I'm Back

I am back from what turned out be a fabulous vacation. If you ever have a chance go on a river cruise do it. I loved everything from beginning to end.  I have hundreds of photos to go through which will keep me busy for months.

It was my first time in Europe.  I was so impressed by how clean it was. I didn't see piles of trash in the streets or along the highway. Here there's all this effort to ban coffee cups and plastic to reduce littering. Nope- we just need to stop freaking littering.

I fell in love with Budapest. A beautiful city with a great vibe to it

The other thing that struck me was the wine. It was so good. And the beer. And the food. It was all amazing. I ate and drank like there was no tomorrow. #noregrets.

don't get me started on the ice cream

Ed and I danced every night. If you knew Ed you would know that falls into the category of 'minor miracle'. We were part of a larger group and quickly became known as 'the Nova Scotians'. We brought the fun.

I loved touring the small and large cities. I loved sitting on the deck of the boat watching vineyards, farms, churches and castles go by. The weather was stunning- sunshine and 23-26 everyday. I loved meeting new people and getting to know them. I had fun conversations with a couple from New York who had family connections to NS and Newfoundland. We had spirited political discussions (they were conservatives and I'm a liberal). But they were the kind of conversations that seem to be impossible these days: polite and respectful. There was one guy on the boat who made racist and mysoginistic comments but we just avoided him.

I got lost in the details of houses. I want this plaque. 

So many highlights. Be prepared to be spammed with photos for a while. When it was time to come home we were ready. Shortly after I got home I managed to squeeze in two rides. Given that we both had two weeks off (Shanea was unable to ride with weather and other things) they were not bad. Then I came down with the flu. After so many cities, airports, planes and busses it is not surprising. I've been trying to catch up on the blogs and see what you've been up to.

The vacation exceeded our expectations and it was just what we needed.