Sept 27 - St.Gilgen

Today we went to Runi's place for lunch. She made true Wiener Schnitzel (with veal) and mashed potatoes, and salad. For desert, she made a polenta that looked like cake, with chocolate frosting and whipped cream. I liked it, Manfred was not so sure. 

There was a little craft fair going on, so we went, Manfred sat and I walked through it. Lots of felt things, hats, purses, capes, slpers, cat beds, etc. Pretty pottery, clever jewelry, wooden things, soaps and such. 

We are now sitting on our balcony, admiring the lake and the mountains and watching hang-gliders gliding around and coming down. There are some sailboats on the lake, and of it is all so very peaceful. This I took just now:

 

Sept 26 - St. Gilgen

Here is the view from our balcony. 

 It's what I've been waiting for. 

We were supposed to go to Munich today, to look for Cross pen nibs for #1 son, and to see Oktoberfest, but Manfred wasn't feeling well, so we didn't go. We might not need to look for the nibs, and we've been to Oktoberfest b4. Anyway, we stayed in our lovely apartment. 

Sept 24-25 - St. Gilgen - Salzburg Marionette Theater

9/24/14 - St.Gilgen

We had bread and jam and met w/Runi @ 10:30 to go in her car to Salzburg to meet Reingard at the fair. We walked through the fair, bought a pretzel and had coffee at an outdoor table. The weather was warm and sunny.  We got sandwiches for lunch and some snitzel to take home for dinner and had another coffee on my fav roof-top cafe overlooking the City.  

Runi & Reingart bought tickets for us to go to the marionettes performance of Die Zauberflöte tomorrow, 9/25, "for our birthday presents."  What a wonderful present!  I have always wanted to see that, ever since I first heard of it, many years ago, when I first met Runi.

We got back at about 4 and went to our lovely place for a rest.

9/25/14 - St.Gilgen und Salzburg Marionettentheatre 

This is the day we go to Salzburg on our own to see Die Zauberflöte in the Marionettentheatre. Runi made knüdle for us, it was sooo gooood. She spent much time showing Manfred how to get to the parking garage across from the theater. We used the GPS, sort of, and drove right straight there. We allowed an hour and a half, it took only half an hour. So we strolled in the Mirabelle Garden for a bit, then went into the theater. The performance was so cute and charming, a wonderful way to put on an opera, especially this one. It was ausgezeichnet. We got back b4 10:30.

The car is rather strange. Whenever it stops, the engine dies. It's supposed to!  Then, when you take your foot off the brake, it starts again. There are too many little lights inside at night. It tries to help you park. The built-in GPS is TomTom, but not at all like ours - I don't like it at all. I would never want a built-in GPS.  

Sept 23 - St. Gilgen, finally!

9/23/14 - Innsbruk to Salzburg to St.Gilgen

I woke up at 4:30 am, because of going to bed so early, so I did some updating of blog, etc. the wifi here is the best we have had since we left home. The place is called Pension Stoi, a short walk from the Innsbruk train station. The room is large, on the ground floor, sink in the room, toilet & shower ensuite, wardrobe, table & chairs but no easy chair. Tiny tube TV. Everything looks new and sparkling clean. There are other toilets and showers in the hall, so some rooms might not have them ensuite. 

We went out to get the SIM card, and I was shocked to find that Manfred wanted it for the stupid old dumb phone he bought in Europe on another trip. I assumed it was going to be for the iPhone. This is ridiculous. By the next trip, the iPhone will probably be too old for anything. He called Runi from the store, to make sure he knew how to use it. She called back, and he didn't recognize the ringtone. heehee☺️. 

We had coffee and toast in a nearby cafe. It was very good. We sat in the McDonalds in the bahnhoff, because we just missed one train and had to wait 1:15 for the next one. They had nice seats and good coffee. On our devices, we keep getting wifi bars but no access to Internet, in restaurants, train station, train car, etc. I keep accepting the rules, but it still doesn't work. What am I doing wrong?

The train, very smooth, finally in 1st class, watching the über-green fields and blue mountains and cute villages whisk by. It mostly went only 130km/hr, which is just under 80mph, which was the speed limit on the highways in Italy. After getting into Salzburg hbf after 7pm, then we looked for a rental car. Got

  Avis gave us a biggish car for 930€ / $1,200 for 3 weeks. The built-in GPS was a bit strange, but Manfred was able to drive  to St.Gilgen ok, but finding the house was harder. We finally

 got there and Runi had cake and coffee waiting for us. After a good long chat, we went to our new place, the top floor of the Hausa Stadler -- it is totally fantastic, with my fav view. 

