Mark Twain

    I just finished Ron Chernow’s 1033 page book on Mark Twain.  Reading Chernow’s other books on “Grant” and “Hamilton” was a struggle but I was absorbed with “Twain” because of the many problems that he had with his daughters.  Twain mourned the lost childhoods of his daughters, Jean and Clara, and fondly remembered the days before their estrangement when he was the “magical paterfamilias.”  When they were young, Twain enjoyed reading to them and playing games.  He had “vague, dream-like glimpses of them as they used to be in their long vanquished years.”  The girls romped and played in their blue Calico dresses, with their spindle legs and their pageboy haircuts.

   When he turned seventy years old, Twain wrote: “Arriving at Pier 70, where you board your waiting ship with a reconciled spirit, and lay your course towards a sinking sun with a contented heart.”  It was an unusual thing to write as by that time Twain had lost his wife, Livy, and two of his children, Langdon and Susy.  He still had two daughters left.  Jean had epilepsy, was often confined to a sanatorium, and died in a bathtub right before Twain passed.  That left Clara who tried to launch a singing career but was resentful because she knew that people only attended her concerts because she was the daughter of Mark Twain.

   “In most lives there comes a mellowing, an autumnal calm that overtakes even the stormiest of personalities.”  As it became clear that Twain was dying, Clara decided that it was a good time to get married and move to Europe.  Twain was so upset at being abandoned that he refused to attend the rehearsal dinner.  When the wedding was over and the happy couple sailed for Europe, Twain left for Bermuda.  He often escaped to this island where he could achieve his “autumnal calm.”

   “The praise that we want comes from our children and it is the praise that we are the least likely to get.”  Twain, suffering from angina attacks and bronchitis, cuts his trip to Bermuda short so that he can go home to die peaceably.  Clara, now his only living relative, sails back from Europe so that she can be there for the final act.  While he was on his deathbed, Clara told Twain that she was pregnant.  He died and six weeks later, and his only grandchild, Nina, was born.  Nina committed suicide, died childless in 1966, at the age of fifty five, ending the Clemens line.  

Overseas Travel Notes

May, 2025: “The Baltic Sea”

1. London: Crown Jewels

2. Amsterdam: canal ride

3. Denmark: Little Mermaid, Colored Houses

4. Sweden: Lund Cathedral, Storteget Square, KFC in Malmo

5. Berlin: Brandenburg Gates, Tiergarten, Reichstag

6. Gdańsk: Royale Route with Neptune and Four Quarters Fountain

7. Klaipeda, Lithuania: Amber Tour

8. Riga, Latvia: tour of old city

9. Tallin, Estonia: Medieval Experience

10. Helsinki, Finland: tour from Senate Square to Rock Church

December, 2024: “The Philippines”

1. Kaohsiung, Taiwan: The Tree House and Indigenous People’s Cultural Park

2. Currimao: Philippines: Vigan Old City and Pottery

3. Manila, Philippines: Open Market and St Thomas School internment camp

4. Coron, Philippines: Maquinit Hot Springs and little girls grabbing our hands

5. Boracay, Philippines: Motag Living Village and water buffalo

6. Puerto Princessa, Philippines: WWII Museum and prison

7. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia: architecture tour

8. Brunei: Water Village and Sultan’s Museum

9. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Cu Chi Tunnels and Museum of the American War

10. Singapore: Kranji War Cemetery

May, 2024: “Ireland”

1. Dublin: Trinity College

2. Rock of Cashel

3. Jerpoint Abbey

4. Waterford Crystal

5. Mahon Falls

6. Blarney Castle

7. Muckross House: personal tour

8. Dingle Peninsula

9. Cliffs of Moher

10. Ashford Castle

November, 2024: “Burgandy and Provence”

1. Arles: Roman Amphitheater

2. Avignon: Palace of the Popes (challenging for a blind woman)

3. Viviers: cathedral (woman cried when she saw me helping Tracey feel the altar)

4. Tournon: cathedral (woman showed off her house)

5. Lyon: cathedral (UNESCO site with 3D rendering)

6. Beaune: historic hospital

December, 2023: “Southeast Asia”

1. Ko Samui, Thailand: Mummy Monk, Big Buddha Temple (39’ Gold), Happy Buddha Temple (98’)

2. Phu My, Vietnam: Golden Buddha Temple retreat for monks, and typical house

3. Saigon, Vietnam: Presidential Palace

4. Vung Tau, Vietnam: White Buddha complex, White Palace,

5. Lombok, Indonesia: Sasak House for drums, fights, dung covered building

6. Benoa, Bali, Indonesia: Mengwi Royal Temple (floating), Tanah Lot on offshore rock

7. Benoa, Bali, Indonesia: Aviary or bird park

8. Singapore: Marina Bay Harbor and Merlion statue

October, 2023: “The Chateaus of Bordeaux”

