River Cruisers: How Are Things Where YOU Are?

[Lois R]

I agree, we need to thank all those on the front lines who are giving their lives every day!!! Some of the stories

are simply heartbreaking...…….

[fred111]

Hello,  I live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  It is a very popular tourist site and the vast minority of the people here during the spring/summer season are full time residents.

 

There are only four ways onto our island; two bridges, driving down the beach from Virginia in a 4 wheel drive vehicle, and by boat.  A couple of weeks ago, the county government closed all accesses to all but full time residents.  This is to save the very limited medical support for locals.

 

As soon as this happened, some "corvi-idiots" tried innovative ways to beat the rules and bring visitors/tourists to the area.  They tried smuggling people in car trunks, smuggling them in by boat, and even putting a car on a tow truck to smuggle people in.  

 

We have very few cases, predominately from folks who tested before coming down before the restricted entry rules.

 

People here seem to be following the stay at home rules and the supermarkets are pretty well stocked minus the usuals; toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  I still can't figure out how massive amounts of hoarded toilet paper stops the virus.

 

Good luck to everyone and thanks to all the medical personnel and first responders.

[Lois R]

Hi Fred, good morning...….folks smuggled themselves in car trunks?...omg.....how stupid is that?

[fred111]

The level of stupidity never surprises me.  I would have like to be at the checkpoint when the found the car on the tow truck with the people hidden in it.

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Hi Fred, good morning...….folks smuggled themselves in car trunks?...omg.....how stupid is that?

 

Yeah, not like it's the drive-in or something... 🤣

[Ritabob]

12 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

 

Yeah, not like it's the drive-in or something... 🤣

You have to be of a certain age to understand that comment 😄

[notamermaid]

On 3/23/2020 at 2:26 PM, terry&mike said:

We have cocktails on our back porch in the evening and yesterday I said, "I like this bar a lot, the drink prices are very good and they know how to make a great martini. Problem is, the same people are here every day."

That is funny. Albeit, bittersweet of course. I can picture the scene. And one of the safest places to be right now, on a back porch.

 

Now that the weather is warmer I sometimes sit in my back yard that I share with around 14 neighbours, two cats and a dog. The cats and the dog naturally practice social distancing and the humans are getting quite good at it, too.

 

It is a dangerous world out there. Look after yourselves.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

Life for those trying to get back home from abroad to anywhere in Germany from 10 April or "sneak out" of the country around Easter and then try to get back in, has got more difficult. New restrictions mean you have to go into quarantine for 14 days. Entering the country for tourism reasons was already prohibited. When those restrictions will be lifted, indeed any - although there is a planned date for evaluating the situation (14 April) - we do not know. Chancellor Angela Merkel prefers not to make any promises that the government then cannot keep. Here is the breakdown of the restrictions: https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-coronavirus-travel-restrictions-what-you-need-to-know/a-53029830

 

Easter is not going to be easy, young people are already a bit nervous about this in the beautiful weather. Families are out and about on their bikes. We have no lock down in Rhineland-Palatinate (yet). Other states are stricter.

 

I think we can seriously forget most of European river cruising in May with June looking doubtful even for German ships (as we have read elsewhere North American lines have cancelled mostly as far as 30 June) and excursion boats are unlikely to sail in May.

 

No idea what is going to happen at work once I have used up all my overtime to make up for lost hours. But that is of minor concern to me at the moment as I have a secure contract.

 

Stay safe everyone.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[pacmom]

notamermaid, can't remember on which thread you mentioned Danube Wave cake.  Just returned from my local Aldi, really love that store.  Went because they advertised creme brulee in the freezer section.  Great weakness of mine.  Perfect for Easter dessert.  Right near it was Danube wave cake.  A nice small portion, so I don't have to wait til extended family is here.  Truly thought of you when I saw it.  Yes, there is some in my freezer!!!!!!!

