Tag Archives: Travel Series

Wood Inlay

5 Dec

SUNDAYMEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

I wrote this back in 2013, but enjoyed reading it again.  I hope you do, as well

I’ve never thought I would be particularly interested in wood, types of wood, or just about anything related to wood.  I guess the first time I really became interested was when I was graduating from high school and a local furniture store gave a Hope Chest to every graduating girl in my class.  Now, I must say that the chests were VERY MINIATURE!!  More like a keepsake box.  But they were made of cedar, as a real hope chest would be, and finished beautifully.  After all these 50+ years since that time, my miniature hope chest still smells wonderfully fragrant.  That’s probably why I love the fresh smell of cedar so much.

When we were stationed in Germany in the late 1960’s, we came across some wood inlay pictures that really caught our eye.  The intricate “jigsaw puzzle” work of the artist…and the different color of the woods used…were fascinating.  We purchased just one picture, thinking that was all we could afford.  And while we cherished that picture, we couldn’t help but wish we had purchased more.

Marienplatz – Garmisch/Partinkirken 

Back to Germany we went in the early 1980’s – and we began our search for more of those wood inlay pictures, and especially by the same artist.  And we found them!  We snapped up two more.  All of the scenes are of places in Germany that were important to us and our memories.  We treasure them.  And we learned that this particular artist had cut enough puzzle pieces to make pictures for up to five years after his death! Amazing.  

Neuschwanstein Castle 
Konigsee 

But we’ve found other wood inlay that intrigue us, as well.  While visiting in the Chicago area, we stayed in a great old house that is now a Bed & Breakfast.

Roxana Bed & Breakfast 

It is situated on a lake that is reported to have been a playground for the likes of Al Capone and his cronies.  As a matter of fact, the room we stayed in was dubbed the “Al Capone Room,” and had pictures of him, one of his famous cigars, and two bullets he might have used.

Al Capone 

But what interested us the most was the dining room and sitting area.  When the new owners purchased the house, most of the rooms had wall-to-wall carpet.  When they pulled it up, thinking to replace the carpet, they found the most beautiful wood inlay floors imaginable!  So they left them uncarpeted, and open to admiration.  We most certainly admired them.  Just think of the imagination and planning that went into putting these floors down.  Beautiful!

Our favorite Mexican Restaurant in town has a gorgeous wood inlay Aztec calendar hanging at the front of the restaurant.  I’ve seen quite a few calendars before, but none this beautiful.

I’m still a carpet girl – and here in Florida, we have either carpet or tile.  But that doesn’t stop me from admiring the craftsmanship of those artists from long ago.

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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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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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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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 12

24 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

After breakfast, we began a partial bus-and-walking tour of Vienna, Austria.  There’s just so much to see.  It seems strange to have an ultra-new building with the old buildings, but they seem to fit together rather well.  For the entire six years we lived in Germany, I hounded Fred about taking me/us to Vienna.  Never happened!  So this trip finally put us in that beautiful city.

I’m not a terribly good historian, but I have heard of the Hapsburg Dynasty.  Austria was the home for that dynasty.  The ship’s info sheet stated:  The rise and fall of the House of Hapsburg began along the Danube’s banks in 1276.  With Austria firmly in their grasp, the family gained new territories by marriage until their serial nuptials put most of Europe under their power.  As their wealth and territory grew, few royal families remained to help them acquire more kingdoms.  Their solution to this problem may have also been their undoing.  While the dynasty actually had its beginning in 1020, it wasn’t until 1273 when it moved to Austria.

The info sheet also said:  The Hapsburgs sought to retain their massive power through intermarriage between cousins or uncle and niece.  “The best spouse for a Hapsburg is another Hapsburg,” went the proverb.  The last of the Spanish line, Charles 2, was disabled from birth, perhaps from a genetic disorder typical in children born from siblings, and died.  It’s likely that the Austrian Hapsburg line ended for the same reasons.

While there are still living relatives of the Hapsburgs, for all intents and purposes, the dynasty died out in 1918, at the close of World War 1.

We walked through Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, which has a really dark interior.  I was unable to get any good pictures there.

But the outside is remarkable.  There is even a bronze model of the cathedral outside, that is to scale. 

We then walked through some of their Christmas Market.  It was still rather early in the season for the Christmas Market to be up and running, but there were a few booths set up already, and we enjoyed seeing them.

