INTRO YURRUP CHRISTMAS TRIP 11-23-2015

INTRODUCTION TO THE YURRUPEAN CHRISTMAS TRIP 2015

Last Summer, while on the quest to find something special to do to celebrate our anniversary, Rob and I came across a river trip the cost of which was absolutely too good to be true.  (People celebrate getting married?  Seriously?)  Since Yurrup at Christmas has been on Lindy’s bucket list for decades and Rob never minds the occasional trip abroad, we could not refuse.  The riverboat departs Amsterdam on November 24^th and sails down the Rhine to Basel, Switzerland stopping at the “Weinachtsmärktes” along the way until we disembark on December 4^th.

Airline tickets were another matter and we struggled to find arrangements out of Vegas.  Finally, we gave up and tried LAX.  Turns out there are a bazillion flights from LAX to AMS and it’s not entirely inconvenient for us, only 250 mi. from home.  A big upside:  our friend, Craig, opened his Huntington Beach home and parking to us and thus it all fell nicely into detent.

1640 NOV. 15, 2015

This girl cannot imagine that Christmastime at the homestead would pass without celebration.  So in August, the green flag waved and I was off like a prom dress.  On our long list were presents, wrapping and packing to ship, cards and decorations along with preparations for the trip.  A turkey even got brined, vacuum packed and frozen along with the dressing and gravy.  And there you have it and here we are on Day 1 of this adventure with Christmas all ready to roll at 1640 when we get back.

Down the river after some time, we stop in Strasbourg, France.  Or maybe not.  The Muslim problem?  We are a bit apprehensive but the Grand Circle Cruise Lines staff assures us that all is well and frankly, I don’t think France has a corner on this particular market.  A little more complicated is our 11 day car trip after the cruise that we tacked on to visit 5 more German cities.  We invited SEAL Team Six to join us but so far, they haven’t gotten back on that.  And of course, all points east of the Atlantic Ocean are gun-free zones (well, except for the murderers), so that leaves us a little, shall we say, empty-handed.  Rob rented an Audi.  I would have rented an M1-A1.  Slower on the autobahn, true, but the Audi doesn’t have a turret.  Anyway, our destiny is in the hands of those above our pay grade. 

There is this wise man, you know who I mean, he’s bald and he wears a sheet and sits on a pillow and says heavy stuff.  I think he’s the Karmann Ghia or something like that.  He said, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past.  If you are anxious, you are living in the future.  If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” 

OK, what he said, but I do have a question.  What if in the present, your house is burning down, your riverboat is sinking or your airplane is being hijacked.  It’s OK to feel a little anxious, in these cases, right?

So, with all these preliminaries documented, we are packed and Craig delivered us to the curb at the terminal.  Let the excitement begin

THE SLEIGH DELIVERS US
TO LAX O'DARK THIRTY