A Sunburned Country
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In flight – International Date Line
The International Date Line is the meridian that separates two consecutive calendar days. Of course, since the line is mainly across open ocean, you can't see it. But without the IDL, if you cruised west around the planet you'd discover that when you returned home, it would seem as though an extra day had passed. This situation actually happened to Magellan's crew when they returned home after their circumnavigation of the earth. [RCCL]
As we began our research for circumnavigating Australia and New Zealand we studied travel guides, websites, and Royal Caribbean listings for excursion suggestions for the cruise. A friend suggested we read In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. We discovered that our library had an audiobook format which could be loaded on our iPods and listened to on our morning walks.
Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door, memorable travel literature threatens to break out. His previous excursion along the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime national bestseller A Walk in the Woods. In A Sunburned Country is his report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact–filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiosity.
Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.Given the size of Australia, it is no wonder that Bryson's book could not possibly provide detailed explanation of the culture, demography, history, or social norms. But it did offer a delightful overview of how Australia has developed and flourished. We had an enjoyable time learning about this land while noting particular passages for further exploration when we get our feet on the ground.
Monday, February 14
Trying to sleep on an airplane is a difficult process for either of us. Sleep came in fits and starts and I can not say we were rested or relaxed when we landed. The time it takes to make the trip seems to help in that we did not notice jet–lag but hit the deck after arriving and checking in at the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel. The hotel registration desk offered excellent guidance to walk to Darling Harbor and begin our explorations of Sydney.
As we walked two blocks south to Market Street I couldn't help but notice many store names one finds in Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. There were names new to me but obviously of equal stature and well know in Australia. There were many jewelry stores along our route to the harbor too.
We came across a monorail station and checked out the route and the prices. We considered possibly taking the system tomorrow but it didn't seem to meet our needs. Later I read that “Seldom used by Sydneysiders the monorail connects the CBD to Darling Harbor. The trip takes about 12 minutes vs around 15 minutes to walk it from the Town Hall which explains why it is not used by the locals.” As it turned out we walked everywhere we went except for a round–a–bout, Hop on – Hop off scenic bus ride through the city.
Continuing on to Darling Harbor we saw many people going to and from work. Some were in suit and tie and many women were in suits or dresses. An equal amount of people were in shorts or jeans and there was no specific dress standard for what we thought was probably the usual work force. We crossed the Pyrmant Pedistrian Bridge which was built in 1902 and is the world's oldest electrical swing bridge. From here we continued to the Harborside Festival Marketplace to find a place for lunch.
There were many fast–food options but we wanted to find a place on the quay that would serve a sit–down lunch... preferably something local. Passello Restaurant and ordered Flathead fish fillet and chips – lightly battered and fried, and served with thick cut chips and garlic aioli. Our other selection was Penne Saltimboca – veal cooked in a cream sauce with prosciutto, sage, mushroom, garlic and white wine. I suspected that flathead fish was like flounder by the waiter said no, they had flounder too. We selected Australian Rosemount Shiraz 2009 to accompany our lunch. It was great... and something new to us.
After our meal we continued around the harbor making inventory of the Information Centre, Hop On – Hop Off bus stop, restaurants and other potential places to return. Continuing back on Market Street we entered the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). Built in 1898, the building reminded us of the style and shops of Covent Garden in London. This beautiful old building has stained glass windows, mosaic floors, huge mechanical clocks featuring dioramas and moving figures from moments in Australian history. There are over 200 shops in the four story building. The statue of Queen Victoria at the Town Hall entrance originally stood outside the Irish House of Parliament in Dublin.
We browsed many of the shops and even inquired about the availability of a table at the Victoria Tea Room on the fourth floor. There a setting cost $85.00 and while it was tempting we weren't looking for high tea, we only wanted a coffee and a pastry to serve as dessert from our Darling Harbor lunch. To that end, Queen's Café offered a full range of pastries and some unique to Australia so we relished great coffee and shared a Lamington and a Friands. Liz is confident she can duplicate the Lamington three inch square of white cake covered on all sides with chocolate and then sprinkled with coconut flakes. That will be added to her recipe repertory.
