BAMBERG TO REGENSBURG

Bamberg Wednesday 29 December 2010

A nice free day today. Before the change in plans we had toyed with the excursion to Nuremburg but it was a full day tour and we just didn't fancy that so we declined.

It was a full day tour with an early start, but we slept in and nearly missed breakfast - something of a tragedy for us! But we managed to get some Tucker into us after all and while having a cappuccino in the lounge Rab got chatting to a couple of the girls whose husbands were on the tour or sick and they all agreed that a shopping trip would be an idea. I suggested catching a taxi to avoid having to try on the shuttle bus, so we did that and met up for lunch at a local eatery the Wilde Rose for a bratwurst and beer. I tried the weissbier which was very nice, I thought while Rab enjoyed her pilsner. While we were sitting in the lounge I spotted a line of dozens of pigeons sitting on the roof of the factory building opposite us. There must have been some warmth coming out of some kind of ventilation system, although the roof was snowy.

We were back on the ship in the early afternoon and very comfortable. A good day indeed. We spent the afternoon packing as the bags had to be outside the cabins at 7.00 the following morning and the coaches were leaving at 8.00.

The trip to Nuremberg sounded a bit disappointing and those we spoke to said they spent most of the day on the coaches making us rather glad we'd given it the miss. I didn't feel too hot, and had a disturbed night with a lot of coughing.    

Regenberg Thursday 30 December 2010

A loooooooonnnggg day. One to thoroughly endorse my dislike of long distance coach trips and guided tours.

We were up at 5.30 - well, I woke up at 5.15 and showered to give Rab a clear run; got the bags outside the cabin just before 6.30; had breakfast at 7.00 and were on the coach for the Document Centre Tour at Nuremberg at 8.00. The guide on the bus was the same one from the day before and apparently the coach followed the same route, so we were spared what others were not - a repeat dose of some really detailed history of the area. We took a little over and hour and a quarter to get to the Centre - a vast building constructed by Hitler to emulate the Colliseum. I guess it isn't the original - surely the Allies would have flattened that with the rest of Nuremberg? 

It was really cold today - the sky was clear with not a cloud in sight, which made for some great vistas along the way but also for snow on the ground that had frozen solid. The guide led us up the stairs to the Centre in her jolly way only to be berated by Suitcase John for not pointing out that there was a lift available. Oh Dear! We picked up our voice guides "Stand in a line, please. Zhen move away.", said the caretaker from Central Casting. We moseyed off to the beginning of the tour and while I think it was well, done, Rab lost interest fairly rapidly and I must say there was not a lot to learn. Maybe it is our age group, but we've seen the movies and documentaries and .....well, this was more of the same. We made our way done to the cafe and slouched around there with some of our pals - of course first having followed orders about the return of the voice guides " You shall bring them here - to this side - schnell, schnell! " She didn't actually say schnell, but you could tell she would have liked to as she polished our germs vigorously off the machinery.

Back on the bus we seemed to go around Nuremberg in ever decreasing circles before finally coming to a halt in the City Centre from. When we were lead to the Bratwurst Palace where we were to have our lunch - and free wine but not free beer. We were served no less than SIX bratwurst a head on a fine bed of sauerkraut and very tasty they were too - at least for us. But SIX sausages each! Admittedly they were small - like a  chippolata - and Rab and I managed them between us in a 4:8 ratio, but many of the fussy Poms nibbled one end of one. Sausage and left the rest. What a waste.

We nipped off for shopping and pics and joined the coach again at the designated time for another two hour trip. The countryside was still amazing, with the sun shining brightly, but that made it rather uncomfortable for me and with the small bus seat digging into various portions of my anatomy I was looking forward to the end of the trip. The original plan had us on a two hour guided tour of the Sturm und Taxis Palace and the town and it was suggested that we might just drop our packs off and get going. I said to Rab that if I set foot on the boat, I wasn't going to get off again!

Our bags were all in our cabin, so we unpacked rapidly and then headed into town with Marj and Chris for some retail therapy - talk about no rest for the weary. It was seriously cold ashore, with the snow set like icy concrete. Nice town and it was interesting wandering through it, but..... Rab and Chris spent a lot of time in the shops and I slowly froze in the street with Marj.

We got back to the ship safely, about an hour before the poor unfortunates on the Town Walk and after an early dinner I collapsed into bed at about 8.00. 

BAMBERG - BEER WITH SOME WHINES

Bamberg Tuesday 28 December 2010

Well, Frank told us formally last evening in his daily briefing that we were definitely going to have to change ships. The high level locks on the Main-Danube Canal are frozen and no traffic is allowed. We have been pretty certain for days that this was what was going to happen , and although it is a bit of a schlep so what? Quite a lot, say the whiners. Thank goodness their chief one - Mona Lisa (Mona Lisa was one of the Grizzling Poms who complained about everything - nothing was right as far as they were concerned.) will be leaving us as we leave the ship, although Lost Luggage John, The Ten Quid Pom, will alas be with us all the way to Kuala Lumpur!

