22 July 2017
Just a warning up front...the following post is long..part update on two cancer survivors in my life, part love story, part travelogue and many things in between! So if none of this interests you, you might want to just skip this post!
The title says a lot about the entries...it's an update on the Cancer journey of Rodney and sister Patricia; it's the celebration of Patricia getting her Doctorate and commencement exercise in the midst of taking cancer treatments and it's the journal of our travels through Europe on a River cruise together...the 3 Cs of July 2017.
For those of you who have followed this blog for awhile, you know that my husband was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2006, went through some significant standard US treatment protocols and also non FDA approved treatments here in China. Bottom line with Rod's Cancer as I write this: it has been slowed down, but still active and we take it one day at a time with hormone therapy, nutritional and alternative medical treatments and Chinese medicine and most of all prayer for guidance for next steps. He does a lot of volunteer work here in China helping people who are somewhat down and out. All during this time no matter in active treatment or not, he never stopped helping others. I'm very proud of him for his courage and selfless service to many people here in China. I love you Rodney! I ask God for many more years together, on day at a time.
You also know my sister Patricia was diagnosed in 2015 with Stage 3B with rectal cancer. She has her own story to tell, so I don't go into all of the detail here, (for some of that story, you can see my entry on
Patricia's cancer journey 2015 ). The summary is that she came to China to have a similar treatment that Rod had and also did a standard US treatment protocol. Bottom line with Patricia's Cancer right now: she is in complete remission! Amazing but true! Answered prayers from all over the globe! It is particularly amazing since her diagnosis was in the middle of her pursuit of a doctorate degree in Nursing and she had to put that on hold for a semester, but she got right back at it when she felt well enough and in Dec 2016, she graduated with her Doctorate! How awesome is that?!! I didn't get to attend her commencement ceremony so I publicly state here a big congratulations Dr. Patricia Hurley! Commencement is an interesting word...we use it to describe the act of getting a diploma for completing an education...when we look at the elements of the word, it's not about finishing something at all...it's all about beginnings. I think this is particularly appropriate in the case of my sister...I believe she is starting a new phase of her life free from cancer and enlightened about healing with a unique personal experience so that she can educate our future nurses. Go for it Doctor!
Back in 2016, when she was feeling particularly sick, we made a plan to go on a cruise in summer of 2017. She had always wanted to visit Paris, so we picked out a river cruise where we would start in Paris and end in Prague. We agreed that if anything happened either on her side or mine ( our health or our husband's ) we would cancel and reschedule. There were some events that caused us both to question, but finally we kept the date! I'm so glad we did! We had a wonderful time together and we indeed did celebrate life! Victory over Cancer, celebrating of her Commencement with her Doctorate and a Cruise vacation with time together exploring the beauty of Europe! (Hence the title of this entry). The best example of 3 C's I can imagine! I'm so proud of her! Love you Patricia!
As I often remind myself, none of us knows the future and there are no guarantees, so I try to remain grateful for each day with my dear husband and also all of my friends and family, immediate and extended... each day is a gift.
During this time away I updated my life goals /bucket list items (I actually put these down on paper in 2007 and occasionally I've updated them). I was proud to mark many of them complete and take the time to rethink others that I have not done yet and cross some off that I no longer think is important enough to keep on the list and also to add new ones...one of these days I may actually do a blog entry on that...but that's another story!) This time, I added a short part for "My sentence" (1 short memorable sentence that I think describes me) and I share it with you here: "She says Yes to life". If you haven't written down some life goals/bucket list items, I suggest you do so...not just thinking it, actually writing it down. Having a document in writing has a way of forcing me to define what is important to me in life and then focus to get it done. There is no "right or wrong" way of doing this type of exercise...it's a very personal document..mine will always be right for me and I have the ability to change it at any time!
Back to our vacation...below is a recount of mine and Patricia's time together on this sister vacation: I took well over 1000 pictures, so I've had to be very selective (that in itself is alot of work for me!)
Patricia left her home in Titusville, Florida and traveled East, I left my home in Shenyang, China and traveled west and we were able to meet up in Paris, France to have a wonderful reunion.
