John and Diane's Lucky Number 7

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Tauranga (and Rotorua), New Zealand

 

Seen any hobbits lately?  We haven’t either, but we saw the next best thing:  Hobbiton, the outdoor film set for both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the three-movie story of The Hobbit.  It’s a place I’ve wanted to see for several years - actually as long as I knew of its existence - and yesterday was the day.

 

Our friend Jane put together a 10-hour tour which was exhausting but absolutely fascinating.  Terry collected us at 9:00, just after docking, and we were off to the land of the hobbits.  Our hour drive took us across beautiful New Zealand landscape, but we realized that it could also be beautiful California landscape, with rolling hills, rivers, and lots and lots of trees, some of which were imported from California over a hundred years ago.  

 

On the way, we found out that Peter Jackson and colleagues had gone over many areas of New Zealand by helicopter, looking for the perfect outdoor setting for Lord of the Rings.  When he flew over the Alexander farm, he saw the lake, the low hills, a rather steep hill, and a couple of huge trees that he’d been looking for.  This is the area which has become Hobbiton, as well as continuing to be an operating sheep and cattle ranch.  Mr. Alexander Senior has now retired to Hawaii, while his oldest son is the manager of the ranch and Hobbiton, and his younger son is a CPA who takes care of the finances for both.  The fact that the family receives one-third of the profits from this endeavor make that Hawaii retirement understandable.

 

After parking and while waiting for the bus that would take us to our tour, we checked out the cafe and the gift shop and then met Tyler, our cute little (hobbit-sized) redheaded guide.  She was bubbly and knowledgeable, and we learned that she had worked for a year at Disneyworld.  In addition, her five-foot grandmother had been a hobbit in the original movies.  Upon arriving at the movie set, we entered the world of hobbits, complete with hobbit holes, one of which we were able to enter.  The gardens were alive with butterflies as well as prolific apple and pear trees, and as we walked the mile and a half path, we saw a total of 44 hobbit holes, all of different sizes. 

The highlight, of course, was the residence of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, called “Bag’s End.”  We learned that anyone hired to be a hobbit extra could be no taller than 5’2” and that differing heights among the main characters were taken care of by perspective shots and the size of the hobbit hole doors.   

 

 We spent an hour and a half on our walking tour,  passing the mill, crossing the bridge, and entering the Green Dragon Pub, where we enjoyed our choice of cold beverages, including light beer, dark beer, hard cider, or non-alcoholic ginger beer.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and the tree-shaded outdoor patio was a wonderful place to enjoy our beverages (and be on the lookout for hobbits) until it was time for Tyler to collect us for the bus ride back to “headquarters.”  On the 10-minute drive, there was a cute video which showed scenes from the movies which had been filmed in exactly the places we had just toured.  It really made me want to get the movies and watch them again.

 

Now it was time to drive to Rotorua, famous for its underground thermal activity.  We found out that homes in that city can spend $3000 (NZ) to tie into the hot subterranean springs, eliminating the need for any other type of home or water heating.  We passed a couple of beautiful lakes and then arrived at the center of Maori culture in the area.  This is also the site of several fascinating geysers, including the highest one in the Southern Hemisphere.  After a very quick sandwich lunch in the cafe, we arrived at the scene of the Welcoming Ceremony, where our friend Bill was chosen to be “chief” and to meet with the “warriors” who would greet us.  As members of the “chief’s” family, we followed him (no closer than a meter behind) directly across the grassy area to the meeting house, where he was brought up on stage to rub noses (a typical greeting) with the four warriors there.  Our group (the chief’s family) was seated in the place of honor in the first row, so we took advantage for some great photos.  When I complimented Bill on how seriously he took his “job,” he commented that this was not a drama to these people but a serious part of Maori life, quite worthy of respect.  

 

We had a couple more shorter stops, the first being especially interesting to us as Californians.  It was a redwood grove, made up of trees imported from our Golden State more than a hundred years ago.  Also contained in the grove were silver ferns, one of the primary symbols of New Zealand.  Then we drove to a beautiful river and waterfall, popular for kayaking and white water rafting.  Our last stop was at a kiwi farm, which unfortunately was closed for the day since it was after 6:00.  

