Tag Archives: #amblogging

Cruise Memories-Part 1

13 Nov

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

My husband and I enjoy cruise getaways. But it wasn’t always the case. Twenty five years ago, we were offered a chance to go on a three day Bahama cruise at a reasonable price. My husband wasn’t thrilled and reluctantly agreed to go. By the end of the cruise, he was hooked and looking forward to a seven night cruise.

Since then we have enjoyed many seven night cruises, some even longer. Earlier this month our daughter invited us to join her on a 4 night cruise. I was a little disappointed it was so short but wasn’t going to turn it down.

She lives within easy driving distance to the cruise terminal and it was an easy drive until we arrived at the terminal. I don’t know what their problem was but traffic was jammed up. We barely made it onto the ship before it was time for the Emergency drill.

Disney Destiny

Fortunately, our muster station dismissed us as soon the drill was completed even though announcements were being given. We dashed to deck 11 in search of food, having missed lunch. What we didn’t realize was that due to scheduling everyone missed lunch. Deck 11 is set up similar to a food court only much cooler. We made our food choices and secured seating before the rest of the passengers arrived. Those were some long lines!

We had set our hearts on ice cream for dessert but oh my, the ice cream line was two deep. Never one to miss dessert we retired to our room and ordered our favorite room service treat.

Two pots of coffee and chocolate chip cookies.

Our first and only port stop was Castaway Cay, the cruise line’s private island. It was a gorgeous day and the island is beautiful. These days our favorite place on the island is the cook shack. From the ship we made our way to the dining pavilion and claimed a prime spot. (With an ice cream machine view.)

Most people fill a cone with ice cream. Husband filled a drinking cup. To his credit, he didn’t go back for seconds.

For this cruise we rented a Feather Light brand mobility scooter. It collapses by pressing a button. Once collapsed it was easy to store in our cabin when not in use. On a previous cruise we had to leave the scooter at Guest services when not in use, a royal pain. It was also easy to put on the tram that transports passengers on the private island and the crew were very accommodating.

I only took these pictures on the island, not sure why. Being there brought to mind previous cruises when our grandchildren were young. Good memories.

It’s getting late and I have an early start tomorrow. We are back into the swing of our active social life, you know, doctor visits. Will continue the post next week.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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Recovery-Part 7

9 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I really must tell you about Dorothy – or Dot as she likes to be called.  This is a sweet old lady – I believe she passed her 99th birthday recently with a lot of fan-fare.  She has always smiled and waved at me – and WINKED at me.  But that’s not all.  One day, as Fred and I were on our “walk” we passed Dot and the healthcare nurse who sits with her occasionally.  We stopped to talk, and Dot not only smiled at Fred, she winked at him…and blew KISSES at him!  With me right there!  I pretended to be shocked and outraged, but laughed at her.  She was grinning from ear to ear!  So whenever I see her family with her, I stop and tell them her outrageous behavior toward my husband!  We all get the best laugh out of it.

There is one lady who I had a difficult time getting to smile and wave at me.  She would watch us like a hawk as we walked by, but never anything else.  Her son would arrive every afternoon and sit with her and watch a TV program, but he didn’t acknowledge us either.  And then, one day when Fred and I were leaving the urologist office – there they sat in the waiting room!  The son said, “well, hey!  Look who’s here!”  From that moment on, whenever I see her, she grins and waves at us.  If we are on our afternoon walk and we walk past her room door, they both smile and wave at us.

And then there is Susan.  Susan was a hard nut to crack.  She’s Dorothy’s roommate and her bed is by the window, and I’m convinced she has hearing issues.  The only time I’ve been able to connect with her is when she is in her wheelchair and out in the hall – not very often.  She’ll be wheeling along and I’ll say something like, “And Susan is off to the races!!” and she’ll giggle.  But I’ve seen her in her room, with Shalena (pink scrubs – cleaning lady) sitting opposite her in a chair, and they are having a wonderful conversation.  But to call her from the doorway – no response at all.  I complimented Shalena about her interaction with Susan, telling her that I had not been able to connect with Susan.  Shalena just likes people.

