Honolulu and goodbye

Honolulu:

Here are the highlights of our stay in Honolulu to round off this blog. As we had been here before we took things easy rather than running around doing the tourist stuff we had been doing since May.

One night we went to the show put on by our hotel – the Magic of Polynesia, which is a kind of ‘Las Vegas meets Hawaii’ show. It featured lots of really good Polynesian dancing and an excellent performance by local illusionist John Hirokawa. Magic shows are not really our thing, but this guy was amazing.

We decided that we had clearly not added sufficient stimulus to the American economy in the last three months so we made amends by getting the bus to the Waikele factory outlets. No doubt thanks to our efforts the US will soon start to pull out of its current mess!

Phil decided to visit the US Army Museum, and especially enjoyed checking out the World War Two tanks and other boys toys on display. That night we went to a luau at a lovely beach about 40k outside Honolulu. It was a night of great Hawaiian cooking and Polynesian entertainment. Phil wants to know how women move their hips like that. Sue says he is not likely to find out J.

On the Tuesday before we left we decided it was time for a swim at Waikiki beach. Most of the beach seems to be the domain of surfers, but we found a semi-enclosed area that had good waves and was free of boards. The water was perfect – a bit of a bight when you get in, then wonderfully refreshing. That night we enjoyed a dinner cruise on the Star of Honolulu, which seats 1500 passengers for different dining styles! We had the three course dinner and enjoyed the sights of Honolulu from the water and the magnificent sunset. What a great way to finish an excellent adventure!

Train and Whistler

Toronto to Vancouver:

On Thursday night we boarded the train for Vancouver. After walking miles down to our carriage near the rear of the train – it had 21 carriages pulled by 4 engines – we found our luxurious first class stateroom. Well, not exactly. It is very cramped and had a toilet and sink, but we had to share a shower with the rest of the carriage. We had double bunks, so Phil had all the joys of climbing into and out of the single top bunk!!! A far cry from the Royal York Hotel which we left on Thursday night!! We also had no wifi so checking email was an impossibility. It felt like we had our right arm cut off!!! But those were the only negatives. The staff were really friendly and helpful, and the food in the dining car was plentiful and really great.

The scenery was beautiful. Through Ontario it was mainly forests peppered with pretty lakes and streams. We arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Saturday and took a short boat tour on the river. The river is about 9 feet above the normal level as you can see from the picture above. The steps are under water!! One of the more interesting sites was the Catholic cathedral which was originally a huge structure built long ago when Winnipeg was a booming rail junction, the gateway to western Canada. It was burnt out in a fire many years ago leaving only the vast shell. As the city was less prosperous at the time they built a smaller cathedral inside the old shell. It is an odd sight.

After we left Winnipeg the scenery changed to fairly flat farmland where many crops were being grown, most notably hay and canola. We were lucky enough to spot a coyote among the hay bales. Subsequently spotted deer and mountain sheep, but no elk which we had expected to see in Jasper L.

We reached Edmonton on Sunday morning at 6.30am and raced up to the station lounge to check the emails. It was frustrating not having wifi, but at least we were able to send a few replies that morning and let people know why they weren’t hearing from us. The train then took us through forest country to the Rocky Mountains and a stop at Jasper, Alberta. Up till then the weather had been patchy, but it grew worse once we got into the mountains. We took few photos due to the rain and the fact that most of the snow had gone from the peaks. But as we had driven through the Rockies in 1998 we did not feel that we had been cheated.

The food on the train was first class. On Sunday night, for instance, we had a choice of fish chowder or tomato and spinach soup, then salad followed by either rack of lamb with a blueberry glaze, salmon in filo pastry with maple butter dressing or stuffed chicken something. That was followed by chocolate caramel torte or carrot cake, followed by tea or coffee and after dinner mints. We are sure going to have to walk miles (or kilometres) to make up for all the food we have eaten while on the train!!!

We arrived in Vancouver on Monday. Rob picked us up on Tuesday and drove us up to Whistler, venue of the last Winter Olympics. Summer has been very mild in western Canada and there was still a surprising amount of snow around. The drive to and from Whistler is pretty spectacular and the Whistler Village has that wonderful alpine feel that you might expect. All up we had a great day, but we did miss Marg who was unable to join us.

We are now in Honolulu so the next blog will probably be the last before we get home.

Ottawa and Niagara Falls

Ottawa

We travelled to Ottawa on Thursday through the lovely forest and farmlands so typical of this part of Canada. Ottawa is a lovely city – clean, easy to get around, and very friendly. The Parliament buildings are very impressive and feature many beautiful works of art reflecting Canada’s history. As with the other cities we visited here in eastern Canada Ottawa has many grand old churches and other buildings that one never tires of seeing. Ottawa also has the Canadian Museum of Civilisation, which traces human history from its beginnings.

It was very interesting to watch the operation of the locks that are used to move boats from the Ottawa River up to the Rideau Canal. The eight locks are hand operated using winches – a strange sight in this automated age we live in.

Toronto and Niagara Falls:

On Saturday we travelled to Toronto. On the way we stopped at Gananoque on the St Lawrence River and took a one hour “1000 islands cruise”. That particular section of the river is a popular summer holiday area and has around 1800 small islands many of which have at least one house, most of them obviously expensive. What a beautiful part of the world.

We took a day trip to Niagara Falls on Sunday. What an amazing experience! We were told that the amount of water flowing over the Falls could fill one million bathtubs per second. That is easy to believe when you see them. Our group boarded the Maid of the Mist which sails into the spray beneath the Canadian side of the Falls. When you board they give you a poncho, and boy do you need it! The boat sails into water that is churning like a washing machine, and the spray is drenching. Put that together with the roar of the water and you have one fantastic experience.

That night we had our tour farewell dinner in the revolving restaurant high up in the CN Tower – still the second highest man made structure in the world. The view from the restaurant is fabulous, encompassing the city and suburbs of Toronto and far out into Lake Ontario. It was really hard to say goodbye to everyone as they were a great fun loving group and we have made such good friends. But with any luck we might see some of them again in Australia.

We now have a few days in Toronto before taking the train to Vancouver on Thursday night. So no more blogging for a few days folks. We is buggared and intend to take some much needed R & R.

