Home Again, Home Again

Our last day

Our last day in Hamburg was a bit more leisurely.  We slept in and had another nice big breakfast involving fresh bread and lots more cheese. And then we went on an epic quest to find a place to return our rental car in order to save time on Sunday morning.  After a few false starts, we ended up at the train station and returned the car there.  We ended up starting our day about 2 hours later than expected, but that's OK.  

Frank took us through Hamburg and showed us many of the old buildings as well as the harbor and how it's growing.  It is the 3rd busiest port in Europe, and it is clearly a wealthy city as a result.  Much of the downtown area is relatively new as the city sustained some pretty extensive bombing damage during the war.  He then took us north of the city to show us an area that was originally populated by retired sea captains.  When he described it, I envisioned cute little bungalows and cottages overlooking the sea.  It's actually a bit different, with large homes all connected by a set of intertwining cobblestone alleys and walkways.  All lead to the sea. Today this is very exclusive real estate. But as Frank pointed out, it can be challenging to live there since every time you go to the market, you have to take everything home over the cobblestones.  There is no way to drive to your home.  It reminded me of some of the areas in the city that are accessed only by staircases.  We also went downtown to see where the floods had been.  The streets were still wet, and filled with debris that had been brought in by the water.  But for the most part the flooding had already subsided.  It was pretty impressive to see just how high up the water had gotten in one day.

We also stopped in to visit Marion's store.  She has now 2 clothing shops in Hamburg, so we wanted to visit and see what she does.  We also dropped Berger off with her so we could explore the market easier.  From there we walked to the Christmas market.  It was our 12th, and final market.  At the footsteps of the Town Hall, it's in an open plaza also near the water which made it a bit colder.  However the throngs of people kept it from being miserable.  This was by far the most crowded one we had been to, which made sense because it was Saturday night.  Most people had not been able to shop the previous week because the weather had been so bad. I was glad that we had done all of our shopping already as it was nearly impossible to get down each of the aisles because of the crowds.  After a few rows, we decided to call it a night, and go back to Marion's store to get warm and say goodbye to Laura, Benny and Max.  Then we were off to a final dinner with Marion, Frank, Hans, Renate, Mark and I (and of course Berger!) at a traditional steak house.  I ordered the salad with American dressing because I was really interested to see what others think America tastes like.  We pretty much taste like a less sweet version of what we call French dressing, but we're white and also have tarragon.  Good to know.

So after a day of flying yesterday, we have made it home safe and sound.  I was delighted to run into my friend Wendy in Frankfurt's airport and share stories of her journey that I have been following on Facebook.  I was also delighted to see that after dozens of croissants and oodles of cheese, not to mention sausages and gluwein, I lost 4 pounds on the trip. I guess it's true what they say, shivering burns calories!  So it's back to work for us this morning, and the only thing left to do from the trip (other than laundry) is to wait patiently for the baby Jesus to arrive some time in the next week or so from Germany :)

Linda

More Family Time

Yes, the storm for the ages arrived. But it actually wasn't bad where we were- it was more focused in Hamburg proper. The problem is that the winds were quite exceptional and they whipped up the waves in the Baltic which then spilled into the Elbe which is what caused flooding. The second highest waters in a century or something like that. The damage to the city was not bad because they learned a lot from the last time this happened, and have taken precautions to protect people and businesses from the water. But, it's all about us. And for us we woke to alternating rain, snow, wind and sun which of course is perfect for Christmas markets. We started with a huge family breakfast to fortify us for the day. I'm not sure how I will be able to have breakfast anymore without cheese... Our original plan was to go to Lubeck, an ancient town, first and then back up to Hamburg. We had to change plans though once we started peeling back the onion that is Lubeck. It was maybe a 40k drive through the countryside to this old town. As we approached Alstadt (old town) you could see brick buildings, churches and an ancient Tor (gate). They are clearly old, and you can see how the buildings are starting to list one way or another and in the case of the Tor, the towers on either side are starting to collapse in towards one another. This is a famous edifice as it used to be the image on the 50 Deutschemark.  We found our way up the narrow, winding streets towards the top of the hill, and stopped in a small handicrafts market in a church on the way. Then to the top of the hill where there was an open plaza surrounded by amazing old buildings. The market was nestled into these buildings. So a little shopping, a little gluewein (or in my case more fire punch!), some sausages and we were happy. We thought we were done, but Marion told us there was another section to explore. And there was- in another courtyard sort of a Ren Faire version with some guy playing the lute. And then there was another courtyard with children's activities, and antique dioramas of fairy tales. And then there was more. Down another pedestrian plaza with cobblestones to another open area with a Ferris wheel. On this plaza stood an old church that we followed the crowd into. Inside was an indoor Christmas market with stalls throughout the main room, and musicians entertaining as we entered. Then you go into a side hall that was lined with stalls, about 4X8 with low ceilings, each with someone displaying their wares. I would say there were at least 20-30 of these stalls, all surrounded by the church walls with their art and stained glass. It was pretty amazing. And frankly it was nice to get out of the cold. By then, I think my core temperature was somewhere around 3 degrees C.  Given the time and the weather, cold and getting windy again, and the fact that it was getting dark (at 4:00- sigh) we decided to forego Hamburg and head home for a last dinner before Al and Jen left. It was good we did as the roads were incredibly icy on the way home. Trucks were sliding all over, and we had trouble getting traction, so it was a long trip home at about 10k per hour. It only took me about an hour to warm up once we got home as we relaxed for a bit before dinner. I'm still sick which is probably why I'm feeling the cold more. I'm just hoping to hold off on that horrible coughing stage until I get home. Cross your fingers! Mark continues his weight gain journey with more currywurst yesterday, along with some burnt almonds, lots of bier and even some fries yesterday with ketchup that tastes suspiciously like curry/ketchup. Also, I love that Berger can go with us everywhere, including restaurants (though I'm not really sure how clean that is). She just couldn't go into the churches that had the market stalls but that makes sense since she has a huge tail that could wreak havoc wherever it goes. One more day in Hamburg and then home for us.  Linda

Family Time

Your trip report is a bit late because your intrepid reporter was sleepy after our marathon 4 hour dinner last night. More about that later! As you recall from our last installment, we were expecting the storm of the century near Hamburg, so needed to get an early start to hopefully get there before it hit. So, after one more bowl of quark (kind of like a combo cheese/yogurt) Renate was ready and we hit the autobahn. Yes, it's fun driving over 100mph. And actually it's more satisfying doing it in a car with the speedometer in kilometers because it feels even faster to hit numbers like 160 and 170. But you can't drive like that forever, you have to slow down with each town, and highway interchange so it's not like you can cover the distance in lightening speed. We had good weather with some increasing winds as we got closer to Hamburg, but not bad. It was almost 4 hours and as we got close, we checked in with Jen and Al who were already here and they suggested we meet them in Luneburg along with the rest of the family. Of course we were missing texts from each other, and couldn't actually reach Al (we did get his replies an hour later) So hilarity ensued, GPS was recalculated and we found them. 