1. Orleans: Joan of Arc house

2. Bordeaux: Cathedral UNESCO

3. Saint Emilon: church carved into a mountain

4. Route de la Corniche: residents of sea captains who were returning from their voyages.

5. Libourne: La Maison Mulato

6. Bordeaux: motorcycle ride

April, 2023: “Paris, France”

1. Rouen: Joan of Arc Church, Market Square, rioters burning tires

2. Honfluer: ships in port

3. Normandy: American Cemetery at Omaha Beach, Les Braves steel statue

4. Versailles, Louvre, Moulen Rouge,

March, 2023: “Panama Canal”

1. Mexico: Acapulco cliff jumpers

2. Guatemala: coffee plantation

3. Panama: locks of the canal

4. Colombia: Cartagena Inquisition Museum

October, 2022: “Rhine and Moselle”

1. Cochem: castle on the Moselle

2. Trier: Roman aqueduct

3. Luxembourg: American Memorial Cemetery

4. Bernkastle: winery

5. Heidelberg: vinegar. Wear capes

6. Strasbourg: Black Forest, Armbruster factory

7. Baden Baden: Niko, casino

September, 2022: “South Africa”

1. Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls

2. Cape Town. Table Mountain

3. Cape Point National Park baboons and penguins

4. Kapama Game Reserve: Herd Trust for elephants

5. Makoma Crèche School for Orphans

April, 2022: “Trans-Atlantic Cruise”

1. Madeira, Portugal: bus ride on hills

2. Malaga, Spain: military parade

3. Alicante, Spain: Easter parade

4. Mallorca, Spain: craft fair with bubbles

February, 2022: “Egypt”

1. Cairo: National Museum modern with glass, Alabaster Mosque

2. Luxor: Temple of Karnak. Two huge statues guarded entrance. Huge statue of Ramses II

3. Dendera: Temple Complex. Only one of two obelisks remain at entrance.

4. Luxor: Temple on site of Thebes, Buggy Ride

5. Valley of the Kings: King Tut, Hatshepsut,

6. Cataract Hotel: Agatha Christie

7. Abu Simbel: temple and mountain cut apart and reassembled

8. Giza Pyramid, Sphinx, Great Pyramid where the lights went out

9. Alexandria: Pompey’s Pillar with a Sphinx.

March, 2022: “Israel”

1. Jerusalem: Dome of the Rock, Wailing Wall, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulcher,

2. Bethlehem: Shepherd’s Garden, Church of the Nativity

October, 2021: “The Danube”

1. Bucharest: Casa Ceausescu, Vlad the Impaler tomb, Palace of Parliament

2. Veliko Tărnovo, Bulgaria: ruins of the Tsarevets Fortress

3. Vidin, Bulgaria: Cooking with Mona

4. Serbia: Djerdap Gorge (Iron Gates) with Decebalus statue

5. Belgrade: Prince Alexander, Yugo Car Tour,

6. Croatia: Vucedol Archaeological Museum

7. Budapest: House of Terror

Addendum 

• I have typed this out because I don’t want to be like the tourists who could tell you, in vague terms, where they have been but nothing of what they have seen or did on vacation.

• In retrospect, these trips have strengthened our marriage. Tracey and I have never been happier.

    

