Couple's Weekend

Had a great time in St. Louis on Couple's Weekend.  Or should I say on the way to, from, and in St. Louis??

We boarded the Amtrak train to St. Louis at 7:15 am last Saturday morning:  nine brave souls, one 5-hour train ride, lots of snacks and games, and Mary Poppins to boot!  (You know who you are Poppins!!!)

Little did my friends know that I relished the idea of a captive audience for 5 straight hours (both ways!)............  I regaled them with my wit, my card/game playing prowess, and my 20 questions scintillating mysteries!!  And we didn't even get around to cracking open the wine that Poppins had in her carpet bag.

I must say, getting kicked out of the dining car because we couldn't make our one cup of tea last for 4 hours was a bit surprising---but we were good sports---we picked up our cards and left without sharing any hand signals with the train's engineer (who was spread out all over one of the 6 tables available to dining guests....).  

Wasn't really impressed with the demeanor of the Amtrak employees that we encountered.  But that never stopped us from having fun.  

Now I must mention that 2 of our party were poopers---they called in sick.  So we replaced one of the them with a delightful young woman named Karen.  (Karen and I got along great as she basically worshipped the ground I walked on :)  I think it was the 20 questions gig that sent her over the moon.  Needless to say---Karen will be invited back to our next couples weekend--should our 2 poopers poop out again!!!!

Our hotel was fabulous--simply fabulous!  That means they fed us free food!!  Chili, hot dogs, mac and cheese, baked potatoes, chips and salsa and lots of cheese dip.  Oh and 3 free alcoholic drinks!!!!  3 sheets to the wind later.......we stumbled out the door to the jazz clubs  where we encountered some good music.  I don't think the "cool" crowd even clued in to the fact that we were all pretty much sleeping sitting up after 9:00 pm!  OK maybe it was closer to 11:00 pm before we all closed our eyes and basically swayed ourselves to sleep listening to the music.  

Back to the hotel to sleep and prepare for our free breakfast!!!!  Oh, yah.  Before all the free evening hors d'ouvres we did get in some sight seeing:  The St. Louis Arch and a short cruise up and down the old Mississippi River.  

Sunday greeted us with a leisurely free hot breakfast.  The more adventurous of us checked out the courthouse  (I really don't know why--but hey, there is no accounting for why my couple friends do what they do!!)  Then it was hot tubbing for some who remembered to pack a swimsuit.  They weren't keen on the idea of my relaxing in the tub with them in my birthday suit, so I graciously found something else to do.

At 10:00 am it was off to the Metro and out to Forest Park to check out the zoo and the museums.  Some of us visited the History Museum---Karen and Patty, send me the underwear picture so I can post it!!!  Some of got cultural at the Art Museum, and those feeling frisky checked out the hippos at the zoo.  I must say, Forest Park was great.  So much for us to do and all of it was free!!  Of course we didn't have time to check out all the venues.  That just means we have to go back.

By 2:00 pm it was time to head back to the hotel to pick up the luggage and then head back to Amtrak for our 5 hour trip home.  (A few of us did stop at Union Station to do a little shopping before we made it back to Amtrak).

Amtrak-always being on time, as the desk attendant informed us--pulled up at 4:00 pm and off we went.  So once again I had a captive audience.  If Karen had only played her music more loudly, we could have danced in the aisles.......But being easy going, we played more games--of which Patty and Karen kept winning.  Poppins kept checking her carpet bag for more needed items.  We also ventured back into the dining car to find the same old vendor behind the counter---old sourpuss.  This time the dining car was filled with alcoholics consuming even more alcohol.  Seems alcohol and computer users were deemed worthy of monopolizing the tables -- so we found a table and I ordered a hot tea and we broke out the cards.  Bob and I were beating the pants off of Patty and Wayne when we arrived back at the KC Union Station.  

The train was on time--of course.  Goodbyes were said, hugs all around, and then I realized that we were giving rides back home to some of these people.  So all the hugging hoopla was really quite unnecessary!!  It was close to 10:00 pm so I can be forgiven my temporary memory loss :)

We truly had a fun weekend.  Enjoyed just about every minute of it!  Now I'm thinking of Amtrak to Glacier National Park......hmmm...  that one should be good for about 48 hours of captive audience!!!!

