Days 21 & 22 - November 7 & 8, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 21 – November 7, 2018 – The Blue Mountains and More of Sydney

Beautiful parrot enjoying the seeds and flowers in the park

We split up today, as Richard and Mary Jo, Glenn and Trudy explored more of Sydney via the hop-on, hop-off bus, while Bob and I had an opportunity to see the famed Blue Mountains west of Sydney. Scott and Carol, who live a bit south of here and whom we met on a cruise in the Mediterranean three years ago, picked us up and we headed westward, first to stop for a delicious cup of coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I'm told, by a reliable expert, my husband Bob, that the coffee in both Australia and New Zealand is excellent … don't ask me why. And both Aussies and Kiwis LOVE their coffee!

Three Sisters
Blue Mountains
New South Wales, Australia

The weather started out nice; but eventually the 100% forecast of rain was realized. It was pouring rain when we first got to Three Sisters; but after meandering through a souvenir shop, it settled down to a nice drizzle, making it easier to see the entire vista of the Jamison Valley. The unusual rock formation of The Three Sisters towers above the Jamison Valley. Created by the erosion of the sandstone, the names of these sisters are Meehni, Wimiah and Gunnedoo. The Aboriginal legend has it that these sisters lived in the valley with their Katoomba tribe but fell in love with three men from a neighboring tribe. Marriage between tribes was forbidden, so the men tried to force the issue. To protect the sisters, the elder turned the sisters into stone; but since the elder was killed in battle, no one was able to turn the sisters back!

The Valley of Wentworth Falls

The Blue Mountains are 10 times older than our Grand Canyon, with the rocks underneath the mountains estimated to be over 470 million years old. While it seemed to me these mountains are more like our Appalachian Mountains in the eastern US, though with many sandstone cliffs, deep valleys, swamps, plateaus above the cliffs and rain forests. This range gets its name from the blue haze which lingers over it. Created by the tiny droplets of oil from the eucalyptus forests, when mixed with water vapor and sunlight, the distinctive blue haze results. The Blue Mountains National Park was established in 1959 and declared a World Heritage Site in 2000.

Of course the weather could have been more cooperative, but we did recognize the beauty of the area as we gazed over the cliffs and valleys, the rock formations and Wentworth Falls. But the best part of the day was spending a lot of quality time with Scott and Carol, catching up on their lives. Of course, getting a glimpse of life in Australia from an Aussie's point of view is always interesting! We had a scrumptious lunch at The Boiler House Restaurant overlooking the beautiful Megalong Valley of the Blue Mountains. This place has a fascinating history of the retail baron Mark Foy opening this Hydro Majestic in 1904 as the country's first health resort. With a steam-driven generator from Germany, the resort had electricity even before the City of Sydney had it! Scott and Carol are a beautiful couple, and we are forever grateful they took the day to be with us!

Carol and Scott

The others also thoroughly enjoyed their whirlwind tour, enjoying the sites and smells of Sydney, saying they did and saw a lot but there's still so much more to see! The zoo provided an opportunity to see the many different and unique animals and reptiles found this Australia, and the aquarium provided insight into the aquatic life surrounding the country. Richard was hoping he had another day to continue exploring Sydney! But, alas, all good things must come to an end.

We met up with everyone at the best burger restaurant located close to our condo where we all enjoyed the wonderful dinner and libations. Once back in the condo, it was time to repack suitcases to get ready to leave for home tomorrow!

Day 22 – November 8, 2018 – The Longest Day

Home from half way
around the world!

The almost 14-hour flight from Sydney to Los Angeles was grueling for those of us who couldn't sleep on the plane, but we all made it! Luggage in tow, we go through customs, maneuver a last-minute terminal and gate change, then flew the other 3 hours home. Leaving Sydney at 12:44 p.m., passing through 17 time zones and arriving home at 4:44 p.m. means we went back in time 18 hours and our day was almost 40 hours long!!! Don't they make movies about this stuff??

