boring day. Our flight back from Melbourne was delayed two hours sitting on the tarmac as we waited for them to change an electrical panel. I think I would prefer them to change that out than other possible options! So, we return to Sydney and the Meriton Sussex Street for our final five days. After a good long sleep, we set out on a mission. I had read about Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair. Mrs. Macquarie was the Governor’s wife. The Governer’s house is near of the tip of a peninsula adjacent to the Sydney Opera House. We toured the house with Bill and Clemente. You are not allowed to take pictures in there which is a shame as it is a wonderful place to visit with lots of history and even current events take place there on special occasions. The public space is a smaller space that is shown – only four rooms technically. The site is also adjacent to the Botanical Gardens which are expansive. The gardens are in fact the site of the first farm in the city as well historically. It was relocated for some reason I can’t recall. Anyway – my mission: to see Mrs. Macquarie’s chair. It has no great symbolism or historical accomplishment. It is a sandstone chair or bench carved into the stone. It was, in fact, carved out by convicts in 1810. Governor Macquarie commissioned it for his wife Elizabeth who was known to love the area – a short walk from the Governer’s house – as it is a perfect viewpoint to see the sights of Sidney Harbour. There. That’s all the information you can find about the spot. But it is worth seeing as it is quite a little spot and they worked hard to carve that out. I wonder how long it took them? The view is spectacular and the stroll along the peninsula is lovely too. Pictures taken, experience complete we check it off my little bucket list. Done. Now we stroll past the Botanical gardens towards the NSW Art Gallery modern and old. We stop for a wee bite outside at a little café and then into the Art Gallery. It was such a beautiful building (the old one, the new not so enticing but that’s me not a fan of modern architecture really). We head straight to the old works dating back to the 1700s. This to me is art. The precision and talent – the light and shadows – the stories. I love it. We see a Monet, my heart is a flutter! A real Monet! Thank you gallery. And then to our surprise there are two Emily Carr paintings side by side. Wonderful! This was an unexpected treat. Out we go after our brief tour of the Gallery and on down the street to St. Mary’s Cathedral. A BEAUTIFUL Cathedral that was surprisingly full. As we drove past it in the morning my curiosity had been piqued because I had caught a glimpse of over 100 people kneeling outside on the plaza facing the church. On inquiry, I learned that it was a group of all women (all men on Saturdays) praying the rosary. Fascinating. Inside, it was like many cathedrals previously explored on our travels with beautiful statuary, stained glass and other memorials. It was surprisingly full with many people kneeling in prayer. One side was particularly busy which M quickly noted was people going to confession! Well there you have it! We are still looking for forgiveness. As is our tradition, M and I each lit a candle for our mothers. We sat in a pew for a few minutes to take in the grandeur of this great cathedral. Then we were off again. Our Uber came quickly to return us home. Mission accomplished --- another fruitful day. <p><br/>View from the path to Mrs. Macquarie's chair</p><p><br/>Mrs. Macquarie's Chair</p><p><br/>The explanation!</p><p><br/>Had to check out the view</p><p><br/>M on the chair!</p><p></p><p><br/>The full view of the chair</p><p><br/>a sphinx donated to the gardens</p><p><br/>imagine finding an old fashioned speaker's corner!</p><p><br/>NSW Art Gallery in her glory</p><p></p><p><br/>artwork on entry</p><p><br/>a painting that captivated me</p><p></p><p><br/>beautiful work... but I forgot to take a picture of the Monet!! Silly me.</p><p></p><p><br/>Emily Carr</p><p><br/>Emily Carr</p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>St. Mary's Cathedral</p><p><br/>inside this magnificent building</p><p></p><p><br/>Pope John Paul, an amazing man</p><p><br/>The grandeur of the St. Mary's Cathedral</p> </article> <article> <h1>Port Campbell National Park, Australia</h1> <p>Tue, 06 Dec 2022 08:30:00 +0000</p> DECEMBER 6 – PILGRIMAGE TO THE TWELVE APOSTLES An important part of this trip to Australia for me was this little Pilgrimage. Well, there’s nothing really little about it as this was another 13-hour tour to get from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles site along the Great Ocean Road. It is a scenic journey along the way with a few spots including one preferred by our driver, Wes, called Loch Ard which is just past the Apostles. More on this later. The day starts with a coffee stop an hour into the journey. Having risen so early the second day in a row (6:30 – who does that on vacation?) But what a perfect stop he has chosen – it is a chocolate factory. Admittedly, I still have little appetite so I don’t go crazy in the land of chocolate in which I would normally be itching to try all sorts! Wes recommends a hot chocolate. Good choice. It comes with a shot glass of milk chocolate to add to the already hot chocolate. I order a lemon meringue tart as well – this too comes with a shot of chocolate. They are serious about their chocolate here. And for good reason – damn, it was rich and tasty and not overly sweet that was the best part about it. M ordered a smoked salmon bagel – no shot of chocolate with this but she said it was very tasty! Sadly, as on every tour, the stops are always rushed so we gulp it down when it should have been savoured and are back on the bus again. The next stop is the unofficial start of the Great Ocean Road – a photo op really. Glad to stop here and stroll down to the beach where I picked up a small round stone to remember it by. The Memorial Arch is dedicated to the soldiers of WWI who gave their lives. Begun in 1919, over 5,000 WWI veterans spent 13 years cutting out the road by hand. No explosives were used – they climbed the walls and chiseled away the stone with hammers and very little – perhaps I would be more accurate to say none – safety gear. It was a project funded by the government to support the veterans who returned with no work prospects and many of whom were suffering from PTSD. At 243 kilometers long, it is the worlds largest war memorial. There are at least 638 known shipwrecks along the treacherous coastline. The 12 Apostles were originally named the Sow and Piglets in 1798 by Englishman George Bass (who was a horrible man by the way). The limestone stacks were later renamed the Twelve Apostles which was more of a marketing decision hoping to attract tourists! But even in the 1920s there were never twelve! At most, nine apostles were visible from the view points along the road. In 2005 one of the stacks eroded such that it collapsed into the ocean leaving eight. It is even suggested there are only seven now. But from our vantage point it was hard to count them all because of their staggered positioning. Over time, more will continue to disappear of course. The limestone is made of animal skeletons that accumulated on the ocean floor forming the limestone stacks. Water and erosion over millions of years wore away weaker parts of the limestone forming the stacks themselves. I am ahead of myself. Along the way, we stopped in a little town called Apollo Beach for lunch. Some folks went down to the beach, we went for fish and chips. This time I had butterfish. It was true to its name – buttery and rich. I would indulge in that again but apparently it can be hard to find. It was recommended by Daniel and I’m glad he did. M had scallops – they cook the whole scallop here and she says it too is buttery delicious. (Seems like we waste part of the scallop in North America.) Back to the bus we continue on to Loch Ard Gorge in Port Campbell National Park. The site of the most famous shipwreck along this coastline, the Loch Ard ran aground crashing into Mutton Bird Island in 1878. There were two survivors Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. Tom was the only crew who survived and swam to the beach. Eva floated around on a chicken coop until she got Tom’s attention whereby he swam out and rescued her. She was the daughter of a doctor and the sole survivor of her family who all perished. The cliffs are steep in the gorge. On rescuing Eva, Tom promised to climb the cliffs and get help. They were in the middle of nowhere at the time (it still really is). So, somehow, and it really is a mystery because of the sheerness of the gorge, Tom climbed out and walked the distance for help. The locals returned with him and ropes and rescued Eva. Now, you would think this has the making of a fine romance with such a rescue. But no. Eva was many classes higher than Tom the crewmember and this would never come to be. She returned home alone later and married a doctor. From here Wes took us back to the Twelve Apostles where there is a small gift shop and canteen. I have to say, and here is as good as any place to say it, but the public toilets in Australia are really well maintained – I hate public toilets and these ones have all been a relief, literally and figuratively!! Going to the Twelve Apostles was a very deliberate decision and choice for my heart. It has been 40 years in 2022 since my brother Mike died in Australia at the age of 23 as a result of being hit by a car. My whole life I have had a need to come to Australia to find some closure and peace in my heart. It was hard to figure out what would bring me peace as it is a big trip in a big country. But I always recall a photo of Mike taken by my brother Patrick at the Twelve Apostles. This is my memory of Mike – enjoying his adventures. So, this would be my pilgrimage to experience what he had experienced. And so, it was. We strolled out to the viewpoint and I could feel the emotion welling up inside. There they were and here he had been. I just stood in silence. The wind blew all around. The sun beat down on me warming my heart and the tears came. I talked to Mike and just took in the view. I took some pictures of my view. It was a different position and experience from what Mike’s would have been as none of this boardwalk and safety fencing and such was here when he was 40 years ago. I am sure the crowds were not here either. I ignored the chatter and the posing for photos all around me. M took some pix of me for my keepsake, and we took a selfie as well. Mission accomplished. But it was difficult to step away. It really was. However, I had fulfilled my mission and my heart though aching still was starting to ease. Time was ticking and we had to return to the bus. Thirty minutes – that was the scheduled stop. A 13-hour day for an important pilgrimage nets only 30 minutes at my destination. In truth, it was probably all that I needed for this important mission. <p><br/>In the chocolate factory</p><p><br/>Abundance of chocolate</p><p><br/>enjoying the beach at the start of the Great Ocean Road</p><p><br/>Loch Ard Gorge</p><p><br/>The Razorback at the Loch Ard Gorge</p><p><br/>Zooming in on the Twelve Apostles</p><p><br/>Me... them</p><p><br/>Can't get enough apparently</p><p><br/>Looking the other direction from the Twelve Apostles - equally beautiful shoreline</p><p><br/>Chocolate shots for our hot chocolate - the way it should be! (Hot chocolate will never be the same now!)</p><p><br/>the chocolate factory</p><p><br/>Great Ocean Road Marker</p><p><br/>Great Ocean Road</p><p><br/>Memorial to the Veterans who built the road</p><p><br/>Beach at the start of the Great Ocean Road</p><p><br/>What a view!</p><p><br/>crashing shoreline </p><p><br/> a peaceful moment in the rainforest valley on our way to the Apostles</p><p><br/>Loch Ard Gorge</p><p><br/>at the Gorge</p><p><br/>a memento of the Twelve Apostles</p><p><br/>The Twelve Apostles view</p><p><br/>contemplation</p><p><br/>remembering Mike</p><p><br/>We two at the Apostles... seven or eight remaining?