June 30, 2001: Day at Sea

I slept in until 9 a.m. and had breakfast in the Windjammer café with mom. Then, we went on a lecture about the Amber stone. It was worn by the Royal people of Russia. The light colored amber is 30 million years old and the darker amber is around 50 million years old. It is found mainly in the Baltic sea.



We played miniature golf with Charlene. It was quite comical watching us play the game.


Grandpa came down with Laurie for ice cream. Then, we walked a mile around the ship.


We went to the entertainment show tonight at 9 p.m. It was swing dancing. Then, we went to see the Not-so-Newlywed game. It was comical. One couple from England said they had whoopee in a hammock. They had been married 58 years. Another couple married 3 years, had whoopee in a cemetery and on a washing machine.


It’s now 11:30 p.m. and it is still light outside. We are headed for Bergen, Norway. Sunrise is at 4 a.m. in this part of the world in the summer. In the winter, they don’t see much light.

June 29, 2001: Greenock, Scotland

It was really nice to be able to sleep in today, as we have been so busy the past week.

Around 11 a.m., I went and checked my email. One of them was from Jim Morse about him being flattered that I liked him. He had told me the same thing last year. We both know he is very serious with Melanie and we both agree that cheating is wrong. I guess that is the way it goes. Timing is always the issue. Last year, I was in Chicago and didn’t want to date after the Joe situation. Now, I’m back in Michigan and don’t find anyone. He invited me over when I got back from vacation.


This afternoon, we went on a tour with Grandpa of the Scottish Lochs. Grandpa’s girlfriend, Laurie, didn’t go as she was sick with the flu. Neither of us is too crazy about Laurie, as she is sick and doesn’t want to do things. She keeps a leash on Grandpa. I don’t trust her because she is 58 and Grandpa is 82 and he has some money. We want him to find a lady to do things with, but a lady closer to his age.


We went on a tour of the Lochs, which are lakes. Our bus along with 2 other buses and cars boarded a ferry to get to the northside (Gourock). We saw the Loch Lomond, known as the Queen of the Scottish lakes. It is the largest one in Great Britain. We stopped at the village of Luss, which had flower-bedecked cottages overlooking a loch. I got a porcelain Scottish doll with the Stewart plaid (designated with a blue stripe) kilt.


We saw Loch Fyne and by Loch Eck, we saw the Holy Loch. It was very mountainous with green trees all along the mountains. There were no homes on the mountainside. There were tons of sheep along the mountains.


I was shocked to see a Safeway store in Greenock, Scotland.

June 28, 2001: Dublin, Ireland

Today, our tour was of Dublin, Ireland and the countryside. First, we went on a tour of the city of Dublin. It had different colored buildings which was neat. We went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in town. This is where John Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, was Dean of the church. Then, we rode through the Wicklow mountains. We went through the monastic remains of Glendalough. We went to see a short film and walked through an old monastery, founded by St. Kevin in 520 AD. We had beef and potatoes in a jacket and this chocolate dessert for lunch at the Woodenbridge Hotel. Mom and I enjoyed our stop at the Avoca Woolen Mills and got some gorgeous wool sweaters for a good price.


I got a throw blanket for $29. All of this was handmade. It’s a store where the locals also shop. Everyone on the tours seemed to go crazy for the store.


Also, I got this Claddagh ring which is a symbol of love, fidelity, and friendship. There is a heart in the middle with a crown at the top. It’s an Irish ring that is supposed to be given as a gift. If the heart is worn upside down, then it means you are single. If it is right-side up, then it means you are taken, meaning married, engaged, or committed.


Our tour guide was so nice. She took our jackets to the bus while we shopped. She also took our purchases to the check-out. She played this Irish comedian tape for us on the ride back to the ship which was quite funny.


Tonight’s entertainment was of these Irish dancers. They were fantastic.

June 27, 2001: Cork, Ireland

The coastline was real charming, as we came to port. We took a tour of the Blarney Castle and around Cork. We weren’t impressed with Cork. Overall, it was poorer. We noticed that the people didn’t dress as classy as compared to the people in London.