A few pictures, more to come

Bought some real estate while in London!

They still have phone booths in London!

Start of the journey---while we were still friends--enjoying our tea in London.

Gnomeo does London Parliament.

A little London porn for Laura and her Gnomeo!

True Art!

Hungarian Stew in Budapest

Monkey Lovers near Vienna, Austria- Monastery Gardens

Brenda wanted to set a new London Fashion for all the rainy weather we were having.  She kept swiping all the hotel shower caps.

Freaky Angel at Sacre Coeur church

Just for Laura and her little gnome!

Gnomeo in Paris!

Bee House in Paris Gardens--Just for you Laura (Bee Queen)

Wayne and Brenda in a Paris Garden

Should I be concerned?  Brenda showing a little shoulder at the top of the air traffic control tower in Vienna (that is where Lucas works.)

Prague, Day 2:

Had a great breakfast and finally some tea.  I've been on a tea fast while here in Europe.  I'm used to having hotels that have coffee/tea in the room.  Not available in all of our hotels.

One thing we've had to get used to, having to buy water when we are out dining.  They don't offer tap water here.  If you drink water---you buy it, or carry around an empty bottle and fill it at the hotel tap in your room.  They have good drinking water so I'm not sure why they just don't serve it in restaurants.

We took off on our 3 hour tour of Prague.  Small tour group and great tour guide.  Saw the castle district, Old Town, Wenceslas Square (Where the old King Wenceslas song came from), the Jewish district, etc.

Left Betty back at the hotel and then took the tram back to Old Town to walk the streets.  I love the clocks--so I had to take pictures of the Atomic Clock.  Have no idea how it works, just like the looks of it.

Dinner tonight was spent at the same restaurant, very relaxing on the terrace.  We were already reminiscing about the journey.  I lost my umbrella, Brenda lost her neck pillow with watch attached, and Wayne quipped that he "lost his mind"!!   Made us laugh hysterically.........

We fly out tomorrow afternoon.  See everyone soon.  We get back to KC around 9:30 pm Wednesday night.

I'm sure I'll be tired for the next two weeks!

The Queen will need her rest.  Feel free to come by and pay your regards (after Wednesday :)

Susan, "Her Majesty of her own front porch"

Got my hands on a real computer!!!  Well we were spoiled in Budapest.  Our hotel was top notch---not so in Prague.

We rode a coach bus for 7 hours from Budapest to Prague.  Got to see the countryside and how regular rural people live.  Got into the Prague bus depot around 1:45 pm.  We had to take the metro and then transfer to a tram (first tram ride in Europe) in order to get to our hotel.  It was hotter than hell, and I was ready to throw Grandma from the train :)  Betty is a trooper and should get a medal for all the stairs, trains, metros, and trams she has had to jump on and off from.  Think of a 78 year old, dragging a suitcase and trying to struggle on and off the transport before the doors slam shut on her.   I know that both Brenda and Betty were terrified that they would get separated from Wayne and myself.  (It would have been so easy to lose those two---and Steve, Brenda's husband, did offer to pay us to lose Brenda in Europe---but we don't think he really meant it :)

So we found our hotel only to discover that it is not AIR CONDITIONED!!!  90 some degrees out and no air conditioning!!!  Thank the Lord that these old buildings keep cooler than the outside temps.  Wayne and I also got a smoking room, so I had to go down and be the queen B and demand a non-smoking room as per our reservation.  They found us one on the first floor which was cooler than the 3rd floor.  Not a good first impression of our hotel.  But the staff has been very accommodating.  So we'll survive for 2 nights.  They also have a great breakfast spread, similar to the one in Budapest.  And food always cheers me up:)

Today it is off for a city tour.  We've hired a company that will pick us up at the hotel---no more hikes to the city center for Betty.  We're treating her royally this last day.  We are even taking a taxi to the airport.  We figure she deserves some perks.  Both she and Brenda vow they will no longer leave North America :)
I think they will kiss the ground when we land in New York.

