A Most Remarkable Gift

We had Christmas early this year because Tom and I are going to Ann's house early tomorrow to spend the day with the McIntyres. So imagine my surprise when I was presented with a wonderful picture from my nieces and nephews. I smile every time I see it. The gift was wonderful and thoughtful and I love, love, love it. And I love that it comes from people I love as much as I love them. Thanks guys! It's one of the nicest gifts I have ever received.

IT'S FINISHED!!!!!!!!!

Wow! What a day! It's finally finished after over 10 years! Don't what what "it" is? I'll explain. Over 10 years ago (I'm not really sure of the exact year), I got myself a craft to keep my hands busy during general conference. This craft was a Pooh and Tigger Latch Hook Kit. I can say I didn't do it every conference since I've gotten it, but it has taken me quite a few of them to finish this undertaking

[Oh, and I have to admit that Brett did most of Pooh's shirt, so I can't claim I did the whole thing by myself.]

Here are pictures of both sides of the completed kit.

Front:


Back:


Now I just need to figure out what to do with it. The directions say I can make a pillow out of it though, so I think that's what I'm going to be doing. And then I'm going to give it to someone. I have no idea who, so if you want it, let me know. Of course, when it is given depends on how long it takes me to buckle down and get fabric and make the pillow part....and knowing me that may take a while.

Aloha from Hawaii - Day 4

Day 4 was, sadly, the first day that we managed to make it into the beautiful Hawaiian water! We went over and rented snorkeling gear from Snorkel Bob's and they gave us good ideas of where to go and what possible tours we could do. She recommended a family-run business that took us out on a catamaran where we would be swimming with turtles (honu) and dolphins (nai'a).

Aloha from Hawaii - Day 3

Day 3 on our Hawaiian adventure had us going to the Polynesian Cultural Center. This was nice because it doesn't open til later in the day (around noon), so we got to sleep in despite the fact that we had to travel a ways to get to it. Traveling over there was beautiful as the road we went on was RIGHT on the coast for a large part of the way. So pretty!

We ordered the "Ambassador" package for the Polynesian Cultural Center (hereafter known as PCC) which included a tour, a luau and the evening show - Ha Breath of Life. Our group consisted of about 15-20 people led by the wonderful "Cousin" Cathy. She started us out with the Samoan village where we learned how to shuck, open and shave a coconut as well as climb a palm tree. Also I was given a palm leaf woven headband, which was very nice. They said that the palm leaves may turn brown but the shape will stay the same.



After that we went over to the Aotearoa (New Zealand) village where we got ink "tattoos" and my mom and I learned a game to play with sticks and directions. Harder than it sounds. We then learned about how they welcomed in others as friends and other interesting cultural dances and music. Very cool also. Interesting dancing with lots of yelling and tongues and hitting yourself and stuff.

After that we went to watch the different "villages" show off their dancing skills on canoes. They did well. It's not super impressive to me because I'm pretty familiar with all that kind of dancing but one funny thing is that the guy who was steering the Fiji boat fell off because their dancing was shaking it so much (apparently that happens a lot though).

We left early from the canoe show to get seats for the next show in "Tonga" where they did a really fun drum show where they pulled up 3 people from the audience to copy what the leader did one by one. The guys they pulled up for it were perfect for the show and new just how to ham it up. It was Cousin Cathy's favorite show and I can see why. After that one we went to Tahiti and we all learned about the may sets of islands that Tahiti is comprised of and we all learned how to dance. Funny though how some of the women did well at dancing but absolutely none of the men (even the younger ones) looked at all like they were dancing. They were very stiff and it was very funny to watch them.



After that one we had no more time for villages and headed down the river in a canoe over to the luau that we had. That was where Cathy left us for the day. The luau was good. We had one of the front-most tables, which was wonderful. I thought the dancing was very good here as well and I learned that I actually like taro in many different forms. Yum. And the Kalua pork and Chicken and long rice were good too.



After a small trip over to see the Hawaii Laie temple and BYU campus (both of which are very pretty) we didn't have too much time before the night show so we did a little bit of poking around in a shop and then headed in before finding out that we were in the 3rd row!! How cool is that? And to top it off, nobody sat in the second row in front of us! Clear views made for a wonderful time. And the show was amazing. Wonderful dancing, super awesome fire dancers who absolutely floored me with some of the stuff they did. I highly recommend the show. After that we all went home following a caravan of cars to Waikiki.

Aloha from Hawaii - Day 2

Day 2 started out bright and early for us. We went to Pearl Harbor and had heard that it was best if we went as early as possible. It opened at 7:30 and we got there early and stood in line for a bit to get it and it started raining on us. It is a very weird feeling to be warm while being rained on. Made me feel like I was sweating - very odd. But standing in the rain was worth it because right after it stopped a beautiful rainbow appeared very brightly. It kept sprinkling on and off throughout the day and every time it stopped you could see rainbows. Here's mom with one of the rainbows.



We went on the Bowfin first and man, it was small. I would hate to have to go through those doors in a hurry. I would totally create a traffic jam. It was very interesting. The audio tour was good too. Gave a deeper understanding of what it was like on the submarine. I would have liked to be able to shoot these big guns though...



After that it was interesting to go over to the Arizona memorial and see the diagrams of what it looked like before it's destruction and what it looks like now. I was very interested to learn that it's actually leaking oil and there was so much and it's such a slow leak that it will be leaking oil for a very long time to come. After that, we headed over to the Missouri and it was BIG. From across the harbor, it doesn't look as big as it is - especially when some even bigger ships had entered the harbor earlier that day. It was nice to be able to compare the size of the Missouri and Bowfin...huge difference. My feet were very sore after we were done going through the whole place. The audio tour on the Missouri was also quite well done.



Also of interest that I learned was the Missouri was used not only in WW2 but also 2 other wars afterwords and so there was an interesting mix of technology on that one ship. I also learned that the Tomahawk missiles cost a TON of money EACH (So all in all, Millions and Millions of dollars worth!!!)! It's crazy!

After Pearl Harbor we did a bit of shopping where I found a kimono just for Christy! If only it were in her size!



After resting for a while we went and had OKONOMIYAKI!! I was so excited. It was super good and SUPER filling though I was kinda disappointed that I didn't realize that there were differences in their selections and that I didn't get the type I had had previously in Japan. Oh well. And I had a super good potato side dish before my meal that was to die for. With potato slices, onions, cheese and a tomato sauce that made my mouth so happy. Here's my yummy okonomiyaki that I only managed to finish half of...



And after a bit more shopping at the mall the okonomiyaki place our day was done.

