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Back from the honeymoon - Hi again!

Nik

Well-Known Member
Hi Everyone!

We have returned from our honeymoon much to the joy of our dogs and my cat. Believe it or not we are still sick which is also much to the dogs' delight since this means I am working from home and they have me 24/7.

Big smiles from this guy:
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Meanwhile Kahlua is stuck to me like glue.

I thought I would share a couple of photos from our journeys. We were sick as can be so much so that we even had to learn about Paris pharmacies so that we could get medications but we still managed to see and do some amazing things.

Just a few photos now because I am actually working today (and all week) so I have to post in little bits and spurts as I get breaks.

So here are a few to start from around the Eiffel Tower.
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Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
WELCOME BACK! Great pictures, but who was on the other side of the camera? I hope you didn't have a third wheel for this honeymoon. And I'm so sorry that you're still ill. It seems everyone is having trouble getting rid of this bug. I was talking to a neighbour yesterday and she's on her second 10 day lot of antibiotics same as me. I can't imagine travelling feeling like we have here, but, at least you had other reasons to vacation in bed! Tee Hee.

Again, so glad to have you back. Rest up and fill us in on all that you were able to do...ooh, ooh, tell us about the food! Pictures of the food? I wish pictures carried smell-o-grams. I love French Cuisine....so delicous.

And tell us about the reunion with the pups and kitty. A lot of vocalization, I'm guessing. It's so great when dogs vocalize their joy at your return, it melts the human heart.
 
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glen

Super Moderator
Staff member
Beautiful pictures, so sorry to hear your poorly, these bugs are everywhere. Hope you feel better real soon
 
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Nik

Well-Known Member
WELCOME BACK! Great pictures, but who was on the other side of the camera? I hope you didn't have a third wheel for this honeymoon. And I'm so sorry that you're still ill. It seems everyone is having trouble getting rid of this bug. I was talking to a neighbour yesterday and she's on her second 10 day lot of antibiotics same as me. I can't imagine travelling feeling like we have here, but, at least you had other reasons to vacation in bed! Tee Hee.

Again, so glad to have you back. Rest up and fill us in on all that you were able to do...ooh, ooh, tell us about the food! Pictures of the food? I wish pictures carried smell-o-grams. I love French Cuisine....so delicous.

And tell us about the reunion with the pups and kitty. A lot of vocalization, I'm guessing. It's so great when dogs vocalize their joy at your return, it melts the human heart.

I actually set up a "Paris Photo Tour" so we had a photographer showing us around the area directly around the Eiffel and taking our pictures. We have very few photos together aside from the ones he took because I'm always paranoid about handing my phone or camera over to a stranger.

As for the reunion. Well first we had the reunion with my cat BrrBeary because we had my sister checking in on him and as soon as we got dropped off from the airport he was there to greet us. BrrBeary is an odd cat in that when he is happy he gets super fluffed up and puffy especially in the tail region. So he was a giant white fluffed up fuzz ball for hours after we got home and crawling all over me with lots of prrs.

Then we went and picked up the dogs from the boarding place. We greeted them in the play yard and the second they saw us coming they threw themselves at the fence forgetting all their manners. When we entered the play yard. Diesel came up to us all smiles and wags while Kahlua alternated between running circles around the yard and leaping in the air to give us kisses but head-butting us on accident instead. I kneeled down to try to calm her and let her have easier access for kisses but she ended up leaping completely over me to launch herself at my husband's head. Once the initial greetings were done and we were home it has been "lap dog" central for Kahlua. She is literally glued to me and trying to make sure she is so tight against me that nothing can pry her away. Diesel is just happy to be near us and doesn't need to be quite so physical about it. The cat has been jealous that the dogs are taking up the bed and he spends every night yowling at me in complaint "please move the dogs so I can join you".

I do have bad news for you on the food front.... We were so sick that we skipped a great deal of meals (not much appetite at all). We did have a couple of wonderful meals which sadly I barely touched and caused frantic alarm from our servers, the restaurant owners and the chef who would come over and ask in alarm "You didn't like it?!!!! What was wrong???" I tried to explain to them I just had a tiny appetite but something was lost in translation there.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Oh yeah! I forgot you were doing the honeymoon thing. I was wondering where you were. I'm sorry you guys were sick, but your pictures turned out great! Glad to have you back. How are you guys feeling now?
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
I should have taught you a few choice French phrases to explain you were ill. Unfortunately, I don't know how to refuse food in Greek (never going to happen), all I can do is ask for it and be ultra appreciative.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Well I am still sick if you can believe it (been over a month now battling this bug) and on a second round of anitbiotics.

Yes the Greek food was every bit as amazing as the French (from what I did manage to eat). The salad for breakfast thing was actually delightful though out of my norm. And dare I say that I may actually have a slight preference for the Greek food? Is such a thing allowed.

Here are a few more photos from my phone of our travels under the streets of Paris in the catacombs.

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This was from the entrance to the catacombs in Paris.

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The amount of bones (nearly 2 miles of walls built of bones from approximately 6 million people) was mind boggling.

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DennasMom

Well-Known Member
Wow. Love the "Photo Tour" idea!! Great pictures!

When we travel, I have to make it a point just to get one of us in the photo, let alone Both of Us! HA!

Hope you feel better soon.
My Uncle (who's a pharmacist) has a prescription for any illness: 50,000 units of Vitamin D per day for THREE days in a row (and once a week, thereafter). Yes, it's a LOT of D... but that's your immune system's bullets for bad bugs, so load up! :) I have some of this on hand, now: https://www.amazon.com/Bio-Tech-D3-50-50-000-200/dp/B00IAQUJH0
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Tina - Yup that's usually how traveling is for us. Trying to remember to get photos of just the two of us separately and very lucky if we get any together. The photo tour thing was great. Plus the quality of photos he got us definitely beats what we can do on our own.

