Below is a collection of journal entries made during my trip. The impressions are "immediate" since I made them shortly after each tour. (With the exception of the first one) Some details I had forgotten are in here, reminds me why I took the laptop!
First Entry--London/Horley
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your writer speaking. You won't realize this, but I'm actually four days behind on my writing. We packed the computer minus the cords (thinking only of wi-fi and not of keeping the actual thing charged) The internet cafe happened to have an old cord, so this thing is now in working condition. Today was "a day at sea" on our way to Edinburgh, so I'm journaling on the back deck overlooking the pool. It's quite nippy, so the pool is empty and most are reading books or napping with the English channel as a backdrop, not a bad gig.
So, I'm going to hit the rewind button and re-live some moments from the last few days.
At the last minute, a friend of Mom's offered to drive us to the airport. We took her up on it so saved ourselves a cab ride, but I had to laugh when I saw how small her car was.We bearly got everything in it. It was packed to the roof with Mom squished in beside the large bags.
Anyway, we made it in one piece. Mom told her not to bother parking. Unfortunately, that meant no help with the bags as said friend couldn't leave the car unattended at the curb. So off she went while Mom started rolling the bags in to the correct check-in counter. I was left babysitting the other bags on the curb while sitting in my wheelchair.
PROBLEM ONE--They wouldn't check my bag in without seeing me and you aren't allowed to leave lugguage unattended in line/at the counter so, back she came with my large bag. So, between the two of us we have three suitcases and me sitting in the chair. Pictue this, me in the chair wheeling a bag in front of me trying to steer it while Mom pushes,dragging one suitcase behind her while I had one in front of me and the extra carry on in my lap.
We finally made it to check- in only to have the agent almost reject our carry on bags because they were too big. I think he took pity on us and let both through.
Security--Let's just say the security guard and I got intimately aquainted. In lew of taking off my shoes, she did a full body pat-down, What bothered me, she looked at Mom and asked if it was okay before she did it, completely ignoring me. I answered that it was, just to force her to deal with me directly.
After something of an ordeal, we made it out of there. As we were walking to our gate, I made Mom ride along the rolling beltway. Those things are so cool, it reminds me of the Flintstones. As I was trying to take her picture, I got a blank screen. Turns out, I had it on the wrong setting so what you see is a blur far down the beltway looking back and waving, opps.
Fast-forward to the plane. I almost had a heart attack. The aisles were all of a foot and a half wide. I almost started to hyperventilate on the spot. It took everything in me not to run screaming from the plane and happily give my seat to someone else. I was using every calming trick in the book. Finally, I realized I had no choice, I was all in, and just sat down. As the plane was filling with people, it was getting hotter and hotter and I wondered if I might pass out.
Take off wasn't bad--I only white-knuckled it for a few minutes. It was pretty clear that most were seasoned travelers. Some were asleep before we ever took off. The flight was at 9:50pm so I think it lent itself to the layed back atmosphere. I felt myself relaxing as we leveled out and it's actually pretty darn cool flying East going from night to day. The sky was painted in hues of blues, pinks, deep reds with the promise of a new day, a new adventure. I'm on the aisle, but it turns out the window is stuck so it has to stay open, some things are just meant to be. I stayed up all night watching the colours change, it was somehow calming. I thought of Bud and Kase and how in my own way, I was bringing them along for the ride. I fingered the bracelet Ginger made me and said a quick prayer asking them to come along and watch over us.
We hit some turbulence. They stopped food service for half and hour and by the time they got to me with a "dinner" I was ready to knaw my own foot off with hunger. Food was awful. "Pasta" which was nothing more than dried up mac and cheese, gross. Now I know why it gets compared to hospital food. Blah.
LOL One baby on board. He did well until landing, then started to scream. That's okay, so did I. The landing was awful. The pilot was dropping way too quickly, my heart was in my throat and this retching sound came out of me. I swallowed the bile down, but everyone was staring at me. Boy, it snuck up on me. I was praising myself for doing such a great job with the flight, then came the moment when I thought I was going to hurl, thank goodness I held it off.
Made it to the B and B, what a disappointment. House looks cute on the outside, but inside it's musty and the owners are fake pleasant. The woman didn't even introduce herself and the room is at the very back of the house. Not nearly as big as the pics made it seem and the mint green walls remind me of a hospital room/bed.
Mom and I were both starving and neither offered us anything, even though we had just missed breakfast. I thought it was extremely rude. It hit me at this point. Foreign land, starving, motion sick, the adreniline couldn't hold me anymore. We tried to sleep but we were just too hungry so we took a walk in to town. I have to say, Horley is downright cute. You can walk to everything in five minutes. We found a pedestrain square lined with restaurants and picked the one with chairs outside, big mistake. I got a ham sandwich and by the end of the meal I was dry-heaving right there on the sidewalk. It was soooo bad. We walked away without paying. YES, an hour in London and we're already comitting a crime. We never found our waitress and we both agreed that we would never have paid anyway, so we skipped out.
Back at the house, Mom fell asleep quickly, and I was left thinking about how badly this all seemed to be going. I worried for Mom's trip because I could feel myself slipping. I didn't end up sleeping at all. Once Mom woke up we took a walk, finding a cute little supermarket, where we bought bananas, grapes, and apples, thank god I was able to eat something and keep it down.
Mom and I forced ourselves to go back out and into town. We were desperate for some air and a decent meal. I hadn't had anything to compare the B and B too but I knew I wasn't enjoying it, and Mom said that it was nothing like any she stayed in. No smell of baked goods, or a happy greeting, just a single pack of cookies and a tea kettle. No "How was your flight?" nothing. In fact, I sensed tension between the couple and was uncomfortable even being around them. If we had internet access, we would switch the reservation we have for the one night back but we don't. The ship's service is slow and expensive. Anyone who paid for it seems to be complaining to each other about it.
Anyway, the trip in to Horley proved worth it. We found a fish and chip place,and Mom says it's the best she's ever had. I had fries and loved those too. We got a second wind and I have to say, sitting in the town square at 10pm eating killer food was pretty sweet. Town is so adorable (see pics) Cutsy businesses and interesting buildings with great arcitechural detail. We grabbed a person to take our pics (fish and chios in hand) so caught our first good moment on film.
