January 28 - Home!

I’ve been home for a week and I finally think I’m getting over jet lag and time changes.  The trip home was basically uneventful except for the landing at JFK.  Instead of pulling up to a terminal and deplaning via a jetway, we were parked out on a tarmac and had to go down a portable ramp and board a bus.  That wouldn’t have been too bad had it not been bitterly cold.  I had a down vest and sweater in the outside pocket of one of my suitcases.  I thought I’d be able to pull them out when I briefly reclaimed my luggage to go through US Customs and would have them when I finally had to go outside in Richmond.  Too bad, that didn’t work and I froze my fanny off before I ever got to the terminal at JFK.  Oh well, I survived so it turned out okay.

I had a marvelous time and I thought I’d write some final thoughts and observations about things I discovered and learned, many of them about myself.  Some people have asked me what my favorite port was and I think I would have to say Waiheke, New Zealand probably tops my list.  In fact, of the countries I’ve visited New Zealand is at or close to the top.  It’s a beautiful place and one in which I could imagine living.

My side trip to Singapore was very interesting and in many ways it was a test for me.  I wanted to see how I liked traveling on land by myself without being in the comforting bubble of a cruise ship.  I thought Singapore was a perfect place to try venturing out on my own because it’s known for being a safe and clean place.  Well, it is those things but I found I don’t like being completely on my own.  I’ve become spoiled and I like having people taking care of me.  I think that probably my travels will be limited to places that I can get to via ship.  That’s okay because there are still places to see and places I’d like to revisit and will never tire of seeing.

Since I’ve been home I’ve also come to realize how important socialization is to me.  It has been cold and snowy here for the first several days after I returned and so I stayed very close to home.  I miss terribly having people around that I can interact with whenever I want to.  I miss being able to listen to live music or see a show in the evening.  I miss the noise that was omnipresent on the ship.  Don’t get me wrong.  Being home feels good,  but being able to look forward to future voyages is also good.  Loneliness can be an insidious foe of well-being.

For anyone who looks at various cruise forums, you may read about changes and cutbacks on just about every cruise line.  There have been some of those on Seabourn.  A few were bothersome enough that I did  convey my thoughts in writing to Seabourn.  None of them are significant enough that I would stop cruising with them.  Cruising is still about the best way to travel, especially for a solo traveler like me, that I can think of and I will continue to do so.  

So, to wrap  up this Quest for new places, I saw lots of new things, made some new friends, had a pretty wonderful time and learned some things about myself.  I’ll be back when I start my next voyage in a couple of months.  Goodnight for now.

January 19 - Singapore part deux

After copying this here I realized how long this post is, but I wanted to remember it all, so here goes.

The first thing to know about visiting Singapore is to understand that it has two seasons – hot and wet and more hot and wet.  I’ve been here for four days and during that time it has been mainly overcast (probably a blessing because if the sun were out it would be brutal), and there have been showers intermittently.  They don’t last long but when they do they are downpours.  The humidity has stayed consistently around 80% and the temperature has been in the 80’s.  The upshot is that it is very, very muggy.

As I wrote when I arrived on Wednesday I’ve been staying at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and it has been lovely.  I had a great view and the room I booked allowed me access to the hotel’s club which has been great.  I’ve had a cooked-to-order breakfast there every day and in the afternoon tea is served.  In the early evening complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are served.  In other words, there has been no shortage of food and beverages.  The only area in which I think the place falls a little short is in the restaurants in the hotel.  There are several with a variety of cuisines, but in only one did I think the food was really good.  That was the Chinese restaurant at which I had a lovely meal.

Thursday, my first full day here I woke up late and after breakfast I decided to walk around the marina bay area.  There is an esplanade that goes around part of the bay and I walked around a little of it and was able to get a good shot of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.  It is the tallest building in the city and the three towers are topped by a structure shaped like a massive ship.  On that thing there are apparently pools, bars, and restaurants and you can buy a ticket to go up there.  I’m a chicken when it comes to heights and I just couldn’t bring myself to go up there, no matter how great the view might have been.  It was hot and muggy and I decided to go inside so I walked over to the adjoining shopping mall by my hotel, Marina Square.