Aloha from Hawaii - Day 1

Day one from my trip to Hawaii was so much fun! We got a ride from Vicki to the airport where we then managed to not get strip searched by security on the way to heaven. One funny thing that happened was that one of the security guys who checked my ID and ticket to see if they are real said "It's nice to see someone from California." I find it odd that most of the people he sees through there are NOT from CA.

We then got on the plane and they played a couple of TV shows which I didn't watch, the movie Bounty Hunter and an episode of The Simpsons and Big Bang Theory - which I did watch. Bounty Hunter wasn't very thrilling, I don't recommend it.

We landed in Hawaii, got our rental car and proceeded to the hotel - The Hilton Hawaiian Village - which is very, very pretty. Nicely kept, nice service. It has several little shops right here and places to eat. We ate at the Noodle House - we all had Yakisoba - soo good, almost as good as mom makes! - it was a tiny little place with a long bar and stools. Fun stuff. We didn't do anything else of note on this day.



Note: Now you can't say I didn't blog. ^_^

Google maps + Hawaii (Edited)

So I was watching this show on food network called Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and they featured in one part a good restaurant in Honolulu. Since I'll be going there in a few weeks with my parents I decided to look up on my phone a map of where exactly on the island it is. Because I did it on my phone it asked me if I wanted directions from my location. Being curious as to what it would say, I said yes. This is what it showed me...





That's right. To get to Hawaii from LA you need to travel up the 5 freeway almost to Canada and then KAYAK - yes kayak - to Hawaii!!!!! That is the funniest thing I have seen on Google Maps ever! I think it's even better than some store that had a MapQuest map on it's website that had them out in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa.

How long do you think it would take you to kayak 2,756 miles to Hawaii? You'd have to tow a LOT of food and water behind you to last as long as you'd need. Plus plenty of sunscreen so you don't burn up.

Edit: My dad found an interesting new kayak that you pedal like a bike instead of rowing. This kayak goes to about 5.75 mph. This means it'll only take you 19-20 days to reach hawaii if you pedal constantly!!

Princess Day

On June 26 we took Kyla and Arwen to Disney's California Adventure for the day while Chiemi went and worked on a yard sale. Jennie very kindly agreed to come with us to help. We began with breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. When Kyla saw Snow White she said but you are so tall! We saw Goofy and Chip and Dale and Snow White and Jasmine and Baloo.

Then we went into the park and went to the Animation Pavilion. They have an activity in the Beast's Lair where you can sit and figure out which character you are by answering a series of questions. I was Cinderella, Jennie was Mulan, Arwen was Tinkerbell (and boy she was THRILLED about that) and Kyla was Yzma from Emperor's New Groove -- I think she was distracted by the thunder and lightening and wasn't giving the test her full attention. Then we went to Playhouse Disney and then went to Talk With Crush and Crush first thing talked to Kyla and asked her questions. Very cute. Then we went to Muppet 3D. Kyla didn't like the loud noises and Arwen didn't want to put on the 3D glasses.

After that Kyla, Tom and Jennie went to Soarin' Over California while Arwen and I went to Flik's Fun Fair. After that we went to lunch at Ariel's Grotto but by the time we got there Arwen had fallen asleep. So when the princesses first began to come around she wasn't interested in any of them until we said here's Aurora and she sat right up and took a picture with her (as long as Jennie was right there by her) and so the lunch wasn't a complete bust. We did get some cute pictures though.

After that we went and got the girls' faces painted. Here is what they chose (they both independently picked the same design).



Then we got a picture with the one who started it all -- Mickey Mouse -



Then Kyla and Jennie and Tom in various combinations went on some more rides and then we took a break and had a snack:



All in all it was a wonderful day and here is a picture of Princess Kyla and Princess Arwen at the end of the day when they still had energy and I was an exhausted wreck. But a big shout out to Janet who gave us food so that we didn't have to starve when we got home.

Father's Day

I am such a wonderful daughter. I may not cook very well - and it may have been on the cold side by the time it got to him - but I managed to drag myself out of bed on Sunday to make my dad breakfast in bed. I made scrambled eggs, toast, hash browns and bacon (which I'm sure was the coldest thing on his plate because that was the coldest thing on mine).



I even managed to get him a present on time the last time we went up to Solvang. It is a little Spock bobble-head that says a couple things when it bobbles. Random place to get it, but I couldn't resist buying it for him.

Mediterranean -- Final Thoughts

Well we're back. It was an amazing trip. We went to three continents in 11 days, 8 cities, walked a million miles, saw some very unique things, some odd things, some wonderful things and had an absolute blast. We were very impressed with our first Disney cruise. And since we had some pretty high expectations we are impressed that we are impressed. We had some wonderful food. We took a LOT of pictures. We had amazing guides (thank you Tina and Robyn). We met some extraordinary people with whom we hope we don't lose contact. Barcelona is perhaps the prettiest city we have ever seen. We don't like shopping in Tunisia. Italy was majestic -- we were amazed that each city was so different. Corsica was beautiful and we had lunch on perhaps the most beautiful balcony I have ever sat upon. The South of France was perhaps the most beautiful coastline I have ever seen. All in all it was a fantastic trip and thanks to all of you who kept us with me during my travels.

Mediterranean Day Fifteen -- There's No Place Like Home

Our day began at 6 AM went to breakfast. Man I am going to miss this Iberian ham. I think I've eaten an entire pig by myself between our stay in Barcelona. Sadly I can't bring any home. Or any of the yummy cheeses we've had either. So the car comes to pick us up and it takes a lifetime to load the car there was so much baggage. So off to the airport. We got to the airport and we were delayed an hour because of the weight of the plane they had to use a different runway. But we took off and actually arrived at JFK 4 minutes early. That's when the trouble began.

We got off the plane, found our bags went through immigration and customs -- they didn't confiscate my herbs de Provence (phew) -- and then what. We were in Terminal 4. Our flight was in Terminal 2. So we are walking around the airport -- outside and through traffic with all of our bags -- and finally with sweat dripping off of us we arrive at Terminal 2. We find the counter to put in our bags for continuation and go upstairs. Our plane was at Gate 2. Which is in Terminal 3. Not 2. So we walk and walk and walk and finally get to our gate. They load the plane and we sit. And we sit. And we sit some more. Finally the plane pushes back from the gate and we taxi over to a taxi way. And we sit. And we sit. And there is lightening all around. Forked lightening. Streak lightening. Multiple lightening strikes at once. Except for the frustration of the delay we would have enjoyed the show. So we sit. And sit. And then they say because of new federal regulations we had to go back to the gate. So we taxi back to the gate. And they open the doors and everybody gets out. And we sit some more. Finally about 1.5 hours later they reboard the plane and we push back to the taxiway.

