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The Cruise of a Lifetime~Part 9

17 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

Saturday was a sailing morning, so we slept in a bit, and went to breakfast at 8:15a.m. We had our breakfast with Richard, Judy and Lucy.

Richard and Art, our server
Lucy and Judy

We are now on the Danube River. We went through the last two locks on our journey during breakfast. These are the first locks that lower the water level rather than raising us up a level. Most interesting process to watch.

We spent time with the Richard, Judy and Lucy until lunch, which we shared with them. They are such fun people to be with. Still reminiscing about Albuquerque.

Carl West had informed the passengers that we would be able to purchase a flash drive with all the pictures he had taken on this trip. Fred purchased one for us. I had taken quite a few pictures, but thought that the ones Carl had taken would just add to our experience and memories. NOTE: Carl West followed each day’s excursions, and was snapping pictures all the time – usually of the groups and what we were seeing.

We docked at Regensburg at 1:30 p.m.

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At 2:00 we began a walking tour of Regensburg. Regensburg is the oldest city on the Danube, and one of Bavaria’s most beautiful, best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. The Roman Gates of 179 AD are still standing. It was a very cold and very windy day, so we were back on the ship by 3:45. As Fred’s Mother, Kitty Wills once said when we were with her and Charlie in Edinburgh, Scotland, “I’m just about as cold and wet as I care to be!” So we returned to the ship.

There is an area in Regensburg that has brass plaques in the bricks with people’s names and dates on it. They were murdered by the Nazis during World War 2. Their relatives never wanted them to be forgotten, so this was their way of memorializing them.

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Occasionally the Danube overflows its banks, and the river water floods the city. Here are a few markers with dates – about 15′ to 20′ above the river’s normal level: February 1893 and June 2013.

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Oskar Schindler (of Schindler’s List fame) lived in Regensburg from 1945-1950 in the Goliath House.

Notice Goliath's left arm around the window frame

Notice Goliath’s left arm around the window frame

He immigrated to Argentina in 1950. He died in 1974, and at his request, is buried in Jerusalem.

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A point of interest: Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013) grew up in Regensburg. He was the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415.

We stayed on the ship the remainder of the afternoon, since the weather was not too good. We had a short nap, and just rested.

At 6:45p.m. we were in the lounge where Carl West gave us all the information on the ship transfer the next day.We had dinner with Jane and Steve (Colorado) and another couple.

By 9:00 we were back in the room to pack is much as we could of our clothes for the transfer the next day. Because we would have to get up early the next morning, we took our showers before we went to bed.

Some interesting pictures in Regensburg:

Greenpeace was making a statement
A Christmas store
t’s beginning to look like Christmas…
This beautiful wood-inlay table in a shop window
Notice the horse-drawn carriage on top of the sign
Cathedral artistry

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

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The Cruise of a Lifetime~Part 8 (continued)

10 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

Nuremberg is considered to be Bavaria’s second-largest city. It attracts tourists with its varied history, medieval Aldstadt (Old Town) and grand castle. It is surrounded by massive walls, and boasts an abundance of 15th and 16th century art and architecture.

Courtesy Google

Courtesy Google

A bit of history about the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal: It is a little over 100 miles in length, and was started by Charlemagne in 793. While this original canal was abandoned, a second attempt was made by the Bavarian king Ludwig 1, beginning in 1846, and included 100 locks. With the advent of railroads, this water route was also abandoned. It wasn’t until the late 1950’s, after World War 2, that planning began again. The current canal took over 30 years to complete (1960-1992).

 On our tour, we passed a beautiful cemetery where, among others, Albrecht Dürer and his wife are buried.

Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Wikipedia

Albrecht Dürer was an artist from Nuremberg (1471-1528). While he is known for all types of painting, etc. and is considered Germany’s renowned Renaissance draughtsman, he is known to Fred and me as the artist of the “Praying Hands.”

Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Wikipedia

 

 

We lived on Albrecht Dürer Strasse when we lived in Wiesbaden, and became quite familiar with his story behind his “Praying Hands” painting. His residence and workplace is now a “museum,” and some special exhibits include a painting and printing shop, where various techniques are demonstrated. Unfortunately, we were unable to stop and look.

Courtesy Wikipedia

Courtesy Wikipedia

Sandra Bullock, the American movie star, had lived in Nuremberg for quite a while, and speaks fluent German. Her father was a U.S. Army employee, and her mother produced German operas. She lived in Nuremberg until she was 12 years old, when they moved to the United States. Years later, when she visited Nuremberg, she gave an interview. At the end of it she called her niece by name and said, “it is way past your bed time. Be a good girl and go to bed.” Sandra’s grandmother still lives in Nuremberg.

By 1:30 we were back on the bus, going to the ship for lunch in the lounge. At 2:45 we took the bus back into town and walked around and took pictures. We saw a cathedral,

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an open-air market,

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and the beginnings of a Christmas Market.

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Beautiful city.

We were back on the bus by 3:45 and back on the ship. We noticed a cute decal on the back fender of the bus: a flying carpet.

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We sailed for Regensburg about 6:00 p.m.

We had supper at 7:15. Our table mates were Denise and John from Half Moon Bay, California, Barbara and a friend from Massachusetts. Carl told us that we would have to change ships, because the river did not have enough water in it to support the ship with all its passengers. We had been alerted prior to the cruise that we might have to change ships because of the recent drought. Although we had hoped we wouldn’t have to change ships, it looked like we would be doing it, anyway.

 

 

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The Cruise of a Lifetime~Part 7

27 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

Thursday, November 12.

Since we hadn’t reached Bamberg yet – scheduled to arrive about 1:00 p.m. – and it was another sailing morning, we slept in, getting to breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Before we finished, Richard, Judy, and Lucy arrived. They got their breakfast, and we visited until 9:30.a.m. We went through several locks, which was fun to experience.

Carl West, Program Director for the Gefjon, gave detailed information about the tours in Vienna, Budapest and other cities, which Fred attended, followed by lunch in the lounge.

At 1:30 we left the ship on a bus transfer to the city of Bamberg.

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We went on a walking tour of Bamberg, seeing many beautiful and unusual types of architecture and statuary.

We saw beautiful churches and buildings, including St. Michael’s Abbey for the training of the clergy.

We even saw a “Green Goose” pub!

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It always seemed funny to us to see English words in a German town. We even found a Kätie Wohlfahrt Christmas store in town! We walked through a garden, with a few flowers still in bloom.

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According to the info sheet from the ship: “One of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by World War 2 bombing, Bamberg is the largest Old Town to retain its medieval structures…Along with its Gothic, baroque and Romanesque architecture, the city was laid out according to medieval planning rules as a cross with churches at the four cardinal points.”

Ever since we lived in Germany, I have been fascinated with the hotel/store/restaurant signs. Back in the days when the “common” folk were more or less illiterate, the signs were posted so everyone would know just what the establishment was. If it was a bakery, there was a pretzel within the sign.

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The butcher could have an animal within the sign. The drug store or apothecary usually had a mortar and pestle within the sign.

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You get the picture. But the signs were usually quite ornate and beautiful. I looked for them above each store and took as many pictures of them as I could.

While in Bamburg, we stopped in a Karstadt department store (comparable to our Dillards, and one of our favorite places to shop when we lived in Germany) to purchase some socks. I walked up to a saleslady and said, “Entschuldigen (excuse me).” She smiled at me, and then I said, “Ich habe nur ein bischen Deutch. (I have only a little German) Haben sie….?” and pulled up my pant leg to show her my knee socks. She immediately took me to where the women’s socks were. I thanked her profusely. They were lovely, soft socks, and I enjoyed wearing them.

Here is a picture of a plaque with a date.

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Our guide asked if we understood the date. It looks to be 1867 – but we are told that’s not correct. The “8″ is not complete – and therefore is actually a “4″ or half of the “8.” So the correct date would be 1467. Interesting.