Overall, I think we'd all say that the entire trip was a wonderful adventure. We learn so much about other cultures, life styles and history when traveling. We see and experience marvelous land formations from the snow capped mountains and fjords, the farm fields and black sand beaches, the steaming geysers and thick forests to the bush country and eucalyptus forests. While both countries lean toward socialism with very high taxes; and both experience issues with immigration and foreign nationals purchasing chunks of their land; and while New Zealand lives with constant earthquakes and Australia lives with the constant worry of drought – people overall were extremely friendly, welcoming and helpful. This meandering adventure had been on my bucket list for years, though I never actually thought it would happen. The lesson here is … never give up on your dream! Enjoy all He has provided, learn from it and share it. So many Beautiful Blessings discovered as we meander all over the world …

Cold and snow welcomed us home!

Day 20 - November 6, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 20 – November 6, 2018 – Manly and Sydney

It's a little late start this morning … I think we're all getting tired! And then it took some time to learn how to maneuver with the train system to go back to the center of Sydney and ferry across to Manly. Manly is one of Australia's premier Seaside Villages on a small peninsula bound by the Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Harbour National Park and the Pacific Ocean. There are a plethora of retail stores, cafes restaurants and bars. Nature walks and about 40 beaches surround the village … Manly Beach being one of the most well-known.

Manly Beach

It was a bit of an adventure at the entrance to the ferry where the machine said I didn't have enough money left on my travel card. And by now everyone had already passed through the turnstile and were already checked in, not realizing my dilemma. No problem, I'll just top it off at the nearby kiosk. Only that machine wouldn't accept my credit card and didn't leave any options for payment! So after more attempts to resolve this problem, a nice younger couple behind me offered to help, explaining that, indeed, I did need a pin number. So after explaining I do not have one, he offered to use his credit card to put the $10 on my travel card. Great … and I'd just pay him back in Aussie dollars. Only he absolutely refused any reimbursement saying I simply MUST go and enjoy Manly!! I'm humbled! We've met so many wonderful people on this trip.

Water Dragon

So, yes, we did enjoy Manly, walking up the main mall gawking at the stores until we found this cute little hole-in-the-wall restaurant facing the beach. The beers, wine and fish and chips for lunch were wonderful! Afterwards we strolled the walkway along the beach, stopping after a while for coffee and to shop at a cute little boutique. While Mary Jo and I were making our purchases, we heard a lot of hooting and hollering, yelling and cheering from the coffee/bar place next door. All day we had also noticed that so many people were dressed up formally … heels, hats, tuxes, etc. Turns out the first Tuesday in November at 3 p.m. Is Australia's well-known annual Thoroughbred horse race in Melbourne, called the Melbourne Cup. This race first started in 1861 and is now the richest two-mile handicap horse race in the world. Of course it was over in just three minutes, but Bob and Trudy did get to watch it on the screen next door.

Ah ... Good Coffee!

We continued walking along the beach, watching the surfers and enjoying the stately Norfolk Island Pines with their long, thick, rich forest green needles. Once this entire area was filled with these trees, but now only a few remain because of development. Apparently this beach is where the first surfing contest was held back in 1964. Coming back we stopped to watch a few street minstrels, picked up a few more things and made our way back to the ferry and back to Sydney. 

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair
Sydney, Australia

 There we parted ways with Trudy and Glenn who were off to enjoy a piano concert at The Sydney Opera House. Richard, Mary Jo, Bob and I walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens once again, this time to see the famed Mrs. Macquarie's Chair. Of course, the gardens, the walk along the water, the many different plants and trees were all gorgeous. While the stone carved chair itself was nondescript and really rather disappointing, the view of the bay, the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge were beautiful. This chair was carved out of sandstone rock in the shape of a bench by convict labor in 1810 for Elizabeth Macquarie, wife of the Governor of New South Wales at the time. She would sit at this quite high point of the peninsula and watch the ships come in from Great Britain as well as enjoy the panoramic views of the harbors and hillsides beyond. It was indeed a very pleasant spot!

