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September 2:

Left Austin on time Tuesday at 4:30pm and flew to Dulles (Washington DC).  Was just about to get on flight to Frankfurt when United Airlines gave our airplane to a flight going to Dubai.  After 2 more gate changes (with associated baggage and galley moves) we finally left Dulles about 12:30am Wednesday morning.  This caused us to land about 2 hours late (~3pm Frankfurt time).  Then drove over to Nuremburg to visit our pastor's (John Alsup) best friend.  We met them for dinner at DoktorHof (gastehouse) and had a very good schnitzel dinner.  Of course Mike drank a very good German white wine.  Since we got very little sleep on the airplane we crashed early tonight.  Sorry, but with the lateness and the heavy traffic on the autobahn we didn't take any pictures today.  We should be back on track tomorrow.  

 

 

 

Sept 3 --  Hans and Dorothee Bald met us at our hotel at 9 am and first drove us to the Nuremburg Nazi parade grounds, Zepellin Field where Hitler spoke to the crowds of Nazi officials, soldiers and spectators.  The swastika symbol atop the speaker podium was removed by the Americans at the end of WWII.

We then drove to the Altstadt (old town) where Dorothee let us out near the castle.  Hans served as our tour guide starting at the castle and working our way down hill.  We saw several important churches and buildings, but mainly the square where the Christkindl market is held each year.  This square is in front of St Lawrence church.  We went in the church which is a Protestant church. Nuremburg was one of the first German towns to embrace the Reformation—breaking away from the Catholic church. 

At the end of the Altstadt area, we crossed the street to the train station and caught a train back to our hotel area.  There we parted ways with Hans as he went back to the train to ride home.  We drove partway back toward Frankfurt on the autobahn, then got off and drove a back road along the Main river.  Mike expected to see a lot of vineyards along that route.  There were some but not like he expected to see.  We drove closer to Frankfurt and found a hotel in Babenhausen.  We walked to the Altstadt  in Babenhausen and had dinner in the restaurant of the Hotel Roter Hahn.  After the meal they brought us a small plate of diamond shaped donut-like dessert along with a warm aperitif which they make themselves—was good but not sure what it was.

Sept 4 -- Drove to Frankfurt airport and flew to Gotenburg Sweden landing about 2pm —no problems.  Took a taxi ride to hotel and checked in.  Wondered why we saw many pink cars in parking lot---apparently there was also a very large Mary Kay convention going on this week at our hotel!  After we were settled we got out and took a walk to stretch our legs.  The speaker’s dinner was scheduled to start at 6 pm but we all met down in lobby at 5:30 and walked to the port (about twice as far as Mike and I had already walked, roughly 2 miles).  There we boarded a boat (with a fair amount of beer and wine) for an hour ride to Vinga island---one of many islands off the coast and the entrance to the harbor for Gotenburg.  They have a lighthouse there as well as several dwellings.  They first gave us a tour of the island/lighthouse which has been around to warn sailors for over 125 years.  After that we were treated to a Swedish BBQ—lamb ribs, chicken skewers, pulled pork, grilled vegetables, corn on cob, potato salad, green salad, and more beer and wine.  All very good.  Every one talked SQL Server shop talk (Lynne just sat and listened).  The boat came back at 11 pm and we went back a little faster than we had gone out, then we had to walk back to the hotel.  It was about 1 am before we got to bed.  That is why this blog did not get written then!  Lynne has a new Jawbone UP24 that records her steps.  With all the walking she logged 13,100 steps for Sept 4 and 3200 more for Sept 5 (after 12 pm)---total of 16,300 for the day! 

Sept 5 – Went down to breakfast with a whole crowd of Mary Kay ladies.  Then Mike went to his meeting---his presentation was at 11 am which he said went well.  Lynne stayed In the room since it was raining outside most of the day—washed her hair, reorganized suitcases and read, so very relaxing day.  Really didn’t want to walk as much and especially not in the rain.  When Mike was through (he sits in on other presentations) we wandered out for dinner and made an early night of it.  The rain finally cleared up by end of day. We walked a couple blocks and ate in an Italian restaurant and back to hotel to regroup for tomorrow. No pictures today.

 

Sept 5th -- Our plane didn’t leave Goteburg until 7 pm and the weather was windy, but dry.  So after breakfast, we headed out walking across town to the Goteburg City Museum which showed the history of the area back 12,000 years.  It was very interesting to see early (pre-Viking) and the Viking period.  We left there and walked by the Fish Market Hall (closed on Sundays) to see it’s unusual architecture for the time it was built.  Headed back to the hotel thru one of many city parks (everything is soooo green compared to our part of Texas), stopping at a grocery store for a few snacks for our lunch.  Mike said to say it was funny how almost every other car we saw (in Sweden) was a Volvo!!

We checked out of our hotel and walked 5 blocks to catch the airport bus.  Got to the airport and looked around to see where we checked in, when we realized that we had accidentally left our passports and Euros (Sweden has it’s own money) in the safe in our hotel room.  So Mike parked Lynne in a café with all the suitcases and he got a taxi ride back to the hotel, got the passports and Euros, and then came right back.  Luckily we had gotten to the airport early, so this did not affect our catching our flight---just one of those “Oops!” that happen sometimes when you travel!  We got to Frankfurt about 9:30, got our bags, and caught a taxi to hotel.  Had to get to bed as we were to catch shuttle back to airport at 6 am.

