Tournament of Roses Parade - Pasadena

The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena has been on our "must do" list for quite some time. We finally made it come true. We left Wednesday, 12/29/2010 and traveled to Los Angeles to join the YMT tour. The tour took us to Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, the Hollywood Bowl, the Reagan Presidential Library and the J. Paul Getty Center. The Kodak Theatre, Hollywood Walk of Fame and Grauman's Chinese Theatre were also among the attractions.

Included in the tour was a behind the scene glimpse into the world of float building. The history of the Rose Parade was presented and we had a chance to see the floats up close as they were being built.





The Hollywood Bowl has quite a special place in the lexicon of Los Angeles. It is a venue where the "elite" and the "common" share a bond. All entertainers want to play there. It has played host every form of entertainment.




The Hard Rock Cafe has always been one of our favorite stops. We have a collection of T-shirts from each one we visit.

The float building begins a year in advance. The design must be approved before the building process can take place. Every part of the float must be covered with flowers or organic material.















The parade covers a 5 mile route down Colorado Boulevard. A crowd of 700,000 people line both sides of the street.

It was very difficult to pick a favorite float. They all were magnificent. Here are two of the more that forty.















The Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Valley provides a breath-taking view of the country side. The highlight of the museum is the Air Force One Pavilion. It houses the Boeing 707 that served seven presidents.


Traveling on I-405, the Getty Center can be seen on the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains miles away. The museum's five pavilions houses paintings and sculpture and much more. In addition, the architecture and landscaping are truly remarkable.

Lake Havasu City, Az

On September 23th. we traveled to Lake Havasu City to attend the 80th. birthday party of my brother-in-law and good friend. It was a surprise party and friends and relatives from many areas of the U.S. came. It was our first trip to that part of Arizona and we wanted to visit the area attractions while there.

Indy 2010

Dario Franchitti dominated the race this year. He lead most of the race and it was evident he had the quality car. The race ended under caution and it wasn't certain if he had enough fuel to finish. He did not pit with the other leaders for fuel towards the end of the race and he could have very well ran out of fuel if the race had continued under the green flag.

2009 Indy 500

Helio Castroneves did it again. His third Indy 500 win. Starting from the pole he drove a conservative race until the end when it really mattered. He opened a 4 or 5 second lead on the final laps.

There were 19 cars on the lead lap at the end of the race, an Indy record. Danacia Patrick can drive a race car, if there was any doubt!

All in all a good race.

Charleston, SC

After the Inauguration we decided to spend four days in charming and historic Charleston, SC. The Historic District and Bay Front area are pedestrian friendly. Patriots Point also deserves a visit. The WWII Aircraft Carrier Yorktown is the highlight. They also have a Destroyer, Submarine and Coast Guard Cutter on display. It is a must see if you are a WWII history buff like me.

Inauguration

Our Experiences at the Inauguration

January 20th. 2009 was our 47th. wedding anniversary and what better way to celebrate than to attend the Presidential Inauguration. We planned our trip and requested tickets to the swearing in ceremony from both our Congressman and Senator. Neither gave us much hope of obtaining tickets due to the high demand (ie. we don't have any pull). We decided to attend anyway. Two days before we left for Washington, our Congressman called and said he was able to get us tickets and we could pick them up in his office in Washington. We were thrilled!

Caribbean & European Cruise

We left March 29, 2008 for what we hoped to be a wonderful adventure aboard a cruise ship. Although we are experienced travelers, this was our first cruise. Due to Joann's motion sickness, we never really thought a long ocean voyage would be something she would enjoy. However, we decided to give it a try.

Our adventure began in Ft. Lauderdale. We boarded the MSC Lirica and after making three stops in the Caribbean, headed across the pond to Portugal, Spain, France, England and Amsterdam.

Disembarking in Amsterdam, we traveled to Belgium and Paris. After spending two days in Antwerp and three days in the City of Light, we flew back to the US.

Stayed tuned to discover if we survived the ocean crossing!!!

Leave Port Everglades - 2 Days at Sea

Our flight from St. Louis to Ft. Lauderdale via Memphis was on time and without incident. This being our first cruise, we were not sure of the check in procedures. We had read online reviews about check-in problems and delays. However, we were picked up at the airport and transported to the ship terminal without any problems. Our check-in procedure was smooth and efficient, and we were in our stateroom within one hour of arriving at the ship terminal.

We set sail from Port Everglades about 7:00 PM on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

Our second night at sea was the first of four formal nights. It was a cocktail reception hosted by Captain Romano.

We are finding our way around the ship, and surprisingly, not experiencing any motion sickness.

San Juan, 1st Carribean Port Call

After 2 days at sea, we arrived at San Juan our first port call. The ship docked at pier 1 about 7:00 AM. We disembarked around 9:00 AM and found the visitor center close by. We obtained maps of Old San Juan and learned of free transportation to the historic forts. "Free transportation" was the key phrase.

Antigua - 2nd Carribean Port Call

After leaving San Juan and cruising all night, we arrived at Antigua about 9:00 am on April 2, 2008. Antigua was a British procession before gaining its independence. It doesn't seem as prosperous as San Juan. We hired a taxi to drive us around the island. That is recommended if you want to see the island in a short time. Eric, our driver was very friendly and knowledgeable.

Martinique - 3rd Caribbean Port Call

We arrived in Martinique about 7:00 am on Thursday, April 3rd. after leaving Antigua and sailing all night. Martinique is French speaking and residents hold French citizenship.

Again, we hired a taxi to tour the island. We found taxis to be an excellent alternative to guided tours provided by the ship. They are less expensive and the drivers are as knowledgeable as tour guides. We were given all the time we wanted to explore. We visited the Balata Gardens where the picture of the flower was taken.

Six Days at Sea

The next 6 days were at sea. We left the calm waters of the Caribbean and headed northeast across the Atlantic Ocean. The seas became less calm and as we left the Tropics, of course the temperature became cooler. These days were spent on ship sleeping late, taking part in ship activities and of course, enjoying the food and drink.

Funchal

After six days at sea we arrived at Funchal on the Island of Madeira. With the help of a tailwind we made port 12 hours ahead of schedule. This gave us more time to explore the Island. Our Captain made the local news when he docked the ship in heavy seas rather than spend the night anchored off shore.

Vigo, Spain

Our second European port was Vigo, Spain. We arrived at 9:00 am on Saturday, April 12th. We spent the day in Vigo exploring the narrow streets and exquisite architecture. In each city we visited we mailed postcards to our three grandsons. It became quite an adventure to buy postcards, address them and find a post office to buy stamps and mail. We became quite adept in indicating what we needed to the postal clerks.

Le Havre, France

Le Havre, France was the next European port. We arrived in the morning of April 14th. We took a guided tour to the medieval city of Rouen. Rouen was where Joan of Arc was burn at the stake in 1431.