DAY 66 DAY 54 SERENITY

EN ROUTE TO SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

Last evening we enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the Crystal Cove.

These are the dinner menus from Waterside where we had dinner

One of the aspects  of sailing on Crystal Cruises we enjoy is the dining experience.  This was certainly  the case last evening as we enjoyed  a lovely dinner at Waterside with friends Charles & Alice.  Mid-way  through the cruise they joined us for a wine  tour 

They were very kind to provide wine  at dinner  and we provided the  champagne. We ended up dining for close to three hours. A wonderful dinner and a terrific way to cap another special day with great conversation, delicious food and an amazing waitstaff team.  

We had pre-ordered  a couple of items including Tuna Tartare for Keith and Beef Wellington  for the two of us.

This was our last dinner at Waterside for this voyage.

By the time we finished dinner we were too tired to go to the show.  

Today is the last sea day of this voyage  since we anchor off Sydney, Australia tomorrow morning.  

There was lots of enrichment activities including three lectures:

Destination Lecturer Richard Hayman spoke about our next port of call Sydney including present day life and its history.

World Affairs Lecturer Dr Robert Freedman who has a wealth of knowledge in many  areas around the world spoke about Russian President Vladimir Putin.  As he often does before speaking about Putin he provided some historical perspective by talking about his processor Boris Yeltsin and how over the years how he has consolidated power.   He also spoke about the challenges he has created for thee United States and his focus on building an alliance between Russia and China.

Switching gears in the afternoon Special Interest Lecturer Jill Bruce spoke about Bushrangers of Australia.  She covered the arrival of the first fleet of convicts to Australia in 1788 and how some men and  a few women turned to bush ranging which included robbing houses and stagecoaches in the country-side.

We enjoyed another day  of  relatively calm seas and nice weather.   We wanted to say kudos to Captain  Birger for adjusting the route of Serenity to avoid those terrible storms and the horrible sea conditions they  would have caused.   Although it mean missing the port of Hobart placing the safety of Serenity, the guests and the crew is the number one priority.  Thank you again Captain.  The good news is we have enjoyed a pleasant ride to Sydney and for those whose travel plans were to go directly home after this leg of the World Cruise ends  or are on the Full World Cruise will gain one additional day in Sydney.  

Speaking of Sydney  we will anchor off Sydney early  tomorrow morning.  We will go through  a mandatory Australian Border Forec Immigration Inspection.   Tender service will take guests to and from the

We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with Paddle Tennis for Keith and Anne Marie walked.  We spent time with  friends.

Following is the daily Reflections Program

Cheers,

Anne Marie & Keith