Showing posts with label WC2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WC2011. Show all posts

Saturday, June 11, 2011

WC2011 Sydney Visit

What did CruiseGran/Jane/Mama and I do for the two days we had in Sydney? Well...

We went to dinner with my cousins. Leave it to Merrill to take us to a restaurant where the menu looks like THIS.



Trust is a big thing within families, right?

Golden Century Restaurant is one of those oriental restaurants where you look around and the place is PACKED...but most of the patrons are Asian. Always a good sign.



Downstairs, large tanks hold the freshest seafood available.

Mud Crab



Stone Crab



Abalone.



Merrill and I went to pick out our mud crab, the speciality of the house.

This one was a possibility...but we settled on a mud crab of equal size.



Feeling a little like Vanna White with our dinner.



Jane made a mad grab for the check at the end of the meal.



Why her expression?

Here's why.



We said "goodbye" to the rest of the merry band, as they were leaving early the next morning for Ayers Rock. What fun memories we will carry with us of this trip. We are already planning next year's cruise!

Next morning, after a lovely breakfast with an amazing view...



we took off to walk a bit .

Loved this sculpture.



Saw a shop that fits my friend John.



As a recent convert to all things Apple, I was delighted to walk past here...



and then had a giggle when I saw school children inside, looking like they were on a field trip.



Imagine...a school field trip to the Apple Store!



(actual fantasy...visiting the Apple Store with someone ELSE's American Express Black Card...........stop laughing, Captain Storli.)

Mama wanted to make sure I saw the Queen Victoria Building.



Definitely worth the walk. So many lovely shops. So many lovely details to see!







We hopped on the harbor ferry to Darling Harbor for lunch.








Over at Darling Harbor, we found that Silver Spirit (last seen in Melbourne) had followed us to Sydney.



A Norwegian Flag???



Captain Cook wasn't Norwegian......



But there was love in the air.





On the way back to the main harbor, I saw this house.



Bet that view is AMAZING!

I could have taken photos of the Opera House all day long.



Next stop was the Opera House for a tour. Before that even got started, I was taking photos. The ladies' room was AMAZING.





(Oh, come on...you know if YOU had been there, you would have taken photos there, too......)

Our delightful and informative guide chaperoned us around the entire facility.



Including this AMAZING view



for which we had to climb THESE stairs.



The interiors of the Opera House are so unique.







Textures, lines, angles.





Even the roof tiles are fascinating. Some are off white, some are white. Some are shiny, some are matte.



For dinner that night, the concierge at the hotel recommended Manta, which was delicious. the location could not have been better.



It was a perfect way to end my trip "Down Under" with a perfect sunset.



I will admit that I was glad to return to Middle-Of-Nowhere-comma-Georgia and see Alix and AJ. But I will always treasure my memories of my trip to this beautiful area of our planet.

What a Wonderful World.

WC2011 Sydney

Sailing into Sydney, Australia for the first time.

I don't care that it was in the middle of the night. I was going to get up to see it. Just like the first time I sailed into India. Well maybe in not such exclusive surroundings, but equally thrilling.











In many ways, this is my favorite time on the ship. Before everyone wakes up, before she arrives in port, before the dishes start being plated and the glasses start clinking. She is calm, she is quiet, she is serene and majestic and beautiful, gliding through the water effortlessly. And she is usually all MINE.





I love seeing things like this.



The work that must be done all night so that everything is magically perfect during the day. It is a side that few guests see, so I guess I feel closer to her, somehow. Funny, but it is at this time I can feel her soul, and understand what sailors mean when they speak of ship as "she"--"her" as a living entity. Oh, well, either you get it or you don't.

Dawn comes.





Let me just get this out of the way. I HATE debarkation day. Loathe. Detest. Getting off the ship is not something I ever want to do. Silly dream of mine....to at least ONCE in my life, to "do" back to back cruises so I don't have to get off the ship on turn-around day. It's on my Bucket List. That's how much my heart hurts when I leave.

Yes, I am spoiled.

A sign of things to come. Putting up the "Welcome Aboard" flags for the new guests.





Gosh, Sydney does look pretty, though.






Time for one last round of photos.

Lido guys.



Goran.



My darling friend Bart, the wonderful head sommelier!



Waiting in the Galaxy to leave the ship isn't pleasant, but made better by smiles.



And so, we walked down the gangway for the last time for cruise 1304...and maybe I am getting better about leaving. Only a tear or two. Well, at least I don't start weeping openly like I used to. Ok, well, maybe just a bit. But I am getting better.

We took the "scenic" tour to the hotel...and I am so glad we did.





At Manly Beach, I saw surfers...



and stuck my toes in the water!



Even with the clouds, it was beautiful.







Guys with boards running around in packs reminded me of Alix and AJ back at home.



And half a world away, children are still children.



Now I hope there is no reason to ask me why I could have watched THESE two guys all day...



After arriving at the Hotel Intercontinental, we had a bit of a walk about.


Hmm....maybe a little inspiration for some backyard shade???




And on the street, we saw some performers...



And ran into some FRIENDS!!! Hi Ross!!!!!!!!



Ok, the view from our hotel room was awesome!



And the great thing was...I couldn't see Crystal Serenity. So I couldn't watch her sail away.

Which is simply one of the things I hate most....watching her going on without me!