I arrived in Paris a day before my sister, and so I was able to greet her when she arrived at the hotel..Oh happy day!
 |
| Both of us a little tired, we didn't care..just happy to see each other in the lobby of the hotel in Paris ! after long journeys |
We didn't have alot of unscheduled time, but I wanted her to see an example of the Paris I know and love so I took her to eat at one of my favorite restaurants: The Cafe de la Paix in the Intercontinental Hotel Grand, on the Place de l'Opera. As usual, this place did not disappoint... it has been in operation since the mid 1800's, is beautifully decorated and all of the wait staff is very professional.
 |
| Sarah and Patricia having a wonderful French meal at the Hotel Grand |
The next day we went on the cruise organized tour of Paris and quickly visited Notre Dame and a few other "drive by"sights!
 |
| Patricia and Sarah's feet both touching "Km 0" at Notre Dame. All road distances to Paris are measured from this spot. |
 |
| One of the rose windows inside of Notre Dame of Paris |
 |
| Sisters in Paris in front of the Eiffel Tower |
It was smothering hot outside in Paris, so after the tour, we took a quick break and updated our plan to focus on indoor activities. Patricia told me that she really wanted to see the impressionist paintings, so we went to the Musee d'Orsey to see masters of this era. The building itself is also a masterpiece in it's own rite as it used to be a train station and the clocks of the old station are an icon landmark on the bank of the Seine river.
 |
| The main hall at the Musee d'orsey...hard to imagine this as a train station...back when architecture was supposed to be beautiful! |
 |
| Patricia and Sarah in one of the ball rooms of the Musee d'Orsey |
 |
| Sarah beside Monet's "Tower of London" |
 |
| Patricia beside one of Monet's Waterlillies |
 |
| Sarah between 2 Renoir's "Dance in the City" and I can't remember the other one's name |
 |
| Renoir's Moulin de la Galette |
 |
| On the 5th floor of the Museum, you can see the view of the City from behind one of the clock faces! I love this photo! |
After our visit to the museum, we went on a little shopping trip to one of my favorite shops in Paris. No this is not Galleries Lafayette or Au printemps...although those are nice department stores. This was to a boutique shop for the brand Anne Fontaine. My attraction with Anne Fontaine goes back to when we first lived in France and one of the shops in Montceau actually carried a few items of this brand in her shop. Anne Fontaine signature line is white blouses...sounds strange but trust me there are many different ways to dress up a white blouse! There are other colors, but it's mostly about the design and style around basic colors, white, black, blue, red etc. When I was heavier, I could no longer fit into this line, so when I lost the weight, I dared to drop into to this shop in Paris and commenced to reward myself with a few purchases! My chief enabler Patricia was right there to help me this time and tell me what looked good and what did not. Amazing what nice clothing and a true friend/sister's opinion does for self confidence! Will I wear this every day? Of course not...but when I do wear it, I will feel good about myself and I will own the room when I walk in...I can handle that now. I feel good in my own skin! Expensive? Yes, a little...but I'm at the point in my life where I can do this...I mean really...how often does a small town Kentucky, tomboy girl go shopping in Paris? Not very often...so I made it count!
 |
| Sarah sporting some new Anne Fontaine in Paris and the dress the sales lady has on was also available in my size...you'll see that later in this blog! |
With a few euros less in the account and a nights sleep, the next day we got on the cruise bus and set out for Luxembourg on our way to Trier Germany to get on the boat.
 |
| Luxembourg city has one of the most beautiful balcony views in Europe |
One of the most memorable stops was a the US National Cemetery in Luxembourg. Rodney and I are both retired US Army Reservist and as such I have a special connection with these soldiers who gave it all. May we never forget their sacrifice. I salute you one and all.
 |
| The view from the soldiers point of view of a medal of honor recipient who is buried in the US national cemetery in Luxembourg. I love this photo. |
 |
Over 5000 soldiers from WWII including General George S. Patton are buried in this cemetery in Luxembourg. The words from the famous poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae come to mind: (this was written for WWI, and the cemetery is WWII...but the meaning is the same...
