We’re still not quite right with our sleep cycles, but it’s getting better. Judy has faculty meetings till lunch, then everyone rides the train over to Houhai Lake for some faculty bonding. They split into teams and go on a treasure hunt through the many unique stores and shops in the area. Along the lake are lots of restaurants with rooftop seating. After lunch, Judy’s group does a little searching through the shops, followed by more relaxing on the rooftops. Late in the afternoon, Shannon and Judy head over to Lily Nails for some pampering. They take Lori, the wife of the new HS principal with them, trying to give her a proper Beijing introduction.

I decided to head out to the neighborhood park to meet up with the local table tennis group. I had a good time. My knees are better, and the lowered pain level allowed me to play better. They welcomed me back in. In a few days I’ll go to the table tennis club where I’ll, no doubt, get pounded.

Judy, Shannon, and Lori meet Dom (Shannon’s husband), and I at QMex, near Sanlitun, to sample some Beijing Tex Mex. It’s not bad. Lori and her husband are American, but have been in Estonia for the last 12 years.  After our visit to Tallin, Estonia on the cruise this summer, it was fun hearing more about the country and the people.

Another day, and we have another really early morning. Judy has begun to take advantage of the early mornings, and is resuming her morning walks. She was walking almost every morning the last two years in Arlington, but hadn’t felt like it since we arrived in Beijing. If she can get her daily walking regimen in, and I can get my swimming done, and add some healthier eating habits, we might actually improve our health. Who would’ve thought it? We’ll see how it goes.

Judy calls later in the day and lets me know she’s going to need a foot massage after work. She’s wants to try the neighborhood spa, which is slightly “less upscale and full of character”, but close to the apartment. I’ve been several times, and it’s really cheap. We walked in, had our feet massaged for an hour (including a 15 minute shoulder/neck massage) and walked out after paying 136rmb or $22. We stopped at a local noodle shop on the way home for dinner. Back at the apartment later, we’re feeling re-integrated to Beijing.

We had another early wakeup today (2:00 am). I keep thinking we’ll get over the jet lag quicker, but this is my fourth trip to Beijing from DFW and it takes me about 10 days to get back to normal. I should just quit fighting it.

Today is Judy’s first official day back at BISS. They have 3 days this week, and two days next week before they begin with students. They spend it in meetings, and getting to know the new faculty and administrators.

We’ve been trying to figure out a way to eat better in the evenings. We don’t have an oven, and I’ve had to resort to frying foods for dinner. Besides the health downside of frying foods, the grease ends up all over the kitchen. I’ve decided to try stir-frying, so I’ve purchased a wok.

Step one on the wok is to “season” it. I went to the neighborhood “wet” market and purchased some vegetables, chicken breasts, and peanut oil (it can be used at higher cooking temps). Next step, I reviewed some Youtube clips on seasoning a wok, then “seasoned” it. Basically it means to burn in the oil by superheating the wok. The Youtube clips warned about smoke, so I had the windows open, and a big fan blowing into the kitchen. Next, I stir-fryed the chicken, followed by some green beans. I actually did a pretty good job on it all, and timed it so everything was ready when Judy got home. “I’m baaaad!”

MONDAY, 8/4/14

The first few days back we were just sleepy, but now we’re both feeling the effects of moving to the other side of the world. We have that washed out feeling, similar to the feeling I had when I stayed up all night cramming for a test in college. We’re both waking up in the middle of the night and struggling to get back to sleep.

Judy heads back over to BISS to work on her room. I go to Metro for groceries. Back at the apartment, Lilly is cleaning. The internet guys show up right on time and we get hooked up after 45 minutes. The cost for the year is 1160rmb (around $190). I kept telling them I needed the fastest and most stable internet possible, and they tell me I’ve got it. It doesn’t seem much stronger than what I had before, but here’s hoping.

Lisa sends a text telling me the cable guy is rescheduled for tomorrow. We still have television, but it could stop at any time. We are both worn out by 7:00 pm and ready for bed. The sun isn’t even down yet.

TUESDAY, 8/5/14

Judy goes back to school, and I’m headed to the police station to register our temporary residence. We have to do this every time we leave the country and return. I take the passports for both of us, and our lease agreement. It’s always a little bit of a daunting task, because no one speaks English, at all. I’ve done this enough that I’m less worried than I used to be, but there can always be surprises.