Then there is the lady they moved into the room across the hall from Fred’s room.  Her husband visits every day with their little dog.  The puppy is a sweet one who loves just everyone!  He said he could let her leash go and she would go directly into his wife’s room – and she does.  She does like to bark sometimes – kinda yippy – but it’s not unpleasant.  The lady is in for a foot injury, but her husband said she was in memory care before she came here.

There are two couples I want to mention….one is a Mom and her son.  We frequently find them sitting outside …sometimes under the trees in the shade or under the portico in the shade.  Again, I think she came from the islands, as she always has a sweater around her shoulders and a blanket over her legs and feet.  They are always up for a nice conversation, and the son once helped me get the wheelchair into the trunk.  Sometimes his daughter and granddaughter come to visit as well

Then there is the husband and wife couple…she is disabled somehow.  She’s always in a wheelchair.   We’ve had some lively and fun interaction with them.  He’s there nearly every day.

I hope my readers can see, by these stories of some of the people we met at Solaris, that it was a bit difficult to leave them behind.  After five months in that facility, many of them had become good acquaintances if not actual friends.  But neither Fred nor I were ready for him to become a permanent “resident” there.  I am remembering these people fondly, and writing about them has brought them to mind again, with joy!

Fred is home now, and doing well – going to out-patient therapy twice each week, and I see improvements in him.  Please keep him in your prayers…I miss terribly the man he was before the strokes.

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Recovery-Part 6

2 Nov

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

As time wore on, and Fred became more active, I decided it would be good for both of us to take him “out” of the facility for lunch.  I had to plan it each day ahead, as the kitchen sent out a menu for the next day’s meals.  It meant getting him in the car, then collapsing the wheelchair and putting it in the trunk of the car, then reverse it when we returned.  But it was totally worth it.  He did so enjoy getting out.

One day as Fred and I returned from a lunch out, I saw a pair of sandhill cranes by the front door of the facility.  Amazing!  I sent these pictures to our family and friends, and one friend asked, “did you ask permission to enter??”  I mentioned the cranes to a couple we see frequently, and he said they’ve been hanging around for the three years that couple had been there.  Wow!

Now let me tell you about some of the residents I’ve really interacted with:

The Hat Lady…I noticed her right away, as she is always wearing a hat – at first it was a crochet hat.  That caught my attention, and I asked her if she had crocheted it herself.  She grinned and said no, but I complimented her anyway.  Then it got to when I was to walking down the hall and seeing her, would say “there’s my favorite hat lady!”  She would grin at me.  And as the weather became warmer, she started wearing other hats, usually one with a brim that looks like a leopard skin.  One day I said, “I’ve been calling you Hat Lady, but I don’t know your name.”  She looked up at me and said “Virine” (she pronounced it Vi – REEN).  So I alternate between Hat Lady and Virine.  She must come from the islands, because she loves to sit outside even in Florida’s hot summer sun – wearing that brimmed hat and a sweater over her dress.

There are two or three ladies who are permanently in wheel chairs, residents, who take the time to brush their hair and put on makeup each day.  I admire them.  They are quite friendly, and we have struck up quite a few conversations with them.  Two are roommates and are best buddies.  One, Diane, has been there 10 years, following the death of her husband.  She shared with me that when he began to get into dementia, they went looking for a facility for him, as she couldn’t care for him.  At the one where he eventually stayed, as they were leaving, he said, “Di, I really like this place.  Can I stay?”  She said she knew they were at the right place.  As for her… as she said…this is home. 

And then there is a lady – one who makes up herself each day – who I am convinced wears a wig, because her hair is long and quite black, and she wears a turban-like head covering each day.  It took me over a month to get her to smile back at me, but now she does.  One funny incident with her…I was walking past her room one day, when she was in bed and I heard her call “purple….purple….I need to blow my nose!!”  I had to laugh at that one – calling a CNA to blow her nose – because I’ve seen her up and walking!

