Today Allan and I took it easy and didn’t go on the morning tour as we had seen just about everything on our first free day here.
Plus, my foot was a little wonky from all the walking we did on our first day, so went to see a doctor at St. Vincent’s Medical Center. We were able to ride the free tram which took us a block away from the hospital. After ruling out a fracture, the doctor prescribed some meds for me to take to ease the inflammation. She also said rest and ice the foot as much as possible.
The hospital staff was so efficient… From triage, to the nurses, and to the doctor. Everyone was so kind and I felt I was in good hands.
We took the tram back, picked up the meds at the pharmacy, and stopped for lunch at McDonald’s. I couldn’t resist my go-to place for comfort food. It did the trick!
Our guide Susan was so caring and helpful as was the reception desk at our hotel. Aussies are wonderful and caring. We’re very happy to be here.
We had our Welcome Dinner tonight and enjoyed a delicious dinner of kangaroo. It was the loin part of the animal and was tender and tasted just like a prime steak. It was served with kalamata olives, stringbeans and roasted potatoes. Delicious. We had sticky date pudding for dessert.
Getting back to the hotel was a little rough since everyone is out and about so the tram was packed and we couldn’t get on the first one that came. The group decided not to wait for the next tram, but to walk back to the hotel instead, but I didn’t want to walk that far considering my foot. After a 25 minute wait, the next tram finally arrived. It was also packed, but we managed to push our way in and off we went.
About halfway into our destination, a woman with obviously a mental issue, came storming down the aisle pushing everyone aside screaming and ranting. She got to the exit door right where Allan and I were standing, so that was a little scary since she was REALLY angry and screaming. She kept pushing the button to open the door while the tram was moving and then she pulled the emergency lever and the tram slammed to a stop. She kept trying to get out while screaming and cursing, and finally she got the door open and left. The tram moved on and we arrived safely at our stop and walked the short distance back to the hotel.
Always an adventure!
Our kangaroo dinner
My comfort food. (sigh)
They serve water in liquor bottles. Such a great idea!
We slept fairly well and then had breakfast at the hotel which was very good. We then decided to take the free tram that took you around the city in a loop, stopping at sites along the way. The buildings in the city are so unique and it was very enjoyable not to have to walk to see them but just sit back and enjoy the ride.
There are lots of McDonald’s around (called Macca by the locals) so if course we checked it out. McDonald’s first opened in Australia in 1971, and it wasn’t long before the locals started calling it “Macca’s” – a nickname that has stuck ever since. There are several theories about how this came about, but the most likely explanation is that it was simply a shortened version of McDonald’s. The menu is the same except the breakfast menu is called Brekkie. We didn’t try the food, but I did have to pose for the picture.
We each purchased two myki tram cards totaling $26.40 Australian ($17.42 US) which allowed us to ride any tram anywhere for the rest of the day. We decided to travel to St. Kilda beach.
The tram was crowded but we finally reached our destination and walked to where the sand and the water meet. The beach was nothing exciting to see, but watching the sailboats and breathing the sea air was very pleasant.
Our friend Debbie was already there and we all sat down and had lunch right on the water. Allan and I had the fish and chips which was very good.
We sat for awhile chatting and enjoying the view and then took a tram back to the hotel to get ready for the orientation meeting where we would meet the rest of our group.
At the orientation meeting, we met our guide Susan as well as all the folks that will be on the trip with us. We all introduced ourselves and told a little about ourselves and Susan gave us a lot of information about the upcoming days and what to expect. There are 14 folks on the trip and they all seem like they are a lot of fun.
Susan gave each of us a small packet of Vegemite, a thick, dark brown food spread made from leftover brewers’ yeast with vegetables and spices added to it. It was developed by Cyril Callister in 1922. I haven’t tasted it yet, but apparently it has a salty flavor similar to beef bouillon, as well as a bitter malty taste. People spread it on their toast for breakfast. I probably would like it because I love salt rather than sweet and I love anything malty. Will let you know when I sample it some day.
After the meeting, one of the couples told us about an Italian restaurant they came across…A25… And so after a drink in the lounge with Debbie, the three of us went for an Italian dinner. I had the Napoli with homemade fettuccine and Allan had lasagne and we both enjoyed a red wine to go with our meal.