Grant Lillian Virginia: My Earliest Memories

Grant

• The umbilical cord is suppose to have three tubes in it; two to deliver nutrients and one to take out the waste.  The doctors could only find two tubes for Grant and they believed that he would die within hours after he was born.  Only after doing another scan could the doctor find the third tube and I remember that I broke down and cried at work when I got the news.  The thought of two tubes and my child dying right after being born had been weighing heavily on me for weeks and I cried out of relief.
• Grant was so sick after he was born.  He had to get allergy shots twice a week and had to have ear drops to help stop the honey-like goo that was constantly leaking from his ears.  Also, we had a saline solution for his congestion that we had to give him through a nebulizer. It was sad to see his two little eyes beaming above the face mask that we had to use to get him to breathe in the saline.
• When Grant was a baby he just a helpless.  He was constantly sick; for the first year of his life he was at the doctor’s office at least once a week.  It was very frustrating.
• My happiest memories of Grant was when he attended Twinbrook Preschool.  When I arrived at the building to take him home, Grant would take my hand and guide me to his cubby so that he could show me all of the artwork that he had created that day.  Before we left to go home, his teacher would stop me to tell me about all of the cute things that he had done.  For example, he had a special towel that he used for a cape and he would put it on as soon as he got to preschool.  Just by putting on that cape he was no longer Grant Frazier but became “The Weatherman.”  I still don’t know why he picked that name.  There was another time at Twinbrook when he pretended to marry Colleen and the two walked around, arm in arm, all day.
• Grant really liked bath time because he loved to be naked.   I toweled him off, dressed and fed him, and then allowed him to fall asleep on my stomach. Gently, I picked him up and put him into his crib.  It was wonderful.
• I loved to get down on the floor to play with him just to hear him laugh and watch him crawl.  Then, when his teeth came in, he would “drool like a madman.”  It was so cute.  
• Grant’s first sentence was “my shoes, on the book, over there.” 
• I had to learn not to cuss in front of Grant because one time, when he caught his sister doing something wrong, he scolded her by saying, “Ta Bammit LeeLee!”
• When he moved from words to ideas, he learned that he lived in “Bentucky,” that he was handsome and not pretty, and he learned about death when “the big fish” died in our aquarium.   
• Grandma and Grandpa played “Duck, Duck, Goose” with Grant.  When he was done giving the rules of how the game was played, Grant said, “OK Gampa.  You be the ducker!”
• Sometimes I would spot a bird in the back yard and dramatically put my hand to my ear and say, “Hey, Grant!  What did that bird just say?”  Grant had heard this question several times before and stated that “birds don’t talk.”  I would respond with “but they have mouths” and he would say “but they can’t talk.”  He was just so cute doing this routine so I egged him on.  Only years later did he say to me that he didn’t understand why I wasn’t getting it.
• I looked out the window one morning and saw that a raccoon was digging through our garbage.  I went out to chase it away and Grant asked me what it was and I replied that “a big sumbitch raccoon” had escaped to the creek.  This really caught his imagination and every time we went past the garbage or near the creel would ask “is the big sumbitch raccoon back?” 
• Grant used to hug me and kiss me, especially on my upper arm, when he became nervous, like when he was getting a shot or having a splinter removed.

