Fortunately I have surrounded myself throughout my life with wise counsel. Be it the sage wisdom of my father, the loving support of my mother or the consistent pattern of listening from my sister, all have added to my well being. Unfortunately, they have gone to the great spirit in the sky and no longer able to communicate with me.
Today I still find sage advice and loyal and loving support through family and friends.
My husband is a source of grounding. He helps me make sense of my thoughts and actions. Several friends helped me see the humor in life’s foibles when they could cause me to give up and bury my head in the sand.
Humor – of course that makes life better.
I veer away from negativity. It can be detrimental to my well being. So I find people who are positive. Luckily I have several.
And of course I can talk to my higher power in its infinite wisdom. And I try not to just use my brain power as my guiding light. It has been known to take me down dark alleys.
I can’t say that I hold any personal belongings most dear. Maybe my wedding ring. Maybe my photo books.
But people, especially those I love I hold most dear. I’ve found that most things are replaceable but people are not.
When you lose a loved one I cherish the memories. I miss them. My daughter said at the age of 9 when my father her Poppop was dying, “You are never dead until you are forgotten.”
So not too many things. Although I do like to look at pictures of my Mom and Dad. My Dad was in the Navy during WWII. My mother was a hot number.
Staying at the Hilton Paddington made it easy to take the train to Heathrow. It was a 20 minute ride but we had to switch terminals. This gets a little difficult managing our luggage. Another reason why cruising is good.
We tried to get into two lounges with my Priority Pass, but neither would let us in until after our flight left. I went back to one and showed my Amex Platinum and we got in no problem.
Actually it wasn’t worth trying to get in. Seats were hard to find and the food didn’t look great.
When we reached Amsterdam we went into the lounge there. Seats were torn and place could use some TLC but we were able to get a seat. They had tomato soup which made Bruce happy.
We took a cab to our hotel, the Via Sants Barcelona, Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
After a sort of good night’s sleep, we didn’t get to the hotel until 11:30 pm, and woke at 8:30, we had the breakfast buffet at the hotel. As a Gold Hilton member, we get free breakfast.
Then we headed out to catch the metro to the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia. This huge temple began construction in 1882 and continues today. Gaudi was the original architect and he worked on this project for over 40 years.
We were in Barcelona in 2016 but did not have the opportunity to go inside. I booked tickets in advance through the Sagrada Familia website and it included an audioguide for 26€.
We began our tour on the outside of the temple at the nativity facade which highlights the joy of Jesus’ birth.
Inside the church, the stained glass along with the different stones that make up the large pillars, create a colorful, awe-inspiring masterpiece.
We had a tour of the Nativity Tower. We rode an elevator up to the top and walked 400 steps down in very tight quarters. Some of the views were amazing.
The crypt from above.
And more beautiful colors.
We exited the building on the Passion Side where it depicts the crucifixion of Jesus.
After our visit we walked back to our hotel stopping along the way to enjoy the sites in Barcelona.
There are many bakeries here in Barcelona and we stopped to have some.
It was a lovely day in Barcelona with so much to see and do. For now, though we need a little rest.
We spent the night in Hilton London at Paddington Station. It was an easy train ride from Oxford which took less than an hour. Upon arrival it was too early to check in but they took our bags and we went out for lunch.
We went for lunch at the Angus Steakhouse, just across the street from the hotel. I had a beef sandwich and Bruce had fish and chips.
It was raining so we didn’t want to venture far. After lunch we checked in! A very nice room! At Hilton as a gold member you get breakfast included and an upgrade in room!
We decided to go see The Lion King at the West End. It was on our taxi ride over to the Lyceum Theater that Bruce remembered that he didn’t take our $1k out of the safe in Oxford! Yikes! That was our winnings from the cruise.
My stomach was doing somersaults. That’s a lot of money to lose. Frantically, we found the number of the hotel. This was all happening in our taxi ride.
He contacted the manager at the Marriott Oxford, Arvind Bhardwaj, who went above and beyond to help us out. To our relief, Arvind was able to get a driver to deliver the money to us in London that evening. An angel!
So we were able to relax and enjoy the show!
We had great seats and the show was light and fun!
Our money arrived at 11:30pm.
A delicious buffet breakfast and packing to go on a plane. We had to make sure the liquids were in checked bags.
All is well and now we are on our way to Barcelona!
I’ve had a wonderful life with some bumps in the road, but nevertheless wonderful.
I hope through these years I have instilled in my daughter a moral compass that should be followed. A belief that all things are possible if you work for them and that working for something gives much greater pride than being handed something.
It’s important to always be kind, care for your fellow humans, and tolerate and accept differences. A world of differences makes a better, more interesting world.
To never burn bridges or leave behind negativity because you never know who or what may occur in your future.
To love fully and to cherish all you love.
That material goods matter far less than what is in your heart.
And as my life is in the last act, to not stop living until you are dead!
I grew up in a change of seasons and cold weather meant my birthday, holidays, snowmen and ice skating.
After Labor Day the days began to get shorter and the nights much chillier. School started once again and I was not a big fan. Out came the warm woolens and away went the swimming suits. And the fireplace glowed with its first blaze of the season.
Thanksgiving arrived with the smells of turkey and stuffing and freshly baked apple pies. We watched the Macys Day Parade as we hungered for our holiday meal!
