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Musicus

By Musicus,
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maryann2

maryann2

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Genoa: And of course now, that one has to buy bottles of Mineral Water instead of getting free water at the table, the Vouchers for that which I had been promised, didn't materialize.

 

It seems that in Europe there is no longer any free water at the table.

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cutecat

cutecat

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I just stumbled onto the 55+ Forum and my head is reeling after having read all the postings since sometime in 2005! You all may be interested in reading the letter I recently emailed to my many cyberfriends in Canada, the US and in Europe and if you have questions, don't hesitate!

 

Musicus

 

Dear friends,

 

come the middle of September, you’ll not get any more forwardings from me and I’ll ask you to take me off your mailing list, if I happen to be on it. From that time onwards and for at least one entire year, my internet access will be severely restricted, although I hope to stay in touch with many friends on a personal level.

 

But let me explain…

 

Having outlived my wife, many close friends and. with exception of my son, all my family, I’ve reached the age where assisted living with its amenities looms large. I visited several such facilities but despite comfortable lodgings, the often quite pleasant surroundings exude a depressing “Waiting for God” feeling for me when I see some of the residents. I think that I am not ready for this- yet.

 

After my thoroughly enjoyable 14-day Panama Canal cruise over Christmas/New Years (my second cruise experience), I began to think of cruise ships as a viable alternative.

A comfortable room with all amenities, from Satellite TV,

air conditioning to private bath (and no more making the bed each morning, cleaning room and bath, changing linen); a choice of restaurants with fabulous menus (goodbye TV Dinners or having to cook and then eat alone); nightly Broadway Class entertainment in a luxurious theater (beats lousy TV fare); swimming pools, jaccuzzis, well equipped gym and a medical facility complete with doctor and nurse - all a short walk away; a well stocked library and lectures, a casino, bars and interesting people to meet - and to top it all off, travel to places you would never have seen otherwise -- all in all, what more could you want?

 

For many months I have been working on a plan to spend one year on a cruise ship, which entailed arduous computer research covering cruise lines, their ships and itineraries (which often were hard to find for more than a few months) and finally, costs!

 

To my chagrin I discovered that I would be faced with a single supplement varying between 50% and 100% of the double occupancy rate, which is the industry’s standard and I knew then that I would have to stretch my budget limitation by at least $10,000 to get anywhere near to my goal.

 

I am happy to report that I finally succeeded in finding the right Line, ship, itinerary and price (which however will mean that I’ll spend more of my son’s inheritance …) and I will leave on MSC's "Poesia"

October 9 at Quebec City, returning to there October 15, 2011.

Oh yes, I forgot to tell you: I was born February 9, 1917.

 

Attached is my itinerary. It certainly would be nice if some of you would decide to take one or two of the cruise legs and we would see each other! And should you be alone, don’t forget that my stateroom has twin beds! Sharing the stateroom with me will save you a lot of money and if I am lucky and you are female, be assured that I will be on my best gentlemanly behavior!

 

Ahoy!

 

Egon

 

MY ITINERARY ON MSC “POESIA” 2010/2011

004 Saturday Oct. 9 – Sat. 16 - 7 Quebec, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Bar Harbor, Maine, Boston, MA, Newport, R.I., New York

P005 Saturday Oct. 16 – Sat.23, 2010 - 7 New York, Hallifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, Quebec

P006 Sat. Oct.23 - Nov 1, 2010 - 7 Quebec, Sydney, Boston, Newport, New York, Fort Everglades

PO07 Mon, Nov 01, Thu, Nov 11, 10 Port Everglades, Cozumel, Puerto Limon, Cristobal, Cartagena, Montego Bay, Port Everglades

PO08 Thu, Nov 11, 2010 Sun, Nov 14, 2010 3 Port Everglades, Coco Bay, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO09 Sun, Nov 14, 2010 Sun, Nov 21, 2010 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO10 Sun, Nov 21, 2010 Sun, Nov 28, 2010 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, Cozumel, Port Everglades