We were all to meet at Neptune’s statue, to get back on the bus for the return trip to the Gefjon. While waiting to get to the bus, I was “baptized” by bird droppings while sitting under a tree.

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We had dinner in the ship’s restaurant again, and to bed by 10:00 p.m.

 

 

 

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Cruise of a Lifetime~Part 5

6 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

After sailing all night, we have moved onto the Main River (pronounced mine). Today was a sailing morning so we slept in. We got up, showered, dressed and went to breakfast. We were joined by Richard, Judy and Lucy, better knowing as Lucy B.

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We went through one lock during breakfast. We had gone through many locks overnight. It is a fascinating procedure to watch…and sometimes a bit nerve-wracking!! The ship is designed so that, when we go under a low bridge, all the chairs on the top deck are flattened, the sunscreen is collapsed, and the “bridge” is banished to its hiding place, so that everything up top is “flat.”

At 10:00 there was a glass blowing demonstration in the Lounge. The glass blower did the traditional demonstration in the Chilhuly style. He makes his products like Pyrex. According to the info sheet: “(he) creates an exquisite work of art from industrial glass in this captivating demonstration.” He displayed his wares, and they were fascinating. He had oil and vinegar bottles that I would have loved to get for myself and our girls, but we had to think about shipment, and so didn’t. He had jewelry – earrings and such. Really beautiful artwork. Below are a few examples of Chilhuly glass works.

(Credit to: By Patche99z – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5328589

After lunch in the restaurant, we began the walking tour of Miltenberg, “The Pearl of the Main River.”

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It is a neat old town. Fred and I thought we had been there before, when we lived in Germany, but we didn’t recognize anything we saw. Here are some good pictures of the town that we took.

They even have directions to the loo!
Credit Wikipedia
Courtesy Wikipedia

 

We had a good guide. (NOTE: all the guides that Viking uses are locals, and they really know their stuff about the towns we visited. We were impressed) There is a red sandstone that is used locally as well as sent all over the world, as it is quite desirable. We walked and walked the town. Quite unique.

We were back on board the ship after a bus ride from the foot of the Red Stone Bridge. The ship had traveled farther up the river, and we caught up with it and re-boarded.

We had dinner in the ship’s restaurant, and our table mates were Velma and Jeff from Australia

Courtesy Wickipedia

and two others, whose names we didn’t get. Velma suggested a way that she designated her pictures: She would take a photo of the daily information sheet that is given to each cabin, with the date visible, and any photos following that photo belonged to that day. I thought it was a good way to keep track of the photos I was taking, and began doing what she suggested. It seemed to work out quite well. I was impressed with her suggestion, and told her so with my thanks.

We were really tired and so to bed early. Our old age is showing!

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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The Cruise of a Lifetime~ Part 4

21 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy WillsJUDY

I’ve not mentioned that, before each meal, Fred and I would “excuse” ourselves from the rest of the table, to say our blessing. This morning, at the breakfast table, as we were beginning to excuse ourselves, the other gentleman at the table leaned toward me, arm and hand outstretched across the empty chair between us, and said, “Looks like you are about to thank the Lord.” When I agreed, we all took hands and prayed. After prayer, I told him that he sounded like a preacher. He grinned and said, “well…….”

They turned out to be Richard and Judy, with their widowed friend, Lucy (Richard called her “Lucy B”). They are from Fort Worth, Texas, and he is the Worship Leader for the 8:00 a.m. service at the North Richland Hills Baptist Church. He also directs the Senior Adult Choir there. So while he is not a preacher, he is in the Christian ministry.

Richard and Judy flank Lucy

Richard and Judy flank Lucy

We found several points in common: His wife’s name is Judy – I am Judy. She is a pianist – I am a pianist (of sorts). I asked her one time: If you are eating a piece of cake, what is your favorite part, the cake or the icing? Her response? THE ICING! I gave an air fist pump and a whoop of joy – because that’s MY favorite part of a piece of cake, as well! WOW….are we twins?