Returning to Castlereagh Street by way of a wine shop we dropped off several purchases and then continued to the Sydney Tower. Called “the cupcake” by locals, one rides the elevator to the observation deck 250m above the streets. Here you have a magnificent 360° view of the city, harbor, and the suburbs. Like the Space Needle in Seattle, one can have lunch in the rotating restaurant and then lift tickets are complementary with your meal.
Our walk continued through the exclusive shopping districts as we drifted north and east several streets and came upon Circular Quay. Here too were souvenir shops, kayak and bicycle rental shops, fast food restaurants, several fancy dinning establishments, and street musicians. I was intrigued by an aboriginal in native costume and face paint who was performing with a didgeridoo. The sound is unique and haunting and I will have to try to obtain a bit of the sound for my collection.
From here we were only five hundred feet from the iconic Sydney Opera House. We knew that tonight's scheduled performance of Carmen was sold out but we took advantage of the opportunity to visit the gift shop as well as schedule a tour of this magnificent structure at nine o'clock on Wednesday.
Tuesday, February 15
The hotel was hosting a meeting of the Masonic Lodge at breakfast and a major room was set for that group. Another, smaller room was set for hotel guests. Cereals and fruits were laid out as were croissants, pastries, light and dark breads for toasting, and jams. Fruit juices, coffee and tea were also available. We read a complimentary copy of the Sydney newspaper and studied our maps and guidebooks before setting out for the day.
We walked back to the City Information kiosk at Darling Harbor but were too early. We walked along Tumbalong Park down to the Chinese Garden of Friendship and back up the Cockle Bay Prominade to the Harbourside Festival Market Place. We saw a Tours and Travel office which was not yet open but a young woman said they would be ready for business in fifteen minutes and gave us a flier for the Sydney Explorer and Bondi Explorer Bus.
These open–top, double–decked buses intertwine and one may switch from one line to another. Each takes about ninety minutes to tour the city and the suburbs in a hop–on hop–off mode. A ticket is good for the entire day. We bought tickets and walked over to the closest bus stop. Our initial vehicle arrived in less than ten minutes and we were off to see the city.
The 28 km loop included the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanical Gardens, State Library, Mrs. Macquaries Chair, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Elizabeth Bay House, Sydney Tower, Chinatown, Darling Harbor, and The Rocks. At the Central Station we switched to the blue line and went out to Bondi Beach. Both would serve as a great orientation tour of the city and helped us decide what specific areas should be revisited.
The kilometer long crescent of sand that is Bondi Beach is one of the best known beaches of the world and one of Australia's most famous. We walked along the main street looking at shops and scouting where we might stop for lunch. The beach pavilion looked promising but when we checked menus we were unimpressed and decided to return to Campbell Parade. The options weren't any better so we returned to our drop–off point and took the next bus back to Sydney.
Back to the beginnings, The Rocks, is Sydney's oldest suburb. Here the first impressed convicts, shanghaied sailors, and prostitutes made up a slum which was devastated by the plague in 1901. Many of the city's oldest sandstone buildings and historic pubs remain, including Sydney oldest surviving building. We stopped at the Fortune of War Pub, the oldest in Sydney. We ordered a couple pints of beer and considered having lunch but noticed that the locals seemed only to enjoy a liquid repast. When scouting the upstairs seating area I discovered several half eaten sandwiches and decide this was an ominous sign.
We went next door to the Russell Wine Bar and decided this was a much better choice. Australian was our desire so we began with bottle of Chockhill Sidetrack Red Blend 2009, a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cab Franc, and Grenache. For lunch we selected the Australian Meat Platter (a selection of premier Australian cured meats with pickles on organic breads) and the Australian Cheese Platter (selected cheeses, chutney, cracker thins and sourdough crustini).
Both dishes were quite generous and we enjoyed the many flavors. The Australian Cured Pork Platter consisted of Finnochiona (fennel garlic salami), Nojndjtnduja (spiced salami), Speck, and Capocollo (pork neck). The Australian Cheese Platter was layered with Triangle Blue Orchid (Gyppsland, Victoria), Old Telegraph Road Triple cream (Gyppsland, Victoria), Black Sanourprineas Aged Paramaii, (Ura Valley, Victoria), and Ashgrove Cloth Mature Cheddar (Elizabethtown, Tasmania). What a lovely way to have a local lunch.
