50th Anniversary Panama Canal Cruise

We got off at the Fort Lauderdale airport and reunited. We got a Lyft to the hotel and checked our bags. We went for lunch and then we walked around the area before heading back to the hotel. We sat in the lobby waiting on our room, but it took so long we went out for another walk. Once our room was ready, we settled in and jumped in bed for a nap. We both awoke before the alarm went off, but we stayed put while Hugh drank some coffee. We showered and walked down to the water taxi area and decided to walk across the bridge and watch the boats and maybe even see a cruise ship sailing out. The cruise ships were gone but we saw some impressive yachts. We then walked to Duffy’s Sports Bar and had margaritas and fish tacos. We played trivia and had a lovely evening. We walked back to the hotel and readied ourselves for bed. Hugh watch videos and I typed and read. It was 10 pm before we settled down for the evening and we were both surprised that we made it that long after our early start.

HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!!!!

This morning we slept in until 8:30 and lazed around drinking coffee even longer. After showering we gathered our stuff for the day and headed to breakfast. The hotel had a nice hot breakfast and we felt great as we started our day. First thing on our agenda was to get to the water taxi and head into the city. We walked to the embarkation dock, purchased our tickets online, and soon we were enjoying the scenic tour of Fort Lauderdale. We stayed on the taxi for most of the route before we got off at the beach stop at Los Olas. We walked to the beach and were pleasantly surprised to see a group of high school students telling the resurrection story and playing Christian music. They were getting a lot of positive feedback and they were giving some powerful testimonies. The beach here is white sand and flat with a lot of lifeguard stations. It was a beautiful sight to behold on a sunny day with bright blue skies. From the beach we walked along Los Olas which is a beautiful road with lots of inlets with gorgeous homes and large yachts. By the time we made it into down we were hot and thirsty. We stopped for cokes and chips and salsa. We just enjoyed sitting in the cool for a while, but we felt we needed to leave as the late lunch crowd was pouring in. We did some window shopping, some exotic car ogling, and had a fabulous time. We got back on the water taxi and enjoyed the commentary as we made our way to the mall area. We walked through their mall but it was very disappointing... it had very few stores. We took Uber back to the hotel and cleaned up for dinner.

We then took another Uber to the 15th Street Fisheries Restaurant where Hugh had made reservations for our anniversary. We were seated at a table with a little happy anniversary sign and soon we were sipping our drinks and enjoying the view. Hugh had scallops and I had crabcakes and both were delicious. They served us an ice cream sundae with a candle to celebrate. We took another water taxi around the city and as many times as I hear the commentary it amazes me how someone can buy a $40-million-dollar house and then purchase the houses on either side and tear them down so they can have a bigger yard. One of the stories this time is the family that purchased a $20 million dollar house so they could dock their $80 million dollar yacht in front. They have never lived in the house, just the crew of the yacht lives there. We saw a lot of ginormous yachts and hotel size homes. Fun to look at but out of my price range. We made it back to our stop and had a lovely walk back to our hotel. It was time to put the feet up and get some journaling done.

Today we awoke with great expectation. HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED.
We went to breakfast before we showered so we would be back in time for our church service. We sang hymns and enjoyed a beautiful Easter service. We finished our packing and slowly prepared to check out of our room. Around 11:30 we headed to the lobby so they could clean our room. We read and waited for our time to board the Nieuw Amsterdam. This cruise we are celebrating 50 years of marriage and Holland America is celebrating 150 years of sailing! We will be on the ship on the actual anniversary! We took Uber to the port and literally walked right onto the ship and into our cabin. Within thirty minutes of boarding, we were unpacked and ready to look for some food. It was after 2pm and we had not eaten any lunch. We had something to eat and spent the afternoon exploring this ship. It is a new design for us, so we had a lot to check out. We were excited to go to the sail away party and had made plans to have a frosty drink while we waved goodbye to Fort Lauderdale. Mother Nature had other plans and a ferocious storm blew in just as we prepared to sail. The ship had to wait in the port until some of the sudden fog dissipated. We went to the Crow’s Nest, but it was raining so hard you could not see out the windows.

