We entered Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, by way of its namesake river. The Viking Orion docked riverside at a recently developed cruise ship terminal, including shops and apartments looking directly into our cabins. The residents seemed to be as interested in our presence as we were in theirs.
We left the ship for a scenic panoramic look at the city by way of a motor coach. Brisbane is a bustling city - lots of construction and renovation going on in older areas of the city - with skyscrapers and a mix of old and new architecture in the city center. Our coach stopped atop Mt. Coot-tha, the highest point in the city, for a great view of the city and the river which snakes its way through it. The weather was sunny and warm which made the outing that much nicer.
After lunch we returned by Viking's shuttle bus to the downtown area. Our first stop was St. John's Anglican Cathedral, a beautiful gothic structure begun in 1906 and completed in 2009. Inside we found some unique art: life-size figures of the Christmas story, from the Annunciation to the visit of the Magi, made of cardboard. In the photo is Jan standing next to one of the wise men.
From there we made our way to the Queen Street Mall - several long blocks sealed from traffic with hundreds of stores, restaurants, bars, boutiques - and crowds of people enjoying the sun and the Christmas decorations. And being from the northern USA, it is still a wonderment to see them without snow or at least cold weather! In Australia, Christmas falls in the beginning of their summer.
We did a little shopping and more sight-seeing, logging about 6 miles before returning to the ship. Later tonight we begin another day at sea on our way to Newcastle. More to come...
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