|
| |
|
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields
After this stop, we moved onto a small town outside of Trier, Germany where we got on the boat on the Mosel River. We were told we would go through 42 locks as we ambled from the Mosel to the Rhine to the Main and finally the Main -Danube Waterway on our way to Bamberg Germany where we would disembark and then drive to Prague.
 |
| A really nice first impression of the view from our room on the boat, and how we were going to enjoy the rest of our tour...pristine blue skies and clean air! |
We set sail and our first stop the next morning was Trier, Germany. This is a city that dates back to Romain times with many Roman ruins including a public bath, amphitheatre, churches, and old city gate. This city owns the title for "oldest xxx" in Germany for many things due to it's history dating back to Roman empire days.
 |
| A vineyard overlooking the city to Trier..lots of German wines from the banks of the Mosel |
 |
| The oldest Church in Germany in Trier |
 |
| The town square in Trier, Germany |
 |
| One of the statues on the town square dedicated to the 4 Cardinal Virtues. Can you name them? (I couldn't remember (If I ever knew them), so here they are: Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, Justice) |
 |
| The view from the bottom of the old city gate in Trier |
Later that day, we set sail again to take a leisurely afternoon of Cruising down the river to Berncastle, Germany. Patricia and I walked around this little town and we both loved it here!
 |
| Sarah and Patricia in the Classic city square in Berncastle, Germany |
 |
| Shopping? Buying some hats in a Berncastle shop |
 |
| The City Square in Berncastle, Germany |
The next day, we sailed to Cochem, Germany on this day we had a little rain. I didn't dampen our spirits (although we did learn to take the umbrellas with us on future tours!)
The main highlight of Cochem was a castle tour. This castle had been first built in the year 1000 (more or less) and went through several times of destruction and rebuilding until it was finally rebuilt by a very wealthy person in the 1800's.
 |
| The entry to the castle at Cochem, Germany |
 |
| Patricia and Sarah getting a little wet, but still smiling in Cochem, Germany! |
 |
| A vigilant castle guard stands watch over the city of Cochem, Germany |
 |
| The castle at Cochem is also now the site of receptions and weddings |
 |
| The view of the river Mosel from the Castle at Cochem, Germany |
 |
| The dinning room inside the Cochem, Germany castle |
The next day we sailed to Koblenz where we would see the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel river, where there is a huge statue of Kaiser Wilhelm commemorating the reuniting of all German states end of 1880's.
 |
| Our boat docked in Koblenz, Germany |
 |
| The view from the top of the Kaiser Welhelm Statue at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers in Koblenz |
 |
| Sarah in front of the Kaiser Welhem Statue in Koblenz, Germany. |
Patricia and I split up on this day as the tour up to Marburg, Castle in Koblenz was not an easy tour. It was a wise decision on Patricia's part...this castle is original and still in midevil standards of comfort and difficulties!
 |
| The natural hewn stone steps leading up the castle...the picture does not do it justice, trust me! |
 |
| The view from the cannon emplacements at Marbourg, Castle |
 |
| The view of the Rhine from one of the walls around Marbourg Castle |
 |
| Sarah bending down to get through one of the doors in Marburg, castle |
 |
| The view of the Rhine from one of the ramparts at Marburg castle |
 |
| A window sill with some period musical instruments of Marburg castle (the window obviously has been added!) There are over 200 rooms in this castle, mostly all empty and not on tour to the public. |
 |
| The best view of Marburg castle from the boat! |
The rest of the afternoon was spent sailing on the Rhine river..the super highway of water traffic in Europe and we didn't stop anywhere along the Rhine. It is a lovely cruise, Lined with castles all along the way, by no means all of the castles!
 |
| one of many castles along the Rhine |
 |
| Another castle on the Rhine and it's quaint little river town |
 |
| Another huge castle on the Rhine |
 |
| And another castle on the Rhine |
The next day, we left the Rhine river and transitioned to the Main river and went to Heidelburg a lovely German city with yet another castle ruins.
