Disembarkation, London, & Goodbye

One final post to bring us all back to San Francisco, which is where I am now.  It's about 4 a.m. and I 'm awake either because of time change/jet lag or because of my ongoing insomnia or both perhaps.  In any case, it's about 1 pm in Europe, so it's not surprising my body thinks it should be up.

Disembarkation was of course bittersweet.  Fond memories of our cruise flooded us but it was time to say goodbye to the Queen Mary 2 and allow our steward, Gabriel, to prepare our stateroom for the next guests who are, as I write, crossing the North Atlantic towards New York.

Allen asked me, on our last full day at sea, how I would rate the ports we called in and here is my list:

1.  Barcelona--by far this marvelous city is in 1st place
2.  a tie between Lisbon & Florence--Lisbon was charming and I definitely wish to go back; Florence was comfortable and felt like an old friend revisited.
4.  Rome--This grand capital of the world would have been higher but it was so hot and seeing the Sistine Chapel was such a grueling event that it dropped in my estimation.  I definitely would like to return though and see it at a more leisurely pace.
5.  Monaco--A very pleasant visit to a very pleasant albeit very rich place.
6.  Gibraltar--Interesting and worth the visit, but it's so tiny and there's not really much to see once you've see the rock.

Some fond memories remain with me: the acting classes with RADA, the two afternoon teas we attended, the Sistine Chapel, a long leisurely lunch with a friend in Florence, coming down from the top of the Rock of Gibraltar in high winds, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, over the top stage productions on the ship &, oh, so many others.

Our day in London was relaxed and pleasant.  We found our way to the Twinnings tea shop via the Tube only to discover that it was closed for remodeling.  So we couldn't shop for tea from the same company where the Queen (the person, not the ship) does her tea purchasing.  But we found a bus that took us to Harrods, the enormous department store which was very, very crowded, mostly with gawkers just like us.  We did make a few purchases though to bolster the British economy, though the amount we actually spent will do little to bolster anything.

We had dinner in the neighbourhood of our hotel after which Allen & I went to a local internet point to print out our buording passes for the flight home.  In the morning, we found our way to Paddington Station where we caught the Heathrow Express for a 15-minute non-stop train ride to the airport.  There of course, we bid our farewells to London and Europe and started our 10-plus hour flight back to San Francisco.  Ir seemed like a terrible long flight and there was a good reason for that: it is a long flight.

But now we're back, safe and sound with cats who are very happy to see us and barely leave us alone. 

Thanks for reading what ever parts of this blog that you have done.  I'll be posting more pictures to my Flickr account at some point in the near future, so if you'd like to see those, drop me an email and I'll send you the link.

Peace,
Gerry

Final days at sea.

It is morning of the final day of our cruise; all good things must come to an end, I suppose, but I sure wish the end weren't so soon.  I think I could stand a few more days aboard this magnificent ship.  I'm putting up some pictures from around our floating home away from home.

The past two days have been at sea days; no ports of call…just sailing from Barcelona to Southampton.  So I've had fun just being on this ship: relaxing, reading, taking part in the various activities offered, and, of course, eating.  According to a key ring that I bought for myself yesterday, the Queen Mary 2 is 1,132 feet long and about 135 across.  She can carry 2,620 passengers with a crew of 1,253 totaling 3,873 people aboard.  Her maiden voyage was in 2004 (which is when Marilyn & I did the North Atlantic crossing).  According to the report from our Daily Programme, the largest number of crew on our voyage comes from the Philippines while the most number of passengers are from Great Britain. 

Yesterday, I did my third and final RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) acting class and got a certificate to prove it even.  The classes covered a variety of acting methods using voice and body to express character and status.  On this final day, we got to use some of what we had learned with a monologue from Shakespeare which was very fun.

We've also gone to the planetarium on board ship to see a the shows there.  The QM2 was the first ship to have a planetarium; the shows came from the American Museum of Natural History and NASA and talked about the immensity of the universe.  Not a bad thing to consider when one is at sea in the immensity of the ocean. 

We also went to afternoon tea for the first time on Thursday; a lovely English tradition of tea and goodies at 3:30 in the afternoon.  I think we enjoyed it so much that we'll be repeating that particular activity again today.