</p> </article> <article> <h1>Phillip Island, Australia</h1> <p>Mon, 05 Dec 2022 08:30:00 +1100</p> MONDAY, DEC 5 – PHILLIP ISLAND: THE LITTLE PENGUINS COME ASHORE I didn’t know what exactly to expect when we got up so early this morning. When we boarded our tour bus our driver immediately introduced himself as Daniel, a bad driver and a real BAHstard. He wore a drover’s rain coat and hat and sported long hair and a beard. Not your typical tour driver as we were used to. He was full of beans. Oh my goodness he has lots to say and lots of rules for his busload of 26 tourists. But here’s the thing. His rules were fair as they set out expectations for a good trip. He’s a fan of everything – Star Wars, life, poetry, mythology, truth… he’s a self described hippie. But he’s not the focus of the day, so let’s move on --- he’s such a big part of the day though. Honestly, he was completely whackado but what a gentle, kind soul he really was. So caring about the environment and animals – he made such sincere pleas to his ‘audience’ to conserve and care. On to the tour! First stop, after about three hours drive to Phillip Island, was the Phillip Island Koala Reserve. It was the perfect sanctuary because it was a fully natural set up with giant enclosures. You couldn’t get close to the koalas (there were 10 here that I can figure) because they were so high up in the trees. So, it was not the perfect sanctuary because they were so high up in the trees! But it was a great example of a healthy, natural setting. We were there only briefly, 30 minutes, but it was enough time to watch them sleep and eat – we were getting good at this after Healesville! So, we have much time to pass to get on to our main goal of the Penguin Parade. Back on the bus and off to dinner we go. Daniel takes us to a little town where he begins pointing out restaurants that are closed. He’s disappointed but as he drives closer to the water his choices get better and he 100% recommends the Italian restaurant (he’s half Sicilian). We opt for the one closest to the bus – a little fish and chips joint. It was a smart move because everyone walked past the place to explore and we got to sit comfortably after hours on the bus and enjoy a relaxed meal. We avoided the flake which turned out to be shark – Daniel later thanked us for not eating shark! We chose Blue Grenadier fish which was a light and fluffy fish, quite tasty. Onward and upward we were back on the road now to the Nobbies. The Nobbies are an incredibly important stretch of land on Phillip Island with the largest colony of Australian Fur Seals. The rocky coastline makes for a perfect breeding ground for these seals. The problem with this stop – aside from being so windy that the light rain burned like sand whipping your face – was that the seals blend in with the rocks and you can’t see them with the naked eye from the boardwalk. Themselves agile hunters of fish, they also catch squid and octopus, they were hunted down from hundreds of thousands to a mere 20,000 by the mid 1800s. Conservation is now helping the population to recover. We ventured out of the bus to the cliffs and with the whipping rain beating on us promptly turned on our heal and rushed back to the bus. Cowards, sure, but the best was yet to come anyway! Daniel was adding stops and killing time because the best of the trip is reserved for sunset. He drives back to the Phillip Island Nature Park now and with repeated emphasis states 9:40 – everyone back on the bus. He points out that he has changed his hat to a wool penguin hat for us to find him with ease. All along the last part of the drive he has been feeding us with facts about the Little Penguins – also known as Fairy Penguins but no one calls them that anymore because people got offended (seriously), so Little Penguins it is or, as he says, just call them Frank. We arrive at our destination and walk from the car park towards the building that resembles, as Daniel points out, a Star Wars death ship. He’s right. It’s quite the structure. Built in 2019 it was finished just in time, costing billions – he says – for covid to shut it down before it could really take off. It was a devastating blow to tourism. But here we are and there are no shortage of people here. In fact, some evenings over 2000 people turn up. Why? Well, it is quite a remarkable reason. There are 40,000 of these Little Penguins that call this area home. They go out to sea in the thousands and can stay out for days depending on ocean conditions/weather. Each night a few thousand return (yes, someone is assigned to count them but I really don’t know now they do it because the critters come up along a wide stretch of beach) to their burrows either self made or man made boxes. There is an elevated boardwalk, about 24 inches above ground, that enables the Little Penguins to come up to their burrows without barriers or imposition by people. But first, we start at the grandstand while the light is still out. A few rangers patrol and one comes on the mic to explain the event. Last night there were over 2500 LPs who came to shore. They will start to emerge as the sun goes down – they are wary of birds of prey who hunt them and nasty seagulls who harass them. They can become so stressed that the regurgitate the food they have been out hunting for days and catching thus losing the food they are bringing home for mates and chicks. So, they cautiously emerge from the ocean. A group of penguins is called a raft. They come to shore in rafts and they do it in a very chilled manner riding the tide as it flows in and out. Just when you think they will land on the beach the tide pulls them back out. And, if one or two become separated by the tide pulling the raft back out, they turn on their little feet and race back in the water with the others! It is cute to watch. We are at a distance so it is with great anticipation that we view this site. FINALLY, we start to see the rafts waddle towards the shore and they are now coming in droves. We first see them on the left side of the grandstand and the crowd is starting to move to the boardwalk paths behind them for the close up views. We wonder – do we wait till they come up beside us or go to the boardwalk? A tough call as the sun is dropping and darkness emerging. We bolt. Up to the boardwalk and a small group of folks are huddled by the fence squatting down with a security guard overlooking them. There is one Little Penguin huddled at the fence post looking scared. The guard leans over the fence to make sure noone touches the LP. They are respectful. By the way – it has been made very clear that NO photography is allowed for fear of flashes. Flashes will blind the Little Penguins who then become lost and cannot return to their families which means no food for the family and they starve. Daniel went so far as to say that a direct flash in the eye can cause it to explode – sounds fishy to me, but I wouldn’t want to test the theory. I ask the security guard if the LP is frightened – are the crowds stressful for these little guys? No, is his response, they are used to it. I admit that for the most part the crowd – hundreds, if not thousands on different boardwalk paths moving at different rates – is quiet and respectful. Our friendly guard has been working the area for 25 years. He says “come with me, let me show you something” and off we go at a quick step in pursuit. He takes us up and around a corner of the boardwalk to where there is a curve. He says “stay here, this is the best spot – I take my grandchildren here all the time.” He’s off quickly now to tell someone to put their camera away. Grateful, we watch and soon see why the spot is perfect as a large raft of the Little Penguins comes racing towards us – it is amazing. They are waddling at a good clip. That expression ‘happy feet’ could not be truer. They just seem to be elated to be home and in a hurry to share food and news of their journey it seems. As they pass below us it is just so hard to believe we are witnessing this incredible journey. At some points we were as close as a foot from the Little Penguins, the construction is so well designed for both visitors and penguin safety. In ones and twos now, the rafts breaking up as they separate to find their burrows, they continue to march past. So, we start to stroll the boardwalk watching pairs and individuals make their way home. And then we hear two young men loudly say “fight, fight” – we quickly admonish them not to do this and look at where they were looking. (They quieted and said sorry.) Before I go on, I should say that Little Penguins are just that - little. They are the smallest species of penguin standing only at 12 inches tall. They look smaller in real life. Their feathers are blue (same colour as my glasses – not quite a royal blue, but very pretty). There, before a raft of about 16 Little Penguins, stands a tall (30 inches) Cape Barren Goose. They are slightly larger than a Canada Goose and gray in colour. This one stood his ground in the middle of the path blocking this raft of little guys. They stood close together, hesitating. They leaned from one side to the other, forward and back a bit and then stood still. But there was one Little Penguin in front. He, she, would take one step forward and then step back, turn and look at everyone else as if to say, “come on guys, if we go together, we will be fine!” She did this several times and then took a sidestep. She turned to look back at the group that was still paralyzed not knowing what to do! Then she made her move. A committed right foot forward and she scurried wide around the goose still looking at the rest of the raft. She was gone! That’s when the back of the raft turned left and started to head off the path and into the brush. The one’s in front were still eyeballing the goose who, himself, did not really know what to do either! I will NEVER forget the courage of the Little Penguin who bravely turned right and skirted a wide birth around to hurry home. If I had cheated and filmed something that evening – it would be this scene, fortunately imprinted in my memory joyfully! A joyful evening witnessing one of life’s miracles – it couldn’t have been better for a 13-hour day. At this point it was very cold out – though the rain had fortunately stopped to allow us this experience dry – so we chose to head back into the interpretive center. We wandered around the giftshop, having purchased blankets beforehand to keep us warm (good move), and picked up a Little Penguin stuffy in a jumper. The money goes to conservation. The story of the jumper (sweater, for us non-Aussies) is that when the LPs swim through oils and toxins in the ocean it sticks to their feathers. If they try to lick it off it poisons them and they die. So, the jumpers are put on LPs covered in oil and the jumper absorbs the oil helping to clean them off. There is a movement around the world inviting people to knit and send jumpers for the LPs. (As it turns out, we learned that one of our neighbours back home has even knitted one of these jumpers!) Those that are off in size are put on the penguin stuffies and sold! That is how we come to have a Little blue fairy Penguin stuffy with a jumper, so there! That’s a wrap on Phillip Island – a great choice for a tour and a wonderful miracle to witness. So grateful. <p><br/>Some koala shots</p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>The Nobbies</p><p><br/>Cape Barren Goose... intimidating to a Little Penguin!</p><p><br/>Fur seals out on the Nobbies</p><p><br/>Little Penguin stuffies in jumpers</p><p><br/>Cape Barren Goose losing a feather</p><p><br/>Daniel in his penguin cap (such a nice guy, he traded his warm jacket for this woman's rain jacket to keep her warm!)</p><p><br/>M with the jumpers</p><p><br/>Phillip Island interpretive center</p><p><br/>rafts starting to come to shore</p><p><br/>Little Penguins hit the beach as sun starts to drop</p><p><br/>stealing a naughty photo - no flash of the LPs approaching, a moving experience</p><p><br/>there they go!</p><p><br/>a close up of a Little Penguin</p><p><br/>Inside the interpretive center still wrapped in my blanket!