Almost normal again...

Thursday, September 29. Sunny again.

We are almost caught up regarding time, so we went outside and tackled some minor make-work projects just to get the fresh air into our lungs. This weather is like the calm before the storm. We all know that the rains are coming and all too soon it will be six or seven months before we can count on some good weather and outdoor living again. 

Fellette managed to take in half of the choir practise last night. I was concerned that she may fall asleep behind the wheel if she stayed for the whole practise.

I am sorry to say that life can be a bit boring for me at least. There is lots going on at CTI and the prospect of heavy involvements in building in the near future, but at present, it is pretty darn dull here.

This is something that I am not complaint about but just mentioning it. I know that things can change in a heartbeat regarding health matters and then it would be far from boring and become downright discouraging. I wonder how long Fellette and I can drift through life seemingly unaffected when so many people our age are in terrible shape, or not here!

Things are moving along quickly regarding the acquisition in the USA. Wally has the matter firmly in hand and juggling lawyers, accountants and bankers on both sides of the border. He and two of our staff are going to Chicago on Wednesday for a couple of days. The deal closes on October 28. Exciting stuff for Wally and CTI.

Sister Moe is a little under the weather since coming home.

I did take my camera out today, just to have something to show for our day. Wow, how bad can it be to show some green waste ready to go to recycling as the highlight of our day!

Some ornamental grass that I cut yesterday. 

Fellette and I bundled it up for acceptable size for take away next week.

The Brussels Sprouts are tied up. hopefully they will get bigger in time for winter eating.

The last of the colour in the parterre.

Back to the grind...

Monday, September 26. Nice in Amsterdam, rainy in Langley.

The day of course was/is a blur. The transfer from the ship to the airport was slick and we had use of the lounge in the airport which makes it nice. We also had excellent seats that lay flat so I actually put a blanket on, ear plugs and face mask then hunkered down for the vast majority of the nine hour flight.

Moe nodded off a bit and Fellette watched movies and chatted with Moe. We had two light meals, which was more than sufficient. No issue at the Vancouver airport except I almost had three dozen certified tulip bulbs taken away by an inexperienced customs officer.

We dropped Moe off and her place was in good shape and soon we were also home. Nathan left the place exceptionally tidy. We wandered the garden and picked tomatoes and a nice cucumber and called it a day. We do not feel like eating at 2:00 AM in the morning and that bed is beginning to look pretty darn good!

Great trip, thanks for coming with us. 

Over and out till we meet again in January for a 66 day trip around South America. Lord willing.

We think this is Barnston Island, in the Fraser River, as we flew into Vancouver, nice to see.

The pumpkins cured well.

 KLM, the Dutch airline, gave these little replicas of Amsterdam houses to us today, the three on the left. [Moe gave hers to us.] We had the other three from previous. A tad of Bols Gin is in each.

Last fling in Amsterdam...

Sunday, September 25.  (Three months till Christmas!)

Lazy morning today, again! Then a light lunch then off on a tour of the city by coach, by canal boat and on foot. 

There is not much to say about Amsterdam except it is about it is about the most liberal and accepting of any country that I know of. Drugs, prostitution and any form of expression that is non violent is accepted. 

The place is teeming with people, literally teeming. This life is a bit beyond Fellette's and my comfort level. I guess we are plain and simple folk at heart!

We enjoyed again all that this city has to offer, and are in awe as to how the Dutch seem to blend into many societies that are far less open about accepting such a variety of lifestyles without passing judgement upon others who may be less open. The previous statement may not make much sense, but I hope you understand.

The cruise has been wonderful in all respects. There has been some bumps and grinds along the way, but I am pleased how we rolled with it and also proud of our fellow passengers, about 45% of whom are elderly Canadians who took the momentarily, hourly, daily and changes with class, dignity and humour!

Our day tomorrow is a long one: coffee at maybe 5:30, breakfast a bit later and bags out at 8:45, off the ship at 9:30 to the airport and start the long, luxurious ride home to Beautiful BC. 

My next and last post will be from Fort Langley tomorrow at the usual time when home, around 

10:00 pm,  BC time.  Lord willing! 

