Quartzsite Cruiser

On our way from Limassol to Nicosia, we stopped at an archeological site called Khirakita which was discovered in 1934. It dates to the Neolithic era. Here are pictures from the site.. These were the recreations of the buildings, which were on a steep hill, that all but the very fittest chose not to climb. The buildings on the hill The restored/recreated buildings based on the findings on the hill. Our first stop was an Greek Orthodox monastery and chapel. We were not allowed to take pictures in the chapel. A part of the walls from the time of the Crusades I don't remember what the monument was for Our main reason for taking the tour was to see the Green Line that divides the Nicosia between the Greek side and the Turkish side. We also brought our passports so we could enter the Turkish side. Our guide told us we could not do that as the lines to get back across the green line could take 45 minutes to hours. We only had about 45-60 minutes of free time, and the bus would not wait for anyone. The entire time she was telling us this, we were watching the lines going into and out of the Turkish side, and they were moving quickly. As soon as the guide left us, we headed straight for the border checkpoints, of which there were four, two each way. All of the four checkpoints went quickly with no hassle. Unfortunately, after her warning, we did not spend much time in Turkish Cyprus, but as it turns out, we could have. Once back across the border, we had 30-45 minutes left of our free time. We spent part of that getting gelato and bottled water. The irony was, we wound up waiting for several late people, but not because they crossed the line. We were the only ones who did. These are our pictures of our foray across the Green Line. One of the checkpoints The "forbidden" side of the Green Line Not sure exactly where we were when I took this picture since you can see the green line. Walking back to the pick-up point Lenda

Good morning from central Texas. The sun is just beginning to make an appearance, and it is clear with no winds. Prefer my pie in my stomach than on my face, thank you. I'll also celebrate Batavian Cream Pie, and turtle adoption day. I like the quote by Chuck Palahniuk. The sesame chicken stir fry looks good. A Cuba Libre made with Captain Morgan's spiced rum is very good. I learned that it was rum and coke without lime, and Cuba Libre with lime. The wine sounds like a winner, but it is a little higher priced than we usually pay for wine. We were in Limassol, Cypress, in 2017, on Prinsendam. I was just ready to post the link to Rich's @richwmn post for May 25, 2021, when Sandi@StLouisCruisers beat me to it. Thanks for the link, Sandi. I post my pictures in a few minutes. @Crazy For Cats Jake, and @cat shepard Ann, I liked your memes about cats and trees. Our first cat climbed DH's DB's real tree, and we "rescued" her before she did any damage. That added to our reasons to have an artificial tree especially when we had cats. @kazu Jacqui, I hope you just get rain and no ice or snow. @seagarsmoker Glad you are feeling better. @Lady Hudson Katherine, I'm glad your DH was able to enjoy some turkey and dressing. Glad your family had safe travels for the holiday. Hope the dental appointment goes well tomorrow. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I grew up in Abilene. Naki spent his high school junior year in Big Spring, and then graduated from the same high school in Abilene, but in a different year. He was sponsored by the Catholic chaplain from the UF Air Force base in Ankara, Turkey. My guess is the chaplain was stationed in Big Spring one year, and transferred to Dyess AFB in Abilene the next year. IIRC, the Big Spring facility was not a full base but an installation attached to Dyess. We were in Limassol in 2017 on the Elegant Explorer. That morning we took a tour to Nicosia, and then took the shuttle into Limassol on our return. I'll post the pictures of Limassol here and then the pictures of Nicosia in a later post. An open plaza This is a fortress and chapel dating to at least the 3rd Crusade and Richard the Lionhearted, if not earlier. It is believed he married Berengaria here and made her Queen of England. At one point the island belonged to the Templars, and the Knights of St. John may have stayed here before moving to Malta. If you look carefully, this is a press used to cut the stones for their buildings. Views of Limassol from the top of the fortress. Limassol is the second largest city in Cyprus after Nicosia. Some different views as we walked around the old city and back to the shuttle pick-up point. Lenda

