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Tasmania and Sydney, Australia: Unzoos and Zoos, Manly, and the Golden Princess – Finally!
Funny what comes to mind when people heard we were visiting Tasmania. No one thought we were talking about Tanzania, thank goodness (they all had excellent geography teachers, I’m sure), but everyone asked if we would see Tasmanian devils while here. Puzzled, our new Tassie friends asked us why Americans inevitably ask about the devils, and we laughed – it’s the cartoon, of course! Tassies are not familiar with the cartoon devil, so just goes to show you how mind-penetrating those Saturday morning cartoons can be. Americans of a certain age (our age) grew up with that rambunctious, whirling dervish the Tasmanian Devil, so that’s what we think of when…
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Tasmania: Wineglass Bay Bushwalking, Port Arthur, and the Isle of the Dead
Most visitors don’t make it all the way to Wineglass Bay Beach, the one in those famous photos. They stop at the Wineglass Bay lookout, snap selfies with the perfect curve of golden sand down below, and debate whether to keep going down to Wineglass Bay Beach, despite the warning signs that do everything in their power to discourage. So many hard hard steps! Must bring survival water and food! It’s a long long long way! Beware! Turn back before it’s too late, Dorothy! In fact, a hike to the lookout alone takes an hour and a half, and some tourists don’t read the fine print even on that. They’re…
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Hobart, Tasmania: MONA, New Friends, Death, and Life: What’s Not to Like?
I knew Padre could sleep anywhere but didn’t know he could snore away, tucked inside MONA’s big white egg with me while a pulsing, hallucinatory light show closed in from all sides. The thing was on the ‘hard’ setting, even. I guess the guy really likes his sleep. Padre finally made it to Tasmania’s famous MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), a long-time travel goal, and he was so not asleep before we entered the egg. You better not be, or you’ll fall into a deep dark pool or be lost forever in the labyrinth of Escher-inspired staircases and dark stone passageways throughout the museum’s subterranean levels. Is it…
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They All Start with T: Three Reasons We’re At the Airport, Again!
We like the airport. No, we don’t like pat-downs, delays, mind-numbing microphone announcements, or being smushed nose-to-nose with other passengers on a bus ride out to the tarmac to catch our plane. (United thought of a new way to torture passengers! Way to go, United!) We seldom complain about airport indignities because we love what the airport does for us. Kind of like how we stuck with algebra, since it was our ticket to college. (I like algebra now, truly I do, math buddies out there…) The airport gets us to the three T’s and much more, so off we go again. My always-supportive sister-in-law follows our travels closely, and she…
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Australia Easter: Convicts, Conquests, and Light in the Darkness
I’m having my own Sunrise Service here at sea, waiting for the sun’s rays to peek over the horizon any minute – I’m sure the captain up on the bridge is on the lookout as well. Padre plans to check out the passenger-led service later this morning, but you know Padres. They assess the ministering, just like teachers critique the teaching when they become the students. So I’m staying here to do my own Easter thing, and I’m sure I’ll hear all about it later. Padre has great fun attending the various offerings on board – yesterday, he went to one on men’s mental health (seriously) but he came back…
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Darwin, Australia: Crocodiles, Cyclones, Bombs, and Snakes – Oh My!
Darwin, Australia: It started with a romantic Fanny Bay beach walk, until I found out that saltwater crocodiles crawl over rocks there. Oh, and the bombs. Oh, and the cyclones and snakes. Let’s just call this the Death to Humans Day. Before I get to all that, an important discovery: A new favorite pool! In my last post I said the Sanctuary pool was behind a pay wall – not true (so don’t believe everything you read on the internet…). Anyway, What I thought was the private pool is actually the adults-only Lotus Pool, just steps from our room. Very peaceful and almost empty, except for a man floating on…
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Diamond Princess Dilemma: What to Do Onboard for Six Sea Days?
Today is Day 6, and we’re not bored yet. Not even close. One of the best things I’ve amused myself with so far was the Goldilocks Swimming Pool Challenge. It started at 5:30 am and Padre wasn’t invited, since he’s a morning snoozer. We’re opposites in many ways; I’m up at the crack of dawn or before, he sleeps ‘til 8; I’m usually in bed reading by 8 pm (or earlier, no joke). He’s up ‘til midnight watching sports, news, and bad movies. He’s more of an introvert than me in some ways but handles crowds fine, but I dislike crowds and crave quiet. And our opposing preferences usually work…
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Diamond Princess: How to Find Your Cabin, Coffee, Chocolate….and a Fave Sparkling Swimming Pool
So first things first: Where ARE we? Not in the world, mind you; we know we’re in the Coral Sea sailing along the Great Barrier Reef and on to Darwin (see map). No, it’s more basic than that. Where are we on this ship, and which way to breakfast? You know, the important stuff. So we’re learning school stuff (map locations), ship stuff (the best places to eat, sun, swim), and people stuff (new friends!). And so far, we’re miserable failures when it comes to avoiding all the fabulous food everywhere, including chocolate on the pillow each night. Who knows, maybe tomorrow we’ll stick to the salads – there’s always…
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Sydney, Australia: The Bus to Bondi Beach and Beyond
Sydney Touring Day 3 An almost free bus tour – sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? It was true, though; approximately $14 U.S. for transportation costs, and the tip was up to us, for an excellent three-hour tour. Our tour guide Martin drove the big rig as he narrated our ride out of Sydney proper to beaches, lookouts, ocean cliffs, far-flung Eastern suburbs, and more incredible views, which seem to be absolutely everywhere. I wonder if Sydneysiders yawn about all this gorgeousness after awhile; I really hope not. We began the day in Hyde Park, part of the City’s green parkland corridor running right through the heart of…
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Sydney, Australia: Ferries, Free Walking Tours, and Flinder’s Cat
The Harbor City just might steal this Seattle girl’s heart, and trust me the Emerald City is no slouch when it comes to scenic beauty. Back home, I’d still be bundled in the puffer coat and wool socks right now, but here I’m rocking my Judy Dench Best Exotic Marigold Hotel linen pants (Goodwill, $1) and clutching the sunscreen bottle closely (don’t leave home without it, our hotel attendant admonished us first thing). This just might be my favorite cruise port yet; what’s not to like? Just steps from our hotel’s front door, the Sydney Opera House’s white sails and the Harbor Bridge hover over little ferryboats puttering back and…
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Australia: Weather Catastrophes, Surfers, Malcontents, and More
Our March 2018 journey began as a struggle between competing travel bucket lists. I voted for Southeast Asia and the Far East; Padre was stuck on Australia due to what he calls the ‘Steve Irwin’ effect. Irwin, a wildly popular critter-wrangling TV star who died from a stingray attack, made the “G’day Mate!” Aussie attitude about life seem pretty darn cool. (We found a rare compromise cruise; see trip itinerary here.) For me, it had to do with the past. In 1992 we spent two amazing weeks in New Zealand, and I somehow adopted this silly notion that we’d done Down Under already. Kiwi and Aussie cultures share many things…