</p><p><br/>the Center - looking like something out of Star Wars</p> </article> <article> <h1>Melbourne, Australia</h1> <p>Sun, 04 Dec 2022 08:30:00 +1100</p> SUNDAY IN MELBOURNE – SHE’S A COOKER No air is moving and the sun is hanging brilliant in the sky. It’s going to be a hot one – turns out to be an understatement. With directions to the Queen Victoria Market, we stroll down the street towards the free trams. To get to the market we have to walk a couple extra blocks to catch the right train. We are at the start of the line so a seat is welcome in the heat. Number 30 tram turns and takes us towards Elizabeth Street where we will disembark and walk a few blocks, a bit of a circle frankly, to find our way around to the Market. Not named for Queen Victoria – this market is found at the corners of Queen and Victoria Street. It stretches 17 acres, we soon learn, and know that we will not be exploring the entire site. Also known as the Vic Market or Queen Vic, it is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemisphere. It was constructed in stages from the 1860s and officially opened in 1878. It is the last of the cities Victorian era markets that is still operating. It is a National Heritage site and sees approximately 10 million visitors annually. Now we count in that number! A side note, it was actually built over top of the Old Melbourne Cemetery which was closed to burials in 1854. About 10,000 people were buried there and only 28 skeletons were later exhumed from the site… a strange history to this site if you want to read the details about it. It is a combination of every market we have ever visited in a city. The first building we enter in this covered market is rows of repeated goods – socks, souvenirs, leather jackets, T-shirts, cell phone supplies (covers, cords, etc), hand bags, and repeat… socks, souvenirs, etc. over and over again. It starts to look like the same vendors have multiple stalls as we see this repeat row after row and the crowds dwindle the further you go so you can tell others have caught on to this repetition. Marilyn finds a quirky little stand with a gentleman selling the freshest bites of Turkish Delight and makes a purchase after a wee sampling. We leave this first building and cross a street with food vendors and enter an older brick building that is clearly a wet market of sorts (the meat and fish building to be precise) with stalls that are long established filled with lamb, beef, kangaroo, emu, chicken, you name the cut they will have it. Another section focuses on fish. I can’t figure out how they survive as there are dozens of the same. How do people choose which stall to buy their meats/fish from? A further stroll brings us to baked goods and coffee – we haven’t had breakfast, so this is our jam! M orders a coffee and we buy two almond croissants. We meander back out of the crowded building to find a couple seats – the heat is overbearing, and we cannot find shade. So, we pull on the edges of our shorts to sit on two small metal stools at a table, ouch! Fresh pastries distract from the discomfort. I am sitting facing a fellow managing his sugar cane booth. I watch as he takes meter long sticks of sugar cane and puts them through a press that crushes the juice out. The heat has done us in. It is well past thirty degrees and the air is not moving. There are more buildings to explore but we have seen enough. Our Uber picks us up quickly and we are back at the hotel for a nap. We are on vacation; naps are thoroughly legal! After a lengthy nap, we set out for our dinner cruise of the Yarra River. It was a lovely four course meal - but I continue to lack appetite so food is not being as appreciated as it could be. Still it was tasty. It was a three hour cruise that would have been just as pleasant at two hours. And, you could see that they were trying to kill time to net out the full three hours which was really silly in my opinion because there was nothing to do on board except sit at your table and stare out the window. Once the sun sets you can't see much anyway. At one point the boat turned and headed back up river to clearly kill time. Ah well, it was an experience just the same. I was in the company of my best friend and sweetheart and that was all that mattered in the end. A lovely evening. <p><br/>a sweltering day</p><p><br/>Turkish delight at the Queen Vic</p><p><br/>Meat Market at Queen Vic</p><p><br/>Spirit of Melbourne cruise</p><p><br/>Yarra River cruise</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p> </article> <article> <h1>Melbourne, Australia</h1> <p>Fri, 02 Dec 2022 08:30:00 +1100</p> ARRIVING IN MELBOURNE Flying to Melbourne was quick and easy with a flight just over one hour. But it was a big A320 plane filled to the gills and boarded via front and rear doors. The deplaning was done to the tarmac and down stairs which did not excite me in the least but I just chose to be careful and go down slowly so as not to trigger my knee. Good plan. It was a bit of a struggle to find the Uber pick up zone but we were in the car and on our way to the hotel in the blink of an eye. The first thing I spotted was a giant Ferris wheel that was a complete copy of the London Eye. But it didn’t appear to look over anything special and it wasn’t in operation either. Curious. Of course, it was still early morning around 11am and so our hotel was not ready. This one is a different chain and they weren’t terribly excited to see us – so says me. They told us to take a walk to the Docklands as our room wouldn’t be ready till 2pm. Sigh. I just wanted to nap as we had been up at 5:30. I am finding travelling exhausting, especially in the heat. It just sucks the life energy out of me. Anyway, exited the hotel and stopped at a little hole in the wall for Chinese dumplings. It was a mom and pop operation and so they were fresh and reasonably tasty. Then, we took a stroll over to the Pier and along the promenade and finally sat down and lay back in the sun. After a few minutes I checked my watch a realized we were lying in the peak heat (noon) without any sunscreen – a good effort at a sunburn. So, we got up and headed into the shade for a walk back to the hotel. We sauntered slowly and stopped at a convenience store to pick up some groceries (cereal and milk and such) for our suite. Sure enough when we arrived back at the hotel our room was ready. Such a relief. We settled in and got ready for an early rise to enjoy our first tour the next morning. Up and out early, we strolled the 10 minutes to the Savoy Hotel where our tour operator Shane picked us up. He was full of energy, warm and welcoming. He immediately introduced us to the others on board and continued this ritual as he picked each one of his tour guests up. This tour was to the Yarra Valley which is one of the significant wine producing areas in the state of Victoria. As we drove the hour out to the Valley, Shane talked about the history of the area, the different producers and who dominated the Valley. And that is where we stopped first, the DiBortoli Winery. The DiBortolis established their presence in the wine industry in 1928. They are now three generations in as wine producers and are known for their Noble One Botrytis Semillon white wine which was developed in the 1980s. It has won 104 trophies and 352 gold medals not to mention 113 International awards. They have a lovely Pinot Noir which was part of the tasting we did but at $120/bottle it was not a purchase we were going to partake in. The neat thing about this tasting unlike others we have done was that it was paired with some unique cheeses mostly imported from France or locally made. It was great to taste the wine, then cheese, then together to really understand the value or importance of pairing. However, it kind of freaks you out when you realize that when you prepare a charcuterie board you will also need several wines open to match your cheeses properly. You might be surprised to learn that Marilyn was the wine purchaser on this day as she chose to buy a smaller bottle of the Botrytis Semillon (the award winner). It is a sweeter wine but lovely on the palate. Next we were off to the Yering Station Winery. The town of Yering is home to 138 people. In 1837 William, Donald and James Ryrie settled here. Donald Ryrie seemed to be the ambitious one of the three brothers as he began producing wine labeled Chateau Yering. Others soon followed and the wine industry saw its ups and downs over the next 100 years. In the 1960s many new wineries were established and some of the originals came back into production. This brings us to Yering Station. A beautiful property where we had a very casual tasting with a young man who, himself, is a wine producer in his spare time. He buys grapes and bottles his own wines – currently producing 700 bottles, he hopes to be up to 1200 by next year with hope for continued growth. He was very knowledgeable, and I appreciated all he had to share. We then went downstairs to the bustling restaurant with a view for days – it reminded me completely of Poplar Grove Winery on the Naramata Bench back home. We were served a delicious, rich meal with a glass of wine of our choosing (I chose the Pinot Noir). Marilyn had the duck and I had the chicken. Honestly, it was so rich it was too much for me. But it was very flavourful just the same. This is a beautiful site to wander on with a selection of art and sculptures that catch the eye. There were some super comfortable lounge chairs made from oak barrel ties – beautifully constructed – for a mere $2080.00. They wouldn’t fit in our suitcases, so a hard pass. Back on the road again, this is where the group splits for the day. Six of the group is dropped at the next winery which, coincidentally, is across from the Four Pillars Distillery known for their gin. This one is a drive by unfortunately! We remaining four (two women from Texas are with us) are now on our way to the Healesville Sanctuary where a wonderful volunteer guide, David, takes us on a whirlwind tour walking nearly four km of the parkland. In the state of Victoria, you are not permitted to hold Koalas, he explains to us. It is part of the preservation and care model. As we express our disappointment, he says “I wouldn’t want to – look at their claws. If they get startled they grip you.” Another passing woman says “and they stink. Koalas smell terrible up close.” David affirms this statement saying you don’t have to look hard for a Koala, just smell for them. Their diet is strictly comprised of the eucalyptus leaf. It is 70% fiber, 28% water and the rest – well I forget – but whatever it is is made up of toxins believe it or not. The leave is so limited in nutritional and caloric content that Koalas are largely sedentary and they can sleep up to 20 hours each day. The bacteria needed in the gut to digest the fiber and the toxins contributes to the smell, if I remember correctly. Apparently, if you see a Koala drinking water it means it is stressed as they get their water from the leaves. An arboreal herbivorous marsupial, the Koala is also a solo creature. They don’t hang around together even with family. There were at least five Koala enclosures with one in each. And where there was a mother and daughter the two distanced themselves by about 30 feet. The Koala is not a bear by the way and believe it or not, it’s closest living relative is the wombat! We had hoped to see a wombat but it was too warm out so they were inside their dens. (Same with the Tasmanian Devils – I did see a quick glimpse of one who turned as quickly as he showed himself and went back in the den.) Koalas live 13-18 years in the wild – needless to say, longer in captivity. We parked ourselves for about 30 minutes to watch a wonderful bird show. The function of the bird performance is completely based on whether the birds choose to perform or not. And they are sometimes hesitant but a hearty treat will tempt anyone (I know, speak for myself) into action. From the small kestrel to an independent thinking osprey and the huge black buzzard with a 3 meter wing span – they were beautiful to watch soaring overhead and sometimes so close you could feel the wind of them passing. It was a beautiful show. I loved how patient they were with the birds. As we tried to search out other creatures, we skipped the reptiles due to time, we learned that 30 plus degrees is not a favourite temperature for them and they sought out their dens. But we did enter the very dark enclosure for the platypus which was a big surprise for me. I thought they would be the size of a small beaver. But in fact they are very much smaller. Males get to 20 inches and females 17 inches in size weighing 1-5 pounds. Also known as a duckbill platypus or a watermole (they do remind me of a mole without the duckbill with their big front feet). They were first discovered in 1799 and it was thought to be a hoax when someone sent a pelt back to England. They actually thought that someone had sewn a duck bill on the front of