We decided to head to our cabin and go on our covered verandah, but the wind was so strong we could not open the door. We decided to rest a bit and read until the weather improved. As we sat in the cabin the whistle blew and we were underway. It was a bit under-whelming, but we were still on our way. We were 20 or 30 nautical miles out before the storm subsided as quickly as it came up. We cleaned up and headed out to our 6:30 reservations in Canaletto. There were very few diners there and we were so thankful for the peace and quiet and excellent service we received. It was a mad house in the Lido and the main dining room as everyone piled their plates high for fear they might not get enough to eat. We had a wonderful dinner and spent the evening enjoying music at BB Kings and The Billboard. There is plenty to do on this ship and with tomorrow being a sea day we have a lot of time to enjoy it. Happy Easter!!!

This morning we slept in and when we were up and dressed, we headed to the main dining room for breakfast. We sat & enjoyed the morning and extra cups of coffee. We went to explore the ship some before it was time for the lecture on The Blue, What is Beneath the Sea. The lecture was amazing, and we look forward to a new one each sea day. After the lecture we continued our exploration of the ship, checking out the gym and spa areas as well as trying to find the library. We realized the library was opening for the first time later in the day. We puttered around and did some fast walking on deck until lunch time and when we were ready for more food; we went to the Main Dining room. This is an unusual cruise as the people flock to all the restaurants for each meal so there is no quiet place to dine. We were seated with a table filled with single cruisers and they got a good laugh at the fact we were celebrating our 50th. It was a fun meal, and we had a lot of great conversation and excellent food. We headed back out for a quick mile on the track before we settled in to read and relax. Dinner tonight was a dressy occasion, so we showered and changed in to our finest. We were given beepers when we arrived at the dining room, and we expected to wait a good while. We headed to the bar and ordered a glass of wine. Before it was served our beeper went off and we were seated with 3 other couples. It was a diverse group, some from Canada, some from Boston, and some from Seattle. We had great food and spent the time finding out about one another. Soon it was time for the show, and we all left to claim our seats in Billboard. We enjoyed the music and ordered our show cocktail before heading to the Main Stage. The show was a dance production and was lovely with a lot of back panel projection. I will admit I would rather see a song and dance show, but this was lovely. After the show we headed to our cabin and settled in for a goodnight sleep.

Back at the harbor we walked around the shops before going back on board. A large Carnival ship is docked next to us, and we had to swim upstream through the masses to get to our ship. Back on the ship we went to the cabin to cool off and at lunch time we had planned to eat by the pool but so had everyone else. We ate in the Lido. It was a zoo and I had so many elbows to the head I thought I would get a concussion. Then we found a table outside where I could journal, and Hugh could read. We tried sitting in the sun but it was just too hot. We went to the cabin and read for a while then back up to the Crow’s Nest for coffee and more journaling. I was several days behind. We showered and dressed for dinner. We arrived in billboard just in time to play travel trivia with a delightful couple from England. We ROCKED and won free drinks!! We then headed to dinner, and we were seated with some Canadian couples, and we almost closed the place down leaving just in time to go to the show. It was a pianist, and he was a great singer as well. He was also very funny, and we hated when he ended his show. From the showroom we went back for music, but it was game night and we were too late for the game in progress. We walked around and listened in other venues until we headed back to the cabin and some reading.

This morning we slept too late to go to the dining room for breakfast, so we headed up to the Lido. I had a great omelet. After breakfast we headed to the promenade deck and did a mile before we went to the lecture on the history of rum in the Caribbean. The lectures have been wonderful, and our Cruise Director Kimberly is a master storyteller. We decided to get another mile or so in before we showered for the day. The sea was calm and view amazing, so we just walked and walked. We rushed to the cabin after getting a cold drink so we would have time to shower and make it to the dining room for lunch. We shared a table with another Canadian couple and before lunch was over, we realized they were going to the wine tasting at 2pm also. We sat and talked and then just changed locations and enjoyed the Wines of the Pacific Northwest. It was a great presentation but when it was over at 3:30 we all agreed we were ready for a nap. Definitely lightweights in the drinking department. We rested for a bit and then dressed for trivia and then dinner. This time it was sports trivia and we did well, only one answer behind the winners, but no free drinks for us. Dinner was a lot of fun again with 2 singles and one other couple. We laughed and talked until show time and just made it to the theater before they introduced Maria Campos, our entertainer for the evening. She did a medley of Broadway tunes and had a fantastic voice. Again, we were sad when the evening ended. It was off to the cabin to prepare for our tur tomorrow which has an early departure.

