red-eye, -------part 2

NOTE***This will make no sense if you have not read Part 1, so read it first.

Going to Mexico or Hawaii, I have taken early morning flights and  I may as well have just forgotten about sleeping.  To get to that 5 or 6 am take off, it was necessary to be at the airport when it was long before morning's first light.   Why anyone would call it "top o' the morning", I do not know. It is night to me and I really wish they would have had a red eye-- I would have gotten some sleep and more beach time in the tropics.  Is that the glutton coming out again? (You had to have read part 1 to understand.)   

When we have a driver, it is waiting around for the driver to come and the short ride to Sacramento is not enough time to merit the title "sleep."  Staying near SFO or Oakland makes for a "doze off" only with need to coordinate the shuttle ride and check-in times.  Should have taken that red eye. 

On the other side of the coin,  arrivals can be in the pitch dark of the night.  After arriving in several strange cities in the dark of night,  I am wondering about taking those day flights that appear so convenient.  Yes, I was able to sleep the night away in the comfort of a top notch hotel and have that leisurely breakfast and extra cup of coffee in the morning before the flight; how did  such little pleasures wreck such total disorientation when I arrived at my new "favorite" destination.  From the air, blue runway lights look the same in any city--some just have more blue than others.  Maybe it wasn't my fault; maybe they didn't have a different flight time--it is possible.  That was really true for my last strange--not odd, but new--city.   It sure helps to have someone waiting with your name on their sign as you exit the terminal to make that afternoon flight a delight.  Did I just loose a complete day of my vacation by flying during the day in the wrong direction?

Sleep may be difficult if one spends the day sleeping on a plane. Should have taken that red-eye!

   

MORE HISTORICAL TALES OF TRAVEL 

Slow and steady—forget about winning any race.

May 2018  TransAtlantic crossing on Jewel of the Seas

After leaving Puerto Rico on May 6, we spent 5 days at sea.  Most people were really ready to get off of the boat and touch land once again.  This fact was attested to by the abundance of seating found in the Windjammer dining room.  For the first time since boarding, we were able to have just about any seats we wanted.  We could debate the view we wanted rather than what we could get.  No crowds, no lines, no children, few people!  Totally delightful!  Unfortunately, no shopping or casino as the drawback.  Oh, the internet works via my phone! That was our first land day on La Palma. Canary Islands.

Prior to our leaving home, we committed to a tour on Tenerife. Since we did not do anything on this island the last time we did a crossing, we felt we needed to see what it has to offer.  We saw beautiful coasts, forests, moonscapes and a very tall volcano.  Most tours go in a loop and you get all around an island, not this— you can’t get all around.  It is true, you can’t get there from here.  About six hours into the tour, we were more than eager to return to the ship.  Visions of empty hallways and alcoves danced in our heads.  The last two hours, with yet another stop for coffee and bathroom, was almost more than we could bare.  Had we known how to get back to the ship, we would have escaped.

Surviving the Spring Adventure: Part 2

May 2018. Following Jewel of the Seas TransAtlantic crossing 

We returned to Milan after our Glacier and Brenina Express adventures.  Following a light of resting up and visiting the Executive Lounge at the Hilton, we taxied to the international airport of Milan.  That was the only sane art of the Italian transportation on that day.

At last, we located the check-in counter.  Our bags checked through, tickets in hand, we declined the wheelchair assist to the gate--a major mistake.  With a great deal of time prior to our flight, we ventured through the terminal to the assigne gate.

Spontaneous travel? Really?

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.

September15, 2018 Planning is almost complete

It is hard to believe we decided to go on a cruise at the end of the month just 7 days ago!  Usually we or I decide more than 9 months in advance where we will go and then work to build a trip.  This is short notice for sure.  I am not even sure what we want to see, but we will not let an opportunity go to waste.  

This started when an email came advertising a 14 night cruise on Holland America Westerdam from Vancouver, BC, via Alaska to Yokohama, Japan at a price we found hard to believe.  After putting in our Mariner numbers, it became $500 cheaper and they were giving us more onboard credit!  Hard to pass up, but that was the cheap part of the adventure.  The real costs were to come along as the week progressed. 

The following was written post trip and therefore contains a critique of a supplier or two. 