a beaver-like animal. They even took a pair of scissors to the skin to try to find the stitches. Such doubt! Apparently, there is no plural to the word platypus and it literally means ‘flat-foot’. They may look cute (and they do) but beware of the male because they have a spur on their back ankle, like a dog’s dew claw, that can deliver a toxic venom if provoked. It could kill a dog and incapacitate a human, so much so they would wish to be dead! On that positive note, I will move on to another interesting creature we met. The Echidna is the only known relative of the platypus. Their relationship is confirmed by the fact that they are both species which lay eggs but nurse their offspring known as a monotreme. The echidna looks like a hedgehog or possibly a porcupine, but they are not in any way related. They are sometimes known as the spiny anteaters. They have an 18 inch tongue known as a sticky tongue used to dig into ground and wood after ants and termites. They are not closely related to the true ant eaters of the Americas, in case you were wondering. They live to be about 14-16 years in the wild and a fully grown female could weigh as much as 10lbs with a male at 13lbs. The longest recorded lifespan for a captive echidna is 50 years! This long beaked little critter bustles about when he moves and I have to admit I found him to be quite captivating to watch – busy, busy, busy! Then came the kangaroos who were just that – kangaroos. No real surprises here except that you don’t want to make one mad. They can lean back on their tail, grab with their forearms and pummel with their hind legs until one is dead. Given one of their rear claws is super long, they can actually eviscerate their victim in nothing flat and leave them for dead. Otherwise, they seem pretty docile – eep! We saw the grey kangaroo (don’t know if they were eastern or western) and red kangaroos. The grey are smaller but I honestly was surprised that the red were not bigger. It is estimated that there are 42.8 million kangaroos living within what they call the commercial harvest areas of Australia (2019). Marsupials are classed by size, the largest being kangaroos and the smallest being wallabies. We also saw the very cute tree kangaroo which is a bit fuzzier and more red than the others. They have a longer tail, shorter ears and appear more cuddly but, I wouldn’t try it. I got a few great photos of kangaroos hopping but it is their slow speed movement that fascinated me. They employ a movement called pentapedal – penta: five, pedal: foot – locomotion. In this movement they use their tail to lift their hind feet, swing them forward and then land, bring the tail forward and repeat. The pentapedal motion suggests that they use the front two legs with the tail forming a tripod and then move the back legs forward. But when they are moving at their slowest, I observed it the way I described. Known to be shy and retiring by nature, Kangaroos are not considered a threat to people. In fact, in 2003 a hand reared eastern grey named Lulu saved her owner’s life when the farmer was injured by a fallen tree branch. She alerted the family to his location. As a result, she was awarded the RSPCA Australia National Animal Valour Award in 2004. So that’s the kangaroo for ye mate! So ended our day in the heat of the Healesville Santcutary which, for your information, opened in 1934 in Healesville! It is 78 acres of a natural bushland environment which has an extensive native animal breeding program. They are one of only two places that have successfully bred the platypus (Sydney’s Taronga Zoo is the other). With gratitude to David, who could not accept a tip – so we asked him to donate it to the Sanctuary, we sought out our ride with Shane and returned to pick everyone else up from their continued wine samplings. They were a happy bunch when they rejoined us! And then began our hour long journey back to Melbourne. Shane dropped each off at their hotels and kindly drove us to our hotel as well. Another successful day! <p><br/>Melbourne from the air</p><p><br/>Australian Hybiscus</p><p><br/>just cute</p><p><br/>the anti social koala</p><p><br/>hiding in plain sight</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>the rare black cockatoo (endangered)</p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>kestrel coming in for a landing</p><p><br/>black buzzard</p><p><br/>tree kangaroo</p><p><br/>echidna</p><p><br/>boinnnng!</p><p><br/>boinnnnng!</p><p><br/>what?</p><p></p><p><br/>bad hair day for a little girl</p><p><br/>winery visit</p><p><br/>THE Noble One</p><p><br/>Beautiful art</p><p><br/>lovley setting</p><p></p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Wed, 30 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +1100</p> LAST DAY IN SYDNEY AND OFF TO MELBOURNE Disembarking went smoothly as a crew member conveniently walked up to Bill and said “is your group all together? Then you can line up now.” Easy peasy. We lined up and were off the ship in a matter of minutes and through customs without a hitch. It was early in the morning and so when our Uber dropped us off at the hotel, we couldn’t check in right away. So we went for a wander. This took us through Chinatown where we sampled some delicious cocktail buns and killed enough time to arrive at the famous Paddy’s Market. This historical building is a market that dates back over a century to 1834. It has had several locations but some of the buildings it currently operates in appear to date back to the late 1800s. What we didn’t realize until we walked through and did some typical tourist shopping was that it had been incorporated into a modern shopping development. So, picture Covent Gardens in England with a shopping mall built on top and then a residential tower with tennis courts integrated beside and on top of that. (I think I prefer Covent Gardens.) When we returned the Boys’ room was ready so we all went up to their room to wait for ours. They settled in and we relaxed for a wee while as we waited on our room. When it finally came up it was nap time, of course. So we napped until dinner time where we strolled down to a Thai restaurant downstairs which was very authentic and tasty. So, together we had our last supper and enjoyed one another’s company. And then it was time to say goodbye. The next day we would be parting ways with the Boys heading home and M and I off to Melbourne. It was a heartfelt goodbye – we have so enjoyed the past two weeks with Bill and Clemente. What wonderful and easy travel companions they are! Thank you, gentlemen, for a great two weeks together. Now, onward and upward as the skies take us to Melbourne. <p><br/>avocado, poached egg and prawn toast... yummy</p><p><br/>chocolate extravaganza</p><p><br/>thanks to a staff tip, we got there just as it started and before the chaos crowds followed!</p><p><br/>my chocolate swan</p><p><br/>no towel critter on our last day - just thanks!</p><p><br/>except for the monkey hanging behind, here is our critter family</p><p><br/>long story - you had to be there but this was hilarious, Bill!!!</p><p><br/>Bill showing off his custom donut mask that matched the ship decor</p><p><br/>our last supper together</p><p></p><p><br/>crocodile beignets... had to try them, moist and delicious</p><p></p><p><br/>another surf and turf delight</p><p><br/>lamb for M</p><p><br/>tutti frutti low sugar cake</p><p><br/>a banana split for Bill just because he could</p><p><br/>view of the ship docked</p><p><br/>festive treat</p><p><br/>festive moment</p><p><br/>creepy</p><p><br/>casual</p><p><br/>Sydney's Chinatown</p><p><br/>Paddy's Market</p><p><br/>a view from the sky of Paddy's market development</p><p><br/>Moulin Rouge theatre across from our hotel</p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Tue, 29 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +1100</p> NOT QUITE THERE YET – DAY EIGHT AT SEA Still at sea, the map won't let me pick the ocean as our location, we are actually 360 nautical miles from Sydney. What is a nautical mile you ask? I had to look it up: “Nautical miles are used to measure the distance traveled through the water. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a mile on land, equaling 1.1508 land-measured (or statute) miles. The nautical mile is based on the Earth's longitude and latitude coordinates, with one nautical mile equaling one minute of latitude.” Now we both know. If nothing else, maybe we will feel a tad smarter for reading my ramblings. Nothing eventful on day 8 to speak of – more good food at dinner and we tried the pizza joint today for lunch. Simple Italian pizzas. Flavorful and light, I went back for seconds. I had my favourite of course, Hawaiian. M had the mushroom pizza which was equally delicious. For dinner, I had the ribeye roast which was such a large serving it nearly filled the plate. I couldn’t finish it which was a shame because it was tender and delicious. M had cioppino which is a seafood medley in broth, also delicious. The squid particularly tender. Bill ate light and Clemente had the same as me. Our round of desserts was matched, Clemente and I had the low sugar red velvet cake and M and Bill had the Grand Marnier souffle which, I am told, was the best dessert on the ship so far. The seas were very rough today, tossing and turning or shall I say rocking and rolling us all about. We watched as storms rolled over us stirring up the sea while we played UNO. Finally, after dinner M and I went to the spa where she had a pedicure, and I had a manicure. The spa is at the top of the ship, forward. So it really reflected the movement of the ship. It was very difficult to walk, people, including us, were being thrown back and forth where one step netted four or five to catch your balance. Drawers slid open and closed as the ship rocked. It was quite an experience. Only one technician was available as the other was sent down sick. So, M sat in a massage chair while I had my manicure and visa versa while she had her treatment. Now, speaking of sick. On our return from Christchurch, we saw our first evidence of covid on the ship. As we returned from the city, we observed a reserved elevator bringing an elderly couple down with all their luggage and being escorted by several crew including a cleaner. They looked distressed as they were taken around the corner to the level one staterooms. Bill described a post from one of the facebook pages where guests are posting (lots of complaints and winging going on – whiners, really should just stay off social and enjoy the experience.) Apparently, not all guests with covid are moved to level one as outside of some rooms red biowaste bags are being placed filled with towels or dishes from their room service. I am told that guests with covid are treated extremely well with free room service and other kindnesses to make up for their isolation. We all are fine so far. Though I must admit, I was a bit anxious with my seasickness in the beginning but that is all it is – it comes and goes in waves … ha ha… literally with the waves!! <p><br/>rainbow in the storm at sea, back in the Tasman Sea (Basin)</p><p><br/>today's critter - a scorpian! ooooo ahhhh amazing!</p><p><br/>shrimp cocktail delight!</p><p><br/>flavourful crabcake</p><p><br/>mozzarella sticks</p><p><br/>ribeye roast</p><p><br/>Cioppino - seafood medley</p><p><br/>grand marnier souffle - rated number one dessert by our team!