Another good idea. Sandi, the coffee chat should be good. Naki has led an interesting life. I wish I could be there. We found Naki very approachable and easy to talk to. I'm sorry about the water leak in your DD and DSIL's house. We've tried for years to find our leak, and I hate to think what it looks like between the ceiling and the roof. Lenda

I like that idea. It makes the ottoman more dual purpose, and lessens the chances of staining the fabric. Lenda

Good evening. Once I got everything put away friom my WM stop, I made a dent it decorating more of the cookies. I'll work on more of them. Right now, I'm finishing supper of chicken fajitas and wine followed by key lime pie. DH has had some good meals in rehab, but also some spectacular duds. I think his text after tonight's offering sums it up perfectly, "I'm sure glad cruise ships do not have their food delivered from hospitals". 🤣 @0106 Tina's picture is the same brand as I use for key lime pie. However, the recipe on the bottle I used is nothing like the one Tina posted. My bottle has the same recipe I shared earlier. I used to make it with meringue, but since a pie lasts us a few days, the meringue would get tacky. Now, we eat it with whipped cream or plain. Glad you made it home safely. A great picture of DH with the grandkids . Maybe you could hire the cart outnp to program DVRs. Teri, I like the looks of your new furniture. However, being a klutz, I've always been leary of upholstered ottamans, but it adds a comfortable look. Lenda

Sharon, I also try to avoid the negative thread. The key lime pie is one of the easiest to make. I guess part of that is I buy the ready made graham cracker crusts, and key lime juice from one of the shops in Key West. Actually, their key lime juice can be found in many grocery stores. The recipe calls for 3 egg yolks, 1/2 cup key lime juice and 1 can sweetened condensed milk, Mix them together and pour into the pie shell. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes or 350F for 15 minutes. I prefer the longer cooking time. If I don't have leftover egg yolks, I've been known to use three whole eggs. The pie is a little creamier and softer. By turning the kitchen into a mini bakery yesterday, this messy baker only had to clean the kitchen once. 🤣 DH is scheduled to come home next Thursday unless something changes at the team evaluatuon Tuesday, but we don't expect that to happen. I've noticed the change in the blue bubble, and I like it. Thank you Brenda, for your nice comments about the pictures. DH is getting stronger, but it will still take time and in home PT to get back to normal. Carol, glad everyone is feeling okay, and I hope that continues. Joy, thank you for the news about baby Ethan. Glad mama and son are doing well. Welcome to the Fleet/Daily, a very friendly place on CC. I'm sure Sue will love the cruise. I won't tell here before you have a chance to surprise her. 😉 Lenda

We acrually had sun this morning. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to have clear skies and sun. We'll have clouds the rest of the day, then sun tomorrow. From looking at the rain gauge from a distance, it looks like over the last week, we got more than 4 inches of rain. The ground is still too soggy to get to the rain gauage to empty it. As far as the roof leak, we will get the contractor out once things settle down. We have a couple of ideas for him to check. If they are not the problem, the next step will be to open the ceiling to try to find where the leak is. Right now, that is not a great option, so we'll just live with the leak like we've been doing for the past few years. At least, this morning, no water dripped from the ceiling and the cookies were safe. Meanwhile, I'll relax while I'm keeping DH company until his PT session at 2. I have to stop at W-M on the way home, and I'm not looking forward to it. @Ichiban Nekko 🎉 🎈 BON VOYAGE & HAVE A GREAT CRUISE! 🥂 🍾 Lenda

@Horizon chaser 1957 Thank you for your wonderful pictures from the safari. I will add a few more pictures from our day in Ha Long Bay and Hanoi, and a few pictures of Cai Lan, the port for Ha Long Bay. Unfortunately, many of the pictures from the bus ride are not that good. This is the main road heading from Cai Lan. Our first stop was at a pearl farm, mostly as a bathroom break, but with the hope we'd spend some money. We didn't. Traffic at a stop light on the road to Hanoi. Once in Hanoi, the bus parked next to a lovely park and lake. We stopped at the Temple of Literature. The temple is well preserved and in the middle of Hanoi. These lovely ladies posed for pictures. Just two of the many rooms in the temple Cai Lan is a growing city with many tall buildings and hotels. Lenda

