for fun: Do/Would you still put on all your makeup and decent clothes if you are quarantined

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

Bamba taste test:  The ones with dark chocolate coating were my 3rd pick - i'm just not a dark chocolate person.  Second place is the plain ones - man, I could shovel those things in my mouth way too easy.  First place is the hazelnut-filled ones,  i'm just a sucker for that nutella!!!

 

Totally agree with your ratings!!  No such thing as too much Nutella. I wish I'd taken a photo of the food store/bar located in the train station in Florence -- there was a giant, and I mean GIANT nutella dispenser. I swear it was at least three times the size of this one:

 

[purduemom1]

Agree with the bambas ratings. Really have to show some restraint when there is a bag of the filled ones in the house.

[slidergirl]

16 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I tried those on at Nordstrom's but unfortunately they looked more like slippers than shoes on my feet. Felt comfy though.

Online they have a sleeker pair of espadrilles, done in leather.  They are 'member only', where you sign up for emails and then you get access to other shoes.  

 

Was that food bar on the main level?  I only remember the little place that is like those stores in airports that have last-minute stuff.

 

I curse you all who turned me on to Bamba... 😸

Edited June 14, 2022 by slidergirl

[purduemom1]

But they are so yummy……

[slidergirl]

Got my CT scan done this afternoon.  Turns out the contrast wasn't needed - the person who called me misspoke, I guess.  It was easy in, easy out in about 2 minutes, except for the hour I spent waiting for my name to be called.  Supposedly some system that communicates between the front and the back crashed after I checked in and I wasn't on the back list.  I thought something was up when people who got there after i did were being taken to the back.  Good thing I didn't have anything else to do!!

 

yes, the Bamba are yummy, but the resulting carbs are not...

[Lois R]

Hi girls, well,  9 more days for me. Kat, when do you leave?

 

I found out some news Monday  that SS is no longer doing pier side testing in Barcelona☹️. They were issuing complementary testing up until about 2 weeks ago😲........not sure why they changed policy but I made sure to tell my gf (she is my SS rep) how disappointed I am.  Cynthia, not sure what testing you needed before your recent trip......but the EU is pretty strict on time frame of your vaxes and what is considered valid.....anyway, I emailed my hotel in Barcelona and they have a company (lab) and they come to the hotel and issue the test on site.  Yes, there is a charge, but for peace of mind, it will be worth it. I am fully vaxxed AND boosted but a test is still required to sail...........

I am getting a rapid test the day before I fly out from here but the Rapid test from the hotel will be the morning I sail........just as a precaution if the timing of my local one here at home is not accepted.  Pier side testing would have been much less stressful.

[slidergirl]

Lois - I'm 22 days.  Pre-trip anxiety is kicking in...

[Lois R]

It feels like it is over 100 degrees here today.😫.....so damn hot and humid. I had to go to Publix and omg.....you would think I ran or something😮. I know the whole country is hot right now. At least I have wonderful A/C inside my house and my car. I hear there is an area in Ohio in a heat wave and they don't have any power😲

 

I was checking the weather for Barcelona over the next 10 days and it shows 

an average  in the low 80s........that sounds nice! 

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, Lois R said:

Cynthia, not sure what testing you needed before your recent trip......but the EU is pretty strict on time frame of your vaxes and what is considered valid.....

 

Yep, had to find a place to get tested in London due to requirement have a COVID test not more than 2 days prior to departure. Up until a week before I left, Celebrity had given mixed guidance, so I thought I actually only had a 24-hour window to get the test. 

 

In the end it was quite easy though.

[cruisemom42]

8 hours ago, slidergirl said:

Lois - I'm 22 days.  Pre-trip anxiety is kicking in...

 

I'm leaving next Tuesday evening for my trip. I'm excited to have a weekend in Germany; going to visit Trier which has a lot of Roman sites.

[awhfy]

We bought our plane tickets for our cruise in December. OMG sticker shock!!  

 

Didn’t expect to pay almost as much for our Southwest flights as we did for the cruise!!  And we have to drive to Denver to get a decent flight time. Did 2 one-way rental cars & that’s cheaper than parking in the airport garage!!  Not really happy about it, but committed to the family cruise. 
 

we paid less for first class out of Colorado Springs to FLL in April (& that was spring break week)

Melody

 

[Lois R]

Hi girls, well, they are saying it will be over 100 today and feels like 111😲

 

Melody, I think flight prices are up all over the place. Glad I booked mine through the cruise line a while back. It includes Business Class😀....was really reasonable. I could never have paid what they saved me.  

Cynthia, I didn't realize you were going away next week too! (or I would have asked you about it). Hope you have a good trip.

 

Anyone else getting more concerned about Debbie? I really hope she is ok.......wish I had a way to reach her!!!!

[slidergirl]

15 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I'm leaving next Tuesday evening for my trip. I'm excited to have a weekend in Germany; going to visit Trier which has a lot of Roman sites.

i spent a weekend in Trier back in 2003 after a conference in Konigsee.  it is a cool little town.  Was lucky enough to be there the weekend of a little wine fest - lots of excellent Reislings from the area where there for th sampling.  The one site I remember is the Porta Nigra.  Too busy drinking, I think.  We also took a little day boat trip up the river to Berncastel.

 

Now , if this is the trip where you will be in lyon, let me know about any places you eat!!!

[Lois R]

I clicked on Debbie's screen name and found where she posted on the Celebrity board at the end of May.........I excused myself about barging in on the thread and told her we are all thinking about her and asked her to come say hi to us...........I am just glad I found it. I remember when she told us about her prognosis a while back and  my mind was really going to some dark places.

