A few days ago, Amazon delivered four new tires for our twenty-year-old Ford Explorer. I consulted with our neighbor Brett - who knows everything about fixing, rebuilding and caring for cars - as to where he would recommend I go to get them installed. I called the shop he recommended and this is how the conversation went:
“Hello, Tire Shop,Gail speaking”
“Good afternoon, I’ve four new tires that need to be installed, can you do that?”
“Well Darling, that is what we do for a living!” What size are the tires?”
“They are 255x70xR16” (I was prepared for that question and had it all written down.)
“Well Sugar, we charge $25 per tire, plus tax so you’ll be walking out of here about $110 lighter.”
“Can you also do an oil change as long as I’m there?”
“Here’s the thing Sweetheart, we change more than those big stores since we don’t have bulk oil, so it will cost you more. Now Love, if you want to bring in your own oil that would be okay with me.”
“No Ma'am, I’ll just use your oil. When is a good time to bring it in?”
“Sweetie, you bring it in any old time you want but we’ll be closed on Friday and Saturday so tomorrow is the only time if you need it done soon.“
“Okay, how about 12:30 tomorrow afternoon?”
“I’ll be here Sugar, just waiting on you. See you then, Love”
I could not wait to meet Gail. On the phone she sounded like an older person but certainly quick on the uptake. I had to take Cindy to the airport in the morning and then I came home and loaded the tires into the car and headed for the store. This is a very old building that must have been a gas station and not much has been done to modernize it. Just two bays, both of which had huge trucks in them, and where the gas pumps used to be there were racks of tires.
I entered the office and it was like stepping back in time. Old calendars, old pictures of cars and tires, old, very old furniture which consisted of two easy chairs and two desks pushed together in the corner by the big plate glass window. I could hear Gail before seeing her; she was in the back room with one of the workers who soon came out with two tires, and there appeared Gail rolling two more tires. “With you in a minute Sugar, just as soon I get these tires out there.”
Gail was perhaps mid fifties, give or take five years either way. She was about five foot three and perhaps 180 to 200. She was wearing a caftan that had pictures of the Eiffel Tower interspersed with the word Paris. She came back in the room and quickly dispatched the two other customers there who were waiting to pay, while at the same time asking about their family members (by name) and how the business was going and “oh my, this heat is just about ready to melt me.” They responded and it was obvious these folks had known each other a long time.
When they were gone she directed me to the chair in front of the desk and said, “Hey Sweetheart, I remember you calling and you need an oil change too, that right?”
I told her it was and asked where to bring the car. She told me and I brought it to one of the bays, where she guided me close to the bay but not into it since there was still a truck there. Back in the office she asked me what year the car was and what size engine so she could order an oil filter. I told her it was a 1998 and it was a six cylinder engine. She looked up at me quite expecting me to continue, but my knowledge of cars and engines had been depleted. “Honey, I need to know the engine size, how many liters?” When I just looked dazed she said, “Love, let’s just go out there and take a look.” I knew right then that I was perhaps the only person who she had ever interacted with who didn’t know how big his engine was.
Out we went and she had me pop the hood and she knew right where to look and yelled to her husband, “Jim, it’s four liters” and then we headed back to the office. She called an auto supply company, ordered the filter, and went back to her paperwork while telling me to just relax and read some of the papers or magazines on the desk, which I did in silence.
Fifteen minutes later, a woman came in, handed Gail the oil filter and an invoice, which Gail signed without looking, gave it back, asked the girl about how her mama was feeling and that was that. I commented that that was pretty fast service and that opened the gates. I learned what happens if they are slow and the customer is in a hurry and she went on and on and I smiled and nodded in agreement. Well, she must have enjoyed talking to me because her husband came in and said I needed new valves for the tires; she looked at me and I nodded and the husband left to install the valves. She said, “Hon, those are normally two dollars each but you’ve been waiting a bit so I’ll only charge you one dollar.”
I asked her where she was going for the long weekend and she said they were going up to Wheeling just to look around and relax, leaving that very afternoon so as to have more time for relaxing. I asked her if she had purchased the caftan in Paris and she looked at me and laughed and said, “Sweetheart, if I ever went to Paris I’d be as confused as a cat with twelve kittens,” which made us both laugh.
All too soon my time with Gail was over. She wrote out the invoice, added all the numbers in her head - which is amazing in this day and age and something I’ve not seen since living in Germany - and she said if anything goes wrong just come on back and we’ll make it right. I told her to have a lovely vacation and I was off. As I was walking to the car Jim called me over to the pile of my old tires. “Take a look at these,” as he pointed to several bare patches, “Just wanted you to know that you didn’t buy something you didn’t need!”
Cindy and I have often commented on how civil everyone is in Charles Town. You’ll be going into a 7/11 and a bearded, shirtless, tattooed guy will be coming out and he’ll greet you and hold the door and wish you a pleasant day. I am always addressed as sir and Cindy as ma’am, and courtesy is always front and center. We sometimes complain about living in a small town, but it certainly has its advantages.
Hope your weekend was as good as I'm sure Gail and Jim’s was. Cindy and William
Monday, June 26, 2017
Krakow
June 6, 2017
Whereas Warsaw was more modern and frenetic, Krakow was laid back, green and old. During the brief taxi ride to our hotel, it was obvious that this was a tale of two very different cities and we knew right away that this would be a grand experience.