 White Cockatoo

But now we walk some more, back to a train station to find our way “home” to Sydney Olympic Park. Arriving at Olympic Park Station, a huge terminal with two other people in the entire 5-acre station, we were within walking distance of our condo, so we stopped for a delicious hamburger … $16+ worth. Overall we did find most things both in Australia and New Zealand quite a bit more expensive than we're used to. One wonders how the Aussies and Kiwis can afford it with their taxes at well over 50 percent; yet it's not uncommon for residential housing to be a million dollars or more and, as we experienced, food, clothing, etc., were all priced higher than the U.S.

Trudy and Glenn came back from their adventure at the concert, all excited about the awesome piano concert at the Opera House. That experience will definitely be a life-long memory, one that has to be experienced to truly grasp its awesomeness!

Day 19 - November 5, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 19 – November 5, 2018 – Sydney

After leaving the ship, we rolled all our luggage up hill about 3 blocks to a baggage storage place, then proceeded to do a little exploring on foot.  The dock area was bustling with stores, restaurants and people, while the gigantic Majestic Princess dominated the port while other ferries and tour boats were constantly coming and going. 

The Majestic Princess and the Sydney Harbor Bridge

Sydney Harbor Bridge

As we stroll along the dock area, we immediately see the iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge. Built in 1932, it is the tallest steel-arch bridge and sixth largest spanning-arch bridge in the world. It is affectionately called “The Coathangar” because of the arch design. From the dock area, we see the harbor, the harbor bridge and the Opera House, all icons of Sydney!

A little further down we arrived at the entrance to the acclaimed Sydney Opera House. There are many levels and hundreds of steps, all going up, it seemed. There are no elevators but some  

Sydney Opera House

esccalators, with more escalators being planned. The view of the surrounding harbor and view of the city’s high rises was beautiful.  We had already scheduled a tour, which was amazing because I knew nothing about this building at all.  In 1957 the Danish architect Jorn Utzon was awarded the contract for the best design after first having those plans placed in the reject pile! The building was to be built within three years; but politics and construction delays interfered and Utzon was fired, but it was finally finished in 1973  and considerably over budget. It took over 10,000 workers to make it a reality. 

Tiles of the Roof
Sydney Opera House

The roof of the Opera House is actually a matrix of white and cream-colored tiles, 1,0056,006 to be exact! Those tiles never need to be cleaned, as the texture and placement is such that it is self-cleaning when it rains. Plus the cement floor blocks are such that the water flows through the spaces between them back into the harbor. The interior sound stages are free standing and not attached to the outside shell.  There are six concert halls constructed for excellent acoustics, one specifically for musical instruments and another for voice. We were fortunate to spend a few minutes listening to the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra practice. The facility is not just for opera -- actually many different activities from plays to rock concerts and weddings take place frequently.  Trudy and Glenn have tickets to attend a piano concert in the great Concert Hall here tomorrow night!

After the tour and a quick bite to eat, we strolled through the very large and very beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens. Opened in 1816, it extends over 74 acres of Harbour shoreland and is the largest historic botanic garden in Australia, plus is one of the most important in the world.  There were many extremely large trees, flowering bushes, the magnificent purple flowering jacaranda trees, flower gardens, palm trees, etc. etc.  

The Nave of
St. Mary's Cathedral
Sydney

Next we rested and prayed in the gorgeous St. Mary’s Cathedral. After a fire destroyed the original building, this one was constructed in stages, the first stage between 1866 and 1900 with stage two built between 1912 and 1928. It was finally completed in 2000. It is the largest Cathedral building in Australia and is built in an English Gothic style. It has many gorgeous stained glass windows, a beautiful nave, many lovely statues as well as numerous beautiful side altars, including one dedicated specifically to female saints. It reminded me of the churches in Europe … very peaceful and beautiful.

