We hit two milestones today. One, this was our last full day of this marvelous vacation. Two, and much more important, this is Roslyn’s 65th birthday!
I checked my email this morning to find a receipt from Hertz. They got their car back and no further charges are owed. Case closed.
We spent a few hours this morning and afternoon with cousin Carol. We took the harbor ferry to Double Bay, one of the tonier suburbs, where we strolled around the shops and cafes and then had a nice lunch. Carol and her husband Victor will be in the U.S. this fall, and we hope to meet up with them then.
This evening, we celebrated Roslyn’s birthday by taking a dinner cruise around the harbor. We met a lovely couple from Utah, the food was pretty good, and the night time views were beautiful.
The cruise also had a pianist and singer/violinist performing one of the oddest sets we’ve heard since the Sweeney Sisters were on SNL. We especially liked hearing “Karma Chameleon,” followed by “My Boy Lollipop” followed by “Love was Made for Me and You.”
The dinner cruise was a fun way to end what has been a great trip. As Shakespeare wrote, “Our revels now are ended.” We’ve been away from home for 39 days now. We’ve met family we didn’t even know we had. We’ve encountered strangers who are now friends we’d be happy to host in our homes, should they ever visit Atlanta. We’ve walked 165 miles and driven more than 1,500. We’ve taken more than 3,000 pictures. And we’ve had a great time together. We’re very lucky, and we know it.
We started talking about taking this trip not long after we were married. We had been looking forward to it for so long, I was a little worried it couldn’t possibly meet my expectations. And yet it exceeded them. Truly our visit to Australia and New Zealand has been the stuff that dreams are made on. But now it’s time to go home.