Broad Thoughts From At Home

[Isklaar]

Have a wonderful cruise.

[nancygp]

Early bon voyage and have a great cruise.

 

Nancy

[Flamin_June]

Thanks to one and all for your kind wishes and thoughts. Will try to start another thread, as the current title is no longer apt. 
Home thoughts from abroad would be the obvious choice, but I am hoping not to be thinking too much about home for the next six weeks. Given the recent bombshell perhaps ‘Last post for the Odyssey’ although she will keep going a while longer, but it is unlikely we will sail on her again.

All this talk of cuts and and sell offs casts a slight pall, but, as others have said, there are always changes and nit picks and small issues, On Sojourn one time the aircon in our suite would not stop gurgling and they could not fix it. In the end they kindly gave us a thousand dollars OBC to compensate, and we got used to it anyway. We have always experienced the odd fail with food and service - long waits for anything to be served, inedible ribeyes and dried out Dover Soles , one time the Armagnac ran out, (but there was Carlos Primera). We are here to be enchanted by Australia and French Polynesia, to sail Pacific waters, to follow in the footsteps, or more correctly the wake, of Capt. James Cook, Robert Louis Stevenson, John La Farge, and many others. The fact that we can do it on a fine vessel such as Odyssey, and not have to row, or survive on ship’s biscuits and sauerkraut is a bonus. 
 We are still jet lagged, by the way. Went to sleep around midnight and woke at 3 AM and could not get back to sleep. No worries, as they say around here. Have been sitting on our balcony, overlooking the Botanical Gardens, since 4. 30 , listening to night birds coming in to roost watching the dawn come up slowly, drinking coffee. There is a thin crescent moon high in the deepest navy blue sky, which is slowly fading to a pink and orange glow behind the trees. Think we just heard a kookaburra ((whatever that is). The city is coming to life with road traffic in the distance and early joggers in the park.

yesterday we wandered around the circular Quay and the Rocks, found an AMAZING artists supplies shop and A bought a hat from an Argentinian lady. It is so cosmopolitan here in an AESEAN kind of way, vibrant with optimistic energy.

Anyway we will stagger around today and hope to sleep well and long tonight. And fill in our online health declaration forms.

Edited March 18, 2023 by Flamin_June
Fixed sum early morning typos

[Flamin_June]

Just to add from our balcony we saw egrets or cormorants (at any rate birds with long beaks and long necks) flying out sea in dawns first light, and now the house martins are swooping, squeaking and feeding high over the trees.

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, Flamin_June said:

Thanks to one and all for your kind wishes and thoughts. Will try to start another thread, as the current title is no longer apt. 
Home thoughts from abroad would be the obvious choice, but I am hoping not to be thinking too much about home for the next six weeks. Given the recent bombshell perhaps ‘Last post for the Odyssey’ although she will keep going a while longer, but it is unlikely we will sail on her again.

All this talk of cuts and and sell offs casts a slight pall, but, as others have said, there are always changes and nit picks and small issues, On Sojourn one time the aircon in our suite would not stop gurgling and they could not fix it. In the end they kindly gave us a thousand dollars OBC to compensate, and we got used to it anyway. We have always experienced the odd fail with food and service - long waits for anything to be served, inedible ribeyes and dried out Dover Soles , one time the Armagnac ran out, (but there was Carlos Primera). We are here to be enchanted by Australia and French Polynesia, to sail Pacific waters, to follow in the footsteps, or more correctly the wake, of Capt. James Cook, Robert Louis Stevenson, John La Farge, and many others. The fact that we can do it on a fine vessel such as Odyssey, and not have to row, or survive on ship’s biscuits and sauerkraut is a bonus. 
 We are still jet lagged, by the way. Went to sleep around midnight and woke at 3 AM and could not get back to sleep. No worries, as they say around here. Have been sitting on our balcony, overlooking the Botanical Gardens, since 4. 30 , listening to night birds coming in to roost watching the dawn come up slowly, drinking coffee. There is a thin crescent moon high in the deepest navy blue sky, which is slowly fading to a pink and orange glow behind the trees. Think we just heard a kookaburra ((whatever that is). The city is coming to life with road traffic in the distance and early joggers in the park.

yesterday we wandered around the circular Quay and the Rocks, found an AMAZING artists supplies shop and A bought a hat from an Argentinian lady. It is so cosmopolitan here in an AESEAN kind of way, vibrant with optimistic energy.

Anyway we will stagger around today and hope to sleep well and long tonight. And fill in our online health declaration forms.

Glad all is working out for you

[phil09]

3 hours ago, Flamin_June said:

Thanks to one and all for your kind wishes and thoughts. Will try to start another thread, as the current title is no longer apt. 
Home thoughts from abroad would be the obvious choice ...

Great thread FJ - we are also in Sydney ready to board Odyssey in a couple of days.  We arrived a day or two before you so the internal clock synchronization is a bit further along.  Looking forward to meeting you on the ship.

[BasandSyb]

We will do the mad dash on Tuesday. Haven’t packed yet despite all good intentions and feel terribly disorganised. 
 

Will see you “out and about”.

[Flamin_June]

To add a happy coda, we tested negative this afternoon. 🎉

Happy travels to you all.

Repacking now😕

Yesterday we walked across the Botanical Gardens to the Australia Museum, where there was a great, but rather small, area devoted to Pacific Art, which we both have an interest in, although from different viewpoints. It was in the mid to high 30s C when we walked back, zig zagging from one shady tree to the next. Saw a kookaburra. The gardens are a delight. Much cooler today and forecast for tomorrow. The last three days we have had the MSC Magnifica, Carnival Splendour andP & O Pacific Explorer in port. It will be a pleasure to see Odyssey tomorrow.