We got lucky in Martinez and were able to catch an earlier train to Emeryville than the one we were scehduled for. So we arrived early. The Hilton (pretty classy, hmmm?) is about .6 miles from the station and I had a MapQuest set of directions to get there, so we decided to walk. Guess what? Emeryville is not set up to walk in. First we had to cross the railroad tracks. That is not done at ground level. The road has an overpass, but there is no pedestrian access to that. We followed the signs to the Powell Street pedestrian overpass. It is an overpass that you must climb , going up quite a few stairs. It is at least 50 feet above the tracks, and we had 60# of luggage. It rolls, but that’s not helpful when it comes to going up stairs. I lugged it up. Evidently I am not as young as I used to be. When we got down the other side’s endless stairs, our path turned North for a block. We could see the towering Hilton above the nearby buildings so we had a guidepost as we wandered the empty streets. Empty of people that is. No shortage of cars so we pushed buttons for walk signals and waited and detoured out of our way. Rolling luggage is right up there with chain saws and the internet as great inventions of the 20th century. Finally we came to the underpass below the freeway and as we entered it what to our wondering eyes should appear but a series of 2 dimentional cut-out sculptures of people doing things. After the total disregard of pedestrians for the past few blocks, these were a treat. Were it easy to post photos….but I’ve said that before.

When we arrived at the hotel and told the desk clerk we had just walked from Amtrak his mouth dropped in surprise and shock. I might as well have told him we came from the moon. I didn’t want to climb the Powell Street Pedestrian tower with our luggage again, however, so the hotel agreed to hire us a cab for the morning trip back.

They did. It was driven an an elderly Sikh, who didn’t seem to understand that the hotel was paying him. I gave him a tip and he thought I was shorting him for the cab ride. I think he got it in the end, he was on the phone while driving off and the police never came for us. (But they did arrest the train, more about that later)

Sitting in the Oakland Amtrak station on the train, got wi-fit suddenly. here's news

This will be our 5th crusie = 6th if you count our 3 days on the Alaska Marine Highway in 2002. I thnk we’ve been on enough to begin to figure it out. This trip we have only one large suitcase for the two of us, and a couple of carry-ons.

One way we cut back this trip is that we will not be taking part in “formal night” on the ship. Each cruise has several “formal’ occasions – the Captain’s reception, formal night dinners etc. There is a zen story in which the zen student takes the zen master to task for burning insense and other ritual actions before the statue of Buddha in the hall. “You know this is nonsense, why are you doing it?” The master replies “I am just following the usual observances.” That’s the way we’ve been on the cruise ships – whatever they set up to do, we did it.

The trouble with formal nights is that they are simply adult dress up games. There is actually no point to them. Nothing special occurs, dressing up formally doesn’t do anything for you – except run the risk of a higher laundry bill if you eat in your good clothes.

Likewise the captain’s reception. I mean what’s that all about. The guy (invariably) runs the ship. Its an important job,our safety is in his hands not to mention keeping the ship on schedule – and it’s a big ship. But what makes it interesting in any way to meet him? Or more to the point, to be one of 2000 people in a large space, who gets to see him at some distance, and to have him act as MC to call forward various junior officers who get a brief round of applause. The only similar thing I can think of is the point in the concert where the lead singer introduces the band – but you don’t dress up for that.

What seems to be going on is a of giving cruise ship journeys some of the glamour of the old transatlantic ocean liners when the rich traveled in luxury, and the best connected among them found their social equal in the captain, so they got to eat at his table. Dress up night has similar overtones. The oddest thing about dress up night is that it only works if everone does it. One person in casual clothes somehow ruins the effect. What’s that all about. No non-believers in this town. What’s odd is that we don’t have Levi and t-shirt night.

Anyway, to end a long story, Mary Alice and I decided to give formal nights a skip on this trip, so we didn’t have to pack clothes for them.

Houston we have lift-off

Saturday morning, after I finished my show at KMUD, we parked the car in Garberville and began our trip to the Mediterranean. Our plan is: Amtrack to Emeryville, hotel overnight, Amtrak’s Coast Daylight to La, hotel overnight, shuttle to Lufthansa at LAX, fly to Munich, change planes, fly to Athens, get on the boat. I don’t care for the long flights but the rest of it should be fun. x

The Amtrak bus leaves Garberville from the Waterwheel Café at 12:30 pm. So we got lunch at the Sentry Market, and sat on the wall by the Waterwheel eating our sandwiches and drinking our water. Bart was there too, so we caught up on each other’s lives while waiting for the bus. It was late but the day was pleasant and the company good so all was well.

Once on the bus it was naptime. It was difificult to turn from the scenery, the bus gives you a high vantage, the windows are big and clean, and springtime in the mountains is pretty spectacular. I saw the new bridge being built to by-pass Confusion Hcrosill but after that I was out of it until Willits, and again to Ukiah. In Ukiah we stop at the Burger King. Across S the road is a Starbucks. I entered my first Starbucks a few weeks ago while taking law classes in Fairfield. I dodnd’[t drink coffee bui they had a Chai Latte which hit the spot. The Ukiah Starbucks had it too. The place is a pleasant, vaguely New Agey shop. Clean, new, upscale when compared with Burger King which runs to plastic and vynil. Various coffees and teas, some pastry selection. Lots of socially couscious stuff about coffee beans and social work in central America. The workers are “Partners” and if the literature is honest, those who work more than 20 hours a week get benefits.
So a Chai Latte and back on the bus.

The bus is a little known secret anyway. It costs $34 to get from Garberville to Emeryville and you get about 1 hour of train ride thrown in as a bonus. The train has tablews with electric outlets so you can use and recharse your laptop or cell phone. The bus should too. It is largely empty so why not pull some excedss seats and make it a more pleasant and useful ride?

I'll be leaving within 24 hours for a cruise in the Mediteranian. We're taking the train to LA, flying to Munich, flying to Athens, getting on the boat, going to Istanbul, Santorini, Malta, Italy, France, and Spain. If things go well I'll have internet at least intermittantly & will report how things are going.