Quebec

Quebec:

On Tuesday we travelled to Quebec. The countryside is very pretty in summer, with lots of farmland and forest along the way. Quebec city is the only walled city in North America north of Mexico, and unlike Montreal its authorities have made a serious effort over time to preserve historic buildings. Le Chateau Frontenac and the Provincial Parliament building are especially impressive examples of classic French architecture. The old town has a very distinctive French feel about it. It reminds Phil of old Geneva and Ferney Voltaire in southern France. Our guide for the city tour was ideal, as he grew up in an old neighbourhood in the 1950s and 60s and was able to talk about the way in which the ethnic mix of families had changed over time.

That night went drove past the Montmorency Falls on the way to dinner. The falls are 30 metres higher than Niagara Falls so are very spectacular. At night the city lights them up in beautiful rainbow colours – a lovely idea. The dinner was in an old mill house that had been built in the 1700’s and still maintains the original stone walls both inside and out. The meal included the traditional maple sugar pie – it was sooo nice but no doubt contained a million calories – hence the long walk on Wednesday to balance the equation!!

Wednesday was a free day so we took a ferry across the St Laurence River and back, then another walk through the old town and up the funicular to the Chateau Frontenac. Phil saw the changing of the guard at the Citadel, which is an historic fort but still a functioning military base. But much walking up and down hills was involved in all this, so we returned to the hotel pretty well stuffed! Sue is not doing any more walking uphill!!! EVER!!! Ottawa and Toronto had better be very flat, or have lots of very cheap taxis.

Montreal and Quebec

Montreal:

We spent Sunday and Monday in Montreal and began our Globus tour of the historic cities of eastern Canada. Montreal has a nice feel to it. It’s older and more wealthy areas include many beautiful old buildings and cobbled streets. On Monday morning we visited the Notre-Dame Basilica, which is built of stone but is decorated with magnificent wood carvings that you would swear were made of stone.

One of the most memorable things about Montreal is the so called underground city. As Montreal can receive up to 4 metres of snow in winter there are 55 city buildings connected by an underground system of multi-level passages and shopping arcades. The system is linked to Central Station so that Metro commuters lucky enough to work in one of those buildings don’t have to step out in the snow to get to work. Good thinking! It is just like a great big Westfield Centre, but completely underground!!

Another memorable site is the stadium built for the 1976 Olympics.

Fifty-five per cent of people here speak French as their first language, so all signs are in French and only some are also in English. While we had been told to expect this it is strange, and rather exotic, to be in Canada rather than France but have everyone greet you with “bonjour” all the time.

The tour looks like it will be a lot of fun. Lisa, our tour director, is a very bright personality and extremely helpful. There are 42 people on the tour, including 10 Aussies. But as usual we have made friends with Americans first. Funny how that happens. We have teamed up with Chuck and Barb from Las Vegas and Al and Sandy from Michigan. We are all baby boomer world travellers so we have traded a lot of funny stories. We have found it strange having to ask for a fridge in most American/Canadian hotels. Some even try to charge you for them, but “no way Jose” is my mantra. So far it has worked, so we’ll see how it goes on this trip.

Boston quickie

More Boston:

We thought we had finished our Boston blog, but on Friday morning we walked several blocks to a Laundromat to find that it was located directly opposite historic North Boston Church. In April 1735 an American revolutionary placed two lamps in the steeple of this church to inform Paul Revere that the British army would attack the Continental army by water, not land. So while we were waiting for the washing to finish we visited the church and then walked a couple of blocks to Paul Revere’s house. The house is a grey-painted wooden two story house built in 1680 and is the only surviving building of its type in Boston. This was a real bonus as we thought we had run out of time to see these sights. Meant to be I guess. Tomorrow it is off to Montreal. Vive la Canada or something!!!!

Boston quickie

More Boston:

We thought we had finished our Boston blog, but on Friday morning we walked several blocks to a Laundromat to find that it was located directly opposite historic North Boston Church. In April 1735 an American revolutionary placed two lamps in the steeple of this church to inform Paul Revere that the British army would attack the Continental army by water, not land. So while we were waiting for the washing to finish we visited the church and then walked a couple of blocks to Paul Revere’s house. The house is a grey-painted wooden two story house built in 1680 and is the only surviving building of its type in Boston. This was a real bonus as we thought we had run out of time to see these sights. Meant to be I guess. Tomorrow it is off to Montreal. Vive la Canada or something!!!!

Boston

Boston:

The train trip from New York to Boston on Monday was very pleasant. In contrast to the trip from Washington to New York the scenery was much more rural and affluent, especially along the Connecticut and Rhode Island coasts which are dotted with beautiful wetlands and lovely seaside towns with many marinas. We went first class, not knowing what the difference was. Well we quickly learned that we would be waited on hand and foot, including snacks, drinks and a 2 course hot lunch. Talk about living the life of Riley!!!

Tuesday was hot so we contented ourselves with a trip to Harvard University. Harvard was founded in the 17th century and still has many very old and beautiful buildings. We did a walking tour run by students who wore T-shirts saying ‘HAHVAHD’, depicting the local pronunciation. As you might guess the tour was very entertaining. On the way back to the hotel we took a detour to the wharf area at Quincy, South Boston and took a ferry ride across the harbour. That was relaxing but the harbour is not very exciting.

On Wednesday we took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour around Boston and the adjoining city of Cambridge (where Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT] are located). Speaking of MIT, the local tour guides reckon that it stands for “Millionaires in Training”. They have a little ditty about MIT that is sung to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club theme (for those old enough to remember that). It goes “M-I-T, P-H-D, M-O-N-E-Y”.

Most of the newer buildings outside the financial district seem to reflect the brick colonial style of architecture typical of old Boston. The wharf area has a feel something like The Rocks in Sydney, with the Quincy Market and lots of waterfront restaurants. Boston also has many sites relating to the American Revolutionary War, including three historic cemeteries right in the middle of the business district (Paul Revere is buried in one of them) and a monument to the Battle of Bunker Hill.

We especially liked Boston Common. It is a beautiful green space in the middle of town. We took a ride on one of the Swan Boats on the lagoon in the middle of the Common (photo above). The boats have carved swans on their sterns (and there are white swans in the lagoon) and are pedal powered – by strong young students. A very relaxing and delightful experience. Stop Press: special news for Jim and Cheryl: we saw squirrels, and didn’t photograph them! Amazing eh!

