Can't Buy Me Love?

That's a tough one. I think it was You Make Me Dizzy Miss Lizzie - not one of their most famous songs. Not sure I got the title correct.

Why Don't We Do It in the Road? <img border="0" alt="[naughty]" title="" src="graemlins/naughty.gif" />

All good guesses .. including ours (can't buy me love). Answer is ..

I want to hold your hand

Pulling into Dunedin as I write. Looks like another gorgeous start to the day. Gary's arranged a three hour hike for today's shore excursion. After today, it's 3 sea days.

Cheers, Anne

Anne, is that you peaking out from the right side of the crane?

Loving your posts, Anne!!! I just read the entire thread to Alice! Of course I told her last week not to expect any "maffia wars stuff from Anne anytime soon"!
Enjoy the sea days!

Hail from the Southern Hebrides

Hi Karen - you DID find us! Congrats on a successful stalk.

Kim - thanks! I did find time today to send Alice a little something. Hope she can use it.

Congrats to the Crimson Tide fans and regrets for the Longhorns. Why did they pull McCoy?

We have left Port Chalmers (Dunedin), our last chance to spend those NZ$ burning a hole in our collective pockets. We learned upon departure the weather calls for 30-40 knot winds, rough seas and 10 foot swells. Swell is not the immediate thought that comes to mind ..

Temps were about 40 degrees Farenheit this morning .. until one got outside and was greeted with blustery winds. We appear destined to share the cold, snowy weather gripping much of the US these days. We trundled into the small van and headed to Mt. Cargill and the Organ Pipes.

Our excursion today was in honor of Bradslie. 680 meters up, wet basalt rock and lots of cow pies along the path to sidestep. We made it up in 1.5 hours. The final sign was “butters peak – no exit”. This was, in fact, 100% accurate.

Hot coffee and an ANZAC biscuit (cookie is the term I use) followed our summit drive. An ANZAC biscuit is like a Rice Krispy treat, molded as a cookie, laced with coconut, baked a little and dressed with stripes of chocolate. For all you princesses out there, I took one for the team. You can vicariously cross this hike off your list. Our driver dropped us in nearby Dunedin, passing Baldwin Street ('steepest street in the world'). A couple from Carmel took a sharp look, as they were sure San Francisco was the holder in the Guiness Book of World's Records.

Once in Dunedin, the rain cleared and sunshine broke out. Wonderful .. for about 3 blocks. By the time we ducked into a Simply NZ shop, the clouds came back in force. 30 minutes later, more rain and low temperatures. I hoisted the umbrella, secure in the knowledge we could avoid the worst of the wee bit of wetness. It blew inside out in no time with the winds. Gadzooks, it was hailing like crazy. ENOUGH of the lousy weather, thank you! No such luck. We huddled under an overhang and waited for the shuttle bus with 20 other passengers and crew. Lots of local travel agents have been invited guests by Silversea on our various port stops. They were leaving as we were arriving.

Back in our suite at 2:30, we just missed the lunch at La Terrazes. Room service promptly arrived with strawberry salmon salad – delicious and only 206 calories.

We went down in defeat in trivia today – with a score of 18 out of 20. Ten more days to grab points. Your trivia question for today is:

which country, having been banned from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, had a female flag bearer in the 2004 Olympics?

Hint: Iran is not correct. Double hint: I don't think any of us got this answer correct.

Join us in hoping the weather is a bit better on the other side of the island, for our cruise of Milford Sound around 5 pm tomorrow. If it gets as rough as promised, I will have to check for the barf bags along the hand rails later tonight.

Cheers, Anne

Hi Anne,
The hail storm made the news up here in Auckland.
One of the biggest ever recorded.
Sun Princess, just ahead of you , was in the fiords today, and they had a fantastic time.
Trust it all goes well for you tomorrow.
Enjoy Milford Sound.

Hey Anne - glad you're getting out for some exercise - wet basalt stone and cow patties, eh? Doesn't get much better! :nw: Sounds like a hike we did once in Spain - raining, wet limestone (really slippery) and an amazing amount of cow "droppings" - ugh.

David - thanks for your good wishes. Sun Princess left Auckland the day before we embarked. I, too, hope we get good weather for Milford Sound. If we are on the announced schedule, we should be crossing the southernmost point of New Zealand in about one hour's time.