OK so this "family" thing is complicated. I'd draw a diagram but I don't have visio on my iPad. Renate has one remaining blood related cousin, Hans. He lives near Hamburg and will be 89 next year. There is a family here that he is very close to. He is godfather to one of their daughters and vacations with the family all of the time, and basically he's part of the family. When his goddaughter Marie was in high school and wanted to come to the US to study, he reached out to Renate to ask how it was done. Al and Jen decided they would like to host her, so she came and lived with them a couple of years ago for a year. Now, they are second mom and dad to her. So the families are intertwined even more. This part of our trip is for Renate and Hans to see one another, and we have come to stay with Marie's parents, Marion and Frank. Al and Jen came too from Prague, and picked up Marie on the way as she's living and working in Berlin right now. So we had a short visit with her before she had to go back on the train this am.

Yesterday we didn't do much Christmas marketing as the markets were all advised to close in the afternoon to prepare for the storms. We did stop for coffee and to warm up before heading home for a bit. We enjoyed the German afternoon tradition of caffe and kuchen (coffee and cake) as we all sat around the table talking and laughing in German and English, or in what I like to think of as deutshlish. 

For dinner last night Hans had planned a very special night for us in a local restaurant. We had a private room, and I would guess it was originally the parlour of a very old home, which was lit with candles and set for all 11 of us (including Laura, Marie's sister, her boyfriend Benny and their baby Max who, truth be told, really just slept in his pram in the corner the whole time). There were no menus, just the chef's specialties coming out for hours. There was truffle flatbread, and different tartare dishes, homemade ravioli with braised beef, fish and veal, and bottomless wine, including a delicious prosecco they are making themselves. All the while the storm started outside where we could see the trees bending with the wind, and the snow blowing sideways. Fortunately when we left 4 hours later the snow and wind had slowed for a safe drive home. 

This morning the snow is falling pretty heavily as I finish writing my daily missive with Berger the giant, gorgeous Bernese Mountain dog for company. This would have been faster to write if I hadn't regularly felt an insistent paw on my arm begging for some more attention. Luckily mama just came downstairs and now there is oodles of drama as she gets ready for her morning walk. Today we are hoping the markets are open as it's Jen and Al's last day in Germany and she still has an item or two that she wants to pick up. Wish us luck!

Linda

Wise Men Still Seek Him So What Does That Make Me?

Throughout all of our stops in the Christmas markets I have been in search of just the right krippe (nativity scene) for our house. I had seen some that I liked last time I was in Germany when I was 17, and I had hoped to find one this time that I liked now that I can actually afford to buy one. We've had a bevy of Goldilocks moments. This one is too big, I don't like the faces on that one, or what's up with the garish paint job? Today, as the first rain drops fell on our trip, I spotted one I liked. Mark and I looked closer, and we both liked it. And then we had to decide which animals and people. Of course you need a camel, but really, do we need a ram? I don't like that shepherd... the other one can represent all shepherds, right? We made our choices, and plunked down a small fortune. And then Tina talked the woman out of a donkey for us since we spent so much. Yay! We had lunch, shopped some more and then drove an hour back to the hotel in the rain (yes, the damn rain finally caught us!)

Packing up our goodies to hit the road to Hamburg I decided to admire just one of my new pieces. Ah, I opened the camel first. Such beautiful work! But hmmm. There are 4 packages, and the camel was by himself. Did she really cram the other 12 figurines into 3 packs? I started to have a small bit of concern. As I continued to unwrap all of the carefully wrapped parcels now, it was clear we were missing 5 pieces, including Jesus, Joseph and a wise man. Sheesh! I mean really Joseph is ancillary to the story, but you really do need Jesus to make it qualify as a nativity scene and not just a random collection of people and animals from "olden times". Oh carp, what to do now? Apparently, it was time for me to seek Jesus yet again. I texted Tina to see if they were still in Munster- no luck they were already on their way home too. I looked at the receipt and it had no phone number. Yikes. If all else failed at least we could drive by there on our way to Hamburg, but we were hoping to get a really early start because they are expecting a huge storm in Hamburg tomorrow. Finally I found the company's phone number that makes the pieces in Austria. We called the owner (I dialed and I had Renate do the negotiating in high German). He gave us the name and number of the woman working the market, with a bit of swearing thrown in when he found out which pieces were missing. He assured Renate that they would send all pieces missing free of charge wherever we wanted them sent. Then we called Edith, still at the booth to give her our address and make sure she still had the pieces. She was beside herself with joy that we called. She noticed the mistake after we left the booth and went looking for us- at the largest Christmas market in Germany. She even had it announced over the loudspeaker. Well at least she can rest now, and we can hope that Jesus finds his way to my doorstep by Christmas Eve.

Tomorrow we head to Hamburg for our last stop, and will meet up again with Alan and Jennifer. Tonight Renate and Mark and I grabbed a bite at our hotel and were laughing about some of the weird adventures on the trip, like losing Jesus. When we went to the fancy schmancy Mozart dinner they set down our plates for the main course, and as we started to tuck in, Renate was trying to put her finger on what was different about her plate. Then she realized, they forgot to put the actual main course on her plate. We've also marveled at the heartiness of the toilet paper. I think each square could probably be used as a coaster. Everywhere we went for dinner in Austria the Krampus and Father Christmas showed up, including the Mozart dinner. We felt like we were being stalked. And of course when we arrived in Iserlohn, the GPS kept trying to make us drive up a walking path. Tomorrow night we are supposed to have dinner in a restaurant on the Elbe river in Hamburg, though they are expecting flooding, and incredibly high water levels. We may have more adventures to share then! I included a sad picture of Mary for you too...



Linda

The Woman of the Hour

Today was all about Renate. Several of her school friends have been eagerly anticipating her arrival, and planned a reunion at a famous pastry shop. I can get behind people like this! We had some time to kill before the reunion so we went in search of her grandparent's home which is near our hotel. Then we drove by the house that she grew up in, and then motored into Alstadt (old town). She pointed out to us places where she worked, and where friends had lived. And the current pedestrian shopping mall, was also one back in the day. And she and her girlfriends used to go there to check out the boys. I see nothing changes. She then took us to where the public bathhouse used to be. For my Bay Area friends, this is a different kind of bathhouse. After the war a lot of people didn't have running water and if they did it may not have been enough to accommodate the number of people living in their home. So people went to the bathhouses to get cleaned up. We found the original town wall, and even a building that she has a painting of in her home that she did years ago.