PO11 Sun, Nov 28, Sun, Dec 05, 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades Cozumel, Port Everglade

P012 Sun. Dec 5, 2010 - Sun. Dec 12, 2010 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown,,Cosumel, Port Everglades

PO13 Sun, Dec 12, 2010 Sun, Dec 19, 2010 7 Port Everglades, Philipsburg, Charlotte Amalie, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO14 Sun, Dec 19, 2010 Sun, Dec 26, 2010 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, Cozumel, Port Everglades

PO15 Sun, Dec 26, 2010 Sun, Jan 02, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO16 Sunday, Jan. 2nd – Tuesday Jan. 4th, 2010 – Fort Lauderdale, Nassau, Fort Lauderdale

JAN 4 - 9 CHARTER

PO18 Sun, Jan 09, 2011 Sun, Jan 16, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO19 Sun, Jan 16, 2011 Sun, Jan 23, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, Sunday,

PO20 Sun, Jan 23, 2011 Sun, Jan 30, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO21 Sun, Jan 30, 2011 Sun, Feb 06, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, Cozumel, Port Everglades

PO22 Sun, Feb 06, 2011 Sun, Feb 13, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO23 Sun, Feb 13, 2011 Sun, Feb 20, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, Cozumel, Port Everglades

PO24 Sun, Feb 20, 2011 Sun, Feb 27, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, Nassau, Port Everglades

PO25 Sun, Feb 27, 2011 Sun, Mar 06, 2011 7 Port Everglades, Key West, Ocho Rios, Georgetown, Cozumel, Port Everglades

PO26 Sun, Mar 06, Wed, Mar 23, 17 Port Everglades, San Juan, St. John's, Castries, Funchal, Malaga , Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO27 Wed, Mar 23, 2011 Thu, Mar 31, 2011 8 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO28 Thu, Mar 31, 2011 Fri, Apr 08, 2011 8 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO29 Fri, Apr 08, 2011 Sat, Apr 16, 2011 8 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO30 Sat, Apr 16, 2011 Sun, Apr 24, 2011 8 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO31 Sun, Apr 24, 2011 Mon, May 02, 2011 8 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO32 Mon, May 02, 2011 Tue, May 10, 2011 8 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa

PO33 Tue, May 10, 2011 Fri, May 20, 2011 10 Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Vigo, Southampton, Zeebrugge, Kiel

PO34 Fri, May 20, 2011 Mon, May 23, 2011 3 Kiel, Oslo, Copenhagen, Kiel

PO35 Mon, May 23, 2011 Fri, Jun 03, 2011 11 Kiel, Bergen, Tórshavn, Akureyri, Isafjordur, Reykjavík, Lerwick, Kiel

PO36 Fri, Jun 03, 2011 Tue, Jun 14, 11 Kiel, Copenhagen, Trondeim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Hellesylt & Geiranger, Bergen, Kiel

PO37 Tue, Jun 14, 2011 Sat, Jun 25, 11 Kiel, Copenhagen, Trondeim, Honningsvag, Tromso, Hellesylt & Geiranger, Bergen, Kiel

PO38 Sat, Jun 25, 2011 Sat, Jul 02, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Olden, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Kiel

PO39 Sat, Jul 02, 2011 Sat, Jul 09, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Kiel

PO40 Sat, Jul 09, 2011 Sat, Jul 16, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Olden, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Kiel

PO41 Sat, Jul 16, 2011 Sat, Jul 23, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Kiel

PO42 Sat, Jul 23, 2011 Sat, Jul 30, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Olden, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Kiel

PO43 Sat, Jul 30, 2011 Sat, Aug 06, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Kiel

PO44 Sat, Aug 06, 2011 Sat, Aug 13, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Olden, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Kiel

PO45 Sat, Aug 13, 2011 Sat, Aug 20, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Kiel

