Never too old!

[PartyOfOne]

Report #38 From Egon to Yellowbird to you. Enjoy!


# 38: June 24-28 2012

When I came down to Dinner as we left Kiel, I found 3 couples and one daughter at my table - all from France and speaking no English to speak of (how's that for a statement?!). I did my best to converse with them with my somewhat sketchy knowledge of the language, but of course the usual champagne and the strawberries eased the situation considerably.

June 25: While I did my 20 laps yesterday, today the water was icy and I opted to soak in the jacuzzi. June 25: Seaday and my last piano playing with applause. Iryna, the Russian lady who is an excellent musician and plays every day on the ship but admires my playing which, since it is freer by ear and not tied to reading notes, came for a photo session. Before this I got phtographed with Cheryl, the sweet girl from South Africa, who will again wash my shirts.

June 26: Flaam - like Olden, another of those paradisical places, but unfortunately it's rainy and low clouds cover the high mountains and the many waterfalls on either side. This place, at the very end of the Sognefjord, which is Norway's longest (200 KM!), has only some 500 inhabitants but is well equipped for the tourist business (I guess in Winter they just hibernate!). Right in front of where we are parked is a modern building and one door is marked "Free WiFi" and leads to a large room with counters both sides and electrical outlets and there are some chairs. Needless to say, the room was beset by at least two dozen people (mostly, if not all, crew members of the ship), all wielding laptops or Iphones and thus the internet was excrucingly slow since the bandwith available just couldn't handle the onslaught. Nevertheless, I managed to reply to a few important emails. I then went back to the ship and had lunch (mushroom soup and a little venison stew with some rice; this at the cafeteria, where the choices are much bigger than on the restaurant menu and it was the first and surprising time that I saw "venison" , which however could as well have been labeled "beef stew" since it did not taste gamey at all. Then in the afternoon, since the rain had again stopped, I went out again and "cased the joint" as they say. There is a 20km railroad which must just be fabulous; it's the world's steepest railroad which runs from sea level to Myrdal on the Oslo-Bergen line and is famous not only for the magical scenery but also its engineering. It makes several stops enroute, such as in front of spectacular waterfalls. I waited at a railroad crossing for 20 minutes to make a video of the train as it passed, only to botch it because I didn't have the right camera setting. And so it goes. You lose. One thing is sure, traveling Norway by car or, better still, Camper, would be just phantastic and I sure licked my chops when I saw the Flaam Campground with a few dozen trailers and motorhomes in it. After all, Heidy and I "fulltimed" for 13 years in Usa, Mexico and Europe in different trailers and motorhomes and just loved it. ("Fulltiming" means giving up a residence and living in a Recreational Vehicle like a trailer (Caravan to Brits) or Motorhome (often falsely referred to as a "mobile home"). On my website you can find pictures of the various vehicles we lived and traveled in.
http//:home.cablerocket.com/~egon/index.htm .

