Australia - At Sea

Today is a sea day. We are on our way to Melbourne. At about 5:30 PM we started seeing islands on both sides of the ship. If you look at a map of the bottom of Australia, you will see an indentation in about the middle of the southern coast of the continent. At the top of that indentation is the city of Melbourne. For hours before you get to Melbourne Harbor there are hundreds of islands of various sizes. Some are very far apart and in some spots there are buoy markers and you must be careful to stay in the very narrow channel. The island of Tasmania is due South. This stretch of ocean can be very rough. Before lighted markers were installed there were hundreds of wrecks at night. It just got a little rocky this time and by 9:00 PM we were docked.

Again, nothing very exciting on this sea day. Sooner or later we have to explode. The food here continues to be unbelievable. I used to say it was like going to your favorite restaurant every night. Now I can’t think of a restaurant anywhere, that is as good as what we have been getting here and especially with the unbelievable service. We will never be satisfied when we get home.

Bobbi went to a water color art class today. I don’t know if anyone knows that Bobbi was quite an artist when she was much younger. She did quite a few oils and friends would beg to be able to hang them on their walls. She even went to art school for a short time after high school. In fact I still have a framed modern art painting of hers hanging in Northbrook. It is made of a plaster like material and is raised. After all these years it stills hangs on the wall right in front of my car.

Today she learned to do clouds in water color. She came back with a small piece of paper with the top 1/3 painted with different clouds. I’m sure glad this stuff is free.

That’s pretty much it.

Art Critic Sherm Out.

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)

Sydney, Australia - Day 3

Day three in Sydney. We had to get up before breakfast again to go on a tour to see Koalas and other Australian animals. We had breakfast in bed or rather I did. Someone had to serve. The Kramers couldn’t go as there were too many stairs and too much walking. Muriel didn’t feel well and stayed home with Art.

Down we went to a bus waiting just off the pier. Guess who was there to greet us? It was Nazi tour guide. The head of the ships tour department was there also. We asked if there would another bus or we would not be able to go on the tour. He said there was and asked why. We told him about her in full detail. He took notes and said they couldn’t have anyone like this. The next bus had a very nice girl as the tour guide. It was another huge very deluxe bus that held 60 or so and we were only 20. W drove about 3 minutes and got off. The ferry dock we were going to was just a t the front of the ship. Walking would have been far quicker.

The next group showed up at the ferry dock also. Nazi leader comes over to us and says she is sorry if we had some problem and wants what exactly bothered us. She is acting like we are gong to be forgiving or afraid to have a confrontation. Oh boy! Did she pick the wrong tourist. We told her of the glee she expressed when mentioning the break up of the catholic march by the police and her delight in letting us know that only Aryans could join golf clubs. Her answer was that she was just telling us how things are. I replied that she didn’t have to use that Nazi word or to be so happy and giggly about it and what about forgetting me at the opera house. Her answer was, I guess things just got a little messed up but I didn’t mean anything by what I said. I am Jewish too. I answered, what do you mean, too? Who said we were? If that was true why didn’t you say anything about the temples when we drove through the Jewish section of town. You never even told us where we were. If you are Jewish then I’m an astronaut. Her answer was, I guess I should have mentioned something.

The ferry we took was a relatively small one for about 120 people. Some of the others were huge and the ferry traffic never stops. They are mostly catamarans but some of the bigger ones are canoe shaped. Those can travel in either direction. They have pilot houses on both ends. I have no idea where the engines, props and rudders are or how they work when traveling in different directions.

Once away from the dock area and past the opera house, this ferry started to move right along. This one was a water jet. It looked to me like it was going about 30 or 35 miles per hour at its fastest. We had quite a long ride. We went all across the huge bay and up a river that looked like just another part of the bay. There were several stops along the way but no one wanted to get off or on so they just slowed, approached and continued on. After about 45 minutes we came to out stop. Buses were waiting for us and we continued on toward the Koala Park.

After we entered they had a white Dingo on a leach waiting for us to see. Those no longer in need of their limbs could pet the Dingo. I did have the urge to give the Nazi a little push. These Dingos are dangerous. This one just looked like a medium sized yellow Lab. If I didn’t know I would have tried to pet it.