PO46 Sat, Aug 20, 2011 Sat, Aug 27, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Olden, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Kiel

PO47 Sat, Aug 27, 2011 Sat, Sep 03, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallin, St. Petersburg, Kiel

PO48 Sat, Sep 03, 2011 Sat, Sep 10, 2011 7 Kiel, Copenhagen, Olden, Bergen, Kristiansand, Oslo, Kiel

PO01 Sat, Sep 10, 2011 Wed, Sep 28, 2011 18 Kiel, Copenhagen, Zeebrugge, Southampton, Vigo, Lisbon, Ponta Delgada, King's Wharf, New York City

PO02 Wed, Sep 28, 2011 Sat, Oct 08, 2011 10 New York City, Sydney, Charlottetown, Quebec, Halifax, Newport, New York City PO03 Sat, Oct 08, 2011 Sat, Oct 15, 2011 7 New York City, Halifax, Sydney, Charlottetown, Quebec

Hi Egon - hats off to you ! Great to hear that you found what you needed - I like MSC a lot too. In fact I will be on the Poesia 10 May 2011 from Genoa until Southampton. Hope to find you on there and have a chat ...how would we arrange this ? I guess it would be easy...just ask the staff which of their passegers is on for a whole year haha...

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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Hi Egon - hats off to you ! Great to hear that you found what you needed - I like MSC a lot too. In fact I will be on the Poesia 10 May 2011 from Genoa until Southampton. Hope to find you on there and have a chat ...how would we arrange this ? I guess it would be easy...just ask the staff which of their passegers is on for a whole year haha...

As stated before, he also plays the piano for guests in the atrium from 4 to around 5 p.m. Just look for a white haired gentleman with a beard on a scooter. Have a great cruise

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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#44 Mar 26-31, 2011

Thank God he has his scooter!!!

 

Cadiz: I finally find the Cathedral, in front of which is a restaurant with WiFi. It's very busy this Saturday morning - besides the many Tourists there are equally many Spaniards und there seem to be preparations for a Fiesta: They are building a Tribune and there is a Sound Truck present. After a while I am joined by Rosalia, the singer with the Elite Band playing in the Pigalle Lounge and who knows me; she too has a netbook and invites me for a capuccino. Eventually I leave to find the ferreteria (hardware store) I am told is in one of the narrow alleys and while he has the right bolts such as I have lost on the scooter (they tend to loosen through the travel bumps and vibrations), the ones he has have a head which requires either a socket or small monkey wrench to turn. I wind up getting 6 of these and have replaced the original ones under the seat and the backrest at the store with his tools - so now I have some spares which I can put with the Allan wrench supplied with the scooter. I discover that someone has unfortunately swiped my Canadian flag which I had on a little pole behind the backrest of the scooter and I have no replacement. I figured this would happen eventually. On the way back to the ship I pass a secluded little square with palm trees where I sit on a bench and have the sandwich I made this morning at breakfast and a yoghurt. Back in my nest at 1.30pm.

After Dinner I visit Angelica who is leaving on the 31. in Genoa for 3 weeks. She is obviously very much in need of a change and a rest from what now seems to be a less than enjoyable nightly performance with lots of people, many with kids, having loud conversations and fun so that her music just serves as background noise and is wasted. She tells me that she will be replaced "by a 63 year old woman" during her absence.

Mar 27 Lisbon. We dock at Alcantara, a few KM away from the center of town. It's rainy and pretty cool. After some time I find a road along the inlet which has one restaurant after another. It's Sunday around 10.30 and they all set up tables outside - I am told families come to eat here around 1pm. I finally find a restaurant "Don Pomodoro" where I am told that I can have WiFi and I settle in with a Capuccino at a table against the building and sheltered from rain. I get back to the ship around 1.30 and meet Loretta who is as always sweet and very affectionate. She is also leaving in Genoa an may not return to Poesia. Too bad. I am giving her a CD and tell her that I'll look for her in my next life if we don't see each other again in this.

