Further Adventures with Grandma Patty

Just had to add this story from a day in the life of Patty.  It is a gem.  Enjoy the read.


Our trip to Magic Kingdom was a great experience, but even then had good and bad. I discovered that the drive to Disney was farther than I had anticipated and that an accident on the highway further slowed us down.
Space Mountain was our first destination with a wait time of 70 minutes – Bad. The Good news was that it was only a 40 minute wait, and Ev loved it. I read a notice about a Disney Experience App for your phone that would tell you the wait time for every ride in the park. I thought, hey, why not? I warn you – DON’T DO IT! That bugger zapped the power from my phone in no time – leaving me with no way to call, text or take pictures within a couple of hours. Thank goodness I took my actual camera along – Good. We enjoyed many more rides (Good) as the temperature soared -Bad. Everson decided that his feet hurt and he was tired, so we could go home (Bad). 
I said no way, encouraged him along, and we stumbled across the Celebration parade from the beginning! (Very Good) Ev loved the floats, characters, and he waved back at all those who waved at him. Very cute.
We rode a few more rides including the Haunted Mansion, and by this point we were on a mission to find some lunch. It had to be something that would appeal to both of us. This restaurant had seafood – bad for EV, this one had just hotdogs – bad for both, that one was just too expensive – bad for Grandma. During this hunt for food, another parade cropped up and we were caught on the one side with limited amenities. Sigh, corndogs and a bag of chips became lunch due to raging hunger.
After the parade passed, it was time to explore Frontierland and ride the Mine Railroad. It was closed for repair – Bad. We decided to take the raft and explore Tom Sawyer’s Island – something I had never done in all my trips there – Good. Massive heat and no breeze– Bad. On the way back across the lake, we talked to two young ladies who are interning at Disney and were enjoying their time off at the park. They invited us to accompany them to the Mine Railroad which was back open (Good) AND be part of their Fastpass group -Very Good. Ev LOVED walking past all the people in the “regular” line of which he had been part of all day while complaining about those that went in the Fastpass line. 
As we parted ways with these generous young ladies, one gave us Fastpasses to use for our next ride, Splash Mountain-Again Very Good. After enjoying that ride, we cooled down with frozen lemonades and I shopped in the store. When we were ready to leave with our baby girl gifts in hand, we found that it had started pouring down rain outside-Bad. 
After cooling our heels in the store a little longer, we headed through what had turned into just a sprinkle of rain-Good. Unfortunately, the next rides we wanted to enjoy were still closed due to lightning in the area-Bad. We eventually made our way to the Pirates of the Caribbean which was still open-Good. Ev liked it so much, that we rode it three times while it was pouring down rain again-Very Good.
After having corndogs for lunch, I was determined to have something tastier for dinner. You wouldn’t think it would be that difficult. Each place we tried either wasn’t taking any more names or was closed. Seriously?-Bad We continued trekking around the kingdom and wound up back in Tomorrowland. We hit the Laugh Show with Monsters Inc characters and the Peoplemover-Good. We were just ready to board the Astro Orbiter when it was closed due to more lightning-Bad timing. We finally found a place to eat nearby which looked out over the landscaping and castle – very pretty –Good. 
By then, people were lining up for the Electric Light Parade. Did we take seats? (Bad) No, you know me. We could check out one or two more attractions before it started if we kept going. (Good-right?) As we headed towards Adventureland, lightning streaked across the sky. Yes, the Jungle Cruise closed again-Bad. However, no one was guarding the entrance to the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, so we scampered up before anyone could see us and I explained the whole story to Ev.
Afterwards, I decided to break down and buy the Disney ponchos due to the continuing rain. (Good?) Hot, sweaty, and eventually really not necessary afterall. (Bad? – sigh) The Electric Light Parade was postponed twice due to the weather. We finally found a place to watch it from on the second level of the train station, so that Ev could see over all the tall adults-Good. Unfortunately, we were crammed down at the end and peering around this Asian family whose daughter kept her arms hanging out over the railing. (Semi-Bad) Ev loved the lighted floats-Good.
We headed down towards the castle to see the fireworks before leaving and found a curb to sit on-Good. This laser-light show was flashing on the castle re-enacting various Disney films, and we weren’t sure if fireworks would ever start. Ev decided that his feet hurt so much, he didn’t care about the fireworks. (Good & Bad?) We headed out of the park and caught the ferry back to the trams. As the ferry crossed the “pond”, we had the best view of the fireworks you could get! (Very good) The tram took us directly to our car, so no midnight hunting ensued for a car I don’t usually drive and may or may not recognize -Also Very Good.
On the way home, Ev jumped at the chance to play his 3-DS even though he has so tired and it was the end of a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g day. I was cruising home, rethinking the day, singing with the radio and eventually realized that the gas tank was on empty! (BAD) Hmmm… most of the exits with gas stations were far behind. I finally saw one ahead with a sign for a town I recognized, H for hospital, and four choices of gas stations – Good! As I exited and headed towards the sign for the town I recognized, I realized that the exit split and the fork I didn’t take was the one going to the gas stations. So did I mention that my phone died early in the day? I am on a road with NO lights, NO businesses or houses, NO way to turn around, NO phone, a six year old in the car, and the fuel needle that is sitting on E! (BAD) Is this a horror story in the making??? I drove and prayed for what seemed forever before spotting a gas station ahead-GOOD! I fueled up, confirmed that I was close to I-95, and headed on home to bed. A sigh of relief was heard the world over. If you didn’t hear it, you weren’t listening. 

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.....