Oh, I got the chicken nuggets. They were good, but they don't use plum sauce on chicken here, they use mayo. I won't even tell you about the look he gave me when I asked for ketchup with my fries. The Doctor Pepper can caught our eye, It said "Win pants or prizes." Being a freebie fanatic, pants as a prize didn't sound too appealing to me, so at breakfast the next morning I asked an English gentleman what "pants' meant. It means "rubbish." LOL So in other words, win something or nothing.
The T.V in the room gets all of five channels. You end up either watching a British comedy (which is "spot on" funny, or British news. It's pretty clear that the Brits like keeping to themselves and all other happenings are secondary. I think I ended up watching coranation street while Mom nibbled on packaged cookies.
Seriously, packaged cookies. I was over the place an hour after I entered it.
The first thing you notice when you look around Horley. A slower pace. People don't have cell phones plastered to their ears, they walk at a slower pace, and they actually talk with/greet each other. It's a nice change, one I could get used to.
London
We turned in pretty early knowing we wanted to do London in the morning. We wanted to catch the 10:15am train in, but missed it thanks to the girl taking forever to figure out what "special" fare I was entitled to. Anyway, full props to the train design. The disabilty car had a washroom that slid open at the push of a button. It was so neat. It was a round half-circle that slid across when you pushed a button, then another button swung it open from the inside.
Though London was busy, it was busy in a dignified way. Again, few cell phones and the cars are fabulous. They pretty much all looked like what we would call "classic cars." (see pics) It was a throw back to the 40s/50's. A man onboard the ship later explained to us that the government gave a $3000 credit toward a new vehicle program and the cars are relatively cheap because the majority of the cars are made in China. Apparently, the British car industry is virtually non-existant.
We did one of the hop-on/hop off tours which worked both for and against us, it provided much needed transport, but wasn't easy to get on/off of and the routes were long, so if you missed something the first time around you were out of luck. Pricey as well, roughly $50 each for bus services/cruise on the Thames river.
We did manage to see the tail end of the changing of the guards (see pics below) I was shocked by how close people were allowed to get to Buckingham Palace. I believe the royals allow this to make themselves seem "accessible." I was saying to Mom, "How much would it suck that you couldn't even look out of your own front window" because people camp there waiting for a glimpse of well, anything.
Her reply? "Oh well, she can look out the back.' LOL
Oh, and the hop on/off was also hit or miss for accessibility--some had ramps, most didn't which meant wasting lots of time waiting for the right bus and in one case, we had to pull the ramp out ourselves as the driver was too lazy to get up and do it himself
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I would have loved to go into one of their national galleries (entry to any of the museums is free since they belong to the people/taxpayers) We found ourselves in front of the art gallery fifteen minutes before it was due to close thanks to the hop/on hop off route taking much longer than we thought. I think we got some decent pictures of the outside though:-)
Thank goodness Mom's camera has a date stamp or we spend hours looking at each other asking "Where was this again?"
Rouen
None done (I think I was so annoyed by what happened on the tour by the end of the day, I didn't bother with it.)
Edinburgh
Ok, this is the favourite so far. A beautiful combination of old and new. The pictures will likely tell the story better than I ever could, but just wow. Fenced in parks on one side, shops on the other. I honestly don't think that I could do it all justice.
First, real bagpipers in the town square. People crowd around to listen and take pictures with them. No matter which corner you navigate, you hear the powerfully haunting sounds of the booming instrument.
Mom and I made it up to the Royal Mile, no easy feat. Steep, steep, steep. The castle is supposed to be the ultimate destination, but we didn't bother taking the tour. Too much good shopping. A few times I thought I may get dumped out of the chair, but people were very helpful. If they saw us struggling, they stepped in to offer help without hesitation "No worries Love, I'm got you."
We found a Starbucks and sat down for a bit. As you can see, the view from their Starbucks is a lot different than any of ours. Old city or not, they still enjoy their conveniences. McDonald's was there too, built to compliment the landscape, not detract from it. It's clear that the buildings are well respected and carefully maintained.
A clock in the town centre runs five minutes fast to help people make it to their trains on time.A few years ago, they tried setting it to the correct time, but commuters complained because they kept missing their trains/buses so the owners relented and re-set the clock to run fast.
The town is extremely busy, but not in a Toronto kind of way. It's bustling, but not racing at breakneck speed. People seem content/happy and always have time for hello.
We came across a small market (since we visited on a Saturday) and yes, there was haggus and no, I didn't try it. I was tempted to try a burger, but knowing we were getting back on a ship which seems to have an endless supply of food stopped us.
Not as many pubs as I thought there might be, whisky is the drink of choice here, complete with distillery.
It was gray and rainy but I honestly didn't mind it. I knew going in, that it was a distinct possibilty, so for me, it added to the atmosphere. It stopped quickly and the sun tried to make an appearance, but he couldn't seem to hold for long.
The cars aren't as nice as Englands, but they are pretty cool. It's normal for buses and cabs to have nifty advertising on the sides that actualy add interest rather than looking silly and/or tacky.
All in all, it felt like a cozy little villiage that was very comfortable in it's own skin. I like that. No apologies, concessions to modernization without selling out. The shopping wasn't too bad either. Rings, earrings and the all-important Scotish wool blanket. Beautiful.
She was a fine host and I hope I get back to see her again.
P.S. My first "tender" ride. The ship can't get close enough in the port to drop us off, so we board a small boat and ride the waves in. The firth was calm today so it was all good, but I'd hate to see how bad it can get on rough water days--yikes! The staff were good about helping me move around so, points for that.
Invergordon/Inverness
Invergordon today--big bore. Scenery is beautiful but the thing I've learned about Scotland, everywhere you go there is a view. Green rolling hills, cattle, sheep, stone fences, but eight hours of even the most breathtaking scenery can get to be mind-numbing when you sit on a bus for the day.
We ended up at a Scotish battlefield, which would have been fine for ten minutes, but we were stuck there for 2.5 hours staring at grass. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the loss of life and turmoil but I didn't need to look at it for a quarter of the day on what was a very expensive tour.
This day was supposed to be my "find Nessie" day, the extent of which involved getting off the bus and browsing a "Nessie" gift shop for forty-five minutes. I expected much more than that.
We were also supposed to be able to shop for wools/blankets/scarves you know, the whole Scotish deal. Somehow that didn't end up happening either. Rush, rush, rush.
