Quartzsite Cruiser

We've been to Livorno seven times and missed it once due to wind. In 2001, we took a tour to Florence and Pisa. Walking into Pisa from the parking lot was one of those moments where it was better than expected, with the Baptistry, Church and Tower backed by a clear blue sky. After that, we have done our own thing, renting cars most times. In 2002, on the Noordam, the Leaning Tower had just opened to visitors, With the suggestion from the port guide, Barbara H, we left the ship early. In fact, we were the first ones off the ship, even before the ship was cleared. The Security Officer told the gangway crew to let us leave since he knew us. They were still getting everything set up for the day. We found a taxi to take us to the train station, but he said he could get us to Pisa quicker, and on the way to the Leaning Tower, he showed us the train station in Pisa. We were at the ticket office by 7:30 am and had tickets for the 8 am climb. Your are allowed 35 minutes to go up and back. Here are a couple of different views of Pisa. This is one of the anchors cables attached to the tower in the latest attempt to straighten the tower. IIRC, it did pull it back several degrees and concrete was poured under the foundation of the raised area. In 2001, the tower was closed because of the anchors and the correction being made to the lean. After 9/11 when the tourist levels fell, the tower was opened for tours to help bring the tourists in. In 2016, on the Prinsendam, we rented a car and drove to Florence and then to Sienna. This is what I call the $120 picture. We were driving through the walled part of Sienna, not knowing we were not supposed to be there. A year later, the day before we were leaving for another long Pdam cruise, we got a letter from Italy, that was a fine for driving in a no auto area. The funny thing was, I got the ticket even though DG was driving, since my name was on the rental agreement. This is the cathedral in Sienna. In 2019, on the Veendam, we were in Livorno three times. Since we had never really explored Livorno, we decided to stay in town that year and avoid the crowds in Florence. The first day, we took the Ho-Ho and visited the village of Santuario al Montenero, by funicular which was included in the Ho-Ho ticket. The next two stops there, we rode the local bus, stopping once at the beach. At several areas of the beach you have to pay to get in, but we found a nice place where we could sit and get a coke. Livorno is not a tourist town, but we still managed to enjoy the days there, since they were slow paced and we could take it easy. Lenda

Good morning from a cloudy central Texas. It is 79F and feels like 84F with 79% humidity and a dew point of 72F. There is an 11mph wind, so it may still be somewhat comfortable to take a walk. Our high is predicted to be 99F on the hourly forecast, but 100F on the daily. I hope the hourly is the correct one. I'll be inside doing laundry today either way. I think there are a couple of the DDs' Care Bears in the attic. I'll celebrate wonderful weirdos, and some might add me to that list at times. I have never figured out Sudoku, and prefer crossword puzzles. An interesting quote by Toni Morrison. We'll pass on the meal and the drink, but I would like to try the Prosecco. We have been to Livorno many times beginning in 2001. I'll look for my pictures in a few minutes. We did spend some time in Livorno in 2019, and found some things to do in town. We honor an important day in US history. @grapau27 Graham, it looks like you are trying to copy our high temperatures. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I hope you have a wonderful day in St. John's. @puppycanducruise Beautiful hibiscus. @Haljo1935 Glad the PT is working and you can do more with the arm. @ottahand7 Safe travels tomorrow, Nancy. @rafinmd Roy, I'm glad you are feeling no worse. Take it easy, rest and drink plenty of fluids. @1ANGELCAT We've been following the manhunt on the news. I saw the prison guard who was supposed to be watching the escapee was fired. @Heartgrove Safe travels and no hiccups with your flights tomorrow, Jack. Lenda

Terry, I'm so very sorry you had to make such a difficult decision yesterday, but I'm glad Lou is comfortable with the decision. Sending positive thoughts and hopes that you both find peace, and that Lou remains comfortable and pain free going forward. I'm glad the family will be able to visit with him. ((((((((((HUGS)))))))))). Lenda