Are you feeling sad that the European blog is ending?  I know some of you only read it for Paula's responses---and now there won't be any more :(

(I think Laura and Paula have some kissing up to do---or they might both disappear from this blog's reading list----I am the Queen and I do have that power.  I'll have to ponder my options before I do anything rash.  It will also give them time to assuage my hurt feelings..........)

The Queen

Budapest

We rode a fast speed train to Budapest this morning. It took 2 and 1/2 hours. We're now in the eastern block area and it shows. Everything is dumpier with lots of big dilapidated square apartment blocks. But the city center is beautiful and very ornate. We found our hotel to be the best one yet! And it has been the cheapest. It's very modern on the inside even though it is in an old building. We have two bedrooms with small kitchen. They even gave us a complementary bottle of wine and chocolates on our pillows. Very gracious people and the concierge is quite handsome--eyebrow wiggle wiggle..... We went out for a late lunch and Wayne LOVED his Hungarian duck in blackberry brandy sauce with fried potato balls. When he cracked a smile after he had finished, we all laughed until we almost peed our pants......Brenda who was sitting across from him was trying to be so diplomatic--but Wayne's teeth were died blue from the sauce. He looked like a kid who had sucked on a blue popsicle!! His teeth looked like they were rotten. We took a picture but I'm not sure it will do justice. After dining we hopped on the tour bus for an overview of the town. The weather is hot and sunny. We'll be missing those cool overcast days of London and Paris. Upon returning home for the evening, Brenda discovered the free sangria. For the next hour she was running back and forth trying to refill our cups. After her third glass she decided to go to bed as she was seeing double:) More adventure tomorrow.

Catching up

France Day 1: We found our way to the motel in the Latin Quarter. Our room held one double bed, one single bed and one couche longe bed. All of us sleeping in one room....ooooolala! Snug but we only sleep there. I got out my night mask and ear plugs in preparation for an interesting night of slumber. We headed out for some food and then ait was time to go check out Notre Dame Cathedral. It was about 5 blocks from our hotel. Then we spent about an hour there taking pictures and seeing the grounds. It was getting late so we headed back to the hotel only to discover we had headed off in the opposite direction from our hotel. Brenda and her mom decided to catch a taxi back, while Wayne and I had a romantic walk through the streets of Paris in the rain.

France Day 2: Today we took the Batobus on the Seine river. It took us past the major sites and we could hop on hop off any time we wanted.  We stopped at the Louvre museum which was humongous!  It was so crowded that we decided to come back in the evening.  We walked around the Tuillery gardens and then paid for the privilege to use their bathrooms.  Haven't had to pay to go potty since my childhood---as you know--decades ago.  So I made sure I stayed for a good long time and enjoyed the ambiance and cleared my bowels:) After all the walking we hopped back on the batobus and snapped pictures of the buildings along the river. Betty decided she needed a rest at that point so the rest of us were off to the Arc de triomphe and a long walk up the Champs Ellysee.  We finished the evening with the Eiffel Tower.  As night does not darken the skies until 10:30 pm, there was no way we were going to be able to stay awake to see the city buildings all lit up--sucks to get old!

As an aside, remind me to walk at least 10 miles each day when we get home, cause that is what these Europeans walk by the end of their days! No wussy 10,000 steps for them!  Wayne is wasting away with all the walking-- I of course am not.  He's looking for pastry shops, eating chocolate desserts etc. And I'm looking at baguettes and gaining weight, I'm sure!  Sigh.....

Paris day 3 Our goal today is to take the metro to Sacred Coeur church, the highest point in Paris.  Of course it is still overcast so the views won't be at their prime.  When we got there we had to ride a funniculare to the top (translation: tram).  Upon arrival we were greeted by a very interesting "angel". It was a guy dressed in a white robe with wings--face covered in white paint like a mime.  So I, of course, handed him Laura's gnome and took a picture.  There were all kinds of people standing around, playing instruments etc, all trying to make money from all the tourists.  Enjoyed the music but only the angel got my money:) The things I'm willing to do for Laura!! On to the museum d'orsey--only to find it also packed with people. Note to self: buy and download tickets to Paris museums before you get to Paris!  The lines were too long and all of us too footweary to deal with it.  We'll have to save the art museums till our next visit. Brenda and Betty caught a cab back to the hotel only to discover the driver was the same man who drove them the first night we were in Paris.  What are the odds of that???? Brenda has her own personal driver while in Paris! Wayne and I sauntered our way back to the hotel,enjoying the sites and sounds.  We met back up with Brenda and Betty for a good Greek gyro sandwich. We've enjoyed baguettes and croissants with butter and jam each morning along with hot chocolate and tea.  I've also enjoyed the quiche here.