 

Our 7:00 return to the ship was too late for a nap, but just in time for a bit of a rest before the evening’s activities began.  What a wonderful day it had been, seeing even more of this beautiful country.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your tour sounds wonderful but too long and hard for us to do.

 

Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Love the pictures.

[IllinoisGirl1978]

A few years ago I met some of the folks from WETA who worked on the Hobbit, and LoTR Trilogy. 

You have excellent taste in movies 🤓😊

Edited February 28, 2019 by IllinoisGirl1978

[tennisbeforewine]

Friday, March 1, 2019

Wellington, New Zealand

 

Here we are, in New Zealand’s capital city, and still in love with the country.  It’s cooler today, with a high of about 70, so jackets were called for.  We’ve been here twice before, so we decided that we’d try to see a bit of the “out of town” area.  The best way we could manage that was the Hop On, Hop Off bus, so after the ship shuttle dropped us off in the middle of town, we walked the block to the ticket office, and after a brisk walk to the bus, we were off.  If you’ve ever taken a HO HO bus, it has probably been a double decker, on which everyone rushes to sit upstairs in the very front.  This bus, however, was more like an extended van.  Because of the high winds prevalent in Wellington, double decker buses in the hills can too easily blow over, so a small bus it was.  

 

Our route was only ten stops, but they included some dramatic areas.  First we stopped at the top of Mt. Victoria, where we could see the whole of Wellington and its bay, all the way out to the ocean.  We drove past the Wellington Zoo, a small endeavor with only 50 animals, and then through the Cuba Quarter, the heart of Bohemian Wellington.  There was a stop for the Wellington cable car, but as we’d done that before, we just stayed on the bus.  Originally, we had planned to get off and spend time at Zealandia, an eco-sanctuary which houses rare native birds, reptiles and insects, but decided we’d do the whole loop and decide about coming back later.  We drove through the botanic garden with its gorgeous rose garden, and then past parliament.  The headquarters of the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, and her cabinet is a building called “The Beehive,” and it certainly looks like one.  Then it was past the Wellington Museum and to our final stop at Te Papa, the amazing interactive national museum which sits on the harbor.  

 

Since it was about 12:30 at this point, lunch was in order, so on the recommendation of a local guide, we found a wonderful harbor-front restaurant called The Foxglove.  The fish and chips and cheeseburgers were delicious, and I think the place must fry up tons of tasty french fries daily.  

 

Then it was off to Te Papa.  The museum is free, and if you’re ever in Wellington, it is an absolute MUST!  The last time we were here in 2015, the lobby was decorated by enormous hobbits, on loan from Peter Jackson and the movie set.  This time, the featured exhibit was eight of the terra cotta warriors, on loan from China.  Rich suggested that we ask about a museum tour, and that turned out to be an excellent idea.  It cost NZ$20 (about US$14) for an hour’s private tour, so the four of us, along with Don, our guide, headed off to learn about the museum’s most important displays and exhibits.  We learned a lot about Maori history, worship, and carving as well as all of New Zealand.  If we hadn’t taken the tour, we probably would have just wandered around, not knowing the best places to see or understand what it was we were viewing.

 

Our last bit of time at the museum was spent at the Gallipoli exhibit.  If you don’t know anything about this WW I series of battles between the Allies and the Turks, you really should Google it.  To explain what happened, they used examples of real people and what happened to them.  The incredibly realistic models of the soldiers (and one nurse) were designed by Peter Jackson’s studios and were to scale at 1-1/2 times actual size.  It was an incredibly moving experience to go through the exhibit, and it gave us more understanding of why ANZAC Day is so important in Australia and New Zealand.

