Settling Into a Rhythm.

Riga, Latvia was up next.  This is the home of the Olympic Latvia Bob Sled team and is its training facility.  They happened to have arrived that day to begin training.  The kids were going to take a run down the training track, driven by a professional woman driver, at 85 mph through the twist and turns.  Ted, Kelly, Bill and I chose not to go.  I got stuck in a bobsled at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Sorings with my friend Eileen.  Two old ladies unable to get out and were helpless laughing our heads off. You need upper body strength to lift your body straight up because you can’t use your legs!  The four of us have enough aches and pains to chance causing more!  So we watched.  Apparently it was exhilarating according to Kara, Pat and Kristin, who went twice! 

Back in town we met our arranged guide to show us around the city center of Riga.  Such beautiful buildings with so much history.  This country was occupied by several neighboring countries at different times and they are working hard to recapture and maintain their culture and language.  We ended up quite a distance from the ship, which we could see, but knew it would take a while to be back before all aboard!  Our guide still had more to show us but we had to leave.  She sang a Happy Birthday song to me right before we left.

We had a rocking and rolling night and were advised early in the morning we were not going to be able to dock in Germany.  The seas and wind were too dangerous for the maneuvers needed for docking.  We celebrated my 80th  birthday, the reason for our trip and also a delayed salute to our April 60th wedding anniversary.  I received two birthday cakes!  

On to Copenhagen, Denmark and our only rain day!

We found Denmark delightful but very expensive for eating.  First thing we did was take a canal boat cruise to see the beautiful new buildings nestled between the ones that have been there over a century.  It wasn’t a great hair day but lots of fun anyway.  We had to stop at the Lego store to buy something you can only get in Copenhagen, and buy some treats from St. Peter’s 400 year old bakery, visit St. Frederick’s Church and a shot of the Little Mermaid from the back.  It reminded me of visitors’ first comment when seeing the Alamo, “that’s it?”

Parliament was starting that day and many dignitaries were in the city.  A motorcade flew by, horns blaring and sirens going off as the King passed by coming or going.  It enabled us to see the Changing of the Guard at Amalienborg Palace.

My comment about expensive to eat was based on our “snack” of nachos and a Coke for me and a pastry and coffee for Ted was $65!  Kara had no drink, only water, and she was charged $5!  They said Oslo is worse!

Oh Boy!

This will take some time so bear with me over the next few days!

Our car arrived, right at noon, driven by a young man in white shirt and tie!  He loaded our suitcases and off we went.  No trouble checking in but a tour must have arrived right after us because when we turned to leave the counter there was a very long line!

We went to the Delta lounge until we were ready to board.  It was an uneventful flight and we arrived in Amsterdam with 3 hours to kill.   We had to do passport control and get to our next gate but figured we would avoid the very long line and do it later.  We wanted to go to the KLM lounge but there are several and we wanted to go to one near our gate and passport control.  We stopped at Assistance to inquire and just like that they took us by cart to the lounge, put us right through passport control and then returned later to drive us in a cart to our gate very far away!  What service!  They would not accept tips!

We arrived in Stockholm on time and took a taxi to the Hilton where we met up with Kristin.  We went out to dinner at a pizza place “an 8 minute walk on mostly flat ground!”  A 4% grade is NOT flat!  The next morning we sought out a crepe restaurant to start our day. 

Kara and Kelly and husbands were due in later that day so we all boarded the ship that afternoon. We, however, had a bit of a dust up when we were denied access to the priority embarkation we were entitled to by staying in the Owner’s Suite.  

We showed her the cabin number provided to us at the check in counter and said it was the Owner’s Suite and she pointed us to a long line that didn’t look quite right. So Ted went back and got the  same answer.  She only asked if we were VIP (he didn’t know what constituted that) and she asked if we had Platinum status and he said no, Gold!  Again, sent to the long line. Kristin sought out another employee who said “Follow me and took us to a small line being led by a gal carrying a VIP sign. We were taken to a special elevator and immediately to a Specialty restaurant for a free welcome lunch!  We were given our room key cards that said VIP!  When Kara arrived she said the lady only looked for their names on the list and they were directed to the VIP line!  What a novel idea!  They were adjacent to our suite in a Penthouse, a suite which connected.  We had a balcony off the front and one on the side.  The girls went to the spa several times while at sea.