We decided that this might be our only opportunity to get to Asia, again, so we expanded the land portion of our trip.   We would now visit  Hiroshima and Seoul.  it was learned that  getting to Seoul required an 18 hour layover in Shanghai, so we decided we may as well stay for several days and explore that city also.  These side trips and the fare home were where the REAL costs.  Airfares and hotels ran just about double the bargain price of the cruise.  Considering the value of having a wonderful adventure together, it was well worth the total financial expenditures.

There was only one unexpected glitch in the planning;  the ship would let us off at 7 am and our flight left Haneda airport at 10:30.  The transfer provider, Viator/ Cherry Tomato, said the time was too short and we would need to rebook our flight. We were not advised of this until 2 days before arriving in Yokohama.   It was an extra $600 and we lost the $200 already paid on nonrefundable tickets.  Worst of all was that we were at the airport in less than 30 minutes and would have had plenty of time for the flight. I kicked myself for listening to the "service". Viator and Cherry Tomato never offered as much as an apology!  Those companies are off of our supplier lists for future travel and/or recommendations. Viator and Cherry Tomato get 5 rotten tomatoes  from us.  

Viator did compensate us for our lost money and reimbursed us for prepaids when I sent a copy of the text conversation to them.  Now I check my credit card benefits or get travel insurance. 

Sept 29—to Vancouver. 

The big “splaining” as Ricky Ricardo would say.

Sitting here in Puerto Vallarta on Ground Hog Day 2019, I have been sifting through events of the past that I did not publish.    I keep an ongoing dialogue of what we have done, expect to do, etc. —when traveling, this blog.  Unfortunately, I have not posted them to share.  I am not sure exactly why that has been, perhaps it is that there is so much shared information I subconsciously decided to “Keep it to myself”.

Knowing that, you will be getting some glimpses of the travel M and I have been doing over the past few years if you choose to read  The Optimistic Tourist.  I must warn you it may be a little disjointed; just consider it a conversation with yours truly.

Best to you .
MEW

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.

First stop Amsterdam, all aboard!

 Sorry for the great delay in writing about this trip.  We have been so busy that I just couldn't get back to --or perhaps were not in the mood-- to write.  Full of information and inspiration, but not ready to write.

Now is a quick post about the trip so far.

Celebrated my birthday on British Airways flight from San Jose to London and beyond to Amsterdam.  I shared with each of the flight crew some birthday chocolate candy (choice of milk or dark).  It was amazing the service received.  Yes, we were in Club class, but I do think they went over the top to make sure my birthday went smoothly.

Arrival in Amsterdam was rainy and dark.  We were escorted through the terminal to baggage claim and then the hotel pick-up point.  We never met our driver; a kind driver from another hotel of the chain decided we waited too long and took us to our destination even though the traffic put him behind his schedule.  At that hotel, our room was on a canal which allowed us to watch the crew teams practice in the morning.  We traveled to the Anne Frank house and a Tuk Tuk-cab tour of the city with a cheese/wine tasting.  After 2 nights we moved to a new  hotel not far from the train station, because we told be taking an early train to Paris and didn't want to miss the next adventure.

The new hotel was a Hilton with an upgrade to concierge class and a lovely cocktail party.  We has a
lovely view of the city, though I must say the room was smaller than that at the Wyndham.  Access to the train the following morning was very fast.  It was made faster because the hotel had one of their bellmen, a lovely young man from Italy, accompany us to the station (it was pitch black out) take our luggage, and place it and us aboard the train.  Our very first train in Europe!

The seats were very comfortable and to our surprise, meals, drinks and snacks were included.  The bonus to this form of transportation was that it let us see the countryside, avoid going to two more airports, and it was fast.  Our Thalys train was a real treat!   And highly recommended.

Next stop Paris, Oh la la!

The Optimistic Tourist

November/December 2016 Adventure

This trip probably took more advanced planning than any other trip we have taken.  I spotted the offer for this trip a little more than a year before the ship was to set sail.  We decided it was a good thing to project into the future because it does give one something to look forward to and plan.  Oh, and plan and discuss we did!

