On a single sea day, our cruise ship passed the Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound. The first was allegedly teeming with wildlife and I had my fingers and toes crossed we’d have the luck to spot an albatross or a pod of dolphins. Or even fur seals. Not so lucky in that department but the 3 fiords are all so beautiful especially the last. We cruised passing snow-capped and rocky mountains and verdant rainforests alongside smaller boats out with tourists waving from their decks. The whole “sound visits” started at 8am till 4pm but we were slightly delayed leaving Milford Sound as one of the passengers on our ship had a medical emergency. I appreciate that the Celebrity crew was most efficient in handling the emergency and that Captain Matt Karandreas even went on the P. A. system to update us that all’s well.
Milford Sound
Of the 3, Milford Sound is the crown jewel. We felt welcomed by a panoramic view of majestic waterfalls and rocky peaks. Because the ship actually cruised in and turned around to exit out, we saw both sides of the sound from our cabin’s verandah. We decided against going up the viewing points from the poolside deck or the solarium to avoid the cold breeze and splashes from the sea waves and even from the swimming pools! Crossing the Tasman Sea into and out of New Zealand can be an ordeal but we were in luck cruising from Sydney towards New Zealand. This time around, the return trip met higher, wilder swells and fiercer winds. Our Captain Matt Karandreas (from the beautiful country of Greece) gave a talk on how the ship navigates the waters and more interestingly, about himself. What a charming man especially as he articulated what really happens while cruising and the decisions only the Captain can make. His self-confidence, competence and seeming decisiveness reassured us that The Edge has “the edge” in this maritime industry. It is my first cruise with Celebrity Cruises so that is comforting.
This is just a brief visit to this city in the South Island of Kiwiland. Could have been perfect if we had the chance to go punting but not this time. Our boat sails out before sunset so we only had time to check out the botanical gardens, the art gallery area, the under-renovation Christchurch Cathedral, the Cardboard Cathedral, the Avon River and Riverside Market. To round it off, we also took the tram to go around the city before joining our cruise ship again.
We could have spent more time in the botanical gardens. An hour there is simply not enough. One of the toddlers wanted to stay longer, understandably so since all that space meant running around, picking flowers and just watching those flat-bottomed boats glide by the river. Wish we could name the centuries-old trees, but we can only admire how lush and beautiful they are.
The Cardboard Cathedral a.k.a. the Transitional Cathedral, is the transitional place of worship of the Anglican Diocese of the city, replacing the now under-restoration Christchurch Cathedral, which was significantly damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Lunch was in the Riverside Market which was teeming with cruisers like us, out to check local delicacies. Seafood was better. Oysters ever delightful, hitting that spot with every slurp off the shell.
No punting meant taking the tram around the city where we passed major attractions including the art murals on the sides of the buildings and art installations in public parks and gardens. Wish there was more time, and a steadily stable internet connection. That’s to say I’d edit this as we go along . Ciao!
We anchored at one of the largest and island-dotted natural harbours in New Zealand. Tauranga welcomed us with cloudy skies and what looked like a truly busy port. After all, it is close to the world’s Kiwi fruit capital, Te Puke. Am not a big fan of kiwi, but the ones I tried on the boat are very sweet and tasty such that it adorned my plate every single day. We are visiting Tauranga just a day before the Remembrance and Veterans Day and our boat will honor it with a moment of silence. Reminds me of those earlier visits to Gallipoli in Turkey and Omaha Bay in Normandy. Lest we forget! I have only deep respect for these men and women and likewise to those, who to this day, compel us to remember. We should remember.
We did the hiking trail and enjoyed sweating out all those accumulated calories we consumed by non-stop eating on the boat. I stayed away from meat as much as I could but the desserts are another story. Like ordering 2 starters, skipping the main entrees but failing to resist the ice cream or sorbet, eclairs, or panna cottas. Frankly, the hike hardly dented nor offset all that food intake but we certainly enjoyed the scenery and the workout. And then we got bolder with a trike ride around town, breezing through the coastal roads with our “daredevil pilot” Michael who called us ladies Dorothy 1,2 and 3. Now, there’s a private joke behind that and we’d rather keep it private. 🤫 For a 30 minute trike run, we paid NZ$195 including tax and boy, did we ladies have fun! Wanted to do this as early as our first offshore excursion to Pahia in the Bay of Islands but I guess, the adventure had to happen here in Tauranga instead.
