Our time was short! After the aquarium, we rushed back to the room to get ready for the big finale, the Formal Dinner.
Now, me and formal go together like chitlin's and caviar, and I'd druther have gone back to the sheep ranch and flung bloomerangs and wear loincloths and play didjeridoos. But, my wife was very aroused about getting to dress up for one more evening of romance, so I capitulated:
At the end of each Watkins trip, we are treated to a fabulous dinner at an exotic location where we all come together for the last time until next time. On the New Zealand trip, the finale was held at the Imperial Theater in Auckland. If anyone has seen the new King Kong movie, the theater where Kong was put on display is the Imperial. It was, in a word, opulent. I was wondering "How will they top that?"
Well, they did.
We loaded up the buses and went to Sydney Town Hall, the original government building for the colony. From the outside, it looked like any other old historic building. There was a red carpet laid out, trumpeters announcing our arrival, and a throng of Sydneysiders with inquisitive expressions watching busload after busload file off in all of our finery. Most of them wore an expression of WTH?
The foyer had a fancy ceiling like the Sistine Chapel in Italy, except there was no tacky nekkid men painted on it:
There were some big ol' champagnedeliers dangling from up there. They were fantabulous!
Everyone cleaned up really nice.
Kim & Mike from Myrtle Beach, SC:
My Top Gun buddy "Merlin" and Jessica from somewhere out in the desert in CA:
Regina & Craig from Ft. Worth, TX:
Holly & Bruce from Maryland:
Of course, we were served beer, wine, champagne, and hor d' vouers while we waited for all of the buses to unload. Then, the doors swung open into the dining hall:
It looked like one of the dining scenes from a Harry Potter movie. Long rows of table with huge candleabras, flower arrangements, and food running the entire length of the hall. The room was bathed in red, blue, and purple lights that made it seem surreal.
At the end of the hall was a huge pipe organ with the organist playing music from Phantom of the Opera. A collective "Wowwwwww!" echoed throughout the room.
After we were seated, the Australian Children's Choir sang the Aussie National Anthem and then followed up with a beautiful rendition of "Waltzing Matilda." It was so moving, it actually made me feel sorry for the swagman (who I had come to despise as nothing more than a damn sheep thief). They also sang "World of Pure Imagination" from Willie Wonka, the original. I had visions of Oompa-Loompas frolicking through my thoughts, and still have them to this day.
Alright, alright, enough mushy-gushiness. Bring on the food!
This lovely lass kept me supplied with grub and Victoria Bitter beer all evening so I told her I'd make her famous on the internet:
We started with a salad followed by Vissisouis, a dreadful cold potato soup, and then, filet mignon with grilled baramoundi, a fish. It was mighty tasty. Once again, we had a delectable dessert that I can't remember.
After a brief address from the VP, a video of all of our week's exploits were shown. A film crew followed us around and videotaped and there my big ol' butt was hoppin' with the Roo Boys, flinging a boomerang, and getting tangled up in a barbed wire fence. My wife was shamed but I figured I was recorded for posterity in a way depicting the real me and not putting on airs.
Then, the moment everyone had anticipated: The unveiling of next year's destination. I was hoping for Gary, IN, but we're going to Athens, Greece.
We danced to a song the band played, but after having been there for 4 hours, I said we needed to go and pack for home.
Next post is the last....
Terminator
