Sad but pleasant weekend in Duesseldorf / Germany

In the afternoon of Thursday July 4. I received a black-edged letter from Duesseldorf. I immediately knew that someone from family Gloystein had died. It was Jean Garrick Gloystein, the dear wife of my longtime friend Peter, whom I know since 1968. I was also a very good friend with Jean since their honeymoon to Finland in 1972. She always was a very hospitable house wife, when I did visit them during the years in their different homes in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Bremen and Duesseldorf. The address on the letter was not quite correct, and it had needed some extra days to reach me. I learned that the funeral service was already next day at 1pm. I immediately called Finnair to get an early flight to Duesseldorf. The morning flight was fully booked except one seat in business class. I then called Peter expressing my condolence and informing my arrival. He had reserved a small hotel in the neighborhood for their guests, and that there were a room for me too. After I had changed in the Hotel "Hanseat" I went to Gloystein's, where already whole family and many friends were ready for transport to a small chapel. It was a very emotional service in German and in English as the half of audience were Jean's family members and friends from England. Afterwards Peter offered a fantastic feast at restaurant "Alte Rheinfähre". In a happy mood we all remembered Jean, who must have been looking down very satisfied at all of us round 120 persons. In my company sat five German ladies, and I did have a super time. Later then in a nice restaurant near our hotel I joined Jean's brother, his wife and some other friends from England, who all knew me, even we had never met before. We had all the time during these four days I stayed in Duesseldorf a very beautiful weather, a lot of beers and wines in always diminishing group of guests. A special experience on Monday was a visit to the local TV-tower with awesome views to Rhine and surrounding areas. Late that afternoon Peter brought me to the airport. A sad but happy weekend!

Kaukasian visit - Georgia

I spent the first day in Tbilisi just wondering and going around by myself, enjoying time to time nice Georgian Saperavi-red wine in several terraces. On my route I found an Uzbek restaurant Gruzbek with a beautiful view to the river crossing the city. Later I had a snack and drinks in a real American Hangar Bar, with its local Americans from the US base. Our hotel was a very modern 5-star glass tower Radisson Blu Iveria. Tbilisi is over 1500 years old but also a very modern charming city with many ultramodern buildings of an Italian architect, whose name I just now do not remember. Next day we drove to Georgian countryside and to Mtskheta's churches with religious ikons. Later we had an interesting visit to town Gori, where Josef Stalin was born. There was a palace like museum of his life, consisting mainly of thousands of photos and portraits of him. There also was a little wooden house, his modest birth place on its original site, and his not very luxury railway wagon. The last two days there I spent alone in the city with my normal style, except that the last lunch in Tbilisi I had with a couple from our group at Gruzbek. Then even not too far but trough very bad flight connections we had to accept a very uncomfortable schedule back home.

Visiting Kaukasus , Armenia and Georgia April 18.-28.4

ARMENIA After an unpleasant night flight our group of 20 Finns arrived via Moscow to Yerevan in Armenia. After a few hours rest in a very good hotel, in a former palace, we had a round trip in this Armenian capital. Yerevan (former Erebuni was founded in 782 BC, already before Rome) has a population of 1,1 million one third of whole Armenia. Next morning we drove to beautiful countryside visiting UNESCO's World Heritage List's Greek Roman fortress with Garni Temple from first century A.D. and very large but primitive Geghard cave church. Then we could enjoy a local delicious lunch with a farmer and his family. In the afternoon I was strolling along Yerevan's streets before finding myself in the hotel's lobby bar. After breakfast next day we drove to Khor Virap near Turkish border and to Echmiatzin which are among the first Christian sites from early fourth century. In year 301 Armenia adopted Christianity as the first country in the world. The Cathedral and Churches there are also on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Armenia's landscape is a wonderful mixture of mountains (Mount Aragat 7090 meters high) slopes and valleys with 300 rivers.In the fifth day we continued to Sevanak monastery from 9th century and to Dilijan before our last stop in Armenia Dzoraget. On the way we also stopped at the world famous Ararat Brandy distillery to taste and buy this excellent nectar. It suppose to have been the favorite of a.o. Josef Stalin, Winston Churchill and Fidel Castro. Our Hotel Avan Dzoraget at the Debed river with small rapids, was a most charming place, historic site with a beautiful Haghpad,a UNESCO Heritage and Sanahin monasteries. Next day we arrived to Tbilisi, Georgia.

