# 30
  .  .  .   and beyond  

Rome

Going from London to Fiumicino airport near Rome was short and sweet. That place was absolutely hopping with activity and there must have been about 1500 people waiting to get through to their luggage.  The four of us did the wait-in-line shuffle down the stairs and along the huge corridor until finally it was our turn at the kiosk that was our entry into the luggage turnstiles hall.  Once we had collected our suitcases we took our turn at the customs booth, then headed off to find the driver of the shuttle that would take us to Civitavecchia port, and our ship.

There he was, holding the name card up in the air.  Standing with him were the three others that were joining us on the cruise.  They had landed about an hour earlier and when they found our driver they decided to waited with him so we'd all be ready to go. The third couple had their 8 year old grand daughter with them.  What a lucky girl to get a chance to travel the world at such a young age.  I'm sure she'll be writing down a ton of info and taking pictures of everywhere that we visit.

Our driver loaded our suitcases into the van and off we headed to the MSC Divina.  It took about an hour to get to the port.  Weather was beautiful and the drive was uneventful.  We were driven directly to the ship and it was HUGE.   It was even bigger than the one we were on in April.  

MSC Divina holds 4,350 passengers with a crew and staff of 1,325.  The staff to guest ratio was considerably lower than on Royal Caribbean. Our cabin was on the 11th floor, right at the back of the ship.  That gave us a balcony that was 10 ft by 10 ft, whereas regular balconies were about 10 ft by 4 ft, Bring on the lounge chair and sun glasses.             
                                                                                 

# 29
   .  .  .   and beyond

London

By the time we touched down in London the wine had evaporated and I no longer smelled of alcohol.  Good thing too!  It proved to be a very trying morning.  We had to go up and down three or four escalators, take a train ride to the other side of the terminal then take another few sets of escalators and yet another train ride back toward where we started from, but not quite the same spot.  It was confusing to say the least.  It's a good thing we had a couple of hours before our connecting flight left for Rome.  We had to go through British security even though we had just come off a plane that didn't stop anywhere on it's flight from Toronto.  We never left the terminal in England, but had to go through the ques and roped lines yet again.

Bit of background is needed here.  A couple of years ago I had some major dental work done.  Ever since then I've suffered with dry mouth.  This is nothing harmful, just uncomfortable.  Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth.  Getting it unstuck is actually painful and it feels as though little bits of tongue tissue are left behind when I do pry it loose.  To help with this problem I use a mouth moisture spray.  It comes in bottles that are 120 ml. Because that amount of liquid is TOO MUCH for flights, I made sure the bottle was only about three quarters full before I packed for our trip.

Well . . .  British security flagged me, took swabs of my hands and shoes,  asked me to step aside and wait, which I did.  They took away the not full bottle of mouth spray and threw it in the garbage.  I told them it wasn't full, but she didn't care.  It was too big and I wasn't going to take it into her country.  I said we were not going to England, but just transferring to a flight to Rome.  She said it didn't matter, it wasn't allowed.  I said I needed it for my mouth, and didn't know if I could find it where we were headed.   Her response was, "That's not my problem."   Wow,  I've been to England twice before and I've never been treated with such a bad attitude.  Now I never want to go there again.

# 28
  .  .  .   and beyond  

We fly

On Sep 25th we loaded up the Murano, picked up our friends and headed down the 401 toward Toronto.  We went straight to the airport and Mrs. G and I went in with all the luggage while the men headed back to Park and Fly to stow our car for the 3 week trip. Within an hour they were back, via the shuttle provided, and since we were early, we got some lunch and then waited in line to check in for our flight.  We were flying with British Airways leaving Toronto at 6:30 p.m. our time and arriving at Heath Row at 6:30 a.m. London time. I hoped they have good in flight movies!

Over night flights are never easy, I rarely get any sleep, but I have to admit that this airline was pretty good.  Everything was complimentary . . . wine, beer, headphones, what ever they had to offer was part of the flight.  The meal was reasonable for airline food, but my dinner wine ended up in my lap when the lady in front of me decided to lay back her chair.  It didn't go easily so she sort of slammed it back and I wore my glass of white wine. Yikes! I was going to smell like an old booze hound by the time we landed, not to mention the fact that my clothes were soggy all the way down my pant leg and right into my sock.   Oh well, things will dry, but it looked like it was gonna be a long night.