Observations about Europe so far... People in big cities walk alot, metros are not handicapped-accessible, the bread in Paris is formidable-yum yum, the side streets are small and crowded-with walkers, bikers, cars, buses, motor bikes and tons of sidewalk cafes.  And people here in Europe enjoy being outside no matter the weather.  Loved seeing the mom's out with strollers in the rain.  Should have snapped a picture of the plastic cover over the whole stroller contraption-loved it-and it didn't smother the baby! People sat at outdoor restaurants even on the cold, dreary and wet days! Everything in Europe is small and cramped-restaurants, stores, toilets, elevators etc.  Stores only carry a few brands and people seem to shop daily for what they need. Perhaps life is different in the burbs--more like the US? Access to computers was a challenge-had to find an internet cafe in London. Found one in the basement of a small convenience store--kind of creepy.  Don't know where the public libraries are and if they have computers.  I'm not a card carrying member so that wouldn't help me anyway.  Wifi is available in some restaurants--yeh, McDonald's!

Vienna here we come: We hopped a plane for a quick 2 hour flight to Vienna. We left early because we weren't sure how long the metro took to get to the airport. Then the flight was delayed by about two hours. So we spent most of the morning in the airport. Brenda decided to donate her neck pillow along with her watch to the airport.  So it is Betty or Wayne's turn to leave something behind in upcoming countries. It was great to be met in Vienna by Lucas, Brenda's foreign exchange student. He gave Wayne and me a ride to our hotel.  Brenda and Betty were staying with him in his small condo. That means Wayne and I have a room to ourselves for 3 whole days.... We all met later that evening for a walk around the city center followed by a traditional meal of wiener Schnitzel with bird salad (yummy pumpkin oil dressing) and wine for me:)  We strolled through the city center and stopped at a clock that was supposed to chime on the hour, while historical figures march across the clock face.  Lucas warned us that it might not work--and it did not, disappointing.

Day 2 in Vienna included a bus tour of the city followed by a Vienna sausage lunch from a local stand.  The tour included stopping at the Imperial Palace.  It is a smaller version of Versailles, which we didn't get to see in France.  Beautiful grounds!!!    After the tour, we went to check out a Baroque national library. It wasn't as impressive as it looked on the internet.  I thought it would be much more extensive. We ended the afternoon with coffee and dessert at a traditional coffee house.  Throughout Vienna you see people enjoying themselves at outdoor cafes.  There are small cafes and restaurants everywhere! I don't know how they afford all the libations and desserts--it's pricey! The weather has been perfect here in Vienna.

Day 3 entailed a river cruise down the Danube.  We drove about an hour out of town and stopped at a beautiful Benedictine monastery.  We took a guided tour of all the buildings and then enjoyed walking the gardens.  The river cruise followed with beautiful scenery of castles, villages dominated by churches, and vineyards.  The area is known for it's vineyards and apricot orchards.  We stopped for lunch in a vineyard and sampled the local fare:  bread, cheeses, meats, pates, and wine. Delish!  I stopped to buy some apricot soap which will bring back pleasant memories everytime l use it. Lucas's dad, Helmuth, joined us for the day so we enjoyed good company and enjoyable stories. Liked the man because he kept refilling my wineglass.  You'll never believe this, but I had more than one glass of wine, Laura! Got a bit silly and very sleepy on the ride home. Wayne and I collapsed in the hotel after a great day in Vienna. On the way to Budapest.....