Since we arrived on Cindy’s birthday, I had made an effort to insure it would be a special day. Our hotel, the Metropolitan, looked very plain and had obviously been remodeled from two older buildings. Upon check-in we received maps and suggestions for visits and were then escorted to our room, which I had carefully selected online. We opened the door and the first thing we saw was a bottle of Champagne chilling in an ice bucket with two crystal flutes waiting to be filled with bubbles. This is always a good first sign. We then noticed how very, very large this suite really was. It went on and on and each area was more impressive than the other. We marveled at how we could play hide and seek with ease in this suite, but we had no time to dally since I had made arrangements for us to attend a performance at the concert hall and we needed to get our bearings. So off we went in search of the evening’s venue.
The old town of Krakow is completely surrounded by a greenbelt park, filled with benches, flowers, old trees, and cool breezes - not to mention lots and lots of people enjoying the surroundings. We wandered into the main square and were overwhelmed with the huge churches, old towers, and the grand Cloth Market smack in the middle of the square. Following our map we tried to find the concert hall, but we kept turning down the wrong paths in the parks. We finally stopped to ask directions and a few minutes later we found our destination, which was steps from where we originally entered the park. Having figured out how to get here, we slowly wandered back to the hotel, slowly because that was the only speed available. The old town was mobbed due to a church holiday and a city holiday that weekend.
We cooled down and dressed for the concert, which was at six pm, a most respectable time. I collected the tickets from the concierge at the hotel who had done a great job of securing them the day before on short notice, and we were off. The Philharmonic is a great hall with a magnificent organ, and while our seats were not the best, they were just right for this performance. While waiting for the concert to begin there was an elderly couple wandering around looking for their seats. They were quite befuddled and had asked several people where to go but no one helped and they just stood there. The concert was to start in a few minutes so I jumped up, smiled and held out my hand for the tickets. In one minute I had them in the right seats and was seated before the concert began. In my next life, I’ll be an usher. It was a really lovely concert featuring a conductor who was celebrating his 70th birthday and much beloved by the audience, and a solo violin player who was only 21 years old but played beautifully with great energy and maturity.
Cindy’s birthday dinner that evening was at the hotel, which also has one of the best restaurants in town. Champagne at the bar, Chablis at the table to accompany the fish, and some great French red for the duck and dessert. It was a truly wonderful meal, a great way to end the actual birthday and a wonderful ending to our first day to Krakow.
The next morning we went down to the Vistula River, a short walk from the hotel, and Cindy ran while I walked along the well-maintained pathways, enjoying stunning sights of churches (dozens of them) and old, old tree-lined neighborhoods of four-story buildings - many refurbished, others in need of a coat of paint - but all of them very old-world and reminding us of our first years in Germany in the 1980s.
We spent the next two days walking all around the old town, literally, around it in the surrounding park and then crisscrossing the old town itself. On Sunday the town celebrated their symbol day, their symbol being a dragon. All of the schools in the area built dragon floats and then there was a huge parade around the old town with bands and dancing events and all manner of entertainment. A great and unexpected benefit of our visit (see below). After hours and hours of walking and not having had any lunch to speak of, we retired to our suite, had a sip of the Champagne and took a well-deserved nap, avoiding by minutes a tremendous thunder and lighting event that was accompanied by torrential rain. It was still raining in the early evening so we opted to dine late at the hotel since they had a very large group of Norwegians eating early but not staying at the hotel, go figure. Dinner was wonderful yet again; they have a justifiably well-respected kitchen.
Our last full day was, to say the least, exciting. After breakfast I received an email that said my flight from London to Washington was ready for check-in and would be departing on time the next morning at 11 am. The problem with that was my ticket showed a departure the day after that! So I was on the phone with Virgin Atlantic for several hours as I sorted through everything. It turns out they had cancelled our flight on the 7th and rebooked us on the 6th but failed to notify us of this event. I finally got us two business class seats on Delta on the 7th going to Atlanta and connecting back to Dulles, adding six hours to our journey - and Delta business isn’t much like Upper Class on Virgin. Having sorted all of that out, we did some shopping in the Old Town, looked without success for an open museum, listened to three women playing and singing lovely folk music on the street, and purchased eighty Nespresso capsules for half the price we pay here.
We were bound and determined not to dine in the hotel again so we had the Concierge book us a table at a well-known restaurant in the Ghetto section of town, a very short walk from the hotel. Turns out there are two of these and the one with our reservation was not the one we went to, but they were only too happy to accommodate us and seated us near a window overlooking the courtyard. We noticed that there were long tables of about twelve to a side, already set with salads. When the waitress came she said that our food would take about an hour to prepare since they had this large group coming in. Poland needs to do a lot more training of staff or needs to hire more kitchen help! We were in no mood for waiting an hour per course and listening to forty or more people eating and yapping, so we simply left and, yes, ended up back at the hotel. I must say, we never had the same dish twice and it was all wonderful, but we felt like we missed a bit of old Krakow.
The next morning we took the train back to Warsaw, connected right away to the train to the airport and waited for the check-in counter for British Air to open, which took two hours. When we finally checked in we were told that our flight would be four hours late due to weather in London, and in fact the flight to Warsaw had not even departed Heathrow at that point. Not the news we wanted at the end of a three-week trip, but it was what it was so we headed for the lounge for awhile and after that simply walked from one end of the terminal to the other, several times, to kill time and stretch our legs. Arrived at our hotel near Heathrow at nearly midnight and had a quick drink in the pub before heading to bed. The next day’s travels went smoothly - but as mentioned, much longer than anticipated or ticketed, resulting in our getting home at about 10:30 pm, completely exhausted. We had a rule that we can’t go to bed until we have unpacked and we unpacked with alacrity!
All and all, a fantastic birthday three weeks. Best wishes, Cindy and William
The June of 2017 will be the record-breaking month for Krakow events in 2017 and festivals. The beginning of June will be when the Grand Dragon Parade is expected to march through the Old Town of Krakow. Hundreds of relatives of Wawel Dragon – some of them breathing out fire for real – will be led to the Main Market Square by their child tamers for the joy of other kids (and adults) gathered all around the route. Soon after, a similar route will be covered by the longest parade of Krakow in 2017: the Parade of Dachshunds.
