Darwin, Port Douglas & Sydney - November 2014

Sunsets in Darwin, Australia are some of the most beautiful anywhere in the world.  We captured this photo after a day of touring in the rural countryside outside this port city in Australia's Northwest Territory.  Our van was loaded with travel mates as we visited a nature park and then we stopped for snacks at the supposedly "world famous" Humpty Doo Hotel.  Steve and Aldonna shared laughs as we awaited the crocodile and kangaroo burgers we heard were ordered.

Next we sailed to Port Douglas which is a resort community that is close to the famous Great Barrier Reef.  Steve actually visited Port Douglas in 1983 when he was traveling to Papua New Guinea during his "airline days" when he worked at American Airlines.  Tom walked to the top of a hill overlooking a beautiful beach, but no plans were made to travel to the Reef and instead we relaxed and explored the shops.

He spotted our "home at sea", the Amsterdam, anchored off shore and one of its tender vessels can be seen arriving on a return trip from the pier to the ship.

Then we sailed for two days to Sydney and we have always enjoyed capturing photos of the iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge as we arrive and depart from this special world-class city.   

We enjoyed staying overnight in Sydney and we took lots of photos as we explored the markets downtown and in Chinatown and walking around the harbor area known as The Rocks.   That evening we stopped at the Opera House and purchased tickets for an upcoming performance of Madame Butterfly that we will attend on our return visit to Sydney in February during the 2nd half of our world cruise.

Returning to the ship that evening, we photographed the Opera House from across the bay and as we sailed from Sydney the next day at dinner time, Steve couldn't resist capturing a photo of Tom as the ship sailed under the Harbour Bridge. 

And now as we cross the South Pacific, we will be stopping at several islands before we arrive in Hawaii and we hope you'll check back soon for more photos of our cruise around the world.  Thanks for following us !!!