September 27-28, 2026

September 27-28, 2026

We fly home tomorrow, so we checked out of our Alton, IL hotel, and drove back to St. Louis. Never one to miss an opportunity to explore, after crossing the river we followed an unpaved road east to Confluence Point State Park. At the road end we hiked the short trail to the narrow tip. To our left is the wide Mississippi, and to our right is the equally impressive Missouri River. Back at the parking lot we perused several storyboards describing the importance of this river confluence and the many passing VIPs, including Jolliet & Marquette, Lewis & Clark and Mark Twain. The first steamboat sailed past in 1817.

Back in the car, we retraced our path to the highway and continued south to Forest Park, the jewel of St. Louis. We parked and visited the Art Museum. It sits inside a building from the 1904 World's Fair. We climbed the stairs to the upper floor and first explored the tiny Egyptian hall before checking out the American art section. It has several paintings by George Caleb Bingham, especially a famous one that highlights the importance of the local rivers to our nation. We visited Bingham's home in Independence, MO many years ago.

I have learned I have to feed art history to Aimee in small doses so we finished with a quick walk through the main floor concentrating on the Impressionists. It has an over-sized Water Lilies by Claude Monet. Aimee is intrigued by a Edgar Degas sculpture of a young girl dancer. Degas had a thing for ballerinas.

On the way out Aimee and I stopped to look at the huge murals gracing the entry hall. We were amused to learn they were painted by a visiting artist who was inspired when he visited the river confluence we saw this morning. One panel is of the old bridge I saw thousands of times as a kid.

Outside the museum, we took a quick photo of the 1906 monumental equestrian statue of St. Louis (King Louis IX of France) gracing the entrance.  He overlooks the Grand Basin, another remnant of the World's Fair. During the Woke protests of 2020, the statue was almost lost.

From Forest Park, we took the highway west making a brief stop in Chesterfield to check out the Awakening statue. It depicts a giant struggling to free himself from the earth. I am not sure why I like this kind of outdoor art.

We finished at my sister's house in suburban St. Charles for another reunion. This time with my immediate family who all drove in for the event.

We spent the night again at the airport Drury Inn and caught an early afternoon flight home today. Because of a delay, we had to run to catch our connection to Tucson. Thankfully the airline waited for us to arrive. Seeing the three rivers merging from the air as we left St Louis made me realize this long weekend excursion was a trip devoted to all sorts of confluences (alumni, relatives, and rivers)

September 26, 2026

September 26, 2026

Since my official High School reunion is not till this evening, Aimee and I took a leisurely drive from Alton, IL up the very picturesque Great River Road that hugs the limestone bluffs along the Mississippi. We ended at Pere Marquette State Park that overlooks the Illinois River. The park name celebrates its discovery by Europeans during the 1673 Jolliet-Marquette Exploration. My high school was also named after this Marquette. After checking out the Visitor Center exhibits, we drove to a couple nice Illinois River overlooks.

On the return we stopped in the little river town of Grafton at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. It is teeming with tourists. After perusing a classic car gathering, I followed Aimee around as she shopped a flea market. It was held in an old warehouse loading dock. During the Vietnam War, a hundred river gunboats were manufactured inside here for use on the Mekong Delta.

On the way out of town we stopped to photograph the National Memorial of Military Ascent. The ribbon cutting ceremony was only three months ago. The sculpture honors the assault of Pointe du Hoc on the Normandy Coast on D-Day. The local river bluffs are a great spot to site the memorial. We finished with a delicious Italian beef lunch in downtown Alton.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at my childhood home. It needs a lot of work. My dad would be disappointed.

Before my official reunion kicked off, the current principal gave us a tour of my high school. Seeing my old lab, gym, and cafeteria brought back memories. Somehow the classrooms seem tinier than I remember. Afterwards we walked down the street to the old Post Office that has been converted into an event space. About half of my classmates made the reunion. Surprisingly only a handful left the area. I was the alum that traveled the farthest.

September 24-25, 2026

September 24-25, 2026

Yesterday we drove to the airport to catch our mid-morning flight to St. Louis via Denver. Both flights were on time, so we arrived at our airport hotel in time for their free Happy Hour with BBQ pork sliders. Aimee loves this perk of the Drury Inns.

This morning we checked out and walked next door to pick up our rental car. This nearby location saved us two shuttle rides. Unfortunately it took a while to get the car as Budget's computer was acting up.

We drove east across the Mississippi and north to Roxana, IL. Our first stop was the Wood River Refinery History Museum. Aimee groaned when I told her about it. During WWII, the development of 100 Octane gasoline, allowed the use of high-compression airplane engines. The enhanced performance gave a crucial speed edge to the British RAF allowing them to win the pivotal Battle of Britain. I was amused to learn the research for the necessary alkylation process occurred right here in Wood River, IL with the help of legendary General Jimmy Doolittle. Production started at this Shell refinery and in combination with new catalytic crackers was able to supply much of the high-octane fuel needed by the Allies for the war effort.

