Monday 9 March, Sydney Town

I was up early enough to get the still early dawn light on some pictures from Deck 10. Sydney Harbour is still the most spectacular port of any that I've sailed into.

Soon we were docked and I went up for an early table before the Lido got too busy; Alison joined me and then down to settle the room and go to the disembarkation point allocated for our deck. When we got there, an hour before our designated time, we were told there was no waiting, so we could go straight away.

Bye bye boat!

It was raining, so we got wet walking around to Circular Quay Station. We were straight onto a train for Central, where we parted to head in opposite directions. I just missed a train to Helensburgh, then when my later train arrived at Helensburgh the bus had just left, so I called an Uber (new experience!) and a lovely local lady drove me home. All was well and my Tia was very happy to see me.

So ends the Cunard experience, so I can tick it off my bucket list! Summary? The ship was beautiful, elegant and rather subdued in decor - very English Country Club. It doesn't have the air of friendliness and camaraderie amongs passengers and crew that Holland America has - I always look forward to meeting people on cruises but it doesn't happen in this atmosphere. Unfortunately, the children's program (Becky was one of only about 9 children on board) was totally uninteresting and the attendant didn't make any effort to engage Becky in play. She's a bright, out-there little girl and happily gets involved in doing this, so this was really disappointing and meant she spent the whole time with one or more of us on board, rather than being off and playing.

Good points? The ship is spacious with never any feeling of crowding anywhere. It was wonderful being out on the ocean, which I love; Tasmania is such a beautiful state; being able to catch up with family was very special; we shared lots of lovely moments on board as a family; best of all - I got lots of opportunities to dance! Next time - back to Holland America!

Thanks for joining me on the trip - it's nice to know people are reading what I write! See you all next blog in December!

God bless you.
xxxx

Sunday 8 March, Homeward Bound

I was up a little later, we had the usual breakfast in the Lido and then I went to the church service – a traditional Anglican service conducted by the Captain. It was a lovely service, even if the hymns were staid; lots of beautiful prayers and readings and a lovely message from the officer who was in charge of entertainment – both ladies are obviously Christians.

I had arranged to meet Maria (my friend from school) and her companion, Carol, a widow, on Deck 10 for coffee after the service and we had a wonderful time chatting about our lives and memories. I took my pictures of school days with me and they enjoyed these, even though they were really from my year, not the next year which Maria was in with Hilda. The nice thing is that they want to keep in contact and they both love close by – Miranda and Gymea. Carol is even interested in Monday night's Rock n'Roll classes in Sutherland!

Next was a Rhumba lesson, which was fun, especially since Alison and Simmo and Becky joined in. We had lunch and then it was time for the Coulette challenge so I was with Becky keeping her company in the bar where Alison and Simmo would join us for the Bingo final game. Alison came second in the roulette! Bingo was fun, especially because Yuki, the caller had engaged Becky and spent a lot of time "including" her; they were playing for the final jackpot of $800! Even better, Simmo won that last game, tied with another lady, so they got to split the jackpot! Soon it was time for afternoon tea, then getting ready for dinner. 

More dancing after dinner and then I sat with Becky while Simmo and Alison went out for a last play in the casino. Before they got back Grandma was ready for sleep, while Becky was still wide awake! I did the last bit of packing and put my suitcase out for collection, then off to bed because it would be an early start in the morning.

Saturday 7 March, Melbourne

I left the ship about 8.30, intending to walk to the end of the pier to meet my cousin, Marylyn and her daughter, Charmaine. However, the Spirit of Tasmania was in and there was a huge traffic queue with cars and caravans waiting to embark on the crossing. This held up traffic heading for the dock to meet the ship, so I walked along to the tram stop and they picked me up there. We went to Marylyn’s place a nice little unit in a retirement complex in Brighton and had coffee, talking non-stop.