A Side Alter Dedicated to Women Saints
St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

It has been a lot of walking today … but we still had more to do to walk back to our luggage,  then take Ubers to our “home” in Sydney for the next few days, that home being in Sydney’s Olympic Park area about a half an hour from the city center.  But it is a lovely place, where many of games of the XXVII Olympiad took place in 2000. After checking out the area and discovering a nice Italian restaurant, then picking up a few essentials from a small mart, it was early to bed for our tired feet and bones! Good night!

Days 17 & 18 - November 3 & 4, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 17 – November 3, 2018 – Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia City Skyline

It’s another “G’Day, Mate!”  Today it is all about koalas and kangaroos.

We’re up early and off the ship for a tour of a couple wildlife sanctuaries to meet Australia’s most iconic creatures.  First a few fun facts:

Australian Magpie

Koalas – Koalas are not bears, but are marsupials as are the Tasmanian Devils, Kangaroos and Wallabies. Gestation is about 34-35 days, after which the undeveloped embryo climbs up mum’s fur unassisted and latches onto her nipple for the next 4-6 months. After that the joey’s nourishment is both mum’s milk and later some eucalyptus leaves. At about a year, the youngster sets out on his/her own to mate.  It takes about 2 acres of land to sustain one koala, who will move from tree to tree about every 24 hours. The males have a dark, sticky patch on their chest, the scent used to mark their

territory. Normally slow moving and docile, males must find, mark and defend their own territories; so they may have to fight for it. Females want to mate only with the biggest, strongest males!    Their exclusive diet and source of water is the eucalyptus leaf which is very low in nutrients and high on toxins. But they move slowly and infrequently to conserve energy. Koalas have poor eye sight but their other senses are very keen; and when they sense trouble, they climb higher up the tree to hide. They live to about 14-15 years old and die generally because their molars have worn down so they can no longer chew the leaves.  A fascinating fact is that all koalas have their own fingerprint, so to speak; only it is the markings in the pink lining inside of their black noses. This makes it easy to identify each one for research without having to touch or tag the animal. The sad thing about the plight of the koala is that its population of these adorable creatures is in serious decline all across Australia due to the loss of habitat.

The Eastern Gray Kangaroo – I didn’t realize there are so many different types of Kangaroos. The Eastern Gray live in this area, as do some of the much smaller black colored swamp wallabies.  It is fascinating that at the same time a mum (notice how easily one slips into English/Aussie speak!) can be pregnant, plus have a joey in the pouch and also be nursing up to a year-old teen-age joey. Kangaroos are very family oriented; and when about 15 or more are together, it is called a mob of kangaroo. The family consists of one dominant male, several mums and joeys of various ages. Females will begin to mate at around age two; males at about 2 ½ years old. The Eastern Gray really prefer cool weather, so in the summer they will graze at night and find shelter in the shade of the woods during the warm day time; and the opposite is true in the winter. They have very large feet and a tail to support them when standing, which is generally when they feel threatened. When males are fighting for their harem, they will use their very strong tail to help support the legs while raising themselves up to their full six or seven feet. They can even rest back on the tail and kick the opponent with all four feet. Kangaroos are most efficient when running (actually hopping). They can achieve up to 45 mph for 10 minutes or so, but can run a marathon at about 20 mph! And they are capable of changing direction in a hop avoiding pursuers quickly. Kangaroos are actually the only mammals that have increased in number since the Europeans settled here, some saying there are two kangaroos to every person in Australia!

Emu

As we drive toward the sanctuaries, the land is flat, flat, flat, fertile grasslands. This particular area of the country is very dry, getting on average only 10 inches of rain a year; but there is water underground. Our first stop is at the large You Yangs Regional Park. Thousands of eucalyptus trees have been planted here to provide a habitat specifically for koalas to live in the wild, plus the underbrush has been removed so the koala can see any danger when moving from tree to tree.  A lot of research on the koala is also being done here.  We were fortunate to see one adult female, though she wasn’t about to move her head to look at us for a photo op!   

