We made it to Russia. Will we make it back?
Yesterday, we toured the Grand Palace of Peteroff.
The palace was magnificent. Gold leaf on much of the wood work and statuary.
The grounds were beautiful just like the weather to which we have been accustomed.
(I'll post some photos later as the ship changes $.75 per minute for Internet access.)
Last night, we went to the ballet and saw a full length production of "Swan Lake".
The dancing and music were excellent.
The facility had no air conditioning. We cooked. Normally with maximum temperatures of 75 F, there is no need for AC; but, it's been over 85 F for the past few days in Scandinavia with clear skies.
The freaky part it the length of days. We returned to the ship at 11:00 PM and it was still bright outside. The ship's advisory TV station says that sunset was at 11:20PM with sunrise at 4:40 AM. We are the eastern end of the time zone so the sunset is later. They use Daylight Savings Time. Somehow that does seem to make much sense when the daylight lasts 20 hours.
Today, we will be going on a canal tour of St. Petersburg. This is some place with 4 million people here. It is quite busy. Not as many bicycles as Stockholm, Copenhagen , or Helsinski.
You will be happy to know that they do drive Fords, Chevys, as well as Opels, VW's, Mazdas, Nissans, Hundyai's, and Toyotas. None of which seems to be dominant.
More to come. George & Diane
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Still in Copenhagen
Last day in Copenhagen.
We board the ship this afternoon at 2PM.
This time we plan to go on the cheap.
Our plan is to avoid a 350 Krona taxi cab ride for a 140 Krona train ride.
Yesterday, we walked the to city from the Little Mermaid statue to Tivoli.
Of course, a few wrong turns added to the mileage. My feet are still in pain.
Tivoli is a very nice park-like amusement park. I understand it may be the second oldest in the world. Check it out on wikipedia. Admission 1 USD = 6 Krona.
Shows, restaurants, and a few scarey rides where in full swing.
Club sandwich, salad, two drinks along the waterfront, 75 USD.
This town is bicycle crazy. There a were a least two hundred bikes parked in front a depatment store.
I'll post pictures later.
George & Diane
We board the ship this afternoon at 2PM.
This time we plan to go on the cheap.
Our plan is to avoid a 350 Krona taxi cab ride for a 140 Krona train ride.
Yesterday, we walked the to city from the Little Mermaid statue to Tivoli.
Of course, a few wrong turns added to the mileage. My feet are still in pain.
Tivoli is a very nice park-like amusement park. I understand it may be the second oldest in the world. Check it out on wikipedia. Admission 1 USD = 6 Krona.
Shows, restaurants, and a few scarey rides where in full swing.
Club sandwich, salad, two drinks along the waterfront, 75 USD.
This town is bicycle crazy. There a were a least two hundred bikes parked in front a depatment store.
I'll post pictures later.
George & Diane
Friday, June 24, 2011
THE TRIP BEGINS - on to Denmark
Thursday proved lucky. Sometimes USAirways comes through. We arrived at the airport early which may have helped us get upgraded to Envoy class. Wow! This is the first time that I sat in a power seat on an airplane. This baby had a powered foot rest, powered recliner, powered head reast, powered lumbar support-two places, and a powered foot rest.
Next came free food and drinks. A choice of entrees. very good.
Each seat was equipped with a Monitor with a selection of movies , etc.
The idea is to get sleep on this flight so that you can get back on the clock the next day.
Denmark and Frankfurt are 6 hours different.
I watched three movies instead on my personal screen. (no click flick compromises.)
This was the best USAIRWAYS experience I ever had.
I still have a tear in my eye from the memory.
We arrived in Frankfurt for our transfer to Lufthansa. Since USAirways could not give us boarding passes, we faced an uncertain path to Copenhagen. We have an hour and 30 minutes to make it.
First mistake, we went through customs and entered Germany. Later we found that we could have stayed inside the security zone and walked directly to the connecting gate. Walk, walk, walk, and walk some more. This is when Diane discovered how heavy her carry-on was. We grabbed a luggage cart and kept walking to the Lufthansa end of the terminal. I truly believe that the last gate is in Denmark. If you ever walked Atlanta, or the Phoenix airports, you only have had a warm-up. Frankfurt is long, long.
After a failed attempt at the check-in Kiosk, we tried people check-in. It worked. With boarding passes in hand, off to security. US security is tighter than German security. You don't have to take your shoes off. no pat down or body scans. "Zee papers pleez."