June 26/27: A sea day with swimming, playing in the afternoon and packing. Then, in Bergen, it was a gorgeous day. We were moored at a location new to me and there was a shuttle bus which took us to the center of the city, from where I had to navigate to the McDonald's I went to last time, because I had told Ivar, a Norwegean who with friends was on a neighbouring table on Posia in March 2011, that I would be there, because he wanted to see me. He did come, we had a nice chat and he then accompanied me back to the shuttle bus some distance away, about 2pm. He is a taxi driver in Bergen, has a wife (whom I met on Poesia) and three kids and is a nice guy. Bergen in bright and warm sunshine, vibrant with hundreds of people strolling along nice wide shopping streets and plazas and with musicians here and there, if not hoping to become famous, at least to make some money. Back at my cabin, the three shirts Cheryl washed (and even ironed!) for me were delivered on hangers and I folded them as artfully as i could and essentially did all the packing except for the two suits which I'll put in tomorrow morning so that hey don't get creased more than a suitcase busting at its seams would already inflict. June 28, Scavanger! Last night I said my good byes, some of which were quite emotional, especially with Elide and Vincento from the Trio Napoli with whom I had been befriended since Poesia. They gave me one of their CD's which however I cannot play at this time since my netbook is not equipped for it. And then of course there was Cheryl, who is a close friend of Mandy, concierge on Opera and also my good friend. Both of them are from South Africa. Although Opera was parked in front of Magnifica when I made the move together with my room steward who had all the luggage on a buggy, to get to Opera required a big detour because of a lot of construction at the pier and the poor guy had to push the thing all the way (of course I rewarded him). And then, a big welcome by Mandy and a few employees who knew me and after the embarkment formalities I went to my cabin # 8142 which is a nice one for handicaps and I am very happy with it. Imagine, Mandy had already arranged that I'll have free laundry which was decreed by the Hotel Manager Angelo with whom I was befriended on Poesia; I saw his wife (I guess), Melanie several times on Magnifica - she also moved to Opera today. It certainly shows that it is important to know the right people! When I went for lunch to the restaurant, I had three surprises: you can have simply ice water (free), the cheese I had in place of dessert came with crackers and you could have coffee or tea afterwards also for free - none of these perks were on either Poesia in Europe, Melody, Musica or Magnifica. I want to find out why this is so.

--

http://home.cablerocket.com/~egon/index.htm



With Cheryl on Magifica June 25 2012



With Iryna on Magniica June 25 2012

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Egon's report posted by...

[nonna5]

Sounds like the Opera is going to be a much better ship for Egon.

So glad to hear it.

[3dogsrule]

Yea for Egon! Definitely sounds like he's moving up.

(Pat, is Sugar still scheduled for surgery Tuesday?)

[PartyOfOne]

Sorry about the small size of the photos.

Here's what I meant to post.


With Cheryl on Magnifica June 25 2012



With Iryna on Magnifica June 25 2012

[yellowbird23]

Originally Posted by 3dogsrule

Yea for Egon! Definitely sounds like he's moving up.

(Pat, is Sugar still scheduled for surgery Tuesday?)

Hi Karen...Yes, she is. Have to have her there by 8 a.m. Should give her lots of relief. They want a urine sample! Hmmm! How the heck do I do that?

[3dogsrule]

LOL Pat, yeah that's not going to be easy with a tiny little female like she is!! It's a whole lot easier with a male; I get samples from one of my boys so often, that he'll actually shift hiked legs so that he will hit the cup! Good luck!!

Karen

[Talisker92]

Someone recently that he bag MSC totally and try Princess. I know MSC is cheap, but you get nickle and dimed to death.

[quickrate]

Originally Posted by yellowbird23

I already asked him about the perk. No reply as of yet.

Pat, could you please advise Egon that after finishing a round of antibiotics, he should eat yogurt with live cultures as the antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria that protects us from catching things. Right now, his immune system is compromised. Doctors don't think to tell people this when prescribing antibiotics.
pat

[yellowbird23]

Originally Posted by quickrate

Pat, could you please advise Egon that after finishing a round of antibiotics, he should eat yogurt with live cultures as the antibiotics not only kill the bad bacteria but also the good bacteria that protects us from catching things. Right now, his immune system is compromised. Doctors don't think to tell people this when prescribing antibiotics.
pat

I will do that. I never knew this myself. I will send it now to him.
Thanks.

[quickrate]

Originally Posted by yellowbird23

I will do that. I never knew this myself. I will send it now to him.
Thanks.

People always wonder why after they are sick and take antibiotics, they keep having illness after illness and this is one of the main reasons why. thank you so much for keeping this thread going. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and admire Eagon greatly.
Pat

[yellowbird23]

Originally Posted by quickrate

People always wonder why after they are sick and take antibiotics, they keep having illness after illness and this is one of the main reasons why. thank you so much for keeping this thread going. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and admire Eagon greatly.
Pat

Your very welcome, but I have to give credit to Doug in the past few months with helping me out. We're all here for the same reason. I just wonder what he is planning next.