Tomorrow, we will be changing out of daylight savings time and our clocks will go back one hour.
We ate at the Beachcomber restaurant on the water.
We had to take two flights before we would arrive at our destination – Melbourne, Australia – first to Dallas with United and then the almost 18 hour flight to Melbourne on Qantas. We did have turbulence upon leaving Jersey, and even the pilot was surprised that it was so rough, but he was able to get above the storm and the rest of the flight was uneventful.
The flight with Qantas was wonderful. We had plenty to eat, were given soft PJ’s with a kangaroo on them to sleep in if we so desired, and the flight crew was amazing, bringing us extra drinks and food whenever we asked. I requested a glass of wine and a cheese plate in the middle of the night, and it was delivered with a smile.
With 18 hours to keep myself busy, I watched movies and read. Of course, I had to watch my favorite movie – Dirty Dancing, which I’ve seen about 100 times. Just love it! And Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was another oldie but goodie that made the time pass by.
And, I probably got about 7 hours sleep. It’s so nice to be able to stretch out in a comfy bed. The flight attendant even put a nice cushion cover on top of the bed and so along with the pillow and blanket, it was lights out!
At the end of the flight we met another traveler, Debbie, who is in our group and it was nice to be together and get to know each other.
Our hotel is in a convenient location to the tram as well as to the shops, etc. and our room is very nice, with an almost floor to ceiling window that overlooks the city. We took a shower after checking into our room and then went with our new friend for a walk over to the South Melbourne Market, that was recommended for us to visit by one of our flight attendants. On the way to the market, we passed the Melbourne Heliport, where I was lucky to catch one of the choppers as it took off into the sun. It reminded me of a Miss Saigon poster.
We arrived at the market, where you could purchase anything and everything from vegetables and fruit, to knick knacks, pastries, meats, fish, rugs, shoes, clothing, and so much more! And….you could even get your hair cut and styled. It was 1-stop shopping. There were also a lot of kiosks to purchase food but it was 9 am and we really weren’t hungry as we had already eaten breakfast on the plane.
People are very friendly here and one lady stopped to ask if we needed help as she saw us trying to decipher our map and she kindly pointed the way to the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and Kings Domain.
The Royal gardens feature more than 8,500 species of plants from around the world and many were still in bloom. There are many statues throughout the garden honoring the soldiers who fought in WWI.
I was very moved seeing the Australian Turkish Friendship monument and reading the inscription surrounding it. The sculpture is shaped as a crescent made from interwoven steel. It honors the soldiers who died in the conflict and poppy flowers can be placed into the steel filigree. In front of the wreath are two seed pods symbolizing the future and friendship. The inscription reads “Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives – You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore, rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us, where they lay side by side. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives, they are now our sons as well “.
We walked by the Shrine of Remembrance built to honor the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I. It now functions as a memorial to all Australians who have served in any war. and is one of the largest war memorials in Australia.
We went into the Galleries of Remembrance which is housed under the Shrine, and presents the stories of Australians in wartime for more than 100 years. The Gallery of Medals symbolizes the sacrifice of men and women by displaying 4,000 war medals in glass cases.
We went into the crypt where the ships lost at sea are commemorated in bronze and in the center of the crypt is a statue of a father and son, honoring the courage of the two generations who fought in the two world wars.
We had a beverage and a little rest in the Gallery coffee shop before we walked along the Yarra river and went to Federation Square and had a bite to eat outside the National Gallery of Victoria which we might visit tomorrow.
We went back to the hotel to rest up before dinner. Allan and I had a glass of wine in the lounge before meeting up with Debbie and we all walked to Chinatown to find the Chinese restaurant that was recommended to us – Shanghai Street. We found it…and the line wove around the corner to get in and didn’t seem to be moving, so we popped in to another restaurant across the street and had bento boxes. The meal was okay, different food items from what I am used to, but we were hungry and tired so we ate and walked back to the hotel.