Back on the ship we decided to eat by the pool so we did not change, just dropped off the backpack. We ordered online but Hugh had to wait in line a long time while I ordered drinks and guarded our loungers. Lunch was delicious and we stayed until we were just too hot. We then headed for the shower and some time in an air-conditioned space. Once everyone was back on board we dressed and went to the Crow’s Nest for sail away. I had my computer and did some journaling while enjoying the views. When we were out of sight of land, we took the computers to the room and headed to Billboard for trivia. We found 2 couples to join and the trivia was really hard. It was music and none of us were particularly knowledgeable but in the end, we had 11 correct but the winners had 15. We headed to the dining room and were seated with some great people, 2 of which we had met before the night we won at trivia. We almost missed the show because we were having so much fun, and the service was a bit slow. The show was a comedian, and he was hilarious. After the show we tried to find some music, but everyone was on break. We decided to head to the room and watch a movie we had started 2 days ago. We turned our clocks back and hour and settle in for Roman Holiday. After the movie we read until we fell asleep.

This morning we were both awake before the clock went off. We showered and dressed and headed to the dining room for breakfast. We enjoyed our meal but then we hurried to the showroom to get seats for the presentation on the Panama Canal. It was crazy but the seats filled up 30 minutes before it started. I journaled and Hugh edited pictures as we waited. Kimberley did an amazing job on the presentation and now everyone cannot wait until we transit the canal. From the presentation we went outside and walked and got our mile in before we headed to lunch in the dining room. We ate with several lovely couple and had so much fun talking that we almost missed our opportunity to claim seats for the presentation on Cartagena our next port of call. Again, Kimberley did an excellent job and Hugh and I are excited to get to Colombia at last. We headed for our cabin for some down time and preparation for our shore excursion early in the am. We sat on our verandah until we were both heavy lidded. We took a short rest and then showered and dressed for dinner. We had reservations at Tamarind so we dressed up a bit. We stopped in the Tamarind Bar for wine until our table was ready. We had an adorable server names Sarah and she was helpful in picking dishes and also very entertaining. She has been on the ship for 6 months and has 3 more to go before she has 2 months off. She lives in Bali and her new assignment will be on the Nieuw Statendam. We had way too much food, but it was all superb! Hugh had Miso Glazed Duck and I had Wasabi glazed beef filet. We also had 3 appetizers and dessert. A night to remember. We went to a lightening round of trivia and did pretty well. We answered 19 out of the 30 and got the bonus. It was 30 questions with 30 seconds to answer each one. We then went to the show and it was John Besler at the piano. He was excellent. We went to Billboard for some music and then tried BB Kings. Soon it was time to retire.

We got back on the ship just at boarding time only to hear the captain announce that there were 100 passengers missing. We were late leaving but no one seemed concerned. We had some lunch and went to the cabin to cleanup and cool off. We sat on the verandah and read before showering and getting up to the Crow’s Nest to play kings on the corner. From there we headed to trivia. The subject was history and we did pretty well on our own. We then headed to dinner and were seated with a lovely couple from the Netherlands. We finished just in time to make it to the show. We were excited to have the comedian again, he was so funny. After the show we went to the music venues for a bit and then it was off to bed. Tomorrow we get up early and start our transit of the Panama Canal.

Midafternoon we made our way through the Pedro Miguel Locks which lowered our ship 30.5 feet. We saw onlookers here watching all the ships. We were in a race with 2 other cargo ships which were going through the newer locks. As me made our way across Miraflores Lake we watched their progress. We could see the next set of locks ahead but going was slow. We were in a holding pattern for a while as ships in front of us cleared. Our time schedule kept getting pushed back bit by bit. The ship going through the left lock had some trouble getting positioned in the channel and we sat in the holding chamber while the tugs did their jobs. It was approaching dinner time as we headed into the first of the 2 Miraflores Locks. This was a slow process. One very interesting thing we saw were 3 sailboats rafted together clearing the left lock with the very huge cargo ship. As we were clearing the first lock we decided to go for showers. We had been up a long time and the heat and sun had made us extra tired and sweaty. We dressed for dinner and had time to get back to the Crow’s Nest for the exit of the locks and the sail under the Bridge of the Americas which is the Pan-American Highway. Our cargo ships which cleared the Cocoli Locks were nowhere to be found. It was exciting to travel through one of humankinds’ greatest achievements. We had wine to celebrate! We decided to shake things up a bit and go to the 7 pm show and then have dinner. The show was the dance troupe and this was an excellent show. The ship had a power surge, and the background lighting was out. Rather than being a problem it really enhanced the show as you could focus on the dancers and not be distracted. After the show we ate in the Lido, and it was quiet, and we enjoyed it much more than we expected. We were both worn out from the heat of the day and decided to head to the cabin after dinner. We read and watched videos until we fell asleep.