[PartyOfOne]

Report #39 From Egon to Yellowbird to you. Enjoy!

# 39: June 28-July 26 2012

I spent a bit of time reconnoitering and like what I have seen so far. Since the ship is smaller than Magnifica, everything is more compact and the colour schemes seem to me to be brighter which makes for a cheerful environment. At the Dining table I have three English couples whose names I don't know as yet. The champagne came too late to have had at my first evening at that table and so we'll have it tonight; we did however share the strawberries.

June 29, Flaam: Of course I had been here only a week ago, found myself again at the free WiFi room where after a while, when all the people from two cruiseships had descended, it was no longer workable and I gave up. Went back to the ship for a small lunch and after a while in my cabin went out again to try and catch that train as it passed which I had missed before and did. More driving around, experimenting with the camera on video setting mounted pretty loosely at the steering column and recording what I saw as I drove along - the results were mixed, because the camera didn't hold it's posiiton and I wound up holding it myself as I drove. Picked a few Margheritas en route and presented them to one of the girls at the Reception desk.

June 30, Bergen and it was raining. I drove, well covered with that plastic rain cape, to "my" McD's but there was quite a bit of trouble with the Internet Server and whatever I did required a lot of time and patience. Because of a health issue which requires being checked, my deceased cousin's wife Sylvia in Southampton made an appointment for me at the local hospital to see a specialist there. This was already several days ago and required my getting a referral by the ship's doctor and this to be faxed to the hospital. My dear friend Mandy, the Concierge on Opera, was instrumental in organizing this, but there has been a lot of back and forth because the Fax number did not work and another number didn't respond and several people have been involved in getting the requirements of the appointment to be met. Of course this is over Saturday/Sunday with probably only a skeleton staff at the hospital office. At this time I am still not sure of anything, but will turn up on July 2 at Sylvia's house, with a copy of referral, and she'll drive me to the hospital. As I said before, there is never a dull moment. This was a Gala evening and there was the usual cocktail party "for repeaters and honeymooners" which I attended and where I met more staff and officers who knew me, including Giacomo Romano, the Captain whom I knew on Poesia and who came to greet me. Afterwards, like the night before, I went to the piano bar, where Lumi, a pretty girl from Rumania, sings Karaoke style and where I played the piano in between for a while. June 2, at sea. Was invited for lunch with the captain, first officer and the hotel manager, also another English couple and a lady from South Africa - very nice and amicable. In the afternoon I played in the Plazza Spagna where there were only a few but enthusiastic listeners.

July 2, Southampton. Dear friends, firstly, thank you all for your abiding friendship and for suffering my musings! Very important though is the renewal of my plea to those who keep on sending me "stuff" - forwards whatever merit they may have - I just cannot handle them any more. So please: Cease and desist! Personal messages are of course always appreciated and welcome.

Sylvia had made a temporary appointment with Mr. Cumming *) at the Spire Southampton hospital for 10.30am on June 2. *) In England, there is a "Dr" title for a GP, a "Professor" for a teaching physician and a "Mr" for a specialist, which is indeed very confusing, but I have enco****ered this before on a British sitcom and only today got these facts.

It was very complicated arranging for a consultation with the urologist Mr. Cumming, which required a referral from the ship's doctor to be sent by Fax - anyway, it involved many people here on board, several failed tries because it was over a weekend with the hospital's offices partially closed - anyway, it eventually worked out OK. After a taxi ride (including scooter, because it was miles from the ship down and to the taxi stand), Sylvia took me to the hospital, where I had to go through a lengthy registration and arrangement per creditcard because they don't actually have any dealings with IMG, my insurance company, to whom I'll have to send a claim. Because they already had been informed of the limited time available to me they really bent over backwards to fit me in for a) consultation with Mr. Cumming, MB, ChM, FRCSEd, Consultant Urologist, b) blood test and c) CT Scan of bladder and kidneys. All of these were done by almost one pm and Mr. Cumming then gave me the initial, but inconplete results (the urinalysis from the specimen I had brought along as well as the blood analysis take a few days) and this is it:

On my bladder there is a mass at the entrance of the right kidney which may be cancerous and must be removed to prevent mor serious complications.