We returned on George Street to Hyde Park, named after London's Hyde Park. It was originally laid out as a racecourse but, if I remember correctly, the bus driver said the racetrack lasted a mere three days. At one end is the ANZAC Memorial, an art deco structure built in 1934 to honor the fallen from WW I. At the north end of the park is the Archibald Fountain built in 1932 to commemorate the ties between France and Australia in that same war. This features a bronze Apollo surrounded by horses' heads, dolphins, and tortoises.
The day had been an ambitious one and our odometers recorded we had walked twelve miles. We stopped at a shop next to the hotel and picked up two sandwiches to have in our room with a bottle of wine.
Wednesday, February 16
Today would be our busiest. Showing up at the breakfast room as they were about to open the doors, we rushed through our coffee and set out walking to Hyde Park. As we entered the park from Market Street we could see the morning sun streaming through the stained glass windows of St. Mary's Cathedral behind the Archibald Fountain. Built for the large population of Irish convicts, the foundation stone of this giant sandstone cathedral was laid in 1821. Destroyed by fire in 1865, work began on this edifice three years later. Lack of funds caused the building to remain unfinished until 2000 when the two spires were rapidly completed in time for the Olympics.
Heading north on Macquarie Street we passed between statues dedicated to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on opposite sides of Queens Square. This led us to the Hyde Park Barracks. Designed by convict architect Francis Greenway, this 1817 building is recorded as having had up to 50,000 convicts sleep here, 600 at a time, but it was never a jail. However, the recreated punishment box and ankle irons might belie that claim.
We paused for a moment at the Sydney Hospital to throw a coin at the feet of a statue of a huge bronze hog for luck. The snout of this figure has been rubbed bright by all those who had completed this ritual before us.
The Royal Botanic Gardens have more than 35 fountains, sculptures and memorials. The signs say it all. “Please walk on the grass! We also invite you to smell the roses, hug the trees, talk to the birds, and picnic on the lawns.” What a delightful invitation.
At the north end of the garden is Government House. Designed by Edward Blore who also designed Buckingham Palace, and when it was built it was the the most sophisticated example of Gothic Revival architecture in the colony. It was the home of 27 consecutive governors between 1846 and 1996. It now contains a grand collection of Australian furniture and art.
The Sydney Opera House tour was the jewel of our stay in the city. Our tour guide began by introducing herself and then showing the first of two films. After the New South Wales government raised the money by lottery for construction, Danish architect Jørn Utzon won an international competition to design it. Working close with the government for much of the building of the complex, Utzon had a disagreement with a new administration and never saw the finished project.
We were then invited to tour the Playhouse (398 seats) and its set for the current performance. We then walked up the foyer of the Drama Theater (544 seats) while observing the Harbor Bay Bridge through the ribs of magnificent arcs of glass. We proceeded to the Opera Theater (1,547 seats) which was being set up for this evening's performance of Carmen. At each location the guide would describe how often each venue was booked. I was surprised that the most active subscription support (over 90%) of the opera house is for ballet performances.
Before entering the 2,690 seat Concert Hall we were informed that it has “the best acoustics of any building of its type in the world.” We paused between outside vestibules to visualize the patterning of the roof tiles which, by necessity, needed to be able to be cleaned by natural rainfall rather than require men in harness and buckets to do the job. Here too we saw the second film being presented. This showed the actual construction and the ongoing vexation with the need to come up with a way to construct the “sails” as designed. Finally the solution was to take sections of a sphere to make interlacing sections. All of this was most informative and fulfilled a desire to see and learn about this icon of Sydney.
A second icon, the Harbor Bridge was next on our list. We knew we didn't want to climb the bridge but decided it would be fun to walk across it. That is it would be once we found a way to get to it on foot. We new we should walk back down to The Rocks and we could see the bridge over our heads but we couldn't find steps to get to the walking platform. Fortunately we discovered an Information Center right off the Nurses Walk section of this old suburb. They gave us “go down these stairs, turn left, walk a block and go through a wall then up a set of stairs to Cumberland Street. Cross that street and walk up the stairway to the bridge.” We did!
