Ted’s and my Vatican Tour was actually three tours in one: the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. That’s too much to cover in a single blog post, so here are parts two and three.

Sistine Chapel

The second part of our tour was the Sistine Chapel, and I’m sad to say that I was disappointed in it. There was a minor religious service in progress when we (and many other tourists) entered the chapel and we were cautioned by our tour guide to remain silent and respectful. The spoiler of the situation was the security guards in the chapel who were constantly shouting “Get over to the right,” “Keep moving,” and other instructions to the visitors. They showed no respect for the service or the setting at all and, in fact, detracted greatly from it.

Although the guards did their best to ruin a respectful atmosphere, I couldn’t help but marvel at the paintings in the chapel. The biggest surprise? Like the Mona Lisa, it was smaller than I had expected it to be. It’s a chapel, not a cathedral, but still–I thought the painting panels on the ceiling would be larger. People say “It took Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling” as though less time would have been preferable. In spite of it’s surprisingly (to me) small size, I’m amazed he could finish the job in only four years. The walls of the chapel tell the stories of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelations–the Old Testament on one side and the New Testament on the other. No photography was allowed, but I found some photos online to include here.

Michelangelo’s contributions to the chapel paintings are the ceiling and the altar wall. The ceiling is divided into scenes from the Book of Genesis, including The Creation of the World, The Expulsion of Adam and Eve, and The Story of Noah. Of course, the center panel, The Creation of Adam, is the most well-known, with the hands of God and Adam. Take a moment to marvel at how Michelangelo found such a perfect way to depict the event of Creation–an event that still cannot be adequately described.

Twenty-five years after completing the chapel ceiling, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the altar wall. Titled The Last Judgment, it is a depiction of the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment by God of all humanity. The souls of humans rise and descend to their fates as judged by Jesus Christ, who is surrounded by prominent saints. Altogether there are over 300 figures in the painting. (Ed. note: The Sistine Chapel walls overtly depict Christian doctrine and humanity’s need for salvation as offered by God through Jesus, but some experts, including a Vatican art historian, have also noted “concealed” and “forbidden” subject matter in the paintings.)

St. Peter’s Basilica

St. Peter’s Basilica was the last part of our tour. It is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest Catholic church in the world. It covers almost six acres and took 219 years to build. Beneath the Basilica, 201 popes are buried. In Rome, no building may stand higher than St. Peter’s. Its size is intended to show that God is the greatest and St. Peter is his most important apostle. Only the Pope conducts services in St. Peters.

Michelangelo’s Pieta is carved from a single piece of marble and was commissioned for a cardinal’s funeral. It was first housed in a mausoleum near St. Peter’s Basilica, but was moved to its current location in the Basilica in the 18th century. Michelangelo sculpted this piece at the age of 24, and many people didn’t believe it was his work. When he overheard someone attribute the Pieta to another artist, he sneaked into the mausoleum and carved his name into Mary’s sash. He later regretted his vanity and vowed to never sign another piece of his art. This sculpture of Mary holding her dead son, Jesus, was the most moving thing I saw on our entire trip. It brings tears to my eyes, even when I look at my picture of it.

After today’s tour of the Vatican, I have four words of wisdom to share: Skip the line tickets. The Vatican has 20,000-30,000 visitors each day. Unbelievable! Our skip the line tickets allowed our tour guide to take us immediately into the Vatican for our tour. In addition to saving time, this kept us cooler because we didn’t have to wait in line outside. The Vatican is crowded with visitors, it is not air-conditioned, and Rome is hot in the summer–especially during a heat wave like Ted and I are experiencing on this trip.

The Swiss Guard is an honor guard that protects the Pope. Since the failed assassination of Pope John II in 1981, a much stronger emphasis has been placed on the Guard’s non-ceremonial roles. They now complete advanced training in unarmed combat and small arms. Members of the Guard must be unmarried Swiss Catholic males between the ages of 19-30, and must have completed Basic Training with the Swiss Armed Forces.

The Vatican museums contain one of the most important art collections in the world. The collection includes roughly 70,000 works of art, with 20,000 pieces on display. The four Raphael Rooms comprise a suite of reception rooms in the palace (the public part of the Vatican), and are famous for their frescoes that were painted by Raphael and students in his workshop.

The Gallery of Tapestries and Geological Maps is a highlight of the Vatican museums. There is a series of tapestries on one wall depicting stories of Christ’s life, beginning with his birth and ending with his resurrection. Maps of all the known continents were on display, as well as some of specific countries and regions.

Our Vatican Tour isn’t over, but there’s too much to include in a single blog post. There’s more coming.

Before leaving home, Ted and I scheduled a city tour of Rome. Since this is our first visit to Rome, we thought it would be a good idea to get an overview of the city before we started trekking around on our own. The tour included the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, which we saw yesterday, as well as the Pantheon, the original capitol building, and the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs.

The Pantheon is the only ancient Roman building that has remained nearly intact through the centuries. It has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. A circular opening in the dome known as the oculus (about 30 feet across) has several purposes. (1) It is the only source of light in the Pantheon; (2) it lightens the weight of the dome to avoid collapse; (3) it allows worshipers to contemplate the heavens (probably during boring sermons); and (4) it helps cool the building during the hot Roman summers by allowing rising heat to escape. There is speculation that the oculus also served as a sundial. Because the oculus is an open hole, when it rains, it also rains in the Pantheon. To deal with this, the floor is slightly convex so the water flows away from the center into an effective drainage system.

Our next stop was the capitol square. The original Capitol building and the square were designed by Michelangelo, who also created the paintings and sculptures in the buildings and the plaza. It’s hard to picture him as a contemporary architect/artist who was in demand, rather than as an extremely gifted historic genius.

I found an online copy of Michelangelo’s plan for the Capitoline Hill complex that shows the spiraling pavement design and the entire square.

Our guide described our final stop as an unexpected treat. The church of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it was designed by Michelangelo, and that makes all the difference.

It’s really hot in Rome, so Ted and I walked to the Medici Palace (also near our hotel) and sat in a shady park across the street from it for awhile. We had a very nice overview of the city and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Dinner tonight was another Italian classic: pizza!

The hotel Ted and I stayed in during our visit to Rome was . . . different. It was called The Art. The first odd thing we noticed were the pods in the lobby (one is behind the pillar) that served as a check-in desk and a concierge desk. (A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, . . .) Check out the lobby chandeliers too.

We couldn’t help noticing the next unusual feature. It was eye-boggling when the elevator door opened. Having the room numbers printed on the floor instead of on or beside the door was not the major eye-popper.

