Donna, thank you for the kind comments. New Zealand is an appealing return destination for us, too.


First of all, let us express our heartfelt sympathy for those affected by the Haitian earthquake. It is distressing, to say the least.

Burnie Blanket Bingo and Bicycling .. or Penguin, Meals and Wheels

Our entertainment staff put on a vigorous disco dance evening last night in the Panorama Lounge. Ah .. reminded me of those lost evenings at the Palladium in New York. The dance floor was packed. But I digress ..

We arrived in Burnie around noontime today, with a firm departure time of 5 pm. We had a quiet morning, in preparation for our bicycling adventure. It sounded semi-fierce from the description: ride a mountain bike 20 miles within a 2 hour time frame. Hmmm .. I could ride my racer on absolutely flat ground within that time frame. Mountain bike? Hills? Not sure, but a sag wagon will pick up the stragglers. We had a light lunch on the pool deck and checked the temperature. Blankets are seen in abundance. Hmm .. how to dress? Did I mention I'm getting tired of the summer that isn't on this trip? So .. nylons as the base layer, followed by bike shorts and wool socks, followed by long workout pants. Two t-shirts, with the optional headband. I'm ready to go!!

Burnie is on the north coast of Tasmania, close to Devonport which is the major port for ferries with the mainland. Speaking of ferries, the 'little penguin' for international consumption is called the 'fairy penguin' by the Australians. The first blip is get on the shuttle bus, because the biking van is not allowed in the port. We are also not allowed to walk in the port (shades of St. Petersburg, Russia), so we file onboard and get ready to meet our bikers. Decent road bikes abound, but I think the seat is still too low. No matter .. let's get going and if the seat needs to be hiked up, we can do this a mile or so out. First piece of good news: 10 mile ride, not 20. Second good piece: I like my Giant bike, and the trail is along the coast and largely flat. Cool .. bring it on!

We head off, and sure enough, I need that seat hiked a good 3 inches (no, don't ask me to describe it in centimeters). Once the seat is fixed, I am off like a rocket shot. Our leader, all of 16 years old, keeps a pace of about 12.5 miles per hour. That works. We arrive in Penguin, Tasmania in about 45 minutes. There are penguins every where .. and one workable ATM. With my laser vision, we get A$ out of the ATM and trade in the A$50s for some smaller currency. Our hosts 'shout'(ie, buy) our tea in Penguin. Gary was thrilled to have silverberry organic pie, along with the sweet banana walnut muffin. Our waitress is from Colorado, waiting to have her residency application approved. The coffee was really good at the Groovy Penguin Cafe. T-shirts read “Get your Groove On” with a penguin picture, but only are available in children's sizes.

The fairy penguins come in this time of year at night, so we don't actually see them. Nonetheless, we are relieved we have not signed up for the 7 hour tour, only 30 minutes of which allow you to see the fairy penguins AND where photos are prohibited.

We rolled into the ship at 4:22 for a 4:30 all aboard. We had 5 pipers dressed and ready to pipe us off to the Bass Strait and Melbourne. They were seeking tips, so the US Marine Corp anthem was played with vigor. I grabbed spousal privilege and hit the shower first. After all, my hair takes longer to dry than Gary's. Off to trivia, where we are determined to prevail. We tied for first place with the Superiors, scoring 19 out of 20 points. We had the 20 points but wavered at the last moment on one answer. Here's your trivia challenge for today: Who was, according to George Plimpton, signed more autographs than any other sports figure? We actually got this one right.

The triumphant Internationals retired to the pool bar to celebrate the co-victory. Blankets were quickly requisitioned, as we are still in cool to temperate climes. The margaritas are as good as ever, which means enjoy them in small quantities.

Dinner's feature is the turkey dinner with Minnesota brown rice. I will report back as to whether it's the 'real deal' or merely a good imitation. I think the entertainer may have been on our Black Sea cruise on Regent. No formal plans for Melbourne tomorrow. Looking forward to that .. Cheers, Anne