Melbourne is a cosmopolitan city with beautiful architecture, a young vibe, and a city beat. As we strolled back to our hotel, we saw people eating dinner at sidewalk eateries enjoying the beautiful evening, greeting friends at bars where the music within floated out to the people passing by, or just walked companionably side by side, pausing to listen to the street performers singing and playing instruments. The streets were crowded and everyone seemed happy and full of life.
We were exhausted, so we bid Debbie a good night and Allan and I went to our room and plopped into bed.
We’ll leave the Melbourne nightlife experience for another evening.
An assortment of pasteries at the market
One of the statues depicting WW I soldiers
Shrine of Remembrance
flowers in bloom
Dinner last night. And that was for one person!! There was also mochi for dessert that we had in Japan.
We’re off on another adventure – this time to tour the last continent that we have not been to as of yet. It will be a rugged trip…lots of hiking, swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, camping in the Outback, and many more adventures that we hope will be wonderful.
We decided not to take the pre-trip to Tasmania nor the Post-trip Bay of Islands. Upon looking at the itineraries, we decided not much was happening that we were interested in, and actually, being away for a month as it is, would be enough travel time away from home.
It is a very long flight…Newark to Dallas and then a 17 hour flight to Melbourne. We’re traveling business class so at least we’ll be able to hopefully get some sleep. I’m hoping to see many movies that we’ve missed in the theaters as well.
As long as the internet cooperates, I hope to blog everyday except in the Outback as we will not have electricity or internet connection there.
We left Verandah this morning and we will certainly miss this lovely resort. Were there things that could have gone better in terms of the service in the restaurants? Yes, absolutely. But the staff are amazingly friendly and accommodating, the food decent, the resort is immaculate, the pools kept pristine, and the beaches are beautiful, so we definitely could overlook the few problems with the food service.
I think our favorite place to eat was the Rasta Beach Grill for lunch and the pizzas at Papa Ricco’s were delicious even though waiting for a pizza took forever. I did enjoy the selections each morning at the Sea Breeze for breakfast and having a poached egg on top of corned beef hash was a treat.
The tropical drinks were usually excellent, particularly the margaritas at the Rasta Grill and the pina coladas at the main pool bar.
We enjoyed spending time at the Wavy Wicket each night for a pre-dinner cocktail and sometimes for a post-dinner nightcap. The Wavy Wicket is a little place tucked away not far from the Sea Breeze, that I don’t think many folks know about since it was always pretty quiet.
Walking to breakfast we saw a guy who had shimmied up a coconut palm tree and was cutting the coconuts down. Interestingly, the palms don’t actually produce a nut, but a “drupe” and the palm trees themselves can grow up to 98 feet tall!I Lounging under these trees is lovely, but it’s not the best idea. The drupes can weight about 3 lbs, and if you happen to be sitting under one, you can really get injured. In fact, falling drupes do, on occasion, kill people in the tropics. It was good to see Verandah was taking down the drupes all over the resort.
The drupes are prized for their coconut water which is very healthy to drink. Apparently there is nothing better than to drill a hold in the drupe, stick a straw in, and enjoy the coconut water. The coconut cream is used for tropical drinks.
After breakfast we saw Marco and thanked him for the wine he sent to our table last night. We talked to him about the restaurant inconsistency, and also encouraged him, since we know he has his work cut out for him to make the resort five star. He hugged me and we did the “kiss both cheeks” thing again, and he shook Allan’s hand.
When our cab came to take us to the airport, Marco was going by in his golf cart. He jumped out and once again, wished us a safe journey. We hugged again and we took a picture with him. I told him that friends of ours were coming in March and I will tell them, when they see him, to say “The Basil Tea lady told us to say hello”.
I saw he had a hand of bananas in his cart and he gave each one of us one to eat. They were delicious!
Getting through the airports wasn’t too bad, and we got home safe and sound. It was a wonderful vacay! Looking forward to doing it again next year, perhaps visiting another beautiful island.
After breakfast we went to the quiet pool and chatted with a couple from Ontario. They told us that Sandals in St Lucia, is a lovely resort. Allan and I had a wonderful time at Beaches (until we didn’t with Covid), so I’d be interested in investigating Sandals, which is the adult version of Beaches, for next year.
