Pizza and the Vatican

May 16th 2008, The location of our hotel was far from all the tourist traps, but with the use of public transportation it was very easy to make many visits to the Vatican, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and all the rest that Roma has to offer. The places to visit were many, and varied in the content of the history and the cultural aspects. To list all the places would be boring to you, but it is fair to say that all the people that made the history of Italy did not waste the effort on us. We took in as much of the history as was possible and did enjoy it quite a bit. The people that dealt with the tourists were for the most part very pleasant and the tour guides were always at their best. Some of the tours were better than the rest, it seemed that is the way. With the train station right at the Vatican, it was quite easy to there frequently. One afternoon we got on the right route train to get to the hotel, the train was an express and it passed or stop by about twenty(20) miles. The result was a bit inconvenient , but we got to see a lot of the original aqueduct that furnished water to the great Roman Empire. Got on a return trip train and got to the hotel. Quite exciting and worth the extra train ride. After the train ride, we would take a bus that dropped us close to the hotel. We also got to see a lot of car and scooter collisions. Most low speed so not too many critical accidents. Drivers there seemed to take a lot of chances. Lots of Love,
Cris & Bob

When In Rome?? May 15, 2008

The flight to Rome was fine, we landed at FCO terminal A, unbeknown to us our luggage went to terminal B. Took some time and a whole lot of foot work to find it. We had already started to file reports when Cris located our lost piece in another terminal. Customs was a breeze, and then into Rome. Another cabby approached and wanted 85 Euros, the cab we got charged us 57. It was quite a ride to our hotel. Roma Cassia north of the city. This hotel was also nice, down a narrow street with apartments all around. Got to the hotel, checked in and got situated. Went for a walk to find an ATM to get some more Euros, and to get the lay of the land. Found a Pizza shop, market, and a warehouse store. Now I a pro at getting veggies and such, using their one scale and tagging it. Water was a commodity that is in demand in Rome as well as the rest of Europe. In the hotel a 16oz bottle is 3Euros and at the store across the street the were 18 centavos. 100 centavos equal one Euro. Guess where we bought our water. Our first night in Rome we ate dinner at the hotel. Dinner was very good, pasta first and then the main course. No drinks this night, a bottle of San Pelligrino (10 Euros) . Too much food to have dessert. Retired to get some rest for the Vatican the next day. Rome will take another post.
Peace and Love to All Cris & Bob

Bye, Bye, Spain

May 13, 2008 We stayed in Spain for a couple of days and then on to Rome. Our visit was a good opportunity to see how the locals live. The hotel was in a residential/commercial area with a very large mall close by. We enjoyed some food at the mall and walked through a large part of the area. Tried to buy some fruits and veggies in the local market, and had much difficulty. The upstairs checkouts had no scales, and then after waiting in line for-ever I found out that you weigh your own stuff ii at the one scale located in the produce dept. By the time we gained this knowledge I was quite angry. No purchase this day. Purchased a power adapter for the computer and the rest of the equipment that works on standard US power. The only casualty was my beard trimmer. Chop chop. The rain was abundant for the time we were there. Hotel was very contemporary, with glass walls for the bathroom, marble walls, granite night stands and solid wooden floors. Very nice, Vinnci Maritimo in Barcelona. Relaxed and enjoyed, then grabbed a taxi for the airport. The airport was a surprise, not too much security and we were ready to go with some time to spare. Gin(Jim) Rummy and coffee at the cafe. On to Rome and new experiences.
Peace and Love to All, Cris & Bob