Rab wanted to attend Frank's morning talk on the waterways we are traversing although I thought he had covered the subject pretty well a couple of evenings ago. The talks and the guides tend to be fairly repetitive - presumably all parties have learned about the limited attention spans of travelling guests. We docked in Bamberg late in the afternoon and could see from the last lock we went through and the docks in Bamberg just how much ice was building up. We crunched our way through like a mini- ice breaker.

We had signed up for the "Slow Walkers" tour of the town as the other groups were heading up the hill to the Dom, described as 'quite a stiff climb' and whilst we like our exercise, a stiff climb in minus 12C weather on snowy icy ground is something else. So of we went, following our chirpy tour leader. But before long a message came from the long extended back of the troupe that she was walking too fast. It was, unsurprisingly, Mona Lisa and her husband. He seems to have had a stroke and does indeed have great difficulty in walking. Our reaction was - if it is that difficult, why walk? This view, expressed by Rab to me, was NOT to the liking of another walker (The Cartoon Clown, so named because he has a face just like a cartoon character and has a walking disability that sees him rocking from side to side like a drunken sailor, bow legs and all.) I implied he might like to wind his neck in or words to that effect and so he has completely ignored us ever since!

Anyhow we crawled our way through the town and the snow which had turned a little slushy by now. At the Market Place we came across a stream of school kids dressed as Kings of The Orient etc (many with BlackFace which the Politically Correct would have found abhorrent in the US or even Australia). Not bothered by such niceties, they wound their way onwards to the Dom where an annual ceremony was to take place. I must say I am not quite certain about the precise nature of the ceremony as I had lost some interest while looking for photographic subjects, but it entailed the youngsters being briefed to carry The Word back to their parishes. I think.

There was a nice church on the square but the Ace in the guide's pack was Die Alten Rathaus, built ( for some reason I did not catch as I was photographing again) right in the middle of a bridge, which caused at least two other parties to build two more bridges and....and….and.....well, it was all a long time ago and our feet started freezing as the temperature was somewhat lower above the freezing water. Saw one of only two beggars spotted on the trip so far and I took what looks like a good shot. I thought €2 might be a reasonable rate for a model doing that particular job - but how the person (sex was indeterminate) sat there without freezing solid, I don't know. Perhaps something that had been ingested helped?

On we trudged past some lovely buildings which made good shots in the fading light - it was sunny for most of the day and finally made it to our destination the Klosterbrau Brewery. But not before Mona had a final shot saying she and Limp Along didn't want to a brewery and was there a coffee shop around. How that guide didn't just say "Are you blind?!?" or "Why did you come on a Brewery Tour?!?" but she didn't, she just said that if they could wait there she would guide them to such a place (not adding ..... amongst the several dozen of such establishments we had passed ).

We had some dark beer and a light beer to sample with a pretzel or two as sponges - I thought both were good but Rab preferred the lighter beer. Then we headed back to the bus rendezvous - with no guides! That set the cat among some of the pigeons I can tell you. There was plenty of time and Rab managed to do a bit of shopping on the way. We got to the meeting place about 4.45 as did many others and the Monaing Clique were away with their complaints: the busses weren't there ( this despite having been told that they would be there at 5.00 ): the pretzels were too salty : didn't think much of the beer: pity it so cold....and so on....and so on - all complaints being laid at the door of Scenic Tours as if they deliberately set up the snowy cold weather! And what were these dickheads thinking that the weather would be in the Rhine Valley in mid-winter? They make me a bit cross these whingers and might well stop me having another similar trip. Most of them are  Poms and the core are leaving tomorrow, so we'll be able to break out the flags then.

ROTHENBURG SEHR SCHON

Wurzburg to Rothenburg Monday 27 December 2010

We had chosen to go in what was termed 'The Romantic Road' to Rothenberg - one hour bus ride. I wasn't feeling too hot and Rab had started coughing, so we were pretty sure we had caught the dreaded lurgy that has swept through the ship. Hardly surprising given the close proximity to each other and the constant change of temperatures. It has been below zero for days now - usually minus 4 or  minus 5C with some days dipping below that - I think it was Rudesheim where a sharp wind dropped the temp to below 10C.

 

We weren't sure just why the road we took was designated 'Romantic' - maybe it is in summer, but although pleasant, there was nothing special about it - and we joined the autobahn half way though the drive. Our courier was a chirpy girl and it was a jolly group. The town of Rothenburg was wonderful. They'd a very heavy snowfall or two and everything was covered in feet of snow. We managed to find Dani's Advent Candleholder at a wonderful Xmas shop and Rab managed to pick up a couple of other purchases. We also stocked up on Vitamin C garlic etc to deal with our developing colds/coughs.

I realize now that the very cold temperatures DO affect me in much the same way as high temperatures do, as Gary Gordon said they would. I first noticed the effect in. Paris but didn't put two and two together until Koln, when it was particularly cold and the effect particularly marked. It is rather grim at times, but isn't going to stop me going out in the snow.