</p><p><br/>low sugar, red velvet cake with chocolate swirl</p> </article> <article> <h1>Stewart Island, New Zealand</h1> <p>Mon, 28 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +1300</p> CAVEAT: we were not at Stewart Island but this stupid blog does not recognize Fiordland Nat'l Park or Milford Sound and so I had to choose the next closest (not) location for the map tracking. VERY annoying. DAY SEVEN: SAILING THROUGH THE FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK Spectacular scenery. There, my post is done. Waking not so early we didn’t miss much as it is a long stretch of beauty as we pass by the shores of this park with masses of beautiful forest that stretch from ocean to mountain top. Popping out of the rock are the occasional waterfalls and snow-capped peaks in the distance. At the southern corner of New Zealand this area is the largest of the 13 National parks. It is 4,868 square miles. Set aside as a national reserve in 1904, it was declared a national park in 1952. It was recognized as a world heritage site in 1986 and again in 1990 was recognized with three other national parks as part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area. It is a lot of the same sights as we cruise along – not to diminish it as it is absolutely beautiful. I imagine that if the light were different without clouds or at different times of the day it would take on magical appearances. Many of the fiords have names like Milford (Sound), Patea, and Dusky, and stories that go along with them. So many I can’t recount them all. I think my favourite is Doubtful Harbour (not a harbour at all) which was named by Captain Cook who was in doubt as to whether his ship could navigate the harbour fearing it may not be deep enough. A significant refuge for many species that are threatened, the park is home to dolphins, bats, reptiles, insects, and birds. The one that stood out to me is a flightless parrot called the Kakapo. There is also the Fiordland crested penguin and the southern brown kiwi – all species that are endangered. An interesting point that was made by Andrew our trike driver/tour operator in Dunedin was that they were releasing kiwis back into the wild there as part of a conservation and recovery project. Fiordland National Park is the most popular national park in NZ for international visitors. Milford Sound is a popular destination for tours, kayaking and hiking and climbing. All in all, it has something for everyone when it comes to appreciating the outdoors. So, this amounts to an additional day at sea really despite the beauty of the fiords. We spent a lovely long breakfast with the boys at the Gold Pearl as we relaxed away the morning with the fiords disappearing past us as we sailed along. Because we are so close to shore it does not count as ‘international waters’ so the shops and casino are closed until 8pm this evening when we head further out to sea on our journey back to Sydney. UNO’clock came around at 4pm as usual and the game was afoot! Dinner at the Black Pearl in the evening and I am determined that on Tuesday we will play mini golf. (I was going to try the massive slide that rises higher than the top of the ship but then I discovered the stairs to get up to it and realized my knee would not manage them and crossed that off my to do list!) Incidentally, dinner was served by Marian a gent from Romania whose service was the best we’ve had since boarding. We will dine at this tables the last few nights. <p></p><p><br/>Today's critter... no idea what it is ... orangutan?</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>map showing our course of travel to Fiordland Nat'l Park</p><p></p><p><br/>Dealing UNO... such fun!</p><p><br/>I had to!! Frog's legs were on the menu, I couldn't miss the opportunity to try. Moist and tender</p><p><br/>mussels... yum</p><p><br/>another tasty surf and turf dinner</p><p><br/>BBQ plate - brisket, saugage and tasty treats</p><p><br/>Kung Pao Chicken</p><p></p> </article> <article> <h1>Dunedin, New Zealand</h1> <p>Sun, 27 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +1300</p> DAY SIX: PORT CHALMERS, DUNEDIN A relaxed start to the day – compared to the previous two – we met the boys at 8:15 to disembark and meet our tour operator, Andrew, of Experience Dunedin. This was Bill’s wise selection, and we were all pumped to experience it. Picture a five-seater motorcycle – driver in front and four seats (2x2) behind - and you’ve climbed aboard with us! We didn’t have to wait long to be greeted by Andrew in the welcome hall of Port Chambers at Otaga Wharf where the ship is docked. Dunedin founded in 1848 by Scottish immigrants, the name comes from the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh. It’s coat of arms features both a Scotsman and a Maori Chief. There was a large influx of Chinese as well to the community around the same time. Additionally, it had become a big whaling station (settled by the Weller brothers of New South Wales in 1831) and seal hunting area for a long period of its history with much competition and struggles over this controversial way of making a living. In 1861 the discovery of gold brought a massive influx of people making Dunedin the largest city by population for the time. Captain William Cargill was the secular leader of the colony and Reverend Thomas Burns (nephew of poet Robert Burns) was the spiritual leader of the times. Incidentally, his cost to purchase the trike was $130,000 if you can imagine that. We all donned our winter coats because it promised to be chilly (understatement?) travelling fully exposed to the elements at up to 100kph. Good grief – it was described as a trike so my motorcycle fear didn’t kick in until he accelerated about five minutes into the ride and hit 80 kph – I could hardly keep my eyes open as he drove the coastline. My eyes started watering and soon he slowed down as we entered Dunedin where he started to share tidbits of information. My fears abated as I became comfortable in the bucket seats. I can tell you the disadvantage to this tour is that you can’t hear with the wind in your ears what interesting tidbits he is sharing, and details were lost along the way. But what a tour it was. Around and about the city, side streets and up the hill to the lookout point, pause for photos and then moving on. A moment of terrifying excitement as we were heading back down the hill and a dolt in a car decided to pass two cyclists and was driving straight for us in our lane. Andrew leaned on the horn as he hit the brakes – a close call – but he continued our tour safely. Up and down and all around the city and nearby districts we saw the range of housing options (average house price is around $600k – it has doubled in the past few years, he said.) Driving in he pointed out a cycle/walking path that the city has invested $100million in and they are five years into the construction which was said to take 5-years – it looks a way to go yet! Then we saw the Forsyth Barr Stadium, built at a cost of $220million, it was a very controversial project as some thought the funds should have gone towards the Christchurch post-earthquake reconstruction. It holds 35,000 people which is quite something considering the population is 130,400 in Dunedin! I can see the controversy! After our wonderful bike tour, he dropped us in the center of town where there was a small festival/market taking place. Pipers were piping and choral groups singing. The music (traditional and Celtic) was wonderful! Chilled to the bone from our ride, we went to the Perc Central (a take on the Friends show Central Perk, we pondered) for hot chocolate, latte’s and cakes. Then, in true tourist form, we went on the hunt for M’s Dunedin T-shirt and a couple of other wee treats (we found a NZ All Blacks – rugby team – rubber duck that we bought for the boys just because… and because they have a collection of rubber duckies back home in Cathedral City!) We then strolled down to the building I was most excited to see and yet most disappointed. The NZ Railway building which dates to the early 1900s – 1906 was when it opened, to be precise. This building is the second most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere next to, you guessed it, the Sydney Opera House. My disappointment was to see this BEAUTIFUL baroque style building surrounded by scaffold with its façade imprinted on the envelope covering. The architect and builder, George Troup, had the nickname ‘Gingerbread George’ because of the detail work on the building. The railway is still used today but not with the same intent and effect. Although a large building, the public access space is small and so it is a quick tour in and outside. Following this railway stop, M called for an uber to return us to the ship. It was 25% the cost of the ship shuttles for the four of us to return (they should be ashamed of themselves for the money grabs they do.) And now – you guessed it: two hours rest until it is UNO’clock for another two hours until dinner. Tonight, is Mexican themed at the Black Pearl and we are excited for this menu. Bland Mexican night was probably the best way to describe the meal, sadly. But it was reasonable just the same. Every night the staff do “show time” during dinner and they don these Mexican style over-jackets with poofy sleeves in multicolours (red, blue, white) and they dance. Several climb on the strategically placed serving stations and dance while the others move around the dining room clapping and dancing the same choreographed dance of those on the serving stations. Some of these kids can REALLY dance and they are fun to watch. It always starts with Desposito (spelling?) and then they have specific song for the full dance. Tonight, it was the macarena blended with the chicken dance. They said they had a silly show for us and that it was! <p><br/>from the internet - a shot of the railway station in its glory - beautiful design and character</p><p><br/>mirror shot</p><p><br/>a sampling of who is in Dunedin... penguins are everywhere and so many types. there is even a breeding ground for the albatross (wingspan 3 metres)</p><p><br/>Dunedin coastline -- surfers were out</p><p><br/>Memorial marker to Captain William Cargill </p><p><br/>more architecture</p><p><br/>this sample of architecture was actually a boys school</p><p><br/>a rest at the Perc Cafe</p><p><br/>inside the railway station - small but beautiful</p><p><br/>more of the station</p><p><br/>logging our time at the Dunedin station</p><p><br/>couldn't resist this monopoly-like railway sign!</p><p><br/>today's critter - a tortoise</p><p><br/>Welcome to Dunedin</p><p><br/>Viewpoint of Dunedin</p><p><br/>beautiful scenery on a beautiful day, how lucky we were!</p><p><br/>Thanks Bill for bringing the silly to our excursion!</p><p><br/>more beauty</p><p><br/>easy riders</p><p><br/>Rock'n Rosie</p><p><br/>an example of the beautiful architecture (can't remember what this building is!)</p><p><br/>the covered railway station, a disappointment</p><p><br/>NZ All Blacks rubber ducky for the boys' collection, you're welcome!</p> </article> <article> <h1>Christchurch, New Zealand</h1> <p>Sat, 26 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +1300</p> DAY FIVE: CHRISTCHURCH / LYTTLETON WALKABOUT Today we were part of the shuttle experience from the port in Lyttleton to go into Christchurch. It is a beautiful day but the forecast calls for cold and possible showers. We dress for the forecast, head down to the buffet for breakfast – Marilyn was up early to get shuttle passes for our foursome – and we meet at 8:15 to await our number for the shuttle: 16. It didn’t take long for them to call us and the disembarking was pain free and easy. On to the shuttle we went and off the bus drove the twenty-minute ride into town. They dropped us at a standard drop off point where you are greeted by the most cheerful bunch of map wielding volunteers you could find. These lovely folks know all the answers and when you say “t-shirt/gift shops” they just point you in the right direction and off you go to hunt for gold. Of course, what we didn’t know at the time was that the shops didn’t open until 10 am and so we had 40 minutes to kill walking the quiet streets of Christchurch on a Saturday. I was interested in a tour called Punting the Avon which is a shallow skiff that goes down the river while the guide tells you about the city. Me and water – it’s just a thing. Sadly, after a stroll along the river looking for the map indicated pick up point we found the sign that read “this dock closed.” The next one was too far to walk, so we gave up to my great disappointment. A side note of interest – as we stood at the side of the river, we watched a man shed his flip flops and step into the shallow water. He reached down to pull something from the river. From my vantage point, I thought he was just retrieving some coloured ribbons that were caught on a twig. Well, that twig was actually the handlebars and the colour was the vertical arm of an electric scooter. They are everywhere here for people to rent and ride/drop off. Some people drop them in the middle of a sidewalk and walk away. I don’t understand why they do that and not set them to the side so as not to block the pathway but some things defy logic. Anyway, he fished this scooter out of the river, pulled off all the water plants that had got caught on it and set it at the side of the path to dry or be retrieved by the scooter