Built in 1932, the bridge is 3,772 feet long and spans 1,650 feet. Once we reached the platform we marveled at the panoramic view of Sydney Harbor, the ferry terminals of Circular Quay. We took pictures of the Sydney Opera House from the bridge. And we watched people climb the catwalks and ladders of the Bridge Climb. They were gloved, wearing “Bridge Suits,” and in harness linked to a static line on the catwalk. Though I am sure it is safe, we were more than pleased with our walk across the bridge – no vertical climbing necessary. We did rest at the Mercantile Pub for a pint as a reward before we continued on.
We walked next to Chinatown to go to Paddy's Market. Initially the suburb dealt in hay, grain, and cattle – and is called Haymarket! It has been here since 1834 and now there are stalls that sell everything from fast food, fresh produce, fashions, souvenirs and T–shirts. We walked through many but nowhere near the close to 1,000 stalls reported to be operating here. We found a few items to take back with us and when we left we walked back to our hotel to relax, clean up, and get ready for our last evening in Sydney.
A month before we left on our trip Liz signed up for Living Social internet coupons for Sydney attractions. One that appealed to us was for the East Village Hotel “formerly the Tradesman’s Arms Hotel, the Pub had a notorious reputation in the 1920’s – 1950’s when the razor gangs, prostitution, stolen goods etc were at their height. Now a Popular bar and Restaurant with floors of function facilities and a popular roof top events venue.” This offered dinner for two with wine at a very reasonable price, worth expecting a lovely final evening in Sydney before sailing.
Walking back to Hyde Park, this time walking south past the ANZAC Memorial, we walked to the suburb of Darlinghurst. As soon as we went a couple blocks we entered an older area of modest single homes interspersed with small shops, a few restaurants, and a few pubs. I began to wonder if the old “Tradesman's Arms Hotel” might be a bit of a disappointment and when we reached the corner I had a sinking feeling that we had. People were sitting on canvas folding stools at café tables outside and drinking beer. There were a few
metal tables with taller metal chairs inside and more canvas stools leaning against the bar for people to claim and take outside. We said we had a reservation for dinner and a young man said we were a few moments early and they would call us when ready. Five minutes later he came to usher us upstairs to a lovely, old room with approximately a dozen tables set with linen and crystal. There was a small bar along a wall shared with the kitchen. Perpendicular to the bar was a ten foot high wine rack about 20 feet wide.
Our guide was our Matre 'd, our Sommilier, and our waiter. Dressed in shirt and shorts with a gray and white pinstripe apron, he brought us a menu with tonight's offerings. We discussed wines to go with our selections, he made recommendations of choice Australian and New Zealand wines. He was very knowledgeable and I gathered that he was the wine buyer for the restaurant.
We began with an appetizers of ocean trout, treacle cured, (cucumber, Granny Smith, wasabi) and golden beet root (Carpacio puree, goat cheese, hazel nuts, and basil). Entrees were lamb rump, sweetbreads, lamb croutons, peas and baby cos; and Rabbit with Ballotine carrot, anise, pithivier, broad beans and tarragon dressing. The Sides were Garden salad and Peas with Goat Cheese Gremolatta.
Chef Adam Spencer sent out an intermediate treat of a pastry shell with pate. The suggested Rose wine was perfect with our combined dishes. Not too overpowering to subdue the rabbit but still robust enough to be flavorful with the lamb. The wine was valued more than what was included in the Living Social coupon and we agreed to the upgrade but later the chef said they would not charge the difference to someone who had been planning to come to Australia since 1967.
We had coffee to finish our excellent dinner and while we were relaxing and contemplating our good fortune to have found this restaurant, a man and his lady came in and sat down at the next table. He was wearing a shirt with what I initially thought was a modified Australian Heineken logo. I commented on how I had misread it. He replied that he was German and would never drink that beer.
We started talking in Deutsch when he asked where we had lived in Germany and how long we had lived there. He has been living in Australia for four years and they were getting ready to return to live in Munich in two days. This would be her first time outside of Australia and she was both apprehensive and excited about the change. We said she would find Germany and especially Munich absolutely wonderful and we envied her chance to live there. He just smiled appreciatively at our assurance for her. It turned out he was a friend of the chef and this was his farewell dinner here before flying home.