After that we drove to Charmaine and Jason’s for lunch. They've been living in Melbourne for years and have a lovely apartment, plenty of room for visiting family, children and grandchildren. It was such a lovely visit and so good to catch up. They drove me back to the ship, so I didn’t get to wander around Melbourne town at all, but that was okay; it was just delightful to be able to spend time visiting, particularly now that we don’t have Marylyn living close to Sydney anymore and don’t get to see her at reunions.

The kids spent the day in Melbourne, having lots of fun at the zoo which they said was much more animal friendly than Taronga, with better habitats for the animals. 

We sailed on time, onto the last leg back to Sydney.

More dancing tonight, although there was some “group dancing” which doesn’t appeal to me at all; a bigger crowd meant I got less dances too, so I didn’t stay long. Fairly late night reading, etc.

Friday 6 March, Burnie

There was a great shemozzle trying to get to the tour that I had booked through the cruise company, rather than through Cunard. It was looking like I was going to miss it but thankfully they waited for me at the meeting point, which I eventually found by chance. The other participants had also received bad instructions and the tour guide was most apologetic.

Lisa drove us in a sixteen-seater bus but there were only five of us, so it was a lovely, comfortable trip. We drove straight out of the lovely little town and headed for Cradle Mountain National Park, an hour and a half trip, with a comfort stop on the way – no food, just public toilets. The vegetation varies from place to place, sometimes rainforest, sometimes the low scrub that grows at higher altitude, lots of beautiful lower height trees of different species. Lisa is an agriculture/botanical expert and explained lots of the plants and the terrain. She even found us some “bush tucker”, a pepper tree of some sort with edible leaves – very hot in the mouth but would be great with a strong tasting meat, like kangaroo.

When we got to the reserve, we had to follow a coach along the road to the lake, because it’s very narrow and coaches have UHF radio contact to warn of approaching buses. Little buses use the coaches to make a path for them. At Dove Lake, at the foot of Cradle Mountain, we had a picnic lunch in a very small hut which was empty until a busload of tourists arrived. Then we did a short fifteen minute walk around to Glacier Rock, an excellent spot for pictures. There was still cloud covering part of Cradle Mountain, but by the time we walked back down and then around in the other direction to the Boathouse, the rest of the cloud had moved away and we got some great shots. What a beautiful, peaceful spot down on the lake, looking up at the mountain! A very special place and a gift to be able to see it.

There were little tunnels on the walk for the kids to go through, with pictures of wildlife.

On the bus trip back, Lisa spotted a wombat, so we got out for a few minutes and watched him. He walked right up close, sauntered across the road and then ran off down the hill – they can certainly move for such a big, heavy animal.

Further along the road, she screeched to a halt a couple of times over the next few kilometres because she spotted echidna, but when we reversed to look, they were gone – a bit scary with the driving! We were back in town at the Maker’s Hut in plenty of time to catch the shuttle back around to the dock. The only downside was that doing this long excursion, I didn’t get a chance to look at Burnie. It’s such a pretty, unspoiled, clean town, so I plan to get back there one day for a better look – easy to do from Launceston!

We sailed on time, heading for Melbourne in fairly pleasant weather. More dancing tonight after dinner. Simmo and Alison and Becky had a busy day, going to the caves, which they really enjoyed. They were all tired and had an early night. I was in bed a little later.

Thurstday 5 March

We had breakfast in the Lido, a bit of a late morning, then we went with Becky to an activity table to do some of her new puzzles. The Christian Fellowship meeting was nice, sedate, but nice to be there anyway. About thirty people. Next service will be Sunday when the Captain will take the traditional (Anglican, I presume) Sunday service.

The weather has been foul, driving rain with 50 knot winds and a medium swell, so we hugged close to land; this meant two things – I got a bit of phone and internet access, but all the casino activities were cancelled. Simmo and Alison had been planning on playing in the Blackjack tournament and Bingo, both of which were cancelled because of off-shore distance rules. Little cost for these competitions but they are fun to enter. Lots of people were playing games from the activities rooms, others are spending at the bar and café, so it’s all good for the ship! We’re travelling a little faster than was scheduled, because it will get us to nicer weather more quickly.