This morning we slept until we woke up, no alarms or coffee deliveries for us. We then showered and dressed and made our way to breakfast. We ate in the dining room and shared a table with 2 older ladies who travel together frequently. They were so funny talking about how the heat was so oppressive that they got tired walking from the Crow’s Nest across the pool area to the Lido for lunch. Service was slow and we just barely made the 10 am presentation on the ports of call that are coming up. The presentation was helpful, and we replaced our Costa Rica excursion that was cancelled. Our Canadian friends joined us, and they were able to book the excursion they wanted also. We all stayed for the presentation by Kimberley on Waves. This was the history of surfing which was not as interesting as some of the other talks, but the pictures were amazing. After the presentation we changed into cooler clothes and went for our walk. We are not able to walk as much as usual as Hugh’s knee is bothering him. After our walk we took our computers up to deck 11 and had cold drinks and did some editing and journaling until time for a late lunch. We had a simple lunch, each of us getting just what we wanted. After lunch we went for another walk before the next presentation on Costa Rica, our next port of call. After the presentation we were both cool so we headed to our cabin and sat on the verandah and read. The sun was just right to warm us up. We have been blessed to be on the shady side of the ship most days and that makes the verandah perfect. We rested some and then showered and dressed for dinner. We played cards in the Crow’s Nest and then had wine and played trivia. We did ok on our own but enjoy team trivia more. We went to the main dining room and were seated with 3 other people who all new each other. The guys had served on a submarine together and stayed in touch and the women were cousins. One of the wives was recovering from hip surgery and was not present. The meal lasted until we only had time to get to the Main Stage before the show began. The entertainer was Maria Campos and she was very good again. We waked around the ship a bit before we went to the cabin to prepare for our early morning excursion. We ordered breakfast in the cabin and backed our backpack before turning in.

We left this place and drove about 20 minutes to the Jungle Crocodile Safari on the Tarcoles River. This is the home to one of the country’s largest crocodile populations. We boarded our boat, and we had a great driver and guide. Rosario did the talking but the driver found the birds and crocs for us to see. We saw one of the largest male crocs who was over 17 feet long. When we first saw El Capitan, as he is named, he was facing away from the river. We could only see a little bit of his snout, but the breadth of his back was amazing. We saw him again on our way back from up-stream and he had turned and we got a full face with mouth open and teeth gleaming in the sun. On this river trip we also saw 2 smaller crocs swimming and their names were Madonna and Michael Jackson. We also saw Frigate birds, Anhinga, Blue Herons, Egrets, Ibis, and 2 birds we had not seen before, the Bare Throated Tiger Heron, and the Roseate Spoonbill. On our trip down river we spent time in the Black Mangrove forest and also saw the mouth of the river ending in the Pacific. The trip was lovely, and we were blessed with excellent weather. We had a fruit buffet and some time for shopping before we headed back to the ship. Everyone was hot and tired and most of them slept. We made it back to the ship with little time to spare. We were going up for sail away, but the captain announced that we were delayed. We stayed in our cabin and read, and it felt nice to be out of the heat. We showered and dressed and went to play cards before trivia. Today is the actual anniversary of HAL and 150 years on the seas. We wore our orange in their honor. We went to trivia at 6:30 and there were only a few people there. The subject was of course Holland America. Hugh and I did ok but another team beat us by 4 answers. We headed to the Lido for dinner and at 8 we went to the Main Stage for the History of HAL presentations. Kimberley did a fabulous job and we wished that trivia was now. We went to the BB Kings lounge for the party, but it was so crowded that we just took a long walk around the different decks before calling it a night. There was a tiny piece of glass on our floor and Hugh stepped on it. His foot bled like it was a major wound but after he soaked it we could hardly find the puncture to put a Band-Aid on it.