 Lillian
• Right before Aunt Lillian Bray died, we promised her that we would name our first girl after her.  Lillian’s middle name is “Lee” after her great grandmother Maude Lee.  
• We were told that there was a one in seven chance that Lillian would be born with Down’s Syndrome because scans showed that there was a gap between her skull and her brain at the back of her head.  I told my father that “we will accept this child into our lives no matter what complications there are” and we didn’t find out until after she was born that Lillian did not have Down’s Syndrome.  
• Lillian came out so fast that the doctor had to jog to make it to the delivery room to catch her.  There was no time to put Tracey into stirrups or to move her down so that a bucket could be put under her to collect the placenta and embryonic sack.  Instead, they just put down a sheet of plastic on her bed.  Lillian was beautiful when she came out but blood spewed out as well, almost as if it came from a spigot.  She came so fast that Tracey’s water didn’t break and the nurse had to puncture the bag after Lillian was born.  
• My favorite moment of the day was to pick up Lillian from day care.  She was usually at the big picture window with all of the other toddlers, waiting for their parents to get them.  When she saw me, Lillian screamed in excitement and ran to the door.  I carried her in my arms while she grabbed ahold of me tightly, and then she turn away to say goodbye to the staff. 
• I loved to hear Lillian laugh when she was in the swing in our back yard, or when I would throw her up in the air and she flew like a gymnast.  She couldn’t say the words “do that again” so instead she just said “Gen.” When Lillian agrees with something that I said she would nod her head dramatically, to the point where her chin would touch her chest, and she would say “yeah!”  Her first words were “yes” and “no” and “Kan Queue” (Thank You). 
• When I asked her for a kiss, Lillian would race across the room making kissing noises, and wouldn’t stop until her lips touched my cheek.  We used to rub our foreheads together and she liked it so much that she laughed madly at this simple act of affection.  
• Lillian would sometimes ask the same question over and over again.  “Daddy, you know what?”  When I finally gave in and said “what?”  she responded with, “it’s not raining anymore!”  It had been a few days since it had rained but Lillian just liked saying that sentence because it was one the the first thoughts that she put into words..
• Lillian asked Tracey what was holding up the papers on the refrigerator.  “Those are magnets,” Tracey replied.  “Oh,” said Lillian, “they are your nuts.”
• When the waitress put a full pot of scalding hot coffee in front of Lillian, she grabbed it and pulled the pot down on herself.  I drove her to the hospital where the doctors rinsed her first and second degree burns with saline solution.  We took good care of her wound so that there aren’t any scars and, while Lillian doesn’t remember the incident, I will never forget her screaming in pain after being doused with scalding hot coffee.
• Starting at about the age of three, Lillian refused to wear anything but a dress, which was really cute except when the weather turned cold and her legs were bare.  She wouldn’t wear leggings because they were “itchy.”  Lillian loved to spin around so that the dress would fly up and she insisted on wearing her “clip clop” shoes and a ribbon in her hair.  It was clear from a very early age that Lillian was beautiful and the dresses just made her more appealing.
• I would wake Lillian up before preschool and she would wrap her arms and legs around me while sleep left her.  She would lay her head down on my shoulder and would not lift it until I was ready for her to move.  I loved it and always looked forward to this part of the morning routine.
• Lillian came home from Holy Trinity beaming because she was made the line leader when they were changing classes.  Mr. Collard said, “My best little girl is up front.”  As a teacher, you are not supposed to have favorites, but clearly Lillian was a special girl.     
• When a store was giving away free candy I kidded Lillian by telling her not to take any because they were saving it for the good kids.  Lillian pointed to herself and said, “Hello!  Good Kid!”
• When a loose thread appeared on Lillian’s sweater she said that her garment was becoming “unsewed.”    
• When I groaned, having gone up the stairs for about twenty times in one day, Lillian innocently said that I “better not have any more birthdays.”
• A huge limousine passed us in traffic one day and when Lillian saw it she said, “They must have a lot of children.”  Why else would you have such a big car. 
• When a boy at Twinbrook kept throwing dirt clods at Lillian, she complained to me.  “What do you want me to do?  Beat him up?”  She replied with “No!  Shoot him with your gun.”  To this day I don’t know if she was kidding.  
• I used to steal Lillian’s favorite stuffed animal from her bed and laying it on top of mine, saying “he prefers to stay with me.”  This irritated her to no end and she dramatically grabbed the stuffed animal to take back to her room.

 Virginia
• My initial reaction upon learning that we were having a third child was one of pure joy.  Our doctors had told us that, for many physical reasons, we could not have another child without help from modern science so we didn’t use birth control.  That is why Virginia was our “miracle baby.”
• Virginia’s birth was traumatic because she was so big that she came out slowly, and even then with only a lot of pushing by Tracey.  The nurses whisked her away because when the baby is that big then there is a risk of jaundice, diabetes, and a broken collar bone. Fortunately, none of these things happened to Virginia.  Tracey earned bragging rights because she delivered an eleven and a half pound baby vaginally and without an epidural.
• She still has a scar where she accidentally bit her lip.  We took her to the doctor and he had to snip the piece of lip that was hanging off and Virginia allowed me to hold onto her while she cried during this minor operation.
• Virginia was easy to raise because she was so good natured.  She talked all of the time so there wasn’t any frustration with her trying to tell us something and she only cried when she wanted something essential, like a drink or a nap (my go sleep).
• Starting when she was just two years old, Tracey wrapped Virginia up in a big towel after her bath and called her a “Virginia Burrito.”   What made it really cute was when Virginia tried to say “Virginia Burrito” but never could pronounce it correctly.
• One time, Grant asked me what time it was.  I responded with, “I don’t know.  What does the clock say?”  Virginia chimed in with, “it says ‘tick tock, tick tock.’”
• I used to take the kids to Cave Hill Cemetery to walk around the lake and to feed the ducks.  One time, Virginia became frustrated when the ducks kept flying away as she approached them.  Virginia cried out “the ducks won’t let me pat them on the head!”  It was so cute.
• When she was six years old she read her first sentence. It was like a light went on and she started to cry because she was so happy and proud of herself. It was a beautiful moment.  Much later on, she would read novels to her mother at the end of the day and the two bonded over these books.
• I started each day by singing “Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning” when I turned on their lights.  Virginia never wanted to get out of bed and grabbed the mattress when I tried to pull her off.  I solved this problem by starting a wrestling match with the other two and only then would Virginia race out of her room because she didn’t want to miss out on the fun.  
• When I asked her if she wanted to go to Gattiland with us, Virginia said, “yes.  And besides, it wouldn’t be any fun without me.”
• I had to do some shopping and asked Virginia if she would like to come with me.  “Of course I want to go with you.  We are buddies.”  What made this moment so special was that her reply came straight from the heart. 
• I became frustrated during the summer months because the kids were watching so much television.  I kept telling them that if they didn’t get off of the sofa then they were going to get fat and their butts were going to get big.  Virginia got tired of this harangue so the next time that I said, “Do you know what will happen if you watch too much television?”  Virginia replied with “Our butt have gotten gig!  They are huge!”  And then she made a motion of her butt blowing up.  It was funny.
• Our school newspaper liked to ask teachers questions and then print them just for the fun of it.  The question was “What is in the trunk of your care that would surprise people?”  I decided to have a little fun and I wrote “The cremated ashes of our first cat.”  Virginia took a lot of good natured grief and she tried to explain to her friends that we had never owned a cat.