We struck up an instant friendship.   Judy is the pianist for the service at their church (he affectionately calls her “Sister Judy” – i.e. “play us something in the key of G, Sister Judy”). He would address me occasionally as “Judy2.”

Just a note here to say that the first four years Fred and I were married were spent in Fort Worth, while Fred attended and graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. We are quite familiar with Fort Worth.

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Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary – the Rotunda

While Lucy was up getting her food, we talked about Fort Worth and seminary. He mentioned that Lucy was a Baylor University graduate, and I told him about my Dad being one of the three students at Baylor in the very first graduating class in the School of Music in 1924.

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When Lucy returned, he informed her that my Dad was a Baylor grad. She blinked and looked at me. Our conversation took off from there. She is a die-hard Baylorite!

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There is also another connection between Richard and us – he was the Minister of Music for the First Baptist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico – my original home church – in the 1970’s! We began comparing notes on people we both had known while there. Absolutely amazing!

Original building, First Baptist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Original building, First Baptist Church, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

Following breakfast, I wasn’t feeling very well, so I stayed in the stateroom, while Fred went on an excursion (walking tour) to the Marksburg Castle. He came back saying that it had been a VERY difficult walk/climb, and I would not have been able to manage all the steps and the climb. I was glad I had stayed home! But he took lots of pictures, and said it was a delightful castle to explore. I’m glad he was able to make the jaunt by himself.