Then there was the artwork scattered throughout The Art. I included pictures of a few items below. Very ultra-modern. The hotel is located in an area of art shops and museums. If I knew more about art, I’d probably know the name of the art style. Readers, help me if you can.

The decor was a surprise (especially the bright green hallway!), but the hotel was nice. At breakfast one morning, we heard a grandmother ask her grandson if he liked this hotel or their last one better. He didn’t hesitate. He said the other one was good, but this one is better because they have waffles and bacon for breakfast. Food. That’s what’s important to a ten-year-old in a hotel, right?

Today, Ted and I flew from Geneva to Rome and checked into our hotel in the mid-afternoon. We immediately went back outside to do some sightseeing. As soon as we walked out of the hotel, we thought, “We’re in Italy!” because it definitely looked Italian.

Our hotel was about a five-minute walk from the Spanish Steps, so we headed in that direction. Of course, we climbed the 132 steps to the top. The steps are grouped in 12s to represent the Apostles, but that would only be 11 x 12. Does Judas not count? Do the groups of 12 represent how many Apostles there were, but one set is left out because Judas betrayed Christ? Or doesn’t the grouping mean anything? I don’t know; we just enjoyed the experience and the view.

The Trevi Fountain was only another half-mile, so we continued onward. We thought the Spanish Steps had a large crowd, but we hadn’t seen anything until we got to the Trevi Fountain. We had to wiggle and squeeze our way to (near) the front to see the water in the fountain and to take some pictures.

We saw a lot of good-looking gelato as we walked around and had to buy some. It’s Italian gelato–a must-have in Italy.

There were a lot of military camo jeep-type vehicles as well as military and local police with assault rifles everywhere we went. I asked about it and was told it’s just the kind of post-9/11 security that’s now needed wherever large crowds gather.

We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant recommended by the hotel concierge and then walked around some more. We sat in the plaza at the Quirinale (police station/jail) and just people-watched for awhile in the warm night air before going back to our hotel.

Geneva is a very international city and is the headquarters for numerous international organizations, among them the Red Cross and the United Nations. Switzerland’s neutrality also makes it an inviting location for nations to discuss international issues with each other, so diplomats abound in the city. On a literary note, the Villa Diodati, set on the shore of Lake Geneva, was once a favored destination for traveling literary giants. One stormy summer night in 1816, Mary Shelley was staying at the villa and was inspired to write Frankenstein.

Geneva has a long tradition of watch-making. Throughout Switzerland, there are more stores selling watches than I’ve ever seen. There might be more watch stores in Switzerland than there are Walgreen’s, CVSs, and Wal-Marts combined in the U.S. I thought watches were going out of style in favor of cell phones, but our guide told us that, in Switzerland, even if you don’t look at your watch, you wear it for decoration. My favorite watch-makers’ slogan is that of Patek-Philippe: “You never really own a Patek-Philippe. You just care for it for the next generation.”

The English Garden in downtown Geneva features the L’horloge fleurie, a clock made of 65,000 flowers and plants, created as a symbol of Geneva’s watch-making tradition.

In 1859, Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, came upon 40,000 dead or dying men following a bloody battle between imperial Austria and the Franco-Sardinian alliance. He organized local people to bind wounds and to feed and comfort the soldiers. Afterward, he called for national relief societies to care for those wounded in wars. In 1863, Dunant and four other Geneva men set up the organization that later became the International Committee of the Red Cross. They chose the inverted Swiss flag as their emblem. The following year, twelve governments adopted the first Geneva Convention, offering neutral medical services on the battlefield. Today, Ted and I toured the Red Cross Museum.

At the United Nations headquarters building, a forty-foot tall chair stands in front of the building. The chair has a broken leg to represent those who have lost limbs due to land mines. It makes a powerful statement. This was supposed to be a temporary exhibit, but the people of Geneva voted to make it permanent.

That was the end of our official touring. It was a heavy morning, so it was time to do something more lighthearted. Ted and I got on a bus and headed for the train station. The concierge told us the main train station includes a large shopping mall in which we could find the best chocolatier in town. Mm-mm, let’s go!

On our way from Zermatt to Geneva, we stopped at a winery for lunch. The tour of the winery was basic: the vineyards are on the hillside; here’s the cellar; there is wine in these casks. To make up for what the tour lacked, we had a beautiful view of Lake Geneva and four delicious wines to taste with our food on a beautiful summer day

Then it was on to two days in Geneva, located at the foot of the French Alps. Snowcapped mountains are visible from the city year-round. Geneva’s iconic symbol, the Jet d’Eau, was originally built in 1886 to control and release the excess water pressure of a nearby hydraulic plant. Over time, it became a symbol of the city, so it was amplified and relocated more centrally in Lake Geneva. It is one of the tallest fountains in the world, shooting water up to 460 feet in the air. It takes 15 seconds for a drop of water to fall from the top of the plume to the surface of the lake. Really. You can watch a spot of spray and count one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi, all the way up to fifteen-Mississippi while you watch it fall.

During the Protestant Reformation, Geneva was the center of Calvinism. The University of Geneva was founded by John Calvin. The Reformation Wall was built on the grounds of the university to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Calvin’s birth and the 350th anniversary of the university. It is built into the old city wall to represent the fortification’s importance to the Reformation, and it honors many of the main individuals, events, and documents of the Reformation with statues and bas-reliefs. One of the Calvinist themes was “After darkness, comes light.”

On the other side of the Reformation Wall, under the street lights you can see in the above photos, is the longest park bench in the world. It is as long as 180 regular-sized park benches. The bench extends far beyond what my photo shows.

The Protestants eschewed elaborately decorated places of worship, so they stripped the Roman Catholic churches of decoration and created simpler, plainer interiors. In Switzerland, there is an optional one percent religious tax. Most people pay it for the tax benefit, so the Swiss churches tend to be well funded.

The original Geneva City Hall had some slanted floors to allow horses to pull carriages and drays into the building for unloading.

The paintings on the wall in the photo below represent three phases of Geneva’s history. The left panel depicts Geneva flourishing after the arrival of Ceasar. The middle panel shows markets from the Middle Ages. The right panel pictures the arrival of the Huegenots, French Protestants who were persecuted by the French Catholic government for following the teachings of John Calvin. The paintings are so elaborate, I wouldn’t have known what they were if the guide hadn’t told us.

Our cruise ended in Basel on July 29, but there was an option to continue with the cruise company (Viking) on an “extension” to Switzerland, and Ted and I chose to do it. All of our activities in Switzerland were part of the cruise extension. For our last two nights, Viking booked us in a five-star hotel. I really liked the interior decorating. You have to admire this table made of logs and the wall-size wooden world map. A bookcase blocked my camera’s view of the full map.