There were two very special times yesterday. One was a gentle snowfall as we shopped. The flakes just tumbling down looked so good. About an hour later the sun shone briefly and colour returned to the scene, with all the gilded signs shining. Schon indeed.

 

We had our special meal in the Portobello Restaurant last night. Excellent food but couldn't do real justice to it. There was a zither player on afterwards, and although no doubt he was very good, I must say my bed was calling to me!  

WERTHEIM - BOXING DAY 2010

Wertheim Sunday 26 December 2010

We spent most of the day cruising the Rhine, past lovely vistas.

Frank, the excellent Tour Master, gave us a German lesson and this was followed by a glassblower. I nearly gave that a miss, but was glad I did not. He was not only an incredible artist, but was very amusing too. Some of his work was really beautiful and I managed to get the last Galileo thermometer in stock as a souvenir.

There was a bit of a problem when we got to Wertheim because our gangway wouldn't reach the bank, possibly because the water was so high. Our sister ship Emerald was coming up behind so she tied up and we moored to her. It all made us a bit later than planned, so it was quite dark when we disembarked for our guided tour of the town. 

 

It is a pretty little place and the snowfall which came down while we were waiting to get ashore had cleaned up the place  beautifully. There were Xmas lights everywhere and it all looked very festive. The guide told us that the town floods on about a ten year basis - reckon this year might well be one of the years when all this snow melts.

We ended the tour at the Catholic Church where there was an organ and flute recital. I thought the organ was showing it's age - like so much around here it was built ages ago - and sounded a bit 'thin' even though it was on full throttle. It was a nice evening though and the town looked so good as we trudged home through the snow.

CHRISTMAS DAY IN RUDESHEIM

Rudesheim Saturday 25 December 2010

Christmas Day! And certainly a White Christmas when we opened the curtains shut the door and watched the world go by. I wonder if we will tire of the sight of the white leafed trees, the houses with their white cushioned roofs.

We spent the morning sailing through the Rhine Gorge, past the Lorelei Rock and innumerable fantastic castles. Given the Lorelei was a golden haired maiden, I found it amusing that the song was sung by a deep bass voice man. I said to Hugh, who is gay, that I thought it a little butch! He agreed:-)

It is amazing how the pictures turn out, especially those taken in the Gorge. They look for all the world like black and white photos unless there is a painted house in view. Some of these pics are, I think, pretty darned good.

We had a good lunch and got into Rudesheim at about 1.30. The plan was to go aboard a small steam engine to the local Music Museum, but it was so cold and icy that the engine wasn't running, so we walked. It was seriously cold, especially with a sharp wind coming in off the river, but well worth the walk. The museum was full of old musical boxes and large musical devices that imitated orchestras. Some went back to 1885 while others were made in the early part of the last century. Fascinating and presented by a young lass who clearly loved her job and bubbled over with enthusiasm.

The museum was in an old house with ancient ceiling paintings. Wonderful. As we walked back through the snowy alleys we came across a clock striking the hour and playing Oh Tamarack - lovely.

Some of the shops were open, despite it being Xmas Day and we were lucky enough to find a shop that had some polo shirts in stock and XXL at that. I needed them because I only brogue one short sleeved shirt, forgetting how warm the interiors are in winter. There were some interesting shops, I must say and we were surprised at how many tourists there were. The place wasn't crowded, but there were a lot more people around than we would have thought. What it must be like in summer doesn't bear thinking about. One of the shops had the weirdest assortment of goods we have ever seen, including chain mail, suits of armour and swords. The shields were €329 each. Lord alone knows what the armour would have cost. There were also guns and knives mixed with soft toy animals, T-shirts, booze, lollies - you name it, it was there!

We froze our way back to the ship and had a pleasant evening just chatting with various parties. We tried a couple of cocktails on the pretext that we needed warming up. Maybe we'll have a few more of those as time goes by. Rab had a Cosmopolitan (as seen in Sex and the City) and I had an Amaretto Sour. Good stuff indeed.

And so to bed after a lovely White Xmas. There are a lot of coughs and colds going around so we are hoping to avoid those. So far so good.

CHRISTMAS EVE IN KOLN

En route to Amsterdam
 

We got away on time, surprisingly. Suitcases outside the room at 6.45, breakfast at 7.00, loaded at 7.45 and away soon after 8.00. Not much traffic through the city but once we got on the ring road, the volumes started building. Although there was no snow in town, there is quite a lot in the country and the temperature has dropped from 6C to 4C so far.

We stopped for a refreshment break and by then the temp had dropped to 3C : it subsequently went to 2C before getting back to 5C in Brussels, possibly because of all the hot air there. I don't know if it is my hot flushes or the bus system, but every now and then I get VERY hot and sweaty, as I am now. We're on the outskirts of Amsterdam as I write in heavy traffic and there is snow all around. We've certainly got what we ordered!

