The Daily for Friday September 17, 2021

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, dfish said:

I started something when I took the upsell to the Neptune.   Sister Sue has been muttering all week that we need to make a Neptune happen for Norway next year.  So, today we rebooked Norway.  We moved it from September to July (better weather) and booked an aft wrap on the Rotterdam.  
 

Date changes work for all.  Nephew Matt and his parter, Laura, are planning to join us.  

I'm chuckling because I can see myself doing the same thing, and also worried that our first Neptune Suite next week will spoil me forever too!

 

When I get back home we'll have to compare notes and see if we'll be at the same ports in July.  We'll be on the Volendam July 3-31.  

 

Hi to Sue!

[bennybear]

3 hours ago, 57redbird said:

@bennybear - where did you find the flower market?

It was in Little Italy.   

 

1 hour ago, kplady said:

Good evening!

 

Thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts - I was discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  All is well, the surgeon did what he had to and got it all. 

 

I've missed so much, but will try to go back and catch up.  Prayers to all needing them, and cheers to all celebrating!  Glad to be back with my CC family, I've missed every one of you!!

 

Laura

Glad to hear you re home.  Wishes for a speedy recovery!  

[bennybear]

8 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Oh dear on your black pearls  😱. I still have some flowers coming on mine but there is fruit.  It just needs to get bigger 🤞 

 

Sounded like a great chili to get but no way does it mature at the timing the package claimed.  I doubt I will do them again next year.  It’s going to be a close call this year for my chilies.  Last year by now, I had so many that I gave some to a neighbour.  This year, I am picking them one by one 😔. But DH is so far getting a fresh chili every night.  It’s been a strange gardening year.  Garden fabulous - day lilies blooming over and over.  Cannas and callas re-blooming.  But the dahlias and chilies have not done anywhere near what they did in past years.  Weird.

These were all planted the same day!  
 

[rafinmd]

Time to see if CC will let me load a few photos, starting with yesterday.  My first night was at the Microtel in Wilkes Barre, and here's the room, along with part of this morning's breakfast.

 

 

 

Roy

[kazu]

13 minutes ago, bennybear said:

These were all planted the same day!  
 

 

Wow!  What a difference!  

[rafinmd]

Today's travel was a lot easier.  The rest stops were a lot closer together and getting from one to the next was easy.  In addition, I stopped for about an hour at my college(Binghamton University):

 

I recognized very little from the car but parked across the street from the quad.  As I entered the quad there there were new buildings everywhere.  The only thing I recognized from college days is the library tower which was under construction while I was there:

 

 

Here's the library I actually used almost 60 years ago:

 

And what was the science building when I was there but is apparently general classrooms:

 

This is my first dorm.  I was in the lounge there when I followed the story of JFK's shooting.

 

I walked for about a half hour (my walk for the day) and did not go into any of the buildings except the last, the much-expanded student union building where I did a little shopping at the book store:

The section to the right is the original cafeteria.  I worked there when I was at school.  One outstanding memory is one night construction workers severed a cable and we had no electricity.  I was in a candle-lit, windowless dish room washing dishes by hand and listening on a transistor radio as JFK gave his speech on the Cuban Missie crisis.  Talk about eerie!  I had the feeling I might have felt in a WW2 air raid.

 

Roy

[dfish]

52 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Our itinerary for the 1st segment:

 

Lots of the same ports.  Definitely we want to trade information.

[dfish]

41 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

I'm chuckling because I can see myself doing the same thing, and also worried that our first Neptune Suite next week will spoil me forever too!

 

When I get back home we'll have to compare notes and see if we'll be at the same ports in July.  We'll be on the Volendam July 3-31.  

 

Hi to Sue!

This is a definite!  I will have to reign Sue in.   She says hi back.

[rafinmd]

It was about an hour and a half from the University to the reunion site and I drove through downtown Syracuse on the way.  It looked very dilapidated.  What we had today was a very informal gathering.  It was actually about a mile from my boyhood in a restaurant called "The Spinning Wheel".  I thought at the time it was a pretty seedy place (and I think it was then) and is still in the same family but the new generation has upgraded it quite a bit:

 

 

We met in a private room which I'm pretty sure is a new part of the restaurant and had conversation, pizza, and wings:

 

 

After leaving I drove past my old house.  It's been greatly expanded with a big upstairs and the old front porch is attached but the detached garage is still in the same place.

 

 

A few years ago Tim Horton's had quite a presence in North Syracuse but they've fallen on hard times.  Today there's just one and it's just a little counter in a gas station that I don't think ever has much but certainly not at 6PM.  I ended up not buying anything and going to Panera for dinner.

d

 

Canadians will notice a similarity but there's no "Toujours Frais" on the oval.

