feb 20, arrived in santiago to sunshine...immigration was only 4 lines, one to pay, one thru immigration to stamp passport, one to get luggage and fill out forms and one to have it xrayed before you leave...sheese...
Now for all of you who got to hear chuck groan about the long layover in atlanta will be interested in this story... We got on the plane in portland, took off on time, 45 minutes into the flight, over the intercom,"is there a doctor on board?" you know that can't be good, 1 dr. and 4 nurses it turns out were on board, in about 20 minutes the pilot comes over the pa system we are diverting to denver will land in about 10 minutes, down we go into denver with waiting ambulances, lights going and 10 medical personnel board the plane take the lady off (she was not good) , all this time we are in the first seat behind the cockpit so we saw allthe commotion, while we are in denver a lady comes up with a breast pump and needs to plug it in but the only plug is on the floor under some metal thing and doesn't work, so now we have a flight attendant laying on the floor by the door holding the plug in with a lady laying next to her and a child laying next to her with a blanket over the trio and people climbing over them all in front of us....while she feeds her little girl...finally we get back in the air after the pilot does all his checks, they replace the medical equip. used (which is over our heads) and violaa we arrive in atlanta a couple of hours later, and we didn't miss our connection we had plenty of time...hehehe....
we are at the ritz carlton for 3 days...more to follow

Well friends and family this looks like the last entry…just returned from the beaches of Normandy…..bus from LeHarve, France which is right on the seine river…….some very moving monuments to the service men who fought and gave their lives in wwII on d-day….beautiful French countryside and small cities and lots of cows (charolai) and lovely spring flowers and rapeseed which is a bright yellow flower all over the hills…..one more night then we get off the ship tomorrow morning in dover, England then on to heathrow airport in London and then home….
I had better tell about the thingson the ship….great entertainment….dancers and production numbers…belonged to the choir….singers, ventriloquists, jugglers, piano players, brass and string players, played bridge with another couple who love to play for fun….won at trivia with 2 other couples one from Canada and one from England….played the slots once in a while….saw ice carving, galley tour, walked the track, read a few books, chatted with people from allover the world…great fun….
Been quite an adventure although we are the short timers with this particular group most of whom have been on this boat since the 14th of January…an around the world group.. some are still going on to Sweden and some are even going on the queen mary across the atlantic…
chuck is starting to become annoyed at all the old people, hehehe….but by grannies they are hanging in there….I try to remind him but for a few years and there goes he and I…reduction of items on the bucket list…..chaaching….

Well a day in Cork, Ireland…went up the 175 steps to the top of the blarnay castle, tiny winding stairs….got clear to the top and found out we had to lay on our backs with out heads out a hole in the wall to kiss the blarnay stone….like that’s going to happen….took a picture of someone else doing that….then had to go back down the steps holding on to a large rope…sheese….raining but not hard just drizzly…reminded us of guess where….had 2 days at sea and boy was it rough I did not feel well the whole time…I wannnnnaaaaa go home, tried to jump but chuck held me back…to much paper work if I jumped….glad to be on terra firma…..
Had another word looking thru my stuff….in Dubai a street named abr jabber….heheh….

A Day in Lisbon, Portugal….sports red tile roofs, white buildings with an occasional pastel colored building, both side of the tagus river where we tied up and looking at a bridge that looks like the golden gate …..a delightful surprise city…clean and lovely….squares every couple of blocks with statues and fountains….old part a Moorish part with narrow streets two donkey butts wide…they take credit for bringing Christianity to the rest of the world and the best navigators and sailors ever….discovered all everywhere…fun….Jeronimos monastry was built in the 12 century and now houses the naval museum as well as a spectacular church…

After a day at sea we arrived this morning at the rock of Gibraltar…..catchey name,.,,humans share the ismus with about 60 monkeys called barbary apes ..from Africa…that run loose on the rock…not an island but an ismus of spain….with Africa just across the waterway,,,atlantic ocean and Mediterranean sea….tunnels throughout the rock used by the military in various war and sieges….windy….about 30,000 people live here and speak English and Spanish….beautifulll….

Today in Barcelona, Spain….they speak a form of Spanish called catalonia which seems to be amixture of French and Spanish…old city is called the gothic quarter, dating back to the 13th century….roman ruins from the roman empire are among new buildings and new old buildings…age seems to be not to important….like that concept….today was the feast of st. george so every person who lives in Barcelona was out today in the sunshine all 4 million of them….a sight to behold…went to the Benedictine monastry incredible church with wonderful gardens….the home of the famous black Madonna from the 12 century…the outdoor markets and small shops were a wonder…pike’s market on steriods….rough weather last night crossing the gulf of lion…..but smooth today….

Welllll …today we were in cannes, france and nice france and st. paul .france.…I keep having to remind myself what country I am in as we are moving a warp speed it seems….tomorrow spain…sheese…along the coast line called the French riveria….. All the beautiful places in cannes , fishing, fruit, olives and lavender and flowersl… where all the people stay who come for the film festival…..lots of huge boats….sand on some beaches and rocks to lay on on other beaches…towns of the artists of late…monet, Chagall, Picasso and the list goes on…beautiful gardens with flowers everywhere….then to Nice…5th largest city with Italian influence as well as French… went In a tram up the mountainside not one that goes in the air a tram that looks like a motorized small train….then on to st paul de vance a well preserved town of the 16th century with a wall around it and on the top of a mountain , small streets, art gallerys, elegant boutiques and a beautiful church…. Merci and bonjour…weather was beautifully warm and we tendered in once again….