Leslie, the weirdest part of the hike was the organ pipes section. The rocks are layered, so break off like 6x6 framing lumber. At the very top, some are still upright. The rest have tumbled down, creating the rock scramble. Once we got onto the rocks, it brought on the sea legs sensation. If there's one thing you don't want on a rock scramble, it's sea legs.

If you're in the neighborhood, go for the Graham Bush Walk instead. Or .. do like the Belgian 20 year olds did .. walk your mountain bike to the top & ride an adjoining path down to Dunedin.

Liar's Club was last night. Amazingly, we got 2 out of the 4 correct. A couple from Chicago were our teammates. You might know them, Leslie - she was active with the League of Women Voters in Wilmette for many years.

Our hotel director is leaving in Melbourne to take over as hotel director for the Spirit's inaugural world cruise. His replacement is reportedly on board, but haven't yet figured out who that might be. We've got a guest lecturer who plans a discussion on opera and the sea this morning. I think my planned 'sopranos' marathon is going to trump any mention of the sea today.

Cheers, Anne

Great stuuufff, Annie! Love the "sea legs on a rock scramble" :)
Here's an article that will answer one of your questions re: the big game last night.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-texasqbs010810&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Thanks for the link, Michele. What a story! Is there further news of McCoy's recovery? Sends shivers down my spine.

Another piece of non-cruise news floated in yesterday - my best friend's second granddaughter was born. Congrats to all, and how wonderful to have a new little one in the family.

We had nonstop rain, category 10 winds and category 8 seas served up for our first sea day. This ship rides incredibly well for the sea conditions. I asked the hotel director, who said they had taken on full ballast and adjusted the cruising speed. It sure seems to be working - no rolling from side to side when trying to walk down the corridors.

The creaks in our cabin, however, were immune to ballast. Our butler stopped by, and we asked her to summon engineering to see what could be done. An hour later, a guy comes in with a handful of foam rubber like shims. He proceeded to pound them into the gaps in the room walls. That really helped .. very little creaking for the rest of the day.

We skipped Doubtful & Thomson Sound sail-ins, and proceeded apace in the sea of fog. When it came time for Milford sound, we turned in. I'd forgotten there was an overnight option offered from Dunedin to Milford Sound. Ten passengers needed to be retrieved for our onward voyage. The sound is quite narrow at the opening, and fortunately the fog was not as pervasive once inside. Thanks to the rain, the waterfalls were gushing down the steep hillsides. It is impressive, indeed.

We reclaimed the trivia title yesterday, with our lead opposition taking last place. They *finally* had the bar open for the trivia game (level 5 bar outside the show room). Let's hope that continues.

Today, we've got Australian immigration pre-clearing the ship's company at 10 am this morning. We must appear in person. Question is, where did we get the Aussie immigration officials? We're in the middle of the Tasman Sea and not due to arrive in Hobart until sometime tomorrow.

I spied an old colleague yesterday just as we were heading into dinner. Small world to see him and his wife onboard. We've settled into Charley's section for dinner and Bhatar's for breakfast. Bhatar has Gary's breakfast beverage concoction (decaf mochaccino) down to a science, and Charley has a running commentary on what not to order. He also keeps the steamed vegetables at the ready, in case one forgets to order them. Both of them are delightful.

Looks like another very lazy day today. Gary said the Aussie singer was terrific last night. I could not summon the energy to try 'wheel of fortunate' following the concert. Prize points .. there is a limit to what I'll do for them.

Cheers, Anne

They would have got on in Dunedin Anne.
They do that now on all the cruises between Au /NZ.
The Au officers fly over here and cruise back and the NZ officers fly over to Au and get off in the first NZ port.

I have heard they have no trouble at all getting staff to make up a roster for this job. :D

Anne, I just located this thread, lucky me! Your colorful descriptions of adventures in New Zealand are wonderful and bring back many memories of one of our best trips ever to that beautiful, friendly and extremely interesting country. Now that I've seen this thread, I'll be back daily for another dose! All the best ....

David - the NZ officers need to cut the same deal as the Au officers. They boarded in Christchurch!

Lazy day yesterday with improving sea conditions. Seas were down to Beaufort 6 and winds down to Beaufort 8. Still no pool bar or pool grill - way too windy for that. Things seem calmer still this morning.