March 28: I discover that we arrive in Alicante tomorrow only at 1pm and my appointment with the surgeon is at 11.45. Allan, the new Passanger Relations officer replacing Alessandro, is most helpful and phones the hospital and is advised that the doctor sees his last patient at 12.30pm. Now Allan will phone tomorrow morning, talk with the surgeon and see whether he would be able to see me about 1.45 pm. Allan is really a very nice guy and I am most grateful for the help offered.

Gibraltar: We only arrive at 2.30pm. After a long Scooter-Trip into town I settle down for a coupkle of hours in a WiFi-Restaurant and afterwards drive around. I had stopped at Barclay's Bank, thinking of buying some British Pounds but am advised that while the Gibraltar Pounds have the same value as the UK ones, they are not accepted in England. So I don't buy any, especially since Euros are readily accepted here. Back to the ship towards evening.

Years ago, when we spent one of two Winters in Mojacar, Heidy and I came to Gibraltar on an extensive tour.

Alicante: The ship gets in earlier s expected, I am the first off it, take a taxi and make it to the hospital in time to see the surgeon - actually at about 1.10 only. An older man, speaks no English (or at least doesn't let on) and I stumble over all the information he requires in my limited Spanish. I have to take off my shoes, socks and pants and he examines my circlation per stetoscope at various body points, after having inspected the wound. He is very thorough, doesn't talk much except for instructions to the nurse who proceeds to treat and cover the wound and then starts a long elastic bandage which eventually covers my leg from underneath the heel to below the knee.

Later I sit opposite him while he writes out instructions, we talk a little about them and about my year on Poesia and while he seems rather "remote", I actually elicit a smile from him which I find gratifying. Anyway, lack of good circulation seems to be a major problem and the Daflon tablets he prescribes, as well as the bandaging, point to internal varicose veins. He says that if it hasn't healed in a month, to see him again and once more it's a matter of crossing my fingers. Now, since I am wearing the bandage, I have more pain than before, but I think in a different place than where the wound is. Tomorrow afternoon I'll have them do the new daily routine at the Medical Center.

At the hospital cafeteria I stupidly order a Paella, of which I can eat only a quarter and it also comes with a salad. To drink, I request a glass of milk, which arrives piping hot, with a small sugar bag on the side. Amazing. But I have WiFi and can do my thing.

Barcelona: I decided that rather than taking the shuttle bus into town, I'll drive it - I estimate 2-3 KM, since I have a good sense of orientation and pretty much remember the way. It is of course always a bit of a challenge, because I am on sidewalks with lots of people, have to watch out for holes etc and ramps whenever I must cross streets. But I make it, and down the entire Ave.La Rambla in the eternal search for WiFi while looking at the scenery, also in some side alleys of the Old Town. In a huge Book Shop on two floors I buy a dictionary for Spanish while in another bookstore they only had one for Catalan, spoken here generally, which is a separate language by all accounts. Hoping to find McDonalds, where I know I can get internet but don't succeed. However, in front of a hotel I hit pay dirt for a little while and reply to some emails before winding (literally!) my long way back, because we have to be on board by 12.30 and I want to provide for the possibility that the battery empties enroute and there is delay in my return. But once again, I am astounded and very pleased with its performance as it still shows good charge when I reach the ship. I am bushed and lie down for a bit before soup in the cafeteria. I see in the program that I play today at 5 - guess it is considered a "sea day" because we leave at 1pm.

 

--

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited by yellowbird23
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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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It's so wonderful to hear about Egon's adventures. Thanks Pat for posting this. He sure has a great outlook, and great stamina.

You are quite welcome. I enjoy doing this for him. As for the stamina, I wish I had half of what he has and at age 64 I'm old enough to be his daughter! He also has much more trust in that scooter than I would have venturing out as he is doing.

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cherylroslyn

cherylroslyn

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You are quite welcome. I enjoy doing this for him. As for the stamina, I wish I had half of what he has and at age 64 I'm old enough to be his daughter! He also has much more trust in that scooter than I would have venturing out as he is doing.