Today (Thursday) we caught the hop on bus once again. The drivers are so knowledgeable, and all have different stories to tell. Half way round the loop we hopped off and did the river cruise on the Charles River. We were able to see things from a different perspective eg how huge the campus of Harvard Uni really is. We saw Boston Uni too, and saw where they cram 1400 first year students into the dormitories in 3 huge residential blocks. We also saw some of the student accommodation for MIT, and were surprised to learn that it had formerly been the Hyatt Hotel!! Once we got back on land we had lunch, then continued back to the hotel. We just might do happy hour again tonight – boy is that sangria good!!

New York part 2

More New York:

On Saturday we took a cruise around Manhattan down the Hudson River and round into the East River. The boat took us under three of the biggest bridges that link Manhattan to Long Island, The Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge. When it opened in 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, and it is still a very impressive sight with its huge stone pylons. We also had great views of Hoboken and Jersey City – both in New Jersey across the Hudson – and Brooklyn. Perhaps the most memorable sight was the Freedom Tower under construction on the site of the former twin towers noting the big hole in the skyline where the World Trade Centre used to be.

That night we went to the Ambassador Theatre on West 49the Street to see ‘Chicago’. The production was fabulous, as you might expect. There is so much great theatre here in New York you could spend ages just going to shows and loving every minute of it.

Sunday we went to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play Tampa Bay. Being sporty people this was always going to be one of the highlights of our whole holiday, and it didn’t disappoint. We even managed to work out the NY Subway Metro ticketing system – probably the biggest challenge of the day!! The previous day Yankees short stop Derek Jeter had scored his 3000th hit – the first Yankee ever to do so. So the roar from the home crowd when he came out to bat was incredible. Just being there with the crowd and feeling the atmosphere was a terrific experience that we will always remember. It was interesting to note all the hype associated with the game – certainly very different to the Brumbies games!! We sang, clapped and stamped our feet just as well as any American (but the voices when we called out gave us away!!)

We are heading for Boston now, so will give you our impressions later. NY was very fast and “in your face”, and they say NY never sleeps. We will attest to that – sirens going at all hours of the day and night. Perhaps Boston will allow us some “down time”, as NY certainly didn’t. (One sad note for us was the passing away of Scooter our little black ball of fluff. She was 18 years old, and just seemed to die in her sleep. Jen and Pete kindly buried her up in the native garden. They were so thoughtful.)

New York

New York:

After saying goodbye to Jim and Cheryl (which was really hard - we have become such good friends), we had an uneventful train trip. We arrived in New York (photo above taken in Times Square) at Pennsylvania Station on Wednesday, 7 July. The train route was obviously established a long time ago as it took us through mostly urban areas all the way, and through some very ugly slums, especially in Baltimore. This was unexpected, and a bit of a shock. Maybe the recession here has something to do with the depressing scenes we saw, but it did appear that the poor state of these areas was of longstanding.

New York can only be described with words like vibrant, crazy, overwhelming, in-your-face etc. Our hotel is right next to the Theatre District just around the corner from the clock and ball in Times Square. What a location! It is just a short walk to many of the theatres hosting the best Broadway shows.

On Thursday we took a hop-on-hop-off bus tour of lower Manhattan, which covered everything from the poor lower east side to the Financial District. First stop was the Empire State Building (see photot above). The view from the observatory on the 86th floor is spectacular! The weather gods have continued to bless our trip and we saw this gigantic metropolis in bright sunshine. It just seems to go on forever. Our next stop was Ground Zero. The centrepiece of the redevelopment – the Freedom Tower – seems well advanced but it is not due to be completed until 2013. When it is all finished the site will no doubt be very moving, but right now it is all just a noisy building site. But the information centre nearby is well set up to tell the whole terrible story of 9/11. After that we walked to Battery Point. The bus driver told us it was a 10 minute walk, so we decided the walk would do us good. Wrong!!!! It was at least 45 minutes walking at Phil’s pace, and seemed to be bloody miles!!! Once we had got our breath back, it was through the security checks (again – I am over these!!) to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which houses the immigration museum. These are very impressive sights and we got some pretty good photos.

That night we went to the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked. If you have not seen it you must. It was one of the most fabulous shows we have ever seen! So far it has been the highlight of our time in this city, but of course you all know what lovers of live theatre we are. On Saturday we will be seeing Chicago too. When you are in one of the best places in the world for live shows you just have to indulge!

On Friday we took a bus tour around upper Manhattan to see Central Park, many museums and Harlem. We always thought of Manhattan in terms of the Financial District and its many new skyscrapers. But the whole island has revealed a diversity we did not expect. Places like Chinatown, the lower east side and Harlem are very eye opening, with so many old buildings that we no doubt quite tall for their time and in various states of repair. Very many have rickety looking old fire escapes clinging to their walls. By way of contrast the old mansions on 5th Avenue that line East Central Park are beautiful buildings. We were even shown the exact spot where John Lennon had been gunned down, and his wife, Yoko, still lives in their apartment on the top floor of the apartment building. Tonight we are meeting up with Regina and Tom, friends we made on our Globus tour. They live about an hour from NY, and are coming in to catch up over dinner. Should be great fun!! By the way – hope you in Canberra are enjoying your wicked weather – it has been about 30 degrees here for the last week. Oh dear!!!

Washington the next part

Manassas; monuments, Air and Space Museum; 4th of July; Mount Vernon:

On Friday Jim and Phil visited the sites of the First and Second Battles of Manassas (also known as Bull Run). Once again seeing the battlefield terrain told a story that cannot be appreciated just from reading books and looking at maps. There is something eerie about walking through green fields in bright sunlight knowing that they were scenes of carnage 150 years ago. As the National Park Service has placed artillery pieces as near as they can determine to their actual location during the battles it is not hard to ‘see’ men fighting and dying in droves. A fascinating but sobering experience. Sue and Cheryl did the grocery shopping at Cosco. Can’t wait till they come to Canberra – they sell everything from TVs and fridges to jewellery to books and groceries. There were so many free tastings that we really didn’t need lunch!!

After a quiet Saturday of much needed rest we attended church again on Sunday then headed off to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The collection is amazing! It includes numerous aircraft of all kinds ranging from very early flying machines to modern war and commercial planes and space craft. Especially interesting were the space shuttle Enterprise (truly enormous), a Concorde, and the Enola Gay – the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. It is still a matter of wonder to Phil that so much metal can be propelled into flight. The past shows how far our technology has come, but also how we have used it for both good and ill. Trust the Smithsonian to do a great job.