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Thanks for being with us, no matter how periodic, it gave me a sense of purpose and I thought of you all at various times throughout the trip.

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Our busy day today...

On the canal cruise boat.

Houseboats abound.

Snobby cruiserson a personal tour, they appeared to have everything except happiness.

Sunday, what to do? Sit and watch the silly tourists go by.

Charging cars.

Finally a car too small for Fellette.

Quaint buildings everywhere, and tall Dutch people!.

In a cheese shop.

,

Gouda, gouda everywhere!

More cheese.

Just an attractive building by the canal.

Do the Dutch eat cheese by any chance?

Shoes too big for her?

Tourist trap.

There is a long stretch of a canal with nothing but garden supplies, mostly bulbs.

We could spend hours in there but only had minutes.

Wooden tulips this time of the year.

Cologne, what a city...

Saturday, September 24.

Another restful morning as we pulled out of Koblenz around 8:00 am. I got up and dressed around seven and quickly walked up the shoreline to the gigantic statue on the point where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet. It is a very Germanic statue of William the first, the first emperor of a united Germany, erected in 1897.

I first visited Koblenz in 1960 and was impressed by how the statue was not blown to bits during WWII. I was no less impressed this morning when I saw it again. 

Shortly after lunch we moored in Cologne and were soon off on a two hour walking tour. As usual, every guide puts a different slant on a place. This guide was born in the 80's so all she knows of the war is that once in a while they come across a bomb when excavating. 

The city today was a mass of people of all nationalities seemingly living a very casual and happy life enjoying the sunshine of an Indian Summer with music, food, drink and entertainment. They are also smoking themselves to death! Gad, the tobacco smoke is stifling. 

This is certainly a very liberal city (country?), too 'progressive' for me personally, but we are the older (oldest) generation. Everything seems to be accepted: clothing, hairstyles, vulgarity, public drinking for a few basic examples. We never saw a policeman nor hordes of Muslim immigrants lurking dangerously about, for that matter we have seen not much evidence of either the whole trip. 

We did see Muslim men and families seemingly integrated into German society with all the trappings of fancy haircuts and generally enjoying a Saturday in the city. My gosh, who would not want to become to Germany with all these freedoms and fun, and have a job as well? If that is the kind of life one wants, and it appears, most younger people do.

After the tour we meandered the city centre and worked our way back to the ship to relax, get the smell of a big city off of us and prepare for the very casual Captain's Dinner tonight. All that entails is a drink in the lounge, the captain will talk, we will all applaud and down we go to another excellent dinner. (The food has been the best we have ever experienced, yet in very modest but adequate portions.)

Moe is coming to life but unfit to venture out yet, I think yesterday was her worst day.

This is probably full of grammar and spelling errors, forgive me please.

For Fellette and I, it was a glorious day. Topped off by a great exchange by the cruise director and the  captain prior to dinner with the passengers. This was a very trying two weeks for them with 51 hours of delay to try and catch up with, while keeping 145 guests happy. They did just that with flying colours.

Early this morning passing by my favourite statue in Koblenz.

Another illustrious German Warlord.

We passed the bridge at Remagen. This was a standing bridge when the Americans took it, the Germans tried to blow it, unsuccessfully. Some five or so days later it collapsed, after the Allied forces had utilised it the cross into Germany. I visited here in 1960 when it was still full of rubble.

bands abound on a weekend i Cologne. Lots of beer for the musicians of course.

This bridge was blown up by the Germans. Now trains cross over it about every two minutes.

The bridge has tens of thousands of 'Love Locks' on it, put on by lovers as a sign of their love. 

Some locks are quite elaborate, this one since 1986.

I wonder if Florian and Oliver are still together. I suppose you throw the key away.

Captain's Party. Left to right: Captain, from the Netherlands, hotel manager, from Ireland, Oops, Fellette stepped in a hole, Cruise Director, Hungarian.

Castle day...

Friday, September 23. Bright and sunny.

