G did not want to go to the doctor this morning, but he also didn’t want to go to breakfast. I went to the World Fresh Marketplace and got him cereal and fruit, then went to the Concerto Dining Room for breakfast myself. The buffet on disembarkation day morning is only for the brave.
When I returned to the cabin, G said he didn’t feel well enough to get off the ship today in Sydney. That was a disappointment, but I felt well enough to get down to the Apple Store on George Street to use their high speed WiFi. I gathered up our two iPads and my iPhone in a backpack and headed off the ship by 8:30pm. G planned to meet the other in transit passengers not getting off the ship today to go through immigration with them, then reboard the ship as soon as he could.
I could have walked to the Apple Store, but I was excited to ride the new Sydney light rail that goes right down George Street. Two years ago, George Street was totally torn up while light rail was going in, and we had to walk down a block to Pitt Street and then back on King Street to get to the Apple Store. The light rail deposited me just a few minutes walk away.
Hazy, smoky Sydney
Poor Australia. These bushfires are such a tragedy.
The light rail trains have great location signs...
...even telling passengers on which side the doors will open.
I noticed as I was approaching the Apple Store that the two-story glass front of the store had been covered in white, and when I finally reached it, I could not believe what I saw: this Apple Store was closed for renovation. My luck has been running bad lately, hasn’t it?
Ugh :-(
Still, I saw at least ten people standing around on the sidewalk in front of the store, apparently using WiFi, so it was immediately obvious that the store had left their WiFi turned on. It reminded me of a pilgrimage to Mecca; people just gather at Apple Stores, regardless of whether they’re open or not. I settled on a concrete barrier, trying to avoid a large depression on its top that had been used as an ash tray and, as a result was filled with cigarette butts and rainwater, and apparently my bottom is wider than I realized, because I soon felt my shorts soaking up cigarette butt water in the area of the pocket when my passport was stored. Lovely. The WiFi speed was good; I started downloading videos on two iPads and updating apps on them and my iPhone despite the fact that I was on a very busy Sydney street corner while I was doing it.
Once I had done as much as I could, I packed up and walked up and over a block to the Wynyard Railway Station to go to the Coles Supermarket housed there on a lower level. We needed more Sudafed and throat lozenges...and the gum I hadn’t yet purchased. I was able to text G, who was by then sitting in the Crown Bar waiting to go through immigration, to see what else we needed. I loaded my purchases into my backpack, topped up my Opal card by $20 right in the supermarket, and caught a train from Wynyard Station back to Circular Quay.
My duties for the day complete, it was time for some fun. Today was my birthday- my 60th birthday- and, on your birthday, you can get into Sydney’s Taronga Zoo for free. I had already completed the application process online, and had saved the voucher I’d been sent. I just needed to show proof of my birthday (in my case, my passport), and I’d get in for free. We’ve been looking forward to this for months.
Ok, so going alone with G back on the ship sick, and after I’d spent yesterday in the Medical Center is not how I’d imagined this outing would go, but it was either go alone or miss out entirely. Thankfully, I’m very comfortable sightseeing alone, so, once at Circular Quay, I got a ferry on Wharf 4 for the 12-minute ride across the harbor to the zoo. Naturally, the ferry was packed with lots of grandparents, parents and kids, many of them in strollers; solo, senior me was an anomaly. Sydney today was thick with smoke and very muggy; neither side of the harbor was visible from the ferry in the middle. We were deposited just below the Taronga Zoo, and had two options to take us to the main entrance on top of a hill overlooking Sydney Harbor: a gondola called the Sky Safari or a Sydney bus. The line for the Sky Safari was very long; I opted to hop on a waiting bus for the five minute ride up the hill.
Circular Quay Wharf 4 packed with zoo goers
I had no issue getting my free admission, and was given a large pin to wear that read “Today is my birthday!” Yeah, no, I don’t think so. That went into the backpack. However, I didn’t realize until a bit further on that I still had to show my receipt and the pin to go through the Zoo gates, and I was again encouraged to wear the pin because it would get me some special treatment. I didn’t wear it, but I pinned it to my backpack strap, and from then on, every employee wished me a happy birthday. It sounds lame, but here I was on my birthday going through a zoo all by myself while surrounded by happy groups. I was feeling like an over-aged Bridget Jones, and suddenly the friendly greetings no longer embarrassed me. I kind of enjoyed them.
I wish I could say the same about the Taronga Zoo. This is almost certain to irritate some Sydneysiders, but I was really underwhelmed by the zoo. Maybe it’s because we’ve been to so many wonderful animal sanctuaries since we’ve been Down Under, with up close and personal encounters with lots of native Australian animals at each one, but I felt there there were precious few animals at the zoo, of either Australian or non-Australian varieties. I walked through the entire zoo from top to bottom, and most enjoyed the tree kangaroos (I didn’t previously even know there were tree kangaroos) and the chimpanzees with their babies. I know I’ve been spoiled by visiting some great zoos in the past (the Toledo Zoo is one of the best in the country, and not just because my nephew works there), but Sydney’s zoo was a bit of a letdown. I recommend Featherdale Animal Park as a better alternative, if you are visiting Sydney from another country and want to see native Australian animals.
A tree kangaroo
A mini zip line for kids
A ropes course for adults
And now I know!
Kangaroo
Wallaby
They are quite different when you see them in close proximity
A Cape Barren duck I last saw on Phillip Island when we saw the little penguins two years ago
Australian emu
I eventually reached the bottom of the zoo near the ferry pier, and caught a ferry back to Circular Quay. I took a chance and tried to phone Mom again (I had left her a message from outside the Apple Store), and found her in her apartment this time. She sang happy birthday to me, and I don’t care how life is treating you, hearing your mom sing happy birthday to you on your 60th birthday is a pretty special thing that really makes you count your blessings. And by then my guys were home from school and texting me birthday greetings and I heard from my “Sis” and other friends and suddenly I didn’t feel like I was spending my birthday alone halfway around the world.
I re-boarded the Majestic Princess before 3pm and was happy to get my backpack, heavy with iPads and my purchases, off my back. I would have loved to have been able to drop it off before going to the zoo but I could only re-board the ship one time. I do not like that rule! G was feeling slightly better and accompanied me to dinner in the Concerto Dining Room. We finally have our table for two by a window with Francesco as our headwaiter and all’s right in our world again. As soon as dinner was done, we were back in our cabin, before we even sailed out of Sydney Harbour. I am feeling better from a dizziness perspective, but am coughing too much and feel pretty stiff and sore from my fall. G may be at the Medical Center himself tomorrow; we’ll see how his night goes. We are such a pair.
And, finally, I had said before we left home in September that I hadn’t yet come to grips with turning 60. I’m feeling very differently these days. What changed? Well, real life continues, whether we are cocooned on a ship or not. Since we left home, we learned that a friend suddenly died from a massive heart attack at the age of 59. We were very shaken by this news. In processing that loss, I realized that we who are getting older are the lucky ones. All the lines and wrinkles and grey hairs are gifts. We are being given the opportunity to grow older. Not everyone is.
I am old. Aren’t I blessed?
Life is good. :-)
I was not at dinner last night to scan today’s menus, and forgot to do it tonight at dinner, but here are the Patters for today.
Day 1 Princess Patter, page 1
Day 1 Princess Patter, page 2
Day 1 Princess Patter, page 3
Day 1 Princess Patter, page 4