Zermatt is accessible only by train and there are no gasoline-powered vehicles in the city, so electric vehicles serve transportation needs. Overall, the city reminded Ted and me of Banff–a high-end ski and hiking resort.

We had some time to walk around the town. It’s a small town, so it didn’t take long.

The main street (above) was so packed with people, it was difficult to get through after 5:00 p.m. (Note: I took this picture in mid-afternoon. The evening crowd had not yet begun to gather.) Why was the crowd so big? Because it’s August 1, Swiss National Day. This is the day that commemorates the Swiss Federal Charter of 1291, the founding document of Switzerland. It’s like our Fourth of July celebration. Sidewalk food vendors lined both sides of the main street from end to end (about a half mile) and there were varieties of live music all along the way. The crowds thinned after 10:00 p.m., but those remaining were rowdier. You know what I mean.

Official acts of celebration included a goat parade in mid-afternoon, complete with bells on the goats and goatherders. (How Heidi-like!) The alpine descent of cows and goats is one of the most iconic traditions in Switzerland, so it’s part of Swiss National Day. We were still coming down from the Gornergrat at that time, so we missed the goat parade. At 10:00 p.m., all the church bells in the city rang for 15 minutes. That was really beautiful. I wish we’d do that in the U.S. on the Fourth of July. Following the bell-ringing, bonfires were lit on the mountainside above the city. They burned for about ten minutes and then were extinguished. The bonfires are lit on elevated spots, to commemorate the expulsion of foreign bailiffs in the 14th century, the news of which was spread by bonfires in those days.

And then it was time for fireworks, also launched from the mountainside. There were a lot and they lasted a long time–at least a half hour. Zermatt put on a good show. Now Ted and I have celebrated Bastille Day in Paris and National Day in Switzerland. The fun never ends!

This morning, Ted and I rode Europe’s first electric cog-wheel train upward 5,000 feet from Zermatt to the 10,135-foot top of Gornergrat, a rocky ridge in the Pennine Alps. From the summit of the ridge, there is a 360-degree view of 29 Alpine peaks standing more than 13,000 feet high, including the 14,692-foot-high Matterhorn. (Ed. note: Darn! I didn’t even think of taking a panoramic photo!)

The weather couldn’t have been better. It was clear, calm, and warm. One man in our group said his parents have been here three times and have never seen the Matterhorn because of the weather. We’d expected this to be the coldest day of our European trip, but Europe’s heat wave continued and we eventually removed even our light jackets. The views were beyond words.

We climbed to the top of the ridge (about 200 feet up a rocky slope) to get these views.

Here’s the Gorner Glacier, Europe’s second-largest glacier.

The Matterhorn is a “paramount ambassador” of global awareness of plastic waste, so there were some displays to call attention to the problem. The granular plastic is approximately a cubic meter of plastic. It represents the annual share of plastic waste for each individual on earth, so multiply this by 7.67 billion people–the 2019 world population–every year. The other plastic display is meant to call attention to the widespread litter of plastic. If each person’s share of the plastic granules were made into plastic bottles strung end-to-end, the string would circle the globe 1.5 billion times.

When Ted and I are in the Rockies, we always marvel that bicycle riders bike uphill and go downhill in a van. Today, the hikers and bikers we saw rode the train to the top, then hiked/biked down to Zermatt. We were technically on our own after we arrived at the top, but our guide said she was going to hike down two train stops for lunch at a hotel and she invited us to join her. Eight of us did. First, we hiked to “the lake.” It didn’t look like much from above, but it was awesome when we reached the lake level.

Our waitress was a climber and has climbed the Matterhorn many times. We asked her how long it takes to reach the summit and she asked, “For me or for regular people?” She can climb it in 3.25 hours; most people do it in about 4.5 hours. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see a footpath in the snow on the right (north) side of the mountain at nearly the top of the snow line. It looks like a dark horizontal line in the snow. The view of the footpath is blocked by a rocky ridge in the right center of the picture. There is a hut behind the ridge. The waitress’s climbing times begin at that hut.

During the next hour, on our way down to the next train station, we had another beautiful view of the Matterhorn. What a day!

Today’s excursion was a six-hour journey described as “the most scenic train trip in the Alps” on “the slowest express train in the world.” I’m just going to use the description provided to us, because I can’t describe it better. The trip “spans dramatic aqueducts that cross plunging gorges, remarkable tunnels [including the longest railroad tunnel in the world] that bore through hillsides and some of the most inspiring alpine landscapes you are ever likely to see.” We crossed 291 bridges and went through 91 tunnels as we traveled through the Rhine Gorge, the Grand Canyon of Switzerland, and crossed the Oberalp Pass at 6,670 feet to St. Moritz and the Upper Engadine lake district. The Glacier Express was an elaborate engineering project that took decades. When it was completed in 1930, it became possible for everyday travelers (like us) to see some remote areas of the Alps. We boarded the train in Chur, had lunch onboard, and arrived at our destination–Zermatt–in time for dinner.

At the Chur train station, the train arrived from our right. People rushed to climb onboard and grab seats facing left so they could look forward as the train moved. Ted and I have a philosophy about mass transit: no matter what you pay for your seat or where you sit, everyone takes the same route to the same place. We waited in line for our turn to board and, naturally, all the left-facing seats were filled, so we took a seat that faced “backward”–just like half the passengers. When we left the station, the train reversed directions and all the people who hurried to sit facing forward ended up riding backward! Patience sometimes has its rewards.

It was a cloudy day, but there’s nothing you can do about the weather. The scenery was still beautiful. It was difficult to take good pictures through the train’s huge observation windows because there was a lot of reflection. but that’s life. Now, here come the pictures.

We’re ready to ride the Glacier Express.

The scenery was beautiful, even with the clouds–except when we traveled through the clouds.

Somewhere along the way, it was lunchtime.

Some of the tunnels were really long. Perhaps even boring for some people. Note the photographer in the window reflection.

About halfway through the trip, when we emerged from one of the tunnels, this is what we saw. Everyone on the train cheered for the sunshine.

When you have to cross a gorge, you need a pedestrian bridge–and some brave pedestrians to use it.

Our hotel in Zermatt was a short walk from the train station. When we crossed the street from the station, our guide told us to turn around. This is what we saw. Definitely an ooh-aah.