We lost at trivia to the Pacifics, aided by the very knowledgeable golf pro onboard. Hmmm .. we should not have let him get away. We did, though, gain the executive chef for Name that Tune. We scored second place with his assistance. He's also quite a good singer. Herb crusted lamb was the featured main course last night. We were half expecting the helicopter to touch down in time for Ngaire to enjoy a double rack, with dover sole on the side.

On a brighter note, the cruise director has run out of prize point chits. We now have an arbitrage opportunity. He's offering a 10% premium if we turn in chits - today only. Our prize point count steadily risen, standing at 42. I'll negotiate for him to round up to 47.

The Venetian Society party enjoyed a strong turnout. One couple has 535 nights with Silversea. Quite impressive, considering Silversea is in its 15th year of operation.
Horse races and a cocktail demonstration are on offer today. We land tomorrow in Hobart .. and I am ready to have a day in port.

Tennis fever is growing. Andy Roddick won the warm-up match in Brisbane, but Davedenko (? sp) knocked off both Federer and Nadal. Kim Clijsters beat Justine Henin, who is sitting out the Sydney contest to conserve her strength for Melbourne and the Aussie Open. June reports there was an upset winner in the ladies' match at Auckland - not familiar with the winner, but hope to see her in Melbourne. Can't wait to see the matches in person. Hopefully, Federer will draw the evening session on Wednesday. Brian has yet to see Federer play live.

Cheers, Anne

Anne: I don't suppose you were able to see the Clijsters/Henin match but it was one of the best I've seen (only watched it on TV). It could have gone either way. They just hit the ball so hard and are so accurate, it's amazing. Kim then donated her prize money to the Brisbane Children's Hospital - what a lovely gesture. Hope you enjoy the Aussie Open - will wave to you! Lee

They get a good deal dont they!!!
Probably because, apart from Queenstown, Christchurch is the only International airport in the South Island.

David - that makes sense. We are all enjoying a great trip, including Aussie customs.

Lee - I wish we could have seen the Clijsters-Henin match. It sounds brilliant!

Cheers, Anne

Enjoying your reports, Anne. Just got back from a LAND trip to Chile and having to read a lot to catch up. Sounds like a great trip!

They have just arrived in Hobart.










Links to these cams here.....

Hobart
Wrest Point Casino cam
http://wphc-webcam.federalit.net/

Lenna Hotel cam
http://www.lenna.com.au/webcam/index.html

Twisting Thru Tasmania

David – nice stalk! we expect to arrive around noon in Burnie, Tasmania tomorrow.

RachelG – I'd love to hear abut your land tour. Did you make it to the Atacama Desert? Do tell more when you've got the time.

We arrived a few minutes behind schedule into Hobart. Everyone was really ready to get off the ship and kiss terra firma. Quarantine officers and security thought differently, and abounded at this port of call.

We boarded our coach for a tour of historic Richmond and the bonorogo wildlife sanctuary. All in all, a good 3 hour tour. The minders swear the Tasmanian Devils are misunderstood timid creatures .. but they have an ear piercing scream. They are about the size of a Cocker spaniel .. rounder in the middle and with a slightly longer tail.

Why twist thru Tasmania? The Tasman Sea – Devill that it can be, of course. The ship pitched, rolled and slammed us around last night. All those around us were chatting vigorously this morning about the considerable sea conditions. I slept through it, save the vague resounding 'whack' from the front of the vessel sometime during the night.

We had our karaoke night and it was good fun. Several of the passengers and one of our bar waitresses put on amazing performances. Our singers on board and our chef pitched in, valiantly performing several numbers for those of us who were designated back up singers. I like Michele's suggestion of sticking to 'freebird' or 'wipe out' should I ever venture into the Iron Karaoke Arena again.

Once again, we had weird weather. Pleasant during the morning, muggy and hot at lunch, blustery winds in the afternoon with sprinkling showers, and a lock down on the gangway for a time, as the wind was blowing the gangway around and we lost a rope. Once repaired, we proceeded back on Noah's Ark – 2 by 2, and moved quickly to clear the gangway for the next to board.

Trivia? We defeated the Aussie Battlers, but democracy got in the way of second place. We were not at all on the proper page for 'paraffin' or 'Omega'. There is always tomorrow. Prize point count is standing at 71. At this rate, we'll get 3 Silversea logo luggage tags.

We learned our dock was ice damaged over the weekend, and the snow piles remain challenging in Minnesota. It's getting time to head for Tennis (a new onboard friend loaned me Serena Williams' memoir, "Queen of the Court" to get ready) and then it's time to head home.