This whole time I am completely freaked out about the flight being cancelled. What do we do then. So the pilot comes on and says everybody is in the same boat and there are AT LEAST 30 flights ahead of us to take off. So we sit. And taxi. And sit. And taxi. And sit. And finally -- FINALLY -- we take off. Except for a little turbulence the flight itself was rather uneventful however we got back to LAX at 2 AM and poor Brett had to come and collect us. Poor thing. But we made it home but now are WIDE awake -- it was noon in Barcelona -- and so we unpacked and went to bed.

Mediterranean Day Fourteen (Cinq Sentits)

When Tom and I decided to take this trip we began researching restaurants for Barcelona for our final night. After some consideration we chose Cinq Sentits for our final vacation dinner. Cinq Sentits is Spanish for five senses. The meal was an extraordinary ending to an extraordinary trip. I have somehow misplaced the list of the dishes I wrote -- probably in this mountain of paperwork but here we go.

We had the following dishes which were all Catalonyan in style and flavor and ingredients. First up is a shot glass full of maple syrup, sabayon cream and special Spanish salt. On a menu I would NEVER have ordered that but it was delicious. Then we had clam in sea water jelly with asparagus cream. It was so yummy I wanted to lick the dish. Foie gras with glazed balsamic leeks, carmelized onions, burnt sugar shell and chives. I HATE foie gras but this dish was so good I would have eaten another one given the option. Spring peas from Llavernas with five herb ice cream and mint powder. Wild Mediterranean red mullet with spring vegetables and lemon thyme which came in a huge bag made of clear paper. The presentation was spectacular and they had to cut the bag open with scissors. Incredible.

For the main entree I had Iberian suckling pig which had been cooked for 14 hours and then grilled served with a baked apple and applesauce -- that description does not even begin to do it justice. Tom had the filet which he said was really one of the best steaks he ever had. Then perhaps the most amazing part of the meal. They served us some citrus snow which was incredible. I don't know how they made it but it was like those dots ice cream except that they were much smaller and every single bite was a burst of citrus flavor and had a white chocolate powder. It was incredible. Then on to dessert.

We had cheeses which were extraordinary. It was a blue cheese made from goat's milk with a orange rind marmalade crisp. The cheese had an incredible bite to it but was softened by the crisp. Then the final dish was so good I want to go back to Barcelona just to have it -- it was chocolate foam with smashed bread macadamia nuts and olive oil ice cream. Outstanding. Sadly Tom and I were both so tired by the end of dinner that we were literally falling asleep at the table. It was one of the most unusual and amazing meals we've ever had.

Mediterranean Day Fourteen

Day Fourteen – Barcelona and the Traveling Traveling Hat

So they drop kicked us out of the ship today. We loved you for 11 days now get lost. It was such a shock for us – for the first time in almost two weeks we had to make our own decisions. It was painful. So we take our transfer to the hotel and they had just sent off the cruise people – I hate them for taking our place just FYI – and then we tried to check in and none of the rooms were ready.

So we decided to be adventurous and go and try the hop on hop off bus (I call it the HOHO bus) and see the sights of Barcelona. There are three zones – red, blue and green. We didn’t have to do the green one since when we went through the first time we saw most of the beach area of Barcelona. So we ran off and got on the blue bus. We saw Casa Borillo-Fundacia which is a house designed by Antoni Gaudi and is the shape of a dragon with a big tail on top. We saw La Pedrera Espai Gaudi which is the bone house. We have pictures of most of this so if you are confused we will show you.

We saw Sagrada Familia which is the most noted landmark in Barcelona. Then we saw Gracia, Park Guell, the really upscale areas of Northern Barcelona, the ancient monastery, then some rich guy’s house that has a gate with a dragon it which is operated with levers so that as the gate opens the dragon opens its mouth. The dragon is designed by Gaudi – of course. Then on to the Barcelona futbol stadium which holds 100,000 people. Then back to the Plaza de Catalunya which is the beginning of the most famous street in Barcelona Las Rambla.

So that route was finished and we ran over and got onto the red line. After we got on the red line I was hot so I asked Tom for my traveling hat with its new Florence scarf. Oops. Forgot it on the blue bus. I was sad. The traveling hat means a lot to me and Tom felt just awful. Well nothing to be done about it so we continued on the red line which took us to various Barcelona landmarks which included Plaza de Espana and Montjuic which is where they held the Olympics and the port where we saw the Magic still docked and the statue of Christoforo de Columbo and then on to the World Trade Center, the zoo, the aquarium – we didn’t go into any of these mind you – just drove by – so back to Plaza de Catalunya where we caught the blue bus and we had to come over to the hotel because a friend from the cruise ship had stored her luggage with ours so that she could do the buses with us – and then Tom and I ran back down to Plaza de Catalunya and went to the information bureau to see if the traveling hat had been turned in. No dice.

We went to the red bus information center – no hat. We went to the blue bus information center – no hat. So I started to cry. Poor Tom. So he waited until each blue bus came by and went on and searched for the hat. A bus comes by, no hat. Another bus comes by, no hat. Buses continue to come by – no hat. So I tell Tom I think all hope is lost and my traveling hat is gone forever. Well wouldn’t you know that Tom gets on the next bus and lo and behold he found the traveling hat!! But no scarf. So Tom tells the lady and she does that Gallic shrug that they all do but he insisted and so she let him go up on the top level and look and again miraculously the scarf was on top of a chair three benches in front of where he left the hat. It is truly a miracle because we do not know how the scarf did not blow away since the top of the bus is an open air area. I saw Tom coming down the stairs with the hat and scarf in his hands – more tears – lots of hugging – there, there – all better.

So we wandered off to the market place in Las Rambla which is world famous and rightly so – they have mountains of whatever it is you want – fruit, vegetables, meats, seafood, chocolates, candies, breads, wines, chickens and all in perfect shape – no bruises, no dents, no grubby leaves – perfect. So after that we came back to the hotel. When we checked in the lady asked us if we would like some help with our dinner resos and we told her we had resos at Cinq Sentits (Five Senses) and she was amazed and wanted to know how I knew about that restaurant. Apparently it has been voted the number one new restaurant in Barcelona. I do know it only seats 30 people so we were lucky to get a space. And I will blog about that experience later. As I understand it – it is a very upscale tapas restaurant. And we are having 8, count ‘em 8, courses. Should be magnificent. And in case you are wondering when we stand still we still feel like we’re on the ship and also some person in this lobby has a ring tone from Doctor Who so I keep thinking Janet is calling me on my non-existent cell phone. LOL

Mediterranean Day Thirteen

Day Thirteen – Sea Day and Saying Goodbye

Today was a very mellow day. We slept in, did the packing and went to breakfast for a character breakfast – that was fun – they had Minnie, Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale and Goofy. I do not know who is going to do all this cooking and feeding and tending us when we get back but somebody is going to have to do it – we are so ultra spoiled.