To make it short: I am leaving the ship when it gets back to S'h on July 10 for one cruise and stay with Sylvia who so graciously offered to put me up until the 18th, when I (hopefully) will return to the ship until I disembark again in S'hampton on the 26th, when I am booked until August 1 at the Banister House B&B, after that I'll embark the Carribean Princess until I get to NY Sep 8 and fly to Subury. All of this is connected to a BIG IF: On Friday the 13th (are you supersticious?) I'll be operated on to remove and analyze the bladder obstruction. I'll stay overnight (or longer if necessary) at the hospital for observation and then should rest for at least a week or longer which of course I can do on the ship. Pending on the results and further consultation, there is a chance that I'll have to break off any further cruising (losing all payments to Princess) and return to Canada IF I decide to have a malignancy treated (either chemo or radiation) or, in view of my age, just ride it out to the end. Time will tell.

From July 10 to at least the 19th of July you will not hear from me but as soon as I can, I'll tell you of the outcome and further developments.

On the positive side is the fact (I think through the intervention of the captain/friend Giacomo Romano) but implemented by my even greater friend, the hotel manager Angelo, that I have been granted three hours per day free WiFi on the ship. This is of course via satellite, often slow and sporadic and at times unavailable because of the ship's route, but it sure is great and the first perk (other than those of the MSC Club) I've received (never had any shipboard credit, for instance).
　
--

http://home.cablerocket.com/~egon/index.htm



Flaam


Flaam (4)


Lunch with Captain Romano Juluy 1 2012
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

[3dogsrule]

Oh, my. Well, sounds like we all need to start praying, sending positive vibes, good mojo or whatever you believe in, for Egon that his mass will be negative and this is but a speed bump on his adventure. I hope he finds a way to keep us posted.

[yellowbird23]

Originally Posted by 3dogsrule

Oh, my. Well, sounds like we all need to start praying, sending positive vibes, good mojo or whatever you believe in, for Egon that his mass will be negative and this is but a speed bump on his adventure. I hope he finds a way to keep us posted.

Ditto! If he can't, Steve, his son sure will keep us informed.

[bjbear]

Originally Posted by 3dogsrule

Oh, my. Well, sounds like we all need to start praying, sending positive vibes, good mojo or whatever you believe in, for Egon that his mass will be negative and this is but a speed bump on his adventure. I hope he finds a way to keep us posted.

Karen, you're right, we will all do that. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer, optimism, whatever you call it! I just refuse to believe that it won't be negative and that he can continue his travels.

Sue

[PartyOfOne]

That was very unsettling news in Egon's last report. I'll definitely be praying for the best results possible. I'm glad he's willing to do whatever is necessary to take care of himself. Good Luck Egon.

[Babsjo]

Hi all
I have been following Egon's thread from the very beginning and was surprised and saddened by his news.
Lots of prayers and thoughts are going his way and I hope that the news is positive.

Barbara

[wishful thinking]

My thoughts and prayers are with Egon also. Be well Egon.

[yellowbird23]

Got this from Egon today:

Patty - I'll return to Canada rather than having the operation here. You'll get to know more. Love - Egon
On Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 2:40 PM, Pat Roos

[3dogsrule]

Well, I guess that might be best for Egon to return to Canada, but gosh, that'll be a pretty good plane journey for him, won't it? Wonder what he'll do with all of his stuff and his scooter. Thanks for passing the info along, Pat, hope to hear more soon.

Also, Pat, did Sugar have her surgery? Been worried about her too.

Karen