Good morning from a very wet and cool (55F) central Texas. The last time I looked at DH's weather station yesterday, the gauges showed just a small amount of rain. It is now showing 1.22 inches. And our roof leaked overnight. The leak is over some of the cookies that are partially decorated, so at about 6 am I covered all the cookies with plastic wrap. I will celebrate international cake day, but I won't be eating any since we have key lime pie and plenty of cookies. National Law Day is good, and I try to support small business when possible. In fact, I supported our local service station yesterday to have the new wheel and tire put on the car. The wheel and tire damaged by the lost firewood were both ruined. Part of the trim on the outside of the wheel broke off, and the tire had a large cut completely through the sidewall. Today's quote is one we all should remember. We get French Onion soup on BHBs. I'll pass on the drink and the wine. We were lucky to visit Ha Long Bay on October 25, 2018, on Coral Princess. I'll repost my pictures that were posted on December 13, 2021. @seagarsmoker I'm happy the meds are helping and you are feeling better. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, how nice for Ren and Colton to be invited by a professional team to join their youth league. @cat shepard Ann, that meme applies to me most nights. @smitty34877 Terry, one of my kitchen failures was also French onion soup. Even though I followed the recipe exactly, it turned out way to greasy. Now, we have it on BHBs. I'm glad Tana brightened with all the visitors and how nice for DGC to spend time with her. @Cruzin Terri Terri, that is good news the repairs can finally start, and that you can begin reducing the prednisone. I hope the furniture is exactly what you want. @JazzyV I hope things have improved with BFF's DF. Wishing all of you the best. @dfish Debbie, enjoy your hike, and all your visitors. @Seasick Sailor Joy, since you are shipping your luggage and have room, add those extra tops. I probably over pack, but I get sick of wearing the same few things on long cruises. My motto is: if there's room and the suitcase is not overweight, pack it. In 2018, the Coral Princess called at Ha Long Bay. Just a couple of weeks before the cruise began, they were able to add a tour to Hanoi, as a new toll road had just opened. The new road cut the travel time from 4-6 hours down to two hours. The pictures are just a few of the almost 200 I took that day. The first two are of Ha Long Bay as we sailed into port. Next time, we'll do a tour of Ha Long Bay. A couple of street scenes taken from the bus. We did a walking tour that included narrow streets with small shops. Whenever our guide wanted us to stay together crossing busy streets, he would call out "Sticky rice". An example of modern wiring 🤣 in the narrow market streets. After a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant, we toured an old palace and temple. Then we went to see the grounds of the Presidential Palace and other government buildings. The first is Ho Chi Minh's tomb, which we were not allowed to enter. Gardeners trimming bushes on the grounds The Presidential Palace Ho Chi Minh did not spend much time in the palace, but preferred to live in this open air house on the grounds. It is quite a simple building. The next two pictures are the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain and other US prisoners were held. All that remains for the prison are the outside walls. The rest has been completely redone. The Vietnamese hold John McCain in great esteem and built this monument to him on the site where his plane crashed. Lenda