Anyway we had our farewell reception with our new friends and I cried and we promised we would definitely be in contact. They were such a fun group of people and we were lucky to share such a wonderful experience with them. It’s funny how you grow so close in such a short period of time. Anyway it was sad to say goodbye. Tonight’s towel animal was a swan. So who’s coming over to make bedtime animals for us? Huh? Huh?

Mediterranean Day Twelve

Day Twelve – Villefranche

Today was the life among the rich and famous. We tendered to Villefranche and headed to Monaco. You would not have believed the yachts in the harbor of Monaco. There was some guy – Paul Allen I think – who is some muckety muck at Microsoft – who has the hugest yacht in the harbor. We took a tour of the gardens which were magnificent. Then we went into the palace at Monaco and learned about the Grimaldi family which has been the ruling family for decades. They told us the story of Grace Kelly and how she became the chatelaine of Monaco for years. It was quite a romantic story. We then watched the changing of the guard, not quite as impressive as Buckingham Palace but still pretty interesting.

Then we went to lunch at the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo which was totally delicious. They served the local meats (prosciutto, salami, some roast beef that was amazing and amazing cheese and they had macaroons! Which are French macaroons not American macaroons . They are melt in your mouth pastries which are amazing. I love them and I’d forgotten about them. Then we went to Monte Carlo and the area was still full of the Grand Prix materials. It was actually pretty exciting.

We went into the casino at Monte Carlo but you couldn’t take bags in so Tom and Gary went into the casino and Shelley and I were standing there before we decided to look for some stamps and while we stood there an Aston Martin and two Bentleys – one a beautiful blue convertible – drove up and parked right in front of the casino. And man it was hot. So we then searched around for a place to sit (none even in the sun) and some cool wind (also none).

After leaving the casino and Monte Carlo, we went to the Village of Eze which is a hilltop location that has this amazing church on the top. It’s a medieval village and it’s completely constructed of stone on the top of a mountain. It has the ruins of a castle at the top but we only went as far as the church which was amazingly baroque in style and beautiful. Nobody thought I was going to make it but Sydney – who is the lovely four year old girl who totally reminds me of Kyla – told her mom that I looked like I needed help so she came back and helped me climb the mountain. The path up was lots of steps and steep paths. Very steep. I should say “helped” but she was so cute and her constant chattering really distracted me from the physical exertion. So she really did help me up the mountain. But Tom and our friend Robyn also came along very slowly to help me but I made it!! I was so proud!! We took some pictures of me jumping up and down at the top. Well not jumping but I was really excited.

So then we went down to the bottom and I got some herbes de Provence which I love but hopefully customs won’t confiscate. You never know what customs will call produce. I don’t think that I told you that the animal of the day yesterday was an orangutan (I automatically thought of the Librarian (discworld reference)) and the towel animal today is a lobster. This was our last shore excursion. When we came back to the ship, we went to the crew talent show, and then we were on our way back to our cabin and first of all we ran into Belle, so I had my picture taken with her, and then around the corner we ran into Aurora for another picture opportunity. Tomorrow we have a day at sea and then our cruise is over. It certainly doen’t seem that we’ve been gone this long although the shore excursions have been exhausting. Extremely fun but exhausting.

Mediterranean Day Eleven

Day Eleven – Corsica

Today we came to the birth place of Napoleon. We drove around the town and saw historical monuments like the Austerlitz Square and the Cathedral where Napoleon was baptized. Everything in Corsica is either named for or named for someone related to Napoleon. We first went to a square where there was a statue memorializing Napoleon and his four brothers. When the statue was originally placed Napoleon was facing the ocean as a sign of all his conquests. When they took it out to refurbish the area they put it back and now he’s looking across the courtyard. Nobody knows why they made the change but he’s no longer looking out to sea. Imagine our surprise when we were posing for photographs in front of the statue but who should come walking up – Napoleon himself. So we all got to have a picture with Emperor Napoleon, but there was an interruption to the photo session when Napoleon received a call on his cell phone, somewhat anachronistic.

Then we got on a bus and traveled up to a farmhouse through the Prunelli River Gorges – boy oh boy is that some spectacular scenery and I still do not know how the bus driver got the bus up that landscape. I swear that most of the time the bus’s tires were mere inches from the side of the road. Which would catapult us down in the river. There were many people who got carsick on that steep windy road, fortunately not Tom or me. So we got up to the top of the hill and they took us to a place where we could try some local delicacies and I think Amy and I were the only people who liked the cheese and the meat as a general rule was really salty until Tom discovered that you could peal the salt layer off and then it was much better.

So off we went to a very picturesque church and they put on a performance of some local Corsican singing. There is a bulldog which has taken it upon herself to check out everyone who comes to town and so she will come up to each person and sniff them and then if you get a lick and a wag you can stay. Fortunately Tom and me got a lick and a wag. Then we went and got in a little train which took us all through the extremely quaint town to lunch. The lunch was okay. As a general rule the food is generally excellent but rather bland I suppose to compensate for everyone’s tastes. But we had this kind of filo filled with cheese and spinach and some really bland polenta and then Tom and I had (against our principles but I’m glad we did) veal which was actually quite good but the other people who had chicken pretty much left their food – and the French fries were really greasy and disgusting looking. Then they gave us some sweet chestnut mouse which was disgusting. Sorry but it was.

And then we went and got on the bus and came back to the ship. And after the last few days it is so nice to just sit and relax and look out at the ocean and enjoy the peace and quiet because all aboard isn’t for another two hours. They have a petting zoo at the end of the pier and no I did not go and pet the chickens and pigs and goats. So not much to say today but still having a great time. Tomorrow is our last port of call – Villefranche and Monte Carlo and Monaco and Eze – the perfume town – where they say we have to walk up a very steep hill. But after Rome – I can do anything.

Mediterranean Day Ten

Day Ten – Florence

Today we had to get up again very early and leave the ship to tender to La Spezia. This is our last day in Italy. I will leave it sadly because it has been a lot of fun. The drive from La Spezia to Florence takes about two hours. We drove through some pretty famous places – Carrera where they get the marble – Collodi – the birthplace of Pinocchio – Pistoia – where they have most of their nurseries and the flowers we passed were magnificent. Then we got to Florence.

