Circular Quay

I got an early start today because I decided I was going to church (yes, you read that correctly!), as it would be the best way to see St. Mary’s Cathedral, just two blocks away. St. Mary’s is Australia’s largest cathedral and is English-style gothic. It was very impressive inside and out. The choir was all-male from prepubescent boys to 60ish year old men. They sang the hymns beautifully in Latin, something I hadn’t experienced since I was a child attending Sacre Coeur in Winnipeg! The Arch Bishop was in town and led the service along with his squad. The homily was surprisingly good but the service was 1 1/2 hours long. Afterwards I wandered around admiring the church and made a comment to who I thought was one of the ushers. When he said he was an atheist I was puzzled until he explained that he was the security guard! We had an interesting conversation about a variety of topics. I rushed back to the apartment as JS was having a family dinner and wanted to FaceTime me. It was a very hectic household with the three little ones but it was good to see and talk with everyone.

After lunch I headed to the touristy historic area called The Rocks. Every weekend they have a large artisans market which was very nice to admire but not buy as everything was pretty pricey. From here I walked to Circular Quay where the tour boats, ferries and cruise ships dock. It’s a popular place for weddings and wedding photos as I saw one wedding ceremony and 4 wedding parties having their photos taken. The Sydney Opera House looms in the background so this is what draws them to this location. The whole area was really busy with locals and tourists enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

I watched the Maasdam leave port. This was the cruise I had considered taking. It’s a smaller ship with a port-intensive itinerary. It appealed to me because Holland America was introducing a new format with this ship where they had lecturers on board to teach the culture and history of Tasmania and New Zealand. They would also be bringing on local entertainers from each port. I felt a little sad that I wouldn’t be sailing but so far I am happy with my decision to do a land-based vacation. I read that all the passengers had to be screened for the Coronavirus before boarding so I hope they don’t encounter any problems like the other two ships that have been in the news daily. The cyclone that had been in the forecast moved in a different direction but large swells were still expected.

I did a lot of steps again today (10 km) and was pretty exhausted by the time I got back to the apartment. Evenings are for relaxing with some TV (poor selection of channels), my iPad, and a glass of Australian Pinot 🥂Read more