Rosé All Day

Rosé All Day

Retirement living at Willow Valley Communities is wonderful and has lots of great advantages - today was one of those.  All the ladies were invited to this wonderful event!

The event started at 11:30 and there was a beautiful welcome table at Chautauqua Hall, a large event hall on campus.

The invitation suggested wearing pink - and almost everyone did - with some ladies sporting beautiful spring hats.

A harpist played relaxing music for all to enjoy.

Round tables for 8 were decorated in shades of pink, with a rose centerpiece and pink Hershey Kisses.

Each place setting had a rose theme napkin and gold utensils - as well as a strawberry smoothie.

A wonderful buffet featuring salads, quiche (delicious), and chicken salad mini sandwiches.

A dessert table was overflowing with chocolate mousse, lemon bars, mini cheesecakes, and more kisses!

And of course, the wonderful beverage of the day!  My friend was not drinking so I enjoyed 2 glasses !!!

The food here at Willow Valley is always great, and this meal was excellent.  I especially enjoyed the quiche! 

I attended with several friends from our building.

Yummy desserts - and even the dishes were pink!

Cheers to a beautiful day with friends, fun, and wine!

Thanks so much for visiting Our New Vista - let me know if you have attended an event like this - I love your comments. Hope you are having a great month of May!

 

Capitals of Eastern Europe

Returned last week from our three week trip to Easter Europe - what a an amazing journey!  Three weeks was the longest amount of time we had ever been away from home - and we learned SO much history that our heads are still spinning.  That, and the jet lag!

We enjoyed this trip on the Viking Kadlin. We boarded the boat in Vienna, Austria.

A beautiful city with so much gorgeous architecture...

A visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral

I guess some people get confused...

Old and new...side by side

A great local guide gave us the history of Vienna 

Cold and windy in Vienna, so back on the ship for hot chocolate and time to read my book set in WWII Vienna while IN Vienna!

A concert of Strauss, Mozart, and other artists with champagne at intermission

Opera singers, dancers, and great music

It is traditional to have goulash after a concert in Vienna...so Viking set up a lovely late night treat for us!

Our guide told us how to use the Vienna subway and we braved it on our own...

Found our way to the Albertina Museum and enjoyed a great exhibition

Back to the ship for dinner where the wine flowed freely..

Then John learned to waltz !

The next morning we arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia - I was thrilled since my grandparents emigrated from Slovakia in the late 1800's

Amazing street art all over the city

Small world - this priest was born in Slovakia and Wilkes Barre, PA is where I grew up!

This scale was in a beautiful old pharmacy...and good advice when on a trip where the wine, beer, and wonderful food is plentiful!

The Slovak beer was wonderful!

We were recognized as having been on the most Viking cruises among the passengers...14 !!!

The chef demonstrated how to make apple strudel...and we got to sample the delicious treat

That evening we won the music trivia game and got champagne and chocolates as our prize!

In the evening we sailed away to Budapest, leaving the Bratislava Castle behind...

Morning tour to see the cathedral and other sites

A long walk, but worth it, to the Food Hall to get some paprika to take home...

A great city for walking

Sad memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust ...shoes of victims shot and thrown into the Danube.  

A sobering thought while on a wonderful trip...

A free day in Budapest - we walked to the Terror House - a museum that was used by the Gestapo and then the Secret Soviet Police.  Another sad history...

Our ship took us to see the Parliament and Chain Bridge illuminated  before we headed down the Danube... 

Goodbye, Budapest - Now onto places in Eastern Europe that we had never visited before.  

Missed catching up with all the posts from my blog friends while we were away...and it is good to be home and get back into a "normal" routine.

Thanks so much for stopping by Our New Vista...love hearing from you, so please leave a comment below.  And come back to take the trip on the Danube to other ports in Eastern Europe!

Getting Ready to Travel

Ready to Travel!

Getting excited for another adventure and have been purchasing some items to help make traveling easy.

Taygeer Travel Backpack for Women, Carry On Backpack with Water Bottle Pocket 

I found this on Amazon....I keep trying different carry on options and hoping that this one might be a winner.  

Carbon Monoxide Detector Plug in Wall，CO Gas Monitor Alarm Detector with Digital Display Sound & Light Warning for Home/Workplace/Travel

I feel safer having a Carbon Monoxide alarm - and my old one was battery operated.  This plug in will be much better!

Cruise Essentials - Flat Plug Power Strip, Addtam 5 ft Ultra Flat Extension Cord with 6 Outlets Extender, No Surge Protector for Cruise Ship, Travel, Dorm, Home Office

Everything needs to be charged these days and there are never enough outlets - this should help!

Luscinum 60Pack Reusable Fastening Cable Ties Cord Straps,Multi-Purpose Adjustable Management Organizer Kit with Hook and Loop for Office Home TV Workshop PC Desk

Purchased these to keep all those charging cords neat and organized.

EZY DOSE Disposable Pill, Vitamin, and Daily Medicine Organizer Pouches, Zippered Seal Baggies, Pocket Sized and Travel Friendly, Easy to Use, Write on Label, 100 Count, BPA Free

I bought these to replace those clunky daily pill organizers.  They took up SO much room in our suitcase.  These really cut down on space and are reusable, too.

I purchased some items before our last trip that I will be using again...you can see those here.

Enough blogging...I need to get packing!  Trying to really pack lightly and not take TOO much.  

Thinking I may try this Travel Sudoku Method...

where everything goes with everything else.  But to be honest, it looks too much like math!!!

I am determined to only pack 2 pair of shoes and wear one for travel...at least that is what I am saying.

I won't be blogging for a few weeks as we head out on another adventure - until then have a fabulous Spring! 

Thanks for stopping by Our New Vista - and leave a comment and let me know any good travel and packing hacks that help you!