Mooloolaba Baby!

 Mooloolaba (accent on the second syllable)  is a city on the Sunshine Coast.  In other words, it's a beach city and what a nice beach city it is.  This was an added port since we could not get into Brisbane and it turned out to be a worthwhile stop.

First on our agenda for the day was a walk up the Coastal Path.  We were joined by our friends Pam and Bob.  Our intent was to walk all the way up to Maroochydore (accent on the second syllable) but when the path veered from the coast north of the Alexandra Headland, we decided to head back.  So, we only did about 5K instead of 6K.  It was a bit warm and humid.  Other than that, the walk was really nice.

Along the way, we saw Water Dragons and Rainbow Lorikeets and a pretty Hibiscus tree.

And we stopped at The Loo With a View!

After returning to Mooloolaba (accent on the second syllable) and walking along the Esplanade, our second agenda item was lunch with Lynne Stephens.  Linda stayed with Lynne for part of the time that she was in Australia for a faculty exchange program in 2004.  This was the first time they saw each other since then.  It was a very pleasant lunch along the Esplanade and a great chance for them to catch up.

Tomorrow, Friday, is a sea day.  Somehow we'll find a way to relax!

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

We Didn't Bring Any Coal to Newcastle

 Our first port of call was Tuesday in Newcastle (Australia, not England).  It is reputed to be the largest coal exporting harbor in the world.  Here's an empty cargo ship arriving.

This port was added after they had to cancel a stop in Brisbane for some reason and we're glad that they did.  Our plan for the day, which we mostly executed, was to do the Bathers Bay Walk.  After the shuttle bus from the ship dropped us at Queens Wharf we started off along the shore.  Stops along the way included Nobbys Beach, Newcastle Ocean Baths,, and Newcastle Beach where we stopped for some refreshment.

Then it was some uphill, downhill and more uphill as we passed The Bogey Hole, King Edwards Park, and up to Shepherds Hill.

It was at this point that we decided to cut back across town to the city center rather than continuing a bit further on the Bathers Bay Walk.  The walk back took us by the Christ Church Cathedral.

 After a stop for lunch by the waterfront, it was time to do a bit of shopping.  It was interesting to see that many of the stores in the downtown area were empty.  I don't know why.  But we were able to accomplish two objectives.  One, buy some Smarties as our son David requested.  I'm not sure if those are for him or for the grandkids!

Objective two was to buy some Hunter Valley wines - mission accomplished.

All in all, it was a terrific day.  The weather was nearly perfect and the roughly six miles of walking was exactly what we like to do best.  Tomorrow is a day at sea and we are looking forward to relaxing.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

The Pre-Cruise Wrap-up

We are on board the Oceania Regatta after spending 2 days with Maria and Don in Lake Heights NSW.  It was a wonderful visit - Maria is an amazing hostess.  Lake Heights is about 100K south of Sydney and sits between the Pacific and the rather large Lake Illawara.  On Saturday, Maria took us for a quick tour of Port Kembla Beach and a nice overlook.

 Most of the day was spent catching up and eating - Maria is a great cook.

Sunday was a more vigorous day of touring.  We started by driving up the escarpment to the town of Robertson to see what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of our trip - The Big Potato!  Australia has many Big things and this is reputed to be one of the worst.  We all agreed!

We then headed for our main destination - the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk.  It was a beautiful day and much fun walking along the walkways above the treetops.

After that, we visited the town of Kiama for lunch and to view the blowhole.

The evening was highlighted by a real bit of Aussie culture - Sunday dinner at the Illawarra Yacht Club.  And the best part was that Maria won a raffle for a chicken package with 3 different preparations.

Monday morning, Maria drove us to the ship.  It poured down rain while we were driving but fortunately the rain had stopped by the time we got here.   Boarding the ship was fairly easy and we've got a great view of the Sydney Opera House from our veranda.

One thing that is always terrific is the way that they decorate the ship for the holidays.  Here's an example.

Tonight, after what is always a spectacular sail-away from Sydney, we head up to Newcastle where we plan to take long walk along the seashore.

Till then, peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

Here We Go Again

 We're in the United lounge at LAX waiting to board our very long flight to Sydney.  

This will be another long adventure.  When we arrive in Sydney, we'll first spend a couple of days with our friend Maria.  And then, on Monday, we'll embark on the Oceania Regatta for the next 7 weeks.  Yep, you read that right - 7 wonderful weeks.  The first 5 weeks will be a cruise that circumnavigates Australia including a couple of days in Bali.  We did an almost identical cruise in 2017 and we loved it, so when the opportunity arose to do it again we jumped on it.  And this time, when we get back to Sydney we will stay on for another 2 weeks ending in Auckland, New Zealand.  I am quite certain that, after 7 weeks, we will not be ready to disembark!

On the first cruise, we'll be joined with our Oceania friends Pam and Bob Stahl who we first met 8 years ago on a Capetown to Singapore cruise.  We'll also be joined by Michael and Jackie, Linda's brother and sister-in-law, who we first met many years ago!

You know, we've been blessed many times this year but the blessing du jour is that we have been upgraded to business class for this roughly 15 hour flight.  Long live lay flat seats!

I'll leave you with a quote from Emma Donoghue's latest novel, Haven - "To travel is to turn the pages on the great book of life."

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry