Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 10 (The End)

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Today is the last day of our project. It's been fascinating to discover facts about the country and how the states all tie together. My set for the day, and the facts I learned, were:

• Illinois As of 2017, the state pet is shelter dogs and shelter cats.
• North Carolina The carnivorous Venus flytrap grows naturally in the wild nowhere else on Earth except within a 60-mile radius of Wilmington.
• Oregon Oregon is the only state in the U.S. with a state flag that features a different design on each side. The front shows the state seal, while the back features a golden beaver.
• Oklahoma The Oklahoma State Capitol is the only state capitol to have had active oil wells on its grounds, with production lasting until 1986.
• Massachusetts Two sports were invented in Massachusetts-Basketball in 1891 and volleyball  in 1895.

This time I decided that my inspiration ingredient would be sweet potatoes, the state vegetable of North Carolina, and easily available at the grocery store. Thinking about cooking options for the vegetable, I decided I didn't want fries, and I didn't want a Thanksgiving-inspired dish. Instead, I made a pan of enchiladas with sweet potato and black bean filling. They were very good, and as a bonus the recipe made enough for leftovers.

Five years ago today: A Happy Coincidence

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 9

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Tony had an interesting collection of states today, and came up with some interesting facts.

• New York The first pizzeria in the United States opened in New York City in 1895. Since the 1960s, the price of a slice of pizza has been roughly the same price as a subway ride, generating the idea of “Pizza Principle” among economists.
• New Hampshire The state has 4 nicknames: Granite State, for the extensive granite formations and quarries; Mother of Rivers, for the New England rivers that originate in the state's mountains; White Mountain State, for the White Mountain Range; Switzerland of America for the mountain scenery.
• Tennessee The massive 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes were so powerful they temporarily made the Mississippi River run in reverse, creating Tiptonville's Reelfoot Lake.
• West Virginia Is the only state completely within the Appalachian Mountain range. West Virginia is the third most forested state. The Monongahela National Forest covers nearly a million acres of land, and spans across 10 counties.
• Idaho At 7,900 feet deep, Hells Canyon surpasses the Grand Canyon as the deepest river-carved gorge in North America. Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls stands 212 feet tall, making it 36 feet higher than Niagara Falls.

This morning before church I drove along with Tony to Bagel Union, where he got traditional New York bagels to serve as part of dinner. His first choice was an Everything bagel. When he said he also wanted one that was non-savory I suggested Honey Buckwheat. Tony added an individual serving of cream cheese to the order. I was intrigued at what he would come up with

At dinner time Tony served up large bowls of vegetable soup with lentils (northern Idaho produces a large portion of all lentils grown in the USA) and a half of an Everything bagel for each of us. In my opinion, nothing beats a good New York bagel with its crispy crust and a chewy interior. This one was perfectly toasted, and the onion, garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and kosher salt was the perfect seasoning for a savory dish.

For dessert, Tony toasted the second bagel and served it with cream cheese mixed with huckleberry preserves, because huckleberries are Idaho's state fruit.

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 8 (Happy 4th of July!)

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary.

Today is the Fourth of July, the day the United State's Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776. It is also Day 8 of our project, and my turn to come up with facts about five states and a food item from one of them.

• Vermont Montpelier is the only U.S. state capital without a single McDonald's restaurant, and the state is one of only four (along with Hawaii, Maine, and Alaska) to ban billboards to protect its scenery.

• Louisiana The state flag features a white pelican, but the official state bird (chosen in 1970) is the brown pelican

• Alaska Because of their massive municipal boundaries, the four largest cities by area in the United States are all in Alaska: Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell, and Anchorage. (Sitka is roughly four times larger than Rhode Island.)

• Georgia The first major gold rush in American history didn’t happen in California—it happened in Dahlonega, Georgia, in 1828. The gold dome of the State Capitol building in Atlanta is actually covered in locally mined gold.

• Iowa The only state bordered by two major rivers—the Mississippi to the east and the Missouri to the west.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tony and I didn't have big plans for the day, mainly due to the excessive heat that's been around for the past week. Neither one of us wanted to be outside for hours.

I knew I didn't want to cook today, and would have taken the day off from the project except for the fact I knew that if I chose something from Louisiana there were a number of Cajun and Creole restaurants in the area that would be happy to fill our stomachs. We decided to go out for lunch. I researched which were open on the holiday and gave Tony a list of three to choose from. After some discussion we decided on Sister Cities Cajun.

We got there just a few minutes after the restaurant opened, and the chef was in the dining room. When we told him it was our first time there he told us a little about the restaurant and what the most popular items were. We ended up ordering both of them.

