Happy Halloween!

Euro-Itch Satiated!

I'm heading to Copenhagen, Denmark!

And just to confirm that I am not of a relaxing temperament when it comes to traveling abroad, I purposely chose an flight, which by default, has a 22 hour layover in…Madrid, Spain! In addition to these two countries, I am considering day tripping to Sweden. I've got lots to plan ahead of me and a lot on my vacation plate right now.

I am flying Iberia Airlines leaving Sunday evening, November 18, and returning on Sunday, November 25.

Why Copenhagen? Why not!? It's always been a city I've been interested in visiting. Plus, it fits in with my love of studying the 19th century royals. King Christian IX of Denmark is considered by many to be the "father-in-law of Europe". Currently, almost every head of a European royal house boasts direct lineage from he and his wife, Queen Louise. It probably doesn't come as a surprise then, that I'll be making the palace rounds. I hope to make a stop in the town of Ballerup to see a museum exhibit about Olga Alexandrovna too.

As for the excitement of Madrid? Well, I was never what you would call a "Spain person", so when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. If only to get a little taste of the country.

The biggest plus is that I found a killer deal on both my flight and hotel. Orbitz had a $200 coupon off of the cost of international hotels, so my original cost plan went drastically down and I was able to add an extra day to my trip. For Madrid, I'm going the hostel route, and I managed to snag a 2 person room. Not bad. I can handle one brief night, and there will only be the possibility of one other stranger, the same gender, along side me.

I wish I was more proactive last year when I went abroad and posted frequently about my experiences. I could have focused on some of the little things that are burned in my mind, but not really worth striking up a conversation about. Not to mention, my thoughts about gushing have changed dramatically and have become more focused. That said, it's hard to know what kind of access to the Internet I will have to know if I can pull that kind of blogging off. Not to mention the time constraints. Still, looking back, had I found a more effective way to reflect back on what I had experienced, I would have some of the more intimate things to share. Anywho, it's too late for tears, right? Right.

I'm so full of excitement and I'm counting down the days in anticipation. I will give updates as I find things out, and post a loose itinerary when the time comes.

Plymouth Part Deux

This past weekend, we did the rounds again traveling to Plymouth, MA and spending a day at the Cape as well. It was a trip re-deux to make up for previous missed opportunities. When we visited last year, my mother had been in the throws of a serious illness and forgot much of the trip.

Being creatures of habit, upon our arrival to Plymouth, we hunkered down at the Cabby Shack for some excellent grub. Mom had the chunky clam chowder, which I wished I had ordered. As for our hotel, we stayed at the Best Western. Unfortunately, as my mother originally was led to believe, it wasn't right on the water. Yes, a few somewhat walkable blocks away, but not really. Still, the rooms were spacious and lovely. The breakfast was filling, with a make-your-own-waffle station. None of that continental breakfast crap.

The rest of the weekend was filled with making the rounds of landmarks that are requisite if one is visiting Plymouth and the surrounding environs; Plymouth Rock, Plimouth Plantation (yeah, I spelled that right!), and The Mayflower II. On Saturday, we focused solely on the Cape, driving route 6 all the way to the end, Provincetown, and passing through several other quaint towns. We saw a lot of dunes, and while we arrived at the tail end of cranberry season and missed the bogs, got to actually see some cranberries still clinging for life on the bushes. Some stopping points were several National Park Service areas (for cancellation stamps), and a climb to the top of the Pilgrim Monument - by way of about 160 stairs and ramps combined.

The foliage was nice, but seriously lacking in some areas. The best spots were seen from the highway, so there was really no way to stop the car for photo ops.

On our last night in town, we ate at The Weathervane, which can be hit or miss at times. I was hoping they would have the stuffed flounder in a creamy lobster sauce, which was delicious the last time we visited. They weren't offering it, but I went with the stuffed haddock (offered without sauce). Mom ordered the haddock too and chose Mac & Cheese as one of her meal sides. We were both seriously disappointed when they brought out Kraft Mac & Cheese. Yes, I kid you not. It was actually Kraft Mac & Cheese!

