July
Journalling 2019
1. Canada Day! The grandkids came over
for a last visit before we leave.
2. Last day to pack and prepare. Picked
up some euros and all my blister packed pills. Rented and loaded the truck to
move our daughter.
3. Moving our youngest to Ottawa to work
for a year for a federal judge. She will be living in a house with three
others. I am driving my car there so she can use it for three weeks while we’re
away. She will drive the CRV and my husband will drive the moving truck one
way.
4. We ended up driving back home last
night after my husband put together her bed and hung her curtains up. There is
a problem with our furnace again that we have to deal with before we go. A few
months ago they replaced the motor at great cost to us, and said it was pumping
out carbon monoxide but venting it outside. Last minute packing. Going to miss
the grandkids.
5. Off to Europe for a Mediterranean
cruise. The flight will be the hardest part because I can’t stretch out.
6. Arrived in Rome, Italy. The flight
was agony, as I expected. Although we’ve been here before, I wish we had more
time. It’s one of my favourite places and there’s so much more to see. Hard to
adjust to the time change. Rested then went out for dinner. Brought along my
book to take a picture of it in many world landmarks, we went to Trevi Fountain
and the Pantheon again.
7. Setting sail on our ship, Koningsdam
(Holland America Cruise Line) for our 12 day cruise of Ancient Empires.
8. Sea day.
9. Olympia, Greece. We missed our
excursion and lost the money we paid for it as they wouldn’t give us a refund.
We ended up going to Ancient Olympia on our own with a cab.
10. Athens, Greece: Seeing the Acropolis
and spending time in the Plaka. Did you know that real Greek salad doesn’t
include lettuce?
11. Second day in Athens: we did a half
day tour of Ancient Corinth and paid extra for a stop at Mars Hill, where the
Apostle Paul preached Acts 17. While there we met some Christians from
Australia. We also saw the Corinth canal.
12. A beach day at Mykonos, Greece. They
didn’t tell us in advance that the sunbeds where not included in the price.
13. Ephesus, Turkey. We had an
interactive tour of ancient Ephesus. Very impressive ruins. So great to stand
in the places where Paul worked and preached. Then we were taken to a Turkish
rug company. Very beautiful but out of our price range. I’ll post a picture of
the library.
14. Rhodes Island, Greece, where there
was the Colossus, until God knocked him over by kneecapping him. Beach day.
Very nice beach. Spent the day with some Canadians we met on our excursion to
Ephesus.
15. Santorini, Greece, which is the most
beautiful island in Greece, which the white buildings against blue waters.
16. Crete, Greece, and another beach
day.
17. Sea day. Pedicure.
18. Naples, Italy with a tour along the
Amalfi Coast. Our bus broke down for an hour. We sat on the wrong side of the
bus so we had no view and the roads are so narrow they can’t even pull over
till we get to the bottom.
19. Returning to Rome, then flying to
Barcelona, Spain. Dinner out. Delicious food.
20. In Barcelona, Spain. We did a bus
tour and a tour of La Sagrada Familia. We had dinner out at Barceloneta.
21. Second day in Barcelona, did a
second bus tour since all stores and museums are closed. Also went to the same
restaurant for lunch and dinner tapas and sangria. Love Spanish food.
22. Travelling home to Toronto from
Barcelona. Our transfer didn’t arrive and they were closed on the weekend so we
couldn’t confirm our pickup time.
23. Nice to travel, but nice to be home,
too. Exhausted from the flight and the time change. Unfortunately, I got used
to having someone else cook for me, and wondered why the food didn’t appear in
front of me when I sat down at the table. Also, no one made my bed and cleaned
my bathroom. But happy to get back to regular food. Went to see the grandkids
and bring them some gifts.
24. Our daughter brought my car back
from Ottawa where she had it while we were away.
25. Pain clinic, then nap and
celebrating a friend’s birthday.
26. It’s our 33rd
anniversary. We went out for breakfast, then downtown to Barsa Taberna for
Spanish tapas, which we learned to love in Barcelona.
27. Visiting out of town relatives at my
mother-in-law’s. Bringing blueberry pie for dessert.
28. Prepping for a radio interview
tomorrow. A little nervous.
29. Did a radio interview about my novel
on a St. Catherine’s based Christian radio station called Hope Stream Radio. It
will air within 5 weeks. It’s about fifteen minutes long. He made me feel at
ease.
30. Ugh. Mammogram. So painful.
31. Chiro and massage, then the
grandkids are coming for the weekend so my daughter and her husband can paint
their house.