“Daredevil Michael” took us to the oldest tree in all of New Zealand, the kiwi factory offices, the campus, the posh waterfront houses (selling for NZ$13.5 Million!) and the streets lined with interesting cafes and restaurants. He also pointed out the many trees abundantly grown there which they they simply call Kiwi Christmas trees but he’s not sure why. His guess is that it’s called that because they grow bright red flowers around the end of the year, adding to the festive season. From time to time, he’d rev up the engine and let us girls feel the breeze like we’re racing, much to our screaming delight. At our age, it’s something we ticked off our list to do. Well, don’t judge us. We simply wanted to feel somehow reckless while having fun. All around town, we waved to people who looked like they came off the same cruise ship. Many waved back. The cruisers are in town but will soon sail out!
Hey, I’m writing this in a rush just to chronicle our doings here. Forgive the typo and other errors. Will edit, polish when wifi connection is more stable. Likely after the cruise. See ya!
Met our first pair of Kiwi friends who took our photos with our boat behind us. They were even so kind to direct us where to spot the major attractions but unfortunately we met them when we were about to join our group on our way to this caldera with a short hiking trail for a view of the entire city. Our CBD adventure was very limited as we had only an hour to roam around before we visited a marina outside downtown. Came back for lunch but it being a Sunday, most restos and shops were closed. Next, our hired bus took us to Mission Bay and the Memorial to Michael Joseph Savage, New Zealand’s first Labor Prime Minister, at Bastion Point. Ice cream breaks here and there, some rain showers and naps on the bus in between stops. Not much doing. But that’s ok . We’re on vacation and need not stress over our itineraries.
The toddlers had fun running around the parks and grassy knolls. The adults watched while their ice cream dripped around the cones. The seagulls were aplenty and looked like they’ve had their food quota for the day. The Sunday family day included walking their fur babies, unleashed in the grassy lawns. Met quite a few handsome dogs along the way and asked permission to pet them with Toffee (our Yorkie) in mind. Amazing how we strike friendly conversations because of these loved up pets. And the cruisers? For some reason it’s easy to spot them when we’re off the cruise ship. I’m still trying to figure out how and why. Maybe it’s how we try to do as much as we can in the limited time we have in the area, forever anxious to get back on the boat when it sails out. It doesn’t matter if the boat is docked for 8 hours or 12 hours. In those few days, the boat has become our home and you spot the cruisers rushing home for their late lunch, snacks or early dinners. Or perhaps to catch a movie or concert scheduled that day. This is ze life for 12 nights on Celebrity Edge cruising the North and South Islands. Not much chance to see and explore around New Zealand, but the cruise promises a good intro to kiwi life and attractions for a second visit on land.
It’s our first glimpse of New Zealand as the boat dropped anchor ⚓️ on the 4th day at the Bay of Islands. ⛴️ There isn’t much to see unless you join the shore excursions to view some waterfalls and some historic towns in this northeastern coast of the North Island. We used tender service to reach the island in 20 minutes, then a 5 minute shuttle bus to visit Paihia. There were shops and restos around, along with the Williams House with a neat garden around the historic structure owned by 5 generations of this founding European family including a man who translated the Treaty of Waitangi to Māori language. Book shelves lined the walls, along with framed portraits of the illustrious and respected Williamses. But most everyone who visited the Bay of Islands particularly enjoyed the WiFi connection within the grounds! Well, after 3 days at sea, you can’t blame us. Unwilling to pay extra for connectivity, we spent a good half hour just checking messages and surfing the Net on our mobile phones. The others checked out the island’s Chinese restaurants and oyster bars. Was tempted to try the 3-seater trike that takes tourists around the island but decided against it and went shopping instead. Perhaps another day for the trike adventure.