Found our way to France

Brenda says hi to all. We are so happy that Brenda is still with us..... We rode the metro to the Eurostar which took us under the English Channel to Paris. Upon arrival, we figured out how to buy metro tickets despite the fact that the screens were all in French. They're definitely not as helpful here in France. Then we proceeded to the metro gates where we almost lost Brenda! She put her ticket in the turnstile before her mother was clear and the gates proceeded to snap shut after Betty, trapping Brenda in the middle of them. The rest of us heard this desperate cry for help........only to turn around and see poor Brenda hung up like a fish in a net. She had to go back and buy another ticket before she could rejoin the party. Brenda is now reconsidering that fishing trip offer from her husband for her next vacation...not sure she's lovin these European adventures quite as much as she expected to. We're renaming this trip Brenda Heuton's excellent European Adventure! We finished our metro ride down to central Paris and located our bed & breakfast. Once again it started to rain! So we went and found some supper and went for a walk to Notre Dame, where once again we got to go inside where a worship service was going on. They let tourists walk along the side aisles as the service was going on--I found that hard to believe. Wayne and I walked back to the hotel, Paris in the rain--how romantic, while Brenda and Betty took a taxi. Now it is bedtime and I plan to take major drugs, along with my sleep mask, and earplugs! We are all 4 sleeping in the same room that sits on ground level right next to the sidewalk and busy street. Ooohlala! Bon soir, Sue

London day 3

Had some fun today. Brenda didn't sleep well, and according to her mother it was because Brenda's husband, Steve, told her he had a french maid coming in to keep house while Brenda was in Europe! Well I know Brenda better than that-she's not losing any sleep over any French maid:) It is now time to reveal that I have done something special for Laura-you know her as Duffy (time to come out of the incognito mode, Laura!) As Laura's husband will be leaving her for Vermont next week for a full month--I wanted to give Laura a little cultural gift of European "art". I contemplated abducting one of the stupid gnomes that she keeps hiding around my yard --but they are too darn big to lug around Europe. So I bought a tiny one to put in my suitcase and as I travel I plan to capture Laura's new little gnome as he encounters European "art"! I've already snapped a few photos and sent them exclusively to her--so Laura, what do you think? Well it doesn't really matter what she thinks, I'm having fun coming up with new "artistic" photo ideas. I'll share the photos with the rest of you as I find more computer time. This I-pad won't let me upload photos so I've had to go to an Internet cafe to send a few to her. Feel free to give me any of your artistic ideas for taking cultural photos for Laura's lonely nights! Now back to what we did today..... We started by touring the British museum, followed by a river cruise down the Thames River. As we were walking past Westminster Abbey (where Princess Diana got married)we noticed that they had opened the doors for their Saturday night service--so we attended a worship service inside the church. Quite lovely and all that--choir sang in Latin etc. Brought me back to my early Catholic days. We Finished the day with our evening meal in another pub. Tomorrow we're off to Paris--who knows what my little gnome will find there! Cheerio, Sue

London day 2

More cold wind and rain today. We took the red bus tour to see all the major tourist sites. It's a nice way to get an overview of the city. We stopped and toured the tower of London where good ole Henry viii had all his wives and other enemies beheaded. We discovered that the Martin family has a tower named for us! Took lots of pictures: Westminster abbey where Diana was married, Big Ben, Parliament, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye ferris wheel etc. Trying lots of different restaurants. Had our fish and chips in an English pub. Very good fish. Wayne wasn't interested in trying the mushy peas that were included. Dinner was chinese, nothing to write home about. Wore Betty out, but couldn't lose Brenda (her husband is paying Wayne to lose her over here in Europe somewhere:) Tomorrow is another day. Cheerio Sue

London day one

One tiring day, but all went well! Plane rides were on time and went smoothly, although it was not fun trying to sleep sitting up! In my next life I should become a contortionist. We figured out how to get tickets and ride the tube. Easy-peasey. Unfortunately, it was a typical Rainey day in London and we had to walk about 10 minutes in the rain. Betty had a hard time keeping up cause she was hauling way too much stuff! The next 2 days should be easier as we'll be riding the hop on hop off bus to all the tourist spots. But Paris will be a challenge cause it is all walking. I think we're going to wear Betty out after two weeks. Went to a Portuguese restaurant for dinner. Spicy and expensive. Then we walked to Buckingham Palace which was still blocked off because of all the jubilee cleanup. Good news for those of you with inquiring minds! We got upgraded to a suite with sitting room, kitchen, and SEPARATE bedrooms. I'm thinking London will be easy-as will be Wayne:) that is if I can keep him awake long enough. Oh, and I have a picture for Laura! Let's see if I can figure out how to upload a picture from this I-pad...

