• Never More Than a Kiss Away

    8/30/20089:59:51 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    An American icon . . . . . . the summer vacation . . . . . . has now come to a close with the Labor Day holiday. I know the school year plays a major role as to when vacations would be taken, but it has remained with us for so long now . . . . . that even those without kids . . . . . take the summer vacation. 30, 40 and 50 years ago, vacations were taken . . . . . . generally by car . . . . . . . and almost always to visit family in other parts of the country.

     
    The family vacation thrived with the building of the Interstate system and the roadside motels. Vacation spots . . . . . . not involving family visits . . . . . began to spring up. Now you can visit places like Cypress Gardens . . . . . . . the Dells . . . . . . Knott’s Berry Farm. You can see the Largest Ball of Yarn . . . . . . . . . or the 3 Headed Monkey . . . . . . and watch the Alligator Wrestler. We can now easily travel to places like Disneyland . . . . . . . . and vacations were never going to be the same again. Grandma and Uncle Joe have been replaced by Mickey Mouse and Yosemite Sam or Injun Joe selling his wares on the side of Route 66.
     
    Today, the family vacation has a whole new look. Families are becoming well traveled. Young families with small children not only go the beach, but they fly to Aruba to get there. They will go to Europe and see the ruins of Pompeii . . . . . . . or the Parthenon. They may take a family cruise to Alaska or the Caribbean. (more kids will cruise in 2008 than all people who cruised in 1990)  Some families fly even to Japan to visit Disney World. Maybe they should look at a map next time.
     
    We travel quite a bit with our grandkids, but not always. Sometimes they stay home . . . . or we stay home. To keep in touch with our grandkids . . . . . . aside from cell phones and e-mail . . . . . .  we send stars around the world. Every night when darkness falls, each of us throws a kiss to the first star we see. That star will travel to where the others are . . . . . . and then we each grab the kiss (the one they sent to us) from the second star we see . . . . . . . and they do the same.  I know it’s a bit corny . . . . . . . and doesn’t happen every night . . . . . . but, these kids look forward to it - and in their mind (and ours) . . . . we are never more than a kiss away.

  • Making Your Own Memories

    8/28/20087:04:06 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Here we are smack in the middle of another hurricane season. Pack your bags and get on a cruise for a wonderful vacation. Quite a few people want to chase down the season and save hundreds . . . . . . . maybe thousands of dollars. The trade off for saving all of that money . . . . . . . . . . you may visit a port which you weren’t expecting to. 

     
    This is the best kept secret (don’t tell anyone) in all of cruising . . . . . . . . travel . . . . . . . . . . vacations . . . . . . . . . . almost anything at all. The vast numbers of people that are worried . . . . . needlessly . . . . . . are saving the bargain hunters tons of money.
     
    Think about it. You go to a hotel . . . . let’s say Florida, Cancun, Biloxi or even Myrtle Beach . . . . . . anytime between June 1 and November 30, and you are in hurricane season. That building you are staying in . . . . . doesn’t move . . . . . doesn’t take you to other, brighter destinations . . . . . . . doesn’t offer you choices if you get stuck. What you do get – is to spend a few days in the basement of the local armory or join the thousands on the highway and head home.
     
    However . . . . . . . a cruise which was destined for Jamaica may take a left and head over to St Thomas instead - as is happening this week. Certainly, this could be disappointing . . . . . . . . . you may have had your heart set on Jamaica . . . . . . . . but, remember why you chose to cruise in the fall . . . . . . . . the trade off . . . . . . the savings of hundreds of dollars - or more. One thing is certain . . . . . . . . the most memorable trip is the one that had unexpected events. And it’s much more fun when you save all that money to get that memory.
     
     

  • Generations of Memories

    8/25/20087:24:37 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    An era has come to an end. I’m talking about my childhood summers in the 50’s and 60’s. Our family vacation involved loading the car and heading north.

    100 miles north of Green Bay, Wisconsin into a forested wonderland . . . . . . . a mile deep into the woods . . . . . near the border of Michigan . . . . . . . outside of a little town called Florence . . . . . . where we had a cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . a cabin built one board at time . . . . . . . by my grandfather. That’s where I spent my summers. From the time I was born until I married Linda.
     