We met Marco, the general manager, on our way to meet Sharon and Dick for lunch at Rasta beach grill, and we told him that we thought the restaurants needed a bit of revamping. He said he was totally aware and he was going to be implementing major changes. He has only been here for four months, and he is definitely trying his best.
He asked if I wanted more basil but told him we were leaving tomorrow. He asked what our cottage number was and told us he was sending a bottle of wine to us for dinner tonight. Allan shook his hand and I leaned in to kiss his cheek and he made me kiss his other cheek as well saying “I’m Italian!!”
We had a lovely lunch at Rasta Grill and said farewell to Theo, our favorite waiter.
We lounged on the beach for a while and then went back to pack.
We met Sharon and Dick for a pre-dinner cocktail and then made our way over to Sails and Tales. (Apparently, I’ve been spelling “Tales” wrong all these days…spelling it “Tails”…rather than what it actually is…”Tales”. But I think “Tails” works better…lobster tails, fish tails…but what do I know!)
We had our pictures taken before dinner and we were then seated. All of the staff seemed to keep checking on us all throughout dinner, mainly because Marco, true to his word, sent a bottle of wine to our table. I guess the waitstaff figured we knew Marco and so they did their best to make us feel special.
It was a lovely Valentine’s Day and we are sad to know our vacay has come to an end. Tomorrow, we fly home.
It was another beautiful day in the Caribbean. It rained this morning when we first awoke, but then the sun came out and there was a lovely breeze all day.
After breakfast we went to the beach to stake out our chairs and went back to change into our suits. The water was lovely and Sharon, Dick, and I waded out to the rings and had a nice respite floating leisurely in the water.
Allan and I had enough sun so we changed into shorts and went to Rasta beach for lunch. I had delicious mahi mahi and two margaritas and Allan had a burger and two gin and tonics. Our favorite waiter Theo was there and he always takes good care of us.
We went to the beach and promptly fell asleep for about an hour in the shade and then went to play mini golf. Allan won. It was those margaritas that took me off my game. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
We went to the small secluded pool and read awhile before going back to get ready for dinner.
For the first time, dinner at Portofino was a disaster. They ran out of two of the appetizers and then they said they didn’t have any more of the house Cabernet. What???? We also waited forever for our meal to come. They finally came up with wine, and the food was very good, but they really need more organization in the kitchen.
The sun knocked Allan and me out so we didn’t go for a nightcap.
I realized I never posted my blog post from a few days ago…so here it is…
We’ve never been in the Caribbean in a rain storm, but there’s a first for everything.
The rain started during the night. When it first began, it was a pleasant sound as it gently tapped on the roof, but as the night went on, the rain picked up force and the wind started blowing fiercely, and they both joined forces to pummel the metal roof.
We were lucky that it ended a bit by breakfast so we were able to get to the buffet without getting very wet at all. We had brought our rain jackets so we were fine.
However, the heavens opened again after breakfast and we stayed in our cottage and read, played five crowns, and I did some knitting.
We met Dick and Sharon to walk over for lunch at Sails and Tails, but before hand, we went and made reservations for dinners for the upcoming days, as well as procuring a day pass to Verandah s neighbor, Pineapple Beach. We also made a dinner reservation at Pineapple’s grill for another evening.
We started walking to lunch and it started to rain, and by the time we arrived at Sails and Tails, it was raining hard and the wind was blowing in earnest.
We were seated, and the chairs behind us were blowing into our table and the rain was really coming down. We asked to move further into the restaurant and were seated at another table. But by then, the wind was really ferocious and we were getting very wet, so we had to move our table again. It’s an open air restaurant with a roof, so not much protection. Unfortunately, they must have lost our lunch order because we sat and waited for well over an hour and a half and still, no lunch. Dick finally asked to move to the bar area where the wind wasn’t as bad, and they seated us there, even though they don’t usually allow eating at the bar. I was shivering at that point and finally, after they put our order in again, we were served.
By then, it was pouring and when we finally walked back to our cottage, my pants were drenched. We hung our wet clothes up and just climbed under the covers to warm up and take a nap.