Thanks for the vitamin d recommendation I just ordered it. I need this bug gone.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Okay here are some photos from our day trip Delphi... I think there are more than I can put in one comment. So I will start with the photos I got of the strays that wander throughout Delphi. I was surprised to see so many stray cats and dogs throughout Athens and Delphi. Mostly the cats and dogs looked well fed and like people look after them to some degree.

In Delphi we came across many friendly and highly demanding stray cats. Cats that followed us about begging for attention and also for food.
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We also ran into several stray dogs including a mom and her three puppies. The dogs were a bit more shy. They would allow us to get close but whenever anyone tried to pet them they would wander behind the security rope in the ruins. They seemed to understand that nobody would follow them beyond the ropes. Smart dogs.
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Nik

Well-Known Member
Here are some more from our day in Delphi.

First on the road to Delphi... obligatory selfie together.
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Then the stadium in Delphi. It was under construction for repair so we couldn't go in it or up above and we weren't suppose to take photos (there were signs saying so... but I broke the rules).
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My husband walking around Delphi.
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We managed to capture an innocent seeming tourist to get one photo together at Delphi.
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Below is the oracle of Delphi.. The oracle is a place not a person despite misconception. The Pythia is the priestess who gives prophesies on behalf of the gods at the oracle. The oracle is roped off so you can't go inside and find the place in the ground where the oracle would sit and breath in the gases from the earth which would put her into the state where she would "commune with the gods and have visions".

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I still need to dig up the photo I have of the navel stone at Delphi and also Athena's temple at Delphi. That goddess has temples evvverrrywherrre. Or maybe it was her sanctuary? I am forever getting the sanctuaries and the temples of the gods mixed up in my memory. But, I think it is a temple because it is a pretty big building and most the sanctuaries were tiny or no structure left over at all or just a cave.

In any case I have more photos ... many more to download and dig through.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
I do love Greek Food. It is the yummiest. My ex-mother-in-law didn't share many lessons, so, I kind of hammed around at it. But, I cannot live my life with0ut Tzatziki! Tzatziki on sandwiches, Tzatzkiki as a vegetable dip, Tzatziki on steak sandwiches, Tzatziki with Salmon....yum, yum, yum! OOH!, AND PORK TO DIE FOR. Oh, and Easter bread and New Year's bread and Mousaka and...and...and...I'm hungry.

Hey, the Greeks gave us philosophy, math, the idea of our governments (republics) and so much more, but any review would fall short without the joy...Joy...JOY of Greek cuisine. Oh, I'm so hungry thinking about all the great food. My mother-in-law used to make the best bean and beef stew....to die for, over and over again. It is the food of the Gods, so to speak.

I'm going to pull out my "It's All Greek to Me" cook book and look at what I can whip up. You've got me thinking!
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Beautiful! And if I didn't know better, I'd think you were the picture of health. Marvellous!

How much did it cost to arrange the photo tour? Did you set it up through the hotel? Which hotel did you stay at?

You two definitely have you go back for a do over, but try later in the late spring. Paris comes alive in the spring. If you can't get back to Paris, you could try Quebec, especially Quebec City, it is ancient and has the feel of France for a quarter of the price!
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
Beautiful! And if I didn't know better, I'd think you were the picture of health. Marvellous!

How much did it cost to arrange the photo tour? Did you set it up through the hotel? Which hotel did you stay at?

You two definitely have you go back for a do over, but try later in the late spring. Paris comes alive in the spring. If you can't get back to Paris, you could try Quebec, especially Quebec City, it is ancient and has the feel of France for a quarter of the price!
I found the photo tour on trip advisor. It was $200 for a two hour tour which included the full resolution digital file of all photos taken (approxumately 700 photos in total) as well as about 80 formatted in smaller file size for sharing on social media.

Believe it or not I seem to have gotten sicker. Last night I started coughing up blood in the middle of the night. When I crawled back into bed Diesel was so concerned he took Kahlua's usual spot and spooned me on purpose the rest of the night even though he typically prefers his spot at our feet which leaves him his own space. So today began a whole new round of testing with the doctors - blood panel, tb test and a CT scan on my lungs scheduled for thursday. Hoping we can finally figure out why I am not better and get me on the road to recovery.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Oh no! I hope they figure out what's going on. My mom and brother have severe asthma. I know that illnesses that settle in the lungs are nasty things for them. Please let us know how you're doing and I'll be sending breathe easy vibes your way.
 

Bailey's Mom

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
Oh, Nik, I'm so sorry that you've gotten worse. This bug is causing a lot of problems right now. I know I've never been so sick in my life, and I've had two courses of antibiotics , too. What meds did your doctor put you on? Hopefully there is something new and stronger they can try. I'm sending healing mastiff vibes to you. Keep us in the loop.
 

Nik

Well-Known Member
I don't remember what specific antibiotics they were but they were two different ones... each was just a five day course. My doctor also gave me cough syrup to help with the coughing at night, a throat numbing gargle, a nebulizer for my asthma and a course of pregnazone for while my asthma is acting up so badly.

I am sure my asthma has made this whole thing much worse than it should be but the coughing up blood thing is pretty alarming so hoping all these tests give us some kind of answers.

Oh and I forgot to answer the question about the hotel we stayed at in Paris. It was called the Mercure Montmartre. It was literally around the corner from Moulin Rouge which was pretty cool. It was also not too terribly long a walk to Sacre Couer and the Salvator Dali museum. I would recommend the hotel. It was very close to the metro which made traveling through Paris easy.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
Thinking of you today, Nik, and hoping that the tests give you some answers to help you get back to 100% again. Heck, I bet you'd take 50% by now.