A sleep in morning and then a visit to the quaint town of Rudesheim. There we visited the Mechanical Museum where a gentleman has spent his life restoring ancient mechanical musical boxes, ranging in size of a small garbage container down to music boxes that fit on a dresser. Very interesting.

We hit the river Rhine at that town after bravely surviving the 68 locks that it took to get us here! The river is wider and very much busier than the previous days. It is almost a free-for-all on the river regarding cruise ships, commercial vessels, barges and day cruise ships. 

It is impossible to convey the sense of our day in pictures or words, I will just include as many shots as I can for you today, without comment.  

We ended our day with a dinner in a special Chef's Table restaurant, holding about 24 people and we were fortunate enough to have it for the time we were sailing through the Gorge area in the Rhine where is a long stretch of ancient castles. The light was not the best for photography but it was glorious.

When I first visited Europe in 1960 we travelled and stayed in this area, two guys on a Vespa motor scooter.  I remember sitting high up in the hills having a lunch of bread, cheese, salami and cheap wine looking down upon those Rhine Steamers as we called them, wondering who could afford to live like that. Strange how the world turns out, sometimes for the better. 

Great day for Fellette and I, Moe is under the weather and stayed on board today. 

We are overnight in Koblenz, sail in the morning to Cologne then off to Amsterdam and fly home Monday afternoon, arriving one hour after we leave.  (Time change!)

Inside the Mechanical Music Museum in Rudesheim. Some gent devoted his live to repairing and restoring old mechanical music devices. The noise of some is deafening. The mechanical workings are beyond complex, amazing. 

Those were the days of embellishment and spectacularism. [Is that a word?]

Does that look German or what?

This was effectively a Toll Gate on the river.

Oops, more music stuff.

Rhine Wine.

A Fairy Tale World.

What goes on in there now?

Or there?

Do you think they have ever been flooded?

Cruising down the river..

Thursday, September 22. Brilliant sun.

The river mist soon burned off and a blue sky certainly brightens the spirit. 

We were to have two towns to visit today but again, the delay eight days ago put us so far behind they had to reorganize matters and the two were combined into one long one.  

I have to give a bit of background about me, and coughs/colds: Have you heard of Man Colds? Well I don't know what that is all about but my cold goes to my chest and I get a Killer Cough. Outside in fresh air I am fine, but inside I get heated up and on comes the cough and it is uncontrollable and repulsive. So, a coach tour of more than a few minutes is out of the question when I have a cold/cough, It is downright embarrassing to say the least. However when travelling, getting a cough or cold goes with the territory. 

Fortunately we have been to Germany five times so, as sorry as we were to miss a stroll through a quaint German city, we are fine with it. Moe took a bit of a beating on her trip yesterday so just enjoyed the scenery and tranquility of the ship. There we a number of people who stayed aboard today so we don't feel like total wimps.

The cruise today only travelled a few kilometres and several locks but the scenery and sun on deck was great. Fellette can bury herself in a book but I need to be doing something, that is how I relax. I spent a couple of hours today relaxing with a chap from Kitchener who we met some week ago. Their hobby is gardening: tomatoes, basil and garlic. About 50 tomatoes and around 1000 garlic. His other hobby is woodworking. 

This cruise is turning out very much different than we were expecting, for sure. I have said in the past that the only thing wrong with a river cruise was that they were too busy and not enough time to relax. So.... be careful for what you wish for. 

This may not be the most exciting reading today, but, that was our day, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. 

We were so off-schedule, the ship had to improvise so as soon as the passengers were off, the crew unloaded laundry to be picked up, not at its usual place. The captain was later fined for mooring here for 1/2 hour as it is not an authorized landing spot. Two police officers later boarded and gave him the ticket.

Fellette watching the gangway being stowed after use.

Beautiful 300 foot personal yacht for our own use. There were a few other sickos on board that day.

A little hamlet. Imagine the drama in a small place like that?

Acres and acres and acres of vineyards. Some since the Roman days.

Why would this be in a little town? There is a story there.

Maybe a grand, drafty hotel?

A typical town from afar.

We are starting to get into commercial traffic.

A typical river cruiser with its top deck down for low bridges.