Returning to Florida

 On the 23rd of June George and I left the castle in the good hands of the Cerboni family and headed out to Rome.  We spent the night at the Airport Mercure.  Thank goodness it was only one night.  It was loud!

The next morning, we drove over to the airport to drop off the car for long-term parking (we will have 8 suitcases on our way back so I'm not schlepping those on the train).  The night before I lost sleep over how I was to achieve this hand over of the car, but as it turns out, it is super easy. They have a valet parking area just for these drop offs!  They even had luggage carts waiting for us when we arrived.  Problem solved.

We headed in to the airport and checked in very quickly.  No lines at 7:30 in the morning.  Next up immigration.  Thanks to George being a bit older, this too was rapid.  Less than 5 minutes and we were on our way to the lounge.  We stayed long enough for me to have a bowl of bean soup and George an OJ and banana.  Interesting breakfast no?  You see, we've been juicing since we got back from our bike trip. The ill ness we picked up was so bad, we decided we needed to clean our systems to get back to normal. No solid food for us since the 15th. Bean soup and a banana were cheating a bit I guess, but it was the closest we could do.

Our first flight was to Paris.  Uneventful is an understatement.  They didn't even offer champaign as we sat down.  There was a nice lunch served, but due to allergies, I only had a bite or two of cheese.  No one does vegetable juices on flights.  

We landed, cleared immigration and headed to the lounge.  Here we sat for about 30 minutes when dummy here realized that the 2:05 flight time was the time the plane was LEAVING the runway.  We ran to the boarding gate and got there 10 minutes before it closed!  Thank goodness I got my act together.  In fairness though, our recent travels have all been on a ship.  

We got on board and of course they came around with champaign.  I had that and George was good and went with OJ. We settled in he with a movie, and me with my Patente studies. I managed to get through 1/2 of the first chapter.  So many more pages to go.... After an hour or so, my brain hurt so I opted for a movie.  Of course they brought around lunch, but we both said no to all but a salad.  (Travel is so dull isn't it!)

Ok. ok.  I get it.  Move on.  I don't know how many hours later, we arrived in Miami.  Kat was there at the airport waiting on us and we all piled into the Tesla for the drive to her house.  

For the first time in my adult life, I left the airport and DROVE.  This juicing and not drinking allowed me to be completely sober.  I had no fear of driving.  Such a strange thing to have happen.

We got to her house and immediately fell asleep.  Bad move!  That meant I was up at 3 am.  And what do I do when that happens?  Clean!  And that is all I have to report on for the next 4 days really.  

On Tuesday I cleaned her kitchen, I threw out stuff, and I made lentil chips.  You see, when we moved her into her apartment, we had dishes and kitchen appliances for her.  Later when we sold the museum, the kitchen wares were of higher quality so we gave her those.  She simply moved the old stuff to the back of the cupboard.  Then when we moved to Italy, we gave her the kitchen ware from the big house as I couldn't use 110 volt appliances in Italy.  Again the quality was better so she moved the old stuff to the back of her cupboards.  If you are counting, you now realize that she can kit out 3 kitchens!  This was a disaster.  Mom to the rescue.  We got rid of the lower end items and kept the better stuff (that still worked-she burned out a few motors but didn't realize she should throw them away).

Wednesday was nothing short of a miracle.  We went to two banks, sorted out checks, credit cards, and wire transfer services.  Then we went to the club to get a refund check on our initial equity.  After that we visited with Karen and Sarah for an hour before heading over to DMV where we only waited 1 1/2 hours to get our drivers licenses changed over!  Back to Kat's to make some more juice and to clean up a bit more before heading to the coolest hotel we have found yet in our travels.  

We are staying at the Chateau Mar in Lauderhill.  In its hay-day, I'm sure it was a real hopping place.  The room is massive, the lobby is simply amazing.  I just love it. The decorations are very retro.  

When you walk into the lobby, there are two console  televisions playing, one shows I love Lucy, and the other is the Honeymooners.  

You see, back in the 70's Inverarry Country Club was built and a few years later Jackie Gleason moved in and started the Jackie Gleason Inverarry Classic PGA tournament.  When he died in 1987, sadly so too did the tournament.  It was later renamed the Honda Classic.  And in 2020, completely closed down. I just read that FDOT purchased 60 of the 300 acres to build roads on. What a waste. No wonder it is getting hotter in South Florida.  Too much concrete and asphalt. 

