The Blue Domes of Santorini

You have probably seen many photos of the blue domes of Santorini.  It sits high on a cliff all dressed in blinding white and oh so beautiful blue!  Our bus took us up and we had three ways to get down - cable car, donkey or walk.  We were given a ticket for the cable car so that's what we did.

Many of the blue domes are private chapels owned by families.  There are some ruins but mostly stores and restaurants grace the narrow cobblestone streets.  We had lunch overlooking the Aegean Sea.  Trying to avoid pasta in my quest to maintain my weight, while on excursions I ate lots of bruschetta and margarita pizza.  Their pizza is thin crust and not drowning in cheese so it is not as bad as our US versions!  It must have worked because I gained only 1.5 lbs.  Walking all day, everyday, helped too.  I had a few gelatos along the way also!

Our ship anchored offshore.  We had to be tendered in.

Note the blue domes, almost lost in the blue sky and blue water.

Ted dressed to blend in to the scenery!

The ruins that are being preserved.

A garden presentation as we climbed up the hill.

This was a favorite port for many.  

Greece

The ruins in Akrotiri were facinating! Archeologists indicated these are from an advanced, peaceful civilization destroyed by a volcano in 1600 BC. They found multi level housing with indoor plumbing, store fronts, a religious facility, art and no weapons. An unproven theory is that this civilization inspired Plato's Atlantis. More information is in the photo captions for whomever is interested.  Here is what Google had to say:

Akrotiri (Greek: Ακρωτήρι, pronounced Greek: [akroˈtiri]) is a Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini (Thera). The settlement was destroyed in the Theran eruption sometime in the 16th century BC and buried in volcanic ash which preserved the remains of fine frescoes and many objects and artworks. The settlement has been suggested as a possible inspiration for Plato's story of Atlantis. The site has been excavated since 1967.

A bathtub 

Decorated jars

Window next to a doorway

Overall excavation area, working since 1967.  Most of these areas are found when building projects are started.

Connecting rooms

This would be a wealthy person as indicated by the symmetry of the stones as opposed to whatever was available.

Many wall frescoes and decorated items have been moved to the museum for preservation and for all to enjoy.  The wall art had to be pieced together like a puzzle.

Monkey fresco.

Dolphins and lilies, two things they obviously were familiar with.

1600 BC!  Can you imagine?  It is mind boggling to me.  

Next Up - Malta and Greece

Malta is an impressive island sitting near Italy and Greece.  Despite their money woes, Malta is experiencing a burgeoning economy.  It is virtually a walled island and uses its natural resources wisely.  I would suspect a good government too.

Horse drawn carriage rides

Chariot and cart ruts 

The blue grotto

An altar carved into a roadside rock wall.

This stop was added when Ephasus, Turkey was removed due to visas not being issued by either government.  As much as I would have liked to get a glimpse of Turkey, I also want to be safe.  Malta turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  

Sicily

Well Sicily is part of Italy and it didn't disappoint.  We were touring Toarmino where the tour guide said there was nothing to see, Ted couldn't get change at a bank and there are no bathrooms so use one in a restaurant.  Great!  We got change despite her prediction, walked from one city gate to the other (she was right, nothing to see but shops and restaurants), then found a cute outdoor restaurant up some stone stairs.  There we availed ourselves of E3,50 (about $4.25 USD each) Cokes, used their free wifi and bathrooms then joined our group when one hour was up.  And it started sprinkling.

We were supposed to take an hour boat ride to an island.  I asked six times if the boat was covered.  She just kept repeating what is in the tour description.  I don't think she understood English and just had pat responses when she heard key words.  We were about 20 minutes late because one man was in the wrong meeting place and the boat was full when we arrived.

So off she went negotiating with other boat owners until she found one to take us.  The only cover was over the driver.  Most seats were wet, wooden benches along the front sides.  The thought of riding one hour to an island where we would not get off because there was nothing there, in the rain, did not sound like fun to me!  My out was they could only take 10 and we were 12.  I told her we were not going.  And she argued with me!  Another man with bad knees said he would not be able to make the big step down into the boat and she argued with him!  The four of us went off to a restaurant to buy expensive Cokes, use the bathroom but couldn't get the wifi to work.  The other couple ordered lunch and they were told all they could order was lasagna!  

