The flight from LA to Auckland was really very good, comfy, excellent food; premium economy is well worth the extra you pay. We were upstairs in the jumbo again, took a couple of Maria's magic sleeping pills and slept till they woke us for breakfast 2 hours out of Auckland.
The final flight to Sydney was a great feeling, knowing we were almost home, but it seemed to be the longest. I got so bored, didn't feel like reading, so I watched "The Other Boleyn Girl" - good movie about Henry VIII, Ann and Mary - and played some of those silly computer games.
Nic, our housesitter met us and drove us home where we were reunited with Happy and Alaska. All was well with our house and pets, thanks to Nic and Jo.
To all of you, thanks for following our wanderings - it's been fun writing the blog. Thanks for your prayers while we were away. It's so good to be home!
Over and out.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Last Post!
We're in a little place called Manhatten, 30 mins from LAX. Very pretty beach; nice drive along the coastal area. Right now we're in Starbucks for free internet.
The flight yesterday wasn't too bad at all; we got the exit row again, praise God! They even feed you a basic meal on this trip, and basic drinks and a snack. We're going back to the hotel shortly to head for our Auckland flight; this will be comfy in the 747 upstairs; we fully intend to take a couple of little pills after our late night dinner and hopefully sleep for 8 hours on the way home.
See you all back in Oz!
The flight yesterday wasn't too bad at all; we got the exit row again, praise God! They even feed you a basic meal on this trip, and basic drinks and a snack. We're going back to the hotel shortly to head for our Auckland flight; this will be comfy in the 747 upstairs; we fully intend to take a couple of little pills after our late night dinner and hopefully sleep for 8 hours on the way home.
See you all back in Oz!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Last Blog from Waikiki
Sunday Night
The luau was lots of fun, right from when we got on the bus; the hostess had us all talking to each other, lots of laughter and gave us some really good ideas for bus wars. We were the good lookin' bus and we were all her cousins. The organisation was very good at Paradise Cove, lots of fun activities for about an hour before we actually got to sit down and eat, so the time went very quickly. The show was very entertaining, lots of hula, of course, and audience participation. We were home about 10pm.
Monday
Packing again! Nice surprise when we got the bill - the room cost was about half the regular rate, thanks to our friends, Ann and Carl, who own the timeshare! Hawaii is a must do if you haven't been there! Some day we'll spend a bit more time here if we can. We're about to go for a last walk on the beach, then off to LA.
The luau was lots of fun, right from when we got on the bus; the hostess had us all talking to each other, lots of laughter and gave us some really good ideas for bus wars. We were the good lookin' bus and we were all her cousins. The organisation was very good at Paradise Cove, lots of fun activities for about an hour before we actually got to sit down and eat, so the time went very quickly. The show was very entertaining, lots of hula, of course, and audience participation. We were home about 10pm.
Monday
Packing again! Nice surprise when we got the bill - the room cost was about half the regular rate, thanks to our friends, Ann and Carl, who own the timeshare! Hawaii is a must do if you haven't been there! Some day we'll spend a bit more time here if we can. We're about to go for a last walk on the beach, then off to LA.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday night and Sunday morning, Waikiki
Saturday night
We decided to go out and have a nice meal at a beach restaurant. We chose the one we wanted (with a discount voucher, of course!) at the Outrigger Reef Hotel; we could get a beach table but there was at least 1.5 hours wait, inside was noisy, so off we went walking to the Cheesecake Factory (Eleish's recommendation). When we got there, there were people waiting all over the courtyard entry with their little beepers – so … again we went walking and ended up at Atlantis Seafood and Steak. Very nice, posh restaurant and no wait! On the way up the stairs, the doorman gave us a voucher which saved us $10 each off our meal (even though we were just past the time when they applied) – good one for King's Kids! Delicious meal, sitting just inside from the balcony, overlooking the Ferrari shop. This is the long street where all the designers are: you name it, they're there.
Sunday morning
We'd noticed a chapel service mentioned in a tourist brochure: 8.30 on Sundays at the Outrigger Reef Hotel. There was a little area set up in the lobby, just inside from the beach restaurant but still with the beach views (gorgeous!). It turned out we were the only ones there, plus one other guy; the preacher and his wife were delighted to meet us Aussies; we had a good chat before it was time to start. They had a guitar and sang a couple of songs, then he gave his testimony, then we finished with Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone. It wasn't quite what we were expecting but it was nice to be able get a bit of God stuff. They have a beach ministry and do another service somewhere on the beach later in the morniong.
Off we went to Starbucks and took our coffee round the corner to the beach. We could have sat there all day, but alas, we have to get ready to go to the luau shortly! It's really tough being on holidays in Hawaii!
We decided to go out and have a nice meal at a beach restaurant. We chose the one we wanted (with a discount voucher, of course!) at the Outrigger Reef Hotel; we could get a beach table but there was at least 1.5 hours wait, inside was noisy, so off we went walking to the Cheesecake Factory (Eleish's recommendation). When we got there, there were people waiting all over the courtyard entry with their little beepers – so … again we went walking and ended up at Atlantis Seafood and Steak. Very nice, posh restaurant and no wait! On the way up the stairs, the doorman gave us a voucher which saved us $10 each off our meal (even though we were just past the time when they applied) – good one for King's Kids! Delicious meal, sitting just inside from the balcony, overlooking the Ferrari shop. This is the long street where all the designers are: you name it, they're there.
Sunday morning
We'd noticed a chapel service mentioned in a tourist brochure: 8.30 on Sundays at the Outrigger Reef Hotel. There was a little area set up in the lobby, just inside from the beach restaurant but still with the beach views (gorgeous!). It turned out we were the only ones there, plus one other guy; the preacher and his wife were delighted to meet us Aussies; we had a good chat before it was time to start. They had a guitar and sang a couple of songs, then he gave his testimony, then we finished with Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone. It wasn't quite what we were expecting but it was nice to be able get a bit of God stuff. They have a beach ministry and do another service somewhere on the beach later in the morniong.
Off we went to Starbucks and took our coffee round the corner to the beach. We could have sat there all day, but alas, we have to get ready to go to the luau shortly! It's really tough being on holidays in Hawaii!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Saturday, Pearl Harbour
Early shuttle this morning and we were at the Navy base around 8.00am, with a 9.00am ticket to the memorial. The tickets are each inscribed on the back with the name and record of a seaman lost in the battle. We had time to look in the souvenir shop (I bought a book about Father Damien and Molokai and the author signed it for me), walk around the grounds and read the many markers telling the story of the attack. Then we lined up to go into the theatre to see a 20 minute collection of actual footage; this was very moving.
We took a short boat ride across the harbour to the USS Arizona memorial; it is a large "room" built over the spot where the ship still lies, the last resting place of over 1100 men. This was a very moving experience; as we had lined up earlier, we were each given one tuber rose blossom that we could take and drop into the water at the memorial, which we did. Then we moved into the room where the names of the dead are listed on the wall facing the entrance. About 20 of us were standing around the back wall reading the names, when an elderly man with a stick, a survivor of the attack, walked in through the group and up to the front; he stood up tall and saluted the names - that really got to us! Then he walked to some names on one side and read those for a minute or two, then to the other side, then he walked out again.
We walked across the bridge to the stadium and "flea market"; lots of cheap stuff but we're already chockers, so didn't buy much. We had to wait ages for the shuttle to come back and pick us up and it was very hot; I couldn't do this in summer! On the way back to the hotel, the shuttle developed engine trouble so we had to wait while another one came to pick us up. Back at the hotel, the streets were much busier than yesterday, possibly because of the parade.
We took a short boat ride across the harbour to the USS Arizona memorial; it is a large "room" built over the spot where the ship still lies, the last resting place of over 1100 men. This was a very moving experience; as we had lined up earlier, we were each given one tuber rose blossom that we could take and drop into the water at the memorial, which we did. Then we moved into the room where the names of the dead are listed on the wall facing the entrance. About 20 of us were standing around the back wall reading the names, when an elderly man with a stick, a survivor of the attack, walked in through the group and up to the front; he stood up tall and saluted the names - that really got to us! Then he walked to some names on one side and read those for a minute or two, then to the other side, then he walked out again.
We walked across the bridge to the stadium and "flea market"; lots of cheap stuff but we're already chockers, so didn't buy much. We had to wait ages for the shuttle to come back and pick us up and it was very hot; I couldn't do this in summer! On the way back to the hotel, the shuttle developed engine trouble so we had to wait while another one came to pick us up. Back at the hotel, the streets were much busier than yesterday, possibly because of the parade.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Friday, Waikiki
Woke up fairly early because our body clocks are really confused by now! Went to Starbucks (of course) around the corner, then walked the 50 metres to the beach: beautiful, although with cloudy skies you don't get the blue effect; the water is very clean and clear. We hopped on the bus then to go to Ala Moana Centre. Now, if you've been to Hawaii, you just sighed, “Aaahh....” because you know Ala Moana Centre is on Ala Moana Boulevarde, Waikiki, about 5 mins by bus and it's THE place to go SHOPPING! We did have a good time, although with already overfilled bags, we're really not spending that much. The transport here is really cheap: we pay $1 as seniors ($2 regulars) and you get a “transfer” which means even with the long bus trip, you can hop back on again and do the return trip for no extra cost.