After walking from A1 to A36, we arrived at the gate. Lufthansa's plane was spotless.
Germans are often accused of being regimented. I found that if you sit straight and keep pulling on your seat belt, the flight attendents won't scold you with stern glances.
One hour to Copenhagen. 40 minutes waiting for baggage. Lufthansa, how embarássing.
A short walk to the Airport Hilton. very nice.
Last night, we did the Metro to Copenhagen, Kognens Nytorv Stop. Walked the town. Nice place. Street side restaurants, boats, a Tango club was having an outdoor event. They were dumping sand in the park for a volley ball tournament. Bicycles everywhere.
2 Coffee lattes for 74 Danish Krona. On Kr equals .17 USD. (No dollar sign on this Danish keyboard.) I found it hard to hand over a paper 100 for coffee and get what looked like 2 quarters for change.
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Free food is a good thing.
More to come, George.
note spell check is set to Danish. my apologies for my missses.
Next came free food and drinks. A choice of entrees. very good.
Each seat was equipped with a Monitor with a selection of movies , etc.
The idea is to get sleep on this flight so that you can get back on the clock the next day.
Denmark and Frankfurt are 6 hours different.
I watched three movies instead on my personal screen. (no click flick compromises.)
This was the best USAIRWAYS experience I ever had.
I still have a tear in my eye from the memory.
We arrived in Frankfurt for our transfer to Lufthansa. Since USAirways could not give us boarding passes, we faced an uncertain path to Copenhagen. We have an hour and 30 minutes to make it.
First mistake, we went through customs and entered Germany. Later we found that we could have stayed inside the security zone and walked directly to the connecting gate. Walk, walk, walk, and walk some more. This is when Diane discovered how heavy her carry-on was. We grabbed a luggage cart and kept walking to the Lufthansa end of the terminal. I truly believe that the last gate is in Denmark. If you ever walked Atlanta, or the Phoenix airports, you only have had a warm-up. Frankfurt is long, long.
After a failed attempt at the check-in Kiosk, we tried people check-in. It worked. With boarding passes in hand, off to security. US security is tighter than German security. You don't have to take your shoes off. no pat down or body scans. "Zee papers pleez."
After walking from A1 to A36, we arrived at the gate. Lufthansa's plane was spotless.
Germans are often accused of being regimented. I found that if you sit straight and keep pulling on your seat belt, the flight attendents won't scold you with stern glances.
One hour to Copenhagen. 40 minutes waiting for baggage. Lufthansa, how embarássing.
A short walk to the Airport Hilton. very nice.
Last night, we did the Metro to Copenhagen, Kognens Nytorv Stop. Walked the town. Nice place. Street side restaurants, boats, a Tango club was having an outdoor event. They were dumping sand in the park for a volley ball tournament. Bicycles everywhere.
2 Coffee lattes for 74 Danish Krona. On Kr equals .17 USD. (No dollar sign on this Danish keyboard.) I found it hard to hand over a paper 100 for coffee and get what looked like 2 quarters for change.
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Free food is a good thing.
More to come, George.
note spell check is set to Danish. my apologies for my missses.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sailing the Chesapeake May 2011
The crew is ready.
Best Regards, Captain Stuckbottom
The trip is funded.
The yacht has been contracted.
The beer has been selected.
Crew: All sailors from last year have returned for this year's cruise.
Course: This year, we cruise from Annapolis, past Thomas Shoal, around Drum Point to Solomons. Zahniser's Marina is our final destination on Friday, May 13.
On Saturday, Sweetwater will venture to Cambridge to engage in "Second Saturday".
From Cambridge, the next destination will be St. Michael's Marina.
Monday will find the crew navigating back to Annapolis.
The Yacht: This one is the grandest yet. Sweetwater is a 50 foot Jeanneau. We're hoping the west wind will show us a quick trip to Solomons. With a wet length of 48 ft, we should be able to achieve a hull speed of 9 knots with a 10-15 knot wind on the beam reach.
I am hopeful that we can sleep 8 with more comfort than on past yachts.
The Beer:
Smithwicks, Yeungling Lager, Sam Adams, Corona, New Castle Brown Ale.
Bottles only, no lite beer!