@marshhawk and @catmando Annie and Chuck, I hope you have a wonderful anniversary today, and that there are many more to follow. Lenda

Debbie, that dietitian really needed to find a new line of work, or to take a refresher course. Lenda

Roy, I'm sorry about the positive test results. I hope you have a mild case, and can recover quickly. In the meantime, rest and take care of yourself. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot central Texas. The last time I checked the thermometers about an hour ago they both read 107F. I don't want to look at them again until much later today. Seriously, this is September 8, and we should only be in the 90s now. Give us a break! At least the a/c is working, and I need to change the filter, but that's not going to happen until it's a bit cooler. The filter is in the attic, which even though it is insulated, it's very hot with no a/c vents up there. Another beautiful sunset, Bruce. Thanks. Would love some oysters Rockefeller. Annie, I hope you can get an appointment with the dietician soon. I'm glad Scott is doing better. That is good news that Bubbles will let you pet him now. Jake, the free drinks sound like a nice compensation. How many sometimes depends on the bar server and/or the bartender. Enjoy your tour tomorrow. Bruce, thanks for the pictures of the Oregon coast. That scenery never gets old. Since It is International Literacy Day, I thought I'd share these memes. Lenda

We have been to Honningsvag twice. In 2005 we were there on the Marco Polo, and did the ship's tour, which was actually a bus ride and the entrance fee. In 2011, we were there on the Prinsendam and rented a car. We did not stop at the Nordkapp that day, but drove past it to the next inlet. The first pictures are from our Marco Polo cruise. The first ones are arriving in port. Nordkapp The visitor center This guy was running down the road, keeping up with the bus. A couple of pictures from our walk around town. After leaving port, we sailed around the Nordkapp. The protrusion from the cliff is the actual northern point. In 2011, we spent the day driving around the area enjoying the scenery. A fishing village down the road past the Nordkapp Guess who has the right-of-way? We stopped at the Sami Village, basically a tourist trap (oops, shopping stop) of a recreated Sami Village. The Samis are the Laplanders who live in the area. The bus stopped here in 2005, but this time we were there by ourselves. Another village, and how they dry their fish After we sailed, Captain Gundersen took us to see the Nordkapp from the ship. Lenda

Good morning from a hot and getting hotter central Texas. It is 91F and feels like 93F. There is a 7 mph wind and 39% humidity with a dew point of 63F. Our predicted high for today will be 107F, and we'll still be in the triple digits tomorrow with a high of 101F. So much for yesterday's forecast of double digits beginning tomorrow. Now they are predicted to begin Sunday, but I suspect that can be a moving target. It was pretty warm when I walked about 8:30. I will support International Literacy Day and & day. I would rather have banana nut bread instead of date nut bread. An interesting quote by George Orwell and one that is pretty true. We may have salmon tonight, but it will be glazed with Teriyaki sauce. We'll pass on the drink, but would like to try the wine. We have been to Honningsvag twice, in 2005 on Marco Polo and in 2011 on Prinsendam. I look for my pictures next. Today is a sad day in history with the first anniversary of the Queen's death. Two other good days in history to celebrate. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, by the time I started reading the daily about an hour ago, your original post was there. BTW, I'm not sure it was two emojis in a row that was the problem since I've done two in a row before without a problem. @Crazy For Cats Jake, I'm sorry your tour and then the port was canceled. I'm glad you DM was transferred to rehab. @smitty34877 Terry, I'm sorry Lou's condition is not good and there are complications. Sending positive thoughts for an improvement and a full recovery. Take care of yourself too. @HAL4NOW Tony, I'm sorry your port was canceled today. We couldn't get in there in 2003 on Rotterdam VI because of weather. @kazu Jacqui, I'm sorry you had to issue a warning to the roll call. The day lily is beautiful. @ocean sounds I tried reindeer sausage once, and it was good. @1ANGELCAT I hope the searchers are at least narrowing down the area where the escapee is. @daisybertie I googled Bamse, and his story is very interesting. There is a book about him on Amazon, and here is a photo of him with three of the sailors. @marshhawk Annie, I hope the visit with the vascular doctor goes well, and that you can get your A1C numbers down. @Lady Hudson Katherine, sending positive thoughts that your cruise is not interrupted by Lee or any other hurricane. @Seasick Sailor Joy, thanks for the kind words today. Lenda

