Like I Was Saying

When Doris and I were in Dubrovnik, Croatia, while we were enjoying a little walking vacation, which is basically all you do in Europe, we decided to get away from the walls of that particular historical city, which there are many, and wander along the beautiful coastline. We did the tourist thing and got on a Hop On- Hop Off bus, which are pretty good, because after you make the first loop de loop around all the hot spots, you can then decide which location you want to return to and like the logo says, hop off. In Dubrovnik, there are only three stops. The one where you begin, the middle one you drive by because it is on the other side of the road, and the only things there are a bus stop and a rocky beach. I know, because the driver pointed it out on our return trip, and he basically said it was not worth getting off since we didn't pack our swim trunks! How's that for old school phraseology? So, we hopped off where the bus turns around, which was the last stop, but really the only stop. After two hours of 'walking', we hopped on at the same location we hopped off at and headed our way back to where the ship, that we were travelling on, was docked. There was only one other couple, and we were really tight on time. This is not the Garden State Parkway we're talking about. The only main road is a one lane in both directions for miles, and we are talking midtown Manhattan traffic at Christmas time. So, once we passed the bus stop/beach hop on, which there was no one to hop on, the driver took matters into his own hands and we went cruising off the beaten path up into the hills of Dubrovnik in our 40' long big red bus. Through the local neighborhoods we wandered, bypassing the standstill traffic and arriving at the one traffic light, which was about two blocks shy of the hop-on, hop-off starting location. You are the man! This is what a good driver does. Something else about this vacation was a cruise on a Celebrity Cruise ship called the Constellation. There were roughly 2,000 guests, so unless you constantly did the same routines, there was no chance you were going to meet everyone. Although I tried.  On the very first night of the cruise, at the Martini Bar, I met a couple from Northern Ireland, a couple from Southern Ireland, and in between them, a couple from England. These people had not met each other until this American got involved and started talking to all of them, which, in turn, they all became friends. Well, let's call it bar friends.  Now, the more and more I spoke to people as the days went on, it made it more fun when the nightlife came, and you're on the dance floor, and now you are bumping into people you already met. Like on the Silent Disco night. This was great. Let me explain if you have never heard of it. On the disco floor, there is no music to hear, unless you got your headphones from the DJ. There are three channels you have an option of listening to, and they are colored. Green, red, and blue. So, for example, I may be rocking to some "80s" disco, but the person next to me might be bopping to some "60s" tunes while someone else is strolling along to some country music. If you are on red, but it appears more people are on blue, and they look like they are having more fun than you, you switch over to blue. But then the green folks are really bouncing and waving, I need to go green! It's a lot of fun dancing now with a few of my new 2,000 friends from around the world. Hey, New Zealand, you're rocking, man. Always looking for a great time.  Be safe. John Sutich President Just Another Story