DAY TWO

We were tired or better exhausted. Tom was feeling nauseated because we had some really strong winds! All outside areas were blocked off and inside, especially in the front of the ship, the motion was intense. The Queen was, and still is, creaking in her seams. Nevertheless we did so some walking, sitting outside later in the day and Tom after some Dramamine took a nap on deck and later we took another nap inside before getting ready for dinner. After dinner we stayed in one of the theaters for some good old Motown tunes.

Our information about the dress code had a glitch. The Black & White event tonight was listed as an informal event. Well, it wasn't informal. I believe other people didn't know it was formal either. I did not feel out of place after all.

As Tom was getting ready for the event is got a little stressful. I’m pretty sure that he packed his cuff links but they are nowhere to be found. So, I assume as soon as we go and buy some new ones the old ones will magically turn up.

We are having some trouble with the time change at one hour per day since our cell phones will not change until we are in fact at the next time zone. Good that Tom has his wrist watch.

The service on the ship is excellent and so far all the food and the variety of it is phenomenal. The waiters are very attentive and right there when needed. Room service comes twice a day the check the room and make sure it’s all clean and we have everything we need.

All hallways are heavily carpeted and the ship seems to be very well insulated since we don’t hear what is going on outside of our room. 

DAY ONE

We had a smooth ride to New York. A friend of mine travels to NY twice a month and had given me her favorite route. We really appreciate her suggestion. There was traffic, but it was always moving at a decent speed all the way to Brooklyn, NY. The transaction with Enterprise Car Rentals also was a great experience. Everything went without a hitch. We loaded our luggage in front of our home and unloaded it right in front of the terminal onto provided luggage carts. We arrived about 30 minutes early and proceeded through the check-in line without delay. There were minimal waiting times and everything seemed to be very organized and coordinated.

Once in our State Room, our luggage was delivered and we were able to store some in the closet, and the big ones under the bed. By now we were hungry and visited the buffet on the 7. floor.  Delicious food and plenty variety. We now had some time to do first exploration of the ship. It had turned very windy and we needed 2 tug boats to keep the Queen at the pier. At 4:00 pm we gathered for safety drill and instructions. It took place in the gym since it was too windy and rainy outside.

We were supposed to leave at 5:30 pm and we decided to go out on deck to watch. There was not much to see today. Lower Manhattan was hidden in thick clouds and the financial district was not much better. Even the Statue of Liberty was fogged in. The wind, the rain and the fog made the Captain skip the Lady Liberty drive-by and finally, at about 6:15 pm, we headed out to see. With the Ship picking up speed the wind and rain increased and we had to go put some more clothes on, but came back outside just in time to pass under the Verrazano Bridge – with only a few feet to spare.

While sitting on deck we already met some people from Hamburg, Germany on their way home. Now it was time to get ready for dinner. The first night was an informal night. We were ready early and went for a walk to see what all we can do in the next 10 days. The ship is beautiful!

Dinner was scheduled at 8:30 pm and we were assigned to a table with a British couple and two gentlemen from Ohio. Both parties are experienced cruisers. We were informed that we are not on a cruise or on a cruise ship but on a crossing – to be specific, on a transatlantic crossing. The Queen Mary is very different from other cruise ships. The hull is V-shaped to cut deep into the water while cruise ships have a somewhat flat bottom.

It was difficult to decide what to select from the dinner menu. We decided for a Liver Pate with honey glazed cranberry onions and bread as the appetizer. As the Entrée I chose portabella mushroom with chicken and Tom had a seafood fettuccini. Caramel Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream completed the meal for me.

Now we are rather tired and will not indulge in available activities but get some sleep.

PICTURES

 Safety equipment in place...

...and we are leaving New York

it was very windy and cold

Congratulations! We are on our merry way!

Leaving the NY Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

Looks like a "yellow cab" but it really is a tug boat

Statue of Liberty. It was too late and too windy to circle around. 

We headed straight for the Verrazano Bridge

The QM2 has to leave in time to make sure she fits under the bridge. 

We left a bit later than planned and had

only a few feet to spare

Sitting on deck 7 on the way out we met this nice mother-daughter couple from Hamburg. 

Can you see how cold it is???

 We stopped at the wintergarden to write a few post cards

The chairs are now all tied up to prevent them from blowing across the deck.

This beautiful chimney is one of the original four Titanic chimneys 

 The lifeboats

Looking down to deck 7

Deck 7 - Three laps equal 1.9 miles. Usually it's very busy here

Deck 11 with indoor and outdoor pool and the Ragatta Bar and Lounge

The view out to the back of the ship

The middle of the Atlantic Ocean 

Deck Stuarts hard at work

The nose - I wanted to stand there at night like in the Titanic movie, but it's restricted.

Here you see extra propellers. The look very small from up top. In reality the are very large but still decorative.

The view from the observation deck, right below the bridge.

The bridge with the shadow of your Captain

 The doggy park - not very attractive but functional. The dogs are supervised all day and have individual kennels. Sorry, no grass until England

One of the endless hallways. Narrow, so you can touch the walls and railings at high seas.

