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Dogs, and Arboretum
Spring is starting in Dallas area! Today, Stacy and Dallas invited us over for a brunch and to go over wedding plans. As usual, good food, family company, and things to look forward to!
The weather was so nice I just had to take a few pictures of the dogs playing outside. After that, we made a little side trip to the Dallas Arboretum to look at all the flowers springing up. The Arboretum is a favorite place for us to go multiple time during the year.
Nikita
Link
Hyacinths look and smell great!
A pink tulip, subtle in the colors
Pansies always look like they have a face
Double flower
A little waterfall
Even cherry blossoms
Even Benjamin Franklin looks pleased
Bright colored tulips
Colorful flower beds
Reflection cruise
The Reflection is a relatively new ship, so we thought we would check it out on a one week Caribbean cruise. It has become one of our favorite ships . All the shipboard facilities were nice, we’ll laid out and tastefully decorated. Plus, there was some truly great at work on display. And of course the food was excellent, and we had a beverage package so we didn’t go thirsty either.
Or cruise took us to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, and an unexpected stop in Nassau. The last stop was added to replace our planned stopover in Coco Cay, as there was a major storm in that area. No one seemed to mind.
It was fun to travel with our friends (Les and Ida Cook), we made sure to get enough to eat, and got some nice photo opportunities. Below are a few, and many more in out Flickr album.
Inside the dining room
Shopping center in Jamqica
Colorful Jamaica!
Jamaica flower
Not sure about some of the ships in the harbor
A view of where we've been
Guess we made it to the Caymans
It does get hot on the islands. ...
Romola, Les and Ida
Island colors
More colors
Making sure we stay off the rail
Romola and Ida between the ships
A park in Cozumel
Where we had great Indonesian food (Chi)
Our ship
Early morning on board
Swimming pool at dawn
Following the NCL Escape out of Miami
Atlantis hotel
Back to Miami
At the Atlantis hotel
Caribbean cruise on the Jade
We do a lot of cruising, but never on Norwegian. So when we saw a very low price on a cruise from Houston, we decided to give “freestyle cruising” a try. Especially since they offered upgraded dining.
The ship was the Jade, and we had an inside cabin. It was small, but for our purpose just fine. The room attendant was attentive and did a nice job. The wood finish looked quite rich and attractive. Our only complaint was location, right above one of the night clubs, made for noisy evenings.
The food was very good, especially the upgraded dining. No problems there, although the open dining can get quite busy. The one problem we did have was that the Asian restaurant used MSG, which Romola is allergic to. So we skipped that restaurant.
Overall though, we enjoyed the ship and her crew. So much, we’re going from Houston to Barcelona on her in April.
The NFL Jade
Will Rogers, Cherokee Nation
Our next stop with the Traveling Supremes was Wagoner, OK. From here, we visited the Will Rogers Museum and the Cherokee Nations Heritage site.
William Penn Adair “Will” Rogers (1879 – 1935) was an American cowboy, vaudeville performer, humorist, newspaper columnist, social commentator and stage and motion picture actor. He became one of the most famous American media stars during the 1920s and 1930s.
Known as “Oklahoma’s Favorite Son”,[1] Rogers was born to a prominent Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory (now part of Oklahoma). He traveled around the world three times, made over 70 movies, wrote more than 4,000 newspaper columns, and became a world-famous figure. By the mid-1930s, he was the leading political wit of his time, and was the top-paid Hollywood star. Rogers died in 1935 with aviator Wiley Post when their small airplane crashed in northern Alaska.
The Cherokee Heritage Center is a non-profit society and museum that preserves the historical and cultural artifacts, language, and traditional crafts of the Cherokee Indian. It consists of a museum that show the remarkable arts and crafts of Cherokee Nation, and gives a moving account of the “Trail of Tears”.
The Cherokee Nation removal in 1838 (the last forced removal east of the Mississippi) was brought on by the discovery of gold in Georgia, in 1829. The Cherokee were divided into thirteen groups, who were forcibly marched to the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Approximately 5,000 of the 16,500 relocated Cherokee perished along the way.
One of the more famous Cherokees was Andy Hartley Payne, the winner of the Trans American Footrace staged in 1928. He ran the 3,423.5 mile from New York to Los Angeles in 23 days averaging 6 miles per hour over an 84 day staged run.
We were also given an excellent tour of the restored village, and the way of Cherokee life. A very educational and interesting display.
Statue of Will Rogers
One of the many paintings of Will. He was a laid back type of guy.
One of the wings of the Museum
A statue of Andrew Payne, a participant in the great Transcontinental Footrace (1928)
Ceremonial head dress
Our guide, explaining life in an Cherokee house
Our guide making flint arrow heads
Inside the Council House, looking up to gods in the sky
Texas Oil Museum, Tyler Rose Parade
If you don’t like museums, you definitely should visit the East Texas Oil Museum in Kilgore, TX. There isn’t much to read, instead you walk into history with some excellent exhibits and animated displays… including an elevator “ride” some 5,000 feet into the ground to view oil deposits on site.
The discovery of oil in the 1930’s had a major impact on this area in particular, and on the country in general. Our Traveling Supremes RV group had a rally in the area, and this certainly was a highlight. Very much recommended.
The next day we viewed the Tyler Rose Festival Parade. Tyler distributes about 75% of the roses in the United States, and has a major economic impact on the area. There were many marching bands, beautiful girls, automobiles, beautiful girls, colorful roses, beautiful girls… well, you get the idea. After the parade we visited the Tyler Rose Gardens and viewed the very elaborate center piece exhibits for the festivities.