The museum has limited hours but the volunteer staff gladly agreed to open it for me and my brother today. Interestingly the museum was started by a relative. After watching a couple short films we were given a guided tour of the collection. I was surprised to learn that two enormous caverns were excavated under the refinery out of the limestone bedrock to store bulk butane and propane. Aimee thought the exhibits interesting but was even happier when she received a free museum mug.

After lunch with my brother at a diner around the corner, we checked into a local hotel in Alton, IL. Oddly we have the same room number (222) as last night. What are the odds? The reason we made this trip to the Midwest is so I could attend my 50th High School Reunion. I can’t believe that I am that old. Aimee and I went to a mixer this evening down the hill from my school. I hardly recognized most of them; even though I haven't changed a bit. We took a photo of the alums that I also went to grade school with (12 years total!) I left the event hoarse from talking too much.

August 17, 2026

August 17, 2026

We have a relaxing morning in our London Heathrow airport hotel. This is a travel day and our flight doesn't leave until early afternoon. Not unexpectedly we learn that our flight is delayed an hour. We check out and take the tube to our departure terminal and hang out. We have a delicious Avocado Falafel Pita sandwich at Pret a Manger (Ready to Eat in French). Since we are still in cruise mode, we have to buy a second one. The food was one of the highlights of the cruise. We somewhat preferred the cafeteria over the dining room because of the extraordinary selection of food available. We could have eaten Indian food every meal if we wanted.

Since we signed up for this eclipse cruise last minute, we economized by returning home in the cattle car section. It is full of young kids. It was fascinating watching my seatmates endlessly scrolling on their phones while watching a movie.

Economy class is a long fall in quality from business class. The epitome was being served my wine in a paper cup! The only saving grace is that we don’t need to sleep flying west. We just need to stay awake by watching movies. It makes for a very long day and I am dragging when we reach home near 11pm. We have been up for 24 hours.

Cruising is not my style. The port stops are just too short to really appreciate a city. Fortunately this cruise mostly stopped at small towns that only deserved a half day. Cruising can be inexpensive but the ship dangles internet, drink packages, fine dining, and excursions that quickly add up. But for families it can be efficient. Besides a pool, this ship had a kid-sitting service and endless activities like surfing, tubing and rock climbing. I bet there were a lot of families that never left the ship.

This also was the largest ship we have ever been on with some 4500 passengers. The three floors of main dining illustrates the sheer scale of the operation.

I was afraid that everything on the cruise would be terribly crowded, but it seemed most people had different interests than us. We usually only had to share our favorite sky lounge with only a few others. Aimee enjoyed this adventure enough that she is checking out cruises for the super eclipse next year. Surprisingly it is off the coast of Spain again.

August 16, 2026

August 16, 2026

This morning our cruise ship returned to Southampton, UK at sunrise. We are up early with the time change. Since we didn’t pack cowboy boots for Western night, a tux for formal night, black and white clothes for eclipse night, and tropical dress for Caribbean night, we are able to do self-disembarkation. It is still a long walk with multiple lines and ramps. But that is what we get trying to get off a ship that is almost a quarter mile long and fifteen stories high. Surprisingly the UK customs is non-existent. A Brit in front of me made the snarky comment that they let anyone in now, which is causing lots of political issues for them just like the US.

We made a strategic error for today. We booked a hotel at Heathrow for the night before we checked out transportation. Surprisingly there are no direct trains from Southampton to the airport. Instead we take their National Express bus. It seems half the ship is coming with us. We also booked the least convenient airport Hilton. We arrived in Terminal 2&3, and had to take the Tube to Terminal 4. The Hilton exaggerated a little when they said they were at the Terminal. They (along with several others) are actually off-site, but they have a very long covered ramp connector. The hotel though is very nice and they let us check in early.

After dropping our bags, we caught the Tube into London. It takes more than an hour. Our first stop is the Tate Britain. Originally called the National Gallery of British Art, it got a new name with donations from Henry Tate (of Tate&Lyle sugar fame). We start at the beginning with the 1500’s where we see portraits of ladies in unwearable Tudor costumes.

The Tate, like many museums, is a maze of unconnected rooms and we accidentally jump to the 1800’s. There is also a whole side wing devoted to William Turner and John Constable. Turner was a very successful landscape artist. I have never been a fan, but I always imagined his blurry landscapes just reflected the smoggy reality of Victorian Britain. Possibly it was, but this atmospheric style was a precursor and influencer of the later French Impressionists who adopted it and made it a universal movement. Constable in trying to match Turner’s success made his landscapes much larger. That worked for him too.

The room I liked the best was the Pre-Raphaelites, a British movement I never heard of before. Around 1848, revolution was rocking Europe. In Britain, the new factory working class was fighting for the right to vote. Artists followed their lead and rejected the Royal Academy leadership. I am not sure what they rejected exactly but they focused on painting pretty girls in dreamy situations. What is not to like about that! Apparently I am not the only fan as the entrance to the museum has a large monument to Everett Millais gracing it. He was the primary founder of this brotherhood.

Aimee was moaning her way through the museum, but suddenly got interested when she saw a painting with a woman in a blue dress. The accompanying description said the Industrial Revolution not only dramatically decreased the cost of clothing but allowed new vibrant colors. All of a sudden women dressed for fashion instead of utility. To my dismay, Clothes Shopping became something all women had to do.