 We are now only 4 points away from Platinum!  And that IS VIP regardless of your cabin! 

Since the ship was not sailing until 3 pm the next day, we all visited the VASA museum.

The Vasa was a 17th-century Swedish warship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 due to instability caused by a top-heavy design and the placement of its heavy gunports. After being lost for centuries, the ship was salvaged in 1961 and is now a well-preserved museum exhibit showcasing 17th-century life and shipbuilding. 

A replica in its original colors

Later that evening the kids all went to the ABBA museum where they danced and sang and afterwards they went to the ice bar. 

My idea of having a drink does not include sitting on a block of ice at 7 below but they thought it was great. 

In the morning we had arrived in Finland for a day in Helsinki.

We took the HOHO bus (hop on hop off) with our first stop at the Church in the Rock.  It was beautiful rock, impressive to look at but certainly didn’t impress me as being a church.  It was very large and is popular for weddings and concerts. But there were no church trappings at all!  We inquired about a restroom but there was none available to the public for health and safety reasons!  Huh?  Thus began our two week search for toilets!  

We stopped at a small cafe in our quest and were told they were downstairs (they were ALL downstairs) free to customers or 2 euros just for use!  We had a cup of coffee and peed for free!

Back on the bus I fell asleep.  I woke up when Ted told Kara we were just going to ride the complete route and return to the ship.  Jet lag caught up with me.

We all had dinner together every night.  Specialty Dining was for 5 dinners and the other 7 nights were in the Main Dining room.  The food was just as good there as the Specialty restaurants so I am not sure I would pay for them if it wasn't part of a good package.  We were able to purchase 5 dinners each for $200 but were expected to tip 20% against the normal price of $40-60 each.  So $16, $20 or $24.  Added to the $20 each to purchase it would be more worth it if the food was better than the free, no tip MDR dinners.  But it wasn’t.  

Next up was Estonia.  We were on the lookout for fat Margaret!  We toured a beautiful city center, ate delicious local food and bought some woolen things from a local artisan store.  We found the three Sisters Hotel so had to have a photo.  

We found Fat Margaret!

Fat Margaret, or Paks Margareeta, is a robust cylindrical tower located in Tallinn, Estonia, built in the late 15th century as part of the city's fortifications. Named after a local legend, this historic landmark served as a cannon tower and now houses the Estonian Maritime Museum. Visitors can explore the museum's extensive exhibits on maritime history and the coastal traditions of Estonia. The tower provides stunning views of the city and the harbor, making it a popular stop for tourists.

And a Texas Cantina!

We returned to the ship and had dinner and saw a magic show.  Kara was invited on stage for one portion.  But they put a talking mask on her and it was funny but other than selecting cards she didn’t have much to do!  It all blends together and we did not go to every evening’s entertainment despite the fact we had Specialty seating as a VIP.  

I learned booking Concierge level certainly has its perks!  Breakfast brought to our room each morning by Richard.  Excellent steward, Michael, kept things tidy and clean.  Richard kept our bar stocked and brought a treat each afternoon.  Sometimes finger sandwiches, some times cookies or chocolate covered strawberries.  

David, our Concierge, handled all the reservations for meals, excursions, special requests.  He was instrumental in getting our dining room reservations in order and mostly seeing we got off the ship in England to get to Downton Abbey in time for our tour.  There was face to face England Immigration starting at 8 am.  We had a 10:30 tour and a 2 hour limo ride!  We made it, first in line when the UK folks showed up a bit late.

On debarkation day it apparently turned into a cluster XXXX because people did not wait for their level to be called.  We were Priority Pink 1 bus departing at 6:30 am.  It was a 2.5 hour ride to Paris and everyone was wanting to get there as soon as possible.  We were led through areas not assessable to the public and were taken past a host of unhappy people who should not have been there at that time.  There was a lady trying to tap out in front of me without that purple VIP card and was refusing to move.  They threatened to call Immigration on her.  She moved and my purple VIP card was the magic ticket after David wove us through that maze.  Glad we missed the rest of the commotion.

