Rejoice! Sound the trumpets! The Optimistic Tourist is back! Hallaulah!!

NOTE:  I will be posting a few of the previously unpublished editions of our previous trips and then switch to writing with the mister a combined blog called The Optimistic Tourists11@blogspot.com. 

There will be several more of the unpublished to come. Thanks for reading.

With ages and stages,  we move from what was in vogue becomes blasé ;  the enthusiasm wanes and the luster dulls.  As it were, the thrill of travel, new faces, places, and friends never hits that low;  just the task of sitting down and putting the experiences in permanent form were just unappealing.

With that said/written--and I am not sure when, it's time to start publishing some of the adventures we have been having. Life is a whirlwind of intellectual stimulation and excitement.    Tales of our adventures may not appear in order of activity, so you will just have to stick with me/us and find out where we are in each report.  

Today we are in Seoul, South Korea.  We are in home's tomorrow since crossing the international dateline.  Just finished talking with Jared and family who area n yesterday and sent text to Jason ho just got to today; Time travelers.  

We have been to the Peace Park, Tunnel #3, The DMZ, and city.  Going out in a bit to go to the market.  What is an good trip without a trip to the local market?   Almost hate to leave the hotel since our view is of a wooded area in the city; quite pleasant and serene.  

Cutting this entry short as the time is fleeting and we return home tomorrow.  More to come soon!

Survived the Spring Adventure Part #1

Our spring cruise aboard the Jewel of theSeas was absolutely delightful.  The people we met online during the planning stages of our adventure were friendly, charming, and ever so delightful.  It was the best group of Cruise Critic folks w have met and we hope to meet some of them again on future adventures.

The crossing was smooth and the crew outstanding.  We loved “the suite” life on this trip and it was amazing.  Our room steward, Sandy, made everything seamless.  We were also fortunate to have the concierge, Romania, who made arrangements with ease.  Captain Justin was the most personable we have met on any of our cruises and be aboard again with him at the healm.

We caught a flight to Milan after our arrival port and stayed at the Hilton that night. The following day , leaving our bags in hotel storage, we ventured via train to Zermatt, Switzerland.  We discovered a place where parkas are in style year round.

Zermatt does not have regular auto traffic; travel is by bus, electric mini cars, bicycle, or walking.  There is a cog train that takes you to the outer arches of the community and beyond,  It was quite an experience to be snowed on in May!  We felt “up close and personal” with the Matterhorn.  One of our others discoveries was that it was quite expensive—$25 for a meal at MacDonald’s and it wasn’t what we were used to.  Note, the fondue was delicious and we had it more than once.

The qbjective for being in Zermatt was to ride the Glacier Express, which we did.  he full route took 8 hours to complete as it retraced some of the track to reach all of the destinations.  Majestic mountains and valleys stretched throughout the trip.  It was amazing how much parts of the trip reminded us of Yosemite, the Sierra Nevadas, and other locations in the United States.  We remarked that the USA has it all.  The last stop on the Glacier express in our direction was St. Moritz.  We disembarked next to the beautiful snow-fed picturesque lake.  Fortunately, our hotel balcony overlooked the lake, also.

After a good night’s rest and a bountiful breakfast, we boarded the Berninna Express for our return to Milan.  Another day of  spectacular scenery!  How much of this wonderful stuff an one take?
Arriving at the Milan station is a story in itself, but from there we returned to the Hilton and relaxed and regenerated until our nxt day’s adventure was to begin.

Spring 2018 optimisim / slightly late post

Until I sat down to write, I did not realize how many posts never made it past the draft stage!  There are a stack of composed but never shared activities and/or thoughts.  Maybe I’ll get around to totally mixing everyone up by posting them in random order.. . Like my thought patterns and typing skills.

After months and months of planning for this cruise and land travel, we almost got benched again.  For those who I have not been in contact with, I had emergency eye surgery on April 30 for a detached retina. Our original plan was to leave Stockton on May 2.   After some tears and negotiations with the surgeon, it was decided to put oil into my eye rather than gas, so we were able to fly to Puerto Rico May 5 and board the ship May 6.  There was no sightseeing on the island—only sleeping and eating, we were exhausted after the red eye.  

My goal for the boarding day was to get to the Sky Bar to meet people I had only known from the Cruise Critic board.  After communicating with some of the people for over a year, it was a joy to meet.  The members of the group are as nice in person as they were on the board.  This group is much friendlier than any of the CCers we have met in the past.  In fact,  the people as a whole, are friendlier on this trip.  Maybe leaving from Puerto Rico and the warmth of the population caught on.

Marshall and I felt lucky to make it to the ship.  That luck seems to be carrying through for M.  He won at bingo, the slot pull, and a raffle.  I lost at slots and LCR but  I am happy to be on the ship and optimistic about this excellent adventure!  No more sidelines,  just calm seas and beautiful sunsets.

I am sorry that I did not post this and many of the other entries I have written so you will be experiencing a history of the Optimistic Tourist adventures if you choose to continue reading.