Williams Residence
By the time we rode the tender back to our big boat🚢, we had our late lunch at the Oceanview Cafe , this time without the crowd. Many of the passengers were still in the island so the early returnees enjoyed the facilities on the boat almost exclusively. Even the big pool and solarium pool were nearly devoid of swimmers. There were numerous activities to join but we proceeded to the theatre instead for a stand up comedy show which surprisingly, we enjoyed. Then off to the bar for acoustic music and another sunset view seated on colorful swing chairs. We learned of another band of Colombians with a Filipina singer named TJ that we wanted to listen to. We headed there and witnessed a couple of pairs who displayed their dancing prowess to TJ’s tango and salsa repertoire. 🕺💃
People watching is both an interesting activity and a discovery of sorts. The cruise director lined up many events — from Veterans Day (there were many seniors and I’m curious about the average age of passengers on this vessel) to comedy shows to bingos to dance and Zumba sessions to games to musicals to art auctions to workshops to self-care and spa treatment. They even gave each passenger a free bracelet where different charms can be bought each day. And a locket necklace with free charms each day. The passengers lined up at certain hours each day for the free necklace charms on sea days. There is always something to do. And to eat. The fine dining restaurants, the grill and pizza place, the bars, the ice cream corners, the sushi place. Le Petit Chef is also here. How does one get bored here? One of my friends signed up for nearly every single event but I chose to relax on sea days and looked forward to our excursions wherever the boat docked. Let’s see what happens in the next few days!
By late October to around mid November, the jacaranda trees in Sydney are in full bloom. This trip to the harbour city is quite perfectly timed to enjoy the city turning purplish as spring easily transitions to summer. Like it’s a reward for enduring the rise in temperature as the summer heat breezes through. The nights are still cool and it’s a good idea to bring a shawl or light jacket, but you can now put your coats and fleece-lined jackets to storage.
Ashmore StreetMcDougall Street
We drove towards Ashmore Street where there were not as many visitors. It’s just a short stretch but that lavender haze somehow puts you in a cheery mood. McDougall Street in Kirribilli is quite a sight with the jacaranda trees lining both sides of the street , and the nearby park offering a respite from walking the middle of the street with way too many camwhores like us, eager for a shot. Cars honking, to remind the visitors to stay on the side of the street.
Around Circular Quay, you’d spot many jacaranda trees too, more at the botanical gardens. Some trees more lush than the others, many wilted petals blanketing the footpaths. Quite honestly, I do not like the smell of the pretty lavender flowers. But you’d forgive her for that because of how it looks in all its purple or lavender glory. Welcome to Sydney!
The years were 1986. 2000. 2003. 2019. And now 2024. From the first visit to this recent trip, I am so happy to visit the same spots, while still leaving more for the succeeding trips. Who knows when the next one will be? There is simply too much to see, enjoy and cherish. The old monuments are still there. Many of the major museums are still free. The West End musicals and plays are still way cheaper than if you were to watch it in Broadway. The dining scene has improved way over my expectations —- as tastes and cuisines have merged and made for a gastronomic experiment. The tea and coffee scene, along with the pastries, is still divine. And the markets and little shops — especially the bookstores and vintage shops — an experience not to be missed.
The best buns we’ve tried. Notting Hill. Buns from Home. 2024. London
As for Liverpool, the confidence wasn’t 100% when I pulled this into our itinerary. I love the Beatles but I wasn’t sure my apo and her mom would enjoy the vibe here. Still, I thought the city has way more than the Beatles and there’s the cafe and pies scene like everywhere in UK, plus the museums. The waterscape may also provide a change in scenery, or so I thought. Well, I actually worried for nothing. My 2 girls loved it here. It likewise helped we had a good hotel. (Trivia: this 70 y.o. booked the hotel and they gave us a room for the “elderly”. Read: handicapped or someone with mobility issues. The room had installed handrails everywhere and the toilet is actually as big as a good-sized room!)
About Edinburgh, this is a trip down memory lane for me. Was here in 1986, at the height of winter, alone. No digicams, no selfie-sticks, no credit cards, no cellphones. I stayed longer than planned when I met a couple who asked me to dogsit for a couple of days in a cottage not too far from the Holyrood Park. I didn’t realize the dog was a Rottweiler who loves to cuddle. But I had a couple of days in a cottage all by myself, rent-free and with full access to the refrigerator filled with good stuff to make filling sandwiches which I packed whenever out of the house. I kept the litter box clean and walked the dog to the nearby park. But I dared NOT bathe this pet that stood taller than me! This explains why I chose an apartment near the same park for our Edinburgh stay. I couldn’t remember the place where I stayed in 1986, but wanted to reminisce the same familiar spots. No energy though this time to hike around.
Three generations. We’ve made family trips, more often pre-pandemic, but of late, I’ve been doing more “gramping”. That’s the new slang for travels with a grandparent. I love it. I craft the major itinerary, meaning I decide on the destinations, work out the hotels and transport. Sometimes, including the major walking tours too. The youngest takes care of navigating us through the cities, researches and decides where to eat, museums and attractions to visit. Her mom is the one who keeps us sane, minding our bags, the groceries and the DIY breakfasts and snacks in the bag! We’re a team. My kind of family travels. Looking forward to the next one!
