Home Again - October 15

The airlines cancelled and changed our flight home so that we had to make the trip in two days. On the 14th we took a water taxi to the Marco Polo Airport and flew to London Gatwick. Then we took a van to the Crown Plaza near Heathrow because our flight left on the 15th at 7:30am. We went through Chicago and Dallas and finally landed in Tucson around 22 hours later. Jeff picked me up at the Tucson airport and we drove straight up to the hospital in Scottsdale.

Robert emerged from his coma on the 14th. So when I first saw him he was awake but still confused about things. I spent Thursday and Friday at the hospital and let Jeff finally take a break. Jeff had been sitting with Robert everyday 8-12 hours a day for 10 days.

Yesterday, October 23, at dinner time they released Robert to go home. He still has lots of OT, PT and mental therapy to undergo but he will receive this through out-patient services. Jeff's father is flying here to help us out. Robert has to wear a neck brace for the next 12 weeks so we don't want to leave him alone while we work during the day and he will need rides to his therapy sessions. We have arranged a sabbatical leave from school for him until February.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. It looks like all our prayers have helped. Robert is making good progress and should recover nicely in time.

Venice, Italy - October 11-14

The sail into Venice was absolutely magnificent! We went right down the San Marco Canal to the berth in the port. I stood on the top to take photos and get the best view. I took the shot below from the ship. You can see San Marcos Square, the Doges Palace on the right side where the bridge of Sighs connects the palace to the prison. Just right of the prison are three buildings (a white one, red one then white one again). These three buildings are the Hotel Danieli. This was our hotel for two nights.


The Danieli is impressive. It is a small luxury hotel built from a restored palace. Below is a photo of the lobby, a Venetian Gothic landmark lavishly appointed with pink marble, stained glass, gold leaf columns, Murano glass chandeliers, antiques and is four stories tall.

We are enjoying lunch in the Daneili Restaurant.
We took a scenic gondola ride.

Saint Mark's Square was so close we took an evening stroll to listen to the music.

Dubrovnik, Croatia - October 10

Friends had told us that Dubrovnik is one of the prettiest place on earth. They were right. It's nickname is the "Pearl of the Adriatic." The actual old walled city is framed by a beautiful mountain backdrop. Although there was extensive damage during the recent civil war, they have rebuilt and repaired any any damage.
This view is from the city center up the city walls and into the mountain.
We also went to Cavtat. It is a seaside resort. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a stroll down the promenade and browsed in the shops.

Zakynthos, Greece - October 9

Zakynthos is one of the larger Greek islands. The first stop in the tour was the crest of a hill overlooking Bohali (Zakynthos Town). There was a beautiful little Greek Orthodox Church where I lit two candles for and prayed for Robert. I wish we had been allowed to take photos inside the church. I was very tiny, ornate and decorated in gold.
The last stop on the tour was Lagana by a long sandy beach. The guide told us that in April the area is over run by European college students. Drinking, partying and going wild. Sounds like Spring Break in Florida.

Athens, Greece - October 8

We took a bus tour of Athens. It was Wednesday and the public transportation workers were on strike. So the infamous bad traffic of Athens was made even more terrible. We saw about 50-100 people standing at each bus stop along our route. I don't know why they didn't seem to know that the bus would not come that day.
Athens is another amazing city I want to return to some day. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, the birthplace of democracy and I enjoy history! We saw the Parthenon atop the Acropolis, the Temple of Zeus, the old Olympic Stadium and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is guarded by elite soldiers in traditional Greek Uniforms.
Everywhere we stopped in Greece they bragged about their wonderful olive oil. So I had to take a picture of the olives!
After our tour we were playing cards on the balcony of our cabin and we have no idea why we were treated to parts of a fun Greek airshow. I got a couple of photos of the jets. The planes would disappear behind the hill and then shoot up above it again.

Samos, Greece - October 7

Samos is a pretty little island. Tami and I went on the tour together. Dad and Aunt Nannette decided to stay on the ship for a day of rest. We saw the ruins of a temple built for the Goddess Hera, an amazing underground aqueduct built in the sixth century and had time to shop. Tami had worn a pair of new shoes and got terrible blisters on her heels. So we spent some of the time looking for a pharmacy to get band aids and she finally bought some sandals to wear.

This evening was a formal evening. We were invited to a cocktail party by the two couples (Layne and Carmen, and Joe and Charlotte) that sat at the table next to us in the Queen's Grill. They served cocktails and appetizers on their balcony. We had a great time visiting with them and then we went to the Cunarder Party in Queen's Room. Such social butterflies!
I called Jeff as soon as we were at sea and found out that Robert's operation had been successful and everything was proceeding well with him.

Istanbul, Turkey - October 6

Turkey is a very interesting country. I was surprised at how clean and "western" it was. It is quite a melting pot of cultures. There are mosques, churches, synagogues palaces, castles, and minarets poking above the skyline everywhere. It is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. It's strategic location has made it an important city of many major civilizations through history - Greek, Roman, Persian, Ottoman and Byzantine Empires have from here.

We saw the Blue Mosque. It is actually blue on the inside not on the outside. That is because of the azure blue tiles that cover the walls. We had to remove our shoes to enter. The Hagia (eye ya) Sophia, built in the 6th century, was the largest cathedral in the world for thousands of years. For a time it was turned into a mosque but is now a museum. The Sultans built the Topkapi Palace. We visited the Harem and the National Treasury there. The treasury contains the Spoonmaker's Diamond, an 86 carat beauty! Our final stop was the Grand Bazarr. After listening to a carpet demonstration, during which they served hot apple tea, we did some shopping. I didn't buy a carpet though.