I went to the dance class, which was waltz; fairly straight-laced but there were men for us ladies to dance with, so that was fun. One of them (Ed) cottoned on to the fact that I have a little dance ability, so he’s going to make sure he keeps an eye out for me tomorrow night. Tonight was formal and the seas quietened down considerably during dinner. With the gala ball being Roaring 20’s style; quite a number of the guests, particularly late seating were suitably costumed, so they’ll probably have great time dancing.

I’m not into Charleston, can’t remember Foxtrot and Quickstep well enough, but I went down to have a look a little after we’d come back to our rooms, assuming Alison had put Becky down for the night. They were doing various dances and there wasn’t a spare chair around the dance floor. So I went and stood back beside some tables to wait and see if there would be any offers of partners. Michael, who I had danced with but wasn’t such a good lead, asked me for a foxtrot; I explained I couldn’t remember it and he said they just do basic social, so that was nice, with a few feather steps, etc. Then while I was waiting again, the lady I had danced with the other night walked past, so I asked her if she wanted to dance and she did! We did a waltz, fairly simple with a few spins and stuff, but she was so good at weaving in and around the crowd. After that, Ed from this afternoon asked me; however, it was a quick step, so he said he’d be back for the next dance and we did a rhumba. Then the demonstration dancers were on, so I called it a night: 3 dances was just perfect.

Glass of wine, cheese and off to bed.

Wednesday 4 March

This morning we docked at 7.00am; I ordered breakfast in my room to make it easier to get organised to go out. Alison, Simmo and Becky had breakfast in the Lido and then left for their excursion, “Beautiful Tasmania”. I met my brother, Vince and his wife, Heather on the dock and we went for a wander, sat down under a tree for a long catch-up chat and then had fish and chips on Constitution Dock. It was lovely to be able to have a leisurely chat, with two family weddings coming up. They’ll leave for Sydney on Easter Monday, taking the caravan across the Tasman and then spending three weeks catching up with family.

There was a very moving set of sculptures honouring convict women and the children who were transported on the early ships. The names of many children are listed on the second sculpture, dedicated to Sister Mary Francis de Sales, Catherine O'Brien. Read her story here: 

 https://www.sistersofcharity.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Sister_Mary_Francis_DeSales-Catherine_OBrien.pdf

I finally got some internet access on the dock – even when we’re in port, the ship’s satellite dominates, so you have to be off the ship. I’m on Vodafone roaming, much cheaper!

In the Lido, I was having some salad and a couple of ladies came and asked if they could share my table. I ended up having a bit of a conversation with them, comparing cruise lines, etc. As I was leaving, we introduced ourselves, only to discover to our amazement that one of them was in primary school with me, one class higher in my sister, Hilda’s year! She remembered us well as the two little Dutch girls. We had not had any contact since leaving St Michael’s Stanmore at the end of 1959!

Alison and Becky got back from their excursion in time to join me for dinner, while Simmo picked up some stuff at the local shops. They had had a very exciting day. Dinner was lovely and afterwards they went to the show; I went to the “dancing with recorded music” which turned out to be a sequence of all the ballroom styles but no males to dance with. I stayed for a little while to watch the very good dancers, had a quick walk around Promenade Deck and then went to join the kids for the last part of the show. The juggler wanted a volunteer from the audience and came down and took Alison on stage for a funny sequence, which I captured on video – she was a star!

After the show they went to get ready for bed, while I went up on Deck 10 to get some pictures as we moved out of the harbour. 

Tuesday 3 March

Well, there’s a good chance that the prawns last night had a problem. I spent the next three hours in and out of the bathroom, emptying from both ends. As there was a little bit of spillage, I had to ask for the bathroom to be cleaned and I also thought I should let them know in case anyone else reported an illness. Silly me! I was confined to my cabin till 24 hours after the symptoms. I had been hesitant to report (for that very reason), but thought it important that they knew in case it was a kitchen problem. 

So I’m stuck here but I have lots to do. I ordered breakfast of toast and Vegemite. The lady on the phone said “what’s that?” So I settled for jam, but when the tray turned up, in addition to the little jar of jam there was a little pot with a large dollop of Vegemite!

