Today is Day 5 of our Baltic cruise…Few more Copenhagen photos…Today, we’ll tour Tallinn, Estonia…

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“The Gefion Fountain is a large fountain on the harbor front in Copenhagen, Denmark. It features a large-scale group of animal figures being driven by the Norse goddess Gefjon. It is located in Nordre Toldbod area next to Kastellet and immediately south of Langelinie.”

The WiFi signal is so poor that it takes three times longer to prepare and upload photos. We’re doing the best we can in the time we’ve allotted to present our daily activities.

Typical residential building in Copenhagen.

I must admit I am not as diligent as usual when there’s such a flurry of activity around us with many distractions. No sooner I get started, and other passengers join us at our little corner near electrical outlets in the Park Café. To avoid being rude, I closed my laptop to participate in the lively chatter.

 
We’re having a perfect time, better than I’d expected when I felt so awful only a few weeks ago. I never imagined I’d be able to be up and about from early morning, often up until midnight, without a daytime nap or rest.
The uncomplicated style of buildings in Copenhagen seemed to be universal.

Yesterday was more fun than I can describe. At breakfast in the main dining room by 8:00 am, we met more new people as the conversation flowed at our table for 10.

For midday on a Wednesday, there were few crowds.

By 10:30 am, we headed to this exact spot at the coffee shop. At the same time, I enthusiastically worked on the post, hoping to upload a decent story with photos of Copenhagen taken during the rainy four-hour bus ride. 

I hadn’t finished having yet to caption the photos and move them into their appropriate spots in the post, but we dropped off the equipment back at the cabin to make the 1:00 pm movie in the intimate theatre, the Cinema. “Aquaman” was the movie of the day.
Bicycle parking lots are everywhere.

Tom, not necessarily a fan of fantasy-type movies, stayed awake during the entire movie while I sat on the edge of my seat in the sheer wonder of watching such a good movie. I loved every moment!  Tom surprised me and also enjoyed it but not as much as me. (We’re out of touch with movies made in the US after being away for so long).

With energy conservation the order of the day, there were minimal vehicles on the road.
After the movie ended at 3:10, we headed back to the cabin, where I finished the post and the photo captions.  We showered and dressed to be ready for “happy hour(s)” in the Diamond Club lounge on the 13th floor. It starts at 5:00 pm and ends at 8:30 pm.
 
The long, happy hour period requires me to drink my two glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon very slowly, trying to save a little in the second glass to take to the dining room to savor during dinner. 
An ice cream shop.

When he saw how little was left in my glass, Tom ordered me a third glass of wine but was concerned about overdoing it. I never drank it. In the dining room, we sat with a delightful couple, Fred and Larry from the US, and once again, the conversation was fantastic. We plan to meet up with them in Phoenix for dinner while staying in Apache Junction in January.

Statues are commonly seen in Copenhagen.

It always amazes us how easy it is to make friends on cruises. There is no environment we’ve ever experienced where it was so easy. We all have a commonality of a love of travel, and that’s always an easy place to start the conversation. We seldom encounter passengers who aren’t enjoying themselves.

After dinner, we looked for seats overlooking the Centrum area, one level below where we could watch the upcoming “disco” music and 70s show. We lucked out and found two comfy chairs directly at the railing, where we stayed watching a memorable heart-pounding show.
Taking photos through the rain-covered windows was challenging.

The dance floor was packed with enthusiastic passengers dancing the night away. Some time ago, we would have been included in that excited flurry of arms and legs flailing to the music. Instead, we watched with equal enthusiasm. Maybe someday I’ll be able to dance with Tom, but time will tell.

The stage presented a variety of staff dancers who “worked” the crowd into a frenzy. After about an hour, a show started we’d seen on many cruises; the songs from the Village People, In The Navy, and of course, Y-M-C-A. 

A gilded spire atop the train station.

The crew was wearing similar costumes to the Village People, and the place rocked beyond belief. The energy was indeed electric, not only enjoying the familiar songs but also remembering our youth when those were first introduced. We had such fun as we danced in our chairs, grateful and happy to be together, sharing yet another memorable day and evening.

A fountain near the canal.

Finally, by 12:30 am, we dozed off with smiles on our faces over a day well-spent. Today, we’re off on a shuttle bus soon to head to Tallinn, Estonia, a quaint walled town with supposedly lots of charm and appeal.

We’ll be back tomorrow with photos from our tour of this most unusual place to visit (for us anyway). See you then!

Photo from one year ago today, August 15, 2018:
They were looking in one direction, waiting to decide their next move. What could they possibly be waiting for? For more photos, please click here.

Its good to be posting again!…No post yesterday because…

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There are many colorful buildings in Copenhagen. 

Yesterday, we were disappointed we were unable to post. It wasn’t that we didn’t try. In the morning at the pier, we took the Copenhagen, Denmark “Hop-On, Hop-Off bus thinking this would allow me to decide if I could walk and if not, we’d stay on the bus and yet see the highlights of the city of Copenhagen.

Many large buildings such as this are converted former estates.

Our expectations were high. We climbed the precarious steps to the second level for better views, only to be unable to see anything due to the pouring rain that continued for the over four-hour tour on three different routes.

There weren’t as many cars as one might expect.  Copenhagen is energy conscientious, and many of its people ride bikes.

We’d never utilized a “Hop-On, Hop-Off” bus in any country, preferring to take a taxi to be able to get out and take photos at our leisure. The heavy rain, the dirty windows on the bus, and the inability to open a window made photo-taking a near impossibility. I doubt we’ll ever make this choice in the future.

A street scene from the bus.

The only good part? I could sit when walking is still a struggle (but improving daily) as I wean myself off of this last awful drug, Bisoprolol. I’ve only reduced the dose by 50% thus far. 

No longer than the first bus took off, it began raining.  Taking photos was tough, especially when the windows didn’t open.

It may take a month or more to wean off of it entirely with the dangerous effects during the weaning process such as high and irregular blood pressure, afib (irregular pulse), and dangerously high pulse. I’ve had a few instances of these, but they resolved quickly, with everything returning to normal.