Cheers, Anne

Anne, I've so enjoyed your land and sea mail. Your pre-cruise made me want to go to New Zealand again. Looking forward to tennis tales next.

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

" Who was, according to George Plimpton, signed more autographs than any other sports figure?"

Good one...have no idea...my guess would be Babe Ruth but for some reason "Ali" is also up there,in the back of my mind.

Have really loved reading about your fantastic trip and all your adventures while Down Under.

When was the quote made?

Just catching up on this thread. WOW Anne, you and Gary certainly are having an amazing trip and your descriptions make me feel like I'm right there.

We Ridolphi's are very excited about BAMA's win, Frank has been walking around on a cloud for a week now. But, he said to tell you that McCoy was going to the University of Alabama (believe it or not) med center this week to have his shoulder further checked out. No further information as yet. I'll let you know if he finds anything more.

Congrats to you and Frank, Joanne. Bama certainly deserved this year's title, further bolstering the Heisman Trophy pick (sorry, I don't know the young man's name who won it). I know University of Alabama medical will do their best for McCoy. We wish all sports athletes a speedy recovery when they sustain serious injury.

Diane, they didn't provide a time line for the quote. They just read the questions directly from the trivial pursuit series they are using.

Pat, the back of your mind is shouting out the right answer - Muhammed Ali it was. Gary managed to come up with the answer and shout down Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Ted Williams as favorite choices amongst the team members. Good on him, as they say over here.

We are just docking in Melbourne. Can't wait to get off the ship. I'm even wearing my shorts this morning!

Cheers, Anne

Anne: I watched a fantastic match yesterday between Serena Williams and Aravane Rezai of France. I don't think I had ever heard of her but she played brilliantly - one to watch in the Aussie Open. Unfortunately, I also had to watch Lleyton Hewitt be beaten by Bagdadis! Lee

As my computer is literally on its last leg, I'm running far behind on my reading. Just catching up with this thread today. Gobs of good reading (as usual)!

Anne, do give my regards to Natalya! Let her know that last May shortly aftering returning from CAMEL, I adopted a lovely Russian Blue puddy tat who I named "Natalya the Magnificent". Alas, she has become "the Pookster" a far less regal moniker for a cat from a royal bloodline. As I recall, Natalya had felines of her own being cared for by her mother back in the Ukraine.

Looking forward to the next installment...

Hey Anne! Most of us are dragging off the ship, but I understand YOU have PLACES to go!! How fun is that?
Keep having fun!!!!!

hi Betty K! - we will be moving slowly when we disembark in Sydney. melbourne, as I relate below, was an interesting and busy stop.

Don't get on your horse high .. or your high horse

It's been an interesting two day stop in Melbourne. We spent the first day preparing for the Aussie Open. We have a few unused bottles of wine for the tennis tournament; how to get them (and possibly a suitcase) over to the hotel? We learn there is mega red tape in this request. Understandable ..except we've been cleared for Australian entry since Hobart, Tasmania. 24 hours is needed to clear suitcase; this will not work as we are on full day excursion on day 2. We finally decide to head to hotel, verify they will accept a parcel drop off for our arrival on Monday, and then retrieve a smaller bag following lunch. Melbourne prides itself as, among other things, the sports and tram capital of Australia. We board Tram 109 into Melbourne. Good enough .. hotel is happy to accept parcel.

We have about an hour to spend in town before return to ship for lunch & retrieving parcel. There's a free city tram that includes a recording of the history of the area. This is great .. except the tram is jam packed and it's a virtual tower of babel. The audio track goes something like this:

We are approaching ..
Bitte, un klein cafe und Starbucks?
Dah! Ni hau ..
in 1847.

We decide a free tram introduction is lovely, except it is costing us a lot of time with little benefit.

Following the tram, we head back to the ship. As has been true in each port, Silversea has hosted the local travel agent population. They are dressed somewhere between informal and formal wear. We are dressed for vacation. We head back to our suite, only to realize the traveling herd of agents is in front of us. Ah .. that's why the suite just past ours has been open since the morning. It's the open suite for travel agent inspection. I am thinking of trivia: How many Aussie travel agents can you fit in a Silversea verandah suite? 38!

After we finish lunch & deliver the parcel to our hotel, we get our Aussie Open gear and work out the walkway to the Melbourne Park venue. It's lovely along the river frontage.