The "lunch" was at a Ramada Inn. We couldn't believe it. It had been advertised as a "delicious" lunch. Mom and I skipped out and spent the hour right in Inverness. Once again, it was truly a quaint oasis. (See pics)
We ran in to Mark's and Spencer and grabbed the powder/hand lotion I used to buy before they got rid of the Mark's and Spencer here.
Even with cobblestone, the town is reasonably accessible. Good ramps and lots of people willing to help. We are collecting postcards from each city as momentos, so it was a mad dash to get those too.
Invergordon had an all-pedestrain centre so that makes thing easier too. It amazes me to see a McDonalds or a Subway right in there with wool mills, and four hundred year old buildings. They are required to be in keeping with the "old-time" look so they have been built to blend right in.
Mom and I seem to be doing pretty well together--no major blow ups but we have both been frustrated with some pretty big glitches. (ie re-scheduled tours/changing iterneraries not enough "alone time" in the cities to explore.)
The patch behind my ear for motion sickness is working miracles. The twists and turns today would have done me in without it.
Glasgow
What a nice day. Glasgow reminded me of Toronto in that it is an interesting blend of the old and the new. Down one street you'll have an ancient church, down another, a newly opened art museum.
The traffic is busy, but noone honks or seems in a terrible rush. There are lots of "pedestrian only" squares and it makes life a lot easier. The city itself seems very accessible with ramps up and down each curb. The only challenge is the terrian itself, as it is extremely hilly. I know Mom is getting a real workout pushing me in the chair (I could never make it up the steep hills on crutches.) We switched this tour and did "Glascow on our Own" so we had a drop off point, and just went our seperate ways. The tour before this one was awful so we decided to take our chances alone and really enjoyed it. Everywhere you turn, there is a a proud building acting as a backdrop. I don't see how anyone could get sick of the views.
We found a Starbucks again. Mom is having fun with me taking her picture in different Starbucks. I had to laugh today: while she was standing in line for her coffee the bells on the church started to ring (or maybe it was the clock in the centre of the square) and since I could see directly out the front door I saw pairs of feet walk faster as the bells chimed one. Little mice scurrying back to work? By five past, the pace slowed again but again, there was no honking or harsh words. The saying that Europeans work to live instead of live to work seems absolutely true. They are quick to offer help, and are forever telling me to "take my time." At one point someone else was actually pushing me up one of the inclines.
Most of the people on our ride in to the city had plans to visit museums/art galleries/tea rooms but we were content to just look around and enjoy the sights. We've been listening to nothing but jabbering for a week now, so we were ready to break away from the stardard tours. We actually ended up in a mall where I bought a nice celtic ring and Mom bought a new outfit that she is really happy with. At the last second we decided that we wanted some "chips" so she went running down the street while she left me at the corner.
I'll say this--I haven't really enjoyed Princess cruiseline. They almost left two people behind today because they were two minutes late. It was ridiculous. The sheet said 3:15PM pick-up and she wanted us all back by 3:00PM. We paid good money for the ride in and these "little" issues have been creeping up during this experience. We were actually driving away as someone spotted them and we slowed to pick them up but they had already radioed the ship that people were missing at 3:20 ridiculous.
LOL Mom just came up and told me I won this really pretty ring in the silent action so that makes 3 rings this trip. I didn't expect to get it since I only bid a few dollars above the minimum bid. Anyway, that's enough money spent on rings for me for awhile.
Oh yes, the accents---We had been worned that people might be hard to understand given that they have a very strong regional accent, but I had no trouble and actually really enjoyed hearing it.
I'll post pictures for each city (thank god Mom's camera has the date on it because most days I have no idea where we are or what day it is for that matter.) I've done okay with the motion sickness (thanks to good drugs) but tonight I'm having problems with reflux and I'm wondering if it's starting to catch up with me.
Oh and the "shows" on this boat truly suck. Now I know what Simon meant when he said "you sound like a cruise ship entertainer." Bad, bad, bad. Most of the performers hardly speak English, but they try to sing English songs.
The best show of the day came when bagpipers/drummers played on the pier as we were leaving port. It was so amazing. It was their goodbye to us after three days in Scotland. We got some video of it so hopefully it can be posted somewhere, it made me sad to leave. I enjoyed Scotland and her people very much. I hope I get to come back one day minus the ship. There was just so much to see and not nearly enough time for it all.
Kirkwall/Orkney Islands June 20
I think I've found the prettiest place on earth. A marriage of land and ocean, these islands offer nature at her best seemingly untouched by man, home to sea lions, dolpins and whales, I kept my eyues peeled for a sighting but no such luck. The smell is what you first notice. Fresh clean air mixed with freshly cut grass. In a word, purity.
We visited a selltlement called Skara Brae. An ancient civalization dating back to BC. They found tools/artifacts/stones along with whole walls of their stone houses. They've preserved everything just adding grass/mud to help with preservation. I'm not a huge history buff, but looking at stone beds/shelves/tools and understanding how a whole village would work together to survive was amazing.
Not an easy feat rollong around in the chair, but kudos to Mom for being an excellent wheelchair pusher and I have to say, people have been very helpful keeping an eye on us should we need anything. Mom just came up to me saying that someone asked her if she was the one pushing the "wheelchair girl" all week. LOL.
People don't seem to talk to me directly though, seem to think of me as the blob in the chair not sure whether to be amused or annoyed probably a bit of both.
After the island tour (oh |I'll mention this here too...our tour guide was from a different island--island of Hoy--population--40 people. Very isolating but he said he loves it. He barters for different meat, he has sheep--his neighbours pigs, so they swap and most grow their own vegetables in covered greenhouses because there is only one grocery store which is extremely pricey.) Apparently, the stars are amazing come evening and the kids love summer because they get sunlight until about 1:30am. The downside of island life is once the kids get past a certain age,they have to go to bordering school through the week because they don't have a high school on the island. The kids are given free education (college to) and the elderly are given free homecare as a way to keep them in their own homes. Neighbours also have a "checking" system" in place so noone gets left behind. It actually sounded like an ideal place for me as they get no snow with the lowest temperature in the winter hitting plus two.
The biggest nuisance on the island is their nat misquotos which seem to thrill in eating humans alive. Most have special gear to be able to go outside on summer days--that would get old fast.