Thursday, February 17
We woke early and after strapping and tagging our luggage we set out to Hyde Park and a walk to the Royal Botanical Gardens to find Mrs. MacQuaries Chair. Located on a point overlooking Sydney Harbor, this rock formation is inscribed, “Be It Thus Recorded That The Road Round the inside of the Government Domain Called Mrs. MacQuaries Road So named by the Governor on account of her having Originally Planned it Measuring 3 Miles, and 377 Yards Was finally Completed on the 13th Day of June 1816.”
Not only did we start the day with a fine stretch of our legs we also found a coffee shop that offered scones with jam and clotted cream. Reinvigorated by both we returned to our hotel to check out. The desk called a taxi for us and twenty minutes later we had turned our luggage over to the ship and were in line filling out paperwork for boarding. By noon we had finished processing and were directed to the Windjammer Lounge where we could relax until our staterooms would be available at one o'clock.
“As you know, Rhapsody of the Seas is scheduled to visit Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Thursday, February 24th. Royal Caribbean International was made aware that Port Moresby is currently experiencing political unrest, which we feel has the potential to seriously disrupt your experience and our operations in Port Moresby.
The safety and security of our guests is our top priority, and in an abundance of caution, we believe it would be in the best interest of everyone onboard to cancel our visit to Port Moresby.
We will replace Port Moresby with a call to Bali, Indonesia on Monday, February 28th from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. Indonesia (Bali) has a mandatory Visa requirement with a fee of US $25, per person, for all arriving guests, irrespective of guests leaving the ship or if they stay on board.”
As we went to discover our room we already found three of our four bags positioned in the corridor so we took them inside and began to unpack. Swastika Agung (Bali), our steward, had left a mini–bar tray of bottled water and sodas on one side of the vanity table and on the other was an electric tea kettle, presumably for the majority of Australians and New Zealanders who were on this cruise. We asked that these be removed as we did not require them and they took up valuable room.Rhapsody of the Seas
Maiden Voyage: May 19, 1997
Rock–climbing wall
Passenger Capacity: 2,435
Outdoor pool
Godmother: Bodil Wilhelmsen
Six whirlpools
Gross Tonnage: 78,491
Solarium with a sliding roof
Length: 915'
Themed bars and lounges
Beam: 105.6'
Adventure Ocean® youth facilities
Draft: 25'
Casino Royale
Cruising Speed: 22 knots
Day Spa and Fitness Center
International law requires an emergency boat drill before departure and our mandatory assembly took place at 5:15. After that we stopped by our room for a few moments and then set out to the Edelweiss Restaurant on Deck 4. There we found Table 30 and met our steward (Leandro Teodosio (Philippines) and his assistant steward Razvan Odoroaga (Romania). Then we introduced ourselves to the other four couples who would be dinning with us.
The ten people at our table are Isabella Dall (Kirkcaldy Fife, Scotland), Alice and Wayne O'Quin (Galveston, TX), Carol and James Pfeiffer (Inverness, FL), Monique and Rob Routhier (Fort McMurray, Alberta), Elma Shunsby (Elliot Lake, Ontario), and Liz and me. Elma and Isabella have been friends for years in Canada and after they both became widows Isabella returned to her native Scotland. They maintain contact with each other and travel together when they can. All of us have cruised before. All of us will share the table for the entire 35 days so we will have a lovely opportunity to get to know each other.
Friday, February 18
Liz and I have been saving an appropriate audiobook mystery for this day. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple, is set in a small, provincial area near Melbourne. Now, in addition to learning some Australian slang, and hearing crime assessments compared to that in the U.S., we hope to have a good case to follow as well. We listened as we walked for three miles (4X = 1 Mile) and then went to the gym for Vitality Stretch for a half hour followed by Fab Abs exercise for a half hour. This will most likely be our routine for all sea days. We were more than ready for breakfast after that.
We still had clothes to hang up and put away and had most of that effort completed by the time Chef's Corner held an Apple Strudel demonstration in the Centrum. While that was going on Liz converted dollars and I downloaded pictures of the last three days from the camera onto the computer. In the afternoon we attended a seminar on New Zealand Paua Shell Jewelry.
Tonight is the Captain's Welcome so we finished our unpacking and getting clothes ready for a formal evening.
Production Showtime: The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers – Ballroom Fever
This show is easily the most universal show they have in their repertoire. Primarily instrumental, it showcases the dancing and half of the songs were Latin American. A very energetic production and the male dancer had moves that astounded you.
