Oh Lord we’re back in Sydney again.

When we left Australia three years ago Laura said we’ll never come back again but here we are after a 14-hour flight . Of course I just had to get back to the Fortunes of War pub, one of the few places I can get Tuohy Black ale.

It was raining when we arrived, but no matter, we were so jet-lagged we hardly noticed. In any case we had to check in to the ship, unpack and figure out what was where on Oceania Insignia. We actually arrived a bit early so we were treated to a very nice breakfast at the Shangri-La hotel before going to Insignia our home for the next six weeks. Interestingly enough Insignia was moored at the Circular Quay, the same place that Solstice had been three years ago and the view of the opera house from our balcony was exactly the same.

The next day was beautiful, sunny and warm, and we left the ship early and walked over to The Rocksa very old area of the city, populated by restaurants, pubs, and shops. We had a mission, presents for our grandchildren. So we spent the day strolling through the area until our mission was accomplished — and more.

Laura found a hand-dyed outfit at a boutique which led to a interesting episode getting our VAT back.

As we walked toward the opera house we passed aborigine performers — drumming sticks and a digeridoo. We stopped to get some ice cream and then headed back.

It’s common to see people feeding the pigeons or even the seagulls. In Sydney they also feed the ibises — very strange. We made it back to the ship and managed to get our VAT refund.