The real reason why we are here. Anna’s London Exhibit 2024
If you’re finding it difficult to understand British English, just remember there are actually 40 dialects and accents in the UK. What we found, or heard, in Liverpool is quite charming. The “scouse” may refer to the dialect or accent, or it may actually mean a person hailing from Liverpool. The accent is a cross between Irish English and North Welsh accent, with a little Norwegian mixed in. Sounds pretty unique, huh? To say goodbye, the more popular way is simply to say “ta’ra”. Funny, but in my local language, the same word means “let’s go”. And to refer to something as “minty” has nothing to do with taste or scent, it simply means dirty. In reality though, “scouse” is a dish. And yes, the people from this city are actually nicknamed after a stew dish made of beef or lamb with potatoes, carrots and onions much like our local “menudo”. Served as a stew or topped with puff pastrylike a pie, it is a hearty meal. Liverpool being a port city, the story goes that the traditional Liverpudlian dish was actually brought in by sailors. We had it for our first meal in a diner called “World Famous Docklands Fish & Chips Shop” in the Royal AlbertDock.
Scouse Pie (like Chicken or Beef Pastel)
The dockyard houses a Maritime Museum, the Tate Liverpool and Beatles Story Museums, along with several restaurants and food trucks serving anything from ice cream to an assortment of street food. It’s a good walk around the docks where one also finds the “Three Graces” which is a title given to 3 waterfront buildings defining Liverpool’s skyline. These century-old buildings are the Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building. In 2015, the Beatles statue was erected right smack at the Pier Head fronting the Three Graces. A photo in front of the Beatles Statue has the heritage buildings for a splendid background.
Beatles Statue with 2 of The Three Graces Beatles Story Museum
There’s lots to do in Liverpool. Beatles fan or not, the docks, the museums, the Baltic Market and the numerous shops and restos should keep any visitor busy. We also got lucky with our lodgings. The hotel is very roomy, clean and very reasonably-priced and is a walking distance to the dockyard, passing a number of shops and dining places. This northwestern city is popular not only for its music scene but also for sports (they have 2 famous football teams — as corrected. Thanks!) and as a university city. Not to forget, there’s also the Liverpool Cathedral which is the largest in UK and the world’s 8th largest church. Very near it is the Chinatown — the very first to be established in Europe. It houses the oldest Chinese community in Europe and is marked by an arch claimed to be the largest outside of Mainland China.
Liverpool CathedralLiverpool Chinatown
The only unfortunate thing we encountered while in Liverpool was the Baltic Market was not open for business. There were a few shops open, but it wasn’t as vibrant as what it could have been. We planned on eating there but ended up having coffee in the nearby Yonder Cafe, which serves good coffee by the way. Having said that, we truly made good use of our time in Liverpool. The shops and food trucks look really cute and interesting but alas, we can’t have everything. Ta’ra!
What a pleasant surprise! Yayoi K is one of our favorite modern artists and having planned to visit the Lady Di Memorial in Kensington where she lived for many “royal” years, we were just unprepared to spot the polka-dotted yellow pumpkin across the Kensington pond. I was panting for breath after walking around the memorial gardens when I spotted the yellow and black pumpkin. Couldn’t believe our luck to find it here on full display (unveiled in July, up until November 3, 2024) — the tallest pumpkin structure to date! Quite frankly, I am sooo impressed that Yayoi at 95 years of age is still very prolific with her sculptures and signature infinity and circles installations spread all over the world. Not bad for someone who has been suffering from mental and psychological issues since childhood. Having lived in an asylum since 1977, it is reported that her iconic pumpkin structures are reminders of her happy childhood. This holds much meaning to me — the few local artists I’ve talked to have almost always integrated their childhood memories into their art. A poignant reminder how minds and mindsets are forged, developed and nurtured through the years, and then expressed in some form. Art or otherwise.
