SOUTHHAMPTON, ENGLAND APRIL 22, 2008
Again we were awakened by an awareness of the changes in the behavior of the ship. We docked and nearby was the new ship, the Queen Victoria. The weather was gray which kind’ve fit everyone’s mood. Mine wasn’t in good shape because I had asked Ed if he wanted me to buy another piece of luggage in LeHavre and he told me everything was under control. As it turns out, in addition to our backpacks and roll aboards, both of us were laden with Princess Cruises handled bags full of the “stuff” that couldn’t be packed in our already numerous pieces of luggage.
On the way to Heathrow airport, we were treated to lambs, probably just at the weaning stage, on the roadsides with the moms. It was sweet and everyone was clicking away for photos. Our driver was what you’d expect from an old British guy. He had a pleasant demeanor but was clear that if we didn’t follow his directions, it was only going to delay things further. The traffic along the freeway was bad enough and we were all glad he was doing the driving.
We all lumber off at Heathrow. The driver had asked those folks with luggage in the bottom of the bus (that was us) to get off first and for those folks with luggage in the trailer behind, to wait on the bus until all the luggage was out and away from under the bus. Very few followed this admonition. I’ll spare you the speculation about the nationality or ethnicity of most of them.
We gathered in the open space in front of Heathrow along with another couple who we originally met on the Holland America South American trip last year. They also had a luggage problem. So here we are in this large concrete area in front of the entrance to the terminal at Heathrow. Folks are coming outside to eat their lunch (I confess, it reminded me of cows chewing their cuds and watching you from their field). So we begin to sort out our “stuff”. The other couple is doing the same. This takes a while you understand because the weight has to be distributed very carefully. The men are getting testy, so we women move slightly to the side and start chatting.
I’ll spare you the blow by blow account. Eventually, everything is stuffed somewhere. The seams of the luggage are bulging precariously but so far, so good. We say good bye and head into the Virgin atlantic counter. As soon as we pass inside, to our left, we see a gorgeous “repacking” area complete with waist high stainless steel tables; right next to them are scales for you to weigh your luggage. So now we ALL know, right?
It takes us a while to find the right qeueu to line up in but with some help from a lady dressed in red with a purple scarf around her neck (don’t you just LOVE it? Red hat colors!) we wind up in the right place. The woman at the counter is ever so patient as we share some of our tales of woe. Since I need to have a seat that protects my arm from battering and where I can get help from my left, we asked for seat changes. Along the way, the decision is made to upgrade to what they call Premium-elite. More like business class. This helps a little with the baggage weight problem and there were a few other “niceties” that go along with it: a little more leg and seat room, wine, personal TV screen, ability to personalize the music that you listen to, ability to choose from several different movie choices. Well you just know Ed was in 7th heaven with all this technology.
As it turned out, our seats were in the center section. No one came to occupy the 3rd seat, so we were able to “spread out” a little. We both had restrooms right at our elbows and the bulkhead at our backs (so not much reclining) but we’re in better shape than we expected so we’re not complaining. Ed gets himself settled: pillow, blanket, head phones on, music selected, TV channels all identified…you get the picture.
The flight wasn’t bad; I can’t honestly recall if I slept or not even though Ed gave me one of his Ambien (our MD said this was OK btw). We arrived in LA and gathered our moving van full of luggage. Ed called and eventually Mike and Neal met us at the flyaway terminal in Van Nuys and we were back home to a dusty, but otherwise well preserved house, thanks to our neighbors and Pat’s oversight. Speaking of which, we had our mail diverted to Pat’s office and so he had the boxes lined up against the wall in the dining room waiting for us. Three and a half months of mail is a lot for anybody, but we have a full mail box every day.
We discovered very quickly that our hot water heater was leaking and had otherwise died while we were gone. Both of the batteries were dead on our cars. My car perked up right away with the recharge. Ed’s car was more of a challenge: first: find out where the battery is! (In the trunk fyi) and then it took over 24 hrs to recharge. But they are both working fine now.
