My last night in Florence - for now

I have to keep this short as I have to be up at 5am tomorrow to get to the airport for the first leg of the flight home.

To tell you a little about the conference. The topic was Photo Archives and the Photographic Memory of Art History. It was fascinating and frustrating at the same time. Image collections all over the world are under threat of extinction - the Courtauld, merely one of the latest and greatest (see editorial in this month's Burlington Magazine). I have lots of notes and thoughts swirling around in my head, most of which I'll spare you. The art historians here were talking about the "materiality" of the photographs, the importance of things like labels and folders and annotations. Right.

Moving right along. I met a delightful woman on my first afternoon and she turned out to be Alta Macadam who writes the wonderful series of Blue Guides for Italy. I saw Max Marmor, thanks to whom I first heard about the conference. And Michael Roche from I Tatti came to say hello.

On the second day - which was to be a very long one - I sat and chatted with Max and finally met Diane Zorich whose name I've known for years. We both worked at Harvard in the 1980s but somehow didn't cross paths then. Alta arrived and had brought me a pad of paper to take notes on as I had been complaining about not having anything more than a tiny notebook the day before. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness! Diane and Max went off for lunch at I Tatti and just before they left Michael asked me if I wanted to come too but at that point I thought I should stay and get some calls made at lunchtime. Alta asked me to have dinner with her and her husband at their home that night which I accepted with pleasure. Missy Lemke's paper on the Clarence Kennedy materials at Harvard was very good and well received.

My dinner with Alta and her husband was a real highpoint. They have an "apartment" that is the ground floor of a fabulous old structure, maybe once an out-building of some sort, but just what I thought a country home should be. Francesco had cooked a wonderful dinner, full of interesting things, which I completely relished. We all talked and laughed and had a marvelous time. I arrived back at the hotel tired but refreshed.

This morning seemed endless, it was the last leg of the conference and we were all tired of the chairs and the over-heated room by this time. We started at nine a.m., had a coffee break at about 11am and then went on with no break until 2pm !!!!

So, don't get the idea that going to conferences is a piece of cake - NOT!

Time to stop. I'll see some of you soon. I'll finish up the Florentine account tomorrow. Ciao.

And another thing...

After the Ponte Vecchio I walked along the Arno, the sun was blazing hot (it was just noon by now) but I was feeling no pain (well, maybe a twinge or two) - Florence had worked its magic on me. So I kept going. I had one of those "ah-ha" moments when I came out from under a kind of arcade and looked back toward the Ponte Vecchio. I had read about how one of the Medicis had wanted a covered walkway from his home in the Palazzo Pitti on the other side of the river so that he could walk to work at the Palazzo Vecchio without mixing with the great unwashed. He commissioned one of the big name architects to build this for him. I had read about this more than once but couldn't quite picture it and then I realized I had just walked out from under it. I looked up and saw the enclosed second storey and the light dawned. Isn't it great what a liberal arts education will do for you! This walkway thing would be comparable to the President of MIT deciding he wanted to walk over to Mass General without ever crossing through traffic.

I walked past the Museo di Storio della Scienza where in Galileo's telescope as well as the bones of his right middle finger are on display. There's a message there somewhere. Getting a little weary by this time I kept going to the Piazza dei Cavalieggri and the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale. It is easy to see why it suffered so badly from the flood in 1966. By this time though I was afraid if I stopped I wouldn't be able to keep going so I kept on to Santa Croce where I paused to rest the feet which by this time were throbbing. The story gets less interesting from here. I was hungry and tired so I looked at the map and plotted the most direct route back to the hotel. I realized that the Duomo was about half-way between me and my hotel so I stopped for some pizza in a little place on the back side of the cathedral. With the pizza I ordered a liter of aqua minerale gazzatto - now I know how big a liter really is. I'm still drinking from that bottle and I know why the waiter seemed surprised. Feeling somewhat restored I staggered on and made it back to the room in time to clean up and change for the opening sessions of the conference which was to start at 3:00 pm (or 15:00 hrs.). So now I've shared the fun part of the day and I'm signing off for the night. Tomorrow I'll tell you a little about the conference and the wonderful evening I had tonight eating at the home of a new friend and her husband in a wonderful place about half-way up the road to Fiesole. Somebody pinch me. Tomorrow is the end of the conference and in the afternoon I'll be running around trying to see a lot more before my feet really do fall off. And then home. So stay tuned for more.