We then went on to pet the Wombat. She was huge. About 70 pounds and not happy. They are nocturnal and she did not like missing her beauty sleep. An employee held her and you could sit down next to him and slowly slide down the bench and pet her from behind her head. This thing looks like super rat with a face that looks much like a Koala. Next it was on to the Koalas. No one holds them. The ones here are nasty and fighting with each other. They put one on a fence top and people pet it from behind.

There was a petting area with kangaroos. These are very friendly. When you come in, some take their little hands and want to check you out looking for food. Almost all would let you pet them. There were many other Australian animals but we didn’t have time to see many others.

They had a fire going cooking Billy tea and they gave us some bread like that made by the early prisoners that were sent to the country. Both were surprisingly good. The Rabbi was with us and he and Bobbi swung the pot of tea around over their heads to make the leaves fall to the bottom of the pot.

We had to be back to the ship by 12:30 for a 1:PM departure. The bus was much faster then the ferry. The tour guide was very good and the driver was a history student. He took the microphone and told us a lot of stuff you would not get from a tour guide. According to him the Aussies feel very close to the Americans as we both started as slave colonies of England. Any place I’ve been, that was formerly English, has many locals that are less then fond of those English. This guy says the English version of history shows them to be so nice to the people of their colonies and possessions and lands they took over. He says they were as bad as any and maybe worse.

We did leave about at 1:00 PM. Muriel was not feeling well again at dinner and we again ate with just the Kramers. They had gone to Shabbat Services and joined when they were over.

We had a great day and this is a great country. I could spend a lot more time going over Australia and New Zealand.

Kangaroo Sherm Out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)

Sydney, Australia - Day 2

Still in Sydney. We have a ship sponsored event tonight so we decided to go shopping this morning. We left the ship with the Kapels. There was supposed to be good stores of all kinds around us starting a block away. As we left the ship we should have turned left but Bobbi jumped up and down and threw a tantrum that we had to go right. It was very hot out. It got to well over 100 degrees later. After walking about a block it turns out that we should have gone left. After walking up a steep hill we came to George St. It was all stores and restaurants from junk shops to Gucci. The first store we entered was full of all kinds of locally made junk. Bobbi bought everything and Muriel bought sun glasses and Art went back to the ship. I got more hats. I had too. I’ve now gained so much weight that even my hats don’t fit me. Bobbi wanted a Didgeridoo. It was beautifully decorated and weighted only 70 pounds and was 4 feet long. No way Jose. I can’t even carry me let alone an over priced hollow log. I told her to order one from Sears when we get back. I got a hat for Bob Kramer too. He too is now as happy as a pig in doo doo. He even paid me an Aussi dollar more then it cost.

We did a few more stores but it was getting so un bearably hot, we had to go back to the ship and besides we would get back just in time for lunch. Can’t miss one of those.

At 6:30 PM was the ship sponsored big event for world cruisers. The brochure lists a dinner cruise aboard a magnificent glass island that cruises through the beautiful harbor where we were to be entertained by a Variety of acts from opera to didgeridoo players while savoring local taste sensations of a delightful dinner. Exclusive floating stage performance by a Sydney jazz band. Performers were to enter from boats to entertain aboard.

This description turned out to be just a little off. We walked off the dock from our ship to a large barge with all glass walls. It looked really cool but it also looked like there were more people then they could fit aboard. Silly me. Of course they could fit all aboard. The interior was filled with tables, all made up with silver ware, nice glasses, candles, and plastic flowers. The chairs were hard soda fountain tiny little suckers. I think I am still pulling pieces out of my … donkey? They had tables for 6 set up for 10 people. I got to know the lady next to me far better then I cared to. There was no room to walk by and waiters and others were constantly bumping those seated. The exotic food was some chicken that had been running marathons for the last 10 years. My shoe was more tender.


The barge floated around the harbor while the far too few waiters tried to serve us in a room the air-conditioning could not keep up with. We finally floated over to a band shell by the opera house where an 18 piece band was playing something for us. I have no idea as I couldnot hear a thing. After abut 10 minutes of this the police came, ticketed the barge because it was not allowed to park there and we left.

We did have a few musicians playing aboard the barge but not one promised act showed up. It was getting hotter and hotter and more miserable until it looked like there would be a mass mutiny. Dessert was ready to be served. It was all lined up on a lower level. They never got to serve it. As soon as they reached the dock people were trying to get off before we were even tied up.