Cruisin into Spain

May 10, 2008 The cruise was fine with some minor problems. The berth we had developed some noises at the junctions of some plating. The view we had over the Grand Promenade was nice, and we could watch all the parades and the specials from the window seat. Correcting the noise problem took a lot longer than it should have. A whole nother story. All the time we had at sea was good with a few rough spots. The dining staff was very good and dinner mates were friendly. After such a time on the ship to set foot on land (Barcelona, Spain ) was a bit unexpected. The landing went smoothly, disembarking was almost painless, and the only hang up was luggage retrieval. One bag was on a different conveyor belt (not the color we had) but after it was located it was on to customs. Carrying and rolling the luggage Cris and I walked straight out the doorway and into the mass of buses and taxis awaiting us. Unlike the USA, when a ship arrives in Spain their is no customs check. No passport stamp, no questions, no looks from officials, not even a welcome sign. Kind of disappointing, after all the stuff we go through around the areas we know. Welcome to Barcelona. First cabby approached me and wanted 75 Euros for the trip to the hotel. Got a regulated cab that cost 21Euros for the same trip. Buyer beware. Got to the hotel in a short time. By the by, a Euro is costs about $1.55-1.65 depending on how it's exchanged. That's all for now. Love to All. Cris & Bob

60th Birthday Celebration

Cris & I decided to make a long vacation of it. We got on the Voyager of the Seas in Galveston, Tx. and headed for Barcelona Spain. The trip took 13 days and we pretty much had a good time. We me some Scots and English right away and spent a lot of time with them. The ship stopped in Miami, Fl. Azores (Punta Delgato) Cartagena, Spain and then we got off in Barcelona. Along the way we got into some weather and I got a bit sick. It was about the 4th day out and the seas were very rough. I think I got some bug because it was not typical seasickness. When I got better, Cris got Ill. She was still woozy when we got to the Azores, but we made it to the city. Went with the Scots, Anne & Chris Aspden. We hung with them a lot. Dinner mates so we stayed together a lot. We met some of their mates and learned some words like Q(line up) Luvlee and the proper English way of speaking. They teased us a lot, it was quite fun. Izzy and Liz were a kick, Jackie and John were good. The casino time we spent was okay, not too much. Dinners were fun and the talk sessions were the most enjoyable with these people. We live in different parts of the world but have a lot of the same thought patterns. Scary ? The Cruise was good had some minor problems, I will try to get to them in the next blog. We had other dinner mates that didn't show up much, We tried not to miss them. That's about it for now. Love to All,
Cris & Bob

After the Wedding

After the wedding we left for Pahrump. (April 16, 2008 ) Lex spent some time with us and the Barts before we got under way. Back to our digs in the desert for some more pressure filled days. Not too many, we had to leave on the 23rd of April for Las Vegas to spend the night before flying to the Houston area. We stayed at the Swilling house for a couple of days and then to Needville with Pat & Sherry. That Sat afternoon when we got there, the neighbor ( Fred ) was having his 60th birthday party and we were invited for some good ole Texas Barbeque. Well it was some of the best brisket we have ever tasted. we pretty much agreed to that. Celebrated with Fred & Loretta and their families and then settled down for a quiet night. Sunday mornin came a shinin through the winders and we knew it was time to go. Pat and Sherry shuttled us from their house to the port at Galveston. We boarded the Voyager of the Seas headed for Barcelona Spain. The voyage would take us 13 days to get to Spain and the ship would stop along the way. The boarding was very smooth, suprising because about 3200 people got on. The voyage stared and I will try to keep you updated. Boarded on April 27, 2008. Love to All,
Cris & Bob

The Wedding

Photo taken July 10, 2007

April 14, 2008.... Well Toddy has taken the big step forward and Married Olivia Elias. They were married on April 12th in Costa Mesa, Ca. Olivia is a charming young women and she dotes on Todd. Anyhow, the wedding was at the Costa Mesa C.C. and there were about 80 people at the ceremony and reception. Seemed the only hitch was that we forgot the rings at the hotel, bot Louie and I managed to retrieve them. The event went smoothly, and the officiant did a fine job. Olivia and Todd were wed about 7pm and then the dinner and parranda started. We got to meet some of the in-laws and cousins from Olivias side. They were charming and we all got along great. The party lasted until about midnight and then it was back to the Westin and a quick run through In and Out for some burgers. The whole night was good, Todd got married, Lex was with us and the old friends from Riverside celebrated with us. Cris and I are very pleased with the way things turned out. The kids( Olivia and Todd ) put the wedding together in a very short period of time. We are proud of them and looking forward to the future. I will post some pictures when I return home, Love to you All,

Cris and Bob