    This week, the cabin was torn down. Being a mile deep in the woods and empty for all but a dozen weeks or so each year takes a toll on the structure. This was a great cabin with a nice 50 + year run. Finally the squirrels and bears made it theirs. The memories of a child run deep are many. A two room cabin . . . . . . (a third room was added later) . . . . . . no electricity . . . . . . . no indoor plumbing . . . . . . . . a wood burning stove for heating and cooking . . . . . a pond a ¼ mile down the path for bathing . . . . an outhouse 50 yards out back . . . . . . and a hole in the ground for keeping things cold . . . . . well, as cold as can be expected. This was our vacation and we loved every minute of it. At night the cabin was exciting and scary . . . . . dark and darker . . . . quiet and loud. As a child a mile deep in the forest with a single Coleman lantern for light, your mind begins to wander. The night sounds are amplified . . . . the darkness out the window is like looking into black . . . . . yet the sky was so clear that you could see thousands of bright stars . . . . . . . . . . as well as watch the path of astronauts and satellites. The night quiet also allowed us to hear dad’s car coming up the rutted road from a mile away. This gave us kids about 5 minutes to jump into bed and pretend to be asleep. I’m certain that mom and dad never knew that we broke some of the rules. How could they.
     
    Now, two things remain, which I’m sure will have a place in the new cabin. The wood burning stove . . . . . . . . my grandmother and mother made it look easy . . . . . . full dinners . . . . . . cakes or pies . . . . . . they could prepare meals fired by wood that most people of today couldn’t make in a modern kitchen. And secondly, the kitchen table . . . . . a sturdy piece of furniture which lasted through countless games of spoons. If you know the game of spoons . . . . . . then, you need no further explanation. If you don’t know the game . . . . . . . . . . the DeMark kids offer you a challenge.
     
    I have only been back a few times since moving to Georgia, but the memories make it seem as if it were yesterday. Now it’s time for a new generation of kids to remember the cabin their grandfather built . . . . . well, arranged to have built . . . . . . complete with electricity and indoor plumbing . . . . . . but; none the less, just as memorable and still a mile deep in the woods.

  • Misty, Kerri . . . . . . Tiger & Pavelen

    8/22/200811:44:25 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    Now that the Olympics are coming to an end, I have a few thoughts on the subject. I think . . . . . . . . . Michael Phelps is a great athlete, but is no comparison to the accomplishments of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. This dynamic duo has a winning streak of 108 matches in a row and 14 consecutive Olympic matches. Michael received 8 gold medals for the 8 events he was in. An amazing feat by any standard, but Misty & Kerri . . . . . . . . I don’t know how many individual games they won . . . . . . . . but the numbers are incredible. If they had a gold for every match . . . . . . . . well . . . . . . there would be a lot of gold.

     
    And then we have woman’s softball. Why are they taking this out of the Olympics? Is it because no one watches . . . . . . maybe not enough participation . . . . . . or because somebody’s daughter didn’t make the team. Who knows, but the U. S. team played great - until the end.
     
    What about basketball???????  When did the Olympics lose track of being an amateur sporting event??? Did the U.S. even win the gold for basketball? I don’t know . . . . . . I can’t bear to watch 30 million dollar a year players compete against (what amounts to) a college team. Doesn’t seem right to me.
     
    I think they should add golf as an event. Then we can watch Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson team up against Vladimir Petrosivic and Pavelen Kabrickinov of the Iclandic Golf Association. Then maybe we should include American football. How much fun would it be to watch the New England Patriots demolish teams like the Debrovnik Olive Trees. That should be an interesting challenge.

  • Red Light's, Coffee Houses and Windmills

    8/19/200812:28:51 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned from our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

    Our last port of call . . . . . .  Amsterdam. We enter the locks at about 9:00 AM . . . . . . actually, we enter the lock. Looks like a water level differential of about 6 feet or so and not a single Dutch boy with his finger in the wall. It will take 2 to 3 hours of enjoying the countryside before arriving at the pier.
     
    Amsterdam is a unique city . . . . . . parking lots which hold up to 5000 bicycles . . . . . . coffee houses (don’t go for coffee) . . . . . . red light’s (don’t take a picture of these light’s) . . . . . . . . . . . and sex shops (like I’ve never seen before - not that I ever have) . . . . . . . . a canal system far more interesting then Venice . . . . . flowers and windmills . . . . . . and the Anne Frank House. Very unique city.
     