More about my first day

Lunch hour on Friday and I'm back at the hotel to rest a bit before the afternoon session. The first talk of the afternoon is in German so I'm not rushing to get back for that. It's so hard to sit still and look intelligent when you have no clue what they are saying.

So, back to yesterday. After thoroughly soaking up the atmosphere and drinking in all that green and pink and white marble, I went off in search of Via d'Orche. The Paperback Exchange is written up in several guide books and I had read an article in The Florentine the night before. So off I went. Wonderful bookstore with lots of new and used books and friendly atmosphere. I'm not saying whether I bought anything or not! Guess. From there I wondered on, heading in the general direction I thought the river would be. I turned into the Piazza della Republica and was delighted by the sight of a small bright carousel.

From there I went past Orsanmichele to the Piazza della Signoria. Wow, there they all are, the Palazzo Vecchio the Uffizi and all those statues! When you study architectural photographs, as I have done for so long, you don't have any sense (I should say I didn't anyway) of how the buildings relate to each other. In a way this is one of the important topics of the conference. In categorizing and arranging images in our collections we affect how the user interacts with them and the idea of the objects depicted as well. Would my perceptions be different if I had worked with photos of all the buildings in one piazza rather than looking at the churches, then the municipal buildings, then the museums?










At this point I realized that I was only a few longish blocks from the Arno so I decided to push on. As I walked along I could see further ahead a swarm of people on what looked like a narrow, dark street. As I got closer I realized that what I was seeing was in fact the Ponte Vecchio. I had not idea! Tiny, with the shops filled with expensive trinkets and jewels, it is a bit claustrophobic feeling (or is it me that is claustrophobic and not the bridge?) By this time it must have been almost noon, the sun was hot and not at a good angle for photos but I did stop and try to take a few views from each side of the bridge.

I'm stopping here for a break and then back to the conference. Check back for the Biblioteca Nazionale and Santa Croce.

My first day, continued

Let's see, where was I? Oh yes, the Baptistery. And then the Duomo. I was there a bit before the crowds which was nice. I walked around the whole thing, admired the Campanile, and took some photos before joining the queue to go inside. I wasn't as moved by the inside as by the outside, it is a lot plainer than you might expect, almost restrained. And all the people with their cameras and chatter didn't seem conducive to reverence. I sat on one side and contemplated for a few minutes (resting my feet for the next stage). Then I was off in search of the Paperback Exchange, a highly recommended English language bookstore, located in a small side street just beyond the Duomo.

Now let me just pause and say something about the streets here. The great thing is that in the area of the Duomo there are now whole blocks that have been designated for pedestrians only (more or less, do watch out for the bikes though). This has infuriated the cab drivers and confused almost everyone else. The trouble is you get used to strolling around in the street and then suddenly there is traffic again and you have to jump out of the way. Clearly I haven't mastered the signage, plus I seem to be expecting the traffic to behave like it does in England and Australia, that is, come at me from the wrong side. How I got this confused I don't know but I've had several near misses. The other thing is that the sidewalks are about the width of my hips. This means that people are always stepping out into the road to let others pass, or walking sideways which is also dangerous. The streets are narrow (my hips aren't) and the buildings high and so you miss a lot just getting safely from one end of the block to the other. I have to stop and look back to see what I've missed. You can't be watching the pavement to avoid disastrous falls and taking in the scenery at the same time alas.

I'm stopping here to head off to the Institut for a very full schedule of talks. Those chairs are so uncomfortable that it will be torture to keep from constant fidgeting. Will pick up the saga tonight. Looks like another beautiful day here. More later.