Then the refrigerator wasn’t making ice cubes and the frozen stuff was mushy. I’ll spare you the blow by blow but it involves 3 (or was it 4?) different trips by the repair man. We have almost an entirely new refrigerator now. We had a warranty on the part for the ice cubes so we paid for that visit except for the trip charge and labor. However, that charge was only $5 different from the charge 2 yrs ago to replace the ice maker so something smelled funny there. Ed was ready for them to charge us again, but mercifully it never came up. But since the rest wasn’t repaired properly, we didn’t pay anymore
We don’t think anything more has operating problems but we’re not tempting the gods by whispering that.
As I write this, it is May 12th. We are closer to having everything put away but the magazines and journals fill at least 3 boxes. I’m trying to finish the ones where you don’t have to think and hit the professional journals and Vanity Faire later. Speaking of journals, the ones for which I do manuscript reviews kept track of our return and I’ve already reviewed and sent a recommendation in to the editor for one. I attended the Cinco de Mayo celebration with the red hats, many of whom followed the blog, and that was fun. The memorial for my friend Ellen who died while I was gone, was a beautiful, funny, and touching remembrance of her. Devon’s Bar Mitzvah was a very fun event and we reconnected with family as one does with such family events. Ed joined his brother and some family at the Jewish Home for the World’s largest Mother’s Day celebration. I was home nursing a cold.
People ask if it’s strange to be back home after being away so long. No. Were we anxious to come back home. No. Were we tired of the ship? Speaking only for myself: NO (even though it is a floating Petri dish for respiratory bugs). What was the highlight of the trip? Not any one thing. We saw and enjoyed such a diverse set of experiences and all were terrific. Obviously, the overlands to the Galapagos, Angkor Wat, and Egypt were especially memorable.
Do we have our next trip planned? Kind’ve but nothing definite yet as it involves another couple and an area we’ve never seen. If we do it, we’re only talking a few weeks though.
We are off tomorrow to a medical conference we attend each year; that’s 5 days. Then we get ready for Lisa and the grandkids from Norway who will be here from June 22 to about July 15th. After that, I have jury duty! (How come Ed never gets a summons for jury duty!!@!
And so our lives, pretty much, are back to normal.
LE HAVRE, FRANCE April 21, 2008
Ed had an early rise as he was going to visit the Normandy beaches which are a few hours away by bus. The ship had a free shuttle into the town of LeHavre, so I went into town for a few hours. This was a Monday and most of the stores were closed! No one warned us about this. It isn’t a formal holiday or anything; it just seems that many French shops stay closed on Monday. There was a relatively new shopping mall near the bus drop off point, so I wandered through it’s 3 stories checking out the latest French fashions and comparing the cost in euros with USD (you don’t want to know). I also managed to get one of my beloved pan du chocolate with a diet Coke in a bottle. It wasn’t a smooth ordering process but we all had a good sense of humor about it all.
Then I walked around this little town which is really quite (excuse the trite expression) charming. It has an odd mixture of very old, typically French buildings alongside quite new ones. The old city is on the hill and can be reached from the center of town via a funicular. I never managed to get there.
The town hall is a lovely, modern building visible from almost everywhere in town. But the public spaces around it, festooned with myriad colors and types of flowers and greenery, was wonderful simply to walk through. Several spaces with fountains and other expressions of art via water were creative and fun to stand and observe. There are statutes here and there: some of local dignitaries but many of animals. And speaking of animals, one fellow was amused by the fact that I took a lot of shots of this sea gull who was such a funny thing to watch. The local bus line runs right through this site and the bus stop is in the middle. This means that the riders get to enjoy this lovely space while riding the busses.
As I was getting back onto the shuttle bus, the new Captain from Rome, in civvies, got off with his wife. In response to my question about who was minding the ship, he replied: “my brother”.
There were some shops nearby the ship that had trinkets but not many people decided to go check them out so I didn’t either. Perhaps we are all vegged out on souvenirs or packing was looming ahead. I put out some of the luggage which was ready to be delivered to the holding area.
Ed enjoyed his Normandy trip and described how moving it was to see these sights we had only heard about. We went to supper but few folks were in the dining room. Ed spent the remainder of the evening packing; at one point I went down to hear the harpist who was the entertainment for the evening, merely to give him more room and improve his mood. I wouldn’t be in a good mood either!