When the next tour group, containing four of our group, arrived, Connie and Mike chose not to go because it was lightning.  They joined us in the restaurant.  

The boat tour was over so we joined our group on the bus and were told we were returning up the hill to the town for a walking tour ... In the rain.  When we stopped no one would get off the bus.  

I am happy to report no one was injured in this fiasco and it was our only bad tour.  It was not made through the ship but rather the travel agent so we didn't let it deter us.  

I find the take it or leave it attitude I have encountered in Italy maddening.  Customer service is an oxymoron.  We encountered it at the front desk of our very nice hotel too.  Once while sitting in the lobby some people who were obviously meeting up were greeting each other.  The clerk banged his bell about 20 times demanding passports.  Ted asked for change when we took a taxi and he said it is the taxi driver's responsibility to make change, not his.  I wanted to know if I could get milk before the 7:00 breakfast time because we had to leave shortly before then.  He said no, the girl doesn't come in until 7:00.  Ted went down anyway, found the girl who was very helpful and pleasant the whole time we were there, and filled my mixing glass up.  

I was ready to move on to Malta and Greece!

And We Are Back

I should have posted that last blog before leaving but I never got around to it.  I want to post a few photos so it is just as well.  Hopefully this will publish.

Carol took us to the airport and we met up with 8 of our traveling companions.  We flew to Amsterdam and it took 1.5 hours to get through Passport Control and to the next gate.  On arrival in Rome we met up with two more of our final group of 16 travelers and our reserved cars were there to pick us up and took us to our hotel in Rome.  The accommodations were very nice and close to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.

Saturday we toured the excavation area under St. Peter's Basilica and it was awesome.  No photos allowed but here is an altar photo inside the current Basilica dedicated to St. Peter erected directly above his bones.  They are actually under the red marble strip several stories down.  

Then we attended Mass. 

Inside the main church area.  Knees and shoulders covered, trousers for men.

 

Our relatives Steve, Keith and Marge (age 85!) with us along with our friends.

Kristin and I filling our water bottles at an ancient fountain outside the Basilica.

On Sunday we took a tour to Tivoli outside Rome.  We visited both Hadrian's Villa and Villa D'Este.  The first was ruins, the second contains many things recycled from the ruins site.

Ruins at Hadrian's Villa.  

Mosaic flooring still intact.

There are 500 fountains at the Vill D'Este, all working off gravity, there are no pumps.  

This structure houses pipes that use water pressure to play music much like air is used in an organ.  It played three different songs for us.  It depends on water flow as to what if anything it will do.  We lucked out!

Views from the villa.

Artwork, frescoes and mosaics inside the villa.

Monday we took a tour again of the Vatican Museum.  Despite buying an early entrance 7:30 am tour, it was 8:15 before we entered.  Instead of visiting the Sistine Chapel first, they took us there last where the 9 am regular admissions had hurried to and it was already very crowded.  Our guide had given us a nice overview of the highlights and we were able to sit for 15 minutes and take it all in.  No photos allowed.  The halls are so crowded you really cannot take in what you are looking at.  I doubt if I am in Rome again I would bother visiting again.  Last time was an even more rushed experience so it is just the norm.  

Dome of St. Peter's Basilica from the Vatican Museum terrace.

Tuesday our cars returned and took us all to Civitavecchia to board our ship, Jewel of the Seas.

And We Are Off!

Not too much going on this week other than continuing preparations to leave.  

Nothing at all went on Sunday other than a trip to the grocery store.  On Monday I played Canasta and came out right in the middle as always.  

The tiler came Tuesday, removed the top tile and replaced it tipping in.  Then we had to wait until Wednesday for the glass to be reinstalled.  That was done so we are officially done!  I did have to rehang my pictures they took down to lean the glass against the wall and then touch up the paint where they were less than careful.   

I also went for my ultrasound results expecting to set a date for the vein collapse procedure.  But after looking at those results, my results from Dr. C's bloodwork and being advised of the discontinuation of both cholesterol and BP meds, she said she was in no hurry to do the procedure.  So I go back in January.  I was advised to wear my compression stockings on the plane and if I get swelling or pain while walking.  She is amazed I have never had neither.  I did pay extra for our seats so I have no one in front of me and Ted is behind me.  That way no one can lean back into him virtually trapping him, spread eagle, in his seat.  We are both on the aisle.  I can stretch my legs and get up easily to walk.  