‘Historic building.

Of course, whatever I do and wherever we go, I am aware that these symptoms can occur, but I try not to think about it, only exacerbating the situation. As each day passes, I can walk a little better, leaving us both hopeful.

Residents bundled up in raingear, continuing to get around on bikes.

In any case, the only time we had to get off the bus was to change buses to travel another route. There were three routes in total. Fortunately, the bus company had a staff member at each transfer point, making the process relatively easy except for standing in the pouring rain while waiting to board the next bus.

The architecture throughout the city was less ornate than in many cities we’ve visited in the past.

When we couldn’t see out the foggy windows and past the rain, I dozed from time to time, tired from not getting enough sleep due to late nights of having fun. And fun, it is!  

We were surprised to see so few cars on the roads. There was traffic in certain areas but much than one would expect: “As of July 2018, the city has a population of 777,218 (616,098 in Copenhagen Municipality, 103,914 in Frederiksberg Municipality, 43,005 in Tårnby Municipality, and 14,201 in Dragør Municipality).”

We continue to meet more and more fabulous people at every turn. Thus, when we returned from the pointless bus tour, after returning to the ship and parking ourselves near an electric outlet in the Park Cafe, we met a couple from Australia, Vicki and John. We had such a good time. I couldn’t break away to do the post.

Beer is trendy in Copenhagen, and there are many bars and pubs.

The time passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was time to freshen up for the evening and head to the Diamond Club to meet up with new friends JoAnn and Fran, with whom we’ve been enjoying happy hour in the Diamond Lounge each evening before heading to dinner.

The four of us joined a table for ten and had a pleasant dinner, minus a few glitches regarding my food. I won’t get into that. It happens all the time. Lack of communication among the kitchen staff is ultimately responsible for the errors. 

We were intrigued by the large cement balls bordering this government building.

They have my detailed food list, and all they have to do is follow it. Hopefully, this will be resolved after last night. After all, my diet is pretty easy; a piece of grilled fish or seafood, steamed vegetables (no carrots, no starchy veggies), and a side salad (no croutons). It can’t be that complicated.

There are numerous war hero statues located throughout the city.

With a one-hour time change, we didn’t get to sleep until 12:30 or 1:00 am, awakening at 6:00 am, not quite enough sleep, but we can always take a 20-minute nap later in the day.

The VOOM wireless provides a poor signal at most times. Yesterday, when I attempted to notice that there would not be a post, it took an hour to get online for the short blurb. The previous day, we couldn’t upload photos.  

“The Little Mermaid is a bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicting a mermaid becoming human. The sculpture is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is 1.25 meters tall and weighs 175 kilograms.” Tom exited the bus to take a photo when it stopped for photos.

If you don’t see a post over the next nine days, please check back later in the day or the following day.  Combined with the fact that we have many ports of call to visit, the poor WiFi signal, and many social interactions, we could easily miss another day while on the cruise. From there, we’ll be in England, and all should be fine with included WiFi at each of the four properties.

“The Maritime Monument, located at Langelinie, close to Langelinie Marina, is a maritime memorial in Copenhagen, Denmark, commemorating civilian Danish sailors who lost their lives during the First World War.”

Should we miss an opportunity to post photos of the various countries, we can always include them once we’re in the UK. We’ll be touring Tallinn, Estonia, by taxi, hoping for clear skies and many photo ops tomorrow.

Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Be well. Be happy.
Photo from one year ago today, August 14, 2018:
Mom and baby love in Marloth Park. For more, please click here.

We’ve set sail!…Fabulous first day!…

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*Based on a poor WiFi signal while out to sea, we can’t download any photos today.  Please check back tomorrow.
 
Cruise check-in can be a nightmare, taking hours to walk aboard the ship finally. But, yesterday’s check-in at the Port of Amsterdam was almost as quick as it could have been.
 
The only time-consuming process was checking in our bags since Tom had to fill in the information on the paper luggage tags. Moments later, our bags were whisked away, leaving us carrying only the laptop backpack and the small blue cloth shopping bag in which I had the camera and a few other items.
 
From there, getting “sea passes” and completing the check-in process, we were on the ship in no time at all. We had sailed on this same ship, Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas, in 2014 from Harwich, England, to Boston, Massachusetts. 
 
We stayed in Boston for a few nights to see my cousin Phyllis and our since-passed-away Uncle Bernie and visit my father’s gravesite. See here for the link from that day. 
 
We’re so glad we had a chance to see Uncle Bernie one last time before he passed at 98 years of age. He was my father’s brother, and we’d stayed in touch over the years.
 
Once we boarded the ship at 12:30 pm, and since the cabins weren’t available for a few hours, nor would our luggage be delivered to our cabin until several hours later, we decided to have lunch since we hadn’t had breakfast in the flurry of activity.
 
We sat with a lovely couple from Australia, Vickie, and Pino having a great talk while we all ate our lunch. The table sharing and subsequent endless chatter had begun, one of our big motivators in enjoying cruises as much as we do.
 
Of course, we love the lazy life aboard a ship and the opportunity to visit more and more countries on our journey. This cruise will result in us visiting six countries we’ve never visited in the past. Few cruise itineraries provide us with such an opportunity.
 
That is undoubtedly a major benefit of cruising. Although we don’t get the full flavor of the country in one or two-day stops, we’re often able to see some of the highlights and decide if we’d like to return for a more extended stay in the future.
 
A few hours later, when the announcement was made that our cabins were ready, we said goodbye to the lovely couple, hoping to see them again, which on this somewhat smaller ship carrying 2501 passengers, small compared to some of the jumbo cruise ships offered today such as Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas with a capacity of 5518 passengers and over a 1000 crew members.
 
Those big ships are not for us. The sheer size creates long queues and waiting times for boarding, leaving the ship for ports of call, availability of dining times, and maneuvering about the ship.  
 
We’re not interested in water parks and high adventure activities, common selling points of the massive ships.  Also, we prefer a more intimate, primarily adult environment, quieter and more relaxing while still allowing us to interact with many passengers and make new friends.
 
