Author: Karen

We landed in Melbourne in the morning. Since we were docked far from town, we decided to do a city tour. My sister was here in the 60s and didn’t recognize it. She remembers the city as being “very British.”

Downtown Melbourne is filled with skyscrapers and there is a lot of building going on. Streets were clogged and lanes were changed, much to the chagrin of Stewart, our coach driver. Our guide told us that seven years in a row, the city had won the world- wide title of “ most livable city, but lost its title this year to Vienna, Austria.

We spent lots of time driving around town and I was impressed by the creative variety of the buildings as well as the city’s commitment to the arts. The center photo above is just a tiny part of an arts center. The opera house here gets more international bookings than the one in Sydney, because the Sydney Opera House is an intimate venue and doesn’t hold as many people. The Australian ballet building has a huge tower of a thin figure wearing a tutu.

We were told that people in Melbourne are “mad about sport” and we were driven by the Rod Laver tennis complex.

I took the picture of the ballet building from the 88th floor of the Eureka building – the Skydeck – which gives a panoramic tour of the city, a bit like the views seen at the Seattle space needle.

Since we were taking the tour on November 11, we were able to stop at the Shrine of Remembrance after the 11:00 AM ceremony. It is a huge park honoring those who served in all the battlegrounds, from Gallipoli to Afghanistan. There were individual memorials for each conflict, with an eternal flame to commemorate those lost in World War II. This is the entrance, with poppies. Many people were also wearing poppies on their shirts, as a symbol to remind us of the horrors of war, “ lest we forget.”

I was surprised that November 11 wasn’t a national holiday, as Veterans’ Day is at home, but was told that ANZAC Day is much more important, as it commemorates those from the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) . The date, April 25, was the date of the first wartime engagement, in Gallipoli, in World War I. Anzac Day honors all those who “served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. “

Many school children were at the park with their teachers and we were told that all children wore uniforms, whether they be in public or private schools. Hats are also compulsory, as Australia has a large hole in the ozone layer.

We returned to the ship and rested, then prepared ourselves for evening entertainment. We’re enjoying the classical music of the Lincoln Center stage with four young and talented musicians and the dueling pianos who play Billboard hits. We play trivia. We go to the shows in the main showroom which have been excellent so far. We enjoy our balcony. Of course there’s the food as well. We went to the gala evening dinner in the main dining room and also drop by the Lido deck for breakfast. We indulged in room service breakfast the day we had a morning tour.

Today our tour to the wildlife refuges isn’t until the afternoon so we can take our time to wander into town.

I have lots of catching up to do. Today is Tuesday November 12.

We flew out of Honolulu Thursday-a lovely, smooth flight, thanks to Hawaiian Air, even though it was a day later than we’d originally scheduled because one of their planes was taken out of service, the one we were supposed to take Wednesday. We landed at Sydney Friday evening ten hours after our departure and took a taxi to our hotel.

Our only sightseeing option was a Saturday morning city tour, before our sail away in the afternoon which we booked online before we left..my sister spent ten days there but this was my first trip.

The weather was perfect – late spring with a hint of a breeze. We did a comprehensive tour that began with a guided walking tour of the area called The Rocks, which is where the city began. The quaint historical buildings have been repurposed into shops and restaurants. Parks and the gorgeous natural beauty of the city seem to coexist gracefully with skyscrapers and other high density buildings.

I was captivated by Bondi Beach, one of the world’s best surfing beaches. We found a cute café and settled in for a muffin, a cappuccino and some great people-watching before heading back to join our tour group. The ambiance reminded me a bit of Santa Cruz. We also drove around many of the architectural districts of the various neighborhoods of the city. The average price of a home in Sydney is $900,000.

Our last stop was the Sydney Opera House and we were scheduled for a tour. We didn’t realize it was an afternoon tour. Unfortunately we couldn’t do the tour and get to the ship on time. The paperwork indicated it would be at noon, not 2:00 pm. Oh, well. I comforted myself that I had done the architectural tour of the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, another very unique edifice. We still had time to walk around and get up close and personal with this building.

I urge you to spend as much extra time in Sydney as you can. There’s so much to see and do. Our guide was wonderful.

We’re allowed one bottle of wine each on board without having to pay corkage fees, so I got an Australian Sauvignon blanc called Catching Thieves and my sister got a Tasmanian Pinot noir to keep in our room..

