May 1, 2023 — San Francisco

We wake up in time to step out on our balcony to watch us sail under the Golden Gate Bridge. The skies were calm yet menacing as we approached the city!

Okay, time to walk around and check out the sights of the city! From the docks to cable cars to views of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Then we take a Hop On, Hop Off Bus ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to a small park where there are views of the Bridge and the Bay and The City! It was cold and windy but don’t let that slow us down!

We cross back into the city on the bus and get off at Golden Gate Park. One place that is on our list. Eclectic artwork everywhere. Middle of the streets even! Chef Dog statues that we can’t explain. Walkways. Lawn displays everywhere. An enclosed Botanic Garden that is closed today. A florally painted piano that a local tourist played for me! A floral clock! And a message of love spelled out in large building blocks!

Our legs are exhausted. But we find ourselves only a few blocks from another San Fran Icon, the Haight Asbury neighborhood! So we walk on our tired legs! And we grab the Hop On Hop Off bus for a couple blocks. Famous images we have only seen in history assault our senses!

We wonder where we’ll get the energy to return to our ship. But we find the Hop On Hop Off Bus Stop and board the bus again! We tour through famous old residential neighborhoods! We finally get back to the area near the docks and get off the bus.

Now we have to decide whether to go back to the ship or not. But our internet has suggested a wine tasting store only a few blocks from the docks and it twists our arms. We trudge the few blocks and locate the store. Wow! What a find! We buy a wine tasting for a measly $10 per person and we are treated to a 5, that’s a FIVE Flight tasting! Now here’s the kicker… Wait for it! The youngest wine we taste is 10 YEARS OLD! A few were 20! Tell me you’ve gone wine tasting and had 20 plus year old wines! I’ll wait.. Anyone? I didn’t think so!

Then, on weary legs, we trudge our way back to the ship, but not until we stop at Boudin’s for some Chowder in a fresh Sourdough bread bowl!

Back to the ship on shaky legs and we board. Dinner and a glass of wine and I can’t wait to lay my weary body down! But before I do, I go back up on deck for our departure from this famous City By The Bay! Of course I have to take photos of our departure at night!

See you all tomorrow! This weary body needs to sleep!

At Sea

Today is another day of familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the ship. In the afternoon we find a Martini Making Demonstration midships! So what do you do when you are learning about martinis? Why, have a Martini of course! I had a “Midnight Sun” (with chocolate and cream) and Elee had a “I Wish I remember What this is Called!” (LOL, we don’t remember!)”. But they were interesting!

So, another Day At Sea comes to a close. Fun times!

Los Angeles

April 29, 2023 — to the docks…

We get a ride to the ship from our friend Tony. Once on board it’s time to get to know the ship. Even found an event in the center of the ship where passengers spent some time filling a stack of glasses with champagne!

The ships gets underway in the evening and we start to meet other passengers! Then we check out the show in the theatre and turn in for the night!

The trip home, Easter Sunday, Apr 9

We manage to get 6 hours of sleep in our cubicle Citizen M Hotel and we check out and walk our bags to the terminal. We were here 9 years ago on our return from South Africa, but somehow we don’t remember the vastness of Schiopol Airport! At least there were flower displays on the short walk to the terminal!

But we manage to get through security and find our Gate and Plane and all is good. Well so we thought. As we go through the line to board the plane, Elee goes through and I am right behind her. But they pull me aside due to a designation on my Boarding Pass. It seems the Italian Agent yesterday that failed to bully us into checking our carry on bags found her revenge and flagged my Pass with “SSSS” or “Selective Security Screening System”. We are convinced she did it out of spite.

But hey, when detained by Security in the Airport, the best you can do is go through with it calmly. Even the Officer inspecting my luggage and making me take off my shoes chuckles a little because we can only guess he knows the situation. So he swipes my hand, socks, belt and other parts of me with his explosives wipes and finds nothing. He wishes me well on my way and I wish him a Happy Easter!

So the Agent Lady in Italy probably assumed that we would get delayed enough that we would have to check at least one carry on bag. But the joke’s on her as we boarded the line early. We were in line with Zone 4 tickets and were right behind Zone 2 passengers! Had we waited for Zone 4 to be called, it is likely she would have won! This is also a flight tip for passengers. Always get on line at lease one Zone early as the check in personnel rarely care. Don’t jump the line too far as when they catch you very early, they’ll make you stand there and wait forever.

So we’re on the plane and the flight is uneventful and we land in LAX 30 minutes early! Our son has a day off and comes into the airport to pick us up. Another car ride of just over an hour and we are home sweet home!

To Amsterdam, Sat., Apr 8

So we wake in Rome knowing we are starting toward home today! Sort of sad yet relieved to get some rest soon! It rained heavy last night but the sun is breaking through! We check out and bring our bags to the garage that has our car. I tell them we will be back for the car in “Un Oro” (1 hour) and we go to a Pastiserie nearby for breakfast. Oh the Italian words that come in handy! We get our car and Elee wants to drive today.

We have 5-6 hours before we need to be in the airport for an evening flight to Amsterdam. We drive out to the coast near the airport and we point the car south along the coast to see what we can see for a couple hours. Some fun places and since Elee is driving, my cameras love it! We make it all the way to Anzio and stop for lunch at a seaside restaurant. My cameras revel in the idea of getting more coast and surf photos and everyone is happy!

Then we head back north, satisfied we have seen something new and we stop to take photos of storm clouds we are heading for! It is clear to us that the storm is over Rome so we are happy we didn’t stay in the city for the day! It rains on us but just for a short 15 minutes and we drive out of the storm on the other side. The skies over Rome continue to stay menacing!

We make it to the airport with plenty of time and leisurely unload the car of 3 weeks worth of travel. We leave the portable cooler we bought for the car behind as we have no way of bringing it home. We do manage to snag the two ice packs we used as they are useful everywhere. I also left a corkscrew in the room we had because we already know that TSA didn’t like them. Specifically because of the foil cutting blade that is on a corkscrew!

So we trek into the airport (and it IS a trek!) and walk and walk and walk some more! We end up in the wrong terminal and eventually we find the correct one! Getting our steps in! We check in and the attendant tries to bully us into checking our carry on bags. We insist we need them with us and she is relentless. But we know our bags are carry on compliant and she gives in.

We then head towards our gate and Elee reminds me that our boarding passes state TSA Precheck. I look at mine and it doesn’t. So I go back to the attendant and she gives me some line like one of us has to get our bags checked by security. So I think she has screwed us because we didn’t want to play her little game. We will try to get this corrected in Amsterdam as this woman in Rome doesn’t like us! And sure enough, I get flagged for a pat down Security Check. Luckily it doesn’t take but 10 minutes or so and the Guard chuckles and tells me that I was flagged at check in!

The flight is uneventful for all of 2 hours and we land in Amsterdam around 10 PM. We have a hotel at the airport that we have stayed at before. It is a bit pricey but we have 11 hours and will get to sleep 6 of them! It has a modern art designed lobby that entertains our cameras for a bit! We get a couple glasses of wine to take to our cubicle room in the Citizen M Hotel. And it IS a cubicle!

So we get some sleep before making the final trek home.