The room we have is larger than Kat's apartment with a balcony that overlooks the greens.  There is a tiny frigidaire and an old record player that still works!  So retro.  The lobby houses not only those tv's, but a piano frequently played by old blue eyes, and a pool table belonging to Gleason.  The photos around show many of the celebrities and past presidents that stayed here. They even have Gleason's car parked out front! It's a real hidden gem.  I think next time we come we will camp out here again.  

On Thursday George and Kat went back to DMV to transfer the title of the VW to her so she can sell it.   Sadly, they said no walk-ins so back they went to the hotel.  I was out shopping and running more errands.  Cashing that check we got yesterday, getting apostillated marriage licenses....the usual things. When I finished, I went back to Kat's and tackled some more of her house.  

Friday I gave George the Tesla and he headed to his brothers in Miami while Kat and I finished her bedroom and living room.  Her home is almost finished.  I'd give it another day and I'll have it spic and span and fully organized, but sadly, I will only have about 4 hours on Saturday morning before we head out to Texas for the puzzle party of the year.  We headed up to the Farmer's Table to have dinner with our friends Stu and Donna.  Like us, they too are leaving Boca. The club is not what it was when we moved in.  It's time to pack it in.  I'm glad our house sold and that we are done with it. 

Saturday morning I woke at 3:30 (Jet-lag again) did the mini crossword, packed some stuff in the car an headed to Kat's around 7.  True to my word, I did some more cleaning and organizing.  I made breakfast for her for the first time in a long time and just got to be a mom again this past few days.  I truly loved spending time with my daughter.  Through all of our cleaning and shopping over the past few days she told me of all that is happening in her life.  I'm so very proud of that kid. I wish I could say I finished it all, but sadly, there was so much makeup to toss out that I simply couldn't finish.  The kid has the last bit to do on her own (which of course means I'll finish it next time I visit).  At 10 I left her to go pick up George so we could head out.

We finished packing the car and headed up to Jupiter to have lunch with Bill and Scarlet.  It was so nice to see them again. It's been almost a year.  If you see them at IPP, congratulate them.  No need to know why, Just trust me.    (Ding dong Bill!  Well done!)

On Thursday George got the upgrade on the Tesla and we now have full self driving!  I love it.  With one catch; It redirected us back to Yeehaw Junction  which is 1/2 hour south of where we charged in Canoe Creek. Then it had us do a u-turn and head back North again!  I was a bit miffed because of the jet lag.  We eventually made Lake city by 8:45 and by 9:30 I was out.  Our hotel for the night was called the Guest Inn.  Dodgy looking at best from the outside, but the bed was so comfortable and the water is super hot.  Not a bad place after all.  I would have slept through but my sister called and said something about my car being broken into and I needed to call the police.  When I looked out the window my car was fine so I went back to bed.  I'm pleased to write that I have now slept 8 hours through. I declare Jet-lag to be officially over.

Day 7 Gambsheim to Strasbourg

 Today was the worst day of the entire cruise.  We woke up to rain.  Not that that made it a bad day.  It was  just drizzly.  Sadly the problem was that what I believed to be allergies was not, but was instead a full blown flu.  

George and I both caught it.  We had a dreadful sleep the night before.  We kept going between hot and cold.  I managed to work up quite a sweat and had hoped that it would be gone by morning but no such luck.  I stayed in bed while George went and told OJ that we simply couldn't join them.  

I wish we could say something nice about the day, but all we did was sleep. they did bring lunch to us.  And to let you know how sick we were, the beer was opened but not touched!  

Oskar and José went on their trip while George and I watched the locks go by.  

That afternoon George slept while I spent a bit of time packing.  Once that was done, I passed out again.  

Around 5 I got up to pay our bill, but the Hotel Manager refused to take it even though I was sick. He did allow us to have dinner in our room, but required me to return after 7:30 to pay the bill.  Not cool.  I went back to the room, slept some more, once dinner was finished, I again got dressed and returned to pay the bill.  

We slept the night through, and the next morning awoke around 8.  Said our good-byes to our friends and headed out to get the van and return to Italy.  