This mall like all the malls in this city and other Asian cities I’ve been to is glitzy and full of high-end stores.  There are shops with big names like Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermès.  It’s interesting to walk by them and browse but they are definitely not my preferred places to shop.  I had hoped to find a tailor shop because I thought about having a dress made.  Last year when I was in Hong Kong I ordered a dress which was to be made and sent to me.  It’s a long story, but I never got it although I did recoup my money.  This time I thought I had enough time to have it made while I was here.  It was not to be.  I found a tailor shop and some beautiful fabric, but when the tailor told me he would make it and ship it, I declined.  Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

After a few hours of walking and several miles I was hot and tired and decided it was time to go back to my hotel.  After a couple of cocktails I had dinner at the very good Chinese restaurant and then called it a night.  From my hotel I was able to see the nightly light show the Marina Bay puts on.  I took a few pictures  but they don’t really do it justice.

Actually I didn't catch any of the laser lights.  Too bad; it was very nice.

The rest of the city skyline I could see.

Friday morning I got up pretty early because I had booked a tour just for me of the sights of Singapore.  My driver, Alvin (he was ethnic Chinese so I’m pretty sure that’s not his actual name) picked me up and off we went.  As usual I sat in the front seat with him so we could talk.  The first place I asked to go was the Singapore Botanical Garden.  There are two big gardens here.  The other one is the Gardens by the Bay which I understand is spectacular but it’s a man-made, contrived garden whereas the botanical garden showcases local flora as they exist here naturally.  Had I known how beautiful the garden would be I would have arranged for more time there.  As it was Alvin had arranged to meet me at the entrance in about an hour and I barely had time to scratch the surface.  In the midst of this bustling, crowded city the garden is an oasis of quiet where you can actually here birds singing and chirping.  As I said I didn’t have much time at all but I did get a taste of how pretty this place is.  If I ever come back I will make sure I allocate at least a half day to visit.

The entrance of the gardens

I’m adding a few photos of things I particularly liked.  The first is of a common red stem-fig, one I’ve never heard of before.  I was intrigued by the great masses of small figs growing right on the trunk of the tree.  I’ve never seen anything quite like it.  As I walked I came across this bronze sculpture of Chopin playing a polonaise as a lady watches and listens.  There was a sign near the sculpture with a button to allow you to hear the music as you took in the statue and the scenery.  It was enchanting!  That statue overlooked a small amphitheater  next to a lake where concerts are apparently held.  It must be a wonderful place to come to for a performance.

The fig tree

and some clusters of figs up close

Chopin playing the Polonaise in F sharp minor

the little lake

a nice banyan tree

Alvin picked me up and we continued our tour of the city. The traffic is pretty awful here – too many cars and too many pedestrians.  As we drove down Orchard Road, one of the main thoroughfares, we passed shopping center after shopping center with signs for all kinds of famous stores.  If you’re a shopaholic this is the place to come.  Eventually we drove by the Raffles Hotel. The Raffles is an old historic hotel opened in 1887.  I think it kind of epitomizes the look of a British colonial gathering place.  The story goes that when the Japanese occupied Singapore in 1942 they found the guests in the hotel dancing one final waltz before they were captured.  When we came here 30 years ago we went to the Raffles and had dinner and a drink after at the famous Long Bar.  Because of lots of traffic we couldn’t stop for me to take a photo so I’ve lifted one from the internet.  It is a beautiful building which not long ago underwent a major renovation.

Chaotic traffic on Orchard Road

The Raffles Hotel. What marvelous old architecture!

Next we proceeded to Little India where Alvin dropped me off so I could walk around.  The place was bustling with people, many of them shopping at a little market. The street was decorated with lights and banners some of which I think were there for the Lunar New Year which is coming next week.  I passed a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple.  At both people would stop and bow and clap their hands.  Some people stopped and lit incense sticks which were readily available in the market. I have to say that the Hindu temples are  by far the most interesting ones.  They have all kinds of colorful figures of people and gods decorating them.  I have no idea who they are, but they look fascinating.  The market was selling all kinds of good luck items, many of them red because red signifies happiness and good luck in Chinese culture.  There were also lots of golden cats with waving arms, just like the one I have as the mascot for our trivia team.  I know where to go to get one.

A Hindu temple

A few of the many figures on the temple wall

A Buddhist temple just down the street

These and the next few are all from the street market in Little India

The name of the café at a building across the street tickled me - who can resist a Cheerful Goat?