My birthday arrived with presents of new winter clothes or when I was very young a coveted doll or toy. I had lobster and steamers for my birthday meal year after year! Heavenly!
Christmas time and shopping for trees. Baking spritz and chocolate chip cookies as well as sugar and thumbprint with a kiss. Decorating the tree with all our fine ornaments, wrapping the presents, and placing them under the tree!
Now those are the fond memories of cold weather months. But from January to March, I would rather be in warmer climates. Away from dirty snow and cranky people, enjoying lighter clothing and a softer heart!
I have to say cruising is easy. We unpack once and the rest is history. But to spend time in a city, we usually go it on our own. That means lugging suitcases on and off trains or whatever mode of transportation.
We started our trip to Oxford with a train ride from Southampton. I bought tickets ahead of time with reserved seating to avoid unnecessary stress.
Looking out the train window, we saw interesting countryside along the way.
Finally, after 1.5 hours, we arrived in Oxford. Our reserved train tickets were $44 for both of us. It actually was easy getting here.
We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott City Center which is walkable to everything. It cost 19,500 in points and a free night. We are on the top floor which has a rooftop area where we could see around Oxford. That is Oxford Castle next door. We never did get the opportunity to visit the castle.
After we settled in our room, we walked around Oxford. Our first stop was an indoor miniature golf course.
It was interesting. Very fluorescent. We walked through an indoor marketplace which was also very interesting. But no shopping for us.
We stopped for a cappuccino and what they said was Brazilian carrot cake. It was good but it didn’t taste anything like carrot cake.
We walked to the Bodleian Library.
Unfortunately, it was too late to get in so we will go tomorrow morning.
We visited the Weston Library and a free exhibit on writers and their editing processes called Write, Cut, and Rewrite. Some of the manuscripts date back 1000 years.
Books at Weston Library
This was a 12th century notebook showing editing marks.
Below was a notebook of JRR Tolkiens showing illustrations as well as copy and editing notes.
After our little tour of the exhibition, we wandered around Oxford which is known as the City of Spires.
As we walked I saw a group of men with bowler hats standing in front of a building. I’ve never seen that in the United States.
I just love all the old architecture.
For dinner, we ate at the Red Lion and of course, had fish and chips.
And to top the night off, fruit and ice cream for me and sticky toffee pudding for Bruce.
We woke early the next day to get our tickets to the Bodleian Libraries for later in the afternoon.
We received a 10% discount at the cafe so we had a cappuccino and almond croissant.
We met up with our tour guide, Tom, and another couple from Hawaii to commence our Inspector Morse, Lewis, and Endeavor Tour. Our first point of interest was a cobbled spot in the road where three bishops were burnt at the stake in 1555 and 1556. I think the main issue was that they were Protestant when the country was Catholic.
We walked on and he regaled us with scenes from the show and areas in Oxford where each scene took place. From Trinity to Exeter to Lincoln to Corpus Christi. All a whirlwind of information and a true flavor for the shows. Even St. Mary’s with its gargoyles and all.
All Souls College is one of the schools and its interesting that all its members automatically become Fellows.
Tom told us about the once Jewish area before they were exiled from England and how Oxford was built over this area. He said that supposedly one can see the original foundations of their community.
I am currently reading a mystery about Merton Library so we stopped by Merton College.
And to end our tour, Tom took our photo with the car from inspector Morse.
We took a short break between tours and shared a sandwich.
Then onto the Bodleian Library and the Divinity Room.
Can you recognize this from any movies? It was used in the Harry Potter movies as the hospital and the dance hall.
This was built in the 1400s! Yes, older than the US.
The door however was built in the 1600s with wood that was 200 years older.
The next room we ventured in was the Convocation House which was built similarly to the Parliament Building prior to its fire in the 1800s.
The Chancellor’s Court is where they addressed students who created problems. According to our guide at one point in Oxford’s history, Oxford students were responsible for much mayhem and murder.
Finally we walked up flights of stairs to reach the old Bodleian Library.
Many of the books are hundreds of years old. Some have alarms if they are touched.
It’s interesting how Oxford did not sustain any bombings during WWII. According to our guide, Adolph Hitler wanted to use Oxford for himself as a center for his rule of England.
Some interesting names of streets along the way!
It was a wonderful trip to Oxford. To sum it all up: We took the train from Southhampton which was $44 total. The Marriott was 19,500 points and a free night. Tour of the Library was $20 each. The Morse tour was $130 plus GBP15 tip. Food was about GBP100. Used marriott card to get 5 x points on incidentals. Chase Sapphire to get 3x points on dining. Total cost of the side trip was about $350 US.
I worked hard all my life. I was a single mom for 10 years during my working years and yes the balancing act was challenging. I wanted to ensure my daughter received the love and attention she needed while I still put food on the table.
I decided at one point that I would not become a high achiever in the workforce while a failure as a parent. So I made sure I handled each accordingly. I had a great job that I enjoyed which paid well. I didn’t have much overtime and I traveled maybe once or twice a month.
I married again and was able to spend more time with our collective children. Then they all grew up and I started a new career.
Money isn’t everything. I always made enough to live ok. Nonetheless, the most important thing was I enjoyed my work. That made for a happy home as well.
Now I’ve been retired for 9 years and my work is finding the next best trip!
