Author: brombergblog

Hi Again,

First of all, I have a few pictures from the night before — can’t miss any of those! We love the production shows — always great!

Only two stops left; the first was the town of Chania on Crete. We had been signed up for an excursion, but the tour operator thought it would be hard for me to do……so we just took the shuttle bus to the old town and walked around. It was a shopping town!! So we did have some fun.

The waterfront is so pretty and colorful:

And dinner:

And a second show by Phillip Browne — he was quite a showman with a beautiful and very deep voice. He’s been in 11 Broadway shows including Lion King. We loved seeing him!

And then we arrived in Athens; we had one day there while still on the ship. John took an excursion that I had planned on, but realized later that there was a lot of walking at the end of the trip; John said later that I could never have managed the stairs. So here are his pics:

Hadrian’s Arch

Olympic Stadium built in 1896 entirely in marble-the site of the first modern Olympics.

The Acropolis-side view.

Entry to the massive and highly popular Lapata Market-full of restaurants, shops, a flea market and several ancient religious monuments

To go lunch-lamb gyros with tomatoes, taziki and fries.

Hourly changing of the Royal Guard in front of the Parliament Building adjacent to the main Athens city square.

The Royal Guards have spikes on their shoes and a knife that can be extended from the toes.

And sunset and dinner…..one more time!

Notice the shirt John bought (20 Euros) in the market when left unsupervised.

The next morning we disembarked and arrived early at the Marriott Athens. We were fortunately able to get into our room so we could unload luggage and then take off for the Acropolis Museum. This was a truly fabulous museum that was built in 2010 and the Excavations under the museum which first opened to the public on June 26, 2024. We took a whole bunch of pictures; enjoy as much as you would like..then skip forward!

A map of our route and ports of call.

Another view of the Acropolis from the second floor of the Acropolis Museum.

Then we arrived at the Caryatids — a showpiece of the Parthenon. When we first visited Athens in 1995, we climbed a massive number of steps to reach the top. At that time the 6 original Caryatids were still outside exposed to the elements; however, later and before our 2013 trip to Athens they were moved to the Acropolis Museum for safekeeping and replaced with replicas. So now we and you are able to see them up close inside the museum. Below is a rendering in the museum of the original location of the Caryatids on the Parthenon.

We wandered down the path outside and under the museum to visit the just opened Excavation Area. Just thinking about the time it took to find all of this and in such great shape is pretty mind boggling. BTW, we are on a walkway above it, so notice how many people have thrown coins down into the round hole.

I find the next set of pictures truly amazing! Read the blurb then imagine how incredibly complicated it must have been to puzzle out what pieces went with what pot or vase.

A one full afternoon visit to a museum should not wear you out, but we all returned to the hotel for a rest, and then an easy dinner at the hotel. Our group was staying for another day, but we were up and out before seven. and on the way to the Athens airport to start the trip home. Since we were on Turkish Air we flew for just over a hour from Athens back to Istanbul, had a short layover and flew 12 hours from Istanbul to DFW.

A successful trip for all!!!

Back to reality,

Beth

Hi All,

First, here are three bonus pictures from Santorini that were inadvertently omitted from the last blog:

We arrived the next day in Corfu, Greece — another place we had not visited — hooray!

The first thing we did was climb up the mountainside to view Paleokastrita. The roads were quite narrow and our bus was practically as wide as the roads.

At the top we reached a rest stop with great views and then moved on to a small monastery populated by two nuns.

It was Bryan’s birthday, so Tomi had made reservations for us at Polo Grill, the steakhouse and gourmet restaurant on the ship. We did celebrate — eating his large chocolate cake AND each ordering a dessert…..or, as Mary Jo and John did, the quartet of desserts!!!!!

It was a nice day…..but the next day was even better — we arrived in Kotor, Montenegro. It is a beautiful, beautiful place! As we arrived at 7:00 a.m. we were greeted with this sight:

We had another early departure — 8:00 a.m. — so yet another room service breakfast. But the sightseeing was completely worth it.

More very, very narrow one-lane streets (with 2-way traffic) as we travelled 25 switchbacks up the mountains:

Just a reminder — Susan and Jeff climbed to the top of this when we were here last year. I didn’t see the island then because I wasn’t feeling well and didn’t leave the ship.

King Nikola served as head of state from 1860 to 1918. He and his wife had 12 children-9 girls and 3 boys. Five of his daughters married heads of state throughout Europe. One younger daughter became his most trusted political advisor. Our guide referred to him as the “father-in-law of Europe.” Regrettably, no pictures were allowed inside the museum.