Our next stop was the downtown area where Singapore’s government buildings are.  The most interesting one is the new Supreme Court building which looks like a UFO has landed on it.  Alvin pointed out the old and new parliament buildings which look very British.  We stopped briefly so I could get a photo of the Victoria Theater and Concert Hall with its statue of Sir Stamford Raffles near the entrance.  Our next stop was Chinatown.  It had begun to rain so it was not as busy as Little India.  Honestly, I thought the latter seemed more excited about the upcoming New Year festivities than did Chinatown.  Alvin had given me an umbrella to use since I forgot mine and I walked a little and the rain stopped but the humidity level went up.  I passed another Buddhist temple where people were lighting incense.  There was also this old man playing some kind of string instrument.  I have no idea what it is and it didn’t sound like anything I’ve ever heard.

Looks like a UFO landed to me.

Victoria Theater and Concert Hall

That's Sir Raffles

A Buddhist temple in Chinatown

These next few are of Chinatown

This was the old musician

We left Chinatown behind and our next stop was the highest point on the island, Mount Faber.  At just about 350 feet high it’s really just a hill, but for here it’s tall.  There is a cable car system on which you can ride from here to the harbor front and to Sentosa Island which is a resort island with golf courses, a Universal Studios park, and a big casino.  Serious clouds had set in so the view wasn’t all that good but I could see that it would be on a nice day.

Mount Faber and some of the views from there

After we left Mt. Faber Alvin drove me to a part of Singapore where ordinary citizens live.  This section was very different from the mad rush in the areas I’d been to. The streets weren’t nearly as crowded and we drove by schools, local supermarkets and a variety of churches, temples, mosques and even a synagogue.  As he drove Alvin and I talked about the education system here.  School attendance is compulsory through high school and parents are jailed if their kids fail to attend.  All students take English, but they also have a class in whatever their ethnic tongue is, so Chinese take Chinese, Indians Indian, etc.  I was a little surprised at that because I encountered quite a few people whose English wasn’t very good at all.  But then who am I to say that because I can’t speak a word of either of those languages.

We also talked a lot about the multi-culturalism in Singapore.  Maybe because the government won’t tolerate any protests but evidently the various races and religions get along.  There is religious tolerance and apparently there have been no terror attacks.  Alvin said that everybody celebrates every holiday and goes all out doing so.  That’s why I saw all kinds of decorations for Chinese New Year in Little India. It’s why I remember when we came here 30 years ago right after Christmas, the city was decorated all over for that holiday with snowmen and reindeer which looked really out of place.  One odd thing I saw in this part of town was a newly opened Louis Vuitton store.  It was in the middle of a residential area with no other glamorous shops around.  LV was smart though because there was a line almost around the block of people waiting to go into the store.  Along the way  he showed me a video his son had made of the public housing flat he and his wife had bought just  last year.  It was small but quite nice looking.  I have no idea how much such a place costs and it wouldn’t have been nice to ask.

More serious rain was upon us so I told Alvin that we could end our tour for the day. We spent most of 6 hours seeing the city and I felt like I had a good taste of what Singapore is like.  The best part truthfully was being able to talk to Alvin for all that time.  My favorite part of traveling is having the opportunity to meet and get to know a little about ordinary people from that place.  At least for me that broadens my mind more than seeing the usual tourist sights.  He dropped me off at my hotel and I told him what an enjoyable trip it had been.

I had planned to take a night cruise to see the lights of Singapore, but when I learned the weather forecast I canceled.  It was a good thing because it rained buckets on and off.  I had dinner in another one of the hotel’s restaurants, a steakhouse this time.  It was good but not memorable.

Saturday morning I woke up to another gray and rainy day. After breakfast I took a taxi to the Raffles City Center which is in the middle of downtown.  I walked outside a little but it was very crowded (I guess because it was Saturday) and it kept raining off and on.  I retreated into a couple of the shopping complexes.  The malls here are multi-story (think six or seven levels) and all are glittering marble palaces. After walking through several I decided I’d seen enough.  I didn’t see a single store that looked like something uniquely Singaporean.  Actually they all began to look alike.  I’d walked a couple of miles and decided it was time to go back to the hotel. 

Hindsight is 20/20 and if I had it to do over again, and if the weather cooperated I would have spent one day at the botanical garden and a second at the Gardens by the Bay, the ones I mentioned earlier which are supposed to be very beautiful too.  Now I’m sitting in the lounge at the airport waiting to board my flight.  There are four terminals here and something called Jewel which is apparently where the world’s tallest waterfall is located along with about 300 shops and dining outlets spread out over ten floors.   After looking at the map of this place it looks like I would have to take a train to get there and I’m not up for that given the carry-on stuff I have with me. I’m just not as adventurous I used to be.

Anyway, I’ve gone on long enough so I’ll close for now.  I’ll have some final thoughts about the cruise, the places I’ve been and traveling in general.  Bye for now.