At 12:45 we met under the clock on the square and headed back to the bus and into the ship for lunch, which we had with Richard, Judy and Lucy.

At 2:00 p.m. we took a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace.  It’s very opulent, but beautiful.  

On our way into the Palace, there was a man on the sidewalk, covered in gold.  He was standing on a box, and was singing some Mozart – advertising a concert.  I just thought it was cute.  I gave him a short curtsy, and he replied with a small bow.

We had an early dinner (6:00 p.m.) with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  At 7:00 p.m. some of the group left for a Mozart and Strauss Concert, that was free to all who wanted to attend, since we had to change ships again.  Fred and I decided to stay onboard and pack.  Then we read some, and then were in bed and asleep by 9:30 p.m.

~~~~~~~~~~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 11

17 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

November 16th, Monday.  We were up at 6:00 a.m. to shower and dress.  We had breakfast at 7:15 a.m., with Richard, Judy and Lucy joining us (they don’t get up as early as we do).  By 8:00 a.m. we arrived at Emmersdorf, Austria.

At 9:30 a.m. we took a bus to the 900-year-old Melk Abbey.  It is situated on an outcrop rising above the Danube, crowned by twin towers.

Here is a model of the Abbey 
As you can see…we are fascinated by pipe organs 
They were not without music 

While the abbey was founded in 1089, and given to the Benedictine monks, the current abbey was renovated between 1702 and 1736.  It was originally a royal palace with ceremonial courts, guest apartments, grand halls and a library – which contains around 80,000 medieval manuscripts.

Courtesy Wikipedia 

The abbey has a blue room,

 a green room,

a marble room, and the mirrored room.

Many of the floors have beautiful wood-inlay.

This beautiful stairway is the beginning of the grounds.  However, since I still couldn’t maneuver stairs very well, we walked down (and later up) the ramp.

By 12:10 p.m. we were back on board the ship, and had lunch in the Lounge with Janice and John from Ontario.  We were also joined by the couple from Los Angles (originally Denmark) but we still did not get their names.

At 2:00 p.m. we sailed through the Wachau Valley.

The countryside is stunningly beautiful.  Both banks are dotted with ruined castles and medieval towns and are lined with terraced vineyards.   The Wachau is described as “an outstanding example of a riverine landscape.”  Noted for its cultural importance as well as its physical beauty, it is described:  “The architecture, the human settlements, and the agricultural use of the land in the Wachau vividly illustrate a basically medieval landscape which has evolved organically and harmoniously over time.”

At 4:00 p.m. we docked in Krems.

Fred and I decided to stay on board the ship because it would be getting dark soon and it was cool and windy.  Before dinner Fred and I watched the Monuments Men movie in our stateroom.  Really good movie, and gave us some insight into the Nazi greed and stupidity.

At 6:45 p.m. we went to the preview of tomorrow’s Vienna excursions.  Carl West told us we have to change ships again.  Following much groaning from the passengers – during which he remained silent – he said, “thank you.”

At 7:15 p.m. we had a traditional Austrian dinner.  We had our first schnitzle with potatoes, a small piece of chicken, wurst, and dessert.   Richard, Judy and Lucy ate with us. 

We sailed to Vienna overnight.

~~~~~~~~~~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 10

10 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

This is the day we would be transferring from the Gefjon to the Skadi. 

Therefore, we were up at 5:30 a.m., dressed and finished packing.  We had breakfast at 6:45 a.m. with Richard, Judy and Lucy, and Danny who is retired military.  Richard liked to tease Danny, so we had a lively breakfast conversation.

We had to have our bags outside our door by 8:30 a.m.  We were also to have our room keys turned in by 8:30 a.m.  We boarded bus number 3 and left at 9:00 a.m. along with three other buses bound for Passau.  We rode the bus for one-and-a-half hours to Passau.

We moved from the Gefjon to the Skadi.  It was essentially the same ship, just a bit older.  We even had the same room number, 325.  We unpacked our tote bags (they would bring our suitcases later), then at 11:30 a.m. we went on a one-and-a-half-hour walking tour of Passau.

Passau (pass-ow) is known as the “City of Three Rivers.”  It lies at the confluence of the Inn, the Danube and the Ilz rivers.  It was originally a settlement of the Boil Celtic tribe, and later the site of the Roman fort, Castra Batava.  Passau was an important medieval center for the salt trade, the “white gold.”  It was transported from the Alpine salt mines to Passau, where it was processed by entrepreneurs called Salzfertiger.  The salt imports to Passau were forbidden in 1707, and that trade was lost.

