June’s misadventures ( “Emergency” ) are thankfully in our “rearview mirror”. With their retreat the adventure that is September looms large for us in life’s “windshield”. Sandwiched in between was a quick road trip in July to visit our daughter Alexis and her three children at Camp Pontiac in New York’s Hudson Valley.

This was their seventh year at camp where Alexis is head nurse. Over the years the grandchildren have progressed from young campers to Counselors in Training and Junior Camp Counselors.

August brought the successful sale of our Colorado home with another road trip to close the transaction and trailer back some special furnishings and personal items to Kansas City. As much as we have loved our time and friendships in Colorado, we are now free to pursue other travel opportunities. The horizon of age and eventual physical limitations grow ever closer.

In all, the July and August driving excursions covered nearly 5,000 miles.

September deserves a rest. Paradoxically, we will spend the month in Norway. The journey begins with a Delta flight to Bergen, Norway.

We will spend the better part of a week in that coastal city (pop. 295,000), the second largest in Norway (pop. 5.6 million). From there the excitement builds.

In 2017 we met a wonderful couple from Salt Lake City, Utah, Ron and Lena Meck. We were camping on Sitka Island in Alaska and they occupied an adjoining campsite. Over the course of the two days shared with them they spoke of an ocean journey they hoped to take someday in Norway aboard “The Hurtigruten” (which they later accomplished in 2023). I became infected with the idea.

In 2018 Christine and I were in Madrid, Spain on our way to Lisbon, Portugal. I received a text message from Ron Meck; they were also in Madrid! We met for dinner. Remarkably, in 2022 Christine and I were heading north in Newfoundland, Canada while Ron and Lena were southbound on the same roadway. We met for lunch. Some friendships are just meant to be!

Back to “The Hurtigruten”: It was founded in 1893 as a single service to connect the many isolated communities along Norway’s coast (the second longest coastline in the world). Hurtigruten ships expanded operations, day and night, throughout the year, delivering passengers, goods, and post. “Hurtigruten” loosely translates in English to “The Fast Route”. By 1936 nearly 250,000 passengers traveled annually aboard its coastal express service. By 1950 annual numbers were over 500,000 out of a national population of just over 3 million. In 1968 service was further expanded to the Svalbard Archipelago above the Arctic Circle.

Remaining true to its roots, Hurtigruten ships continue to be working commerce vessels that deliver passengers, vehicles, goods and mail to scores of Norway’s coastal ports. However, Hurtigruten also recognized the tourism attraction of its vessels.

“Signature Voyages” are presented on three Hurtigruten vessels, MS Trollfjord, MS Finnmarken, and MS Midnatsol. With select ports of call and a nod toward luxury these ships, small by cruise ship standards (500 passengers), offer true adventure tourism.

Christine and I are booked for 15 days aboard the MS Trollfjord. Our cabin is small but comfortable.

We will journey from Bergen up to coast of Norway past the Arctic Circle to North Cape, the northernmost point of continental Europe.

From the Hurtigruten website.

We will then continue to Svalbard Island (pop. 3,000), visiting its administrative center, Longyearbyen (pop. 2,000), and Ny-Ålesund, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world (749 miles from the North Pole).

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Ny-Ålesund is mostly dedicated to arctic scientific research. Its population varies from a summer high of around 115 to a winter low of around 35 permanent residents.

A few Ny-Ålesund curiosities: If one is to venture out it is required that you be armed or accompanied by someone who is armed… Polar Bears. Locking exterior doors on buildings is forbidden in order to provide a possible escape from… Polar Bears. Cell phones, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi must remain disabled, except in case of an emergency, as they may interfere with sensitive scientific instruments that are in use. Finally, in Ny-Ålesund one can still see the mast from which in 1926 the Norge, a lighter than air vessel, made the first air transit over the North Pole.

Our 15-day voyage will conclude back in Bergen where we will board a train to Oslo traveling 7 hours on the Bergen Railway Line, often touted as the most beautiful rail journey in the world.

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We spend our final week in Oslo where we will visit our foreign exchange student daughter, Hege, (1994-95) and her family.

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Stay tuned as I hope to provide frequent day journals and photographs… provided I do not get eaten by a Polar Bear.

Peace Everyone! Pete

May 11^th, we arrived in San Francisco.

With a population of over 827,000 SF is the 4^th largest city in California, 17^th largest in the United States, and among US cities with a population over 250,000 San Francisco ranks first in the US by per capita income. Prices, especially in real estate and dining, certainly reflected this. We paid $20 for two ice cream cones at a Ben and Jerry’s located in the Castro District where an ordinary looking 3-bedroom flat was advertised for sale at over 4 million dollars.

Simple breakfast for two (eggs Benedict, eggs with waffle, one tea, no juice or coffee) was consistently at or north of $60.

Unlike Chicago, we did not have pre-arranged activities. We knew generally what we wanted our 4 days to include: a Bay cruise, Fisherman’s Wharf, Haight-Ashbury, The Castro, China Town, Cable Cars, and some fine dining. Alcatraz was a “no”, been there, done it, and glad we did. Perhaps it would have been on the list if we had a 5^th day.

