Wednesday, February 19th – early rise! I decided to join the Princess Harmony Choir for this leg of our journey. The choir met at 5:30 am, on deck, in our bathrobes to sing as we entered Sydney Harbor. Our director, David Crathorne, timed it perfectly so we would sail past the Opera House singing ‘Waltzing Matilda” and then “I Still Call Australia Home” as we sailed directly under the Harbor Bridge. We were all singing along and I suddenly realized the bridge was straight in front of us. It was still dark but the lights were twinkling as we approached. The harmony of the choir echoed off the bottom of the bridge as we sang louder….”I Still Call Australia, Still Call Australia, Still Call Australia Home”! Gave me chills. I’ll admit, it was early and I really did not think many people would come out before sunrise. Bob estimated a few hundred standing on deck as we entered Sydney Harbor. It was very moving.

“I’ve been to cities that never close down from New York to Rio to old London Town, but no matter how far or how wide you roam, I still call Australia home. All the sons and daughters, spinning round the world, away from their family and friends. But as the world gets older and colder, it’s good to know where your journey ends. But someday we’ll all be together once more, when all the ships come back to the shore, I realize something I’ve always known, I still call Australia home”.

The sun started to rise as we docked at the White Bay Terminal. You could see the Harbor Bridge from our ship. We’ve visited Australia 20 years ago, but didn’t make it to Sydney, so we’re very excited to be here.

Our tour took us through downtown and our guide showed us points of interest. We are going on a 3-hour harbor cruise. It’s a perfect, sunny 80F day with blue sky and a nice warm breeze. We went to the top, open deck so we didn’t miss a thing. We sailed past the famous Opera House with everyone taking pictures as we slowly went by. Our guide pointed out famous hotels, million dollar homes, beaches, islands, lighthouses, sailboats, ships, parks and gardens. There was one beach famous for surfing and other with huge nets to protect swimmers from sharks. We cross over the harbor and came back on the opposite side. We went under the Harbor Bridge and to Darling Harbor.

Came back to the ship and met our friends. We then took the shuttle bus back to Darling Harbor and just strolled around enjoying the views, the architecture and meeting people. Walked the harbor and back over a pedestrian bridge. Took a shuttle back to the ship so we could hear the Sydney Men’s Choir who were coming aboard for a show at 6 pm.

We stood out on deck for sunset and the sail away out of Sydney Harbor. What a fabulous sight! I couldn’t believe the color of the sky just as we were passing the Opera House. Thank you Lord for that perfect painting!

What a wonderful day we had in Sydney. So much more to see and do. We’d love to come back and stay so we have time to explore.