company! What a nice gesture. Some people are just thoughtful that way. So, back we strolled to the central business district where there was a small but fancy mall and shops along the street. We approached the decorated windows of a department store called Ballantynes. It was reminiscent of the old Woodward’s building downtown with the beautiful Christmas displays. There were different themes for each window from pooh bear covered in honey from honey pots in a decorated kitchen, to an ocean scene of creatures and an African safari theme, families of bears reading bed time stories and so on – all with some form of Christmas theme to the sub themes. Really beautiful. It took me back to my childhood! Finally, the stores opened and we hightailed it back (with the rest of the cruise passengers) to the gift shop. There we stocked up on M’s favourite: T-shirts and a few other goodies. Again, it took me back to the days of the Port Vancouver Shop, our family tourist gift shop, that my parents operated for over a decade! I was pleased to find my sticker for our sticker door along with M’s T-shirt find. All was well and shopping was done… so we thought. We crossed the street towards the mall and M spotted a sign that certainly caught MY attention: “over 200+ gins”. A simple, clear message that set me on the hunt. Round the corner and a giant sliding glass door opened to welcome us in. Well, it welcomed ME in, the rest just followed moaning! The left side of the store, I was greeted and told, was gins from the South Island and the right side of the store were all from the North Island. I explained that I collected gins and had 39 bottles in my collection. She nodded with approval. I mentioned a particular liking to raspberry gin and she guided me to the ImaGINation brand. Quite a selection. There before me was a rhubarb raspberry gin to which I pointed and said “sold”. Well, then didn’t she just offer me a wee tasting which confirmed my selection was on track. Darn it if she didn’t then suggest a strawberry gin taster (same distiller) which was equally nice. That sealed the deal and the purchase was made. I left happy. Off we went, gins in hand, and we next found the Riverside Market. Somewhat like the Granville Island Market but smaller, it was a two-storey converted old building filled with all sorts of foods, drinks and specialty items. WOW is a word for all it has to offer. From monster eclairs to NZ avocados, cheese toasties and beer to keep your whistle wet for a long time considering the number of selections they had on tap! Once we finished wandering through the market, we realized we had seen about all we wanted to see and that was a wrap on Christchurch. It was a bit disappointing though architecturally interesting in the sense that there were no high rises to speak of. I think the highest building was seven stories. Is that because of earthquakes? I never found out. Many buildings, including the cathedral, were damaged in the 2011 earthquake and subsequently torn down. There was much controversy apparently because many of the buildings that collapsed at that time had been given seismic approval just a year before. Back we strolled, through the memorial arch (one of the most interesting features we saw – built as a memorial to all the Kiwis who fought in all the battles in their history, it is positioned on a bridge over the river. It is said to be located there because so many soldiers crossed over the bridge to go to war but never crossed back over. How poignant.) Today, it was easy getting back to the ship because there was virtually no line up for the shuttle as we were returning so early. Standard operating procedure from here: back for a two-hour nap, two hours of UNO, followed by dinner at the Black Pearl. This time I tried the Barramundi (a giant sea perch or Asian Sea Bass known to be a very healthy fish – low in fats but high in omega 3s) which was disappointing. I was expecting more of a sea bass texture (my favourite) but it was more like a dense halibut and dry. Well, I tried it and that’s what counts! Another New Zealand city under our belts, we await our final stop (where we disembark) in NZ now which is Dunedin. <p><br/>with the harbour behind</p><p><br/>a new way to shield eyes from the sun, all in fun!</p><p><br/>harbour view</p><p><br/>fabulous scenery</p><p><br/>the Bridge Memorial</p><p><br/>good little boys in Santa's sleigh</p><p><br/>naughty little girls in Santa's sleigh</p><p><br/>having a look about on the streets</p><p><br/>neat raindeer decor</p><p><br/>Witchery - a common women's clothing emporium</p><p><br/>wished it was open to peek inside!</p><p><br/>City hall</p><p><br/>She's with us everywhere!</p><p><br/>Avon river -- had hoped for a tour punting the Avon</p><p><br/>and repeat!</p><p><br/>well, if you point it out Marilyn, of course I am going in!</p><p><br/>celebrating our purchase in style</p><p><br/>a dramatic building screen</p><p><br/>NZ avocados (Couldn't bring fruit back on ship or would've tried one)</p><p><br/>no shortage of beer selection</p><p><br/>imaGINation gins! can hardly wait to get home to taste again</p><p><br/>Kadek, our room steward, with his frog creation</p><p><br/>critter du jour</p><p><br/>barramundi fish meal</p> </article> <article> <h1>Wellington, New Zealand</h1> <p>Fri, 25 Nov 2022 08:30:00 +1300</p> DAYS FOUR: LAND HO – WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND! An early start to the day, we were up and in line for passes to bus into town – we were docked in the industrial port - at 7:15am. A line already curled around the pool and into the buffet when we arrived. They started doling out the passes at 7:30am. We got to the front of the line to be given four ‘14’ passes meaning ours would be the fourteenth call to disembark. Then we hopped into the next line to speak with the Cruise Director, Andy, where he promptly took back our passes as they were not needed for those of us who were going on an external tour. Hmmm, waste of time standing in line for 20 minutes? Not really, it was better to hedge our bets JUST in case we needed the passes! (I would’ve happily slept in though!) So, off we went the CanAm Foursome to have a 3.5 hour driving tour of Wellington. Such a pretty location and of course very famous for the work of Sir Peter Jackson the creator of such little films you might know such as Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit and many more. Apparently, he is a huge Beatles fan and is working on one right now about the Fab Four! That should be worth seeing. Whilst on the tour several sites were pointed out where filming took place and we went to the Weta Cave at Weta Studios on the Miramar Peninsula. Here we took in a mini museum and sales shop of all things Lord of the Rings. But I am ahead of myself. Declared a city in 1840, Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand and located at the south-western tip of the North Island. It is the second-largest city in NZ. Wellington City has a population of about 212,000 but the wider metropolitan area has a population of 434,900. The prominent industry other than finance, business and government is the film industry! There, some quick facts for you. Our tour started with Peter, our driver, sharing that the AC was on yet we were all cooking in the back of this 10-passenger van. Someone finally asked him to turn it up and he actually turned it on. Off to a good start – but a relief to cool down. We had all dressed for cool/rain for the day, but it was definitely not. Anyway, Wellington is a Harbour City where the housing creeps up the slopes of this beautifully green valley. Houses here run around $1.2 million – it is not an inexpensive city to live in, we are told. Yet, in 2017-18, 2021 it was voted the most liveable city in the world! Around the corner along very narrow roads, Peter wove his way up the hill to stop at the St. Gerard’s monastery and church. Damaged in the 2011 earthquake it will take $20 million to fix it but it is valued only at $16 million. The church cannot afford to fix it so a developer is low balling it at $5 million with the intention of building a hotel on the site. It doesn’t seem fair to lose such a beautiful heritage landmark but if the money isn’t coming to repair the church, it makes sense. Perhaps he will incorporate some of the heritage features in the development. He will have to spend around $20 million on construction so you can see why he would lowball on the purchase price. After pausing here, Peter drove us up to the top of the hill (mountain?) known as Mount Victoria where there is a perfect viewpoint to get a great picture of Welly. We spent 15-20 minutes there where Peter shared details of the various sites below including the two small islands in the harbour where Italian and German POWs were imprisoned during WWII. Not too far away on the peninsula is the site of the former American Marine base which saw up to 35,000 Marines go through it over time. We also look down to see the Wellington Airport which clearly has only one runway. If you want to fly to Canada, you must first fly to Auckland – this airport is too small! Facing the Harbour again you can see the ship and not too far from it Peter points out a condo development that extends out of the water. He describes the significant engineering feat that was accomplished with two levels of car parks extending down underwater. (This is a significant feat, one can’t help but note, as he mentions it several times! Peter is a retired real estate agent – so his building knowledge is in evidence!) In fact, this condo development is so significant three of these units just sold for $3.2, 3.5, and 3.7 million each. Off we went around the city seeing various interesting houses – reminding me of Sunnyside in Calgary – little bungalow style houses that are worth their weight in gold apparently. Through a tunnel and under the airport runway we drive and find ourselves passing the spectacular Lyall Bay beach – rocky shores with waves crashing creating a stunning sight. And, as we drive along we are entertained by the local signage “Penguin Crossing” – that’s a first for me! Next we pass by Barrett’s Reef which has a sad history as the ferry Wahine hit the reef near Seatoun during a hurricane on April 10, 1968. It was just a short distance from the shoreline where this occurred. There was a loss of 52 lives of the 170 aboard. We next pass the Wellington sign on our way to Weta Studios. This sign is resembling the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles with a little more funk you could say. After our stop at Weta Cave, a further meandering about takes us past more movie studios where filming is in progress, for what we don’t know, but we see the largest outdoor blue screen in NZ within the studio gates. Onward we drive around the coastline – more penguin crossing signs (they are serious about their blue penguins). After passing Oriental Bay, we are heading back into the city where we are dropped off at the 120 year old Wellington cable car (they first started carrying passengers in 1902) which reminds me of the Peak Tram in Hong Kong --- a steep ride up the hill to a lovely view again at the top. Peter meets us at the top and we are off again for more sights in the city. Off we go to the Parliament buildings. What to say about this? It’s not the Sydney Opera House but it is an architectural sight for sure. Known as the Beehive, the executive wing of the Parliament buildings was built between 1969 and 1981. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977. This is where the cabinet meets, and the 9th floor is home to the Prime Minister’s offices. The Parliament had only been partially built in 1922 and so in the 60’s an extension was proposed. (There are two other functional Parliament buildings: where government meets in session and the library – they are beautiful historical buildings.) The original plan was on the mind of then PM Keith Holyoake, but the government architect convinced him to go modern. So, the round building rising in steps was constructed. It was a controversial design and thus earned the name beehive. In the basement of the building is a bunker where government can shelter in place should there be a disaster or war, just thought you’d want to know that fact! In 2015, the Beehive was declared “of outstanding historical significance” by Heritage NZ. It is 10 stories high with four floors below ground. The roof is made of copper (20 tonnes to be precise) The interior is filled with NZ art, marble and stainless steel mesh wall panels with a translucent glass ceiling. The last point to be made about this distinctive building is that because it is round, many of the rooms are curved, wedge-shaped or somehow asymmetrical making spaces impractical. In Māori it is known as Te Whare Mīere. I must mention Kate Sheppard here – as there are numerous buildings named for her in NZ including a memorial in Christchurch. She was the most prominent member of the women’s suffrage movement in New Zealand. Originally from Liverpool, England she emigrated to NZ in 1868 with her family. Joining several social and religious organizations she worked tirelessly to advance the women’s suffrage cause. Eventually she brought a petition of 30,000 signatures to parliament calling for women’s suffrage and the vote was extended to women in 1893. NZ became the first self-governing nation to give the right to vote to all women citizens. Brava Kate! Next, we pass by the Botanical Gardens which looked beautiful – the rose gardens were in bloom but there was no time to stop here (disappointing for all) and on we went. We did then stop at Old St Paul’s Cathedral – it is deceiving when you drive up to it as it seems very small but once you enter it, in its own way, takes your breath away. Touted as one of the world’s best examples of Gothic Revival architecture, we were instructed to take a deep breath on entry – you can still smell the natural woods. It is amazing. Heavy beam structures all around, this is famously constructed of all NZ timbers: rimu, totara, matai, and kauri. Apparently, some of the wood is over 2000 years old dating back to the time before Christ. Doesn’t that thought just take your breath away! Built in 1866, as an Anglican church, by Reverend Frederick Thatcher who was both an architect and a vicar. It was built on a Maori village – the home to the Te Matehou hapu people of the Te Ati Awa iwi tribe. Over time additions were made to accommodate a growing congregation. The church is filled with brass plaques, symbols and mementos of local history including some American influences with flags of the Marine Corps who were based locally on prominent display. While it is now in the care of Heritage NZ, it is still a consecrated space and can be booked for services – there had recently been a baptism here we were told. It is popular for everything from weddings and funerals to concerts and cultural events. The stained-glass windows are epic and glow in the light. One can’t help but feel the history as one strolls the aisles. One last secret about this church – on shining a flashlight towards the ceiling you will see a carved head at the top of the window frame. The identity of the head is uncertain – there are three possibilities: William Hort Levin (whom the stained-glass window commemorates), a copy of a face in the actual window or – and I like this option the best because it suggests a cocky carpenter – it could be a portrait of a carpenter who wished to leave his mark! Next Peter dropped us off in the CBD area where our shuttle to the ship would pick us up. So, we wandered about on a mission to find Marilyn a T-shirt (you know it is a requirement!) Surprisingly, we struck out. No tourist shops to be found. Disappointed we strolled back to the shuttle queue and boarded a bus back to the ship. That was our day in Wellington. A two hour nap was followed by two hours of UNO followed by dinner at the buffet. Off to bed to get ready for our day in Christchurch to follow.<p></p><p><br/>this is one of those sad tales of predators brought in to control others and then getting out of control. So, they eradicate them!</p><p><br/>view from Mt. Victoria to the harbour</p><p><br/>another view shot</p><p><br/>opposite view shows the former US marine base</p><p></p><p><br/>St Gerard's Church and Monastery with the condo development with the underwater car park behind</p><p><br/>Weta Cave</p><p><br/>creepy</p><p><br/>boarding the tram</p><p><br/>the Beehive</p><p><br/>St Paul's Cathedral</p><p><br/>inside St Paul's</p><p></p><p><br/>just who is this mystery man? I'd like to think a creative carpenter</p><p><br/>We went in, sat down, read the menu -- too spicy for all -- and left. That's me, spicy!</p><p></p><p><br/>yesterday's critter! a monkey</p><p><br/>pretty red tug ready to escort us away from the pier</p><p><br/>recognize this guy from Lord of the Rings? He photobombed us!</p><p><br/>today's critter: elephant</p><p><br/>a lovely view shot - pretty waters and shores</p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Thu, 24 Nov 2022 20:50:00 +1100</p> DAY THREE AT SEA I guess it is supposed to be relaxing to be cruising along the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand. My stomach isn’t fully convinced of this fact yet though. Still drinking gingerale to quell the nausea, sigh! But today was a quiet day for reflection as it started with a special moment for Marilyn. It has taken 12 years for her to get to this point but today she was able, with the support of the ship staff, to release Sharon’s final ashes off deck one aft. Escorted by security and two guest services attendants (one with a box of Kleenex), we quietly strolled to the end of the ship on deck one and crossed outside to the working zone with a half dozen of the engineering staff stepping aside for us. They radioed the bridge to confirm our arrival and walked us to the port side of the ship. The staff stepped back, and Marilyn walked to the edge for a quiet, reflective moment – she released the ashes and paused quietly. A long hug followed with a few tears, and Marilyn had now fulfilled her promise to Sharon, her first love and wife. It was a beautiful, touching moment. We noticed that the engineering staff all stood on the starboard side with their heads bowed out of respect for what was happening. All in all, much gratitude to the crew for the respectful way they conducted themselves to support an important emotional activity. As M said, hopefully this dispersal in the Tasman Sea will take Sharon’s ashes to her final desired destination of Tahiti – I trust this is exactly what will happen. As the day drifted on, the mood lightened and we met the boys at the burger joint named for Guy Fieri – pretty good burgers I will say. I stayed with a basic burger and none of us really fancied it up much, frankly. We are not into going overboard with the dining experience… at least not at lunchtime. Another afternoon of bad luck in the casino followed by better luck playing UNO – talk about a great game. (I had never played it before, so sue me if I am behind the times!) Then back to the stateroom for a rest (such a difficult life) and a planned meet up for dinner at the Black Pearl once again. Now, today is the American Thanksgiving. So, on the facebook pages where we are following cruiser’s comments, we have watched the back and forth discussion about whether or not an Australian cruise would recognize American Thanksgiving. The discussion leaned away from it, but it appears they bowed to pressure and brought on turkey roast to appease the group. So, M and I ordered the turkey dinner – great stuffing, dry turkey, not enough gravy and no cranberries. Two brussels sprouts. Hmmmm. Just have to try everything and at some point (last night for example) a perfect meal will be served! Well, another day at sea is a wrap. Tomorrow we land in Wellington where our tour bus will pick us up at 8:45 – an early day, so we are off to bed early to be able to rise and shine as we begin our New Zealand adventures! <p><br/>puppy towel critter</p><p><br/>on a heartfelt mission</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>a fond farewell</p><p><br/>contemplating a life together</p><p></p><p><br/>saying goodbye from the stern of the ship</p><p></p><p><br/>turkey dinner</p><p><br/>rhubarb apple crisp</p><p><br/>Kadek's housekeeping cart has a guard frog!</p><p><br/>sample of the artwork on the walls of the ship corridors... </p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Wed, 23 Nov 2022 17:00:00 +1100</p> GAME DAY AT SEA Up early for breakfast, we could’ve used an extra hour sleep – we lost one in the change of time zones as we cruise toward NZ. Following breaky, we meandered down to the Adventure Desk to try to get some clarification about disembarking in Wellington. Apparently, we will dock in an industrial area and then be bussed to Wellington’s city center. Once there we will catch a tour bus to see the sights. However, it is unclear in speaking with the staff what we are to do. So, Bill has emailed the tour company and hopefully will receive a timely response so we can get oriented quickly in the morning. In the meantime… a day aboard the ship… what to do. There is lots going on like trivia, horse races, entertainment and the list goes on. I am not inclined to go to the pool area as much as I would like to, but it seems too congested. I think the excitement of cruising is waning on me a bit for the crowds – and one particular screaming toddler that keeps appearing! A prosperous moment in the casino ended badly but that’s to be expected, I suppose! Now we collect our games from the stateroom and plan to meet the boys in the Java Blue Cafe where we will relax for a while and play UNO. Yesterday was a total of 6,838 steps – today at 12:41 I am at 1,281 and we haven’t done much but walked to breakfast and about. Will see what the rest of the day brings. While the corridors are long and we go back and forth a lot, the steps don’t seem to be as high as I imagined. I had hoped to walk the deck daily but out at sea there are smatterings of light rainstorms and so the decks are wet, and it is cooler outside. Each time we arrive in our room after Kadek has freshened it up, we are greeted by a towel creature on my bed. Yesterday a dinosaur, today a bunny…or is it a kangaroo... we can't decide! We don’t have the heart to dismantle them, so they are taking up residence on the back of our sofa. Last night, I should add, we attended a performance by Martin Ralph. I don’t know how to describe him. He’s a whip cracking, magic conjuring, yoyo and top spinning comedian. That about sums him up. I must admit that his top spinning is impressive – he goes from small, standard tops to something the size of the average torso and can he ever spin the life out of it. In fact, in his final demonstration he uses a power drill to get it spinning at the highest RPMs possible before he conducts quite the spinning demonstration – over his head, around his body, down in front and back on the palm of his hand. Props to him. I’ve got one magic trick from him that I will bring home. Give me a cracker and I will demonstrate for you once home!! Three hours later, UNO was a blast and I lost miserably! Bill and Marilyn won our two rounds and Clemente wears the third-place sash. Here we are now coursing through the Tasman Sea (in Maori, Te Tai-o-Rēhua) as we cruise closer to NZ. The Tasman Sea, named for the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, is 2,000 km across and 2,800 km from north to south. In Australian and New Zealand English, the sea is informally referred to as the Ditch – where one would say we are “crossing the ditch” like North Americans saying “crossing the Pond” as one would travel the North Atlantic Ocean. So, that is where we are at crossing the ditch now! Now we get ready for our fancy steak dinner at the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse where we will celebrate Clemente’s birthday. Surf and turf are in order, and we can hardly wait. One of the interesting features on the cruise is that everything is coordinated via their Hub app. So, for example, when you go to a restaurant you check in via the app and just wait for the app to cue you that your table is ready. You then report to the desk and the staff escort you to your table. It is very efficient and allows you to bypass a line if there is one for the non-technically inclined folks. Tonight, we arrived just in time for our reservation and walked right in to the steakhouse. A cozy table awaited us and, as usual, the wait staff is at the top of their game – welcoming and charming. I opted for the wine pairing menu with a choice of smoked oysters (served smoked under a glass dome), lobster bisque, filet mignon/lobster tail, followed by a chocolate sphere upon which was poured a hot chocolate sauce that melted the sphere to reveal a chocolate mousse --- a completely decadent meal. All perfect portions paired with four wines that were a wonderful match. And, to top it all off, Bill had ordered a delicious sugar free chocolate cake for Clemente’s birthday which was brought with complimentary champagne for us to enjoy as well. It was a relaxing dinner, no rush – we took two hours – with, impeccable service. Just the right way to celebrate a dear friend. Thank you Bill and Clemente for a wonderful dinner. Following dinner, we had enough time to take our leftover cake portions back to our stateroom and then meet in the Spectacular Spectacular (yes, that’s the name) Theatre. There we sat back and enjoyed tacky costumes as they sang and danced us to a toe tapping frenzy of 70’s hits. From Dancing Queen to YMCA – they covered all the popular ones and some familiar lesser known dancing tunes. Powerful lungs and beautiful voices, these folks are professionals and take their performance very seriously. It was a fun 40 minute show and then the Cruise Director shares a couple details followed by “now get out.” I realize now that subtle gets you nowhere on a ship with this many independently minded customers. Be blunt and get what you need. That’s the message du jour. Another lovely day down, one more day at sea tomorrow and then we get to Wellington. I am finishing the day at 4,090 steps or 2.73 km. Not a lot of walking about but it is a distance from our room to the various venues! Clocks go ahead one hour again tonight. Good night! <p><br/>greeted by a dinosaur</p><p><br/>The ever so tacky Black Pearl restaurant</p><p><br/>Black Pearl - A Seussical adventure</p><p><br/>Three cheers for the birthday boy!