Lik walking in the 1930’s Kilgore
Various drill bits on display
Inside a work shop with animated “worker”
Inside a General Store
The local Rangerettes had a huge influence on cheerleaders everywhere
Prominent display of the Flag
Very colorful dresses
More royalty on display
Colorful floats, too
Hail he Queen!
A very elaborate centerpiece for the festivities
An overview of the Tyler Rose Garden
A Tyler rose
Back in Texas
The vacation is over, and we’re back in our motor home. In fact we are back in Lewisville for a few days. When we left, most of the park was flooded due to heavy rains. Now it is back to normal. But…… what’s with the weather? It’s been the mid 90’s all week….
Home sweet home
The water is way down
Athens – the last day
All good things must come to an end, even a terrific trip like the one we have been on. So on our last day we managed to get in some final sights.
We walked to Athens First Cemetery, the most important cemetery in Athens. It is not the largest, but most prestigious. The cemetery is organized by family, with all family members buried in one area or crypt. Some of these were exceptionally elaborate. If you can’t take it with you, make a monument…
Our friend George and his lovely wife Angela made our last day most pleasant. First, he drove us near the top of Mount Lycabettus, the highest point in Athens at 300 meters (908 feet) above sea level. A great view from way up there made the last climb up worthwhile!
For a send of, George treated us to a fantastic lunch at a very local sea food restaurant near the seaside city of Pireas. The fish was fresh caught and superbly cooked. Great sendoff, George!
Now only have the trip back to contend with and then see if we can get life back to normal.
Wonder if this was a sailor making his last voyage
A memorial to all the mothers killed during World War 2
Elaborate carvings
Some self importance at work here?
Some reminded me of the Parthenon
The last walk was well uphill
The view made the climb worth it
If you look real close you can find the Acropolis
Yes, the fish is fresh!
This is how we like to see the fish!
And a toast to you and Angela, George
Athens – the Agora Forums
The Agora of Athens (also known as “Forums”) was the center of the ancient city: a large, open square where the citizens could assemble for a wide variety of purposes. On any given day the space might be used as a market, or for an election, a dramatic performance, a religious procession, military drill, or athletic competition. Here administrative, political, judicial, commercial, social, cultural, and religious activities all found a place together in the heart of Athens, and the square was surrounded by the public buildings (“Stoas”) necessary to run the Athenian government.
Later the Agora defined the open-air, often tented, marketplace of a city where merchants had their shops and where craftsmen made and sold their wares. Today, open-air markets are still held in that same location. There were confectioners who made pastries and sweets, slave-traders, fishmongers, vintners, cloth merchants, shoe-makers, dress makers, and jewelry purveyors. One of the Stoas (Stoa of Attalos) has been rebuilt just to show the size and complexity of the building. It now houses the Museum shops.
View looking west toward the Hephaisteion
Detail of the Hephaisteion
Romola is dwarfed by the Hephaisteion
Lower colonnade of the Stoa of Attalos.
Bust of one of the residents of the Forum
Some of the statuary
Much of the Shrine has been rebuilt
Inside the Shrine
Not much left of the Metroon, one of the early meeting places
One of the old walls of the Forum
Athens – museums
Athens has a lot of museums. A lot. We didn’t have enough time for all so we just visited the New Acropolos Museum and the Archaeological Museum. We could have spent days in either one.
The New Acropolis Museum is considered one of Athens most important museums. Beautifully laid out, and still respecting the excavations underneath. In fact, you can still observe the ongoing excavations, either through viewing openings or transparent floor panels. Much of the Acropolis’ treasures are on display in this museum.
The National Archaeological Museum houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide. Of special interest was the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient analog computer designed to predict astronomical positions for navigation as well as predicting the cycles of the Ancient Olympic Games.
Acropolis museum, at night
Pieces of the frieze
Parthenon carvings
Parthenon carvings
Parthenon carvings
Parthenon carvings
Parthenon busts
National Archeaological museum
Detailed figurine some 5,000 years old
Gold burial decorations
This statue is some 8 feet tall
Tall statue of a virgin holding her robe
Men spent much of their time in the gym, and showed off by running around nude (really!)
Artemision Bronze (God of the Sea), either Zeus or Poseidon
Depicting s killed warrior and his sad slave
Massive bronze statues
World’s first analog computer
Athens – Acropolis
Athens has been the center of Greek civilization for some 4,000 years. The capital of modern Greece, it’s still dominated by 5th century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings such as the colonnaded Parthenon temple. So it was fitting that we started our Athens trip at this iconic location.
The first observation was that of people. Crowds everywhere, it took1/2 hour to buy tickets, then 15 minutes to get in. There was even a 15 minute line to leave the grounds! But put all that behind you, and enjoy not only the scenery but the awareness of walking in (on) the steps of people over some 4,000 years. And marvel at the abilities of people who did not have any benefits of modern equipment.
Across from our hotel was the Temple of Olympian Zeus, definitely worth a visit. The work on the column top was incredible. Then a walk to the Panathenaic Stadium, site of the first modern Olympic games in 1896, again in 2004, and now hosting ceremonial events & live music concerts.
We ended the day with a terrific dinner at a most pleasant local Greek restaurant. And oh yes, we walked around 9 miles today.
The Parthenon as viewed from the Olympic Stadium; Zeus Temple peeking from behind the trees
The Parthenon, picture taken from the rooftop bar in our hotel
St. George Chapel, on Lycovitus Hill
Parthenon elevation
Parthenon corner
Hard to imagine how these were built!
Looking up at the massive stonework
Tanya and Romola in front of the Parthenon
Lots of pieces left to put together!
A view down to the old theater, still used today
“Porch of the Maidens”
Tanya and Shane in front of the caryatids (female statues)
Hadrian Arch
Detail of the column tops
Temple of Olympian Zues
Looking into the open end of the stadium
Statue at the Stadium
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