Above is a view of Budva (a neighbor of Kotor) with world class beaches and hotels visited by movie stars and other glitterati (including a new Aman hotel on a nearby small island in a former monastery in which rooms rent for 4,000 Euros a night in season).

The next day was a stop at Dubrovnik. John and I were there last year and I had gone a long time ago with three other women…..so no excursion needed. We slept in, had a large, late breakfast, and simply took a shuttle bus from the port to the walled city.

Sorry, not much in the way of sightseeing pics. Too busy posing!!!

The next day was a sea day, so there may not be much in the way of pictures then either.

That’s all for this blog. And still more to come.

Bye,

Beth

Hello All,

We are traveling once again, this time a cruise from Istanbul to Athens on Oceania with friends Tomi & Bryan Storey and Mary Jo McMaster & Barry Schaffer.  We are all having a wonderful time – if not tired all the time.  It is very hot and we are going lots of places every day.  But let’s start at the beginning.

We departed from Dallas on July 31^st, arriving in Istanbul on August 1^st….nonstop on Turkish Air!  That’s the good news.  We spent one night in Istanbul at a hotel, then went to the Zeyrek Cinilli Hamman.  We had been to the oldest hammam in Istanbul in 1995 and emerged the cleanest we had ever been.  In 1995 no one had anything on; the woman who scrubbed me had on a loin cloth and nothing else; this time I was given a paper bikini and top of two tiny triangles with strings to tie it on.  It was pretty funny on this body!!!  However, the bath/massage was just as wonderful.  I really recommend a Turkish bath if you ever have the chance.

We then boarded the Vista ship.  It’s a wonderful ship; then the  ship spent another night there. On our first night we took a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus; it was beautiful and relaxing.

 We had been in Istanbul twice before in 1995 and 2013, but we still took a  tour of the highlights the next day – and enjoyed it!!! 

Decadent……and delicious!!!

We visited the Cistern in Istanbul — a sight that I had not seen before.

The first stop was the island of Lesbos and that is quite a story.  I had set up a rental of a nine passenger van – the idea being that we would drive around the island.  We walked to the auto rental sight.  After some time we received our vehicle – a manual van.  The problem was that it was a very, very difficult gear shift….and, it had been a long time since I had driven a manual car….and, there were tons of hairpin and uphill turns – resulting in a number of times that the car stalled and I had to restart with cars behind me and the car really, really hated first gear!!!  The planned first two stops were skipped by accident, but we did end up in a great restaurant for lunch on the edge of the coast with great food.  However, everyone was really tired of my not-so-stellar driving.  So Bryan took over and, to my delight, while he drove a lot better than I, still had some problems with the terrible gear shift.  We were all delighted when we got back to the ship and some cocktails.

Not so much to see, but we did discover a great and unusual beer at lunch. It is beer and lemon (maybe lemonade). The name is Radler.

A selfie taken by Marina, our waitress.

After Lesbos, we arrived in Ephesus.  It was 98 degrees and bright sunshine.  We did take an umbrella from the room and did have it up some of the time.  Ephesus is marvelous.  The ruins are great.  John and I have a picture at home on the wall of the two of us in front of the Ephesus library; we tried to replicate it even though the crowds were part of this year’s picture.

We then visited the Ephesus Museum.

The next day was Santorini, Greece.  What a stunning island!  However, every cruise line stops there when in the area – it was MOBBED!  The gorgeous white buildings, some topped with the bright blue roofs are so beautiful.  Lorenzo was our guide and he was the very best guide possible.  He took me on a special route that had only a few steps to navigate.  We stopped in three areas, the first being the poshest part of the island,Oia (pronounced la). 

Then we went to a winery and tried a most interesting wine; it was a white wine but reddish in color and it was more like a dessert wine – really sweet.  Not my favorite, but an interesting thing to try.  Our last stop was at Fira, a less fancy part of Santorini but with great views.

I took a picture of the bus parking lot to show how crowded it was. This does not include all the cars!

And an example of the hairpin curves — all along the way!

The next day was Olympia, Greece, the sight of the original Olympics. They began in 776BC and ended in 400AD. During that period the Olympics were always held in Olympia. The athletes entered the stadium through a tunnel and were cheered by 40,000 to 45,000 spectators. The excavations in Olympia were started in 1870. The modern day Olympics began in Athens in 1896.

I picked up my tickets, got to the bus, sat down and was then told by the guide that I would not be able to get to either sight, the latter being only a one block strip of shops and cafes. The ancient sight, I was told, was very interesting and had LOTS of steps to navigate. It was also VERY, VERY HOT (I was told later). She told me that I would have to stay on the bus — so I got off! Now, we pay on Oceania for our excursions, so I’m hoping for a refund!!!