My first full day in Florence

Somehow I managed to get up and out this morning (discipline!) after a nice breakfast in the hotel's lovely high-ceiling-ed breakfast room (ok so I don't love continental breakfasts but this wasn't bad). Here are some images that I found on the net of the hotel - I couldn't have taken these myself. Believe me that is NOT what I had for breakfast.

I had been studying the map, planning my route. It is amazing how misleading the scale of these maps can be. I wasn't sure how far I would get but my main objective was the Baptistery and the Duomo, and the Paperback Exchange (located in a side street near the Duomo). But believe it or not I got all the way to the river, Santa Croce and back to the hotel without giving in an taking a cab. My legs are very annoyed with me and my feet haven't been speaking to me for days.

What I particularly love here is the way you turn a corner and there is a building you have read about all your life. The fact that the first one to "hit" me this morning is my all time favorite, the lovely octagonal Baptistery was a great way to start the walk. I'm going to add a couple of photos from the first part of the walk here and then stop for the night. I will pick up again in the am.

On the road again in 2009

I thought I had done my traveling early this year, and quite definitively, with the trip to Australia and New Zealand, but here I am in Florence, Italy attending a conference called "Photo Archives and the Photographic Memory of Art History." The weather here is gorgeous, warm to hot during the day and pleasantly cool at night. I traveled overnight via Paris and just made the connection to my Florence flight by minutes. Miraculously my hotel room was available when I arrived, weary and sleep deprived, at 10am local time (4am my body time). Took a short (4-hrs, oh well, I meant it to be 2 hours) nap and then went out for a little walk around the neighborhood. I only got as far as the street market beside the Basilica San Lorenzo. I thought my legs were going to give out but a quick refreshing lemon gelato revived me for the walk back to the hotel. I had a late dinner at the Ristorante Accademia in Piazza San Marco. I won't torment you with how delicious it was. Just take my word for it...it is very hard to get a bad meal here. So with all my muscles (and I use that term loosely) aching I staggered back to the hotel and to sleep.

One last look back

I'm back and I'm adjusted to being back in snow country, more or less. I still have some unpacking to do but am procrastinating as usual. I'm trying to catch up on all the Obama inauguration stuff that I missed, like the parade and the balls and all that. And of course I'm back to school. This will be the last entry in the MissHTravels blog until another trip comes along. Now that I'm into the habit though I'm going to try to keep posting on my other blog, MissHavisham's Attic - and I welcome all of you who have enjoyed the trip to check in there when you have a chance. As I try to get everything lined up for the new semester I'm making lots of lists. I thought I'd just take a minute to list some of the very finest moments from the trip - here goes:
1. My first glimpse of the Sydney Opera House. Seeing it live and sparkling there in the sun is just magic.

2. Having a Kangaroo in my lap, well almost and patting the koala.

3. Lunch at Doyles' on Watson's Bay

4. The Manley ferry - actually I love Sydney harbor from almost any angle, including the view from our hotel.
5. The weather - every day - and the air smelled so clean.
6. Riding around in buses in Melbourne and Hobart.
7. My 6th, 17th, and 100th view of the Sydney Opera House! I just couldn't get enough of it.
8. The Hobart Bookstore
9. Getting up early and going up to the top deck as we sailed into Milford Sound
10. Having breakfast brought to us every morning!
11. Our whole day in Dunedin - including the dreaded ascent to see the not very interesting albatross colony - I mean it's not like they were doing anything. Especially the penguins and the sea lions!










12. Driving around the Art Deco capital of the world in a vintage red Buick.
13. The Taraunga Public Library - I was obviously having professional withdrawal so went in to their lovely library to touch hands with some fellow librarians. They were awfully nice. We talked about Obama as it was inauguration day.
14. Getting up at 4:30 am to watch the inauguration while we were still on the ship - with a small handful of others.
15. The Enchanted Flower Garden exhibit at the Auckland Art Gallery
16. And the best fish and chips EVER at Bobby's Fish Market in Taraunga...