My Smothered Catfish had a freshly-fried filet on a bed of white rice and was smothered in shrimp and crawfish etoufee. (I was able to sub out the shrimp for extra crawfish). A piece of cornbread was perched on the side of the plate.

Tony's Dirty Chicken started with a smoked chicken breast on a bed of dirty rice, all smothered in seafood gumbo. It also came with a piece of cornbread

Five years ago today: A Song About America For The Fourth Of July

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 7

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Another day, another set of states (and food items) for Tony. He always does a great job of coming up with interesting facts:

• Montana The Triple Divide Peak is located in Glacier National Park. It is the only spot in North America where water drains into three different bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean (via the Gulf of Mexico), and the Hudson Bay.
• Rhode Island Is the smallest U.S. state by area (only 37 by 48 miles), but it packs in over 400 miles of coastline. Its official name used to be the longest in the country (The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) before voters shortened it in 2020.
• Alabama The origin of the word Alabama is come from the words “Alba and Amo”. Alba refers to vegetables, herbs, and plants; Amo refers to gatherer or picker. The combination of these words “vegetation pickers” describes the Alabama Indians who were the early settlers in the region.
• Hawaii Mauna Kea on the Big Island is technically the tallest mountain on the planet. Measuring from its base on the ocean floor, it reaches over 33,500 feet, which is nearly a mile taller than Mt. Everest.
• Arizona People lived in the area that’s now Arizona at least 20,000 years ago, before written history. But in the 1200s, this civilization disappeared, probably due to a drought. Much later, Native American tribes such as the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and Apache lived on the land. Today, 22 tribes still reside on reservations in the state.

Tony also did a great job coming up with a meal. I always appreciate having breakfast for dinner, and his Montana potato hash really hit the spot. He fried potatoes, onions and bell peppers in a cast-iron skillet, added corn kernels, and lima beans, and topped each serving with a fried egg.

Entree

You may notice that the above photo includes a jar of huckleberry preserves, Montana's state fruit. I knew nothing about huckleberries, but Google told me that the berries primarily grow in the mountainous regions of the northwestern part of the country. They cannot be commercially cultivated and must be hand picked in the wild.

I had some preserves on toast, then went back for more. Thank goodness there's still a large portion of the jar left, because I see more huckleberry preserves in my future!

Yummy!

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 6

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

• Minnesota There are over 11,000 lakes in the state, giving it more shoreline than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined
• North Dakota The International Peace Garden Chapel sits right on the United States/Canadian border, and you can walk between the two countries inside the building
• Kansas The Monument Rocks (also known as the Chalk Pyramids) are a series of 70-foot-tall chalk formations located in the northwestern part of the state.
• Utah Is the only state in the country where every single county contains a portion of a national forest.
• Texas The state is larger than any country in Europe

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) left a comment on my last post saying when I wrote about Texas she'd be down for joining us for some brisket. I would have been down for that, too, but at dinner time the 'real feel' temperature was 105 degrees and I decided it was too hot to leave the house. Instead, I settled for tortilla chips and salsa (which was officially designated as the Texas State Snack in 2003).

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary--Day 5

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Today Tony's states were:

• Colorado The state's mountainous region, part of the vast Rocky Mountains, is six times the size of Switzerland, featuring 9,600 miles of fishing streams, 2,850 lakes, and over 1,000 peaks.
• Delaware Due to its highly corporate-friendly laws, there are actually more registered corporate entities in Delaware than there are human residents. Nearly 68% of the Fortune 500 call the state their legal home.
• Connecticut The state is credited with a number of American firsts: the Fundamental Orders (1639) was a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States (1764), the world's first telephone directory (1878), the first speed limit-12 miles per hour (1901), the first permanent license plates (1937), the first colored television (1948), and the first nuclear submarine (1954).
• Nebraska The only state in the U.S. whose legislature is unicameral (just one chamber) and nonpartisan (no party affiliations).
• South Dakota The state has approximately four cows for every person.

In honor of Connecticut, Tony chose to make New England style baked beans. He served the dish with corn on the cob and sauteed zucchini. Originally corn bread was part of the menu, but we only have one oven and the hot baking temperature for corn bread didn't jive with the 'low and slow' bean baking temperature, so Tony substituted slices of wheat baguette.