Good afternoon from a very cloudy central Texas. Naturally, the day I have to stay home to sign for the new wheel, it didn't rain in the morning. However, it looks like it could rain again soon. The cookies are out of the oven and the kitchen is basically clean. It will get a better cleaning later, since I decided to make pizza for dinner. (After all, as Gerry @ger_77 said, It's Friday and pizza night.) The sauce is made, and I'll make the dough a little later. That is why the kitchen is not completely clean since there will be more messy cooking later. I also just took a key lime pie out of the oven, and will take some to DH tomorrow. The royal icing for the cookies calls for egg whites, and I hate to waste the yolks. At least some of them are used in the pie, and it has become a tradition to have key lime pie when I decorate the cookies. I thought I'd share a little food porn today. I'll warn you, it is not your usual food porn, and I hope no one is offended. 😉 NAKED SANTAS! Vanessa, I'm glad your and BFF made it home safely. How nice of your neighbors to bring Thanksgiving dinner to you. Sending very positive thoughts for BFF's DF's recovery. Debbie, I'm sure there is still flour on the floor even though I have vacuumed it several times. Once I finish the pizza dough, I'll vacuum and mop the floor. My brown jeans made it through the cookie baking still brown. They did not make it through the clean up. When I scrapped some of the floor off the counter, it landed on my pants below the apron and on my socks and shoes. At least, it came off with just a brushing. Melisa, that was a lucky walk to the mailbox. I'm glad you had a nice Thanksgiving dinner, but sorry your DH couldn't join you at the table. Glad you are getting your booster. Carol, Oh No! I hope you do not get sick, and that your grandson has a very mild case. Sandi, thank you for the pictures of Naki's concert. His second one is just as good. I saw the story on CNN. He was very lucky to be rescued by the Coast Guard. Sandi, thank you for the pictures of Elliott Rose. We have another sweet baby to love. I couldn't find Vigo as having been a port before, but I didn't have time for a thorough search. Lenda

Good morning from a wet central Texas. I just eyeballed the rain gauge from the shelter of the front porch. So far, we've received 3+ inches of rain. It's too wet to get to it to see the real amount, and the fancy weather station only keeps totals for 24 hours, so the amount keeps dropping and rising. We also have a north wind. It looks like our highs will be in the mid-50sF for the next few days. The past two days, we actually made it into the low 60s. Like many Dailyites, we avoid the stores on Black Friday. I'm not fond of shopping, especially with all the crowds fighting over stuff I don't need. We did get a Black Friday deal on line yesterday for something we actually needed. Since maize is sold as corn, I can celebrate the day. According to Google, "not all corn is maize, but all maize is technically corn". I can't remember the last time I had a parfait. My mother made them for special occasions. I like the Zelda Fitzgerald quote. DH would like the Bronzini, but I'll pass and also in the drink. The wine sounds good. The price is good, too. 🍷 We have not been to Vigo, and I'm not sure if it's been the port of the day before. Jacqui, I loved the otter meme. I'm glad the meds are helping and you're beginning to feel better. Hope you are 100% soon. I guess many places are doing everything they can to boost the economy. Annie, I hope Bubbles let's you look at his leg, and that it is nothing serious. Now it's time for breakfast and then cookie baking with lots of flour all over the kitchen counter. Lenda

You're probably right about the wine. I did scoop up some of the cinnamon, but there was more on the counter than in four batches of cookie dough. I hope I'm not jinxing things --the jeans are still brown. Lenda

Debbie, I lived up to my reputation as a messy baker, but the apron protected the jeans, so far. I can't say the same thing about the countertop and floor. It didn't help that I knocked the almost full bottle of cinnamon over twice. And I waited to have wine until after I finished. Maybe that was the problem. All that may change since I'm about to make the royal icing for the cookies. Powdered sugar is worse than flour. If that's not enough, the flour has another chance to attack the jeans when I roll the dough in the morning. Glad your dinner was a success and the new kitchen made cooking easier. Hope the turkey was as good as it looked. Lenda

Just a quick note that I made it back from Waco safely. The roads had time to drain and were not bad until about 10 miles from the other side of town. Part of the road has been resurfaced and wasn't bad. BTW, I found out why we had the stryerfoam containers at lunch. It seems the appliancee gremlins struck their dishwasher about a week ago, you can't pick a commercial one up at the big box store. Maybe the gremlins have moved on to bigger appliances. I got the small tree I ordered up this morning early, but I have to wait on the ornament hangers to arrive Saturday to finish decorating it. This year it just was too much to put up the 7 foot tree. Besides, I don’t know where we could put it safely. Instead, I took over DH's desk in the livingroom for it. Since there is not much to do the rest of the afternoon, I'm going to be a messy baker and make the gingerbread dough. I remembered to put my Culinary Arts Center apron on over my dark brown jeans. I just hope I remember it tomorrow morning when I roll out and bake the cookies. That's when I get really messy. Tomorrow will be a good day for baking since I have to stick around to sign for the new wheel. Lenda