September 22 - Sestriere, Italy to Innsbruk, Austria

We got up at 5:30 and got into the car a bit after 7. Had time to do some email. 

We got caught in a traffic jam due to one lane being closed, so we were later than we scheduled turning in the car. It took over 20 minutes to find the counter and go thru inspection. The bus from the airport to the train station was very slow. We had missed the 10 a.m. train so we got tickets for the 11:19 one. We had to pay over 20€ each for fast trains and we had to settle for 2nd class, because 1st was sold out. 😰 then we got on the wrong train because a local guy that spoke a bit of English insisted that it was the right one. We had to change in a tiny town. Quite fast, but the tracks are not so smooth like the ones I remember in Spain and Germany. We finally got to eat a sandwich.

We had to change trains in Verona and the station was very crowded. The train was late and the waiting place was hot, dirty, and had no possibility of buying refreshment. The train is also very crowded. We were in a compartment with 4 other folks & a toddler, and the train is not as fast, but the high cliffs on either side are imposing. Lots of grapes growing. 

After a lot more great scenery, we finally arrived at Innsbruk, very tired and hungry. It was dark, cuz the train was over 1/2 hour late. After asking around, we found a pension with free wifi. They sent us to a brew-pub for dinner. Very crowded, but excellent food and beer. I had pork snitzel and potatoes, Manfred had a sausage dish w/sauerkraut. Yum. Slept early. It's nice that at least one of us knows the language. And it's good that we have a rest before meeting Runi. 

September 21 - Italy

Sestriere

Today we woke up to a mountain view! Spectacular, with lots of ski lifts. The close hills are pretty barren, but we can see snowy peaks behind them, including a dusting of new snow. There were high clouds at 7 am, but now, 9:30, it's mostly blue sky, and the sun is blazing in through the window. 

After catching up with some email on this veerrry slloooww network, we drove into Oulx again. But it was a totally different drive today, since we could see all the views of beautiful mountain scenery. We went to the shopping center, and stopped in a beautiful little town on the way back. We had a dish of baked polenta with mozzarella and other cheeses - delicious - at a charming outdoor table on a cobbled street with a public fountain. Lovely.

September 20 - Italy

Today we woke up to a mountain view!  Spectacular, with lots of ski lifts. The close hills are pretty barren, but we can see snowy peaks behind them, including a dusting of new snow. There were high clouds at 7 am, but now, 9:30, it's mostly blue sky, and the sun is blazing in through the window. I had to draw the curtain in order to sit on the sofa. The balcony door is a pain. There is absolutely nothing on the outside to hold onto to pull it shut or to latch it, and it swings open-inward by itself. 

After catching up with some email on this veerrry slloooww network, we drove into Oulx again. But it was a totally different drive today, since we could see all the views of beautiful mountain scenery. We went to the shopping center, and stopped in a beautiful little town on the way back. We had a dish of baked polenta with mozzarella and other cheeses - delicious - at a charming outdoor table on a cobbled street with a public fountain. 

  

September 18-19 - Italy

9/18/14 - Sestriere 

Today we drove to the nearest town, Oulx, to the shopping center.  The town is quite small, and the wholeshping center is not half as big as a Walmart in the US. Manfred bought veggies and soup mix. 

When you buy produce from a bin, you bag them, put them on a scale and punch the picture of the item on a screen. The scale puts out a sticker with the weight and price, which you stick onto the bag. The checkout girl does not have to know all the prices. I don't think it would work in the US, because there's nothing stopping people from punching a cheaper picture, or adding more items to the bag. I guess that Europeans are more honest than Americans. 

The meat counter has a butcher who wraps up your choices. Manfred bought some sausage.  

The store also sold clothes and household goods. 

The drive was a bit hairy because the road is very narrow and windy, with sharp switchbacks, and it was very foggy until we got to the town, which was below the clouds. The TomTom works very well. Almost every intersection is a tiny roundabout, and the GPS voice is British - Manfred can't hear the difference between "take the 1st exit" and "take the 3rd exit." On the way back, we stopped at a tiny village for some gelato. Yum!  

When we got "home" I stayed in the lobby to do Internet stuff. When I got up to the apartment, it had the wonderful smell of soup cooking. 