Our planned pool grill under the stars has been shelved for cold temps and a building wind. We have a galley dinner with friends and then head to the show. Time for bed .. busy day tomorrow.

We get up at 7 today for the horse ride and wine tasting tour. As in all adventurous things, there is adventure. I am assigned to Toby, the 18 year old gelding who lives for grass. There is no end to Toby's appetite. OK .. we walk for a while, and I'll see to it you get lots of grass. We understood one another perfectly. After we dismounted at the T'Gallant winery, we all suffered from horse legs. Our tasting featured 10 wines. Great … except we now have to get back on the horses with an alcohol fueled high.

We were separated into those who knew something about riding horses and those who thought it would be lovely. Well .. there are branches .. and dust .. and the national bird, flies. Toby and I, though, move out off the way of most of these obstacles. The advanced team is not so lucky. Some horse fights and frights ensue, resulting in a minor (we hope) injury and a close call with cars in the street for one steed and rider. We enjoy an authentic Aussie barbeque at the owners' home. This means making friends (but not feeding) the family dogs and passing the salt, pepper and salad dressing to and fro down the communal table. Alas, we are running late. We reboard the coach, for a 20 minute stop at the next winery. Afterwards, we have the 80 minute nap time back to the ship. Our driver plays the Aussie folk tales tape. The first features “ It's the national institution .. the Aussie barbeque .. the snails are tough and the flies are in your face”. An incredibly accurate observation, but lacks the conviviality of the occasion, the excellent quality of the food and the setting, and the wonderful ambiance of a small group and a great adventure. My take is 60% loved the trip and 40% were either so-so or didn't enjoy it very much. We are enthusiastically in the 'loved it' category.

We jumped in the shower, then headed to trivia. Once again, we held our own with the aussie battlers. On this cruise, we've taken up residence in the Grappa bar off the casino on Deck 5. Dinner ensued, then another run at Liar's Club. I think the point total is approaching 85.

Sea day tomorrow, then arrival in Sydney at 9 am local.

suzanne - natalia sends her best; she's pleased to hear her god cat is doing so well in your care. She sends a special hello to all of us on CAMEL.

Lee, I'm loving the tennis reports. Wish we were getting the coverage you are.

Cheers Anne

Adrenn, still loving hearing about your adventures. I have been on a horse like that before.
We went to Patagonia to Torres del Paine. Amazingly beautiful place and would go back in an instant. I am loving Chile now. We hiked a lot, including the Mirador del Torres trail, which was extreme. Bouldering is not my thing.
Atacama and Easter Island are both on my list, but will have to wait for later. Chile is really LONG.

Sweet Anne,

Your trip reports have been fabulous - as always! Thanks for all the wonderful info you sent our way for our upcoming trip in November.

Hope you continue to enjoy and have fun at the matches! Safe and uneventful travels home.

Anne - it's a pity you're not in Melbourne today as some of the top players are putting on exhibition matches to raise money for Haiti - only $10 p.h. You may be missing out on our TV coverage but you'll see the real thing! Enjoy! Lee

Lee - wish we had been there for the matches. Instead, you kindly arranged for the most spectacular weather for our sail in this morning to Sydney Harbor. Most appreciated! We hit the jackpot, as our suite faces the Opera House rather than the passenger terminal tonight.

Before I go any further, will someone write tomorrow to tell me the final score for the Cowboys vs. the Vikings football game? Thanks very much!

We finished off our sea day with saying farewell to friends and crew members. Our Nataliya sends her best to all of our CAMEL friends. Suzanne, she's very pleased to learn she inspired you to name your cat in her honor.

We test drove the 'white robe' evening with dinner in the suite last night. It was OK, but I think we messed up by ordering both courses at once. We jumped into our formal wear to say farewell to the crew and to play 'wheel of fortune'. We knew two of the answers just by looking at the word spacing. It was one of those awful cruise director moments: speechless. One answer was Harry potter with an unprounceable prisoner. We held fire on that answer, as team after team lost points for misspelling. That secured our second place finish. More points .. but no time to redeem them. Gary's got the Silversea visor for the low, low price of 85 points. Top prize was the luggage scale for 100 points.

We enjoyed a walk around The Rocks neighborhood in Sydney and the area near the Opera House. The Sydney Festival is on this weekend, so we took in the Ballet de Rua's matinee performance. It was super energetic and well received by the audience. We were in the Sherpa section of the auditorium, as it was sold out. The building does resemble a ship, so one could also think of it as sitting on the poop deck. No matter; we scrambled those steps with the best of 'em.