After we came back from our tour, we hit the Scotish town of Kirkwall before heading back to the ship. What a cute place. Stone buildings/churches/large clock in the centre of town. We stopped at a fish and chip place--saw people in there and were trying to figure out how to get in. They closed at 2pm even thnough there were people in there. Here we were in the middle of the square trying to get the door open/knocking on the window. Finally someone came out and said they were closed. Very slow pace here for the shops. Long lunches and "take your time dear." and again watching the news little US/Canada coverage, they could care less. Fighting in Belfast last night, we are all waiting to see what that means for our itineraries as some have trips into the city planned. Ours is in the countryside, so we are hoping we are okay.
We feel very at home in Scotland with the slower pace and their willingness to help. The towns are well-kept/spotless and once again "modern" restaurants blend in with the old-time feel not detract from it. Their seems to be a great balance between old/new.
Mom and I are getting the hang of the pounds/pence and Mom keeps saying "where's the lift?" even back at the ship. LOL. I'm getting to know the ship security staff well too, as they do a body search on me every time we leave/come back to the ship. Still trying to figure out why I didn't get a stamp in my passport for France. The ship collected all passports for Scotland to show to the authorities but not for France. No gambling until later as British law says no gambling if you are twelve miles from shore or closer. I've wanted to try blackjack, but I want to play with cheesies LOL
I've put a bid on a ring onboard for their silent jewellry action so we'll see. It truly is a floating city, they have everything though I must say, I'm not loving the food, I expected a lot better. Mom is dragging me to formal night tonight--total drag. So not into "dress up" over mediocore food.
I ordered room service and got a raw hamburg the other night. Blah. Washing my hands with Purell like mad as their last ship had a flu outbreak--no thanks! Rough seas last night took extra gravol. This stuff is working miracles. Bus, train, ship, walking I can't believe I'm still standing. Mind you, I have no clue what day it is:-)
Belfast
Belfast/Antrium Coast
Wow. More stunning picturesque views. Again, thank goodness for gravol. When they say "nestled in the hills of Ireland" they truly mean it. Winding, one lane roads with the Irish sea on one side, lush green trees/farm fields on the other, dotted with sheep/cows/goats. With the stone fences completing the picture. According to our bus driver, it wasn't the "real" Ireland it's vacation/retirement homes along the shore.
We stopped at a cute little tea shop surrounded by green landscape/mountains with livestock grazing in the distance. Not a bad way to spend a morning. Apparently the towns have competitions for the cleanest towns and the one that took first place last year was one that we drove through. Not even a hint of litter/graffeti.
The highway traffic moves at a good pace without horns blaring or full on jams. It's truly amazing to see. Any news you get here is also very local (as it was with London) so I asked the driver about the current "upheaval" which was on the news the day before yesterday. He laughed and told me that the fighting was taking place in an area no bigger than a small parking lot. It's a shame that the media portray it as so much worse than it is. The driver knew about the riots in Vancouver after their stanley cup loss and commented that they looked worse than anything he had seen in Ireland. Apparently, the town councilmen come out and talk with both sides and settle them down, so the fighting is very "stop and start."
Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to go right into Belfast. We have an early sail time (5:30pm) and didn`t get back to the ship until 1PM. We know that Belfast is close, and there is a shuttle right in the parking lot that will take you right into the city, but silly Mom went out in shorts so she would have had to re-board to change, and find me again before we left. Just as we were debating doing it, a cold rain hit so we decided not to head to town, a decison I'm now regretting because the sun is now shining.
If I could have boarded the shuttle on my own, I would have gone in alone but it was obvious Mom was wiped out after pushing me around Scottish terrain for three days. Hopefully, it's easy to get into Dublin tomorrow so we can see more than just the coast.
Again, I can't believe the slower pace here, they have learned how to enjoy their life in small moments and all have been friendly and more than willing to help. It's the attitude of some staff members on the ship that is annoying me, more on that in my final entry. I'll say this though, I would much rather have my own car/a place to stay in each city as I'm finding this all too rushed. I shall have to stay with Peanut next time. :-)
Dublin
As I write this, we are sailing on the Irish Sea in very rough waters. A woman collapsed right in front of me, she was okay, but it's clear it won't be an easy night for those aflicted with motion sickness. I'm drugged up and still feeling it, as my supply is running dangerously low with five days to go. One of my patch packages is missing so let's hope I can make it home without it.
Anyway, on to Dublin--sunny as we disembarked, but it was quickly replaced by clouds and rain. We didn't do a tour today, just took a shuttle in so we could shop on Grafton Street. Cute little shops, but not as much there as I thought there would be. We managed to get ourselves lost a few times, and I really could have used Peanut's help.
I was thisclose to having a blather (Scotish word for conversation) on the internet. We found a Starbucks (instead of "Where's Waldo" we are doing "Where's Starbucks?" getting Mom's pic in each Starbucks we find) Anyway, they had wi-fi but Mom didn't have her Starbucks card with her so they wouldn't let us use it.
Dublin was a mix of old/new. Lots of traffic, but not as noisy as Toronto and old buildings mixed with new. We saw Trinity College, but only saw the bottom floor. There was a graduation there today, so lots of students milling around. I asked people about it, and most who went in loved it. Ten libraries in one college, I wonder if the students can find them all at the end of four years.
Saw St. Patrick cathedral (at least I think it was--this is the trouble without a guide it's mostly a guess) It was very pretty.
We keep running in to this one man in the different cities. He's been all over the world and told us next time not to book any tours through Princess. They're overpriced and rushy and he told us there are always cabs available (even when the cruiseline says there aren't) and the cab drivers have to go to school for five years just to learn the history of the city they operate in. They will take you to see things the buses never can, and you have alot more freedom. We booked most through the cruise to accomodate the chair, but I have to tell you I think if I did it again I would find a taxi willing to take the chair because I think we could have saved some serious money, and had much better tours. Everything on the cruise tours is so rushed and stressful, really cuts down on the enjoyment.
Anyway back to Dublin. Didn't blow me away, I think Scotland stole my heart with their warmth. Ireland's people are very nice (and how much do you love that Irish lilt) but, Dublin seems happy to move into modern times.
I had to LOL though, the minute the rain started, all the umbrellas popped out. Most people seem to carry them at all times, and full points for many in making an effort to cover me as I sat outside a few shops waiting for Mom (as I couldn't fit with the chair) They were eager to help, and always had a kind word. In that regard they have our big cities beat.
That's the last of the tour impressions. Wales was a long day, so I never got back to the computer. I do have a small entry about Princess Cruises and how the staff drove me crazy, and that I'm not going to rush into another cruise. (Though Mom is trying to change my mind, realizing it's the easiest option for both of us.) Time will tell.