 

Cruise Critic is not at all cooperative for me today.

 

Roy

[aliaschief]

Roy it looks like a great trip down memory lane. Hope they were all wonderful memories.

 

Thanks for sharing with your Cruise Critic Community of friends.

[cruzn single]

@rafinmdthanks for taking us down memory lane.  Enjoy your reunion.  I remember that as a beautiful area in NY!

[Sharon in AZ]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

Cruise Critic is not at all cooperative for me today.

Not for me either. I’m getting tired of all the issues that I’m having, so much so that I haven’t posted much lately. I shouldn’t have to clear my browser multiple times a day just to “like” or post or reply.  And it doesn’t matter what device I’m using. 
 

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by Sharon in AZ

[Horizon chaser 1957]

3 hours ago, bennybear said:

Wow!  Is that a HAL excursion? .
 

Yes! It’s on the 2023 Grand World Voyage. We leave the ship in Maputo and rejoin in Durban. The setting is incredible!

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

So happy you two are enjoying yourselves!

Thank you Sandi 

Just about to get off P&O Iona after 7 fantastic days on a fabulous ship.

It was a seacation cruise with no stops but we loved the relaxing experience.

We sailed 1300 nautical miles from Southampton passing through the Bay of Biscay passing the channel Islands,Northern Spain and West coast of France

315 miles drive home.

I will post some photos later.

Graham.

 

Edited September 18, 2021 by grapau27

[grapau27]

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

It was about an hour and a half from the University to the reunion site and I drove through downtown Syracuse on the way.  It looked very dilapidated.  What we had today was a very informal gathering.  It was actually about a mile from my boyhood in a restaurant called "The Spinning Wheel".  I thought at the time it was a pretty seedy place (and I think it was then) and is still in the same family but the new generation has upgraded it quite a bit:

 

 

We met in a private room which I'm pretty sure is a new part of the restaurant and had conversation, pizza, and wings:

 

 

After leaving I drove past my old house.  It's been greatly expanded with a big upstairs and the old front porch is attached but the detached garage is still in the same place.

 

 

A few years ago Tim Horton's had quite a presence in North Syracuse but they've fallen on hard times.  Today there's just one and it's just a little counter in a gas station that I don't think ever has much but certainly not at 6PM.  I ended up not buying anything and going to Panera for dinner.

d

 

Canadians will notice a similarity but there's no "Toujours Frais" on the oval.

 

Cruise Critic is not at all cooperative for me today.

 

Roy

Thanks for sharing Roy.

Graham.

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Are you folks Royal’s?😁You sure dine well and dress impeccably! We are being reclusive as we want negative Covid test for our upcoming cruise!

We are on P&O new ship Iona.

This is the main speciality restaurant Epicurean that we went in to most nights.

We are just about to disembark after 7 fantastic days.

Graham

[grapau27]

8 hours ago, JazzyV said:

 

It looks like you two are having a grand time!

Fantastic time on P&O Iona thanks.

I will post some photos when we get home.

Graham.

[grapau27]

7 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Looks delicious but I have to ask - do you ever eat at home 😉 

Seriously - So nice you have so many great places to go to. 😄 

Thank you.

We have just finished a 7 night cruise which was amazing.

Graham.

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, kplady said:

Good evening!

 

Thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts - I was discharged from the hospital this afternoon.  All is well, the surgeon did what he had to and got it all. 

 

I've missed so much, but will try to go back and catch up.  Prayers to all needing them, and cheers to all celebrating!  Glad to be back with my CC family, I've missed every one of you!!

 

Laura

Fantastic news Laura.

I'm really happy for you.

Graham.

 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info.

[puppycanducruise]

Cruise Critic is finally allowing me to post.

Thanks for all the pictures.

 

[kazu]

6 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Thank you.

We have just finished a 7 night cruise which was amazing.

Graham.

 

Oh, I didn’t realize.  So glad your cruise was wonderful 🙂 

[kazu]

10 hours ago, dfish said:

Lots of the same ports.  Definitely we want to trade information.

 

We certainly will 🙂 

[kazu]

52 minutes ago, puppycanducruise said:

Cruise Critic is finally allowing me to post.

Thanks for all the pictures.

 

 

Frustrating isn’t it?  I’m ok on the regular search engine to post now, but if I want to quote, I have to use google chrome otherwise the entire page of the thread is included in the quote.  I’m at a loss as I’ve done every trick there is.

[TiogaCruiser]

11 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Our itinerary for the 1st segment:

 

That is very similar to the itinerary we did for Prinsendam’s final sailing.

In place of Hammerfest, we had Narvik and Tromso. And the midnight sun.