January 19 - Singapore, the Lion City

This is my final day here in fascinating Singapore.  The most popular nickname of the city, the Lion City, comes from an ancient Malay tale in which a prince sighted a lion on this island nation and named it Singapura which means “Lion City” in Malay.  It’s worth writing a little about the geography and history of this place. I’m writing this in two parts because I want to remember some of the history of this place and writing about it helps me do that.

Singapore is officially the Republic of Singapore, an island city-state here in Southeast Asia at about 1°N of the Equator. Its history dates back at least 800 years during which time it was a maritime trading port and at times part of both Javanese and Siamese kingdoms.  The modern era began with the arrival of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, a British colonial officer, in 1819.  He recognized the strategic location of the island city and established it as a trading port for the British empire.  Singapore lies at the tip of the Malay Peninsula with the Strait of Malacca to its west, the Singapore Strait to the south and the South China sea and the Strait of Johor to its east and north.  (Just for some additional interesting information, while we all heard about piracy off the coast of Somalia for years, the Strait of Malacca west of here has been a favorite place for piracy. For that reason and to allow for shipping to traverse the area, regional navies regularly patrol the waters here.)

In 1824 the British signed a treaty with the Sultan who was the nominal ruler of Singapore leading to Singapore becoming part of the British Empire. At that time it had a population of only around 1000, mainly Malays. By 1860 the population had grown to 80,000, mostly Chinese who worked on plantations.  Today it has a population of about 6 million, 75% ethnically Chinese, in an area of less than 285 sq. mi, making it one of the highest density populations in the world.  During WWII the British suffered an ignominious defeat by the Japanese who occupied the city from February 1942 until September 1945.  Singapore was supposed to be the “Gibraltar” of the east and was home to a huge British naval base.  The British forces were unable to hold the island and suffered large casualties.  Much of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed during the occupation and many civilians were killed including as many as 25,000 ethnic Chinese during one massacre.

Following  WWII, Singapore went through a series of upheavals during which it became an independent British Crown Colony and then a part of the new Federation of Malaysia, which was meant to unite former British colonies in the region.  The merger was unsuccessful because of  disagreements on economic and political issues between the Singaporean government and the Malaysian central government.  The result was that in 1965 Malaysia expelled Singapore from the federation and on August 9, 1965 it became the Republic of Singapore.

Singapore is governed under a unicameral parliamentary system with a President as the titular head and a Prime Minister who actually governs.  While it is a multi-party democracy with free elections every four years, one party, the People’s Action Party (PAP), has been in control since the beginning of its self-governance.  I had several interesting conversations with drivers, all of them ethnic Chinese but born here, who chauffeured me around during my stay.  I remember years ago there was a case of an American teenager living here who was caught using spray paint to vandalize and was sentenced to caning.  The case drew world-wide attention and the teen was ultimately administered four strokes with a cane.  It was incorrectly widely published that his offense involved spitting out chewing gum.  While that was untrue, it is true that in Singapore it is illegal to sell chewing gum in an effort to prevent vandals from damaging equipment on trains and other mechanical things in the city.  

As a result of the strict enforcement of all laws, Singapore is a very clean city with absolutely no litter around and very little crime because punishment is swift and severe.  People violating drug laws are sentenced to death.  My drivers, all of them, were very supportive of the laws and enforcement. As they all told me, because of the culture here, Singapore has become a first world country with one of the highest GDPs in the world. It has low taxes and is one of the most pro-business in the world.  The city has built extensive public housing projects which allow citizens to buy apartments at reasonable rates.  During Covid shutdowns mortgage payments were put on hold to  allow people to keep their homes during the economic slowdown.  The city has now fully recovered.

One other thing I found interesting is that all young men at the age of 18 are required to spend two years in either the Singapore Armed Forces, the Singapore Police Force or Singapore Civil Defence Force.  My three drivers, all of whom had served in one of those and all of whom had sons who had or were serving, were 100% in favor of that law.  As all of them told me, it gave young men an opportunity to mature, learn responsibility and discipline, and become more successful in their later lives.  I don’t know how that would go over in the US (not well I imagine), but I can remember many conversations Al and I had with friends during which we expressed the same thinking.

