Wertheim was a charming town where the Main (pronounced mine) river meets to Rhine. It is in the state of Franconia.  Franconians are known for not being the most positive people.  If they visit you and have a nice time their comment might be, “It wasn’t as dreadful as I thought it would be.”

 This was the walkway from the ship to the main part  Wertheim.

The Rhine divides Franconia from Bavaria the state that has quite a snobby reputation..BMW, Mercedes etc. Less known than Pisa there is also a leaning tower here, The Pointed Tower.  Originally it was built as a lookout.  If danger was spotted they....played music!  Its was once a prison for “Drunkards and Shrews”.  This tower leans because of 800 years of flooding along the river.  Since the town is at the intersection of two rivers it floods quite frequently.   As you walk along the shops and houses you will notice flood lines with dates recording the floods.  Shops are on the first floor  and residences are ont he upper floors so living quarters will not be flooded.

Notice the tiny window in the middle?  That was so the man could keep up wtih what his neighbors were doing.

Jim standing by our ship the Viking Freya

Frankfurt to Nuremburg....2013

For two years I have been blocked  out of my blog...... then today it pops up and encourages me to post....go figure.  The timing however is great.  We just returned from a trip to Germany.

We slid into Frankfurt late in the afternoon...well, not that late, but considering it gets dark by 4 PM late is realtive.   The Freya was docked by the old medieval dowtown.  The Christmas Market was still at full tilt so we walked down the cobblestone walk by the river to the old part of town.  I have to say  I was not all that impressed. Perhaps because it was a small market, but it reminded me of the county fair with varieties of German food everywhere I looked.  Most impressive was the old carousel, blinking and playing its typical music.  There were as many adults riding it as children.

Jim and I were amused that Frankfurt is billed as a “bustling city of commerce, full of vertiginous sky scrapers, slick city bankers and vast international trade fairs.”  We did not see a building over 20 stories and only about 4 of those.  It is however the birthplace of Anne Frank..certainly noteable.

Retrospsect on Major Surgery--be prepared!!

Retrospect on Major Surgery--today has been 


turning point.

For the past 5 or so years I had been experiecing severe pain in my spine. At 56, I had done the usual list of things we are instructed NOT to coin life; carrying a bicycle up 6 fights of dorm stairs to and from class several times a day, being on the bottom side of an oak table going up stairs with my husband saying, “Oh you can do it, you can do it,” carrying two toddlers each over the weight of 30lbs, their backpacks, my make up bag, and two rolly suitcases the length of the Munich airport three times, loading numerous bicycles on to bike racks, skisracks...and well need I contine?..carrying mattresses from one college apt. alone and and helping my son do a lift on his truck not realizing I would be part of the lift, and so on...my back had been abused.  This advise is for those who had also experienced these types of abuse.

 

The Surgeon


Make sure they are old enough to have their driver’s license. Otherwise, the younger they are, the better. They have been trained on the latest techniques have no old outdated techniques to forget or revert back to and have the best physical agility needed for surgery.

Spinal Surgery prep:


Think happy thoughts
Treat your spouse like a royaly for the 3 weeks prior to surgery, favorite restaurants, as much golf/masagases,manicure, pedicures as they want, lots of sex, steak and anything they desire.
If they will not be providing your care after surgery,forget all of the above, find someone who is patient, can tolerate loud screaming, and can assist you for two weeks.
Ask for prayers from everyone--even homeless people 
For the remaining children still imprisoned in your home--make up a collection (well hidden) of things to be used as bribes.
Buy a bed tray for meals to be served on.
Buy some long comfy COTTON* night gowns(men too) so that nothing-nothing will touch you around your incisision waistline area, and you will not need a robe.
*Cotton is an absorbent fabric and will breathe. Nylon, polyester or other man-mades will not breathe, can stick to a wound and cause an infection.

Spinal Surgery Day

No no one ever explained the WHY of this before to me. “No make-up, lotions, alcohol,moisturisers, creme rinses in your hair, hair spray, hair gels etc”----WHY? because with the high oxygen invironment in in OR you can catch ON FIRE!!!

WAS THIS NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO TELL ANYONE BEFORE NOW???????

So...arrive ready for surgery looking like a homeless person......wear as few clothes as possible, and bring your own overnight bag. The white ones from the hospital are all alike and can get mixed up.

After Surgery

Stay as long at the hospital as they will let you. They are being RATED ON THE CARE THEY GIVE YOU.....NO ONE AT HOME gets a rating.....!
Don’t climb stairs and convince your family the only thing the Dr. allows you to do is talk, eat and walk to the bathroom. Have a great recovery!!