The first place we went was the Galleria dell’Academia where you can see the original David. Now it’s in its own building and at least partially restored. That statue is magnificent, unfortunately they no longer let you take photos of it. After David we walked over to the Duomo, the Campanile di Grotto, Dante’s house, the place where Michelangelo lived and died, Ponte Vecchio which is the only originally built bridge in Florence. Then we went to eat some gelato and we got a demonstration about the history of gelato and their product. It was very interesting but even more impressive was the gelato – it was delicious.

Then we went to the square where the government was housed and there was a replica statue of David and some statues of some really grumpy guy named Dante. I can see if he was that grumpy (at least his statue appeared to be so) you can see why he was fixated on hell. So we went to lunch at a restaurant close to the statue location and we had some bruschetta and white bean toast and some local meats – salami and prosciutto and Parma ham – it was totally delicious. Then they gave us some free time and we went to the market at Plaza Santa Croce and I found my new scarf for my traveling hat and a new Florence leather purse. After this, we walked back to the bus for the ride back to the cruise ship.

It was Pirate Night on the ship, and the ship’s crew and many of the guests were in pirate costume. They had a dance party on the deck with the Disney characters, which was taken over by the Disney pirate characters, to be saved by Mickey Mouse, swinging in from the smoke stack. This was followed by fireworks.

After the fireworks, it was off to bed, with tonight’s towel animal being a lobster. We realized after sending the blog that we forgot to tell you what the towel animal was last night, well you are just going to need to wait until we look at the pictures, since neither Tom nor I remember what it was. Tomorrow we’ll be in France.

Mediterranean Day Nine

Day 9 – Day at Sea

Today we did . . . absolutely nothing. We woke up at 8 AM – went to brunch at 10:30 AM the most amazing brunch on the planet. I got a pedicure at 12:15 PM and then we went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D and Tom and I slept through most of it so the movie made no sense. After that we went to an animation class and drew Pinocchio and then voila Pinocchio came over. Then we went and sat on the deck and talked to our new friends and then we went to the new show Villains which although they said got fantastic reviews was okay. We got a lovely picture with Minnie and Mickey in formal dress. Then we had dinner – one of the best steaks I’ve ever had – and then we went to bed. For the length of yesterday’s post this will make up for it. So we’re now on our way to Florence. Tomorrow. And now to bed.

Mediterranean Day Eight

Day 8 – The Rome Death March

All roads lead to Rome. And in Italy they truly do. We saw the entire city of Rome in one day today. And man my feet can attest to the enforced march we did today. First of all we met at Animator’s Palate at 7:15 AM – that is early by any standards and after the day we had yesterday and the late dinner it was torture. We went off the ship and got onto a bus for the 1.5 hour ride from Civitavecchia to the Eternal City. We got off the bus and had to go up like a bazillion steps. We made it to the top but by the time we arrived the tour had moved on and so we spent, it seemed, almost the entire day trying to catch them.

We went into the Vatican Museum where the art is absolutely breathtaking. Michelangelo, Bernini, Botticelli, Rafael and all the great masters of Italy. We went through various galleries where the guide pointed out that the art was not 3D as it appeared but was trompe loeile (sp? Means fooling the eye) and it was totally amazing.

Then we went into the Sistine Chapel which they have restored since the first time I saw it and I couldn’t believe how warm and vibrant the colors were. When I was there last time the colors was dark and muted. I can’t believe that Michelangelo lay on his back for 4 years to paint the chapel. They said that he painted it in four years. Then he took 5 years to paint the judgment on the back wall. They also said that it took 30 restoration artists 5 years to repair the damage from candles and smoke, etc. But it is truly amazing. I was in awe.

The Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel were so crowded that you had to go outside to change your mind. Ha ha but the entire day was just a mass of humanity. And there were some people that were really rude – one lady almost knocked me over trying to get in front of me. Then after that we went out in the Vatican Square and it felt so historic and special – I have seen that square a million times on TV. So we saw the Swiss Guard who guard the pope although according to the shutters on the windows the pope was not there.

Vatican City is its own country and it has its own post office, train, radio station – they have a radio tower for that which extends hundreds of feet into the air so Radio Vaticano can be heard all over the world. There were a lot of nuns and priests around and I have no idea why that surprised me. Then we went into Saint Peter’s Basilica mostly to look at the chapel and the Pieta which was as magnificent as I remembered. Since that idiot tried to ruin it in the 1970s they have encased it in plexiglass and now you can’t touch it.

Then we went to St. Peter’s Square and got some amazing photos. We went to lunch at a hotel on the Via Veneto which is the very popular street in Rome. Then the death march began. We walked from the hotel first to the Spanish Steps. Not the Spanish Steps which we saw in Paris but the Roman Spanish Steps. We got some water from the fountain there which they swore was potable. If Tom and I die tonight – remember that. LOL

So we walked by some amazing Rome fashion shops which amazingly was gorgeous. I would have loved to shop in some of them. But the death march didn’t allow us to pause. We got to shop a little at the Vatican and we mailed a postcard to The Larsens but other than that didn’t buy anything. So then it was off to the Trevi Fountain. We walked by some amazing fashion on our way. I liked the Italian fashions much more than the French fashions last year. Of course maybe it’s just a season thing but for you fashion conscious folks the colors for summer are black and white and some of those dresses were so uber cute. Too bad my new sandals have purple, white, pink, gold, orange, purple and green flowers on them. I missed the memo about seasonal colors.

After the Trevi Fountain we went to the Colosseum and we went up in the elevator to the top because the steps were very steep and irregular and they would have taken me forever to climb. But by the time we got to the Trevi Fountain I began to shove my way down to the fountain and then Tom and I threw some coins in while they took our picture. I am going to return to Rome again – according to the legend – but Tom is going to fall in love with an Italian man or woman and marry them. Third time you throw a coin in means divorce so thankfully neither of us did that. Although I guess I’m going to have to figure out how to be Italian.

We found out that there are several things wrong with modern renditions of the Roman era – first, men and women did not sit together in the Colosseum. Second, they did not do the thumbs up, thumbs down determination if a gladiator was going to live or die they did a closed fist or an open hand and third, while they did have ship battles in the Colosseum they did not have them for a very long period of time. He did say that during the heyday of the Roman empire they killed 3 million people and 1.5 million exotic animals which considering how many people were in the Roman Empire at the time was a LOT of people.

We also had gelato at the Trevi Fountain I forgot that part. And I tried on my new sandals only 3-4 times today. Tomorrow we have a sea day so we don’t have to do anything until 5 PM. We have a brunch at 10:30 AM because we don’t have enough to eat and I have a pedicure at 12:15 PM. Man do my feet need that. Well it was an exhausting day and my feet really hurt so I’m going to bed.