 |
| Sarah and Patricia touring Heidelburg Castle |
 |
| The facade is all that remains of the castle in Heidelburg, but what a huge castle complex it was! |
 |
| A panoramic pic does not do the view from the Heidelburg castle justice |
The next day, we sailed again and we split our tours again. Sarah went to Rothenburg ob der Tauber and a brief tour of the Wurtsburg castle and Patricia spent the day exploring Wurtsburg and the castle. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a very charming old walled (12th century) city, but destroyed
in 14th century by an earthquake but rebuilt and when Martin Luther started the protestant movement, this city became
strongly Lutheran. The cathedral in this city is said to have a relic with the blood of Jesus Christ. In 30 year war of 17th century (Catholics against
lutherans) the city was very poor and even though they wanted to modernize, they couldn't afford to tear down the midevil walls (thankfully). In 19th century it enjoyed popularity as romantic
city and still is intact). It is a beautiful little town.
 |
| A view of Rothenburg ob der Tauber from inside the city to the outside gate. |
 |
| Sarah at Rothenburg ob der Tauber |
 |
| The alter in the Church at Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber |
 |
| The relic said to be the blood of Jesus Christ (a drop of blood is said to be located behind the big Crystal ball in the center of the Cross) in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany |
 |
| A view of the sentury walk around the city of Rothemburg ob der Tauber |
 |
| The view from the restaurant where we had lunch at Rothemburg Ob Der Tauber, Germany |
After the visit to Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, we went to visit the Wurtsburg residence. This is a Unesco Site and no pics were allowed inside. It is very opulent. It was bombed in WWII but some parts are still original, some was rebuilt. It is absolutely stunning today..too bad I have no photos of the inside.
 |
| The Wurtsburg residence |
 |
| The courtyard outside the Wurtsburg Residence |
 |
| The gardens of the Wurtsburg, residence |
The evening entertainment on the boat each night was really good. On this night, it was the crew themselves turn to entertain the guests. One of the highlights was our cruise director MaryAnne who is really an excellent singer and entertainer. Patricia and I danced (this was a first to dance together ever I think!) and just had a grand old time! I wore one of my new Anne Fontaine dresses I bought in Paris and just had a great time dancing on the boat!
 |
| Sarah and Patricia onboard the Viking Alsvin sailing from Paris to Prague in July 2017 |
 |
| Sarah and Patricia dancing the night away! |
 |
| Patricia and Sarah Selfie on the dance floor! |
 |
| Patricia and Sarah sitting this one out! |
After the big night on the boat, we went for our last full day on the boat cruising up the Main Danube canal waterway. At this point we have gone through 31 locks. There is a north south continental divide for Europe and this canal which was first started in the mid 1850's, then stopped, then restarted again in 1960 and finally finished in 1992. The canal connects the rivers on the south and North of Germany with the Main on the North side and the Danube of the South. Very controversial project as it cost alot of money with questionable need in modern times. Certainly all of the river boat tourism would not be possible without this canal! The canal Starts in Maintz on the Rhine to Passau on the German border with the Chech republic.
The next day we toured around Bamburg, a beautiful old city that is actually a UNESCO world heritage site.
 |
| The Fisherman's area along the river in Bamburg, Germany |
 |
| The city hall in Bamburg. The city hall is actually on a little island in the middle of town. |
 |
| The organ in a cathedral in Bamburg. I got in trouble for standing in the middle of the aisle of the church (still can't figure out why!) to get lined up to take this photo of the organ...as one of my friends on Facebook said, better to ask forgiveness than permission...exactly! |
 |
| A shopping area in Bamburg |
The next day, we left the boat and got on a bus to drive a short distance to Nürnberg, former headquarters of the of 3rd Reich in WWII, and also location for the famous Nurnberg war crime trials. This city was bombed heavily (90% destroyed by allied forces) and after the war the city rebuilt. For me there were two parts of the city..the old town and the WWII town. First, I'll mention the WWII part:
First is the Nazi party rally ground, party congress location which is a massive, 8sq Miles which contained a Building like amphitheater, never finished, made like the amphitheater in Rome. Architecture was a big part of Nazi design for their legacy. Hitler didn't like any religion, Jews, Christians, no one. According to our local tour guide, his philosophy was Hitler First, everything else 2nd.