9/19/14 - Sestriere 

Today, we could see the valley and a bit of blue sky in the morning, but then it got socked in again, and we just stayed in the building all day, and ate bread and eggs and soup. There is something to be said for not having anything at all to do. I read another book, Manfred wrote things and studied maps. It was strange, but fun. 

Sept 16-17 - Italy

9/16/14 Barcelona to Turin 

Got up at 7 am  to pack. Manfred is making such a fuss about his coat that I packed it in the new overflow bag. Boarding passes and passports in hand, we got a taxi on La Rambla to the Praça Calalunya to catch an aero bus to the airport. All quite easy. We checked the 2 roller bags cuz it's free. We booked the A & C seats in the back, hoping no one would want the middle one, and it worked!  First time!  Actually all 3 seats across the aisle from us were empty, as well.  Then we had to pay 5€ for coffee and oj! 

We went to the car rental place in the airport, 6 or 7 companies. Only one had a car, and that was 40€/day!  And the GPS cost mega also. We paid 283€/$382 for the car w/GPS = 48€/$65 per day, plus 1100€/$1350 deposit. We have to get a car early for Austria. Our fav credit cards were declined! We had to use the Kitsap and the Wyndham. We need to get the TravelCard working again. 

The GPS took us through fast autostradas and slow narrow-windys to the little ski village of Sestriere, high in the hills. We stopped for a snack in one of the many villages we passed through, and arrived at the resort around 5 pm. After a rest, we went to a pizza place that had no pizza. We had pasta w/shrooms and real Parmesan cheese and wine and beer. And coffee. Very good. 

The apartment is very cute, but the sofa was opened to be a bed so there was no place to sit. There is a tiny bedroom with bunk beds, but we couldn't close the sofa bed, so we slept on it.  The "partial kitchen" has gas burners, under-counter fridge, pots and dishes, dishwasher, but no blender, toaster or microwave. 

We are really seeing out-of-the-way places because of RCI. We would never get to such a place otherwise. It's quite beautiful, but so far, really foggy. 

9/17/14 RCI Sestriére Italy - PalaceResidence.com

This RCI place is so cute. There is a living-dining room with a futon-like sofa-bed, a sideboard with little TV, a table with built-in bench seating and a couple of primitive chairs. The kitchen is for 1 person only. The stove has 3 gas burners and 1 electric one. There is an under-stove fridge where the oven should be, but there is a dishwasher. 

We had them close the sofa-bed and we slept in the bunks - very sturdy and comfortable, actually. There's no room for any other furniture, so a shelf on the wall serves as a place to put things. It is very foggy and we can't see the mountains at all, sometimes we can see the valley below and sometimes we can barely see the next building. 

Manfred went to the little convenience store to get the essentials: bread & butter, ham & eggs, coffee & milk, salt & pepper. It should have been salt & sugar. The bread and butter is so delicious and so filling, I could live on it. With coffee, of course.  We paid 2€ for 2 soap cakes to wash 2 small loads of clothes. Using the 2 washers and 1 dryer is free. The laundry room is right across the hall from our apartment, so we got all our clothes washed and dried and smelling good again. 

Around 7 pm, we went back to the store to get a few more things: cheese, honey, yogurt, more butter, wine, salami. Then we went to the other pizza place where they did have pizza. Those are the only 2 restaurants open in Sestriere at this time of year. We had the pizza primavera, which was unbelievably delicious, and red wine, also delicious. 

The wifi here is not great. Upload is slow, sending mail is slower. Download takes forever, and we have to sit in the lobby. 

September 14-15 -- Barcelona

We arrived here yesterday on the Oasis of the Seas cruise from Ft. Lauderdale.  We had changed our hostel room booking from 3 nights to 2 nights, planning to overnight on the ferry to Rome. However, on looking at the times and trains and such, it would involve spending a not-so-comfortable night on the ferry, immediately followed by a not-at-all-comfortable night taking 3 trains to reach our destination, arriving 1 day late. Ergo, we decided to fly, which is a bit cheaper, even tho we have to pay $86€ for 1 more night in the Hostal Opera Ramblas. This will give us time tomorrow to look for art prints for Rick & Karen. We tried today, but it is Sunday and the shops are closed. 

After Manfred spent 2 patient hours trying to book a flight from Barcelona to Turin, it didn't quite happen. Maybe because he was requesting wheelchairs. We went out and ate in the American Soda restaurant on the corner, gazpacho and paiella. We liked it. Then we went and got hot fudge sundaes @ McDonalds, 10:40 pm, on a balmy night, directly across from the Liceu Opera, watching the endless parade of people. Unfortunately, all the living statues on La Rambla are missing. The government has not yet renewed their licenses, according to our concierge.

