Sprinting thru Atlanta (airport)

Since we no longer live in Bwd, our getting to the airport was easier and quicker. We made reservations for Super Shuttle to pick us up at our house and they were even early. We arrived at the airport way early, but had been told to be there at least 3 hrs early for an international flight. Check in was fast and easy at that time of the morning and we found our gate and waited and waited. I phoned the Bwd group, which is coming by bus and they were in Granbury. And we waited. We had breakfast, since we won't have a real meal til we arrive in Costa Rica late tonite. The group finally arrived after having to stand in lots of lines to go thru security and get checked
in.




Our flight for Atlanta was posted as leaving 45minutes late and we have less than 2 hrs scheduled to make our connection, if everything is on time. We arrive in Atlanta, late, and sprint from our gate at terminal A to Terminal E (international) arriving just as the flight we need is making a last call for boarding. WHEW! We settle in for the last leg of our flight.

We found our tour guide and some other folks on our flight, and got on the bus for our hotel. When we had finally checked in, we found a restaurant and had some long needed supper. It has been a really long day. We will have a meeting in the morning, to meet the rest of the group and find out where we go from here.

One more week

In 61/2 days we'll be on our way south to Costa Rica. I've checked on the hotels where we're scheduled to stay and discovered that 3 of the 5 have free WiFi. WooHoo!!

I've worked on using the iPad to write blog entries and then download them to blogspot. It is a bit different than using the computer, but much, much lighter and easier to tote.

Before we can step on the plane--- the hot tub must be emptied, sewing project MUST be finished, mail and newspaper put on "vacation" and various other projects completed.

Come along on our adventure. Maybe you can even soar through the jungle canopy with me. Be seeing you

We're going SOUTH!

SOUTH, SOUTH, SOUTH!
In early April the Brownwood bank group is headed to Costa Rica. Several exciting activities are on the agenda and we'll get to see some lovely places. This is our first excursion in this hemisphere---so, we won't be dealing with a time change, and the flight will be relatively short, compared to our other trips.

We're getting excited! We've bought a guidebook and have marked it to show our route for the 9 days we'll be there. Nick wants to scuba/snorkel (I will, too, if it is warm enough) and I think I want to do a zip-line experience. I'm not very comfortable with heights, but since it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, I should take it.

On the agenda are 3 National Parks where we'll experience rain forests and volcanoes, as well as a Pacific beach. The fine print states that we'll be staying in small comfortable, but rustic, hotels that may or may not have air conditioning and elevators.

We will be visiting a coffee plantation, a banana plantation, a school, a dairy farm (where we'll have a cheese making demonstration), a produce farm (pineapples, orchards, grassland) and a well known craft center all while experiencing spectacular scenery.

Here we come, but not til April. Enjoy the trip with us, right here.

I'm not in Kansas anymore!

I decided I needed to "get involved" with something worthwhile here in the "big city", so I contacted Meals on Wheels of Tarrant County, Inc. Now I delivered for Brownwood Meals on Wheels for quite a few years before I left and figured I knew all about it.

W R O N G !

This is a major organization (note the Inc. after their name) with quite a few paid employees, a large building and an enormous kitchen where their 4,000 meals are prepared daily. No Brownwood Regional Hospital meals for them.

During the hour and a half meeting, I took notes and will share the factual differences with you.

Brownwood has 4 routes, Early has one or two (not sure) and the Lake has one or two also. Tarrant County has 197 routes currently delivering. Tarrant county includes Ft. Worth, Arlington and all the suburbs around such as Saginaw, Bedford, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, etc. The delivering is done by individuals, not teams (unless the person driving finds a partner and gets that person "approved"). By approved, I mean, background check, orientation, etc. They endeavor to schedule volunteers to deliver in their immediate neighborhood, which makes me a little more comfortable doing this.

The 19 people who attended orientation today will be put on the substitute list, since all the current routes are "taken".

Brownwood's meals cost just over $3.00 (the last time I heard) while the T C meals cost $5 each. T.C. delivers a "shelf stable" breakfast each day for the next day and some clients receive frozen meals on Friday to tide them over the weekend. Not everyone, just certain recipients. Not sure who or why.

One hundred fifty new clients are approved each month with approval being granted by M. on W. case managers who visit with clients every 3 months. In Brownwood, approval comes from the client's doctor.