During the Renaissance, Passau became famous for making high-quality knife and sword blades.  Local smiths stamped their blades with the Passau wolf, and superstitious warriors believed that the wolf granted them invulnerability.

When fires ravaged the city in the 17th century, it was rebuilt to reflect the baroque character that survives today.  Today, Passau is home to 50,000 people.

We were back on board the Skadi by 1:30 p.m. and had lunch in the lounge with Richard, Judy and Lucy.  By the time we had finished lunch, our suitcases were in our room, so we unpacked them.  We hoped this would be the only transfer we would have on this cruise.  One nice thing about a cruise – you usually get to stay in the same room for the duration, which makes it quite nice.  This was just a small disruption.

After we had unpacked, we went back into town.  We saw St. Michael’s cathedral first, 

and then Saint Stephen’s. 

It is one of the town’s foremost baroque landmarks and boasts the largest pipe organ outside the United States.  Beautiful.  It has 17,974 organ pipes, 233 stops and four carillons.  All five parts of the organ can be played from the main keyboard, one at a time, or all together. 

The Skadi sailed at 5:00 p.m.  At 7:00 p.m. we had dinner with John and Denise from California, and a couple from Los Angeles who were originally from Denmark (never got their names).  He was a German teacher in a high school in Los Angeles.

More interesting sights in Passau:

Remember, we were told that the incomplete “8” equals a “4” – therefore, the date shown is 1499. 
A plaque on the wall in the Glass Museum 

~~~~~~~~~~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 9

3 Aug

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

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. 

Lucy and Judy 
Richard and Art, our server 

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.

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.

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.

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 

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

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 

A Christmas store

It’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~~~~~~~~~~

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 8 Continues

27 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblogged

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 

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 

 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 

 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.

Albrecht Dűrer house – 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,

Courtesy Wikipedia 

an open-air market,

 and the beginnings of a Christmas Market. 

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.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~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 Lifetime-Part 8

20 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

Friday, November 13, 2015

We were up early and were at breakfast by 7:15.  We were to have a very busy day this day.

We arrived at Nuremberg at 9:00 a.m. and we began the World War 2 tour.  We visited Zeppelin Field, the Congress Hall, Documentation House, and the Memorium Nuremberg Trials.

The Zeppelin Field was where many of the Nazi rallies was held.  It was not as large as we had expected.  The buildings had been reduced to just a few, and the center building had sported the Swastika that was blasted off after the war (famous picture of that event).

Every few yards along the perimeter, there was a building.  When the guide asked if we knew what they were, many in the group suggest one thing or another.  He said, “it’s really very simple.”  When I said, “restrooms,” he said, “that’s right.”  With the 250,000 people assembled, they had to have facilities for them.  (These two pictures were taken by me and cropped)

We visited the Documentation House, which is attached to the Congress Hall.

The Congress Hall was built at Hitler’s demand, and was to be used only for one time each year.  When Hitler was asked how all these buildings would be paid for, he replied that, after they won the war, they would get the money from those Germany conquered.  The Congress Hall was built in the shape that was to duplicate the Roman Coliseum.  The Documentation House held many photos and memorabilia from the Nazi era.

We sat in the courtroom where the Nuremberg Trials were held in the Palace of Justice.  Fascinating room, with large placards holding pictures and notes about the trials. 

Lots of information was given – through the placards as well as our knowledgeable guide.  He mentioned Robert H. Jackson, who President Truman appointed as U.S. Chief of Counsel for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals.  He made some outstanding statements (courtesy Wikipedia):  

Closing Argument for Conviction of Nazi War Criminals

Robert H. Jackson, U.S. chief of counsel for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals

An advocate can be confronted with few more formidable tasks than to select his closing arguments where there is great disparity between his appropriate time and his available material.  In eight months – a short time as state trials go – we have introduced evidence which embraces as vast and varied a panorama of events as has ever been compressed within the framework of a litigation.  It is impossible in summation to do more than outline with bold strokes the vitals of this trial’s made and melancholy record, which will live as the historical text of the Twentieth Century’s shame and depravity.

Nuremberg Prosecutor (1945-1946) Speeches

One of the most famous statements he made was:

            “The true applicant before the bar of this court is civilization.”

Strategies of the American Chief Prosecutor Robert H. Jackson

It all had a profound impact upon us.

~~~~~~~~~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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