We had dinner reservations at 7 at Portofino restaurant, and so around 6:30 when there was a break in the rain, we hightailed it over to the restaurant and waited till they were ready to seat us.
Dinner was very nice. I had bruschetta with chicken livers for an appetizer and had mahi mahi for the main course. Allan had an eggplant appetizer with the mahi mahi and he had peach Melba for dessert.
After dinner we made our way to the Wavy Wicket for drinks and then walked back to our cottage. It was still raining, but the wind had died down so the walk wasn’t too bad.
Hopefully as the song says, the sun will come out tomorrow!
After breakfast, we were walking back to our cottage when we saw Marco coming by in his golf cart. Marco is the General Manager of Verandah and we had spoken to him before when he was out and about, calling him by name, which I think he was surprised that we knew. (We found out his name when talking to a couple who originally came from South Africa, who now live in Boston, who have been coming to this resort for seven years, and the gentleman plays tennis with Marco.)
This time, we flagged him down to say hello and we noticed he was carrying a bouquet of basil that he was taking to the kitchen. We told him we heard that they give garden tours on Thursdays, but since we were leaving on Thursday, was there a chance we could go before then. He said he’d see what he could do.
We told him that at the pizza place, the margarita pizza didn’t have much basil on it. He said that shouldn’t be, especially since they grow an abundance of it in the garden. I said what he was holding smelled wonderful, so he gave me some and told me to steep the leaves in hot water to make basil tea.
We said goodbye…he going to rectify the lack of basil on the margarita pizza pies…and me to brew some basil tea. Which I did. Delicious!!!!!
So then Allan and I went for a walk and we passed the garden. There was a man there loading up a truck with some of the vegetables. I told him that Marco said I should try brewing basil leaves, and I asked the man if he had any to spare. He said to follow him and he took me to row after row of beautiful basil, where he cut me numerous stalks to make my tea. We thanked him and went on our way.
Sharon, Dick, Allan, and I had lunch at Sails and Tails and we waited quite a while to be served, as we had a waitress who had just started today. The poor thing was truly overwhelmed, so we did our best to put her at ease.
After lunch Allan and I sat by the pool and talked with a very nice couple for a while, who also were going over to the grill at Pineapple Beach tonight, just as we had arranged to do.
We took the cart over to Pineapple and started dinner with a drink. The drinks were not great…my dirty martini was not dirty at all and Dick’s drink was terrible. The meal was very nice though and afterwards we went back to our resort, went to the pool bar and had a nightcap. Leon made me a great Bentley and then it was off to bed.
We had a nice breakfast and then Sharon, Dick, Allan, and I spent the morning at the beach. It’s been windy and a bit chilly, so we didn’t go into the water. It was lovely though to just lounge while drinking a pina colada and watch the sun dancing on the water. I did a little knitting, some reading, and then we walked over to the Rasta Beach grill for lunch.
Theo, our favorite waiter, took good care of us and made sure that my burger was just how I like it.
We took a cart back to our cottage and got ready for Asian night at the buffet. Before we left for the buffet I watched a beautiful sunset from our balcony.
We had a drink at the bar before dinner, and after dinner, we brought drinks back to our cottage so that Dick, Allan, and I could watch the Super Bowl. (Sharon isn’t a fan of football so she just popped in briefly at halftime.)
Leon, one of our favorite bartenders, is sometimes at the Wavy Wicket when we are there, but tonight he was at the main bar. He knows I occasionally love a Bentley, a non-alcoholic drink, and he knows I like it with a tad more simple syrup. He made my drink, and then took a spoon and put a little on his wrist to taste it for me, to make sure it was how I like it. What a fabulous bartender!! We will definitely give him a good tip when we leave!!
The first three quarters of the game were a snooze-fest, but it picked up at the end and then was very exciting since it went into O.T.
Sadly, the 49ers lost, even though they were leading at halftime 10-3. They collapsed in overtime, allowing the Chiefs to march down the field with Mahomes throwing to Hardman for the winning touchdown, ending the game at 25-22.
The commercials, that always used to be the highlights of Super Bowl, were pretty lame, and I wasn’t impressed with the halftime show either, so I’m glad Super Bowl LVIII is over!