Tomorrow is a sea day and then on to Florence. Right now we’re just kind of coasting around the area wasting time for the sea day. I’m really excited about the sea day. I can get up when I want. Ahhhh. :) After that we came back to the ship and went to Palo for dinner which was way yummy and a very nice couple – Phil and Debbie – came with us. They are from Boulder. Today’s towel of the day was a jellyfish. It took Tom and I a long time to figure it out. We thought at first it was a skate and then a tree and then an arrow – you’ll see when you see the pictures -- but we finally figured it out. Sorry this is so long but it was a really looooong day.

Mediterranean Day Seven

Day 7 – Naples

This morning started like yesterday – at 8:30 AM in Animator’s Palate. We went down – with ABD we always get to go to the front of the line and we were first down to the dock. We got on two little buses which at the time seemed odd however the reason why soon became apparent. The tour took us by Pompeii and Herculaneum and we can see Mt. Vesuvius from our ship but our travels today took us to the lovely area of Sorrento.

Apparently road laws are mere suggestions and everybody drives where they can find room. Which is often on our side of the road. They park all over the place and walk all over the place and scooter all over the place. It’s a HUGE mess and I was SO glad I did not have to pilot a car down these winding, miniscule streets. Our guide told us that the roads were simply paved horse or chariot paths and I believe him.

The other thing is that Sorrento is on limestone and volcanic rock. This makes for some spectacular scenery BUT it is all extremely steep and there is no room for the inhabitants of this area to expand so most of the people drive little tiny cars – one of the girls on the bus called them Mr. Bean cars – and so they are.

So we wound around and around some spectacular scenery and made our way to Agriturismo La Galatea Farm. There they showed us how to make mozzarella, pizza, olives, olive oil, salami, and preserves from the citrus fruit they grow there. Sorrento is known for its lemons, olives and olive oil. So we had a tour of the farm which has cows, calves, goats, kids (baby goats not children), Italian chickens, peacocks, pigs and everything is FILTHY. But then we went back in and made our own Margharita pizza which is pizza dough, tomato or tomate sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil. Which are also the colors of the Italian flag.

After lunch we got back on our coach, covered our eyes and silent screamed down to the bay. (Not really but the driving is really horrifying!) So we made it down to the Bay of Naples and you cannot take a private bus into the town of Sorrento so we waited and waited for the city bus to come and finally one showed up and we crammed 41 people into a little tiny bus. The bus driver told me that if we were seen by the politzia we would be in a lot of trouble. But we had to catch a ferry and they were supposed to have two buses and only one showed up so we had no choice.

Then we rode a hydrofoil over to the Island of Capri. There we got onto a private boat and roared around the island looking for a place for some foolish members of our group to swim. Some of the scenery was MAGNIFICENT. There was one formation which looked just like a turtle made out of rock. And there was a cave called Tiberius’s Lips and they say that he would have his enemies taken up and flung out onto the rocks below. That would have to hurt.

So after we boated around and hopefully got some good pictures – there was a lot of chop and the water was really cold – some hearty souls went swimming and we went back to the town of Capri where we had some gelato which was really REALLY yummy. So we then had some time to shop around and I went to a shoe store where when the shoes that I liked were not available in my size they literally made me a pair of sandals right in front of my very eyes – so now I have custom sandals from Italy. It says Moda Capri right on the shoes.

Tonight the towel animal is a snake and Tom and I are going straight to bed because tomorrow is (bum, bum, bum) the Rome Death March. On a related note I’m getting sunburned despite copious amounts of sunscreen. And on a second side note – public bathrooms in the areas we have gone so far are disgusting.

Mediterranean Day Six

Day 6 – TUNIS

We got up way too early this morning and went to breakfast. As we were docking in Tunis I looked over the side of the ship and there were about 4 camels walking toward our ship with belly dancers and what looked like Roman legionnaires. So we finished our breakfast and went downstairs and met our group and headed out to our first trip to Africa. On the bus the local tour guide gave us a detailed description of Tunis and its history and Tom and I promptly fell asleep.

So we got to the Medina at Hammamat and we went into this fort that was built in the 1600s and it was interesting but the view from the top of the fort was spectacular. So we went down into the souk and went shopping and I don’t think I have ever been more uncomfortable in my life. Everybody we saw was either yelling at me to come into their establishment or touching me and I didn’t like it one bit. I found a scarf that I thought was very lovely so I wanted to buy it and he said 40 dinar and we said 20 dollars and then Tom began to bargain and at 15 dollars I said Sold and I am very sure that Tom could have gotten a better price had I just left him to do his stuff. Oh well but I just wanted to get out of there.

Then we went to the Berber village and we did belly dancing and writing in Arabic and we had the most delicious couscous I have ever had. Oh and they showed us the Berber bread which was so delicious but they put the bread on the side of the brick ovens to cook rather than in bread pans or other similar. They gave us a belly dancing sarong thingy and Tom got a turban thingy. We have plenty of blackmail material believe me. :)

So we finished there and we came back to the boat and we had dinner tonight at Palo which is the top restaurant for the Disney Cruise Lines and the food was delicious. I had lobster ravioli and the baked sea bass. Tom had shrimp salad and filet mignon with Bernaise sauce. Anybody want to come and cook for us full time? We are way spoiled now. And I had a chocolate soufflé and a lemon sorbet mixed with sparkling water for a digestif. Yum. So now it is 12:10 AM and we have to be back at the Animator’s Palate at 8:30 AM for Italy – for Naples to be specific. And tonight’s towel animal is either a dog or a rabbit. We will let you decide although tonight the general consensus is dog.

Mediterranean Day Four (Here it is!)

DAY 4 – Lazy Day

Last night the seas were rather rough and we had a creaky, rocking night. To me it was like being rocked to sleep and I slept like a baby from 11 PM to 9:30 AM. Tom was not so fortunate and was up until 4:30 AM when he finally was able to sleep. We went to breakfast and you wouldn’t believe the options available for food. I had eggs Benedict and Tom had filet of sole – so you see the range of options. Then after that we went to see The Princess and the Frog and I slept through at least half of the movie. It was okay. Not Disney’s best by any means.

This cruise ship is beautiful in that they have tried to incorporate the old world style into the ship so it reminds us a lot of a new Queen Mary. Elegant and sophisticated. This afternoon the sea was not so choppy and the cruise became a lot calmer. Tom and I are glad we don’t get seasick. Then we came back upstairs and tried to sit on our balcony or veranda and we couldn’t because somebody on our side is a chain smoker and the smoke keeps wafting over our balcony. So glad we paid for the balcony to have someone ruin it for us by smoking non-stop. So after a while we went upstairs to go to a discussion with the ship’s historian about the locations to which we were going and I have to say the presentation was a little on the boring side.