Cape Barren Goose

We then motored over to Serendip Sanctuary where there, too, many trees have been planted to provide a free natural habit for a few koalas, kangaroos and birds. Eucalyptus trees have a remarkable ability to live, even through fires. And if it becomes too dry, it will just drop a branch to the ground so there are fewer branches to feed! Research on endangered birds is done here at Serendip, as well as breeding them. We saw a couple emu in the field. It was fascinating to find out that the male emu will sit on the eggs for about 2 ½ months until hatched, never leaving the nest.  We also saw quite a few large Cape Barren Geese. They are one of the rarest in the world, have a wing span of 59-75 inches, rarely swims and eats by grazing.   And, of course there were the strikingly beautiful black and white Australian Magpies all over. After a nice morning tea and biscuits, we strolled through an open field where we spotted a couple kangaroo.  The male was wooing the female with cute antics; but, alas, to no avail!  Then we discovered a whole mob just at the edge of the field in the forested area.  We eeked closer and closer and observed many of them just laying around, some hopping away from us, some standing in a threatening position and some just wandering from area to area. 

I know this is a lot of information … but, hey, we’re half way around the world seeing these “foreign” animals in the wild … Unbelievably fascinating!

Once we got back to the ship, we walked along the beautiful beach area to Bay Street for some lunch. There were many sailboats in the bay – what a pretty sight! After fish and chips at a local pub, we returned to the ship and resumed our routine of cocktails with Cyril and devouring more scrumptious food for dinner. The other couples were fortunate to be able to take the same tour this afternoon, so it was fun to compare notes on what we saw and learned! They’re off to the Beatles show while we’re just chilling out tonight.  I’d have to say this has been a simply fabulous day. God is good.

Day 18 - November 4, 2018 – Our Last Day at Sea

It was a lazy, relaxing day at sea today as we head toward our disembarkation in Sydney.  After lunch we had a prayer service in Glenn and Trudy’s room because we were unable to attend Mass today.  And the afternoon was spent packing our luggage, since our bags needed to be outside our door prior to going to dinner.  Richard and Mary Jo did attend a talent show and the final show by Chris Watkins, the wonderful violinist we had seen earlier.

All of us with Cyril at Crooners

Rochelle preforming
his majic tricks!

So, for the last time, we enjoyed our routine of cocktails, then dinner.  Dinner was again scrumptious; and toward the end of dinner, the lights were turned down as the chefs and wait staff paraded around the dining room carrying dishes of baked Alaska with flaming candles on top.  And then, of course, we had baked Alaska for dessert … plus a small but delicious scoop of Kahlua and mascarpone ice cream!  M-m-m-m-m-good!  We have gotten to know our wait staff so well, it was a bit sad having to say good-bye. 

Glenn, Trudy, Bob and I meandered toward the Piazza for after-dinner drinks where an Australian band was playing Rolling Stone’s songs.  They were very enjoyable.  And now it is time for our last night on the cruise ship.  It truly has been a remarkable adventure ... We are indeed extremely Blessed!

With the great dining servers, Kebb and Rochelle

Days 15 & 16 - November 1 & 2 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 15 – November 1, 2018 – Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Trudy and Glenn

G’Day, Mate!  This was our greeting as we went through Border Security and off the docks at our first stop in Australia. So cool. The six of us walked up to the tree-lined Elizabeth Street in Hobart, the very nice shopping area where the street is “decorated” with colored bricks in geometric forms, with seating areas that abound around the trees and cute statues of critters are placed all around the area. Hobart is the capital of the Australian state and island of Tasmania, and lovely Mount Wellington, which dominates the city, can be seen from the port as can much of the city nestled in the hillsides.