When we think of all the people we’ve met on cruises, with whom we’re still in touch, we don’t regret a moment of the effort we’d consciously made to meet new people at every mealtime and in each lounge area.
 
It’s not surprising that most “cruisers” are frequent travelers to many parts of the world, inciting fantastic conversations among all of us. After chatting with Vickie and Pino, we unpacked a little since our bags had arrived and got ready for the evening’s activities.
 
Our next stop was to the Diamond Lounge for happy hour, where once again, we shared a comfy table with JoAnn and Fran from Pennsylvania and stayed until happy hour ended, engaged in lively conversation.
 
I’d promised myself I’d only have two small glasses of dry red wine a night.  As an enthusiast of red wine, I knew I had to limit myself due to my health situation, which I’ve managed since my first glass of wine, three months after the surgery.
 
Since I made that commitment to myself, I’ve learned to sip as slowly as possible while also drinking a big glass of sparkling water on the side.  This works for me and worked well last night, our first night in the Diamond Lounge, where drinks are complimentary for Diamond Club members, such as us.
 
At dinner, we were seated at a table for 10 with all the chairs occupied. What a great time we had. I sat next to a lovely couple, Vera and Michael, and couldn’t have enjoyed their companionship more. Tom, based on the seating arrangement, had a better chance to chat with the others.
 
We didn’t get up from the dinner table until 2200 hours, 10:00 pm, and headed out to a seating area overlooking the Centrum area while a decent band played “oldies.” We didn’t get to our cabin until almost midnight, exhausted from a memorable day.
 
Now, at almost noon, we’re seated in the cafe close to an electric outlet to plug in my laptop. My battery only holds a charge for one hour. We’ll be buying new laptops when we arrive in the US in less than three months.
 
With little sleep last night, soon we’ll head to the cabin for a short nap and then make our way to the movie theatre to watch “Captain Marvel.” We aren’t necessarily comic book character fans, but we’ll give it a try.
 
We’ll be back tomorrow with more, including an update on how the walking is going so far.
 
Carpe diem!
Photo from one year ago today, August 12, 2018:
Once again, we spotted ostriches on Vostruis Road (volstruis means ostrich in Afrikaans) next to this exact vehicle where we’d seen them almost five years ago. Click this link here to see the post from December 7, 2013. Funny, eh? For more photos, please click here.

No worse for the wear…Amsterdam keeps giving and giving…Boarding the cruise today…

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Me in front of soldier statues. It was a very windy day! ” Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square) is a major square in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was cast in one piece, and it is Amsterdam’s oldest surviving statue in a public space.”

With many photos from Amsterdam yet to be posted, we may save them to share at a future time, perhaps on the cruise on a sea day. Today, we board the ship.  

Tom, arm-in-arm with the statues.

Checkout time is noon at the Eden Hotel (charming, canal view) when we’ll arrange a taxi to take us to the passenger cruise terminal, a short distance from here. We’ll be ready to go.

Diplomatic building with many flags.

Now, at 10:30 am, Tom is streaming a Minnesota Vikings pre-season game with one quarter remaining. Since we never unpacked, only opening the bags to get clean clothes and toiletries, it will take 10 minutes to close the bags and be on our way.

There are 1000 bridges over the canals in Amsterdam.

Last night we had a great meal at Rain Americana Grill, walking distance from the hotel, adding to our daily distance up to 3.5 km, 2.2 miles. It was a lot of walking for me. But I’m thrilled I was able to do it, however difficult it may have been, and suffer no ill effects today.

Many of the vast estate homes have been converted to offices, apartments, and condos.

Tom needed some American food, so we selected this spot. He had a burger and chips while I had a gluten-free, starch-free burrito that was delicious with lettuce leaves as wraps. I have been craving Mexican food for some time. What a treat!

Menu of marijuana and other such products are available for sale to any adults who desire to partake. We happened to walk down an alley to run into people smoking pot outside at the cafe. From this site: “Cannabis has been available for recreational use in coffee shops since 1976. Cannabis products are only sold openly in certain local “coffeeshops” and possession of up to 5 grams for personal use is decriminalized. However, the police may still confiscate it, which often happens in car checks near the border.[citation needed] Other types of sales and transportation are not permitted, although the general approach toward cannabis was lenient even before official decriminalization.”

This morning we decided to wait until we board the ship to eat since they have such great options in our fare. Until I meet with the maitre’d to review my printed food list, we’ll wing it in the buffet. There will be plenty of salad bar items that will work for me.  

The small park where this statue of Rembrandt is located is a popular gathering place.

During the day, I’ll drop off the food list and make a particular order for tonight’s dinner until they coordinate my restrictions with the chef. Most likely, it will be grilled salmon, veggies, and Caesar salad (minus the croutons) on this first night. Fine with me.

Today’s photos continue from yesterday’s sightseeing along and in the canals of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, as the boat moved along, I couldn’t recall the names of the structures in many of the photos.  

The Sea Palace Chinese Restaurant is located on one of the canals.

Also, I try to “live in the moment” and pay attention to the scenery before me rather than worry about identifying the buildings the next day when I prepare a post.  

And live in the moment we did. The unique scenery continually enthralled us. Everywhere one turns, there’s something magical to behold. We both agreed we’d like to return to the Netherlands at some point and see more of this unusual country with design elements unique to the country.  

There are approximately 2500 houseboats with permits to dock on the canals.  Utilities are made available for those houseboats. Illegal boats can’t access city services.

We’d yet to see tulips (wrong time of year), windmills (not in the city), and stores selling wooden shoes, all very touristy but fun to see. Yes, sometimes we behave just like tourists delighting in the all too familiar tourist traps and sightseeing expectations.

Various types of mallards paddle in the many canals.

So, off we go, folks. Our next post will be from the ship on a sea day. We’ll share all the photos and excitement we’ll experience along the way.

Have a lovely day filled with wonder.

Photo from one year ago today, August 11, 2018:

What a lovely scene on the Crocodile River, as seen from Marloth Park. For more photos, please click here.