That is really good news. I think the advice not to do any pirouettes is good advice for many of us. 🤣 Enjoy your cruise. Annie, I can't believe what that nurse told you after your father died. She had no right to say those things, especially if she was not part of your conversations with the doctor. Lenda

Thanks for the information. Since it was short notice that we'd need a hotel room, there was not much available. I just hope we're never in that situation again. Lenda

This is such a sad situation. I'm sure everyone involved wants what is best for Murphy, but they seem to have different ideas, and act on them disregarding what others feel is best. I can't imagine the stress that young couple and the rest of the family are going through. Lenda

Let's just say we've had better nights. Besides having the shuttle, DH had stayed in Red Roof Inns for years when traveling on business and really liked them. Lenda

Carolyn, I'm pretty sure it was the Red Roof Inn. We chose it because it had shuttle service to and from the airport. The other problem was, there were no places to eat close by. We ordered a pizza delivered for dinner and I picked up some dubious stuff for breakfast at the gas station next door. Hopefully, since 2018, the hotel has been refurbished. The stress from the canceled flight and the poor customer service from the airline didn't help our impression of that part of Seattle. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot (101F) central Texas. I finished my errands before it was too hot, and then, after a late breakfast, I got the meat bagged and in the freezer, and caught up on the Daily. @kazu Jacqui, as others have said, your hydrangeas are outstanding. @marshhawk Annie, I'm glad your DH got a good report from the dermatologist yesterday. That's one less thing to worry about. It's interesting that your DH is researching new recipes. A hint for the scalloped potatoes. If you have a food processor with a blade for slicing, that makes the slicing easy and the slices uniform. It took me a while to realize that would work so well. @lindaler We've done some cruises through the south Pacific islands and would love to see more of them. They are normally very pretty and laid back, but hot. I think you will enjoy the cruise. @Heartgrove Jack, our condolences on the loss of Sean even after all these years. @durangoscots Susan, your plan to play a lot of the cruise by ear sounds good. That's the beauty of cruising; you can do as much or as little as you want. But the best part, is you are still on a ship and at sea. @Cruising-along Carolyn, after the comments about downtown Seattle, I'm glad we enjoyed exploring the city on turnaround days on b2b2b cruises more than ten years ago. We stayed downtown pre-cruise once and it was a good experience. However, in 2018 when our flight to DFW was cancelled, we spent one night at an airport hotel, and it was not a good experience since the hotel room was clean but the carpet was horrible. BTW, we didn't get off the ship on turnaround day except to got through Immigration. @Mr. Boston I'm glad your luggage caught up with your and the air tags helped. Thanks for the picture of the two of you and of the beach. @sailingdutchy Tony, thanks for your pictures. I'm glad you finally got to see another Dutch island. We've enjoyed our many visits to the island and have rented cars and explored both sides of the island many times. @aliaschief Bruce, just WOW! That sunset is spectacular. @HAL4NOW Tony, thanks for your pictures from Corner Brook. I hope to get there someday. @Cruisercl Caron, thank you for your perspective about Murphy's surgeon. My big question was why not talk to both parents. We have been fortunate in the last year that the neurosurgeons we've dealt with and are dealing with have been really good. Yes, sometimes the bedside manner could improve, but I want the one with the best skill set and outcome record. Even the spine surgeon who rushes in and out, has a good rapport with DH and me, but not with our neighbor. But then, it takes two to make a relationship, even a professional one, work well. @Haljo1935 I hope the appointment today went well and the doctor was pleased with the progress. Lenda