So now hopefully I have written enough to remember some facts about Singapore that I don’t want to forget, and if you’re reading this, I haven’t bored you to tears.  Next entry I’ll write about what I saw here these past few days

January 15 - Sydney to Singapore, a new perspective on flying

Last night I had dinner at a restaurant just a couple of blocks down the street from my hotel.  It was a small local place recommended by the concierge and it lived up to his praise.  It’s called Fish at the Rocks and as the name says, it’s a seafood restaurant.  There were only about 15 tables in the place and I was the only foreigner.  Everything about it reminded me of some of the little family-owned restaurants in the North End of Boston.  All the plates coming out of the kitchen looked delicious and I settled on an appetizer of a couple of little crab cakes and a seafood pasta.  They were both very good, although it’s hard to beat Chesapeake Bay crab cakes.  As I walked back to the hotel I was taken by the interesting houses along the way.  As I mentioned it’s an old section of the city and many of the houses lining the tree-lined street have fancy wrought iron fences on the ground floor and wrought iron balconies on the second.  It really is very lovely.  If I come back to Sydney I would stay here again.

The street the Langham Hotel is on

This morning I got up pretty early to get ready for my pickup to the airport.  Here in Sydney they advise arriving three hours before your flight.  Traffic wasn’t too bad going out of the city but it looked like typical rush hour going in.  I used Blacklane, an international car service which I’ve used before and I highly recommend it.  Their cars and drivers have always provided impeccable service.  I got through check-in and customs pretty quickly and then walked through the very large duty-free shopping mall to get to the Singapore Airlines lounge.  I had heard and read that the airline is great and when I arrived at the lounge I began to understand why.

I got a good deal on a first-class ticket from Sydney to Richmond with a stopover for several days in Singapore.  I didn’t realize that my flight from Sydney to Singapore would be in one of their “suites” but that’s what I had.  There was a separate lounge for suite passengers and when it was time for me to board someone walked with me toting my carry-on all the way to the aircraft door.  There the flight attendants dressed in traditional Singaporean sarongs took over and escorted me to my suite.  It literally was that.  I had a massive leather chair which swiveled 360°, a TV monitor on the bulkhead in front of me and a larger one on the inside wall, a fold down bed and two credenzas.   There were only six of these suites on the upper deck of an A380.  Even the two lavatories were enormous; one had a shower!

Here's my home for the  8-hour flight

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I settled in for my 8-hour flight, had my first ever Singapore sling, caviar as a starter followed by lobster and I have been ruined forever for any other flights.  There’s a three-hour time difference (earlier) in Singapore so I decided to try taking a nap (unsuccessfully).  The flight attendant made up the bed with a mattress, a down duvet and two down pillows.  It was actually comfortable!  I skipped the snack which was offered and just watched movies.

Arrival in Singapore’s Changi airport was a little late due to local thunderstorms.  Apparently they are pretty much an everyday occurrence.  I was met on arrival, whisked through immigration because I had filled out the immigration form online and my luggage was waiting when we got to the carousel.  I’d arranged for the hotel to send a car to pick me up and a representative from the Mandarin Oriental met me as we walked out of the customs area.  She called the car, we loaded up and I was off to downtown Singapore. It was the easiest arrival I can ever remember experiencing.

I picked the Mandarin Oriental Hotel because of a number of things.  It received good reviews and is in a good location overlooking the Marina Bay area.  I’m pretty sure it’s the hotel Al and I stayed in 30 years ago, but it has since been added onto and completely renovated and the area around it has changed dramatically.  I don’t remember so many tall buildings around it.  At the hotel I was taken straight up to my room and that’s where I checked in. It was a seamless operation.  My room looks out on Marina Bay and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the tallest building in Singapore.  I’ll write more about that on another day.

It had been a pretty long day so I stayed in and got something to eat at the international buffet restaurant here in the hotel.  That was the only mediocre thing I experienced today.  The food was okay but nothing to write home about.  Anyway, that’s all for now. Good night from Singapore.

January 14 - Sydney, the Harbour City

We arrived at our last port (at least for me) of Sydney early yesterday morning.  It is a very beautiful place to sail into with the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge.  Unfortunately we docked at White Bay, which is not as spectacular as the other place, Circular Quay which is literally next to the bridge and opera house.  As I discovered later a gigantic NCL ship was there.

Sailing into Sydney

I was off the ship by 10 AM and taken to my hotel for the next two nights, the Langham Hotel.  I picked it because it looked like a place with a little more character than the chain hotels here and I thought it was in the Rocks section of Sydney.  That’s an old historic part of the city.  It turns out I was not correct.  It’s in the section next to it, but still an older more historic place.  Oh well.  The hotel is lovely with big well-appointed rooms and from my little balcony I had a view of the Quest docked across the harbor.

