28 Jan 2011

Home!!!
For the record, 5524 miles driving, 14007 miles flying, 2643 miles sailing. 22,174 miles total.

This does not include walking which I know added a considerable sum. What a great trip.

27 Jan 2011

In Jacksonville which also means we're back in the Eastern Time Zone since we left on this trip. Spent the night at our friends Susannah!s house. My friend David had already left for his annual sail to the Bahamas. Tomorrow we will be home.

26 Jan 2011

Left LA heading East. Past Mississippi, Alabama and into Florida. We stopped in Pensacola and had a take-out pizza from a place called the Tuscan Oven. Very very good. This trip is almost over and it will be great to be home again and pick up our "Normal" lives. Tomorrow we will overnight in Jacksonville at our friend Susanna's house.

25 Jan 2011

Arrived in Lafayette LA. While I did enjoy our cruise through Texas, it was good to see the boarder. 872 miles is really a bit much. Anyway, we asked about a good place to eat and was sent to this place which reminded me very much of the restaurant in the HBO series "True Blood". Felt like we were actually in Bon Temps. The food was cajun but for a drink I stuck with ice tea.

24 Jan 2011

Up early. First stop was to find a nail salon for Nan to repair a chipped nail. Then it was off to Fredricksburg. We stopped in the Visitors Center to get some information and found out that this place was settled in 1848 by Germans and it is still readily apparent by not only the street names but also a few of the buildings that reflect old world architecture. It is also the birthplace of Admiral Chester Mimitz which is the reason that this is the home of one of the finest museum's that I have had the pleasure to visit. "The National Museum of the Pacific War" After spending several hours there, we headed out to see the local airport, which my son David told us not to miss. We found an old hanger transformed into a hotel and what a delightful find this was. Walking into the lobby was like going back in time. The desk clerk gave us a key to one of the rooms which again looked as if it was furnished in the 1940's. The one exception was the TV.
Back into town for a meal at the Buffalo Nickel Saloon. The whole bar was inlaid with old Buffalo Nickels. Tomorrow, we will leave Texas and head to Lafayette LA. Cajun Country.

23 Jan 2011

El Paso to San Antonio. This is the longest  segment of the drive. We actually stopped in Boerne TX to spend the next day looking around Fredricksburg TX which a couple of years ago my son David told me to visit. I've only enclosed one picture during this drive as that's it. That's all you see for 530 miles.

22 Jan 2011

Long drive today to El Paso TX. Instead of I-10 we decided to take a more scenic route which took us past some really attractive towns in Arizona. One thing that stood out was the medium age of the locals seemed to be around 80ish. Makes Florida seem like a youth ranch. Lots of great scenery driving through mountain passes which the attached photos don't do justice. Arrived in El Paso just before nightfall and found a local Rib place. Delicious!

21 Jan 2011

Picked up Fran this morning and headed to Sedona. Take a look.

20 Jan 2011 .

A new day and thankfully both of us are feeling much better which is good because it was time to head back East. Next stop is Phoenix AZ to see my sister Fran and niece Lisa. Fran made dinner. Duck a l'orange pizza. A first for me but absolutely delicious.  

19 Jan 2011

Not a good day. Both of us came down with some sort of bug. Nan was a bit worse than me. I was being as comforting to her as possible until she threw up all over me. Oh well.

18 Jan 2011

Up and out early. Nan for a nail appt. and me for a haircut. We caught up with each other for breakfast and headed over to Steve's place. He took us into the Hollywood Hills and we had a good look around from high up. Unfortunately, the smog was in full effect. Still, enjoyed what was visible. We have decided to stay in L A for another day. Nan will try and connect with a friend here. It's nice not having a tight timetable.

17 Jan 2011

Departure Day!!! The Krouse's and us again shared a taxi to the airport. Nan & I were in Business Class and after we checked in Nan asked if they could use the lounge as our guests which was ok. We boarded the Qantas 747 and sat in the upper deck in the first two seats to settle in for the next 12 hours of flight landing at LAX at 0615. We picked up our car after finally remembering where we parked it and headed to, you guessed it..... A Marriott and a rest full nap. Met up with Nan's son Steve and went to see the Jay Leno Show. A friend of Steve's knew one of the producers who arranged VIP passes for us and were treated to a back stage tour after the show ended. A great first day back in the USA.

