On Saturday,
22 November, Jesse awoke at 6:00 AM, again downloading our e-mail
messages. Although we had planned to
swim after breakfast, the sea was rougher than we realized and the water in the
swimming pool was sloshing violently from one end to the other, nearly as much
as it had a few days earlier. Jesse decided
it would be too dangerous (not to mention terrifying) to swim. Instead, at 12:30 PM, we danced to recorded
music in Club Fusion for 15 minutes, and then went to lunch, where Ron and
Cherie’ from Sydney soon joined us at our table. Typical of Australians (we have discovered),
they explained how safe Australia is, and that only a few people each year are
killed by crocodiles and sharks. They
assured us that if we obey the signs, such as “No Swimming Allowed” due to
sharks or crocodiles, we should be perfectly safe in Australia. Yeah, right!
While
seated there, not far from a window on the starboard side, someone called out
“Whale!” Sally actually saw spray rising
three times apparently from whales, as several other bystanders did also,
though she never actually saw a whale. (Later,
she sat on our balcony for 20 minutes, watching for more whales but, of course,
none appeared.)
At
3:00 PM, we attended a Grapevine Wine Tasting, which was available for $9.50
per person (but complimentary for Elite passengers – like us). We sat next to another couple that we had met
previous, but apparently did not get their names – Brian and Phyllis. They live in Australia now, but he was originally
from South Africa and she was from London.
We tried five kinds of wine, along with some snacks and water. Afterwards, Sally remarked privately to Jesse
that she liked the water the best, although the sweet wine from Chile was a
close second.
At
6:30 PM, we ate dinner at a table for two.
We conversed quite a bit with the couple at the next table, Bill and
Nola from Perch, Australia. They boarded
the ship at Sydney and will be disembarking at Perch. After dinner we danced again for about 30 minutes
before retiring for the night.
On
Sunday, 23 November, Jesse awoke at 6:00 AM and Sally at 8:30 AM. We had set our clocks back a half-hour the
night before, so we had an extra half-hour of sleep. After breakfast, we went for a short
swim. Sally thought the water was much
too cold, so she went in the hot tub instead.
We went to lunch at 11:30, and then proceeded ashore for our excursion
at 12:30 PM.
Our
tour guide, Mike, narrated as our driver, Bill, navigated our bus through the
streets of Adelaide. We passed by some of the city's most loved
landmarks, including Adelaide University, the Botanic Gardens, the Adelaide
Festival Theater, and the striking St. Peter's Cathedral, which boasts ornate
spires. Before leaving the city we stopped
at Rundle Mall, the city's wonderful shopping district and a shopper's
paradise. Open for business since 1976,
Australia's first street mall is now home to more than 600 shops, and also
features several beautifully restored 19th-century arcades. The mall was adorned with a gorgeous
centerpiece fountain, and many contemporary artworks.
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| Glenelg Beach |
Afterwards,
we reconvened back at the bus for the scenic drive to the charming seaside town
of Glenelg. Founded in 1836, Glenelg is
the oldest European settlement in South Australia and was named after Lord
Glenelg, a member of the British Cabinet
and Secretary of State for War. Famed
for its gorgeous beaches, Glenelg is also one of the city's most popular destinations
for Australians and visitors alike. Here,
we enjoyed delightful free time to explore the vibrant boutiques, souvenir
shops, restaurants and cafés along Jetty Road, named after the original jetty
which was constructed in 1857. There was
an arcade there with games and rides for kids (and adults that might be
interested). Then we rejoined our coach
for the journey back to the ship.
Someone asked the tour guide about the helicopter flying along the beach. He said they were watching for sharks; but then
he remarked, “More people are killed in car accidents than by sharks.” Now, how
many times have we heard that?
On
the bus, we sat behind a couple from Texas that has traveled and cruised a lot
more that we have. They lived in Heidelberg,
Germany for four years, so we suspect he may be retired military.
It
was 5:15 PM when we re-boarded the ship, and we left our cabin for dinner at
6:30 PM. We sat at a table for two, next
to a lovely couple from Sydney. They
have traveled extensively, but due to declining health, their cruising days are
numbered. We also noticed a young black
couple a few tables away, but we didn’t have an opportunity meet them.
Dancing
wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:00 PM, so after finishing dinner around 7:15
PM, we returned to our cabin and watched Whitehouse
Down on TV for a little while; then we proceeded to the Explorers Lounge
and danced to the New Deal until they went on break. In the Wheelhouse Bar, we sat next to Paul
and Mary from near Sydney. Later, Gloria
from the same area joined us. Paul and
Gloria know each other from dance classes in Sydney. Paul’s wife, Mary prefers walking for
exercise, but she does dance during cruises.
Paul is a retired geography teacher and knew quite a bit about the
different farming areas and climates in the USA. We danced until the Soul Wave went on break
at 9:45 PM – much longer that previously.
We set our clocks back by another half-hour before retiring.
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