We got to the shop early, but she was nervous about being the first one there. She wasn't sure she was going to recognize most of the attendees. Once we saw the organizer though it was all good. There were hugs all around, and eventually about a dozen women around the table with Mark as the token male. Most spoke enough English to allow for some conversation with us. And even with the language barrier it was fun to watch this group of women who had known each other for 60 years or more. It's amazing how much you can infer about someone's personality just by watching them. Who was the clown, who was serious, who was popular, etc.

Once the party broke up, Renate, Mark and I went to one of the women's homes along with another friend so that we could see her husband. We sat around chatting (well Mark and I trying to look interested) At some point Renate mentioned that Mark and I would like to get some Iserlohner bier glasses, and asked where we might find those. Well, Ingabore (sp?) was like a dog with a bone. The phone book came out and she started making calls, including to a guy she knows who recently closed a restaurant so he might have a good line on them. We finally learned that the only place to get them is at the brewery from 8-1700 hours. It was almost 1600 so I said we would go by there tomorrow. Before Renate translated that, they were asking me who was going with her husband to pick out the glasses? He would drive us. Uh, OK. So Mark and I climbed in with hubby (I still don't know his name) and took off. Now while he is a senior, he does have exceptionally good and firm reflexes with the brakes. And I do mean sudden. When we approached the brewery it was really unclear where we were supposed to go. He drove all around the buildings with no luck. We were about to give up when he saw an intercom attached to a wall. Through that he made arrangements and we got the glasses. Mark and I were joking that there was no way we could avoid buying them at that point!

While it was starting to get dark, he offered to show us the tower made famous by the design on the glasses we just bought. So up the hill we went to get a commanding view of the valley and the sunset to the west. The hills were still fall-like with leaves of many colors everywhere. But as we climbed many yards did have a light dusting of snow even though everywhere else looked like fall. We returned to homemade lasagna and I was entertained by the easy banter of these friends of so many years. We finally took our leave. Renate was exhausted after being "on" all day, and I worke up with a cold this morning- the same one Mark has had for several days, so it was back to the hotel early to get some rest. Tomorrow Munster with Karin and Tina again. So far no rain, but it is forecasted for tomorrow afternoon possibly. Cross your fingers that we miss it!

Linda

Just Planes and Automobiles

We bid a sad farewell to Salzburg this morning early enough that we weren't able to enjoy the yummy breakfast buffet complete with several yummy, creamy, stinky cheeses. Bummer. We were happy to see that the day dawned dry again as we headed to the Salzburg airport for a quick trip to Dusseldorf. Off the plane, we reunited Renate with her cousin Karin that she hasn't seen in 13 years. They cried and laughed and hugged a lot. And they totally looked like twins with similar haircuts and coats on. Karin's daughter Tina was with her, and helped us get our rental car situated and then we followed them to Tina's apartment for second breakfast. They actually called it that, and I don't think it was a Hobbit reference. I love these people.

This trip in general, and our breakfast in particular reminded me what dumkopfs Americans are when it comes to languages. The conversation swirled between German and English with Spanish thrown in for good measure. And of course I can barely follow the English part. Now, all day Renate keeps speaking to me in German and it takes her a minute to realized she's not speaking English. Even in the Christmas markets, I hear the vendors easily slipping between multiple languages. 

Today was all about Renate and Karin getting to visit. So they spent a lot of time catching up, and we decided to head into town to check out the Christmas market (of course). Tina has only lived here for 3 weeks so she didn't even know how to get to downtown really. So we loaded into our rented station wagon, and set the GPS. After parking in the world's smallest parking spot (I actually had to climb into the passenger seat to get out of the car) we followed our noses to the market. It was a crisp day, but not cold, so it was great fun to explore. I finally tried the "burnt almonds" I had been smelling at so many markets. They are essentially like a sugared or toffee almond cooked in a vat and served in a paper cone. They were delish and less sweet than toffee almonds actually so quite good. This market had some goods we had never seen yet, and we bought a few items that we'll struggle to fit into our suitcases. Still no nativity scene or carousel for me... but there is still hope. But it might have to fight for space with my new metal wisemen now!

It was finally time to get on our way as it was getting dark and we needed to get on the autobahn to get to Iserlohn, Renate's home town. So after hugs and promises to meet in Munster on Thursday we loaded up and headed out. We managed to get here fairly quickly and we only experienced minor delay when our GPS seemed to think we should be driving up a pedestrian-only path to get to our hotel. We put our heads together and figured out what to do in spite of the technology and found Hotel Vierjahreszeiten in the pitch dark. Yay us! Only a minor glitch after that... they didn't have our reservation. Boo Booking.com! But they did have a room and honored what I had booked since I had a paper confirmation to show them (rub in their faces). So it's early bed for us and a big day tomorrow. Renate has a reunion scheduled with the girls she went to school with back in the day. If we're lucky, we will slip out for a bit to tour the Iserlohner brewery.

Linda

All Music All Day

Today we decided to get some culture on which involved modern art, Mozart, his balls, and the Von Trapps. Perhaps I should explain. Today dawned crystal clear and sunshiny, though it was still pretty chilly. Before Jen and Al headed out to Prague, we decided to check out the view from the terrace of the Museum of Modern Art. We had heard that the view is pretty amazing. So we found the elevator cut into the hill, and rode up to the Museum to check it out. You get a panorama of the city and the nice thing is that the picture includes the fortress as well. We could have opted to walk back down actually through the wooded trail, but time was a ticking and Al and Jen hoofed it to the train station. 

The rest of us dove into Mozart with both feet today. We toured his residence, where his family lived as he was making a name for himself and growing up. Many of his manuscripts as well as his father's are there. His sister Nannerl was also a talented pianist in her own right, and you have the opportunity to see and hear more about her in this museum. They also enjoyed a game like darts that included cleverly painted boards with targets, built to specifications. He ordered one with a man turned around and dropping his pants while another man kisses his arse. Rather cheeky, no? We also visited his birthplace which is a more modest dwelling, located in Old Town. There were fewer displays here and it was about as hot as the surface of the sun, so we escaped before we passed out. 