Being optimistic, it is necessary to have some plans as to what one visualizes will happen.  Though there may be changes during the trip, those need to be seen as opportunities to see, learn, and do new things.  All that said, I started this planning adventure by finding a cruise that would stop at Casablanca ---a place that Marshall and I had talked about visiting one day.  The cruise met other requirements we had for travel:
1.  It would be in low travel season.
2.  It would go to some other new ports as well as some we have seen.UIKeyInputDownArrow
3.  The price was pretty good and there were rooms located where we wanted to be. ^
We would be able to fit in some time to see family in London and Lille.  
Next began what we would like to see prior to the ship leaving from Venice. We needed to decide what we wanted to see this time around.  Target events needed to be scheduled first.
We knew we would be doing London Thanksgiving on Saturday, November 19.  I wanted to see Mama Mia on stage, so ordered 4 matinee tickets for the Thursday before. Visiting with family was the other objective of this trip segment since they live so far away from Stockton.  We now have 2 time frames to work around: London visit and ship departure from Venice.  Get a hotel in Venice 2 nights before embarkation.  Decision to make; do we go to the previous hotel or try something new?  Back to the website!

After the London plans were confirmed, we began discussing what other places and things we wanted to see. Marshall has been fascinated with the canal boats in Europe for some time and wanted to see more.  Tours for canal boats are our of season  during this time of year in the London area but never in Amsterdam!  That information had us put another new pin on the map and travel to Amsterdam was confirmed.  Details for that segment were done through our travel website. theoptimistictourist.dreamtrips.com and the prices were below those on other sites and sometimes through the same vendor!    Transportation was arranged for arrival as well as tours to Anne Frank house, a Tuk Tuk tour, and cheese tasting.

We decided that since we were "on the continent" we should go to Paris and see the Moulin Rouge show.  Last Paris trip we were in the neighborhood, saw the windmill but had no clue it was that show.  Reservation made!  Hotel reservation a return to the known.

We discuss it would be nice to visit the area from which Marshall's grandfather emigrated. Marshall got Christoph's Facebook address and the plans to visit Lille begin.  Marshall wanted to meet as many Wattels as possible.

To connect all of these cities, wishes, and activities together we decided to take the trains of Europe.  We would board our first train in Amsterdam and arrive in Paris to attend the show that evening.  The next was a local train to Lille.  Eurostar would take us from Lille to St. Pancras station in London.  A ride on Italotren would get us between Rome and Venice.

The time after leaving London was set to visit Rome.  We had been there before, but it was rainy and it was more a drive-by tour.  Our hotel was set, driver from airport arranged, and flight to Rome confirmed.  Transport to Heathrow was arranged by Jason in London.  Our airport pick to the hotel was arranged as well as tours of the colosseum, forum, pantheon, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's.  Even the Hop on, Hop off was arranged.

Transportation to the Venice hotel and the Venice cruise ship terminal would be made upon arrival we agreed.  There needed to be a little spontaneity

NOTE; The choice of some of our hotels was made on proximity to the train stations.

Communication while away was an important factor, so I went to T-Mobile on two different occasions to insure I had a plan that would work throughout Europe.* I went through the entire itinerary and was assured the switch in my plan would make calling in Europe a breeze.**

Marshall had arranged with Aurora to take us to San Jose and be there for our return.

Plans made;  packing to be done.  AND away we go.

^There was an offer that would move us to a suite and the ultimate drink package for a very nominal fee, so we took it instead.
*The boys at TMobile did not know what they were talking about and signed me up for a plan to call Europe from the US.
*.*If I forfeited the $200 T-Mobile has, they would set me up for another plan.
Solution:  pull the sim card and get a new number in the UK.  Save the sim card for return to US--then find a new carrier.

Until next time, The Optimistic Tourist

Smaller than a breadbox or Days Hotel Waterloo 3/23/2014

Following our long wait at the airport and our lengthy flight to London, we were met by our driver at Heathrow and taken to our hotel.  Since it was well before check in (around 8:30AM), our room was not ready.  The delightful desk girl happily stored our bags and said she would try to get us a room ASAP.

We went to one of the two restaurants of the hotel for continental breakfast; unfortunately, it was no better than the cold boxed breakfast offered on the British Airways flight.  Having just left 11 days of plentiful beautifully displayed buffets this was very pale by comparison. . . no comparison.

Sleep was the one commodity we were in search of at the time (little was had in the cramped seats of steerage) .  Even without the benefit of our room and comfy bead, we were able to attain a little sleep.  At about 11 AM we were approached by the lovely desk girl and told our room was ready--that was at least 3 hours  before the early check in time. Woo, woo!!

Fifth floor--top of the heap!  What luck.  Early to the room and top floor, what more could we ask for?