Carol is there for her husband, who is a resident.  He is unable to walk, always in a wheelchair.  She is there daily, and reads to him.  He must wear a head-set, and she speaks through a microphone so he can hear her.  

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Cooking Collard Greens: A Family Tradition

24 Oct

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Since October first, life has been a little crazy here in the mountains. Hubby was scheduled for a simple procedure that turned out to be not so simple, leading to tests, more doctor visits and complete but temporary diet changes.

At one point he was only having clear liquids such as jello, broth and clear beverages. I have to confess that the days of clear liquids were a mini no cooking vacation for me.

Eventually, the clear liquids worked and he is on the mend.

What I really want to write about today is collard greens. I have wonderful memories of cleaning and preparing collards with my mom and I look forward each fall to going to the produce market to choose a couple of bunches.

According to my mom, the secret of tasty collard greens is they must be harvested after the first frost, or at least once the temperatures drop into the lower 40s.

This week, the temperatures dropped and on one of our fun road trips for doctor visits, we stopped and shopped. I bought two double, lovely bunches.

My mom taught me to cut the bottom stems off, then run a knife along the leaf stems to remove them. I prefer to do this messy job on the porch but the day was too cold for sitting outside. The weather forecast for the following day was warmer and i stored them in the refrigerator.

On Collard day I gathered up knives and the necessary paraphernalia and set up on the porch.

The first two bundles went by quickly. As I began the third bundle, I began to think I may have bought too many. By the time I finished the final bundle I was sure I had bought too many.

I put 2 bunches of collards in the kitchen sink and began swirling them in the water. Fortunately they had a scant amount of dirt and only required one wash.

I have the large pot my mom used to cook collards in and I was able to fit all of the washed ones into the pot.

Then the nightmare began. I like my collards to be tender and these collards would not cooperate. I think I cooked them for three hours.

Then I had to chop them up.

I use a Rada hand chopper. It does a good job. I love all of the Rada products.

Photo credit Rada website.

Finally that batch was finished and put into the fridge. I washed the second batch and that was as far as I got. I left them out to drain the water off them and went to bed.

The next day I decided there had to be a better way than my mom did it.

I asked Grok if collards could be cooked in an electric pressure cooker. Grok said yes and even gave me cooking instructions. Using the pressure cooker was so much easier.

The cooked collards are now sitting in my fridge and in the morning I will divide them up for the freezer.

I should have enough collards to last until next fall.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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Recovery-Part 4

19 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I previously mentioned Cindy and the bird feeders.  As we walked the corridors of the facility, we came to some offices – Chief of Nursing, Deputy Chief of Nursing, Medical Records, copy room, beauty shop, etc.  At the end of one of those areas was one wall completely made up of large glass squares.  There was a chair and a small love seat located there.  Outside those windows were three bird feeders.  Most of the birds we saw were mourning doves.  But occasionally we would see a red-winged black bird, and once we saw a pair of sandhill cranes.  And several times a squirrel.  Cindy was the one who took a bucket of bird seed out and filled those feeders.  We were not the only patients/residents there who liked to sit and look out the windows and watch the birds.  It was a lovely addition to the facility.

When we first arrived at Solaris, it was April and the weather was wonderful.  There was a “courtyard” just outside our wing of the facility – covered – with park benches where we could sit and enjoy the weather, sunshine, and cold water to drink (they furnished a water cooler).  As the time wore on and the Florida weather became hot and humid, they discouraged us from going outside without a hat, etc.  They also restricted the time we could go out to before 10:00 a.m. and after 6:00 p.m.  I learned that some of the residents were from “the islands” and were accustomed to hot humid weather and enjoyed being outside.  But the facility had a strict policy about it, not wanting anyone to suffer heat stroke.