 

By then the guys (John and Rich) decided they deserved a beer, so we wandered over to Courteney Place, found a pub, and had a bit of a sit-down.  At long last (after Ginni finally found some vanilla coffee creamer at the local market), we boarded the shuttle back to the bus.  The shuttle, by the way, continues until 10:00, since all aboard isn’t until 10:30 and we sail at 11:00.  Our next port, Picton, is only across the bay and will take about three hours of sailing to arrive, so there’s no hurry to get going.  

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your day sounds wonderful.  So much to see.  Love it when you get tips on great places to eat.

 

Great pictures.

[tennisbeforewine]

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Picton, New Zealand

 

Have you ever been to Picton?  Heck, have you ever heard of it?  Well, it’s time to add it to your bucket list, because a lovelier little town on a beautiful fjord you’ll almost never see.  I know, I know, Norway has pretty little towns on fjords, but this one has really nice weather, too.  We’d been here before, in 2014, and loved it then and expected to love it again.  

 

Picton, population 3,000, is the gateway to the Marlborough region, known for its wonderful Sauvignon Blanc wines.  It’s located at the end of a beautiful fjord, which leads to Queen Charlotte Sound, where Captain Cook first met the Maori people.  It’s green year-round, backed by high woody hills, and inhabited by typically friendly New Zealanders.  As we disembarked the ship, ladies with baskets of flowers presented the female passengers with beautiful little boutonnieres, and people all over town were happy to answer questions and send us in the right direction for whatever we were looking for.  Today the town was really on overload, because not only were there our 1200 passengers, but another ship with 2600 passengers was here, and those numbers don’t even include the crew members who came into town.

 

Our plan for today was to find a taxi, book it for two hours, and travel to the Cloudy Bay winery for a bit of wine tasting.  A problem arose, however; there were no taxis to be had.  We thought to ask about it at the information office, but the line there was out the door, and as we had an all-aboard at 1:30, we knew we’d never get an answer and get to a winery and get back on time.  So . . . it was time to explore the town and see what changes had been made.

 

Fortunately for us, there were no noticeable changes.  The people were just as friendly, the town was just as clean, and the weather was just as sunny as on our last visit.  When the wind picked up it was a little chilly, but the captain had told us to prepare for some cool weather (high 60’s), so most of us carried a jacket or sweater against the chill. 

 

Our first stop was for cappuccino and one of the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had.  It was fresh and warm and just bursting with blueberries.  John and I shared one, but insisted on our own cappuccinos.  As we sat at our table outside on the corner, we felt like we watched the entire passenger contingent of the Amsterdam go past.  Pretty soon, Jane, Bill and Leslie came by and joined us, and then we were joined by our friends Manny and Graciela.  Manny used to be our favorite Crow’s Nest waiter, and now he’s a wine steward in the dining room.  Graciela works at the front desk, but is usually the concierge for the Neptune Lounge on Deck 7.  We’ve known them since 2008, been to her daughter’s birthday party in Manila, and may be invited to their wedding this coming summer.  Hope so!  

 

We walked down to the city’s main park, where a market takes place.  I don’t know if it’s daily, just on Saturday, or when cruise ships come in, but I remember it fondly from our last visit.  We found a pendant for our daughter made of greenstone (which describes it exactly) and a silver necklace for me.  There’s a cute little bridge which takes one form the park and across the boat harbor to the other side. As we crossed it, we kept hearing bagpipe music.  Then we looked forward and saw four pipers (not 12) piping as they crossed the bridge toward us.  They, like the band in another park, were collecting money for charity, and both passengers and residents were happy to help fill their coffers.

 

We wandered the main street, stopping at a bookstore and then a “Made in New Zealand” shop where we found a pair of socks for our son-in-law made of “possum merino.”  They’re 50% merino wool, 40% possum fur (yes, really), and 10% nylon.  They’re super soft and should be really warm.  John found a tee shirt across the street, and then we decided it was time to get back to the ship for lunch and a sailaway on the back deck.  After we cast off our ropes and set out, we proceeded through about 30 minutes of fjords and into the Sound.  It was a short visit, but a lovely one, and we’d love to return.  Now it’s off for two sea days and then to Sydney, home of one of the world’s most beautiful sail-ins.  

