Here’s the link for the post we wrote on the day we spent in Stavanger.
Part 4…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Stavanger, Norway…
Day 4…Henderson, Nevada…Posting photos from Norway continues today…Friends from Washington coming for dinner today!…
Yesterday afternoon, we purchased tickets online to see the movie “Oppenheimer,” which was playing at the Regal Theatre attached to our resort. We were able to get Tom a free small popcorn for signing up for the Regal app, which he used toward the purchase of a giant tub of popcorn that he consumed before the movie began.
The matinee for seniors was $12.50 each, which we thought was reasonable. His popcorn and large Coke came to a total of $8.75, less than what we expected. We hadn’t been to a movie in a long time, so we had no idea what to expect. We picked out our seats in advance and had a good time.
Since there was nothing for me to eat at the theatre suitable for my diet, I didn’t order anything or taste his popcorn. It would be hard to stop at one bite, so I abstained, as I always do. When the three-hour movie ended at 6:36 pm, he wasn’t hungry for dinner, which we expected.
When he was too full for dinner, I’d planned to order a salad-to-go to take to our room, but when the movie ended, I wasn’t hungry and decided not to eat. I didn’t eat again until breakfast this morning, 24 hours later, and felt fine doing so. Tom ordered his usual breakfast of ham and eggs but couldn’t finish it all. He’s still full today from that massive bucket of popcorn.
If you haven’t seen the movie, “Oppenheimer,” we won’t provide any spoilers but can suggest it as a good movie worth sitting still for three hours. We were never bored during the long movie and savored every moment since we seldom go to a movie unless we are in the US for a visit.
This morning, I felt good after my “mini fast” and perhaps may make a regular habit of fasting for 24 hours from time to time, which gives the body a rest from digesting a big meal.
We were able to reserve a comfortable booth in the Lucky Penny, where we’ll have dinner with Rita and Gerhard this evening. They don’t usually take reservations, but I asked the manager if he could reserve the booth so we’d have plenty of room to eat, relax, and catch up without feeling rushed.
We haven’t seen Rita and Gerhard together since 2022, except when Gerhard came alone to Marloth Park to sell the vehicle they’d purchased to use for their time in Marloth Park. They are heading back for a six-week visit next month and will rent a car as we always do. Gerhard had dinner at our place that evening and then took off the next day to return to Bali, in the same villa where we’d stayed years ao.
We are undoubtedly excited about them coming to Las Vegas for less than one day to have the afternoon and evening with us. Before retiring, Gerhard worked in management for an airline, and he and Rita can travel on stand-by when seats are available. They decided Sunday would be a good day to fly here since holidaymakers in Las Vegas are here for the long holiday weekend, ending this Monday after Labor Day. Few would be traveling today.
They’d like to see our hotel room in case they ever decide to stay here, so this morning, we tidied up and are now waiting for the housekeeper to come to clean. The flight they’re hoping to board arrives at 1:00 pm. They will text us when they know they can board, and we’ll be waiting for them at “arrivals” when we know their flight is in. They won’t have any bags since they fly back tonight when we return them to the airport.
How fun! We’re certainly looking forward to a special day with our friends.
Sorry, we don’t have any major photos to share today. We were preoccupied with the movie and going about a typical day at the resort.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, September 3, 2013:
In reviewing the photos we hadn’t been able to post, it appears it will be very time-consuming and complicated to return to each post and add the photos we couldn’t post. As a result, we are posting some of the photos under the heading of each town over days, which can be found after each new day, listed as Part 1, Part 2 Norway, for example.
The new post with the photos is located below:
Part 3…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Olden, Norway…
Part 3…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Olden, Norway…
Following are the photos of our visit to Olden, Norway. Captions are added when possible.
Here’s the post we published after visiting Olden, Norway, without photos due to the poor WiFi signal on the ship.
Day 5…Norway Cruise…Olden, Norway…Cruise demographics…Dancing while “rocking and rolling”…
Day 3…Henderson, Nevada…Posting photos from Norway continues today…Exciting upcoming event!…
We continue to enjoy having a fabulous time in Henderson, Nevada, after last evening’s wonderful dinner at Lucille’s Barbecue with my son and his significant other. It was great to see them again after a two-year hiatus, and the four of us enjoyed a delicious dinner and drinks at the popular barbecue restaurant.