[slidergirl]

Lois - good to know you found Debbie posting,  I do worry about her all the time.

 

melody - i understand about the airfares.  I'm looking for my litle trip to So. CA and back to Pennsylvania - wow!  I have looked all over and the fares are not pretty.  i'm kind of stuck with Delta as it's the only one that flys from here to Long Beach and then doesn't require an overnight and $500 to PA.  At least I got my airfare to Paris using AMEX points and an AMEX fare that was way cheaper than Delta for the same fights.  made the vacation pain much less.  

 

We're going to be maybe 86 today, but up here it feels 10 degress hotter with the altitude and low humidity.  definitely postponing going down to the Valley to get my International driving permit.  it may hit 100 down there!!

 

I'm watching the temperatures for France and italy also.  Another FB group i follow has paris very hot, but florence is in the 90s.  At least I have my dressy black bermudas...

 

My CT scan came back clear.  So no visible anything that would cause my coughing.  I have to just keep taking the Zyrtec and big dose of Prilosec and hope it does the trick.  I haven't noticed a difference yet  

 

OOTD:  tank top and running shorts.  Too hot for anything else.

[awhfy]

We’re high 90s again & very dry (10% humidity). OOTD Costco Bermuda shorts ($6.99) & Chicos tank top

[slidergirl]

24 minutes ago, awhfy said:

We’re high 90s again & very dry (10% humidity). OOTD Costco Bermuda shorts ($6.99) & Chicos tank top

I hate it when the humidity gets that low - i keep thinking about the fire danger when it's that hot and dry.  

 

My black shorts are courtesy of Chicos outlet.  i don't do Costco - it's not worth it for the membership and the drive to the closest one for just me.

[slidergirl]

Just now, slidergirl said:

I hate it when the humidity gets that low - i keep thinking about the fire danger when it's that hot and dry.  

 

My black shorts are courtesy of Chicos outlet.  i don't do Costco - it's not worth it for the membership and the drive to the closest one for just me.

i  ended up biting the bullet and making rental car reservations for Provence and Bologna.  The good ole' econo box with manual transmission.  My beloved Audi TT is probably as small as the Fiat Panda and had a stick shift, so it won't be a shock.   the shock was how much these rentals are now!!! 

[purduemom1]

6 hours ago, awhfy said:

We bought our plane tickets for our cruise in December. OMG sticker shock!!  

 

Didn’t expect to pay almost as much for our Southwest flights as we did for the cruise!!  And we have to drive to Denver to get a decent flight time. Did 2 one-way rental cars & that’s cheaper than parking in the airport garage!!  Not really happy about it, but committed to the family cruise. 
 

we paid less for first class out of Colorado Springs to FLL in April (& that was spring break week)

Melody

 

Melody, travel is just darn expensive now and could be worse ahead. Flights, hotels, rental cars all so expensive. We have flights booked for August and prices have increased quite a bit since we booked a month or so ago and they were high then.
 

Were you able to get in on the SWA fare sale? Our DD had decided things were just too pricy for her but then the sale came along and she saved about $150. 

[purduemom1]

4 hours ago, Lois R said:

I clicked on Debbie's screen name and found where she posted on the Celebrity board at the end of May.........I excused myself about barging in on the thread and told her we are all thinking about her and asked her to come say hi to us...........I am just glad I found it. I remember when she told us about her prognosis a while back and  my mind was really going to some dark places.

Hi Lois, yes I too am concerned about Debbie and miss her posts. I hope she sees yours and “drops by” here to let us know how she is doing and how her cruise was. 
 

I hope your testing arrangements work out. So stressful!

 

Sharon

[Lois R]

10 minutes ago, purduemom1 said:

Hi Lois, yes I too am concerned about Debbie and miss her posts. I hope she sees yours and “drops by” here to let us know how she is doing and how her cruise was. 
 

I hope your testing arrangements work out. So stressful!

 

Sharon

Hi Sharon,🙂 I hope she doesn't think I was stalking her or anything like that......you know I would never do that. I was just quite concerned about her health. She was always a big part of this thread😀

 

And thanks, I feel much better now about the testing. Will have a free one here at home the night before I fly out. Then my hotel made an appt for me for the morning I sail.  But yes, it was sort of stressful getting everything in order.

[purduemom1]

Hi Lois,

 

Thinking back on all of Debbie’s many posts, I am sure she will know that we are missing her and hoping that she is doing well. She will know that we haven’t forgotten about her. Interesting how the pandemic brought all of us together and although we have never met, we enjoy keeping in tough and who knows, we might meet one day on a cruise. Threads such as this keep us in touch and we will know if one or more of us has booked the same cruise. 

 

i know you must be very excited anticipating your cruise. Looking forward to something such as this is all part of the enjoyment.
 

OOTD ankle pants and Talbots tee. Temps here not too bad and tomorrow even cooler!

Sharon

 

[awhfy]

15 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Melody, travel is just darn expensive now and could be worse ahead. Flights, hotels, rental cars all so expensive. We have flights booked for August and prices have increased quite a bit since we booked a month or so ago and they were high then.
 

Were you able to get in on the SWA fare sale? Our DD had decided things were just too pricy for her but then the sale came along and she saved about $150. 

That was on the SWA sale!!  $1400 for rt from Denver to FLL. Insane!!

[awhfy]

Our grandson drove out for Father's Day weekend as a surprise for his Dad. He brought his basset puppy, so I’ll have puppy cuddles this weekend!!  Melody

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, awhfy said:

Our grandson drove out for Father's Day weekend as a surprise for his Dad. He brought his basset puppy, so I’ll have puppy cuddles this weekend!!  Melody

Hope you and Grandpa have a wonderful weekend😀