10/30/2016

Weekly Update 10/30/2016

The journey began with a huge headache! I got to the airport with what I had believed would be plenty of time, but NO! No bags were accepted by the Jet Blue check in sooner than 40 minutes before boarding (scheduled for 9:34 am for a 10:10 flight); I was there with 37 minutes to go. I was not allowed to board, and they would not send my checked bags on a flight I wouldn't be on. I was rescheduled for a 4:40 flight. I wasted the whole day watching the clock in the Savannah terminal. And then the flight was delayed! Shit. And I couldn't check my bag before 6 hours before boarding. When I finally was able to check the big one (at 5 hours and 50 minutes before boarding), I didn't remember to get a claim check, and I never watched her put a JFK sticker on the bag. That haunted me later. We finally took off about 5:30. I texted to Allen, because he was already at JFK. Not certain that I would make my connection for the 10:40 pm flight to Amsterdam, I went right to the baggage claim area as soon as I got off the plane, but I was so sure my bag wouldn't be there, I was making plans to wash out my underwear nightly and buy new sneakers. But there it was! floating down the slide! a miracle! So I dragged it to the air train, to the next terminal where, thanks to many texts and Allen's patience with me, I finally met up with Allen. Our overseas flight was delayed an hour, so we went to get a beer. Never has an Angry Orchard tasted so good! Or been so expensive! We finally boarded and were on our way. 

I hardly slept on the plane. I tried, but the seat was too small and I couldn't get comfortable. I'd paid extra for more leg room, but even with my short legs, my knees were crowded against the seat in front of me.  Food sucked, but I expected that. I watched two movies: Finding Dory and Elvis & Nixon. The real fun began when we landed. We deplaned, went through customs, got our bags, exchanged dollars for euros, then went looking for the Viking rep. After waiting for about 45 minutes, we went to the free shuttle for the Radisson Blu hotel.  But it was the wrong one!  Apparently there are several Radisson Blu hotels in Amsterdam – who knew? After an €80 taxi drive, we were at the right place.  There was a Viking concierge desk in the lobby, so I told them our story and they said the people on the boat would make an adjustment. We'll see about that. But they got us settled. We went to our room where I tried to electrocute myself with the adapters - only got two to work. I took a shower, Allen took a short nap, then we met Dave and Lisa. It was wonderful to see them!  We walked around the red light district and found a place for a beer, then walked around a little more and found a place for supper that was really nice. 

relaxing at the Radisson Blu

the number of bikes in Amsterdam in unbelievable

Allen and I went to breakfast at the hotel - pretty good. Allen had never seen baked beans for breakfast, so that was fun. By the time we'd finished there, Lisa and Dave were already in the lobby, and we took off for our walk to the 11 am appointment at the Van Gogh museum. Then we went to a restaurant for lunch. Dave ordered a little beer, and he got about a shot glass worth. Funny. I had a peaches and cream Dutch pancake. Good. Next we took a canal boat tour. My belly was full, we were on the water moving slowly, it was a cloudy day, and it was nap time - but I only nodded off a couple of times.  Then we headed to the Anne Frank House. The queue was down the street and around the block, but because we had already purchased our tickets, we went right in at 5:30. There was an interesting background talk, with photographs, before we went into the house. Except for the actual rooms in the annex, everything was different than when Ishy and I went years ago. This museum does marvelous job of moving so many people through and keeping it interesting. Very nicely done!  (If only US customs could do as well!) The whole experience was sobering and moving. We all went to the same pub and restaurant for dinner as we'd been to last night, and again it was great. We ended the day at the bar at the hotel. When I got back to the room, I packed up and got ready to check out early tomorrow. Another long (but good) day. 

Allen at the Van Gogh museum

on the canal boat ride

Anne Frank House with the long,long lines

Allen, me, Lisa ant Dave at dinner

After we finished breakfast, we checked out of our room but left our bags at the hotel. Dave wasn't going to the Rijksmuseum, so we left him with fond farewells and hopes to meet again soon. Lisa led the way to the museum. When we got there it wasn't at all crowded, so we walked right in. It was wonderful, with old masters' painting – Vermeer, Rembrandt, others. Then we left Lisa with hugs and thanks and promises to meet again soon in Savannah. Allen and I took a leisurely walk back to the hotel, and I got nervous that we didn't know where we were. But we returned with plenty of time to spare. We sat in the bar with beer and wine, then reclaimed our bags and got ready to board the shuttle to the ship. We explored the room (that took about 15 seconds as it is TEENY!), unpacked, and took naps. We had a "meeting" in the lounge to meet the staff and get some information.  Dinner was very good, and Allen liked it. We were tired, so we settled into our teeny room and went to bed. 