    As you enter the red light district, you remember how we were pre warned not to take pictures of the girls in the window. They say . . . . before you can lower the camera . . . . the scantily clad woman will be out the door and spitting in your face. I did not test this theory; however . . . . I was soon to find many other things I did not test. The coffee shops where you can smell the fresh brewed coffee . . . . . . well, that’s what I expected . . . . . rather than the whiff of smoke billowing out the door . . . which I hadn’t experienced since the 70’s. (note to my family – I did not participate then, either) Another thing which we bypassed was a visit to one of the many sex stores. I can only imagine what goes on in there . . . . since we walked past at such a quick pace.
     
    We did however; take a cruise through the canals of Venice . . . . . . I mean Amsterdam. I didn’t expect this many canals running throughout the city, but it was very picturesque with the tree lined streets running along the waterway in front of the narrow homes . . . . . . some of which are leaning as they are sinking into the water. Hundreds of stationary boats utilized as homes are resting along the shores. How or when they got there is a wonderment . . . . . I can see that they wouldn’t fit under any of the bridges.
     
    Waterfront cafes are always a pleasant site and they make for a great stop to continue our beer of the world tour. We had a bright sunny day sitting under the trees . . . . . . along side the water . . . . . no bugs or insects around . . . . . . and a view of the street where Anne Frank wrote her diary. It can’t get much better for the last day of a great cruise.
     
    Arriving back at the ship we had longer than normal lines. Everyone seems to be returning at the same time. While waiting in line passing through the terminal there are small stores . . . . . either side of the aisle . . . . . . items yelling out to us to be purchased. As we slowly make our way, I noticed the cutest “windmill night light’s” . . . . electric night light’s . . . . from Europe. After our purchase of 3 of these “windmill night light’s” . . . . . . . . . . and bringing them all the way back to Atlanta . . . . . . we plug them into the wall (tried to plug them in) . . . . . . . you guessed it . . . . . they don’t work in the United States. Anyways, they are still cute.
     
    Tomorrow we awake in Dover, England and begin our journey back home where we can enjoy our last beer of the world stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . an ice cold Miller Lite . . . . . . . courtesy of Delta Air Lines.
     

  • Sunny Days in Many Ways

    8/16/20081:12:46 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned from our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

    We are experiencing wonderful weather for our final two sea days . . . . Sherwyn was back to selling buckets of beer . . . . the kids were having a great time in the pool and we relaxed and did nothing . . . . . for 2 days . . . not a thing. Well we did go to the supper club for our 4th time. After dinner the goodbyes and boo hoos began. It’s so hard to leave these people. Especially Linda . . . . . she is a mess when it’s time for us to leave some of the crew. Some of which we’ve known for years.
     
    Should you be aboard the Carnival Splendor, be sure to visit with . . . . . . . . Isabella and Fabiana in the Black Pearl Dining Room serving as assistants to the matre’d. And in the Supper Club we have  BeeBee and Eva as our social hosts . . . . . . . While Akvile is serving the best martinis you can get  . . . . . and Debbie pouring the wine . . . . . while the White Mouse is serving up the musical entertainment (still not sure about the name) . . . . . .  and two of the sweetest girls you would ever want to meet . . . our servers – Ika and Sashka. But, let’s not forget our pool buddy – Sherwyn who gave us all the attention one could want. Give each of them a hug from us.
     
    It is difficult having a port on the last day of a 12 night cruise because they spend the day prior preparing for your disembarkation. We still have two days to go and we’re filling out comment cards, getting baggage tags, securing airport arrangements and all the little details which bring you back to reality. I’m heading home soon . . . . . packing . . . . aaah. It’s time to stuff 300 pounds of useless stuff into 4 suitcases which can weigh no more than 50 pounds each as per the new airline policies.
     
    Check under the bed and look behind the dresser. It’s time to come home, but first, our next entry will be Amsterdam. Check back later.

  • Red October

    8/14/20081:29:52 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned from our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

    I can now officially say "From Russia With (my) Lover"
     
     Now we can get back to our Russian departure . . . . . . eentresteen – verdee eentresteen . . . . . . . . . holding the cigarette backwards in his hand . . . . . . . . as used to be done during the old skit on Laugh In . . . . . . . or was it from a Boris and Natasha cartoon? I forget.
     