We took an afternoon detour into pop culture with the Original Sound of Music tour. Because it's offseason, there were just 5 of us total on the tour. So we were in a small van and had the ability to alter the trip based on our interests. We visited several sites throughout the city and surrounds that were used as backdrops for the movie. The most interesting was how they filmed the backyard scenes. The house used as the exterior shots is different from the terrace used for the scene when the kids turn over the boat in the backyard pond. They are actually a few miles apart. Next time you watch the movie notice how they cut from one view to the other. You never see the terrace with the outside of the house at the same time. We drove through the Lake Country again, using a narrow mountain drive which was just gorgeous. This time we stopped in the village of Mondsee which included some of the picnic scenes from the movie as well as the church where they married. It was dusk as we arrived and the town was lit up for the Christmas markets. It was very charming, and right on the lake, so very beautiful with twinkle lights everywhere. We returned to the city with the whole van (well maybe not Mark) singing I am 16, and My Favorite Things.

This evening we treated ourselves to some real culture and went to St Peter's Stiftskiller for dinner and a Mozart concert. The room was decorated beautifully and the restaurant is the oldest continuously running restaurant in Europe having been mentioned in 872. And no I didn't forget a 1 before that number! There are numerous rooms that you can eat in, but the concert is in the fanciest. The musicians and singers were fantastic, and the menu was taken from vintage recipes that have been updated for modern tastes. They weren't updated quite enough for me, but it didn't matter as the music and setting were magical. 

Tonight we packed and are flying to Dusseldorf tomorrow where we meet up with cousins once removed or something like that. And I didn't forget to pack my balls. These are famous chocolate covered balls with marzipan in the middle. While most people opt for the red because it's ubiquitous, the original (and best!) are the blue ones. So obviously the 8th grade boy that lives in my head not only wanted Mozart balls, but he wanted blue balls. 
Linda

The Love Fest Continues

OK, a slight delay in my journal to you as I think that last .5 litre at the Augustiner Brew Haus did me in last night. Day 2 of Salzbug dawned a little wet as we prepared to meet our man Manfred for a day long tour of the lake country. Grabbing sturdy hotel umbrellas we climbed into his little VW van to head into the hills shrouded in fog. Within minutes we were making our way through hills blanketed with snow. The hills are covered with some kind of tree that must have lots of spindly branches because when they are covered with snow they look almost like cotton candy- just beautiful. 

We visited St. Wolfgang, where Renate had spent several weeks on holiday back when she was 19 or 20. It wasn't much different in the old town area, and we were able to see the lake that she used to swim across every morning. Now the lake is too cold for that obviously, but we did see some hardy souls who ventured into a hot tub built into a swimming deck on the lake. That looked pretty fun. There was a Christmas market in town here that we wandered through, grabbing a pretzel and digging into our Lebekuchen store to keep our energy up. We visited the local church which was incredible. Nearly all of the walls are covered in carved wood, and the plaster columns are all painted in faded greens and reds. Such a beautiful space. I was a little mystified as to why one of the saints carved into an alter was carrying a huge tree saw that was rusting, but I'm sure it all makes sense if I can speak the language.

Our next big stop was Hallstadt which is a small village snug up against a mountain, facing a lake. On the opposite shore is a small village as well, and they are connected via boat. Manfred dropped us off at the top of the village and then we made our way down a set of stairs to the Catholic Church and then into town. It started hail/snowing as he gave us the lay of the village, so the umbrellas came out. But I am pleased to say... still no rain on us. Only snow so far! The church itself was pretty, but it was the graveyard we were interested in. Again the graves were covered in ornate, delicate wrought iron crosses and designs, and planted with any number of hardy plants. What really drew our attention though was the crypt filled with bones. Due to space limitations, you only get that grave space for a while. Then when they need the room, they dig you up and your bones go into this room where there are bones stacked around the edges, and a platform on top of those which house the skulls. What is unique is that each of the skulls is painted with leaves or other motifs, and the name of the person is painted on the front of the skull. After our visit to the boneyard, we headed down to the more modest Protestant church, found right at the lake's edge, and then into town for lunch. Our lunch was delicious as we looked out over the lake watching fishermen and swans float by. Mark continues his weight gain quest with a hearty lunch of Schnitzl and bier of course. We drank Trumer, which many of you may know actually has a brewery in Berkeley. They were originally an Austrian bier though, and are still sold here. 

We had a few more stops on our way for some views, and to see another Christmas market in front of Schloss Hellbrun (castle) which was really charming. All of the stands are set up inside the castle grounds. While there were tourists here, the vast majority of visitors were local tourists. We noted that this is a culture that likes dogs. We see them everywhere in public, including in some of the restaurants which is fun for us. We saw 2 goldens yesterday which made us happy :) Manfred also took us by what he called the Beverly Hillys of Salzburg which was near the castle. Here homes go for 30+ million euro. That starts adding up to a tidy sum in "real" money given our exchange rate. What was crazy is that the homes had virtually no yards, and they weren't really anything fantastic to look at. I think that Al and Jen's house is bigger than most of the ones we saw. Definitely cray cray!

After saying goodbye to Manfred, we enjoyed the "best" pizza in Salzburg (it really was good), explored the Mirabell Christmas market (not much) and then dropped Renate off before heading to the "beer hall to end all beer halls"- Augustiner. It really was an impressive place. You grab a mug- rinse it in a fountain and then pay for bier. Then you walk up to one of 2 giant barrels and someone pours your bier for you. Then go find a place to sit in any of the 8 or so cavernous rooms with long tables , and alcoves. If you are hungry there are dozens of stalls selling deli selections, or hot meals and bread. It definitely felt more local with people of all ages enjoying a bier with friends. There wasn't any singing or oom pa pa bands, but I'm guessing that may come later in the night. We were only there around 8 or so. We were fading fast though, so headed home to prep for our last day in Salzburg.

A couple of brief observations. While it seems charming to stay in a hotel next to a monastery, it's not as charming at 7am. The first 4 bells ring, and you think, well it's awfully dark, it must be 4am. So you roll over to go back to sleep. And then a larger, louder and more insistent bell chimes 7 times. Now you are confused. Is it 7? Could it possibly be 11? And then the even larger bell just starts ringing with no apparent rationale. After that there is a single bell at the quarter hours until 8 and then nothing. Except today, there were 8 rings. There weren't yesterday, I'm sure of it. I may never get to the bottom of this mystery.

