The Senior Scene

What a winter. Will it ever end and the sun shine for more than one day at a time?

We haven’t let that bother us, however. In early January, we made an excursion north to the town of Concrete for the annual Eagle Festival. We spent the night in a wonderful large house at the Ovenells Heritage Inn with a beautiful view of Mount Baker. In the morning, we layered up and waddled out to the car for a short drive to Rockport. Here we loaded a bus that took us to Marblemount and a boat for the float trip.

The bald eagle, our national bird, has been on the endangered list for many years and has finally been taken off. Many of them come to the Skagit River every year to winter and feed on the salmon who come up the river. We were there to find some of them and take a look at their habitat as we floated down the river in an open boat steered by a raftsman. Skagit River Guide Service assisted us all the way with helping us into the boat (not an easy task for some in the 90s and Audrey, who is 101), where there was comfortable seating and even heaters to keep us warm. Near the end of the trip, we even had hot chocolate.

The scenery was amazing. The sun was out, sparkling off the icy water. The Cascades were stark in their white beauty. In the trees, we could easily spot the white heads and tails of the eagles watching us and looking for salmon to feast upon.

There was good and bad news about such a beautiful day. The good news: Everywhere we looked, we had beauty. The bad news was that on such days, a lot of the eagles fly off to other areas. We saw many of them, but perhaps not as many as we had hoped it. It was a good tradeoff, however, as we stayed warm and enjoyed the trip.

Coming up, we have a trip scheduled to the Seattle Art Museum just to explore for the day. We are also scheduling another trip to Teatro Zinzanni for their fun theater experience. We have enjoyed their matinee lunch on previous occasions and will now go again to see their newest show. There are always things we can do during these winter months that will get us out of the house and let us socialize.

Want to take a riverboat trip but don’t want to have to fly a long distance? Let us know and perhaps we will put something together in the U.S. There are some great riverboat trips, and if we find there is interest, we will go.

There is still space available for the Cuba trip in March and also for the 15-day Hawaii cruise (out of Vancouver to Hawaii and back) in April. For further information, call me at 253-927-8207 or get on the e-mail list at lindafinch@gmail.com.

Oh, heavens. It is another year already. That last one sure went by fast with some fun things to make memories. We started in Mexico, made it to Alaska and ended with a riverboat cruise in Europe. Now we are on to new adventures for 2017.

But first, a bit about the end of 2016:

The Polar Express took us on a snowy winter day out of Elbe on the steam train.  We had cookies and hot chocolate as we listened to the story and marveled at a winter wonderland in our own back yard. The elk and deer were in the woods, the rivers ran fast and furious, and the snow came down. We drove carefully home but will have those memories for a long time.

Our other December adventure was to Molbaks in Woodinville. This seems to be an annual thing to see everything in the gift shop and look at the acres of poinsettias. And of course, we had to pick up the famous almond pastry.  You might want to think about coming with us next year.

Now, on to what 2017 promises us. Our first trip will be Cuba on March 19. A nice group is developing for this People-to-People experience. All excursions are included in the price as we head out to actually meet some of the people and learn about how they live.  Now under new leadership and expectations we will learn what their hopes are for the future.

On April 21, we start a 15-day cruise on Princess out of Vancouver to the islands of Hawaii. Many fun things are planned on shipboard, and excursions are available at each island stop. This is a nice way to enter spring.

On May 15, we will have an overnight cruise on Holland America out of Vancouver back to Seattle.  Perhaps we will take the train in order to get to Vancouver, or it will be the bus.  Then we have a fun overnight with dinner, a show and lots of entertainment to keep us busy. A special way to spend Mothers Day. Bring the family along for a shop escape vacation.

For reservations and other information, contact me at 253-927-8207 or linda.finch@gmail.com.

What an amazing cruise we had in Europe.  We have been talking about it for months and I promised to get the story out to all of you.  Well, here it is.

It was a 10-hour overnight flight which put us into Paris and finally to our hotel in time for lunch.  Wanting to adapt to the time change as quickly as possible, we elected to tour with a friend from Edmonds who lives in Paris for a month every year.

Our first stop: Montmartre and the beautiful Sacre-Coeur.  This magnificent church was erected in 1876 and stands at the highest point in Paris. From here, the city runs for miles around you.  Follow the Seine and find the Eiffel Tower, spot the Arch de Triumph and the Champs Elysees, and move on to the Louvre.  You can see them all.

This is an artist area, and we walked among them as we headed down picturesque winding roads to the bottom of the hill for a glass of wine among the locals. A quick light dinner and we were off to the river and an evening cruise to see the lights of the city. The Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame light to perfection, along with the bridges and other ancient buildings.  It was breathtaking, but we needed sleep and called it a night.

Day 2 took us sightseeing. How different things look during the day. We saw the Opera, LaMadeline, Place de la Concorde and the Grand Palais. Some took the ride up the Eiffel Tower, as it was just steps from our hotel.  In the evening, we once again met with our own private guide at Luxembourg Gardens.  Day 3 was the first “moving” day of our tour.  It was a rather long drive from the middle of Paris to the city of Luxembourg, where we had a tour, time for lunch and then were able to spend time at both the American and Germany cemeteries. Two of our ladies had lost fathers in World War II, one at each cemetery.  We were able to make arrangements for them to visit the graves. It was an extremely moving time and one we will all treasure.

