Should we go to the Rockies....

or should we not....is two weeks too much....?

leaning towards going.....Banff, Glacier, Yellowstone, family things....might be the last time!

Back for a few days, observations....

Well its been 5 days back in the USA, and I'm really amazed that things have gone as smoothly as they have with readjusting to time, space, and stuff. The weather, well, its been generally drippy and rainy but warmer than we were used to, its nice to be back to familiar places and things (especially for Mom), and I'm getting back into being chief cook and bottlewasher!

In reflection, I'm still struck with how people can usually work well with each other across cultural and language boundaries; conversations that I had with people on train platforms were enjoyable, probably because people smiled at each other and tried to be nice! On the other hand, I'm also struck with how many people 'here at home' don't smile, don't try to be nice, and don't realize that the world can be a better place if people just smile and try to be nice! We're all in this together, no reason to be mean, make enemies; and we can all learn from each other.

Let's spread some peace around!

Back Home Again at the Aquarium....

and here's some video of the Outer Bay Feeding, don't know how well it will display, but its worth a shot!

The Airplane Trip!

Well, we're back on Terra Firma USA, and here's the story from the Admirals Club all the way home!

Wheelchair person shows up, a lovely French young lady named Antonette, Mom gets in the chair and Antonette proceeds to show us the hidden elevator which gets us out of the Club and onto the concourse. We go through about seven 'security' barriers, sliding doors, and other things, then we meet a real French security guy who points all of us over to a jetbridge that has a door with a wheelchair picture on it. We get over there and guess what, there's a small version of the vehicles that provision airplanes, the scissor lift kind of things, we roll Mom in there, there's a couple of other chairs, we wait for another couple to get in, they lower us, roll us to the plane, and up we go and enter the plane through the galley entrance instead of the main door. Quite nice and accomodating of them!

Flight left early, got to Chicago early, and we get off the plane and there's another wheelchair waiting for us, and I'm glad there was one, Chicago's International Arrival terminal is huge. A nice Bulgarian fellow named Vladi rolls Mom quickly (and remember, I'm carrying a briefcase with computer and another carry on bag) to passport control where we blow through the crew line, then to reclaim bags, blow through customs, then to recheck bags, then we have to go up an elevator to the tram to the main terminal, then through security again (with really surly people too) and then Vladi wants to roll us to gate H11 where we have three hours until the plane departs, I ask him to drop us by the Club again (but we can't get in this time!). Had some McDonalds bite to eat, walk around the airport a bit, get on the plane to California, Mom's getting tired, eventually we switch seats so Mom's being bombarded with stimulation and we both settle down and nap for an hour or so!

Get to SJC and there's another wheelchair, gotta love American Airlines! Get bags, get to the cab, get to the flat by about 8:45, when I realize that its taken us less than 24 hours from wake up to California, and thats with two hours at the airport in Paris, two hours or so in Chicago, an hour from the hotel to the airport in Paris.

I was up at seven Wednesday morning as was Mom, she wanted to know where we were going!

While I was in the shower Mom had another little bathroom accident, wondering if she does these things just to get my attention? Anyway, off to the grocery store, fish market, noon Mass, then a drive to Mom's. Been home for an hour or so and Mom's into the repeating and reading the ads in the paper to me over and over again!

More later, gotta get back into cooking mode!

Monday late!

With packing and stuff time escaped me on Monday, like the camera escaped me too, so its a late all text blog to get caught up.

Caught the TGV from the Gare de Lyon to Geneva Monday morning, idea was to go to Geneva and look around, see what mountains we could see from the train, have a bite to eat, and then return. The TGV is amazing in France, we hit a top speed of about 180 MPH southeast from Paris, while I was sitting down the speed isn't that radical but when standing up and looking out the window, the speed is palpable! On the way to Geneva I figured we might take a look at new watch for Mom, the one that my sister and brother-in-law and I bought Mom 20 years ago has been through a new movement, a new crystal, and the band broke so we replaced that too. Problem now is that said old watch has no numbers on the dial, just dots, so for a dementia patient that's not the best solution. Found a couple of nice black watches at the Swatch store, one with a dressy band and one with a plain leather band, so Mom now has two new watches with numbers on the dials, for much less than a designer Swiss watch. Needless to say the prices of watches when converted to $$$ are outrageous!

Got back to Paris, to the hotel, did some packing, actually Mom and I slept well, then got up Tuesday morning, showered, dressed, finished packing, ate breakfast, got the driver and he got us to CDG, then the fun begins. American Airlines at checkin was fine, then we are given passes to the Admirals Club and we go through security, which means take off your shoes, your coat, take out your computer, take off your belt (a new one here), then have to put everything back together. Then to the Admirals Club, which is at the opposite end of the terminal, so we start walking, and then are faced with up and down two flights of stairs before we get to where the club is, and then an escalator. No elevators to be found by any of the stairs, so I take one bag up/down, leave it at the landing, then help Mom up/down. Get to the club and in a slightly exasperated tone I comment to the lady at the desk and she says 'Well, someone should have noticed and told you where to go'...'but they didn't'...'let me see what I can do to make it easier to board the plane'.

Then I hear something about the plane being at an 'out gate' which means a bus from the terminal to the plane and then the lady at the desk says 'not to worry, it will be fine'. I hope it will!

Appears as though they are going to try to start boarding the plane an hour before departure, the out gate might explain that timing. Looked around a bit and it looks like a plane that can hold 215 people or so is booked to 42, 12 in the front out of 28 and 30 in the back, those lucky people in the back will have rows to themselves!

Cool part about the Admirals Club (besides passable free WiFi) is that Mom has now had three pain du chocolate (chocolate croissants) and that's after a bunch of fruit and toast for breakfast, guess thew walk out here made her hungry!

From Terminal 2A, opposite and down an escalator from gate 37...wish us luck on the journey!

Train to Reims, Cathedral, meat locker!

Train to Reims was fine, cab to the Cathedral was fine too, and it was cold! Outside of the Cathedral is lovely, the inside is even lovelier, some of the most amazing stained glass I've ever seen, and there was some sunlight too, so things looked pretty good. The Cathedral is cold, in fact colder than the outside temperature, they could hang meat in there for aging! Here's a few pictures, we got back to Paris early, had some lunch, and just had some wine and cheese in the room before Moms wanting to hit the sack. Geneva for a couple of hours tomorrow, then back to the USA on Tuesday. PS the Chagall windows (the second ones above) are amazing! There's more to come too, including the windows that tell the story of the regions most famous export, champagne!

January 27th is also International Holocaust Rememberance Day...

...and since I've stood on cold train platforms this week with Mom complaining about cold weather, I feel like such a wimp compared to what these people went through:

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/AuschwitzScrapbook/History/Articles/index.html

No editorial comments required, read along and weep at man's inhumanity to man!