I knew that Fred needed doctors appointments, but didn’t exactly know how to go about it.  Then Rufina (nurse – blue scrubs) came and asked if I wanted to make the appointments.  I told her I thought it would carry more weight if she did the calling….which she did.  Not only that, but she also arranged for the transport from the facility to the doctors office and back.  Yes, I had to pay for that, but it was minimal.  She did that several times during Fred’s stay at Solaris.  I once told her she was my “go-to person” and she grinned.  One day I stopped at her office door and told her how much I appreciated her and all she was doing for us in particular, and the facility in general.  She sat back and said, “no one has ever told me that before.”  I told her that she needed to be reminded of it often.

In a facility like Solaris, which is actually “home” to the residents, I found there are activities every day for those who can and want to attend.  I have been most impressed with the Activities Director, Rebecca.  Her office is filled with stuff for each holiday, as well as other notable days.  I’ve hardly ever seen her sit down, unless it was at her desk, working on the next project.  She told me once that she is Vegan, and when they had a “cookout” she nearly gagged at the smell of the cooking meat!  I had to laugh.  She is tireless.

I also can’t say enough good things about the therapists at this facility.  There was a change in his physical therapist several times, but all have been so good, and worked with Fred tirelessly.  At one of the group “meetings” about Fred, I found that all three therapists – PT, OT, and speech – report to the Therapy Director, Paul.  Paul takes the reports from each of these therapists and make recommendations to Medicare about whether or not Fred should stay any longer for more therapy.  His was the recommendation that Fred stay another month or two for therapy, which we were able to do.  He is a big-hearted man who is good at his job                                                                                                                  

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Recovery-Part 3

12 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Another “first” person we met was Daniel, one of the two Social Services people at Solaris.  He and Melissa were the two there, and I found out that Melissa was actually Fred’s Case Manager, rather than Daniel.  However, both were extremely helpful in any and all areas of our stay there in any situation.  Melissa was the one who arranged for the wheelchair and other helpful medical equipment from Medicare for us.  At the first meeting about Fred and all the therapists there, Daniel was the one who conducted the meeting.  We were also able to phone conference with our two daughters, which was good.  They both had questions to ask the staff.

There was one other meeting about Fred, shortly before he was discharged, and Daniel was unavailable to monitor, so Cindy stepped in.  I’m not sure I ever knew her title, but she was part of the office staff, with an office in that part of the building.  She is also a nurse – she wore the blue scrubs.  She also was the one who kept the bird feeders filled.  More on that later.  Delightful lady.

I often spoke with another staff/office person, La Tonjua, who is a delight.  She’s the Admissions Director for this particular facility.  She is one of the most elegant women I have ever met, and yet is friendly with any and all who are there.  She has befriended Fred and me, and stops to talk whenever were are walking the halls.  I believe her husband is retired military (that make a good connection with us) as well as a former police officer. She is a joy to know.

There were several people who served as receptionists at this facility, but Adam is the one who stands out in my mind.  He is always gracious, greets me every morning by name, and directs me to the right person to talk to in the office setting.  There are two other young ladies who sit in that chair, but Adam stands out

I simply MUST insert a funny happening here.  Some of my readers know us personally, and know that when Fred sneezes….it’s a freight train!!  Well, one day, when we were taking him “out” of the facility, we were in the lobby – and Fred sneezed!  And that sneeze reverberated around that lobby for a few seconds. One of the ladies was on reception duty that day, and I asked her if she had “jumped” at that sound…and she had!  I told her not to worry – it was just Fred sneezing.  As it turned out, when we returned from the outing, again in the lobby…Fred sneezed again!  I looked at the receptionist (same lady) and we grinned at each other.  Daniel’s office door was open, so I stuck my head in and asked if he was okay.  He had his hand to his heart and said, “what was that??!!”  Again…just Fred sneezing.  He told us later in the day that EVERYone in the staff offices heard the sneeze and jumped!  Fred had made his mark!  I still get a giggle every time I think about it!