Last night's entertainment was a show by the resident singers and dancers called Viva Italia.  It was, to put it mildly, over the top, but in a good way.  The costumes alone really were quite amazing.  There are four singers and 12 dancers who perform the various shows.  I had the pleasure of running into & meeting one of the dancers a few days ago.

I also took a class on Wednesday in the computer learning centre.  They offered classes throughout the voyage but I only made use of one class; about using Photoshop Elements to fix photographs.  Unfortunately, the next class was too full for me to take it so I remain ignorant about the use of layers in Photoshop Elements.  Alas.

As I said this is the final day so I don't know when my next posting will be put up.  If I have a chance to write again, I'll do so; otherwise I'll post again once again when I'm back in San Francisco.

Ahoy!

Monaco & Barcelona

We are heading back to Southampton where we'll arrive in 3 days.  But before our leisurely days at sea begin, I need to catch up on the past couple of days. 

On Monday, we were in Monaco, that tiny country on the Mediterranean famous for its casino.  Called the playground of the rich, I can see how it got its name.  Evidently not just anyone can become a citizen and real estate is very expensive.  It's a pleasant enough community to wander around though.  We had to anchor in the harbor and take the tenders into port, so Allen and I did so early in the morning.  Monaco is more than Monte Carlo, we discovered.  There are different sections to the country which is hugs onto the side of a hill rising from the sea.  One can see why a Grand Prix would be so popular here--the streets curve and wend their way up and down the hill and look like a bit of a spaghetti bowl.  There are several public lifts (or elevators) to get folks from one part of town to another.

Allen & I decided to wear shorts since it was a warm day, but that meant that we weren't allowed into the big casino there.  Oh well, there went our chance to strike it rich.  But we had a pleasant day wandering around until we had seen enough and then headed back to the boat. 

I've long had a desire to visit the tiniest countries of Europe ever since I learned they existed when I as in high school--Luxembourg, Lichtenstein, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco, & Vatican City.  With this trip, I've realized a part of that goal with my visits to two of those countries.  I guess I'll have to get the other 3 on another voyage.

Yesterday, Tuesday, was our last port of call on this cruise, Barcelona.  And what a city to end with.  This was our first visit to Barcelona (as indeed it had been for all the stops except for Florence) and it made me want to return.  It's a beautiful city with lovely scenery and fascinating architecture.  In fact, the highlight of this entire cruise will very likely be the visit we made to the Sagrada Familia church which was designed by the Barcelonan architect Antonio Gaudi.  Gaudi lived in the 19th century but was years ahead of his time in his architectural visions and designs.  Throughout Barcelona there are many striking Gaudi buildings, but the pinnacle is the Sagrada Familia, a church that is still, more than a hundred years later, under construction, such is the scope of this edifice.  Rising from the ground are several spires; the sculptures look modern and exciting, telling, at one entrance, the passion of Christ and, at the other, the Nativity.  Inside and out, scaffolds rise and workers are busy doing whatever is necessary to erect a building such as this.  It is clear that Gaudi was a person of deep Christian faith who made sure that the Nativity entrance was completed before his death to inspire the workers to continue this sacred place.  Allen & I took an elevator part way up one of the spires for views into the church and out over Barcelona.  I shan't quickly forget those vistas across this tempting city and into this holy ground.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Barcelona.  Marilyn had heard about a cafe that served excellent hot chocolate & churros but alas we were unable to locate it, missing another treasure that we'll have to come back to find.

Now we are at sea, heading south down the eastern side of the Iberian Peninsula before we turn through the Straits of Gibraltar once again.

Ahoy!

Firenze!

It's Monday morning as I write and I'm sitting on our balcony looking at the rising sun glittering off the buildings of Monte Carlo in Monaco.  We arrived at this port overnight, coming only 100 miles from our previous port, being Livorno.  So allow me to catch you up on the events of Sunday, our port day in Livorno.

Livorno is the closest port to Pisa and Florence.  We've already been to both Pisa & Florence already; this is the only stop on our voyage that were are familiar with.  So it felt a bit like a homecoming.  In fact, the main event of the day for us was going into Florence on a hour and a half coach ride to meet with our friend Christiana Farina, who was the owner of the villa and apartments we stayed in a few years ago in Tuscany and Florence.  So indeed, it was not only a homecoming, but also a bit of a reunion.  Having already spent so much time in Florence, we didn't feel the need to rush about and cram as much in as possible.  Instead we had a very pleasant leisurely lunch near to the Duomo (Cathedral) with Christina.