Back at the hotel by 8:30, we streamed a few shows, relaxed, and drifted off to sleep by 11:00 pm, again having a much-needed good night’s rest. This morning, we bolted out of bed, got showered and dressed for the day, and headed downstairs to the Lucky Penny for another fabulous breakfast. With our VIP status with Expedia, we get 20% off on all meals at the resort, and they have several good restaurants.
Today, we’re posting photos from our delicious breakfasts that we’ll have every morning while we’re staying here until we depart on Saturday, September 9, to fly to Minnesota, where we’ll stay for a little over a month until we go to South America. There’s been lots of moving around, but we are okay with all of it, especially after a few good night’s rest to recover. There is no jet lag here!
So, here’s the exciting upcoming event…Our dear friends, Rita and Gerhard, who live in Vancouver, Washington, are flying here to see us tomorrow, arriving around 1:00 pm, spending the day and evening with us, and flying back out tomorrow night. What an adventure for the four of us, and how thoughtful and generous they are to make this short trip for all of us to catch up.
As most of our regular readers know, we met Rita and Gerhard in Marloth Park, South Africa. They were (still are) long-time readers of our site and had come to Marloth Park based on our frequent postings about how wonderful it is. They booked a holiday house with Louise (one we had previously rented), and no more than a few days after they arrived, we met them, and our magical friendship began. Rita and I hit it off like we’d known each other forever, and Gerhard and Tom did the same.
Collectively, the four of us have been a great team, sharing our lives, our crazy travels, and the joys of living off and on in Marloth Park. Soon, in October, they’ll be returning to “our old house” and will be feeding our favorite animals, including Nyala Norman and his lovely family. Seeing their photos and hearing about their experiences in our absence will be fun.
Gosh, we’re looking forward to tomorrow and the lively conversations, sharing and reliving many extraordinary experiences together, countless surprises, and special parties we’ve had together over the past five years since our friendship began. When we’ve been apart, we’ve stayed in touch, as we have with many of the wonderful friends we made in Marloth Park.
Many other friendships have developed from our readers coming to Marloth Park after seeing our endless stream of photos and love for wildlife, nature, and the fine people in the area. We are so grateful for all of our readers and have loved the opportunity to develop lasting relationships with many of you over the years.
Once we finish today’s post, we’ll head over to the nearby movie theatre to see the three-hour movie Oppenheimer. It’s a special treat for us to go to a movie theatre when often they aren’t available in many countries we visit for extended periods. We can get the senior rate for the 3:35 matinee for $12.50 each.
Tom loves to eat a big tub of popcorn while I settle for a sugar-free drink since nothing works for me at the concession stands. As a result, Tom won’t be hungry for dinner tonight, and I suggested to Tom that we pick up something for me on our way back to the hotel. I can run into Whole Foods or Smiths for a salad, which will suit me.
Well, that’s it for today, folks. We hope you are all doing well, and for our US readers, be safe on this busy Labor Day weekend. We’ll be back tomorrow with more.
Be well.
In reviewing the photos we hadn’t been able to post, it appears it will be very time-consuming and complicated to return to each post and add the photos we couldn’t post. As a result, we are posting some of the photos under the heading of each town over a period of days, which can be found after each new day, listed as Part 1, Part 2 Norway, for example.
Photo from ten years ago today, September 2, 2013:
There was no post on this date ten years ago. It was a busy travel day to Kenya!
The new post with the photos is located here:
Part 2…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Haugesund, Norway…
Part 2…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Haugesund, Norway…
Here is the text from our day in Haugesund, Norway.
Day 2…Henderson, Nevada…Posting photos from Norway starts today….Comfortably situated in the fabulous Green Valley Ranch Resort…
No words can express how relaxed and at ease we are now that we’ve arrived at the beautiful Green Valley Ranch Spa, Resort and Casino in Henderson, Nevada. Last night, I slept for about 11 hours. I fell asleep at about 7:00 pm and awoke a few times during the night but for short times only. Gosh, that feels good today!
Tom is doing great, and he, too, is happy to be at this beautiful resort with fun get-togethers planned over the next nine days until we depart on Saturday, September 9, to fly to Minnesota for one month. The time is flying by quickly, but we are savoring every moment in front of us.