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Recovery-Part 2

5 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Fred was in the hospital for nearly a week, then transferred to a rehabilitation hospital for two weeks.  I was quite pleased with the care he received in both facilities, and a little leery of moving him to another facility, but it was necessary.  Fortunately, he is in a facility (actually a nursing home with an excellent reputation for their therapies) that has done wonders with his therapies, all three – physical (PT), occupational (OT), and speech therapy.  He has made such great progress, especially compared to where he was at the rehabilitation hospital that I am amazed.  He is walking – with help.  He has more motion and control over his right arm and hand, and his cognitive function is improving daily.


But believe it or not, the main purpose of this posting is not to talk about Fred’s strokes and recovery – amazing as that is, but to talk about some of the people we encountered at this facility.

Two of the first people we met were the nurses on duty that day, one of which was Fred’s nurse.  She is a lovely lady from Germany, which drew us instantly, since we lived in Germany for six years…and her name is Karin, as is our oldest daughter, but her name is spelled Karen.  The other nurse is Christina.  When I asked Christina if I could use her name in this blog, she said, “but I wasn’t his nurse.”  I told her that it didn’t matter – I had watched her, and knew what a dedicated nurse she was, and how she treated her patients/residents.  She just grinned at me.  There are other nurses as shifts change, and we are impressed with them all.  They bring him his medications in either pudding or usually apple sauce.  He snagged his arm once on something in the lobby and the nurse patched him up quickly.  I am most impressed with the nursing staff.

Okay…I have to stop here and tell you that when you see the people (usually women) working in this facility (except for the office staff), you will see them in different colored scrubs.  Here is a photo of what I mean.

Each color represents what job they have/do.  The Blue scrubs indicate the nurses (RN/LPN).  The Purple scrubs indicate the CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistant).  Pink scrubs indicate the housekeeping and laundry. Aqua indicates therapists.  Black scrubs indicate dietary/food service.  There is also a navy scrub that indicates maintenance and environmental services, but I’ve never seen them in that color – just t-shirts with the facility logo on it.

I have been most impressed with all these ladies…they are amazing.  And they have treated Fred with the utmost respect and care.  

We have become friendly with many of the residents and staff.  They talk with us, they laugh with us, and they care for us.  Many have expressed regrets that we are leaving – we have become part of their lives, and they ours.

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Coming Home

21 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

Because our flight from Budapest was at 6:30 a.m., we had to get up about 2:15 a.m. to get ready, pack, and get on the shuttle bus by 3:30 a.m.  We had showered the night before, so all we had to do was shave (Fred), put on makeup (Judy), finish packing, and off we went.  There were 14 of us from the ship that were going to make that flight.

It was a 30-minute drive from the ship to the airport.  And when we got there, it was a “hurry up and wait” situation.  We waited 30 minutes for the counter personnel to arrive and begin taking customers.  We were first in line, thank goodness.  Even though we had our bags with us, she convinced us to check the larger bags, as the plane from Budapest to Amsterdam was “small.”  The flight took off pretty much on time, and it was a two hour flight to Amsterdam.  They did feed us breakfast, but it was nothing like we had before – a sandwich with either deli-thin slices of chicken, or cheese, with mayonnaise on it.  Well, Fred doesn’t eat mayo in ANY form! But we were able to get him some slices of cheese and chicken that wasn’t too “polluted” from the mayo.

We had a fairly long layover in Amsterdam, which was good.  Schiphol Airport is really big, and we had to go quite a ways to find our gate.  Fred said it looked like the lady in Budapest had checked our bags all the way to Orlando, but he wasn’t sure.  So when we had the attendant in Amsterdam check, sure enough, they were checked through.  However, she said we had to pick them up in Atlanta and go through Customs there.

The flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta was nearly nine hours long.  The fortunate thing about it was that we were on an Airbus, and were in the two-seat side, rather than the four-seat middle.  I always enjoy flying with just Fred, rather than three of us across.  They fed us lunch – we both had tortellini, salad, cheese and crackers.  A few hours later they had wrap sandwiches for us – Fred had a “meatball” and I had a veggie wrap.  Surprisingly tasty.  And of course, there was always the pretzels and peanuts.