We went to the Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone. You have to lay down on your back and a guy holds your legs while you kiss the stone. Kissing the stone is supposed to give you the gift of gab or make you eloquent.


The stairs in the castle are very steep.


We stopped at the Blarney Woolen factory. The sweaters were $125, which was way too much.


When we got back to the ship, there were some shops along the port. We got some beautiful woolen sweaters. My sweater cost $30 and my mom’s was $64.


Cork was the last place that the Titanic stopped at before the big crash. They were bound for New York City.


At 5:30 p.m., I watched the crew wind up the ropes and the ship departed. Many Irish men and women were watching our ship sail away. I felt like I was on the Love Boat. They waved to us. They also had a band at port playing “Anchor’s Away”.


The entertainment on the ship tonight was a man with many faces, as well as a juggler. They were pretty good.

June 26, 2001: Plymouth, England

Charlene, Marnie, Mom, and I set out for our adventure in England. We took a cab to the Avis rental car and got a Renault car. It was weird as Charlene drove on the left side and the steering

wheel was on the right. I sat in the front and was scared the whole time as I didn’t feel in control.

The roundabouts were confusing. You yield to the left for cars.

It was a gorgeous drive up to the Buckland in the Moors. The streets were narrow and the traffic was crazy. I can’t believe how fast the people drove down those narrow roads.


We saw this gorgeous English home, that was shown in the picture books. Then, we went to a small café and had crème tea and scones. We put this creamy butter on top of the scone, as well as jam. The owner, Marie, got flustered with us. She did her farming on her 100 acres before working in her café. Her husband was from London and was a painter. She has always lived in the Moors and said she would never leave. She met a girl in college who was from Muskegon, Michigan. We were shocked. What are the odds of that happening.


Plymouth was where the Pilgrims were from. They set sail for Massachusetts. We saw some sheep in the road. The sides of the road were made of stone, with green plants hanging over it.


We saw several areas where farms were closed due to the hand and foot disease. When we got back to the ship, we had to disinfect our shoes.


On our drive back to Plymouth, we got lost and were getting nervous, as we needed to be back at the boat by 4:30. Marnie, my Mom, and I took turns driving around the parking lot, so we could experience driving on the opposite side.

Tonight, they had a chocolate buffet, which was wonderful.

June 25, 2001: Paris, France

We arrived in Le Havre, France around 7 a.m. Mom and I had our breakfast out on our porch. Charlene, Marnie, Mom, and I boarded the bus for a 3 hour ride into Paris. Originally, we were supposed to have 5 ½ hours in Paris, but we ended up only having 4 hours to explore.


We were dropped off at the Plaza del Concorde. We got to see the Arc de Triumph. Paris was quite spread out, so you had to do a lot of walking to get anywhere.


We walked to the Eiffel Tower. The buildings were huge and had a lot of artistic work.


First, I had to get a phone card called a ‘Tabac’ from a local store. The people in the stores only spoke French; however, I somehow was able to communicate to the clerk that I needed this phone card to make a call to Heather Klee Ascani. The first phone didn’t work, so we kept walking towards the Eiffel tower and then found a phone booth. I was able to get a hold of Heather on her cell phone. She said she was just about to walk out the door when we called so that worked out. She said she would meet us in 20 minutes at the north entrance.


The Eiffel Tower was all made of steel and is so impressive. There were four entrances to it. I remember standing under the tower, looking up, and seeing more steel than I had ever seen in my life. It is simply amazing to look at from that perspective.


Mom and Charlene got us ice cream. I waited for Heather and then I saw her come. We gave her some ice cream. She was about 6 months pregnant and looking good. In her household, they spoke a lot of Spanish. She had to learn it in order to speak with Diego’s parents. Her apartment was up in the hill near the northwest side of the Eiffel tower. She overlooked the park that was south of it. She suggested we eat at a café or see her house. We would have loved to do that, but since we got into town so late, we weren’t able to.