To help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Independence, they have a room of related paintings. The collection included one of Ben Franklin, who spent time here in London trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution. He was run out of town just before our Declaration.

The Tate is having a special exhibition on James Whistler, the American who made it big in Europe. Or at least his Mother did. Unfortunately that ticket is very expensive and Aimee has had enough. Instead we Tube to Temple Bar, the location of the historic gate separating the cities of Westminster and London. There we have a late lunch at the Old Bank of England pub. We munch on Fish & Chips washed down with a pint of warm English Bitter. Afterwards we made the long journey back to our Heathrow Hotel.

August 15, 2026

August 15, 2026

We went to breakfast early this morning. We watched our ship enter the huge port of Le Havre, France at the mouth of the Seine River. We pass lots of oil storage tanks and several large container facilities. We moor next to Siemans Wind Turbine Manufacturing plant. In the yard below us we see lots of turbine blades. They are huge. Farther away we see the towers being loaded onto some kind of platform ship.

Many of our fellow passengers are lining up early for disembarkation. They are probably signed up for the ten-hour tours to faraway Paris. Others are making long journeys to see the D-Day landing sites of Normandy. This seems like a lot of effort and bus time, just to get a quick photo of these iconic sites. These locations deserve more.

Instead Aimee and I make the fifteen-minute walk into downtown Le Havre. Or at least it was supposed to be fifteen minutes. We didn’t count on the harbor bridge being opened to allow four sail boats to slowly pass. Even then the bridge didn’t close immediately until another pedestrian pushed an intercom button to get the French attendant off his coffee break.

When we reach the city front, we are confronted with a large colorful piece of artwork, made out of shipping containers. Very appropriate for France’s largest container port.

Being a strategic seaport, Le Havre (The Harbor in French) was virtually destroyed during WWII. Both the Germans and the Allied forces pummeled it. The city is now a World Heritage Site, because it was rebuilt by Auguste Perret in a consistent modernistic reinforced concrete design. As we walk down the main street of Rue de Paris, these functional apartment buildings lining both sides, look almost identical. This is so unlike most cities that have a mishmash of styles.

Our walk is slow going as Aimee is in shopping mode. She is a little flummoxed by most of the stores being closed for the month. They all have a sign saying essentially, Sorry, my vacation is more important than selling you something. No wonder Europe is falling behind more every year.

We peek inside the oldish looking Notre Dame church. Le Havre became the main port at the mouth of the Seine River after nearby Honfleur silted up in the 1500’s. In reading the storyboards about this church I was surprised to learn that this strategic port had been ravaged often, by the British in 1694 and 1759, and again during the French revolution, before being wiped off the map in WWII.

In the center of town, we pass the Oscar Niemeyer-designed volcano-shaped cultural center, a floating ice berg art piece and a war memorial. We try to tour one of Perret’s model apartments he designed for the city. Like La Coruna yesterday, we discover tours are sold out today. This is a big downside of cruise ships. They overwhelm small tourist venues.

We continue on to St Joseph Church. It is the symbol of the redevelopment of Le Havre. It’s tall Perret-designed lighthouse-like tower can be seen for miles. We arrive just as Mass is ending. While the exterior is drab, it has a very surprising interior. The barren concrete structure is heavily decorated with stained glass. And the tower is hollow and also lined with stained glass. Very cool!

Our walk continued down the western waterfront that is filled with personal watercraft. We walk out a jetty where we get a better look at two little forts guarding the old port entrance. At the jetty end is a statue called End of the World. That kind of reflects our long stroll out here.

We finished our tour of Le Havre with a required cafe stop facing the harbor. Aimee has a wine from southern France, while I have a local Normandy cider. In 1872 favorite son Claude Monet looked out his hotel window above us and painted this same view. That famous smoggy seascape "Impression, Sunrise" kicked off the Impressionist Movement.

We make it back to the ship for a late lunch. We spend the rest of the day on the ship relaxing and watching large freighters of all kinds leave the harbor.

August 14, 2026

August 14, 2026

Today is another sea day. During dinner last night we left the Spanish coast and began our passage north across the Bay of Biscay. When we awoke this morning, we were rounding the Brittany peninsula and approaching the English channel.

After breakfast, we read a while in our now personal seats in the sky lounge keeping an eye on the other passengers using the pool deck. For exercise we did the six-lap one-mile circuit and then lifted some weights in the gym.

When entering the cafeteria for lunch we are again greeted by a cute Asian girl dancing and singing some “Washie Washie” (your hands) tune. This is the cruise lines answer to ships being petri dishes for disease. How this girl can keep up this happy smiling vivacious act for hours is incredible.

At 2 pm we went to the main theater to watch the musical Saturday Night Fever. The set was very elaborate and the dancers incredibly talented. This is their only performance of this show. As big as this ship is, and as professional as they are, I can’t believe they are not doing this show more often.

After dinner, we went back to the theater for another performance. This time a British Rock and Roll band called The Boulevards. They were equally as talented but only scheduled for one other show tonight. I could easily have listened to them again. I am surprised we haven’t had more of this quality entertainment earlier in the cruise.