 

P. S.  John had his first pickleball practice in two weeks.  After 45 minutes of hitting with Rich, he seems to be in excellent shape.  I guess we won’t be able to keep him off the court any more.  

 

 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Great report. Didn’t realize you had such a short visit


www.theinsidecabin.com

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report and great pictures!!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

The colors especially the blues are so bright. Does it really look that way? Beautiful.

[tennisbeforewine]

Yes, the blues were vivid and bright.  It was a beautiful day, with the sky reflected in the sea.  

[tennisbeforewine]

Sunday, February 3, 2019

At Sea en route to Sydney

 

We sailed right on time yesterday, with cast-off at 1:55 and into the fjord at 2:00.  It was a beautiful sailaway, with blue sky, green hills, and sparkling blue fjords all the way out to Queen Charlotte Sound.

 

Last evening was our second Sommelier Dinner, the first with our whole dining group.  The food and wine were, as usual, delicious, and the service was wonderful.  Of course, how could any meal be bad after beginning with a sparkling French wine called La Grand Courtage Brut?  That wine accompanied our starter, a foie gras terrine.  I do like foie gras, but I perfer it “campagne,” or more coarse.  This one was quite smooth and topped with an apricot gelee.  I think I liked the apricot better than the foie gras.

 

Our second course was yellowfin tuna, and I had asked that mine be cooked through.  I guess I’m too old for raw or seared fish.  The wine was a New Zealand white, Drylands Sauvignon Blanc, which had a bit of tartness and paired perfectly with the tuna.

 

The next course surprised all of us.  It was listed as “Heritage Carrots,” which made everyone wonder why carrots would be a full course.  Well, it was carrots like we’d never had them.  On a bed of pureed carrot (much better than it sounds) were slivered carrots topped with pine nut/Manuka crumbles, pickled ginger, and blue cheese.  It was absolutely delectible!  The wine with it was a pinot noir from Sokol Blosser in Oregon.  

 

Then it was time for our “intermezzo” of tomato and basil sorbet.  I don’t think most people think of sorbet in terms of tomatoes, but add a little sugar to them and it becomes a delightful palate cleanser.  

 

The main course was black cod and lobster, served with a small nest of soba noodles and small pods of spicy green sauce.  The wine was California’s Ferrari Carano chardonnay, but since I’m not a chardonnay fan, I simply stuck with the pinot noir.

 

Dessert was, again, unusual, to say the least.  A broken egg was on the side of the plate with what looked to be a raw egg yolk inside.  However, it was pureed mango, so as soon as I got rid of that raw egg idea, I loved it.  Also on the plate were some pieces of vanilla sponge cake and lime meringue.  It was light, delicious, and very creative.

 

The final course was to be a New Zealand artisan cheese plate, but we had had just too much to eat, so we took a pass.  The dinner was not only delicious but beautifully presented, and the wines were well chosen for their courses.  The only problem, of course, is the quantity of food, but it’s all so good that it’s hard to turn down.  All in all, it was a great evening:  good friends, good food, good wine. 

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Sommelier Dinner sounds fabulous. I attended one on the Prinsendam over the Holidays and it was beyond wonderful. Excellent wine pairings by a relatively new sommelier.

[tennisbeforewine]

Monday, March 4, 2019 

At Sea en route to Sydney

 

If you’re a fan of mussels (the shellfish), you know that greenlip mussels from New Zealand are one of, if not the best anywhere.  We had them in Devonport, outside of Auckland, and everyone just went on and on about how good they were.  Our friend Bill, who loves mussels at home, told us that the best mussels he’d ever had were from The Crab Shack on the harbor in Auckland, but when he had a bucket of them at The Patriot in Devonport, he thought he had died and gone to heaven.