Today was our first of 3 sea days and we slept until coffee was delivered at 8. We took our time getting out and about. We went to breakfast in the dining room and found that our internet had been restored. We have been 3 days without it as there was a problem changing over the system when we went through the canal. It was nice to see we had not missed anything too important or that we could control. After breakfast we went to the Q&A with the captain. He was impressive and funny, a rare combination. He answered each question as if it was the first time he had heard it. After the presentation we went to our verandah to journal and read. It was so pleasant we missed our opportunity to go to the dining room for lunch, so we headed to the LIDO. We had a nice light lunch and then we walked around the ship before going up to the Crow’s Nest and checking out the activities. We ended up back on the verandah and we read and journaled until time to shower and dress for dinner. It was dress up night so we took extra care. We did this very early so we could go to the cocktail chat with Kimberley and the ships doctor. This presentation was very interesting, and we found we learn something from each of these. We then headed up to the Crow’s Nest to play cards and have a cocktail. They have the best Cosmos on the ship. At 6:30 we headed to trivia which was Science. We partnered with 2 other couples and had a fun time even though we didn’t win. It seems every night we lose by one or two questions to the same group. Not sure but there may be some cheating going on... LOL. Al, the master trivia, is funny and makes it fun even when we come up short. We then headed to the dining room for dinner, but we had a little wait before we were seated. Our steward who was seating us took up stairs and we had never been in that part before. When he went to seat us the four people at the table refused to allow us to join them. It was very embarrassing for the steward, but Hugh and I did not take it personally. We had never seen these people before and no one else sat with them all evening. We had a table for 2 and the best service you can imagine. From dinner we headed to the show. It was Anthony Samuelson, a trumpeter and singer. He was good but not the most engaging performer we have had. After the show we walked around the ship for exercise and then headed to our cabin to read.

This morning we awoke to the knock on the door bringing our daily coffee. This is a great alarm clock. We sat on the verandah and drank our coffee before we dressed to go for an exercise walk around the deck on 3. While we were walking, we saw 2 pods of dolphin doing flips and flops alongside the ship. They put on quite a show and made the exertion worthwhile. We made a mile and then headed to breakfast. We ate looking out at the sea, but no more dolphins were to be seen. After breakfast we walked another mile, but we were so hot at the end we had to go to the cabin to cool off and shower. Next stop for the day, the Ocean Bar to read and journal while keeping an eye on the sea. At lunch time we headed to the dining room and had a lovely dinner with another lady named Susan and a couple from Seattle we had shared a table with before. We talked until we closed them down and just had time to make it to the showroom for the presentation on games. It was a great presentation with a lot of info, but we had to leave about ¾ thru as it was freezing in the auditorium. We headed back to the room and sat on the verandah to warm up and read. We rested a bit before we showered and dressed for dinner. We caught the last few minutes of the Cocktails and Chat with Kimberley and Anthony Samuelson before we headed to the Pinnacle for our special dinner there. The service was amazing, and our meal was so delicious. We had way too much food and I ended up canceling my dessert order. From dinner we headed to the late show, and it was a 4 man group called Boy Band Evolution. They did a good job, some songs better than others. We enjoyed it enough that we will be back for their second show.

Another day and another knock on the door for coffee delivery. This is truly the right way to wake up. It is a bright sunshiny day and we dressed for exercise and headed to the 3rd floor for a mile walk. We then went for breakfast in the LIDO finishing just in time for the 10 am presentation on Mexico. This was a new audio-video presentation that is being debuted on our ship. Kimberley did a fab job and everyone really enjoyed it. We decided to get our journaling done and had a hard time finding a place to sit with a table. We ended up in the Tamarind Bar and got some work done and then just read for enjoyment. We took a few laps around deck before going to the dining room for lunch. We sat with a couple from Rotterdam and truly closed the place down talking. We played cards for a while and then headed to the cabin and sat on the verandah and read. We both got sleepy and took a little nap before we dressed for dinner. At dinner we were seated with more wonderful people and it was very enjoyable. We finished in time for the show which was the trumpet player for his 2nd show. We stayed for a little while but it was songs we did not know and not very good. We left and went to BB Kings and enjoyed the music there. Then it was off to bed. Tomorrow we are in Mexico.