We took a taxi back to the hotel and the driver waited for us to collect out luggage. Check in for the ship was fast with no lines since most people were waiting way before the 1:00 check in time to get into their rooms. We arrived in our upgraded veranda room by 2:00. It was a treat to hang out on our balcony and sail pass the beautiful harbors of Sydney. The life boats are our neighbors but it doesn’t obscure the view.

We had the sail away from Sydney Saturday at 5:00 and continued on toward Melbourne. Day 2, Sunday, was a sea day. We needed to catch up on the time change, get some much-needed sleep and recharge our batteries. The waves were a bit rough but not too bad.

We were in Melbourne Monday, on Remembrance Day, November 11 and were able to see the Shrine of Remembrance, where veterans of all wars were honored on our Panoramic City tour. More of that will be mentioned in my next post.

Today is another much needed sea day.

Wednesday we’ll be in Hobart, Tasmania. It’s my birthday and we chose to see the Bonorong Wildlife Refuge, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates wounded native animals. We’re looking forward to this excursion.

I hope to post the day in Melbourne today at some point in between naps.

Questions? Be sure to ask. We’re enjoying both the ship and our itinerary.

When my pal Marilyn picked me up at the Burbank airport recently, she told me we would be going to the Last Bookstore in downtown L.A.

I was thrilled. It was a journey I’d been longing to take.

I must admit, like Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird , I don’t remember learning to read. I’ve always been a book person, in love with words.

I loved reading the comics, and I’d sneak off to the variety store down the strip mall from my father’s hamburger joint at age 5 or so to read the comic books for free. Later, the pharmacist at the Rexall Pharmacy in Market Town used to warn me by saying “ A penny a minute rent!” before kicking me out of the store.

My sister and I were taken to our magnificent Carnegie library when we were young, and I was in awe as I walked up the steps and through the door of this Temple of Knowledge.

As I walked silently past the stern-faced ladies at the charging desk, I wandered through the nooks and crannies of the building, going up and down stairs, peeking at the homeless men in the reading room, checking out the action in the stacks before landing at my favorite books in the children’s section. I went for the shelf housing the Nancy Drew books. My sister went for the Oz books. I settled in to a corner to do some reading.

It was such a privilege to be in this beautiful building.

When I entered the Last Bookstore, I had a flashback of our Carnegie library. This beautiful building that originally housed a bank was constructed at around the same time. Now, as a bookstore, the wares were displayed by subject. There were comfortable chairs for reading. There was even a section with LPs, CDs and other media.

The fascinating element that made this bookstore different from other “normal” retail establishments was that the books were part of the decor. Not all books are now useable, so these recycled pieces of paper became sculptures to delight and stimulate the patrons.

I’m still a book person and haven’t gotten used to the Kindle or other electronic devices. I enjoy the smell of books and I love to hold a book and cuddle it, as its words lull me off to sleep at night.

NEXT STOP: the California desert.

Where is Saint Mary’s and why am in a tent?

No, it’s not the circus, but it IS a circus in many ways. People are coming and going, fighting for space, and some have taken up residence as their home-away-from-home office. Students are offering flashlights, lanterns, food and drink. There is a line outside. People aren’t giving up their seats or charging stations. After all, there’s free WiFi in a land without power.

Saint Mary’s is my local college, a few miles down the road, famous for its basketball team and now a haven for those of us who are victims of the firestorms that have been engulfing our state.

The good news: our houses have not burned.

The bad news: we haven’t had power since Saturday.

I’m writing because this is just an example of the best laid plans don’t always work out as we’d like them to work out.

I’ll be sending out a post shortly – when the lights come back on – about a few days recently spent in Los Angeles and the Palm Springs area. It was a great mini vacation and will give you a glimpse of a wonderful area of California.

I’m also packing to leave on a very big journey soon, which will take me to Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, then back to Hawaii. It’s not so easy to pack in the dark but I’m taking advantage of daylight as much as I can. I gathered my socks this morning, and when I get home, I’ll work on other items of clothing.

This year hasn’t been a big travel year for me, since Life interfered with some of my plans. I underwent surgery for a benign tumor and lost twenty pounds over night – instant spa! All is well on that front. I was also caregiver to a dear friend who lost his battle with cancer in the summer. Both events deeply affected any travel plans I might have had.

Now, healthy and hearty, though a little bit sad, I am ready to get back on the road.

Are you ready to join me?