At about 1,200 feet elevation, Zürich is lower than yesterday’s 6,762-foot-high Kleine Scheidegg pass. As a result, Zürich gets some snow that covers roofs and grass, but the streets usually stay clear in the winter. We learned that Switzerland has no raw materials except salt, so everything else must be imported. Salt is available because the land was once covered by sea water. Switzerland has a very high standard of living. It is a world financial center, and most people rent their housing from a bank or from an insurance company, spending about half of their salaries on rent. It is very expensive to live in Switzerland, but salaries are high and unemployment is under three percent. Example: The Swiss franc is nearly equal in value to the U.S. dollar. Ted and I bought two beers and a hamburger to share for 49CHf (Swiss francs).

We took a cruise on the city’s namesake lake and learned that Zürichers love water. Lake Zürich is 25 miles long, 2 miles wide, and 450 feet deep. It doesn’t freeze, and its shoreline must be shallow because it’s usually about 77 degrees in the summer–warm enough for lots of swimming. The west coast of the lake is called the “cold coast”; the east coast is called the “gold coast.” These are not economic distinctions. The gold coast receives more warm (golden) sunshine, while the cold coast falls in the shade of the mountains.

The water in Lake Zürich is very clean. Workers in Zürich often spend their lunch time at the lake, swimming or just relaxing. There are a number of swim events in the city each year. For the December Santa Claus swim, people swim across the much narrower Limmat River in Santa Claus caps. The summer swim across the lake attracted approximately 7,000 people this year. Sometimes, people swim across the lake just because it’s there. They wear yellow swim caps so they can be seen (and not hit) by boaters. No jet skis are allowed on the lake–only small motorboats and rowboats.

Our tour guide told us that taxis are so expensive and buses are so easy to use and so inexpensive, that no one takes a taxi in Zürich unless they are drunk. In fact, if someone takes a taxi, friends ask, “Were you drunk?” (We saw some people at our hotel getting into a taxi. Since they didn’t appear to be drunk, we assumed they were naive tourists.)

After our guided cruise and walking tour, Ted and I did some more walking on our own. We took a bus from our hotel to Zürich’s Old Town, the city’s core that was once enclosed by walls.

We found lots of good food while we were walking around the city.

Our destination today was the Alps in CH. Where??? I wondered why CH is the abbreviation for Switzerland. Thankfully (sarcasm here), Google had the answer. When it was part of the Roman Empire, “Helvetia” was the name of the region now known as Switzerland. The area was divided into canons, three of which united to form a confederation in 1291. Confoederation Helvetica is the Latin form of Swiss Confederation, thus the country’s abbreviation is CH. Now that we’ve answered that question, we can move on to our activities in CH today.

It was a cloudy, drizzly day, but Ted and I were on a schedule, because we’d already paid to take a train ride called “Highlights of the Alps,” so that’s what we did. The day’s journey began with a bus ride from Basel to Interlaken. One review of Interlaken mentions that it’s worth visiting for a day, and that you can easily stroll the entire city within an hour. Interlaken used to be advertised as a spa town to cure ailments; today, it lures hikers who want to climb to the nearby mountain summits. I think it would have been prettier on a sunny day.

We got back on the bus and headed for Grindelwald, where we boarded a cogwheel train that took us to Kleine Scheidegg, described as a “breathtaking mountain pass with stunning mountain views.” The pass is 6,762 feet high. The views, however, were less than stunning because, as the train climbed higher, we moved into the clouds.

We had a traditional, delicious Swiss lunch at the pass. As our guide was describing what we’d be doing and seeing while we paused at the pass, he nicely segued into an unplanned event. A young man in our group went down on his knee and proposed. She said “yes.”

We took the cogwheel train back down to Grindelwald, got back on the bus, and headed for Brienz, a small town known for its woodworking.

After enjoying some time in Brienz, we boarded the bus one more time and went to Zürich, our final destination of the day.

On our way to Heidelberg, we passed Mannheim. It looked like an industrial, not an artistic, city but the Mannheim School of classical music composers had a far-reaching effect. One of the things the school did was establish the number of musicians and the number of each type of instrument in an orchestra. These numbers are now used around the world as standard. The Mannheim School also introduced grace notes to musical composition and a three-note sequence (da-da-DUP’) referred to as the Mannheim roller. A dramatic effect introduced by the Mannheim School is the Grand Pause, where playing stops for a moment, resulting in total silence, only to restart vigorously.

And then it was on to Heidelberg. Before I insert pictures of Heidelberg, see if you agree that our tour guide brings Mary Poppins to mind.

Another trivia fact: Dueling is still allowed in Germany, but combatants must be 18 years of age and are required to wear face and neck protection. It’s not like the old days.

Our first port of call today was Worms, Germany, the city in which Martin Luther was declared a heretic for his religious beliefs. Luther was given the opportunity to recant his theses. His response was that some of his theses had been adopted by the Church, therefore it made no sense to recant them. Other theses were his questions and opinions, which he had the right to voice, so there was no reason to recant those. The remaining theses questioned the Church, and Luther expressed a willingness to recant them if the Church proved him to be Biblically in error. He was convicted and excommunicated–except in Saxony, where he lived. Scholars believe this was a political deal made between the Church and the government. After his trial, Luther married a runaway nun. They had six children and adopted four more, and he continued to teach at Wittenberg University.

Question: What do these two men have in common? Answer: They both made printing history. But first, a look at Mainz, Germany.

Our guide began by telling us that Germans are taught to be punctual. In fact, there’s a saying they use for guidance: Early is on time; on time is late; late is left. These guidelines are then fine-tuned. For example, ten minutes early is perfect; thirty minutes early is too much. There’s nothing productive you or the people you’re meeting can do with an extra thirty minutes, so it’s time wasted. Our guide was time-precise as well. She announced that we would walk for twelve minutes and then she would speak for four-and-a-half minutes. As one man near me remarked, “The French trains are faster, but the German trains run on time.” And so, we promptly set off on our city tour.

After touring the Old City, we went to the Gutenberg Museum, which was founded in 1900, five hundred years after Gutenberg’s birth. As we all know, Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type, making mechanized book printing possible. He also invented a way to print designs in color to enhance the pages of black print. We toured the museum and were admitted to the room in which three copies of the Gutenberg Bible were on display. (No photos allowed in that room.) Naturally, the docent came in exactly fifteen minutes after we entered and suggested that our guide move on, since the next group was ready to view the display.

We also visited a room in which there was a replica of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press. The guide explained how it worked and then asked Ted to assist her.

Our guide was good at finding shady places for us to stop while she told us about Mainz, but the high temperature this afternoon was 103 degrees, so it felt good to return to the air-conditioned ship.