There were so many highlights that it seems silly to try to list them but it helps to remember some of the most favorites

Where has the time gone?

Today was our last full day in Auckland. I'm still recovering from a bout with the traveler's least favorite bug so I haven't thoroughly explored the wonders of Auckland. But the weather has been glorious and today I managed to see a lovely exhibit at the Auckland Art Gallery. The main building is "under construction" so they are carrying on in a modern building across the street from the old building. The main exhibit, "The Enchanted Garden," was a marvelous mish-mash of paintings, sculpture and objects from all over the place. Yesterday while Catherine was off to Waiheke Island on the ferry I did the Maritime Museum. This is right on the waterfront and is very low-tech but quite interesting even for a land-lubber like me. There was an interesting exhibit that was right up my alley about an important 19th-century yacht photographer, and then lots of wooden boats, models of boats and the cabin of an old ferry. You could even take a ride in a real steam-driven tender, the S.S. Puke (I'm not making this up) but for a variety of reasons I thought better not.

We're wading through our purchases and other impedimenta hoping to reduce our luggage to a reasonable state of organized chaos. I seem to have acquired some books that I haven't read - I did read five books that have been left behind or added to the ship's library once I finished. As always I loved the access to old British mysteries that one can't always find at home. There's something so perfect about reading classic 1930s who-dunnits while on a cruise! I've also been slogging through the two "work" books I brought along, although they were much more palatable while in a lounge chair on the pool deck, with stewards bringing me tea and blankets. I did try to (literally) weigh my book purchases with an eye to carrying them home so that kept me from anything too crazy. My favorite bookstore was in Hobart - they had a wonderful selection and that was where I bought my "Australian" version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone...well at least I think it was printed in Oz. I didn't buy one in NZ because they were so clearly imports. I found a number of goodish second-hand bookstores all along the way where I added a couple of previously unread Margerie Allinghams (read and abandoned) as well as a couple of G. Heyer mysteries which are not widely available in the US. I re-read one of my favorite Ngaio Marsh mysteries - one which takes place in NZ while R. Alleyn is traveling for his health (before his marriage to Troy) and features a wonderful group of "theatricals." I was particularly happy to acquire a copy of N. Marsh's autobiography which has not to my knowledge been available in the US. With our imminent return to the US in mind I have restrained myself here in Auckland.

So this may be the last post for a few 24-hours. I'll try to do a wrap-up while airborne - what were the highlights, favorites, and so on. Thanks for your comments and interest and see you all soon.

Some men just shouldn't wear shorts

Now, I just couldn't illustrate this post, it wouldn't be fair. But one of the many interesting phenomena that I observed on board the lovely ship Nautica was what rotten legs some men feel compelled to share with the world. Of course, I happen to know several men with very good legs who seldom are seen in public in shorts (my dear husband among them). What is it that comes over these aging Lotharios when they get on a cruise ship? Or am I making an error in thinking that they leave all inhibition ashore and only show up like this when at sea? Maybe their home towns are celebrating the temporary absence of those knobbly wonders from the Main Street. Possibly even now there are towns out in middle American dreading the return of the hairy-legged ones whose absence had been like balm to their scenic highways. After just a couple of weeks of observation I know that there are indeed men out there who truly do us all a favor when wearing short pants, alas most of them seem to be under 30 and either Aussies or Kiwis.

Even as I write this a little voice is telling me to leave this theme alone as there is probably some smart-ass out there writing about the agony of witnessing me descending on the ship's pool. Ok, enough stones from glass houses.

Auckland put on a lovely fireworks display for us last night. Short but definitely lively. We were able to see the whole show from the balcony of our hotel room. This weekend is a big holiday weekend in which they celebrate the founding of the city. We took a ferry ride out to Devonport on the other side of the harbor from here this morning - lovely area with a couple of high points with spectacular views back to Auckland. I love the houses here which are mostly small villas with lots of lovely detail. I haven't really succeeded in getting great photos of these as I'm usually taking frantic shots through the windows of moving vehicles. But I've had a great time looking at the delightful variety throughout the area. I'll try to attach some of my more successful ones. More soon.