That was followed by a bit of shopping and then back to our coach to bring us back to the ship.  Compared to the hectic pace of Rome the previous day, this was a very relaxing and pleasant day.

Back on the ship, we had time for one of our "elegant casual" (jackets, no ties) dinners and then the comedian show following, which was very fun.

Ahoy!

Roma

Saturday was a busy, exhausting, but very good day.  It was our day in Rome and in the few hours we spent in the Eternal City, we packed a lot of visiting in.

We had booked ourselves on an excursion from the ship.  Cunard offers a variety of excursions from each port ranging from those that are very scheduled and guided all the time to basically shuttle buses on which you are on your own once you reach your destination.  Because Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, is about 55 miles away, most people on the ship going into Rome booked one of these excursions.  The one we booked was in the middle range; a tour in the morning until about 1 p.m. and then about three hours on our own. 

Once we disembarked the ship and made our way by coach into Rome, we met up with our tour guide, Roberto, who drove us through the city a little bit and very briefly explained its history.  The coach stopped and we got off near Capitol Hill, where Rome's city hall now sits.  Behind it lies the ancient Roman forum, the meeting place for centuries of ancient Romans.  We walked parallel to the length of the forum on one of Rome's busy streets stopping to see or hear about another ancient ruin.

The highlight of the tour for me was our final destination, the Coliseum, the ancient and huge entertainment center of the first few centuries A.D.  Of course, only a part of the wall stands that enclosed the Coliseum but standing looking at it and imagining those who entered the gates and what must have been going through their minds as both participants and spectators went into that arena.  We did not have the opportunity to go into the Coliseum but spent some time outside it before heading back to our bus.

The bus took us then to St. Peters Square in the smallest country in the world.  This was exciting for me for at least one reason: I have a dream of visiting the smallest countries in the world some day and Vatican City, as the tiniest at, I believe, 1.6 square miles, is the best place to start.  Marilyn, Allen, & I forewent the chance to go into the basilica of St. Peters, the largest church in Christendom, instead opting to go into the Vatican Museums in order to see the Sistine Chapel.  The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was frescoed over a period of four years by Michelangelo, the great Renaissance painter.  Michelangelo was not necessarily very skilled in frescoing when he began this monumental work, but he learned the craft quickly and to marvelous results.  Getting to the Chapel is a bit ridiculous: one has to wander through almost the entire series of museums in order to reach it.  Everyone travels the same route and there are plenty of crowds traveling those galleries filled with paintings and sculptures and ancient maps and all sorts of other artwork.  It's an exhausting and, in our case, hot process leaving one little energy to actually enjoy the tremendous gem that is the Sistine Chapel when you reach it.  Part of the joy though was going through the several rooms frescoed by Rafael, which were done at the same time the Michelangelo was working on his ceiling.  Eventually though we did find our prize which turned out to be smaller than I expected but still no less grand.  The ceiling was restored to its original grandeur and vibrant colors in a restoration in the 1980s and 90s.  At the center of the ceiling is the famous creation of Adam as God reaches out a finger to instill the spark of life to a reclining Adam.  As exhausted as we were and as crowded as it was, it was hard not to be awed by this exemplary work of art.

Leaving the museum, again through a byzantine labyrinth of unavoidable galleries, we found ourselves outside again and in need of a quick meal to sustain ourselves for the coach ride back to the ship.  A fast pizza sufficed for each of us and we scurried, as much as we can scurry, back to meet our coach.  Naps on the hour plus ride back seemed to be the order of the day for most of us and we got back just in time to refresh ourselves a little and then go to dinner.  The evening following was fairly low key as we just strolled about the decks of the ship, had a drink in one of the many bars onboard, and then trundled off to bed, not before heading into an at sea thunder storm, something I hadn't experienced yet.

Today, Sunday, we are heading into Florence, a town we are all familiar with already.

Ahoy!

A bit of Limestone and some time at sea

What a couple of days it has been.  Yesterday was our day in Gibraltar, the home of the rock.  Situated at the end of the Mediterranean, it has served as an important and strategic base for whoever held it.  Which, of course, is why the British wanted it and got it in the Treaty of Utrecht in some century past & have held onto it assiduously ever since.  It's a very small bit of the United Kingdom on the very edge of Spain, which has not always made Spain all that happy, as you can imagine.