Tonight’s lounge game was music trivia. We thought we had a good team put together, with several of us feeling very strong about recognizing songs and artists from a variety of decades. Unfortunately, the questions weren’t that simple. We had to know more detailed things. What does ABBA stand for? What was Freddy Mercury’s real name? Where was CCR from? How many Village People were there? How many actual von Trapp children were there? Teams received extra points if team members danced to the music played for each question, so lots of people danced–including Ted and me. I think I can say with assurance that a good time was had by all.

The Middle Rhine gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with historic villages, castles, and vineyards set in spectacular scenery.

When we cruised the Middle Rhine in 2015, it was a cool, cloudy day. We sat on the upper deck of the ship wearing jeans and jackets, with deck blankets over our legs. Today, it was so hot that no one (not a single person) sat on the outside decks. We all enjoyed the scenery from behind the large windows in the ship’s air conditioned lounge.

We had an interesting three-hour walk around the city of Koblenz this morning.

There is also a story in Koblenz about the Peppermint Lady, but my picture of her statue didn’t turn out. It was well known that she liked her schnapps; however, she couldn’t always afford to pay for both her schnapps and her rent, so she started selling peppermint in the bars. Men would stop at the bars for a beer after work, then buy the Peppermint Lady’s candies to cover the smell of beer on their breath before going home. This made it possible for the Peppermint Lady to pay her rent and to also keep buying her schnapps.

There are a lot of vineyards along the Moselle River in Germany, and most of them are planted in vertical rows. This allows cool air to flow downward, protecting the grapes from early frosts. Another reason for the vertical rows is to make it easier to move harvesting equipment up the steep hills to the tops of the vineyards. Over eighty percent of the vineyards along the river are harvested by hand.

This was the longest day of travel for the cruise. After a long bus ride from Paris to Trier, Germany, we had a full dinner onboard the ship. Unfortunately, the after-dinner entertainment featured a father-son duo on violin and piano. They were very skilled musicians, but it would have been a challenge for anyone to entertain a group of 100+ tired people who just finished a big meal. The two men played very slow songs, and not even Strauss’s “Blue Danube” made us want to sway in our seats. I counted eight people near me sleeping through the music. Zzzzzzzzzzz. . . .

Since July 14, we’ve had some really warm weather in Europe.  Before that, London and Paris were 85-90 degrees, but it keeps getting warmer.  In the past three days, our high temperatures in Luxembourg and Germany have been 100, 102, and 103 degrees.  In contrast, on our previous visit to Germany during the first week of August 2015, it was much cooler.  We wore jeans and jackets, and put deck blankets over our legs when we sat outside on the cruise ship.

We should have packed more shorts.

Until Ted and I saw the option to visit the American Cemetery near Luxembourg City, we didn’t know it was there. Well, we learned that no matter what others might say, Luxembourgers are grateful to the United States and have only good things to say about our country and its people. Our tour guide repeatedly told us the United States saved Luxembourg during World War II. She might be a stronger American patriot than many U.S. citizens.

Do you know anyone who’s been to Luxembourg? If not, you do now because Ted and I have been there. Luxembourg City, the capital, is described as “one of Europe’s most intimate and compact cities.” (Translation: small town.)

This is our last night in Paris. Tomorrow, we’ll be taking a bus to Trier, Germany, where we’ll begin the river cruise portion of our trip with a stop in Luxembourg City on the way.

We arrived at our hotel a few minutes before midnight following the cabaret show. The Eiffel Tower grounds border the hotel grounds and, at midnight, the Eiffel Tower was lit with twinkling lights from top to bottom for three minutes. It looked magical, and it was a beautiful way to say good-night and au revoir to Paris.

Tonight’s entertainment was dinner and a show at Paradis Latin, a Paris cabaret. As Ted said, if you’re going to a cabaret, you might as well do it where it started–in Paris. Paradis Latin is the oldest cabaret in Paris (older than the Moulin Rouge) and is in the same neighborhood as Le Protrope, our anniversary dinner restaurant–the oldest restaurant in Paris. Paradis Latin burned down and was rebuilt by Gustave Eiffel during the same period in which he was building his famous tower.

The dinner was a delicious three courses, and there was a show during the dinner. We were allowed to take pictures during the dinner show, but not during the after-dinner show.

The after-dinner show was amazing (and “unbridled,” according to the playbill), but what happens at the cabaret, stays at the cabaret. Yes, they performed the “showstopping” (also in the playbill) French cancan. And that’s all we have to say about that (cf Forrest Gump). Except for our new code words: “Ok?” “Ok.”

Today, Ted and I went to Versailles, another place near Paris we didn’t have time to see on our 2016 visit to the city. Versailles started as a small hunting lodge for the king. It was enlarged by each of its three resident kings–most famously Louis XIV, the “Sun King”–and its opulence became the model for future European palaces. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our guide shared two very human stories about Versailles’ history. First, Louis XIV, France’s longest reigning monarch (72 years) waged many wars. By the time he died, the country was tired of war (and broke). If a king isn’t waging war, he has time to make babies so, not surprisingly, Louis XV had 10 children–he made love, not war. Unfortunately, only one of his children survived.

The second story was about Marie Antoinette, and portrays her in a sympathetic way. She was only 14 when she married 15-year-old Louis XVI, and she was only 19 when she became queen. As a result, she was more naive than heartless when she reportedly said that if there was no bread for the people, “let them eat cake.” She and Louis XVI did not have children for a number of years. In fact, pundits were asking “Can the king do it?” Eventually, they had four children, although one infant died. Marie Antoinette was a very good mother, and cared deeply about her children. The portrait pictured below shows her with her three living children and an empty cradle to symbolize the child who died.

It was good to get back to our air-conditioned hotel, but the opportunity to see Versaille was worth the time. Tonight, it’s party time!

We began our visit to Paris at the Cambon Hotel. We stayed there last time and liked it so much, we decided on that visit to come back for our 50^th anniversary.  The Cambon is across the street from the Tuileries, a few blocks from the Champs Élysées, less than a mile from the Louvre, and just a little farther to Notre Dame.  In other words, very convenient for places we wanted to visit.  Our pre-cruise extension, however, began today at a hotel right beside the Eiffel Tower, several miles from the Cambon, so we transferred to that hotel this morning.  That put us exactly where we needed to be to visit some other Paris sights and to be handy for the bus pick-ups for our cruise-organized activities in Paris.

Today, Ted and I had lunch at a Parisian café we enjoyed on our last visit.  The waitress said we looked so “cute,” that she should take our picture.  Cute?  Not an adjective I’d use to describe us, but the result was quite nice.