 

Two nights ago, there on the menu were greenlip mussels and Bill was very pleased.  He and John ordered them, but when they came they were mussels, but most definitely NOT the greenlip variety. Greenlips are quite large (about 2” long) and have a distinctive coloring on the shell.   When asked, our waiter Indy told him that they were so popular first seating that they ran out of them.  Bill asked if they had them in the Lido, and was told that they did.  As disappointed as he was, Bill let everyone know (politely, of course), that he was extremely disappointed as he’d been looking forward to them all day after seeing the menu on the computer.  Having given up on getting any, he just ordered another starter and we thought that was that.

 

Night before last, we had the Sommelier Dinner in the Pinnacle (as I’ve already written).  After the first course, Philip, the manager of all the dining rooms, showed up at our table with a plate covered with a silver cover.  When lifted, it exposed a plate of . . . (drum roll) greenlip mussels.  Not only did he bring a large plate of them for Bill, he also brought another plateful for the rest of us.  Bill was extraordinarily appreciative and we all laughed and thanked Philip and the rest of the staff for this “above and beyond” service.

 

Last night was a Gala Night with a theme of “Bowlers and Bumbershoots.”  There were pretty little gold menus, sparkly silver and gold bowler hats, and beautiful London umbrellas hanging from the ceiling (I really, really wanted one of those, but ‘twas not to be).  We ordered our two or three courses, but before they began being served, our assistant waiter Oka brought out a huge serving bowl covered with a lovely silver dome.  He carefully placed it on the table and then, voila!, removed the top and there were about two dozen greenlip mussels.  We laughed uproariously and, after Bill had his serving, passed the platter around the table - again and again and again - until they were all gone.  At home, I’m not much of a mussel fan, but these are really and truly delicious.  They were in a yummy broth that was spooned over them and which we soaked up with bread.  It’s not as though we don’t get enough food here, but they even brought us an extra course which we all just loved.  The service, as I’ve mentioned before, is extraordinary on HAL ships!

 

After dinner it was showtime.  I don’t think about it very much, but it’s really very special to have a stage show each and every night after dinner.  Some are wonderful, some are very nice, and then there are a few others, but generally the quality is excellent.  Last night was a return show of The Vallies, the four-man group whose first show featured the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  Last evening, however, they sang music of Motown, 50’s and 60’s rock and roll, and from a few boy bands.  We liked the first show, but last night’s show was even better.  It went a full hour, about the longest show we remember.  Since I’m sitting in the library next to the coffee shop, I just spoke to one of the Vallies (who was getting a cappuccino) and told him how much we enjoyed it.  He said that they had not planned to sing the medley at the end of the show but then were having so much fun and getting such an excellent response from the audience that they decided to do it.  It’s fun to run into the entertainers from time to time.  The 10:00 show is often sparsely attended, but last night the theatre was almost full.

 

Our good weather continues, and we’ve heard that Sydney should be in the low 80’s tomorrow, a perfect temperature, but some showers are predicted for Wednesday.  Whatever the weather, we love Sydney and are really looking forward to it.

 

[RuthC]

You always seem to find the fun in things, and I love reading about it.
Thanks for your continuing posts taking us around the world with you. I hope to meet you both some day.

[cccole]

Quick question...are the greenlip mussels tender?  I love mussels and couldn't wait to have them when we were in New Zealand, but I ordered them for my first meal and they were very tough.  I was so disappointed and did not order them again.  The flavor of the broth was delicious and I enjoyed it with my bread.  I'm just curious as to your experience.  Again, thank you for taking us along, it is an absolutely fabulous cruise so far.  Cherie

[tennisbeforewine]

Regarding the greenlip mussels, if they were tough, I think you had bad mussels - or badly steamed mussels.  They should be quite tender.  Because they're so large, I usually cut them in half before eating, and I do so with a fork.  Try them again next time.  If you're in Auckland, the closest and easiest place is The Crab Shack on the harbor, but if you get to Devonport, go to The Patriot (up the main street on the right).  It's worth the trip!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Just got caught up with your latest reports.

 

Wonderful.  We have also done a couple of sommelier dinners -- loved them.

 

Wonderful pictures.

