BRINGING MY BABY BACK HOME

Friday, August 05, 2011
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alas, this is our last blog entry, and it's very late in coming, as we've been home almost a month. Call it procrastination or laziness, or maybe my avoiding the sad reality that this trip had come to an end. So, at this point in time, the following is becoming a distant memory, though still very vibrant in our minds. The last leg of our amazing race saw us in Rotterdam, Holland, awaiting our cruise to New York, and ultimately home.

When we first went on-board Holland America`s Rotterdam VI, we were very impressed with the ship, but moreover, we learned that we had gotten on a cruise that had historical meaning to the cruise line. It was to be the first voyage to NYC out of Rotterdam in 40 years. Given that the ship was named after the city, it was an excellent reason to celebrate and a good portion of its citizenry turned out for our departure. There were bands, choirs, Dutch celebrities, speeches, all of which we watched from the deck of the ship in the hours before our departure. With a grand flourish, streamers and confetti flew in the breeze and thousands of balloons were launched as we pulled away from the dock. And just like you`ve seen in the movies, the crowd on the pier waved us away, and we waved back. We even had a fireworks display as part of the send off. Now, anyone who has cruised in the last 10 years or more knows that this just doesn`t happen anymore. Nowadays, as you leave the pier, nary a soul is seen. So, this truly felt special. Additionally, the 9 days of the cruise were full of special activities celebrating this voyage, and all of this a surprise to us who knew nothing about this when we booked. Our one stop was in Southampton, the site of many of the sailings to the new world, and where a large proportion of the immigrants left Europe full of hope for a new life in America. A few hours outside of London, this is the port from which the Mayflower and the Titanic both sailed, with radically different outcomes.


And like the passengers on both of these ships, we sailed full of optimism with just a touch of trepidation . The reality proved these feelings to be warranted. although this was not something we would have expected and certainly did not plan. First off, we had Bonnie`s foot to contend with, although this was quickly resolving itself. After 2 days, she had discarded the crutches, and was getting around just fine without them. However, we had a much more immediate health issue to deal with. Suffice it to say that this involved a lot of nausea and vomiting. Over our last 7 days on ship, we were continually having to deal with these two symptoms, and spent most of our days in our cabin. The room service guy and the cabin steward became our two new best friends. When Bonnie wasn't sleeping, we watched videos from the ship`s extensive collection of DVDs. Visits to the ship`s medical facilities put us on a first name basis with the ship`s nurses and doctors. Medications helped a bit, but Bonnie still seriously challenged the supply of seasickness bags carried on the ship. I continued my manservant duties by running the errands needed to keep us in videos, tea, snacks, or whatever . It was a cruise like no other we`ve ever taken. By the time it was over, we were both ready to get off and to get her some medical attention back home. Now, if you ever have to travel with someone, and you have to face this type of adversity, Bonnie is the one you want to do it with. She`s a real trooper, never kvetching, always with a good attitude and a smile on her face. We reminded each other about how lucky we have been— it happened late in our trip, we had 2 great cruises, and we would soon be home. Although we were cocooning in our cabin, like our `prison` in Santorini, this was not a half bad place to be.

NYC was bright and sunny, as we sailed past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson. Disembarking and flying to Buffalo proved easy and uneventful, and even the border crossing was painless. We walked into the house, looked around, and saw that all looked fine. After the initial excitement of being back home, which quickly passed, we now had to confront all the realities of the 'real world', as well as attend to Bonnie`s health.

In summary, it was a fantastic adventure, with mostly ups and just a few downs. As always, we really do want to thank you all for your interest in our travels, and for the great feedback, comments, thoughts and feelings you shared. We consider ourselves so lucky to have you in our lives. Finally, we wish you a great summer, happy travels in the future, and would love to read your blog when you do.

Comments

Suresh Chawla
2011-08-07

Daud, How do you do it? Please teach me to live the way you do. I will become your SHISHYA ( in Sanskrit language PUPIL)

2025-02-10

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