We always have several different kinds of beans in the freezer, which made putting together the main dish easy. New England beans get their flavor and color from molasses, but Tony also added brown sugar and mustard. In lieu of the traditional salt pork Tony used smoked sausage, which he pan fried before adding to the pot. Since he only made two servings of everything there were no leftovers. Five years ago: Just A Teenage Scavenger Trying To Eat In Peace

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 4

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary 

The project was back to me today. This is what I learned about my set of states:

• Nevada The state is known as "The Silver State" because of a silver rush in 1859, but today it is the largest gold-producing state (with approximately 64% of total U.S. output).
• New Mexico The state capital, Santa Fe, is 7,000 feet (approximately about 1.33 miles or 2.13 kilometers) above sea level, the highest in the nation.
• Maine Geographically, the state is bigger than the other five New England states combined, and 90 percent of it is covered in forests
• New Jersey The first organized baseball game took place in Hoboken on June 19, 1846 between the New York Base Ball Club and the Knickerbockers.
• Virginia The state flag is the only U.S. state flag to depict nudity. The state seal features Virtus, the Roman goddess of virtue, standing triumphantly over a defeated tyrant.

After coming up with my facts it was time to think about a food item. Although I adore anything covered in New Mexican red or green chile (or both, called Christmas style), after seeing what was in my freezer and pantry I decided to do a riff on Brunswick stew, a tomato-based dish simmered with meat, vegetables, and potatoes most likely created in Brunswick County, Virginia around 1828.

The original dish relied on whatever meat the cook could procure, usually small game like squirrel or rabbit. Today chicken is the most common protein, but I didn't have any chicken in the house. However, there was some sloppy joes in the freezer, left over from Tony's poker event a couple of weeks ago. I decided to 'procure' that and use it as the base for my dish.

Although I chose an unconventional meat, the rest of the dish used more conventional ingredients... chopped onion, tomatoes, corn, lima beans, and potatoes. Because the meat was already cooked and seasoned all I had to do was saute an onion and chop a potato, then add it to the pot with some broth, tomato puree, tomato paste, frozen corn, and limas. When the potatoes were cooked I added the thawed sloppy joe meat and some sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, then simmered to meld the flavors.

I served the stew with cole slaw and bread. A Brunswick Stew purist would probably balk at sampling mine, but Tony and I thought it was pretty darn good.

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 3

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Today it was Tony's turn to research again. He came up with these interesting state facts:

• Missouri You can thank the state for the ice cream cone. In 1904, St. Louis hosted the World’s Fair. A Syrian gentleman named Ernest A. Hamwi had a concession at this fair, selling “crisp, waffle-like” pastries. In the neighboring booth an ice cream vendor was doing his thing. It was so popular the vendor’s dishes were fully depleted. Hamwi rolled his pastries into cones… and the rest is history.
• Maryland Mary Pickersgill designed the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star-Spangled Banner” after seeing the flag still waving during a battle in 1814.
• California Has the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S., more national parks than any other state, and an economy so massive it frequently ranks among the top ten largest globally.
• Ohio Officially became the 17th state of the United States on March 1, 1803. Interestingly, while President Thomas Jefferson signed the act enabling Ohio's statehood on February 19, 1803, Congress had technically forgotten to officially ratify the state constitution. This administrative oversight wasn't officially fixed until 1953, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower retroactively signed a resolution recognizing March 1, 1803, as the official date of statehood.
• Wisconsin During the summer, the population of Door County reaches ten times the number of year-round residents (28,000 vs. 250,000).

Tony had a jam-packed schedule today, including dinner out with a friend, so we agreed that he would prepare his food item for lunch. That item ended up being a frozen pizza from Imo's, the original St. Louis style pizza, which opened their first restaurant in 1964. The frozen pizzas were rolled out in 2022.

St Louis style pizza has a cracker crust and is topped with Provel cheese (a processed blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone). In the restaurants the pizza is cut into squares. Today Tony chose to cut his freshly-baked pizza into the more traditional wedges and serve it with a green salad.

Five years ago today: Another Sign Of Normalcy

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 2

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

This was my first set of states. I found out that by doing an internet search for "fun facts about [State Name] there were multiple websites with information I could choose from.

• Indiana One of the state's nicknames is “Mother of Vice Presidents” because six of them came from there: Schuyler Colfax (1869 to 1873), Thomas A. Hendricks (1885–1885), Charles W. Fairbanks (1905 to 1909), Thomas Marshall (1913–1921), Dan Quayle (1989–1993) and Mike Pence (2017–2021).
• WyomingThe 10th largest state by area, but the least populated in the United States
• South Carolina Morgan Island, off the coast of Beaufort, is also known as Monkey Island. There is a free-range colony of over 3,000 rhesus monkeys, which are used for public health research.
• Michigan Is the only state that’s split into two pieces-the Upper Peninsula in the north and the Lower Peninsula (referred to as “the mitten”) in the south. The two pieces are connected by the five-mile Mackinac Bridge.
• Washington The nation's largest overall producer of sweet cherries.

