Fw: LAST 2 DAYS IN SYDNEY AND FIRST 2 DAYS OF CRUISE

 

From: Colleen

Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 9:12 AM

To: Pat and Colleens Blog

Subject: LAST 2 DAYS IN SYDNEY AND FIRST 2 DAYS OF CRUISE

Sorry about the slow postings. The undependable internet connections at sea coupled with the time zone differences and the shipboard activities has made it really hard to get connected.

 

Day 7

 

We took the train to the Blue Mountains early in the morning. We were told that it isn't uncommon to have a layer of fog over the mountains at this time of the year. We were lucky to have a nice day to see all the beautiful scenic viewpoints.  It took several hours to tour the area and we got lots of great pictures. Unfortunately, I inadvertently deleted most of them from the camera before the disk was completely uploaded to my computer. (along with most of the pictures from our first cruise stop in Melbourne!)  We met many of the our fellow internet forum members for a pre-sail cocktail party in the evening and then went to our room to pack.

 

 

Day 8

 

This was our last morning in Sydney and we decided to go to the Queen Victoria Building for a last Australian breakfast.  It is a gorgeous Romanesque style historic building that occupies a full city block. It was built in 1898 as a monument to the then reigning queen. What a unique shopping experience. There are five levels with huge stained glass windows and spiral staircases.  On the top floor there is an elegant tea room, art galleries, and an antiques shop. The rest of the levels have rows of top name international boutiques and Australian retail shops. 

 

 

OUR CRUISE BEGINS!

 

WhooHoo! We boarded the ship earlier than we expected!

 

 Our cabin is perfect with a large bath, lots of closet space and a nice sized living area. We love the private balcony!

 

 

Our first full day was a sea day on our way to Melbourne. The weather was very nice and the sea was calm.  We spent the day getting unpacked and finding our way around the ship.  There was a beautiful sunset.

 

 

In Melbourne, we had booked an outback tour.  We were taken out into the countryside where we were able to do a "walk about" and see kangaroo, emu, and koalas in the "bush." There were a couple of wildlife experts who went out before we arrived to spot Koalas for us and mark the areas.   In the wild, there is usually only one koala in any given gum tree. It is so much more exciting finding them in the wild then seeing them in a zoo setting.

        

 

 

We had another nice sea day, and got a chance to meet the whole group that we had connected with on the internet. There are 158 of us and we all met in one of the lounges onboard to go over the various group activities that had been arranged. We spent the rest of the day on our balcony reading and enjoying the sea views.

 

Tomorrow we arrive in Tasmania.