Day 4 began in Trier, founded around 16 B.C. There were Roman ruins, including the best-preserved amphitheater in the world. Here, gladiators and animals both fought for their lives. The farmers market dates back to the 10th century and is still functioning today. Karl Marx was born in Trier in 1818. His house is now a museum.

Day 5: The village of Cochem, where six creeks spill into the river, vineyards creep up the steep hills, and traditional half-timbered houses abound. The Reichsburg Castle dates back to the 11th century. In 1689, it was razed to the ground but was restored in 1866 and now offers daily tours.

Day 6 began with the drive through the countryside to Koblenz and the stunning Marksburg Castle.  What a thrill to see rooms set up as they were 700 years ago. With tapestries on the walls and fireplaces in each room, the castle seems to have been quite livable.

Day 7 had us docking at Aschaffenburg, a short ride to one of Germany’s oldest and most romantic cities, Heidelberg. This is a true university town, and we were lucky enough to be able to have lunch with several students. One had even been an exchange student to Puyallup. Education is free, but you must not only have a good GPA but be able to speak and write fluent German in order to attend. The university was founded in 1386 and continues to be one of Germany’s elite institutions.

Day 8 started after another night of leisurely cruising on the Rhine River. We arrive in Karlstadt and took a coach into Wurzburg to visit the renowned Bishop’s Residenz. Oh, how I wish they would have let us take pictures. This is more than fairytale perfect. It was built between 1720 and 1744 and is now a UNESCO listed site. The grand staircase, with its unsupported vaulted ceiling, features the largest ceiling fresco in the world. The opulence is everywhere with a combination of marble, gold stucco, mirrors and glass. It was so hard not to sneak a photo. The gardens, however, are open for cameras and are extensive.  It is fun to dream of what life must have been like for the royalty that lived here.

Day 9 kept showing us that there was always another castle around the bend and more vineyards up the hills. This time our stop was Bamburg, one of my personal favorites. It is here that “The Nutcracker” originated, and smoked beer became something to talk about (not necessarily the best to drink, in my humble opinion.) Another picturesque village with Roman ruins and stories to tell.

Day 10. The cruise portion was over and we were now headed to Prague. Our first stop of the day was Nuremberg, site of Htlter’s fanatical party rallies, where the boycott of Jewish businesses began and the infamous Nuremburg Laws outlawing Jewish citizenship were enacted. We visited the parade grounds where Hitler stood above the people and watched as they goosestepped in parade before him. They have been left as a message to all about what happened here, with the hope it will never happen again.  We drove past the site of the Nuremberg Trials and then left it behind us as we toured the actual city and ended at a wonderful market square.  It was fun to shop the small booths, visit the stores and enjoy a local sausage. We reboarded the coaches for a four-hour journey to Prague. It worth every ounce of the drive. Prague is a magical city. It is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Day 11 was our last day. We enjoyed a more organized tour of the city with an actual walk through the grounds of Prague Castle, a tour of the Jewish center and a walk through the main square with the glockenspiel clock that goes off every hour. We had enjoyed a true adventure with beautiful weather, great food and spectacular service by Viking River Cruises. It is certainly something we would do again.

Remember that we have other things planned that you can join . The Cuba trip on March 19 still has space available. It is a one-week cruise out of Miami with three stops in Cuba. We also have a 15-day round-trip  cruise out of Vancouver to Hawaii departing April 21. For further information, please contact me at 253-927-8207 or linda.finch@gmail.com.

Linda Finch writes the Senior Adventures column.

Wow. Fall is upon us already.  It just seems like this year is going so fast. This is the month we take the riverboat trip between Paris and Prague, “Cities of Light.”

We did a “Quick Trip” to Mount Rainier in late July, and even though it was a bit of a misty day, it was beautiful.  We are so lucky to have such a beautiful destination in our own backyard.

We stopped for a moment in Elbe to see the tiny church and again just up the road at the metal sculpture park.  That is a wonderful place to explore, with everything from giraffes and horses to carts and carriages.

The waterfalls along the way were beautiful, and the falls at Narada inside Mount Rainier National Park were particularly spectacular.  Lunch was at the lodge at Paradise, and then it was time to turn around and head back down.

The next trip was in August to the ocean. Ocean Shores is always a good place to go, and lunch at the Quinault Casino gives everyone an opportunity for a little added fun. There is the usual shopping, but we all go just to sit on the beach and watch the waves come in. I’m afraid we aren’t much at beach walking, but the roar of the waves and the fresh smell of the seawater can be taken in through open windows.

Get on the Quick Trip list by writing to me at linda.finch@gmail.com.

“Discover Scotland” has been added to the schedule for April, and Cuba is developing nicely for March. There is also some thought about a cruise from Vancouver to Hawaii and back in April. Show your interest and it just might happen. For reservations, etc., contact me at 253-927-8207 or linda.finch@gmail.