Now on to make a mask or two  to wear in public.  A blessed Easter to you.  Thanks for all your info.  Pat

[notamermaid]

Thank you for the good wishes, Pat. Have a great Easter, too. I posted about the cake in the thread on the Danube. Lovely of you to think of me. Hope the cake is good, I find the quality of their products mostly to be very good.

 

Oh my goodness, you have an Aldi, too?! That company is like mushrooms, popping up almost everywhere. 😄 But granted, as I said, they have some good stuff. I go shopping there regularly as well. Especially like their "luxury" toilet paper. Last time was only allowed to buy one pack, rationed like in many places...

 

Hope the weather is nice where you are, we are bathed in sunshine and temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[djh1959]

19 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Oh my goodness, you have an Aldi, too?! That company is like mushrooms, popping up almost everywhere. 😄 But granted, as I said, they have some good stuff. I go shopping there regularly as well. Especially like their "luxury" toilet paper. Last time was only allowed to buy one pack, rationed like in many places...

 

 

 

 

 

We have Aldi here in Melbourne, Australia too.  You are quite right, they have popped up like mushrooms, but they are very popular and so much cheaper than the regular supermarkets.
The wine that the sell here in Australia is mainly from Europe and is really good, excellent value.

We like the toilet paper too, but I haven't seen toilet paper in a supermarket here in weeks.

[notamermaid]

25 minutes ago, djh1959 said:

We have Aldi here in Melbourne, Australia too.  You are quite right, they have popped up like mushrooms, but they are very popular and so much cheaper than the regular supermarkets.
The wine that the sell here in Australia is mainly from Europe and is really good, excellent value.

We like the toilet paper too, but I haven't seen toilet paper in a supermarket here in weeks.

From Ohio to the Rhine valley to Melbourne, Aldi really spans the world! Toilet paper, yes, a rare commodity these days. Read a newspaper article about that locally, among other short reports it said that one enterprising drinks shop - a big one of the type that sells deposit glass bottles in crates - gave one packet as a bonus to their customers if their bill for drinks was over a certain amount. Weird times.

 

Easter being such a high church day, the holy week in total as well, there will be many more church services being streamed live. There is also going to be a drive-in service in my area, not sure how that is going to work. There was a "court case" at short notice, churches had complained about the closures, but the court ruled in favour of the authorities' decisions.

 

Many church bells in my area ring out at 7.30pm every evening during the crisis as a comforting, solidarity gesture.

 

notamermaid

 

[Coral]

We have Aldi where I live also (Midwest USA) and love it. I was surprised it was called Hofer (I think) in Austria. I would be curious why.

 

I am amazed at the quality of items at Aldi. I also love the European items they have there.

[Lois R]

Hi, we have had Aldi's here for a long, long time.  I know they have a big fan base. I have been a few times over

the years but they don't really do anything for me...…..I prefer our regular grocer (Publix)

[sharkster77]

I believe that both Trader Joe's and Aldi are subdivisions of the same company?  Think I read that somewhere.

If I am "misremembering" please correct me!

[Coral]

21 minutes ago, sharkster77 said:

I believe that both Trader Joe's and Aldi are subdivisions of the same company?  Think I read that somewhere.

If I am "misremembering" please correct me!

Yea - it is confusing. Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord.

 

I shop at multiple stores including Trader Joes, Aldi, big box stores (both) and grocery stores. Each has its own strengths. I can say some people could easily be turned off by Aldi in the beginning. Ours is right next to the most expensive neighborhood in town and there are often some very expensive cars in the parking lot. I have to say the quality of the items I get at Aldi match most other stores. I don't buy meat there except for spiral hams which are amazing. I have to say when I am bulk buying for Thanksgiving baskets or for food pantries - Aldi is my go to store as I can fill up a whole cart and not spend $50. I wish we would have had them in my city when growing up as they can definitely stretch the shopping dollar.

 

Right now, I am missing my favorite cheese from Trader Joes!

Edited April 8, 2020 by Coral

[Lois R]

This is on the Trader Joe's website:

 

Who Owns Trader Joe's?