Linda

I Heart Salzburg

Hallo from Salzburg where we can gaze up at the Alps from our hotel room. We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast this morning in Munich where I dipped into my first Nutella of the trip. We walked around the corner to the train station and got ourselves and our ginormous bags settled into the train car before everyone else got on. It's a quick trip- about an hour and a half, and German trains being what they are, we left and arrived precisely on time. We whiled away the time planning our day in Salzburg, and playing games, and enjoying the scenery. I tried to focus on my book- an autobiography of the real Maria from the Sound of Music. I can't help but keep hearing Julie Andrews' voice in my head as I read it, but it is definitely different than in the movie. What's odd is that they changed all of the children's names in the movie, but not the parents. And the woman Georg was going to marry was actually a princess...Apparently he had proposed to her before he even met Maria, but she kept putting him off for more than a year. She only decided to commit once she could tell he was in love with Maria. Ah, the age old story, eh? And even odder, in the book it doesn't sound like Maria herself she really had much interest in him. She went back to the convent to ask the reverend mother what to do- marry him or join the convent for good. Reverend mother prayed on it over night and then told her it was God's will that Maria marry Georg and be mother to his 7 children. She was disappointed. I might have asked for a second opinion. Anyway- we'll hear more about them on Sunday when we do the Original Sound of Music Tour!!!!!

We dropped off our goodies at the Hotel Bristol- very cute, old school Austrian hotel and headed out to explore. Even though we are staying in New Town, Old Town is a block away. So we walked through town and checked out the Christmas decorations everywhere in town. We visited several platzs (hm, not sure the plural on platz) and everywhere are Christmas trees and lights, and not a Jingle Bell to be heard anywhere. No I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, or even Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. I'm not sure how they live without all of the classics, but they seem to be getting by. The highlights of the day were the cemetery and catacombs of St. Peter's. The cemetery is like nothing I've seen before. So charming, and each grave has a unique ornament as a headstone. All graves have flowers or plants growing on them, many have roses. And then many also have actual candlelit lanterns. We walked through at dusk and it was breathtaking. The second highlight was our visit to the fortress. On top of a hill overlooking the town, you get to the top in a funicular, which is fun to say. We took a short tour which gave us insight into the dungeon and torture in the castle, but more importantly also gave us access to the roof! From the top there is a 360 view of Salzburg and the surrounding areas which was gorgeous as the sun was setting. 

At dinner we found ourselves in an authentic Austrian bierhaus where Mark continues his weight gain quest. Tonight he finished his plate of sausage, sauerkraut and potatoes and then polished off his mom's plate of the same for good measure. During dinner we were treated to a visit from Father Christmas and a bunch of peopled dressed in demon costumes. We're still not sure the whole background yet on why there are demons with Father Christmas. We had seen them parading together earlier, but now they were collecting for a children's charity. How could we say no? 

Since it was still early, we headed over to the Christmas market to experience it at night. There was a lot more variety of stalls in this one, though Mark was singularly focused on the gluwein ones! It was definitely crowded with people, but the atmosphere was fun and festive. Walking back to our hotel across the river I was thinking about how much I like this city. It's just magical.

More tomorrow as we head out of town to visit St. Wolfgang and Halstadt in the Lake region. We are expecting snow. Yay, cause we aren't driving. We hired a professional to take us everywhere! Snow=good. Rain=bad. Keep praying for snow.

Linda

Off we go!

Guten morgan! Well, since I am suffering from a bit of jet lag and therefore was up at the crack of dawn here in Munich- I thought I'd get started on our trip log. We headed out early on Wednesday morning, with fears of huge airport lines and delays since we flew through DC to get here. We were fortunate to experience no delays. Mark and I are flying steerage this trip since I used lots of miles for our Hawaii trip this year. On a lark, I stopped by the customer service center for United and finagled us exit row seats to DC. Coupled with some bulkhead seats to Munich and we were actually quite comfy! Of course they didn't feed us constantly like Renate in Biz Class, but I'm able to survive on my fat stores for days, so we were fine.

Once in Munich, we made our way (slowly) to the city center as we arrived during rush hour. Don't these people realize it's Thanksgiving? Sheesh. Doesn't the whole world celebrate our holidays? We deposited Renate at the hotel to get some rest as she is getting over being sick, and Mark and I called a friend of one of her friends who lives here and had offered to show us around. We made plans to meet Frank in an hour or so, and headed out to explore the Marianplatz. I think we probably made it about 3 blocks when it became clear to me that I was underdressed for the piercing cold. I briefly thought that purchasing a scarf might just take he edge off, and then realized we were still so close to the hotel, why bother. So back we went, added several layers everywhere, and tried again. Thank goodness we did, because I would never have survived the forced march with Frank otherwise.

As we walked towards Marianplatz we ran smack into our first Christmas Market. With some time to kill, we perused the stalls, enjoying the beautiful handiwork (and in some cases a few Regretsy type moments). Just about every other stand was selling gluwein, and while I was intrigued, I just knew if I tried some, I was going to be unconscious within minutes. So I'm saving that for later when I'm more well rested. While shopping, Mark and I heard the bells of the glockenspiel ringing, and so headed over to check out the "show". At 11 and 12, the centuries-old clock performs. Basically it's similar to "It's a Small World' where there are figurines that rotate on a carousel under the clock at certain times. This one plays classical music, and the scenes are village activities, and in one case a jousting match. I remember seeing it 30 years ago when I was here last, and it's still charming. Though I do have to say, the more recent Willy Wonka movie did run through my head for a minute and I wondered if they would all erupt in flames.

We met Frank at Hugenduble, because it's fun to say, and headed out for lunch and then a whirlwind tour of Munich. He is a wealth of knowledge, having lived in Munich for many years. We learned about all of the Bavarian kings (only 7 of them, so not hard to keep track of) and saw a number of churches and how buildings were re-built after the war. My favorite church was the first one that was an example of Baroque Post-Reformation design... basically it looked like baroque had thrown up in the church and it was awesome. Basically, the church was designed to feel like what it would be to live in God's presence. So there are all kinds of sculptures that look like they are suspended in mid-air. We also saw a set of street performers playing classical music who really committed... they had an actual piano on the street with them. Impressive. Through it all, I was nearly frozen the whole time, but enjoying the light snowfall throughout the day.

After a fun few hours, we took our leave and headed back for some rest before Al and Jen arrived and arranged to meet Frank for dinner. At night, the markets were completely different. During the day, they were just dozens of stalls selling a lot of the same things, and looking similar. At night, we walked through on the way to dinner and marveled at the beautiful lights and decorations on the buildings surrounding the markets, as well as the stalls themselves. Some had paper stars illuminated and colorful. Others had tableau on their roofs that I didn't even notice during the day. We stopped for the "best" lebekuchen (gingerbread) according to Frank which we will test out on the train today, and took pictures of the snow falling on the market. Dinner was traditional fare (it is Thanksgiving after all) and ate slabs of boiled meats with potato dumplings and some good bier. Top if off with some apfel streudel, and I was a happy girl.

Today we are off to Salzburg on the train! OK, time to actually get up and get ready to face the day. Hope it's a little warmer today...but no rain. My goal is no rain on this trip!