It's famous, of course, for the Rock of Gibraltar which looms over the tiny town below at 412 metres (which is, um, quite a lot of feet--it's pretty high up there).  We did not have a berth in Gibraltar, which means to get to shore, we had to take tenders (for you land-lubbers, that's the little boats we use to get from ship to shore).  So Allen & I set out and got on a tender and walked about 25 minutes down Main Street with the cable car base as our goal.  We were accosted at a couple of points along the way by those offering us tours who were tenacious and lied maliciously we found out.  But we found our way and waited in line for about an hour to cram into a cable car (not like the San Francisco cable cars--this was the kind that lifted through the air on a cable) which lifted us up to the top of the Rock.

Up there we had views into Spain and over the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco in Africa.  We saw several of the famous apes that inhabit the Rock, legend of which says that when the last ape leaves Gibraltar, the British will no longer rule there.  The apes are kept in very good health.  (Also, on top of the Rock was the funniest restroom sign I've ever seen, which I've posted here.)

While we were on top, the wind picked up making our cable car ride downwards to be very interesting.  We were swinging and swaying as we made the six-minute descent.  Not only that, but our tender ride back to the QM2 was quite choppy.  It made me glad that the ship I'm on most of the time is very, very big.

Back on that very big ship, we had dinner and then went to the evening performance which was a magician, Philip Hitchcock.  He was very entertaining and kept us both laughing and amazed.

Today was an at sea day, which meant sleeping in, and relaxing through the day.  I attended another workshop by RADA about using our bodies to express ourselves as actors which again was very fun and informative.

The highlight of the day was sort of funny though.  Before we left on this trip, at least a month ago, we had the option of celebrating a special day that occurred within 60 days of the cruise.  Since Allen's and my anniversary of our wedding was just in August, we decided to celebrate that event on this trip.  So I called and selected a date and then sort of forgot about it.  Well, this afternoon, there was a card from Cunard wishing us a happy anniversary addressed to "Mr. Foster & Mrs. Brague."  Okay.  Then at dinner, our waiter and some of the other wait staff approached our table with a small cake with a candle in it that also said "Happy Anniversary."  They approached the table and put the cake in front of the only and very surprised heterosexual couple at our table and broke into a heavily accented rendition of "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."  The cake was intended for Mr Foster & Mrs Brague of course, but naturally the staff assumed that it was for Karen and Richard (whose 42nd anniversary was only three days after ours).  It was all very funny and we brought to the cake back to our room and the three of us (Marilyn, Allen, & I) enjoyed it with some of the leftover Prosecco from our wedding reception.

All in all though a good two days.  Tomorrow we dock early and head into Rome.  Stay tuned!

Ahoy!

Asea & Lisbon

It's been a busy couple of days!  Our first full day on the ship was chock full of activities for us.  We started the day with a wake-up breakfast appetizer, as we've come to call it.  (We can order coffee & tea and a small danish to be delivered.  It's our alarm as well as something to get us started for the day.)  Then comes the real breakfast at the buffet--yum!  We went to the safety drill so we'll know what to do should there be an emergency.  Following that we split up and I attended the first workshop given by RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  There are six members of RADA on board who give workshops and will also perform.  The workshop was energizing and fun.  I hope to attend the other two workshops that they offer.  (If I do go to all three I get a certificate signed by all six RADA members!)

The three of us met up again for lunch and then went to separate activities following.  I chose the exciting activity of doing laundry.  What fun, what excitement…but now there are clean clothes to wear.  Following that big time, I met Allen at a workshop about digital cameras.

Then followed our first of six formal nights.  So we all got ourselves into our dress-up duds and off to dinner in the Britannia Restaurant, the largest of the three restaurants on board.  Of course formal means a variety of things--Allen was in his tuxedo, I was wearing my black suit with a bow tie.  Marilyn had on a lovely ensemble of black slacks and blouse and a brown and black cover.

Then came the entertainment time…Appasionata, a mostly dance program that ranged from tango to swing.  After a stop at the late-night buffet for a snack, we all tucked ourselves in for bed.