Next day we got the hostel concierge to call the Ciruelo distributors on our list, and he found one who had the prints, but they were very expensive, 60€/$110 each, because they are autographed - personally signed on the print.  We bought both for $247 for the 2, mailed to FL. Then we sat @ one of the many outdoor restaurants on the gimongous Plaça Catalunya to watch the people. I took some photos of the huge fountains, pigeons and such. 

We were finally able to get through all the RyanAir website hoops and buy tickets for the 10:55 am flight to Turin & got PDF boarding passes we could email to the concierge so he could print them. In the evening, Manfred wanted some wok food that he had seen earlier, on La Rambla. I had cheesecake for dinner.

OASIS Cruise Sept 2014 III

Day 10 - Wednesday 

Back to the buffet for breakfast. All I ate was a few pieces of melon, but it still felt bad after.  We went to the solarium for lunch. Gazpacho, salads, yum.  It is a beautiful place to sit, and to eat. And the food is more healthy. The hot tubs are huge and hang out over the ocean. It was very nice. 

For dinner, I had the dining room gazpacho, which is different/better than the solarium. As we left the dining room, the manager asked how we liked the food, and Manfred told him that the eggs Benedict was not good, over cooked, too dry, not enough sauce. The manager gave him a card and asked him to come tomorrow and he would see to it that he had good Bennys. 

Day 11 - Thursday - Malaga

Manfred watched the ship docking at 7 am. We went to the dining room early to collect the eggs Benedict Manfred was promised. It was good. I ordered scrambled eggs, big mistake. 

We decided not to go anywhere, but we did go ashore to the shops on the dock. They provided 1 hour of good, fast internet for 2€. Except that we did not have 2€. One never uses money on the ship, so we had put all of it in the safe. Manfred borrowed 2€ from someone we had met onboard. I downloaded many books, got email, sent email, and didn't finish using the whole hour. 

Our table mates didn't come for dinner, but a guy from the next table joined us. He's traveling alone, does 5 or 6 cruises per year.  It's interesting to hear different stories. I went for coffee at 1 am and read in my new books. 

Day 12 - Friday - last day

I found out that I didn't put in for our preferred disembarkation time, so they assigned us 6:30-7:00 am. We went to the a Customer Service desk and they gave us new luggage tags for 9-9:30 am departure. We'll have one more breakfast in the Windjammer buffet. Our last dinner with Sally and Howard and Rigor and Kumar was very nice. We will miss them. 

The port side wait staff in the Windjammer buffet are also very solicitous, telling Manfred when to call me, leading me to him, bringing coffee, juice, etc., it's a game. We will give them all 10s, for sure. 

The telephone didn't work for calling our benefactor who loaned us the 2€ yesterday, so we walked the whole length of the ship, in a corridor, to get to his room, we gave his wife $3, and she was surprised to get it. 

The bags have to be out in the corridor before 11. We found we have more stuff than will fit, we used a shopping bag for overflow.  I went to the cafe at midnight, and the Promenade was still hoppin', but by 1 a.m. It had quieted down, music stopped. Cruise is done. It was excellent. We look forward to the next one. 

Oasis Cruise Sept 2014 II

Day 5 - Friday

We went to ask about cruises back to FL. The Celebrity Reflection is now $1350 each, at least that's what they told us. So we bit the bullet and BOOKED the OASIS return voyage. No insurance. It was $1400 + gratuities = $1788 for both of us.   They gave commission to our AAA travel lady. We could have gotten it earlier for $499, $424 if boarded in Southampton. 

I bought a couple of necklaces with earrings, cheap bling @ $10 each. 

Finally figured out how to change my watch. We will advance 1 hour each day until we get on European time.

I looked on the TV at the shore excursions for Malaga. There are lots...  

--Alhambra $150 9.5 hours including 2 hrs bus each way. 

--Granada 3 hrs free time $65 7 hrs total. 

--Marbella & Puerto Banus $40 walking tour & free time, 4:30 hr

--Malaga see yourself $15. Don't know what the $15 is for ??

--Tapas tasting $70 drive past landmarks, walking tour, 3 restaurants 4.5 hrs

--Village of Mijas $44 walking tour 1 mile & steps. 4 hrs

---3 Malaga city tours, around $50 & 4 hrs, depend on walking ability. 