Later in the day we visited the Washington Monument with tickets purchased on line some days ago to go to the top at 8.30 pm. On arriving we found that there was no way of accessing the inside of the Monument. A trip to the visitor centre – some distance away – revealed that the Monument had been closed for the next few days for security reasons (Sunday was 3 July). So why did they sell tickets for today, and why was there no sign at the Monument to say it was closed? Trust Security to stuff up! But it’s sort of comforting to know that this sort of thing happens in countries other than Australia. We got some great shots there anyway. On a lighter note we did some really good eating that day. They certainly know how to cook seafood! The Blue Crab Fritters and Crab Cakes are on Phil’s list of must have again foods.

Monday was 4th of July so we started the day with a trip to Leesburg, Virginia to see the parade. This was a much better idea than going into Washington, which we saw the previous night was shaping up to be a nightmare of traffic jams and masses of people milling in hot streets and parks. The parade in Leesburg opened with a fife and drum band that was terrific. (They have toured Europe and played at official ceremonies over there.) What followed was a very fun parade of Americana, including cars (a whole string of Corvettes for example), trucks belonging to volunteer organisations like fire fighters, and lots of politicians and their supporters. Lots of kids participated, and lots of candy was tossed to them, explaining why they we so thick on the ground at the edge of the parade.

We expected to see the usual “ vote x for State Senator” etc, but “vote x for the School Board”? So who doesn’t have to be elected? All the Democrats came first, then others representing community services etc followed, then came the Republicans – presumably beyond pistol range of the Democrats (Heh! Heh!). These people really know how to celebrate. We went to visit Jim’s son and his family. Misty had cooked us a traditional 4th of July spread complete with hamburgers, hot dogs salad and baked beans. We also had home-made blueberry pie with blueberries that had been picked the day before. We were an immediate hit with the 2 children (as much for novelty value!!), Alex who is 8, and Julie (otherwise known as The Princess) who will be 6 in October. Jim Snr had bought a few fireworks, and they had great fun letting them off. From there we went to the Leesburg “oval” where they had a great band playing before the traditional fireworks that went off at 9.30pm. All in all it was a great 4th July, and we became honorary Americans for the day.

On Tuesday we went to Mount Vernon, historic home of George Washington. The mansion and the whole estate are very impressive. Considerable effort has been put into maintaining as much as possible of the original buildings and furnishings, or providing appropriate replicas. The house was luxurious by any standards, but especially those of the 18th century. It was a bit grim to see the slave quarters, but to his credit Washington came to have serious doubts about slavery and in his will instructed his wife to free them all. We learned much about the great man.

Tomorrow (Wed) we leave Jim and Cheryl to travel to New York. It will be sad saying goodbye as we have become very close friends over the last few weeks. They have been truly wonderful hosts, and have kept us going to ensure we leave Washington having made the best use possible of our time there.

Washington

Washington, Antietam, Amish Country and Gettysburg:

On Sunday we attended Jim and Cheryl’s church and had the pleasure of meeting their friends and enjoying the service. They are even more laid back than our friends at Wesley so we fitted right in. The Minister has attempted to avoid us exotic foreigners via the poor excuse of an emergency gall bladder operation, but we will catch him next Sunday. There is no escape!

We then visited the Lincoln Memorial and the World War 2 and Vietnam Memorials. The Americans certainly know how to build memorials. The WW2 memorial is a noble celebration of the sacrifice of Americans during the war. The picture above shows Phil and Jim at the Alabama section of the memorial. By way of contrast the Vietnam Memorial is simply a wall listing the names of all the soldiers who were killed – all 50,000 – and leaves you dumbstruck. Each memorial seems very appropriate to the circumstances of the conflicts.

We ended the day by seeing a comedy at the Kennedy Centre titled “Shear Madness”. It is a murder mystery set in a hair salon and uses improvisation driven by audience participation. The play has been running for over 30 years and it is easy to see why. We’d love to see it come to Canberra. By the way, we saw the best T-shirt: “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups”. A good summary of politics in both countries really …

Monday was set aside for Phil to see the Civil War battlefield at Antietam Creek, Pennsylvania, and for Sue to go to Amish country.

Sue and Cheryl, along with Maria and Susan, spent the day in Amish Country. We visited Lancaster (that has become very commercialised), Intercourse (where I had to have a photo taken) and Strasburg. It was such an eye opener to see the people ploughing fields using horses and donkeys and to pull their equipment through the fields to harvest crops. The girls all wore bonnets and long skirts. The roads have a special lane for their horses and sulkies, and we saw many of those. We enjoyed lunch at a traditional Amish restaurant, where I tried the local sausage, and was given Shoo Fly Pie. I am not sure what the ingredients are, but boy is it delicious!! From there we browsed the local shops, and bought a few local items. We had a great day, and it was wonderful to share the day with such great friends.

Antietam is the site of the bloodiest day’s fighting in American history – 23,000 casualties. Given Phil’s lifelong interest in Civil War history it would have been exciting enough just to be there. But Jim, who is very well read on the history of the War, had arranged for two of his friends to come as well – Art Grant and Jim Peak. Art also came to Gettysburg with us the following day. Jim Peak’s comments on aspects of the Antietam battle were very knowledgeable, and I must mention that he very kindly presented us with a framed collection of Civil War stamps as a gift. We were very touched by this lovely gesture.

What made both days so special was that Art (pictured above with Jim), who took the role of battlefield guide, has lectured at West Point and other institutions on Civil War history and was able to give the most detailed and fascinating accounts of the actions that took place at each point they visited. Jim made lots of very insightful comments that prompted much discussion of key aspects of each battle. It must be said in relation to both Antietam and Gettysburg that seeing the terrain and knowing what we know about events it is very hard to understand some of the decisions that commanders made that led to such slaughter. When he gets home Phil is going to re-read his books on both battles in the light of many new insights.

On Tuesday, Sue, Cheryl and Maria spent a very fruitful day at the Premium Outlet centre. Sue kindly propped up the US economy once again by spending a good part of her $1,000 bingo winnings!! The clothes there were ridiculously cheap (and fitted so well!!) and the kitchen gadgets store was amazing. Everybody bought something, but Sue bought the most!! Did I mention that shoes here are cheap too?? Bought 2 pairs of those too!! Cheryl and Maria were wonderful advisors on the local stores that I had not heard of before, especially Williams-Sonoma.