Fresh cherry season is short and I try to eat as many as I can while they're available, so when I learned that fact I knew cherries would be my food item. Coincidentally, right after that I got an email from a local grocery story that cherries were on sale and then a recipe for Cherry and Fresh Herb Salad with Coconut Chipsshowed up in my feedreader. Just like that I had a plan!

I had to make some last minute adjustments to the recipe, which called for pitted cherries and sliced celery on a bed of chopped herbs, mixed with a lemony vinaigrette and topped with toasted coconut strips. When I was assembling the dish I realized I didn't have enough fresh herbs so I supplemented with some spinach/arugula salad mix.

I served the salad with a simple soup and Italian bread. There were no leftovers.

Five years ago: You Never Know What You're Going To See At The Mall

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary - Day 1

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Today Tony kicked off our project with the first five states. He came up with multiple facts for each, but his favorites were:

• Kentucky has the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States
• Pennsylvania For one season in 1943, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers merged to form the “Steagles” due to the loss of many players during WWII.
• Mississippi Still have your first teddy bear? Thank Theodore Roosevelt. On a hunting expedition in 1902 in Sharkey County, President Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear, an act which resulted in the creation of the teddy bear.
• Florida has the longest coastline (1,197 statute miles) in the contiguous United States, with 825 miles of accessible beaches to enjoy.
• Arkansas It is illegal to pronounce the name of the state wrong!

Tony made a complete dinner featuring fried pickles, first served in 1963 at The Duchess restaurant in Atkins, Arkansas. He paired the tasty cornmeal-coated dills with ranch dressing and a tasty chickpea salad with lots of vegetables and chopped herbs.

Ready to eat

Although the 'rules' for our project only specified one food item, Tony also came up with an Arkansas-inspired dessert. He bought a packaged Belgian Liege waffle as a substitute for a biscuit, which he covered with blackberries (native to the state) and 'chocolate gravy' (AKA heated ganache).

Tasty!

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary In Our Own Way

Hubby Tony and I were talking about how the country is celebrating the semiquincentennial (250th) anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th and decided we should observe it in some way.

After some discussions of what our observance could look like we came up with a 10-day project. Because of scheduling issues we will skip a couple of days, so it won't be complete until a couple of days after July 4th.

We divided the 50 states into random groups of five and decided to alternate back and forth. The person who is in charge will come up with one new to them fact about each state and one food or drink item associated with any of that group of states and share both.

The project starts tomorrow and Tony said he would take the first group. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

Goodbye And Good Luck

Monday morning an unexpected name popped up on my phone. The associate priest at the church I used to cook for sent me a text letting me know I was invited to a luncheon on Wednesday for staff and former staff to honor the pastor, who has been reassigned to another church.

The text ended with "Let me know if you'll be attending for food prep." I took that to mean he needed a head count, not that he was counting on me to come and put the meal together 🤣.

Because the class I usually take at the gym on Wednesday had been cancelled my entire morning was free. I walked at the mall before the stores opened, then came home. Since I didn't know how long the event would last I did some dinner preparation before changing my clothes and walking out the door.

The luncheon was scheduled for 12:30, which is when I used to serve the Wednesday meal when I worked there. It was held in the basement of the parish office, and I had fun seeing the office staff I used to work with and introducing myself to a couple of new people.

Source

The associate priest made his deep dish pizza, one of the pastor's favorite meals. There was also salad and fruit salad. One of the new staff members brought in a beautiful cake his wife had made.

I needn't have worried about how long the event would take. Right at 1:30 the current employees hour-long lunch break ended and they all left to go back to work. Shortly after that I said one last goodbye to the people who were left and headed out myself.

Five years ago: I Told You So

Here Comes Summer

The 2026 summer solstice in St. Louis officially arrived this morning at 3:34 AM. The sun rose at 5:31 am and won't set until 8:29 pm, which means there will be almost 15 hours of daylight.

Of course, if you're not a fan of extended daylight, after the longest day of the year it will start getting incrementally shorter every day. The poem "Here Comes" by Shel Silverstein speaks to me abut how fast time seems to fly by.

Five years ago: Humidity Hair

Why Did The Geese Cross The Road?

The other night Hubby Tony and I were headed east on Manchester (a major, five-lane arterial road) when I noticed that the traffic going the other way was completely stopped. We soon saw the reason; a large parade of Canadian geese was meandering across the road.