Ted, Kristin and I were on Bus 1 when we received word Kara’s luggage was not there.  Turns out a cart for Priority One folks was not brought to the hall!  It put them on Priority Bus 3 but we arrived at CDG about the same time,  much more about that later!

Life was good!

.  

Busy, Bored, Busy!

What’s the saying?  Feast or famine?  One week I have no plans, next week I am out every day!  

I am wrapping up all the doctor appts.  Most are routine but an annual Pap smear came back as abnormal. That involved an office visit to discuss what needs to be done and a subsequent visit for biopsies.  All is good! 

Newcomers had their recruitment social and I decided to go.  It was at a country club south of here and was very nice.  The lunch was great!  They were taking photos so I participated. The opportunity to see old friends is always enjoyable. I have been a member since 2001.

So next up was my Primary Doctor for my 6 month routine checkup.  All my tests came back good and the Medicare “remember these three things” follow up I aced!  They still haven’t asked me to draw a clock showing 11:10!  I am good for another 6 months.

Last week was cards on Monday AND Tuesday, that last Dr appt on Wednesday and birthday group luncheon on Thursday.  Today is Friday and I have nowhere to go!  Yeah!

We decided to spend a weekend in south Texas with Cindy and Tim (Aruba folks) who have rented a house for a week.  We were there last year with them.  They love Mexico and flea markets so that’s what we will do Friday and Saturday, returning home Sunday.  That will be one week from our Stockholm departure, 10/28.

The girls have chosen all our excursions and the 5 specialty restaurant meals we will enjoy.  We just hope we can keep up!  If not, we can beg off for the day and enjoy our suite and balconies plus whatever else is going on with the ship.  Downton Abbey remains the biggest thrill for them.  We are going to see the new movie on Tuesday here before we leave.  We binge watched the 6 seasons again, took in the first two movies and now this one is the Finale!

I have reserved rides to and from the airport to Europe.  It is a wash with paying for parking for 2+ weeks.  We have a DL flight number but it is a code share and we are actually flying on a KLM plane.  We are not in first class but the first row in whatever they call the next rows.  Delta would probably call it Delta Comfort.  We get free luggage because Ted has gold status, we get meals, and access to their lounge which is nice because we have a 3 hour layover.  Last time at Schipol in Amsterdam we spent an hour in Immigration Control so who knows if we will actually have any down time.  

We will take a taxi in Stockholm and spend one night at the Hilton.  The next day we will transfer our luggage to the ship then visit an outdoor museum of Sweden life.  The other girls arrive just before dinner so we will probably eat and they are going back out to the ABBA museum and ice bar.  Ted has no idea who ABBA is/was and we aren’t keen on sitting on a block of ice for 45 minutes!  We will find a lounge or game show to fill our evening! 

Settling Back In

Other than the anticipated stuff we left all over every flat surface, we had nothing pressing going on at home.  How delighted I was to see Miss Organization herself had 95% of stuff put away orderly and with like items together.  There were a few larger kitchen items we needed homes for so I redid the large hall linen closet to clear a long shelf just for them.  All is good!  We are tickled to death with the work!  I love order, I’m just not good at creating it and even more so maintaining it!  Wish me luck!

I have managed to misplace a sunflower black and yellow slack set and Paris (cheating) T shirt for CeCe.  Not here at home, not at Kelly’s and I do remember showing them to Kara at her house who quoted me as saying I should leave them at Kelly’s.  I keep St. Anthony on retainer for this very reason!  I had a CeCe book printed for her and when I looked to put it all together, I came up empty!  

Everyone is now on the lookout in all their nooks and crannies but if all else fails, I guess I will shop some more.  But the “not really from Paris” T shirt may really have to come from Paris.  St. Anthony just told me to check the car!  I will when Ted gets home from the doctor.  

We both had a couple of doctor appointments and are getting to them now.  We also played cards at the country club and I came in second!  Ted did too at his table.  We play 6 hands (games), breaking about the 5th one to all eat together.  We fill out our order, it is prepared and set out so you find your food (couples stay together because their orders are on one sheet) so you get to visit with others than those at your game table.  It’s a great group!  