That was the worst I have ever seen. What a bunch of clowns. Not one idiot running this fiasco had the foggiest idea how to run an affair. Tough chicken being fed to people who have had only the finest food for over a month is real bright too.

It was now about 10:00 PM and all the restaurants were closed, but there was room service. It was quick and just as good as the restaurants.

Didgeridoo Sherm Out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)

Sydney, Australia

We were up before breakfast to watch us enter Sydney Harbor. This is a huge harbor. All of the expensive homes in Sydney line the harbor. The business and reasonably priced housing is inland. It is a beautiful harbor. It says somewhere, 1,000 ships could be in the harbor and it would seem like just a few. When we got to the opera house the ship did a 360 degree turn so everyone could see it from their balconies. It is very striking from the outside. We have many pictures. There all kinds of ferries moving everywhere. Some slowly and some very fast. We finally moved to a dock with a terminal and tied up. Guess what was right in front of us? The Aon building. My Daughter-in-law Debby works at the one in Glenview, IL.

After breakfast we went on a tour with Nazi from hell. About 20 of us got on a huge bus for 60 and the Nazi babbled away in some language of her own. Besides having a German accent, she had some kind of speech impediment. After a five minute ride we came to our first stop, the opera house.

While the outside of the opera is outstanding and world renowned, the actual interior is a mess. There are many different halls besides the main theater. It requires walking over 200 stairs to get to the first level and then there more stairs everywhere. We knew that before signing up. This was supposed to be a 15 minute stop and I did not care to walk over 200 stairs and I was told there was no elevator or rather, lift. After a half hour I took a look around and found that there was a lift I could have taken at any time. Now it was too late as I would not be able to find anyone. After an hour I started to get a taxi for the 5 minute ride back to the ship or perhaps take my own tour. About then I saw Art and heard him calling my name. He had not toured either but did go the first level to pass out. Nazi had come out a different exit then the one she was supposed to and did not bother to count people as she marched the troops back to the bus. We did finally find the bus and got on while the Nazi was out looking for us. When she did finally show up I explained how happy I was with her, NOT.

After a tour of the city we stopped at a beach where we could use restrooms and get something to eat if we wanted. Art wanted to stay on the bus but Nazi ordered him off and told him no one could stay on the bus and you will like it. This bitch needs a serious beating.

At the beach there were little huts to sit in for shade. Each was divided into 4 parts. Everywhere we had been there were tons of Japanese. As we got off our bus, several bus loads of Japanese got off theirs. I warned that they would try to jap us out of a place in the shade and sure enough they tried but missed. They are very noisy and talk at the top of their lungs. Wile sitting there I explained that I could speak Japanese. When they didn’t believe me I started to say things in Japanese and in a very low growling voice that I am sure would irritate the loud mouth Japs around us. I said things like Toyota, Kawasaki, etc. At this Bobbi started beating me for a change while at the same time trying to keep her hand over my mouth. Finally I shook my head in agreement that I would not do that any more. But I know contracts made while being tortured and smothered are not binding. So as soon as she let go I hollered out a final Kamikaze, loud. Have you any idea how hard Bobbi hits?

We then got back in the bus and saw a few more areas. Twice during the tour Nazi made raciest remarks. At one point she told of some event the Catholics were protesting with a march and signs. She was especially gleeful when told about the police breaking up the march. Later as we passed a golf course she told that it was very difficult to get membership and that among other things you had to be recommended by at least two members. She was very happy to report that was how they kept it for Aryans only. I guess the ship will hear about this.

Sydney is a very interesting city. The nicer houses around the bay, some of which were 8 to 10 million dollars, were mostly in the style of US houses from the 20s to the 40s. New ones being built in that area are also copied in that style. There are some modern style houses. Everything is hilly and what we saw was well maintained. While their downtown section as well as suburban shopping centers had plenty of larger stores, there were far more small individually owned stores. Many of their high-rise buildings are very similar to those in the US and many are not. I am not crazy about the architecture of most of these that are not.

For some reason Australian customs had been very late in getting the ship cleared. The tour had to be late also. By the time we got back to the ship it was about 4:00 PM and we had not eaten a thing. I don’t know if I ever felt this hungry in my whole life. I have been used to a couple of lunches daily.