We finally arrived in Atlanta – really nice to realize we were back on US soil!  We picked up our bags and headed through Customs and Immigration.  Not a bad thing, and we got through fairly easily.  We were glad to have that done in Atlanta, rather than having to do it in Orlando, when we were super tired.

The flight to Orlando was just barely over one hour.  As we like to say, they hardly got up when they had to start down again!  They did have time to hand out pretzels and soft drinks, but they were hurrying through it.

Richard Lynch picked us up and headed toward home.  When we discovered they had not had dinner yet – and our tummys were growling – we agreed to meet at Panera for a light supper.  Pam and Piper were waiting for us.  We were able to tell them a little bit about our trip, but were so very ready to get home.

We unloaded our suitcases quickly, as I HAD to do a load of undies, since all we had needed to be washed before the next day.  So with all that done, we were able to get to bed by about 10:00 p.m.  We figured that we had been in the air about 13 hours, and had been awake about 25 hours – with only cat-naps on the airplane!  We were truly and fully exhausted!   We didn’t even set the clock to wake us up on Saturday – just decided to sleep our fill.

It was wonderful to be home and sleeping in our own bed.

But we are so very grateful and thankful that we had the wonderful experience of the Viking River Cruise Grand Tour.  A cruise of a lifetime!

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

Budapest, Hungary
Bratislava, Slovakia 

 

Vienna, Austria 

 

Passau, Germany 

 

Regensburg, Germany 
Nuremburg, Germany 

 

Bamberg, Germany 

 

Rothenburg, Germany 

 

Rhein River, Germany 

 

Kinderdijk, Holland 

 

The Gefjon – our long ship 

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 14

14 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

Since we had sailed overnight to Budapest, and had an early shore excursion, we were up by 5:30 a.m.  We had breakfast at 7:00 a.m. with Richard, Judy, Lucy, Roy and Jill, Joyce, Rick and Mary.

By 8:30 a.m. we left on the shore excursion for Budapest.  Some “Fast Facts about Hungary” from the ship’s info sheet:

Home to over a million people, Budapest spans both sides of the Danube River – historic Buda on the east bank and cosmopolitan Pest (pronounced “Pesht”) on the west.  Brimming with history, culture and attractions, Budapest is full of baroque, neoclassical and Art Nouveau architecture, and plenty to do.  Museums, shopping and restaurants are the places to be.

The bus took us around the town, then stopped at the square where we went on to the castle.

Funicular

Back to the ship by bus, we had lunch, then to our new room on the Lif, for a nap.

At 2:15 p.m., we had a “Budapest by Boat” tour, with our Program Director, Carl West giving the commentary.  

Carl West – Program Director 

We went by the Parliament Building, which is the most famous picture shown in the Viking advertisements – red-topped building.  Really beautiful.

We were back on the ship by 3:30 p.m., where we rested/napped and read some – quiet time for us.

We had our final/farewell dinner at 7:00 p.m. with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  While it was a fun time, we had our last hugs and “wish we lived closer to you” from each of us.  While I know it was a very concentrated two weeks with them, we all feel we forged a deep and lasting friendship, that will only continue when we all get to heaven.

Since tomorrow would be a REALLY early day (we asked for a 2:15 a.m. wake-up call, with a 3:30 a.m. bus departure time into Budapest), we showered that night, and were in bed by 8:30 p.m.

The Whale 

According to Google search:  That’s the “Bálna / Whale” (formerly called CET building) a modern shopping, cultural, and entertainment centre, as well as a tourist attraction on par with Paris’s Eiffel Tower, or the Covent Garden in London – at least that’s what the city leaders want it to be.