Whereas Warsaw was more modern and frenetic, Krakow was laid back, green and old. During the brief taxi ride to our hotel, it was obvious that this was a tale of two very different cities and we knew right away that this would be a grand experience.
Since we arrived on Cindy’s birthday, I had made an effort to insure it would be a special day. Our hotel, the Metropolitan, looked very plain and had obviously been remodeled from two older buildings. Upon check-in we received maps and suggestions for visits and were then escorted to our room, which I had carefully selected online. We opened the door and the first thing we saw was a bottle of Champagne chilling in an ice bucket with two crystal flutes waiting to be filled with bubbles. This is always a good first sign. We then noticed how very, very large this suite really was. It went on and on and each area was more impressive than the other. We marveled at how we could play hide and seek with ease in this suite, but we had no time to dally since I had made arrangements for us to attend a performance at the concert hall and we needed to get our bearings. So off we went in search of the evening’s venue.
The old town of Krakow is completely surrounded by a greenbelt park, filled with benches, flowers, old trees, and cool breezes - not to mention lots and lots of people enjoying the surroundings. We wandered into the main square and were overwhelmed with the huge churches, old towers, and the grand Cloth Market smack in the middle of the square. Following our map we tried to find the concert hall, but we kept turning down the wrong paths in the parks. We finally stopped to ask directions and a few minutes later we found our destination, which was steps from where we originally entered the park. Having figured out how to get here, we slowly wandered back to the hotel, slowly because that was the only speed available. The old town was mobbed due to a church holiday and a city holiday that weekend.
We cooled down and dressed for the concert, which was at six pm, a most respectable time. I collected the tickets from the concierge at the hotel who had done a great job of securing them the day before on short notice, and we were off. The Philharmonic is a great hall with a magnificent organ, and while our seats were not the best, they were just right for this performance. While waiting for the concert to begin there was an elderly couple wandering around looking for their seats. They were quite befuddled and had asked several people where to go but no one helped and they just stood there. The concert was to start in a few minutes so I jumped up, smiled and held out my hand for the tickets. In one minute I had them in the right seats and was seated before the concert began. In my next life, I’ll be an usher. It was a really lovely concert featuring a conductor who was celebrating his 70th birthday and much beloved by the audience, and a solo violin player who was only 21 years old but played beautifully with great energy and maturity.
Cindy’s birthday dinner that evening was at the hotel, which also has one of the best restaurants in town. Champagne at the bar, Chablis at the table to accompany the fish, and some great French red for the duck and dessert. It was a truly wonderful meal, a great way to end the actual birthday and a wonderful ending to our first day to Krakow.
The next morning we went down to the Vistula River, a short walk from the hotel, and Cindy ran while I walked along the well-maintained pathways, enjoying stunning sights of churches (dozens of them) and old, old tree-lined neighborhoods of four-story buildings - many refurbished, others in need of a coat of paint - but all of them very old-world and reminding us of our first years in Germany in the 1980s.
We spent the next two days walking all around the old town, literally, around it in the surrounding park and then crisscrossing the old town itself. On Sunday the town celebrated their symbol day, their symbol being a dragon. All of the schools in the area built dragon floats and then there was a huge parade around the old town with bands and dancing events and all manner of entertainment. A great and unexpected benefit of our visit (see below). After hours and hours of walking and not having had any lunch to speak of, we retired to our suite, had a sip of the Champagne and took a well-deserved nap, avoiding by minutes a tremendous thunder and lighting event that was accompanied by torrential rain. It was still raining in the early evening so we opted to dine late at the hotel since they had a very large group of Norwegians eating early but not staying at the hotel, go figure. Dinner was wonderful yet again; they have a justifiably well-respected kitchen.
Our last full day was, to say the least, exciting. After breakfast I received an email that said my flight from London to Washington was ready for check-in and would be departing on time the next morning at 11 am. The problem with that was my ticket showed a departure the day after that! So I was on the phone with Virgin Atlantic for several hours as I sorted through everything. It turns out they had cancelled our flight on the 7th and rebooked us on the 6th but failed to notify us of this event. I finally got us two business class seats on Delta on the 7th going to Atlanta and connecting back to Dulles, adding six hours to our journey - and Delta business isn’t much like Upper Class on Virgin. Having sorted all of that out, we did some shopping in the Old Town, looked without success for an open museum, listened to three women playing and singing lovely folk music on the street, and purchased eighty Nespresso capsules for half the price we pay here.
We were bound and determined not to dine in the hotel again so we had the Concierge book us a table at a well-known restaurant in the Ghetto section of town, a very short walk from the hotel. Turns out there are two of these and the one with our reservation was not the one we went to, but they were only too happy to accommodate us and seated us near a window overlooking the courtyard. We noticed that there were long tables of about twelve to a side, already set with salads. When the waitress came she said that our food would take about an hour to prepare since they had this large group coming in. Poland needs to do a lot more training of staff or needs to hire more kitchen help! We were in no mood for waiting an hour per course and listening to forty or more people eating and yapping, so we simply left and, yes, ended up back at the hotel. I must say, we never had the same dish twice and it was all wonderful, but we felt like we missed a bit of old Krakow.