    It’s hard to babble about nonsense like this with what’s happening in Russia now. I can hardly believe that just a few weeks ago we were visiting with such nice people over there. It just goes to show you . . . . . . . don’t confuse the politics of a country with the people.
     
    As we sailed away from Russia towards our destination of Estonia, we passed a number of small islands. One of these islands intrigued me . . . . . . it appeared to be home to partial remains of the Soviet Navy. Not the Russian Navy . . . . . . as I guess they are no longer Soviets. But, just sitting there only about 100 yards from our ship were destroyers, cruisers and submarines. These gray ghosts are old memories of what used to be and, today, not under much guard. However, I did not see the Red October. Maybe they kept that one hidden away. But, a couple of days later . . . . . while we were at sea . . . . . we passed three naval vessels . . . . steaming in a straight line . . . heading out of the Baltic to places unknown. Now I have to wonder if they were Russian and heading to the Black Sea . . . . . . where the small country of Georgia is.
     
    So we arrive into the port of Talinn, Estonia which gives us the medieval times feeling. High walls around the city with narrow cobble stone roads . . . . . . . . stores of today cut into the stone walls which were built in the 12th century . . . . . . churches with shields and swords from the various Knights . . . . . . . and what I guess, were family crests throughout the buildings. There were archery demonstrations as well as street winches trying to sell the “magic elixir” . . . . . . . all for fun in the medieval town of Talinn.
     
    And, of course we continued our beer of the world tour. Sitting in the outdoor cafes . . . . . watching the locals and the tourists go about there business . . . . . the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon beer. Surprisingly . . . . . . again . . . . it is not difficult to use American currency.

  • 8/12/200810:33:02 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned from our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

    I neglected to mention our stop in Helsinki, which was the day prior to Russia. I suppose I was just excited to get to the highlight of the trip, St Petersburg. I will insert Helsinki now and continue “from Russia with Lovers” on the next blog.
     
    Wide, tree lined parkways . . . . . . outdoor cafes . . . . . . . . street market offering fruits, vegetables, home cooking, souvenirs, furs and drinks . . . . . . . . . street performers . . . . . . marching bands . . . . . . . . . . and . . . . . Santa Claus. That’s right. I didn’t realize it, but Finland is where Santa does his summers. I guess we all need a vacation and he likes to take his in Helsinki. They say he has a nice summer cottage on the waterfront. The reindeer get to run wild in the protected field overlooking the Baltic Sea, and Santa has a cute little guest house for when the Elves come to visit.
     
    Strolling the parkways and sampling all of the goodies in the marketplace made for a great day. Today’s “Beer of the World” was Karhu.
     
    Will continue our departure from Russia on the next blog.

  • From Russia With Lover

    8/9/200812:38:51 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned from our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

     Another day at sea for the 3200 tired guests to enjoy all the pleasures of shipboard life. Sherwyn is happy to see us again . . . . he will have a good crowd at the main pool today. Wake up early and pick a couple of deck chairs so that we may enjoy the bright sun which has been with us most of the trip. A bit of a chilly wind, but we are in the center pool under the glass dome and enjoying the heated pool. Tonight we will be spending another evening with our friends in the Supper Club . . . . . . I think I will have the Crab Cakes . . . . . . . Caesar Salad (prepared table side) . . . . . Porterhouse Steak with Wasabi mashed potatoes . . . . . and for desert I am thinking . . . . Trio of Crème Brule . . . . if I can get the chef to make one up for me.
     
    The Supper club is at the stern of the ship, so during dinner I went to the aft deck and saw an incredible site. To my left . . . . the sun with a bright orange glow was setting . . . . . to my right a full moon with a bright orange glow was rising . . . . both barely above the horizon . . . and between them the orange glow seemed to bounce above the water and below the white wispy clouds. It was a beautiful site, but hard to describe . . . and I without my camera.
     
    Anyways, it’s off to Russia tomorrow for two days is St Petersburg. We have scheduled ourselves on a 9 hour tour which takes us out of the city and begins at Catherine’s Palace. I don’t think the country was so poor . . . just that all of the money and jewels went to the Czar’s and the other higher ups.
     