Auckland, day 2

Another wonderful city and this time we don't have to rush back to the boat by the middle of the afternoon! I'm still feeling the motion when I lie down, actually maybe that's my vertigo back again! We're here for a big Auckland Anniversary celebration weekend and so there will be fireworks tonight and all kinds of exciting things going on Saturday and Sunday. We are keeping a low profile and sort of puttering. We're booked on a tour to Devonport, 12 minutes across the harbor, tomorrow. There is supposed to be a "vintage" bookstore there!!! I'm going back over what I've written so far and trying to see what I have left out - before my last brain cell gives up the struggle. I'm enjoying every minute of this but still ready to be at home - snow and all! We're here three more days so do write if you get a chance.

One update from Rachel and Ross, apparently a number of the NZ volcanoes are indeed still active, and as I actually saw steam rising from one of them I don't know what I was thinking. More soon.

Two more photos

The library in Wellington and the two fat broads in Art Deco heaven - Napier

On land at last

Wow, the cruise is over, no more butler service, fawning attendants, hot tub, chocolates on the pillow, constant updates from Dottie the cruise director, and exclusive news coverage by FoxNews. Well, not to quibble, it was pretty fabulous but enough already.

I can't tell you how bizarre it felt to be watching the inauguration (I had to get up at 4:30 am NZ time) on board the ship in the big theatre/lounge on three large screens with the handful of other democrats on the boat. When I tell you that there were 48 members of the Texas Aggies Association and a Wine Tasting Club on board you will understand that I didn't expect to find a lot of other Obama-ites sharing the excitement. We were a small band but we were excited and watched and cried and cheered and sang along with our compatriots at home. In the ultimate irony (and source of irritation to us all) the only channel that the ship had was Fox so you can imagine how much we all loved the commentary. Several people actually tried to throw shoes at the screen on a couple of occasions but were restrained by the stewards in attendance.

As I left the lounge to go back to the stateroom I stopped to thank the steward who had been providing coffee and tea and pastries for us since 5 am., he was a lovely man from Portugal (I think) and I said this was such a great day for us to which he responded "It is a great day for us all." I was very touched by that. Everywhere I went later in the day - we were in Tauranga, a lovely beach-side town - people asked me if I had been watching. Apparently there were a lot of New Zealanders up at 5 am too - I've saved the front page of the "Bay of Plenty Times" with Obama on the front page.

We docked in Auckland sometime in the night and had to be out of our staterooms at 8am this morning. Once we disembarked we were shepherded on to a coach with our luggage (now sadly expanded) and taken on a time-killing tour around the city. This is the cruise-line's idea of how to do the "free" boat to hotel transfer. They pack you on a bus and drive you around for as long as they can and then deliver you to the hotel where of course our room still wasn't ready. By this time everybody is tired and cranky. Well, let me speak for myself. I was pretty tired and cranky. At least we got to have some wonderful views of the city, we saw a volcano (there are reported to be 48 in New Zealand, none currently active I think). Once again the hotel selected for us by the cruise-line is located on severely inclined streets - but it is quite nicely appointed and best of all (after 3 weeks) it has a washing machine and an outfitted kitchen!!!!

Catherine is off to the casino and I'm catching up now that I have a reasonable connection. I haven't uploaded all our pictures from the last two days but I'll try to put some up soon. I will gradually recount some of what we done and seen since I last wrote but I think I'll sign off for now. More soon.

