The Cruise--Details
I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1) I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2) This trip didn't include much of the normal topics: good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days. We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port. My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music. Rememberi...
Comments
I'm not even goona attempt imagining what it must be like being around such a wild-eyed woman 24/7.
Ahh yes, the joys of being a waste-eliminating creature. Once you get out of Europe and North America there is a fascinating array of elimination appliances and customs. (On a business trip in a remote area of Uzbekistan where you eat by hand out of a communal platter, I, a die-hard left-hander, had to remember to do everything with my right hand to avoid pissing off the locals who have left hands instead of toilet paper.)
My brother's wife is from Uzbekistan, although she was a city girl and a Russian minority in that country. She is a clean freak and follows people around to make sure they wash their hands all the time. Maybe it is a overreaction to customs in the remote parts of Uzbekistan.