According to Google search:  The Shoes on the Danube is a memorial to the Budapest Jews who were shot by Arrow Cross militiamen between 1944 and 1945. The victims were lined up and shot into the Danube River. They had to take their shoes off, since shoes were valuable belongings at the time.

The memorial was created by Gyula Pauer, Hungarian sculptor, and his friend Can Togay in 2005. It contains 60 pairs of iron shoes, forming a row along the Danube. Each pair of shoes was modeled after an original 1940’s pair. 

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

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 13

7 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Since we had to change ships today, Fred and I were up at 5:30 a.m. to shower and dress and finished packing.  At 7:00 a.m. we had breakfast with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  At 7:45 we completed our packing and put our bags out in the hallway as instructed. 

At 8:15 a.m. we reported to our assigned bus to leave the ship and go to Bratislava, Slovakia.

According to the ship’s info on Bratislava:   The emergence of Slovak national consciousness dates to about the 1700s.  The written language appeared before the 18th century, and near the end of that century a national movement began to encourage a Slovak identity and the development of Slovak Romanticism with a focus on popular folk traditions.  At the end of World War 1,Slovak identity was fully formed, and in 1919 Slovakia joined with Czechia to form a union of two western Slavic nations: Czecho-Slovakia.  But its independence was greatly limited by its strong economic, military and political dependence on Germany.

It was then conquered by the Soviets, who wanted to create a pro-Soviet and Communist Czechoslovakia.  This lasted until the fall of Communism during the Velvet Revolution of 1989.  In 1993, the Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully in what is called the Velvet Divorce.  The Czech Republic became a democratic state.  Slovakia became an independent nation. 

We arrived at the Bratislava Castle by 10:00.

It was quite windy day but not too cold.  While we didn’t go inside the castle, the outside was interesting. Because I knew the history of SPQR, I found this interesting. 

According to Google and Ancient Rome for Kids:

The letters SPQR stood for Senatus Populus Que Romanusa – the Senate and the People of Rome.  After defeating Tarquin, the last Roman king, the people started a new type of government, a republic.  A republic is a type of government whereby people elect officials to represent them in government.

As a publicity campaign, and as propaganda, the new senate had the letters SPQR chiseled, branded or stamped on everything that they controlled.  Public buildings, new coins, and even park benches got the letters SPQR added to them.

The people of Rome were proud of their new government, and were reminded every time that they saw SPQR that they were a part of the Roman Republic, and no longer ruled by a king.

At 10:30 we left for Old Town with a walking tour.  We saw many fascinating sights.  Here are some:

This little guy is called Cumil (pronounced as Chumil).   As the story goes, Cumil was a mischievous person who while working, used to emerge from under the manhole to look beneath the ladies’ skirts! (Tripadvisor)

Statue of Bratislava Cavalier Schoner Naci

Napolean – one of the few places to sit

We were given two hours of free time, to look around Bratislava on our own,  which is really too long.  We found no place to sit – no public benches. We finally went into a bakery and had a hot chocolate and a chestnut pastry.  We met and shared a table with Iris and April, sisters from Calgary, Canada (Richard called them “the sisters”), who were also on our cruise.  We complained to Carl West (who is from Bratislava, as is Billie, our concierge), that there were no public benches where we could sit and rest our feet.  He just laughed.  We think it is the city’s plan so visitors have to go into a shop to eat or drink in order to sit and rest.

At 1:00 p.m. we had lunch in the Austrian Trend hotel – it was a very good meal and the entire upper level was set up as a restaurant for our entire ship’s compliment. 

At 2:30 p.m. we were back on the bus for our trip Budapest, Hungary.  All the buses stopped for a restroom break at 3:45. The bus trip to Budapest normally takes only three hours, but took us four hours instead.  We were finally on board the Lif at 6:15 p.m.

At 7:00 p.m. we had dinner with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  Richard told us their tour guide, while going through Transylvania, told a story about “wampires… and the bus erupted with laughter. 

We were in bed by 10:00 p.m.  It had been a long day.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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