 

Trader Joe's is owned by families that also own part of Aldi Nord. Trader Joe's and Aldi Nord operate independently. Trader Joe's has no business or ownership relationship with Aldi Sud (including Aldi U.S.).

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Trader Joe's is an amazing success story around here.  They have a little store with a littler parking lot – before the virus hit they had a security guard managing the parking lot because the line of cars wrapped around the block!  DW doesn't find many bargains there, but they sell Saint-André triple creme cheese for $10 a pound while everybody else charges double that.  And they carry Kringle pastries that are to die for [for much less than buying direct from the bakery]: https://www.ohdanishbakery.com

 

Unfortunately the Trader Joe's near us is closed right now because one of their employees died of corona virus.

[Coral]

13 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Trader Joe's is an amazing success story around here.  They have a little store with a littler parking lot – before the virus hit they had a security guard managing the parking lot because the line of cars wrapped around the block!  DW doesn't find many bargains there, but they sell Saint-André triple creme cheese for $10 a pound while everybody else charges double that.  And they carry Kringle pastries that are to die for [for much less than buying direct from the bakery]: https://www.ohdanishbakery.com

 

Unfortunately the Trader Joe's near us is closed right now because one of their employees died of corona virus.

I think TJ has an amazing cheese selection.

 

Aldi also sells Kringles at the same time as Trader Joes, often at half the price. I see a lot of products that are sold at both TJ and Aldi, some have different labels and some don't (Kringles only have their label).

 

Sorry about the person who died. Our Trader Joes is in the same parking lot as a large sporting good store. Now that they are closed due to COVID-19, I can now park at Trader Joes easily.

 

My posts on this thread show that I am home way too much and grocery shopping is a rare event.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Coral

[Lois R]

This company looks AWESOME......omg...I LOVE DANISH...and Coffee Cakes!!!!

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks @Coral – I decided to 'find a store' and there are some Aldi's near us [just not in our county, which is why we don't get their ads].  We'll have to check them out once the travel bans are relaxed a bit.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Just now, Lois R said:

This company looks AWESOME......omg...I LOVE DANISH...and Coffee Cakes!!!!

 

The almond is my favorite – a generous amount of smooth almond paste filling.  The pecan has bits of nuts rather than paste.  Apple is just ok.  [Note: research like this is a tough job, but that's what (retired) librarians are for!]

[Lois R]

8 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

The almond is my favorite – a generous amount of smooth almond paste filling.  The pecan has bits of nuts rather than paste.  Apple is just ok.  [Note: research like this is a tough job, but that's what (retired) librarians are for!]

 

My issue is I love apple and almond.  My most favorite is cheese Danish but it doesn't look like they offer that item.

There is an Aldi's about a 5 minute drive from me but me thinks it is better to stay home right now.  Maybe I should

treat myself to an on line order

[Coral]

50 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thanks @Coral – I decided to 'find a store' and there are some Aldi's near us [just not in our county, which is why we don't get their ads].  We'll have to check them out once the travel bans are relaxed a bit.

Most are turned off in the beginning - give it an honest try. They have a lot of European items. They have a German week every quarter or so. Make sure you bring a quarter for the cart (you get that back) and bring grocery bags as you do have to pay for them. I like the almond and the raspberry Kringles. Aldi also had a holiday kringle last year which was a mixed berry. They are often located near the bread area.

 

It is not my primary shopping area but I am pleased with what I buy. There is a cranberry cheddar cheese that is identical that what Costco sells, just smaller packaging. I have bought some kitchen utensils at Surlatable that I often see at Aldi when they do kitchen week. It is an unpredictable store but the quality of most items is fine. Their fruit can be hit or miss.

Edited April 8, 2020 by Coral

[Coral]

36 minutes ago, Lois R said:

 

My issue is I love apple and almond.  My most favorite is cheese Danish but it doesn't look like they offer that item.

 

https://www.ohdanishbakery.com/everyday-kringle-favorites/cream-cheesecake-kringle