Our first glance of the room brought gasps and wide-eyed shock.  Could a hotel room costing this much really be so small?  This space was smaller than our cruise ship cabin which, itself, looked more like a closet. Eager for sleeping in a bed, we did not bother getting our luggage but fell to sleep almost instantly on our little, but comfortable, bed.   SLEEP, delightful!

After sleeping for several hours, Marshall retrieved our numerous bags from storage.  It was a challenge to find adequate floor space for all of the luggage, but where there is a will . . . .  climbing over bags, sorting through disarray, managing electrical challenges, and surviving the phone booth
sized bathroom without any mishaps provided great validation and exhilieration.

P.S.
There is truth to location , location, location.  What this place lacked in size was compensated by the great location.

Nuevo Vallarta 2014; Where it began

You are wondering what began here?  That will wait until the end.

This is looking up the river from our Grand Luxxe Villa. 







Well it was this place three years ago that made my mind up to retire.  I was not in Nuevo Vallarta at the time, but we were planning our summer vacation and I planned beyond the start of school.  Obviously I could not give that as a reason for missing the beginning of the school year, BUT it did
make a good beginning for a new life in retirement.

Ps. It is now 5 years into retirement!

Packing Nightmare for the Travel Glutton --3/2014

This is one of the unpublished pieces; I decided to add more out of the time frame would not catch the essence of the moment. You get what I did at the time.

Is there really enough travel?  You be the judge; I will try to figure it out, with a clouded mind.

When we first talked about the possibility of going on a Danube cruise, I kept saying it was just too expensive.  After having a stroke in early July, the outlook relating to price and time totally changed and I made reservations for the Danube cruise.  Naturally, we decided to stop by London to see Bethie, Charlotte, and Jason.  (Peter was not firmly on the radar at the time.)

Marshall had scheduled a Skipper Saver class for me prior to the stroke, so we went out on the Friday after my Monday incident.  My wonderful instructor, Bob, was very patient with me and made me comfortable being in charge of the 32 to 35 ton boat.

During conversation, Bob mentioned he and his wife were going n a cruise on HAL to the southern caribbean.  He said there were a few couples we knew who were going on the same cruise and said it would be nice for us to go along.  Already having a Danube cruise scheduled near that time, it  was an idea to pursue. .  .  and I did.

Originally, we thought a trip between the HAL trip and our Danube trip would be good and followed by a few days in London.  AS time progressed, the longer trip did not look so  great (we had been on a 42 day cruise with total of 2 months before).  AS it turned out, we--I, decided  we would do New York another time and shorten the trip by going to London immediately after the Caribbean--Before the Danube.

Where have you been?

I was asked about the gap in published entries on this blog.  The story is that I did write but either did not publish the entries OR I put them on a different blog.
My attention turned from travel tourist to health adventure tourist.  Also, I wrote travel under another name.
If you want to catch up, the blogs follow.
Sleepapneaadventures.blogspot.com
onegotoperson.com.     Or.   Onegotoperson.blogspot.com
There are also entries on the old misspelled site.  Theoptomistictourist.blogspot.com.

Now you know.

15 May On the California Delta Post Script to Friday 13th cruise

15 May  On the California Delta Post Script to Friday 13th cruise

Upon arrival at the Delta Marina in Rio Vista, our captains and crews met on the patio dock for snacks and libations before heading to The Point Restaurant for a delicious dinner.  Following much socialization everyone tumbled into their respective bunks for a well deserved rest. 


As the roosters crowed, Saturday morning started with little fanfare except the howling winds.  Good fortune was on the way, the winds were to calm and almost cease before noon.  In the interim, we had a wonderful potluck breakfast on the docks.  With  deck chairs lined up against the perimeter of the dock, people enjoyed their food selections as the sun broke through the clouds. Was it the sun that warmed everyone or  the delicious custom made bloody Mary’s and crisp champagne? 

Our afternoon was glorious.  Many members of  IOBG/IOBGA district 19 began arriving around noon.  We met at The Patio and adjacent lawn area for beverages  and snacks.  Following several hours of socialization, Julia and her crew had dinner ready for all.  There was so much food that people not only had seconds, but they took food home, too.

The crowds dwindled as evening drew near and and the shadows of evening fell. The remaining contingent of good humored companions continued their merriment until the last finally hit the sack. 

Buzzzzzzzz!  Time to get up and have another wonderful day on the California Delta.  After showers, coffee, and a brief look at e-mails, we joined the remaining members who boated in on Friday for breakfast at The Point courtesy   of our leaders Sandee and Zane.  Every thing was delicious and everyone left the restaurant full and happy.