16 Jan 2011

Sunday morning and off to find a Church. The hotel gave us directions to two that were walkable so off we went. Service had started half an hour before at the first one we hit so off we went to the second. When we got there, it turned out to be the oldest church in Sydney and was already almost full a good forty minutes before the service was to start. Soon found out why. Not only was this going to be a Mass, it was being accompanied by a full orchestra and choir performing Mozart's Mass in C. Fantastic. A women we were seated next to was a Buddhist who was there for the music. After this we went to a museum that was about the convicts who were sentenced to "Transportation" as the British called it to the penal colony known as Australia. Men, Women and children. The alternative if they remained in England was hanging. Tough choice. From there, we went to the Botanical Gardens. I think I could have spent every second of being in Sydney in that Garden. Traditional Australian dinner that evening......Pizza. Just kidding. Back to the hotel to pack for our flight. We loved Sydney, but it is very expensive.

15 Jan 2011

Sorry to be a bit late but I'll play catch up now. Arriving in Sydney started with a shouting Nan telling me to "get up, get up, the Bridge is outside. Through a bit of a blurred vision, there was Sydney Bridge passing by our balcony. We had arrived at the end of this cruise. First impression was of a very beautiful city. On one side of the ship was the bridge and on the other side was the Opera House. As our scheduled ship disembarking time was two hours away we did what we have ben doing for the last 12 days.....Eat. Once reunited with our luggage, we shared a taxi Glenna & Mike Krouse, two of our eight traveling companions (the other six had earlier away times) and headed to our hotel. The Intercontinental. That is the reason I'm late with this. They wanted 25.00 a day for an internet connection. We're not exactly cheap but no way was I going to pay that. Anyway, after checking in we headed back to the dock area to catch the ferry to Sydney Zoo. We had been told that if we do nothing else, see the Zoo. Good advise. Dinner at a local pub then off to bed which was not rocking side to side for a change.

14 Jan 2011

Another full day at sea. A very turbulent sea. We have gale force winds and 12 ft seas and this ship is really rock and rolling. This is our last day on board. Tomorrow morning we arrive in Sydney so today it's packing up. All in all, this has been a most relaxing voyage. A couple of days in Sydney then back to Los Angeles.

13 Jan 2011

Arrived Melbourne. Heavy rain so we decided to visit indoor things. This city has a fantastic trolley system that runs all over the town so we bought an all day pass and hopped on. A visit to the old customs house was interesting. It is now the Immigration Museum. The entry fee was 8.00 each and I asked if they did senior rates. Yes indeed, seniors admitted free. Now, this is a country that treats seniors the right way. The museum was not unlike our Ellis Island in New York. Aside from Austraila's early days when convicts were sent here from England, later immigration was about people seeking a better life. The rain never let up so we made our way back to the ship.

11 Jan 2011

At Sea all day today. You know what that means. More Food. Tonight is formal night again so for the second time (thankfully) we put our best feathers on. Just about everybody is in black. Kind of reminds me of Vultures at a road kill site.

10 Jan 2011

LAND HO! Austrailia or to be more precise, Tasmania. Still, it is Austrailia just not on the main part of this continent but a rather large island on it's southren tip. We were warned to be frightened, really frightened as this is the home of the Tasmanian Devil and we all know from watching cartoons what a force this little critter is. Especially if Bugs Bunny is not around. Anyway, the Port we entered is in Hobart, the main city and what a delightful place this is. I just wished we had more then a day here. Best Fish & Chips I ever had. I think I could call this place home. It felt that good to me.

09 Jan 2011

At Sea. Really at Sea. 365 degree around the ship, nothing but sea. Still, lots of activities planned. First thing is eat. Then off to clear Australian immigration. This is now done on board to speed thngs up when we arrive in Hobart. Once that was completed ....eat. Off to a lecture about something or another then .....eat.
Late afternoon tea which of course meant eating. After dinner, no need to mention eating again, we went to the movie and saw "The American". Afterwood, while grabbing a quick bite to eat, our little group disscussed this film which nobody got. Not to worry, still time to eat before turning in. By now dear readers, you have more then likely figured out the most popular passtime for a ship at sea.

08 Jan 2011

At Sea. Barely. We've been cruising through Fiordland National Park. Mountains with peaks between six and seven thousand feet have bees passing on both sides of this ship. It seems that at times you could almost reach out and touch them. I keep listening for the sound of the ship running aground but have been told that the water depth in the channel is 2000ft. Spotted dolphins and fur seals along the way. By 6pm we were in open water and will now cross the Tasman Sea on our way to Hobart, our first call in Austrailia.