After lunch we walked around to the beach again and Graham had his first swim: he said the water isn't cold at all.
Amusing story for you: for those who knew I broke my middle toe on my left foot a few days before we left, God healed it straight away and even though it went many shades of blue and black, it didn't give me an ounce of trouble in all the walking we've done. Well … last night I broke the little toe on my right foot! As I feared, I couldn't get shoes anywhere near it; I prayed at that stage … on the walk this afternoon to the beach I wore closed shoes – a little uncomfortable but nowhere near last night; the toe is very pretty in colour and is definitely broken but it looks like it won't be a problem!! I'd appreciate your prayers for the healing to continue, if you feel so inclined – thanks!
Tonight there were fireworks at sunset because tomorrow morning they're having their Gay Pride Parade. We're going to Pearl Harbour early, so it will be over when we get back.
After lunch we walked around to the beach again and Graham had his first swim: he said the water isn't cold at all.
Amusing story for you: for those who knew I broke my middle toe on my left foot a few days before we left, God healed it straight away and even though it went many shades of blue and black, it didn't give me an ounce of trouble in all the walking we've done. Well … last night I broke the little toe on my right foot! As I feared, I couldn't get shoes anywhere near it; I prayed at that stage … on the walk this afternoon to the beach I wore closed shoes – a little uncomfortable but nowhere near last night; the toe is very pretty in colour and is definitely broken but it looks like it won't be a problem!! I'd appreciate your prayers for the healing to continue, if you feel so inclined – thanks!
Tonight there were fireworks at sunset because tomorrow morning they're having their Gay Pride Parade. We're going to Pearl Harbour early, so it will be over when we get back.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, Thursday Seattle to Hawaii
Wednesday
After a leisurely morning we headed out for a walk to the Village; had a good coffee at Tulleys, then walked around the shops a bit Got a camera case to replace the one I left under the seat at the Convention Centre; then we went to Barnes and Noble and Graham bought the book again that he'd bought in Gatlinburg and then left on the plane at Denver! We're not doing too badly, though; after 4 weeks on the road, those two items have been the only casualties. To finish off a lazy afternoon sitting on the back porch talking, we took another walk to the Village and then across to the beautiful park that's a local outdoor activity centre. All the trees and gardents are beautiful with their springtime colours. I like the “messy” style of garden that a lot of people have. In the evening, Bob and Joanne King, who we first me t when they came to Sydney 10 years ago, came for dinner. Barb cooked a delicious meal which was, of course, accompanied by some rather nice red liquid: first the wine, then the port. So lovely to catch up with them and then pray before they left; Bob and Graham even worked out how to take a time delay picture so we could all be in it.
Thursday
Up very early to be at the airport in time to try to get better seats on the plane; it's a 6 hour flight, so we wanted to be a bit more comfortable than the middle bank seats we'd been allocated. Got the exit row - :)
Couldn't get free wireless at the airport, but we didn't have all that long to wait anyway. No-one gives you meals on domestic flights anymore, but Barb fixed us a packed lunch. Hawaiian is a nice airline to fly with – very friendly. We've booked our taxi from the airport, so we should be at our hotel without too much hassle. The surprise was that not only did we get a snack with our drinks, we also got a complementary “breakfast nacho” which was rather nice, plus a chocholate muffin.
So … here we are in Hawaii! The limo that Ann and Carl told us to book was indeed a stretch limo – very nice; somewhat pricey though, so we'll do the shuttle on the way back to the airport. It's hot and humid. The hotel is very nice, with a kitchenette; we're on the 23rd floor and can see Waikiki beach from here, just at the other side of the block in front of ours. We needed some supplies, so we caught a bus to Ala Moana Centre: a huge mall where we'll go and shop tomorrow for real; for tonight we bought most of the food stuff we think we'll need here in the room. Fun doing the trip, although we had to wait wait forever for the bus back to the hotel. Just had some nice wine and very nice cheese.
After a leisurely morning we headed out for a walk to the Village; had a good coffee at Tulleys, then walked around the shops a bit Got a camera case to replace the one I left under the seat at the Convention Centre; then we went to Barnes and Noble and Graham bought the book again that he'd bought in Gatlinburg and then left on the plane at Denver! We're not doing too badly, though; after 4 weeks on the road, those two items have been the only casualties. To finish off a lazy afternoon sitting on the back porch talking, we took another walk to the Village and then across to the beautiful park that's a local outdoor activity centre. All the trees and gardents are beautiful with their springtime colours. I like the “messy” style of garden that a lot of people have. In the evening, Bob and Joanne King, who we first me t when they came to Sydney 10 years ago, came for dinner. Barb cooked a delicious meal which was, of course, accompanied by some rather nice red liquid: first the wine, then the port. So lovely to catch up with them and then pray before they left; Bob and Graham even worked out how to take a time delay picture so we could all be in it.
Thursday
Up very early to be at the airport in time to try to get better seats on the plane; it's a 6 hour flight, so we wanted to be a bit more comfortable than the middle bank seats we'd been allocated. Got the exit row - :)
Couldn't get free wireless at the airport, but we didn't have all that long to wait anyway. No-one gives you meals on domestic flights anymore, but Barb fixed us a packed lunch. Hawaiian is a nice airline to fly with – very friendly. We've booked our taxi from the airport, so we should be at our hotel without too much hassle. The surprise was that not only did we get a snack with our drinks, we also got a complementary “breakfast nacho” which was rather nice, plus a chocholate muffin.
So … here we are in Hawaii! The limo that Ann and Carl told us to book was indeed a stretch limo – very nice; somewhat pricey though, so we'll do the shuttle on the way back to the airport. It's hot and humid. The hotel is very nice, with a kitchenette; we're on the 23rd floor and can see Waikiki beach from here, just at the other side of the block in front of ours. We needed some supplies, so we caught a bus to Ala Moana Centre: a huge mall where we'll go and shop tomorrow for real; for tonight we bought most of the food stuff we think we'll need here in the room. Fun doing the trip, although we had to wait wait forever for the bus back to the hotel. Just had some nice wine and very nice cheese.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday night to Tuesday, Gatlinburg to Seattle
Saturday to Tuesday, Gatlinburg to Seattle
Saturday, and SundayWe should mention that once again we happened to be in the centre of holiday action: this has been Memorial Weekend – similar to our Anzac Day, except simply everyone decides to go on a 4-day weekend; so we had the crowds in Newark, flying off Thursday night; then we had the crowds and the traffic in Gatlinburg, a holiday destination for many. The traffic was really funny – it's a 4-lane main street but it was much faster to walk than to be in a car: it was inch by inch, bumper to bumper for the cars.
The concert was once again a great mix of all our favourites, plus some who are new to Homecoming events. One was a family of 6 who all have the most amazing voices, play various instruments and are soaked in musical talent (Collingsworth). As usual there was opportunity to meet and greet afterwards, so I added some more autographs and a couple of pictures-with-the-stars to my collection (which Graham very graciously and patiently endured! The concert didn't finish till 10.45, so it was a pretty late night again.
Sunday
Sunday worship service was so refreshing: the first time we've been to a corporate worship gathering in ever so many weeks. When you have a convention centre with 50 top singing artists and 3500 willing participants, “How Great Thou Art” lifts the roof off! There was a local church choir of about a dozen young people and their voices were amazing too: in all, a feast of heavenly surround-sound. The preacher was Steve Brown: his message was engrossing and he has the most incredible, gravelly bass speaking voice.
Sunday night's concert was a real celebration of the whole weekend; the idea of Family Fest is that the artists all have their families with them (the youngest was a few days old) and everyone who loves the Gaither stuff just gets together to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy their favourite artists. It's also a weekend where often some of the artists share their story of struggles or family happenings, so by the Sunday night, everyone is feeling like family, celebrating a wonderful gathering. The first half of the program was a continuation of the artists doing their thing, then after a very short break, they all relaxed and sat on the stage together for a wonderful singalong which just went on and on because no-one wanted to stop. The last 10 mins, they got all their families to come up on stage as well – the kids are gorgeous and very comfortable in the limelight, because that's the atmosphere they're growing up in.
So that's the end of a weekend that we've been anticipating for about 14 months: we've been greatly blessed by all we've experienced.
Monday morning.
Up early this morning for our taxi to take us back to Knoxville airport (about an hour's drive) for our flight to Denver then Seattle. The Smokey Mountains are so pretty to drive through, little valleys, beautiful trees, green everywhere and early in the morning the mist hangs down into valley and around the mountains like puffs of angel hair, soft and floaty. Had a lovely day with Rick and Barb. Damien and Matt, their sons, and two of Damien’s girls came for dessert; then Rick opened a nice bottle of port – our tradition renewed!
