Sheets to the Wind

Hello,

On this lovely last day of February the clothes were hanging on the line picking up sun and breezes for a great fresh air smell when we slip our feet into bed. Something refreshing to look forward to! The ground was a bit wet under the clothes line, but I tried to step on grass and not soil as I went up and down the area. Because it is in deep shade under the trees and there had been a camper parked there the soil is exposed in some places. At least most of the water was gone and my shoes did not squish into the mud very much. The days of spring and summer are coming with the promise of more outdoor time which lifts my spirit.

Another joy is the pink Christmas cactus that is blooming once again. That is the third time this year. How this small plant puts forth so much effort in beauty is quite fine. I counted 13 open blooms with several more to come. Yesterday for the first time I saw that there are a limited number of very small buds on the white cactus. This is the second bloom session for it. I look forward to that beauty as well. I may have lost my 45 year old plant, but I am happy to welcome the smaller new ones into my space. Does that mean that we should welcome change in our lives? The cacti are in the bedroom so it is one of the first things that I see in the morning. What a great way to wake up. My idea of poor is to have no house plants or green growing things around me. That means I am rich beyond all wild dreams.

Paula

Still Traveling

Hello,

Upon landing in Chicago I wondered where our friendly volunteer, directing us to the easy way to go from one terminal to another, hangs out now. We had to collect our check-in bag. I had forgotten about this step. All bags and we had to go through security once more. We had to do the entire process of taking off shoes, etc. because again there was no indication on our tickets that we had the pre check option. Luckily our plane was not leaving any time soon so it was not a problem, but I was happy to be done with that.

As we were looking for the place we needed to go, I saw one of the people from our airline to ask. I also commented on the condition of my ticket so they printed me a new one which included the usual pre check ability. I should have asked for that sooner.

We were too early and could not learn our assigned gate number. When we did learn that number we moved into the area only to learn after a half hour wait that our gate had been changed. That happened once more before we finally got on a later plane.

In the meantime Leroy had texted our downstairs friends to let them know what was happening since they had agreed to pick us up. In Chicago I turned on my phone to find a message from them, wondering if we were still coming home at the same time. I straightened that out. At this time Leroy was getting texts from someone who talked about being stranded in an airport while on their way to Myanmar. Only after we got home did we learn that both Leroy and Robin had the wrong phone numbers for each other. They had not been communicating with each other, but some strangers who asked few questions.

Paula

On the Homeward Journey

Because the plane left Rome early in the morning, we got up at 4:30 am. The friendly worker at the hotel left the breakfast room open with some things that we could eat without cooking. It was nice to have a good start to the day. Fifteen minutes before the taxi was to come, he called to let us know that he was on the way. We gathered our things and met him downstairs. I was so relieved to get that call and to see a cab pull up to the curb. We sped through almost deserted dark streets toward this airport. It was early enough that the metro was not yet running. I am also glad that he knew where we were going. The driver did not speak much or little English, but I believe he understood a bit.

We have not had to go through much TSA inspection in recent years, but here we had to do a bit more as they did not have our history in hand. All went as planned so it was nice to get on the plane and leave on time so we could catch the plane in Frankfort headed to Chicago. As we were waiting in Frankfort a worker there asked Leroy, “Sir, how long have you been traveling with this woman?”

To which Leroy laughed and said, “A long time!”

She then wanted to know how long we have been together. She was impressed with the 46 years answer.

While we were on our trip, a person in each of the three couple celebrated a birthday. I thought it was rather nice that Leroy toured the Vatican on his birthday. I call that enough present for one day.

Paula

In The Vatican

Hello,

We spend a bit more than three hours in the Vatican being told many interesting facts many of which I have already forgotten. It would have helped if I had known more before I started so I could hang a memory on more than air. I do remember that Michelangelo had never painted before he did the Sistine chapel ceiling. That was so amazing to me that I do remember it. He was known for his sculptures. He was asked because of his fame and no one else wanted to do it. He mostly did his own thing even when his bosses did not like the result. He would have quit if he had had to do it their way.

When we were finished we could have gone back in for a longer look, but we were all ready to take a break.