Marcie

Mary Jo

Elizabeth Street
Hobart, Tasmania
Australia

Its history, however, is not necessarily a proud one. The Aboriginal people have inhabited Australia for about 35,000 years, but the tribes on Tasmania were separated from the mainland when the land bridge disappeared 30,000 years ago. When the white explorers came, however, the Aboriginal people were mistreated horribly even up to recent times. At one point the Aboriginal people were banned to a remote island with no food, basically to be exterminated.   But a small group of resourceful Aboriginies did survive and have since fought hard to revive their customs, traditions and land. In the early 1900s they did achieve personhood status, followed by recognition as citizens, the return of their dead ancestors’ remains and the return of some of their lands. It was interesting to learn of their spirituality, their oneness with nature, especially their belief that upon death, one’s body must be returned to the earth to free its spirit. 

The Hobart area was originally founded in 1804 as a penal colony for the British Empire. Then free settlers came and by the 19^th century it became the Empire’s largest whaling and ship building operations. Today Hobart is a bustling city with breathtaking seascapes and rugged hillsides where the cost of living is quite a bit less than on the mainland. Summer temperatures in Tasmania are in the mid-70s and winter temperatures run in the low 50s. Because of this the flora is plush and beautiful and the vineyards produce award-winning wines. Lavender is commercially grown, and stone fruit such as cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines thrive here. Tasmania is also the world’s largest supplier of wild abalone, oysters and mussels. The Huon pine tree grows only here and can live up to 10,500 years old.  It is a beautiful hard wood which, I believe, also never rots. Plus, it has officially been declared that Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world with the rainwater so pure it is harvested and bottled!  So we breath deeply!

We’ve discovered that most museums in both New Zealand and now here in Australia are free, so for about an hour and a half we meandered through the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. I found it fascinating learning about the history of the Aboriginals here and their interaction with the settlers, about some of the many different kinds of animals, including the famed and ferocious Tasmanian Devil (though we’ve yet to see one) and some interesting facts about Antarctica and the various adventures to  it.  Afterwards, Richard and Mary Jo walked around more of the City … Mary Jo taking a bus tour to the top of Mount Wellington with its beautiful vistas both going up and from the top. Richard managed to find a gorgeous Anglican Cathedral, resting for a bit to pray for us!  Glenn and Trudy took a Fun Ride on a snazzy three-wheel type of motorcycle through Hobart, to a unique housing development and to the top of Mount Nelson.  Bob and I walked to Salamanca Place, an old warehouse district that has been revitalized into many shops and restaurants.  We had a bite to eat at a small Pub – Cajun Fish Bites, a local wine for me and a local beer for Bob.  Very nice!

The marina in front of the Majestic Princess
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Then … you guessed it … Cocktails at Crooners and fine dining at the Allegro Dining Room where we enjoyed the company of our wonderful friends and great servers, fast becoming very good friends as well!  Tonight’s entertainment was another top-notch performance by the talented singer Will Martin.  Very enjoyable.  What an amazing adventure this is!

Day 16 – November 2, 2018 – Another Day at Sea

·        **  A very entertaining culinary demonstration attended by Richard, Trudy and me. Many tips on cooking an Italian meal plus many laughs. On the Majestic Princess, food preparation has a staff of almost 250; wait staff around the ship numbers close to 500; almost 24,000 plates served per day!!

·      **   From the demonstration, everyone filed through one of the 14 galleys on board the ship – fascinating.  There were also many cute creations made with foods -- designs in watermelons, a rabbit using cauliflower and a carrot, a bouquet of flowers and many other critters.

·        ** Coffee with Trudy and Mary Jo, followed by a delicious lunch at Alfredo’s Pizzeria where Bob and Glenn joined us.

·        ** This afternoon everyone except me participated in the Afternoon Trivia. They answered an impressive 15 out of 20 questions – the winning team had 17. Great job!  I had a free facial exfoliation followed by a professional make up session.  Feels good … I’ll be the belle of the ball at tonight’s formal, right??!!