The next morning we took the train back to Warsaw, connected right away to the train to the airport and waited for the check-in counter for British Air to open, which took two hours. When we finally checked in we were told that our flight would be four hours late due to weather in London, and in fact the flight to Warsaw had not even departed Heathrow at that point. Not the news we wanted at the end of a three-week trip, but it was what it was so we headed for the lounge for awhile and after that simply walked from one end of the terminal to the other, several times, to kill time and stretch our legs. Arrived at our hotel near Heathrow at nearly midnight and had a quick drink in the pub before heading to bed. The next day’s travels went smoothly - but as mentioned, much longer than anticipated or ticketed, resulting in our getting home at about 10:30 pm, completely exhausted. We had a rule that we can’t go to bed until we have unpacked and we unpacked with alacrity!
All and all, a fantastic birthday three weeks. Best wishes, Cindy and William
The June of 2017 will be the record-breaking month for Krakow events in 2017 and festivals. The beginning of June will be when the Grand Dragon Parade is expected to march through the Old Town of Krakow. Hundreds of relatives of Wawel Dragon – some of them breathing out fire for real – will be led to the Main Market Square by their child tamers for the joy of other kids (and adults) gathered all around the route. Soon after, a similar route will be covered by the longest parade of Krakow in 2017: the Parade of Dachshunds.
Warsaw
June 3, 2017
For Cindy’s Birthday Week, she usually selects a city in the USA for us to visit and play. Given that we ended the cruise in Iceland and would already be halfway across The Pond, she chose Poland since neither of us had ever been there. We spent two days in Warsaw and three in Krakow and we had a fantastic time. These are very different cities in many ways but each had something very special to offer.
Warsaw was destroyed in WWII and therefore relatively new in terms of buildings. Lots of high-rise apartment buildings and offices, wide avenues and lots of rush hour traffic, mostly on foot, in the morning and evening. We were staying at a modern Marriott directly across the street from the central train station and could observe the comings and goings of the ‘working class,’ mostly young professionals jumping on trams or buses or just walking to work. We tried to buy train tickets for our trip to Warsaw but there were enormous lines of people lined up at the counters. It seems there was a three-day weekend and everyone was getting out of town.
Upon arrival we did what we always do: Walk and walk to get a feel for the area while keeping an eye open for good restaurant choices. We had been given a recommendation of a spot close to the hotel that specialized in genuine Polish cuisine and after several hours of walking it was getting on to eight o’clock and we were fortunate to find a table for two in this restaurant. After about fifteen minutes someone came and took our drink order, returning with the wines ten minutes after that. We were seated right next to the bar so it wasn’t so much a matter of distance as it was being understaffed. When the young girl came to take our order she informed us that it would take perhaps another forty minutes since they were very busy. We demurred, paid for our wines and decided to go elsewhere. There was a couple next to us from Britain and they said they had waited forty minutes for appetizers and were now told they would wait another forty for dinner. Not the best start to experimenting with Polish cuisine.
It was now after nine and we were quite tired and in no mood for more walking so we headed back to the hotel and ended up having a marvelous little meal with fantastic wine at the Italian restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. What made the meal even more delightful was our waiter, who was a native "Varsovian" who provided us with all kinds of information on the city, the history of the city, and suggestions for us for the next day. Having salvaged the evening we happily hit the hay and slept very well indeed.
The next morning Cindy ran around this marvelous building called the Palace of Culture and Science that Stalin build as a gift to the people of Warsaw in 1955. It is an exact copy of buildings in Moscow that are called the Seven Sisters. It appears that half of Warsaw wanted to rip it down after the end of communism and the other half wanted to keep it as a reminder of communism. It is now a hub of culture housing museums, theaters, a ballet company and is a focal point for fairs and carnivals. After breakfast we went across the street to meet our hop-on/ hop-off bus, which gave us a lovely overview of the city with some interesting commentary. Most of the time the commentary was on things we had already passed (an issue with the timing on the recording!), but we enjoyed it nonetheless. When the bus dropped us off, we started walking for another four hours to revisit the places where we wanted to spend more time, which was mainly in the Old Town Market Square. This was built around a castle, parts of which can still be seen, and is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets and old shops, bars and restaurants. It was great fun but exhausting since it was also rather warm.
We had every intention of going out in the evening to try yet again to find an authentic experience with Polish cuisine but our plans were dashed by two factors. The first was that we were plum tired of walking and we would have had to walk a distance to get to the row of restaurants we saw on our walks. The second factor was most delicious. We went to the club lounge to have a glass of wine before setting out to find dinner, and lo and behold, it was Polish night and the chafing dishes were filled with Polish delicacies. Pierogi stuffed with meat or cheese or spinach, all manner of Kielbasa, farm cheeses - some smoked, others fresh - cold meats and patés, fresh breads and pastries … well, you get the picture. We settled in for our first Polish dinner courtesy of Mr. Marriott and it was swell.
The next morning after our walk/run, we threw our clothes into the suitcase and headed across the street for our first class train to Krakow. The train is one of the fastest in Europe and is extremely well equipped for comfort. As we pulled out of the station we zipped past the suburbs of Warsaw and soon were in the middle of rolling farmland which was absolutely beautiful. We experienced another spring with lots of flowers, flowering trees, and green, green grasses and young plants. An attendant came by offering coffee and tea followed by a light lunch, a marvelously civil way to travel. Two hours and twenty minutes later we were in Krakow, refreshed and ready for another adventure.
More on Krakow later, Cindy and Wm
For Cindy’s Birthday Week, she usually selects a city in the USA for us to visit and play. Given that we ended the cruise in Iceland and would already be halfway across The Pond, she chose Poland since neither of us had ever been there. We spent two days in Warsaw and three in Krakow and we had a fantastic time. These are very different cities in many ways but each had something very special to offer.