[IrwinE]

Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to write your daily reports. I've always enjoyed them. And now with photos- which really add to the experience. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Great report and another reminder of HA’L’s great service.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cccole]

Thank you for the greenlip mussel info.  I can't wait to enjoy them on our next trip to New Zealand.  

Really looking forward to the Sydney Harbor sail in.  Cherie

[tennisbeforewine]

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Sydney, Australia

 

The first time we sailed into Sydney Harbour (Aussie/British spelling), we were out on the deck at 6:30, being amazed at the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Then we quietly tucked into Circular Quay, right between those two landmarks and were in the perfect spot to see all of downtown Sydney.

 

This time, however, things have changed.  Nowadays, only ships that are too large to pass under the bridge are allowed into Circular Quay and all the rest of us must dock in White Bay, quite a distance away.  Because this is a Grand Cruise, a free shuttle is provided, but instead of taking us to Circular Quay, it takes us to Darling Harbour (doncha just love the name?), about halfway between White Bay and Circular Quay.

It’s a beautiful place, with hotels and restaurants as well as an aquarium and several places to take boat rides.  From Darling Harbour it’s a fairly easy walk over the hill to Circular Quay, and that’s what we plan to do tomorrow.

 

We would have like to watch the sail-in this morning, so I set my phone for 6:00, but when I awoke at 5:45 and looked out the window, we had already docked and it was still an hour before sunrise.  It was a shame, because the Sydney sail-in is one of the most beautiful.  Maybe next year.

 

Our Sydneysider friends, Greg and Heo, were at the dock to meet us at 10:00 and take us on a sightseeing tour of the city.  They have been wonderful enough to do this more than once before, and it’s always great to see old friends again.  While Heo is originally from Korea, Greg is a Sydney boy, born and bred, and he knows the city like the back of his hand.  We drove through several areas of the city and admired sea-view houses that cost upwards of ten million Australian dollars.  Really!  The real estate market here has been incredibly hot for quite some time, but we saw on BBC News that there may be as much as a 30% decrease in market value in 2019.  We still can’t afford it!

 

Our next destination as Manly, one of my favorite beach towns.  Although it’s really part of Sydney, it does have its own mayor and council for local affairs.  The beach in Manly goes on for miles, and it’s a prime location for surfing competitions.  With white sand, blue water, and 80-degree days, you can understand why it’s so popular.  After a walk down The Corso, we headed to Hugo’s, a restaurant on the water where we’d eaten in 2017.  The food is wonderful and some is rather different.  We shared an order of calimari to begin and then shared two pizzas, one featuring sliced lamb (a new type for me), and the other with chorizo.  They were both delicious, and when our meal was over, the server brought each of us a small glass of limoncello - the perfect way to end a perfect meal.

 

We drove back into the city, and our next destination was, according to Heo, “the best gelato place in Sydney.”  We were skeptical until we tried it, and it was some of the best we’d tasted, inside or outside of Italy.  

 

Unfortunately, it was time to return to the ship with no plans for the evening, but Rich solved that problem when we walked into our cabin and found a message from him about going back to Darling Harbour for dinner.  What a great idea!  So, at 6:00 it was time to meet outside the ship, hop on the shuttle, and go find somewhere to eat.  We all decided on the way that we’d had enough mussels, calimari and fish and chips, so perhaps Italian or Chinese was the way to go.  

 

Darling Harbour is a hopping place, especially for 20 and 30-somethings after work, and especially during Happy Hour when drinks are two for one.  We happened across a restuarant called Baia, which coincidentally had been recommended by our friend Martha as well as Greg and Heo, so Italian it would be.  

 

John and Rich stood in the bar line for about half an hour, because that was the only place to order the two for one drinks, and then it was time to choose what sounded good from the menu.  We had bruschetta for a starter, which looked like a small pizza.  Ginni and Rich shared a chicken and prawn dish, John had plain old spaghetti bolognese, and I had arancini, little balls of ground meat, rice and cheese, rolled in batter and fried.  I expected two, since I was still full from lunch, but they brought five!

Oh my.  Between eating a bit and sharing, I only finished with one left over.