The group kept coming and coming. They were in no hurry.

Once on the other side, some of the geese stopped to see if there was anything interesting in the grass. Others hung out on the concrete. Tony was very patient with the procession, but when a couple of them showed an interest in perhaps stepping back onto the road to head to the other side again he slowly and cautiously started moving. That deterred them long enough for us to get past.

Five years ago: Cool!

Chocolate Is Always A Good Idea

Last night Hubby Tony and I went to a Chocolate Making class at Kakao Chocolate, a local shop where everything is produced from scratch and made in small batches.

When the class started Brian Pelletier, the owner and chocolatier, started the evening with an explanation about tempering chocolate (which the process of melting, cooling, and reheating to stabilize the cocoa butter fats) and why it's so important (it stabilizes the cocoa butter fats and gives the finished result a glossy finish). Next we watched the tempering procedure in action.

There was already a batch of melted dark chocolate in a tempering machine on the counter. The machine's agitator automatically stirred the contents. When the machine beeped that the contents had come up to temperature a chunk of chocolate called a 'seed' was added, which cooled the contents down. The machine beeped again when it was time to take the leftover seed out, and the machine continued to agitate throughout the rest of the evening.

There were three activity stations. Each couple made, and took home:

• Chocolate bark. Each person got a layer of tempered chocolate on a small paper plate, then sprinkled it with a variety of toppings.

• Four pre-made caramels dipped in tempered chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. To dip, a caramel was placed on a dipping fork, immersed into the agitating chocolate until covered, then removed. The excess chocolate was wiped off by scraping the bottom across a spatula, then the candy was placed on a parchment sheet. The dipping system was designed for a right-handed person, agitating clockwise. I am left handed, so the process was cumbersome for me, but my results still tasted pretty good.

• A small recipe of Ganache (enough to fill a 20-ounce plastic cup), which is a mixture of chocolate, heavy cream, and butter. Each couple got to choose two add-ins from a variety of liquids and solids. Tony and I chose Calamansi Balsam (a citrus with notes of lemon, lime and orange) and ground ginger. At the end of the night everyone sampled each of the mixtures.

During the course of the night I had enough samples to feel satisfied. Tonight, after a healthy dinner Tony and I heated up some of the ganache and ate it with a selection of fruit.

Five years ago: Peaches, No Cream

A Viking Voyage-The Netherlands

The last country Hubby Tony and I visited on our Viking cruise was The Netherlands (informally called Holland).

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday's port was Kinderdijk, a UNESCO Heritage site known for its preserved 18th-century windmills. Holland is flat and and has a low elevation. Between a quarter and a third of the area is below sea level, reclaimed via a series of dikes to hold back the water and windmills to pump accumulated water out to canals to carry it away.

The ship wasn't scheduled to arrive in Kinderdijk until 4 pm. In the morning the program director asked passengers to meet in the lounge to hear details about the day's excursions and the next day's disembarkation. That segued into a presentation about The Netherlands as a country.

After lunch, even though the day was cloudy and blustery, I decided to take a walk on the ship's upper deck. The path was short, but I enjoyed watching the scenery go by as I racked up the laps.

Shortly after the ship docked Tony and I joined the rest of our tour group in the lounge, charged-up audio devices around our necks.

It looked like rain as we left for the walking tour, so I picked up one of the provided umbrellas. I was hoping that my action would mean that the rain would stay away, but a steady drizzle started when we were halfway to the first stop on the tour. There our guide explained the history of the area and how the windmills worked. I learned that except for the museum we would be visiting all the rest of the windmills were still in use. People live in them (after passing a certification test) and there is a waiting list.

We left the workstation to walk to the museum windmill. The rain was coming down harder, and a stiff breeze made it hard for me to keep the umbrella up straight. In an effort not to poke anyone with an umbrella rib I got in the rear of the tour group, but (maybe because of the weather?) my audio device wasn't working well and the guide's voice kept fading in and out. Holding the umbrella also made it hard to take photographs.

Inside the windmill it was very cramped. The guide said that for many years very large families lived there (sometimes with as many as 12 children). I couldn't imagine. After navigating one set of steep steps up to the second floor and another back down it was time to move on to the third section of the tour. However, the rain increased so much that the tour was cut short, ending at the gift shop for those that were inclined.

The rest of the group headed back to the ship. I hadn't planned on changing for dinner, but I couldn't wait to take off my and wet pants and shoes.

THURSDAY

Shortly before dinner the ship left for Amsterdam, our disembarkation port. It was docked there when I woke up. After packing up the last of our things Tony and I went for one more breakfast in the restaurant. Instead of lingering over coffee we finished up quickly so we could set our suitcases outside the room to be picked up.