Warsaw was destroyed in WWII and therefore relatively new in terms of buildings. Lots of high-rise apartment buildings and offices, wide avenues and lots of rush hour traffic, mostly on foot, in the morning and evening. We were staying at a modern Marriott directly across the street from the central train station and could observe the comings and goings of the ‘working class,’ mostly young professionals jumping on trams or buses or just walking to work. We tried to buy train tickets for our trip to Warsaw but there were enormous lines of people lined up at the counters. It seems there was a three-day weekend and everyone was getting out of town.
Upon arrival we did what we always do: Walk and walk to get a feel for the area while keeping an eye open for good restaurant choices. We had been given a recommendation of a spot close to the hotel that specialized in genuine Polish cuisine and after several hours of walking it was getting on to eight o’clock and we were fortunate to find a table for two in this restaurant. After about fifteen minutes someone came and took our drink order, returning with the wines ten minutes after that. We were seated right next to the bar so it wasn’t so much a matter of distance as it was being understaffed. When the young girl came to take our order she informed us that it would take perhaps another forty minutes since they were very busy. We demurred, paid for our wines and decided to go elsewhere. There was a couple next to us from Britain and they said they had waited forty minutes for appetizers and were now told they would wait another forty for dinner. Not the best start to experimenting with Polish cuisine.
It was now after nine and we were quite tired and in no mood for more walking so we headed back to the hotel and ended up having a marvelous little meal with fantastic wine at the Italian restaurant on the second floor of the hotel. What made the meal even more delightful was our waiter, who was a native "Varsovian" who provided us with all kinds of information on the city, the history of the city, and suggestions for us for the next day. Having salvaged the evening we happily hit the hay and slept very well indeed.
The next morning Cindy ran around this marvelous building called the Palace of Culture and Science that Stalin build as a gift to the people of Warsaw in 1955. It is an exact copy of buildings in Moscow that are called the Seven Sisters. It appears that half of Warsaw wanted to rip it down after the end of communism and the other half wanted to keep it as a reminder of communism. It is now a hub of culture housing museums, theaters, a ballet company and is a focal point for fairs and carnivals. After breakfast we went across the street to meet our hop-on/ hop-off bus, which gave us a lovely overview of the city with some interesting commentary. Most of the time the commentary was on things we had already passed (an issue with the timing on the recording!), but we enjoyed it nonetheless. When the bus dropped us off, we started walking for another four hours to revisit the places where we wanted to spend more time, which was mainly in the Old Town Market Square. This was built around a castle, parts of which can still be seen, and is a labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets and old shops, bars and restaurants. It was great fun but exhausting since it was also rather warm.
We had every intention of going out in the evening to try yet again to find an authentic experience with Polish cuisine but our plans were dashed by two factors. The first was that we were plum tired of walking and we would have had to walk a distance to get to the row of restaurants we saw on our walks. The second factor was most delicious. We went to the club lounge to have a glass of wine before setting out to find dinner, and lo and behold, it was Polish night and the chafing dishes were filled with Polish delicacies. Pierogi stuffed with meat or cheese or spinach, all manner of Kielbasa, farm cheeses - some smoked, others fresh - cold meats and patés, fresh breads and pastries … well, you get the picture. We settled in for our first Polish dinner courtesy of Mr. Marriott and it was swell.
The next morning after our walk/run, we threw our clothes into the suitcase and headed across the street for our first class train to Krakow. The train is one of the fastest in Europe and is extremely well equipped for comfort. As we pulled out of the station we zipped past the suburbs of Warsaw and soon were in the middle of rolling farmland which was absolutely beautiful. We experienced another spring with lots of flowers, flowering trees, and green, green grasses and young plants. An attendant came by offering coffee and tea followed by a light lunch, a marvelously civil way to travel. Two hours and twenty minutes later we were in Krakow, refreshed and ready for another adventure.
More on Krakow later, Cindy and Wm
Heading to Poland
May 31, 2017
When you board a luxury cruise liner you are made welcome immediately, and for the duration of your cruise you are remembered by name and every wish is anticipated and fulfilled. The day you depart the ship their motto is, "Don't let the gangway hit you in the butt!" You depart with very little fanfare and even less assistance, but hey, they have to get everything ready for the next set of guests. At first they told us that we had to depart the ship at 06:15 for our flight that departed at 10:40. That was a non-starter for us and I informed them, rather than requesting, that we would be on the 07:30 bus. They complied by sending the right baggage tags to our cabin for the later bus. So far, so good.
We were on the bus at the appointed hour and for the next fifty minutes we were treated to a monologue by a woman who was most certainly related to our guide from the day before. She told us about trees and lava and all the other things we had heard yesterday. Her twist was on the fact that fast food came to Iceland via the US Navy, which had a base there from 1941 to 2006 when it was turned into a NATO base and most of the Americans departed. In addition to some Iceland/American children, we left a fondness for hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries as well as a real affection for rock and roll - to the extent that they have a rock and roll museum near the airport. As we approached the airport I thought I would have to give up on my red-hot desire to see a puffin, but as luck would have it, a big puffin flew right in front of us as we drove around a roundabout and landed on the grass just outside my window. I was over the moon.
Check-in for our flight to London was a nightmare, taking more than fifty minutes to get our boarding passes and check luggage. Then on to security which took another twenty-five minutes and then passport control which took more than forty minutes. No time for duty free shopping and luckily the flight was delayed by twenty minutes which allowed everyone to get aboard. The flight itself was quite lovely with great views as we departed Iceland and continued over Scotland, Manchester and into Heathrow, arriving on a beautiful sunny and warm afternoon. Heathrow has not improved much in the past several years and getting through immigration and waiting for luggage - which came on two different belts without any notification - took another ninety minutes.