A wondrous thing did happen today. They have supplied any kind booze I can think of. They have lots of different kinds of diet pop. Pop. For you foreigners from the East, that’s a lot like soda. Now I found there was Diet Dr Pepper at the pool bar. That’s my favorite. I sent my butler slave after some this morning. When I got back to my suite, there it was in my fridge. I’m gonna be happy as happy as a pig in sh - - I mean slop. (There could be little kiddies looking at this).

Murial, or is it Muriel, and Art were too tired to join us for dinner so we ate with just the Kramers. On our way out of the dining room we stopped to talk to Lynn and Nick. While sitting with them and eating their candy, the ship moved to a new location just opposite the opera house. It is now parked much closer then the bus got us for the tour. They too could not get their phone to work. I was finally able to connect her with her cell company’s office. She got to talk with someone from India she could not understand. I was a big help because I can speak Indian. You don’t believe me? Okay, try this. UGG. How. White man speakum with forked tongue. The Indian wasn’t happy with me either but I can really speak English while sounding very much like an East Indian. That got the Indian really mad and she hung up. Lynn walked out of my suite muttering something unintelligible to herself while trying to get her phone to dial something. I am always gladto be a big help.

We will be docked here for another day and one half. This is the end of a segment of the world cruise and many people are leaving and others arriving.

Aussie Sherm Out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)

Nothing to See Here

We are at sea on our way to Sydney. Nothing happened today. We are supposed to enter the harbor about 6:00 AM tomorrow and should be docked by 8:30.

Sea Day Sherm Out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)

See... I told you.

Made in Norway

For Nate.
9:15 PM Monday our time
3:15 AM Monday Chicago time
34*07’19” South
163*52’33” East

At sea on our way to Sydney, Australia. There are about 50 things listed that we could do today. It starts at 7:30 AM with wake up and walk. We didn’t do that one. At 8:15 there is morning stretch. We didn’t do that one either. We went to breakfast instead. At 9:00 is bridge lessons and aerobics at 9:15 AM. We didn’t do those too. Actually we did none of those 50 things. We did however go to all meals. Couldn’t miss those.

At 6:00 PM we were invited to an officers only party on the bridge. As we arrived we were festooned with officers epaulets. Bobbi was a deck officer and I was a engineering officer. How did you like those words? Festooned means decorated with. Epaulets are those flag like thingys on the shoulders of officer’s uniforms. And here you thought I didn’t know nutin.

On the bridge they were serving Champagne and all kinds of drinks as well as canapés with lox and lotsa other good stuff. There were bunches of instruments, dials and gauges they wouldn’t let me touch. The captain blew the ships horn and let everyone walk around the small ledge in front of the bridge windows. Even though we were doing about 20 knots, there was no wind at all as it was protected by the configuration of the ship. When I saw the captain I told him Bobbi had a question for him. He is about 6’4” and the ceiling on the bridge is only a few inches higher. She wanted to know if his head hit when they were bounced around in heavy seas. His answer was that it was a problem. The ship had been built in Italy and he was built in Norway.

Then we left and met the others in the French Restaurant for dinner.

The End.

Engineer Officer Sherm out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

There was a tour for all today. It was provided by the ship. We tendered in today and it was a long ways. We were in a huge bay that looked more like a piece of ocean. There were all sizes of islands surrounding us. They were all covered with hills or low mountains except for those that were just rocks sticking out of the water. It was a beautiful place.

The tour was in the afternoon. We should have also done some touring in the mourning but everyone was too lazy. We will have to come back sometime. After tendering in we boarded buses for a five minute ride. I am not exaggerating. We all got on and off buses to go about 3 blocks. Under a huge tent on the very pretty grounds of a resort, they put on a reenactment of a Maori encounter of two tribes. They did a lot of yelling and posturing. They stamped feet and beat chests and made scary faces. The woman sang loudly.

After a few acts of this we went outside to watch the approach of a real war canoe. When the invading tribe came ashore they did more hollering and posturing and spear shaking. Woman again sang very loudly. It was really very good. I didn’t hear of one person who didn’t like it.

I was able to talk to some of the Maori performers as we were leaving. They were extremely friendly and willing to talk.

We left the Bay of Islands at 5:00 PM and are now sailing for Sydney. We are scheduled to get there after two days at sea.

Still a Kiwi Sherm out

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)