Amsterdam doesn’t disappoint…We accomplished more than expected…Challenging but rewarding…Food photos…

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We were impressed by the stunning historic architecture on both sides of the canals in Amsterdam.

There’s no doubt I’m struggling to walk. I hope this pain will dissipate as I continue to wean off the awful medications, but a part of me is terrified it won’t go away. It takes everything I have to walk a block, let alone navigate stairs and ramps.  

We wished we could post the identity of all of these great highlights, but it wasn’t possible as the boat moved along.

My heart doesn’t struggle, or so it seems. It’s just the legs that could be entirely from the statins I stopped a few weeks ago.  Here’s the data on this situation from JAMA, and here’s the link to the report:

“Results  The mean (SD) duration of statin therapy before symptom onset was 6.3 (9.8) months. Resolution of muscle pain occurred a mean (SD) of 2.3 (3.0) months after discontinuation of statin therapy. Six patients (13%) were hospitalized for the management of rhabdomyolysis; 2 had reversible renal dysfunction, and 1 with preexisting renal insufficiency subsequently began lifelong dialysis. Hospitalized patients developed myopathy more quickly after initiating statin therapy (1.3 vs. 7.1 months; P = .048) and were more likely to be taking concomitant medications known to increase the risk of statin-associated myopathy (P = .03). Thirty-seven patients received another statin after an episode of statin-associated myopathy; 21 (57%) reported recurrent muscle pain, whereas 16 (43%) tolerated other statins without recurrent symptoms.
Conclusions  Patients with statin-associated myopathy experienced complete resolution of muscle pain on cessation of statin therapy. Although no deaths occurred, 13% of the patients required hospitalization for rhabdomyolysis. Recurrent muscle pain was common on statin rechallenge.”

The covered canal boat.

The above-highlighted comment about full resolution in 2.3 months makes me very hopeful. As we begin this big journey in our world travels, I do everything to stay engaged in our activities and avoid complaining to Tom.

The tour couldn’t have been more enjoyable.

He’s so helpful, guiding me across the uneven pavement, through crosswalks, up hills, and steps. Today was a real test of both of our resolve and determination as we walked almost 3.2 km, 2 miles, on the streets of Amsterdam, reveling in every moment, which was a good distraction for me.

What did we see and do? Firstly, all of my sandals and shoes to wear on the cruise had recently fallen apart. , My two pairs of long-wearing black and beige Clark sandals crumbled with pieces falling off in the suitcase. I’d been wearing them for almost seven years! Plus, the one pair of high wedge sandals I had were a thing of the past, and I left them behind in Ireland.

There’s a large hook hanging from the roofs that remain in place. Since most of the buildings in Amsterdam are so narrow, which results from a tax base determined by the width of a building, it’s impossible to get furnishings up the narrow staircases. Subsequently, these large hooks on the exterior of buildings are used to hoist the items to the appropriate floor.

Knowing we had to find a shoe store within walking distance was a daunting task, but I learned that trying to walk would be better than taking a taxi, forcing us to be out and about seeing a bit of this beautiful city.

Each building has its unique design.

After a very long walk, we stopped for breakfast along the way, we found a few shoe stores, and I was able to purchase two pairs of comfortable flat shoes, one a dressy flat black sandal and another, a very comfy pair of Sketchers slip-on shoes. I was thrilled.  

Surprisingly, the shoes weren’t more expensive than they’d have been in the US. Everyone talks about how expensive it is here. Yes, the hotel was twice as much as we usually spend, but we had accumulated points to use, which softened the blow.

Many elaborate former homes from the 17th and 18th centuries have been converted to governmental and diplomatic structures. Not this building’s construction year of 1843.

Dining out is comparable to the US from what we’ve seen so far. Last night we dined in the upscale hotel restaurant, Brasserie Flo, which turned out to be rated #720 out of 3736 restaurants in Amsterdam. I loved the food…Tom did not. He’s not the gourmet kind of guy. Here are a few photos of our meals.

Tom’s veal and mashed potato dinner.

This morning we had breakfast in a pub we encountered on our walk. They didn’t make eggs with butter or healthy oils, so I ordered a chicken Caesar salad. Tom had a ham and cheese omelet, which he said was “just OK.”  

My rack of lamb on a bed of assorted mushrooms was delicious.
Please understand, I am traveling the world with a picky eater, but then again, he has to live with all of my peculiar dining options. We figure it out as we go. It’s not perfect, but we’ve learned to live with these limitations, and now…others.
This seafood platter for two looked appealing, but Tom’s not a big fan of most seafood. It didn’t pay us to spend Euro $125, US $141 for this meal alone.

After we had breakfast and walked the distance to the shoe stores, on the way back, as we walked along with one of the 100 canals in Amsterdam, we spotted a canal boat tour starting in 15 minutes. This was ideal for us.  

As we walked down the narrow street, exploring and looking for a shoe store.

We’d hoped to tour the canals today anyway, and this avoided us going back to the hotel for more walking, only to find our way back to another tour boat.  It had been raining off and on all morning. It was sunny when we left the hotel.

The clock tower building.

This particular boat was fully enclosed with big glass windows we could open when the rain stopped. We were grateful that a few minutes into our tour, the sun came out once again, and we were able to take many photos, more than we can ever share here today.  

Ornamental pillars at one of the 1000 bridges in Amsterdam.

More photos will follow in tomorrow’s post, which we hope to finish before heading to the ship at noon. This is all happening so fast! This time tomorrow afternoon, we’ll be situated in our cabin and hopefully unpacked, ready for the cruise fun to begin.

Have a fantastic Saturday night, wherever you may be!

Photo from one year ago today, August 10, 2018:
Tom’s excellent new haircut. She cut his hair this time as opposed to using the electric clippers. Cost with a tip? ZAR 130, US $9.35 (includes tip). Wow! I love the beard! For more photos, please click here.

Happy 4th of July to all our friends in the US…How do I get health insurance now?

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Bay view on a sunny morning in Connemara.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Many Irish names begin with “Mac,” which translates to mean “son of.”

