We went home for most of April to visit family and tend to fun matters like doctors and taxes. Then we flew to Spain to check on our apartment on the ship, which was just at the beginning of the renovation we’d been planning for the last 12 months. The apartment was almost completely demolished – it’s hard to imagine it could be finished in just seven weeks when daughter Liz and her girls arrive!
We’d been to Barcelona a number of times before, but I guess I was always busy with work and never took the time to see the beauty of this “Paris on the Mediterranean.” Great food, beach, weather and vibe surrounded with wonderful architecture. We saw a number of works by Antoni Gaudi, a famous art-nouveau architect from Catalonia, Spain whose wild designs must have given builders fits.
When the ship moved to Sete and Marseille France, we arranged to use a neighbor’s apartment for a couple of days so we could entertain some dear aerospace friends Didier and Janine, Gordon and Margaret, and David and Anne. All but one of us had recently retired, so it was a fun reunion.
We wanted to stay in Europe to monitor the renovation. But thinking that looking over the shoulders of 17 men with hammers in close quarters was not a good idea, we headed to Milan for a week. Again, we’d been before, but always too busy to enjoy it properly. Coincidentally, the World Fair (Expo) was being held there, so we spent a day at this well-run event.
Having loved the novel “Pillars of the Earth” about the building of cathedrals in the middle ages, we were fascinated with Duomo di Milano, the third largest cathedral in Europe. It took almost 600 years to build – think about that! I spent quite a bit of time and a few rolls of film trying to capture just the outside of it.
As you might expect, dining in Milan was a focal point for us (and by us, I mean Debra). We have tired of the haughty gourmet scene where a large plate, a tiny blob of food covered with a foam of foof and surrounded with swirls of tar go for $75. We found some great little neighborhood restaurants with third-generation owners. At one of our favorites, the waiter was an energetic, happy-go-lucky guy who reminded me of Robin Williams. On our second visit, we told him about our commitment to travel in retirement. He said (using his hands, of course): “Perfecto! There is birth, death, and the middle. You should enjoy the middle!”
D & D Adventures 
Thanks for update- keep enjoying the middle!
Ron
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