It's Sunday and I'm in Wellington

This will be short as I don't have much time to see Wellington but as I'm in a wireless hot spot I'm taking advantage. I see that the NY Times has a feature on New Zealand today - it is certainly a beautiful place - we have wonderful views of the coastline as we enter and leave port - the sun doesn't go down til about 9:30 and the lighting effects on the mountains and on the water are spectacular beyond description. So now I'm off to shop and see the museum and then back to the ship and on to Napier - will write again tomorrow. I'm feeling a bit homesick so please write - I miss you all. Martha

A couple more photos

Catching up from Christchurch

In a Starbucks in Cathedral Square, Christchurch

We've had a fun morning shopping at a street market in front of the Arts Centre followed by a tram ride around the city and now I'm resting while Catherine goes in search of more wildlife. Here's what I wrote last night:

Milford Sound, whether or not featured in LOTR, was spectacular. We entered the sound at about 8:00 am and believe it or not I was up and dressed and up on the 10th deck getting windblown and freezing and snapping away with the best of them. Knowing full well that the photos won’t begin to do justice to the grandeur of this place I spent a good bit of time just drinking it all in with my eyes. We saw some seals basking on rocks on the way in but too far away to get really useful photos. It took about an hour to get in to the head of the fiord and then we turned around and sailed out. The captain (and now I’m having déjà vu – I think I wrote about this already – if so I’ll edit later) practically pulled the ship right up to a particularly lovely waterfall and I nearly had a stroke as from my vantage point (by this time I was back in our stateroom on our “veranda” with Catherine) it looked like we were going to smash right into the damn thing. There must be a huge drop from the edge of the rocks for the ship to get that close.

Today, the 16th – god it is easy to lose track of time on this trip! – we arrived in Dunedin at about 9 am. We had signed up for a wildlife tour which got cancelled at the last minute. Instead we planned to take a leisurely stroll around the Octagon in central Dunedin. To that end we got a taxi at the pier/lumber yard in the port. Without a backward glance we abandoned our original plan and placed ourselves in the hands or our driver. Fortuitously he was willing to spend the day with us and after negotiating a very reasonable price we were off. We drove into town so I could see the university and the railroad station – great high-Victorian buildings! Oh, and we have determined that the correct pronunciation was Catherine’s – duh-NEE-din.

Then we headed out the Otago Peninsula on a fairly hair-raising road that twisted and turned along the harbor with not one guardrail in sight. I got fairly queasy I admit. But our intrepid driver, Alex, was supremely competent and we arrived safely at the Penguin Place, our first stop. The Penguin Place is a preserve that has been set up by a private individual who happened to discover the rare, and nearly extinct, yellow-eyed penguins nesting on his land. They have set up a very ingenious trail of covered and camouflaged hides that groups are led through in order to see the penguins in their natural habitat. We saw four penguins all together – a dad and chick together, an almost grown-up chick who was home alone, and a mom who was one her own, presumably chick was hiding. Both Catherine and I managed the walk without much problem which was great.

Tearing ourselves reluctantly away from the penguins we belted on down to the end of the peninsula to the Royal Albatross Colony. This was a lot of pain for not such great albatross viewing. The climb up to the damned observation point was like something out of San Francisco, very steep. Yes, Dunedin does boast the steepest street in the world, but this wasn’t it. I thought I’d die before I got there, but my 70-year-old friend with emphysema passed me going at a goodish clip and so I staggered on. Catherine too made it up and back but not without pain.

We collapsed back into the car and drove down to see some seals – they were at the bottom of the hill from the RAC in something called Pilot’s Beach. There were also about a million sea gulls – they have some interesting varieties here, particularly a nice red-bill version, but they still poop all over the place. We saw three BIG seals, up close and personal – two of them were so relaxed and blended into the rocks that I almost missed them. If they had had a few drops of bird poop on them I WOULD have missed them!

From the seals we went on to a short side trip to see Larnach Castle – another marvelous high-Victorian pile which has been lovingly restored and which has dazzling gardens. We didn’t linger here alas but pressed on back toward Dunedin and a late lunch. Our guide had suggested an ocean-side place in a neighborhood called St. Clair – right on the water, a place called the Esplanade where we had a simple but delightful repast. By the time we were done it was time to hustle back to the ship, snatching a few snaps of the railroad station as we drove by.