So these are pictures from either John or Tomi or Mary Jo. Here’s the start and finish of the race, then the tunnel.

He left the other guy in his dust!

Each passenger was given an iPad like tablet with images in 3D to show what each site would have looked like prior to its destruction.

They all arrived back just drenched and parched. August might not have been the best choice for this trip. Might as well be back in Texas…..except there we are NEVER outside unless at the pool.

That’s all for now but there is lots more to come.

Bye,

Beth

The next day was complete sunshine and much warmer, so we ditched the planned trip to Philadelphia in favor of spending the day at Longwood Gardens. Mary Jo and Spot had not been there before and were happy with that choice.

Below are excerpts from the Longwood Garden home page:

In July 1906, 36-year-old Pierre du Pont purchased the farm primarily to preserve the trees. But as we know now, he didn’t stop there. Much of what guests see today – the majesty and magic that is Longwood Gardens – was shaped by the remarkable vision and versatility of Pierre du Pont, one of our nation’s most extraordinary citizens.

Ten years after purchasing Longwood, Pierre du Pont was just getting warmed up. By 1916 he was contemplating grand indoor facilities “designed to exploit the sentiments and ideas associated with plants and flowers in a large way.”

By the mid-1930s, Longwood had grown from the original 202 acres to 926 acres due to Pierre’s purchase of 25 contiguous properties over the years. In addition to horticulture, agriculture had always been important at Longwood, which started out, after all, as a farm.

In 1913, the government had enacted personal income tax. In response, Pierre incorporated Longwood in 1914. He always tried to stay one step ahead of the IRS to keep his farm and gardens in the best possible tax situation, and in 1937 the Longwood Foundation was created to handle his charitable giving. Finally, in 1946, the government gave approval for the Foundation to operate Longwood Gardens as a public garden with tax-exempt status “for the sole use of the public for purposes of exhibition, instruction, education and enjoyment.”

One of the highlights of Pierre’s final years was the 150^th anniversary of the du Pont’s arrival in the United States, held at Longwood Gardens in 1950 with 632 family members from around the world in attendance. In 1954, just three days after being awarded the Cravate de Commandeur of the French Legion of Honor, Pierre died from a ruptured aorta. He was 84 years old.

Now on to the pictures:

Near the end of our visit Mary Jo got a wheelchair and a man to push it so she could get a rest. I think this is the day Anne said she had 16,000 steps!

It had been a long day — again — so we opted to go to Jessop’s Tavern in New Castle to bring home pot roast and meatloaf and warm them up after a little rest and a cocktail for me! New Castle had some big time charm and interesting little streets.

We absolutely LOVED this, our last day. It was wonderful!!!!!

Beth

Anne and I drove to Middletown, DE — the town in which my longtime friends Mary Jo and Spot (aka Ron) now live. They are in a charming one-story new house, built to look old. All of their antique, distinctive and not modern furniture look wonderful in there.

It was great to see them. I have been friends with Mary Jo for almost forty years and was in their wedding when we were both about age 40.

The next morning they picked us up to go see Winterthur, a magnificent house, garden and grounds, where they are members. It was beautiful! The grounds were heavily planted but in a natural sort of way.

The land upon which Winterthur was built was purchased by Pierre du Pont de Nemours shortly after he moved from France to the Brandywine Valley in 1800. In 1837 his daughter Evelina and her husband Jacques Antoine Bidermann purchased 450 acres from her father’s estate and built a 12-room Greek Revival house and named it Winterthur in honor of Antoine’s ancesteral home in Switzerland. Over the years they developed flower, fruit and vegetable gardens. The house was eventually increased considerably in size while remaining in the extended family. It was opened to the public in 1951; the du Ponts moved to a smaller house nearby which is now the Museum Store.

Take a look….

We stopped at Big Fish Grill in Wilmington on the way home — great fried fish!

A wonderful day!

Beth

I flew to Washington, D.C. to attend my 60th High School Reunion at Geogetown Visitation Preparatory School for Girls. It was also the 225th anniversary of the school — founded in 1799, adjacent to Georgetown University.

On our first night my sister Anne and I met classmate Terry Cummins and husband John for dinner at Chang Chang, a Chinese restaurant in D.C. She had to miss the reunion due to a family wedding.

This was Anne’s first trip to DC since she was three so the next day was sightseeing. We saw the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol.

