Savanah, Georgia

In 1998 I went to Savannah, Georgia for July 4th and met my sister and her husband there. Savannah is one of the most unique and interesting places I have ever visited. Many of the old warehouses, like the Savannah Cotton Xchange along River Street have been converted into hotels and restaurants. A steady stream of cargo ships run up and down the Savannah River.

The Historic District of Savannah is laid out in quadrants. In addition to Forsyth Park and the Colonial Park Cemetery there are twenty-two "Squares," known as the Jewels of the City.

The Pirates' House first opened in 1753 as an inn for seafarers and fast became a meeting point for blood-thirsty pirates & sailors. A portion of the structure was built in 1734, making it the oldest standing building in the state of Georgia. The modern restaurant was founded by Herb Traub and Jim Casey in 1953, and is one of Savannah's most popular tourist attractions. The Olde Pink House, is one of Savannah’s most popular restaurants. Guests have the unique opportunity to savor the restaurant’s sparkling Lowcountry cuisine in a sophisticated, yet casual setting of an 18th century mansion.

Other attractions in the historic district of are the Mercer Williams House, the Isaiah Davenport House and the Armstrong House. The Mercer Williams House was the scene of the 1981 shooting death of Danny Hansford by the home's owner, Jim Williams, a story that is retold in the 1994 John Berendt book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The house is also featured in the movie adaptation of the book. The Davenport House Museum, with its serpentine staircases, was built by master carpenter Isaiah Davenport for his household which included ten children. It provides a glimpse into 1820s domestic life in the urban port city of Savannah.

The Armstrong Kessler Mansion (formerly known as Armstrong House) is an example of Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style located across from Forsyth Park. The ten-bedroom home has nearly 26,000 square feet of living area. The main hall was designed with Italian limestone claddings with ornate plaster ceilings and cornices. Floor-length windows, cornices, panels, friezes, and details reflecting a range of styles are found throughout the interior. The Mansion was used as the school of the daughter of the protagonist in Cape Fear and appeared as the real-life law office of attorney Sonny Seiler in the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

In Savannah on July 4th was a special treat. The Tall Ships arrived in a spectacular fashion. The first to arrive was the US Coastguard Tallship Eagle. Eagle is a 295-foot barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. Next to arrive was Argentina's Tallship the ARA Libertad. This full-rigged sailing ship is one of the largest and fastest tall ships in the world. It serves as a school vessel in the Argentine Navy.

As the tall ships arrive in port, the sailors are standing on the masts. The Libertad even fired its cannon coming into port. Thousands of people were there to see this spectacular July 4th event

London, England

In August of 1999 I went to London. I had a lovely dance partner who was going there to visit her brother and his wife. She was very familiar with London having lived there before she immigrated to the USA and offered to set me up at a good hotel conveniently located for touring the city. I agreed and we made the trip together. At the London airport she went nd I headed for the hotel. I could not meet her brother. He was a strict Muslum and would not approve of her having a male dance partner.

The hotel Shanez had picked out was perfect. I spent ten days enjoying the city and its sites. I took taxis, "popped on and off" the buses and even took the underground. I saw Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. I walked the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly. I shopped at Harrods and Selfridges and bought a waistcoat suit (long jacket) at Topshop. To get the complete London experience, I ate fish and chips with malt vinegar and enjoyed many a pint of Guinness in the local pubs.

Londoners drive on the left side of the road. So, while we Westerners are used to looking left before stepping into a street, in London you must usually "Look Right." It's a habit to look left so at some London intersections the direction to look for the traffic is painted on the street. I was very impressed by the uniqueness of the taxis and busses of London. What I loved most about the English was their use of our language. Afterall, they did invent it. Our signs say "Entrance" and "Exit" while London signs say "Way In" and "Way Out." At the underground they warn you to "Mind the gap" as you step on and off the train. And of course, you "pop on" and "pop off" of a bus.

Acappulco, Mexico

Three years later she had planned a 10-day vacation to Acapulco, Mexico and invited me to join her. It sounded exciting so I went. What I discovered first about Acapulco were the cliffs and that the Pacific Ocean beaches were soft sand, not a mixture of sand and shells like the New Jersey shore on the east coast. With beautiful warm weather year-round, doors to public buildings were always open. Local eateries were open-air.

One day we went to see the famous La Quebrada Cliff Divers of Acapulco. Although the diving was daring, it was pretty much a show for tourists. There was a large ledge where the divers gathered. It had a blue grotto at which each diver appeared to say a prayer and cross themselves before climbing down to the diving point located about 100 feet above the water. The dive into the "gulch" is certainly daring and the depth of the gulch varies from 15 to 20 feet deep.

Another day we took a private tour to the interior of Mexico. We stopped in a small village to buy souvenirs when I decided to buy a banana. That day I learned about "plantains." Even though they say you can eat raw uncooked plantains, I would not recommend it.

I had been warned to avoid the water in Mexico and thought I was doing a great job, even brushing my teeth with bottled water. But near the end of our stay, I succumbed to "Montezuma's Revenge." I bought so much Pepto Bismol from the drug store, across the street from the hotel, that they ran out of it. After that I had no desire to go back to Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Joan's brother owned amagnificent villa in Conchas Chinas near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When we were invited to visit them for a week, I was very reluctant. But Joan had been there many times and never suffered any illness. I decided to give it a try. Since then, we have made several trips to Mexico and I have never gotten sick.

