Brisbane

Since we grew up in Brisbane and now live about 50 kms away, we planned a very low key day here.

We had arranged for our son, Robert to bring our extra bags to the port – with our formal clothes, extra clothes and toiletries etc. that we didn’t want to take on the flight to Sydney – so he was there to meet us when we disembarked from the ship at Portside in Hamilton.

Rob didn’t start work until the afternoon shift so we had a chauffeur for most of the day.

 First stop – the Kangaroo Point cliffs for a coffee – this is a great vantage point with views over the city from the opposite side of the river, then the city CBD for some last minute shopping and sightseeing before we headed to Southbank parklands for a wander – more photo stops at the Tibetan temple and then we found a café for lunch.

 Rob departed to head off to work – I felt a bit sad because we won’t see him and his lovely wife Ruth for three months.

We caught the Citycat ferry service from Southbank back to Hamilton wharf and walked back to the Dockside precinct.

While planning our visit to Brisbane, there was only one thing that I wanted to do – a touch of reminiscing. We first met Jo and Garry at the Byblos restaurant at Portside in 2011 when they were on another cruise and we were communicating by email to organise our tours for the 2011 world cruise and so I wanted to go back there together for a drink.

Since it was now 3.00pm by the time we returned to the ship, and all aboard was at 3.30, so we had very little time …. we looked crazy hurrying in the opposite direction to the wave of other passengers walking back through the terminal to the ship …and we were rushing back through the terminal, across to the shopping area, and of course… Murphy’s law ……Byblos is the furthest restaurant at the very end of the wharf….. we rushed around the corner …. and ……..the doors were closed……..pressing my face to the glass, I spied someone inside and asked him …….’It’s Monday and we don’t open till 5’ ….. my face fell …..sentimental creature that I am,  I had been looking forward to taking them back there.

 All was not lost….… we found another bar on our way back to the pier …….. and toasted our friendship and our adventure ahead with a glass of bubbles and cold beers for the menfolk and then hurried back to the ship …. almost the last back onboard of course.

We love to have sailaway at the back of deck 11 and so we took our drinks and birthday cake up there and met up with a lot of other friends to wave a fond farewell to our beloved Brisvegas.