The Brussels stop was like the curate's egg - good in parts. Silly Natalie really doesn't have a clue. We wound our way slowly into the city, pas the central square and on a couple of blocks before twisting and turning our way through what was a surprisingly hilly city. The bus duly stopped and she told us to disembark and then, without another word headed off down hill at a fair pace, bearing in mind the age and ice walking experience of her flock. She paused every now and then for the stragglers to catch up, but never a word of her plan. 

We finally got to the Central Square and she halted and gathered us around for a ten minute lecture on the buildings. The mob was getting a bit agitated, being more interested in food drink and sightseeing. Eventually she told us that we had 50 minutes and were to meet in front of the Godiva shop. 

That didn't give us much time, especially as our first stop was the public toilets. We felt we didn't really have time for a meal so we grabbed some Belgian fries with mayonnaise and ate them on the trot. Nothing special about them - just chips. But at least this gave us a chance to look at, and sample the delicious goods in the chocolate shops. (incidentally as I write this we are passing through woods with trees whitened with snow - or perhaps more accurately coated with the white stuff.)

Although I thought we were on the outskirts of Amsterdam but we were two hours plus away. It was a long day in the end, but we had a warm welcome on the ship. The staff seemed very pleasant indeed and our cabin, while small is well appointed and very comfortable. 

Amsterdam Wednesday 22 December 2010

We slept like logs after our long journey yesterday but had to be up quite early for breakfast ahead of our pre-booked tour to see the windmills.

It was still snowing intermittently and very cold with a wind whipping in - presumably from the North Sea. Every one was on time and we had a very nice courier, whose name we never caught or remembered.

It was quite a long drive out to the windmill museum. They have collect examples of the various different designs (often related to function) as the old windmills were replaced by steam or diesel engines. She told us that at one stage there were over 10,000 windmills, many of them pumping the polders dry.

The drive has fascinating because the areas we were driving through were all recover land and in many of the places the wealthy VOC merchants had build their mansions. A feature of the designs of these houses was not the typical Cape Dutch gables, but a very high pyramid roof. They looked as if they had cake covers on top of them. Most had snowy caps, so presumably were well insulated.

The Windmill Museum was, naturally, a very large open space, with mills doted around the periphery. The snow was deep, the wind was keen and visibility was reduced by the snow and/or sleet flying at us. We had what are termed Quiet Vox earpieces which transmit from the wireless microphone used by the guide. They were very effective and she was very interesting, but in the end Rab gave up and we turned back. We headed for the shop, which was warm and met up with a couple who look Japanese, but are in fact Indons and chatted to them for a while. Heading for the Bar for a cup of coffee, we saw a black and white cat romping in the snow. He was trotting around quite happily and at one stage actually rolled in a patch, as cats do in the sand. We also bumped into our group heading for the clog making factory. Some of the old clogs were amazing and there were banks and banks of new ones which were not meant to be merely souvenirs but were to be worn. They are said to be very comfortable once you get used to them - and very warm.

We lost interest in the clog maker himself and slipped away again to get our coffee, joining Gus and his wife. As we headed back to the bus, we saw our sweet little kitty running around with what looked like a mouse or eat in his mouth. Alas, it was a robin redbreast and although it was still fluttering, it was clearly on it's last legs. I was surprised that he had managed to find a bird because we had seen no sign of any at that stage.

Off we went on our next leg, to the cheese factory. Again we saw some beautiful countryside on the way to the farm/factory and what a selection when we got there! We happily tried many of the selections on offer and finally settled for a four pack of varied cheeses plus a nice looking piece of mature Edam - my personal favourite.
 

Back on board, we settled in to our cabin and finished stowing away all our goods, before we set sail for Koln. The initial part of the journey was through a canal in fairly flat country which seemed to be mainly farming. We saw quite a lot of animals in the snow, sheep, horses, cattle but not a lot of houses. Once we crossed the German border, there seemed to be many more houses close to the river. They really looked charming.

Cologne Thursday 23 December 2010

What a way to wake up. We opened the curtains and there was a little village going past us. The air was crystal clear and it was surprisingly light - we could see every detail. Soon after that the view became less residential, but still interesting. We lay abed for about an hour, just watching the scenery move by - snow everywhere.

We had a good breakfast and then just chatted in the lounge until Frank came along with his briefing for the rest of the voyage. He is very good, I must say. A light lunch, to prepare ourselves for the shore trip, and we were ready to go when the ship docked at Cologne at about 2.00. But before we could get off, the captain wanted a word. There is potential trouble ahead with the locks. They are already freezing and the forecast is for more cold weather so the chances are that we will not be able to use them. If this is the case, then we'll have to transfer ships in a couple of days with the Ruby waiting for us on the other side of the frozen locks.