Marleah came by to look over the dishes I have for the Continental Breakfast and left with enough stuff that it took both of us to carry it to her car.  This gathering will be about 50 people so much will be needed.  It reminds me of "it takes a village."

Nancy stopped by to run through things that will occur while we will be gone.  She is a Godsend for us since Chris has moved on.  

I went to weigh-in this morning at WW and was down about 1.8 lbs. and that gives me room to gain 3-4 lbs. without exceeding my 2+ lbs. over goal while gone.  They told me if I do exceed 2 lbs. over on my return I should not weigh in until I get back down to no more than 2 lbs. over.  Total loss is 37.8.  The doctor and I both feel this is a good weight and I should just maintain as they direct me.  

It Is Saturday!

Time is clearly slipping away from me!  I haven't had time to write anything.  I will have to look at my calendar to see what took up so much of my time.

Tuesday was spent getting things back in order.  Remove table leaves, put away pads, etc. plus put all the dishes away that only came out because of our large group.  I also did laundry and tackled some more of the packing.  

Wednesday I had another ultrasound on my left leg.  I will go next Tuesday for the results and learn what happens next and when.

That evening we met in Willis at Mike's to go over everyone's travel plans.  It seems everything is in place and all credit card notifications have been made, the Euros received, questions answered and we will all meet at the airport at 1:00 on Thursday.  Carol is taking us to the airport.

I went to WW Thursday and gained a pound!  She said that was fine, I am doing Maintenance and it is a learning thing to not lose or gain weight and I am still within range with 1.8 to spare.  We ate out twice, had a BBQ dinner for Labor Day and I ate dessert twice.  I learned I can't do all of that!

From there I left for the Thrift Shop to work a shift.  It has been awhile since I saw some of these folks and they were blown away by my weight loss.  When I explained that both my BP and cholesterol meds had been halved and then stopped they thought I should get a job as a WW instructor!  One thing I know I don't need is a job!

At the Newcomers Social I signed up to help at October's Continental Breakfast.  The planning meeting was Friday morning and when it was finished I was responsible for a pico de gallo breakfast quiche and a yogurt bar.  It will be very nice.  Marleah's house is so spacious and there is lots of talent involved in the planning, decorating and cooking.  

Ted started getting his clothes together and I did another load of laundry so he had what he wanted.  However, most of all of our clothes are new because of fit.  It appears we have no problem with making it all fit in our big suitcases and carry-ons.  

Last July I gave my niece 20+ T-shirts to make a quilt.  The shirts came from our family reunions, my 5k fun runs with Gerre, volunteer groups I have been involved with and a few special places and events that mean a lot to me.  I only asked that she put the Minnie and Mickey bride and groom that says 50 Golden Years in the middle.  It was our family T-shirt on our Disney cruise.

It arrived in the mail Friday and I am thrilled with the outcome.  I had no idea how she would use so many different size graphics but she did it!  

So many memories and accomplishments pulled together by needle and thread for posterity.  Thanks, Jill!

Church at 5:00 tonight and then we'll watch the recording of our Astros in Boston!  Ted will be watching college football all afternoon.  Some things never change.

Frustrating!

I finished my blog, checked to see it on my dashboard to be sure it was all there, posted it and voila! It was not!

I cannot figure out what causes this.  I have been writing this for years!  I didn't add any photos, just typing.  Saved it, checked it, posted it.  

I think I am going to start copying new writing so I don't lose it all but I don't know if that will help or if a second attempt would do the same.

Anyway, we had a very wet Labor Day but our guests hopefully enjoyed Ted's smoked pulled pork and smoked turkey dinner.  We played cards afterwards, men in the dining room, women in the kitchen.  I pulled off a Shanghai in the last round and tied for first with Carol.

The consensus on the bathroom is that it turned out beautiful, the "wrong" granite turned out to be the better choice of the two, Ornamental Light versus Dallas White.  We had been concerned about the yellow undertones in the OL and the purplish tones of the DW.  Everyone agreed those dark brown, purplish spots went right with our espresso cabinets and floor tiles.  The OL would have not given the room the "pop" that DW does.  I feel better now.