# 27
  .  .  .  and beyond  

Plans

Back in January Mike and I, and Mr. and Mrs. G, friends that went cruising with us in April, booked a Mediterranean cruise for the end of September.  August was going by so quickly and it was almost time to start the suitcase dance.  What will fit where?  How many outfits? Am I taking too many pairs of shoes?  Which swimsuit looks better wet?  This was going to be a much longer cruise and we planned to stay an extra week and visit family in Italy, so packing for a 3 week stay was a bit tricky. October in Italy can be cool or really hot.  Mixed weather makes for a lot of clothes.

Two of our suitcases had been ruined on our way home from the Caribbean cruise in April, so we went out and looked for a couple of decent (not huge) pieces for our 11 day cruise.  We actually got a really good deal on two pieces of Swiss Gear soft sided luggage at Winners.  I wouldn't have thought of going there except that Mrs. G had just bought a new travel piece there herself. Thanks girlfriend.

Our flight was leaving Toronto at 6:30 so we needed to be at the airport before 3.  That meant leaving home before 11 so we could get to Park and Fly and take the shuttle to the airport. It was coming up fast.  We were actually "Getting Excited" to start the trip!

# 26

   .  .  .  and beyond  

Heading out, again!

We just got back from the east coast late on August 7th and the very next day, we leave for Waterloo. We're staying home just long enough to do some laundry, cut the lawn, and repack our suitcases. There had been a plan to help our son and his wife with a bathroom renovation in June, but the day we were leaving, bags in the car, we got a call that Mike's mom had fallen and she wasn't doing very well. The doctors didn't think she would be with us for very long.  So, our plans were changed and a week later we were at her bedside at the seniors' home saying our last goodbyes. In another three days we were attending her funeral. That's why we were heading to Waterloo the day after we got home from our trip.
Funny how one phone call can change so many things.

In Waterloo there really wasn't that much for me to do. That's a good thing.  It gave me time to hang out with our two grandsons.  At age four and one, they are certainly entertaining. I think the older one has a crush on Elsa, from "Frozen" and he can sing all the words to every song in the movie.  Too cute. The younger one is a master climber and he keeps us scrambling, and nervous.

The guys were busy with floor tiles, wall board, toilets, pipes and such.  When they were done it was my turn to do my thing.  Painting. Yes, it seems that I  am responsible for most, if not all, of the painting that needs doing in our family.  Don't get me wrong, I'm don't mean to complain, but with four households there's a LOT of paining. There's always someone moving, or doing a reno or needing to freshen things up.  Good thing I like to paint!

# 25
  .  .  .  and beyond  
 
Homeward

A driving vacation is at such a different pace!  No schedules, unless they're self inflicted, no deadlines, or timetables, just heading out and enjoying the sights along the way.  It was pretty much what happened on the way east, and that was what we expected on the way back.

One hope was to stop overnight in Quebec City, a place neither of us had visited before. The day had started out fine, but by the time we got to our planned night time destination, the weather had taken a turn for the worse.  Rain, spitting for a bit, then harder, then lighter again.  It didn't show signs of stopping.  We tried a few hotels along the route, but all were full.  Okay, mother nature, you win.

We're driving straight through.

We're going home tonight.

# 24

   .  .  .  and beyond  

 Visiting

We were treated like royals while we spent time with P and R in Fredericton.  They slept in bunk beds and put us in their king.  OMGoodness, with another family with 2 kids already staying with them, I felt so guilty, but it was a really comfortable bed.

Their three boys, and the young boy visiting, made a fort on, under, and around the pool table downstairs,  I think they used up every couch cushion and pillow in the basement for their beds, and all the luggage was hauled out of storage and became dividing walls, so each kid had their own "room" in their fort .  Rather clever. There were the parents and the teenage daughter to accommodate as well, so sleeping arrangements were . . . interesting to say the least.

We had a lobster feast, I mean, they brought home a cooler full of cooked lobster, and we had a feast.  I've never seen anyone crack through one of those things as fast as R could. He could be a pro lobster cracker.  Let it be known that I was the worst at the table, and there were youngsters cracking shells.

We spent the next afternoon at the local swimming hole, watching the boys enjoy the day.  I could get used to this lounging at the beach stuff.