Tuesday
We went for a long drive to Rosario Beach, via Starbucks, of course! A beautiful, tranquil place where they’re really working on regenerating the environment. There were only a couple of other people there, so it was so quiet. The trees on the way are so beautiful, so many different colours; everything is in bloom, blossoms everywhere. On the way home we took the car ferry, adding another pleasant experience to the day. We’ve just taken Rick and Barb out for dinner to a restaurant called Kangaroos and Kiwis: we had pies for dinner! Great décor, with footy jumpers around the walls, AFL on the TV and the lavatories were marked “Blokes” and “Sheilahs”!
Saturday, and SundayWe should mention that once again we happened to be in the centre of holiday action: this has been Memorial Weekend – similar to our Anzac Day, except simply everyone decides to go on a 4-day weekend; so we had the crowds in Newark, flying off Thursday night; then we had the crowds and the traffic in Gatlinburg, a holiday destination for many. The traffic was really funny – it's a 4-lane main street but it was much faster to walk than to be in a car: it was inch by inch, bumper to bumper for the cars.
The concert was once again a great mix of all our favourites, plus some who are new to Homecoming events. One was a family of 6 who all have the most amazing voices, play various instruments and are soaked in musical talent (Collingsworth). As usual there was opportunity to meet and greet afterwards, so I added some more autographs and a couple of pictures-with-the-stars to my collection (which Graham very graciously and patiently endured! The concert didn't finish till 10.45, so it was a pretty late night again.
Sunday
Sunday worship service was so refreshing: the first time we've been to a corporate worship gathering in ever so many weeks. When you have a convention centre with 50 top singing artists and 3500 willing participants, “How Great Thou Art” lifts the roof off! There was a local church choir of about a dozen young people and their voices were amazing too: in all, a feast of heavenly surround-sound. The preacher was Steve Brown: his message was engrossing and he has the most incredible, gravelly bass speaking voice.
Sunday night's concert was a real celebration of the whole weekend; the idea of Family Fest is that the artists all have their families with them (the youngest was a few days old) and everyone who loves the Gaither stuff just gets together to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy their favourite artists. It's also a weekend where often some of the artists share their story of struggles or family happenings, so by the Sunday night, everyone is feeling like family, celebrating a wonderful gathering. The first half of the program was a continuation of the artists doing their thing, then after a very short break, they all relaxed and sat on the stage together for a wonderful singalong which just went on and on because no-one wanted to stop. The last 10 mins, they got all their families to come up on stage as well – the kids are gorgeous and very comfortable in the limelight, because that's the atmosphere they're growing up in.
So that's the end of a weekend that we've been anticipating for about 14 months: we've been greatly blessed by all we've experienced.
Monday morning.
Up early this morning for our taxi to take us back to Knoxville airport (about an hour's drive) for our flight to Denver then Seattle. The Smokey Mountains are so pretty to drive through, little valleys, beautiful trees, green everywhere and early in the morning the mist hangs down into valley and around the mountains like puffs of angel hair, soft and floaty. Had a lovely day with Rick and Barb. Damien and Matt, their sons, and two of Damien’s girls came for dessert; then Rick opened a nice bottle of port – our tradition renewed!
Tuesday
We went for a long drive to Rosario Beach, via Starbucks, of course! A beautiful, tranquil place where they’re really working on regenerating the environment. There were only a couple of other people there, so it was so quiet. The trees on the way are so beautiful, so many different colours; everything is in bloom, blossoms everywhere. On the way home we took the car ferry, adding another pleasant experience to the day. We’ve just taken Rick and Barb out for dinner to a restaurant called Kangaroos and Kiwis: we had pies for dinner! Great décor, with footy jumpers around the walls, AFL on the TV and the lavatories were marked “Blokes” and “Sheilahs”!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Satruday night, Sunday morning Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Well, the concert was wow! as expected; it started at 6.00pm and finished at 10.45 with just a very short break. A very moving moment was when Zig Ziglar was helped on stage by his daughter. Last time we saw him, he was a vibrant motivational speaker; he had a fall downstairs, leaving him with vertigo, short term memory loss and difficulty walking. The spark hasn't gone but he's lost much of his independence. His talk was in interview style - his daughter used questions to remind him of the content. I got some more pictures to add to the growing collection, of course.
This morning we had church; local music ministry of singers and a worship leader, then the Gaithers took over the worship for about an hour, with us joining them in singing some beautiful hymns. The speaker was Stever Brown, a Presbyterian: very thought provoking look at our witness to the gospel.
This morning we had church; local music ministry of singers and a worship leader, then the Gaithers took over the worship for about an hour, with us joining them in singing some beautiful hymns. The speaker was Stever Brown, a Presbyterian: very thought provoking look at our witness to the gospel.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Saturday, Gatlinburg
Worship service this morning, plus a speaker - Paul Young, who wrote "The Shack"; very entertaining and compelling speaker. Gloria Gaither did the scripture reading.
Just a few singers this morning, with us singing some of the songs and hymns: lovely worship time. The Isaacs made their first appearance.
Photo time afterwards. This was to be the only opportunity with the Gaither Vocal Band, so I joined a very long line and Graham waited up ahead where their table was; the five of them were all sitting there signing and chatting. I got a picture taken with Mark Lowry and David Phelps; Mark is so funny - he called out to Graham, who was over the other side of the area "Husband, come over here! Have you husbands in Australia learned to submit yet?"
I've got quite a few autographs in my program so far: sill lots to get but I'm working on it; poor Graham isn't really into that stuff but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I'm trying to get as much of the stardust sprinkling as possible! They're all such gracious, friendly people.
NEWS FLASH: for all you Homecoming fans, Wes Hampton (Vocal Band) said he's pretty sure they're coming back to Sydney in 2010! We'll be watching the ticket sales for that one!
Just a few singers this morning, with us singing some of the songs and hymns: lovely worship time. The Isaacs made their first appearance.
Photo time afterwards. This was to be the only opportunity with the Gaither Vocal Band, so I joined a very long line and Graham waited up ahead where their table was; the five of them were all sitting there signing and chatting. I got a picture taken with Mark Lowry and David Phelps; Mark is so funny - he called out to Graham, who was over the other side of the area "Husband, come over here! Have you husbands in Australia learned to submit yet?"
I've got quite a few autographs in my program so far: sill lots to get but I'm working on it; poor Graham isn't really into that stuff but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I'm trying to get as much of the stardust sprinkling as possible! They're all such gracious, friendly people.
NEWS FLASH: for all you Homecoming fans, Wes Hampton (Vocal Band) said he's pretty sure they're coming back to Sydney in 2010! We'll be watching the ticket sales for that one!
Friday night Gatlinburg, Tennessee
First concert last night!Wow!
Being there surrounded by the sound is something to experience. (For all you non-Gaither fans, you'll probably get bored right around now...) It started at 7pm; before the show there were a few of the singers at their tables; we met Ernie Haas at that stage - got a picture with him - then the other guys separately. We all got our "Gaither lights" too. All our favourites from the program made an appearance tonight, except for the Isaacs ... some new ones as well. There was a short break and then Signature Sound came on - such a fun group, wonderful sound and of course, Ernie sang "Oh What a Saviour". Then the Gaither Vocal Band were on for about half an hour - such amazing voices. Their last two songs were "He Touched Me" and then "It is Finished".... which it was at 10.45! And that was only the warm-up concert. Afterwards we met Ronnie Booth - he gave us a CD! and Kevin Williams - got a pic with him. Obviously, I'm collecting autographs too. Today is the only meet the Vocal Band opportunity, so that will take a little time, with 2000 people wanting to meet them!
This morning we're off to the first worship service and you can be sure we'll be praying for all of you.
Being there surrounded by the sound is something to experience. (For all you non-Gaither fans, you'll probably get bored right around now...) It started at 7pm; before the show there were a few of the singers at their tables; we met Ernie Haas at that stage - got a picture with him - then the other guys separately. We all got our "Gaither lights" too. All our favourites from the program made an appearance tonight, except for the Isaacs ... some new ones as well. There was a short break and then Signature Sound came on - such a fun group, wonderful sound and of course, Ernie sang "Oh What a Saviour". Then the Gaither Vocal Band were on for about half an hour - such amazing voices. Their last two songs were "He Touched Me" and then "It is Finished".... which it was at 10.45! And that was only the warm-up concert. Afterwards we met Ronnie Booth - he gave us a CD! and Kevin Williams - got a pic with him. Obviously, I'm collecting autographs too. Today is the only meet the Vocal Band opportunity, so that will take a little time, with 2000 people wanting to meet them!