Rijksmuseum

amazing original paintings

acting like tourists

Amsterdam version of Big Foot

We took the tour of the Kinderdijk windmills on Saturday. It was really interesting and I liked that. Back on the ship, we had our safety exercise. In the afternoon, following a little nap, we went to the 'excursions' sales talk. I'm thinking we should do the restaurant tour in Rudesheim, but I didn't sign up. I'd signed up yesterday for the captains tour of the pilot house, but there was no announcement and I missed it (and made Allen miss it too). It was the captains cocktail greeting, so we went to the lounge for a glass of champagne. Dinner was wonderful again. After dinner, we back to the cabin. Allen stayed there, but I went back to the lounge for trivia. I didn't do any better than I've done at other trivia games, but I met some other fellow travelers.

On Sunday, we docked at Cologne, Germany. We got off the ship and took a bus into the city where we met tour guide and had an interesting (but quite cold) walking tour of the Old City, including the cathedral. The city was inhabited even before the Romans invaded about 100AD. There are many Roman ruins (the city gates, tiles from the floor of an ancient residence, gravestones) that were quite interesting. It was a major trade route in the Middle Ages. The cathedral was begun in 1248. It houses the remains of the Magi, which were brought to Cologne following a war. Because it was Sunday, we weren't able to go inside, but outside was impressive. We took the bus back to the ship after the tour, and I took a long nap. We attended the Germany Today talk - economics, politics, etc. then got ready for the excursion to the beer tasting. In Cologne, there is a beer that is only brewed there (we were told this, and we believed it; whether or not that's true, I don't know) – Kӧlsch, so we were at three different bars to test that. We had a wonderful German dinner at the first place we tried, and that was special. We couldn't get wifi in any of the bars, so I didn't know the Bills had lost until I got back to the boat. Wifi was quite consistent and good while we were on the ship, and I liked that. 

Cologne Cathedral

Allen enjoying a Kolsch on the pub crawl

the cathedral at night (taken from the ship)

We had to be up early because the excursion to Marksburg Castle was at 9 am on Monday. I was stunned when I picked up my ship "passport" (the little card that we must take when we get off the ship and return when we get back, so they know that all passengers are aboard) that they had 80 euros to repay me for the taxi to the hotel!  I didn't think that would happen!  Marksburg is the only castle on the Rhine that has not been destroyed in war, by fire, or by neglect.  It was really interesting (and quite hazardous for old, walking-challenged, fat ladies, but I made it).  It rained most of the time, so cobblestones were damp and slippery, and I had to carry my wet umbrella.  During the afternoon, when we were all back on the ship and relaxing, our ship cruised down the Rhine, and our director gave a running commentary about the castles we were seeing.  It was still raining, and although I tried to sit on the ineptly named Sun Deck, I soon gave up.  That  worked out all right, as I would simply go to the small landing by the stairs to take pictures whenever George began "...and now coming up on the right...".  It was foggy, too, so many pictures aren't that good.  There was a small walk scheduled late that afternoon at our next docking station. I was going to skip it, but joined at the last minute, and I'm very glad I decided to go.  We went into the town or Rudensheim.  It reminded me a little of Durnstein, a town I'd loved when I was on the Danube River cruise many years ago, one of my favorite stops on that trip.  Allen and I had a beer and glass of wine in town, then walked back to the boat.  We went past a few Christmas shops, but I didn't see a nutcracker I liked.  

Marksburg Castle

on a rainy day

Some of the castle we cruised past:

Tuesday was Heidelberg. We didn't dock very early, but eventually got on our bus and headed to Heidelberg castle. This castle is HUGE, and the town was quaint and picturesque.   We had time in the afternoon to wander around, and I was determined to get a nutcracker. I found one (but not a Steinbach; the store only had a few) but a German one that I thought was cute. Allen and I walked to the Old Bridge for pictures, then found a cafe for beer before heading back to the boat. Viking had set up a small buffet with soup, salad, sandwiches and quiche, so I went there. Allen stayed in the room to catch up on some journal writing. I meant to go on the walking tour into Speyer, but missed it. Tonight for dinner was German night. But it was also full-buffet-all-over-the-boat night, so I got to see the kitchen. That was pretty interesting.

Heidelberg castle

the bridge across the river

the Christmas store where I bought my nutcracker

having a brr in Heidelberg

Wednesday was Strasbourg. We had to get off the ship before 9, and then had a 2 hour walking tour. It was really quite lovely, with little canals meandering through the old town, and lots of half timber buildings. Allen and I stayed in the city after the tour ended. We took the canal cruise, which I thought was very interesting especially the locks and swing bridge. We ate at an outdoor cafe and I had a marvelous cheese / ham / onion crepe! It was called The Alsatian, so perhaps it was a local favorite. We wandered around looking for two churches New St Peters and St Thomas. We found them both and I really liked St Peters.  I did some souvenir shopping. My feet were begging for relief by the time we got back on the bus. I decided Strasbourg is my favorite city. After dinner, we went to the sky deck and watched as we went thru a lock. That was pretty interesting.