After two such busy days we had a very quiet day on Wednesday. I had my nails done and also a pedicure. Later in the day we drove to Leesburg and looked at an Art Gallery before doing a bit of shopping and coming home for an early night.

Washington

Washington:

On Monday we arrived at Dulles Airport in Washington DC to be met by our very dear friends Jim and Cheryl Simon. We are staying with them in their beautiful home in Great Falls, Virginia, which is just across the Potomac River from DC. How good it is to be staying with friends in their home after weeks of hotels!

On Tuesday, while Sue and Cheryl did girlie stuff (hair etc) Jim took Phil to Ball’s Bluff near Leesburg VA and the site of a brief battle during the war between the North and South. Phil has had a lifelong interest in American history, particularly the history of that war, and was excited at being able to walk over the ground of one of its battles for the first time. Trips to other major battle sites are on the agenda too, including Gettysburg which everyone has heard of. One of the best experiences of the day was lunching on delicious Virginia style creamy peanut soup. Who knew such a thing existed! We must get the recipe – and also the one for the strawberry and rhubarb pie that Jim had.

Wednesday was our day at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Jim had to work but we had the pleasure of Cheryl’s company and the benefit of her perspective on things. While we had never been there Phil immediately recognised the entry atrium from the movie Night in a Museum. No wonder the Smithsonian has such a great reputation. The displays were very well presented and each exhibit very well explained in plain English. It would be hard not to learn something new there.

Thursday was very special. We all went to Boyce VA, a lovely town not too far away, to play bingo at the local community hall. It was fun to do something like that with the lovely people who live here in the Virginia countryside. Of course you don’t need to guess who won the jackpot prize of $1000 do you! It had to be Sue didn’t it! Looks like winning $150 in Vegas didn’t exhaust her luck.

On Friday Cheryl came with us as we visited Arlington National Cemetery which is the resting place for many thousands of Americans from all wars, including some from the Revolutionary War who were reinterred there. The graves just go on and on in all directions, which is very sobering. We visited the grave sites of John F Kennedy and his brothers Bobby and Teddy, which was very moving, and explored Arlington House which was the home of the original owner of the property General Robert E Lee who commanded the Confederate Army during the Civil War. We thought the house would be bigger, but apparently Gone with the Wind had created unreal expectations in our minds.

Arlington proved so big, and slow to get around, that we only had time to do one more thing. So we met up with Jim and toured the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The exhibits were great from an educational point of view, but Jim and Phil had hoped for more artifacts. But it was great anyway. We had dinner with Jim’s daughter and her friend at Old Ebbit Grill, a really great restaurant not far from the White House. We left home at 8.30am and returned at midnight, so we are a bit weary today!!! Must be getting old!!

Stay tuned for our next post. Hope to download the pictures by then.

Yosemite and San Fransisco

Yosemite National Park

On Thursday we travelled to Yosemite National Park. What an awesome place! The Park is in a high valley surrounded by towering granite cliffs that shade the Merced River. Right now the river is swollen with snow melt and rages over the rocks and rapids. The locals say it is the highest the water level has been in the river for 30 years, so we have taken lots of photos and video to show you. Most of the area is covered in a forest of oak and pine that is truly rich and beautiful. We took a tram ride through the main area of the Park and were very lucky to see a Black Bear and her two cubs up fairly close – a rare treat by all accounts.

On Friday we travelled to San Francisco through the wine country of the Sonoma Valley. Our lunch stop was a winery, which was more interesting for Sue than Phil, though we both appreciated the beauty of the vineyard. That afternoon we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into the city. No wonder the bridge is one of the seven engineering wonders of the world! In the evening we had dinner in a restaurant in Chinatown.

Saturday was pretty special. We did a city tour and in the afternoon took the ferry to Alcatraz. Phil saw lots of gaols during his time with the NSW prison officers’ union, but the appallingly cruel conditions of that place were a real eye opener. Then we returned to the city and the fun began. The 14 of us who took the trip were supposed to meet the rest of the group at the hotel by 6pm and it was about 4pm when we got back to the pier. Our tour director had told us where to pick up the historic cable car to get back the hotel – it was “just up there”. Well just up there was eight of the longest city blocks you can imagine. Once we got to the terminal the line was so long we wondered if we would ever get a tram. To make matters worse only a couple of the cable cars can run at any one time, and they don’t collect the fares until people have been loaded onto the tram. So our much anticipated cable car ride was fraught with anxiety till be got back just five minutes late. Whew! We finished our Western Tour with a really good dinner at Fishermans Wharf. It has been an “awesome” tour. We have met some really great people, and it was sad to say goodbye to most last night.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas

On Monday we toured Zion National Park (photo above). The Virgin River flows through the Park beneath beautiful high red cliffs and crags. We went for a one and a half hour stroll along the riverbank and saw lots of wildlife including deer, wild turkeys and squirrels.

Then it was off to Las Vegas. After travelling through the desert for a couple of hours we suddenly came across the city. It is set in such a barren place and is like a glittering oasis. The ‘strip’ is an amazing avenue of huge hotels each of which has a massive casino inside. Many seem to be little more than Casinos with hotel accommodation, but some have remarkable features that reflect their themes. One of the first we went into was the Paris. Outside is a half sized exact replica of the Eiffel Tower (above), which is cool enough in itself. But inside the casino area is surrounded by Parisian streets full of shops, and a painted blue, partly clouded sky with the light level equivalent to early sunset. The setting is so realistic that when we first entered we thought momentarily that we were still outside! The Venetian had the same concept based on the streets of Venice, and included a canal on which you could take gondola rides through the shopping area. Bellagios was also very impressive with its ceiling and displays in magnificent glass sculptures and a garden and aviary with real birds inside. (Bellagio's water fountain display above right) The Mirage featured dolphins, and the MGM had lions. Talk about luring in the tourists!! Whilst in Vegas we went to the most recent Cirque de Soleil show, Mystere. It was a stunning show, and we even have a souvenir photo (at the “cheap” price of only $44) to prove it!! The choreography and staging was incredible, and as always the cast were wonderfully strong and skilful acrobats. After the show we were lucky enough the catch some of the free entertainment provided by the hotels on the strip, including the pirate show at Treasure Island and the Volcano at the Mirage. All in all the whole experience was terrific.