So all in all it was a great day for seeing the local wildlife. In addition to the penguins and albatri (?) we saw an Australasian Harrier Hawk (gorgeous!), a couple of Spoonbills, terns, Oystercatchers (Catherine says they’re birds not guys), some exotic black ducks – possibly Shelldrakes, and a colony of Shag (cormorant equivalents as near as we can tell).

We postponed our last dinner at the posh Italian place in favor or room service tonight and that was a very good decision. So, dear reader, we are retiring, tired but happy, deeply in awe of the beauty of New Zealand as far as we have come.

Jan. 17
Just in case I don’t have another chance for a couple of days, we’re in Lyttleton and on our way the Christchurch for the day. We’ve promised ourselves a less strenuous day than yesterday. So I’ll be in search of an internet café and Catherine will be shopping! And tomorrow we’ll be in Wellington. This part is going too fast and there is too much to see.

Steaming towards New Zealand

Today is our second day at sea after leaving Hobart. The departure from Hobart was quite beautiful and we were fortunate that we were having dinner at a window table on the side of the boat that looked out over the cliffs as we passed. Supposedly we passed the southern most tip of something – conflicting statements abound here alas and one is constantly thrown back on the guidebooks to confirm some of the assertions. Anyway we are definitely in what is referred to as the “frightful forties” or the “formidable forties” or the “furious forties” - sorry Catherine is asleep or I would check with her – we’re at the longitude that gets real windy because there is no land between here and the bottom of Africa or something like that. Don’t take my word for it, go look at a globe – it’s pretty scary to think about actually. We are cruising along at a steady 14.5 knots and even though it is windy on deck and a bit chilly there isn’t much of a swell (that is good). I, of course, did not pack enough warm clothes and am wearing out the one pullover (a lovely lavender fleece from Land’s End for those of you who want to know) that I did bring. I will probably feel compelled to shop for something warm when next in port!

Tomorrow (the 15th) we will be cruising along Milford Sound – a 10-mile (16km) fiord that is part of Fiordland National Park. According to our butler, Claudiu, the fiord is featured in Lord of the Rings. I cannot personally vouch for this as I only saw parts one and two and wasn’t concentrating on the scenery too much. Catherine may be able to confirm as she is more expert on this, except when distracted by Vigo Mortensen.

Once we leave the Milford Sound we will travel overnight to our first New Zealand port which is Dunedin. We’re booked on the Otago Harbor Wildlife cruise that morning and hope to walk around the city in the afternoon (I’ll be looking for large-sized warm clothing). Would someone – Rachel or Ross if you are reading this – please settle a dispute on the pronunciation of this town? I’ve been saying it as though it was Scottish as in dun-eh-DIN and Catherine says dun-EH-din – I don’t suppose either one of us is right but would like something more definitive before attempting to say it in front of others.

…Catherine just awoke for long enough to tell me that it is the “roaring forties” – frankly I think my versions are more interesting, what did those ancient mariners know anyway.
That concludes my ramble for the day. I’m going back to some strenuous resting. More tomorrow.

Written last night

I'm posting this in a great internet cafe just a few blocks from where the boat is docked. It is called the Drifter's Cafe and is filled with wonderful Errol Flynn memorabilia - I'll try to get a photo before I go.

Here's what I wrote last night which for some reason (I'm using Safari, not by choice) I can't cut and paste, so much for saving time:

This is day five of our cruise an already I'm restless. There's just too much of nothing to do if you know what I mean. And it's distracting me from my good resolutions - whatever they were. Today was an "at sea" day and we were in sight of the coast of Tasmania for most of it. We've seen lots of sea birds, including albatross (god knows what the plural of that is), and some dolphins cavorting near the ship. But nothing much happens besides eating and lounging around unless you are into ping-pong or bridge. So I'm forced to relax, wow what a concept that is. I don't actually think I'm doing that weel as I'm still sure I could be getting stuff done. Tomorrow I'll look for an internet cafe in Hobart where I can upload this entry and check email. I don't like feeling this cut off - please send messages!!!  Hope you enjoy the snaps of Catherine and me with the birds. M