Our hotel room was terrific! Located at the corner to China Town, it was a block from the cable cars, the financial district and Union Square shopping.

We were on the 8^th floor. An enormous room, equally spacious bathroom, and best of all an expansive private balcony. The balcony would have received more attention from us but for the cool temperatures we experienced, daytime highs in the 60’s and nighttime lows in the 50’s). Thankfully it did not rain during our stay.

Dining: Morning breakfasts were pricey. We did not dine at the hotel, choosing instead a variety of pleasant morning eateries.

Each evening we chose well regarded restaurants. Notable was John’s Grill where I ordered the house specialty, “Sam Spade’s Lamb Chops”, made famous by Humphry Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon”. Jazz garnished our excellent dinner.

Lunches were unplanned. We seized opportunity where we could: Chowder at the wharfs, and a delightful surprise in the form of a very authentic Irish Pub located in an alley across from our hotel.

Since our hotel was literally at the corner of China Town, strolling its streets and visiting its shops was a first day order of business.

On our last night we dined in one of its most popular restaurants, the R & G Lounge. Always packed with locals and out-of-towners, we were fortunate to score a reservation.

One day we rode the street cars (as distinguished from San Francisco’s 19^th Century cable cars) to Haight-Ashbury and The Castro.

These street cars, creatures of the mid-Twentieth Century, are tethered to overhead electric lines. Each car is dedicated to the ghosts of like historic services in other US cities, among them Cleveland, Detroit, and Kansas City.

Haight-Ashbury still seeks to embrace its psychedelic/counterculture history and proudly points to the haunts of famous luminaries.

This was once the home of Janice Joplin.

However, with the legalization of cannabis in California and 38 other States the “naughty weed” reputation of Haight Ashbury is more past than present.

“The Castro” has its own vibe.

This neighborhood of charming (expensive!) homes and themed shops became a LGBTQ refuge in the mid-Twentieth Century. Its main street features the “LGBTQ Walk of Fame” bronze plaques and displays of pride flags.

The Twin Peaks Tavern was the first gay bar in the US to have plate glass windows where patrons were openly visible to the public (1972).

We spent an afternoon at Fisherman’s Wharf which included a cruise of the bay.

SF has a lower-than-average rate of violent crime, but minutes before we arrived there was a fatal shooting. We passed police officers as they taped off the intersection and erected a CSI tent. The homicide was prominent in that evening’s news, the city’s 11^th. The shooter turned himself in to police that afternoon.

At our last visit to SF we were walking the Golden Gate Bridge when not 100 feet in front of us a pedestrian threw himself off the bridge, plunging to his death in the waters below.

The 90-minute Bay cruise provided a pleasant display of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the skyline, among other sights.

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a ride on the celebrated 19^th Century cable cars.

This system, which dates to 1873, once featured over 23 lines. Today only 3 lines remain, more as a tourist attraction than as a public conveyance.

To our surprise the highlight of our 4 days was not any of the above attractions, but rides in taxi cabs. These were not ordinary cabs but rather Waymo’s self-driving Jaguar cabs. They were EVERYWHERE!

The experience was both ordinary and surreal.  You download the Waymo app to your cell phone, and “hale” a cab in the same way that one would with Uber or Lyft. “Strange” begins with the car pulling up to the curb. It displays your initials electronically on the roof to let you know that this is your cab. You use your cell phone to unlock the door and enter the cab. You can put luggage in the trunk (no cabbie to help) and I understand that the cab will not drive off without allowing you to retrieve your bags. We did not test this feature.

A human voice welcomes you and instructs passengers to fasten seatbelts, then you are off. To the uninitiated it is weird. Our “Driver-Les”, (pun intended) is polite and invisible. “He” obeys all traffic laws and navigates the challenges of congested urban traffic with expertise. “He” is patient, never sounding the horn at distracted drivers although a human would likely have. Pedestrians, emergency vehicles, obstructions, pose no difficulty. We, on the other hand, don’t know how to act. We found ourselves uncharacteristically quiet, as if there were a driver present. We gaped at the steering wheel moving of its own accord. Occasionally we would quietly laugh, noting the contradictions of rearview mirrors, driver seatbelt and cupholder.

The cost was approximately what one would expect for any cab ride. It was a real bargain when we factored in the entertainment value. We rode several times, would do so again, and recommend it. Waymo does not drive to the airport.

Here is a video of our Waymo experience:

Our flight home on May 15^th was the low point of the entire 10 days. En route to the airport we learned that our outgoing flight was delayed and we would miss our connection in Salt Lake City. At the airport Delta staff rebooked us through Seattle, but with a 6-hour delay and in coach, not the first class we had paid for. We arrived in Kansas City past 11 p.m. where our daughter waited for us at the airport. It was after midnight when we entered our home, 17 hours after we awoke that morning. And we had 9 a.m. appointments in the morning… Brutal. The entire journey, Exhilarating!