After that we came upstairs and got ready for formal night – we got a picture with the captain – and then we went to the show Twice Charmed which was a different take on the Cinderella story. I fell asleep in that too. Who knew I was so tired. So then we went and took a picture with Donald Duck in white tie (it was formal night after all) and then we went to dinner. The food was amazing and because our severs move around with us from restaurant to restaurant they already knew our preferences and so it was really cool. So that was all for today. Tomorrow – Malta and we have to be ready to go at 8 AM – EEEK Today’s bed towel is a swan.

Mediterranean Day Five

DAY 5 – MALTA

Today we got up at 6:00 AM which seemed very early and we were in no hurry until we realized that we had 5 minutes to get to the ABD meeting place. Today we went to Malta – well more particularly to Gozo which is a small island in the Malta archipelago. First of all we took a bus all around the Island of Malta (which is only 18 miles long) and then we got on the ferry and went over to Gozo. There we transferred to jeeps and four wheeled all over the island. The driver of our jeep was named Calypso. She had short, red streaked hair. And she drove VERY fast. She stopped at various locations on the island and we took some incredible shots.

Unfortunately today in Gozo it was VERY windy. Like really REALLY windy. There is some interesting history about the Island of Malta – it was originally founded by the Knights of St. Peter and apparently St. Peter was shipwrecked on the island. You can see the forts that they built I believe in the 17th Century and it’s like Lord of the Rings – they can all see at least one tower and when they saw bad peoples (the tour guide’s term) coming they would light the fires and the warning would be sent and then the Knights would go and defend the island. Then it was conquered by just about everybody except the US and now is pretty much just in the tourism business.

So we bounced and sped over the island until we got to the salt flats. Malta originally made salt. And at that time they called it white gold. Nowadays I think it is pretty much just a tourist destination. Next we drove to the Blue Window which is absolutely incredible and you’ll have to look at our pictures to see what we mean. The ocean is so blue and beautiful and turquoise. It was so windy that the ocean was crashing into the rocks. Made for more dramatic pictures for sure. Tom tried to get me into the ocean so that we could have some action shots but I think the only action would have been my body being smacked into the rocks. But you can see that the land has been shaped by so much wind. And there are some amazing natural sculptures as you drive by. And after the wind and the jeep my hair – should I opt to dye it black and white – looked rather like Cruella de Ville’s hair.

Then we bounced over to lunch. Did I mention that the jeep was really high and I had to literally climb into the jeep on my hands and knees? And that when I got out I had to sit down on the bumper and sort of fall out of the jeep on my rear end. Man that was so slick of me – and believe me nobody was laughing at me. Okay almost everybody was. But hey we’re on vacation!

So after that we walked down to the bay and some people stuck their feet into the Mediterranean. It was way too cold and choppy for me to do that. I’ll have to try again in Capri. Tom says that the water in our cabin is desalinated water from the Med so I am bathing in the Med every single day. If the water doesn’t get warmer and calmer than this I am going to have to go with that explanation.

So we got back into the jeep and bounced and sped back to the harbor and caught the ferry back to the mainland of Malta. Then we came back to the ship and dinner tonight was a Caribbean theme. And the food was delicious. I had a lovely grouper and shrimp dinner and Tom had a jerk seasoned steak. And the dessert was delicious. They have an option called the sweet sensations where they give you small bite sizes of the three most popular desserts. So now to bed. The swell now is running against us so the vibrations are different but I think after this day after all the wind and all the climbing in and out of the jeep we will be fine. And tomorrow – Tunis and Africa!! Oh and tonight’s towel animal is either a dinosaur or an elephant. We’ll let you be the judge. Oh, and with each towel animal at night, we also get gold chocolate mint doubloons.

Mediterranean Day Three

DAY 3 – Disney Cruise Line

We woke up this morning and had some breakfast. We encountered some really rude surgical infections doctors – every time I reached for a tong the guy would huff and sigh so of course I took three times as much stuff as I would have liked just to annoy him further. Hey, I’m not perfect. Unfortunately almost all of the food that was supposed to be hot was cold and all the stuff that was supposed to be cold was room temperature. Hopefully didn’t get a bug.

So we went by the Disney Cruise Line desk and had to fill out this ginormous questionnaire about our physical health which we said was fine and we got a blue we’ve already checked in card. So we went back up to the room and I did crossword puzzles and Tom listened to books on tape until it was time to get on the bus to go to the cruise terminal. When we got there we got to bypass every single line there was because we had already pre-registered. If you have the chance to go to a hotel pre-cruise I highly recommend it because it literally saved us an hour or two of time. We got to take a picture with Spanish Mickey Mouse and then we got on the ship.

Our room was not ready so we dumped off our carry-ons at the Adventures by Disney suite at the Suite Sea and got to see Robyn. It was so nice to see her and to dump all our cares and concerns and planning inadequacies on her. It was so nice to see her. Of course she did refer to the Rome day as the Rome Death March so you’ll have to stay tuned to find out how that turns out.

They had the sail away party at 4:30 PM. We were sitting on our balcony and it was all blue and sunny and by the time we got to Deck 9 (we are on Deck 7) it was pouring rain. So the sail away party was delayed about 15 minutes and we went to that and I danced around like an idiot and Tom stepped way back so that they couldn’t tell we were together. Just kidding. And then we went to an Adventures by Disney reception and they introduced everyone and they gave us a way awesome backpack and some daily pins.

After that we came back to the room and we spent some time on the balcony however someone in our vicinity smokes and so it was short lived until we went back into the suite and shut the door. That is so irritating. So we went to the welcome party at the Buena Vista Theater and that was very entertaining. We then went to dinner at Lumiere’s. About half way through dinner the ship just pivoted around in its space and took off the opposite way. At least I think that’s what they were saying. Anyway we had spicy calamari and blue crab and lobster chowder and seafood risotto. Do you sense a theme here? All seafood, all the time.

So we are now underway and on our way to Malta. We have a sea day tomorrow but I’m not sure what we are going to do – maybe spend some time on our smoke filled balcony. We paid for it after all. BAH!! We are still quite jet lagged so going to bed relatively early however it is 10:30 PM the only problem with late dining.

Today’s towel animal was a stingray with eyes of chocolate.