From there we made our way to the glass factory where we saw a presentation and had a few minutes to shop. Our 3rd stop was in San Jose del Cabo. It was a lovely colonial city and we had time to explore on our own. Hugh and I went to see the mission church and the municipal building before we spent the last of our time exploring small ships. Soon it was time to head back to the ship. The last tender is at 12:30 and we were just a bit late. The lines were long, and we had to wait for a while for the port tenders to pick us up. Back on the ship we were almost 1 ½ hours late getting under sail. Hugh and I ordered pizza and sat near the back pool to eat. It was lovely as we sail down the peninsula. As we were getting ready to play cards the ship made the turn into the Pacific. The wind was so strong people were running to get inside. Things were blowing all over the deck and the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. We went inside to a bar and played cards until we were so cold that we headed to the cabin and climbed under the covers. The captain announced that the temperature was 52 degrees with brisk winds. We read and rested until time for dinner. We went to the dining room and sat with 2 Canadian couples. It was a fun evening with a lot of joking around and some very good funny stories. We stopped for drinks before heading to the showroom for a magic show. The magician’s name was Scott Pepper. He was a great magician but also a very funny guy. After the show we went to BB Kings and listened to some music before heading to bed.

Today we awoke with the job of packing hanging over our heads. We dressed and went to the LIDO for breakfast. We slept in because it was too cold to go on deck to walk. After breakfast we went to the talk on Marconi and communication. It was a great presentation and when it was over we went to the cabin and changed into exercise clothes. We headed to the gym and had a great workout. At the end of my workout, I had a vertigo attack and became very nauseated. I headed to the room to lie down. My stomach seemed to be better, and we changed and went to lunch and then played cards. At 2 we went to the matinee magic show, and it was even better than his first show. After the show we went to the cabin and tackled the packing. After the bags were stored in the closet we rested before dressing for dinner. We played some cards, ate in the LIDO, and then we went to the Billboard and played Majority Rules. It was a fun game, but we did not do very well. We then went to the show to see the 2nd show from Boy Band Evolution. This show was much better than their first one and they had the showroom rocking. After the show we walked around the ship for the last time. Then it was off to bed for us.

We arrived not long after they opened, and we were able to get on a bus tour right away. We have never taken the bus and it was nice to be able to ride and hear the commentary. From the bus tour we visited all the animals that we really wanted to see which when all was said and done covered most of the zoo. As we were winding down our visit, we took the cable car back toward the exit. The zoo is always so much fun, and we were not ready to leave so we decided to take a walk through Balboa Park. The architecture of the buildings here is magnificent and the flowers are beautiful. They were doing some construction on the reflecting pools and greenhouse, so we were not able to see them. We finally were suffering from sore feet and we got an Uber back to the hotel. We checked into our room and rested our feet, changed shoes, and then headed down to the sea. We walked along the shore, and then made our way to the Gas Lamp District for dinner. We had delicious Thai food and then slowly made our way back to the hotel. We did not unpack much because we have a very early flight to SLC. We showered and got to bed a little earlier than ususal.

TEXT TEXT TEXT This morning we slept in a bit and met Zach for a preliminary walk through the house. We marked everything that we wanted changed and Lori met us there for most of the tour. Once this was done Lori went to the coffee shop to work and Hugh and I walked through and made videos of the changes so Lori and Ron can do the final walk through and know what to look for. We then walked through the neighborhood and met 2 of our neighbors. We ended our walk at the coffee shop and had lunch with Lori before heading out to shop for beds, refrigerators, and window coverings. We accomplished a lot of our projects before meeting L&R at Local Bistro. We had a great dinner and then we headed back for some down time and then off to bed. We had another early flight the next day.

This morning we were up early and out the door to the airport by 5:15. The drive was easy and turning the car in took no time at all. We dreaded the walk thru the airport, but our gate was much closer than before and we had no trouble arriving on time. We had coffee and sticky buns before boarding the flight. Our first stop was DFW, and we always hate to have to land here. This time we had only 45 minutes, so we moved quickly, caught the train, and arrived at our gate just as we were boarding. The flight home was one of the bumpiest and scariest we have had. We were tired and happy when we landed in the Burg. Our friends Connie and Mike picked us up and soon were back in our apartment. We unpacked and then went out for a lite meal. We both took warm baths and were in bed before 9. It was a wonderful anniversary trip but it is good to be home. /susan