I could tell that Heather was glad we came to visit her. She said Paris was a hectic lifestyle. Rent for a 1 bedroom apartment was around $2500/month. Of course, I got a picture of us together in front of the Eiffel tower. This is one of my favorite photos.


She watched us board a boat bus on the Seine River. Seeing Heather was the highlight of my trip to Paris. We took the boat along the Seine River and got off at the Notre Dame stop. There was a children’s choir going on and the acoustics were so heavenly. We also went by the Louvre. Then, we went to the department store, Samaritaine and went up to the 9th floor and saw a gorgeous view of the city.


Marnie stood in line to go to the top of the Eiffel tower. She spent most of her time in Paris standing in that line. I am glad we were able to see a little bit of Paris in those 4 short hours.

June 24, 2001: Harwich, England

We boarded a bus for a 2 ½ hour trip to Harwich, England, where we boarded the Royal Caribbean cruise called the Legend of the Seas. We were in room #6126, which was the back of the boat where we could have a view of both sides of the ship. Grandpa and Laurie were next door. Charlene and Marnie were in room #2524.



We had lunch and wandered around the ship. Mom and I played miniature golf, which was fun. I was surprised she hit as good as she did. Grandpa and Laurie were late for dinner, which was surprising, as my grandpa hated to be late to anything. Apparently, he thought dinner was at 6:30 instead of 6 p.m.


I sent an email to my friends. It was nice to be able to have internet access on the ship, even if it was quite expensive.


I wish I would find a full-time job soon, as that does make me depressed.


Tomorrow, we will be in Paris.

June 23, 2001: London

Mom and I took a tour of London. We first went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married. It was a huge church. They said the congregation had to bring their own chairs to church, so that is why you won’t see pews in the church. The Duke of Wellington and Florence Nightengale are buried at this church.



Mom and I went to St. James, where Prince Charles and the boys lived. It’s an old brick building. Had our picture taken with one of the guards.


We got to see the beginning of the Changing of the Guards ceremony, which started at Prince Charles home and proceeded to Buckingham Palace, which is a few short blocks down the street. When the queen is in residence, she has her own flag flying above the palace. She was at her weekend home, so she wasn’t here today.


In November, there will be a big celebration for her 50 yrs of being a queen.


We saw Westminster Abbey, which is where Princess Diana’s funeral was held and were all major events are held.


Then, we took a cruise down the Thames River and saw Big Ben and the Tower of London.


We found out on the tour that the people vote for the House of Commons members, and in turn, the House of Commons votes for the Prime Minister, who actually is the leader of the country, not the queen.


The choosing of royalty is based on the oldest son or daughter.


We got to see the barge race today, as that only happened once a year.


We went on a tour of the London Bridge and got to see the Crown Jewels, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation ceremony in a video, and where people were executed by having their wives beheaded.


After the tour, Mom and I took the subway to Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived  after she divorced Charles in 1996 until she died in 1997. There were some flowers in the gate. It overlooked Hyde Park. We got to see the beautiful gardens outside of it. Then, we walked to Nottinghill, which wasn't much to see.


We walked down this street behind Kensington Palace that had a lot of embassies. We saw Princess Diana Children’s Memorial Park, as we walked from Kensington Palace through Hyde Park. We walked for miles on Bayside Road to Oxford St.


We walked down Bond Street, which had the fancy stores like Gucci, Bally, and Prada.


London’s population was 8 million.


We had pizza for dinner.

We saw the World’s Largest Ferris Wheel.

June 22, 2001: London, England

Arrived in London, England, around 8:30 a.m. London time (3:30 a.m. Michigan time), so it was a long journey. We flew at 600 mph, 4700 miles from Dallas. Mom, Grandpa, Grandpa’s girlfriend, Laurie Pugh, Charlene, and Charlene’s friend, Marnie, and I went on the trip. We stayed at St. Ermine’s Hotel on Caxton St.