When we visited Chuck and his lovely wife Judith in Mexico, they often took us to interesting towns throughout the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. All together we have been to 14 places of interest throughout Mexico from Sayulita to Guadalajara. However, I gave up drinking martinis in Mexico especially because they didn't know how to make a gin drink. Instead, I learned about Tequila and how to drink Tequila. I've always liked Corona beer so ordering "cerveza" was also a good idea.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Ocean Cruises

“Waves are not measured in feet or inches but are measured in increments of fear” - Buzzy Trent

Ocean cruising has given me the opportunity to see the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland to the Canary Islands, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. I've seen the Adriatic Sea from Venice to Greece and the Mediterranean from Sicily to Gibraltar. And I've seen the Baltic Sea from Denmark to Russia and the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to New Zealand.

My first cruise was a weekend cruise in April 1989. We sailed down the Delaware River, had two days cruising the Atlantic Ocean and then back up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. I don't recall the name of the ship or how many passengers were aboard but I remeber the experience very well.

It was actually a "gambling cruise" that was otherwise quite boring. The cabin was an "inside cabin" and the bathroom was, as I recall, a capsule in the corner of the room. The shower, sink and toilet were somehow molded into a single unit. It was Horrible! And, I will never forget the evening we headed up the stairs for dinner and someone remarked "Here come the basement people."

My next cruise was in 1994 aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Song of Norway. It was a small ship by today's standards with only about 700 passengers. There were no "veranda suites" but the cabin had a bathroom, a window and it was not in the "basement!" The food and service were excellent and each evening we enjoyed great entertainment and dancing.

This was a Mediterranean cruise that started in Venice, Italy and continued to Greece, Sicily, Naples, Rome, Florence, the French Riviera, Palma Mallorca and ended in Barcelona, Spain. The photos I took during this cruise are on my Photo Website.

The Song of Norway even had a Viking Crown Lounge located on its stack. Today, Royal Caribbean's mega-ships are famous for the Viking Crown Lounge that encircles their stacks. However, the tiny Viking Crown Lounge on the Song of Norway could only be reached by steps that lead up the outside of the stack. Even so, we had many great evenings enjoying cocktails in the lounge with its 270° view.

My next cruise was also on Royal Caribbean. The ship was the Splendor of the Seas. This ship was elegant beyond one's imagination. My cabin was roomy with a king size bed, a TV, a full bathroom, and an airy veranda. The year was 1997 and we sailed the Baltic Sea from Copenhagen, Denmark to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia and back to Copenhagen.

Splendor of the Seas had an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool. The dining room had seating on the main floor and on a balcony. The atrium had two glass elevators that rose 12 decks up to the Viking Crown Lounge. But a ship with 1,800 passengers lost that personal attention, the friendliness of other passengers and the relaxation that I had enjoyed on the Song of Norway.

Then, in 2004 I had an opportunity to visit Russia again. Moscow, Russia. It was another cruise to the Baltic Countries, this time with a group of twelve friends aboard Holland America's ship the MS Noordam. Traveling in a group was not my preference and I had been to Russia before but I just had to see Moscow and Red Square. It stirred memories of the “Cold War” and parades of missiles in Red Square that I watched on TV when I was much younger. I took the cruise and I will never forget my one day in Moscow.

The Noordam was about 1,300 passengers and, as I recall, the food was excellent. Like the Song of Norway, there were no veranda cabins but we did have a normal size window. Today it was difficult to find out anything about the Noordam because Holland America has used the name "Noordam" for four newer, much larger ships. However, if you're interested, its new name is the MS Thomson Celebration of Marella Cruises. Overall, it was a fun cruise but best of all, I did get a picture of me in Red Square, even though it rained the entire day we were in Moscow

After this cruise I had decided that cruising was not for me. That is until my lovely life partner, Joan, introduced me to Crystal Cruises. Their two ships Serenity and Symphony are small, about 800 passengers. Crystal cruises are all inclusive. Many of our local friends shy away from this expense but I remembered the enormous "bills" I had received at the end of my previous cruises. The idea of not signing and tipping for every bottle of water, every snack, every beer, every glass of wine or every cocktail made cruising so much more enjoyable.

Joan loved cruising and had traveled on thirty-something cruises on Seaborn and Silverseas. Both lines are high-end cruise lines, all inclusive, veranda suites and small ships with about 200-300 passengers. Joan had also sailed on Crystal's ship the Harmony, no longer part of their fleet. It was a dance cruise with dance hosts and instructors. When she read about a trans-Atlantic dance cruise on Crystal, she suggested we might enjoy it together. We took the cruise and have enjoyed Crystal so much that in 2019 we embarked on our 12th Crystal Cruise.

We have sailed on both Crystal ships and, as they say, we have become “Crystalized!” The food is superb, the entertainment is outstanding, the lectures engrossing and the shore excursions are always exciting and educational. There are activities from dancing to golf to bridge. There is plenty of room to relax around the pool or jacuzzi without making "reservations." Crystal still has formal nights and, although they have relaxed the formal dress code to a jacket and tie, many men wear a tuxedo and the ladies are fashionably dressed in gowns.

We always take a Veranda Suite which is a cabin about 650 square feet. The Penthouse Suites are much larger with walk-in closets and butler service but they are way above our means. Furthermore, we enjoy the camaraderie of fellow passengers, the wide variety of eateries, lounging with a Bloody Mary and dressing up for cocktails in the evening. We use our cabin to change clothes, shower and sleep and only occasionally relax on the veranda.

Many of our cruises have been Atlantic crossings and we spend most of our time dancing. There are daily instructions and private lessons. Every evening there is dancing to a Big Band, the Crystal Quartet and of course the Disco late at night. We have also taken some golf lessons. We have visited many interesting ports, met many lovely people and have gotten to know several of the excellent Crystal staff.