The stairwell and elevators on deck 6

Go up to deck 7, to the Kings Court buffet area and the wonderful  promenade deck

Plaques like this are on the walls all around the ship from hundreds of locations around the world

BON VOYAGE

On the way to NY. The rental provides a comfortable ride and is big enough for all the luggage. We got a GMC Yucon XL - it's nice, but I miss my muscle van. Lol

This is it!!

Sleep one more time in our bed and off we go. Not sure if I can see the road through the curtain of tears but I'll try. It's hard to say good bye even if its not permanent. Much can happen in a year or even a week.

Yesterday we gave the Crombie fleet their last ride. With 338.000 miles and 248.000 miles they served us very well.

Kiss the older brother good bye.....

The rental is is in the driveway already packed and ready to go. Last items to be added in the morning and we will be on our way. 

We might have a 10 day silence period but I promise you will hear all about it once we are connected again.

For right now, I need some sleep

Inside the QMII

Inside the Queen Mary II - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWKxQ7wvbaE

What a BEAUTY!

Queen Mary 2's 200th Transatlantic Crossing: http://youtu.be/1IOsNk9d6Lo

7 DAYS, 20 HOURS AND 6 MINUTES

Medical records collected, most stuff either brought to the dump or to storage, Goodwill box dropped off and garage somewhat cleaned out.

Tomorrow I have to pick up my gowns from the seamstress and Toms pants from the dry cleaners. I haven't done much cooking lately. We have a lot of last dinner gatherings. Tuesday night we had a lovely time with friends at the Back Room Restaurant. The food was great and the company was even better. I also enjoyed a short visit from an ex co-worker and last night we took a few hours to play Yahtzee. Our daughter came for a few days and will be back beginning of the week. It's sooo good to have the kids around. Tomorrow night my son has a surprise dinner scheduled. It's an early Mother day dinner and I wonder where we are going.

I managed to reserve an appointment with Concord Imaging for a mammography and don't have to worry about that for a few years. All prescriptions are filled and supplements packed. Dramamine for motion sickness and Immodium for the unexpected airborne intestinal virus are also packed. There are no special immunization requirements going to Europe.

I got a new Laptop today! My old one started scrolling lately and so we decided to get a new one before we leave. That will take a while until I know my way around….

This weekend we will open the garage sale for one more time. I hope we have willing customers stopping by. Wish us luck!!!

 

TEN!

10 days to departure! I’m ready to leave now, but I’m really not ready at all. The house is a disaster, there is still so much to do, so much to take care of and so much to think and make sure. I have to admit, this is the second most difficult move in my life. The first was coming to the US in 1986 and now going back. I think I moved a total of 30 times, but this is much harder. Moving from one city or one street to another is easy. You put all your stuff in boxes at one location and unpack in the new location – DONE. This is different. We are not taking anything but clothes and important documents. What to do with the rest of all this stuff??? Constant walks down memory lane delay the process and the final decision. Dump, storage, or suitcase? Or maybe one of the kids want it – not very likely.

I found vacuum sealed bags are a fantastic space saver. I used to use “Space bags” but after a short time they started sucking in air. K-Mart sells “Smart bags” and those seals seem to be much better. It’s not easy to fill an average suitcase to 45 pounds without vacuum bags.

This afternoon we will retrieve the last parts of our medical records and work on some legal documents regarding the house and power of attorney for the kids to be able to take care of things on our behalf. Passports, tickets and rental car are all set and ready to go. I even found my old German driver’s license! It is still valid – not that anybody would recognize me, but I can still use it.

Toms van is just about cleared out while mine is still full with STUFF. That word is starting to irritate me severely….

Good thing, we had a few alcohol remnants kicking around. Tom had a shot of Goldschlager and I had a shot of V.S.O.P. Brandy. No more leftovers in the booze cupboard! LOL

MANY LAST TIMES - FOR NOW

Hi, its Tom and it is CRUNCH TIME! We now have thirteen.......uh.......twelve days until we get rid of the vans and say goodbye to the house......at least for the year. We have spent the past two days going through stuff that I personally haven't looked at in the past ten years......so why do we still have it. (sentimental reasons). For me its mostly old pictures and memories of places, pictures that can't be replaced and are never really forgotten, only white washed over by our hectic daily lives.

My brother came up from Texas on April 23rd to spend some time with us before we depart and also to see friends. It's too bad that we live so far apart and don't get to spend much time together except when he visits me or I visit him. It was really great having him here for the week. His next visit to us will be in Germany on the Baltic.

Today I have to clean out my van. This will be a monumental event because there will only be two times when the inside of my van has been really clean with no clutter........the day that I bought it and after I clean it today! (to stay in my van has been threatened as punishment by my brother to his son, its been so bad at times) Of course without a pickup, my van has been substituted for work, hauling everything from boulders, rock dust, gravel, sheet rock, lumber,trash, and tree limbs to leaves and furniture. If I had to buy another new car it would be a Grand Caravan.

I unfortunately inherited "chronic worrying" so I'm taking Herb Pharm drops....Brain Tonic, Immune Defense and Nervous System to help calm me down and keep me focused on the task at hand. They seem to have helped. 

Well, I still have boxes of photo albums that I haven't found yet, and where the heck is my left shoe...........