No time for a post-meal nap, though.  It is time to get the boats ready to leave the marina and head home.  All of the remaining 5 boats were promptly ready to depart the marina and meet up at the 3 mile slough bridge for opening.  After passing under the bridge and through the slough, each captain deterred their respective course for home port. 

Another successful cruise completed in and on the glorious California Delta.

Smooth sailing!

Cruising Down the River- - - in the California Delta

Friday, 13 May—Cruising Down the River— and other adventures on the California  Delta

The sun is out, the sky a light blue, and the winds have kicked up to 35 MPH creating wind waves (on the usually serene waters) rough and tumble.  Naturally the waves are moving eastward while we are traveling in the opposite direction.  It is reminiscent of having the winds against ones umbrella on a blustery day.  For the most part we glide over the tops of the waves, but there is the occasional bump and jerk as the water, wind, and boat surfaces come together.  This is  only one short trip, but the conditions can make the trip seem much longer than it is in reality.  Today’s trip is not for the novice boater or one with a squeamish stomach; those who are psyched about motion sickness would definitely be loosing lunch by now.  If luck is with us, the winds will trail off before we reach our destination.  Perhaps the massive action will stop when we leave the main river channel and divert to one of the sloughs or reaches before waiting for the bridge to  open onto the Sacramento River.  Going to go down to the galley—that’s kitchen for  non boaters, and get a snack for the captain and crew—that, me.

That was an adventure.  The warnings that your are given on an airliner about holding on while walking about the cabin hold true for today's adventures in boating.  Looking out the galley windows the waves look to be about 3 feet high and 10 feet apart.  That makes for a very bumpy ride at best.  I can see a sailor enjoying the wind in his sales as he heels dramatically to the port.  It must be quite exhilarating as well as pure terror!  If he is not scaring himself, he is doing a good job for me.  Snacks are completed and we will soon turn on to one so the smaller water ways of the Delta that connects the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers called 3 mile  Slough and the lift bridge. 

As we slowly make our way down river to the hum of the twin Hino diesel engines, I make note of the few other boats we have seen out  and the lack of chatter on the radio this fine Friday, May 13.  Hmm, has everyone chosen to pull the wool over their heads out of superstition or do they not like the wind or maybe they have to work.  Yes, the radio just squawked  and some of our fellow travels have made it to the destination point.  Oh, I do wish we were with them and closer to the docks.  The electric wind turbines are in the distance near our destination.  They don’t appear to be  moving much.  Maybe we will be lucky and the winds will slow by the time we reach the Sacramento River.

The water on the slough was much calmer than the San Joaquin River had been.  WE are turning about in circles waiting for the bridge repair crew to clear so the bridge can be lifted.  It really is an amazing sight to see traffic from both directions on state highway12 stop  for our bridge opening.  Every time I see one of the lift bridges go up, from land or the deck of the boat, it is an amazing sight. 

We are headed up the Sacramento River to Rio Vista.  This time we have a following wind that is pushing us all over the place. It is a short bit of time we will be ready to enter the harbor and calmer water and winds. 

We have arrived, are sterned into our assigned dock space, and tied down.  After the winds calm, the lines will be readjusted to the captain’s liking and all will be settled in for an afternoon and evening of merriment and good cheer with our fellow adventurers in the California Delta.

Making plans to venture out and be the optimistic tourist. “Locks are for honest people.” A. Clair Smith, circa 1960

In my early years, my parents had a cabin at the Odd Fellows Recreation Club on the Russian River in the California Redwoods.  Describing it as a cabin is almost a misnomer; it was, as my mother kindly put it, camping under a roof.  Mama also made it clear that other peoples’ “cabins” were more similar to their San Fransisco and Marin homes. 

The security system for our cabin while we were in the park was to shut the door and hook & eye lock the screen door.  On particularly warm evenings, the screen would be “locked” to keep the pets in and not tempted to take themselves for walks.  Nothing was ever missing and we felt quite safe.  When we were not in residence, the other 9 months of the year, the door—with a huge pane lass window—was locked with a skeleton key and the screen hooked shut.  The porch was left open with  everything in full view and only the gate shut.  Only once in over 30 years was anything missing and that was alcoholic beverages. 

I am guessing that Smitty was correct.  For all of those years the simple locking system kept things in the same place they were left.  Once in 30 years was not a bad record.