Because today we woke early to be on the top deck to view Lisbon Harbor as we entered and docked.  A bridge which is quite similar to the Golden Gate Bridge spans the entrance to the harbor.  As we approached the bridge the sun started to appear on the horizon and rose as we neared.  It was a beautiful sight.

We had a quick day in Lisbon, the capital, of course, of Portugal.  It's a very old city with an interesting history, including a disastrous earthquake and fire in 1755, which they believe (for those of you reading in the Bay Area) registered as a 9 on the RIchter Scale.  Yikes!  Marilyn set off on an excursion that Cunard offered but Allen & I were on our own.  We took the shuttle bus to the old part of the city and walked around there finding one of the elevadors that moves people from one level to the next in this very hilly city.  At the top of this elevador was a the shell of a large church that had been destroyed in the earthquake and fire. (A helpful sign told us that the fire came along and "ruined the church stuffing"!)  The shell is now an archeological museum which had some intriguing items.

After a brief respite with a drink and the special little custard pies that are famous in Lisbon, we wandered up the street and took one of the funiculars down to another area of the city.  We walked along a broad tree-lined boulevard and enjoyed the gardens and people we encountered.  After a quick subway ride, we took ourselves back to the old section of town for a bit of shopping (not much buying) and some lunch.  A little more wandering and then we found our way back to the place to meet our shuttle bus once again.  

Lisbon is a charming city and as Allen has already written on a postcard, if San Francisco were in Europe, it would be Lisbon.  Just from this taste, I know I'd like to return for a longer time to get to know Lisbon and Portugal better.

 

PS--This blog program is not really cooperating--I have no idea how it's going to end up.  There should be four pictures, and the text shouldn't be underlined.  Who knows if it will come out that way.  Sorry.

London and the Queen Mary 2 at last

Well, we've arrived!  And we have set sail!

I had planned to blog from London but unfortunately the wifi at the hotel where we stayed was inoperative, so there was no going on line for me.  So, if you've been hanging in suspense, I do apologize.

After what seemed like an extraordinarily long flight, Allen & I arrived at London's Heathrow Airport at about 8 a.m. to be greeted by Marilyn who was waiting for us, as planned, at the coffee shop just outside of customs.  (Marilyn had flown a day earlier than we did.)  We then piled all of our travel weary selves and our luggage into a taxi (a real London taxi at that!) and headed for the Hotel Edward near to Paddington Station.  We then ventured out into the neighborhood for a look-see and a bit of lunch at the Pride of Paddington.  (Though the meal was fine, I do wonder what else Paddington might find to be proud of.)  We returned to the room for a bring lie-down since exhaustion was a guiding factor in our lives.  (Yes, taking a nap when jet lagged is dangerous, but we did it anyway…we're just that way, dangerous and adventurous.)  We awoke and set out again for a stroll, this time to the nearby Kensington Gardens, where we saw, among other things, the statue that J.M. Barrie donated of Peter Pan.  A light supper followed and then an early to bed.

Our morning today began with breakfast and a quick pack-up of the suitcases so we could get over to Victoria Station where we had reservations for a coach to take us to Southampton, the Queen Mary 2's home port.  The ride was a bit under 3 hours long and fairly uneventful.  But the event, of course, was arriving at the port and embarking on the Queen.  We were guided through the embarkation process by a cavalcade of helpful staff.  With our security/id/room key cards firmly in hand, we had our photos taken and stepped onto the ship.

We found our way to our stateroom where some bubbly white wine, some strawberries dipped in chocolate, & a bottle of wine (thank you, Marin Chicks for the latter two) awaited us.  It didn't take long until we felt the engines start and heard the deep resonance of the ship's horn as we pulled away from Southampton.  We went up to the top deck, found a way to secure some citrus beelines, and waved farewell to England as we headed out to the English Channel or the North Atlantic, whichever it is here.

Dinner was lovely and we met the other four of our table mates, a husband and wife from Hilton Head and a mother-daughter set from Maryland.  Following dinner, we went to the opening welcome show in the theatre, the highlight of which, at least for me, was lots of feathers dancing on the backs of the female dancers.

We're retiring somewhat early tonight as we're all still pretty tired, and full days await us.

Ahoy!

Ooops

I obviously forgot that I had already posted the picture of my suitcase.  Sorry about that!

