Tuesday – March 3, 2026 – Sydney
I am behind writing about our days on this voyage. I was on the balcony listening to the final movement of Beethoven’s 9th symphony – the Ode to Joy. I knew that today I would be writing about our first day in Sydney and was thinking about what we saw and what I should use as the featured photo. The image of today’s featured photo came to mind, and I began to cry uncontrollably. This photo was taken on the bridge at Bondi Beach where, last December, 2 evil men shot, killed and wounded many people (primarily Jewish) enjoying an afternoon at the beach. I asked myself why I felt so strongly – I’m sure it was a combination of the music which was uplifting and the tragedy at Bondi Beach which was at the opposite end of the emotional scale. In the end it was the bumblebee in the photo that showed me the way. That bee symbolizes spiritual guidance, the sweetness of life and resilience. There is REAL EVIL in this world but there is also always present the God who created this world, created us and sent his Son to suffer and die for the evil we project on each other and the disobedience we show toward HIM. In less than 4 weeks we will celebrate the life HE promises to us – regardless of what happens to us on this earth. The horrific actions as Bondi Beach will haunt for ages but GOD’s promise will survive forever!
Sydney is a beautiful city. We arrived before sunrise and docked at the International Cruise Terminal near the ferry terminals. There are several photos showing the area before and after sunrise and the activity in the area as the city awoke. That pier is very close to the iconic Sydney Opera House (which is actually a complex of many performance stages).
We were looking forward to today’s excursion which was to include a tour of the city, tour of the Opera House and lunch on the revolving restaurant in the Sydney Tower Eye. Once on the bus which we boarded on the pier, we headed to Bondi Beach which is South and East of the CBD (central business district). We visited Bondi last year and were impressed with its length and beauty. We were curious to see how it may have changed. The weather was different this year – overcast and cooler. Last year the beach was crowded with bathers and swimmers. This year is was virtually empty. We looked over the area where the shootings took place. We wouldn’t have known what happened there less than 3 months ago by looking at the grounds. We did learn that at each end of the beach there are what are called “rock pools“. These are areas where children can learn to swim without the danger of exposure to the surf of the beach. If you click on the link, you can learn more about Bondi.
After our time at Bondi, we headed for Circular Quay where we were let off in order to walk to the Opera House. Bus parking in the CBD is very limited, and the drivers can receive big fines (over $1,000 Australian) if they park the bus in unapproved areas to let people on or off. We walked from near Wharf 1 to an area near the outdoor stage area of the Opera House where we were to meet an Opera House guide before noon. Our tour group had English and French speaking members so everything that was explained first in English was repeated in French. I don’t like these types of tours because I feel we are deprived of half the information we could receive if only one language was spoken. We had a split language tour in Maderia which worked fine because there were two guides – one for English and one for Spanish.
Since we took the Opera House tour last year (English only) we had a way to compare the information given by this year’s guide. In my opinion, it was not as good AND you had to wear a headset to hear what she had to say. We did not go to as many of the sections of the Opera House complex as we did last year and we were not able to take photos in either the concert hall or the opera hall. Actually, in the concert hall they didn’t even have the house lights on so you could see the construction because some children were practicing on stage for a presentation at a later date. My opinion of the Opera House tour – it was time I’ll never get back that could have been used for many better things.
Next on the itinerary was lunch at the Sydney Tower Eye. This is a tall tower with observation decks and a revolving restaurant between them. This tower is taller than the Sky Tower we visited in Auckland – not by a lot. The weather today wasn’t sunny, so the views were not as beautiful as those in Auckland. You’ll find photos in today’s gallery taken from the tower. The tables are set on a ring that rotates so the view changes as you eat. The lunch was a buffet – nothing special – and not as good as the buffet on the ship.
Following lunch, we boarded the bus to travel North over the Harbor Bridge and drive to Manly Beach. Why, you may ask, is it called Manly Beach? The simple explanation is that as explorers found geographical items that needed a name, they tended to choose the most obvious. If you clicked on the link you have discovered why Captain Arthur Phillip chose that name. The beach was closed because there had been high waves with dangerous rip currents.
We returned to Circular Quay and said “Goodbye”. Then the search began for mint Tim Tam cookies. We went to a store that stocked snacks for before and after the opera – they didn’t have mint and suggested another store nearby. That store didn’t have then either. We looked for a grocery store near Circular Quay and found a Woolworths about 6 blocks away. We began walking up the street and, on the way, saw a tobacco outlet that also had cookies. Kelsey went in and found 1 box of mint Tim Tams. She also found they had Caramel. So, we bought one of each and headed back toward the dock.
On the way up the gangway to the ship, we were approached by Peter (lives in Bavaria and is a Lutheran minister). Peter has been checking to see if a Christian service can be held on ship for Easter – April 5th. He said he was making progress and it looks like we will be able to have a gathering – didn’t know where yet, but he will let us know as soon as that is pinned down.
Kelsey went to deck 13 late tonight for the show – bagpipes and drums. There was a show similar to this on last year’s cruise.
You can find today’s photo gallery here.
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