</p><p><br/>The Hub app tells you when your table is ready... everyone is eagerly awaiting the call!</p><p><br/>today's towel critter... a kangaroo or a bunny? You be the judge</p><p><br/>enjoying our stateroom</p><p><br/>our fancy dinner destination</p><p><br/>ready to dine!</p><p><br/>celebrating Clemente - the birthday boy!</p><p><br/>fancy presentation of smoked and iced oysters</p><p><br/>smoked oysters on ice with apple mignonette butter and mace</p><p><br/>our gang</p><p><br/>lobster bisque, oh so yum</p><p><br/>surf and turf with mushrooms</p><p><br/>"Happy Birthday Clemente" in Tagalog</p><p><br/>The delicious chocolate sphere dessert before they poured hot chocolate sauce over it causing it to melt and reveal chocolate mousse within... so scrumptious!</p> </article> <article> <h1>Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Tue, 22 Nov 2022 12:00:00 +1100</p> BON VOYAGE TO US - HEADING OUT TO SEA Monday – Day one of our cruise to New Zealand started off with a bit of a tetris exercise as we tried to fit all our suitcases into a Prius V to take us to the dock where the Carnival Splendor awaited our arrival. Much to our surprise, with me holding one small suitcase on my lap in front, we fit all four of us and our bags into the vehicle and off we went! With bags pre-tagged and ready to go, we were in the bag drop line – masks on – moving quickly. Efficiency is the word of the day as we are shuffled down the line quickly and turned over our bags. Next stop, breakfast. The ship is docked in a historical area of Sydney known as The Rocks. More on that later. We strolled back up the street and found another pancake joint called, appropriately, Pancakes on the Rocks. There seems to be a competition here for the fanciest pancakes as they had everything from Nutella pancakes to lemon meringue! There is a lot of imagination around pancakes here. I was tempted to have the lemon meringue but passed pancakes up for some super delicious, scrambled eggs and bacon. Only Marilyn had basic pancakes and they certainly passed the test. Here we sat killing time as we had two hours to wait before our embarkation time. And so, we relaxed and visited. When it was time to head back down to embark the ship, the area had come to life and restaurants were buzzing as the crowds thickened. With 12:30 embarkation time, we hopped in the seemingly slow moving line at 12:00 – again, masks on – and began the journey. Masked staff holding directional signs called out instructions “each individual holds their own passport and boarding pass, please” “twelve to one pm in this line only, please” “keep moving folks….” The line picked up speed and we were through step one before we knew it. Up the escalator and in line again to confirm our passports, Verifly, New Zealand Visa, and finally confirmation of a negative rapid antigen test. Done. Down another corridor and up another escalator we are greeted with another line to have our passports checked one last time by the Australian Border Police. Smile. Done. You may now board the ship!! Now, I get a bit judgey! What an ugly ship. We walk in to a low ceiling area that is dark and just plain ugly. The colors are dark and bland and I think the interior decorators were on something when they plotted this ship design. Ick. Everything is overdone, tacky and garish. There, I said it. I feel better. We stood about trying to get our bearings and then moved on to book our special steakhouse dinner for the 23rd – we will celebrate Clemente’s birthday together. Then off to get a first drink to celebrate our arrival. Pina Coladas for M and me at the Blue Iguana lounge. Yum. Next, M and I headed off to our stateroom 7423 – starboard aft on the seventh deck. As we approached we noted two of our three bags waiting outside for us. Hmmm. Where was my suitcase? Angst set in. We entered our room and began unpacking. No sooner did we unpack the first two suitcases when a knock at the door presented us with paper to go to deck zero to security because there was something prohibited in my bag!! Oh my! So, down we went to the bowels of the ship to the security screening area. A large swatch of tape across my bag said “extension cord” and “knife”. Somehow they only read extension cord and removed it to be returned by the end of the cruise. We always carry a small paring knife when we travel to cut fruit and such if needed. However, though they identified it, they did not take it. The irony of this was that the woman before us got a lecture on not taking her husbands tiny beard trimming scissors out of their room. Yet, they passed us on a 3 inch ceramic paring knife. Each to his own. Back to the room, unpacked and ready for dinner, we waited for the boys. The plan was for them to come to our stateroom to check it out and then off for dinner. And so it was. It is 6:45 now and the ship is starting to move – finally. We were supposed to leave at 4pm but due to traffic in the Harbour and weather conditions, we were delayed. The ship backed out from its berth towards the Harbour Bridge and then turned to leave the Harbour sailing past the Sydney Opera House – a beautiful sight. Off we went to the Black Pearl main dining room – allow me this again – oh my how tacky it is. Giant seashell-like shapes with apparent black pearls cover the ceiling. Strange shaped items like horns hang from the walls in a very Seuss-like presentation. Butt ugly, that’s all I will say. A tasty menu is found via a QR code, same with the wine list. We each ordered something different and enjoyed a four-course meal that ended with delectable desserts. Service was impeccable. However, we were in a busy pathway and I swear that Bill nearly wore some passing trays they went by so quickly and close to his head – I ducked in my mind each time the short wait staff rushed by. Dinner done, we did a stroll and conveniently found ourselves in the casino. It was early yet, so we took a seat at a machine that looked appealing and waited for the opening announcement. A strange thing to do but we are at sea and that’s just what we felt like doing!! A word about this ship. The Splendor was launched in 2008. It is 950 feet (290m) long with 13 decks. It has a capacity of 3,012 passengers and 1,150 crew. The crew, as usual, is comprised of an International collection of smiling, happy faces. I admit that compared with the Norwegian cruise line, I miss the “washy, washy” routine where staff offer you hand sanitizer as you enter restaurants and other public spaces. Here they make announcements reminding you to wear your mask (a small rebellious percentage of people are ambling about mask free.) Our rule is that we wash our hands every time we enter our stateroom. (I wiped it down with Lysol wipes when we arrived… just to be extra careful!) Our cabin steward, Kadek, is sweet. We asked for robes and he said “how many, ten?” a good sense of humour – he did leave four in our room and a dinosaur towel figure! We will enjoy his good natured service, no doubt. Last night we were rocked to sleep on marshmallow like mattresses with the rolling of the ship. Right now, as we sail, we are experiencing 6-meter swells with winds at 45-50 knots (60 knots is 111 mph, FYI). There is no such thing as walking a straight line. As the ship rocks back and forth sailing through the South Pacific Ocean (over 4000 meters deep), we walk the halls in ever weaving patterns – back and forth with the roll of the ship. I am sure we will get the hang of it. But, I am drinking gingerale to settle a queasy tummy with all this movement. A light rain earlier generated a rainbow over the ocean – a pretty sight early in the morning. <p><br/>more pancake magic</p><p><br/>sighting climbers on the Harbour bridge</p><p><br/>our ship awaits</p><p><br/>ready to board</p><p><br/>our view as the ship departs</p><p><br/>first drinks aboard!</p><p><br/>cheers! we are undway</p><p><br/>view from the ship</p><p><br/>Sydney Opera House from the ship</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br/>dining aboard for the first time!</p><p><br/>first sunset at sea</p><p><br/>rocking and rolling on board with six metre swells!</p><p><br/>greeted by a little dinosaur towel friend!</p> </article> <article> <h1>City of Sydney, Australia</h1> <p>Mon, 21 Nov 2022 02:10:00 +1100</p> A NOT SO FRIENDLY G'DAY MATE! The last sound you want to wake up to in a hotel is the fire alarm. The least of which is to be woken up at 2:17am. And so this was our Monday morning -- WARNING, WARNING, THE FIRE SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED! A calm Aussie recorded voice repeated himself again and again and again. This gave us plenty of time to come alive, decide whether to take it seriously or to roll over. Up we got. Threw on our clothes and shoes, grabbed the money, passports and wallets and our key card. Out into the hallway where a bewildered smiling man stood wondering too if it should be taken seriously. The system had now altered to "EVACUATE NOW, EVACUATE NOW..." over and over this new voice was less calm, a pitch higher and faster than the first. OKAY! Whatever's going on, we'll go with 'take it seriously!' With our gentleman friend, we wandered the floor going through a couple doors before we actually found the stairwell and my nightmare began. With my uncooperative knees wondering what hit them, we began the limp down the stairs slowly. The stairwell was quiet for awhile and then more voices. One man was clearly not happy as the profanities were abundant - so much so they should not be repeated here! Down, down, down we went grateful to be on the 5th floor. Exiting out in an alley, we joined the other guests across the street all quietly waiting and watching as the two fire trucks responding sent crews in to check on the welfare of our building. Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by - along with our restful state. Slowly the crowd began moving back in as they saw the fire fighters emerge and one truck pulled away. An orderly experience all in all - everyone quietly queued at the elevators and we got lucky catching one of the first back up to our suite. (The staff stood behind the counter in the lobby as if nothing had ever happened!) Tossing and turning we slipped back to sleep. What a way to end our first few days in the lovely city of Sydney! Now, awake again and ready to go -- with negative rapid antigen tests, this quartet is ready to board the Carnival Splendor and have a splendid cruise to New Zealand... off we go! <p><br/>proof of life at 2:25am</p><p><br/>not your average wake up call!</p><p><br/>first responders at the Meriton</p> </article> </main></body></html>