Best Regards, Captain Stuckbottom
~~~~~~ /) ~~~~~
~~~ ~~~~ /) ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~
Thursday, June 3, 2010
A Dog Day In Philly
On Wedneday, I was on the 46th floor of the Independence Blue Cross Building at 18th & Market.
That's the floor that the maintenance guys have their offices, Pretty Spartan at best, but one sensational view.
After two hours of training the guys, I called for a break.
Since I was there 6 months before, I thought that I knew my way to the washroom.
I had to pee.
After opening, the metal door slammed behind me with a bang.
That's when I realized that stairwell was the fire stairwell, not the stairway the the locker room.
Yes, all doors are locked until you get down to the lobby 460 feet or more below.
This was a true "oh shit" moment.
I started knocking on the door, at first with polite knuckle taps then with fist banging.
Of course the hallway outside the door was near some noisy equipment and nobody goes by that door unless they are on their way to the locker room. I put my ear on the door, I could only hear motors running.
Knocking or screaming would be a waste of time.
Surely, no search party either, I doubt that they would have noticed that I was missing for hours.
It was time to re-think my situation. The good news was that I would survive this dilemma.
The sign in the stairwell said, "To Roof". With my fear of heights, peeing off the roof was not going to work.
So "down" seemed to be the answer. If I banged on each door, someone would eventually hear me.
So Down I went. 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38.
I heard my brain saying, "This is not working, ass-hole."
Going down the stairwell felt like descending into an underground bunker.
No windows, just the smell of concrete and blinking flourescent lights.
37, 36, 35,.... then I heard a noise. Must be a rat or ??
I stood silent. Then I heard the shuffle of footsteps.
It was one of the building mechanics going from the 33rd to the 31st floor.
I called out. "excuse me". It sounded lame, but calling "help" seemed to over anxious.
He looked up the over the rail.
I recognized him and he knew who I was.
Yes, he had a key.
I found the men's room and then the elevator.
As I expected, nobody even asked where I was for the last half- hour.
They didn't even thank me for the extra long break.
And, That's me in the tree
That's the floor that the maintenance guys have their offices, Pretty Spartan at best, but one sensational view.
After two hours of training the guys, I called for a break.
Since I was there 6 months before, I thought that I knew my way to the washroom.
I had to pee.
After opening, the metal door slammed behind me with a bang.
That's when I realized that stairwell was the fire stairwell, not the stairway the the locker room.
Yes, all doors are locked until you get down to the lobby 460 feet or more below.
This was a true "oh shit" moment.
I started knocking on the door, at first with polite knuckle taps then with fist banging.
Of course the hallway outside the door was near some noisy equipment and nobody goes by that door unless they are on their way to the locker room. I put my ear on the door, I could only hear motors running.
Knocking or screaming would be a waste of time.
Surely, no search party either, I doubt that they would have noticed that I was missing for hours.
It was time to re-think my situation. The good news was that I would survive this dilemma.
The sign in the stairwell said, "To Roof". With my fear of heights, peeing off the roof was not going to work.
So "down" seemed to be the answer. If I banged on each door, someone would eventually hear me.
So Down I went. 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38.
I heard my brain saying, "This is not working, ass-hole."
Going down the stairwell felt like descending into an underground bunker.
No windows, just the smell of concrete and blinking flourescent lights.
37, 36, 35,.... then I heard a noise. Must be a rat or ??
I stood silent. Then I heard the shuffle of footsteps.
It was one of the building mechanics going from the 33rd to the 31st floor.
I called out. "excuse me". It sounded lame, but calling "help" seemed to over anxious.
He looked up the over the rail.
I recognized him and he knew who I was.
Yes, he had a key.
I found the men's room and then the elevator.
As I expected, nobody even asked where I was for the last half- hour.
They didn't even thank me for the extra long break.
And, That's me in the tree
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sailing the Chesapeake on Selene
April 22, 2010:
The crew assembled on Selene.
Jeff, Paul, John, Frank, Rob, Joe N, Joe C, George
I need a four letter word for an alcoholic beverage made from grapes and rhymes with swine.
"Cognac" doesn't seem to work.
Speak no evil, See no evil.
Brother Paul helps us to understand the realities of life.
The other guy is in the witness protection program.
Frank goes for it! Jaws on the attack.
Is the glass half-empty, half-full, or they wouldn't let me drink straight from the bottle. AAaarrgh! 
more to come!
