Have you ever known a person, who at first glance did not seem interesting, certainly not popular, but when you got to know them, they turned out to be tremendously interesting and quite beautiful? That person represents Lucca, Italy, a hill town north of Florence and east of Pisa.

Lucca is not one of the tourist packed hill towns for which Tuscany is well known nor is it well publicized in the tourist guides. Geographically, it is in north Tuscany while most attention is focused on south Tuscany. Historically, the city was a pawn in the ever changing city state wars and maneuverings between Florence and Pisa, Florence and Genoa and Florence and about everyone else, never gaining enough power to fend off its ambitious neighbor, Florence. Religiously, however, Lucca was important, ever since the city became the first city in Europe where the whole population converted to Christianity.

Once you arrive in Lucca, with its high wall completely encircling the old town and its imposing towers reaching skyward, you begin to be surprised by what lies in store within the walls. First, the wall is walkable and people with baby strollers and bicyclers and strollers do just that. The old duomo (cathedral) is stately with a beautiful painting of the last supper by Tintoretto and a majestic cross dating from the 11th century with a legend that says it was made by Nicodemus (the man who allowed Jesus to be buried in his tomb) and angels before arriving in Lucca. St. Martin’s Church lies right across the square from the duomo. Below it, reachable by a stairway, are extensive Roman ruins and a large baptismal fount from the 5th century. Old Christian mosaics have also been uncovered. In the city itself, squares and narrow streets lead to more beautiful churches and one of Europe’s oldest clock towers. Relaxed and inviting, Lucca quickly becomes your friend, one you will keep for life. WEG

They told us the duomo was closed for the day, but when we arrived the door was able to be opened and we went in. Rehearsal was in session for a concert and it was lovely. Verona, with its intact Roman Coliseum (third largest in the Roman world) and elegant churches is much more than Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare fame. Yes, we did see the balcony where Romeo spied his Juliet, but we enjoyed walking the bustling city streets to see the other major sites as well. Our time on this second leg of our encore journey is quickly winding down. WEG

This was the day I let our friend Ken Hancock drive our manual rental. Ken’s career was in the trucking industry and he started out driving a manual rig and worked his way up to management. Driver safety was in his area of management. Obviously Ken drives differently than I. The trip from Bozen (Bolzano), Italy–where the famous ice man is housed in an anthropological museum–he is really crinkly and still frozen in ice–to our destination–Funes, in the Dolomites (Italian Alps) was supposed to be about 30 minutes. It took three and one half hours. How can that be? You will understand how when you drive using Ken’s safety rules.

Rule One–Never ever leave second gear. Using other gears wastes gas and ruins the transmission. Yes, you will be driving only 30 in a 90 zone, but you will be safe.

Rule Two–Take the high road. Not that Ken wanted to do this, but he repeatedly did. As he so colorfully put it, “It seems as if we are following this lady to hell!” This was because our GPS female guide repeatedly took us on harrowing trails. One laners at the top of mountain peaks seemed to be the only route GPS lady knew. Literally, we were driving on gravel paths on the top of narrow mountain passes. That was bad enough but when we met another vehicle and no room to pass and backing up was out of the question (Ken had very descriptive words about this–ask him to repeat it when you see him) and steep drops offs on both sides, we did what anyone from Texas on the top of a mountain in Italy would do. We waited and waited until the other vehicle backed up.

Rule Three–Honk loudly and slow way down to a crawl before going around switchbacks. There were many, many switchbacks. Also, have your traveling companion get out of the car and walk around the curve to make sure no one is coming. That goes along with having your traveling companion get out when you need to back up to give you directions.

Rule Four–Stop occasionally to develop new vocabulary to describe the experience you are having. I needed time for this, but for Ken it came naturally. I’m coming home with a whole new set of phrases.

Rule Five–Thank God when you get to your destination safely and remember the absolute beauty of God’s creation you were privileged to see on your three and one half hour journey. And be amazed that you have traveled the road less traveled and had vantage points that a very minuscule number of people have witnessed.

So far on this “encore” journey, amazing car rides have played a major part in our experiences. Each has been priceless and thank you, Ken, for driving so carefully and safely on this Dolomite drive. WEG

Lake Garda is beautiful to say the least. Limone is across the lake from Malcesine and a ferry transports people between the two villages. Limone is famous for its limoncello, a lemon based liqueur. Limone is hard pressed between the sheer cliffs of the mountains and the lake–it is three streets wide and about a mile long alone the lake. Yellow, rust, gold, beige and green buildings with red tile roofs line the streets with lush flowers of every description in baskets and plantings everywhere. Restaurants with patio arbors sported old growth wisteria now in full bloom. Lemon themed products predominated in the shops. It was amazing to look up to the mountains while standing amongst the quaint buildings and turning to see the baby blue waters of the lake lapping the shore.