Anyway, just wanted to add all of that in to round out the journal.
First Entry--London/Horley
Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your writer speaking. You won't realize this, but I'm actually four days behind on my writing. We packed the computer minus the cords (thinking only of wi-fi and not of keeping the actual thing charged) The internet cafe happened to have an old cord, so this thing is now in working condition. Today was "a day at sea" on our way to Edinburgh, so I'm journaling on the back deck overlooking the pool. It's quite nippy, so the pool is empty and most are reading books or napping with the English channel as a backdrop, not a bad gig.
So, I'm going to hit the rewind button and re-live some moments from the last few days.
At the last minute, a friend of Mom's offered to drive us to the airport. We took her up on it so saved ourselves a cab ride, but I had to laugh when I saw how small her car was.We bearly got everything in it. It was packed to the roof with Mom squished in beside the large bags.
Anyway, we made it in one piece. Mom told her not to bother parking. Unfortunately, that meant no help with the bags as said friend couldn't leave the car unattended at the curb. So off she went while Mom started rolling the bags in to the correct check-in counter. I was left babysitting the other bags on the curb while sitting in my wheelchair.
PROBLEM ONE--They wouldn't check my bag in without seeing me and you aren't allowed to leave lugguage unattended in line/at the counter so, back she came with my large bag. So, between the two of us we have three suitcases and me sitting in the chair. Pictue this, me in the chair wheeling a bag in front of me trying to steer it while Mom pushes,dragging one suitcase behind her while I had one in front of me and the extra carry on in my lap.
We finally made it to check- in only to have the agent almost reject our carry on bags because they were too big. I think he took pity on us and let both through.
Security--Let's just say the security guard and I got intimately aquainted. In lew of taking off my shoes, she did a full body pat-down, What bothered me, she looked at Mom and asked if it was okay before she did it, completely ignoring me. I answered that it was, just to force her to deal with me directly.
After something of an ordeal, we made it out of there. As we were walking to our gate, I made Mom ride along the rolling beltway. Those things are so cool, it reminds me of the Flintstones. As I was trying to take her picture, I got a blank screen. Turns out, I had it on the wrong setting so what you see is a blur far down the beltway looking back and waving, opps.
Fast-forward to the plane. I almost had a heart attack. The aisles were all of a foot and a half wide. I almost started to hyperventilate on the spot. It took everything in me not to run screaming from the plane and happily give my seat to someone else. I was using every calming trick in the book. Finally, I realized I had no choice, I was all in, and just sat down. As the plane was filling with people, it was getting hotter and hotter and I wondered if I might pass out.
Take off wasn't bad--I only white-knuckled it for a few minutes. It was pretty clear that most were seasoned travelers. Some were asleep before we ever took off. The flight was at 9:50pm so I think it lent itself to the layed back atmosphere. I felt myself relaxing as we leveled out and it's actually pretty darn cool flying East going from night to day. The sky was painted in hues of blues, pinks, deep reds with the promise of a new day, a new adventure. I'm on the aisle, but it turns out the window is stuck so it has to stay open, some things are just meant to be. I stayed up all night watching the colours change, it was somehow calming. I thought of Bud and Kase and how in my own way, I was bringing them along for the ride. I fingered the bracelet Ginger made me and said a quick prayer asking them to come along and watch over us.
We hit some turbulence. They stopped food service for half and hour and by the time they got to me with a "dinner" I was ready to knaw my own foot off with hunger. Food was awful. "Pasta" which was nothing more than dried up mac and cheese, gross. Now I know why it gets compared to hospital food. Blah.
LOL One baby on board. He did well until landing, then started to scream. That's okay, so did I. The landing was awful. The pilot was dropping way too quickly, my heart was in my throat and this retching sound came out of me. I swallowed the bile down, but everyone was staring at me. Boy, it snuck up on me. I was praising myself for doing such a great job with the flight, then came the moment when I thought I was going to hurl, thank goodness I held it off.
Made it to the B and B, what a disappointment. House looks cute on the outside, but inside it's musty and the owners are fake pleasant. The woman didn't even introduce herself and the room is at the very back of the house. Not nearly as big as the pics made it seem and the mint green walls remind me of a hospital room/bed.
Mom and I were both starving and neither offered us anything, even though we had just missed breakfast. I thought it was extremely rude. It hit me at this point. Foreign land, starving, motion sick, the adreniline couldn't hold me anymore. We tried to sleep but we were just too hungry so we took a walk in to town. I have to say, Horley is downright cute. You can walk to everything in five minutes. We found a pedestrain square lined with restaurants and picked the one with chairs outside, big mistake. I got a ham sandwich and by the end of the meal I was dry-heaving right there on the sidewalk. It was soooo bad. We walked away without paying. YES, an hour in London and we're already comitting a crime. We never found our waitress and we both agreed that we would never have paid anyway, so we skipped out.
Back at the house, Mom fell asleep quickly, and I was left thinking about how badly this all seemed to be going. I worried for Mom's trip because I could feel myself slipping. I didn't end up sleeping at all. Once Mom woke up we took a walk, finding a cute little supermarket, where we bought bananas, grapes, and apples, thank god I was able to eat something and keep it down.
Mom and I forced ourselves to go back out and into town. We were desperate for some air and a decent meal. I hadn't had anything to compare the B and B too but I knew I wasn't enjoying it, and Mom said that it was nothing like any she stayed in. No smell of baked goods, or a happy greeting, just a single pack of cookies and a tea kettle. No "How was your flight?" nothing. In fact, I sensed tension between the couple and was uncomfortable even being around them. If we had internet access, we would switch the reservation we have for the one night back but we don't. The ship's service is slow and expensive. Anyone who paid for it seems to be complaining to each other about it.
Anyway, the trip in to Horley proved worth it. We found a fish and chip place,and Mom says it's the best she's ever had. I had fries and loved those too. We got a second wind and I have to say, sitting in the town square at 10pm eating killer food was pretty sweet. Town is so adorable (see pics) Cutsy businesses and interesting buildings with great arcitechural detail. We grabbed a person to take our pics (fish and chios in hand) so caught our first good moment on film.
Oh, I got the chicken nuggets. They were good, but they don't use plum sauce on chicken here, they use mayo. I won't even tell you about the look he gave me when I asked for ketchup with my fries. The Doctor Pepper can caught our eye, It said "Win pants or prizes." Being a freebie fanatic, pants as a prize didn't sound too appealing to me, so at breakfast the next morning I asked an English gentleman what "pants' meant. It means "rubbish." LOL So in other words, win something or nothing.