·      **   Our normal evening cocktail routine was changed somewhat … Trudy and Glenn went to Richard and Mary Jo’s room to “help drink up their wine!”  Bob and I were invited to the Captain’s Circle Champaign Party where the Captain’s Circle members who have cruised more than five times with Princess were treated to free drinks and appetizers. The passenger on board who had cruised the most received recognition for 1,037 days on board Princess!  It was a lovely event.

·        ** Because it was formal night, it was difficult to choose from the amazing selections on the dinner menu.  How do you choose between Pheasant, Beef Wellington, Sea Bass, Lobster and Prawns???  Once again, the kitchen outdid itself in serving scrumptious and decadent entrees.  Simply marvelous! The others went to the evening show; but because Bob and I need to be up and out of here early tomorrow for a tour, we opted to turn in a bit early. 

·       

Tonight's dessert
Princess Chocolate Mousse

       

           The Captain has warned us of high winds with some rough waves until about 4 a.m. … so I guess we’ll be rocked to sleep tonight!  It’s been a nice relaxing day at sea … now to hope the night will be the same!

Days 13 & 14 - October 30-31 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 13 – October 30, 2018 - Lazy Day at Sea

How lovely to sleep in today, being rocked back and forth by the ship!  I didn’t feel it last night … apparently I slept soundly! … but the Captain said we had 15-16-foot swells last night, meaning we were rocking and rolling.  Today it has calmed down a lot, but when walking one must still be ready to grab something to go with the roll!  I hit up the ship’s sale for a few trinkets, then Bob and I ate at the buffet lunch.  This afternoon I treated myself to the seminar to “Pamper Ladies” … ooh, the facial felt so good.  Now to decide whether to spend the $$$ for some of their lovely product!  We haven’t seen nor heard from the other two couples. But I did run into someone from home that I knew was on the ship. It’s such a big ship that it’s taken us eight days to find each other!! 

This evening we enjoyed the same routine of cocktails with our delightful waiter Cyril, then another  fantastic dinner with our servers Rochelle (yesterday our prankster, today our magician!), Rebb and head waiter Simone. The evening’s performance was a singer from New Zealand, Will Martin. His style was very similar to Wayne Newton – Will’s singing and piano playing were outstanding! We set our clocks back an hour tonight; but instead of getting an extra hour of sleep, we watched a movie based in Australia!  After all, that is our next stop!  Pleasant dreams.

 

Day 14 – October 31, 2018 – Halloween at Sea

Time to get some clothes washed, so no other activities for me this morning! After lunch, Trudy, Mary Jo and I went to a little napkin folding seminar.  It was fun learning how to create the tapered candles, single candle, fan, rose, silverware holder, Christmas tree and Lily pad folds … the problem will be remembering them to use at home!! Trudy went to the de-clutter seminar … hoping they will have it rebroadcast on TV as it would do me some good to see it too! 

Richard and Mary Jo
Cheers!

Of course the ship is all decorated for Halloween -- beautiful and ornately decorated pumpkins, balloons, spider webs, etc. And the activities on board have a Halloween bent – Halloween Trivia, Halloween Spooky Gameshow, Halloween Scarefest Spectacular, Kreepy Karaoke Power Hour, Halloween Drive-Thru Movie, etc. etc.  An afternoon wine tasting with the gang was a lot of fun. Many passengers and staff are beginning to roam around in Halloween costumes. Some are very creative!

Oh, Trudy!!

We’re creatures of habit with our pre-dinner cocktails at Crooners, then having great fun gorging ourselves on another scrumptious dinner.  Tonight’s dessert – mine a light chocolate mousse/ice cream/whipped cream; the others a dark chocolate combined with pistachio nuts – was over the top!  This evening’s entertainment was a very energetic production by the Princess Singers and Dancers.  The choreography and costumes were amazing as they preformed the love story Fiera. I left the Halloween party in the Piazza after the hundreds of orange and black balloons were dropped from the seventh down to the fifth floor filled with people. It’s been another rolling day at sea, though most of us have adjusted very well to having to occasionally grab onto something to stay upright! The clocks get turned back again tonight, giving everyone an extra hour of Halloween fun!