All Three
• Because of multiple physical problems, we had to go to a specialist to have a baby.  It took us over a year and a half to conceive and Tracey used to cry herself to sleep because she was afraid that she would never have a child.  “Our lives are irrevocably changed,” is what I said to Tracey when we first found out that she was pregnant.  I wrote a note to my future children in my journal and it said that “if your eyes are on these pages, just remember that your mother and I fought hard to get you and we will do our best to raise you.”  
• When they were newborns they were up every two to four hours during the day and night for their feedings.  Their eyes were black and only when the sun shined directly into their eyes could I tell where the pupil ends and the iris begins.  And when they took their bottle those black eyes were searching for something as they drank.  In that moment they looked so innocent and trusting.  They were a completely helpless blob and were dependent on us for their every need.
• When they were still babies, at about eleven months, they would take that last bottle of the day before sleeping through the night.  As they finished, we could feel them melt into the crux between our neck and shoulders.  After a huge baby formula belch, heir whole bottle relaxed, and they slept.  
• They would slide down the baby tub because their bodies were too small for it when we first brought them home so we had to wash them in the kitchen sink.
• Their high-pitched cry came in fast and frequent breaths.  It was a furious cry which they could not keep up for long.  They turned bright red in their frustration but then turned pale white when they napped after their melt down.
• They had nap jerks where their arms and legs would suddenly lurch forward for no reason.
• Their fingernails were so hard to cut because they were membrane thin and I couldn’t tell where the nails ended and the skin began.
• Aside from Mommy and Daddy, their first words were up, down, no, yes, and cheese.
• “Processing,” is what we used to say whenever the kids were absorbing new information.  Their eyes steadied as they made room in their brains for the new information.
• I loved to roll around on the ground with them; to hear them laugh and to hold them close when they became sleepy.  When they were toddlers and couldn’t quite walk, they used to hold onto the walls and furniture to get around.  
• When we went to see movies Grant would sit on my left, Lillian on my right, and Virginia was two seats down.  As soon as the theater darkened, Virginia would climb in my lap and Lillian would grab my hand and hold it in her lap.  If I removed my hand for any reason then she would immediately grab it again and put it back in her lap.  We saw “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Mulan” and “A Bug’s Life” and many other movies using this arrangement.
• When they were just toddlers they would give us a kiss when asked.  They would open their mouths and lean in, usually while drooling.  It was wonderful and gross at the same time.  It was like kissing a drunken sorority girl.  When they were older, the girls gave me butterfly kisses and we would gently rub our eyelashes together.  
• When Virginia was still in a baby carrier, we had a process to walking to our appointments together.  For example, on our twice weekly trips to the allergist, I would carry Virginia in my right hand while Lillian held my left hand.  Grant was instructed to grab onto my belt loop.
• I used to love to put the kids on my shoulders and spin around.  They grabbed my hands so they wouldn’t fall off and I would walk and spin as if I were drunk and they would laugh uproariously. 
• Tracey and I used to say that the kids were full of hyper-energy.  That they would “Go! Go! Go!” And then “Drop!”  When they were tired of playing they would say “My go sleep!”
• If I was eating something that they thought would be good they would pry open my mouth so that they could take a look inside.  I took having their little hands on my teeth in stride.
• When we visited Uncle Mel and Aunt Shirley, the kids had been in the car all day.  Aunt Shirley said “Does anyone want to go swimming?”  They were about six, five, and three at the time and just like that, “Vroom!”  All of their clothes came off in the foyer and they waited patiently for me to put their swimsuits on them.  Aunt Shirley wasn’t used to this act and she said, “Let’s show a little modesty!”
• Lillian and Virginia stole a tube of lipstick and snuck off to the back porch.  They smothered their mouths and the surrounding area with lipstick.  I couldn’t get mad at the theft because they were just so cute when they did it.
• I read books out loud to all three of them.  At the end of the day, they would lay at the foot of my easy chair while I read “The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe,” or “The Tales of King Arthur.”  We did this for years and the last book that we read was “The Lord of the Rings.”
• When there was a thunderstorm the kids would leave their beds and sleep next to ours in the master bedroom.  They would throw their pillow and a blanket on the floor.  Virginia would come first, then Lillian, and finally Grant.  I never knew when they arrived and had to make sure that I didn’t step on them when I got out of bed.
• I tried my best to keep the kids busy during the summer.  We had swim practice, soccer camp, gymnastics, and then take a short vacation somewhere within easy driving distance.
• They liked to grab my thumbs and then walk up my front and when they couldn’t get any higher, they would flip themselves over and land like a gymnast.
• I liked to show them the classic movies, the same ones that I grew up with.  Among our favorites was “The King and I” and we liked to quote from that movie.  When I tried to settle them down for dinner, for example, I would say “Sit! Sit!  Sit!  That is what the king says.”  Eventually they would quote the movie as well, even when it didn’t make any sense to say the lines. 
• My nickname for my three children was “Prodigy, Princess, and Party Animal.”  Grant was the “Prodigy” because he always reading and it was clear from a young age that he was very smart.  Lillian was our “Princess” not only because she was so pretty but also because she had the poise and demeanor of a beauty queen.  Virginia was our “Party Animal” because she was always looking for a good time and was always moving, which cause her some problems in school.  The “Party Animal” was always in a good mood, always friendly, and full of self-confidence.
• Lillian and Virginia cried out of sadness when we read “Of Mice and Men” and George had to shoot Lenny.  They cried out of fear when they saw the first born sons being killed in the mini-series, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  It was nice that they were so sensitive.
• I trained the kids to say “Bunch of Pigs” whenever someone left a mess behind at a restaurant or something.  It was just so cute because they were really young when I started this and they were so emphatic when they said it that I couldn’t help but to laugh.   
• People who knew us over the years would comment on how much my three children had grown.  I loved to say yes, they are getting “Bigger and meaner every day!”  They didn’t like this comment very much but I thought that it was hilarious so I used it all of the time. 
• Music was a big part of our day.  “Mockingbird” was a favorite on the way back from swim practice and I played a lot of show tunes on the way to school.  When my mother-in-law died we went to Cancun and I picked up the girls, one at a time, and danced with them in the aisle as the restaurant played “Fly Me to the Moon.”   Lillian played that song for our dance together at her wedding.