We had allowed Viking to arrange both our flights home and transportation to the airport. The whole process was seamless. At the appointed time we found the gathering place for our shuttle, and when asked to move outside verified that our luggage was loaded on the bus before boarding.

The first part of the drive to the airport was on city streets. I knew that bicycle culture was a big part of Amsterdam, but I was still amazed to watch hundreds of cyclists going about their business.

Eventually the bus got on the highway, navigated a little rush hour traffic, then dropped us off at the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which was the fourth busiest in Europe in 2025 according to Wikipedia. There, a guide led us through the huge facility, dropping each group off at the correct check-in desk.

Our traveling group had two flights to get home...first from Amsterdam to Montreal, and then after a long layover another one to St. Louis. Total time including layovers was about 17 hours, and to reset my internal clock back on home time I tried to sleep as little as I could. My own familiar bed never felt so good.  

Five years ago: Monetary Motivation

A Viking Voyage-France

The third day of our cruise the ship docked in the city of Kehl, Germany. However, our day's adventure was actually across river in Strasbourg, France.

Google

According to the ship's daily newsletter "Strasbourg is the cultural center of France's Alsace region. The well-preserved town is enclosed on all sides by the little Ill River."

Our walking tour of the city started on a bus, which shuttled the group over the river. From there, our guide took us through the La Petite France district, filled with canals and 16th century homes and the Grande Île city center, a UNESCO site.

Buildings on the canal

Our next stop was the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was the world's tallest building from 1647 to 1874. Today it is the sixth-tallest church in the world and the tallest structure built entirely in the Middle Ages.

Wikimedia

The church does not allow tour groups inside, but our guide gave us ideas of what to look for and let us wander around by ourselves. Unfortunately we were a bit too early to see the automaton parade on the astronomical clock, but the timepiece all by itself was impressive.

We had time on our own before the tour ended, so we shopped for souvenirs and we ended with drinks at the Il Pinocchio sidewalk cafe next to the cathedral. My macchiato was topped with a cute heart of foam.

After dinner there was a trivia game night in the lounge. The onboard musician performed sections of nine songs, and there were two questions about each one. A group could get ten bonus points if they got up and danced during the song. At the end of the night, thanks to some good music knowledge in our group and our dancing we were one of two groups tied for the lead. The program director divided the prize up (our group took the box of dark chocolate, and the other one took the growler of beer) and the bar threw in a bottle of wine for both groups.

Five years ago: One Of A Kind

Dentile

Rawpixel

This afternoon I am having oral surgery, which is an unattractive New Thing for me but strongly suggested by my dentist.

When I called to make the appointment with the oral surgeon the receptionist asked if I wanted to do the procedure with or without sedation. I chose the first option. That means I need to fast from food and drink after breakfast.

Hubby Tony will drive me to the oral surgeon's office, read his book while I'm having the procedure done, then drive me home afterwards. This oral surgeon is the only one in our insurance plan, and I have done the same thing for him. I know that in addition to prescriptions and instructions I will go home with a cup of Ted Drewes frozen custard.

My friend Google told me that most people resume their normal routine in 3-5 days after the procedure. Not knowing where I would fall in that time frame I have made several sets of contingency plans. There are plenty of soft foods in the kitchen, and Tony will pick up anything I didn't. I can use a jaw wrap with refreezable packs that Tony received for a similar procedure several years ago for swelling. There are books if I feel like reading, and TV if I just want to chill out.

I am ready....bring it on!

A Viking Voyage-Germany (Part 2)

The fourth day of our cruise, the ship docked in Koblenz just after lunch. However, that morning the program director invited all passengers to get comfortable in the lounge, terrace, or sun deck for a program she called "Travelers Along the Rhine", a commentary over the PA system about the UNESCO World Heritage Site castles we saw on either side of the river as the ship floated by.

It's always amazing to me just how old some of the European buildings are compared to something "old" the United States, which means something built after the late 1500s. The castles on the Rhine were constructed hundreds of years before that. At first I was sitting with Hubby Tony and our friends on the terrace, but the sun got too hot for me and I moved into the lounge, where I found a couch I could spread out on. At the end of the presentation we nabbed a table in the shady part of the terrace for an al fresco lunch.

After lunch we went back to our rooms and gathered our things for our walking tour of Koblenz. The city was founded more than 2,000 years ago as a trading settlement. 

The guide took us to:

• The German Corner (the intersection of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers), with its massive monument of Emperor Wilhelm I. The monument was destroyed in 1945 and rebuilt in 1993 as a symbol of German reunification.