Firstly, let’s start today with wishes for a safe and festive July 4th weekend to all of our friends and family members in the US. With the holiday falling on a Thursday, it may be a four-day weekend for many workers.  
 
In our old lives, we celebrated the Independence Day of America with considerable enthusiasm. We had 300 small flags lining the lakeshore, which Tom had put in place the previous night; I baked an American flag sheet cake using strawberries and blueberries for the stars and stripes, and we often had a party for friends and family.
 
Today, here in Ireland, this is another lovely Thursday in Ireland. To celebrate the day, early this morning, we took a drive in the countryside, taking photos along the way.
We spotted lots of cattle on a morning drive but few sheep.

It is still a cool day at 10C, 59F, but the winds were light and the sky sunny. Now a few hours later, the clouds have rolled in, and there isn’t a spot of blue in the sky.  But the weather doesn’t keep us from reveling in the scenery we see out any window in our vacation home, constantly reminding us of this beautiful country.

As I had promised myself over a month ago, on the 4th of July, I’d be able to walk up the hill from the driveway on my own with no help from Tom. This morning, I gleefully accomplished this task and have decided to repeat it at least five times a week to build my stamina for walking up steep hills.

That is not to say my healing is complete. At a little over 4½ months from the bypass surgery and three months since the two-leg surgeries, I’d be deluding myself to say the healing process is complete. I still have pain and discomfort in my sternum and legs. I’ve read that some patient’s chests don’t heal for over a year.

Flowers blooming on the side of the road.

I don’t think it will take me a year, but I will progress considerably by the six-month mark. The wound in my left leg should be closed within a month. The other already-closed incisions are still tender to touch and feel painful at night in bed.  

The hematoma in my right thigh is starting to look a little better but requires a pillow between my legs at night to avoid keeping me awake from the pain. I’m hopeful, and when I think we’ll be on a cruise in 5½ weeks, I continue to exercise, try to get enough sleep, and eat a healthy diet.  

While on the upcoming cruise from Amsterdam to Amsterdam, we have a very busy and active two-day small group tour to St. Petersburg, Russia. I’m working hard to prepare myself for this tour. In the evenings, we’ll return to the ship for the night meeting with the van at the pier the following day.

The online translation of this monument was tricky to accomplish. Can any of our new readers in Ireland translate this for us?  If so, please send an email or comment at the end of the post.

Speaking of my health situation once again (apologies for the repetition), we’ve been busy the past several days searching for a health insurance policy that accepts pre-existing conditions. We weren’t hopeful.

And, not surprisingly, we cannot find insurance for me that would include anything to do with my heart and arteries. In the worst case, I may qualify 12 months after no further treatment was required. This 12-month period would begin on May 10, 2019, when I no longer needed any medical care.

We still have coverage with the company that isn’t paying our claims, and until they provide us with formal notification, everything else is covered. The rate is almost Euro 709,  US $800 a month, which doubled after the surgery.  

A bull in a field with lots of what appeared to be pregnant females.

There’s nothing we can do at this point, short of returning to live in the US to get Medicare, Part B, and a supplement (they don’t pay outside the US). We are not willing to do this at this time and forfeit this wonderful life.  We’re eager to take the risk.

You may think we’re nuts for not moving back to the US for this reason. But, we all have to make choices for our own lives. This works for us. Quality of life is an essential factor, motivating us to continue joyfully. I could make myself stressed thinking of this, but I choose not to. Instead, we’ll continue to dream and make plans for the future.

As mentioned above, may all of our readers in the US have a safe and fulfilling holiday weekend.  And may the remainder of our readers have an equally good day and upcoming weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, July 4, 2018:
This parade of elephants consisted of more than 30. For more photos, please click here.

We have to let it go and move on…You may not agree…How to identify fake scallops…

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Chef Ramsay might be pleased with the color from browning these scallops in butter. “Inside, you will also find a vivid orange roe (also called coral), which is often discarded but is edible. Rinse (don’t drench) several times in cold water to remove sand or grit. Once shucked, scallops can be cooked. If scallops are mushy to the touch, they’re undercooked. If they’re firm, they’re overcooked.” They are delicious!  For more on “fake” scallops that are often sold throughout the world. Please click here.  Scroll to the end of this post for details on this topic.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“The guillotine was used in Ireland before it was used in France. The earliest use
dates back to 1307.”

The battle with the insurance company is coming to an end. We’ve concluded they aren’t going to pay, nor will we be reimbursed for any of the bills we paid out-of-pocket.  

The stress of dealing with this has the potential to harm my future health. It simply isn’t worth it. At times, we all have had to face the reality that we’re losing money we shouldn’t have had to lose. Such is the case here. We need to move on.

We considered a lawsuit but here again, more stress and focus on the negativity that not only may affect both of us but also prevent us from truly enjoying our plans with this hanging over our heads.  

We can only imagine the endless conversations with a solicitor/attorney in the UK, where the company is based, and how those calls would impact the quality of our experiences. These types of phone calls could transpire while we’re on a cruise or touring. We need to move on.

A Connemara Pony a few doors down from us.

Why do they deny the claim? In 2007 I had a cardiac ablation in the cath lab (in Minnesota) by an “electrical” cardiologist to remove a genetic tiny extra electrical valve which suddenly caused tachycardia.  

Once he removed the tiny valve (no replacement necessary), he explained I wouldn’t need further treatment, medication, or any follow-up. I didn’t have a “heart” condition. I was not a heart patient.

Less than a week later, I was back at the health club pounding it out, feeling great with no residual symptoms. It was over. During this period, I was on a low-dose hypertensive drug that kept my blood pressure totally under control.  I still wasn’t considered a “heart” patient.

When we applied for the insurance, I knew it would be construed as a heart condition if I disclosed this. The doctor who did the ablation told me specifically not to make a deal of this when applying for insurance. I didn’t have a heart condition.

Another Connemara Pony and her colt.  The dad was nearby, and he was a dark brown like the colt.