The T.V in the room gets all of five channels. You end up either watching a British comedy (which is "spot on" funny, or British news. It's pretty clear that the Brits like keeping to themselves and all other happenings are secondary. I think I ended up watching coranation street while Mom nibbled on packaged cookies.
Seriously, packaged cookies. I was over the place an hour after I entered it.
The first thing you notice when you look around Horley. A slower pace. People don't have cell phones plastered to their ears, they walk at a slower pace, and they actually talk with/greet each other. It's a nice change, one I could get used to.
London
We turned in pretty early knowing we wanted to do London in the morning. We wanted to catch the 10:15am train in, but missed it thanks to the girl taking forever to figure out what "special" fare I was entitled to. Anyway, full props to the train design. The disabilty car had a washroom that slid open at the push of a button. It was so neat. It was a round half-circle that slid across when you pushed a button, then another button swung it open from the inside.
Though London was busy, it was busy in a dignified way. Again, few cell phones and the cars are fabulous. They pretty much all looked like what we would call "classic cars." (see pics) It was a throw back to the 40s/50's. A man onboard the ship later explained to us that the government gave a $3000 credit toward a new vehicle program and the cars are relatively cheap because the majority of the cars are made in China. Apparently, the British car industry is virtually non-existant.
We did one of the hop-on/hop off tours which worked both for and against us, it provided much needed transport, but wasn't easy to get on/off of and the routes were long, so if you missed something the first time around you were out of luck. Pricey as well, roughly $50 each for bus services/cruise on the Thames river.
We did manage to see the tail end of the changing of the guards (see pics below) I was shocked by how close people were allowed to get to Buckingham Palace. I believe the royals allow this to make themselves seem "accessible." I was saying to Mom, "How much would it suck that you couldn't even look out of your own front window" because people camp there waiting for a glimpse of well, anything.
Her reply? "Oh well, she can look out the back.' LOL
Oh, and the hop on/off was also hit or miss for accessibility--some had ramps, most didn't which meant wasting lots of time waiting for the right bus and in one case, we had to pull the ramp out ourselves as the driver was too lazy to get up and do it himself
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I would have loved to go into one of their national galleries (entry to any of the museums is free since they belong to the people/taxpayers) We found ourselves in front of the art gallery fifteen minutes before it was due to close thanks to the hop/on hop off route taking much longer than we thought. I think we got some decent pictures of the outside though:-)
Thank goodness Mom's camera has a date stamp or we spend hours looking at each other asking "Where was this again?"
Rouen
None done (I think I was so annoyed by what happened on the tour by the end of the day, I didn't bother with it.)
Edinburgh
Ok, this is the favourite so far. A beautiful combination of old and new. The pictures will likely tell the story better than I ever could, but just wow. Fenced in parks on one side, shops on the other. I honestly don't think that I could do it all justice.
First, real bagpipers in the town square. People crowd around to listen and take pictures with them. No matter which corner you navigate, you hear the powerfully haunting sounds of the booming instrument.
Mom and I made it up to the Royal Mile, no easy feat. Steep, steep, steep. The castle is supposed to be the ultimate destination, but we didn't bother taking the tour. Too much good shopping. A few times I thought I may get dumped out of the chair, but people were very helpful. If they saw us struggling, they stepped in to offer help without hesitation "No worries Love, I'm got you."
We found a Starbucks and sat down for a bit. As you can see, the view from their Starbucks is a lot different than any of ours. Old city or not, they still enjoy their conveniences. McDonald's was there too, built to compliment the landscape, not detract from it. It's clear that the buildings are well respected and carefully maintained.
A clock in the town centre runs five minutes fast to help people make it to their trains on time.A few years ago, they tried setting it to the correct time, but commuters complained because they kept missing their trains/buses so the owners relented and re-set the clock to run fast.
The town is extremely busy, but not in a Toronto kind of way. It's bustling, but not racing at breakneck speed. People seem content/happy and always have time for hello.
We came across a small market (since we visited on a Saturday) and yes, there was haggus and no, I didn't try it. I was tempted to try a burger, but knowing we were getting back on a ship which seems to have an endless supply of food stopped us.
Not as many pubs as I thought there might be, whisky is the drink of choice here, complete with distillery.
It was gray and rainy but I honestly didn't mind it. I knew going in, that it was a distinct possibilty, so for me, it added to the atmosphere. It stopped quickly and the sun tried to make an appearance, but he couldn't seem to hold for long.
The cars aren't as nice as Englands, but they are pretty cool. It's normal for buses and cabs to have nifty advertising on the sides that actualy add interest rather than looking silly and/or tacky.
All in all, it felt like a cozy little villiage that was very comfortable in it's own skin. I like that. No apologies, concessions to modernization without selling out. The shopping wasn't too bad either. Rings, earrings and the all-important Scotish wool blanket. Beautiful.
She was a fine host and I hope I get back to see her again.
P.S. My first "tender" ride. The ship can't get close enough in the port to drop us off, so we board a small boat and ride the waves in. The firth was calm today so it was all good, but I'd hate to see how bad it can get on rough water days--yikes! The staff were good about helping me move around so, points for that.
Invergordon/Inverness
Invergordon today--big bore. Scenery is beautiful but the thing I've learned about Scotland, everywhere you go there is a view. Green rolling hills, cattle, sheep, stone fences, but eight hours of even the most breathtaking scenery can get to be mind-numbing when you sit on a bus for the day.
We ended up at a Scotish battlefield, which would have been fine for ten minutes, but we were stuck there for 2.5 hours staring at grass. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the loss of life and turmoil but I didn't need to look at it for a quarter of the day on what was a very expensive tour.
This day was supposed to be my "find Nessie" day, the extent of which involved getting off the bus and browsing a "Nessie" gift shop for forty-five minutes. I expected much more than that.
We were also supposed to be able to shop for wools/blankets/scarves you know, the whole Scotish deal. Somehow that didn't end up happening either. Rush, rush, rush.
The "lunch" was at a Ramada Inn. We couldn't believe it. It had been advertised as a "delicious" lunch. Mom and I skipped out and spent the hour right in Inverness. Once again, it was truly a quaint oasis. (See pics)
We ran in to Mark's and Spencer and grabbed the powder/hand lotion I used to buy before they got rid of the Mark's and Spencer here.