The sun gave way to clouds, so we headed in for showers and a taxi to our friends' home outside of Sydney. Last time we saw them both was their wedding day. We met their lovely six year old daughter. They also have a 1-1/2 year old puppy who was most welcoming.

I've got the boarding passes printed for tomorrow's flight and Gary's finishing the packing required for our onward flight. Time to sign off for now ... tennis to follow

Cheers, Anne

You had a wonderful trip Anne and your descriptions were fantastic. Thanks.

Frank said to let you know that Cold McCoy's shoulder is healing very well and there is no permanent damage. He is expected to be fine and ready for the "combine" in two weeks. I'm glad it was not a serious injury.

Well, so far The Old Man #4 Viking is on top!!

34-3! Who else? Brett Favre!

WOO HOO! Finally - free internet again. We are cooling our heels at the Sydney airport, waiting for the Melbourne flight. thanks for the score update - I'll enjoy a moment's glee in the Vikings victory. Joanne-very glad to hear McCoy's injury is responding to treatment and he should be 100%.

Well .. we were dutifully called to disembark at 8 am, pursuant to the brown luggage tag. The only problem was, we were enjoying a last Eggs Benedict and, for Gary, smoked salmon, before we left. We got around to leaving at 9 am. Disembarkation was flawless on silversea's part - I, however, could not remember where I put my australian immigration entry card for a few minutes. I blamed it on the hollandaise sauce high.

We were seeking a taxi, when who should we spy but Roger Condron (sp ?) !! For those of you who remember, he was the Australian tour desk manager on many of our Regent cruises. He's happy, doing well (running the ground services contractor for many of the cruise lines in Sydney) and sends all his best. That was a most pleasant surprise.

We inadvertently took a break from cruising since mid-2007. Since then, we've done the Black Sea on the Navigator on this NZ-Australian itinerary on Silversea. I offer a few of my impressions based on that limited experience. Most of them confirm what I've read from others on our board who sail on both lines - shut your eyes and you can't tell any significant difference between the two lines. On balance, the cruising experience is as good if not better than ever.

1. The biggest difference I found is the passenger nationality mix, resulting in a slightly different passenger services/programming mix than Regent.
One direct implication is the staff is, relatively speaking, works one on one with the passengers more than on Regent, so there's somewhat less mixing amongst the guests themselves.

On this sailing, it was about even for US, British and Australian passengers. We must have made up about 90% of the passenger count. That means a more global focus for Trivia questions, and lots of interesting viewpoints to share amongst fellow guests. It's neither better nor worse than Regent; simply a different experience. We had a blow out dance party last night with about 40 of our fellow passengers down in The Bar on 5. It was fantastic.

2. All other things equal, I'd choose Regent over Silversea, if for no other reason than the mix of amenities for Seven Seas Society folks at the gold/platinum/titanium levels offer more value to us than the Venetian society amenities. One six minute phone call set me back $85.

3. All other things don't seem to be equal right now. I grabbed an onboard booking for 2011 on Silversea. I tried to compare the net pricing to Regent. One difference is Silversea still offers a greater selection of 7-10 cruises around the world whilst Regents seem to focus on the Mediterranean in the summer, the Carribean in the fall, Alaska and the Baltics in the summer. The fare difference as flagged in the Silversea section of this board (60% on published 2011 fares) is meaningful. I can make a number of $85 phone calls on Silversea and come out ahead given the limited research I did on board.

4. This itinerary is wonderful, so long as one must be prepared for changeable weather and the possibility of heavy seas - no different from the southern part of the South American cruises.

5. Our crew seemed genuinely happy and working well together. My thanks to the senior management team. The butler service is still evolving, and on balance was an improvement over asking one's suite attendant to handle some issues. Our suite creaked like crazy when we boarded; the butler had the engineers in with the shims within an hour. Our suite attendant paid close attention, and heard the creaks start up again. He went ahead and got the engineers in to make further repairs. I was really impressed with the proactive response.

Any questions or things I've forgetten? Fire away.

It will be great to seen June & Brian again this evening in Melbourne. It's time to watch tennis!

Cheers, Anne

Have so enjoyed reading your posts Anne. Enjoy Melbourne and the tennis. We'll be watching it too, but at home.