Heading back to CT, we stopped off for a bit in Providence, Rhode Island at the Roger Williams monument (yet more stamps!). The weather was beautiful and we got to walk around a historic neighborhood near the park where Williams was re-buried. It was a neighborhood that reminded me a lot of Charlestown, MA.

The trip was successful, if somewhat hard. We brought along my younger cousin and forgot how much a bundle of energy a pre-teen is! Still, it was nice to get away, even if we weren't straying too much from our own region.

Photos here. Enjoy!

Condolences

It is with great sadness that I am reporting the passing of my good friend D's Gran. She would have been 100 years old next month. Unfortunately, a few days ago, she passed on her daughter's (D's mum) birthday, which makes things all the more difficult.

To make matters more stressful, in the same week, D's girlfriend's uncle had a heart attack, but is expected to make a complete recovery.

So much sadness. I know we often conciliate ourselves that we'll see our beloveds in the afterlife, but grieving and accepting the loss is still a difficult challenge. When you miss someone, nothing you are told can convince you otherwise.

Godspeed.

Maybe if I Pretend to be Old...

I won't know what to expect. Welcome 35.

Sigh.

October Shelter Duty 2007

Friday night was long and excruciating. The shelter re-opened last week for the 2007-2008 season. First, the bus came too early. This wasn't too bad, but still, an annoyance. I enjoy the reflective quiet of setting up and talking with the other volunteer before the long and unpredictable night sets upon you. In this case it was volunteers, plural, as we had newbies last night. I got that warm and fuzzy positive feeling they will be back to do it again.

Right, so. The bus arrived early and I noticed that we had several new guests. This is good and bad news. The good news is that the presence of brand new shiny guests indicates to me that last season's group have finally found accommodation and won't be back again. The bad news is that you now have another set of folks to break in and set rules. Don't get me wrong, these are grownups and our rules are pretty liberal. Me personally, I'm more of the you-can-do-pretty-much-what-you-like-as-long-as-you're-quiet-and-leave-others-alone nature. It's just the typical settling in and learning the ropes that can prove to be difficult for both the volunteer and the guest. This is when we learn who might have trouble with the stairs or problems getting along with the others.

It was a typical night, I tossed and turned while dealing with the noisiness of those who couldn't settle in. I don't mind it so much as I truly believe it's their night and I can nap later. By 5:30AM, I heard so much noise and people talking, it became too difficult. Our wake up time is 6:00AM. Until then, you must remain quiet for the sake of the others. 5:45AM, a guest turned on the lights and began waking others up. I went down and asserted the rules of the shelter, wake up time - 6:00AM. I was told that they always wake up at 5:30. Not so in this shelter, I said. While helping someone with their bed, I heard one guest mutter to another, "the volunteers just want to sleep". No. Nuh, uh. That is one thing I refuse to tolerate; anyone who expects a volunteer to be superhuman. This is a free job, and pulling an all-nighter is not a requirement. I turned, looked at the comment culprit and quizzically asked, "excuse me?" Nothing. No response back.

Thankyouverymuch.

So, that morning I ended up with egg on my face because the bus arrived too early - at 6:00AM!! It's supposed to arrive at half six. Here I was running around turning off lights and scolding people for being noisy and the bus pulls up in front of the church at wake up time. I spent the next fifteen minutes getting beds stripped and people out the door.

Exhausting.

Doing Better

Kittendy love Morgan is almost 100% better. He is probably at a 95% capacity, right now. According to the vet, the 106F fever combined with an unusual infestation of fleas, may have been the root cause of his serious illness. There was a lot of hesitation whether he should be given his normal dose of flea medication, considering the state he was in. My mother had stopped all treatments during this time out of concern for the sorry state of his health. The vet agreed and prescribed a low dose, which seems to have done the trick.

Morgie is pretty much back to normal, meowing away and losing weight because of the increase in activity. He was getting too chubby with his lethargy and a normal appetite. Not a good combination for an already fat cat.

Still, no happy feet. Happy feet are those big paws simultaneously curling and stretching in contentment when lovings are being administered.