Wilhelm I monument

• The cathedral (Basilica of St. Castor, another UNESCO Heritage site), which was consecrated in 836.



Basilica of St. Castor

• The Old Town area, where we walked down several of the city's cobblestone streets. Most of the buildings were destroyed in World War II, but rebuilt in the original style.

After the tour the four of us took a cable car ride over the Rhine to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. There were several museums in the complex, and although most of the displays did not offer information in English, there was still enough to make the visit worthwhile.



Source




On Tuesday the ship stopped in Cologne, a cultural hub of the region. It was one of the most bombed cities during World War II, and although many of the historical buildings we saw looked original they were actually restorations



Not really built in 1234 😃

Once again the city had a noteworthy cathedral. The High Cathedral Church at Cologne is a huge, twin-spired Gothic cathedral which took over 600 years to build. It was constructed to house the Shrine of the Three Kings, believed to contain the bones of the Magi that visited the baby Jesus. After an explanation of the building's outside the guide gave us twenty minutes to explore inside. I barely touched the surface of everything there was to see.



Cathedral (rear side)

Every tour guide we had personalized the experience by inserting personal anecdotes and thoughts into the presentation. This one emphasized the difference between a 'local' bar and a 'tourist' one and gave examples of how you could tell one from the other in case we wanted to visit one in our free time. He also pointed out the best places to buy the original eau de Cologne perfume.

It sprinkled on and off throughout the whole tour, and close to the end it started to rain. Viking provided large golf umbrellas, but not everyone had picked one up as they got off the ship. When the guide said his goodbyes, instead of finding a good bar or souvenir shop our group went back to the ship for lunch.

In the afternoon, some of our group went to the nearby Schokoladenmuseum Köln (in English, Chocolate Museum). We decided not to buy tickets for the museum itself, but browsed in the large gift store. Tony and I bought some goodies for the kids, grandkids, and ourselves.

A Viking Voyage- Germany (Part 1)

Our Rhine River cruise included more ports in Germany than in any other country

On Friday, the first full day of the cruise, we docked at Breisach, noted on the daily newsletter as "a gateway to the fabled  Black Forest region", and also home to some of Europe's largest wine cellars. Hubby Tony and I decided to participate in the included bus tour of the Black Forest, and our friends agreed.

It seemed like most people on the cruise were of like mind, so we were divided into four tour groups. Two of them left at the same time (on different busses), and the others were ten minutes later. At the appointed time our group was in the ship lobby with our charged audio listening devices.

Our guide was a young man who knew a lot about the area, and passed on information as the bus drove to the final destination, the Drubba Black Forest Village. There, we had the options of a short hike and/or demonstrations of cuckoo clocks and Black Forest Cake assembling. Hubby Tony and I chose the latter two, and while interesting, to me both felt more like an opportunity for the departments to sell merchandise than an actual tutorial.

After lunch back at the boat we and our friends walked into the city, where we did a little souvenir shopping and walked up the hill to visit St. Stephen's Cathedral, built between the 12th and 13th century. The building was almost completely destroyed during World War II. It's major art treasures were hidden and saved, and after the way the cathedral was rebuilt. I was particularly impressed with this elaborate altar.

The first few nights the ship left port during dinner, then sailed all night to get to the next one. There were 14 locks on the portion of the Rhine we sailed on. We passed through a couple of them early in the evening, and I thought it was fascinating to watch the ship enter the lock, then see the gate rise so it could exit at a different level.

Beginning, halfway, end

As fascinating as it was to watch the boat pass through a lock, in the middle of the night it was just annoying. Inevitably the ship would bump into the concrete side, leading to loud noises and jolts. 

Sunday found us in Speyer, one of Germany's oldest cities. The town is noted for its Roman relics and the Romanesque cathedral. Thanks to a large Jewish presence in the Medieval and Middle Ages the Jewish courtyard is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The term "Protestant" was coined in the city in 1259.

Our walking tour started at the pier. The first stop was the cathedral because later in the morning it would be closed for Mass. I would have liked to attended the service, but unfortunately the time didn't coordinate with the ship's cast off.

Speyer Cathedral

I enjoyed walking through the cobble stoned historical old area, which was filled with houses like this:

During our independent time after the tour we walked through the shopping section, which ended with the spectacular Old Gate.

It was a given that before leaving the town we had to get a Speyer Pretzel, because the city claims it was invented there. (That seems to be open to debate, because other cities we visited made the same claim.) 