I like to think that heaven is just our best memories playing over and over again in a loop.  If it is, then my heaven will be of Grant allowing me to hold him after bath time when he was so vulnerable and tired.  Lillian will be dancing and spinning around me because she was so happy that I had come to read a book to her class.  Virginia would run up to me when she saw me approaching her at after school care.  She would wrap her arms and legs around me and squeal with joy.  These are my precious memories and I am going to hold onto them forever. 

Baltic Sea Cruise

“Why do you take her out?  What does she get out of it?”  Rose said this about my blind wife when we were in Vietnam and Jane said the same thing about Tracey when we were on the Rhône River cruise.  Did the question come from pity or were they just being judgmental?  Or could it be that these comments came from a low wattage prejudice against the handicapped?  As you read my entry on the Baltic States, it is my hope that you will understand that my blind wife does get a lot out of these trips and that it is worthwhile to take her out of her comfort zone for awhile.  

        Saturday, May 17th: Bruges
        Our first day off the ship was cancelled because of mechanical problems.  The captain, using the ‘Voice of God” to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, told us of the cancellation.  We used the unplanned free time to book two more cruises.  Norwegian Cruise Line is doing a one and done cruise from Cape Town, up the West African coast, and finishing at Southampton, UK.  Before the cruise was over we booked yet another trip to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai.  This was also a one and done cruise so we felt like we couldn’t pass it up.  Our vacation schedule is full for the next year and a half because of the special deals we made while on the ship.