Despite the rain, I made it to Waco to have Thanksgiving dinner with DH. It was foggy when I left, but the visibility was good enough to see where I was going and the other cars. Part way here, a big thunderstorm hit, but it wasn't so bad I couldn't drive. The problem was the water on the highway. The ruts were full, and at times it was across the entire lane. The good news is the intermittent wipers adjusted to the rain and kept the windshield clear enough to see. I may try another way home this afternoon. There are more visitors here today, but the place is very quiet. They have a small staff on duty. This is the only time I've seen the gym empty and quiet. @JazzyV Vanessa, I'm sorry you had to turn around and cancel your cruise. Your BFF's DF's health comes first. I hope you have a safe trip home, and that DF gets the care he needs to get well. @rafinmd YEAH, Roy on the desired results on the covid test. @Crazy For Cats Good diners are a treasure, but we really don't have them where we are. In 1969-70, when DH was at Picatinny Aresenal, there was a diner on Rte.46 in Dover, NJ, we liked. When we were there in 2012 sadly, it had been torn down to make way for a new road. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, thanks for finding Rich's @richwmn thread for San Juan. I just didn't have time for a through search. @0106 Tina, thank you for sharing why Marylanders always have sauerkraut. A very interesting story. @lindaler Linda, your vegan Thanksgiving sounds interesting. Younger DD and her SO are vegetarians, and I do good to make vegetarian meals for them. @luvteaching Karen, I'm sorry there is an outbreak of Covid in the care facility, but glad it is in the other wing. I hope neither of you catch it. How nice of your friends to bring Thanksgiving dinner to you at the facility. @aliaschief Bruce, I'm sorry almost everyone caught your granddaughter's cold. I hope you don't get it too. @Vict0riann Ann, I'm glad your report was good, and I hope Pat gets good news Monday. Waiting is so hard. I'm glad Pat is feeling better. @Cruzin Terri Terri, enjoy your dinner out. A big thank you to everyone who shared their pictures of San Juan. I can't believe it's been more than 20 years since we've been there. We have finished Thanksgiving dinner and it was good. Since we normally skip lunch, we shared one meal, and I'm stuffed. They severed it in the formal Styrofoam contains with their best plastic utensils. Normally, lunch comes on plates with metal utensils. I didn't take pictures, but it was the traditional dinner, which DH selected from the menu. Wenhad turkey with gravy, ham, dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Between the two of us there were no pesky leftovers. So we could each have a plate, I cut the lid off the container and used it. Lenda