When our current annual travel insurance discovered the ablation, they denied the claim, stating I had a pre-existing heart condition. During all the tests I’d had before the bypass surgery, I was told over and over there was nothing wrong with my heart itself.  

From a lifetime of working out, my heart was comparable to that of a healthy 35-year-old. My arteries are the issue, and I did not know, no prior treatment and no medication for this genetic condition, inherited from both sides of the family.  Heart disease, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, spinal disorders, and other inflammatory diseases were rampant on my mother’s side of the family.

One can argue I should have disclosed this when applying for the insurance because I had no known heart disease. I saw no reason to disclose it.  Would one admit every sprained ankle, every infection, and injury when applying for insurance, only to have those recovered body parts excluded from the policy?

I had disclosed I’d had back surgery in 1995, and they excluded any possible claims for anything to do with my spine, neck, and vertebrae even though I no longer had pain or was on treatment for any of this. My restrictive diet rid me of any pain, and at the time of application, shortly after we began traveling the world, I disclosed this condition in the application.

This insurance is not Medicare and has nothing to do with insurance in the US.  Medicare doesn’t pay outside the US, nor is it possible to be reimbursed for any claims. The policy was “major medical” only and didn’t cover doctor visits, dental, vision, or prescriptions.  

We had so few doctor appointments over the years of travel, up until the recent surgery.  Prices were so low for office visits in other countries, such as Euro 30.44, US $40 for an office visit. There was no need to cover office visits.

So there it is. Right or wrong. Delusional or realistic. This is the situation, and we have to live with it to avoid the above stress.

But, a new problem comes out of this. How do we get insurance for me now with the recent four surgeries?  We’ll share what we’ve discovered in tomorrow’s post.

Authentic scallops with the orange roe connection piece, which in itself is delicious!

Moving right along…tonight, we have scallops again. We can’t get enough of these. Although I’ve reduced my beef consumption to once a week, we have the scallops with steak for a quasi “surf and turf” dinner. It’s no special occasion.  We’re just enjoying good food along with coleslaw, baby asparagus, and cooked spinach (for me). Tom will have rice with his dinner.

Following is the article we found online about “fake” scallops, which we’d wondered about for years. After eating the scallops here, delivered each week by fish guy John, I doubt we’ll ever trust scallops in other countries, including the US. I never recall them tasting so delicious or having the little reddish/orange pouch on its side.  Wow!  Unbelievable flavor and texture.

“Identifying Fake Scallops (from this site)

While you can’t always trust labels, you can trust your eyes. Here are a few tips to help you decipher if scallops are authentic or fake.

Scallops from nature will vary in size and never have a perfect cylinder shape to them. Fake scallops have an identical circumference because they are made using a cookie-cutter device. Also, if you see one edge thicker than the other, it’s either stingray or skate wings that taper significantly from one side to the other.

*Look at the texture. Genuine scallops have distinct grains or fibers running lengthwise, as the edible part of scallop meat serves as a muscle that holds the two scallop shells together. A fake scallop will have fewer fibers and appear more solid and dense.

And finally, look at the thickness and see if it’s the same on all sides. If it’s made from a stingray or skate, it will be thicker on one side because their wings taper significantly from one side to the other.”

Next time you purchase scallops, you may want to check for authenticity. Enjoy the day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2018:

Notice the pellet crumbs on Ms. Bushbuck’s nose. Often, there are lots of crumbs in the enormous bags of pellets. Most wildlife is happy to lap up the crumbs if we place them on the tile steps. For more photos, please click here.

And life goes on…Knowing or not knowing…

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Whenever the sky is pretty straightforward, we look forward to the sunsets.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“The Irish perform in the Tailteann Games, Ireland’s version of the Olympics.”

After all the excitement over the past week by finalizing several bookings for the upcoming year, we’ve now settled back into our day-to-day lives. The itinerary is almost filled in with only a few gaps for hotel stays. To see yesterday’s posted itinerary, please click here.

Not only has it been exciting for us, but it’s also been a huge relief. Not knowing where we’ll be in six months is daunting, especially as I continue to recover from open-heart surgery.

A glimmer at a distance.

That is one of the essential aspects of world travel after all these years…knowing where we’ll be a year from now and perhaps the following year. This fact has been instrumental in our booking so far out over the past almost seven years.

Without a home, apartment, condo or place we can go to repack and regroup, this process must be completed while in the midst of our travels. This could be unsettling for many.

In the beginning in 2012, we were booked out over two years since we were well aware of the fact about the human condition is to be rooted in one (or more) locations.

The sunsets occur late here in Ireland, especially at this time of the year.

Now, with experience, we’ve found if we know where we’ll be in a year is all we need to feel comfortable. However, we both acknowledge that most likely we’ll never be in a position to land in a new country without reservations. If we’d did, we’d figure it out and not panic.

But why put ourselves in that position? We’re not 20-year-olds backpacking it and staying in hostels along the way. We have certain expectations as to the creature comforts we require;  a clean and well-maintained property; WiFi, heat, and aircon (if necessary), electricity, running water and a kitchen suitable for preparing most meals. A comfy bed and bedding is a bonus.

Anything beyond that is a plus we never fail to appreciate. We aren’t snobs and don’t require “fancy” and “modern.” While we stay in Apache Junction in the same neighborhood as Tom’s three sisters and significant others, it will be a fun for us.

What a sight!

We chose to stay in Apache Junction near his family a few reasons, but mainly since Tom is the youngest in the family and wanted to have valuable time with his sisters, which we haven’t done in years.  

Many of our travel experiences include what I suggest and would like to do.  Good grief, do you think he wanted to spend over a year in South Africa, something we’ll never do again for such an extended period? He did it for me and ultimately enjoyed himself in the process.  

When he suggested we visit his sisters for two months (a time we had to fill) in Apache Junction, Arizona living in their neighborhood in our own place, it sounded like a good idea. This is a collaborative adventure. Besides, I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with his sisters.

Old cement house along the highway to Oughterard.