Having got that out of the way, Frank led us to the Cathedral, passing two of the vaunted Xmas Markets on the way. Snow was falling quite heavily for most of the day and it was lovely walking through the flakes as they drifted down. Rab went boot hunting again, with a conspicuous lack of success. None of the shop assistants seemed all that keen on a sale and one insulted her by sneering that they didn't keep shoes for such wide feet!

After this abortive trip we headed for the Xmas Markets and found that both of them, like the Paris one had a lot to eat and drink, a few stalls with some quite interesting goods, but by and large nothing of great interest. A bit disappointing after all the build up. 

We were a little cold and tired at this stage, so went along for a beer at Peter's Brauhaus. Lovely spot with an amusing waiter who plied us with beer. We decided to eat there. After reading the menu. Rab had Rheinische Sauerbrode and I had Scweinhaxe as my main course, having foolishly decided that a starter of potato soup with bacon would be warming. It was. But it was also a meal in itself- but delicious. Our main courses were also excellent and when we got back to the ship at about 6.30, Rab was ready for bed. She opened the curtains and went to sleep with a wonderful view of some delightful old warehouse buildings and a church spire. I'm about to join her. A lovely day altogether.

Cologne/Bonn Friday 24 December 2010

Rab had closed the curtains during the night, but opened then again when we woke. The scene we had gone to bed with was even better this morning because it had been snowing steadily during the night and all the buildings, including the church tower, were outlined in white. There was quite a deposit on our balcony and on the rails and ropes.

There was a walking tour of the city this morning, but we declined. Rab stayed on the ship, but I went ashore for a couple of hours looking for picturesque pictures - and there were many! It was very cold this morning at about -6C with a cold wind blowing in the snow and some icy bits that were presumably hail. I rugged up and when crunching off to the bridge ahead of us to see if there were some good shots from there. I got a couple of that made the climb worthwhile, but it was certainly cold up there.

I made my way back into town, which was amazingly quiet. Many shops weren't open and those that were closed early at about noon. Hardly anyone on the streets - really odd. I slowly made my way to the Dome and got some nice interior shots. Exterior ones were more difficult as the building is so enormous and there was also a lot of scaffolding about as they are renovating it.

On the way back to the ship, I came across St Nicholas - a bagman by the look of him, riding an ancient bicycle complete with Xmas tree and sundry, rather ratty, toys hanging from every point. His dog trotted happily alongside. I gather they were headed to the Dome for a bit of begging.

We had a light lunch and expect to leave for Bonn at about four.

Later: We did leave spot on time - a feature of the cruise is the punctuality. It is very rare for anything to be late, and went up the river to Bonn where we tied up to enable people to go to the Basilica for a service.

We were invited to drinks with KAK which was pleasant. There was no traditional Xmas dinner - turkey/ham etc - but, as ever the food was excellent. The staff formed a choir, led by one of the cabin. Girls and sang Christmas songs. When we got to our cabin, we found a box of chocolates, two Santas and a Xmas greeting.

As usual, we left our door ajar to keep the temp right, and during the night, it slid back so the door was completely open, which kept the cabin to an excellent temperature - at least for me.

BACK STORY TO WHITE WINTER TOUR

Only after I posted the first few days of my White Winter Tour, I realised that there were parts that didn't make sense without a bit of the backstory - so here it is:

After we returned from our visit to the Pacific North West Coast of America, driving down from Seattle to Los Angeles after side visits to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Victoria Island in May 2010 (Story to come later this year), Rab declared that she didn’t even want to think about travelling for eighteen months – or longer. She always enjoys travelling but …… she loves her home and misses her dogs. Given this declaration, it was somewhat surprising when about five weeks later she showed  me an advertisement for a Christmas Cruise to be run by Scenic Tours in December 2010 and remarked how nice it would be to have a White Christmas again, having missed out on snow for some years, well since 2007 at least). I don’t need more than a slightest little finger of opportunity to seize the arm and within minutes, thanks to my new iPad I found the cruise - from Budapest to Amsterdam with side trips from Prague and to Paris and how many points we would need to fly on Malaysia to Paris and back

 

In due course we made our bookings and then Rab’s panic set in because there was nothing further said in any of the papers about the cruise. No advertising, no mention. “What if Scenic was going bust?” – after all tourism had taken a huge knock from the Global Financial Crisis and Scenic had embarked on a huge expansion plan just before the solids hit the air-conditioning. They had built new ships; expanded into the Middle East, what would happen if they did go bust? Chelsea, our travel agent tried to calm the concerns. Booking was good, Scenic were great – had a good reputation and had never let her passengers down. Don’t worry.

All that was at risk at this stage was the deposit. Not a small amount, but manageable. But….came the day for the fare to be paid …. And still no advertising…..Hmmm???? What to do?? What to do?

We took a big breath and paid …. And no sooner had we done so than Chelsea called us. We knew it was bad news. Turned out that the tour we had booked was one of two proposed tours in December and there had been too few bookings for either to be viable. But….if the two sets of bookings were combined we could go ahead. There was a difference of a couple of days in departure and we were offered an upgrade – and took it.