Peace Everyone. Pete

It’s been over 50 years since I called Chicago’s south suburbs “home“. Calumet City, South Holland, and finally Crete. 

Until five years ago there was a place and a person that welcomed me “home“. Then my mother passed from this life to…? She is still in my contacts and I saved her last voicemail message to me. Rarely a day go by that I do not hear her voice in my heart, “… Peter Michael…!“

Christine and I are in Chicago for four nights, enjoying the sites and activities of the downtown. We flew in and do not have a car. This is perhaps the first time that I have not visited “home“ and connected with old friends here. 

We have not been idle. A visit to the Field Museum, a water taxi to Chinatown, an evening at the theater, an afternoon of baseball at Wrigley Field, THE CUBS! Of course, there are the dining experiences and relaxed stays at two upscale downtown hotels, The Club Quarters River Hotel and the Korean themed L7 Hotel.

All of this is a prelude to a 52+ hour cross-country train journey via Amtrak. Christine and I have taken overnight sleeper trains many times in Europe, but none of this duration or with these amenities. We have a private compartment with bath and shower. There is private dining, an observation car (should we grow tired of our own picture window), and a steward assigned to our compartment (yes, room service!). The train stops will include Omaha (Nebraska), Denver and Winter Park (Colorado), Salt Lake City (Utah), Reno (Nevada), and our final destination, San Francisco, California.

We could have planned overnight stays in any of those cities but chose to take the entire route as a continuous journey for the experience. We imagine that there will be delays since passenger trains in the United States take second priority to freight trains. We will spend four nights in San Francisco before flying home to Kansas City.

What follows here is a diary and visual buffet of our time in The Windy City:

We flew into Chicago via Southwest Airlines. Cramped, relatively unpleasant, but inexpensive and tolerable for a little over an hour in the air. 

Chicago features excellent commuter transport. A three day pass on all Chicago Transit Authority services cost us $15 apiece. It took us about 30 minutes to train from Midway airport to the downtown Loop. 

On day one we had enough time in the afternoon to visit parts of Chicago’s Field Museum. To do it justice one really needs a day.

The “Museum Campus“ includes the Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, and the Shedd Aquarium. To take in all of these one would need an entire weekend.

A visit to the Millennium Park and the “Bean“ was a must. Just to the south is the Chicago Art Institute, which we have previously visited.

We have achieved over 15,000 steps each day, but it hardly seems like an effort as the weather and scenery have been so pleasant.

Highlights of day two included a river taxi to Chinatown with late lunch. 

This was followed by an extraordinary evening downtown at the theater. 

We spent two hours enthralled by the production of Hadestown (nominated for 14 Tony Awards). If this ever comes to your community it is a must see!

Day three found us at Chicago’s Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs lose to the San Francisco Giants.

We were 12 rows up from the field and I came within 3 feet of fielding a fly ball.

Earlier in the day I had learned that a high school friend (Crete-Monee class of 1970) would be at the game. Among the thousands of spectators we sought out and found classmate Bobbi Decker for a brief reunion.

Our original plan had been to spend four nights at the Club Quarters River Hotel. The accommodations were acceptable and concierge,Jock, was a delight!

However, we decided to look for something more upscale for the final 2 nights. We secured a suite of rooms at the Korean themed L7 Hotel, and all I could say was “Wow“! It was a good move.

Dinner at The Evie Restaurant on Michigan Avenue capped off a memorable third day.

Day four and we took a long leisurely stroll up, down, and around “The Magnificent Mile”, Michigan Avenue.

During the sojourn we learned the identity of the new Pope. The city was abuzz with the news that one of its own was the new Pontiff, Leo XIV! “Da Pope” (that’s Chicago speak) and I grew up at the same time a few miles apart in neighboring parishes.

Of course, there was some shopping.

We were fortunate to secure a late afternoon reservation at Pizzeria Portofino on the river.

The food and ambiance were excellent, but the real highlight was our server, Ellee.

It was only her third shift but she handled the packed venue like a seasoned veteran. Ellee is looking forward the development of her business (interior design and organizing home and office environments). Near to our hearts is her upcoming trip to Portugal and Spain.

To Ellee’s mom: Be proud, you raised her well!

Day four concluded with a stroll down Chicago’s River Walk, the setting sun to our backs and a cold Lake Michigan wind in our faces…

…But at the end of this long day it was Richardo who served the BEST martinis!

Tomorrow begins Part 2, we board our train to San Francisco.

Peace Everyone. Pete

PS. Upon reflection this occurred to me, 1972. I was barely 20 years old and it was 2 years before I met Christine. I was passenger on a couple of other notable train trips: London to Paris; at the English Channel the train was uncoupled in segments and rolled into an ocean ferry. We crossed the Channel, dining on deck above and sleeping in our train compartments below. Later that summer I travelled on the Orient Express, 23 hours Belgrad Yugoslavia to Paris France (2nd class, and nothing like in the movies. It was brutal).