This morning we're off to the first worship service and you can be sure we'll be praying for all of you.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, Friday Quebec to Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Thursday, Quebec City to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Travelling all day, planes very late; sat on the tarmac in Quebec for 50 mins in the plane, after we'd moved out already an hour late. We had to go through customs again, re-entering the US: it took forever! Newark plane also left very late. Two more states to add to our list: New Jersey and Tennessee.
We arrived at Knoxville, Tennessee after 10.00pm and it was about 11.30 by the time we got to Gatlinburg by taxi. The town before this one, Pigeon Forge, is now the country's wedding headquarters. Wedding chapels are everywhere and even a drive-through chapel! It's glitzy and gaudy, a cross between Vegas and a huge fun park; after driving through the quiet Smokey Mountains, with little mountain dwellings here and there, it was a total shock to the senses. Dolly Parton and Elvis are the big names here. Dolly has set up a Disney World called Dollywood; she's done a lot of good for local young people who want to go through college and can't afford it. In December there's a Christmas section of Pigeon Forge which apparently becomes a whole world of lights; even without the lights, it's very pretty.
Gatlinburg is in a little valley, quite a big town and it again has wedding chapels and amusement shops all over the place. This happens to be a holiday weekend in the States, so there are people all over the place, although it's not noisy or too crowded. We've walked up and down main street, found the Convention Centre and went in and suddenly we were in Gaither territory – they were setting up sales booths, there are familiar faces on pictures everywhere and we're getting excited about the first concert tonight at 7.00pm. We peeked into the empty auditorium and have seen roughly where our seats are – perhaps 30 feet from the stage! Can't wait for tonight!
Travelling all day, planes very late; sat on the tarmac in Quebec for 50 mins in the plane, after we'd moved out already an hour late. We had to go through customs again, re-entering the US: it took forever! Newark plane also left very late. Two more states to add to our list: New Jersey and Tennessee.
We arrived at Knoxville, Tennessee after 10.00pm and it was about 11.30 by the time we got to Gatlinburg by taxi. The town before this one, Pigeon Forge, is now the country's wedding headquarters. Wedding chapels are everywhere and even a drive-through chapel! It's glitzy and gaudy, a cross between Vegas and a huge fun park; after driving through the quiet Smokey Mountains, with little mountain dwellings here and there, it was a total shock to the senses. Dolly Parton and Elvis are the big names here. Dolly has set up a Disney World called Dollywood; she's done a lot of good for local young people who want to go through college and can't afford it. In December there's a Christmas section of Pigeon Forge which apparently becomes a whole world of lights; even without the lights, it's very pretty.
Gatlinburg is in a little valley, quite a big town and it again has wedding chapels and amusement shops all over the place. This happens to be a holiday weekend in the States, so there are people all over the place, although it's not noisy or too crowded. We've walked up and down main street, found the Convention Centre and went in and suddenly we were in Gaither territory – they were setting up sales booths, there are familiar faces on pictures everywhere and we're getting excited about the first concert tonight at 7.00pm. We peeked into the empty auditorium and have seen roughly where our seats are – perhaps 30 feet from the stage! Can't wait for tonight!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Wednesday Saguenay and Thursday Quebec City, Quebec
Last full cruise day. We walked around Saguenay, quite a way to the library where we got internet access. However, the blog I wrote there seems to have disappeared! Lovely town, very French again. We did a lot of packing, had a formal dinner tonight and said farewell to our dinner mates from the past 13 nights. We exchanged email addresses, so there will probably be some ongoing contact; lovely couples, both somewhat older than us, in fact we felt like youngsters, looking around the cruise generally.
Tonight we had the Dutch Chocolate Extravaganza, an amazing display of all sorts of desserts to tempt us poor starving cruisers who had just had a 4-course meal! Lots of yummy pictures to show you when we can download one or two.
Thursday, Quebec City, Quebec
Disembarkation process when you're the only ones leaving the ship is quite different; all the other passengers were able to head off on tours, but we were "prisoners of Holland" until the customs officials arrived to grant us entry to Canada. All the port officials we've struck in Canada have been very friendly people - rather refreshing!
Now we're at Quebec airport awaiting our flight to Newark, New Jersey, then to Knoxville, Tennesee where we'll go by cab to Gatlinburg (about 1 hour away), late tonight.
Tonight we had the Dutch Chocolate Extravaganza, an amazing display of all sorts of desserts to tempt us poor starving cruisers who had just had a 4-course meal! Lots of yummy pictures to show you when we can download one or two.
Thursday, Quebec City, Quebec
Disembarkation process when you're the only ones leaving the ship is quite different; all the other passengers were able to head off on tours, but we were "prisoners of Holland" until the customs officials arrived to grant us entry to Canada. All the port officials we've struck in Canada have been very friendly people - rather refreshing!
Now we're at Quebec airport awaiting our flight to Newark, New Jersey, then to Knoxville, Tennesee where we'll go by cab to Gatlinburg (about 1 hour away), late tonight.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sunday evening to Wednesday
Sunday evening:
Confederation Bridge! The Bridge is 17 miles long and connects PEI with mainland Canada; we sailed under it at its midpoint and I just managed to scramble up to the Crows Nest and jostle my way forward to get a picture as we scraped under. The problem was it was raining, so everyone was trying to do the same from the doorway. I also got some good shots of the bridge extremities fading into the distant horizon.
Monday, Gaspe, Quebec
Small town; Graham felt well enought o have some breakfast and we got ready to queue for a tender; then he felt dizzy again and decided he needed to lie down. So I went across to the port and had a bit of a walk around. There was quite a reception on the shore for us, including a band of singers. It`s absolutely freezing! Strong, cold wind; max forecast 12C but by the time «i got back to the ship «i`m sure it hadn`t reached those heights and it was spitting rain. Everything here is written in French; and everything seems to acknowlege Jacques Cartier, who arrived in the 16th Centurey. The cathedral in this small town is a very `different` structure - looks like a factory on the outside but a beautifully warm and inviting church inside. No internet available on shore. Quite a big mall with lots of different shops available. Buildings are so well insulated, with double entry doors and warm inside. I even tried Maccas tea to get internet access but no good. Very welcoming town - nice to visit.
This evening we noticed after dinner that there was a pink line around the horizon and then we spotted the sunset! A quick dash for the camera, then we headed up above the Crows «nest to the highest point where us mere mortals are allowed - Sky Deck (14): what a sunset! The only problem was the wind chill factor made it feel like 10 degrees below; it was all we could do to hang on to the camera and try to keep it still but it was worth it - memorable pictures!
Tuesday, Sept Isles, Quebec
What a reception! We made history this morning, being the first cruise ship to ever visit this port; as soon as we anchored, little boats came out and buzzed round, followed by a police boat which shooed them away, and a fireboat did an impressive water spray dispay. Then we caught a tender to shore and people were lined up at the wire fence waving to us! We were given a souvenir tote bag with local information, taken through amarquee with all sorts of people welcomign us and displaying local goods. We discovered the Mayour had closed the shcools for the day and there were lots of parents with little kids at the waterfront; the mums push multiple cute toddlers in the cutest buggies of all shapes and sizes - up to 6 in a buggy; we have some very cute pictures. The little ones are all rugged up (it was about 40F this morning and up to last week there was still snow around). Found a cafe that makes espresso coffee «9very hard to find in these little ports). No internet though. Once again a very French town. Sunset and twilight stretch out so long here, at 9.00pm there`s still light around.
Friday, Saguenay, Quebec
Very friendly reception here again, but less English speaking. I was able to get instructions in French and get us to this library where we have free internet. This morning we spent about an hour sailing up the Saguenay Fjord and River: such beautiful scenery! We were told that we would be sailing past the "statue of the Virgin Mary" around 8.00; I was curious, so I rugged up and went up into the frozen zone on Deck 14 again. A white dot gragually appeared amongst the almost perpendicular rock faces in the fjord and then there it was! Unspectacular, just a white statue; got a picture, but it was just so strange to see it there in the middle of nowhere! I almost got frostbite in my fingers in the 7 minutes that I spent up there.
Looking forward to a fomal dinner tonight and then we disembark in Quebec City. It`s been a wonderful cruise - hard to believe it`s gone so quickly!
Confederation Bridge! The Bridge is 17 miles long and connects PEI with mainland Canada; we sailed under it at its midpoint and I just managed to scramble up to the Crows Nest and jostle my way forward to get a picture as we scraped under. The problem was it was raining, so everyone was trying to do the same from the doorway. I also got some good shots of the bridge extremities fading into the distant horizon.
Monday, Gaspe, Quebec
Small town; Graham felt well enought o have some breakfast and we got ready to queue for a tender; then he felt dizzy again and decided he needed to lie down. So I went across to the port and had a bit of a walk around. There was quite a reception on the shore for us, including a band of singers. It`s absolutely freezing! Strong, cold wind; max forecast 12C but by the time «i got back to the ship «i`m sure it hadn`t reached those heights and it was spitting rain. Everything here is written in French; and everything seems to acknowlege Jacques Cartier, who arrived in the 16th Centurey. The cathedral in this small town is a very `different` structure - looks like a factory on the outside but a beautifully warm and inviting church inside. No internet available on shore. Quite a big mall with lots of different shops available. Buildings are so well insulated, with double entry doors and warm inside. I even tried Maccas tea to get internet access but no good. Very welcoming town - nice to visit.
