ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Friday, March 22, we board KLM Flight 901 to Amsterdam where we board the Viking river longboat Aegis for a 15 day cruise along the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. Our cruise will include visits to Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary
March 23, we arrive in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, and transfer to our ship.*Aegis.  Upon completion of boarding, we have the day to explore the city.
March 24, we sail to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where our tour includes a network of windmills and exposes us to their flood management technology.
March 25, Our morning tour of Cologne, includes a visit to the Dom, Germany’s largest cathedral and a Unesco World Heritage Site. After lunch we are “free” to explore Cologne on our own.
March 26, Cruising past  castles along the Rhine, and a stop in Koblenz to visit Marksburg, the only Rhine castle never destroyed.
March 27, Miltenberg Enjoy the Main River as it winds its way through the Spessart region. After lunch, we stop in Miltenberg, known for its half-timbered houses, including the oldest inn in Germany.
March 28, Würzburg After breakfast we tour Würzburg’s Bishops’ Residenz, one of Germany’s largest and most ornate baroque palaces and a UNESCO World Heritage.
March 29, Bamberg After our morning sail and lunch we visit Bamberg, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
March 30, Nuremberg After breakfast aboard ship we visit Nuremberg, and spend free time exploring Nuremberg’s old town.
March 31, Regensburg. Arrive in Regensburg in the late morning; after lunch, we  tour this medieval city, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.
April 1, Passau On a morning walking tour,  we will explore Passau’s narrow streets and Italian architecture, and pass the Veste Oberhaus, a 13th-century fortress that served for centuries as a bishop’s stronghold.
April 2 Melk & Krems.  After breakfast we visit the abbey at Melk, a 900-year-old Benedictine monastery featuring Austria’s finest Italian baroque architecture and then rejoin our ship for a  cruise through the spectacular Wachau Valley this afternoon. Before dinner, you have free time to explore.
April 3, Vienna We ride along Vienna’s Ringstrasse, which replaced the city walls in the mid-19th century, see  Vienna’s world-famous Opera House, St. Stephan’s Cathedral and Hofburg Palace. After lunch aboard explore Vienna on our own.
April 4, Bratislava. After our early morning arrival, we will do a walking tour of Slovakia’s capital and explore this capital city. 
April 5, Budapest Cruise the Danube River which divides this Hungarian capital city into “Buda” and “Pest”.  Explore both parts, enjoy lunch aboard and the rest of the day exploring.  A final traditional Hungarian farewell dinner aboard completes our “River” adventure.
April 6, A 6 AM depart Budapest for Amsterdam and our connecting flight  to Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy  for our Mediterranean Sea voyage aboard the cruise ship, Norwegian Jade.

April 7 and 8  At Sea
April 9 Alanya, Turkey
April 10, Limassol, Cyprus
April 11, Haifa, Israel
Apr 12, Ashdod, Israel
April 13, At Sea
April 14, Iraklion, Greece
April 15, At Sea
April 16, Naples, Italy
Apr 17 Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy.
Depart Rome for a connecting NY flight scheduled to  arrive Los Angeles 1220AM, April 18.



MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Once again it is that special time of the year when we stop, take a deep breath and wonder where the year went.  We hope you had a good year and we look forward to the special cards and notes that remind us of good friends and relatives who we rarely see and from whom we seldom hear.  To our friends and family far and near, we send special wishes for a very Merry Christmas, good health, happiness, less political posturing and more sanity in the coming year. 

Ours was a year filled with new adventures shared with family and friends and blessed with relatively good health although we experienced occasional reminders that old age is an unplanned journey.  Our list of exchanged greetings grows shorter each year as a reminder of the growing number of missing links in our chain of life.  They are sorely missed for their special contributions to  our life. 

In March, we joined Ken’s brother and sister in law for a cruise to 16 South Pacific Islands.  It was a wonderful experience and a great adventure shared with two special people. 

In May, Ken and I boarded a flight to Johannesburg, South Africa for a two week exploration of South Africa with six wonderful traveling companions from San Diego and Canada.  We were blessed with a guide who shared with us his love and loyalty for his country and gave us an insightful introduction into the history of South Africa.  We are often asked what travels we have enjoyed most and it is always difficult to say that one single location was greater than another.  However, Ken and I agree that our South African experience was unforgettable and worthy of special acclaim.

In October, we were joined by friends for a week in Kauai where we revisited many old sights and experienced the usual melodrama of Hawaii’s best tourist activities. 

Gary and Marci recently bought a condo in Coronado where they plan to enjoy their leisure time at the water’s edge; Terri continues to pursue her practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist and supervises the “old folks at home”; Granddaughter, Lauren, has accepted a job in California and is temporarily living at home until she decides where she wants to settle; Grandson, Sean, is finishing his last year of college and working at a golf club in San Diego.  We are blessed with a wonderful loving family who shake their heads and tolerate us with uncanny patience.  Life is good.

We trust that you will have a wonderful holiday season and as you embark upon the realities of the New Year, be healthy, happy and of good cheer for the end of the Mayan calendar is near.

                                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                                      Pat and Ken Burns