Alive and Well

 

Since the holidays I have fielded several inquiries as to my health and wellbeing. Two occurred just today. I am touched by the thoughtfulness.

I am well, and this is a good time to give an update:

Upon our return from Norway in September I underwent surgery to remove the kidney stones that almost derailed the trip. The recovery was tolerable.

In late October we spent a relaxing week in New York City, lodged near Times Square.

We enjoyed a special “hardhat tour” of parts of Ellis Island not open to the general public,

Visited Liberty Island,

Attended Broadway performances of “The Book of Mormon”, “Wicked”, and La Boheme at the Met,

Spent an afternoon in Central Park watching the New York Marathon,

And of course there were museums to see, food to eat, and crazies to watch.

 In the past I have not been an advocate for travel insurance, but the experience of suffering a back injury in Spain (2024) that necessitated an early return to the States and surgery, my age, and the kidney stone problems last September changed my perspective.

Christine and I purchased an annual “all trips” policy last year through Allianz Global Insurance. It was money well spent and compensated us for the extra costs incurred due to the kidney stone problem during the Norway trip. We have renewed the policy this year in anticipation of major travel ahead.

Sunday we depart for Hawaii. We have been to every US State and every Canadian Province (plus the Yukon Territory), except Hawaii. We will be there for a little over 3 weeks. In another departure from the typical for us we will be traveling in a small group with Road Scholar, formerly known as Elder Hostel. The trip will include 4 islands, with each day plotted out as an in-depth learning experience. How Christine and I will adapt to being told when to be up, where to go, what to see… getting along with the group, remains to be seen. People who have travelled with Road Scholar are typically very positive. If that is our experience then who knows, Egypt and even Antarctica might be in our future with Road Scholar.

In March I plan on taking 3 of the grandsons skiing for a week in Colorado. I plan to ski… not well, not fast, but free. Ski Monarch near Salida waves all fees for “super seniors”. I qualify.

Salida is a delightful western town with good lodging and dining options. Our two-room suite for the 4 of us is $150 a night which includes a simple breakfast.

The big trip on the calendar is a return to Spain for grandson Britton and me to complete our aborted 2024 Camino.

He and I will resume from Burgos and hike 300 miles to Santiago de Compostela. But that is not the half of it:

We will be joined on our departure flight by Christine and our daughter Alexis’ three children (the “Cook kids”), arriving in Madrid. The 6 of us will travel by train for a 3-night stay in Burgos. After sending Britton and me on “The Way” Christine and the “Cook kids” will return to Madrid where they will meet granddaughter Delaney (Britton’s “quad” sister) who will have just finished walking the Portuguese route of the Camino with her school group.

Christine with the 4 grandchildren in tow will then wander through France to Amsterdam where the three Cook kids will fly to meet their mom in New York. Christine and Delaney will continue together to Portugal where they will meet our daughter Renee and her other 2 children.

Finally, Christine, Renee, and the three grandchildren will be on hand in Santiago to welcome Britton and me at the end of our trek. 4 days later Renee will depart for travel with her children while Christine and I head for a couple of weeks in Paris, Brittany, and Normandy. Whew!!

Christine spent nearly 2 hours on the phone today with the airline representative coordinating the 5 separate flight itineraries.

Hawaii should provide some great pictures and a wealth of information. Stay tuned… and Thank You!

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. By design the Statue of Liberty is hollow. These words are still a part of “Lady Liberty” and were never meant to be hollow. My grandparent, 2 who were Germans from Russia (now Ukraine) and 2 who were Arabs from Lebanon, were welcomed to America through Ellis Island. How things have changed in a little more than a century.