I'm continuing to have trouble uploading photos. I'll keep working on it. I paid $300 for internet on the ship just for this purpose but it is sooooooooo slooooooooooooow. Usually works well enough for email and basic sites, if I'm patient but rare to be able to upload a photo.
We had an overnight in Sydney. It would have been much better if we'd been docked in The Rocks in the heart of Sydney but whatever. I felt better when a Seabourne ship docked behind us. They paid WAY more per day for their cruise.
I really wanted to go to the Rozelle Flea/Antique Market, which is held on weekends but Sunday was rainy again. Seems to be a trend on this trip to Australia.
Since flea marketing isn't nearly as much fun in the rain, I decided to take the 30 minute shuttle bus to Darling Harbour instead. If you've ever been to the International Drive area of Orlando, that's what Darling Harbour is like. Madame Toussad's, Aquarium, etc. along with lots of tourists. I walked around a bit there but it was still rainy and I wanted to get me some internet so headed to a small mall.
I got an excellent sandwich and settled in for some quality time uploading photos. Unfortunately, the free internet was even slower than the ship. So much for more photos.
Rather than hang out in the crowded food court, I opted to walk around the mall a bit. Typical stores and nothing that excited me. Until I came upon the Mandarin Massage shop. I opted for the $80 AUS (about $53 USD) hour foot/leg/shoulders/neck. It started with a five minute foot soak then 25 minutes of having my feet and legs massaged. It was heavenly and was just like I used to get in Mandalay except this was way more expensive. Why don't we have this in Orlando?
After 30 minutes, we moved to a massage table. Fully clothed, I lay face down while the massage therapist covered my back, neck and head with a towel and went to work. She used hands, fists, elbows and forearms to work out the knots. Delightful.
Then I tried to sit up. Whoa, the landsickness really kicked in and I had to lay back down for a few minutes. Then I slowly sat up, then stood up. I made it back to the bus then to the ship where I laid down for a bit. By evening sail away I was feeling much better and joined friends in the Crow's Nest for sailaway. After awhile, I decided to join the festivities in the Lido and Sea View, where they'd announced special Australian wines (for a charge) and Australian cheeses (they were exactly the same cheese we get everyday). What they hadn't announced was that they were serving raw oysters in the Lido. Hot diggity! I had four. Then went back for four more. Then two more. I could have eaten a dozen more but held back. They didn't seem to be too popular with most of my fellow passengers.
Sailing away from Sydney was beautiful. No rain (ironic, eh?) and beautiful views of the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the rocks surrounding the entrance to the harbor.
I was happy to be back on the water and heading out to sea.
The next two days were typical. Cards in the morning, reading in the afternoon followed by trivia. And watching the ocean. Lots of ocean watching. We had some large swells and big winds. Like, 20 foot swells and 55 MPH winds so sleeping was a bit challenging due to the rolling factor. But I love lying in bed, feeling the motion and thinking happy thoughts.
Sooner or later, there will be photos here.
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