For lunch, we all ate at this neighborhood pub. I had shepherds pie, which was one of England’s specialties.


I bought a new carry on suitcase, as the one I had was too small and heavy. I bought it for 30 pounds ($45). Then, mom and I got cleaned up and headed out for our first journey in London. We walked to the Underground subway, which was really neat. It was literally underground as we took very long escalators down to the train. The trains came within 1-2 minutes and had cushion seats. The Underground is much faster than the El in Chicago.


We took the subway to the South Kensington stop and had to get off and walk through this underground tunnel to get the blue line getting off at Knightsbridge. We walked down to Harrod’s Dept. Store, which was the largest and most sophisticated department store I’ve been in. It had a whole floor of food items. A pint of blueberries was $5. Mom and I bought some chocolates.


A cashmere sweater there was $300. This was a place Princess Diana would probably shop. I saw an $18,000 Sony television set there.


I bought a cute little bag there, with the Harrod’s logo on it.


Then, we walked to the Hard Rock Café and had a $12 cheeseburger, which we split. This was the very first Hard Rock Café in the world. It opened 30 yrs ago.


We walked through St. James Park on the path that was Princess Diana’s memory lane and saw Buckingham Palace. The gates were gorgeous with solid gold. This was the home she stayed in after she divorced Prince Charles.


We walked around Pickadelly Square, which was similar to Broadway in NYC.


It was hard for me to remember to look the other way for cars, as they drive on the left side of the road.

June 18, 2001: Jim Morse's Holland apartment

Jim invited me to his apartment in Holland, Michigan. It was by the mall.   He made us stir fry for dinner. Then, we watched the movies 'Vertical Limit" and "Castaway".  We were laughing at Tom Hank's character in "Castaway".   Then, we had nachos and other snacks. I was stuffed. Jim had a high metabolism and could eat whatever he wanted and not gain an ounce. I wish I had that same metabolism.     He said he would like to take a cruise for his honeymoon.    Jim made copies of my dad's voice on a CD, which was a nice keepsake.   

July 16, 2001: Dietician Assistant Job

I took a part-time Dietician Assistant position through Manpower.   I figured I would work there part-time during the day and then at Sears in the evenings.  I couldn't believe how much nutrition knowledge you needed for this job.   There was a strict schedule to follow.  Hours were 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.   You had to print out a diet list of all patients, color code their diets, using different colored cards.   They were coded as renal, diabetic, low calorie, low sugar, soft foods, etc.   There were about 9 diets.  Plus, you had to write down any allergies to food.  Then, you go on your breakfast and lunch runs.   I had to ask the patient what they would like to eat, based on the choices for the day.     My first patient wasn't on his bed. I went to check and he had fallen on the floor.  Of course, I panicked.   We called the nurse on staff.  That was not the best way to start my new job.   I knew I wasn't going to like this job, so quit the job.  Needless to say, I only lasted 1 day on that job.  

June 11, 2001: Christmas, Michigan

Leah and I started our drive back to the lower peninsula.  We stopped at a casino in Christmas, Michigan.   I spent only $1 gambling and won $30, so I stopped there.   Leah wanted to win, so we kept playing until she won some money, too.    We both got early Christmas presents in Christmas, Michigan.    We had a lot of fun driving down the road.   We were driving crazy.    People in the UP sure drive slow.    Both of us are city girls and would like to take a trip together to Mackinac City sometime.

June 10, 2001: Upper Peninsula

We got some delicious muffins from a bakery.  I bought some oatmeal, chocolate chip bars, which were the best I had ever had.   Kara took us to her forestry program's cabin out in the woods.  We walked across this wooden bridge, which was pretty cool.

Kara made us a wonderful beef stroganoff dinner.    She also made some sour dough bread.   We finished off the evening with the card game, hand and foot.