We arrived at our airport hotel in time for a lovely long walk. It always amazes me that you can see the airplanes taking off across the street, but if you turn down a country lane and walk the other way, you are in gardens and fields and pastoral bliss in ten minutes. We found a narrow path that went by a highly fortified facility that was called, "Her Majesty's Refugee Return Center" (Brit for deportation jail). Soon after we were rewarded by walking into a perfect little English village with two pubs, a large church with vast gardens and cemetery, and a few little shops. All the spring flowers were blooming, the cottages sported newly planted flower boxes, and it was heavenly to be walking among such beauty.
We had an early dinner and got to bed at a reasonable time. Not sure what happened but I was wide awake at five am and despite my best efforts could not get back to sleep. I slipped out and walked the same route as the day before for about an hour when exhaustion finally hit and I headed back to the hotel for a two-hour nap. By eleven we were back at Heathrow and heading to Warsaw. Our arrival there was so different than yesterday's at Heathrow: off the plane, walked though a very modern and lovely airport (named Chopin of course), through passport control in seconds, no paperwork involved. By the time we stopped to get some local currency our bags were at the carousel and we were heading to a taxi and the hotel. From landing to entering the hotel was less than fifty minutes; absolutely amazing!
More on Poland later, but here is a hint: We love it! Cindy and Wm
When you board a luxury cruise liner you are made welcome immediately, and for the duration of your cruise you are remembered by name and every wish is anticipated and fulfilled. The day you depart the ship their motto is, "Don't let the gangway hit you in the butt!" You depart with very little fanfare and even less assistance, but hey, they have to get everything ready for the next set of guests. At first they told us that we had to depart the ship at 06:15 for our flight that departed at 10:40. That was a non-starter for us and I informed them, rather than requesting, that we would be on the 07:30 bus. They complied by sending the right baggage tags to our cabin for the later bus. So far, so good.
We were on the bus at the appointed hour and for the next fifty minutes we were treated to a monologue by a woman who was most certainly related to our guide from the day before. She told us about trees and lava and all the other things we had heard yesterday. Her twist was on the fact that fast food came to Iceland via the US Navy, which had a base there from 1941 to 2006 when it was turned into a NATO base and most of the Americans departed. In addition to some Iceland/American children, we left a fondness for hot dogs, hamburgers and french fries as well as a real affection for rock and roll - to the extent that they have a rock and roll museum near the airport. As we approached the airport I thought I would have to give up on my red-hot desire to see a puffin, but as luck would have it, a big puffin flew right in front of us as we drove around a roundabout and landed on the grass just outside my window. I was over the moon.
Check-in for our flight to London was a nightmare, taking more than fifty minutes to get our boarding passes and check luggage. Then on to security which took another twenty-five minutes and then passport control which took more than forty minutes. No time for duty free shopping and luckily the flight was delayed by twenty minutes which allowed everyone to get aboard. The flight itself was quite lovely with great views as we departed Iceland and continued over Scotland, Manchester and into Heathrow, arriving on a beautiful sunny and warm afternoon. Heathrow has not improved much in the past several years and getting through immigration and waiting for luggage - which came on two different belts without any notification - took another ninety minutes.
We arrived at our airport hotel in time for a lovely long walk. It always amazes me that you can see the airplanes taking off across the street, but if you turn down a country lane and walk the other way, you are in gardens and fields and pastoral bliss in ten minutes. We found a narrow path that went by a highly fortified facility that was called, "Her Majesty's Refugee Return Center" (Brit for deportation jail). Soon after we were rewarded by walking into a perfect little English village with two pubs, a large church with vast gardens and cemetery, and a few little shops. All the spring flowers were blooming, the cottages sported newly planted flower boxes, and it was heavenly to be walking among such beauty.
We had an early dinner and got to bed at a reasonable time. Not sure what happened but I was wide awake at five am and despite my best efforts could not get back to sleep. I slipped out and walked the same route as the day before for about an hour when exhaustion finally hit and I headed back to the hotel for a two-hour nap. By eleven we were back at Heathrow and heading to Warsaw. Our arrival there was so different than yesterday's at Heathrow: off the plane, walked though a very modern and lovely airport (named Chopin of course), through passport control in seconds, no paperwork involved. By the time we stopped to get some local currency our bags were at the carousel and we were heading to a taxi and the hotel. From landing to entering the hotel was less than fifty minutes; absolutely amazing!
More on Poland later, but here is a hint: We love it! Cindy and Wm
Iceland
June 2, 2017
There are many things to do and see in Iceland, but only if you like to do and see the same things over and over again! At first glance it is a physically beautiful country but the first impression wears off quickly. Granted, our first full day in Iceland was plagued by foul weather but even the sunshine of the next day did little to improve our impressions.
Since we had missed our first port in Iceland we only had one full day in Reykjavik and we tried to make the best of it. We left the ship on the first shuttle bus into the downtown area where we stopped at the new concert center and convention hall called the Harpa, which means harp (see, Icelandic isn't a hard language). The building is modernistic and all black glass panes to make it look like lava or something. It is impressive, especially since it is the only thing on the old harbor that is more than three stories.
It was raining lightly but we took off on our own walking tour and looked at monuments to Vikings, in fact everything seems to be a monument to Vikings despite the fact that the Vikings came from Sweden and Norway and only used Iceland as a pit stop. We headed to the famous church in town which is far more impressive from a distance than it is up close and personal. There were lines of people waiting to take an elevator to the top of the church for the 'good' view of Reykjavik, but we just looked at the beautiful organ and departed.
All too soon we realized we had seen everything and headed back to the ship for a quick lunch, changed our wet cloths for dry and headed back to a bus, this time for a four hour tour called, "Historic Iceland, Lava Fields and Viking History." By now it was really pouring, but looking at the rain at least distracted us from the most BORING guide in the universe. By the end of the tour we all knew what he paid for his water and electricity, the price of a car and how much gasoline costs. It was more of a really dull lesson on the economics of an island nation than an exciting lecture on the history of the island, but perhaps there is no exciting history of Iceland.