Caribbean.....second week

In March 10. early in the morning we, a group of us, left to Everglades by speedboats for bird watch and for alligators of course. We really saw some very special birds and some gators too, quite near. That afternoon I spent in the buzzling center part of Fort Lauderdale before it was time to return to the ship. On Monday then we had another marvelous day in a paradise, back in Half Moon Cay again. Next day we enjoyed the sea life, sailing around Cuba heading towards Jamaica. When we arrived to Montego Bay in the morning, I was seriously considering if I should visit the city at all due some unpleasant experiencies some 38 years earlier. Then I decided that I am not staying cowardly onboard but took a taxi and got a Canadian couple to share the costs for a few hours, and we had a lot of fun that day. Next morning brought us a disappointment when the capitan informed that due too windy weather conditions we cannot visit Cayman Islands but we'll continue to our last harbor, Cozumel in Mexico. I had been there some years earlier and found the place quite boring, so next morning I took a ferry to Playa Del Carmen, from were I took a bus to Tulum, an old Maya city some 90 km north from Playa Del Carmen. It took maybe two hours to walk from and back to main road and to study those ruins in very beautiful surroundings. Then there suddenly was a big problem. The bus driver refused to take me to the bus, because it already was filled up. I had a ticket but it did not help, and I did not have enough money to take a taxi back to Puerto Del Carmen. But at the end I am always lucky when something seems to go wrong. Suddenly two Swedish ladies appeared and wanted to join the bus. No. not possible even with their tickets. I asked if they would like to share a taxi. They hesitated and were afraid if it would be too dangerous. Finally I could convince them because talking swedish to them an communicating in spanish with the taxi driver. On the way back we passed the bus, and at the bus station after some fight we got back the value of return tickets, and I paid to the ladies one third of the taxi fare, and everybody was satisfied. After this adventure I needed a strong drink and got the company of a beautiful English traveller from London for about two hours at a beach bar before returning with the ferry to Cozumel, and the ship. Last day was on the sea again, and in Sunday morning March 17. I left m/s Nieuw Amsterdam with happy feelings.

Once again cruising the Caribbean on March 3.- 17. 2013. First week.

I left Helsinki on March 1. to stay two nights in Fort Lauderdale before starting the cruise with m/s Nieuw Amsterdam of Holland America-Lines. However due a delay in New York I missed my Miami flight that evening, got an airport hotel, and flew very early then directly to Fort Lauderdale. Practically I did not loose or miss anything, and didn't bother to make any claim afterwards. I still had two days down there which I mainly used for good wines and meals in different parts of the city. On Mach 3.at 4pm m/s Nieuw Amsterdam started it's first leg towards Grand Turk of Turks&Caicos Islands. After a day on the sea and another on the beach we arrived to San Juan in Puerto Rico. This island was discovered by Columbus on his second voyage to America in 1493. The Taino indios gave him a gold present in a welcome party, and due this he named the bay "Puerto Rico". I spent my day there strolling on the streets of the old part of the city, which I already somehow knew from my previous visits. Next morning we arrived to Dutch St. Maarten, also familiar to me, and so I and some other passengers continued to St.Martin, the French side of the island to the best beach, the topless or even nude beach, the only one of its kind in Americas. Next day we spent on the sea before sailing early in the morning to the shores of Half Moon Cay of the Bahamas. This island was rented to Holland America Line for 99 years, and only the guests and the crew of the company were allowed ashore. The beach was absolutely one of the best I've ever seen anywhere in the world. They also had very nice bars there and you could pay all your exotic drinks with your ship card. It was a sunny and happy day, a real Caribbean dream. Next morning we were back to Fort Lauderdale.