    While disembarking the ship, you instantly know who’s in charge. Generally it’s the 280 pound . . . . former women’s weightlifting competitor . . . . sitting in the chair grooming her beard . . . . and never a smile. I think the only English she knows is . . . “PASSPORT” . . “NOW” . . . . . . but, overall, the people of Russia were fantastic. There seems to be two types of women in Russia. . . . . . . . those that check passports . . . . and those that are petite and gorgeous.
     
    After exiting the city, on our way to the Palace, there is a semi circle ridge around St Petersburg. This is the ridge . . . . we were told . . . was where Germany parked nearly 1000 tanks and pounded the city . . . . . . day and night . . . . . night and day. As you know . . . Germany never took the city. The part which I did not know was that 80% of the 3 ½ million population died from shelling, sickness and starvation.
     
    During this tour . . . in addition to Catherine’s Palace . . . . we visited many churches and monuments. The most famous of which was the Church of the Spilled Blood on the exact spot where Alexander the 2nd was killed. Across from this church was the best shopping we had seen while in Russia. It was our last tour stop and we were getting nervous because we had promised our grand daughters each a Russian doll. This is where we found them . . . . and they bargain . . . . . and they take credit cards . . . . . and they like U.S. Dollars. We also had time for our beer around the world tour. We enjoyed a nice cold Balctika before heading back to the ship. However . . . . the preferred drink . . .  as they say . . . . . .
     ???????, ???????????? ????? ??????
    . . . . . . . Vodka, the national drink of Russia

  • Bratwurst and Luftwaffe

    8/6/20088:53:28 AM Link 1 comment | Add comment

    We had just returned form our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

     

     Today’s arrival into Warnemunde is an early one and the entire ship seems to be awake and excited about their visit to Berlin. It is sure to be an exciting and diverse city filled with history and I can’t wait. Carnival has chartered two trains to get all of the tours into the city of Berlin . . . . we are talking, maybe 2400 passengers or so. We elected to take the “Berlin, on our own” which puts us on train 2 in car number 28. Our departure is 7:30 AM.

     

    This was an easy process . . . . . . debark the ship . . . . . line up in your tour group . . . . . walk across the street to the train station . . . . . board your car and relax for the 3 hour train ride. I love train rides and watching the German countryside . . . to me . . . made this a very relaxing trip. Again I drift back to the war as all of the images flood my head. I’m sure this will go on all day while we tour Berlin. Most importantly . . . . . BE BACK at the station as instructed – or be left behind. Now this may be confusing for some because we arrived into Lichtenberg Station on the east side of the city . . . . . . and our departure is from Gesundbrunnen Station on the north side of the city. Maps and instructions are supplied.

     

    We are given about 7 hours to tour Berlin at our own pace, but first . . . we need to get to the city center. This is the part that makes vacations memorable. Without a plan, we left the train station and crossed the street to the subway. We then went down the stairs and walked to the city trains which ironically were right next to the train we just exited. But, we converted money, bought our ticket and went to the city. Upon entering Berlin, we decided that the best way to get around would be on one of the “hop on - hop off” busses. This turned out to be a wise choice. We made our way to places like the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall Memorial and Checkpoint Charlie where one of the greatest games of “chicken” ever was played out in the early 60’s. Depending on the source of information . . . between 130 and 200 people were killed trying to cross the wall. I couldn’t help but wonder . . . . . . . wasn’t there a way to leave East Berlin . . . drive a distance east into the country . . . . swing around and cross over to the west . . . . and come back to West Berlin? I guess not, because I don’t hear of it.

     

    Now its lunch time and I have been thinking brats and beer for a while now. We found a restaurant . . . . family owned . . . off the tourist path. We entered and it was like visiting your local pub. They seemed to know what we were looking for and they delivered. Fist of all we ordered a beer (for our beer around the world tour) which we couldn’t pronounce. Then, unexpectedly . . . . they brought us a sample plate of meats and vegetables . . . . . . No Charge. Linda and I ordered the Bratwurst platter. It comes out in the skillet which it is cooked in. 8 . . . . YES . . . 8 brats on a bed of scalloped potatoes and sour kraut. The brats were 4 inches or so in length, about half the size of what we would have here. Excellent meal in a perfect atmosphere.