There’s a grey sky out there, grey ocean and we’re rolling gently along, at quite good speed. The family have been out and about but Alison said it’s horrible outdoors, very cold and windy. I’m sooo looking forward to walking Promenade Deck.

Tonight I will miss the Ball – oh well, not much I can do about it!

Food today was pretty boring but I ordered some vegan options for dinner for a bit of variety. You can’t the dining room menu delivered. Before they left, the family came in so I could take some pictures.

Tonight the stewards agreed to lower the third bunk bed in Alison and Simmo’s room. Becky had agreed to sleep in Grandma’s room earlier on, but they thought it would be easier to have her in their room if they could get the extra bed. So I am having an early night and I think they may have done the same – 9.30. 

Monday, 2 March 2020

Michelle arrived for dinner last night and she will get me to the station in tme for the 10.12 train this morning. Alison, Simmo and Becky will probably arrive at the Quay around 12, so then we can meander around for a while. Becky hasn't really seen much of Sydney, so it will be lovely for her.

So .... a couple more hours and I'm off to meet Her Majesty!

I was in plenty of time for the 10.12 train; I sat beside a couple who were also heading for the Queen. When I was waiting for the connection from Central to the Quay, I started chatting to “Di” who wanted to know if it was the right train. She was also meeting family at the Quay and boarding the Queen. I arrived at the Quay at 11.15.

We watched each other’s bags while each of us used the bathrooms and then I went across to the little park and sat to eat my sandwich snack. It was incredibly hot, 32 degrees, very unpleasant. When Alison, Simmo and Becky arrived near 1.00pm, we went straight around to see if we could at least get rid of our bags, and found out we could go through checkin and board, rather than waiting till our allocated time of 4.00pm. It was very quick, with very little wait time.

Our bags were all in the cabins within a very few minutes; we dumped our stuff and went up to the Lido, as it was by now well past lunchtime. We all had a hearty meal, knowing that in a few hours we’d be having another one! The Lido was busy but not over-crowded and the food was lovely. We did some wandering around, getting to know the ship a little. She’s elegantly decorated, a little more sedate without a lot of the glitz; the average passenger age is older than we’re used to on HAL – certainly not as many younger couples and Becky is on of only a handful of children on board. A half bottle of bubbly was waiting for us in each cabin.

Alison and I went up for a coffee later in the afternoon while Simmo and Becky had a swim in the smaller pool and I managed to spill some hot coffee on my top. Thankfully not too much damage done. As we only had ½ and hour to dinner, I had a quick shower and changed.

The Maitre D talked to Alison about organising her garlic-free diet, ordering the dinner menu the day before. Dinner was delicious, far too much food; avocado and corn salad with turkey, ocean trout with shrimp (prawns) and a decadent chocolate square. Our waiter brought chocolates and marshmallows with the tea as well.

The ship started slowly moving and turning while we were still finishing dinner, so we went straight up to the Lido to watch the city skyline receding: what an amazing harbour, especially in the twilight.

After that into the showroom to see the very talented classical guitarist – very enjoyable to watch and listen. As we walked past the Queen’s Room, we saw the dancers below doing a cha cha and I spotted the “spare” gentlemen; they finished just as the show was starting and were due to start again after the show, so I got changed after the show and went down to “test the water”. First partner was an elderly gentleman (they all are) who was an okay dancer but poor at leading. We did a rhumba, which was nice. Then the only lady partner asked if I wanted to dance; it was a waltz and she was a really good leader; after that was a samba and she showed me a simple routine which was fun. My back didn’t like it all that much but I was really glad I had that dance with her: hope it happens again! It’s such a pleasure to dance with someone who can lead!

By the time I got back to the cabin, Becky was asleep in Alison and Simmo’s bed because she didn’t want to be in my cabin. So I sat with her while they went out for a while. They got back quite late, after spending some time up in “The Pub”. I was very tired and ready for bed but my tummy didn’t feel right.