MORE PROBLEMS…….

We were due to leave on Friday December 17 for Kuala Lumpur for our onward flight to Paris. On Saturday December 11, Rab had a nasty accident. Here’s the mail to family and friends on Monday December 13:

 

We have a slight potential hiccough in our plans because Anthea had a bit of an accident on Saturday – what is it with our spouses?

She was sitting on the LaziBoy (MY LaziBoy actually!!) with the footrest extended when one of our neighbours – Kevin from across the road - came to the door to ask about which kennels we used as his daughter was looking for some advice. As I opened the door Bilbo  escaped and ran down the drive to see what Margo and Arthur’s (our next door neighbours)  dogs were up to. At the same time, concerned that I might not give Kevin the right answer, Anthea attempted to leap out of the LaziBoy without putting down the leg rest, tripped over the extended piece and found out just how sharp steel can be by neatly slashing her ankle.

I heard the thud and the cry while trying to get Bilbo back, dashed inside and found her lying full length on the floor with this very nasty gash starting to pulse blood. I grabbed a cloth and wet it and covered the wound, after establishing that she hadn’t damaged anything else and went back to try and get Bilbo before he ran into the road. Caught him, back inside to remove the now very bloody cloth, cover the wound with paper towel and bind a clean cloth atop; phone the ambulance. They were here in five minutes had a good look, examined Anthea thoroughly, taking pulse etc etc for any signs of collateral damage, cleaned and bandaged the wound and offered three alternatives: take her to hospital themselves: I take her to hospital or (quicker by far given how busy ER rooms are over the weekend) take her to a Weekend Clinic. We chose the last option and within half an hour she had six stitches and a promise from the duty doctor that she should be OK for take off on Friday as long as she took it easy for a couple of days. And in a little note about socialized medicine, we didn’t pay a dime, being Senior Citizens.

Her foot and leg didn’t look too good this morning, so we went to her doc who examined it thoroughly, dressed the wound and gave her a tetanus  shot (on reflection we were surprised that she hadn’t had one sooner!) plus some antibiotics, just in case. I’m sure she’ll be OK by Friday, but I’m going to organize transport for her at KL and Charles de Gaulle just in case – those are long hikes through airports.

Added to this was a problem with Gandalf:

Our poor old Gandalf – now 13 - has some sort of bladder problem which worried us considerably.  We thought it might be the start of dementia, but the vet reckons he’s as bright as we are, being about the same age!! Still not quite sure what the vet meant. We ran a lot of expensive tests because we want to make sure it is cleared up before they go to their Holiday Hotel next week. The vet thinks it will be OK and that he has some slight infection which should clear up with antibiotics in a couple of days. Hope so, but I don’t have a great deal of faith in medicos, as I may have mentioned previously?

Rab’s leg gave us trouble all week. It was swollen and the wound was weeping initially. To go or not to go? Her doctor had another look on Wednesday and thought it would be OK to travel and said she would probably be able to take the stitches out on Friday morning before we headed for the airport. Failing that I could remove the stitches or we could get a doctor in Paris (over the weekend???). We wondered how she would be able to walk and if her boots would fit over the swollen ankle.

Gandalf’s problem cleared up and the boys went off to their luxury holiday accommodation: we went to the doc on Friday morning and had the stitches out: picked up some compression stockings for Rab to help with the swelling and were at Tullamarine in good time for our flight, especially with the wheelchair!! We examined the wound during the layover at Kuala Lumpur – after another pleasant wheelchair ride and it seemed OK although Rab’s leg was still swollen.

But….onwards and upwards we went…….

WHITE WINTER TOUR 2010

A combination of events – rising temperatures as summer gets into full swing, my new medication and the recent loss of my beloved pal Bilbo – pushes me towards the brink of depression. To fight that I have decided to get on with a project I have been considering for some time – transcribing all my travel diaries. And since I am going to do that, I thought I might as well post them as part of this blog – perhaps at the same time of the year as the original?

By chance the first of my diaries which I wrote on my computer was of our White Christmas Tour which took place this time last year. It started a little earlier than today – Christmas Eve, so I’ll post the entries three days at a time until I get up to date and then daily postings thereafter. Give y’all something to read over the Holiday Season.

Here goes:

Nasir Lemak at 39,000 ft. Saturday, December 18, 2010

39,000 feet up: 2,000 km to Paris. 22 hours and 35 minutes after leaving home, with a good night's sleep behind us - about seven hours each, my darling old Rab and I still revel in each other's company. We laugh about the foibles of the couple we met last night in the lounge at Kuala Lumpur - John and Carole. They are on the same trip as we are and are the classical complainers. There'll always be something wrong as far as John is concerned. Hope it is not too difficult to shake them!

Breakfast comes around, served by the smiling Honey-Bee, as she says we should call her. I've elected to have the Malaysian main course of Nasir Lemak - and it is a good choice. Spicy prawns with coconut rice and side dishes of small anchovies - dried and in a hot chili sauce. Great way to start the day.

