Who do you spend the most time with?
I spend the most time with my husband, my friend, my travel companion and life partner.
From the US to Europe to Africa, Asia and South America, we have embarked on a life of travel and exploration together.
Luckily after spending so much time together and being married for over 30 years with a blended family, we not only love each other but like each other!
Life is grand!
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
I started out life with the name Alyce who was born on December 12th. When I was school age the cutoff date was December 1st so my parents had a new birth certificate made up with the name Lisa born Novembet 12th.
So I basically started life with an identity change. I’ve been married for over 30 years and I keep telling my husband I will change my name to his but I never do. I think the early identity change makes me want to never change anything.
So there you have it! I’m keeping mine!
We debarked the Celebrity Equinox and were transported to Rome International Airport through Celebrity.
We were staying one night at the Hilton Rome Airport before traveling home. Because I am a Hilton Gold we had access to the lounge. They had snacks and drinks while we waited for our room to become available.
For dinner we had pizzas. Mine was obviously the one with greens on it. Bruce hates greens!
We had a wake up call for 3:30 because our flight was 6:15 am. The bell captain helped us with our bags and drove us to the terminal. After we checked in with Swiss Air, we went to the lounge.
We had lounge access by flying business class but I also have priority pass through my American Express Platinum card.
I was able to get business class tickets on Swiss Air by booking through Air Canada. They were 70k points plus $150 each. I transferred the points from Chase.
Our first flight was good but there were probably only two dozen people on the plane. We were in the first two seats.
They served breakfast which wasn’t very good but also coffee and chocolate which was very good.
Now we are waiting in the Swiss Business lounge in Zurich. More breakfast was served as well as ice cream and candy.
We are sitting in the lounge with the Swiss Alps as a backdrop.
Its time to finally board. Our business class consists of lay down seats.
Our flight comes with a cosmetic case filled with goodies for the flight.
They served us a meal with courses on linen table cloths. We had a drink of some type of tea. Champagne was served for those who wanted a glass.
It’s the only way to fly on those long hauls.
Now we are ubering back from the airport. We had a fabulous trip stopping in the Azores, Ireland, England, Spain, Greece, Malta, Turkey, and Rome. Life is grand!
#hilton#hiltonromeairport#swissair#travel#anericanexpressplatinum#pointsandmiles#businessclass#celebrityrquinox#
Describe your dream chocolate bar.
Chocolate and nuts – with or without caramel.
Coconut and almond covered in rich chocolate.
It’s a toss-up between the two! I really love coconut. Whether its in candy, cake or right off the tree. I’m addicted to it. The other day the question was what brings you joy? Well sometimes just some coconut will make me spin in reverie.
And chocolate with nuts. Nuts in anything make me joyful. It doesn’t take much to make me happy!
I see some people don’t like chocolate candy. Maybe they haven’t tried the right one. Milk chocolate vs dark chocolate. One is creamy and sweet the other is slightly bitter. It depends on your tastebuds.
Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?
When I finally started to like to read, I went from like to love.
One of my favorite series was Nancy Drew. My husband liked the Hardy Boys. And you know what? We still love to read mysteries and thrillers.
I remember reading the Exorcist in high school and I stayed up all night reading that book. I finally finished it as the sun came up.
I also loved books by Daphne du Maurier. Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman’s Creek.
I also loved to read romance books. At least teen romance. I don’t read many of those today.
So yep, I would have to say mysteries were my thing and still are!
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. It inspired me to be a writer. It was a beautifully written piece of literature originally published under the name Ellis Bell. Bronte’s character development and the intrigue of this novel, especially written by a woman in 1847 was none other than miraculous.
The Second Sex by Simone De Bouvoir because it was a book that enlightened me to sexual inequalities. I also went through an existential period in my life.
Native Son by Richard Wright. I went to a fairly affluent all white school. This book had a profound impact on my understanding and abhorring racial bias.
Only joking! We spent the day exploring the ruins in Olympia where they held the first Olympics from 776 BC to 393 AD. The site was also a place of worship dedicated to the Greek god Zeus from about the 10th century BC.
So we woke this morning to quite a different view in the port of Katakolon.
I have to say it could have been Maine. So different from our other ports in Greece with the arid landscape and white buildings.