     

    Anyways . . . we found our way to the train station for the trip back to the ship arriving back to the Carnival Splendor at about 9:00 PM. The Germans came all out as there was a festive atmosphere around the ship. Beer gardens . . . . live radio broadcasting . . . party boats in the bay . . . . carnival at the port . . . . and visible evidence that Germans LOVE their beer.

     

    Once on board ship . . . the deck party had a 12 piece oomp pah band and the local brewery brought aboard some kegs of beer. Departure time was 11 PM so the local band and the beer girls had to disembark. That left us to sail away under a fireworks show that could have been mistaken for the Luftwaffe flying overhead.

     

    Good thing tomorrow is a sea day. Next stop – Helsinki.

     

  • Sea Days and Mermaids

    8/4/20087:42:42 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned form our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would continue to share our experiences with you.

     Departing from Dover is interesting as movie clips immediately come to mind. The Memphis Belle is what pooped into my head as we looked across the port at the white cliffs of Dover and had visions of the World War 2 bomber limping back to base . . . . . . barely clearing the cliffs as she entered from the channel . . . . . . passing the lighthouse . . . . . . and making her landing on the runway. Well, that was my first thought and I knew the war was to play a big part in this cruise for me.
     
    Right off we had a day at sea, which is good because we all could use the time to relax a bit. Linda and I found a number of old friends among the crew. Some of which we have cruised with 6 or 7 times. Feals like coming home for a family visit to us. Sherwyn . . . . . one of the pool waiters . . . . was happy to see us as he hasn’t sold a bucket of beer in months . . . until today. He immediately became our “go to guy”.
     
    If you get a chance to sail on one of Carnival’s new ships, you need to make a trip to the Supper Club. The food and atmosphere for a special occasion can not be compared. If you happen to be on the Splendor . . . . tell Beverly and Eva that Glen and Linda say hello. . . . . . be sure and have a martini made by Akvile . . . . and you are in for a treat of you are served by Ika (like a child to us) and Sashka. And the band up there is very good, although I don’t get the name . . . . white mouse . . . . but worth a listen. Even if you don’t dine, have a drink with Akvile and send our love.
     
    Arriving into Copenhagan, we discovered what will be a trend on this cruise. Very difficult to find any shopping. The port had a couple of small stores, but nothing like you might expect . . . . so with our morning free . . . we walked into town. We’re not in the Caribbean any more. It took us awhile before we realized we were simply walking through residential areas into a city center which offered nothing we were looking for.
     
    Time to head back to the port and find a waterfront café . . . . . . so we may continue our beer in every country tour. And we did. We have time as our scheduled tour departs at 1:30. We still have not converted our money so we asked the waitress if they would take U.S. dollars. That’s fine, she said . . . . as long as we accept change in Krone.
     
    So we ordered . . . . 2 pints of beer . . . . 1 half pint of beer . . . . . 1 small coke . . . . and laid a $20.00 bill on the table. Our beer in every country tour may end early. She brought the bill and on it was written 40. We said 40 what? And she wrote the $ sign in front of it. So much for change in Krone.
     
    While drinking our beer, our shock turned into laughter as we realized we were about to go on our tour to the Ice Bar. Basically . . . . the ice bar cost us $139.00 each for a shot of vodka. Only on vacation.
     
    Now the ice bar is a great experience. The $139.00, however, does include a city tour also. We stopped at the little mermaid . . . . I don’t get it . . . . people are looking at this like it’s the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon . . . . . it’s a mermaid sculpture on rock. We also visited churches, palaces and Hans Christian Anderson’s neighborhood on the way to the ice bar. They slip a full parka over your head and through the door we go. The room is kept at about 20 degrees, but doesn’t feel it. Completely made of ice . . . . . . tables . . . . chairs . . . . walls . . . . the bar . . . . . and of course, the glasses. After about 20 minutes and a lot of pictures, it’s back to the ship.
     
    Next - Berlin

  • Our Northern Europe Cruise

    8/1/20086:56:56 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned form our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would share our experiences with you.

     We arrived into London for a two night’s stay at the “Park Plaza County Hall” hotel. Good proximity to everything we had thought about doing while in London. A block from the Thames River and walking distance to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Harrods Department Store, London Bridge and an assortment of other places along the river walk.
     