The new part of today’s experience is that I rode my bike to the police station. Deb and Graham had given us their bikes when they left for Cambodia, but today is the first chance to use them. Riding a bike is not a new thing for me, but I really can’t remember the last time I was on one? I’m a little shaky at first, but it comes back to me pretty quickly. The ride is without incident, and the bike made the trip so much easier. I’m going to enjoy having some “wheels”.

The cable guy shows up, get his money (360 rmb, $59 for a year), and leaves. When Judy gets home we order food from the Blue Frog in Sanlitun for delivery. They serve western foods. It’s a nice change of pace. We’re still ready to sleep way too early. We fight it as long as we can, hoping to sleep through the night, but no such luck.

SATURDAY, 8/2/14

Today was spent beginning the process of adjusting to our new time zone.  We both woke up around 1:00 am, and couldn’t get back to sleep.  I ended up going downstairs to a 24 hr. convenience store and buying some yogurt to mix with our cereal.  They don’t sell milk at this store.  Judy began the job of unpacking all our stuff.  I began posting our travel expenses and getting organized financially for the month ahead.  We ended up taking a nap around 10:00 am.

We don’t have internet right now.  The year’s subscription ran out on Aug. 28^th.  Our cable tv is going to stop soon also, so I begin to make contact with Lisa, our real estate agent about setting these up for the next year.  I pick up dinner at a local restaurant around 3:00 pm They have good stir fry green beans, seasoned with peppers.  We both begin to “hit a wall” around 5:00 pm, so we hit the sack around 6:00.

SUNDAY, 8/3/14

Today is more of the same as far adjusting our sleep cycles.  Thankfully, nothing pressing is staring us in the face, so we can work when we feel like it, and sleep when the urge hits.  We’re both awake at 2:00 am, and without internet, beginning to feel isolated.  We take care of small jobs here in the apartment, eventually wandering out late in the morning.  Judy wants to get started opening up her classroom, so we taxi to BISS and begin uncovering things.  As soon as we get some of the big stuff done, I get on the school wifi and catch up on emails.  Judy continues straightening the room.  We grab lunch at the small restaurant near BISS, and then head home.

Judy drops me at the apartment and heads over to Lily Nails in Sanlitun.  The cable tv guy is supposed to come by around 1:00.  I guess I slept through his knocking on the door.  I texted Lisa who told me he came by, but no one answered the door.  I was sleeping really hard.  I barely woke when Judy returned.  I rolled over, acknowledged her, and went back to sleep.

Neither of us are fighting too hard against the jet lag, since we’re killing time until Judy starts teachers meetings on Wednesday.  When I finally wake up, I head over to Capita Mall for some KFC.  On the way back I bought a few peaches from a street vendor.  Tomorrow we should get internet, and the cable guy is rescheduled.  Lilly is also supposed to be in to clean.  It could get crowded in here if they all arrive at once.

We’re at the airport gate ready for the flight to Seattle at 6:45 am on American. We’re looking forward to getting back to Beijing and a little boredom. The flight departs on time at 9:05 and arrives in Seattle four hours later. There are some nice views of Mt. Rainier as we fly in. We transfer to our new gate area and get some lunch.

Hainan Airlines is our next airline, and the flight isn’t any better than the flight last year. Judy and I are crammed in the middle two seats of a “four across” middle section. It’s a twelve-hour flight, and the food isn’t very good. After all our flights the past year, we can be a lot more discerning about the quality, and it’s not good. The movies choices are not good either. We are relieved to finally arrive in Beijing. I think I’m going to avoid Hainan whenever possible. It’s hard to pass up the cheaper fares, but memories of this flight will linger.

The flight arrives on time, around 5:40 pm (Friday, Aug. 1). The taxi ride into town is slow due to traffic. When we finally get to our apartment, it is such a relief. The apartment looks great. Lilly has done a good job making sure everything is clean and ready for us, including defrosting the fridge. We find places to set our 5 bags down and open them, but the unpacking will have to take place tomorrow. When we head to bed, it’s been 26 hours since the alarm went off in our hotel in Irving. Neither of us slept much on the plane, so we’re both pretty washed up. We’re too old to do this many more times.