Safe travels, especially at that speed. Enjoy your day with family. Lenda

@Vict0riann 💞 💐 HAPPY 60TH ANNIVERSARY! ANN AND PAT! 🥂 🍾

🦃 HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE! 🦃 Good morning from a wet, but so far wind free central Texas. It currently 55F which is a nice change from our lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s F. I will be heading to Waco in the couple of hours to have Thanksgiving dinner with DH in his room. He has the day off from therapy so the therapists can enjoy Thanksgiving with their families. We are supposed to have thunderstorms beginning mid-afternoon with winds 10-15 mph. We did have a brief thunderstorm last night. Knowing your family's health is important, and celebrating your unique talent is good. I just don't know my unique talent. The story of D. B. Cooper is fascinating, but what he did does not deserve to be celebrated. Ann Frank was wise beyond her years. It was a tragedy that she and her family were betrayed. While we'll be having Thanksgiving dinner, we'll pass on the drink and the wine. We have been to San Juan several times but all our visits were in the pre-digital age. I tried to find if it had been the destination of the day, but did not have time to go through all the pages the search turned up. We always enjoyed our stops in San Juan. @richwmn Rich, thank you for sharing the information about D. B. Cooper day. @MISTER 67 Thanks for reminding us of how the D. B. Cooper incident occurred.. @smitty34877 Terry, how nice of your DS having your teenager join them to see the parade. I'm sure it will be a big treat for him. @kazu Jacqui, I wish you very happy memories as you celebrate this bittersweet day of Jose's birth. @kochleffel Thank you for sharing your pictures of San Juan. @dfish I hope everyone enjoys the day in your new house. I will share my recipe for cornbread dressing, which is a traditional side at southerner Thanksgiving tables. CORNBREAD DRESSING 1 pan cornbread 3-4 broken crackers 1 med. onion, chopped 1 t sage 1 c giblet or vegetable stock salt & pepper to taste 1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped Break cornbread into pieces; add crackers, onion, salt and pepper, and celery. Mix; then add sage and mix thoroughly. Mix well with stock. Pack lightly into dish and bake uncovered approximately 1 hour at 325oF. NOTE: Leftover dressing should be frozen. Do not refreeze. Here is my recipe for the cornbread. The cornbread can be made ahead of time. GOLDEN CORNBREAD 1 c yellow cornmeal 4 t baking powder 1 c flour, sifted 1 egg ¼ c sugar 1 c milk ½ t salt ¼ c shortening, soft Sift dry ingredients together into a bowl. Add egg, milk and shortening. (Melt shortening in oven and keep dish warm.) Beat with mixer until smooth, about 1 minute. DO NOT OVERBEAT. Bake in greased 8” square pan or greased muffin pans in hot oven (425oF) 20-25 minutes. Lenda

But do you have to take the other foot out of your mouth first? 🤣 The painting is gorgeous. Since I got home, I made a start on the Christmas decorating. I got the decorations out of the attic, amd discovered some muscles I had forgotten. Usually, DH is there to take the decorarions from me as I get them out of the attic. Somehow, I managed to get them down without breaking any thing. I was especially worried about the ceramic Christmas tree, which I made 54 years ago. Just don't look in our closet, it's a mess. I'll start putting the decorations out tomorrow. Lenda

Talk about a small world. One of the doctors stopped by to check on DH. She had on a top with a college logo, and was surprised when I recognized it. It is from a small college in Phoenix, and we see it mentioned on the news especially during basketball season. Nancy, that is good news your DB's prognosis has improved, and that his energy level is better so he can do his PT. Jacqui, I really liked your suggestion for Annie @marshhawk about a gentle way ask for donations. You are much more tactful than my foot in mouth approach. Sharon, I'm sorry your DS's SO and girls are sick. Ann, I'm glad your tests have been good. I hope Pat gets a good report from the scope. I'm sorry he is having problems, and I hope he feels better soon. Thank you for the explanation of spatchcock. I'd never heard of it. I'm glad the husband returned the kitten. What a sad situation for everyone. Carol, I couldn't agree with you more. I'm not sure how we overcome the hate that has been unleashed in the world. Easy access to the means to act on the hate only adds to the problem. I too am thankful for this group of caring and supportive people. It has been a safe haven and a life saver the past few years. This year I am also thankful for all the medical personnel who have helped DH, especially the nurses, aides and therapists. Even the support personnel and the those who keep the rehab facility clean and safe. They are all caring, supportive and encouraging. DH could not have been in a better place to recover. They also look after family members, too. Thank you to all who shared their pictures today of one of my favorite places. I hope everyone of the US Dailyites has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Lenda

Brenda, I'm glad they caught the cancerous spots early and hope the procedure goes well. Annie, I hope you can figure out a way to work with the new boss. I wish I could help with the $1000 question, but I'm also not good at asking for money. BTW, there are a lot of rich people in Houston, but there are also a lot of people who don't have a spare $1000. We have flown into and out of both London airports. We stayed near Heathrow for six nights and found those hotels be be quite a bit cheaper than London hotels. There is a free shuttle that runs between the terminals at Heathrow and the hotels within a certain area. We took it to Terminal 1 and caught the Underground into London from there. At that time, after 9:30 am the fare was half price. We also rented a car at the hotel and it was an easy drive to Stonehenge. I hope this helps your a little bit. Lenda