Everyone seems to be after your money. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel, and there was neither a fridge nor coffee/tea making facilities to be found. You want a cuppa, then you go down to the coffee shop and pay us $4 to get one. Also in most places we have been getting free wifi, but at the Hilton it was $14 for a 24 hour useage. Sue got back at them – she went to pay “the slots” (poker machines to you guys), and came back to the room with a $150 dollar profit. Fancy gambling in Las Vegas and winning!! That more than paid for the extra tea and coffee that Phil had to have!!

Canyons

Canyons blog:

On Saturday we went to the Navajo Reservation and were taken by our local guide in a truck to see Slot Canyon. The ‘road’ was more of a long sand trap and should have been named “Bum Busting Boulevard”. But the rough ride was truly worth it. Slot Canyon’s beauty defies description, so we have included a photo to give you some idea of what it is like (photo 3). The Canyon was carved by flash floods, and twists and turns narrowly through magnificent natural features. Sue’s claustrophobia was sorely tested as the canyon was quite narrow, and you could not always see in front of you. But she managed, and it was well worth it!!

That afternoon we took a raft ride on the Colorado River through Antelope Canyon. The beautifully coloured canyon walls rose up to 340 metres above us. Once again we have included a photo (photo 2). But no photos can possibly do justice to the magnificent immensity of the West’s great natural wonders. You just have to be there.(This canyon ride was in an inflatable raft – we thought it was in a boat that had 2 decks and shade. Boy were we misled!!! 4.5 hours of full sun, and no back rest!!!) But once again it was worth it, and we even asked the driver to make like we were in the rapids!!

On Sunday we travelled into Utah to Bryce Canyon, then into Zion National Park. Bryce Canyon is like a huge amphitheatre with many impressive natural sculptures called ‘hoodoos’. The firstphoto says it all. To digress, as we travelled we kept coming across police / sheriff’s cars at the side of the road. Our tour leader pointed out that they were all dummy cars with dummy drivers! Apparently a lot of poorer communities that can’t afford enough traffic cops use dummies as a deterrent. Why does this make me have thoughts about the ACT Assembly? Another good laugh on this trip was the sign at one of our rest stops that said: “Home of the Ho-Made Pies”. So what do ‘Hos’ put in their pies? We didn’t buy any .

Zion National Park is awesome! It is set in rich, forested country and has the largest sand monolith in the world – the Checkerboard Mesa. More about this in the next blog.

Wow!!! We arrived at the Grand Canyon on Thursday, and the sheer size and aura of the place is just unimaginable – but more on that later.

On Wednesday we left Los Angeles and crossed the San Gabriel Mountains and the Mojave (pronounced Mohavi) Dessert. We couldn’t get over the way the desert looked – quite green due to the profusion of sagebrush, and very sandy. It was on to Lake Havasu for the night. We stayed at the London Bridge Resort, so named because the original London Bridge was purchased by a local, each stone was numbered as it was being pulled down, then it was reassembled in Lake Havasu. It was right next to our resort. We managed to walk across it on Wednesday afternoon, and took some very good photos. We went for a cruise around the lake at Sunset, and took amazing pictures of the mountain ranges and the lake surrounds. We were free for dinner that night, so met up with a lovely couple from New Jersey for dinner.

Thursday morning it was an early start from the hotel (8am). We drove north and saw the desert gradually give way to greener land until we reached the national forest in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon. The land in northwest Arizona is richer than we expected due to its altitude (almost 2000 metres) and better rainfall than the southwest.

We visited the south rim of the Canyon and were overwhelmed by its beauty. It is something to which photos alone cannot do justice (and believe us we have hundreds to bore you silly with!!!). Before that we saw an IMAX movie about the Canyon that was awesome but included many nausea-inducing flight sections. (Phil noticed Sue’s eyes were shut during several of the more graphic “drops” down into the Canyon!!) Many on the tour were to take an optional helicopter flight over the Canyon straight after that. We were glad that we were not joining them!

We also encountered and photographed squirrels and elk – the latter just wander around the tourist area eating the grass and no-one gets in their way (those antlers are big)!

On Friday we drove through the spectacular Painted Desert (so named for the rich colours streaked through the rocks) to Lake Powell. Lake Powell is formed by the damming of the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon Dam and spreads in many directions like spiders legs forming different canyons through which you can travel by boat. Like the Grand Canyon the rocks are stratified and very colourful. Dinner was great last night, not just for the food but also the company. We ate with new friends from New Jersey and North Carolina who are great examples of how friendly Americans can be.

LA and Universal Studios

LA highlights and Universal Studios
Today was the start of our Globus tour of the West, beginning with a city tour and optional Universal Studios tour.
The most interesting parts of the city tour were in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, especially Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive and Hollywood Boulevard. Rodeo Drive was especially interesting – just about every expensive brand shop you can think of with dress prices commonly around $10,000 for the cheap stuff! We stopped at the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to take a stroll down the walk of fame. It was interesting to see so many Australians there – Olivia Newton John, Gwyneth Paltrow etc. We also managed to get a photo of the ‘Hollywood’ sign, but it was so far away that it is not worth uploading the picture here. To get a better photo you have to drive well into Hollywood, but tourist coaches are forbidden to do so.
This afternoon Phil did the Universal Studios tour. The Studio Tour covers all the working studios from the outside and takes 45 minutes. The most interesting part was all the streetscapes created over the years for movies and TV series set in the old West, New York etc. Included in the tour were ‘rides’ involving driving the coach through tunnels in which you experience, in 3D, dinosaurs from Jurassic Park, King Kong attacking and rocking the bus, and an attack by beetles from The Mummy. Good fun!
After that Phil took in the Special Effects Stage, the Terminator 2: 3D experience and the House of Horrors. Sometimes it’s just fun to do kids’ stuff, even at 60 . Now for a quiet night before we head for Arizona tomorrow morning.