An article I read on a blog today brought the article title in focus.  It said to never put your valuables in the overhead bin on a plane; I would have thought they would be relatively secure but evidently on long haul flights things have been missing lately.  I guess we cannot screen our flights for only honest people even with our locked, overhead luggage.  Now we need to take security a leaps forward as we continue on the theme.

Locally we read about break-ins, robberies, and numerous kinds of thefts.  The simple  hook and eye lock does not work as a deterrent for today’s individuals with the intent of making what is your theirs. This brings me to the REAL topic of today.  What do you do when you are going to be away from your abode to secure your possessions?  This can be for the quick trip to the store, a day at work, or an extended holiday.  What will you do?

As for the optimistic tourists, we do take many precautions before leaving our house at any time and particularly when traveling.  Daily routine is to lock doors; this is not just when retiring or going out, but also lock doors after picking up the morning paper, watering plants, and any other quick trip out doors.  Make sure all front and side doors are locked when working in the back yard.  Entering the house and finding someone entered through an unlocked entry would be quite unpleasant. 

If you do not have an alarm system, get one!  Though the police may not come promptly, if the do come, the noise is a deterrent for the would be thief.  The alarm is also a reminder to you if any doors or windows are left unsecured as you are leaving.  It has certainly made me more aware of making sure the lock catches.  Police departments do charge for false alarms which is an incentive to make sure your alarm and system are in working order.

Who is going to watch over your home while you are away besides the person monitoring your alarm? Did you get security cameras installed?   Are you going to have someone stay at your house?  Will that house sitter care for the plants, pets, mail, and papers on the front porch? 

Are your neighbors aware you are leaving?  Have you shared contact numbers with your neighbors, closest relative and/or responsible party?  Is your pool maintenance person coming by on a regular schedule and checking that everything is “in place?”  The gardener has a regular schedule and can be called in an emergency to help out?  Someone watering your house plants?  Have you stopped the newspaper and have someone to check for flyers left in the drive?  Redundancy in doing all of these tasks is not a bad idea. 

I am grateful for all of the friends and relatives who watch over our home while we are gone and care for our “baby” so she believes she, too, is on vacation at the spa. It takes planning to have a successful trip and knowing your home is in good hands while you are away makes the trip that much more enjoyable.

Bon Voyage!

Tuk-Tuk Lisbon

To Tuk-Tuk or not, that is the question.
Lisbon, Portugal   12 December

The tour titles just did not appeal.  Panoramic Lisbon, Lisbon by coach, Lisbon by tram and coach, etc.; You get the picture of the sedate "adventures" the cruise ship had in mind for our day in port.

Not being captivated by  the titles or descriptions of the activities, we decided to venture into the unknown on our own.  It didn't seem to daring.  We were equipped with a a local map, Euros, the departure time of the vessel, and a few key phrases of Portuguese--  even if we would slaughter the pronunciations.

All the normal procedures for leaving the ship were followed and away we went ready to  hit the streets of Lisbon!  We managed to survive the gauntlet of taxi drivers trying to peddle their English skills as tour guides  and the hop-on-hop-off sales folks to arrive at the first street.
After several near misses by local busses and cars passing through the green pedestrian signals, we got to the second block in the city.

Along the street sat a row of tiny, colorful tuk-tuks.  Memories slipped back to the warm days of late spring in India 2012.  Unlike the two seat Indian  vehicles, these were clean and looked to be well maintained.  Curiosity and adventure got to us and we inquired as to the cost of a tour.  Besides the adventure aspect, the fluency of the driver's English skills made us decide THIS was the thing to do!  Following a quick dash back to the boat to secure a bank card (I wanted to have enough Euros to thoroughly enjoy the city), our guide was ready to share  the neighborhoods of Lisbon.

We learned our tour guide/driver was named Miguel but sitting behind him, with the street noises in our ears, we had to ask a second time.  Sweetly, he said it is Michael in English and we could call him that if it was easier for us. It was Miguel from that point on.

Miguel asked us what we would particularly like to see in the city, but we really had no idea.  You see, the ship provided a brief history of Lisbon, surrounding towns, and sites but that was consumed, digested, and quickly forgotten.  The lecturer mostly talked about wine, as we recalled but that was at the "next" port-of-call.  We asked Miguel to show us what he felt were his favorite places in Lisbon and off we went.