This evening we noticed after dinner that there was a pink line around the horizon and then we spotted the sunset! A quick dash for the camera, then we headed up above the Crows «nest to the highest point where us mere mortals are allowed - Sky Deck (14): what a sunset! The only problem was the wind chill factor made it feel like 10 degrees below; it was all we could do to hang on to the camera and try to keep it still but it was worth it - memorable pictures!
Tuesday, Sept Isles, Quebec
What a reception! We made history this morning, being the first cruise ship to ever visit this port; as soon as we anchored, little boats came out and buzzed round, followed by a police boat which shooed them away, and a fireboat did an impressive water spray dispay. Then we caught a tender to shore and people were lined up at the wire fence waving to us! We were given a souvenir tote bag with local information, taken through amarquee with all sorts of people welcomign us and displaying local goods. We discovered the Mayour had closed the shcools for the day and there were lots of parents with little kids at the waterfront; the mums push multiple cute toddlers in the cutest buggies of all shapes and sizes - up to 6 in a buggy; we have some very cute pictures. The little ones are all rugged up (it was about 40F this morning and up to last week there was still snow around). Found a cafe that makes espresso coffee «9very hard to find in these little ports). No internet though. Once again a very French town. Sunset and twilight stretch out so long here, at 9.00pm there`s still light around.
Friday, Saguenay, Quebec
Very friendly reception here again, but less English speaking. I was able to get instructions in French and get us to this library where we have free internet. This morning we spent about an hour sailing up the Saguenay Fjord and River: such beautiful scenery! We were told that we would be sailing past the "statue of the Virgin Mary" around 8.00; I was curious, so I rugged up and went up into the frozen zone on Deck 14 again. A white dot gragually appeared amongst the almost perpendicular rock faces in the fjord and then there it was! Unspectacular, just a white statue; got a picture, but it was just so strange to see it there in the middle of nowhere! I almost got frostbite in my fingers in the 7 minutes that I spent up there.
Looking forward to a fomal dinner tonight and then we disembark in Quebec City. It`s been a wonderful cruise - hard to believe it`s gone so quickly!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday and Sunday, Canada
Saturday, Sydney, Nova Scotia
The rain and winds continued as we sailed away last evening. We went to our first show this cruise – a very good banjo player from Maine. Rocking and rolling again as we went to sleep.
This morning we docked in Sydney at 8.00am. Us Aussies have the Big Banana, the Big Merino, the Big Pineapple; Sydney, Nova Scotia has The Big Fiddle – right on the cruise ship pier! It's a symbol of dancing and parties. We took a walk uptown along their main street – George Street, which is crossed by Pitt Street and York Street! Late morning our excursion took us through North Sydney and 40 mins to the north, where we hopped on a little power boar and sailed for about 45 minutes to the bird islands. For the next hour or so we puttered around two rocky outcrops watching the bird life; at this stage in spring the pairs are nesting and the eggs are about 3 weeks away from hatching. There were hundreds of birds, about 10 different kinds, including the very cute puffins; so lovely to see them all sitting in pairs on the rocks, or to see two little heads peeping out from a hole in the rock. We even saw a bald eagle and a couple of seals. Today was very cold and windy, but sunny.
We learned that the Maasdam is the first cruise ship of the season to arrive in Nova Scotia. It will be followed by about 45 cruise ship visits over the next few months. When we got back to the ship, at sailing time, there was a scottish brass band sitting on the shore playing. A vocalist sang the US and Canadian anthems, to great applause from the ship's deck – it was a really fun atmosphere.
Sunday, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Well, for all you Anne of Green Gables fans, we're here! This is the capital of Prince Edward Island; about 38,000 population. This is the Queen's Birthday Weekend (Victoria); normally no shops open on Sundays until this w/e, when they open from noon to 6pm, then this continues throughout the summer until September. This morning Graham had a sudden attack of vertigo; he wanted me to still go on the excursion, so I did; it was wonderful but sad to be on my own. (You non-fans will probably find this boring.) First we drove by bus across to the other side of the island to the Anne Museum, the house of her aunt and uncle where the author, Lucy Maude Montgomery lived for 15 years; we were greeted by a youngish “Matthew” on the porch and then Anne gave us some raspberry cordial and I had a picture taken with her. The house is still set up in late 19th Century style: very beautiful and I bought some souvenirs for the Anne fans in our family. Then we went to Green Gables – yes, THE house. Anne actually lived over the field in her grandparents' home but spent lots of time with her cousins at Green Gables; I have lots of pics of the rooms, the Lake of Shining Waters, Lovers' Lane, etc to show you when we get home. On the way back we stopped at a lobster fishing village and also spotted an osprey nest.
When I got back to Graham he was still in bed and pretty much out of it, so I had some lunch and now I'm on the dock using free wireless. Tonight is a formal dinner, so we won't be going to the dining room; if Graham wants anything, we'll eat in the Lido restaurant, otherwise I'll get a tray and eat in our cabin. I'd be grateful for some more prayers for Graham, please!
The rain and winds continued as we sailed away last evening. We went to our first show this cruise – a very good banjo player from Maine. Rocking and rolling again as we went to sleep.
This morning we docked in Sydney at 8.00am. Us Aussies have the Big Banana, the Big Merino, the Big Pineapple; Sydney, Nova Scotia has The Big Fiddle – right on the cruise ship pier! It's a symbol of dancing and parties. We took a walk uptown along their main street – George Street, which is crossed by Pitt Street and York Street! Late morning our excursion took us through North Sydney and 40 mins to the north, where we hopped on a little power boar and sailed for about 45 minutes to the bird islands. For the next hour or so we puttered around two rocky outcrops watching the bird life; at this stage in spring the pairs are nesting and the eggs are about 3 weeks away from hatching. There were hundreds of birds, about 10 different kinds, including the very cute puffins; so lovely to see them all sitting in pairs on the rocks, or to see two little heads peeping out from a hole in the rock. We even saw a bald eagle and a couple of seals. Today was very cold and windy, but sunny.
We learned that the Maasdam is the first cruise ship of the season to arrive in Nova Scotia. It will be followed by about 45 cruise ship visits over the next few months. When we got back to the ship, at sailing time, there was a scottish brass band sitting on the shore playing. A vocalist sang the US and Canadian anthems, to great applause from the ship's deck – it was a really fun atmosphere.
Sunday, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Well, for all you Anne of Green Gables fans, we're here! This is the capital of Prince Edward Island; about 38,000 population. This is the Queen's Birthday Weekend (Victoria); normally no shops open on Sundays until this w/e, when they open from noon to 6pm, then this continues throughout the summer until September. This morning Graham had a sudden attack of vertigo; he wanted me to still go on the excursion, so I did; it was wonderful but sad to be on my own. (You non-fans will probably find this boring.) First we drove by bus across to the other side of the island to the Anne Museum, the house of her aunt and uncle where the author, Lucy Maude Montgomery lived for 15 years; we were greeted by a youngish “Matthew” on the porch and then Anne gave us some raspberry cordial and I had a picture taken with her. The house is still set up in late 19th Century style: very beautiful and I bought some souvenirs for the Anne fans in our family. Then we went to Green Gables – yes, THE house. Anne actually lived over the field in her grandparents' home but spent lots of time with her cousins at Green Gables; I have lots of pics of the rooms, the Lake of Shining Waters, Lovers' Lane, etc to show you when we get home. On the way back we stopped at a lobster fishing village and also spotted an osprey nest.
When I got back to Graham he was still in bed and pretty much out of it, so I had some lunch and now I'm on the dock using free wireless. Tonight is a formal dinner, so we won't be going to the dining room; if Graham wants anything, we'll eat in the Lido restaurant, otherwise I'll get a tray and eat in our cabin. I'd be grateful for some more prayers for Graham, please!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday evening, Friday
Thursday evening
We left Bar Harbor 3.00pm; the wind was freezing cold by then. As we sailed out, the seas got quite choppy and the wind noisier, and we were still rocking and rolling at bedtime. Graham wasn't well when we got back from the excursion and spent most of the afternoon sleeping or resting; he was well enough to go to dinner though and was fine after that. We've been given a complimentary dinner in the posh restaurant, which we're looking forward to next week.
Friday, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)
Sadly, they've cancelled the excursion we had booked in this port – sea kayaking; however, we've booked the same type of activity in Saguenay, Quebec next week on Wednesday, so we'll see whether that works. We were greeted on the pier this morning with a Scottish pipe band!