LA and Disneyland

Los Angeles and Disneyland
We arrived in LA on Friday and are now at the Marriot Downtown Hotel. A pretty nice place, but we did find it odd that there was no fridge in the room. When we queried that they wheeled one in! Hmm.
We took a walk to familiarise ourselves with the area. Downtown is very much a commercial area with little in the way of shops, so we had to walk several long blocks to the nearest shopping centre. At least Starbucks were fairly common . We found a supermarket and bought some milk and other supplies. To our surprise we were able to get complete hot dinners there and even eat them at tables set aside for that purpose. An interesting concept – this proved to be very convenient.
Disneyland:
On Saturday we took a bus with three other Aussies (from Perth) from the hotel to Disneyland. What an awesome place! We started at Fantasyland, at Toontown where we met Mickey Mouse (see attached photo) but failed to pin down Goofy despite several attempts. In Frontierland we took the Mark Twain paddle steamer along a depiction of America’s great rivers, and waited in line for an hour to get into the “Star Tours” ride. This is a new attraction that involves riding in an apparently moving starship in 3D and nearly colliding with numerous objects. Phil enjoyed the ride but Sue kept her eyes shut the whole time.
The Grand Parade was spectacular. It is a new one that only started on 27 May. It features many Disney characters and floats depicting Disney films such as Aladdin, Mary Poppins and The Little Mermaid. The costumes were extravagant, and the choreography of the dancing was terrific.
We decided to have a light snack before we left (at 8pm) so we went to one of the numerous cafes. We ordered the loaded potato soup, which we thought would be of modest size only to find that it was HUGE! So we decided to share a banana split for dessert. It contained only one banana, however it also consisted of three ENORMOUS scoops of ice cream and half a can of whipped cream, little Mickey Mouse lollies scattered all over it! These people do not understand the idea of small serves.
We arrived home very tired little vegemites with quite a few presents for all between us.
Santa Monica:
Today we took the train and bus out to Santa Monica. (We had intended to go shopping in Beverly Hills but could not locate the shopping centre we wanted.) We enjoyed a stroll and a coffee / hot chocolate stop on Santa Monica Pier, and felt strange sitting by the Pacific Ocean with so much distance between us and Australia.
Tomorrow night we meet our fellow travellers on our Globus tour of the West. Should be fun.

Victoria, British Columbia

On Sunday we returned to Victoria to enjoy some down time after the cruise. Having been to both Seattle and Victoria before we didn’t felt the need to rush around and see the sights, which is good because we were pretty tired. We took a city tour and also spent some time taking buses and looking around. Victorians are very keen gardeners and it shows. Almost every house seems to have a beautiful garden, and of course everything is in full spring bloom.

Two of the city’s most impressive buildings are situated next to each other – the Parliament Building and the Empress Hotel. The latter is built in a classic French Canadian style and has ivy covered walls. It is obviously classy, as High Tea can be taken there for the somewhat less than modest cost of $60 per person! You can get a full 2 course dinner for $30, so take your pick!! The Parliament Building is very impressive, with marble columns and mosaics that remind us of our own Parliament House. We watched a debate about a new tax bill that the Opposition New Democrat Party (i.e like the ALP) was happily using as an excuse to attack the Liberal Government. This bear pit was so like our own parliaments – lots of jibes, ironic laughter and table banging. Kindergarten for adults anyone?

On Monday we took a bus yesterday to the Mayfair Mall – what a misnomer!! There were no supermarkets, no pharmacies, and no book store. There was just a range of high end fashion stores, and a food court. As we had eaten at Denny’s, we had no interest in the food, so after a quick stroll headed back to the city. We FINALLY found a supermarket – 20 minutes walk uphill from the motel. We managed to get some fresh fruit and yoghurt which we had for tea, after having a spa to get over the long walk!!

We are back in Vancouver now for a couple of days and a good catch up with Phil’s brother and sister-in-law, Rob and Marg. Next blog will be from LA.

Glacier Bay and Ketchikan

Glacier Bay
After leaving Skagway we experienced our earliest sunrise (4.09 am) and latest sunset (10.59 pm). That’s what happens when you come north 60 degrees.
Our next destination was Glacier Bay, which just happened to be bathed in sunshine (lucky us!). The ice in this Bay has been retreating for about 250 years. During the last ice age the whole Bay was covered in 3-4 thousand metres of ice!
The bay was still ice bound in some areas and we were unable to see one of the glaciers – but we saw plenty anyway. The scenery has to be experienced first hand – pictures simply cannot do justice to the majesty of the natural wonders that glaciers are. The Margerie Glacier (pictured) is one mile wide at its face and has the most amazing blue colour in parts. There was a constant crackling sound coming from the glacier, and we were lucky enough to witness a large chunk calving from the face and plunging into the Bay. We were also able to get fairly close to the Lamplugh Glacier and marvel at its massive presence. We heard the sounds of seals calling, but were too far away to see anything.
Ketchican
On Saturday we docked in Ketchican, which receives almost 3.5 metres of rain per year. So the weather was misty and wet. Even so we had a great boat ride through the channel and saw lots of American Bald Eagles – the most magnificent birds you can imagine. We could not get close enough to get good photos, but did manage to get very good video of one. We also saw a seal colony close up, which was an unexpected treat.
We have been so impressed with the ship and Norwegian Cruise Lines (as we were after our Hawaiian cruise) that we have put a deposit on our next cruise, which we have to take within 4 years. Try holding us back! The service has been great, and the food in all the restaurants exceptional. As for the entertainment, it has been first class. We have had shows of Broadway song and dance, sketch and improvisation comedy from The Second City troupe, and much more. So we think a Greek Islands cruise might be on in 2013.