SATURDAY, 7/19/14

Today is our last day on the ship, and it’s spent at sea.  We spend most of the time relaxing and getting ready to disembark tomorrow for our flight to the US.   We have to figure out how to pack since they want our bags set out before 11pm tonight.  We’re flying to DFW, and then on to Baton Rouge for a few days, so we have to figure out what we’re taking to Louisiana, and what we’ll leave in our bags with the kids at DFW when we go through.

It’s been a great cruise!  The excursion days were pretty long, but we’ve seen so much.  This has been a memorable 12 days.

SUNDAY, 7/20/14

We’re eating breakfast at 6:00 am, waiting for the ship to clear customs.  They call our group at 6:40, and we load the bus for the trip to the airport. 

The Schipol Airport is not the easiest airport to navigate.  All boarding passes are self-serve (no desks or clerks), and the lines are long.  Then we get in the line for baggage check, which is also self-serve.  There are big bins where we load each individual piece after we scan our boarding passes.  Each piece is done individually.  If everyone knew how to work the bins, it would go quickly, but most of the people seem to be like us, confused.

We get through immigration, and arrive at the gate around 9:00 am (for a 10:45 flight).  The gate area is entirely enclosed and security scanners are set-up at the entrance to each individual gate area.  Chairs are inside the enclosure, but none are outside.  The gate security doesn’t open until 1 hour before we depart, so we have almost an hour to stand in a line waiting to go through security before we can sit.  People are sitting everywhere on the floor and against walls, waiting for the area to open.  It finally opens and we get through and have a chance to sit down.  I’m curious if it’s more efficient for the airport to have individual gate security or one large security area for the terminal.  This system doesn’t seem easier for the passengers.

The seats on the KLM flight are really narrow.  I know we’ve been on a cruise and might have added a pound or two, but not that much.  We can barely squeeze in.  It’s an uncomfortable 10 hr. flight, even with the additional “5 inch legroom” upgrade we purchased.

The luggage exchange at DFW airport with Courtney works perfectly.  She takes all our big pieces and we keep two smallish bags for the two nights in Baton Rouge.  She drives us over to another terminal for our BR flight and we enjoy another romp through security.  After all our long flights this summer, the one-hour flight to BR is really short.  Robert picks us up and shuttles us to mom and dad’s new abode.  It’s my dad’s 89^th birthday, and Kathryn, Christopher, Susan, Robert, Geoffrey, Nicholas, Judy, and I enjoy a short visit before bedtime.

Now that we’re back in the US, I’m going to take a short breather from blog writing, and pick it up when we get back to Beijing.

The ship docks in Copenhagen at 10:00 am. Our excursion doesn’t go out until 11:30, so we eat a late breakfast and enjoy being lazy. Judy and I are concerned because Mr. Sanchez (reference Moscow, 7/13) is on our bus. This could be interesting.

We get a bus tour around the city. It’s really charming. One of the commonalities with most of the cities we’ve visited is they’ve burned to the ground at some point in their history. Either due to war or conquest, or a careless citizen, most have had to be rebuilt. Copenhagen has burned twice, most recently in the early 1800’s. Denmark and Sweden have had a thing for ruling each other through the years.

“The Little Mermaid”. A famous sculpture honoring Hans Christian Anderson’s story.

The first major stop is Tivoli Gardens, the first amusement park in Europe. It has a few modern rides now, along with several older “historic” rides. Its’ real “claim to fame” is that it was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create Disneyland. He visited here in the early 50’s and you can see the influence it might have had. Sections of the park are themed and decorated accordingly, but not to the extent that Disney ultimately went to. It’s still very quaint and picturesque. There are tons of nice restaurants with a wide variety of foods. We settle for ice cream and find a shaded bench to watch the world go by. I’ve enjoyed our tours and all we’ve learned and seen, but I also enjoy watching the people in each country and how they interact with each other.

Tivoli Gardens

Next on the itinerary is Rosenborg Castle. It was the official home of the many of the Danish kings, dating back to the 1300’s. It’s much smaller than the Russian palaces, but the setting is much more intimate. We get up close and personal with tapestries, thrones, and later the crown jewels. The collection is small but impressive.

Carved out of ivory.