That evening we chose to participate in a paid excursion at a local restaurant. There were approximately 36 people seated in the location's back room. The multi-course meal included bottles of local red and wine (and beer upon request), and with dessert the waitress brought around shots of schnapps. A musician in the corner of the room played fun music. At the end of the night he encouraged people to sing along. The cruise director started a conga line, which ended up in a rousing Duck Dance.

Five years ago: What Do You Think?

A Viking Voyage-Switzerland

When we booked our Viking cruise, they offered the option of an additional two day add on at either end of the cruise. After looking at our calendars, our group decided that pre-cruise time in Basel would work better for us.

The group organizer let our agent know, and other than paying the extra money we didn't have to do a thing. Viking arranged the air and hotel componants. Several weeks before leaving we found out that we would be staying at the Movenpick Hotel, which was close to both public transportation and the train station.

Tripadvisor

Our flight left St. Louis at Monday at 6 pm, and after transfers in Detroit and Amsterdam arrived in Basel on Tuesday at 6 pm their time. The Viking airport host met our group just outside the luggage carousel and drove us to the hotel. After getting settled in our room we had dinner at the hotel restaurant, then Hubby Tony and I fell into bed. I had barely slept on the airplane, so it felt so good!

An included walking tour of Basel was scheduled for 10 AM. In the lobby the guide passed out wireless audio systems to the group, ensured they all worked, then we set out. The first adventure was taking the tram to the Old Town. There our guide told us about the history of the city as she pointed out the noteworthy buildings and the beautiful Rhine riverfront.

Bridge over the river

 After the tour was over and our friends wanted a cold drink. The closest and easiest option was a McDonald's, but that was the first and last time I patronized a non-local place on the trip. We got lunch at a traditional Swiss restaurant, did some souvenir shopping, then came back to the hotel to relax. Each afternoon the hotel had a chocolate 'happy hour', which included samples of several kinds. All of them were yummy. Dinner was at a Thai place, and once again bedtime was early.

Thursday afternoon was ship embarkation, so we had the morning to ourselves. Our friends decided to make it a quiet day, but after picking the brain of the Viking host in the hotel lobby on Wednesday Tony and I decided to take a train ride to Lucerne (which was one hour each way). The host made it easy, telling us exactly which train to take coming and going and exactly where in the station we would buy the tickets. He even gave us a map of the city outlined with a suggested walking route so we could see the most in our limited time.

Good thing we didn't need to read the board details

Before we left Tony and I stowed our luggage with the hotel for safekeeping. Everything about our adventure went according to plan. There was a couple of hours to walk along the lake, see the medieval architecture, and browse through some of the shops in the Old Town area. I felt like a sophisticated traveler when I was able to pay for a post card with Swiss francs instead of pulling out my charge card 😀.

Lake Lucerne

Tony and I ended up taking an earlier train back then planned, which meant we didn't have time for lunch in Lucerne. Fortunately, the Basel train station had two levels worth of shops and eateries. We stopped at the first place we walked by. My sandwich had a thick layer of hummus topped with fresh and pickled vegetables on a hearty roll, and the coffee that accompanied it was fresh and strong.

Back at the hotel, it was about time to gather in the lobby to transfer to the boat. I appreciated that the host made everyone acknowledge that their luggage had been put on the bus before leaving for the cruise port to begin the main adventure.

A Viking Voyage

Last November some long-time friends mentioned they were interested in doing a Viking European river cruise this year, and asked if we were interested in joining them. After some discussion of time frames and routes we chose a Rhine River cruise from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Every other time I've sailed it's been on a very large ship, but many of our acquaintances had already gone on a river cruise and they all raved about the experience. I can now add myself to the list of satisfied sailors.

• Instead of being large, the Hervor (our Viking ship) was intimate. The ship could hold a maximum of 190 guests. There was no casino, gift shop, photographers, or formal dinner night. Children under 21 were prohibited.

• Our cabin had a French balcony, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that opened to a protective railing to let in fresh air. The bathroom was compact, but not cramped. Tony and I appreciated the twice-daily attention from our room steward.

• There was free wi-fi throughout the ship. It was adequate and appreciated.

• Each port included a free excursion or guided tour with a local guide.

• There was only one seating for meals, and we weren't tied to any particular table. Lunch and dinner included complimentary house wine, beer, and soft drinks. Two coffee machines on the third floor offered basic and specialty drinks at the touch of a button, or hot water for tea. Next to the coffee machines baskets held sweet and savory baked goods.

• The third floor also had a large window-lined lounge and an observation lounge. The top deck had a sun deck and walking track that wound around a small herb garden and a two-hole putting green.

Five years ago today: Happy Unbirthday To Me