        Sunday, May 18: London
        We were able to spend more time sight seeing because it was Sunday and there was so little traffic going into the city.  Our first stop was at Whitehall Gardens, which is situated next to Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and Parliament Square.  Big Ben and Buckingham Palace were was just a short walk away.  The international heroes of Britain have statues dedicated to them in the Whitehall Gardens and they include Gandhi, Churchill, Nelson Mandela, and Abraham Lincoln.   
       Our tour guide for the day was Linda and she pointed out the unusual buildings of London with the funny nicknames like Gherkin, Scalpel, Walkie Talkie, Cheese Grater and the Pregnant Lady.  Linda said, with a sniff, “pretty soon London will be just like Manhattan,” and then she curled her lip.  I thought that it was funny that she didn’t like London being compared to New York.
        The highlight of the day was visiting the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels.  A conveyer belt had been installed since the last time that Tracey had been there and it kept the tourists moving past the jewels.  If they didn’t get enough then they were encouraged to ride past them again.  Sean was the attendant with the jewels and he let Tracey feel the reproduction of the jewels that were set off to the side of the real thing.  What made it special was that Sean spent about a half hour with Tracey and gave her a lot of information that others may not get.  It was wonderful.  
        Just out side of the Tower were statues of the animals that used to live in the on-site menagerie: a polar bear, baboon, and an elephant.  Obviously, the statues were erected so that the tourists could take some selfies with them, but it was all in good fun.         

        Monday, May 19: Amsterdam
        Augie was our guide through Amsterdam and she took us on a long canal ride through the city.  My dilemma was that I could either stay inside of the boat and hear Augie speak or I could stay on the deck and enjoy the beautiful day in Amsterdam.  Our compromise was that Tracey stayed with the guide while I took a lot of pictures on the outside.  
        It is better not to have any expectations.  I didn’t have any for London or Amsterdam, which was good because I wasn’t disappointed when we didn’t get to see everything that these two cities had to offer.  There was no way that we were going to be satisfied with being in the cities for just a few short hours but our appetites were whetted for another trip to Europe.

        Tuesday, May 20: Day at Sea
        This was our only scheduled day at sea and it gave me time to question why we take these trips.  The simple answer is that I love being treated like royalty.  For example, one of the excursion workers called me Majesty after I suggested that he could call me “My Lord” or “Majesty.”  You have to make it fun.
        After all of the trials of just getting on the ship, I was happy to just sit in the restaurant dining room with Tracey.  We took a slow breakfast and dinner whenever we could, appreciating where we were, the fantastic food, and getting to know each other again.  It was nice.

        Wednesday, May 21: Denmark and Sweden
        Popito was our guide and he promised to take us to the main attractions so we started with the statue of “The Little Mermaid” in Copenhagen, Denmark.  We saw the beautiful Lund Cathedral in Sweden where they had a 3D scale model for Tracey to feel.  There was a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Malmo, Sweden so we took our picture under the sign while clinking our KFC glasses, just like we did in St. Lucia all of those years ago.  Before driving back to Denmark, we stopped at the fountain in Stortorget Square, which is in front of City Hall.  The main figure in the fountain was supposed to be a clown entertaining the king; it is made of bronze, has water squinting out into a pool of water, and is an unusual piece for such a prestigious place.   Our final stop was back at Copenhagen where we saw the famous colored houses.  These houses are set on the water and are painted in bright colors to help the sailors identify their homes when they returned from the sea.   

        Thursday, May 22: Berlin
        We knew that this was going to be our only trip to Berlin so we blew our budget on a luxury van tour of Germany’s capital.  Fortunately, it was on this day that we had our best guide for our whole vacation.  His name was Kilion and he had dramatic windswept white hair which made him look like an imp.  Having been a tour guide for over thirty years, Kilion knew all about the historic sites and he showed us the Brandenburg Gates, the Reichstag, Hitler’s Bunker, the Holocaust Memorial, the Tiergarten, Check Point Charlie, and the Berlin Wall.  I taught history for 31 years and it was very rewarding to visit all of these places that I had lectured about in class so many times.   

        Friday, May 23: Gdańsk
        The cruise ship didn’t dock until the afternoon so we took a two hour “Behind the Scenes” tour.  We saw the bridge, the theater, and the laundry but the highlight was the kitchen.  The NCL “Dawn,” for example, has 197 staff members in the galleys alone and it serves twelve thousand meals per day.  And that doesn’t include the buffet.  It was fascinating.    
        In the afternoon we had Joanna for our guide and she took us from the Green Gate, through the Old Town, to the Gold Gate in Gdańsk, which is better known as the Royal Route.  The most distinctive feature was Neptune’s Fountain, which was built in the early 17th century and dominates the Royal Route.  Also, the “Four Quarters Fountain,” which has four life-size lions lying down while guarding each symbolic corner of the Old Town.  It was completed in 2007 and is a favorite among the children because it is a splash park with 24 jets of water.  
        To round out our day in Gdańsk, we saw St. Mary’s Cathedral and the rebuilt Great Synagogue.  What made these two places special to Tracey and me was that they had a 3D scale model for Tracey to feel.  She got a kick out of feeling the bronze and I took a lot of great pictures of her enjoying the moment.   