I'm sorry you both have covid and are feeling bad. I hope the med will help and your are both feeling better very soon. Gerry, wishing your DS and family safe travels this weekend. Enjoy being with the grandkids. Terri, I'm glad you got a good report at your doctor's visit. I hope the increased prednisone helps and you can begin to decrease the dosage. Enjoy your day staying put, and thanks for the update about Joanne. Bruce, safe travels back to the family's home today. Thank you for the pictures from Hearst Castle. In all our travels around the country, I still have not been there. Thank you, Graham. Sandi, HAL does crew drills every week to keep the crew sharp, but I don't remember being on a BHB when they did a helicopter evac drill. Ann, I'm glad your family arrived safely and without any traffic problems. Enjoy the visit. Lenda

We were back in Kotor on August 8, and this time we were anchored a pretty good ways out of town. The ship used local tenders for the passengers, and ship tenders for the crew who were leaving and boarding that day. This picture was taken from the tender. A family home IIRC, these "clothes: were advertising a shop down a side street. We enjoyed a the free concert Walking around the wall at the back of the town, we came across an archeological site. It was behind a fence but I managed to get a few pictures. I'll leave you with this picture. Lenda

We have been to Kotor three times, and like the town and the old city. The area long the bay is also beautiful. I looked through my pictures and tried to find some that have not been posted today, but please indulge me if there are some repeats. Our first visit to Kotor was on October 1, 2016, when the Prinsendam was in Dubrovnik. Since that was about our umpteenth visit to Dubrovnik, we decided to hire a taxi to take us to Kotor. We made sure that we and the taxi driver had our passports since you have to go through checkpoints for both countries driving each way. We did not really have enough time in Kotor, because the driver said that there could be a backup getting back into Croatia. The drive between the two towns along the bay and through the mountains is pretty too. We had time to walk around the walled city that day, and we knew we had to return in the future. These are some of the pictures from our first visit. One of the many towns lining the bay. This is the best picture I have of the artificial island and the church of Our Lady of the Rocks. Kotor There was a market outside one of the gates that sold produce and flowers. The women manning the booths got very upset with DH when he tried to take pictures of the market. I got these on our way to meet the taxi when we were not in the market. In 2019, on b2b2b cruises on Veendam, we were in Kotor twice. July 12, we took the open air Ho-Ho along the bay to Perast and Risan. We only got off in Risan since that was a stop and the turn around point of the tour. Our guide took us the Roman Baths to see the mosaics. A couple of pictures leaving Kotor. A church along the road, probably near or in the town of Old Perast. We past a fish farm and another village The main street of Risan The Roman Baths and mosaics The Veendam Once back in town, we walked around the old town. These are a few pictures, but most taken that day are repeats of what has been posted. A peaceful fountain outside the walls, and an interesting statue in the water. I just realized how many pictures I had. I will end with these and post the rest in another post.. Lenda

Good morning from a warmer and cloudy central Texas. It is currently 52F and should warm to 58F this afternoon. It looks we'll have rain beginning tonight through Saturday morning. I'm trying to catch up on a few things before heading to Waco. Cranberry Day is appropriate for the day before Thanksgiving. About the only way we like cranberries is the canned, jellied sauce. DH will drink expresso occasionally on cold days. Jukeboxes were big when we were growing up. Does that date us? Another interesting quote from Albert Einstein, but I think some problems cannot be avoided. We'll pass on the meal, drink and wine today. We have enjoyed several visits to Kotor. I had the link to Rich's @richwmn post from May 17 ready to share, but Sandi @StLouisCruisers beat me to it. She must have good internet in St. Lucia, a beautiful island. I hope she and Dennis enjoy a nice, rain free day there. @4966and556 Enjoy your get-away in Niagara Falls. @grapau27 Graham, another wonderful meal. I can't wait to find out where your two have been. @Crazy For Cats Jake, wishing you safe travels. @kazu Jacqui, it was good to see that your luggage's journey is almost to the end. Hope they can deliver it earlier than 11 pm. Since my post from May 17 of our visits to Kotor is rather long, I'll repost it separately. Lenda