I always think of that when I read the posts...I was especially nevous in Mexico....my fear is that he gets fo far out and can't return to the ship without someone pushing him.....

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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We are again in Genoa. The chaos is worse than ever, since prtactically all passengers leave the ship here, as well as at least 50% of the upper personel; the passengers and the personel are replaced and we are dealing with about 300- people! So it takes me a long while until I also can get ashore and another long while until I find the right way to the old town with its narrow and somewhat romantic alleys and hidden little piazzas. I look in vain for that small travel office run by a Pakistani, but then, much further on, hit "pay dirt" when I find a usable signal in front of a church and can read and answer many emails. And then I see a barbershop and have my hair cut by a man from Morocco; he does a good job but charges me an outlandish 20 Euros, which I pay and later in the day I chastise myself for not even have protested - meek as milquetoast! But I know where this comes from: it's the vestige of my years in Germany under the ****s when, as a half-Aryan, I was subjected to a great deal of demeanings and became very submisive. Part of my luggage.

Back to the ship and in the evening I sit again at my old table # 691, flanked by four ladies from France, Germany, Austria and England (but originally Russian) and she, Natascha sits sccross from me and somehow we have instant rapport. Champagne and Strawberries are greeted with glee and demand explanation which I give in three languages; I again am thinking for issuing a printed paper to pass around for the many occasions ahead of me.

After Dinner, Natascha and I sit in the Wine Bar, where Ireni replaces Angelica at the piano, plays very well but emotionless from notes. Natascha is very smart - a system computer analyst or something like it and she talks freely of her life; she has lived in England for19 years, as has her mother who lives in the same village and in many ways is controlling her life. Natascha is also very attractive and very lively; of course I am smitten, but then 44:94 is no viable equasion and that is the way things are these days, ****** notwithstanding.

Ahead are five identical voyages: Genoa, Malaga, Cadiz, Lisboa, Gibraltar, Alicante, Barcelona, Genoa. Five Passenger exchanges, five new tablemates, five bottles of Moet&Chandon and 50 chocolate-covered strawberries.

April 1 - Sea Day, I play with lots of applause. Gala Evening, Natascha doesn't feel well and disappears from the Dinner Table. I call her later and we have a long talk, but this is no place for it. I look in on the cocktail party at 9.15 pm, have half heartedly half a mnartini and then go to bed

April 2 - Malaga. Once again a long scooter trip to town - we are docked far away this time. From where I know McDonalds is I drive about 1 km to Calle Cervantes where I have found out the Canadian Consulate is and where I hope to find a couple of the small CDN flags they hand out to kids to wave on Canada Day, (mine was stolen) but when I finally find it on the first ffloor of a fancy building with ramps all the way up, it is only open until 1pm and I had the info that it is open also in the afternoon from 2-4 on weekdays. So back to McDonalds for WiFi - it's terribly crowded and noisy, but here you are with another diary page and fond greetings to all!

 

 

 

 

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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Egon should be in Alicante today. Should expect another update on his leg hopefully, as well as his journey. Got an e-mail from him personally and he seems to be in good spirits. Hopefully, the doc will give him good news. Will inform everyone else as soon as I get the update. You all have a good day.

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Okie1946

Okie1946

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Hoping for good news on Egon's leg. Thank you for keeping us all updated. It seems that his spirits are improving as well.

 

Just hope that he continues to enjoy himself and the adventures, that is what is most important.

Edited by Okie1946
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woodboat

woodboat

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... I am sitting on my scooter in front of McDonalds in the middle of the city (Barcelona) -they open only at 10 and it's only 9.30, but their free WiFi is working and I came a long way to get it! So now I do my thing and have many emails to deal with, plus Facebook where people write on my wall and I really can't be bothered with all that as well.