A gondola ride close to our hotel in Malcesine took us over 10,000 feet to the top of Mt. Baldo. The weather was glorious and hang gliders were running off the cliff. Sitting in an outdoor restaurant on a snow covered peak with other peaks in view in short sleeves while looking out over the massive mountain rimmed lake below was more than refreshing and invigorating. Could there be a more impressive sight? WEG

“If you don’t watch out you’re going to knock him on his ass and then jump out of the car and pray for him.” Yes, bicyclers and motor scooters are omnipresent in Italy, just like gelato. They dart in and out of traffic and own the road, as it were. Ken Hancock was sitting beside me, helping navigate, as I drove us out of Florence to the Lake District of Italy. One daring motorcyclist came flying in from the side, cutting right in front of me, and I swerved to miss hitting him, thus bringing Ken’s retort. We laughed about this the rest of the day–a pastor first running someone down and then praying over him. The drive through the north Italian countryside towards Verona was beautiful and uneventful. Mountains and mountain tunnels were our big sights.

Then we arrived in Sirmione, built on a narrow peninsula jutting out into Lake Garda. An imposing castle guarded the entrance to the old town. We heard a choir singing and church bells ringing amidst the storybook Italian buildings surrounded by crystal clear baby blue lake waters on three sides. What beauty! Then we drove north along side the lake towards Malcesine, another lake town. The further we drove, the more beautiful it became. Immaculate and postcard pretty villages crowded along the lake and then the mountains began to rise up and surround us, squeezing the road towards the lake. We saw the snow capped mountains that signaled we had arrived at Malcesine. Amazing beauty. Mid sized but dramatic ridged mountains stood across the lake (its west side), with it baby blue water shimmering in the late afternoon sun. Cobblestoned Malcesine with its pastel buildings and castle perched on a cliff above the village was pressed between the water and the imposing and snowcapped mountains on the west side of the lake. We took deep breaths of clean and cool lake air and we tried to impress into our minds the beauty of that which we beheld. WEG

Through the narrowest of streets we whizzed; up steep gravel paths we stormed; around sharp one lane curves we zoomed; round round-abouts we rounded and across one lane bridges we forded. The Hancock’s, Ken and Paula, professed that they had never been on such an adventure before.

“You’ve never driven a manual transmission car,” Ken asserted. I told him that, indeed, I had. For over ten years in Tomball and recently in Spain, in fact. “The clutch won’t last the day the way you ride it and the way you change gears,” was his reply. I really could not hear everything he said as I grinded gears between 2nd and 4th, never really finding 3rd. “This is a family car you know–did you take lessons from Doug Dommer–this isn’t a sports car–these are gravel roads and steep drop offs.” “Arn’t those vineyards down in the valley beautiful,” said I, as we rounded the curve. “And, by the way, I taught Doug how to drive.” Ken found none of this reassuring.

Paula had other colorful ways of describing the trip.

I loved the trip through the Chianti wine region of Italy and to the hill towns with majestic towers and walls. We passed through the middle of vineyards, budding out with bright lime green leaves. Wisteria was in full bloom and graced rock walls and hung from arbors. Wild flowers were in bloom in fields and the rows upon rows of grape vines up steep hill sides provided manicured and organized symmetry to the high hills and rock outcrops in the landscape. We were on one lane gravel paths at times and we drove miles on roads bordered by rock walls and we felt all alone on country lanes shaded by high trees and Italian cypress and we passed though tiny villages with rock homes and churches and we experienced Italy the way it was at one time nationwide and still is in this magical region south of Florence and north of Sienna.

At the end of the day, wine in hand, back safely at our hotel, we all professed what a wonderful day it turned out to be. Just wait till we get to the Italian Alps, known as the Dolomites. The Hancock’s have no idea what a ride that will be. I do. WEG

21 days on an ocean cruise was more than delightful. And this from someone who gets motion sickness on a child’s backyard swing. I made it through without much difficulty. With port stops in the Azores, France, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Turkey, and Crete, the transatlantic (New Orleans to Rome) and Mediterranean waters were brilliant and deep blue. We cruised by an active volcano island off the coast of Italy–Stromboli–and saw plumbs of smoke rise out of the top crater and steam arise off the lava flowing into the sea, all while eating dinner at window seats in the atrium of the ship’s casual dining room.

Sicily was a surprise–beautiful and mountainous. We went to the top of Mt. Etna, the most active volcano in Europe. It stands over 10,000 feet in height and when at the top, we encountered a blinding snow storm. Because Etna is belching black smoke and sand on a daily basis, the seismologists are predicting a build up to a major eruption. We were told we were completely safe while there.

The Acropolis in Athens was awe inspiring. Perched on the top of the second highest hill in the city, this ancient site of the Parthenon, and various temples and theaters is one of the world’s most important historical artifacts. We learned that the Parthenon was designed with the thought of representing a living, breathing building based on the Golden Mean (6 to 9). Purposely, there are no straight lines in this architectural wonder, called the greatest stone building ever constructed. To hide the planned irregularities, which took thousands of high mathematical calculations–remember this is over 2500 years ago, the building was positioned on the Acropolis in such a way as to let the sunlight play an optical illusion as the sun moved over the site during the day. From the Acropolis we could overlook Mars Hill where the Apostle Paul preached the great evangelistic sermon while he visited the city. I felt small here, thinking of the great philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, political leaders, writers and poets–from Pericles to Socrates–who walked the Acropolis and changed the world in so many positive ways. This was the cradle of the western world and I could only marvel at the privilege of being able to visit.