Skagway

Wow, wow and double wow!!!!! How much better can this scenery get!! Tried unsuccessfully to attach a couple of photos that give you some idea – but you really have to experience this place for yourself. Skagway has a population of 910 people, but when the cruise ships are in (five today!) the population increases to several thousand. In fact they get about 300,000 visitors per year. We were surprised to learn that Skagway gets an average of three earthquakes per day! But they are all in the 1.1 to 1.8 range so you can’t feel them. Skagway is a village of 1’s – 1 gas station, 1 police officer, 1 post office, 1 school (P-12 with a total of 81 students), 1 grocery store (supplies come in on Tuesdays, so no milk etc after Saturday) and 1 hardware store.
We started the tour with a bus trip up the South Klondike Highway to Fraser, British Columbia. Yes, we crossed into Canada. Then we boarded the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway train back to Skagway. Words cannot describe the beautiful rugged snow-capped mountains, deep valleys and forests, as well as the fast flowing Skagway River. We saw an old trestle bridge formerly used by the trains and looking rickety as hell.
On returning to Skagway we were driven to Liarsville for lunch. Liarsville is a reconstruction of the original mining camp on the same site, and was so named as it was the base for many journalists who refused to make the six month winter trek across the mountains to the Yukon in the 1897 gold rush but preferred to write stories based on the wild stories and rumours brought back by those who tried to make the crossing and failed. We had lunch there – a beautiful salmon bake with the best sweet and sour type sauce you can imagine.
Our last stop was the Red Onion Saloon. This is the original saloon that was Skagway’s most famous brothel. The ‘madam’ who was our tour guide was very informative and witty. She used lots of innuendo like: “Please don’t fall as you get off the bus. I don’t want anyone going down on me just yet”.
After dinner we enjoyed a comedy show in the Stardust Theatre by The Second City comedy group. Second City is Chicago based and has produced hundreds of great comedians since 1959, e.g. Tina Fey, John Belushi, Joan Rivers, John Candy and so many more. All up we had a fantastic day, and proved that paradise doesn’t have to have palm trees.

Love Boat (Norwegian Pearl)

Well, where do we start??? The trip on the Norwegian Pearl has been everything we imagined and more. The boat is so similar to the Pride of America that we sailed on in Hawaii last year, that it has been realatively easy finding our way around on board. The food is plentiful and delicious. It is the aim of the company that everyone has to leave 4kgs heavier than when they boarded!!! We are sure trying!! The first day on board was just cruising - the scenery was breathtaking, and no photos could do it justice. Yesterday we arrived in Juneau and did an excursion to the salmon hatchery and to the Mildenhall Glacier. We have attached a photo for you to see the colours of the glacial ice. Today we have docked in Skagway, and we are looking forward to our shore excursion - first a rail trip to the Klondike gold fields, then around a heap of other places. Juneau has a different jewellery store every 5 metres, and all of them keen to take your money for you. There is a new gem, Tansonite, that is the most spectacular blue stone. If we can find a piece at a reasoonable price, we will certainly buy it, but over $1000 is a bit rich!!! We are both thoroughly enjoying ourselves, but miss you all at home. Trust our "babies" are safe and sound. Not having Mussy on the bed is quite strange, although Phil is glad that he is not woken up at 1.30am to let the blighter out!! Take care, and we send our love to all. Sue and Phil

Seattle

Rob (my brother) very kindly drove us down to Seattle yesterday. It was great to catch up with him as we have not seen each other for five years. It took us 38 minutes to get through the border, as many Canadians were heading south for their Victoria Day long weekend to enjoy the benefits of the weak American dollar. But that was a lot quicker than Rob thought it would be. The countryside on the way to Seattle was beautiful, with lots of forest, farmland and views of snow capped mountains to the east and south west.

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza, which is lovely. They upgraded us to the Club floor - 33 - and we have a magnificent view of the city. The weather was fine and sunny for the trip down, but today it was overcast with a little rain. Still it was a good day for a city tour. Seattle has many parks and lovely gardens which are in full spring bloom. The city buzzes with restaurants, and there is a Starbucks on almost every corner ( a real positive for some :-).

The waterfront is great. The Pike Street Markets are pretty big, and include fish markets rather like Sydney's. We had lunch at Ivars, a seafood restaurant that has a great reputation for good reason. Phil had the best grilled salmon ever (with onion jus) and Sue had beautiful tiger prawns. When it came time to find our way back to the hotel we managed to get lost. After discovering that taxis are not as plentiful as we would like we took the free bus ... then had to get another free bus when the first one took us even further out of our way! Duh! But at least we saw a lot more of Seattle :-)

We join our cruise tomorrow. We will not be alone on the water as 4 other cruise ships left Seattle for Alaska today.

Vancouver

Well, here we are in Vancouver after a very long day yesterday. The trip to LA was quite comfortable in the A380 Airbus - more leg room than most, and plenty to eat and drink if you needed it. That being said, we didn't get too much sleep. LA Airport is a whole other world - 4 different terminals and very little in the way of signage. We finally located the Alaskan Air terminal, and unfortunately we couldn't access the Qantas Club as it was in another building. We settled for a Burger King and fresh fruit. Halfway through I discovered a small sign saying Qantas Club members could use the Alaskan Air lounge, so we downed lunch and went in. It was so peaceful after the hectic pace of the airport. Security was a whole other issue - took us about 45 minutes in line just to get to the checkpoint, then a "hands on" search of me because of my metal hip - and that was after almost comppletely disrobing for Phil. No belt, shoes, wallet etc. Many of the points used the Xray machine to scan, however not the lane we had been sent to. The trip to Vancouver was quite pleasant and we were able to see heaps of snow covered mountains along the way. Rob and Marg (Phil's brother) were waiting for us at Vancouver Airport, and bought us in to our hotel. After 36 hours we just lobbed into the hotel restaurant for dinner (and they had given us a $10 voucher). Unfortunately (or not Stu) they had the Stanley Cup ice hockey final on live in the restaurant, so we waited until Vancouver had a massive win before we left and fell into bed. We had gone 36 hours on 2 hours sleep, so we crashed. I woke about 7.30 and dozed until I woke Phil up at 9.30am. We got organised, and went in search of the local Denny's restaurant. We knew it used to be opposite Sutton Place, so strolled down there (2 blocks) only to be told it had gone. So........2 blocks back to the hotel to find the closest one. It was now in the opposite direction 2 blocks, and down the street. We walked right past it as the street sign was so high we missed it. So.... we finally found someone to ask , and we had to backtrack a block to find it. The food was most welcome as it was now getting close to 11am. They have a Seniors Menu now, with smaller serves (although they are still not small, trust me!!) and free coffee refills. If Dad's eyebrows were any higher after 2 coffees I would be surprised!! We then went on the hop on hop off bus for 11/2 hours and did a tour of Vancouver. As we are still weary we just stayed on the bus, but we know where we will go when we next come to Vancouver. They have a vibrant harbour, so we will go down there next time and stroll around the foreshore. I think it will be early to bed tonight, as Rob is picking us up at 9.30am tomorrow to go down to Seattle where we get on the boat on the 22nd. Hope all are well back home. Take care, and we miss you already. Love Sue and Phil

8 May: Getting ready

The big day is only 10 days away! Final preparations are in hand - documentation still to be collected and packing to be done. Getting very excited!