Much of the comfort of travel by sea is related to the ship, and the Viking Venus was beautiful in every way. The ship is modern, sleek, and well designed, not enormous but large enough to offer a variety of shipboard activities, restaurants, and other options. There were grand public spaces, as well as cozy places to hang out in peace.
One of my favorite places to relax while at sea was the third-floor balcony walkway overlooking the atrium. All was quiet in the mornings, with cleaning crews dusting and polishing. This also was a good time to walk on the outdoor track.
More dramatic places offered quiet time when not serving as performance venues. Late on the tour I found myself in the Discovery Lounge, a spacious, sunny spot on the bow of the ship, with stunning views of the sea ahead. After leaving one port, I took this somewhat blurry photo of a sailing vessel at sea.
Travel by sea required getting used to ship terminology – bow, stern, portside versus starboard side. Occasionally, the daily newsletter, in addition to listing tours and events, would include a nautical term. For instance, the phrase “taken aback” is defined as “In this dangerous situation, the wind is on the wrong side of the sails, pressing them back against the mast and forcing the trip astern.”
Another definition, not previously known to me, was for “by and large.” According the Viking Daily, “this term has nautical origins: ‘by’ means into the wind and ‘large’ means ‘with the wind,’ as in by and large the ship handled very well.”
Meeting fellow passengers is another benefit of group travel. While learning about Maori culture, I met a lovely couple from Sarasota, Florida. One night over dinner, Susan noted that the couple sitting next to us was talking about the San Francisco Public Library, where my career was based and where Susan served as City Librarian.
Although there were many destination ports along the way, we only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of seeing what life is like in either New Zealand or Australia. Even so, I enjoyed the time at sea away from land, and became accustomed to the gentle rocking of the ship, although less so on the few occasions where the weather was stormy and the sea became rougher.
A couple of social observations: New Zealanders often referred to their good-natured rivalry with Australia, but this was not the case in Australia. With a strong economy, the Aussies clearly felt no need to compete. Another observation about both countries was the gratitude that people appear to still feel today about the role of Americans and Allied forces in preserving the freedom of these two countries during World War II.
Melbourne is a beautiful city. Here we visited the Royal Botanic Gardens and Shrine of Remembrance. I was happy to find that this visit was a walking tour, with a local guide, rather than exploring by tram, as we had done in the Christchurch gardens. We learned about trees that are over 300 years old and over 31 plant species that are native to Australia, with some found nowhere else in the world.
Melbourne is rich with public parks. A high value also is placed on stadiums and sports activities. We passed by the Rod Laver arena, part of the Melbourne Park sports complex, where the grand slam tennis Australia Open was to be held the following day. The excitement and anticipation in the air was tangible.
The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, established in 1918, is a landmark, documenting stories of Australians who served during wartime. It originally was designed as a memorial for World War I, but over time, content was increased to cover all wars.
As we arrived in Sydney midday, we were treated to beautiful vistas of the harbor and city, including the iconic Sydney Opera House, as we approached our cruise terminal. I did not attend a planned harbor tour that afternoon, but rather instead met with my dear sister-in-law, who lives in a suburb outside Sydney.
Here, I was treated to a personal car tour of the city, including a walk in the botanical garden and a city tour, given by her Australian partner. That afternoon gave me a more personal look at Australians and their history. The tour was followed by lunch at a waterfront restaurant in Mosman, an upscale suburb of Sydney, that reminded me of the lovely towns in nearby Marin County.
If I have any regrets, it is not building in a zoo excursion into my Australian itinerary. No, I never got to see the koalas. But I was not adrift, at least not before I arrived home the following day.
“If something is not moored, and taken at the will of the wind and tide, then it is adrift, from the Middle English drifte (to float). Sailors used the word to describe anything that was missing or had come undone. From this word came drifter – a person without a purpose or aim in life.” (Thank you, Viking, for this definition).
Coming back home was a bit of a tough landing. Leaving fantasy land for the cold, hard political and social realities of our time is harsh, but the experience has also caused new awakenings and insights. Perhaps there will be more travel in the future.