Last night and again this morning, we ate at the Lucky Penny Restaurant located in the resort. We love their food, and as Expedia VIP members, we get 20% off on food in the resort’s restaurants. Plus, we are entitled to early check-in and late check-out.
I managed to get the resort to reduce their nightly resort fee of $50 to $25 a night, which puts a dent in the cost of meals we eat in their restaurants. We’ll have breakfast here each morning but most likely dine out several nights with Richard and our friends in Henderson. It will all be quite enjoyable.
It’s great to catch up after all the late nights out on a month of cruises. We often didn’t get to bed until 1:00 or 2:00 am, getting up early for coffee and breakfast. I only ate lunch and dinner since the breakfast options on the cruises were limited for my way of eating. Lunch had many excellent options I enjoyed, but I often ate a little too much and wasn’t hungry for dinner.
Fortunately, neither of us ever gained an ounce on the cruises, which we strive to accomplish each time we cruise. It would feel awful to gain ten pounds cruising and then trying to fit into our clothes. For us, with our limited wardrobes, that could be a serious problem.
In a few days, after Labor Day weekend ends, we’ll head to a local laundromat to wash our clothes. We won’t do it again until we get to Minnesota, where we’ll have access to coin-operated laundry facilities at the Hyatt Hotel in Eden Prairie, where we’ll stay once again.
Today, when the housekeeper comes to clean our room, we’ll head out to our bank to get cash and change and then make our way to a pharmacy for a few items we need before we head to Minnesota. We won’t buy much since our luggage is already overweight and we don’t want to add to the weight. We’ll reduce our load by taking some items to Goodwill while we’re here.
In reviewing the photos we hadn’t been able to post, it appears it will be very time-consuming and complicated to return to each post and add the photos we couldn’t post. As a result, we are posting some of the photos under the heading of each town over a period of days, which can be found after each new day, listed as Part 1, Part 2 Norway, for example.
The new post with the photos is located here:
Part 1…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Alesund, Norway…
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, September 1, 2013:
Part 1…Unpublished photos from the Azamara cruise to Alesund, Norway…
For expediency and ease, we’ve decided to post some of the photos from our Norway cruise each day rather than go back and add them, one by one, to each post. At the end of each day’s regular post, we’ll include the link to the newest posting of the photos, or you will find them, one by one, after each new day’s post of our experiences in Nevada during this nine-day stay. Captions will be added when possible.
Here is the post with the text from our day in Alesund:
More will follow tomorrow.
Yesterday’s harrowing drive in Boston…Now, we are in Henderson, Nevada…
Whew! Lots of traveling! Lots of walking! Lots of late hours. We’re a little pooped but holding up well.
Here is our itinerary from the past 31 hours:
- 9:30 am: Disembarked Celebrity Summit in Boston. Took an Uber to the rental car facility at the Logon Airport
- 10:30 am: Picked up the rental car at Alamo near the airport – highly complex drive from this location
- 11:00 am: Drove to Embassy Suites Hotel at Logan Airport and received an early check-in
- 11:30 am: In our room at the hotel, we prepared the post and relaxed for an hour.
- 3:15 pm: Left the hotel to commence the long drive to meet my cousin Phyllis for dinner in Stoughton, MA. Maps stated it would take about 90 minutes to reach the restaurant due to rush hour traffic. It took two hours in stop-and-go traffic, the worst we’ve experienced in years.
- 5:15 pm: Reached the restaurant. We had a delightful dinner with Phyllis.
- 7:30 pm: Headed back toward the airport but decided to drop off the rental car since it was so challenging to drive from the hotel to the car rental facility; we could have a problem getting to the airport by 5:00 am this morning with the road construction and detours in the area.
- 8:30 pm: Dropped off the rental car and walked to the hotel from the facility. Yikes, it was a long walk for me, but it made no sense to get a taxi when we could see the hotel sign from the rental car building.
- 9:00 pm: Back at the hotel, planning to go to bed early for our 4:00 am alarm. I didn’t sleep well but got up on time and took the hotel shuttle to the airport
- 5:30 am: We were able to do curbside check-in for Delta Airlines. After security, we were at the gate an hour before boarding.
- 6:30 am: Boarded the plane for a 5½ hour flight from Boston to Las Vegas. No food but nuts and chips was served on the plane.