As usual, we spent our afternoon walking—but not as far as yesterday—maybe only nine miles.  We found the Moulin Rouge (translation, “red mill“) behind road construction fences.

To the right of the Moulin Rouge, we saw a lovely promenade, so we walked a mile or more on the promenade, then sat down on a park bench and had a short conversation with a Parisian man who was also relaxing in the shade.

We needed to get back to our hotel early because this was the night of our anniversary dinner in Paris.  About a month ago, our travel agent contacted the hotel concierge for restaurant suggestions.  We checked out his suggestions online and selected Le Procope, the oldest restaurant in Paris.  The concierge made reservations in advance for us for this evening. 

The restaurant was founded in 1686 in the St. Germain district of Paris.  It was very charming and the food, of course, was delicious.  We’re convinced there is no such thing as bad food in Paris.

To honor its history, the restaurant has several menu items that are made from its original recipes.  We chose the ancient lemon meringue pie for our dessert.  It looks like marshmallows on top, but that’s the meringue.  It was baked to the crispness of a melt-in-your-mouth schaum torte meringue with a lemon filling and a very flaky crust.

When we returned to our hotel, there was a surprise for us in our room.  Our travel agent mentioned to the concierge that we were celebrating our 50^th anniversary at Le Procope.  Given this information, the front desk staff chose to help us celebrate by placing a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, two glasses, and a lovely note in our room.  The language barrier might have been the reason for subtracting ten years, but it didn’t change the thought. 

We had a lovely anniversary celebration in Paris, our favorite city.

But maybe not.  Today, Ted and I set a record for walking:  18.25 miles.  After that, my pedometer broke.  Really.

We started the day with an omelette (French food in France) for lunch and then headed for Notre Dame.  On the way, we passed some green box-like things along the sidewalk and thought they were dumpsters for nearby apartments.  We were so-o-o-o wrong!

Because of the recent fire at Notre Dame, visitors cannot enter the cathedral, but there was still a crowd all the way around it on the sidewalks.  It was a sad sight, and the crowd was more somber than exuberant.

Our next stop was the Pantheon.  It must be one of the highest points in Paris, because we walked uphill all the way from Notre Dame.  There were pretty views of the Eiffel Tower and of Notre Dame from the Pantheon. 

The Pantheon is in the Latin Quarter of Paris, so we walked around the neighborhood for a little while.  Since it was still early, we headed downhill and across the Seine to the Bastille.  We found the site, in spite of extensive road construction in the area, and were surprised to see that not even a remnant of the Bastille exists.  It felt like the Fourth of July without the Liberty Bell to visit.  The Bastille prison was pretty much destroyed after the French Revolution (no one felt warm and fuzzy about preserving it), and the site is now the home of an opera house.

Time was passing, and our feet were getting tired, so we headed back to the hotel.  The sky became increasingly overcast and looked more and more like rain.  It took us a long time to cover the distance (or maybe it just seemed like a long time because we’d walked for so long), but we made it to about 30 feet from the hotel door before it started to sprinkle.  The shower didn’t last long, so we rested our legs and feet and went out later to feast on beouf bourguignon for dinner.  Yummy! (“Beef stew” sounds so much better in French.)

Again:  18.25 miles of walking in one afternoon!  Whew!

Note:  We’ve ordered vanilla ice cream twice in France.  Although it was called “vanilla,” it was French vanilla both times.  But of course, n’cest pas? 

This morning, Ted and I took the Eurostar from London to Paris.  We did that in 2016 and the high-speed train was a great experience.  We had first-class tickets, so we were served a lovely French lunch—with wine, of course.  We enjoyed the relaxing two-and-a-half hour ride through the French countryside.

Unfortunately, getting onto the train was far less enjoyable.  The London train station was crazy busy.  Maybe all those tennis and cricket fans were leaving town today.  The signage was terrible and, although we remembered the process from last time, it was difficult to find where “over there” was in such a big station with so many people crammed together.  When we got to the check-in line, we were told there were too many people waiting on the platform, so check-in would be delayed for the later trains.  First, we were delayed for ten minutes, then ten more, then ten more, . . . Finally, we were allowed to get in line.  Surprise!  One ID/passport check wasn’t sufficient; everyone had to do that part twice. 

It was a relief to find ourselves next in line to go through the gate that would allow us to take the escalators to the platform, but the relief was short-lived.  The electronic gate didn’t recognize Ted’s ticket and wouldn’t let him through.  A helpful attendant took him around the gate, and we proceeded to our train.  It took more than 90 minutes to get checked in and to arrive on the platform, and we had only ten minutes to spare before our train left.  Whew! Just breathe. . . .

The transfer from the Paris depot to our hotel went smoothly.  We unpacked a few things in our room and went immediately to the Tuilleries across the street to enjoy the park and to relax.

Thankfully, Ted and I had five hours of sleep on the plane, because London was hectic when we arrived. It was the last day of the Wimbledon championships and also the final match of the World Cup cricket championship between England and New Zealand, neither of which has ever won before. Traffic was horrible, and the sidewalks were packed. London won the cricket championship, so there was a lot of yelling and cheering in the streets all evening.

One day we ate dinner in an historic restaurant about two blocks from our hotel. It was called “Byron,” and the manager told us the entire building is “protected” and cannot be changed. The huge (18″ x 18″) ceiling beams, the stamped metal ceiling, the marble wall panels, the huge mirrors, and the mosaic floor are all more than 240 years old. It’s amazing how late Europeans eat. The restaurants are still packed at 10:30 p.m. and going strong with no sign of closing any time soon.

Note: On the menus, salads are described as “assorted leaves.”

The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace occurs at 10:45 every morning. What a disappointment! We arrived about 15 minutes early and found a place to stand right in front. And there we stood, watching police on horses and bicycles riding back and forth to make sure no spectators breached the barriers. Around 11:00, a marching band of guards arrived from our left and got through one song (not Sousa, and not “Stars and Stripes Forever”) before entering the palace gates and disappearing from sight. About 15 minutes later, another band came from our right and did the same thing. Another 15 minutes later, a troop of eight guards arrived, stepping smartly, so we thought they must be the “new” guys. They also disappeared inside the fence. Finally, another 15 minutes later, both bands came marching out and went to our left and to our right. That was it! The show was apparently all about watching the police riding in circles.

One evening, as we walked along the Thames on the Queen’s Walkway, we were passed by some bicycles. We knew they were behind us because they rang their bells and because their headlights projected “BIKE” in green letters on the path ahead of us. Cool!