Along the way, we stopped to get some dijon mayonnaise for George and some good German sausages for me.  Our hotel for the night was in Milan and it was a just barely for me.  We arrived, I prepared a salad for us and a couple of deviled eggs, but neither of us ate.  Once again, we passed out.  

When we woke on the 16th, we lazed in bed until 10 and I was 1/2 tempted to just stay another day, but as it was only 4 hours to Panicale, we opted to just go for it.  We arrived home in good time, unpacked the car and crashed.

I write this 4 days later and am still miserable, but work must go on.  We returned home, had one day of rest, and then hit the ground running as it were.  

Monday was to be a day of rest, but George and I had packages to open, and updates to the work to see.

On Tuesday I had to pay our property taxes which were due Monday!  Now this may seem like nothing to most.  You get a bill for the appropriate government agency and pay your bill.  Here, your comercialista pays your tax bills, or you calculate them yourself and hope you got it right.  Thankfully we live in a very small commune and I was able to go over to the commune office and have them calculate the bill for me.  I won't tell you how much it was, but Kat's apartment in Ft. Lauderdale cost more than all of our places here in Italy combined.  

Once I got the paperwork, we drove the 15 minutes down the mountain to Tavernelle to go to the bank.  Thankfully there was no one in line before me so I was able to pay quickly.  While there I sorted out why my Mastercard wouldn't work in Germany and set it up for our trip back to the States this coming month.  After dealing with the bank, I dropped my glasses off to get adjusted and we returned home.  Just in time to meet with the elevator man who came in from Spain to check the electrical workings.  It passed inspection and we now have a working elevator in the Palace.  

I also met with the electrician and discussed the need for emergency lighting in my pantry.  There is no natural light in there and as there is a door I think it necessary.  Since we've been here we've noticed tat almost every storm in the castle comes with a blackout.  I don't want to be stuck in the pantry.

On Wednesday I met with the plumber to change the direction of the water jets in the Turkish sauna.  The 

decorator had them shooting out on either side of the body instead of at the body.  

I have told him many times to do things my way, and you would think with the amount of money he's making off of us he would.  Sadly, he still wants things his way.  This attitude of his has lost him the work on the pantry.  I was going to have custom cabinets installed, but since he didn't like my design and ordered his own, the plan was scrapped and he lost commission.  Fool!

We also met with the man who is going to install the new garage doors.  This was an ordeal as he wanted to make the entrance smaller!  The Tesla only has 5 inches to spare to get in now.  I simply told him if he can't do what I want I will find a new company.  That worked!  Garage doors will be ordered in the size and style that I want this week.  

Thankfully Thursday (today) has been free for me to write this blog post, put together some presentations for the upcoming IPP, and have a game with my lover.  

Friday I run to the bank again to pay for a new heating and water system for the palace and the garage doors.  You see, we get to claim a good tax break on the work being done, but only if we go through the bank to do it.  All of our bags are packed and will have been loaded into the van awaiting our trip to Rome on Sunday.  Here we have taken a hotel for the night prior to our trip to the States for IPP.  

It has been a busy couple of weeks and I hope you enjoyed riding along on the bikes with us.  I know it doesn't seem very puzzle related, but we were with good puzzle friends, and I know I would be shot if I told you about the puzzles that Oskar and George were working on.  Sadly, we didn't find any puzzles along the way, but I did get those boardgames for the Casa dei Giochi so I'm happy.  

Until next week...Happy puzzling all!

Day 6 Speyer to Pittersdorf to Gambsheim

Yesterday we had an "emergency" tour briefing in the lounge at 5 pm.  Turns out the river has flooded again and most of the bike path we were to take in the morning is flooded.  Plans have changed, and the morning is now for a leisurely boat ride down the Rhine and the afternoon will be our ride.  We are told we need to choose the French or German side of the river and we opt for the French.  

That means George and I get to have a lie in as lunch will be served on the ship.  And we did just that.  As long as I had the morning off, I also did some studying for my Patente.  At 11:45 we dutifully went down to lunch.  I remember a salad.  Oh yes, blue cheese sauce spaghetti (it was delicious hot, but terrible cold).  and George had a burger.  The waiter brought our meals while I still had the soup course that's why I know about the sauce.  

Of course we did observe a few of the sights as we traveled down river.  

Big floppy hat to the rescue from the hot sun!