the rose window and pipe organ in the cathedral

the astronomical clock

a cheese shop in Strasbourg

Allen by the boat we took for a canal cruise

The last day of the tour was Thursday. I was dragging more and more. After breakfast, we boarded buses for the optional tour to the medieval city of Colmar. It was another very quaint, old, lovely town. If I had known how much like Strasbourg it was, I may have insisted that we do the WWII excursion instead. But this was very nice. We went into the cathedral even though there was a funeral going on. And I took photos! Classy, Wilma. We bought some chocolates at a little shop. The day was sunny and warm, finally. We had lunch on the ship, and then got back on the bus to go to the  Black Forest. It was a long drive and I slept. The traffic was horrific - apparently there had been an accident on the autobahn in the morning which tied things up for hours, and coming back thru the city of Freiburg at rush hour was bad, and then we passed two accidents and two construction delays. But we finally made it back. It was the Captains farewell dinner, and very nice. I drank too much.

the cathedral in Colmar, which was closed

lovely flowers everywhere

one of the canals

one booth at the market

Allen in the candy shop (yes, we did buy something!)

on the bus ride to the Black Forest

the cuckoo clock factory

Allen and I got up about 5:15 am to pack, get dressed, and put our bags outside the door. Then we went back to sleep. We got up again to go to breakfast. I felt like Santa Claus, delivering €10 to favorite servers. Then it was time to get on the bus. We got our boarding passes and went thru security. The flight from Basil to Amsterdam was uneventful. We played a few games of backgammon. Then we had to go thru customs and walk to another terminal for the second flight - the long one!  I exchanged the few euros I still had at the airport. The flight was probably the best overseas I've ever had. It seemed that the seats were bigger with more leg room, the individual monitors had games, movies (I watched Dumbo and Hitchcock), and tv shows, as well as a map of our flight and info. The main meal was teeny but the cream puffs and pudding dessert was lovely and they gave us ice cream for a snack and quiche for breakfast.  There were USB ports at every seat, and we even played a few more games of backgammon. Back on the ground, it was a long wait to get thru passport inspection, then customs. But on the plus side, our baggage was already waiting when we got to the claim area. Allen walked with me for a short way, then we hugged and said goodbye.

I wasn't quite sure about my connections,since I had booked them separately from the Viking package. But I made it to my terminal in time for the next leg of the ride home. I was tired, hot, and annoyed at the idiot customs agents who seem to think that everyone does this every day and therefore knows exactly what to do and where to go, when the reality is that many of us travel – especially to a foreign country – infrequently,and the rules have changed since the last time we did this. Pardon me if I'm in the wrong line, or can't quite get my passport to scan, but to be rude to me is inexcusable. So, I'm mad, tired, hot and still have two more flights until I can get home. I lost my neck pillow, which I didn't want to do, but hey! I didn't lose my wallet, or my passport, so how bad can that be? I got to Savannah just after midnight, and was home again by 1 am. Very tired, but what a wonderful trip I had!

In Europe, I'm always amazed at many things. How clean everything is! In JFK, when they call for your flight to board, you just leave your McD paper cup and half finished burger on your seat, even you have to pass three trash buckets on the way to the gate. Not so in Europe. Even highways seem to be less scattered with litter that Americans feel it is their right to just toss out a car window and leave for someone else to pick it up (or not). I saw many more bicycles that Ford F150s, by a large margin; in fact, not many pick up trucks at all and few vans. The flowers in window boxes and in street-side planters add so much to the beauty of the city. No one, and I mean not one person, in any of the cities we visited did not have a scarf wrapped around their neck. I saw no street people in Germany, and the first beggars I encountered were in Strasbourg, France. Tipping is not something that

is expected in Europe; if your taxi fee is €70, that's what it is, and the same is true in restaurants and bars (the Viking ship has another policy altogether, however). Everyone is blond, and the children even more blond than the adults. It was like being in another universe.

Saturday, I spent unpacking, doing laundry, checking my mail, generally getting caught up with what I'd missed. When I did get into my car to go to the Publix for a few things, I was immediately reminded of how much I dread driving – it's been a pleasure not to have to back up for more than 10 days Sunday I didn't have to go to BC (still closed due to the hurricane), or Coach's (the game as on local network tv, and I didn't really want to watch anyway). So I didn't have to go out. I'm a little confused about what I should wear - Halloween pj's or Buffalo Bills t-shirt. I should have stuck to Halloween!

It took me nearly as long to do this update as it did to travel to Europe. I hate this Dell laptop and Windows 10. The picture file is a nightmare – can't edit my own photos because I don't have permission, and I'm the administrator. What's that about? The word processing imports pictures when and how it darn well feels like it. And even if I'm not touching the mouse, I seem to fly all over the document. I finally created the doc page by page, and printed when I had one page done. Then updated on the internet carefully, one paragraph and photo at a time. This is ridiculous; I want my old Toshiba back!