We reflect on how comfortable the beds are, remembering our days in Economy on the old Air Zimbabwe 707 aircraft and contrast that with the comfort of these lie flat Business Class seats we have on Air Malaysia. Not a complaint, but if they were just a few inches longer, I'd be able to lie comfortably on my back.

Rab's leg (she cut it last Saturday, six days before we left) is still a bit of a worry, although it is looking quite good. But the oedema is still there and she probably will not be able to fit her boot on that foot for the moment. With the current weather forecast for Paris being light snow, and a temp hovering about freezing, that could be a bit of a problem for her. We shall see!

Later: Hmmm. Maybe I have had a loss of sense of humour, but..... We landed spot on time and taxied in through snowy runways. Having ordered a wheelchair we went through arrival like a dose of salts and were out into the arms of the Scenic rep in no time. Wheeled out to the waiting bus, we then sat and sat and sat. One of the party did not get their luggage. Guess who? Why John and Carole of course. Not their fault of course, but it was almost two hours after landing that we got going.

There was surprisingly little traffic as we bowled along with a very poor and limited commentary from our escort from Scenic. While we drove in she called the hotel to see if she could negotiate an early check-in (normal being 3.00 pm). We felt, as did others, that this should have been part of the package. Who wants to wait for six hours in winter for a room after travelling for 20 hours plus? She got confirmation from the hotel that they had rooms to spare and announced it as a triumph.

We checked in at the Westin, described as a luxury hotel, and it is that at ground floor, but our room is badly designed, cramped and the heating doesn't work - the engineer says it is because the ceiling is too high and has brought in a heater!! Being a luxury hotel, all prices are sky high, the worst so far being €12 per hour for WiFi, although coffee at €10 is not much better. The rack rate for this pigeon hole is an incredible €750 per night. Thank, goodness we are not paying that.

The plus is that Rab's foot is doing well. She managed to get her boot on and we went for a short walk in the Jardin des Tuilieries. It was very pretty with the bare trees and snow all around. We had a coffee and then strolled back to look for some-where to have lunch. There were quite a lot of people in the park and surprisingly enough a small merry-go-round or carousel, which wasn't doing much business - it seemed unlikely that the Ferris wheel in the background was doing much either.

We each had a nice croque for lunch and got chatting to a pleasant American couple - he being a serving member in the US Army. We strolled back to the hotel as we didn't want to do too much walking at this stage. I had a bit of a snooze, but it hasn't improved my humor! So far Scenic haven't scored any points with me:-(

Snowtime in Paris: Sunday December 19, 2010

Well, Scenic gained no more points at last night's 'cocktail party' held in the Winter Garden a sort of greenhouse off the central atrium of the hotel - quite nippy in there too. Beer, wine and soft drinks don't really constitute a cocktail party in my book, but that was OK especially as it started to snow, which was great, and quite wonderful for a couple of women from Ballina who had never seen snow before.

But then Natalie, our guide started to try to explain what was going to happen over the next couple of days, at the end of which we were more confused than when we started. Kerri-Anne Kennelly (known as KAK - which is no problem in Australia - she has a morning show on TV) and husband John did turn up, so Rab lost that bet. She seems very pleasant and down to earth - but then she would, wouldn't she? After one hour of the cocktail party we privileged few who had booked on the KAK tour had another hour with her and two drinks each. By the time we got back to our room it was heading for 20.30 and I didn't want to do anything but sleep. I went out for the count and woke feeling much better at 6.00.

Breakfast was good - some wonderful cheeses and cold meat and we're now refreshed and ready for whatever Natalie has in store for us. It was gently snowing at breakfast but looked as if it might turn to sleet.

Later: All is forgiven for the moment, since we had such a great day today. Mind you the greatness was more to do with the weather than Scenic! It snowed on and off all day, laying down layer on layer of the white stuff. We left on our city bus tour at about 8.30 after the usual messing about in trying to find the missing people. Turns out that one couple hasn't turned up yet, like John and Carol's clothes, due to snow related disruptions. Apparently it was -17C in Prague yesterday and there was a lot of snow everywhere.

The tour lasted until about 12.30 and although some of the activities were curtailed because the facilities e.g. Luxembourg Gardens and Eiffel Tower were closed because of the weather, we were able to see Notre Dame and get some good snowy pics. A good effort on Scenic's part and even the commentary wasn't too bad. We really are so lucky to see this beautiful city enhanced with the snowy mantle it is wearing right now.

After we got back, we put a bit more warm gear on (because it had got really cold during the morning) and headed down to the Christmas Markets on the Champs d'Elysee. Rab said her foot was doing OK and was prepared to give it a go. As we left the hotel, the sun came out for about fifteen minutes and enhanced the already beautiful vistas. We had a great time wandering around looking at the stalls and grabbing a bite to eat: roast chestnuts, a very tasty grilled sausage or three!, washed down with what was sold to me as a cappuccino and a hot chocolate for Rab with two complementary churros. The coffee was most peculiar because atop the froth a great mound of cream was swirled, which made drinking very difficult since the cardboard cup was filled to the brim. Rab also found the hot chocolate a bit rich - she said it tasted like melted chocolate.