- 10:00 am: (Three-hour time difference). We arrived in Las Vegas, picked up luggage, and took the tram to a rental car area to wait for the shuttle bus to take us to the rental facility, standing outside in a long queue at 93F, much of which was in the sun.
- 10:30 am: Arrived at the rental car area and unloaded the bags, which I watched while Tom got the car taken care of
- 11:30 am: Left the Las Vegas Airport in the rental car and drove the short distance to the Green Valley Ranch Spa and Casino in Henderson
- 11:45 am: Checked in to the resort in the VIP lounge with lots of nice perks for us regular guests.
- 12:00 pm: Arrived in our well-appointed, beautiful pool view room to a sigh of relief. We only unpacked a few items we’d need in the next 24 hours.
Tom just made me a big mug of Crystal Light lemonade with my metal straw and lots of big chunks of ice.
At 5:00 pm, we’ll head to dinner in one of the many restaurants in this resort for a much-needed meal. Most likely, we’ll be back in our room by 7:00 or 7:30 pm, where we’ll shower again, chill out, and hopefully get a good night’s sleep. Whew! It’s great to settle in for the next nine days until it’s time to leave again.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, August 31, 2013:
There wasn’t a post on this date ten years ago since it was a travel day.
Cruises have ended….We’re in Boston to see my cousin tonight…
At the moment, we are sitting on the sofa in our Embassy Suites Logan Airport hotel. I just made a cup of decaf coffee to enjoy while listening to the Garage Logic podcast on Tom’s laptop with TV news in the background, showing the ravages of Hurricane Idalia. We’re sad for the people of Florida but glad we got out of there when we did over one month ago, on July 28.
So much has transpired since we left Florida, having had the opportunity to visit Norway and Greenland, two locations we never imagined we’d see when our journey began almost 11 years ago. It is 11:30 am, and we managed to get into our room early due to our Hilton Honors membership and Expedia VIP status.
Thank goodness we didn’t have to wait to get the room until the official check-in time of 2:00 pm and had no choice but to wait in the lobby. This is much easier. We’re a little raggedy after a tiring morning disembarking the ship. Our luggage numbers were 22, meaning we couldn’t exit until around 9:30.
We had our last meal on the ship, breakfast at 7:30, grabbed our carry-on luggage from our cabin, and headed to the Sky Lounge on Deck 11 to wait until our number was called. At that point, we had no idea what time we’d be outside to grab a taxi or Uber to Alamo Car Rental at the Logan Airport to pick up the car we rented in order to make our way to Cousin Phyllis today for our 5:00 pm dinner reservation in Stoughton, a 55-minute drive from here.
Thus, we’ll leave here in about four hours to begin the long trek in rush-hour traffic to meet Phyllis at the restaurant in time for our much-anticipated get-together after almost nine years since we last saw her at the end of another cruise to Boston. It will be wonderful to see her again.
Once outside the cruise terminal, we had a little trouble getting an Uber, but finally, one appeared, and we were on our way to Alamo. I waited with the bags in the rental car parking garage until Tom returned with the papers, and we were assigned a car. Within about 45 minutes, we were on our way to the nearby hotel. Again, check-in went smoothly when I pressed for a room now rather than at 2:00 pm check-in.
After getting settled, I decided it was time to prepare a post when we could not do so yesterday. I had blamed it on the ship’s WiFi, but this morning, I got an email from our hosting company, Hostinger, taking full responsibility for the problem. Now that we’re back up and running, we should be able to post going forward until we leave the US in October, about six weeks from now.
Feeling exhausted after the last few days, I don’t feel motivated to write a newsy, informative post about where we sailed in the past few days since our previous post. Mainly, we sailed in the North Sea toward the US with little incidents other than massive fog and the necessity of the captain sounding the fog horn a few times each hour.
The seas were otherwise smooth and uneventful, which made the final few days pleasant. We had lots of fun with countless passengers we met.
I stopped doing the post when I desperately needed a nap. After laying on the bed under the covers, I fell asleep for about 20 minutes and felt refreshed. In less than two hours, we’ll drive to Stoughton. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be at the airport at 5:00 am for our Delta flight to Las Vegas, pick up the rental car, and head to our hotel in Henderson.
From there, we’ll prepare our next post. and in a few days, start adding the photos we couldn’t add while on the first ship to Norway.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, August 30, 2013:
Sorry…No post today due to poor signal on ship.
We will be back tomorrow from Boston!