Linda

Pompeii and Amalfi

Never fear, we have not fallen overboard!  After our day in Mykonos, we had our last 'at sea' day.  Luckily the timing was perfect as I finally succumbed to the cold Al brought to the ship.  So I spent most of the day alternating between napping and reading.  I'm not proud...I've been finishing the Hunger Games series.  Don't judge me!  Since it was our second formal night we decided to eat at the Italian specialty restaurant which gave us a great view as we passed between Italy and Sicily as the sun was setting.  Pretty cool.

Yesterday we hired a private driver and guide so we could visit Pompeii and the Amalfi coast.   We met our guide Gaetano at the gates of pompeii.  He was very dapper with his white pants, checked shirt, scarf and coat with the collar turned up.  The minute Renate and Pat got out of the van he was all compliments and flirtation. He was an excellent guide and we had the chance to go in some areas that others can't see. I was surprised by how green the scenery was.  For some reason I pictured it more barren and desolate. Instead the hillsides are lush and green surrounding the site.  We entered from the sea gate which used to sit very close to the shore.  Of course after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius the shoreline moved.  What was interesting was to see how the rooms and walls have been preserved.  The people here were not victims of lava flow.  Instead they were overcome by fumes and mountains of ash.  Many suffocated actually.  The other thing that I was surprised to learn is that the plaster casts that we all associate with Pompeii were actually cast in the 1800s.  We saw a couple of them when we were there, and they are pretty haunting because you can see people's expressions as they were recorded in ash.  We also had the chance to understand how the roads were built, how the plumbing was created and even how the brothels worked. We saw the walls which had images of various sexual activities you could request by number.  We could see items 1-10, and the next 10 had disintegrated over time so we'll never know what #20 was, but you could bet it would be surprising given what we saw in the first 10!

After Pompeii we left Gaetano and his undying love for Renate and headed out to the Amalfi coast with our driver Daniel.  We tried to go to Sorrento, but it was just way too crowded with traffic.  At the first opportunity we ditched the traffic and continued down the coast to Positano.  The coast reminded me quite a bit of driving 1 in Northern California with sheer cliffs that drop to the sea.  Daniel said the main road is the 'wow' road which it was.  Every turn we made gave us a new incredible view.  Then up to lunch was the 'mama mia' road because it was barely more than a single lane with blind turns every few yards and a sheer drop on one side.  At one point we had to back down the hill to let a bus pass us.  It was worth the white knuckles though when we reached lunch.  We had a commanding view of the coastline, and enjoyed a wonderful home cooked meal with food direct from the garden.  After lunch we decided to head back to the ship since we didn't have much time to visit any of the towns.

Al and I had wanted to sample some of the local specialty- pizza margherita but it just hadn't worked out timing-wise.  As we got closer to Naples though we figured we couldn't miss out, so we dropped the moms at the ship and Daniel took us to a very popular local place where we waited outside for about 30 minutes just to get a table.  When we did, it was very simple.  They only make 2 kinds of pizzas, all the same size with differing levels of cheeses.  Within 10 minutes we had our pizza and were practically done.  It was soooo worth it.  The crust was thin but still chewy, and while simple it was very flavorful.

Finally we headed back to the ship and decided to sample one of the princess special activities- Movies Under the Stars.  They have a giant screen above one of the pool areas and the area around it with multiple levels like balconies.  So you sit in deck chairs with blankies and watch movies under the stars.  All through the movies they bring you popcorn, ice cream, warm cookies and milk... You really can't beat it.

After a late speedy dinner it was off to bed to rest up for Livorno. This is the jumping off point for Pisa and Florence.  Al, Jen and the moms headed to Florence and Mark and I headed out to Cinque Terre on one of the princess excursions.  I had been there before but Mark had not, so he was really looking forward to it.  We started in the second town, Manarola and then hiked the Lover's Path to Riomaggiore enjoying the scenery.  From there we caught a private boat to head north to the furthest town so we could view them all from the sea.  It was fun for Mark to get the lay of the land, and I enjoyed seeing just how far Brad, Stacey and I hiked last time we were here.  We were given a couple of hours to explore Monterroso al Mar and have lunch.  From there we took the train to Vernazza which was most damaged in the recent flooding. They just recently reopened for tourism. Even so, there were quite a few shops that weren't even close to being ready to open, with earth movers all over the place still trying to clear away debris. It was sad to see so much devastation  in such a beautiful city.  I remember last time I was  here strolling through the shops and enjoying gelato in places that don't exist anymore.

After a bit it was back to the train station to board the local to La Spezia.  Unfortunately there were a lot of tourists and the train was packed to the rim.  I didn't even have the space to turn and give the man behind me the evil eye every time he coughed on me.  Yuck. One man in our section was also pick pocketed in the crowd.  So as you can imagine everyone was in a dither after that! Anyway back to the bus and then we headed back to the ship. Mark, Al and I braved movies under the stars again and headed to bed after midnight.  Tomorrow is our last big day, Roma!

