Around the World Again

Sydney, Australia – February 11, 2018

My plan for today was to take the HOHO bus to Bondi Beach. The last time I went to Bondi was in August 1997. We had taken the train so I didn’t get to see much of the area around Bondi. Also, since it was in the middle of winter there were not many people around.

I made good connections today (getting the shuttle, picking up the red HOHO bus at Darling Harbour, and then switching to the blue line) and since it was Sunday morning there was not as much traffic as yesterday. I was in Bondi by noon.

I walked around looking for a place to eat. I finally decided on the Hotel Bondis bistro. I had a very good parmesan encrusted chicken schnitty (a word I am not familiar with) with chips and slaw. When I was finished there was a New Zealand ice cream shop that had hokey pokey ice cream next to where I ate so I had to have a cone.

Walked around some more and then picked up the HOHO bus back to Sydney. We passed some beautiful multi-million dollar homes with amazing views.

I had considered riding another loop of the bus but I am paranoid and always like to be back on the ship at least an hour before all aboard time so decided against it. Instead I walked around Darling Harbour and looked at the Serbian festival going on in a neighboring park.

Returned to the ship about 3:45 and showered and changed for dinner since I had things to do right up until 8 pm (dinnertime).

Only Bonnie, Tom, Rodney, and I were there for trivia so I invited Bill (who had been on a team with me one day in New Zealand when nobody else was there). We only had 14 out of 17. The winning team had 16.

1)What is “Mr. Bojangles” real name?

2)What birthstone melts in vinegar?

3)What is the world’s largest desert?

4)What country sold the Virgin Islands to the US in 1917?

5)What is a “pangram”?

After trivia it was the time for the sail-away. I watched the sail-away from the back deck by the Seaview Pool. I may have missed the sail-in but I enjoyed the sail-away and there were even two toots.

Once we were back into the ocean, I headed to “Singo” in the piano bar. It is played on the same principle as Bingo but instead of just calling numbers there is a song attached to each number and we had a sing along. This is going to be a regular on Sunday nights.

Then time for dinner. It was the first night that all eight of us have been present in a number of days so there was some catching up to do. I had watermelon, prime rib, and a berry cup with meringue on top that was not as good as it sounded. During dinner the Dining Room Manager and the Executive Chef came around and asked how they were doing and for any suggestions.

There was a comedian on for the show tonight but I was tired and wanted to complete the blog as early as possible.

A sea day tomorrow.

More Sydney sights…