I looked for my pictures of Sint Maarten and the only digital pictures I have were taken February 3, 2004, the day after DD and DSIL's wedding. We just walked into town, and I'm not sure if we got much further than the area around the new cruise pier. A couple of pictures of the new pier as we walked into town. The market place near the pier A nearby beach. It was a slow day in port with just the Ruby Princess and one small cruise ship. Lenda

Good morning from a hot and getting hotter central Texas. It is 81F and feels like 85F with a 4 mph breeze. The humidity is 67% with a dew point of 68F. The predicted high is 105F or 107F depending on which part of the weather app you believe. The "cold" front will reach here Saturday with a high of 98F. The good news is we are supposed to get rain Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday of next week, and the highs will be in the 80s. If the long range forecast holds we won't see triple digits until next summer.👏 🤞 I slept late this morning, and I think between running late and the humidity, I'll get my walking in when I run errands in a bit before it gets too hot. It's been a long time since we had salami. I hope I don't jinx things, but our PO here is well run and pretty efficient with friendly people working behind the counter. It's improved in the last year or so. The PO in Quartzsite is another matter even with the boss trying to get things improved. I'll celebrate Grandma Moses Day. The quote is good even if it takes a bit to get to the real meaning. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. I would like to try the wine. We have been to Phillipsburg many times, but only once in the digital age. Today is a big day in the history of Brazil. I'm glad your friends enjoyed the cruise. No one should judge the MDR by what happens there the first night of the cruise. Between new passengers and new crew plus general getting everyone settled into a new cruise, it can be chaotic. We usually try to eat in a specialty restaurant on the first night. Terri, I'm sorry yesterday did not go well. Remember to try to take it easy and do what you can, and then tackle more the next day. Lorraine, I'm so very sorry about the latest news on Murphy. I'm still hoping for a miracle. I agree with you about the surgeon. He should do what he does best, but not put pressure on your niece. And why didn't he also talk to the father? Congratulations on booking the 2025 VOV. Debbie, your a/c may just need more Freon or whatever they are using now as a coolant. Lenda

Karen, thanks for checking in. Sunny, shirtsleeve weather is a real plus. Enjoy Hubbard Glacier and the rest of your cruise. Lenda

Thank you, Brenda. DH is doing as well as can be expected until the shunt is placed. Basically, this has been in the works since last year, but he needed the back surgery too. Each surgeon said to get the other surgery first. Since there was a lot of pain due to sciatica, he opted for the back surgery last year. Now, it's just a matter of getting added to the schedule. Lenda

Jake, thank you for your pictures of your tour and walk around town. I'm sorry the mosquitoes found you. Great pictures, Tony. Thanks for sharing. If you are using Chrome, there is a way to select the language to use. Once you are signed in, click on the three vertical dots in the upper right hand corner. In the drop down box, go down near the bottom and click on settings. On the left hand side of the screen there will be a list of settings, and about half way down will be Languages. Click on that, and you should be able to click on English as the primary and the second language. You should be good to go then. If you're on Apple or another browser, there should still be a way to select the language. You should also be able to select the language in your computers settings. Thank you Sandi. Thank you, Graham. Carolyn, thanks for the good wishes today. Also, thanks for your pictures of Trieste. It's still on the bucket list. Susan, I hope you get some sleep tonight. Great pictures of a lovely sunset, Bruce. Brenda, I hope the smoke clears soon for you and for Gerry @ger_77 I don't think it was a moment of weakness. You and your family will be making some great memories. If it gets too much, there is the adult area, and the parents can watch the DGS. Tony, I enjoyed your pictures of Trieste. BTW, we were in Koper in 2016 on Prinsendam, and we enjoyed our day there. Sharon, that is a great picture of the two of you. I'm sorry the meal was just okay, but the important thing is you were with your DM on her birthday. Vanessa, thanks for the good wishes today. Lenda