Mediterranean Day Two

DAY 2 – WE HAVE ARRIVED (May 14)

Today we woke up as we should always wake up every morning with a warm, smiling flight attendant asking us if we would like some orange juice. And then vanilla French toast and scrambled eggs and turkey sausage and fruit and bagels or croissants and coffee brought in a silver coffee urn. I looked out the window and you could see along the horizon the effects of the volcano burping but underneath us the clouds were so fluffy and white that you actually felt that you could step out of the plane and walk on them.

So we landed in Barcelona and you cannot imagine the relief that washed over us. We were here – and after all that fussing and worrying. The entire airport smelled like cotton candy. I think we need to make LAX smell like oranges – not to be outdone you know. We made it through immigration and then waited for our bags. And waited. And waited. And then 2 of our 3 showed up and we waited. And waited. Just as Tom was about to despair our last bag arrived. Outside it was pouring. If it rained that hard in Los Angeles they would have called out the national guard for a weather emergency. So we step out of the arrival area and into the warm and loving arms of Disney.

While we were waiting we ran into a couple from North Carolina who were also on our cruise and are also doing Adventures by Disney and who are staying in the same hotel before AND after our cruise. There were a lot of people on our flight who are doing a Royal Caribbean cruise. Too bad for them we have the best cruise. We’ll get the best weather and the best ocean – they can have the rain and the rough seas. Just my completely unbiased opinion. So we are driven to our hotel. The one word I have to say about the parts of Barcelona I have seen is charming. And man does this place have interesting architecture. They love the effect of buildings apparently suspended over nothing. I suspect that they do not have many earthquakes here.

So Tom and I checked in – and they upgraded us to a junior suite with a beautiful view of the beach and a very large hotel right smack in the middle of our view. And by some miracle the room was ready. And since this is a pre-hotel booked by Disney Cruise Line we were able to check in for the cruise while in the hotel so tomorrow we only have to pass by security to get onto the ship. Score!!

So we came up to the room and then went to find some lunch. The one restaurant in the hotel was reserved for some doctors’ convention on surgical infections – ewww– so we had lunch in the hotel bar. We asked the very nice server for some recommendations and we had three tapas: mushroom croquettes, vegetable tempura and Iberian ham. Iberian ham is delicious and VERY expensive. I was going to buy some but you can’t bring it back into the United States or the cheese either.

So after that we came back upstairs and took a nap. Tom said get up at 5. Sure no problem. 5 came and went and Tom got up and I snoozed and snoozed until at least 7. We went over across the street and they have the Diagonal Mar mall. You know for a country that is refreshingly cool the interiors of the buildings are SWELTERING. I swear the cotton candy airport was 100 degrees inside. So was the mall. But interestingly enough they have such region specific stores as Nine West, Toys R Us, Sanrio, Bath and Body Works. It was like walking around South Coast Plaza. They had a HUGE grocery store in the mall and so we walked through and the food looked so yummy and interesting and I would love to have bought more than water but what would we do with it but they had an entire wall covered in that Iberia ham and about 5 people to help you get some so you can see that it really is very expensive even in the grocery stores. As we were walking the hall in the mall they had a cart selling goat meat and it was right on the goat’s leg – hoof and all.

For dinner we had cheese soup (the best ever), salad with feta cheese, Tom had the Catalon stew and I had the sea bream – not my favorite fish but it was well cooked and too late I remembered that aubergines is raisins. LOL! You can tell that Barcelona is further north than Los Angeles because it gets dark very late here however while it is now 9:30 PM my body thinks it is noon and while I’m exhausted I do not feel sleepy. Hopefully we can get some sleep. Tomorrow is our first cruise day. Yay!!!!

Mediterranean Day One

DAY 1 AND DAY 1 AND DAY 1 (May 13 and May 13 and May 13)

Our May 13 began at 2:30 AM. Worry about traveling and ash clouds made it impossible for us to sleep. In an effect to spread the pain, Tom and I made poor Brett get up at an unheavenly hour to drag us to the airport. We arrived, went and sat down and crossed our fingers so hard that I was afraid they were going to fall off that we would make it on time to Atlanta to catch our flight (hopefully) to Barcelona. Boarding was supposed to start at 7:40 AM and at 7:30 AM they announce that the plane is overbooked and if your ticket does not have “confirmed” on it you might be out of luck. Our tickets did not have “confirmed” on them. So thus begins the total freak out on my part which unfortunately lasted until we were wheels up in Atlanta. Turns out that it was for people who had no seat number but a confirmed flight. We’ve had seat numbers for 6 months. Phew. They were looking for volunteers to give up their seats. Which was NOT going to be us.

Oh, and btw, for those of you with young children they have now changed the rules that you have to inform them that you are bringing a baby on board and your ticket has to say traveling with infant in arms on it. I heard that announcement like 200 times while we were waiting for the flight. Well then, just before they start boarding they say okay this plane (the one at the gate which we were assuming was our plane) was the plane that was supposed to depart at 6:20 AM and did not -- so now we are going to have to move gates. So an entire stampede of humanity rushes to the new gate and there is no plane. So we wait and wait and still no plane. And then we hear the gate attendants talking and one of them asks what happened to the plane and they said it is blocked in by an American Airlines plane and so it can’t get out to come over here. The plane had actually been at the airport for a while although couldn’t get to the proper gate due to that other plane.

So when the plane did show up it was being driven by a grounds crew man. You could tell because of his orange vest. So we ended up leaving 45 minutes late because of the time it takes to board the plane but since the plane no longer had any one it we didn’t have to wait for them to deplane first. And it reminded me of Brian Regan talking about flights because they say we are boarding Zone 1 and every zone in the boarding area rushes the gate. But they made up time in flight and we arrived in Atlanta only about 10 minutes late although the guys in front of us going to Memphis for the BBQ competition missed their flight. Well anyway we get on the plane and the plane is PACKED with people – even business class was cramped – I can only imagine what it was like in steerage.

So on with the day. The flight was uneventful and we arrived in Atlanta. I thought LAX was a busy airport. Atlanta was packed. There was not one seat available in the area for our flight. We even went into the Sky Club and there were 4 seats available in the entire club. We went in there with some rapper dudes. They spoke. I did not understand a word they said. I’m not sophisticated enough I guess. And no I don’t know who they were. So anyway we go over to the check-in and finally got onto the plane. You cannot imagine how excited we were after all that worry. And international business class is HEAVEN. They brought us food. And then they brought us more food. And then because we were hungry they brought us even more food. And then followed that with food. We had asparagus soup and seared ahi and salad and cheese and steak and potatoes and cheesecake. No kidding. And the seats were amazing – like the lounge chairs at home. And for the first time in a long, long time we were able to sleep. A little but it was nice. And thus ended our entire day spent on a plane or in airports.