Well, here we are in downtown Halifax, quite a town compared with the little places we've stopped in the last two ports; we actually found a Starbucks! Graham at first wanted to head for Tim Horton's (as everyone knows, that's where Canadians get their caffeine) but we discovered they only do filter coffee, so we kept searching and found this Starbucks; if you buy a coffee card (costs nothing) you get 2 hours of free wireless access.
It's freezing here but we're now in the land of “go-through-the-double-doors-and-rip-your-clothes-off”! Before you get shocked, that's my description of going from the freezing outside to the overly hot inside. The CBD goes for at least 4 blocks!
We left Bar Harbor 3.00pm; the wind was freezing cold by then. As we sailed out, the seas got quite choppy and the wind noisier, and we were still rocking and rolling at bedtime. Graham wasn't well when we got back from the excursion and spent most of the afternoon sleeping or resting; he was well enough to go to dinner though and was fine after that. We've been given a complimentary dinner in the posh restaurant, which we're looking forward to next week.
Friday, Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)
Sadly, they've cancelled the excursion we had booked in this port – sea kayaking; however, we've booked the same type of activity in Saguenay, Quebec next week on Wednesday, so we'll see whether that works. We were greeted on the pier this morning with a Scottish pipe band!
Well, here we are in downtown Halifax, quite a town compared with the little places we've stopped in the last two ports; we actually found a Starbucks! Graham at first wanted to head for Tim Horton's (as everyone knows, that's where Canadians get their caffeine) but we discovered they only do filter coffee, so we kept searching and found this Starbucks; if you buy a coffee card (costs nothing) you get 2 hours of free wireless access.
It's freezing here but we're now in the land of “go-through-the-double-doors-and-rip-your-clothes-off”! Before you get shocked, that's my description of going from the freezing outside to the overly hot inside. The CBD goes for at least 4 blocks!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wednesday, Thursday
Wednesday at Sea: Around 9.30am we sailed into a fog we had been watching approach on the horizon; at about 1.00pm we finally sailed out of it! The odd thing was that it was only at sea level, so the sun was shining gently as well. The outside temperature was 57F - 14C - nice!
Thursday: Bar Harbor. Maine.
Picturesque harbour with lots of islands; we did a bus drive through the national park and up to the highest mountain on the east coast: beautiful view of the harbour for miles. We’re in the town now and made the gauche faux pas of asking whether they have a Starbucks; the answer - “Not in Bar Harbor, Madam!”.
Thursday: Bar Harbor. Maine.
Picturesque harbour with lots of islands; we did a bus drive through the national park and up to the highest mountain on the east coast: beautiful view of the harbour for miles. We’re in the town now and made the gauche faux pas of asking whether they have a Starbucks; the answer - “Not in Bar Harbor, Madam!”.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday to Tuesday
Sunday, Charlston, North Carolina
We're had difficulty getting much email access, so a couple of days stacked up here.
Three more states to add to our list (I forgot to mention Florida). Internet access is a little difficult to come by now (ship wireless costs $45 per hour!). When we posted the blog this morning, we'd just arrived in Charlston. Yep, we're still in the deep south. We only had a brief chance to look at emails during our wanderings around the town. It's very hot here, so much so that we only spent about 3 hours wandering around and having coffee at Starbucks. This is a very old town; it figures in civil war history and in many romantic novels I've read. They have a church with a community that's been active since the mid 17th Century (evangelical). It was too hot to stay off the ship, so we were back here for a late lunch. A storm came over and most of the afternoon and evening there were light showers – made it cooler.
Monday, at sea
It's windy and rainy out and the boat is rolling nicely; there was little visibility out there but that cleared to a grey day. We were going to join the fitness walk on lower promenade deck but the rain cancelled that. Each day we do a couple of mile walks as well as going up and down stairs all day: that way we can enjoy the food! Dutch high tea this afternoon – because we all need some more decadent calories! We found a nice little oasis up on the Crow's Nest, sitting right at the bow, with 360 degree views – quiet spot to read and watch the ocean pass by. Had our first swim as well today.
Tuesday, Newport, Rhode Island
Wow! You should see the mansions! We did a tour of the biggest one – the home (well, if you can call it that) of the Vanderbilts: extraordinarily opulent; the amazing thing is that the mansions were only used for about 8 weeks of the year; some of the mansions are still owned privately and still used as holiday homes. The yachts in the harbour are rather nice too.
The weather generally has been variable, some very cool, some quite hot: they're always grateful for the rain because like us, there's drought around different areas.
We're in Starbucks at the moment: they have really nice areas where you can sit forever and use the internet. We're about to head back to the wharf and hop on the tender to go back to the ship for yet another amazing meal (which we don't really need).
We're had difficulty getting much email access, so a couple of days stacked up here.
Three more states to add to our list (I forgot to mention Florida). Internet access is a little difficult to come by now (ship wireless costs $45 per hour!). When we posted the blog this morning, we'd just arrived in Charlston. Yep, we're still in the deep south. We only had a brief chance to look at emails during our wanderings around the town. It's very hot here, so much so that we only spent about 3 hours wandering around and having coffee at Starbucks. This is a very old town; it figures in civil war history and in many romantic novels I've read. They have a church with a community that's been active since the mid 17th Century (evangelical). It was too hot to stay off the ship, so we were back here for a late lunch. A storm came over and most of the afternoon and evening there were light showers – made it cooler.
Monday, at sea
It's windy and rainy out and the boat is rolling nicely; there was little visibility out there but that cleared to a grey day. We were going to join the fitness walk on lower promenade deck but the rain cancelled that. Each day we do a couple of mile walks as well as going up and down stairs all day: that way we can enjoy the food! Dutch high tea this afternoon – because we all need some more decadent calories! We found a nice little oasis up on the Crow's Nest, sitting right at the bow, with 360 degree views – quiet spot to read and watch the ocean pass by. Had our first swim as well today.
Tuesday, Newport, Rhode Island
Wow! You should see the mansions! We did a tour of the biggest one – the home (well, if you can call it that) of the Vanderbilts: extraordinarily opulent; the amazing thing is that the mansions were only used for about 8 weeks of the year; some of the mansions are still owned privately and still used as holiday homes. The yachts in the harbour are rather nice too.
The weather generally has been variable, some very cool, some quite hot: they're always grateful for the rain because like us, there's drought around different areas.
We're in Starbucks at the moment: they have really nice areas where you can sit forever and use the internet. We're about to head back to the wharf and hop on the tender to go back to the ship for yet another amazing meal (which we don't really need).
Atlanta
So glad that all goes well....and your visit here in Atlanta was so "special"....look at your picture on my refrig....often!!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday: Sailaway!
We had a very early morning and Tom very graciously came and drove us to the airport. Once again we had to say goodbye and thank you to a dear friend – visiting always means goodbyes! We discovered that we'd left the camera USB in Manchester, so there won't be any more pics on the blog until we get to Seattle – sorry, folks!
We had a good flight to Ft Lauderdale and straight to the ship; embarkation was very well organised and we were on board quickly. Lunch was available while we waited for our stateroom to be finished, so we immediately launched into the spirit of cruising: food! A leisurely afternoon exploring the ship; the first competition on board was in the Health Spa: about 10 names drawn out for various things. I told God I'd really like a manicure or a massage; guess what? He came good with the manicure worth $US45! The usual lifeboat drill before sailing. 5.00pm we headed for Mass; there's a priest on board but no protestant minister – about 10 people came. Just as we started Mass, the ship began to move: a really good feeling to be under way! Then early shift dinner, Graham discovered he had forgotten to pack a tie and it's formal dress Saturday night, so off we went to THE SHOP! He found two ties and I got a Mother's Day present – two gorgeous little evening handbags for $10!
We did our walk around promenade deck (probably only 2/3 of a mile this time); sunset and moon rise were beautiful. Lovely to settle in our room and hop into bed with the gentle rolling of the ship.
Saturday: At Sea day; breakfast delivered to our stateroom, then we went to the protestant service, conducted by the priest from last night: sort of Anglican style I guess. He's a good preacher. We had Australia Today delivered: first real Aussie news we've seen since we left home. It's very warm, about 28, with lots of people lounging in the sun. Smooth sailing so far, with a gentle rock and roll occasionally.
Dinner was formal tonight and we had a nice surprise - an officer sat with us, a lovely young man from England, Simon. Even better, he paid for the wine, which just kept coming! One of the other guests then had a bottle of port served and it was indeed a good drop. After dinner we saw Valkire in the theatre; we had wanted to see it when it was on at home, but missed it: a thought-provoking, startling movie.
Sunday:
Up reasonably early and now we're at Starbucks having a decent coffee.