With a bit of time and effort and assistance from his sister Colleen, we were able to book a place within walking distance to his sister’s places. It is inexpensive compared to many houses we’ve rented at Euro 1327, US $1500 a month (includes WiFi and all utilities) and will give us an opportunity to recover some of our losses over the past year.

We’re both good with this.  We didn’t want to spend the cold winter in Minnesota when we have no cold-weather clothing, can’t stand the cold or afford a hotel for such an extended period. It’s costly to stay in Minnesota. 

Another man and a boy are fishing in front of our house.

We didn’t want to impose upon son Richard by living in his house for two months (instead we’ll stay with him for 10 days). It’s a five-plus-hour drive from Henderson, Nevada, to Apache Junction, Arizona.  

We’ll rent a car in Nevada, use it while in Nevada, drive to Arizona and return the car either to the airport in Nevada or Arizona, depending on our plans at the time.  Tom has done some research and it appears the price will be the same if we pick it up in Nevada and drop it off in Arizona since both airports are very busy.

So much planning goes into each location. Fortunately, we continue to find research fun, rewarding, and not a chore. Should this ever change, we’ll have to rethink our lifestyle.

We hope you have a fantastic day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 2, 2018:

This flock of ostriches is often found in a particular area near the river we often visit when on daily drives. For more details, please click here.

Here it is at long last!…Our newest itinerary!…

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One of the many excursions on the Maharajas Express train includes a visit to the Taj Mahal. (Not our photo).

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Abortion is illegal in Ireland unless keeping the child would put the mother’s life at
risk.”

There’s no doubt we’re tentative about booking into the future, especially when there is no certainty about my health going forward. To date, we haven’t booked anything where we’d lose the entire cost of the venue, just deposits.

Even paying deposits is risky. After we’ve paid out so much in medical bills, our insurance company refuses to pay and to lose so much for prepaid travel events we couldn’t attend, flights we had to cancel, and bookings we had to forgo, it’s not surprising we’re cautious.

The unexpected cardiac bypass surgery could easily put a quick end to our travels, which neither of us wanted to stop. Instead, we strive to continue living life to the fullest.  

None of us knows how much time we have on this earth, and yes, my situation may mean I have less time than many. But, it’s no reason to stop living. What would we do if we lived in a condo in the US? Stay home and do nothing? 

The travels we have ahead will require some days at the airport, waiting in a long queue to board a ship and lots of walking. Would it be a lot less active if we lived in the US (or some other country)? Besides, being active is the number one prescription for improving one’s health after cardiac bypass surgery.

Walking? Yep. I’m on it every day, keeping track of my fitness watch to ensure I get in enough steps each day. It’s not easy to do, walking around the house all day.  Right now, I have a timer set to walk every 30-minutes.


I shake it up every few days.  Sometimes, it’s for long periods or several times a day, once every hour.  On some days, I do half or more of the walking at one time.  Why don’t I walk outside?  It’s cold, windy and it rains a lot.  Also, there are no sidewalks on the very narrow winding roads. The driveway to the road is rocky and uneven. It defeats the purpose to risk injury.

Itinerary 2019 – 2020
Ireland – Connemara – house rented 89 5/12/2019
– 8/8/2019 
Hotel Dublin, Ireland 1 8/8/2019
– 8/9/2019
Hotel Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2  8/9/2019 – 8/11/2019 
Cruise
– Baltic – Amsterdam to Amsterdam 		 12  8/11/2019 –
8/23/2019 
England
– Falmouth, Cornwall, UK		 14  8/23/2019 -9/6/2019 
England
– St. Teath, Bodwin, Cornwall, UK		 14 9/6/2019 – 9/20/2019
England
– Witheridge, Devon, UK		 21 9/20/2019 – 10/11/2019
Wales –
Chepstow, Monmouthshire, UK		 11 10/11/2019 – 10/22/2019
Hotel – Southampton, England 2 10/22/2019 – 10/24/2019
Cruise
– Southampton to Fort Lauderdale 		 15  10/24/2019-11/8/2019 
Hotel – Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 14  11/8/2019 –
11/22/2019 
Henderson,
Nevada, USA		 9 11/22/2019 – 12/1/2019
Holiday
Rental – Apache Junction, Arizona USA		 61 12/1/2019 – 1/30/2020
Flight
Phoenix, Arizona to Mumbai, India*		 2 1/30/2020 – 2/1/2020
Hotel –
Mumbai, India		 1 2/1/2020 – 2/2/2020
Train –
Maharajas Express -Mumbai to Dehli		 6 2/2/2020 – 2/8/2020
Safari
– India		 5 2/8/2020 – 2/13/2020
Hotels
Udaipur, India 		 30 2/13/2020 – 3/13/2020
India –
to be booked		 21 3/13/2020 – 4/3/2020
Cruise
– Mumbai to London		 29 4/3/2020 – 5/2/2020
Total days planned 359 5/12/2020 – 5/2/2020
It does not include cruises beyond this date in the event we make some changes. * All distant locations include flights – the only flight more than a day is from Phoenix
to Mumbai.

Walking around the house at a good clip is not that bad.  I have a route I vary every few minutes rather than stick to one path. Boredom is the biggest problem.  My cheap South African-purchased smartphone doesn’t have enough memory to add a podcast app which would help tremendously.  

At one point, I added an SD card, but it couldn’t store any data. It’s the phone.  Nothing I can do about that until we purchase new phones in the US when we arrive in November, a mere four months from now.  

We’ve already selected the phones we’d like but won’t order them until closer to the time of our arrival in the US. In four months, newer models could hit the market, and prices may change.

In preparing the itinerary we’ve included today, we didn’t include the cruise we’ve booked to Cape Town, South Africa, long before my illness, based on hearing from immigration as to our “undesirable” status after overstaying for three months my recovery. As mentioned a few days ago, we’ve applied, re-applied, and called several times, requesting a response. None yet. We’ll continue trying.

Also, as mentioned, we have a few more cruises we’ve booked and may not take. These are not shown in the itinerary.  We’re able to move the deposits at any time with no losses. Having chosen a few costly cruises, considering our budget, we won’t be cruising as often as we had in the early part of our travels.