Ciao!
Linda

Istanbul and Mykonos

Sorry for the radio silence yesterday but I was pooped by the time I got back to my stateroom yesterday. Today Mark and I are sitting in a little cafe in Mykonos enjoying some gelato and street performers along with some free wifi. Yesterday we left the ship early and took the tram into the heart of old Istanbul. We started the day with a trip to the blue mosque. We seemed to be the only ones who heeded the warning to cover our heads in the mosque, the rest of the tourists just wandered around disrespectfully! At least I got to feel judgmental for a few minutes. The decoration inside was impressive with beautiful tile work. I wasn't prepared for it to be just a large room essentially. Growing up seeing most christian churches with pews and altars made the room almost feel unfinished to me. Interesting cultural perspective...  Next we followed the crowd ruining we were headed to Hagia Sophia. To our slight surprise we actually had ended up at Topkapi Palace. Luckily it was on our itinerary so I jumped into the ticket line while everyone else got in line to get in. The palace was very crowded with people and we felt like we were being herded a bit as we looked at the Topkapi dagger and the spoonmakers diamond (86 karats ladies!) while it was interesting to see, the building wasn't as impressive as I had thought it would be. The mons got tired of the crowds so we left them on a bench in search of the pool. Of course when we found it, it was empty. But it had a commanding view of the city and our ship. So we soaked it in for a few minutes and took some pictures and then left. I think if we had gone into the harem it would have been more interesting as there was quite a lot at the harem, but it didn't seem worth another 20 euro. At is point everyone needed a little more energy so we found this great little cafe that is in an artist school. The cafe is in a courtyard surrounded by little galleries. Our waiter Husein was hysterical and we enjoyed a pretty authentic meal in e quiet surroundings. We headed back out after is to visit Hagia Sophia, or as Sue says, Aya Sofiya. This is a beautiful building that has been both a mosque and a church, so has some figural art, and some that is not. One of he neatest parts was that to get to the upper gallery for a commanding view of the building you actually went up a series stone ramps instead of stairs that have been warn down through the centuries. What most impressed me is that this building was erected in 5 years in something like 572. It's impressive considering how long it took to do our house which was a comparatively small job! Down the hill we went to the spice market where Jen and I had high hopes to find some nice saffron. Along the way we found ourselves wandering through the garment district filled with locals which was really cool. After some looking we went with the second best saffron (the best was 90 euro per gram!) and some Turkish delight as gifts. We went back to the boat with the moms while Al and Jen went in search of a tower we had heard about from Husein that had a great view. Upon return to the ship we grabbed our favorite spot, some deck chairs at the back of the ship where we could relax and watch as we departed from Istanbul. We were a bit late in leaving as they kept calling for a couple of passengers well after the time we were supposed to be on board. We confirmed with Guiseppe that they had indeed made it to the ship and it is rare that they leave anyone behind. I tucked that little nugget away just in case... Oh and as to the mystery of the careening ship of my last email. It was due to the wind. Guiseppe said  He slept through the whole thing (no, not on the bridge). Today was a Mykonos day and we docked late so we had the chance to do a special tour of the ship. It was fun to go through the kitchens and the under deck areas. The boat even keeps a stable of mountain bikes for the staff to borrow in port whenever they want. Kind of cool. We wandered into town for some shopping and to explore. I wanted to see the windmills (no longer functioning old grain mills) and find gyros. I have been satisfied in both accounts. The food was amazing, and the view from the windmills totally worth it!  I think it's time for a little more shipping and them back to the ship for dinner with the Commodore again. Ah, I know, rough life,eh? Linda

Update from Ephesus

Sorry that I keep appending the old emails... I haven't figured out how to easily delete them on my iPad :) Our journey today brought us to Ephesus in Turkey.  After docking we met Mete our guide for the day, and Hussein, our driver. We'd arranged for a private tour since there are 6 of us and it was well worth the money.  It's about a 20 minute drive to the site, and on the way we learned about Turkish history and the development of the modern Turkish state.  I will admit that without properly caffeinating, I missed some of the detail.  I was also distracted by the sight of some kind of themed water park off to the side of the road called Adaland.  Ada means island but it was on a hill so I don't quite get it...  What is interesting about Ephesus is that as you approach it, you have to imagine you were in a boat as it was a coastal town.  Today the coast is actually about 6 miles away.  The neighboring river silted in, and eventually the harbor did too.  The site is nestled between two hills and can be approached from either  the top or the bottom.  We started at the top and worked our way down. The first thing we noticed was the abundance of feral cats all basking in the sun on the ruins or asking for handouts.  The next thing we noticed was how big the site was.  A number of the ruins have been reconstructed after parts were uncovered to give visitors a sense of how the site looked and it's size.  Unfortunately over time many of the valuable finds in the site made their way to British, German and Austrian museums thanks to a permissive Sultan and some industrious adventurers.  What was most impressive though is that they excavated a portion of the marble road, and replaced the columns that would line the road, so you could get a true sense of what it was like to wander through the grand streets of the ancient city.  We also entered two of the odeons there, one which could seat 1,500 and another which could seat 25,000.  The public baths and toilets were interesting, and were all co-ed until roman times when they were told that was not acceptable behavior!   There are also a series of excavated terrace houses that have been enclosed to protect the walls and mosaics.  Wandering through these was amazing. We saw painted walls with their original designs along with intricate tile floors and marble covered columns.  There were students inside while we were there painstakingly removing layers of dust from the walls.  We left wondering just how much of the town still remains buried under several feet of soil, and what other treasures are just waiting to be found. After a quick stop to the Temple of Artemis we stopped in a Turkish country home to see how people typically live and enjoy some fresh made snacks.  It was a great way to end our short visit with conversation and delicious fare in the outdoor courtyard of this home surrounded by flowers and several dogs, chickens and even a few turkeys. All too soon we had to return to our ship to head towards Istanbul.  Because it was still early we found beach chairs on the back deck of the ship to enjoy some sun as we pulled out of port.  Right as we left we heard the call to prayer begin to ring out throughout the harbor. It was practically on cue. I was soon asleep 'reading' in my chair when I heard people shouting and laughing as they were splashed by a large wave of water  coming out of the pool.  Keep in mind that the water level is about 2 feet below the lip of the pool so it was quite a jolt to cause that.  I just assumed that we'd hit a big swell as I quickly gathered my things off of the ground to get out of the way of the water now sloshing all over the deck as another wave spilled out of the pool.  It wasn't until Mark asked what was up with the ship that I noticed the port side was a good 30 degrees higher than the starboard side.  I'm no nautical expert, but that didn't seem right unless we were on a catamaran.  We sailed like that for a few minutes and it started to correct. However when Mark and I went back to our cabin we did still have to walk uphill to get in which was a little unnerving!  Good thing I paid attention during the lifejacket demonstration.  We'll have to ask Guiseppe about it tomorrow to get the scoop. Well it's time to get some sleep to prepare for Istanbul.  Linda

Med- 2

Today we find ourselves in the lovely (and smoggy) city of athens.  We were very fortune with the weather today, as it is typically very toasty this time of year. We had a slight drizzle as we hailed a cab heading for the Acropolis, but it had stopped by the time we hit the parking lot.  I had been prepared to drive through a bustling city on the way but I hadn't expected to see so many street dogs.  They slept on the streets and groups of them actually were sleeping in a grassy median. When we arrived at the acropolis a black lab greeted everyone with a steady bark.  Later we saw him at the top of the hill.  Apparently he didn't have to pay the  12 euro to get in!  It made me sad to see all of these homeless dogs, especially since we miss Maddie so much when we are gone.  Later in the day though I noticed a lot of bowls outside of homes and many Greeks who came up and patted the dogs and played with them.  So maybe they are just cared for in a different way.

  We had been warned that it is 80 steps and a number of different ramps to get to the top of the acropolis and we weren't sure how well Pat and Renate would do.  Luckily we were just ahead of the crowds and could take our time heading up the hill.  Everyone did great!  It was amazing to wander through these ancient ruins that we have seen in history books our whole lives. The view from the top is commanding and you can see other ruins on neighboring hills peeking out from behind the overgrowth of trees. We wandered through the ruins of the Parthenon.  They are currently doing some restoration work so we can see how they struggle to get the building materials in place with modern technology.  I just can't fathom how this was done in ancient times. We made our way down the hill, stopping at the theatre of Dionysus imagining how it would have been to be there in it's heyday.

