March 23, 2026

Melbourne is great, I'm so glad we got more time here. Bosco planned a fun night of exploring for us! We took the tram into the CBD, and got off at the Yarra River Promenade , just as the sun was setting.

There are tons of restaurants, bars, shops, arts and entertainment all along both shores of the river. Several bridge crossings give lots of pedestrian and traffic pathways. It was a beautiful Friday night, the bar spaces were varied and hopping.

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We walked across the Sandridge Bridge, as it gave a better view of the modern Evan Walker Bridge and then went past 

the train station at Flinders into Fed Square. We stopped for dinner at Taco Bill's a local hot spot for giant punch bowl margaritas! We went for the regular size and enjoyed tacos and enchiladas.

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Next we went to this fun bar called Arcane Fairies that had a ceiling full of pretty glass mosaic lights and fairy statues and they delivered your drinks in light covered baskets, via a conveyor belt system along the ceiling, from the bar. We had another drink here and then we were off to dance at the Spiegal Haus rooftop bar. We took a break from dancing, grabbed another drink and were talking to locals, when the owner came over into the conversation and asked if we wanted to go see the show in progress. Friends of ours from the ship, were in the show and had over a $100 for their tickets, We saw the end of the first act and surprised our friends at the intermission! We stayed a little while longer and then called it a night taking the tram all the way back to the Port.

SHIP SHENANIGANS - CLUE PARTY

By Pat Patrick • September 16, 2026
It's never a dull Sea Day on the Odyssey! We have such creative residents, that are always coming up with new ideas to entertain ourselves and have a good time. This plot was the calculating of Eddie and Michelle - a Game of Clue! The rules were simple - find the party venue at 8:30 pm, come dressed as a character, weapon or room from the game and solve the mystery of who stole the Ship's bell.

TERRACOTTA ARMY - XI'AN, CHINA

By Pat Patrick • September 16, 2026
In March of 1974, some local farmers outside Xi'An, China are digging a well and accidentally hit one of the great archaeological sites in the World! They were paid one day's wages for the find, roughly 4 USD! The Terracotta Army was dubbed the 8th Wonder of the World by France's President in 1980 when he came to visit and wanted to meet the farmers, the oldest was then, 89 years old.

XI'AN, CHINA - WALLED CITY

By Pat Patrick • September 15, 2026
Xi'An, China has been on my must do list , for awhile. The story of the Terracotta Army has fascinated me, since I first heard it. What I didn't know too much about, was the actual City of Xi'An and the walled inner City that remains today. It was built from 1370 to 1378 during the Ming dynasty on top of the older Tang dynasty foundations. There are 9 miles of City walls, they are 39' high, 45' to 50' wide at the top and 55' to 60' at the base. There are four main gate towers and the only draw bridge restored is at the South Gate. There are 98 ramparts, watchtowers, battlements and a wide surrounding moat. It one of the oldest and best preserved fortifications in China .