 

Sept 6th -- Caught the shuttle at 6am, checked in, ate quick breakfast at the Frankfurt airport and plane was only 15 minutes late leaving.  Got to Istanbul and after long line at customs, found the shuttle to take us to our Windstar yacht, Star Pride arriving about 3:30 pm.  Got settled in and the boat sailed at 5 pm.  Heard some of the introductory info sessions where we met another couple from Oregon (he had also been in the Air Force).  We went to dinner and sat with them.  Mike enjoyed talking with another pilot and Lynne and the other wife shared travel/military stories.  The food was well prepared and served in smaller (but very adequate portions) so we didn’t leave the meal feeling overstuffed!  Turning in early tonight as this has been a long day and we have to meet for our excursion in Asmara, Turkey at 8:20 am.  We are very impressed with the quality of our room, the staff, and the overall operation of this WindStar Cruise. 

Sept 8 -- Arrived at Bartin, Turkey around 8 am this morning.  After a nice breakfast, we met our tour, got on the bus and left for Asmara, further east on the Black Sea coast.  Surprisingly, the coast line along the Black Sea is very green with lots of vegetation.  It is also very hilly.  Asmara is a very old town with virtually no roads into it until the Romans built a road into Asmara about 80 BC.  Before the only way in was by boat.  The road we drove in on followed the same road built by the Romans---winding very much and steep in places.  Made you wonder how the Romans negotiated the road in their chariots, wagons or even by horseback.  The town itself has a long history, but little is actually known of the history.  There is a part of an old castle there, but little else other than the view of the coastline.

We arrived back at the boat, had lunch, and then explored the boat to see where everything was located.  Mike went to the fitness center and worked out on the stationery bike.  At 4:30 we both went to a “Yogalates” class---a combination of yoga and pilates.  Paulina, a German girl, was our instructor and put us thru some serious maneuvers! Ouch!

Had to change quickly to be down at the Captain’s reception at 6 pm, then onto dinner at 7:30.  As usual a great meal, but ate too much.  Tomorrow we are at sea all day, on our way to Odessa (Ukraine).

 

Sept 9 -- At sea all day today, so slept in until 8:30, had breakfast, then went to a lecture on the geology and archaeology of the Black Sea area.  At noon, Lynne went to a food carving demo then we ate lunch.  While Lynne got a manicure, Mike went to a cocktail mixing class (only drank 4 exotic drinks), then worked out for a half hour on a stationary bike, then sat in the hot tub for a half hour.  Another lecture at 5 on trade routes of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and dinner at 7. 

Tomorrow we arrive in Odessa, Ukraine.

Sept 10 -- Left on our tour, Highlights of Odessa, at 8 am.  They had the bus ready for us right off the gangplank. There was also a band playing in our honor. Our tour guide, Emiliya, took us first to an art museum housed in a former palace, with art works from many centuries of Ukrainian artists.  From there we drove to see the famous Potemkin Steps, from the top, that are near the port.  Then we walked thru a park area to the city hall where a political protest was going on.  She had explained that the troubles in Ukraine in past year have not affected Odessa---trouble is farther east.  But they have had a few problems with protests, so they have increased their police force (and even had them trained by Los Angeles City Police).  You can see in pictures they had many police officers out for the protest just in case, but it seemed to be a peaceful situation.  We walked to the Opera House and saw it from the outside.  Our cruise includes a special VIP performance in the afternoon just for people on our boat.

After a stop in a traditional Ukrainian restaurant for coffee and tea, we walked on to the Church of the Transfiguration, a Russian Orthodox church.  We had a short time to shop at some vendors and then back on the bus to go back to the boat.  After lunch, we met at the pier to be bussed to the Opera House for our special performance.  The Opera House is beautiful, wonderful acoustics, and because we were the only group there, we could sit anywhere we wanted to sit.  We decided to sit in a box seat one level up.  They also had an orchestra playing in the orchestra pit.  Back to the hotel.  Tonight we have reservations to eat in the boat’s special dining room—you have to make reservations and can only eat there once on the cruise as it is a small venue.  Stopped in the bar for a few dances before going back to room for the night.

Sidenote:  Originally the cruise was scheduled to go to Yalta, but with the Russians occupying there, we had a sea day and went directly from Turkey to Odessa.  The Ukrainians are keeping a stiff upper lip, but obviously they are having political issues.  On another side note, Mike noticed that the Ukrainian women are quite attractive. 

Sept 11

Our tour didn’t leave until 1 pm, so we slept in again until 8:30.  Lynne had a 9 am appt for a massage and Mike ate breakfast and worked out for a half hour.  We both cleaned up and got a quick snack for lunch, then met the tour. 