 

~~~~~~~~~~Part 4 to be continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

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The Cruise of a Lifetime~Part 2

7 Feb

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

The first real day of our cruise started with breakfast. There is a “buffet” breakfast in the restaurant, with a chef making omelets – made to order.

Our ship, the Gefjon (gef’- ee – on) is named after a Norwegian goddess.   Interesting.

 

Our first excursion took us to Kinderdijk (kinder-dike), Holland (the Netherlands).

 

 

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We saw a building with three huge Archimedes screws.

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From the original 150 windmills in the area, only 28 are left, and Kinderdijk has the largest collection of working windmills in that small area – 19 in all.

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We saw the windmills – went into one – and saw the polders the windmills gather water from. The windmills are used to pump water from the polders using internal or external scoops into reservoirs on two levels.   We were amazed at the size of the mills, and sails that are placed on the blades – it is all mechanical. We were also amazed to see that the caretakers actually lived within the windmill. Small spaces, and usually when the father died, the son took over.

The one we went in was old – made entirely from bricks. The newer ones looked like they were made from “shingles.” Most of these windmills date from 1738 through 1740.

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The ship supplied us with “receivers” and ear pieces that we plugged into the receivers that hung from lanyards around our necks. Each tour guide had a “channel” that we tuned into. That way they could talk normally and we couldn’t hear what the other guides were saying (different channel). It was a very convenient way to do the tours. We had them with us at all times on our excursions. The ship also supplied us each with bottled water on each excursion.

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Back on board, we began our sail to Cologne, Germany. Still being rather tired, we both took a nap, until it was time for the mandatory safety drill – including wearing our life jackets. We have to get over that jet lag!

We had a light lunch in the Aquavit Lounge. Usually set up as a buffet on the Terrace – much quicker and as good as in the restaurant.

After lunch we checked on our e-mail. Fred got one of the hostesses to set up our phones to receive e-mail.

We took in a Dutch teatime in the Aquavit Lounge. They served lots of goodies, and flavorful, interesting hot tea.

Nearing dinnertime, there was a “Toast to Our Guests” by Captain Marcel Stephan and Hotel Manager Harald Halswanter in the Aquavit Lounge.

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It was a welcome time for the guests of the ship. That room was used for many things, including the daily briefing about the next day’s excursions by Program Director, Carl West. Carl followed the tours on each excursion, taking pictures. Each evening, those pictures would scroll through the two monitors set up in the lounge. It was fun to find pictures of yourselves on those monitors.

Dinner in the restaurant. Everyone at the table had the Chateaubriand, and it was wonderful!

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Our table mates were Steve and Jane from Colorado, and Lola and Judy from Minnesota. Jane had recently had back surgery, and while in physical therapy, fell onto her back and re-injured herself. She was moving rather gingerly and always used a cane when she walked.

Another long, busy day, and the bed felt really good!!

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

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The Cruise of a Lifetime~Part 1

31 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

PART 1 – GETTING THERE

We had been investigating a Viking River Cruise in Europe for a while, but decided they were just too expensive. However, Fred was able to find a really….REALLY….good deal, and we snatched it up. We were scheduled for November 5 – November 20, 2015.

Our flight was scheduled for departure on Thursday, November 5, at 4:20 p.m., but it was delayed until 5:06 p.m. with mechanical problems. We finally boarded the plane hoping to leave soon. The plane started to back out but the pilot said the engines were doing the same thing they were doing before, so he took it back to the terminal. Fred checked with the Delta people, and they said our connection in Detroit would wait for us.

We were delayed again when we entered the plane and then deplaned a third time.   Fred then checked with the international Delta people and they got us on a Lufthansa leaving for Frankfurt, Germany at about 8:20 p.m. – about 20 minutes from then! That was four hours after we were originally scheduled to leave. They said our flight from Detroit would NOT have waited that long for us. We had been given some really bad information. We were also quite glad we had carried all our luggage with us!

After arriving in Frankfurt on Friday morning, we boarded another Lufthansa to Amsterdam. We finally arrived in Amsterdam about 2:30 p.m. Fortunately, the Viking people were there picking up other late-arriving guests. They thought we had decided to cancel, and just not come. We took a Viking bus to the ship, the Viking Gefjon (pronounced gef’- ee-on) and found our state room, number 325.

 

These ships are called “long ships” for a good reason!

 

After a late lunch buffet in the Aquavit Lounge Terrace,

 

we rested some, then tried to email but had no success with that. They had a computer station, but the laptops were “International” versions, with some of the keys rearranged, and with international symbols that we weren’t accustomed to. It was a bit nerve-wracking to try to type any kind of message!

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We had no time to take in anything in Amsterdam, much to our regret. However, we have been to Amsterdam many times during our times living in Germany, so we didn’t feel too cheated.

The Chef’s Dinner was in the restaurant. There is only one restaurant on board, and all meals are eaten there, and together. Most tables are set for six people, with a few large enough for eight or 10. Our table mates that evening were from Tucson, Arizona, and from Pennsylvania. There was no assigned seating, and we were able to meet quite a few of our fellow shipmates during the cruise. After we had ordered our meal, Fred left the ship and quickly went to a corner store to get some items we couldn’t carry on the airplane.

We went to bed early, as it had been a long day.