Ephesus in Turkey was the highlight of the trip for me. The city is over 3000 years old and was one of the largest and most important cities of antiquity. With its ocean port lifeline silted up, the city dwindled away after 100 AD and was buried under drifting sand and dirt over the centuries, thus preserving it in ways that other places in antiquity were not preserved. The slow pace of unearthing the city that had a population of over 250,000, making it one of the largest cities on earth, the New York City of its time, has already produced amazing beauty and grandeur. The colonnaded Main Street is spectacular–we actually walked on the ancient paving–and stretches as far as the eye can see. The theater seats 30,000 and has wonderful acoustics. The library was the third largest of all antiquity and sports a marvelous facade. Amazing terra cotta and mosaic flooring has been and is being uncovered. The forum where the Apostle Paul preached is unearthed. Unfortunately, while the vast majority of the city will eventually be uncovered, the great temple of Artemis, one of the ancient world’s seven wonders, has little remaining. Our guide explained that current economics is slowing work on the site, and that a sports stadium has been located that may seat as many as 50,000, but will take decades to unearth. I was humbled, awed, impressed and inspired by this historic artifact and simply amazed at the magnitude of the city and its monuments and public buildings. There is no other place like it–so massive and almost completely preserved.

These few highlights give a glimpse of our 21 days at sea and cannot describe all that we did see. WEG

The Navigator of the Seas is an impressive vessel. Its imposing central promenade stretching half the distance of the ship with glass elevators sweeping guests up from its fifth floor street up to its 12th floor ceiling and lined at street level with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues and its walls with glass overlooks from living suites serves as central activity hub of the ship. The ends of the ship are dominated by an indoor ice ring, two entertainment halls, two major dining rooms and two specialty restaurants and a casino. The upper decks of the ship are reserved for several swimming pools and hot tubs, an exercise/spa facility, a basketball court, in inline skating course, a putt-putt golf course, a jogging track, several bars, a chapel and a rappelling mountain, not to mention the all-day food venue for which cruising is so popular. There is so much to do; it is impossible to get it all in and would leave one exhausted if one tried. The lower levels under the promenade are mainly living suites and our suite is on deck eight with a wonderful balcony from which to watch the world pass by and wonder how our ancestors did it on such little ships with such few, if any, amenities, on their trek to the new America.

While on our nine full days of travel through the Gulf of Mexico and across the Atlantic we have met some wonderful people and experienced some incredible performances from the ship’s international cast of entertainers. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with Ken and Paula Hancock throughout our journey. We have sat at the same evening dinner table with them and our new friends from Memphis, Tennessee, and Australia. Everything has been blessed and wonderful, although the ship did rock and roll in the mid-Atlantic for several days. We are now safely in port in Ponta Delgada, Azores, an island chain possessed by Portugal and about halfway through the cruise portion of our journey that will still take us to France, Italy, and the eastern Mediterranean. WEG

New Orleans in spring is delightful. It also reminded me of how wonderful and unique and exciting an American destination can be. We have traveled far and will even travel further where the sights are amazing and the food and culture are intriguing. Yet, right here in our native land we have wonderful and beautiful sights. New Orleans is one of those places.

We rode the trolly through the Garden District with its splendid homes and churches. We walked through the iconic cemeteries with raised burial spaces and tombs. We walked along the mighty Mississippi River on the boardwalk. We were fascinated by the area around the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral with its white spires reaching into the setting sun. And we wandered into the loud and rowdy St. Peter and Bourbon Street venues. Yes, we went to Cafe Du Monde for beignets. Oh yes, wonderful American pastry. Kathy, the gelato Queen even took a bite! We loved our day, and God bless America, my home, sweet home. WEG

Yes, it is true. If someone says, “We think we saw the Graumann’s” or “I saw the Graumann’s”–they did. We slipped into Tomball and have slipped back out and are already in New Orleans for Leg 2 of our “Encore Life” tour. We ate great Cajun food already in Lake Charles and stopped to see what is called the Black Jesus, reminding us that there is beautiful art right here at home.

Just like everyone, we had numerous “have to” needs which needed our attention–such as reviewing tax forms and retirement decisions and getting close to 65 and health care decisions etc. If was also great to hug our kids and grandkids. We tried our best to stay out of view, but Tomball being Tomball, some folks saw us–some were not sure they saw us and some definitely knew they did.

So, our time at home was quite brief and every minute hectic as we tried to get the “to do” list accomplished. We did accomplish our objectives. Our transatlantic cruise begins Saturday. WEG