Had a young Romanian lady (30 years old) for tour guide.  She first took us to the Constanza History Museum and Mosaics.  She explained a lot about the time of Communist rule and how houses and land were taken away from people for the “good of all”.  Many buildings were in poor repair though they had been offered back to the original owners after Communism fell, but many lived elsewhere and/or couldn’t afford to repair the houses.  They are slowly being sold to people who can renovate them.

We drove thru the rest of Constanza to the Murfatlar wine area.  There we were treated to a wine tasting of 6 kinds of white and red wines.  After the tasting, we had a performance by folk dancers. Lynne got chosen to join in on the last dance along with several others.

Back on the bus, on the way back to Constanza, our guide explained about the Christian Orthodox church.  Her father is a priest. In the Orthodox church, they cannot be ordained if they are not married.  If they get divorced, they can no longer be a priest.  We went to the oldest church in Constanza, Sts Peter & Paul.  She explained that church starts at 8 and goes until noon. There are no seats as you are expected to stand that whole time (a sort of penance for anything you had done wrong during past week).

Back to the boat and another folk dance demonstration.  Tonight there was a barbeque on the deck with many choices:  shrimp cocktail, lobster, beef, pork, paella, and of course salads, etc and dessert.  There was also music by a band.  (Please note UTube movie added Sept 13 showing Ukranian dancers, Greek Orthodox priests, and additional Ukranian dancers onboard our ship).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sept 12

 Today we arrived in Varna, Bulgaria.  This morning was overcast, windy, and cool and we had a shower about 9:30am.  We didn’t have any excursions planned today, so we just stayed in the room and read.  Excitement this morning was that the ship lost electrical power as we were working out in the physical fitness room.  Stationary bicycles and treadmills don’t work well without electrical power.  We continued our workout on the weight machines.  Still didn’t have electrical power for lunch, but the ship made do with outdoor grilling on the pool deck.  We regained power shortly after lunch only to lose it later this afternoon.  Shortly after lunch, Lynne and I cleaned up and took a cruise-provided shuttle into Varna.  Saw a really nifty cathedral and three weddings and a christening.  We walked around the town just looking at the old and new architecture.  It is obvious that the Russians didn’t do anything to help the satellite countries in the way of infra-structure.  While it is still OK, there is a lot of work still necessary to bring up their standard of living.  Power in the ship is still about half way there in recovery and our supper tonight was again makeshift using the outdoor grilling for the entrée.  Tonight at 9:45 we have the crew talent show and we’re looking forward to that.

 

Sept 13 -- The boat arrived in Nessebar, Bulgaria, at 8 am.  Our tour, A Taste of Bulgaria, left at 8:30.  After boarding the bus, our guide, Christo, told us about the city of Nessebar.  The old city is on a peninsula, with a very small connecting road and dates back to before Roman times.  The new city on the mainland is primarily a beach resort drawing many people from the Balkans and Russia to vacation here. 

We drove out of the town about ½ hour drive to a small farm community where they have a small outdoor museum of old farm house, chapel and farm equipment, etc. that showed how they used to live in the country.  They also had a large eating area where we were treated to a demonstration of making a phyllo dough treat, after which they had food for us to eat, including this phyllo/cheese treat and drinks. Then a troupe of folk dancers put on a very active show of their Bulgarian folk dances.

We then drove back into Nessebar, and our guide conducted a walking tour of the old town area.  It was a very quaint town—touristy, but very nice.  At one time, they had Roman baths there, then later when Christianity was introduced; they had 40 small churches, though not all at the same time.

When the tour was finished, we came back to the boat, had a small lunch, regrouped and started packing some since we leave the boat tomorrow morning early.  We went back to town for a short walk and to do a little shop-looking.  Lynne bought a scarf, but nothing else.  In fact, she hardly bought anything this whole trip.

We have to leave the boat at 7:45 in the morning and will go directly to Istanbul airport to fly back to Frankfurt.  We spend the night in Frankfurt, and then fly out the next morning home to Austin, by way of Houston.  So—this is probably our last blog entry for this trip.

 

Sept 14 – Woke up this morning (6:30am) and was already docked in Istanbul.  First picture today was taken from our balcony looking at Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia.  Had a quick breakfast and was literally escorted off the ship (it was taking on new passengers at noon to go to Turkey and Greece ports).  Arrived at airport way early and after being treating like a Prince and Princeness for the last week we returned to reality in the Istanbul airport.  Lots of people and no clear direction on what to do.  We waited a couple hours just to figure out where we could check in with Lufthansa.  Took off about 2pm and landed in Frankfurt about 4pm (we gained an hour going west).  It was raining then so took a taxi to our hotel.  Lynne thought it was close to the airport, but in reality was south of the airport in a commercial/warehouse area.  Hotel was very modern and clean (Airport Global Hotel in Waldorf).  By the time we got to the airport and settled in we went out for a walk looking for a restaurant.  Walked right past the Avocado Bar and Grill (see picture with Lynne) and eventually returned to it.  Portions were very large and surprisingly to me were very, very tasty.  I got the pork medallions and Lynne of course the Weiner Schnitzel.  Neither of us cleaned our plates.  Walked back to the hotel and after we finish this blog intend to crash.  This will be our last blog on this holiday.  Overall the trip was very worthwhile (although I am afraid to look at our credit card). 

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