 |
| The Nazi party amphitheatre at Nurnberg, Germany from the inside...it was never finished |
 |
| The amphitheatre in Nurnberg, Germany as seen from the outside |
Also included in this big area was a place called the Zeppelin field. As the name implies this is where the zeppelins could be landed, but mostly, it was used to hold Nazi rallies 1/year. There is a big
grandstand is where Hitler gave his speeches and presided over big military parades and Reich labor services . The Rallies lasted 1 week in September, and it was mainly a show of force and military sports games, political leaders speeches. The place used to have a big golden swastika and the Americans bombed it and tore it down as a symbol of victory.
 |
| This is a picture of picture for what the grandstand looked like right after WWII. |
 |
| The grandstand for Nazi party speeches as it looks in 2017 |
 |
| The grandstand where Hitler gave his speeches in Nurnberg, Germany |
 |
| A close up of the Grandstand |
The rest of Nürnberg is an Old midevil city, still much of the wall exists as well as the castle. Famous for gingerbread and sausages in addition to all of the WWII history. (we sampled the Ginger bread, but not the sausages!), and of course a centrally located cathedral. We didn't have alot of time in this city, but what we saw was nice.
 |
| Part of the old city wall in Bamberg |
 |
| Sarah and Patricia in front of the cathedral in Bamberg |
 |
| Cathedral in Bamberg so big, couldn't get it all in one picture |
 |
| Take a look at this clock...there is 1 face for the hour and another face below it for the minutes! It's the only place I've seen this..only in Bamberg! |
After this time in Bamberg, we got on the E50 which is like an interstate highway for Europe spanning from Brest, France (on the extreme western side on the Atlantic coast of France) to the Caspian Sea. It's a road that was called the Golden road in midevil times and also the Via Carolina (after King Charles the 4th). We didn't go all the way to the Caspian sea...only to Prague another UNESCO world heritage site and last city of our vacation together.
Prague was founded in 9th century and today 1.2 million people live there out of 12 million in all of Czech Republic. Prague is situated on the river Moldau (Voltava in Czech) The big deal about Prague is that it was never destroyed during wars, so the architecture is original most everywhere in the city. A big focal point of the old town is the Charles Bridge (dates back to 14th century) that connects old and new town. The Charles bridge has many baroque open air sculptures added in 17th century and is pedestrian only starting in 1980. I've been the Prague 3 times and every time there seem to be more and more people on this bridge!
 |
| Patricia and Sarah on the Charles Bridge in Prague |
 |
| Pedestrians on the Charles Bridge in Prague |
 |
| The view of the old town as seen from the Charles Bridge in Prague |
In addition to the old town, there is a castle in Prague sitting on top of the hill overlooking the city.
Prague Castle, started to be built in 882, then added on in each century and is surrounded by Gardens that were established in 16th century. There was a mote that was built, but never filled with water. It is still here as a public park today. The castle is still used as a government office complex, but no one lives here permanently. There is a simple changing of the guards on the hour.
 |
| changing of the Guard at Prague Castle |
 |
| Part of the Garden at Prague Castle |
In addition to the Charles Bridge, the big attraction is on the central square where an
Astronomic clock is located on the face of the cathedral. This clock was built in 1400, shows the sun revolving around the earth!
 |
| The Astronomical clock in Prague |
 |
| The city square in Prague |
Trish and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon in Prague, and had a leisurely lunch on the square.
 |
| Our last luncheon together in Prague..so nice! |
The sister vacation was over the next day as Trish left to go back home to Florida. It was such a nice vacation and so glad we did it. We created memories to last a lifetime and I wanted to write about it soon so that I would not forget the special details and I've so enjoyed writing about it, reliving it as I write! I believe I can speak for both of us when I say we will always cherish this time together! Absolutely no regrets! None! The time together was priceless!
I had another day in Prague and also some additional time in Paris before going back home to Rod who was patiently waiting for me in Shenyang...I'll write about that in another entry. This one is all about the 3 C's. I am blessed to have a wonderful family and to be able to share this experience with one of my sisters! Dr Patricia Hurley: cancer survivor and cruise alum and all around awesome person!
A last word and Big Thank you to my dear husband Rodney for understanding and supporting my need to do this vacation with my sister. He is indeed a Prince among men and continues to support me all along the way even while overcoming his own health challenges. I love you Rod.
Until next time!
Sarah