After lunch we took off again.  We stopped in Plittersdorf Germany long enough to unload bicycles and riders.  Once more we were joined by George's new friends from Ohio.  We started out riding along the German side and came to a ferry crossing.  What luck!  The ferry was docked on our side.  How unfortunate though that it decided not to run on this day.  German side it is!  

We all took off down the path only to discover that our path ahead was still flooded.  We all did a giant U-turn and headed down a different road. Oskar had us all wait around 15 minutes though because there was such a large group of bikers he felt it dangerous.  As it turned out, there was an accident ahead.  One of the ladies fainted and required medical attention.  When we came to the area they were in, there were around 30 bikers all bunched up waiting.  Oskar did the sensible thing and traveled through them and carried on.

We came to yet another ferry crossing and this time hopped on quickly before they could change their minds.  

Along the path we saw much beauty.  The way we were to take in Germany was rough going.  We had to have great concentration to just stay upright as the path was so narrow.  Add to that the grass cutting and my allergies starting to cause a drippy nose and a slight headache, and I had had enough.  Oskar did right by changing sides.  The French side was more wild with tall grass and beautiful paths.  On the ship they told us we would find biergartens and WC's in Germany, on the French side we would see nature and use her toilet.  

Because of all the flooding, our rout that was to be 39 kilometers turned into more like 49. Thankfully Oskar had a map and is an excellent guide.  We stopped for a coffee and cookie next to a church for a short break and to check emails.  Good news!  The tiles have been delivered for the kitchen. 

We carried on until we hit Gambsheim where we once again returned to our ship.  George and I opted out of afternoon tea (not that we took much of it on this cruise).  Instead we went to the room for a bit of a nap before dinner.  My sinus' by this time were killing me and I was ready to call it a day.

We both went down to dinner, but George was feeling so bad, and the service was incredibly slow.  they served and cleared all but 3 tables and were bringing out the dessert before we were finished with our main course.  It was a shame because this was the captain's farewell dinner and was the best meal we've had on the cruise.  

Dessert was Baked Alaska, and had I not felt so poorly, I would have had some.  It's been a long time.  I followed George to bed and called it a day.

Day 5 Mannheim to Speyer

After a nice long sleep, we got up fixed breakfast and headed out to Speyer today.   

Back in the saddle again. Gene Autry keeps going through my head. Better than Eddie Grant I guess.  Did I tell you my ass hurts?  I’m not used to this.  Yesterday we walked 14,000 steps. That’s more my thing.  

Today’s ride was much shorter.  We only went 27km according to the book. We were able to see more of the flooding along our route.  The dirt on the trees and shrubs was much higher up, and the water had not receded as much in this area.  I have to admit, the overgrown trees was absolutely stunning.  This is what I remember of the German countryside from years long gone.  

When waiting for OJ to get off the ship, George befriended another couple who ended up following us as they were a bit lost.  Around 11:30 we stopped to have a coffee and use the loo.  

I was smart and wore the sweatshirt I purchased yesterday.  It was bloody cold today.  Oskar pointed out some of the pockets of warm air we were traveling through, but I assured him that was just George outgassing.  Old men do that a lot you know.  

While having a coffee I got the news that our kitchen flooring was being delivered!  Every day we get closer to moving into the palace. 

We carried on past yet more industry.  One of the electrical plants we went past was rather dystopian.  Here we crossed on yet another ferry and  headed on our way back to the ship. 

We had a picnic in the park before OJ headed off for the Technology museum.  I wanted to go, but George was exhausted and our nipples were ready to fall off.  We returned to the boat, took a very long shower and crawled into bed to warm up.  It was funny listening to a conversation about....quantum computing, these 2 gentlemen were trying to school Oskar on his area of expertise.   I didn't really understand it, but it was just funny when George explained what Oskar does for his real job. (Not the puzzles.)  Anyway, it reminded me of a conversation we had a few days ago about not bragging if you only know a little bit about something.  (Note to self, stop being a know-it-all!)

We met everyone for dinner later that night as always.  tonight it was Italian night.  

Oskar womansplaining photon spins

No comment on the food, but given where I live.... Bless them, they tried.  

After dinner George and Heidi played a game of chess.  He won again, but said she was stiff competition. 

Until tomorrow.