We continued in the rain through endless lava fields, which are flat and covered with a dull brownish moss. We went past a large lake with swans on it and finally, after on hour on the bus, came to the thermal springs and boiling mud puddles. We got out of the bus into a raging rain storm with cold rain coming at us horizontally, but we persisted because it was either that or stay on the bus and listen to the guide. After ten minutes of sulfur infused air and watching mud boil, we headed to the toilets before getting on the bus for what we were told was going to be another hour ride. There were only two toilets, this at one of the major attractions on the island, and since we were on a cruise where we were among the youngest, there was active interest in both holes. (Note from Cindy: yes it was wet and windy and smelly too, but the colors of the water and mud were amazing. They've built walkways alongside the thermal springs so at least our feet were dry!).
Back on the bus we tried to dry ourselves as best as we could while heading through more lava fields to what was described as a picturesque fishing village. This turned out to be the major fish processing plant in Iceland and we traded sulfur stinks for fish stinks. Then it was on to the Viking Museum - which truth be told, was wonderful. There was a replica of a midsize Viking ship and lots and lots of history and detail in how they sailed, traded and made ships. Truly a great experience and it was all indoors. Then back to the ship where we passed the Blue Lagoon - another tour included the mud baths and sulfur springs, but that's not our cup of tea so driving past was great. The water is an amazing shade of light blue aqua with swirls of pink. The rest of the tour was a ride through rush hour traffic before being deposited in the parking lot where we had to walk though yet another rainstorm to board. We had never seen so many people making a beeline to the bar before, all of us still in our wet jackets and shoes - it was hilarious. The Crystal cruise folks had set up a table full of fluffy dry bath towels just inside the ship, so you can believe that our tales of dampness are not exaggerated!
Best wishes, Cindy and Wm
There are many things to do and see in Iceland, but only if you like to do and see the same things over and over again! At first glance it is a physically beautiful country but the first impression wears off quickly. Granted, our first full day in Iceland was plagued by foul weather but even the sunshine of the next day did little to improve our impressions.
Since we had missed our first port in Iceland we only had one full day in Reykjavik and we tried to make the best of it. We left the ship on the first shuttle bus into the downtown area where we stopped at the new concert center and convention hall called the Harpa, which means harp (see, Icelandic isn't a hard language). The building is modernistic and all black glass panes to make it look like lava or something. It is impressive, especially since it is the only thing on the old harbor that is more than three stories.
It was raining lightly but we took off on our own walking tour and looked at monuments to Vikings, in fact everything seems to be a monument to Vikings despite the fact that the Vikings came from Sweden and Norway and only used Iceland as a pit stop. We headed to the famous church in town which is far more impressive from a distance than it is up close and personal. There were lines of people waiting to take an elevator to the top of the church for the 'good' view of Reykjavik, but we just looked at the beautiful organ and departed.
All too soon we realized we had seen everything and headed back to the ship for a quick lunch, changed our wet cloths for dry and headed back to a bus, this time for a four hour tour called, "Historic Iceland, Lava Fields and Viking History." By now it was really pouring, but looking at the rain at least distracted us from the most BORING guide in the universe. By the end of the tour we all knew what he paid for his water and electricity, the price of a car and how much gasoline costs. It was more of a really dull lesson on the economics of an island nation than an exciting lecture on the history of the island, but perhaps there is no exciting history of Iceland.
We continued in the rain through endless lava fields, which are flat and covered with a dull brownish moss. We went past a large lake with swans on it and finally, after on hour on the bus, came to the thermal springs and boiling mud puddles. We got out of the bus into a raging rain storm with cold rain coming at us horizontally, but we persisted because it was either that or stay on the bus and listen to the guide. After ten minutes of sulfur infused air and watching mud boil, we headed to the toilets before getting on the bus for what we were told was going to be another hour ride. There were only two toilets, this at one of the major attractions on the island, and since we were on a cruise where we were among the youngest, there was active interest in both holes. (Note from Cindy: yes it was wet and windy and smelly too, but the colors of the water and mud were amazing. They've built walkways alongside the thermal springs so at least our feet were dry!).
Back on the bus we tried to dry ourselves as best as we could while heading through more lava fields to what was described as a picturesque fishing village. This turned out to be the major fish processing plant in Iceland and we traded sulfur stinks for fish stinks. Then it was on to the Viking Museum - which truth be told, was wonderful. There was a replica of a midsize Viking ship and lots and lots of history and detail in how they sailed, traded and made ships. Truly a great experience and it was all indoors. Then back to the ship where we passed the Blue Lagoon - another tour included the mud baths and sulfur springs, but that's not our cup of tea so driving past was great. The water is an amazing shade of light blue aqua with swirls of pink. The rest of the tour was a ride through rush hour traffic before being deposited in the parking lot where we had to walk though yet another rainstorm to board. We had never seen so many people making a beeline to the bar before, all of us still in our wet jackets and shoes - it was hilarious. The Crystal cruise folks had set up a table full of fluffy dry bath towels just inside the ship, so you can believe that our tales of dampness are not exaggerated!
Best wishes, Cindy and Wm
At Sea
29 May 2017
We were supposed to be at anchor today in Isafjoröur Iceland, but the captain cancelled this port of call. When he announced it three days ago, there was great consternation among the guests since this was for many, ourselves included, a highlight of the cruise. I’ve read that Isafjoröur is the quintessential Icelandic fishing village famous for its lovely fjords, grand waterfalls, and lots of birds, especially puffins. But the captain calls the shots and he said we were taking a different course to avoid the ice fields hugging the coast of Greenland.
