Roundup of April-May 2022 Posts

Today I’m rounding up two months’ worth of blog posts because April had fewer posts than usual. That’s because we were away for two weeks. Despite my best intentions to keep up, I was just too busy doing other things—really fun things—to write a post or two. Besides, I knew I could catch up with this April-May 2022 roundup with two months’ worth of blog posts.

Our Getaway on the Rhine

Mount Rigi, Swiss Alps, Lucerne, Rhine Getaway

On Mt. Rigi with Swiss Alps

Where did we go? We went to Europe on a Viking River Cruise; their Rhine Getaway from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with a couple of extra days added to both ends. If you enjoy a vacation the combines quiet time with exploration, excellent food, wonderful service, and the company of other educated and curious folk, these river cruises fit the bill.

Video: The Swiss Alps from Mount Rigi

We had scheduled our Rhine Getaway for 2020 but you know what happened next. The trip was on hold for two years and we grabbed the chance to go up the Rhine River through four different countries. We had spectacular weather, as these photos show. We wore masks on the planes, got tested every day on the ship, and had to prove we were Covid-free to get back into the country. The latter requirement was a real pain in the neck.

My Travel Mania

The last two years have been hard on me because I love to travel. If I had my druthers, I would come home to do laundry, water the plants, and catch up with the mail before heading out again. Alas, I lack that much disposable income, so I have to be choosy.

Einsiedeln Monastery, Black Madonna

The Einsiedeln Monastery

Also, I’m completely curious and want to go everywhere and see everything. I will climb up to the dovecote at Chateau LaRoche Guyon despite the steps being uneven, carved from the cliff, black as pitch and lacking handrails.

I will go down in the crypt in Cologne Cathedral and up on the roof as well. The smell and mess in a Swiss dairy barn do not dissuade me from poking around. I enjoy digging for truffles in he Perigord’s cold November dirt. Bundling up on a cold spring morning to sail through the Wachau Valley and past the castles on the Rhine–no problem.

Video: Swiss Cowbells in the Dairy Barn

Just show me a place where I can explore and I’ll go there. I even enjoy driving in strange places and once got myself from Los Angeles to Long Beach and back without a map.

Our next trips, though, won’t take us any further than Long Island for a wedding and Virginia to see the grandkids. But I’m looking forward to both.

Back to Normal

Colmar, France, Towers, Viking River Cruise, April-May 2022

Towers in Colmar, France

Right now we’re back in our normal routine which, unfortunately, does not include being served gourmet meals with our choice of wines, having someone make our bed while we eat breakfast, or being taken on wonderful trips up mountains, into churches, past castles, onto lakes, or around tulip gardens. Sigh.

On the other hand, I’m back in the water every morning, which is even nicer now that the pool is in open air for the summer.

Video: Holland’s Keukenhof Gardens at Tulip Time

Roundup of April – May 2022 Posts

I did write a different post for today but decided to submit it as an Op-Ed in the Washington Post instead. In the meantime, here is the roundup of April-May 2022 posts on The Next Phase Blog. Check them out—you might find some you like.

Boston and History

Business and Technology

Earth and Space

Spiritual

Travel

Video: Listen to the church bells in Speyer, Germany

Women Challenging Change

Other News

Keukenhof Gardens, Tulips, Amsterdam, Holland, red and yellow stripesApril-May 2022

Keukenhof Tulips

In other news, the tour season is ramping up as folks flood back to take the vacations they missed. I’ve gone back to leading tours in Boston, although I’m doing it on a limited basis because of the high cost of gasoline.

And I’m writing—always writing. I’ve gotten up to Chapter 52 on the current novel in progress and have sent the last one to my agent. Fingers crossed.