My Danube River Cruise

 What a wonderful experience for me as I had never been to Europe.  After landing in Munich, Germany we boarded a bus and drove about two hours to our ship docked in Passau.  The countryside was dotted with small villages and many fields ready to be planted.  Alas, we arrived at the Danube River, a large and historically important waterway dating back to the Roman Empire.

We boarded the ship named Emerald Luna, had a tasty beverage, freshened up and headed to the Lounge where the cruise director Igor welcomed us and explained various information regarding the coming week, the evening’s Chef Recommendation/wines and what was on the next day’s agenda.

Using many local ingredients, the food was delicious and artistically presented.

The breakfast buffets were equally appetizing with everything from assorted lunch meats to chia pudding.

Our first stop was Linz, the capital of Upper Austria.  What a sizeable town center with many people sitting outdoors and socializing. To be honest I did not see many of them holding cellphones!  The flowers were in bloom and the merchants had their shop doors wide open.  We visited what appeared to be a gift shop only to discover it was a specialty liquor store selling unusual candies and liqueurs.  The young clerk  enticed us by offering us small brandy sniffers of pistachio and melon liqueur.  Yum!

The adorable sales clerk who was offering various liqueurs

Founded in 1089 the Benedictine Abbey of Melk was extraordinary.  As of 1701 it was rebuilt in the Baroque style of architecture and has been a working monastery for more than 900 years without interruption.  There are over 11,000 combined acres of forests, farmland and vineyards.  To my dismay but understanding, pictures could not be taken inside the building.

A view from the Melk Abbey overlooking the Danube River 

Leaving Melk we sailed through the Wachau Valley to Weissenkirchen.  It was a quaint village surrounded by many, many vineyards.  Tea at an outdoor cafe was very welcoming.

Next on the trip was Vienna.  What a charming city with exquisite architecture and imperial grandeur.  In the evening we attended a lovely concert performed exclusively for the passengers of Emerald Luna.

I decided to remain on the ship when we docked at Bratislava, Slovakia.  My roomie, however, ventured out into the cold and windy village and found it very charming.  She had a bowl of soup in one of the town’s restaurants and found it very satisfying.  Every day on the ship creamed vegetable soups were served at Tea.  I found having a lighter lunch allowed me to maintain my weight and enjoy the evening meal with more of an appetite!

Our stay in Budapest was so different than what I had expected.  The architecture was eclectic and stunning.  Each building was unique.  The public transportation through the use of trains was phenomenal.  I certainly wish many of our American cities could follow their lead.  Also, many people either walked or used bikes.  This was true throughout all the areas we visited along the Danube.

This was a memorial to those individuals who were executed by the Nazis and consequently fell into the Danube.  Very moving…

I took an excursion to the town of Szentendre north of Budapest.  The cobbled streets were lined with quaint shops, colorful houses and the fascinating Margit Kovacs Ceramics Museum.  Margit had such a unique style of creativity.  I could have spent hours observing her various art pieces.

Our final evening was spent at the Vadaspark where we had a family-style dinner and a traditional folklore show.  Once again the wine was flowing and the music was filling the air!

I truly had a trip of a lifetime.  I highly recommend using Emerald Cruise Lines.  The staff was extremely attentive and the ship was kept impeccable.

Blessings,

Frannie

Pelican Preserve in Ft. Myers, FL

 I recently visited three of my high school classmates.  Surprisingly all of them reside in the same lovely community.  If any of you are considering making the move to a sunnier and warmer place than you are currently living, by all means consider Pelican Preserve.  Every amenity you can imagine is available.  Indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, bocce and pickleball courts, five golf courses with a large clubhouse and a huge community building with exercise machines and craft rooms.  The list goes on.  You can see for yourself how absolutely stunning the property is in the following pictures.

What a wonderful time spent in Ft. Myers with my dear classmates of yesteryear and their spouses.

Frannie

Not Only Do I Decorate For Christmas…

 I love to bring Easter joy to my home. 🐣 Over the years I have slowly amassed the traditional characters with the Easter bunny taking center stage.  The picture of my doubting husband taken in the early 1950’s with Mr. Bunny brings a smile, and I can’t resist the colony of rabbits on my foyer chair to welcome visitors.

My most treasured piece is my very first Easter basket which my dear mother took such good care of through the years.  Again, an adorable floppy-eared bunny is nestled comfortably in it.

I am so glad I purchased my twig tree with steady or twinkling miniature lights.  I originally designated Christmas only as the time it was embellished.  Now I do every special time of the year.  The lights have such a comforting glow in the evening.

Blessings,

Frannie xo

Changing

 

Blessings from Frannie xo

DEI and Affirmative Action

 There is so much talk in the news these days about DEI… Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  Years ago, I believe it was referred to as Affirmative Action.

According to tgen.org, diversity means that we value, recognize and respect everyone’s unique qualities and attributes. Equity means to guarantee, fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all whilst driving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. Inclusion means that all individuals feel a sense of belonging and know that they are valued.

According to Wikipedia, affirmative action refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking to address systemic discrimination. Historically and internationally support for affirmative action has been justified by the idea that it may help with bridging inequalities in employment and pay, increasing access to education, and promoting diversity, social equality and social inclusion. 

When it comes to one’s ability to obtain a work position, I truly think it should be performance and skill.  Each of us has our own skills and abilities for certain tasks.  A simple and obvious example would be our professional athletes.  Each player is best suited for his or her position.  He or she has honed their skills to be the best they can be.  They are the best at what they do and are compensated for their performance.  I cannot imagine the owners of the NFL being required to follow the guidelines of DEI or Affirmative Action.

When I was in school in the 50’s and 60’s, only those students who made the mark were awarded with an “A” or a ribbon.  You did your very best to achieve special recognition.  Those who didn’t excel were encouraged by their peers or teachers to try harder.

I feel as human beings we should try to be open-minded to those individuals who are different whether it be skin color, social class or sexual-orientation.  However, let us use common sense in filling positions with the most qualified individual.

I would love to hear my readers’ opinions in this much-debated subject.

Blessings,

Frannie