These are real gold & jewels

Rosenborg Castle

Back at the ship (no problems with Mr. Sanchez today) we walk down the pier to a series of small outlet shops, but nothing appeals to us. Back on board I get a chance to organize our photos (this has been a never-ending job since the kids arrived in Beijing). I’ve managed to stay on top of the job, at least within a day or two of the activity or tour. Digital photography has its’ advantages, but I tend to shoot too many photos, knowing I can edit them later. There’s lots of downloading, deleting, and labeling to be done every time we go out. I’m looking forward to “normal” life.

It’s time to enjoy a relaxing day at sea, and that’s exactly what we do. After so many days of excursions, it’s a relief to have nothing to do. We enjoy some great food and sit around enjoying the warmth of the sun.

When we get back to the cabin to dress for the evening activities we hear the news about the plane shot down over the Ukraine. I’m curious how the next few days will be with such a wide mixture of nationalities onboard.   I’ve overheard several strong opinions from various Europeans about Putin. At the evening show, the theme is “Celebrate the World”, and there’s music and dance from countries around the world. I wondered as it started if there was going to be a Russian segment, and sure enough there was. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a few “boos” had been uttered, but the segment was received with the same enthusiasm as all the others. The performers weren’t Russian. No reason to take it out on them.

When we get back to Amsterdam, the mood will be much different. When we left, the Dutch team at the World Cup had just won their quarterfinal game. The city was full of optimism as they headed for the semifinal. I’m sure the tragedy will be weighing heavy on the city and it’s citizens. As for Malaysia Airlines, I don’t know how they can survive two major incidents like this.

Today is the final day of our “5 for 5” (5 consecutive excursion days).  We’re beginning to tire of sitting on buses.  We’re definitely tired of waiting extra time on a bus for other guests who can’t seem to be where they’re supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be.  Celebrity Cruises should keep a list that lasts forever of guests who are late to a meeting time on an excursion.  Then all those late people could participate only on excursions with other “late” people, for the remainder of their cruising lives.  (sorry for the mild rant)

 We liked Helsinki yesterday, but today’s experience in Stockholm was even better.  We started at 9:30 with a short drive through the city, arriving at the Stockholm City Hall.  I didn’t realize until we were inside that this is the site where the “Nobel Prize Banquet” is held every year.  The walls and floor suddenly seemed more significant than the “plain old city hall” I thought I was going to be touring. 

Stockholm City Hall, site of the Nobel Prize Award Banquet.

The 2^nd part of the City Hall tour was the Golden Hall.  Basically, the room was supposed to be decorated with a fresco by a world-renowned Swedish artist in 1919.  Unfortunately he died before he had a chance to start.  There was no “Plan B.”  The room ended up being finished with mosaic tiles sold to Sweden really cheaply after WWI (Germany was broke and needed the money).  The only person in Sweden who knew anything at all about how to work with the tiles was a 25-year old laborer.  His only artistic exposure working with mosaic tiles was 2 weeks he spent after graduating from high school, working in an Italian tile factory.  The room was ugly, the art was ugly, and everyone knows it, thus the appeal?

Next was the Vasa Museum.  It’s a huge museum containing a ship that sank 20 minutes into it’s inaugural sailing.  Built in the 1600s, it was meant to be the largest warship in Scandinavia and would help the Swedish king conquer the world.  There were a few design issues, and down it went.  It wasn’t raised until 1961, and is 98% complete.  It’s huge and an impressive display.  The Swedes sure have a way of taking a mistake and capitalizing on it.

The Vasa

We toured the city a little more, finally getting a chance to eat lunch on our own in the old town city center.  It was a picturesque area, and we enjoyed a great meal of Swedish meatballs.  Afterwards, we could either rejoin the tour or take time to walk the area and check out the local shops.  We’ve seen lots of cathedrals, so we opted for time on our own.  It was nice to walk at a relaxed pace and not feel pressured to race back to the bus.

Brick streets, and cobblestone streets. The cobblestone streets are not easy to walk on, and these were better than others we’ve experienced.

Back on the ship, it’s an early sailing (4:00 pm).  We get a serious look at the Swedish Archipelago, some of the more the 30,000 islands belonging to Sweden, as we sail away.  The captain of the ship referred to our exit as “slaloming out”.  It was fun to watch a line of several ships turning back and forth as they worked their way through the islands.  It took 5 hours to finally get to the open sea, and the views were so relaxing.