The tuk-tuk engine whined as it climbed up steep, narrow, century old streets of the city.  We stopped at neighborhood squares, churches, shrines, view vistas, and even Miguel's neighborhood.  The rare glimpses into the housing and an idea of how people of the past had lived came to life. The panoramas of the city were breathtaking; the ship became a miniature from those heights.

As we zipped down the narrow streets it appeared we were destined to run into street posts  blocking traffic, but they magically retracted into the street as Miguel commanded, "Open Sesame!"  This was much to our delight and intrigue.

As we toured the city, we also chatted about politics,commerce, customs, and life in general for the people of Portugal in general and Lisbon in particular. The fresh air was refreshing as was the conversation with our nice young man.  With all the adventure and developing friendships, we almost forgot about eating . . . but not completely.

We still need to see the twin of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Christ on the Hill!  Fortunately, the clouds and fog cleared somewhat so we were able to see both.  Also fortuitously, there was an ATM (a goal for the day) and several restaurants a brief walk away where we warmed up, had pizza, beverages, and more lively conversation.

Sadly, our time was getting short and  we had to end our day with Miguel.  Naturally, we forgot business cards, again, but that handy I-pod made it easy to exchange email addresses and promises  to keep in touch.   It was definitely a day to remember!

LONDON: the BEST first, then the rest.

I am going to be brief, but that does not in any way diminish our joy, excitement, or  delight with visiting to the Hungerfords of London.

The best things about London are the members of our family.  Anyone can see the Tower Bridge, Shard, and several palaces, but not everyone gets to spend time with our very special family in London.

Upon arrival in London, Jason came to our hotel to escort us to their new abode. (It was so good to see him in person after so long).  We had the Crystal Palace route down, so this was a new one at Herne Hill was one we needed guidance to learn.  How fortuitous that we should choose a hotel with a direct route to the family's new home!  Sometimes things just work out.

Our greeting by  Bethie and Charlotte was so wonderful.  It was as if we had been there just last week.  Each of the following visits were progressively jubilant and exciting. It was great to hear about activities, future plans, and general chit-chat by all. 

Meeting and getting to hold and coo with Peter, our newest family addition, brought back memories.  He is such a happy baby.  He was only a bit fussy when he decided it was time to eat and only Mommy was wanted then.   The rest of the time, he allowed us to share him.  Weighing in at 14 pounds, Peter is a healthy boy.

Charlotte is delightful.  She loves books and reading.  She is quite imaginative and creative.  We were fortunate to  attend her dance recital during our visit.  It was very sweet to see Charlotte warm up to Grandpa Marshall for special time together while sharing books or play.

Sunday, March 30 was Mums Day in the UK.  Jason took Bethie and I, the moms, as well as Marshall and Charlotte to Tea at the Grovsner Hotel at Victoria Station.  It was quite elegant and filling.  Tea, champagne, and tasty treats -- delightful. 

We took the train back to Herne Hill following a bit of shopping at Victoria Station.  Following a bit more visit, it was time for us to head back to our hotel and the end of our family time in London.  With clean clothes--oh, yes, Bethie and Jason even took care of our laundry--we sadly said good bye and made our way to the local bus stop and trip to  our hotel.

We have wonderful memories of our trip to London; and fortunately, Bethie and Jason are great at creating photo-histories of events that we can visit  as our minds get fuzzy. 

To quote Bob Hope, "Thanks for the memories. . . ." 

Sleepless at Sea: Ready to Go

After a sleepless night, I woke to the sounds of Bobby Darin singing "Beyond the Seas" and knew that was our goal.  Showers were taken, final items stuffed into carry-on luggage, and off we went to the final breakfast of this cruise.

It was amazing to see so many people wide awake at this hour.  It can be assumed some stayed up the entire night partying until the last moment--for some had that unnatural pop-eyed look of those struggling to keep eyes opened.  At least everyone was chugging along and ready for that FINAL shipboard meal.

Out the expansive windows, we could see fog over the inter-coastal waterway--yes, fog in Florida!  Dockside at the port does not look familiar.  It appears we returned to a different terminal than we left from.  Now in our stateroom awaiting directions, we can view the vegetation along the waters of South Florida.  The sun is burning  off  the fog as a work vessel passes the port side of the ship and up the inner-coastal.

Time to just wait for our group color and number to be called; oh, there was just an announcement--but not for us.  Guess I will finish in anticipation of the final call.