Brisbane

Brisbane, Australia – March 3, 2014

Wow! A real city!! We haven’t seen skyscrapers since we left South America. In many of the South Pacific islands we’ve visited, you can’t even build anything that’s higher than a palm tree. I think our necks will be a little bit stiff tonight!

As we’ve always said, “We’ve never met an Australian we didn’t like!” They are just so fun-loving and their mantra seems to be “No worries, mate!” Chuck asked the driver of our shuttle bus into the city if he could take his picture….and, as you can see, this bloke is having fun….and clearly has no worries!!

When we were in Brisbane in 2008 we happened upon a Belgian Beer Café that we really loved. It was the next best thing to actually being in Belgium. They had those unbelievable hand-cut french fries with rosemary and sea salt, and they were served….well, like this…..

Our traveling buddies met us there for an extended lunch and it was every bit as good as we remembered. I guess the only question might be….”Why would we travel all the way to Australia on the other side of the earth to go to a Belgian café??” And we have no answer to that!

On the way to Brisbane we were invited to dine with the Chief Security Officer on Queen Victoria. We had lots of questions and he was very forthcoming. Chuck was curious about the LRADs (Long Range Acoustic Devices) that are positioned on the decks for use in the event of a pirate attack. They basically emit harmful and pain-inducing tones that are disabling to humans. Chuck and Damon have been invited to a private demonstration….and perhaps a duel at 50 paces with the LRADs!?! When we asked if there are weapons on board, we were told that there is no need because the Gurkhas (Nepalese soldiers who make up the majority of the security force) can kill you with a pencil!! I guess when they tell us to queue up we’d better pay attention!!

Chuck, Susan, Damon and Ginny with our new friend, Andy.