07 Jan 2011

We arrived at Deniden this morning. Have been told that this city has a very strong connection to Scotland and it's first settlers were Scots. This strong connection was evident on the drive to town. Rained like crazy, just like Scotland. Anyway, the Sun came back out and we spent the morning exploring the sites. On the way to the railway station the sun decided to go away and was replaced by a fierce hail storm. Ouch! Again, just like in Scotland, the weather changed again and we headed to the Cadbury Choclate factory for a tour and wonderful samples. Again, the time just slipped by and we had to head back to the ship. At dinner, we met a guy from Austrailer traveling with is niece. Our ship was delayed departing owing to strong winds, but eventually off we went. The next three days will be at sea. Hope we can hang on to our cookies.

06 Jan 2011

We arrived at Christchurch this morning and after breakfast Whitney and I boarded the bus to take us to Cathedral Square. This past Sept, Christchurch was hit by a 7.2 earthquake and there was a fare amount of damage still evident. The Anglican Cathedral itself had a chain link fence along it's front but the interior was available to enter through a side entrance. Once inside, we met one of the female Priest who was from New England. She
immigrated to New Zealand ten years ago and is very happy to be here. This city, inspite of the occasional damaged areas is one of the most beautiful places we've been to. The electric trolley cars that operate here was a special treat that took me back to my childhood. Four pm was the
Last bus back to the ship and it came much too fast.

05 Jan 2011

My Birthday, I think. Being on the other side of the planet as well as upside down I've actually jumped ahead in time. Anyway, my iPhone readout says it's the fifth so that's good enough for me. Happy Birthday Frank. Today, we are at sea all day. No stops. Lots of shipboard activities for whatever moves you. For me, that means quiet time. Tonight will be formal dinner so we will all get dressed in our best feathers and flock down to eat. After that, it is showtime in the theater. Tomorrow, Christchurch.

04 Jan 2011

First morning at sea. Leaving Auckland yesterday was exciting. The boarding process went smoothly owing to our wonderful travel agent back home who had all the T' crossed and I' dotted as far as our documentation went. We found our cabin which is on the starboard side of the ship and surprise surprise our cases were in the cabin waiting for us. The actual departure was typical with the ships horn blaring and all us passengers at the rail waving to nobody in particular. A quick sail to Tauranga which is rich in beautiful pristine beaches and a few active volcanos plus thermal hot pools boiling and throwing up lots of mud. Our group of eight ventured into many trails led by a guide who kept cautioning us not to touch the pools of water as we passed. Of course I paid no attention to that and had to see for myself how hot the water was. Ouch, he was right. Back to the ship and away again. Tomorrow, we are at sea all day.

03 Jan 2011

Departure day. Took a walk to the dock and met our ship, the Princess Diamond. I felt as excited as those passengers who in 1912 met the Titanic for their first look. Hopefully, our last view of her will be a bit different. Back to the hotel to finish packing then took our checked bags back to the ship. We have a few hours to spend before sailing so I'm playing catch up on these posts. Don't know what access I'll have on board to continue this but I'm sure something will be available.

02 Jan 2011

Up early and the whole gang of us met for an all day tour of the North Island. First stop was the rain forest which we viewed from the top along a walkway. Below was so thick with vegetation that aside from some small trails cut through it would be impossible to move through. Then to a beach whose prominent view was a massive rock at the edge of the water. This was where the film Piano was made. From here we went to an area that is a nesting ground for Gannets, a sea bird with a remarkable similarity to the Concorde especially when landing on the rocks. We saw many chicks being tended by the parents. A lovely site indeed. This evening, dinner was at the top of Sky Tower. It will be worth Googleing "Sky Tower Auckland"
for details on this.

01 Jan 2011

Happy New Years Day. Up early and met with Glenna & Mike Krouse and went on a harbor cruise.
Finished up with a short boat ride to Davanport which is a small mostly residential area. Got to ride on a horse drawn carriage pulled by three Clydesdales. Felt like I was on the Budwiser beer wagon. Back to Auckland in the early evening and went for a very nice meal at an Italian restaurant.

31 Dec 2010

Arrived in Auckland and settled into our hotel. Quick lunch and a quicker look around then a nap. We went to the water front and picked a good place to wait for midnight and was here to welcome the new year in the first major city in the world. Fantastic fire works display, great crowd of people and then back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.

30 Dec 2010

As we have crossed the International Date Line during our flight to New Zealand, this day never happened. It is lost forever. During my lifetime, I have had occasions to loose days but this is the first time being cold sober.