All My Bags Are Packed...

Okay, I too this picture several days ago, but it's appropriate for today since we fly out today for London.  It's been a good week of visiting families, but now it's time to get on an airplane; first to fly to Chicago and then across the pond.  Yay! 

Allen & I ended up buying a new suitcase this week; our garment bag almost didn't survive the flight from San Francisco to New York.  We were worried about it getting to England.  So we purchased a new garment bag...with wheels!  So life is better.  We are at the max weight-wise on all three of our bags.  So we're cutting it close.

But all shall be well.  We get on the flight today and we're off on the next part of our big adventure.  QM2, here we come!

Suitcase at the ready

Suitcase at the ready--Day 66/365
Originally uploaded by revger

So I'm off and away. I packed my suitcase and at 3:35 on Monday morning, the van came and picked me up and vacation started! The trip was fairly easy: a 4 hour flight to Chicago and then about an hour and a half flight to Wilkes-Barre. I'm at my sister's & brother-in-law's home there visiting with family. Allen joins me today (Wednesday) here.

So I am on my way. It's just about 5 days and nine hours until I board the ship and only 3 days until we fly to London. It's going to be real this time!

The Excitement Builds

Well, I haven't posted to this blog in a while...I guess after last spring's false start I wasn't allowing myself to get too excited too early.  But everyone is healthy and it looks like it's going to happen this time.  In fact, Allen & I packed last night. (Well, okay, he's pretty much finished packing and I still have some to do, but he's leaving 2 days earlier than I am.)

Our itinerary is that we are each spending about a week with family in New York state and Pennsylvania.  Allen is traveling to NY on Saturday.  I fly to PA on Monday (someone has to work on Sunday).  Allen is then driving down to PA on Wednesday and then whisking me off to NY on Friday.  On Saturday, we head to the White Plains, NY airport in Westchester to begin our travels across the pond.

Oddly, United has no direct flights from JFK in New York City to London--you have to connect somewhere to get there.  So we figured that since we'll be upstate with his family, why go all the way into the city just to connect, when we can connect at a much closer and easier to get to airport.  So we fly out of White Plains.  The odd thing is that our connection to Heathrow is through O'Hare airport in Chicago.  Okay, we can do that.

Marilyn's health continues to improve and I think she'll really enjoy this trip.  She's already decided that she doesn't have to get off the ship at a port if she isn't feeling like it.  

I have my reading material all lined up...all Donna Leon books, an author to whom I was introduced several years ago by my friend Marge.  Donna Leon writes police detective novels, all set in Venice, all with the same main character, a police commissario by the name of Guido Brunetti.  They're easy reads but she does make you think...not in the typical mystery "try to figure out who-done-it" way, because Guido is pretty philosophical and battles constantly with the ethics of his job.  We also get to spend time with him and his family, giving us a little slice of Venetian life.  Marilyn is taking along her latest book, so I'll have that as a back up.  Plus, the QM2 has a library...of course.

According to the widget on my dashboard, there are only 10 days, 8 hours & 6 minutes until we board.  But who's counting?

Counting down again

If you have followed this blog at all, you'll know that our trip in May was canceled due to our friend's illness. Well, Marilyn has recovered and we have rescheduled the trip. And it's coming up soon.

My itinerary is that I leave in a little less than 3 weeks for some time in Pennsylvania and New York state to visit Allen's and my families. Then on Saturday, 12 September, we fly off to London where we spend a day. On Monday, the 14th, we embark onto the Queen Mary 2 in Southampton, England to begin our 12-day cruise.

Our stops will be in Lisbon, Gibraltar, Civitavecchia (the port near to Rome), Livorno (Florence), Monte Carlo, & Barcelona before heading back to Southampton. This is almost exactly the same trip we were making earlier except that the stop in Livorno has been added which is nice as it gives us a chance to see our friend, Christina, who lives in Florence.

So it's 21 days until I depart which is how long I'll be gone. I think I can hold on until then!

Trying again

Well, we didn't set sail this time around, but we're going to try again. We're rebooked and are set to sail again in September. So the countdown begins again...107 days until we depart. Stay tuned.

Alas

I'm sad to say that our trip has been canceled. Our friend, Marilyn, is in the hospital with an abscess in her abdomen. There's no way that she'll recover sufficiently by next Tuesday which would have been the day that we left.

