World Cruise - Cunard QM2 heading south to Brisbane 2nd March 2020
2 March Monday strong winds and warm as we head for Brisbane.The sky is a beautiful colour as we head south towards Brisbane.
A day at sea, to catch up with my diary, read more of my book, and for Judith some extra sleep. She was suffering due to lack of sleep, perhaps due to the continued time changes. For some reason she just couldn’t get off to sleep. She would play cards on her iPad, read, but sleep was not forthcoming.
My mate from Carlise, the one l went to the Hymalais with had married an Aussie girl and moved out to Brisbane. We have talked via messenger, and it seems that Alistair and Kerry have been cycling through Vietnam. Not the best time to be in Asia. But he is now home, safe and sound.
Contacted to see if we could meet up, but hanging out for the information from the bridge. At long last we have been told our times for Brisbane. We should get into the port around 8am and be tied up by 8.30. But who knows!
All the pre booked tours will disembark then, so we should be free to leave the ship around 9.30 ish. The shuttle then takes us into the centre, from all accounts that means we should be there around 10.15. The drop off is supposed to be near the station on Ann St and Edward St. But possibly this may alter. They seem to fluctuate, depending on who is running the service. But need to be back on board by 4.30, which means we need to catch the shuttle at 3.30. Not a vast amount of time to see Brisbane, especially as are looking forward to walking the river broad walk, the South Bank and possibly the botanical gardens. And of course the museums and art galleries.
Drop Alistair a note and say we will talk later in the day.
A relaxing day, interjected by three talks, TiChi, musical interludes, walking and of course the odd meal, snack or as it often materialises a grazing feast.
Speak to Alistair who offered suggestions, but realistically the time onshore was going to be so compressed we decided to forgo our meeting. It came down to a choice. Meet up or see the sights. In the end, we chose the latter. After all we can always meet up with them when they visit the UK, which they do on a regular basis. It was disappointing, but we may never get to see Brisbane again.
Early dinner, then into the cinema.
3 March Tuesday Brisbane
31 degrees hot , clear sky but steamy again
The ship docked fairly early, but the tours didn’t manage to get off until gone 8.30
We managed to leave around 9.30 after l had walked and had breakfast with Judith.
Hopped on the bus and headed into town for the 45 minute journey into the centre of the town, parking up in post office square, across from the station. The square is also home to some magnificent sculptures depicting the fallen soldiers of conflict. A shrine of remembrance.
Initially we had hoped to catch up with Alistair, but the shortage of time in Brisbane just didn’t make it feasible. It was a clear choice, see Brisbane or see them. The opportunity to see them is always available as they live in the UK for six months, but it is unlikely that we will visit Brisbane again. But never say never Judith says.
Walked down Edward Street towards the Botanical gardens, passing through a mixture of old colonial buildings pinned in between tall skyscrapers. A real mixture of architecture that seemed to work seamlessly.
The botanical gardens were sumptuous and spread languidly along the side of the Brisbane river.
Headed towards the goodwill bridge past the the old parliament building and the technology university. The bridge was busy with walkers, cyclists and electronic scooters , the latter becoming the latest craze. Albeit that they are banned in most major cities, London, Sydney and Melbourne to name but a few. Presumably they are only safe if they are used away from traffic and pedestrians. Unfortunately there aren’t many places that provide sufficient cycle paths to facilitate this. For those with a penchant for this type of transport, Brisbane does. The maritime museum loomed up from the far bank, with its array of vintage ships and boats on display. On the opposite bank we turned right onto the river walkway and headed along the South Bank, under the shade of an arbor bedecked with vivid Jacaranda flowers.
We passed the beaches, a man made selection of water features, pools and sandy beaches for all ages and from the look of it, extensively used. Up and around the rain forest walk, before returning to the riverside and the Ferris wheel, know as the Brisbane wheel, eventually ending up under the museums that we wish to see. It becomes quite complicated, as we end up on the road system into the car parks. The signage for pedestrians, which had been superb up until now, suddenly disappeared. After a few false start we managed to extricate ourselves up a couple of levels, into the Queensland Art Gallery. We were short of time, so we couldn’t stay long enough to truly absorb ourselves into it. Then it was another quick tour, this time in the Gallery of Modern Art. Interesting, is the best word to describe it. Modern Art is there to provoke thought, you don’t necessarily enjoy it.
Retrace our steps through the galleries, but this time above ground, and across the Victoria Bridge and onto Queens St Mall. An open street filled will shops, restaurants, bars, and access into overhead and underground shopping precincts. Not that we managed to see much of them, as time was quickly ebbing away. Managed to buy some bathroom essentials, and a quick frozen cola and burger from Macdonald’s.
It was then time to catch the shuttle bus for the long crawl home to the ship.
Back just in time for the compulsory drill, a twenty minute recap, just to reinforce what we need to do if we hit an iceberg, or we have to jump overboard to escape the Aussies.
Went up on deck to watch the sail away with a glass of something strong to toast our departure from a very pleasant city. It was only then that we noticed a P&O ship, slipping its moorings and following us out.
The light quickly dissolved and it was time to go and feed some more before joined our friends for the evening quiz. Then canasta, a good game spoilt by bickering over rules. It seems that there are so many variations, especially between countries. Doesn’t really matter as long as you agree the rules prior to playing.
A day at sea, to catch up with my diary, read more of my book, and for Judith some extra sleep. She was suffering due to lack of sleep, perhaps due to the continued time changes. For some reason she just couldn’t get off to sleep. She would play cards on her iPad, read, but sleep was not forthcoming.
My mate from Carlise, the one l went to the Hymalais with had married an Aussie girl and moved out to Brisbane. We have talked via messenger, and it seems that Alistair and Kerry have been cycling through Vietnam. Not the best time to be in Asia. But he is now home, safe and sound.
Contacted to see if we could meet up, but hanging out for the information from the bridge. At long last we have been told our times for Brisbane. We should get into the port around 8am and be tied up by 8.30. But who knows!
All the pre booked tours will disembark then, so we should be free to leave the ship around 9.30 ish. The shuttle then takes us into the centre, from all accounts that means we should be there around 10.15. The drop off is supposed to be near the station on Ann St and Edward St. But possibly this may alter. They seem to fluctuate, depending on who is running the service. But need to be back on board by 4.30, which means we need to catch the shuttle at 3.30. Not a vast amount of time to see Brisbane, especially as are looking forward to walking the river broad walk, the South Bank and possibly the botanical gardens. And of course the museums and art galleries.
Drop Alistair a note and say we will talk later in the day.
A relaxing day, interjected by three talks, TiChi, musical interludes, walking and of course the odd meal, snack or as it often materialises a grazing feast.
Speak to Alistair who offered suggestions, but realistically the time onshore was going to be so compressed we decided to forgo our meeting. It came down to a choice. Meet up or see the sights. In the end, we chose the latter. After all we can always meet up with them when they visit the UK, which they do on a regular basis. It was disappointing, but we may never get to see Brisbane again.
Early dinner, then into the cinema.
3 March Tuesday Brisbane
31 degrees hot , clear sky but steamy again
The ship docked fairly early, but the tours didn’t manage to get off until gone 8.30
We managed to leave around 9.30 after l had walked and had breakfast with Judith.
Hopped on the bus and headed into town for the 45 minute journey into the centre of the town, parking up in post office square, across from the station. The square is also home to some magnificent sculptures depicting the fallen soldiers of conflict. A shrine of remembrance.
Walked down Edward Street towards the Botanical gardens, passing through a mixture of old colonial buildings pinned in between tall skyscrapers. A real mixture of architecture that seemed to work seamlessly.
The botanical gardens were sumptuous and spread languidly along the side of the Brisbane river.
Headed towards the goodwill bridge past the the old parliament building and the technology university. The bridge was busy with walkers, cyclists and electronic scooters , the latter becoming the latest craze. Albeit that they are banned in most major cities, London, Sydney and Melbourne to name but a few. Presumably they are only safe if they are used away from traffic and pedestrians. Unfortunately there aren’t many places that provide sufficient cycle paths to facilitate this. For those with a penchant for this type of transport, Brisbane does. The maritime museum loomed up from the far bank, with its array of vintage ships and boats on display. On the opposite bank we turned right onto the river walkway and headed along the South Bank, under the shade of an arbor bedecked with vivid Jacaranda flowers.
We passed the beaches, a man made selection of water features, pools and sandy beaches for all ages and from the look of it, extensively used. Up and around the rain forest walk, before returning to the riverside and the Ferris wheel, know as the Brisbane wheel, eventually ending up under the museums that we wish to see. It becomes quite complicated, as we end up on the road system into the car parks. The signage for pedestrians, which had been superb up until now, suddenly disappeared. After a few false start we managed to extricate ourselves up a couple of levels, into the Queensland Art Gallery. We were short of time, so we couldn’t stay long enough to truly absorb ourselves into it. Then it was another quick tour, this time in the Gallery of Modern Art. Interesting, is the best word to describe it. Modern Art is there to provoke thought, you don’t necessarily enjoy it.
It was then time to catch the shuttle bus for the long crawl home to the ship.
Back just in time for the compulsory drill, a twenty minute recap, just to reinforce what we need to do if we hit an iceberg, or we have to jump overboard to escape the Aussies.
Went up on deck to watch the sail away with a glass of something strong to toast our departure from a very pleasant city. It was only then that we noticed a P&O ship, slipping its moorings and following us out.
The light quickly dissolved and it was time to go and feed some more before joined our friends for the evening quiz. Then canasta, a good game spoilt by bickering over rules. It seems that there are so many variations, especially between countries. Doesn’t really matter as long as you agree the rules prior to playing.
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