We had a good flight to Ft Lauderdale and straight to the ship; embarkation was very well organised and we were on board quickly. Lunch was available while we waited for our stateroom to be finished, so we immediately launched into the spirit of cruising: food! A leisurely afternoon exploring the ship; the first competition on board was in the Health Spa: about 10 names drawn out for various things. I told God I'd really like a manicure or a massage; guess what? He came good with the manicure worth $US45! The usual lifeboat drill before sailing. 5.00pm we headed for Mass; there's a priest on board but no protestant minister – about 10 people came. Just as we started Mass, the ship began to move: a really good feeling to be under way! Then early shift dinner, Graham discovered he had forgotten to pack a tie and it's formal dress Saturday night, so off we went to THE SHOP! He found two ties and I got a Mother's Day present – two gorgeous little evening handbags for $10!
We did our walk around promenade deck (probably only 2/3 of a mile this time); sunset and moon rise were beautiful. Lovely to settle in our room and hop into bed with the gentle rolling of the ship.
Saturday: At Sea day; breakfast delivered to our stateroom, then we went to the protestant service, conducted by the priest from last night: sort of Anglican style I guess. He's a good preacher. We had Australia Today delivered: first real Aussie news we've seen since we left home. It's very warm, about 28, with lots of people lounging in the sun. Smooth sailing so far, with a gentle rock and roll occasionally.
Dinner was formal tonight and we had a nice surprise - an officer sat with us, a lovely young man from England, Simon. Even better, he paid for the wine, which just kept coming! One of the other guests then had a bottle of port served and it was indeed a good drop. After dinner we saw Valkire in the theatre; we had wanted to see it when it was on at home, but missed it: a thought-provoking, startling movie.
Sunday:
Up reasonably early and now we're at Starbucks having a decent coffee.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, Thursday: Atlanta
I forgot to mention - our hosts in New Hampshire each night would take their bird feeder inside because the local black bear eats everything in sight otherwise! On a walk last night, I was hoping to meet him in the bush but he didn't turn up.
Also they pronounce "Concord" as "Konkered"!
Wednesday morning: very early flight to Charlotte, then next flight we were shut down on the runway because flights weren't being allowed into Atlanta because of bad storms. We eventually got in 40 mins late. If our plane had been scheduled a couple of hours later, we wouldn't have been able to get in at all, the storm was pretty impressive, with tornado warnings.
Now we're in the deep south, y'all! We were met by our friend, Polly and her son-in-law, Tom who took us straight to Georgia Tech where Polly's late husband, George spent two years playing for their team. He's hung (well, not literally!) in the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and his name and photo appear everywhere around the walls. Lucius, the facilities administrator, showed us around the football facilities - amazing - and we actually got to walk out on the playing field in the stadium! Then we went for lunch at the Big Easy, which specialises in New Orleans-type cuisine - very good food! That was George's favourite quick food place and, of course, his picture is there too.
Next stop: Polly's home in the rain but we got there before the storm hit. Her home is very beautiful and we're in the guest suite. Spent most of the afternoon talking, looking at pictures of our families and hearing about local history. For dinner we went with some of the family to the Capital City Country Club - elegant dining and such a lovely evening. We had our first taste of southern fraaaad chicken!
Today we had a delightful, leisurely breakfast: grits, bagels and fruit. Then Tom picked us up again and we went to the CNN Centre for a tour - truly amazing and gives us a whole new slant on watching CNN. We also saw the Olympic park. Tonight the family is coming over for dinner and then tomorrow morning we're off early to catch our flight to Florida.
Also they pronounce "Concord" as "Konkered"!
Wednesday morning: very early flight to Charlotte, then next flight we were shut down on the runway because flights weren't being allowed into Atlanta because of bad storms. We eventually got in 40 mins late. If our plane had been scheduled a couple of hours later, we wouldn't have been able to get in at all, the storm was pretty impressive, with tornado warnings.
Now we're in the deep south, y'all! We were met by our friend, Polly and her son-in-law, Tom who took us straight to Georgia Tech where Polly's late husband, George spent two years playing for their team. He's hung (well, not literally!) in the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and his name and photo appear everywhere around the walls. Lucius, the facilities administrator, showed us around the football facilities - amazing - and we actually got to walk out on the playing field in the stadium! Then we went for lunch at the Big Easy, which specialises in New Orleans-type cuisine - very good food! That was George's favourite quick food place and, of course, his picture is there too.
Next stop: Polly's home in the rain but we got there before the storm hit. Her home is very beautiful and we're in the guest suite. Spent most of the afternoon talking, looking at pictures of our families and hearing about local history. For dinner we went with some of the family to the Capital City Country Club - elegant dining and such a lovely evening. We had our first taste of southern fraaaad chicken!
Today we had a delightful, leisurely breakfast: grits, bagels and fruit. Then Tom picked us up again and we went to the CNN Centre for a tour - truly amazing and gives us a whole new slant on watching CNN. We also saw the Olympic park. Tonight the family is coming over for dinner and then tomorrow morning we're off early to catch our flight to Florida.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Look where we are!
We're in Concord!
With Jay and Linda
A leisurely morning, sitting around having pancakes with maple syrup and fresh strawberries for breakfast.
Then off we went shopping! This is the state of NO SALES TAX ! Amongst other things, I discovered the Oshkosh shop and Graham found the deodorant he loves and can't get anymore in Australia - it used to cost $5.50: he found it for $1.00 at Wallmart so we're coming back with a good supply!
Back home for lunch, then visiting with Linda and Jay's family to meet their delightful grandkids. After dinner we had a lovely walk - it's all bush here, with houses scattered round about. It's been drizzling all day, which makes it all the more pleasant - cool but not cold.
Tomorrow we're off very early for Atlanta, where we'll stay with Polly, whom we haven't seen since 2003 and we're really looking forward to seeing her.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Sunday, Monday New Hampshire
Sunday
Our next flight got us to Manchester, New Hampshire early afternoon, where we were met by Jay and Linda, who housesat for us while we were in France in 2005. They live in a lovely area, near the village of Cambridge, 10 miles from Concord! The countryside is so pretty; they took us for a drive late afternoon to Shaker Village – built in the early 18th Century for the Shakers (Google them!); Jay and Linda are involved in restoring each building to its original function and condition back then – a really fascinating walk back in time.
Today, Monday, we took a drive north into Vermont (another state to add to our list!); we crossed Squam Lake, where they filmed On Golden Pond, part of Winnepesaukee Lake, the biggest in New Hampshire. Then we headed for Dartmouth, where Jay was head administrator at the College. What a huge campus! We met some of the staff and drove around the campus; had lunch at a great little cafe. Back home through New London and some other lovely little villages. How surreal! driving through the pretty Vermont countryside, with country music on the stereo. A lovely day!
Our next flight got us to Manchester, New Hampshire early afternoon, where we were met by Jay and Linda, who housesat for us while we were in France in 2005. They live in a lovely area, near the village of Cambridge, 10 miles from Concord! The countryside is so pretty; they took us for a drive late afternoon to Shaker Village – built in the early 18th Century for the Shakers (Google them!); Jay and Linda are involved in restoring each building to its original function and condition back then – a really fascinating walk back in time.
Today, Monday, we took a drive north into Vermont (another state to add to our list!); we crossed Squam Lake, where they filmed On Golden Pond, part of Winnepesaukee Lake, the biggest in New Hampshire. Then we headed for Dartmouth, where Jay was head administrator at the College. What a huge campus! We met some of the staff and drove around the campus; had lunch at a great little cafe. Back home through New London and some other lovely little villages. How surreal! driving through the pretty Vermont countryside, with country music on the stereo. A lovely day!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Central Park
Saturday, New York
Had a good sleep in after last night's late excursion. We headed off late morning for their “local” fresh egg supplier – a market garden in Connecticut, so we can add another state to our travel list. Then we headed into Manhatten again by train, this time into Central Park – what a lovely, green oasis with families, dogs, kids, couples everywhere. Lots of rambling trees, a pond where the kids could hire remote control sailboats. The disappointing thing was that we didn't run into Tom Hanks with Brinkley or Meg Ryan!
Empire State Building
We headed off on foot along Madison Avenue to St Patrick's Cathedral (St Paddy's as they call it), where we had time to look around the magnificent structure and artworks before Mass at 5.30: very traditional and old-style, with the added pomp of a cathedral atmosphere. Our hosts are Lutherans but feel quite comfortable going to a Catholic service. Next we took a bus to the Empire State Building; it took a long time to get through all the queues for security and then queues to get to the lifts. There was quite a crowd, being a Saturday night and because it was getting close to sunset; we had a good look at all the different aspects of New York by daylight and r
ealised how huge this city is.
Then we watched the sun set; then one by one the lights started to come on – so pretty to watch and a totally transformed outlook once they were all twinkling. Again, Meg Ryan didn't show, nor did Tom Hanks, Cary Grant or Deborah Kerr....
We were going to eat in the bistro in the lobby of the building, but they had very loud rock music blaring and we couldn't face a dinner of shouting at each other. So we ate at a little hamburger joint on 5th Avenue. Then back to Grand Central for the train to White Plains. Once again we were walking the mile from the train station to their condo around 10.30pm without fear: we've felt much safer than we expected in this town.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
New York, New York!