I'm sorry if you were following along here. We're already trying to make plans for another possible trip later this year though. If you have been reading these posts and would like to be informed if and when we do plan another trip either leave your email address in the comments below (if I already know your address, you don't have to leave it) or go to the "contact us" page on my church's website (http://www.chalicechristian.org/contact.htm) and send me a note there.

Sigh.

Anticipation...

Commodore's Lounge on the QM2
Originally uploaded by revger

...is making me late, is keeping me waiting. So sang Carly Simon and so I anticipate. I'm not sure how it's making me late, but I sure am waiting. We're at 9 days to go. Anticipation.

We got notification that they've changed the itinerary somewhat. Instead of stopping in Lisbon at the beginning of the trip, that is now our last port of call. So we visit on our return rather than on the 2nd day out. They also added time to our day in Gibraltar; an extra 2 hours. It won't feel as rushed now.

I've developed an odd sleep pattern of late. I've been waking up, wide awake, in the middle of the night lately. It hasn't been a major problem since I just get up and do things in another room in the apartment, usually here on my computer. But since we'll be in a stateroom together and there is no where else to go, I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm not really crazy about reading at that time of the day. But I'm sure clicking away on my computer will be annoying to say the least. I suppose I can just get up and wander the passageways of the ship or go to a lounge or something. We'll see. Or maybe I'll return to a regular sleep pattern at that point.

BTW, I've switched a couple of books. Allen recommended not reading "California Book of the Dead" on the trip, as it pokes fun at CA life and that's best done in situ. So I decided to take a non-fiction book about reading and writing sacred poetry. It might be a nice thing to read as a little exercise for the mind and to stir my creativity a bit.

Busy week ahead...I'm just beginning to fathom just how much needs to be done! But there's only 9 days to go...anticipation.

T minus 13 days and counting

Gerry aboard the QM2
Originally uploaded by revger

Yay, we've passed the two week mark. By this time (allowing for time change) in two weeks, we'll be in London enjoying what we can in our 24+ hours in that city, if all goes well. I still have much to do between now and then and wonder when it's all going to happen. The problem with vacations, as I see it, is the lead-up time. It's way too hectic and demanding; by the time I'm settled in on the plane (or car or whatever) there doesn't seem to be much left of me.

I have been holding some books in reserve though to read while away. I'm not a really good reader, I feel. I read much slower it seems than many of my friends. It takes me a long time to get through a book usually. Plus my never-ending bouts of depression affect my concentration, so I can't always focus on what I've just read.

But for travel, I choose lighter books. I have two Donna Leon books lined up. She has written and continues to writes a police detective series set in Venice. They always have the same main character: Guido Brunetti, a commisario in the Venetian police form. Guido solves crimes but also deals with his own jadedness. Leon writes in everyday life into her books, so we get to go home with Guido and spend time with his family. He's a bit jaded and rather philosophical. Having spent 2 weeks in Venice, it's great to revisit that really marvelous city every so often, even if it is through Donna Leon and Commisario Brunetti.

I also have another book that will travel with me called "The California Book of the Dead" by Tim Farrington. I don't know much about this one except that Allen read it and really enjoyed it. He said it was fun. That's enough of a recommendation for me.

And just to prove it, this picture is of me onboard the QM2 carrying the book I was reading on that voyage.

Decisions, decisions...input sought!

Countdown: 17 days.

The three of us, Marilyn, Allen, & I, came up with a scheme for how we might visit the various cities we'll visit: we'll each pick one thing that we want to do in each city. That way, we go in knowing three things that we want to do. And three things, when you have less than 12 hours in a place is probably doable. So I have seven things to pick...but I'm having some trouble, so feel free to comment and help me out.

First off there's London; not technically a port of call, since the QM2 doesn't navigate up the Thames very well. But we have a little over a day there before the cruise and a little less than a day following. We've been to London before in 2004. (You can view my pictures from that trip on my flickr account: http://is.gd/uuu5- [open in a new window]) I'm wavering in my choice here between the British Museum and the Twinnings Tea Shop. I know, really different directions for that one.

Our first port of call is Lisbon. I'm not sure what to do here and would really love some help. We've watched a few travel videos about Lisbon and it seems lovely and I know I'll like it, but nothing is popping out as the one thing I want to see or do there.