June 9, 2001: Hiking in the Upper Peninsula

We drove to the Keweenau peninsula, which was absolutely gorgeous.  We saw Horseshoe Falls.   I was dreading the hike, as I remembered the experience with ticks last summer.    The hike went well and I had a good time.  We drove a little further to a more secluded area and walked for about an hour down this 2-track to a secluded beach.   There were only 3 other people down there.   It would be hard to find this place if you didn't know about it.    The clouds lingered around the water.    Then, we went to a red lighthouse.  

I got to see where US 41 starts. This was the same highway that went through Chicago, eventually ending up in Florida.   

We had dinner in downtown Houghton at this wonderful pizza place.   Kara wanted us to try the taco pizza, which was delicious.   After dinner, Kara took us to a place that she and her boyfriend would go to see the fireworks.

June 8, 2001: Upper Peninsula

Leah Engle and I left for our 10 hour trip to Houghton, MI, which was in the upper peninsula.   We had a beautiful day for driving up there.   We had a good time listening to music on the way.    Kara lived on the top of a hill overlooking Michigan Tech.    Kara brought out her Tarot cards for us to play with.    We were all tired by the end of the day.

June 7, 2001: Jo Lawver

Met Jo Lawver at the hotel on Harvey Street, just down the street from the Hampton Inn.   We drove to Grand Haven and had lunch at this wharf restaurant downtown.   Chad was living in Milan, after having lived in Bloomington, IN for about 9 months.   Jase was planning on going through the police academy in January 2002.   Adam would be going to Western Michigan University and staying at Hoekje Hall.

Jo said this July would be she and Skip's 30th wedding anniversary.    We did some window shopping down Washington St.   We also stopped at Best Buy and Elder Beermans on the way back to her hotel.   I found a cute cocktail purse for $12.   She offered to buy it for me, which was so nice. She said it was a bon voyage gift for my upcoming trip to Europe.

Back at the hotel, I got a chance to talk with Skip.   They were going to the Fraternal Order of Police for a dinner.  I sure had a good time visiting with both of them.

June 6, 2001: Matt Tomasiewicz

As I was cooking dinner for Mom, Grandpa, and Grandpa's girlfriend, Laurie Pugh, someone knocked on the door.   I turned around and was surprised to see Matt Tomasiewicz standing there.     He's now 16 yrs old and driving.  He got a 1994 Ford Tempo in a cranberry color.  He took very good care of it.  He seemed so proud to have that car.    He liked to listen to R and B and rap like I did.    He gave me a ride in his new car.  We went to Meijer and Target to look at radar detectors.  I got to see pictures of his girlfriend.  I was like the older sister that he never had, as I used to play ball with him, take him for ice cream, to the park,  movies, and the beach.   Matt hadn't had an easy life with his dad, Zig, who drank alot.    Zig's wife hadn't been nice to Matt, making life difficult at times.  

Jo Lawver called me to say that she and Skip were coming to Muskegon for the weekend, so wanted to get together the next day.  That was a nice surprise.

June 5, 2001: Fricanos in Grand Haven with Jim Morse

Since Jim Morse had done so much for me with my move from Chicago, I had told him I would treat him to Fricanos for pizza.      He said he liked the song, 'Must Be the Money' by Nelly.   He put my resume in with Haworth.  Then, we drove over to the pier in Grand Haven and he used his new digital camera to take pictures of us.   He called his brother, Dan, on his cell phone.  The newest technology at the time was the 2-way calling.   It was like a walkie talkie.     I have always loved the latest technology.       Dan didn't know who I was at first.  I haven't seen him in years.     My dad was good friends with Jim's dad, Ron, in college.    

June 2, 2001: Frankenmueth

Mom and I picked up Rose in Grand Rapids and headed over to Frankenmueth.   Rose was one of my roommates at Western Michigan University.  She was from Manistee, Michigan.   She had never been to Frankenmueth before, so this was a treat for her.   

We had a delicious chicken dinner at the Bavarian Inn.    Then, we drove through town, as it was raining outside.  We stopped by Bronner's, known as the World's Largest Christmas tree store.   Of course, this trip wasn't complete without a stop at the Birch Run Outlets.