The snow turned to sleet and rain for a short while with a VERY biting cold wind, but that didn't last long. One small problem was that Rab stepped into a deep puddle at one of the crossings and her boot got wet. Not serious; more of a nuisance. She's snoozing now, ahead of tonight's dinner. It is meant to be at the Eiffel Tower, but that may be closed. We haven't been told what Plan B is. We shall see.

Tower of Light, Paris: Sunday December 19, 2010

Of course it was Lily holding up the bus. Announcing in her frightfully loud voice that 'teacher' had chastised her she made no apologies to those of us she had kept waiting. In her inimitable way she then announced to her travelling companion - an unattached niece perhaps, or a cousin - that since she had an intense fear of heights she would not be ascending to the second stage of the Eiffel Tower but would go no further than the first stage, where we were to have dinner. (Her name wasn’t Lily, it was Kate and she was an attention seeker all right. Her companion was a lovely women by the name of Shirley. Both landed up in hospital in different German towns, courtesy of Ambulance Archie.)

As we turned into the Place de la Concorde, we were astonished to see that there was no sign of the snow and slush we had trudged through two hours earlier. The roads and sidewalks so clean they looked as if they had been swept. And the air was crystal clear; that clarity that comes in winter when the snow or rain stop leaving the icy air like a newly cleaned window.

Crowds snaked around in a pythonlike conga line at the tower. Lord knows how long they would have to stand in the freezing night air before they would get into a lift. We pre-booked Groupies by-passed them but still took half an hour before we stepped out onto the viewing platform. What a sight. The clear night air allowed us to see for miles. Church spires rose above their surrounding buildings, shining in their spotlights, the Ferris wheel at Concorde spun and sparkled, bateaux mouches idled down the Seine, brightly lit.

It was surprisingly warm up there as we moved around to see the Trocadero and views from that side. Another few steps brought us into the wind and we scuttled back to the lee side of the structure, joining the long line to get back to stage one for our dinner. Our table overlooked the Trocadero again and gave us a splendid view of the river. Food was excellent: thick cut of salmon, followed by a very tasty breast of chicken and an excellent but very rich chocolate pudding. All washed down by a smooth Bordeaux - one bottle between three being the ration.

Out into the howling gale again, we had to queue to get on the down lift. As we stood in the small vestibule for the lift, the gale lifted a notch or three and we wondered if we might have to walk down. Not something of universal appeal. We finally made it.

Back on the bus Natalie counted heads and yet again came up short. Back she went into the cold night air to find the missing bodies; to no avail. Turned out they had caught a taxi home at the beginning of the evening rather than bother to see the view.

Everyone settled down for the short trip home, no doubt dreaming of their beds as they slumbered in their coach seats. But it was not to be! Acting on her own initiative, with no democratic consultation, Natalie had us driven around for 45 minutes until the hour struck and we could see the Tower sparkle and shine in a five minute program set up for the Millennium. It was beautiful, no doubt of that, but I believe a vote would have had us back in bed well before then.

Shopping Day Paris: Monday December 20, 2010

There was nothing organized today, so we had a lateish breakfast and then headed for Galaries Lafayette. Rab was talking about looking for new boots because a bit of water got into one boot yesterday although that was really because she had stepped into a deep puddle. Anyhow we went along there - caught a taxi - and met the chaos of Xmas shopping. Monster crowds everywhere and an overheated store. Not my idea of fun. Rab got very frustrated because there are so many different 'stallholders' so you have to go to each one to see what they've got in stock. No purchase was made. We then moved on to the Hommes Department to see if they had a belt for me. I said to Rab there was no chance of me buying one at Parisian fashion prices and sure enough we didn't. €139 was more than I'd pay! But we did finally get a Fahrenheit after shave in a spray bottle - and that is the sum total of our expenditure for purchases in gay Paree.

We headed back to the hotel on foot because I wanted to see if I could get a 3G Sim card for my iPad. No dice at Orange and although we found an Apple shop they couldn't help either. So we called it a day and caught another cab back to the hotel. Rab, for some reason I could not ascertain decided to have a drink and a snack in the hotel bar. Piss poor croque monsieur for me served with cold chips and some wilted lettuce and a cool tasteless coffee. Rab had onion soup and it cost in all almost $100!

We spent the afternoon snoozing, reading and (in Rab's case) watching TV. Her foot was much better but we thought it would be good to rest it.

In the early evening we drifted off to the cafe we had eaten at the day we arrived Rivoli Park and had an excellent black pepper steak and a couple of drinks for a little over half what the rip off merchants charge at the Westin. Packed and ready for the off we were early to bed.