Monday I offered to host our ladies card game, Hand and Foot, so Michele could go on vacation.  It too is an easy group with snacks and drinks provided.  I think I will use my four dip bowls and plates for cheese/sausage and crackers, strawberries and fruit dip, salsa and chips and chicken salad with crackers.  And popcorn and candy!  Two mainstays of the group!  However, leftovers are dangerous to my number on the scale.  

Wow,  am I behind.  First off, Kelly found the missing clothes in a bag in the bedroom closet we didn’t use!  Not sure why I put it there!  And my Hand and Foot group went well.  I played 3-13 the day after my card group was here, had a Dr appt the next day.  We had our neighborhood birthday lunch at Del Frisco’s  with only 4 members!  We had one shoulder replacement, one knee replacement and one flu!  Our 16 originals are slowly disappearing.  

We had a Bible Study date night and our talk was about God’s plan for marriage and the importance of Hebrew in reading the Bible.  

This week has been a bit more laid back.  The rest is welcome.  Ted continues with his PT and I have one more Dr appt!  

House Sitting, Visiting and Eating!

Pat, our SIL, was attending a work conference at The Breakers in Palm Beach, so Kelly accompanied him.  Who wouldn’t?  She asked us to house sit so the house remained occupied with someone coming and going.  So when we came home from Geneva, we moved in!  On Monday we got our suitcases sorted out.  There is an empty bedroom which gave us room for everything without crowding the guest bedroom.  

Kara had been insisting she would cook dinner for us so we have been to her house M T W for dinner and we are binge watching Downton Abbey.  We are refreshing our memories because 1) the third movie is coming out mid September and THEN 2) in October on our cruise we will spend our day in England at Downton Abbey for garden and castle tours plus a light buffet!  The girls put it all together and are so excited. 

Thursday we attended a funeral for her high school friend and neighbor’s mother that we knew when we lived here.  I believe that was #12 death for our family, friends and acquaintances this year!  So afterwards we went out to eat.  

During the week Ted went shooting three times, I visited work friends Pat and Barb plus did a short shopping trip to use a gift card.  And I had to do laundry for the second time this trip.  

We went out to eat after church on Saturday so we hosted 2 vs.Kara’s 5 meals because she had everyone over on Sunday.  Pat and Kelly had flown back and CeCe wrangled a sleepover because she certainly missed her Grammie and Boppa.  (Sharing each other’s sunglasses!).  

I played Concentration with Morgan, Ally and Bidkar and my memory is shot.  Morgan and Ally wiped the floor with me and Bidkar!  Sam and Haley were unable to come Sunday so we took them out on Monday after I had gone to the doctor I still see up there every two years.  Then I spent the evening getting packed up.  We like to take just one small suitcase in the overnight hotels.  Takes a bit of thought to remember what you will need from other bags but I did it!

Tuesday we got on the road about 9 and drove to Sikeston, MO.  This was our usual RV stop coming and going to OH and MI.  There is a nice, convenient RV park right off the exit and the big draw now is …

Home of the Throwed Rolls

Diet Dr Pepper in a Throwed Roll mug

The “thrower” pushing a tray of rolls to be “throwed.”   They are HOT when you catch them!  Miss it?  No problem, he throws another!

We stayed at a motel right off the exit and we could see the RV park.  The tsunami’s info was coming on so we stayed up to learn what we could which wasn’t much.  

We left about 8 am and drove all the way home.  We intended to spend another night in Little Rock or Texarkana but we just decided to keep on going.  

We had some work done on cabinets in the laundry room and master closet.  I was anxious to see it.  And more anxious to go through everything that was taken out of the old cabinets so I could “discard” some things!   

We are very pleased with the outcome.  Anna had sorted and put everything away.  I was dreading having to put all the stuff away we had piled all over the kitchen and guest bedroom.  I wasn’t expecting that and I was so grateful!

We arrived home about 7 pm, 11 hours of driving.  Just over 1300 miles in two days.  Driving doesn’t bother Ted at all!