Touring Klaipeda, Lithuania

We left our ship with Peter and Tom R. for a morning tour of the Lithuanian seaport of Klaipeda. From a small tour bus we saw the historic old, wooden timbered houses, the Theater Square, and a flax seed warehouse of "fachwerk" (timber) construction. This old trading city was controlled by the Germans and Russians for centuries before Lithuania achieved independence in 1990. - Dan

Cruising The Baltic

Saturday was a day at sea on board the Oceania Marina. The ship offers plenty of activities including a heated saltwater pool, fully-equipped gym and health club, library and plenty of spaces for quiet relaxation. Some of our party of six enjoyed a movie, playing duplicate bridge, or walking for exercise, Mealtimes in the various restaurant venues offer opportunities for socializing. Today (Sunday) we will visit Klaipeda, a quaint harbor town in Lithuania.

Days In Copenhagen

We actually began our current travel adventure in Copenhagen. Initially Jim had a difficult time since his checked luggage containing his entire wardrobe was not delivered to him by the airline when we arrived. We had a tense couple of days until he was reunited with his luggage on board our vessel just prior to setting sail for our cruise. In spite of the temporary lost baggage problem we did enjoy Copenhagen. Dinner in town on our first evening was at Frida's, featuring local cuisine. The day of our cruise departure we also got to see the changing of the guard at Amalienbourg Palace, the city residence of Queen Margarethe. We also toured those parts of the palace that are open to the public. We visited the opulent main train station bulit ca. 1920 before taking a taxi to board our ship. - Dan

Cities In North Germany

On Friday, June 30 The first stop for our ship, Oceania Marina, was the Baltic port of Warnamunde, in Mecklinberg, a northern section of Germany. We rented a car and four of us drove to lovely Schwerin, site of a great castle of the Dukes of Mecklinberg. A fanciful combination of historical Romanticism and ornate decoration, this huge castle was well worth our drive in this rainy section of the Baltic. After our visit to the castle, we spent time at the town's small but fine art museum, which has a particularly good collection of 17th century Dutch and Flemish paintings by such masters as Hals, Fabritius, Rubens, Steen, Brueghel and many others. It also has an amazing, life-size portrait of "Clara," a rhinoceros immortalized by the French artist Oudry in the 18th century. After a delicious lunch at the Cafe Prag, our excellent driver Jim drove to the Hanseatic city of Rostock, which has been restored after it was heavily bombed during WWII. We visited the Romanesque "Petri" church and drove through town before heading back to he ship. - Dan

First Night Cocktails on Board Oceania Marina

Richard, Tom R, Peter, Tom McC, Dan and Jim.

The Big Bling 2016

Public Art in Fairmount Paek. Artist: Martin Puryear

Cherry Grove GLBTQ Pride Fireworks Finale

Cherry Grove From The Air

On April 30th I started flying my new Phantom 3 Standard model drone. It takes really nice aerial photos. This view is looking toward the East over Cherry Grove.

Anniversary Celebration

On May 26 Dan and I celebrated our 34 years together with dinner out at Le Soir in Bayport, a tradition. Joining us were Juan and Jimmy, and Stephen.

Marching In The Cherry Grove GLBTQ Pride Parade