Yayoi K behind usYayoi K across the Kensington Pond
Enough of Yayoi Kusama. We are in Kensington Gardens near Kensington Palace where Lady Diana lived and raised her two sons Prince Harry and the king-in-waiting Prince William. This prime piece of Crown Estate land houses a “Cradle Walk” (a tunnel of arched arbour of twigged lime) surrounding a Sunken Garden where a statue of Lady Diana with three children stand. It’s a beautiful memorial to Lady Diana that evokes mixed feelings that remind people of her royal life in Kensington Palace where she lived since her wedding to the day she died. The round pond nearby has resident ducks and swans — a perfect setting for family picnics and lovers’ quiet dates.
The Lady Diana Memorial in Kensington GardensKensington Palace
The gardens adjoin Hyde Park so bikers have this vast expanse to do their “laps” while enjoying the tranquility of rest stops in front of the sunken gardens, the kids’ playgrounds, the Palace, the Pond. Imagine all that green space! It is London’s massive oxygen station. Though the Kensington Gardens are more “formal” and close early , Hyde Park is open for longer hours. If there’s one thing I truly envy Londoners for, it’s their free museums and many lovely parks, gardens and squares. 💕
Post-exhibit, — the reason why we are here — we indulged in more art. The Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum is one I’ve always missed in my UK trips so I was ready to tick this off my list this time. We scheduled an entire morning here and would have spent an entire day if we weren’t completely overwhelmed. Who wouldn’t? Just like the British Museum — and many more just around London — there was just too many to see, too much to “digest”, and too much visuals to delight in and much information to absorb. Museums do that to you. One can’t imagine the tons of educational and informative materials here, along with the excitement and visual sensation you get upon viewing the exhibits here. There is also that immense gratitude to the teams that curated all these collections.
V&A MuseumThat rotunda chandelier!
And who are Victoria & Albert? This royal couple were actually cousins whose love story would floor you. Queen Elizabeth II may have outruled Queen Victoria who ruled for 67 years but Queen V was much younger (at 18) when she succeeded the throne. She and Prince Albert allegedly fell in love the first time they met and had 9 children. Their passion for each other was reported as the greatest royal love story of all time. Unfortunately, Prince Albert died very young at 42 and the Queen blamed the then heir-apparent, later King Edward VII for Prince Albert’s demise. King Edward VII succeeded the throne only after Queen V passed on. Before then, he was not granted any political power, influence or station. He waited 60 years as heir-apparent.
Just for starters. Wow!Just a short break.
At the time we visited, there was a special Naomi Campbell exhibit but we penny-pinched and didn’t want to pay extra 18 pounds 😂 We argued there’s so much to see anyway without shelling out a cent, or a pence. We did round up the Fashion Gallery and was amazed with the rare collection. Then off we went to the very impressive Raphael Cartoons where Raphael’s spellbinding works of art were on display. The tapestries were truly treasures from the Renaissance period. All seven full-scale designs! Spent much time here that we hardly covered the entire, huge museum and literally hopped from hall to hall until our feet and legs could hardly carry our weight any longer. I thought the British Museum was big, but Victoria & Albert is even bigger. So much variety and such an enormous collection. It can be a chore to navigate the massive museum, so it’s best one plans how to view the collections. Of course, we didn’t have a plan but we soon realized that the exhibit items are displayed not by period like in other museumsbut by artistic category: fashion/textiles, visual arts, sculptures, architecture/design, jewelry, etc. Thankfully, they did segregate the artifacts and treasures among the British Galleries, Asian Galleries, and the Europe Galleries. The artworks from Asia were even thematically divided like there was a separate hall for Buddhist sculptures clustered by region. Further separated were Medieval and the Renaissance Galleries. And there was a separate hall for potteries, ceramics, etc. In my humble and amateurish opinion, the clustering is one major chore and I can understand how the curators must have argued over the years on exactly how these items should be exhibited.
How to say your ooohs and aaahhhsImagine this!
Suffice it to say that sorting out these magnificent works of art (others call it “loot from the wars” — but let’s not get into that) is a tremendous task. With free admissions, who dares to complain? I only wish I live somewhere near and have the time to spend 2-3 hours daily, to visit one hall or section at a time. No way you can do this in one go. Not even in 3. That’s how I did it in Madrid (Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza) yet I still can’t claim I covered the whole area. The last hall we visited made us decide to leave. Not because we’re unimpressed, but because we were utterly overwhelmed that we wanted to leave “in that drop-jaw state”. If you missed seeing David in the Academia at Florence, you can try your luck viewing its cast here without paying for museum admission nor lining up to buy a ticket. And stare at this giant of an artwork to your heart’s content. For free.
lifeisacelebration 