Wednesday, April 2, 2025

Florida 2025

 

Florida

March 2025

 


            A 4th “snowbird” adventure, with repeats of enjoyable 2022 & 2023 visits to Sarasota with friends Deb & Chris and Naples with Marjorie’s cousin Jim & wife Susan. Our winter hasn’t been too hard. Snow’s been cleared by very diligent Josh, working for Matt’s high school friend John. A busy end of February and beginning of March. “Warmth of Winter” fundraiser for Colonie Senior Service Centers. “Mardi Gras” celebration at St. Pius X. “The Garbologists” play at nearby Curtain Call Theater. Albany Pro Musica’s concert “Considering Matthew Shepard,” a very moving “choral drama” about the young gay man murdered in Wyoming in 1998. Russ singing with Mendelssohn Club at CSSC’s Beltrone Living Center, and the previous night friend Dennis singing there with the South Colonie Dance Band. Marjorie has started her annual fundraising for “Relay for Life” and selling tickets for Mendelssohn Club’s Spring Concert. And exciting news: she’s been accepted to be an “Artist in Residence” for a week in July at Wiawaka Center for Women, a retreat on the shore of Lake George. She also displays her work & classes at CSSC’s celebration of International Women’s Day.

As usual March is teasing, sometimes seems like Spring but then Winter comes back. So a break is welcome, especially when it includes warmer temps (we hope) with friends & family. There is a sure sign of Spring: Guptill’s Ice Cream opens Saturday!

Saturday, January 4, 2025

Christmas Markets Along the Danube

 

Christmas on the Danube

December 2024

 

            We do love a Viking River Cruise: 6 in Europe, plus 1 on the Mississippi. Marjorie disrupted the pattern of togetherness when she and her sister Mary took a Christmas Markets cruise along the Rhine in 2012. She showed no feelings of guilt about leaving me behind [tho full disclosure: I traveled with my brother Doug to South America in 2013 and on a “Midnight Sun” Viking Ocean Cruise in 2018] but is quite happy to do a similar cruise with me, this time along the Danube. We’ve cruised on both the Rhine & Danube in summer, the latter covering much of the territory on this cruise, but expect different looks at Christmastime.

The 2nd-longest river (1700 miles) in Europe, after the Volga, the Danube originates in Germany, passes thru or borders Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine. European Christmas markets have a long history, dating to a “December market” in Vienna in 1296. In the 14th C craftsmen set up stalls under the name "Saint Nicholas market" to sell little Christmas gifts for children. This evolved into Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) or Christkindlmarkt (Christ child market). Many towns usher in Advent with market openings.