    Arriving into Gatwick and getting to London is a whole nether story. Two and a half hours by car . . . . . 2½. WOW. It’s not that it is a great distance, but roads and traffic are not what we are used to in the United States. The people of England are very nice and accommodating to us. A pleasant surprise as compared to our day to day lives here.
     
    After checking into the hotel, we walked around Big Ben, the Parliament and other attractions I may not remember too well as we had flown all night and not yet slept. If we can stay awake until about 9:00 or so, we will wake in the morning back to a normal cycle. So we did just that. Had a nice dinner and a few drinks at the hotel and went to the room about 9:30.
     
    We awoke refreshed and took a walk to Harrods . . . . . supposedly the world’s most famous department store . . . . . and what a sight it was. Every department is designed in it’s own theme our country. They have an Egyptian room, an incredible toy department and a Princess Diana room. I’m told you can buy anything in this store.
     
    Next it was to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. Did you know it takes over an hour and a half? I didn’t, but it was a nice day and a very interesting procession. Bands – horses – soldiers – big black hats all parading into and out of the palace. Then we walked back to the river for the river walk. Thought about the double decker bus tour, but after converting to dollars, it came to about $60.00 per person. We need the exercise anyways.
     
    Fist stop on the river was the London Eye . . . . . . . a massive 290 foot ferris wheel offering a great view of the city. Of course, we found it necessary to sample a different beer from any pub we passed. The river walk is a wide walk and filled with tourists, families and lovers. Street performers at every turn and some form of music filled the air as we took our leisure walk past the London Tower . . . . a World war I battleship . . . . and down to the London Bridge. London Bridge . . . . . . . . I thought that was somewhere in Arizona! I guess due to heavy protest, they needed to build a replica. . . . . or did we buy the replica . . . . they look identical.
     
    So we walked about 10 miles that day and had a great time in London. Next I will report the first few days of our Cruise. 
     
    Check back every few days
    Glen and Linda

  • Our Northern Europe Cruise

    8/1/20086:56:32 AM Link 0 comments | Add comment

    We had just returned form our cruise to the Baltic Sea and I thought I would share our experiences with you.

     We arrived into London for a two night’s stay at the “Park Plaza County Hall” hotel. Good proximity to everything we had thought about doing while in London. A block from the Thames River and walking distance to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Harrods Department Store, London Bridge and an assortment of other places along the river walk.
     
    Arriving into Gatwick and getting to London is a whole nether story. Two and a half hours by car . . . . . 2½. WOW. It’s not that it is a great distance, but roads and traffic are not what we are used to in the United States. The people of England are very nice and accommodating to us. A pleasant surprise as compared to our day to day lives here.
     
    After checking into the hotel, we walked around Big Ben, the Parliament and other attractions I may not remember too well as we had flown all night and not yet slept. If we can stay awake until about 9:00 or so, we will wake in the morning back to a normal cycle. So we did just that. Had a nice dinner and a few drinks at the hotel and went to the room about 9:30.
     
    We awoke refreshed and took a walk to Harrods . . . . . supposedly the world’s most famous department store . . . . . and what a sight it was. Every department is designed in it’s own theme our country. They have an Egyptian room, an incredible toy department and a Princess Diana room. I’m told you can buy anything in this store.
     
    Next it was to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. Did you know it takes over an hour and a half? I didn’t, but it was a nice day and a very interesting procession. Bands – horses – soldiers – big black hats all parading into and out of the palace. Then we walked back to the river for the river walk. Thought about the double decker bus tour, but after converting to dollars, it came to about $60.00 per person. We need the exercise anyways.
     
    Fist stop on the river was the London Eye . . . . . . . a massive 290 foot ferris wheel offering a great view of the city. Of course, we found it necessary to sample a different beer from any pub we passed. The river walk is a wide walk and filled with tourists, families and lovers. Street performers at every turn and some form of music filled the air as we took our leisure walk past the London Tower . . . . a World war I battleship . . . . and down to the London Bridge. London Bridge . . . . . . . . I thought that was somewhere in Arizona! I guess due to heavy protest, they needed to build a replica. . . . . or did we buy the replica . . . . they look identical.
     
    So we walked about 10 miles that day and had a great time in London. Next I will report the first few days of our Cruise. 
     
    Check back every few days
    Glen and Linda

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