We were surprised at how many shopkeepers spoke English as a second language in London–and at only an intermediate level. In non-English countries, we’ve often had a clerk call an English-speaking person to help us, but England is the home of English, so we expected at least store managers to speak fluent English. It’s definitely a one-world society these days.

Ted and I flew to London at dinner time, with our arrival in London scheduled for just before lunch the next day. While we were waiting to board our flight, I had a little blast from the past when I saw one of my ESL teachers and his wife. We had a nice chat and learned they are going on from London to Budapest.

Last year, Ted and I decided that, for our next long flight, we’d spring for business class. As a result, we flew upscale to Europe today. Not only did that put us into Zone 1 boarding, but since we regularly fly in the main cabin, we felt like little kids opening Christmas gifts when we took our seats.

With the nice blanket and the comfortable pillow in hand, I dropped my seat to the completely flat position, adjusted the mattress firmness, and actually slept soundly from the time I finished dinner until my breakfast wake-up call five hours later. Of course, it was a full breakfast, so Ted and I weren’t hungry when we arrived in London.

Wow! If flying were always like this (like it used to be years ago, with comfortable seating space, reasonably good meals at no additional cost, and free checked luggage), there would be far fewer grumpy passengers. The only downside was that it was lonely. Business class is, by definition, designed for people who want to work with minimal distractions while they fly. Although Ted and I had adjoining seats, we were physically too far apart to talk to each other during the flight. Still, we’re actually looking forward to our nine-hour overseas flight home instead of dreading the discomfort of the main cabin for that long.

Note: Not everyone in business class has class. The guy across the aisle from me took off his pants and slept in his boxers. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him do that.

Today was our last day in Hawai’i. We’ve had such a good time and are feeling so relaxed that we hate to leave. At the same time, it will be good to be home again.

The day started with some leftover scattered light showers from last night, which cleared by lunchtime. As usual, we ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant. When the skies clouded over again, we decided it was a good time to print our boarding passes and pack our suitcases so we could go back outside when the sunshine returned. That was a good plan, and it gave us time to spend nearly two hours at our hotel pool. It was another relaxing afternoon.

The resort torch lighters run (yes, run) around the resort about half an hour before sunset, lighting the tiki torches that line the walkways. While we were sitting along a walkway waiting for the torch lighter, I was admiring how beautiful it is here–at the resort and in Hawai’i.

After the torch lighting, it was time to return to our balcony to view our final sunset on this perfect vacation.

Ted and I enjoyed our Saturday evening dinner at the Bali Restaurant so much, we decided to go there again for our final meal in Hawai’i.

Our airport pick-up time is 5:25 a.m. tomorrow. Our flight to LAX boards at 7:18 a.m. and we’re scheduled to arrive at STL at 10:36 p.m. local time. It’s been a wonderful week, and we’re looking forward to our next visit to Hawai’i. Next time, we’re going to Maui, because we’ve been told we’re “Maui people.” Aloha, Hawai’i.

As usual, Ted and I chose an outdoor restaurant (not hard to find) for lunch today.

After lunch, we decided to take a walk on the sidewalk that runs for several miles along the oceanfront. We saw some interesting sights.

After dinner, Ted and I decided to sit at the outdoor Tapa Bar, listen to the live music, and enjoy some mai tais. Thanks to the rain showers, there was a cool wind and the temperature dropped to 66 degrees,* so we didn’t stay long, but it was fun for a little while and the mai tais were delicious–lots of pineapple, lime, and orange flavor, with some rum for fun. Oh yes, the music was good too.

*On our way to the resort from the airport, our cab driver told us that when the temperature goes below 70 degrees, he starts looking for his boots. I hope he found them today.

Tonight we went to the resort’s Starlight Luau. The event was on a rooftop, but it was cloudy and not starlit. There was no refund for that, however, so the show went on.

A rectangular piece of cloth about one yard wide and two yards long can be wrapped and knotted in a variety of ways to create at least eight different garments for men and women that range from swimsuits to semi-formal wear (in the tropics, not in New York City). The models showed us the results of the various wrapping and knotting techniques. Amazingly, the cloth rectangles are for sale in the resort shops.

The performers showed us dances from each of the six Polynesian nations: Tonga, Tahiti, Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji, and Hawai’i. The colors of their clothing indicate which country they represent, but I can never remember which is which. The first picture below is Hawai’i. I remember that because “Don Ho” told us the hula is found only in Hawai’i and the women’s skirts are not made of grass; they’re made of tapa leaves.

The highlight of the luau was definitely the fire dancers. Before performing, they hung protective netting around the stage to prevent audience injuries in case one of the fire swords went astray. Ted and I have seen fire dancers before, but this was the first time we saw a pyramid-type dance formation.

We had a very enjoyable evening. The food was good, and the performance was fun. On our way back to our room, we had an added bonus.

In Hawai’i, the fun never ends.

Today, Ted and I went to the top of Diamondhead. This is the most popular hiking trail in the state of Hawai’i. It’s 0.8 miles one way and rises 560 feet in elevation, beginning on a paved state park sidewalk, but quickly giving way to a worn, lava rock trail and stairs.

What did we do today in Hawai’i? Actually, not much of anything, and it was wonderful!

As we have every morning of our visit, Ted and I sat on our balcony sipping hot chocolate and coffee and admiring the view. We both enjoy the way the ocean’s color changes with the distance from shore and the depth of the water.

After awhile, we got hungry and went to lunch. While we were eating, the restaurant manager came over to our table to tell us he could not only see, but “feel” that Ted and I were very much “in sync” with each other and that it was a “beautiful thing.” He also told us that the next time we come to Hawai’i, we should spend our time on Maui because we are “definitely Maui people”–whatever that means. Obviously, we are so relaxed, it shows.

After lunch, we spent a big chunk of the afternoon in our bathing suits on the beach and in the ocean water. I didn’t want to leave my camera/phone unattended onshore while we were in the water, so I don’t have any pictures of this. (No great loss for my readers.)

Then it was time to watch the sun set. It’s weird, but the sky has some cumulus clouds overhead most of the day with a clear horizon. Every day, however, as sunset approaches, a cloud bank appears on the western horizon and partially obscures the setting sun just before it drops behind the ocean. It happened again today.

We had dinner reservations at the resort’s four-star restaurant, which had a dress code of “beach casual.” The sign asks for no swimwear, shorts, tank tops, or flip-flops, with collared shirts and closed-toe shoes preferred. We learned on our last visit to Hawai’i that an aloha shirt is considered dressy and an aloha shirt with a lei counts as formal, so Ted wore one of his aloha shirts. I wore casual pants (not jeans) and a nice top, but I only brought sandals for shoes, so I wore open-toed shoes and was admitted without any comment from the hostess. The man at the table beside ours was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but I think he was the only one to seriously test the guidelines. The food and service were outstanding and we ranked them as the second-best we’ve ever had. (The best was in Taos, NM on our Fall 2017 trip to the Southwest.)