Good afternoon from a hot central Texas. It is 100F but feels like 106F. As the day warmed up, the humidity dropped to 32% with a dew point of 65F. Regardless, when we stopped at W-M on the way home and then unloading the car, I got very hot. DH stayed in the car at W-M but still got hot even with the strong wind. As soon as we could after I had everything put away, we both hit the shower. The appointment went well, but then when an appointment is 10 minutes or less, not much can go wrong. Basically, it was to meet the doctor and for him to meet us. He had already determined DH was indeed in need of the shunt, and just went over a few things. Even though two weeks ago, the nurse practitioner was optimistic she could get the surgery scheduled the first of this month, the doctor said probably the end of the month. Looking at his after visit notes on line, some one will call us in a few days to schedule the surgery. In the meantime, our only doctor visit is a follow up with the dermatologist on the 15th. Then our "social" calendar is pretty empty. After the horrible traffic two weeks ago, we left extra time as usual to get to UTSW. That is one place you don't want to be late. We were 45 minutes early, and were called back almost as soon as we sat down in the waiting room. After the usual check of the vitals, we didn't have to wait long for the doctor. In fact, we were on a way home way before the actual scheduled time of the appointment. It seems like there are very few patients in the waiting room when we're there, but it is still hard to get an early date for surgery or anything. We've learned over the last year, that not only do we need to build a fudge factor into the plans just in case, but it helps to be early. We rarely have to wait long to be seen -- once we get an appointment. I'm not planning on doing much the rest of the day. Thank goodness for leftover meatloaf and squash. Dinner should be easy. Reheat things in the microwave and poor the Pinot Noir. Lenda

Annie, I'm sorry your DBIL Scott had a stroke. Sending positive thoughts for a full recovery. Maureen, I'm glad you are now on the train and headed to NYC and your ship. Gerry, thanks for the good wishes today. Penny, I hope it's just a reaction tomthe shot, and that you feel better soon. Lenda

@RMLincoln Maureen, sending good wishes for a safe and fun cruise. Lenda

Good morning from a warm and humid central Texas. It is 80F out and feels like 87F already. While there is an 11 mph wind the humidity is 84% with a dew point of 75F. The predicted high is 104F. I'm pretty sure I'll be skipping my walk today because of the humidity. This west Texas girl has never gotten used to humidity. Today may be late for something day, but for us, it is not a day to be late. As Terry @smitty34877 said in her post, we have a very important appointment today with the surgeon to see when DH can have the much needed shunt placed. When we saw the nurse practioner two weeks ago, she was going to try to schedule the surgery by the end of August or the first of this month. So far, we have not heard anything from UTSW about that. I'm just glad she advised us not to cancel this appointment. We always try to be on time or early anyway. Cheese pizza is okay if it is really a Margarita pizza, but we generally put more toppings on our pizzas. We try to donate unwanted items to charities here and in Quartzsite. The Mahatma Gandhi quote is very good. The meal might be good and easy. We'll pass on the drink, but I think I would like the wine. We have not been to Trieste, but not for a lack of trying. In 2019 while on Veendam, we booked a ship excursion from Rijeka to Trieste. The tour was canceled because the operator could not guarantee we'd be back at the ship in time due to backups and delays at the border crossing between Italy and Croatia. The first color recording magnetic tape changed people's viewing habits. Jake, that is good news your DM has been transferred to a regular room. Sending positive thoughts for a quick and full recovery. Thanks for the pictures. Tony, I hope the weather clears and you enjoy your day in Baie-Comaeu. Terri, you and your DH deserve another meal out after the last few weeks. Terry, thanks for the good wishes. We need all we can get since things move slowly at UTSW. I hope your DH has a good PT session. Oops! 😱 I guess I should try to only think about one thing at a time. It's @RMLincoln who is sailing today. Anyway, a very early BON VOYAGE. Lenda

@Lady Hudson Katherine, I hope you and your DH have a wonderful cruise. BON VOYAGE! Lenda