At this point we realized that we had been inside when it had rained quite a lot. Also there were many people there even though it was a rainy day. Coming early was a blessing as was the rain for keeping the crowds away. Apparently the Vatican averages 35,000 visitors every single day. We could look at our leisure and admire without jostling for space. At first the tour seemed quite expensive, but in retrospect it was well worth the cost for this guide who spoke excellent English.

Later in the afternoon we toured a church that was within easy walking distance of our hotel. It was quite beautiful. I sometimes wonder about the cost of all this beauty and who really paid.

Paula

The Vatican

Hello,

Our last full day of being tourists before starting the trek home had an early morning tour of the Vatican. When we had been asked about 7:30 as a good time for this tour it all sounded fine from the comfort of home. However the day before this tour, a later time seemed like it would have been a good idea as we had to get up plenty early to eat breakfast, get ourselves organized, ride the Metro for about 30 minutes, walk another ten, and be in place at 7:15 when we did not know precisely where we were to be. There were instructions, but when none of us had been there it felt a bit more daunting.

We did have to do a bit of backtracking with our walk, but we got there in good time. It was raining lightly so again I was pleased to have our umbrellas and raincoats. After meeting with our guide, we got in line at the Vatican. As we were waiting, he did talk with us a bit about what to expect and some of the outside features of the structure. To our shock, a woman who was in front of us, fainted. Her daughter wanted someone to call an ambulance, but our guide stepped in, and called his assistant over. The assistant quickly returned with a person and a wheel chair. By this time the woman had come to. They helped her into the chair and took her to the Dr. Our guide than told us that the Vatican hospital was the best place for her to go as it was very close and well equipped.

After we got in the building, he had us wait while he went to check on the woman. He said that she was going to the hospital because of an irregular heartbeat. Her daughter would be joining us when she could.

Certainly I learned that there is health care in the Vatican. I will have forgotten many things, but not that. It really brought home the idea that the Vatican is its own country and quite self sufficient.

Paula

Churches and Walking

Hello,

We stopped at the Spanish Steps, but did not sit or rest on them as they were quite wet.

Farther on, a church beckoned so we went in. It was the last church that Michelangelo worked on. It was quite the architectural masterpiece by him. As with most of the churches we have been in on this trip it was quite spacious, but almost no seats. We people from the USA are so into the idea of sitting in a church that one almost wonders if anyone even came to services. There was even a small attached museum so we could learn more than ordinarily when in a church on our own.

For the rest of the trip home, the rest of the group took the Metro while Leroy and I walked past some small shops and more churches as well as cutting through a park.

We did stop at a small Asian market. I had been hoping to see some nuts in a grocery, but this was not a good source for that. I was missing my nut snacks. Leroy and I did stop to ask some young women for directions. Would you believe we found some excellent English speakers who were native of New York? That helped all of us to laugh. We had to ask directions once more, but got back in good time for a bit of rest before we headed out for our evening meal.

I missed the common meeting areas on the ship where our group could visit freely, but our rooms worked with chairs imported from the other rooms.

Paula

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The Forum and Palatino

Hello,

The Colosseum tickets were good for the Forum and Palatino with a time of 24 hours to use. But first we were pleased to see that we could have breakfast at the hotel. Even though this establishment was a small concern, they had a nice assortment of possibilities. We met the woman who took care of that, and I suspect, cleaned our rooms as well. I was pleased to get some of my protein in the meal. Because I am a not meat eater I had a bit of a hard time finding things that would fill that protein requirement. Even though the egg was not as cooked as I like I gratefully ate it along with some yogurt.

After breakfast we sent Leroy into the bowels of the metro to figure out just where to get the tickets. He came back with a report so we all headed on down as we could not find the place our hotel guy had told us we could get tickets. Even though I had been getting a bit concerned by the time Leroy came back, I should have know that he would have learned many details such as the direction to go once we had the tickets. Leroy likes to get it all in order so that there are no surprises.

I had not known much about the Forum and nothing about Palatino. I learned a lot, but I am hesitant to say that I will remember it. Certainly I can see the places in my mind. We were fortunate that the rain stopped during the times that we were outside. Or it was a manageable rain with raincoats and umbrellas. Our friendly hotel woman even gave the people who had not brought umbrellas, some that had been left at the establishment. What a kind heart!

We were all grateful for the gift of the metro right outside our door. It was so nice that we hardly even got wet at the entrance.

Paula