Boarded the Diamond Princess today for our 12 day cruise to New Zealand. Our first time on Princess, although we have cruised Holland America many times. This is a larger ship then others we have been on and the layout is a lot more complicated. But it is much newer. The room (verandah) is quite nice. Compared to the Holland America ship we were on 2 months ago, this room is a bit smaller with a smaller bathroom, but better closet space. Several dining rooms...

We drove into Sydney today. We overnight here and board the Diamond Princess tomorrow for New Zealand. We dropped off the car after having logged 11,500 km. (the Europcar agent was astounded). Also did 1,000 km. in Tasmania with another car.. Driving wasn't too difficult. A bit stressful in the cities but the GPS saved us. The drivers here are not bad except in Melbourne and Sydney where they are very agressive. We had a Hyuandai Accent. Not much power on...

We will depart Sydney this evening for the first leg of our 34 day circumnavigation of Australia. Today was mainly spent checking out of the hotel and getting on the ship, Holland America's "Volendam", so no new pictures to post. Sydney was enjoyable but not overly exciting or spectacular. It seems a lot like Vancouver. The people are friendly, service for the most part is quite good and the city is clean. We noticed the absence of any noticeable exhaust fro...

Today was spent mostly on the water. We purchased an all-day pass on the ferry system and travelled up the Paramatta River to Paramatta (23 km.), to Manly Beach and finally did the circuit around central Sydney. It became obvious that Sydney is a water city and Sydneysiders live on the water. Most of the development is taking place around the harbour and inlets and up the Paramatta River. The 2000 Olympic site is the focus of a great deal of residential const...

Today involved a great deal of walking. We went to the top of the sky tower (on the elevator, not stairs) for a 360 degree panoramic view of Sydney. We then walked to Circular Quay, thru' the Royal Botanic Gardens and back to our hotel. The Jacaranda trees are coming into bloom (see photo). While prices appear high, we are beginning to realize that, with tax included and no tipping, meals are not quite as pricey as we first thought. A$17 burger is equivalent...