Even with cobblestone, the town is reasonably accessible. Good ramps and lots of people willing to help. We are collecting postcards from each city as momentos, so it was a mad dash to get those too.
Invergordon had an all-pedestrain centre so that makes thing easier too. It amazes me to see a McDonalds or a Subway right in there with wool mills, and four hundred year old buildings. They are required to be in keeping with the "old-time" look so they have been built to blend right in.
Mom and I seem to be doing pretty well together--no major blow ups but we have both been frustrated with some pretty big glitches. (ie re-scheduled tours/changing iterneraries not enough "alone time" in the cities to explore.)
The patch behind my ear for motion sickness is working miracles. The twists and turns today would have done me in without it.
Glasgow
What a nice day. Glasgow reminded me of Toronto in that it is an interesting blend of the old and the new. Down one street you'll have an ancient church, down another, a newly opened art museum.
The traffic is busy, but noone honks or seems in a terrible rush. There are lots of "pedestrian only" squares and it makes life a lot easier. The city itself seems very accessible with ramps up and down each curb. The only challenge is the terrian itself, as it is extremely hilly. I know Mom is getting a real workout pushing me in the chair (I could never make it up the steep hills on crutches.) We switched this tour and did "Glascow on our Own" so we had a drop off point, and just went our seperate ways. The tour before this one was awful so we decided to take our chances alone and really enjoyed it. Everywhere you turn, there is a a proud building acting as a backdrop. I don't see how anyone could get sick of the views.
We found a Starbucks again. Mom is having fun with me taking her picture in different Starbucks. I had to laugh today: while she was standing in line for her coffee the bells on the church started to ring (or maybe it was the clock in the centre of the square) and since I could see directly out the front door I saw pairs of feet walk faster as the bells chimed one. Little mice scurrying back to work? By five past, the pace slowed again but again, there was no honking or harsh words. The saying that Europeans work to live instead of live to work seems absolutely true. They are quick to offer help, and are forever telling me to "take my time." At one point someone else was actually pushing me up one of the inclines.
Most of the people on our ride in to the city had plans to visit museums/art galleries/tea rooms but we were content to just look around and enjoy the sights. We've been listening to nothing but jabbering for a week now, so we were ready to break away from the stardard tours. We actually ended up in a mall where I bought a nice celtic ring and Mom bought a new outfit that she is really happy with. At the last second we decided that we wanted some "chips" so she went running down the street while she left me at the corner.
I'll say this--I haven't really enjoyed Princess cruiseline. They almost left two people behind today because they were two minutes late. It was ridiculous. The sheet said 3:15PM pick-up and she wanted us all back by 3:00PM. We paid good money for the ride in and these "little" issues have been creeping up during this experience. We were actually driving away as someone spotted them and we slowed to pick them up but they had already radioed the ship that people were missing at 3:20 ridiculous.
LOL Mom just came up and told me I won this really pretty ring in the silent action so that makes 3 rings this trip. I didn't expect to get it since I only bid a few dollars above the minimum bid. Anyway, that's enough money spent on rings for me for awhile.
Oh yes, the accents---We had been worned that people might be hard to understand given that they have a very strong regional accent, but I had no trouble and actually really enjoyed hearing it.
I'll post pictures for each city (thank god Mom's camera has the date on it because most days I have no idea where we are or what day it is for that matter.) I've done okay with the motion sickness (thanks to good drugs) but tonight I'm having problems with reflux and I'm wondering if it's starting to catch up with me.
Oh and the "shows" on this boat truly suck. Now I know what Simon meant when he said "you sound like a cruise ship entertainer." Bad, bad, bad. Most of the performers hardly speak English, but they try to sing English songs.
The best show of the day came when bagpipers/drummers played on the pier as we were leaving port. It was so amazing. It was their goodbye to us after three days in Scotland. We got some video of it so hopefully it can be posted somewhere, it made me sad to leave. I enjoyed Scotland and her people very much. I hope I get to come back one day minus the ship. There was just so much to see and not nearly enough time for it all.
Kirkwall/Orkney Islands June 20
I think I've found the prettiest place on earth. A marriage of land and ocean, these islands offer nature at her best seemingly untouched by man, home to sea lions, dolpins and whales, I kept my eyues peeled for a sighting but no such luck. The smell is what you first notice. Fresh clean air mixed with freshly cut grass. In a word, purity.
We visited a selltlement called Skara Brae. An ancient civalization dating back to BC. They found tools/artifacts/stones along with whole walls of their stone houses. They've preserved everything just adding grass/mud to help with preservation. I'm not a huge history buff, but looking at stone beds/shelves/tools and understanding how a whole village would work together to survive was amazing.
Not an easy feat rollong around in the chair, but kudos to Mom for being an excellent wheelchair pusher and I have to say, people have been very helpful keeping an eye on us should we need anything. Mom just came up to me saying that someone asked her if she was the one pushing the "wheelchair girl" all week. LOL.
People don't seem to talk to me directly though, seem to think of me as the blob in the chair not sure whether to be amused or annoyed probably a bit of both.
After the island tour (oh |I'll mention this here too...our tour guide was from a different island--island of Hoy--population--40 people. Very isolating but he said he loves it. He barters for different meat, he has sheep--his neighbours pigs, so they swap and most grow their own vegetables in covered greenhouses because there is only one grocery store which is extremely pricey.) Apparently, the stars are amazing come evening and the kids love summer because they get sunlight until about 1:30am. The downside of island life is once the kids get past a certain age,they have to go to bordering school through the week because they don't have a high school on the island. The kids are given free education (college to) and the elderly are given free homecare as a way to keep them in their own homes. Neighbours also have a "checking" system" in place so noone gets left behind. It actually sounded like an ideal place for me as they get no snow with the lowest temperature in the winter hitting plus two.
The biggest nuisance on the island is their nat misquotos which seem to thrill in eating humans alive. Most have special gear to be able to go outside on summer days--that would get old fast.
After we came back from our tour, we hit the Scotish town of Kirkwall before heading back to the ship. What a cute place. Stone buildings/churches/large clock in the centre of town. We stopped at a fish and chip place--saw people in there and were trying to figure out how to get in. They closed at 2pm even thnough there were people in there. Here we were in the middle of the square trying to get the door open/knocking on the window. Finally someone came out and said they were closed. Very slow pace here for the shops. Long lunches and "take your time dear." and again watching the news little US/Canada coverage, they could care less. Fighting in Belfast last night, we are all waiting to see what that means for our itineraries as some have trips into the city planned. Ours is in the countryside, so we are hoping we are okay.