Oh and by the way, as I was getting off the last flight in Amsterdam, overloaded with bags, overbalanced and fell getting off the airplane and into the jetway. So far, no lingering effects from that.

 

 

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Love….Take 2

17 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

 

Recently I wrote about Love (December 20, 2015).…..what is love? There are so many kinds of love in this life – the love of best friends, the love of a spouse, the love of parent for a child – and the child for the parent. The love of a person for the Loving Heavenly Father who blesses us with so much in this life, and His love for us.

In my lifetime, I’ve been blest with all of the above. God has been so gracious to me and I thank Him daily for those blessings.

But I also have “mementos” of some of those blessings. For instance:

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This little hanger-on has meaning for me. When we were living in Panama City, Florida (Tyndall AFB), Fred had the opportunity to go to Colorado Springs, Colorado for a conference, and was able to take me along with him. We arranged for our daughters to stay with people, and we were set to go. Unfortunately, as the time to leave drew closer, the military found a military flight for Fred to take – which meant I would have to travel alone. That really wasn’t a problem, except we like to travel together. Oh well, such is the way with the military. When I finally arrived in Colorado Springs, it was full dark. Fred picked me up from the airport and we headed to the motel. The next morning, as I woke up, he told me not to get out of bed just yet, and to face the window. Wondering what in the world???….he pulled open the curtains………and there in all her glory was Pike’s Peak in the bright morning sunlight!! Gorgeous! All that to say that this little memento is from that trip. Whenever I look at it, I remember that time, and the beautiful surprise Fred had for me, and his delight in giving that surprise to me.

And this little plaque:

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This was painted by our daughter, Karen, when she was rather young. I actually don’t remember when she gave it to us, but we’ve had it a long time. And we both treasure it. It is a memento of the love she had as a child for her parents.

For this past Christmas, Fred was given a “tea” set – mug, lemon tea bags, and this plaque that says the same thing as the mug.

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Because we both believe the words of this scripture to be so very true, we treasure this plaque, and have added it to our collection of love mementos. When we look at it each day, it reminds us of God’s love for us, and how we need to treat that love, and how to pass it along to those God places in our pathway each day. We can only pray that we live up to His desires for us.

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Go Run

10 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

Well, Christmas is over. All the hoopla is done. And I’m still eating all those Christmas cookies that I made. Man! I’ll be glad when they are done and out of the house! Just too much temptation to eat, and eat, and eat. I mean, I don’t make cookies that I don’t enjoy, you know?

Not too long after Fred and I married, his mother shared a recipe for German Springerle cookies. They take a bit of work to make, and I only make them at Christmas time. The batter has to be “beaten” for one hour – you read that right – one hour! I finally purchased a standing mixer solely for that purpose. Then all the other ingredients mixing together – a little anise extract and seed, then some grated lemon rind (zest), and powdered sugar, then the rolling out and pressing down with the wooden boards.

Then comes cutting them out, and after all the dough is cut, cooking them. They puff up and make marvelous “pictures” on the cookies, and I really enjoy eating them. With that “hint” of anise and lemon…….mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

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Then there are the cookies that my Aunt Jessie called “Pecan Puffs.” I’ve seen them called Italian wedding cookies, and other names. These are really my favorites. Again, a bit of work, with all the rolling and all, but they are worth it! And I’m overly proud to say that my recipe is the best! I know, I know – very prideful of me. But I’ve eaten some of those others – and I just like mine the best.

And then my best friend, Sue, makes the very best divinity I’ve ever tasted and sends that on as her Christmas gift to us. I reciprocate by sending her a couple dozen of my Springerle cookies and a couple dozen of the Pecan Puffs as well. A very nice trade off.

But by the time we wade through all those goodies – WHEW! I really need to go run and work off some of those calories!

And that brings me to a picture I saw on facebook. Really says it all:

 

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Assurance

3 Jan

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

JUDY

 

You might have gathered by now (if you read my postings consistently) that I glean a lot from facebook. If I find something that appeals to me, then I save it, and hope to use it in this venue.

I came across one recently that reached out and grabbed me. In a nutshell, it tells me that I can trust God to take care of me – no matter what the situation. (credit Cross Cards.com) It speaks of His all-powerful greatness.   It tells me I don’t have to worry about any situation I find myself in – because God can, and WILL take care of me.

I’ve found myself with cancer – and He was there.

I found myself with kidney stones – and He was there.

I found myself in physical therapy following total knee replacement – and He was there, giving me encouragement to push through the pain.

You see, I am His child. I’ve given my life to Him, to do with as he pleases. And because He made “all of this out of nothing,” I know I can trust Him to take care of me. And I know – without a single doubt – that God wants only the best for my life. He wants me to trust Him.

The world is in such a turmoil these days, that sometimes it’s overwhelming to think of “what if” and what “might” happen in the future. But my future is secure – it will be spending eternity with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that delights me!

I am so very grateful that God has allowed me to be His child. The assurance He gives me carries me through each day – and through the remainder of my life.

May you and yours have a wonderful and blessed New Year – 2016 – in our Lord’s safety and assurance.

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