The Magnificent Seven

Tuesday, October 30

Linz, Germany

Our first stop is Linz, Germany. There are several options today. The first choice is a tour of Linz with it’s opera house, New Cathedral and a visit to a cider farm. The other is a long bus ride to Salzburg, hometown of Mozart. Both involved a lot of walking so I chose this as a day of rest instead, eating breakfast in my room.

So why don’t I tell you about "the Magnificent Seven" instead. Normally I’m uncomfortable in small groups when I don’t know the people, especially when the rest of the group are friends. In this case, though, this incredible group made me feel right at home.

(I really do have to buy a new thesaurus. I’m running out of superlatives to use for this trip and we’ve only been on it three days.)

Frank, as you should already know, is my friend from Garden Ridge. Andrea and I traveled with him and Kate to the Albuquerque Balloon Festival twice. He’s also is a member of SANTRAK, our train club, and specializes in European trains. He was stationed in Germany, and later in his career was one of the developers of GPS, which took him all over the world. After the cruise, he and I will spend another two and a half weeks traveling around Germany.

Micky is our incomparable (aha! a new word) travel agent. This is an unabashed advertisement for her services. micky@travelplanningforyou.com Or, as you might have guessed, www.travelplanningforyou.com You want to go somewhere? She can get you there in style. She put together this whole trip and is friends with all the rest of the group. And what a group we are.... four couples (including Greg, Micky’s husband) from all over the US, Frank and myself.

Yes I know, I know. That’s more than seven but I just liked the title. “The Magnificent Ten” just doesn’t have a ring to it.

Of the other couples there is one from North Carolina, one from Alabama, and one moving to Arizona. All have traveled extensively and are absolutely delightful people. Lot’s of stories, lots of laughter. You couldn’t ask for a better group of companions.

Let’s look at the links that tied the group together. I’ve already told you the rest of the group knew each other, but here’s the remarkable part.

Frank and I were both Air Intelligence Officers, and recently widowed.

Three of the women have known each other since childhood, grew up in Germany, and went to the same school. Two have been lifelong friends, and the third reconnected a few years back.

One of the men grew up in Oconomowoc, just a few miles from where I went to seminary at Nashotah House, and where Andrea, the boys and I lived during our years there.

Micky and I discovered she and Andrea are kin through their Huguenot ancestors from Charleston.

One of the men loves flying as much as I do and flies a Piper Comanche.

All of this from one small group!

Of the men, one works for the weather service, one is a church administrator, one is in IT, and one I've already mentioned loves to torment me with our flying background, showing me pictures of the Cherokee he flies and all the latest apps...JEPP charts for the entire US in your cell phone or iPad. When I was flying you had to carry a 15 pound case with multiple books for each section of the country. But this app not only has JEPP charts, it has sectional maps for the entire country! And flight planning. And weather briefings, and on and on.

The wives are bundles of energy and, like their husbands, have wonderful senses of humor. I never really quite sorted out what all they have done in their lives, but each is gifted in her own right.

Since you already know I’m writing this after the cruise is over I’ll give you some of their accomplishments. Looking ahead, on the next leg of our cruise one of the men took the option of riding along the river and meeting the ship at our next docking station. A twenty mile bike ride...and he beat the ship to the dock! In Budapest our hotel was at the top of a mountain. The entire group climbed the 12,753 (there’s that number again) steps up the steep stone stairs.

And most humbling of all was their gracious hospitality. I can’t begin to express my gratitude for their willingness to help me in any way possible. Dawdling along with me at my slow pace, getting things at the dinner table so I didn’t have to get up...the list goes on and on.

I’m not sure they would want their names and pictures spread all over this blog, so I’ll retain their anonymity. But since I’m plugging Micky’s travel agency she gets to be the poster girl for this blog.

Pictures: pictures taken out of my stateroom window as we cruised.

Reflections: What a blessing it is to have new friends. As remarkable as the cruise stops and wonders are that I’ll see along the way, what I will really take away from the trip is the memories of great times with this group.