Captain Stuckbottom
~~~~~ /) ~~~~~
~~ ~~~~ /) ~~~~
~~~(\~~~ ~~~
The crew assembled on Selene.
Jeff, Paul, John, Frank, Rob, Joe N, Joe C, George
Four ports-of-call:
Baltimore, Georgetown, MD, Rock Hall, Annapolis.
Jeanneau 42 DS.
Baltimore. A dinner in Little Italy and beautiful start.
I need a four letter word for an alcoholic beverage made from grapes and rhymes with swine."Cognac" doesn't seem to work.
Speak no evil, See no evil.Brother Paul helps us to understand the realities of life.
The other guy is in the witness protection program.
Frank goes for it! Jaws on the attack. Is the glass half-empty, half-full, or they wouldn't let me drink straight from the bottle. AAaarrgh! more to come!Captain Stuckbottom
~~~~~ /) ~~~~~
~~ ~~~~ /) ~~~~
~~~(\~~~ ~~~
Monday, January 4, 2010
White Christmas 2009
The snow fell on Dec 19 and 20. In the city and parts of New Jersey up to 23 inches accumulated. We received no more that 9 inches.
What constitutes a White Christmas? Must it snow on Christmas Day or is it enough to have several inches on the ground beforehand?
Before the snow blower did its work,
What constitutes a White Christmas? Must it snow on Christmas Day or is it enough to have several inches on the ground beforehand?
Before the snow blower did its work,
Sunday, January 3, 2010
More Venice
On the Rialto Bridge.
The gondola tourist experience.
Discover some romance in Venice.
Views from The Campanile at St. Mark's Square.
After a brief shower.
The gondola tourist experience.
Discover some romance in Venice.
Views from The Campanile at St. Mark's Square.
St Mark's Campanile (Campanile di San Marco in Italian) is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy, located in the square (piazza) of the same name. It is one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.
The tower is 98.6 metres (323 ft) tall, and stands alone in a corner of St Mark's Square, near the front of the basilica. It has a simple form, the bulk of which is a plain brick square shaft, 12 metres (39 ft) wide on each side and 50 metres (160 ft) tall, above which is the arched belfry, housing five bells. The belfry is topped by a cube, alternate faces of which show walking lions and the female representation of Venice (la Giustizia: Justice). The tower is capped by a pyramidal spire, at the top of which sits a golden weathervane in the form of the archangel Gabriel. The campanile reached its present form in 1514. As it stands today, however, the tower is a reconstruction, completed in 1912 after the collapse of 1902.
The tower is 98.6 metres (323 ft) tall, and stands alone in a corner of St Mark's Square, near the front of the basilica. It has a simple form, the bulk of which is a plain brick square shaft, 12 metres (39 ft) wide on each side and 50 metres (160 ft) tall, above which is the arched belfry, housing five bells. The belfry is topped by a cube, alternate faces of which show walking lions and the female representation of Venice (la Giustizia: Justice). The tower is capped by a pyramidal spire, at the top of which sits a golden weathervane in the form of the archangel Gabriel. The campanile reached its present form in 1514. As it stands today, however, the tower is a reconstruction, completed in 1912 after the collapse of 1902.
After a brief shower.Venice, Italy, July 1,2,3, 2009
Arrivaderci, Ruby Princess. Diane views the Ruby from our water bus.
Three days left to explore Venice.
The Main Canal.
Lots of shops for masks, and glassware.
Venice, Italy, Day 13,14, June 30, 2009
As the Ruby Princess entered the main channel on the south side of Venice, 3000 passengers rushed to the starboard side of the ship to enjoy the view. Now this is a big ship but, 3000 well-feed passengers four deep on the rail can cause the ship to heel. The photograph is not an illusion. The ship is heeled over to starboard about 3-5 degrees. The swimming pool water on the eighteen deck was two inches deeper on the starboard side.Piasano! Someone was glad to see us. I think that he was inviting us to dinner. We didn't get his address. 
This is Saint Mark's Square. It is the heart of Venice. In evening, multiple restaurants stage fine orchestras on the square to attract patrons.
This is Saint Mark's Square. It is the heart of Venice. In evening, multiple restaurants stage fine orchestras on the square to attract patrons. 
Hilton's Stucky Molino, formerly a factory, was where we stayed for the last three days of our journey. It is located an island on the south side of the channel.
Joe, Linda, Diane and George on the upper deck. Our last sunset on the Ruby Princess.
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