We were in port with two other ships which is kind of a bummer. That means more crowds at the site.
We were picked up at the pier for our independent tour of the archeological site of the Olympics as well as a museum. As we drove the 45-mile drive, we both thought it looked like Central America.
We drove by Greece’s idea of a Home Depot.
Finally, we arrived at the site. And what a scorching day! It must have been 90 degrees Fahrenheit with full sun and no breeze. Some people who were from northern climates were really suffering.
Here are some highlights!
The Temple of Zeus was built in the 5th century BC.
The baths and some beautiful mosaic!
The Palaestra is where wrestling was taught as well as some soldier type training.
The Philippeion in the Altis of Olympia was an Ionic circular memorial made of marble and limestone. It contained statues of Philip’s family: himself, Alexander the Great, Olympias, Amyntas III and Eurydice
After the ruins, we went to Olympia’s Archaeological Museum. There were so many archaeological finds dating back 1000’s of years.
This terracotta dolphin bounding over waves is from the 5th century BC.
The museum had some very well-preserved architectural pieces from the 5th and 6th century BC.
It was a fascinating day but I have to admit it would be more enjoyable on a cooler day. My clothes were soaked through by the time we reached our bus. But it was good that we did it our way!
It was formal night so lobster for dinner and if course escargot!
Two great shows and a finalvein in the casino! Life is good!
#greece#olympics#ruins#olympia#katakolon#cruising#palaestra#zeus#templeofzeus#philippeion#port#excursion
What fears have you overcome and how?
I used to think I was fearless. Afraid of nothing. I was tough and could handle everything. Much bravado.
But in my mid-30s reality struck home. I wasn’t fearless. I was fearful. Fearful of people, places, and things.
I was afraid to have a voice. Afraid to speak in public. So I started practicing. I pushed through the fear. Do I still have the fear? You betcha! But I work through it. I use my spiritual faith to work through these fears.
I also realize that I’m not all that important so everybody is not anticipating my screw-ups. Nobody notices most of the time. I try not to think of myself as the center of the universe and everyone is focused on me.
I realized that everyone has their fears, their challenges, their insecurities. I’m not alone. I walk through fear by talking to my higher power. Prayer is always helpful.
I’ve also learned to have a sense of humor. I stopped taking myself so seriously. With this, a lot of the fears dissipated.
So whatever your fear, prayer and faith plus a good sense of humor can conquer all!
What can I say about Mykonos it is a slice of paradise! From the beautiful aqua colors of the Aegean Sea to the lovely white buildings dotting the landscape, all gives a tranquil feeling that life is good!
Today I woke up with this fabulous view from my balcony.
Our visit on shore began with a ride on the free shuttle bus from the port to the town. It was a short drive but it saved us some steps which we needed for our walk around town.
As we walked along the walkway by the sea, we looked out at mountains and boats and beautiful water.
We stopped at a little place on the water, Kavos Taverna, for cappuccino and tea.
We visited shops and one shop sold some beautiful shells.
We visited the lovely little churches along the way.
So many beautiful white alleys. And a former castle that is now a ruin!
One of the famous sites on Mykonos is the windmills.
We decided to stop for smoothies rather than hike over to the windmills. I was able to get a panoramic view of the windmills from the restaurant.
On our way back to catch our water bus, I had to put my feet in the water.
The temperature would have been perfect for a swim.
Instead of taking the shuttle, we took a water bus which was 2 Euros each. There was a nice breeze and gorgeous views.
And finally heading out of Mykonos watching the sunset from the upper deck.
What a beautiful end to a day in the Islands of Greece!
#greece#mykonos#kavostavernas#windmills#churches#aegeansea#waterbus#shells
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
Hugging people. My husband. My daughter. My granddaughter. All my other children and grandchildren. My friends. A stranger. It’s such a simple act but it makes all the joy bubbles rise to the surface.
The funny thing about this is that I never was a very touchy-feely person. But now I know I was missing something very special. Something that brings joy to someone else as well.
Hugging and kissing babies brings great joy as well. Feeling a child’s joy makes my joy even greater.
And cuddling with a baby sleeping on my shoulder makes life worth living. It takes away all life’s pressures.
This is not to say that I don’t find joy in many things. But this is one of the many and it’s simple. Give someone a hug today!
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