Cruises are highlighted in the itinerary in turquoise. We’ll be taking the cruises listed on the itinerary. Everything we do in life is subject to good health. For some oddball reason, I wrongfully thought that saying “health providing” in dozens, if not hundreds of other posts, as if provided some insurance, nothing terrible would happen. It did happen anyway. I am done saying that!

After further research and comments from kindly readers who’ve been to India, it appears we can stay up to 180 days. That’s great! We didn’t want to deal with more immigration problems.

Gotta go! My timer just went off for my next round of walking.  

Enjoy your day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 1, 2018:

One year ago today, we attended the Honorary Ranger’s Annual Fair in Marloth Park.  Artist’s renditions of wildlife along with an array of skulls, horns, and tusks. For more photos, please click here.

Part 4…New bookings…A new country…A new lease on life!…Tomorrow, our new itinerary!…

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Mumbai.

“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“The longest river in the country is the River Shannon. The river is 360 km, 224 miles long. The River Shannon (Irish: Abha na Sionainne, an tSionainn, an tSionna) is the longest river in Ireland. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of 16,865 km (6,512 sq mi), one-fifth of the area of Ireland.”

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we hesitated over spending so much on this cruise, especially after the cost of the Maharajas Train on which we’ll embark on February 3, 2020.  

We have two months to travel while in India while we look forward to this upcoming cruise embarking on April 3, 2020, ending in London on May 2, 2020, 29 nights later.

We’ve yet to decide where we’ll go when we arrive in London. We have plenty of time for that, a little over 10 months. We may plan to stay around Europe for a few months. With the Schengen visa restrictions, we can only remain in most European countries for 90 out of 180 days.

There are several countries that aren’t part of Schengen. For more details on Schengen visas, please visit this site.

According to visa regulations listed on many sites for India e-visa, a traveler from the US and many other countries may only stay for 60 days. We’ll be in India for 63 days. If necessary, we’ll apply for an extension through the Indian Embassy through the consulate in San Francisco, the location we must use as residents of Nevada.

However, at the governmental e-visa site for India, the following is clearly stated as follows:

“Stay:
Continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 90 days for countries except the USA, UK, Canada, and Japan. For the USA, UK, Canada, and Japan, continuous stay during each visit shall not exceed 180 days.

Today, I sent them an email asking to clarify if a 90-day stay is accurate. After all our visa issues these past few years, we aren’t taking any chances. Nothing spoils a visit to a country like immigration issues.  
 
Anyway, back to the cruise fare…We weren’t thrilled that Viking requires payment in full so close to the time of booking and far from the time of sailing. In this case, the final payment, as shown below, is due in full on July 24, 2019, a little over three weeks from now:  
 
Cruise Fare $19,998.00  
E-Check Discount ($633.53)       
Past-Passenger Discount ($800.00)            
Grand Total: $18,564.47   
Total Deposit Paid: $483.50    
Total Balance Due: $18,080.97  Final payment due July 24, 2019 

Tips/Amenities Included: 
Jessica Lyman: $300.00 Onboard Credit 
Thomas Lyman: $300.00 Onboard Credit 

We justified this expensive cruise based on the fact that we have three cruises we’ve booked with deposits we can transfer to later cruises, most likely to 2022, giving up plenty of time to recover the considerable expense.  

In the interim, we’ll wait and see if we can sail on the cruise from Lisbon to Cape Town on November 10, 2020, on Azamara, which visits many ports on the western side of Africa, a very rare cruise.  

We’re waiting to determine if the five-year ban from returning to South Africa is lifted for medical reasons.  We applied for the waiver almost seven weeks ago and have inquired several times to no avail. They don’t respond to our inquiries by phone or email.  

On Friday, we inquired again and will do so every Friday until we get an update. If we don’t receive the waiver, we’ll lose part of the deposit we paid and miss this exciting itinerary and plan when and if we’ll get back to Marloth Park.  When and if we do, we won’t stay longer than 90 days in South Africa.

Today, we’ve added photos and information about dining options on the Mumbai cruise with Viking, including the complimentary specialty restaurants. Please see below for details.


FastDeal		 21770
29 nights departing April 3, 2020, on
Viking Cruises Viking Sun
Brochure Balcony $9,999
Our Balcony $9,999
You Save 0%
Brochure Suite $16,749
Our Suite $15,999
You Save 4%
Prices include select shore excursions and unlimited internet.
Book select categories by June 30 and pay a reduced deposit of $250 per person.
Promotions may not be combinable with all fares.
___________________________________________________________

Dining options on Viking Sun:
“The Restaurant
Cuisine: Continental
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Breakfast: 8:00am – 10:00am
Lunch: Noon – 2:30pm
Dinner: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
The Chef’s Table
Cuisine: Continental
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm
Manfredi’s Italian Restaurant
Cuisine: Italian
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm
World Cafe
Cuisine: Variety
Dress Code: Elegant casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: Yes
Hours
Breakfast: 7:30am – 10:00am
Lunch: 11:30am – 2:00pm
Dinner: 6:30pm – 10:30pm
Viking Deli
Cuisine: Scandinavian
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours
Aquavit Terrace
Cuisine: Al fresco options
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours
The Kitchen Table
Cuisine: Cooking school and restaurant
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours
Mamsen’s
Cuisine: Norwegian breakfast and lunch
Dress Code: Casual
Surcharge: No
Reservations Required: No
Hours
Check onboard for hours
In addition to the restaurants mentioned above, the Viking Sun also features afternoon high tea in the Wintergarden, a pool grill, and 24-hour room service. “

Last night, our dinner for guests was canceled due to an unexpected illness of one of our guests.  We’re hoping she will recover soon.  We ended up thoroughly enjoying the dinner we planned and spent a quiet evening at “home.” 

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with our new itinerary. Please stop back to see it!

Be well.

Photo from one year ago today, June 30, 2018:

The particular “dazzle” of zebras visiting that morning was all female except for a youngster. For more photos, please click here.