We feel very at home in Scotland with the slower pace and their willingness to help. The towns are well-kept/spotless and once again "modern" restaurants blend in with the old-time feel not detract from it. Their seems to be a great balance between old/new.
Mom and I are getting the hang of the pounds/pence and Mom keeps saying "where's the lift?" even back at the ship. LOL. I'm getting to know the ship security staff well too, as they do a body search on me every time we leave/come back to the ship. Still trying to figure out why I didn't get a stamp in my passport for France. The ship collected all passports for Scotland to show to the authorities but not for France. No gambling until later as British law says no gambling if you are twelve miles from shore or closer. I've wanted to try blackjack, but I want to play with cheesies LOL
I've put a bid on a ring onboard for their silent jewellry action so we'll see. It truly is a floating city, they have everything though I must say, I'm not loving the food, I expected a lot better. Mom is dragging me to formal night tonight--total drag. So not into "dress up" over mediocore food.
I ordered room service and got a raw hamburg the other night. Blah. Washing my hands with Purell like mad as their last ship had a flu outbreak--no thanks! Rough seas last night took extra gravol. This stuff is working miracles. Bus, train, ship, walking I can't believe I'm still standing. Mind you, I have no clue what day it is:-)
Belfast
Belfast/Antrium Coast
Wow. More stunning picturesque views. Again, thank goodness for gravol. When they say "nestled in the hills of Ireland" they truly mean it. Winding, one lane roads with the Irish sea on one side, lush green trees/farm fields on the other, dotted with sheep/cows/goats. With the stone fences completing the picture. According to our bus driver, it wasn't the "real" Ireland it's vacation/retirement homes along the shore.
We stopped at a cute little tea shop surrounded by green landscape/mountains with livestock grazing in the distance. Not a bad way to spend a morning. Apparently the towns have competitions for the cleanest towns and the one that took first place last year was one that we drove through. Not even a hint of litter/graffeti.
The highway traffic moves at a good pace without horns blaring or full on jams. It's truly amazing to see. Any news you get here is also very local (as it was with London) so I asked the driver about the current "upheaval" which was on the news the day before yesterday. He laughed and told me that the fighting was taking place in an area no bigger than a small parking lot. It's a shame that the media portray it as so much worse than it is. The driver knew about the riots in Vancouver after their stanley cup loss and commented that they looked worse than anything he had seen in Ireland. Apparently, the town councilmen come out and talk with both sides and settle them down, so the fighting is very "stop and start."
Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to go right into Belfast. We have an early sail time (5:30pm) and didn`t get back to the ship until 1PM. We know that Belfast is close, and there is a shuttle right in the parking lot that will take you right into the city, but silly Mom went out in shorts so she would have had to re-board to change, and find me again before we left. Just as we were debating doing it, a cold rain hit so we decided not to head to town, a decison I'm now regretting because the sun is now shining.
If I could have boarded the shuttle on my own, I would have gone in alone but it was obvious Mom was wiped out after pushing me around Scottish terrain for three days. Hopefully, it's easy to get into Dublin tomorrow so we can see more than just the coast.
Again, I can't believe the slower pace here, they have learned how to enjoy their life in small moments and all have been friendly and more than willing to help. It's the attitude of some staff members on the ship that is annoying me, more on that in my final entry. I'll say this though, I would much rather have my own car/a place to stay in each city as I'm finding this all too rushed. I shall have to stay with Peanut next time. :-)
Dublin
As I write this, we are sailing on the Irish Sea in very rough waters. A woman collapsed right in front of me, she was okay, but it's clear it won't be an easy night for those aflicted with motion sickness. I'm drugged up and still feeling it, as my supply is running dangerously low with five days to go. One of my patch packages is missing so let's hope I can make it home without it.
Anyway, on to Dublin--sunny as we disembarked, but it was quickly replaced by clouds and rain. We didn't do a tour today, just took a shuttle in so we could shop on Grafton Street. Cute little shops, but not as much there as I thought there would be. We managed to get ourselves lost a few times, and I really could have used Peanut's help.
I was thisclose to having a blather (Scotish word for conversation) on the internet. We found a Starbucks (instead of "Where's Waldo" we are doing "Where's Starbucks?" getting Mom's pic in each Starbucks we find) Anyway, they had wi-fi but Mom didn't have her Starbucks card with her so they wouldn't let us use it.
Dublin was a mix of old/new. Lots of traffic, but not as noisy as Toronto and old buildings mixed with new. We saw Trinity College, but only saw the bottom floor. There was a graduation there today, so lots of students milling around. I asked people about it, and most who went in loved it. Ten libraries in one college, I wonder if the students can find them all at the end of four years.
Saw St. Patrick cathedral (at least I think it was--this is the trouble without a guide it's mostly a guess) It was very pretty.
We keep running in to this one man in the different cities. He's been all over the world and told us next time not to book any tours through Princess. They're overpriced and rushy and he told us there are always cabs available (even when the cruiseline says there aren't) and the cab drivers have to go to school for five years just to learn the history of the city they operate in. They will take you to see things the buses never can, and you have alot more freedom. We booked most through the cruise to accomodate the chair, but I have to tell you I think if I did it again I would find a taxi willing to take the chair because I think we could have saved some serious money, and had much better tours. Everything on the cruise tours is so rushed and stressful, really cuts down on the enjoyment.
Anyway back to Dublin. Didn't blow me away, I think Scotland stole my heart with their warmth. Ireland's people are very nice (and how much do you love that Irish lilt) but, Dublin seems happy to move into modern times.
I had to LOL though, the minute the rain started, all the umbrellas popped out. Most people seem to carry them at all times, and full points for many in making an effort to cover me as I sat outside a few shops waiting for Mom (as I couldn't fit with the chair) They were eager to help, and always had a kind word. In that regard they have our big cities beat.
That's the last of the tour impressions. Wales was a long day, so I never got back to the computer. I do have a small entry about Princess Cruises and how the staff drove me crazy, and that I'm not going to rush into another cruise. (Though Mom is trying to change my mind, realizing it's the easiest option for both of us.) Time will tell.
Anyway, just wanted to add all of that in to round out the journal.
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