My former home away from home across the bay

My room wasn’t ready so I waited with some of my fellow passengers who are also staying here for a few days.  I didn’t want to go out and about until I could put my valuables in a safe. By the time the room was ready and  I  did a little walk near the hotel,  I had time for a midafternoon snack and then I had to get ready for my trip to the opera house to watch a show.  I do have to mention the mini-lunch I had. The hotel’s lounge has a limited menu but I was intrigued by the name of one offering, a Moreton Bay Bug Roll.  I ordered it and it turned out to be something similar to a Lobster Roll.  The Moreton Bay Bug is a species of small lobster found in the Indian and Pacific oceans.  It was good, but not as good as a New England lobster roll.

I had bought a ticket online to see Penn & Teller, the American magicians.  It was what was playing last night and I would have booked almost anything just to be able to go in and see a performance.  My cab dropped me off at the outdoor forecourt of the complex.  The Opera House complex occupies all of Bennelong Point or about 4.5 acres.  It’s supported by 588 concrete piers sunk as much as 80 feet below sea level.  The building consists of a series of precast concrete shells.  The highest roof point is the equivalent of a 22-story building.  The building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in October 1973, 16 years after the design was selected in an international design competition.  The view of downtown and the bridge were pretty spectacular from the plaza in front of the building.

Harbour Bridge

Central Business District Sydney

The performance I went to was in the Concert Hall which seats nearly 2700 people and is the home of the Sydney Symphony and Sydney Theater companies. It also houses the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ which is the largest mechanical tracker organ in the world with more than 10,000 pipes.  (I don’t know what that means but I’m sure my daughter does.  I would have liked to hear it played.)  I was there early so I sat and people-watched in the atrium.  It was very entertaining actually.  Australian people must be the most casual people on the planet and their fashion sense is very different from ours.  I saw all kinds of strange tattoos and hairstyles and hair colors.  One man who went up on the stage to participate in a magic trick had a Mohawk that was dyed in alternating green and purple stripes.  The performance was absolutely packed because, as I learned from the people sitting next to me, Penn & Teller appear on Aussie TV often and are well-known and loved here.  The show was very entertaining and lasted for an hour and forty-five minutes.  I have absolutely no idea how they did what they did.  That’s why it’s magic!

The Concert Hall

The views of downtown Sydney and the Harbour Bridge were beautiful both before and after when I came out and it was dark.  I cabbed back to my hotel and crashed for the night.  I got little sleep the night before and had walked quite a bit and was pooped. 

This morning I slept fairly late and then after breakfast I decided to go to the Queen Victoria Building in the central business district.  I passed it last year when I was here and thought I needed a closer look.  The QV occupies a whole block and is listed on the New South Wales Heritage Register.  It’s in a style called Romanesque Revival and was completed in 1898 to be a marketplace.  Since then it’s gone through a series of different uses and at one time was in a state of serious decay. In the late 20th century it was restored and turned into a shopping mall but it still retains much of its original character and architecture. Now it sits in the midst of towering modern structures as a reminder of the grand Victorian era.

I walked through all the levels of the building.  The interior has an open area in the middle which allows natural lighting to flow down from the glass ceiling.  The floors in the center are the original tiles while the rest are in the same style.  There are lots of wrought iron railings and at all four sides there are beautiful stained-glass windows.  The place was bustling with people, some shopping and many eating at the multiple cafés on each floor.  In the central part of the building there was a multi-story red and gold glass snake to commemorate the Year of the Snake as 2025 is in the Chinese Lunar calendar.  (Chinatown is not far from the building and Chinese New Year is coming in just about two weeks.)  I didn’t do any shopping; I was just interested in seeing the building because I remembered passing it on my whirlwind tour last year.

Right next door to the Queen Victoria Building is the Town Hall Clock Tower which I liked too in the middle of modern Sydney.

At either end of the building are sculptures, one a woman representing the guardian genius of the city and the other a male representing commerce.

As I was sitting and writing this afternoon I watched this ship back out of the dock the Quest was at yesterday and turn to depart.  It looks pretty massive compared to my ship.  It's the Disney Wonder which has a passenger capacity of a little more than 5 times the Quest.  She looked beautiful in the sunlight.

.Tomorrow I'm heading to Singapore for a few days there.  It was 30 years ago that Al and I spent two nights there before a cruise.  It will be interesting to see how it's changed - a lot I'm sure.  For now good night.