 

Yes, I abandoned the elastic bandage altogether - I just don't think it is of any healing value and really a bloody nuisance. I now go to the medical centern only every second day for wound cleaning and dressin; it's very difficult to say whether this is actually healing or not since the progress is so slow and it's really inside, where you cannot see it, where the healing must occur first. But I've been told time and again that this takes a long time. Meantime there are no pains to speak of, except if I accidentally bump the spot. Oh well. ...

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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... I am sitting on my scooter in front of McDonalds in the middle of the city (Barcelona) -they open only at 10 and it's only 9.30, but their free WiFi is working and I came a long way to get it! So now I do my thing and have many emails to deal with, plus Facebook where people write on my wall and I really can't be bothered with all that as well.

 

Yes, I abandoned the elastic bandage altogether - I just don't think it is of any healing value and really a bloody nuisance. I now go to the medical centern only every second day for wound cleaning and dressin; it's very difficult to say whether this is actually healing or not since the progress is so slow and it's really inside, where you cannot see it, where the healing must occur first. But I've been told time and again that this takes a long time. Meantime there are no pains to speak of, except if I accidentally bump the spot. Oh well. ...

Thanks Steve. Much appreciated!

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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This is a great travel log......I hope he keeps improving with his leg...and that one day soon he will get a few PERKS from the ship....please keep the reviews comming....thanks.....

 

jus' me....jim....the velvet teddy bear.....:cool:

Thanks Jim! Waiting patiently like everyone else, especially for this next one. It could be that he has been just too busy meandering around on his scooter to send one. Hope that is the case! :)

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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Guess we won't be going on any vacation any time soon. Just picked up income tax and wrote a check for $6,000 and found out husband is about to lose his job and the new guy starts Monday in his place for double what my husband was being paid. Oh well....could be worse I guess. Life goes on!!!:)

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yellowbird23

yellowbird23

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I am sitting in an outside restaurant under an umbrella in front of the cathedral in Cadiz, it's a pretty cool and rainy day. I had a warming capuccino and WiFi and just was able not only to reply to various emails but also Skype-phone

to a bank in Toronto - for once it worked perfectly, quite amazing really. But I am getting cold sitting here and can't go inside- no room. So - back to the ship, through the narrow Lanes to the main road along the harbor front.

April 4, Lisbon. A beautiful and warm day - sat in "my" ouutdoor restaurant for a couple of hours, then drove around and made quite a few photos, only to accidentally erase all of them when I am back in my cabin - stupido! Oh well, I'll be back in 8 days ...

April 5: On the way to Gibraltar, we encounter winds of up to 106 KM/HR and very agitated seas. An announcement has been made advising to stay indoors and use the handrails since the ship lurches quite a bit. But in a couple of hours we'll be in the Strait ofGibraltar and c almer waters.

Wrong. The high winds and rough seas continue unabated and it was just announced that we will not dock at Gibraltar because of the inclement weather, but continue on to Alicante, where we'll arrive in the morning rather than the afternoon as originally provided for. Big diappointment for the people on this cruise.

April 6: a beautiful, but cool day in Alicante, where I set off with my scooter only to realize too late that I forgot my wallet; so I continue to where the free shttle stops, take it back to the ship, and then back to the city. Getting old, after all, but chastise myself for forgetting. I finally find the post office I am told is in a certain street and mail the letter and claim to the insurance company in the States, about the various leg treatments and am again glad that I took my printer which enabled me to send a letter as well. Because medical insurance at my age turned out prohibitive in cost, always denied pre-existing conditions and always had limits of between 2 and 5 million dollars which I don't need, I had decided to find a company that sold me an accident insurance policy for a limit of only

$ 10,000 which also included possible evacuation from the ship. So my leg situation, which is still ongoing, should be covered, being the result of my scooter accident, even though it happened some 5 months ago. My "nose job" which cost over $800 is not covered and I am going to try and get at least a small amount back from the BC Medical Insurance.