Then we go to Gibraltar. We're only in Gibraltar for a morning. I know I want to go to the top of the Rock. Depending on lines, that could take the whole morning, I realize. (It'll be a Sunday morning too...who knows what'll be open and what won't.)

Following Gibraltar we sail for Rome (well, Civitavecchia, which is a port city about 2 hours from Rome; we've already booked ourselves on a do-it-yourself excursion to Rome). I really want to get to Vatican City and see St. Peter's & the Sistine Chapel. (Is that one or two things? I'm sort of lumping them together.) I know this is high on Marilyn's list too. Any advice about the best way to do this? First thing of the day, as soon as we arrive? After lunch? Later afternoon? Help!

Monte-Carlo is next and here I'm really not sure. I don't really have any interest in the casinos. And I'm not sure what else there is to do there. I do know I have to get off the ship--I've long had an interest in visiting the tiniest countries of Europe and Monaco certainly counts among them. (So on this trip, I finally get to start fulfilling my dream with two countries: Monaco & Vatican.) The QM2 offers excursions into France--Nice and other Côte d'Azur towns. But they're pretty expensive, so I doubt we'll go that route. Perhaps it will just be a day of wandering. Maybe I can rent a Formula I or IV or whatever it is and pretend I'm in the Grand Prix.

Finally, there's Barcelona. Allen really wants to see Gaudi buildings and I'm very interested in the Sagra da Familia to0, his still unfinished cathedral. It looks amazing. But what else in Barcelona should I consider? It seems like a great city--one that I'll definitely want to come back to.

Then it's back to London for a day (after three more days at sea). So give me ideas and thoughts to consider. Then follow this blog and see if your suggestions make it.

Photo credits: Queen Mary 2 image scanned from their brochure; Big Ben @ Westminster, by Gerry Brague; Rock of Gibraltar, by Steve Colcott; St. Peter's Catherdral @ Vatican City, by Giorgos Vintzileos; Sagra da Familia, eqkrishena (All photos except Queen Mary 2 scan are from flickr and are used by permission under their Creative Commons License.)

With Breathless Anticipation

Today, we hit three weeks in the countdown...only 21 days. I keep saying that I think I'll be able to make it.

There seems to be an awful lot that I have to do between now and then. Unfortunately, I have to produce the worship services for my congregation while I'm away (two of our members have volunteered to supply preach) as well as the bulletins for them. This is on top of my other usual duties and the worship services and bulletins that need to be done for the Sundays between now and then. Yikes. I'm going to need this vacation!

The picture with this post is of Marilyn on our first QM2 voyage. She and I were enjoying afternoon tea at the time in the Winter Garden. It's a very civilized thing to do. I look forward to several afternoon teas while on our 11-day sailing.

I call Marilyn my "travel therapist." She's a very good friend with whom Allen & I often have traveled. (Sometimes Allen hasn't gone and it's just been Marilyn & I.) She's retired and loves travel as much as we do. But she doesn't want to do it alone; few of us do. So we are frequently the grateful acceptors of her invitations to see more of the world. Because of her, we got to spend five weeks in Tuscany a few years ago, four of them in a villa. She & I spent two weeks in Venice in 2007 (which affords a leisurely pace to explore that wonderful, unique city, rather than arriving and dashing out one or two days later as many do).

Marilyn and we like to take it slow. Slow travel is a movement gaining some followers and springboards off the slow food movement, which itself was a reaction to fast food. Take it slow; don't rush through meals or travel or anything else for that matter. And it's a way of travel that I've come to appreciate. Rather than a tour that hits several cities in the course of a few days, I'd prefer to plunk down and get to know an area in more depth. Sure, I miss out on the other places I could go, but those who are sweeping through their vacations madly scurrying about with rolling suitcases careening behind them miss out on a lot too.

In some ways, this cruise is a combination of the two. We don't spend longer than 12 hours in any of the ports of call--only a chance for a taste of each city. But I'm looking at this as the little samples that they hand out in food courts and ice cream shops. I'm going into this fulling knowing it's just a sample but realizing I can come back and spend time on another voyage. I don't have to fit everything in on that one day.

Three weeks...21 days. Keep breathing!