128 Days Around the World

March 7, 2020

Sydney, Australia

I woke up at 7 am but was too late to see the sail-in to Sydney. It was very cloudy and had been raining (my window leaks slightly) so I probably didn’t miss a great view. Since we were told immigration was going to be called starting at 8 am, I decided not to go back to sleep.

As it turned out, they were rather slow calling numbers (I was in group 10). Likely, the people in HAL shore excursions were being processed before the numbers began to be called. I used the time to work on my Linus blanket and check the weather forecast – there was a 30% or greater chance of rain all day so I decided to take my raincoat (of course, that guaranteed it was a beautiful day and the sun even came out).

About 9:15 I went to deck 3 to stand out on the deck. After being there a few minutes, I realized that I would not hear my number called because announcements are not allowed to be made on open decks while in Sydney. I went inside and asked one of the people sitting in the atrium if any numbers had been called and sure enough, I had missed mine.

I left the ship and went through immigration which went very quickly although there were quite a few people in line. We had a form and our passport, which were checked and then given back to us. As we left the terminal, the guest services people collected them.

We are at White Bay Terminal because the large ships that cannot fit under the Harbour Bridge get to dock at Circular Quay (as we did on the Queen Elizabeth in 2014) but the smaller ships have to come out to White Bay. As the crow flies it is close to downtown - we can see the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Tower from the ship. The roads however are like a maze and it takes 20 minutes or more (with traffic) to get to Darling Harbour.

My first goal of the day was to find an ATM. The one I used two years ago was no longer there but I eventually found another. With cash in hand, I started off for Paddy’s Market in Chinatown. Although this was my fourth visit to Sydney, I had never been to the market. It was a very short walk from Darling Harbour even though I did not follow the route I had found last night on line.

Paddy’s Market lived up to what I had read about it. In the stalls are just about everything you can think of – souvenirs, clothes, jewelry, wigs, food, toys, electronic accessories, shoes, and more! On the first floor (what we would call the second in the US) there were some regular stores as well as a large Chinese food court (and at least 10 ATMs). I got a delicious pastry and fresh lime juice drink and enjoyed the free wi-fi. I walked around the ground floor stalls once more and purchased a few souvenirs.

I was headed for the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) when I saw a McDonald’s. It was getting close to 1 pm by then so I thought I would have lunch and enjoy some more wi-fi. Unfortunately, the “Maccas” account I set up in Auckland does not work in Australia and I did not have a valid postcode (my home zip code would not work). At least the fries were good.

The QVB is beautiful and worth a walk through but I was not in the market for Bally, Prada, Kate Spade, or any of the other high-end brands sold there, so all I did was walk through.

Next stop was at Lincraft (like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby) but the store on York Street was closing and there wasn’t much of anything but fabric and sewing notions, so I did not stay long.

My final destination was Morris and Sons which has (don’t be too surprised) yarn! I had planned on going there in 2014 and again in 2018 but did not make it either time so I was determined to go this year. They had some beautiful yarn and finally I settled on some multi-colour yarn for a pattern Judy (Margaret) gave me. (When I got back to the ship I decided I need more than what I bought so I will go back tomorrow).

While I was in the store I got to talking to a lady and found out she and her husband had been on the Crystal Serenity but opted to leave the World Cruise and fly back to the US. They were not happy with the itinerary changes (due to closed ports and staying away from Asia) and she made it sound like her husband wasn’t too fond of sea days and that influenced their decision. They have a 17-hour flight to San Francisco tomorrow, where they will spend a few days and then fly back to the east coast. (I have heard rumors that some people on our ship were contemplating leaving but I have not heard about anyone definitely doing it.)

I headed back to Darling Harbour and took the shuttle back to the ship. I was back on board a few minutes before 4 pm – I had walked seven miles (that is a lot for me!) and was tired and thirsty so I drank a coke and worked on one of my projects until almost five when I went to sit on the back deck. I was too tired to swim.

There was a trivia at 7 pm and you will be surprised to hear I didn’t go. I was enjoying sitting with my feet up too much.

Sherita joined us for dinner tonight. She had almost had to miss her overland tour to Uluru because of a paperwork snafu but just before dinner she got it straightened out.

There was no regular show and I really wanted to go to the movie, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” but I knew I would fall asleep before it was over at 11:15.

Another day wandering around Sydney tomorrow.