Night time with Arcadia - Sydney Australia

Arcadia is the 'Star of the Show' at Circular Quay in Sydney.

G'Day again,

My grateful thanks to Tony Sutherland who sent me these fantastic pictures of ARCADIA in Harbour. Tony disembarked Arcadia at Sydney - Tony we hope you return to Arcadia soon and thank you for the many photographs you have shared with us - we sure enjoy your wonderful talent for photography. I felt the need to do another blog and share these with you.

4 hours until sailing at midnight.

What a view from the street benches by the Sydney Opera House. The lighting in the Glass Lift Tower changes colour and this is the only time you really notice - when you are viewing the ship from ashore at night.

Meet the owners of the Golden Century Chinese Restaurant in China Town - Sussex Street Sydney - where we enjoyed the best Chinese Meal ever! Hello Zora - hope you are reading the blog today. This was on Friday evening after arrival.

Eric Wong to my left and Linda Wong to my right. You will see Pauline, Sophie and Graham from our Shore Excursion team in the background and Lester our Premier Sous Chef. The Restaurant seats 600 people with a kitchen staff of 45. They have the best selection of live seafood in Sydney - you choose what you want from the fish tanks - the seafood is then weighted and taken away to the kitchen to be prepared - you can't get fresher than that! I loved the Parrot Fish. However it was all good as we shared lots of dishes.

A great view for all the harbour ferries going in and out.

Soon Arcadia will be backing out of the berth - next stop Brisbane. A call to remember.

It is always good to have a Chef in your party who can check out the produce with authority. Lester was well impressed with everything. There was no way I was going to hold that crab - not even for a blog photograph!!!!

Check out the Opera House in the background. Only a five minute stroll from the terminal. It is all on your doorstep from one of the finest hotels in Sydney!!!!!!

' Love shine a light in every corner of the world' - I hear a song coming on! Talking of songs, after a busy evening I met up with Marti Webb - and we went for a stroll in the city taking in the Opera House - there was a wedding taking place on the Opera House Terrace in a see through marquee - all very glamorous. We popped into the Opera House for old times sake and then ended up in one of those Champagne bars with a Terrace and watched the world go by and caught up on all the news! Marti joined us at Sydney and we returned to the ship just in time for sailing - not wasting a minute of shore leave! The song 'Tell me on a Sunday' was written for Marti and we look forward to her two performances in The Palladium Theatre.

Until the next time - soon the house lights will be switched off, along with the dress lights, and the navigation lights will come on and at midnight the ropes will let go - Arcadia has certainly left her mark in Sydney.

At 0001 Arcadia slipped out of harbour to the applause and wolf whistling of the Saturday Night Revellers in the many bars and restaurants adjacent to the Opera House, like a Shadow in the night, but then with every shadow there is a light! The excitement experienced with the people we met in Sydney can only be compared to that of a new ship launch - Arcadia is now firmly re-established in the minds of many people and after arriving in Australia at Fremantle as the 'new kid on the block' she is now legendary, on a journey in her life that is only just beginning.........do you ever wonder at how many words include 'ship'? Friendship, companionship, hardship, comradeship.......for the Ship's Company the call was hard work but great fun - work hard and play hard!!

Bye for now,

James.

'Friendship grants many wishes'