        Saturday, May 24, Klaipeda, Lithuania
        Usually I try to emphasize the good things about our trips and avoid writing anything bad; however, our trip to Klaipeda was ruined by our guide.  Sigita was on some kind of power trip.  She wore a short cropped hair style and dyed it red to demonstrate her aggressive nature.  All that she had to do was to give us a tour of the amber factory but there were too many people for the too small rooms that she took us to, so the rooms quickly became hot and over crowded.  When people began to avoid the rooms by moving on or lagging behind, Sigita became angry.  “Stop,” she yelled as loud as she could when people went to watch the polishing of the amber without her.  “This is a working factory!” She was incensed, saying “This is not a democracy,” And yet the artists working in the factory didn’t seem to mind us looking over their shoulder.  In fact, I think that we were a welcome distraction.  She just didn’t like the fact that she has lost control over the situation.  There were many other micro-aggressions by Sigita throughout our tour but I am sure that at no time during her training was she told that it is alright to yell angrily at the tourists.   

        Sunday, May 25, Riga, Latvia
        Our rule of thumb is that when we sign up for the excursions we avoid the shopping tours and the beach.  All I wanted to do was to take a walk around the beautiful cities of old Europe.  Anita was our guide in Riga and I told her that we were like glue because we were sticking to her.  While the other tourists split up and went their own way during free time, Tracey and I stayed with Anita and she gave us a private tour of the old city.  As we approached the former KGB building, she said that it was the tallest building in Riga.  “It is only five stories high but they say from inside you can see all of the way to Siberia.”  She laughed at her own joke and then pointed out that there were several statues of cats because we were near the wharf and the cats kept the rats out of the warehouses.  Anita made our day in Riga.

        Monday, May 26, Tallin, Estonia
        I love not knowing what we are going to do for the day because it is nice to be surprised. The ticket for our excursion said “Medieval Experience,” which could have meant anything.  Oliver was our guide to the Rakvere Castle, which was pure kitsch and a tourist trap, but we enjoyed it immensely.  They had stations where you could practice hoisting a pole for jousting, archery, and a torture chamber.  Rakvere Castle is mostly a ruins now but by turning it into a theme park they have the money to reinvest into the site and there was a lot of scaffolding erected to improve the structure. 

        Tuesday, May 27: Helsinki, Finland
        We had another unforced error by a tour guide who insisted on following the schedule given to her by corporate.  It all started off well enough when we saw the Nicholas II statue in front of the Government Palace in the Senate Square.  Then the tour turned into a death march.  One of the other tourists clocked the walk from the Senate Square to the Rock Church at almost three miles.  Lowra was our guide and, while she did have a microphone and a speaker, she had it turned to her front so literally no one could hear her because we were all behind her.  By the time that we made it to the Rock Church our fellow tourists were all spread out along the route and Tracey and I were among the last to arrive.  Blind people have mobility issues and, while I usually like to be next to the guide so that Tracey can hear her speak, I gave up this time around and we drifted towards the back of the pack.  The tour was supposed to walk back to the Senate Square because we were supposed to have a coffee break before reboarding the bus and Lowra was determined to get us there in time for it.  When it was pointed out that we wouldn’t have time for coffee if we walked back, Lowra called for the bus.  We complained loudly that we didn’t want to stop for coffee so the bus drove us back to the ship.  It was hard to be angry with our guide because Lowra was just following the schedule but we were exhausted from the death march and frustrated because we couldn’t hear so we had no idea of what we were looking at. 

        Wednesday, May 28: Stockholm, Sweden
        We disembarked from the ship at 8:00 in the morning and returned to our condo at just before midnight.  It was almost 24 hours worth of travel.  We slept all day on Thursday and most of Friday because we were exhausted.  This trip wasn’t for everybody.  There was a lot of pain flying to Europe and back.  On the plus side, Sean, Kilion, and Popito were great guides and we got to visit the Tower of London, the Colored Houses of Amsterdam, and the Brandenburg Gates.  On the negative side, Sigita and Lowra were horrible guides and experiencing a death march the day after taking a seven hour tour was too much for even a seasoned traveler.  I know that in the long run, we will forget the bad things and remember only the good times, so our trip to the Baltic Sea was worth it.