When everyone left, Barry took his two pliers in the bathroom and in no time had the sink stopper working.  I can't wait to tell our contractor that our jewelry salesman friend fixed it for free!  

We still are waiting for them to take down the glass, have their tile guy fix the shower dam and then have the glass reinstalled.  Until then, we will keep a towel at the shower door.  No word on when they plan to do this.

Next year while we are home, I need to address the flooring.  Maybe I should just move!

That Was Different!

Ted and I went shopping, really shopping!

First stop was Academy for water shoes and thongs to wear to the pool and beach on our two upcoming vacations.  We ran into Congressman Brady there.  We had a nice conversation on happenings at the Vatican, taxes and he asked Ted's advice on best bullets for practice shooting an AR-15 with his sons!  Scored one pair of thongs only. 

Next up Verizon.  Signed up for Travel Pass while we are in Europe.  You only pay for days you use it but everything triggers it unless the phone is off or in airplane mode.  I don't understand how we would get info with no Verizon towers or wifi unless we pay someone for that.  Maybe there are a few wifi restaurants around.  We will learn as we go I guess.  If it isn't proving it's worth, airplane mode it will be.

On to Macy's.  There we found a dark blue blazer/sports coat since he gave most everything away to Career Builder.  Great price on Ralph Lauren at 65% off.  He did take his favorite black suit to Men's Wearhouse and is having it altered.  

We left the mall and headed toward home.  Ted waited in the car at At Home while I bought three olive green candles to replace burgundy faded ones in our bedroom.  No escaping the Texas sun!  

Last stop was Walmart for my Eliquis but the pharmacy was closed for lunch.  We decided to get it in the next day or two.

We were hungry and thirsty when we got home.  We had a couple of hours to rest before church.  It is still very hot here and it saps your strength.

I Have Had It!

Our average stay at an address was a little less than four years until our move to Texas.  Remember the old joke about trading in your car because the ashtray was full?  We were like that with houses.  So 15 years in one house, new when we built it in 2003, has brought many mundane things to the forefront we never dealt with in the past.

We have had the flashings around vent pipes and the chimney on the roof changed and the roof cleaned (huge black gunky mess!). The entire house trim has been power washed and painted.  The landscape redone about three times.  A new AC and furnace unit, water heater, dishwasher, refrigerator, kitchen sink, additional crown molding, glass shower doors added in guest bathroom, bedroom carpeting, plantation shutters, interior painted twice, etc., all new experiences for us.  

We custom built a 4/3 pool home in Florida in 1996 and didn't have as much trouble as this bathroom has been!  The first two weeks went great and then it went down hill.  My last post said it is done.  Well it was until we started using it.  The shower enclosure problem is a tile problem.  Instead of tilting the top of the step in slightly, it is tilted outwards.  The "sweep" under the door is not enough to hold that running water back so it comes out onto the bathroom floor.  Now they have to take the glass down, rework the tile and then the glass people reinstall the glass.  When Ted used his sink to shave, the stopper wouldn't work.  I tried moving the post into every hole and it didn't help.  They were to stop by yesterday to look at it, called instead to tell us that "next week" they will be over to take the glass down.  Then no one came. I guess that call negated their need to fix the sink in a timely manner!  

I think it looks very good but why can't people do things right the first time?  Of all the workers, why wouldn't someone on the tile crew or glass crew lay a level on that tile to see if it tilted correctly?  Why wasn't the sink stopper tested to be sure it held water?  I can only imagine what would have happened if I had to type a letter 3 or 4 times before it was correct and could be sent out!  I would have been looking for work in a heartbeat.  

A big problem down here is the language barrier.  People do not necessarily learn English.  "No me gusta" is one phrase I learned right after "donde esta el bano"?  "I don't like" and "where is the bathroom"!  "Dos Cervantes, por favor" is another biggy but I don't drink so have no need for two beers!  I remember a news story in Florida of a prescription marked take once a day.  Once in Spanish is 11!  The person ended up in the hospital!   I guess eventually we will have two languages but all the Ellis Island people were anxious to learn English.  We see on the news all the time someone using a translator and they have been here for 20 years!  The glass people and stopper installer were all native English speakers so that wasn't the problem in these two instances!  