 

Then it was time to take the shuttle back to the ship, and early to bed to get ready for another great day in Sydney tomorrow.

 

P. S.  A further update on the Sydney Harbor sail-in:  a couple contacted the captain after getting up very, very early to watch the sail-in, especially the lighted Sydney Opera House.  The Opera House was not lighted, so they told the captain they wanted a full refund of their cruise fare.  Really!

[Krazy Kruizers]

How wonderful that you had a friend take you around Sydney to show you some sights and then find a good place to have gelato.

 

Good idea to go back out for dinner.  Two for one drinks are worth standing in line for.

 

Great pictures and the food looks good.

[puppycanducruise]

Great pictures and commentary.

Thanks.

[tennisbeforewine]

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Sydney, Australia (Day 2)

 

The only thing better than one day in Sydney is two days in Sydney, so we made ourselves a list of things to do and set off to do them.  Basically our list only had one item on it:  take the gifts we had purchased in the last six weeks to the post office and send them to our kids in California.  

 

The line for the shuttle was fairly long when we joined it, but by the time we boarded the bus, it was over a hundred yards long.  We were just glad to get in it when we did.  When we got off in Darling Harbour, we asked for directions to the nearest post office and set off to find it.  It only took asking two more people along the way until we did, indeed, arrive there, where we set about buying the appropriate box, packing the goodies in it, and then filling out all the paperwork necessary to let the Customs Service know that we were only sending home socks, a tee shirt, and souvenirs.  Then it was wrapped up tightly by the efficient postal employee who waited on us, and it was sent off to California, arriving in about six days.

 

Our next goal was to walk to Circular Quay, home of the Sydney Opera House and just near the Sydney Bridge.  A pleasant Sydneysider gave us simple directions and we set out for what we thought was a very short walk.  Actually, it was about a mile, but it took us past some interesting old buildings as well as some extremely modern ones.  When we arrived at the Quay, it felt like old home week, except that someone else’s ship was parked there.  How dare they!?

 

From the quay we headed into “The Rocks,” the area which was the dropping off (or dumping off) point for the 160,000 British convicts who were transported there between 1788 and 1868.  Although it was an incredibly rough and tumble place then, today it’s the home of chic shops, restaurants, and even a couple of small museums.  On weekends there’s a wonderful open market, but as this is a Wednesday, no such luck.  We wandered around here for awhile and then headed back to Darling Harbour for lunch.  

 

We had enjoyed our dinner at Baia so much last evening that we decided it would be a good bet for a late lunch today.  By the time we arrived, there was only one outdoor table left, so we snapped it up and John ordered his favorite warm weather drink, an Aperol Spritz.  They’re too bitter for me, so a Strongbow Cider was perfect for this 90-degree day.  Of course by the time we finished lunch it was raining, but the temperature had only gone down a couple of degrees.  Then it was time to head back to the shuttle and fight the commuter traffic back to the ship.  

 

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This evening was a great deal of fun.  It was Bill’s birthday, so Rich and Ginni hosted a “happy hour” in their suite, and we all brought beverages of various kinds.  Whatever we lost in a sail-in, we gained in a beautiful sailaway.  The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and the sunset was spectacular.  The Sydney Opera House was especially beautiful.  One of the nice things about the ship is that you can always scrounge snacks around the ship, so we had cheese, chips, popcorn and crackers as well as the beverages.  We remained on the balcony until it was time to go to dinner, where the fun continued.  After dinner, a wonderful lemon sponge cake was Bill’s birthday cake, and a couple dozen waiters came over to sing “Bonja Boolia,” the traditional Indonesian birthday song.  The spelling is as close as I can come to the song, and while I sing along with them, I’m sure the words I use are not what the waiters sing.

 

It was a wonderful two days in Sydney, beginning with time with our Aussie friends and ending with time with our shipboard friends.  Now all we have to do is look forward to the 2020 WC, when, with MacArthur, we shall return.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad you made use of your second day in Sydney to send home some gifts and then have some lunch.

 

Love the pictures -- beautiful sunset.