Before landing in Hobart, Tasmania

Off the coast of Tasmania

We're on our way to Hobart and have been sailing off the coast of Tasmania all day. I'll keep this brief to save on my expensive minutes. We had a fun day in Melbourne yesterday and just saw enough to realize that there is too much to see! I am trying to get some work done but it isn't easy. I've realized that my way of working is so completely tied to having the internet right there that I'm stymied when I can just click and find the answer. Anyway - cheers to all and I'll write more if I can find an internet cafe in Hobart. M

written January 9 – at sea - posted from a Starbucks in Melbourne January 10!
It turns out to cost an arm and a leg to get connected to the net on board this banana boat so I’m going to keep it short until I get ashore and can find an internet café. I’m currently cruising along at 17.5 kph on the Tasman Sea just in sight of the coast of Australia. Sydney was wonderful although the weather turned yesterday and our first night at sea was bumpy. Here’s an excerpt of what I wrote to Manley:

This is a marvelous city with lots to see and the amazing thing is it seems to be all focused around the harbor. They have commuter ferries that you can get on for about $3.00 and the views are incredible. Our first day we walked from our hotel to the Opera House and it was great. The second day was for Catherine’s expedition to the shopping district. They have a couple of “malls” – interior spaces filled with shops but right in the heart of the business district – sort of like the old Arcade in Providence…

…The third day was the best by far. We had arranged for a car and driver for the day and he picked us up at 9am and we went first to a Koala Sanctuary in the suburbs. It was so much fun. We got to pet a koala and look at lots of other interesting animals and birds and then we fed some kangaroos (see the pictures). One kangaroo got right up in my face – an experience I will never forget!!!

…From there we drove to Manly and took the Manly ferry back to Circular Quay where we reunited with our driver and headed further out to a place called Watson’s Bay – home of a famous seafood restaurant called Doyle’s where we had a memorable lunch – the prices were staggering but I’ve seldom enjoyed a meal more. Then we headed to Bondi (pronounced bond-eye) Beach which is deservedly world-famous. It was a very hot day and the beach was completely swarming with people – mostly looking pretty buff – we would have stayed to ogle but we thought John the driver might think it odd. Coming back John drove us through various parts of the city and I got a really good look at some of the local architecture which I’m fascinated by – lots of cast iron railings used as decoration especially in the area known as Paddington.

… Yesterday we checked out of the hotel and were taken on a long bus tour arranged by the cruise line. We got another look at Bondi Beach and some more views of the city and suburbs. Finally we got to the ship and were processed and deposited in our “suite” – it isn’t huge but we have a large balcony with deck chairs and a tub in the bathroom which is extra nice. We had a snack lunch in the Terrace Room and then got unpacked. Then… after short but refreshing naps we went off to the Grand Dining Room for a late dinner. We had a table beside a window which a direct view of the Opera House so we got to watch the lights come on and change as it got darker – pretty much beyond description.

On our last day in Sydney we took a ferry to the Aquarium early enough to beat the holiday crowds and got a glimpse of the cute platypuses and the dugong (which looks like a manatee to me). Catherine was very happy with all the creatures, I could have left after the platypi!

Back at the ship we had our first lifeboat drill. I kept humming “Nearer my God to Thee” which I found vaguely comforting, while thinking of Molly Brown. It was so cold and windy by the time we sailed that it was hard to enjoy our last look at Sydney harbor. But I just kept drinking it all in with my eyes.

I’m going to try uploading a few photos to my Google pictures album but it may not be possible over this onboard connection so stay tuned for more. And now on to Melbourne.

Quick addenda from Melbourne - our tour this morning went up into the "mountains" which gave us some great views. Also had another encounter with native wildlife - birds this time - which I again fed out of my hand! Think Tippy Hedron with cockatoos!! Will write more from Hobart day after tomorrow - loving this trip! MM