And that was it for today–lunch, beach time, and dinner. Yes, we’re really relaxed.

Ted and I have reached a state of complete relaxation, and it feels wonderful. With no specific daily plans and no “at home” tasks to do, we’re just enjoying ourselves moment by moment. Today we took a walk in the downtown area, discovered we can watch the sunset from our balcony, went to the resort’s Friday night fireworks show, and finished the day with some ice cream.

The resort has a ten-minute fireworks show on Waikiki Beach every Friday evening, beginning at 7:45 p.m. I’m positive they shot off an hour’s worth of fireworks during those ten minutes–the bangs were less than a second apart and the sky was ablaze with color for the entire show. The crowd was huge. Ted and I aren’t official crowd estimators, but we’re certain there were more than a thousand people sitting on the beach for the show, and that’s not counting those who watched from their hotel balconies.

After the show, the restaurants had a second rush. (The first rush was just after the 6:36 p.m. sunset.) It was a beautiful night to eat outdoors. As usual.

When the fireworks crowd left the beach, several young men arrived and played with fire.

Ted and I went out for ice cream. This girl is making the waffle cones and bowls. She just rolled the waffle cone on the countertop and is reaching for a paper holder for it. These are fresh waffle cones!

We found some chairs and enjoyed the tropical evening air while we ate our ice cream. It was another relaxing day, and I’m looking forward to more of the same tomorrow.

After only a few hours of sleep, Ted and I were up again before sunrise yesterday. (I can’t believe I did that two days out of three!) We were at the airport by 5:30 a.m., ready to fly to Hawai’i.

We had a four-hour flight to Phoenix, a two-hour layover, then a seven-hour flight to Honolulu. The flights were both on time and uneventful, unlike our Hawai’ian trip last year. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. Honolulu time (8:30 p.m. St. Louis time) and were able to enjoy walking around the resort for a little while in the daylight, then eat dinner outside before going to our room and nearly falling into bed. We were fine all day, unless we stopped moving–then we realized how tired we were.

After a long night of sleep, we had a wonderful time today and spent most of it outside in the mid-70s sunny weather. In contrast, Kari texted us that her kids had a snow day today. I bet they had as much fun as we did–with different weather.

We always like to learn things about the places we visit, so we usually plan what we’re going to do each day. This time, however, relaxing sounded so good, we didn’t plan anything except to do whatever we feel like doing. Today we felt like spending some of the morning on our balcony, sipping coffee (Ted) and hot chocolate (me), looking at the Pacific Ocean, and relaxing until we were hungry for lunch.

After lunch, we decided to explore (i.e., compare) the resort across the street from ours. (We like ours more.) After that, we walked to the Ana Moana shopping mall, less than a mile away. We had no shopping to do, but it gave us a destination. It’s the largest mall in the state of Hawai’i, with over 300 stores on three levels and an unusual range of shopping choices–everything from Target and Old Navy to Dior and Harry Winston (the real designer stores, not outlets). Surprisingly (to us), there was no food court. Later in the afternoon, we went to the beach.

We stayed at the beach to watch the sunset. The crowd of spectators begins to gather around 6:00, then dissipates after the sun goes down. There is no twilight in the tropics; after sunset, it’s dark within thirty minutes.

We had a very relaxing day and we’re loving the sunshine and warm weather. I’m so glad we’ll get to do it again tomorrow. It’s a tough job, but . . .

In December, Ted and I tried to book flights to Hawai’i as our consolation prize for needing to cancel our trip to Bali, Australia, and New Zealand. The only available seats in both directions were either in first class or on flights that required an overnight layover on the West Coast. We decided to spend the winter in St. Louis.

For no particular reason, I suggested to Ted last night that we check again to see if we could go to Hawai’i later in the spring. What a surprise! There were lots of flights with the overnight West Coast layover, but there were also two flights available in each direction in February, with lots of empty seats, and with no overnight layover!!! We looked at each other and said, “Shall we book them?” The answer was “yes,” so we are going to Hawai’i after all, departing on February 27.

There were no empty frequent flier seats available nine weeks in advance of our trip, but more than one-third of the main cabin is available five weeks later. Hmmm. Methinks the airline must hold the frequent flier seats back, hoping to sell them at full price. When the plane doesn’t fill up, they later make seats available. Ted and I don’t care. We’re excited to be going to Hawai’i in four weeks.

Ted and I spent ten months of 2018 looking forward to our six-week trip to Bali, Australia, and New Zealand.  In preparation for leaving on November 26, we did our Christmas shopping and gift wrapping in October, had a few holiday lights strung in the front yard by early November, and had selected a lot of the summer clothes we planned to pack . . . when we learned we would be canceling the trip.

I experienced some digestive problems for most of the year and was hospitalized for the problem in June.  The symptoms continued to worsen, which led to the inevitable series of specialists and tests, culminating with three specialists agreeing that my best option for a long-term solution was surgery.  I was given the choice to delay the surgery until after the trip, but I knew I wouldn’t enjoy myself and it seemed foolish to spend the money on the trip, only to spend my time in pain in my room or in a foreign hospital.  Ted and I decided to cancel the trip, and we filed the travel insurance claims for a full refund.  We plan to re-schedule the same trip for next winter.

None of the doctors knew exactly what the surgeon would discover, which was a little scary to me.  Not knowing what to expect, Ted and I put our travel plans on hold but agreed that, depending on what kind of follow-up treatment I needed, our “consolation prize” for canceling the six-week Bali-Australia-New Zealand trip would be a shorter trip to Hawai’i as soon as I was well enough to travel.  The surgery went well and my recovery is progressing as predicted by the doctors, so Ted and I sat down last night to book our Hawai’ian getaway.

Unfortunately, it quickly became obvious that if we want to go to Hawai’i during the Missouri winter, we need to book our flights months, not weeks, in advance.  We planned to use our frequent flier miles to go back and forth and found that, except for a single first-class flight, the only remaining seats require an overnight stay between the connecting flights in both directions.  (No airlines go directly from St. Louis to Hawai’i.)  We have the miles we need to fly business class, but neither of us has enough frequent flier miles to go first class.  As he put the travel books back on the bookshelf, Ted sadly remarked that “Maybe it’s a sign we should stay home this winter.”