In 2009, over 4,000 people volunteered for M on W, Tarrant County, Inc. In Brownwood, 12 people deliver each week, with the same people delivering every 7-9 weeks.

In Bwd, all volunteers congregate at the hospital to pick up the meals for their routes. T C has 6 vans that deliver meals to 43 pick-up sites throughout the area.

One other interesting difference, in Bwd, we delivered on all the major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) Tarrant County doesn't deliver then and sometimes for a day before or after a holiday--they do, however, provide a frozen meal before the holiday so that the client does not go without.

Bwd's M on W is supported solely by donations from individuals and churches with administration provided by the Red Cross. T C's M on W is supported by Federal funds, Grants by the Dept of Agriculture, and groups to assist the Aged, and donations.

I will be called this week sometime to "ride along" with a volunteer who is working a route in my neighborhood. Once that is accomplished, I'll be on the substitute list.

As I was telling N the differences between the two programs, she said "Well, Mom, you're not in Kansas anymore"!

Miscellaneous Switzerland info

Just thought I'd add some miscellaneous info that didn't seem to fit into any of my previous posts.

Roads/ travel
*Speed limit on highways- 90 mph
*“Round-abouts” (traffic circles)- are magic.—No need for stoplights and delays, whenever a vehicle has entered the circle, it has the right of way. Kurt said he’d never seen a wreck at a round-about—and he drives for a living.
*Traffic lights a little different—yellow (caution) is between red and green, not like ours between green and red.
*Young people do not get driver’s license until 18 years of age.

Shopping
Chocolate, Swiss Army knives, linens

Food
*Unusual tea bags, have a little cardboard hook on them to attach to tea pot
*Menus have lots of sausage, cheese, ham, potatoes and green salad.
*Each hotel has about the same breakfast buffet consisting of various breads, cereals, fruit, cold sliced meats, undercooked bacon, sausage and unappetizing looking scrambled eggs.
*Most milk is "whole milk" and very few places had "sweetners". All had white sugar and some had brown sugar for sweeting coffee, tea or cereal.
*Coffee- depending on how it was made, my traveling companions either liked the coffee, or disliked it immensely. Some was made with a powder, while other was made in a Bunn type machine.


Hotels-
We stayed at 4 hotels on our 10 day adventure- all hotels had “European style bedding---Bottom sheet, no top sheet and a duvet (comforter)
1. St Gotthard- a very comfortable older inner city hotel in Zurich. Had the most space of any of the hotels. Within walking distance of lots of shopping and the really interesting train station with many shops
2. Bad Horn Resort- - View from the window was an amazing vista of Lake Constance. Very nice bathroom with separate shower. Maybe the smallest room we had. Reception staff really helpful. I bought my 3 hrs of internet here and used all but 13 min throughout the rest of the trip.
3. Linder Grand Hotel Beau Rivage- (in Interlocken)—very attractive facility, nothing spectacular, but quite comfortable. Within walking distance of a really good restaurant, which I couldn’t pronounce and didn’t write down, so I can’t spell it either.
4. Raddison Blu- attached to airport in Zurich is ultra modern, convenient and had free WiFi. My favorite of the 4, but inconvenient for touring because it is at the airport.
All but # 2, the resort, had the really deep style of bath tubs which I dread. I have broken a toe on one of these tubs on a different trip, so I am very cautions and tried to be sure I didn't slip.

Money Prices—
We had 3 coffees and a tea at one tea shop and the cost was $19
At one place, 2 soups, a salad, 2 coffees and water= $43
In interlocken complete meals with salad for 3 =$120
The currency I dealt with (very comparable to US dollars)
– paper money--100 Swiss francs, 50 franc, 10 francs
– coins- 5 franc,, 2 franc, 1 franc, ½ franc,
– coins-Rappen (like pennies)- 20, 10, 5

Sights
*Flowers everywhere n yards and in window boxes

*Houses looked freshly painted, didn’t see many shabby ones.

*Fields looked manicured--very little scrub brush anywhere.