In the meantime the carpet people stretched and cleaned our bedroom carpet.  It looks great so I hope there are no hidden surprises lurking.  

Enough of my rant!  We can use the shower for now by placing a heavy towel outside the shower and I will let Ted use my sink!  I need mirror time more than sink time!  

We attended a concert last night with Terry and Carol featuring the Houston Symphony and a Las Vegas headliner doing 50s and 60s music.  It was a very energetic show and had people up dancing in the aisles, including us!   All four of us agreed it was a great evening.

We have our Community Theater tonight so will meet Gerre and Barry for dinner beforehand.  I have their 50th anniversary gift to give them.  I don't want to drag it on the cruise and then have them drag it home!

We have invited four couples for Labor Day so my weekend will be church, cleaning, shopping, cooking.  Not too exciting!  

Done!

On Monday, Chris came and put the faucets on Ted's sink followed by the arrival of the painters who did all the caulking and prep work so they could start painting at 8 am on Tuesday.  In the meantime Ted and I filled about 8 bags with clothes and prepared other things to be picked up by Paralyzed Veterans of Texas.  It took quite some time to get it all out on the porch.

Bright and early Tuesday Greg and his crew arrived and got started right away.  Ted had to work an outing at the gun club so I stayed behind in case anyone needed anything.

By the time Ted came home they had finished up, left and I had everything back in place plus I hung the decorative things once the walls had dried.  

The glass people are coming AGAIN on Wednesday.  The seals aren't touching on the shower door and the fellow they sent last week made it worse!  He even had the audacity to say he didn't think he could help me.  For $2700 for 3 pieces of glass someone at that company better be able to.  They have done work for us before, have a great reputation and told Ted not to worry they will make it right.  We are still in the guest bathroom so one more day won't matter I guess.

The Shower recently had the addition of the grab bar.

Where the tub had been.

Ted's sink

My sink or as the painter called it, Donna's real estate!

The toilet room with the door in the front rather than on the side.

I understand the blog is posting even when it doesn't show so I will just post this now.

Home on Monday

We traveled Sunday from Florida starting at 8:30 to Moss Point, MS arriving around dinner time.  We had gained an hour traveling west.  There was a crash with standstill traffic in front of us so we hit Cracker Barrel.  (Thank you, Waze app!).   We then continued on to Slidell, LA and checked into a motel.  We both were asleep instantly I think.

We left refreshed the next morning and arrived home about 2 pm.  We didn't have a whole lot to put away and the mail was minimal so things were under control.  The next morning I worked on the numbers Sid had asked for.  Do you know how much you spend each year?  I had no idea!  Using the Yearly Total Summary from our credit cards, reviewing the few checks I write repeatedly and my "escrow" account where I accumulate tax and insurance money gave me a good idea.  Then I had to pull out numbers for discretionary spending.  RVG rent, our granddaughter's shower I hosted plus wedding present, trips by car and RV last summer, new furniture in the RV.  I hope he has enough info now for whatever spreadsheet he is preparing!

The window glass where the two seals had broken was replaced on Tuesday and the hairline cracks in the granite (veins they called them) were repaired perfectly on Wednesday.

I saw Dr. C Thursday morning and took my 3 week daily BP reading as requested.  Because my number always stayed in the teens without the pill, and sometimes even lower, he has removed it from my meds.  After a blood test, my cholesterol was 138 so the next 3 months he said no cholesterol pill to see how I do on my own.  He advised I stop the weight LOSS portion of WW and move to Maintenance.  A 4 lb. reprieve to Goal!  I had intended to ask for 3 lbs. because of the two artificial hips but I will take his 4!  

From there I went to my WW meeting and gave them my direction from Dr. C that he had written on a prescription pad.  She told me not to get on the scale until she adjusted my number.  I knew I had been 4-5 lbs. from goal so it would be close.  Lo and behold I had lost 2.2 lbs. and was .6 below goal!  

Now I have to stay in a 4 lb. range for six weeks, no more than 2 lbs. above or below goal.  Not too bad but two weeks of that six will be our cruise!  Wish me luck.

The last bathroom faucet will be installed Monday and in the afternoon the painters arrive.  Just maybe our bathroom will be done one day next week!