Still Thursday.
We must haveGraham had a vertigo attack at dinner time, so he went to bed instead of having dinner. Normally this would mean he would spend about an hour throwing up, then sleep till late and spend most of the next day sleeping, eating little. I sent a quick SOS to Mark to ask for prayer before I typed this. God is faithful – no throwing up!
Friday
Up very late, brunch around 11.00am. We headed for New York Botanical Gardens: how beautiful! Each corner we turned had another wow! Delightful afternoon tea in their kiosk. We went home for dinner, sat talking for ages, then Ann said let's go and look at Times Square at night – so off we went at 9.20pm and there we were, walking the streets of Manhatten until after midnight! What a blaze of lights and action, especially Friday night – everyone was out! The Empire State Building was only lit high up but even so, it looked amazing. Got to bed around 1.15am!
We must haveGraham had a vertigo attack at dinner time, so he went to bed instead of having dinner. Normally this would mean he would spend about an hour throwing up, then sleep till late and spend most of the next day sleeping, eating little. I sent a quick SOS to Mark to ask for prayer before I typed this. God is faithful – no throwing up!
Friday
Up very late, brunch around 11.00am. We headed for New York Botanical Gardens: how beautiful! Each corner we turned had another wow! Delightful afternoon tea in their kiosk. We went home for dinner, sat talking for ages, then Ann said let's go and look at Times Square at night – so off we went at 9.20pm and there we were, walking the streets of Manhatten until after midnight! What a blaze of lights and action, especially Friday night – everyone was out! The Empire State Building was only lit high up but even so, it looked amazing. Got to bed around 1.15am!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
New York!
Incredible 24 hours! This will be fairly brief because it's 10.20pm and I haven't really had a proper sleep in almost 48 hours.
Last night on the plane to NY we had a King's Kids experience: when the trolley came around with beverages, we thought let's have a wine and sleep. The attendant gave us the 2 bottles and said that'll be credit card, thank you! Embarrassed, we changed the order and gave her back the wine, not wanting to throw away a lot of cash just for a bedtime drink; she gave them back and said, "don't worry, these are for you!" Then she took them back and said "Wait, I'll get you some wine from First Class." She was soon back with two tumblers full of very nice red - Nice!!
Today had a huge, busy, full day with our hosts, Carl and Ann. Took a train, then the subway to 42nd St, then headed down to St Peter's, the church at the centre of the Ground Zero rescue effort. Spend a quiet age walking through, looking at all the remembrances and momentos to lost family members, lost rescue people, heroes of all sorts. It was a very deeply moving, emotional, sacred time. Then we walked down to Ground Zero, all surrounded by non vision fencing, with construction work going on everywhere. There was one spot where there was a big gap in the fence, away from the main area; I was rooted to the spot for a very long time and once again the tears and the prayers came; a privilege to remember all those people, especially the Australians who were lost.
We walked for ages around Manhatten, down along the river front, onto the Brooklyn bridge, then around to the Stanten Island ferry, across to the Island, back again. Back to the subway and then the train broke down! Then all the trains became stacked up, including the one we switched to. A trip that should have taken 10 mins max ended up taking almost an hour - just like home!!!
Gotta go to bed now or I'll fall asleep before I make it!
Last night on the plane to NY we had a King's Kids experience: when the trolley came around with beverages, we thought let's have a wine and sleep. The attendant gave us the 2 bottles and said that'll be credit card, thank you! Embarrassed, we changed the order and gave her back the wine, not wanting to throw away a lot of cash just for a bedtime drink; she gave them back and said, "don't worry, these are for you!" Then she took them back and said "Wait, I'll get you some wine from First Class." She was soon back with two tumblers full of very nice red - Nice!!
Today had a huge, busy, full day with our hosts, Carl and Ann. Took a train, then the subway to 42nd St, then headed down to St Peter's, the church at the centre of the Ground Zero rescue effort. Spend a quiet age walking through, looking at all the remembrances and momentos to lost family members, lost rescue people, heroes of all sorts. It was a very deeply moving, emotional, sacred time. Then we walked down to Ground Zero, all surrounded by non vision fencing, with construction work going on everywhere. There was one spot where there was a big gap in the fence, away from the main area; I was rooted to the spot for a very long time and once again the tears and the prayers came; a privilege to remember all those people, especially the Australians who were lost.
We walked for ages around Manhatten, down along the river front, onto the Brooklyn bridge, then around to the Stanten Island ferry, across to the Island, back again. Back to the subway and then the train broke down! Then all the trains became stacked up, including the one we switched to. A trip that should have taken 10 mins max ended up taking almost an hour - just like home!!!
Gotta go to bed now or I'll fall asleep before I make it!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
LFA International airport
Lovely flight - so much room in Premier Economy, lovely food and service. Graham sat next to "Dave", a very wealthy man and between the two of them, nighttime wanders and chats, etc, they were on first name terms with Barb, the flight attendant who did most of our stuff.
First blooper! Our travel agent said we could have our bags checked through to NY but Air NZ wouldn't do it; so we have had to drag them around most of the afternoon and then pay $30US to get them on the next flight!
However, we've finally got rid of them and are waiting for the NY flight. Also found a charging station for the laptop and a local wireless provider for not too many $'s. One more flight to go and we'll be in The Big Apple.
First blooper! Our travel agent said we could have our bags checked through to NY but Air NZ wouldn't do it; so we have had to drag them around most of the afternoon and then pay $30US to get them on the next flight!
However, we've finally got rid of them and are waiting for the NY flight. Also found a charging station for the laptop and a local wireless provider for not too many $'s. One more flight to go and we'll be in The Big Apple.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Fush n Chups
Great flight across the Tasman. I was desperate to get a piece of fruit when we got here, but all we could find was airport type junk food.
Spotted the chapel, so we read Psalm 84, prayed; Graham prayed for some fruit.
When we left, the first shop we came to had lovely fresh fruit salad! Go God! Graham's comment: that was a fruitful prayer! Sorry, folks!
At the Airport!
We're at the gate lounge, got rid of our luggage successfully - always a nice feeling!
Guess who got the whole security search? Frisk search, checked for explosives, etc etc! You know, they have to make sure they check all the innocent-looking grandmas! :)
Boarding in about 20 minutes! Graham is well, praise God!
Yay!
Lots of love,
The Wandering Gilmores
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Here's our Itinerary for the Trip!
We leave Wednesday 29th April and fly to Auckland / LA / NY, arriving about 34 hours after we left home! We’ll stay with friends who stayed in our home when they needed accommodation in Sydney about 5 years ago.
On Sunday 3rd May we fly from NY to Charlotte, New Hampshire to stay with an older couple who were our 2005 housesitters. This is a beautiful part of the country, judging by pictures we’ve seen.
Wednesday 6th May we fly to Atlanta to stay with a lady who we met with her husband on a 2003 Alaskan cruise. An older couple, he was an ex-footballer, Superbowl winner, etc and he died 18 months ago, so she’s really looking forward to our visit.
Friday 8th May we fly to Ft Lauderdale, Florida for a 2-week cruise up the east coast, finishing in Quebec City. Two highlights amongst many: a day on Prince Edward Island (Anne of Green Gables) and sea kayaking off the coast of Nova Scotia!
Thursday 21st May we fly from Quebec City to Knoxville, Tennessee to attend a 3-day Southern Gospel festival in the Smokey Mountains at Gatlinburg: this is the main event we’ve structured the trip around.
Monday 25th May we fly to Seattle to stay with friends who lived in Oz for 6 years.
Thursday 28th May we’re off to Hawaii to stay in a timeshare on Waikiki Beach owned by the NY couple!
Thursday 4th June we’re home!
On Sunday 3rd May we fly from NY to Charlotte, New Hampshire to stay with an older couple who were our 2005 housesitters. This is a beautiful part of the country, judging by pictures we’ve seen.
Wednesday 6th May we fly to Atlanta to stay with a lady who we met with her husband on a 2003 Alaskan cruise. An older couple, he was an ex-footballer, Superbowl winner, etc and he died 18 months ago, so she’s really looking forward to our visit.
Friday 8th May we fly to Ft Lauderdale, Florida for a 2-week cruise up the east coast, finishing in Quebec City. Two highlights amongst many: a day on Prince Edward Island (Anne of Green Gables) and sea kayaking off the coast of Nova Scotia!
Thursday 21st May we fly from Quebec City to Knoxville, Tennessee to attend a 3-day Southern Gospel festival in the Smokey Mountains at Gatlinburg: this is the main event we’ve structured the trip around.
Monday 25th May we fly to Seattle to stay with friends who lived in Oz for 6 years.
Thursday 28th May we’re off to Hawaii to stay in a timeshare on Waikiki Beach owned by the NY couple!
Thursday 4th June we’re home!
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