Then it was on to the Plaka for some shopping and lunch at a charming restaurant with multiple terraces looking out over the city.  The best part was the tzatziki- seriously delish! We'd like to thank Rick Steves for the recommendation.

The last place we wanted to visit was the ruins of the old Agora by way of a hidden, narrow pathway among Greek homes covered in flowers and oozing charm.  The Agora was fun to wander through, seeing buildings in ruin, and engraved columns just strewn about.  The most surprising part of the day though had to be the tortoises we found just wandering around the ruins.  I didn't see that in any guidebooks!
After returning to the ship we engaged in our new Liebthal obsession-trivia.  They have trivia competitions like 3 times a day.  Mark and I went yesterday on a lark and our team barely lost.  What we needed was more firepower!  So we enlisted Al and Jen and we all joined the afternoon game.  Again we barely lost.  If you know us at all, you know we love games and we are competitive. So because we returned to the ship in separate cabs this afternoon, I called Al and Jen to let them know we were back.  The first thing Al said is that there was trivia again at 4. So all thoughts of showers and naps vanished and we headed to the explorer lounge to do battle.  We barely pulled off a narrow victory thanks to knowing that Neptune was the last planet discovered in the 19th century and that George Lazenby was the man who played James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (thanks to Marji that I know that!). We won fabulous princess cruise flashlights!  Maddie will be so excited!

Anywho, time to finish my drink, and prepare for Ephesus, Turkey tomorrow.

Linda

Update from the Cruisers- Mediterranean

May 20, 2012

Gentle readers, my apologies for the radio silence since we left on our trip.  We have been busy trying to figure out data plans and satellite connections etc.  I finally just broke down and got an internet plan on the ship and am using their computer.  The iPad is great for searching and a little typing but not the missives you have come to expect.  And I've already collected more than $50 in roaming charges on my phone just from checking email occasionally.  So, it will be an internet diet for me, which is probably much needed!

 

So, allow me to fill you in on our journey thus far.  We have collected a motly crew- Mark, myself, his brother Al, Al's wife Jennifer, her mom Pat and Mark's mom Renate for a Mediteranean adventure.  The reason we chose a cruise, and this 12 (gasp!) day tour of the Med is because Mark (and Al's) cousin Sabina is married to our Commodore, Guiseppe.  We figure if you're going to take a cruise, you might as well be related to the captain, right?  Plus if any of that Costa Concordia nonesense occured we know that he couldn't abandon ship without us at least- Sabina would kill him!

We collected in Frankfurt last Thursday after lovely business class trips for all of us.  Mark and I are going back in steerage which I think will be quite a disappointment. Hopefully we'll be so tired and hung over we won't care!  Then it was off to Venice where we hopped in a water taxi to take us to the hotel.  It was a picture perfect evening.  The sun was getting ready to set, and the light on the water was amazing.  This is the best weather I have experienced in my several trips to the city.  Our hotel was charming, as was our host Paolo who just kept referring to Pat and Renate as "the mamas".  That man appears to know everyone in Venice.  The next morning as we were having breakfast on the canal, every person who went by either on foot or by boat called out to him in greeting.  Our room was charming and after a great dinner we were happy to settle in for the night.

 

Of course Mark and I were up with the birds with the time difference and all, so we decided to walk through the city.  We wandered the streets, and watched as the street vendors prepared for their day, setting out their fresh catches and fragrant fruits and vegetables.  After a while I realized we were pretty close to Piazza San Marco, so we might as well see it.  I'm so glad we did.  It was Mark's first time and he got to see it with about 10 people in it, quiet and sleepy as the early morning sun was just finding it's way into all of the nooks and crannies.  Later when we went back to St. Mark's it was a zoo of people everywhere, jostling for position in line, and trying to take pictures. 

 

We opted for the Vaporetto back, but didn't realize that you REALLY should avoid the #1 line as it stops at every single stop.  It took almost as long by water as the walk had taken.  And shout out to Brad here- all I could remember when I went to get on the boat is you and I getting on one the wrong direction to head to the train station.  So I checked and triple checked every time!

 

We met everyone for breakfast and after lugging our baggage down 2 flights of stairs- thank goodness for wheelies) we headed out to St. Mark's for our advance ticket quick entry to view the church.  We waited in the "special" line with pushy, loud people all trying to get through the turnstile (some of the pushy loud people may have been in our group... but I'm not outing anyone- this is family afterall).  Finally Jen walked through, and then Renate got stuck, so we had to ask the clearly frustrated gatekeeper to help us out.  Renate got through and then Pat got stuck.  When we tried to get him to resolve the issue he started arguing with Jen that she clearly only bought one ticket, not 6 and there is no way she could get away with this. Jen was quite adamant that she did indeed buy 6 tickets and lots of arguing ensued, with him ordering us out of line.  So, she and I got our phones out trying to just reserve more tickets which wasn't working.  Finally he tried to show us on his iPad what to do and HE couldn't order more than 1 ticket either.  Next thing you know he's on the phone with the company, Jennifer has his iPad and is booking tickets and we're all fast friends. Ah- Italy!  It was very worth it- Pat actually burst into tears when she walked in because it was so beautiful.  So as Jen said- totally worth every minute of stress!

 

Then it was off to the ship to check in, drop our stuff and then return to Venice for lots of shopping and eating (Mark wins brownie points for this evening- Al stayed back and missed the shopping!) Then back on the ship to turn in.  We've been at sea for 2 days now making our way to Athens.  It's been a nice chance to nap a lot, read and generally be lazy.  We enjoyed the private pool area with cushy lounge chairs where I pretty much napped all afternoon.  Oh that was until the boys that work there came by with the tea cart laden with scones, tea sammies, tarts and cookies.  I could definitely get used to this!  Today we had the opportunity to tour the bridge with Guiseppe and learn all about the ship.  It's pretty amazing.  What is really amazing is that even with all of the technology that they use, there are 2 men who stand at the front windows and all they do for 4 hours is watch the horizon.  Really.  They don't even get to sit!  Tonight was the first formal night, and Guiseppe was able to take the time to have dinner with us which was so nice.  It was fun catching up on family, and hearing more about what Sabina and the boys are up to now.  He is quite the jokester though and definitely had us going several times with his stories. 

 

Anywho, it's getting late and we are off to Athens tomorrow.  We are enjoying perfect weather and it promises to be quite civilized there, so we should have lots of time to enjoy the sights.  And of course, Mark and I are looking forward to authentic gyros!  Take care- and Ciao for now!

 

Linda