Norwegian charged $200 for the Alhambra, so this is much better. 

I lost my key/charge card so they replaced it. 

We love our dinner companions, Howard & Sally, so lively and fun. Our dinners were not that good. I sent mine back and got escargot instead, which was delicious, and cherries jubilee was lovely, even w/out flames.

Day 6 - Saturday

I couldn't find Manfred at breakfast, so I sat with a couple who are Armenians, born in Iran, living in L.A. Manfred had gone outside to his deck chair Schlafplatz, and a waiter finally brought him to me.  We are getting these waiters trained good, since we will be needing them again on the way home.  

I didn't finish writing this day's journal, and now I don't remember the rest.

Day 7 - Sunday

I went to the bridge lecture/discussion this morning. The Solarium for lunch. It was really nice, I had gazpacho, but I forgot about the duplicate bridge game @ 1:30. I went about 10 minutes late and watched. They play only 2 boards each and finish around 3. Then I went to the park and sat in a nice chair in the shade and read my book. 

We did the 1-hr Internet thing $20. Manfred got his blog uploaded, got in email, sent email to Bill, Diane and Rick, got answers from Diane (she loved the blog) & Bill (the cat won't associate with him, but eats well). We have time left, so we'll do it again after a few days. 

The dinner tonight was extra good.  This starts the 2nd week menus, only for transatlantic cruises, not used on the regular 1-week cruises. The waiter told us his story, very sad. But he is always so cheerful.  

We talked to an English couple who told us about www.cruise1st.com. It belongs to Royal Caribbean but gives better deals. Also, they recommend Ocean Sky Resort, a beach hotel in Ft.Lauderdale. 

Day 8 - Monday

Went to see Hair Spray (they brought it back). We didn't need to go early, there were empty seats. It was ok, but the sound system here is bad--way too loud. 

I finished all my Heyer books on the iPod. Started the last one on the iPad. I should have had more books!  Slept @ 3 am. 

Oasis cruise Sept 2014

Day 1 - Monday, Sept 1 - Boarding day. 

The boarding was rather painless. After security, we went to a counter where a guy gave us a cabin assignment and key cards with dining room table, etc. We trolled our bags onto the ship ourselves. We waited in an onboard cafe  for the rooms to be ready, then we rolled the bags to our cabin on Deck 11. It's very cute. We went for dinner at 6 pm, which was good, but we didn't like our table, no others guests there. 

Day 2 - Tuesday, Sept 2

First full day on the OASIS of the Seas. What a place! Manfred insisted on eating at the buffet. It's a beautiful place to sit, but a bad place to eat. 

We have been exploring and finding where things are. It is so huge, and we have to figure out all the free and not free food and quiet and nice places. 

There is no shortage of deck chairs, I'm sitting on one now--just took a photo of the view of sky and sea, and my toes and Manfred, sleeping on deck, in his new striped t-shirt. 

Central Park has the Park Cafe - excellent salad. Can't see the sea, but it's pleasant.  Formal night in the dining room, so Manfred put on his pants, and his coat over his new, striped t-shirt. We were alone at the table again, and we asked the waiter to get us together with other people soon.

Day 3 - Wednesday 

Manfred got up at 7 and went to the buffet. I got up at 9 and went to look for him. There were plenty of tables, including window ones. Park Cafe for lunch was good, but too crowded. Finally, after dinner alone again, we arranged to join another table tomorrow. 

I finished Soulless, the book Karen bought me, it was a lot of fun. 

Day 4 - Thursday

This morning I finally got on the TV to order tickets to shows. Not much left. I met Manfred at the Windjammer buffet - he was with an Israeli couple from Germany.  They recommended the crime lecture @ 11, so I went. It was interesting, about the assassination of Robert Kennedy. Lunch at 

Park Cafe, which was rather warm. The pool deck was too windy but I got a place on some sheltered, cushioned chaises under the stands.  It's great, I see the sea, no wind, no sun, nice music.

First time change today, had a lot of trouble trying to set my new watch. 

At dinner we met our new table-mates. Such a nice couple, Howard and Sally. They cruise a lot. They are going to visit England, France and Germany, including the Rhine and Oktoberfest. Then they fly home. 

We went to the Headliner show, a really good, hilarious ventriloquist. 

Then, we had a beer, for $5.50 at the pizza place, and took a couple slices of pizza to the room. It wasn't especially good. I wish we had Internet. Sally has the whole package, which I think is $240 - she says it's really slow. That's one very bad thing about boats.