On the Road Again

Ahhhhh Summer!!  


As you already know Wayne and I, along with Brenda and her mother Betty, are traveling to Europe next week.  So I've been busy researching the countries we are visiting--trying to figure out how to get around and what to see.


My brain is on overload!  Funny money, tubes, trams, metros, taxis and foreign languages all add to the melee.  Running around getting supplies, figuring out what to pack, what not to pack---did I say my brain was on overload?  


OK, so I hear you all thinking, "Oh, poor Sue, we feel so sorry for you........"  I feel the sarcasm as you think those thoughts!!


In order to maintain a healthy balance, I decided to download a few books onto my Kindle so I would have something to read on the long plane trip to Europe.  As I was perusing available books  on the MidContinent Library site, I noted a title that looked like a great "beach read", something light, funny and fluffy.  Something just right for my overloaded brain.  So I started reading, Apocalipstick.


Think Bridget Jones Diary.  Very British, laugh out loud funny in parts, lots of sex (or thinking about sex) etc.  You get the drift......  Anyway, it got me to thinking that I need to set some goals while seeing and experiencing Europe.


Yes, I already have a sight-seeing itinerary pretty much set, but after reading Apocalipstick, I've added a new goal............of making sure that I have sex in every country that I visit on this European adventure!  Now, before you all get titillated---that sex will be had with my HUSBAND only!!  The true adventure will be how to consummate that goal while sharing a room with Brenda and her mother, Betty!!!  Now you see the challenge---and the fun of it all :)


For those of you who know Brenda---just remember that what is said on "Sisters of the Road" stays on "Sisters of the Road"!!!  Besides it's too late for Brenda and Betty to back out of the European trip.  The money has already been paid, and there are no refunds!!


So right now I'm thinking Chevy Chases European Vacation won't hold a candle to mine :)


Any time that any of you want to book a vacation with me, just let me know---I'll make sure it is memorable!


Now, I need a way to let you all know when each of my country goals is met.......  I'll have to think on that one :)


Au Revoir
Cheerio
Auf Wiedersehen
Szia
Nashledanou

Say a Prayer

Home sick today--meaning it was quiet and I had time to think.  Just reflecting on some hard realities.  Life is never a smooth road.

Within the last 6 months three families have had to make hard decisions regarding loved ones with dementia.
My Dad finally hit bottom and realized this past week that he can no longer be the sole caregiver for Mom.  It's the going without a full night's sleep and Mom's agitation and anxiety that are wearing.

Thank you to my sister, Paula, and my brother, John, for stepping in and handling the crisis.  Mom will be moved, within the same assisted living care facility, to the side for those needing more care.  Dad will be staying in his apartment.  He will spend time with Mom during the day, but he can retreat to his own place at night and whenever he needs a rest.  Mom will get the care she needs, from people she already knows.

Please keep them both in your prayers as they enter this new phase of life.

My brother-in-law, Gene, was also recently placed in a facility for people afflicted by dementia.  I don't think he's even 60 years old yet.  Doesn't seem fair  - to be so young and dealing with this disease.  Double whammy--Lynn, his wife, is dealing with MS.   Say a prayer for the Corrie family when you have a moment!

Lastly, a friend and former neighbor, Amir was diagnosed with a brain tumor that has over the past few years brought on dementia.  His wife, Kim, is now looking at placing this 52 year old man in an assisted care facility for dementia patients.

All of these families need support from family and friends.  God has placed people in their lives to help bridge the gap, but ongoing prayer for continued challenges will be appreciated.

Life is hard.  I am thankful for my family and friends.  And I am reminded through them that God is faithful!  Amen.