Many passengers, in addition to me, did not find that explanation satisfactory. It appears that there is a trend in some cruise companies to cancel stops for reasons other than safety concerns. I’m told that it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to visit a port and if it is cancelled then the company keeps the money. I can only speak from my limited experience but on three of the last four cruises we have taken, we skipped a port - and always, as is the case here - the last port before disembarkation. Perhaps it is just coincidence but in speaking with some of the crew that we have gotten to know, we have learned that on this ship alone a port is skipped almost every other trip.
Having said all that, we are far from uncomfortable and a fifth day at sea will not diminish our enjoyment of this experience. For the past four nights we have had to advance our clock one hour resulting in getting to bed rather late and sleeping even later. Our routine on sea days has not changed much: an hour of exercise before coffee (we get up too late for breakfast), down to the computer room to see if they have downloaded newspapers, a change of clothing for lunch, a glass of Champagne before a long lunch, a nap, exercise (walk) again, change for dinner, drinks, dinner, and dancing until the wee early morning hours. As you can see, not terribly stressful. We do other things too, for instance Cindy had been taking a water color class for the past four days and we have attended two magnificent concerts by a guest pianist, Philip Wojciechowski, who is a truly gifted artist. We even attended an evening show in the lounge featuring the Crystal ensemble doing a Jump and Swing A Mania, which was entertaining - but the real reason was to dance to the Crystal Showband, which is really good. Think a mini Pink Martini.
The seas have been calm and the weather certainly agreeable for this northern latitude. The only wildlife we have spotted are a few birds that follow the ship; no whales or dolphins or even flying fish. The wildlife lecturer on board is always on deck looking for something but since we deviated from our original course we are too far south of Greenland for any real chance of seeing anything of interest. In fact we have seen nothing, no other ships and certainly no land. The commercial ships take the faster route from Halifax to Iceland so they are staying up north. My dad took this route a few times during WWII escorting munitions and supply ships from the US and Canada to England. I can almost picture his small destroyer escort, about half the size of this ship, bouncing around the North Atlantic looking for German U-boats before they could attack the cargo ships. Not sure he did much dancing after dinner.
If all goes as scheduled we should be docking in Reykjavik early tomorrow morning and Cindy and I shall be taking a tour (yes, I’m going to take a tour) around the lava fields and thermal springs of Iceland. We’ll spend the night on board in Reykjavik and get off at 7:30am on Wednesday for a transfer to the airport where we hope British Air will be flying us to London. They have had a horrible few days and getting back to a full schedule will be a challenge.
Best wishes, Cindy and Wm
We were supposed to be at anchor today in Isafjoröur Iceland, but the captain cancelled this port of call. When he announced it three days ago, there was great consternation among the guests since this was for many, ourselves included, a highlight of the cruise. I’ve read that Isafjoröur is the quintessential Icelandic fishing village famous for its lovely fjords, grand waterfalls, and lots of birds, especially puffins. But the captain calls the shots and he said we were taking a different course to avoid the ice fields hugging the coast of Greenland.
Many passengers, in addition to me, did not find that explanation satisfactory. It appears that there is a trend in some cruise companies to cancel stops for reasons other than safety concerns. I’m told that it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to visit a port and if it is cancelled then the company keeps the money. I can only speak from my limited experience but on three of the last four cruises we have taken, we skipped a port - and always, as is the case here - the last port before disembarkation. Perhaps it is just coincidence but in speaking with some of the crew that we have gotten to know, we have learned that on this ship alone a port is skipped almost every other trip.
Having said all that, we are far from uncomfortable and a fifth day at sea will not diminish our enjoyment of this experience. For the past four nights we have had to advance our clock one hour resulting in getting to bed rather late and sleeping even later. Our routine on sea days has not changed much: an hour of exercise before coffee (we get up too late for breakfast), down to the computer room to see if they have downloaded newspapers, a change of clothing for lunch, a glass of Champagne before a long lunch, a nap, exercise (walk) again, change for dinner, drinks, dinner, and dancing until the wee early morning hours. As you can see, not terribly stressful. We do other things too, for instance Cindy had been taking a water color class for the past four days and we have attended two magnificent concerts by a guest pianist, Philip Wojciechowski, who is a truly gifted artist. We even attended an evening show in the lounge featuring the Crystal ensemble doing a Jump and Swing A Mania, which was entertaining - but the real reason was to dance to the Crystal Showband, which is really good. Think a mini Pink Martini.
The seas have been calm and the weather certainly agreeable for this northern latitude. The only wildlife we have spotted are a few birds that follow the ship; no whales or dolphins or even flying fish. The wildlife lecturer on board is always on deck looking for something but since we deviated from our original course we are too far south of Greenland for any real chance of seeing anything of interest. In fact we have seen nothing, no other ships and certainly no land. The commercial ships take the faster route from Halifax to Iceland so they are staying up north. My dad took this route a few times during WWII escorting munitions and supply ships from the US and Canada to England. I can almost picture his small destroyer escort, about half the size of this ship, bouncing around the North Atlantic looking for German U-boats before they could attack the cargo ships. Not sure he did much dancing after dinner.
If all goes as scheduled we should be docking in Reykjavik early tomorrow morning and Cindy and I shall be taking a tour (yes, I’m going to take a tour) around the lava fields and thermal springs of Iceland. We’ll spend the night on board in Reykjavik and get off at 7:30am on Wednesday for a transfer to the airport where we hope British Air will be flying us to London. They have had a horrible few days and getting back to a full schedule will be a challenge.
Best wishes, Cindy and Wm
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