Author Archives: Serene

The genesis of our next big adventure was a phone call from Cindy, one of our close friends from Boise, in late summer 2023.  She was interested in a particular Holland America cruise because it included western Ireland and asked … Continue reading →

Our last day in Sydney, February 9, 2025, was spent in the Blue Mountains, ninety minutes outside the city.  We met for our tour at 6:55 a.m. and our guide introduced herself as “Rin, It rhymes with gin, and Rin likes … Continue reading →

Our second full day in Sydney was a really good day.  We had tours of the Sydney Opera House and a food tour called the Tastes of Sydney. First, we learned to use the Sydney light rail.  We had been … Continue reading →

After days of rain in Cairns, the morning of February 6, 2025 was sunny and warm, but also really humid.  We thought briefly of the snorkeling that might have been but were mostly just grateful that we got it in. … Continue reading →

We woke up on February 4, 2025, half expecting our Great Barrier Reef snorkel trip would be canceled – and it was.    It occurred to us that our accommodation in the hotel was room 1313 on the 13th floor!  … Continue reading →

We were in Cairns on February 3, 2025. We learned that the city name is pronounced Cans, with a bit more emphasis on the “a”. We could still see the Crown Princess from our balcony. The ship did not leave … Continue reading →

On February 2, 2025, we got up early, as recommended, to be on deck as we sailed into Sydney Harbor. The Opera house was dark, but its shape was still evident. The views were definitely worth getting up for! The … Continue reading →

It was Saturday, February 1st, the day before we left the ship. We went to an interesting coffee chat – perhaps the most interesting of all the interesting coffee chats!  This chat was with the hotel manager on the ship. … Continue reading →

We were in Melbourne on January 31, 2025. We woke up to very nice sunrise as we came into the harbor for our visit to Melbourne. We had ordered some Vegemite to have on our toast with our room service … Continue reading →

We were at sea on January 30, 2025. Oh, no!  We were running out of cruise!  We had a sea day, Melbourne, and then one last sea day before leaving the ship in Sydney. There are lots of activities to … Continue reading →