We were staying at the Geogetown Inn and across the street was the oldest tavern in D.C., Martin’s Tavern. We were seated in the booth where John Kennedy proposed to Jackie — kinda cool!

Anne wanted to see the zoo and the day was beautiful so we did that after lunch. Then, we had liked the tavern so much that we went back for dinner.

The next morning we visited the Supreme Court and attended a wonderful lecture about the Court. We were not allowed to take pictures in the courtroom, but could take some standing outside beyond the entry looking in.

I introduced Anne to Indian food with a trip to Rafika, the top Indian restaurant in D.C. The food was wonderful and the decor beautirul.

I showed Anne the house in which I lived and Blessed Sacrament Church and School that I had attended.

Then my reunion began; here are some pictures from that.

And sent from DeeDee…..

The reunion was so much fun and it was so wonderful to see all these women!

Beth

After disembarking from our ship and meeting Mr. Ohara –our driver for the next four days, we headed to the Odawara Art Foundation.  What a beautiful place and Odawara’s art was quite interesting.  John posed in front of “Endless Ocean”, a work that John Bon Jovi featured on the cover of an album.  Also, the cherry blossoms were gorgeous!

We stopped for lunch at a Japanese quick stop and had fun ordering.

Our next stop was at the Okada Museum of Art.  The outside was pretty amazing with a gigantic gold leaf mural on the wall and with a gallery outside of it with a foot bath for each seat.

Inside were a collection of armor, kimona, paintings and more – all wonderful to see.  However, no photographs were allowed so nothing for you.

We headed to our fabulous resort. It was only five rooms — each one with an onsen (think very, very hot tub of constantly flowing mineral water) and a sauna, all with views of Mt. Fuji. The staff did everything they could to make you more comfortable and happy. Here are some pictures.

Rather than getting a rollaway in our living room, we had the daybed made up for sleep — not sacrificing any of our space. And then we experienced how they treat their guests at dinner!!

And I was able to order a bottle of wine, but since I was the only one drinking, it could be used over the entire stay.

In the morning…

On the second day in Hakone, we went to the Hakone Open Air Museum.  This might have been my most favorite stop of the entire trip – it was absolutely fabulous!!!  Enjoy it all…..

Then a quick lunch at a gyoza stop.

By the way, we loved our guide for the first two days in Hakone. I can’t remember her name to tell you.

In the afternoon on the second day in Hakone, we went to the ropeway (gondola) to ascend the mountain for the views of Mt. Fuji and to enjoy the steam escaping the hillside. And to see the black eggs.

Both John and Kathryn posed in front of the black egg statue. You can put a raw egg in front of the steam coming from the sides of the volcano and it will cook and turn black. If you eat the egg it will add seven years to your life. We all took a pass!

Then back down another side to the lake.

Later in the afternoon, we took a pirate ship tour of Lake Ashi, a crater lake created by a volcanic eruption from Mt. Fuji in 857. Pretty views and warm inside!

Once on the stop on the other side of the lake, we met Mr. Ohara and stopped briefly at the shrine gates where couples were lined up to be photographed standing under the gates.

Our first stop on the next day was at a small lake surrounded by cherry blossom trees.  It was so pretty; we had to take lots of pictures.

We moved on to a world heritage site close to Mt. Fuji.

John had to go shopping before we left, He bought the t-shirt on the left.

We went back to our marvelous room where John and Kathryn went to the onsen before we left for dinner — Kathryn and John at dinner in the leisure wear that was in our suite.

On our last day, on the way to the airport, we went to see the giant Buddha in Kamakura, cast in 1252 – a major tourist attraction!  Kathryn and John even went inside it. On the way to Kamakura, the fog was so thick that you could not see far ahead.

It was truly inspiring to see the Buddhists bowing, lighting incense and praying before him. 

We next went into Hase Kanon Temple.

For some strange reason we couldn’t get out of the parking lot.  Mr. Ohara had to flag down an attendant who came and fixed the machine so we could leave.

We had one final meal at Din Tai Fung before arriving at Haneda airport for our flight back home. 

Just as interesting side note, we arrived home on a Thursday, exhausted from a very, very long day of travel.  Already at our house were my sister Anne and niece Heather.  The next day brought my brother Lyndon and wife Nancy – who left two days later to view the eclipse with another niece.  Then came daughter Melissa, husband Karl and granddaughter Kathryn, my helper in Japan.  Then grandson Michael and girlfriend Crystin. In other words, while it was a lot of fun, it was a zoo!

By the way, my foot is almost healed! Getting a pedicure this afternoon. Thanks for joining me and sorry for being so slow getting this out!

Beth