*We continued noticing that people take their dogs to the top of mountains, to shop, just waling around, and as previously mentioned, to eat dinner in 5 star hotels. B said that next time he comes, he'll need to rent a dog to fit in with the everyday folks

Words- I collected interesting words just because of their look or sound.
Bahnhofstrasse- major street in Zurich
Fraumunster- convent (women’s monastery)
Achtung, kinder!—Careful, children
Krankenhaus- hospital
Backerie- bakery
Rhinefalbecken- the falls on the Rhine river
Naturschauspiel--- no clue, I was just collecting long words when I saw this.
Einfahrt- entrance
Exfahrt- exit
One of the longest words I saw--stresseninspektorat

Stories

Some previous clients of our guide were always late. They had $20,000 watches, but never seemed to care about what time it was or what they might miss because they were not on time to leave for a tour. He seemed pleased that we were prompt.

Cow fights- an entertainment in the farming areas of Switzerland. The cows “butt heads” until one quits—natural activity for them, they aren’t prepared or coached. Farmer with the strongest cow can brag all year.

Heard in the Atlanta airport—Child “No, no, not the train! Don’t make me!!
I went on my merry way trying to find my gate, so I don’t know whether she was put on the train or not.

The trip home

Why is it when you find a really wonderful hotel, you have to be up and out really, really early. The Radisson Blu was wonderfully comfortable and convenient and had FREE WI FI.
We were again met at the airport by Swiss Safari's owner Carmen who again, had gifts for us. She helped us navigate the checkin process and helped us out however was needed.

I was frisked after going thru security because the zipper on my coat set off the alarm. When we finally found our gate we had some waiting to do, but all airports are alike in this- hurry up and wait. The plane was rather empty again (I wonder if they can pay for fuel and salaries with so few paying customers onboard).

There were movies again, and we were instructed how to fill out the US customs forms and we settled in for a long day of sitting.. I had the three center seats to myself, so I tried to nap, and probably slept a little, but finished one book and was 2/3 through another one when we touched down in Atlanta.

We had to get our checked bags, go thru customs, go back through security (this time the jacket came off) and head off to find individual gates for the trip from Atlanta , home.

Sweet Billy met me at the DFW baggage claim and took me home. I'll probably post miscellaneous stuff this afternoon or tomorrow and the blog about Switzerland will be done.

Waterfall and Wine tower

Tuesday—Last day in Switzerland

Since yesterday’s trip to the top of the mountain was so overcast and foggy, our guide decided on another try. This time we went on Mt. Grendelwald. We spent 30 minutes in a cable car getting to the top of the mountain.


The sun was shining and the mountain was stunning.





It was colder than “who'd a’ thought it”, but not as cold as yesterday. There wasn’t much to DO on top of this mountain except look and take pictures, so we headed back down after spending just a while on top.

We then drove to Trumnelbachfalle which is a huge waterfall INSIDE a mountain. Actually here 10 glacier fed waterfalls meet and carve out the center of the mountain. It carries 20,000 liters of water per second. I tried to get video of this, but I’m not sure I was able to get much because the lighting was so dim. We’ll see .............




Later we stopped at the monument for William Tell. Our guide told us the story we have heard most of our lives, and then at the end said, “But it is not true, just a story told to children”.



I’ve been collecting unusual words in German to share with you, but I’ll have to go back thru all my notes, so that'll probably happen on the LONG trip back or Thursday, my recuperation day.

After being delivered to the Radisson Blue which is attached to the airport, we settled in. We figured how to use our electrical adapters, because this hotel has different outlets than any we’ve seen so far in Switzerland.

We walked around to scope out where to go in the morning to check in for our flight, and then decided we were hungry. Back at the Raddison, we ate at a frou-frou place where the waiter exchanged one fork for another, because of what was ordered. And both forks looked alike to me.

The main attraction in the lobby of the hotel, which was open to our restaurant was a 40 foot high wine tower. Bottles of wine were stored, on their sides, all the way up, with the most expensive wines at the top. A pretty young woman in a skimpy costume and a “flying” harness was dispatched to fly up to the level where the wine you ordered was and pluck it out of the storage unit (all this behind glass, with flashing colored lights). It was entertaining to watch, but we did not purchase any, so she did not bring any to our table.
After a good and entertaining meal, we headed back upstairs. The alarm will go off at 5, breakfast is at 6, we check in with the airline at 7 and then don’t do anything but wait until 9:30 or so (2:30 am Texas time)

I’ll finish this in a day or two with pictures and added information about words, food, hotels, dogs, stories, etc. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.