Day 12 - October 29, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 12 – October 29, 2018 – New Zealand Fiordland

During the night the Majestic Princess cruised around the tip of New Zealand (with just a few noticeable waves this a.m.) and spent the day sailing in and out of the Fiordland National Park, one of the largest national parks in the world. It consists of 3.1 million acres, nearly 5 percent of the area of New Zealand and was declared a World Heritage Area in 1986. The park consists of fourteen fiords over about 120 miles of rugged coastline.  Today we duck in and out of three of them: 1) Going in at Dusky Sound and exiting Breaksea Sound; 2) Entering at Doubtful Sound, leaving via Thompson Sound; and 3) Entering and exiting via Milford Sound.

Fur Seal

While it seemed more difficult to get up this morning, we rolled out of bed to the gentle rocking of the ship and scrambled up to meet Mary Jo for a coffee and a croissant. Then we scurried up to the deck on the 17^th floor for a good view of the fiords. While it was a bit rainy at times and the wind could be biting, the views were beautiful as we travel through a rather narrow channel surrounded by tall, steep, green mountains on one side, similar large islands on the other and many other smaller islands. The evergreen rain forest clings to the steep hard rock which is covered only with a thin layer of rich, peaty humus and moss. Red, mountain and silver beech trees also populate the mountains; and shrubs, tree ferns, mosses and lichens cover the forest floor.  The climate is always changing and is often dramatic. The annual rainfall varies from 31 inches to 48 inches, raining over 200 days every year. We were fortunate to see a few fur seals sitting on a small rock island, hoping, I’m sure, that the sun would come out!  Dolphins and whales were also spotted at one point.

Two hours later we entered the second fiord. Now the weather is nicer with the sun trying to peak out. The mountains are also taller, as we can see snow on several of them, as well as a handful of waterfalls cascading down the steep slopes. While there are a few deer that were brought to these islands years ago, the fiords are home to a number of birds, ducks, grebes, brown kiwi, etc.  Unfortunately animals such as mice, rats, stoats, hares and possums were also introduced to the area, which has had a very detrimental effect on the native animals and plants.  New Zealand has implemented a number of programs to eradicate these pests, particularly the weasel-type stoats. Marine life is also plentiful, and I managed to capture a good picture of a couple dolphins. Overall, slowly crawling through the narrow waterway between these pristine mountains was simply beautiful and mesmerizing.

But they saved the best for last.  This afternoon we went in and out of Milford Sound … and THIS is the picture I had in my head of fiords and New Zealand. Once again the channel was so narrow it felt like we could reach over to touch the mountains.  The mountains were high peaks and very steep with a mixture of trees or and a few with snow on top and numerous gorgeous waterfalls spilling down to the emerald green water below. Every few feet we were awed with another peak or waterfall coming into view as we meandered to the turnaround point and back again.   We saw some seals … this time actually sunning themselves, as it has turned out to be a beautiful sunny day though the wind is cold. But that was okay since for this one we could enjoy all from our stateroom balconies and not miss anything!  Simply spectacular!

However, once we’re out beyond the shelter of the fiords, we turn west, for the thousand mile journey to Australia and the sea is rougher, and the captain has “warned” us of even higher swells during the night!  So, this time we hang on the banisters as we take the stairs on the rocky ship down to meet the others for cocktails and yet another delicious dinner.  Our waiters keep us laughing with their jokes and antics … always a fun evening.  Afterwards we enjoyed the performance of Chris Watkins, Fire on Four Strings. He entertained us on two different violins; and, my goodness, he could make those strings sing!  It was another wonderful evening aboard this Majestic Princess!