For a long time I sat on a bench in an amazing park between two main roads, lined with huge old trees. I was blessed with WiFi and could do my tasks. For lunch I had a banana and a yogurt which I had brought from the ship, later drove around on the road through another park and this was lined with lots of stalls, all seemingly selling the same types of souvenirs. Residents of the city sat in the sun all around on collapsible chairs visiting - all very laid back. Got back to the ship about 2pm - tonight is Gala night again, so it's showering and changing into duds (but to impress whom?) By the way, on the US side there was always lobster on the menu this night; here it is Jumbo Shrimps, complete with head, body and lots of legs, troublesome and messy to get to the meat, but g o o d!

April 7: Barcelona. It's a long way to Av. La Rambla, but it's well provided for wheelchairs etc and all street crossings have ramps. Eventually I found Calle Ferran, on the corner of which is a McDonalds. It was still closed, but I had their free WiFi as I sat on the Scooter in front of their door. At about 9.45 am they opened; it's small inside, but there are two floors above and there is an elevator which is always operated by one of the employees since they had so much trouble with kids. For a couple of hours I sat comfortably at a table on the second floor and was the only one there - just great! And I didn't even buy anything since it was so early and I had a banana with me. But because we had to be back on the ship by 12.30 as we'll be leaving at 1pm and it would take at least 25 minutes over the big bridge, I left shortly after 11.

When I re-entered the Terminal building, I met Loretta (Immigrations-Officer on the Poesia) who is leaving tomorrow for a three month' holiday and again invited me to come along and stay in her apartment with her, of course also meet her family, and return to the ship in 8 days when it is again in Genova. Even though this is a bit complicated for me to achieve - I'll have to officially dis- and re-embark, make arrangements with the medical Center so that I can do my own leg dressing and various other things to be set up. On the other hand, I feel that I just cannot pass this up, despite the fact that to get to Padova, where she lives, will take at least 6 hours by train (change in Milano). So that's it. A sidetrip and possible adventure I may report on in detail (or not).

I said good bye to my table, but Natasha wasn't there. Helga, from Vienna, really gave me the pips- she had a loud and high voice and talked like a machine gun (with seemingly unending ammunition to boot). Natasha I saw when I brought the rest of my mineral water to her cabin and knocked. As I said -and this is boring by now - if only I could be 30 years younger!

April 8: Genoa. Lots of disembarking. Had a coffee with Anna, whom I not only like but also admire very much. She handles a multitude of tasks with aplomb and ease and despite the pretty much constant pressure, manages to always be smiling and welcomes me warmly. A truly nice person and personality.

I then saw Loretta, who is all packed with lots of stuff in her office. We'll meet towards noon outside near the taxis.

After a taxi ride to the very old station which has no elevators down o the tracks, which meant that poor Loretta had to shlep not only her own, but also my stuff down two and up two flights of stairs; but first we got the tickets and then had to find out when and where since it turns out that signs are wrong or non existant, clocks don't work and neither do the automatic indicators of when the next train at this track is or where it is going. We sit on a bench surrounded by our belongings and still have to wait for another 20 minutes before we finally can board the train for Milano, where we have to change, hopefully get to the right track in time for the connecting train for Padova.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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INCHARGE

INCHARGE

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I can't wait to hear about his week with Loretta and her family. That was so kind of her to do. I hope he finds free WiFi in the area, if she does not have it. He needs a break every now and then, and being on land for a week will be nice. Getting different food will be nice also, although he does not eat a lot of food, mostly healthy foods, which probably helps in his longevity. Question...is he taking his scooter? How did he get it down those steps at the train station? I hope this won't be too tiring for him. I'm sure he will be just fine, but worrying as if he is my dad.

 

He is such a remarkable man, who has a sharp memory for any age, mush less a 95 year old. Heck, I can't remember what I did yesterday, and Egon is so detailed. We just love him. Thanks again Pat, for posting his adventures. You are the best. :D

Edited by INCHARGE
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