We have really enjoyed talking with the friends that we have made on the cruise from the U.K.
The first time we visited, I had to translate for Rob what Jack was saying as he had the thickest accent. With time, we both got better. I guess that our ear was training.
It was Suzanne’s birthday so we spent the evening talking about our respective countries. Guns and Trump are often subjects of interest.
And, of course, discussing language and different words were great fun. Our daughter, Elle, is a linguist and she would have enjoyed the repartee.
We were told that Americans like to add words. For example, Brits call it horse riding and Americans say horseback riding. This immediately had me remembering a horse bit … no pun intended … well, maybe just a little bit… from my favorite comedian, Jim Gaffigan. Listen here in YouTube. I dare you not to laugh.
Michael McIntyre is Suzanne’s comedian of choice and he sounds like Britain’s Jim Gaffigan. He makes fun of the Americans and the British like Jim Gaffigan does.
While we were talking, Jack looked straight at me and said, “Did you have a bop last night?”
After I collected myself, I said,”Well, Jack, I think that is a little too personal.”
He turned bright red. He was asking me if we danced last night as we had a band entertain us onboard!! Haha!
Our new friends live in northern U.K. in Boston Spa and Clifford. They said that their accents are especially difficult to understand, and that they clip and shorten their words… I guess it is the emoji version of the English language.
Our cruise is complete and we said goodbye to our fellow travelers. I would like to comment on the excellent food service that we received on Avalon Envision.
When we first arrived, anyone with dietary restrictions was to meet with the chef and maître d’. Rob told me that they would prepare vegan meals for me. Great!! I would love to get some recipes from professional chefs that actually taste good. This soon morphed into a special menu and made to order meals.
They would always be looking for me. It was quite fun!! “The chef has prepared something special for you tonight.”
Also, I appreciated the commitment to green and sustainable considerations:
- No plastic bottles
- Water was filled in glass bottles in our cabins.
- No papers with a daily schedule. We used our Go Avalon App and electronic screens.
- No paper towels. Cloth washcloths were used then laundered.
- Reuse towels. Put on the floor when a fresh one is needed.
- For each guest, two trees are planted to offset carbon usage.
- And of course, hand sanitizer everywhere.
We were supposed to disembark at Degendorf where Rob had bought train tickets to Munich. However, we learned early in our cruise that we could not go that far since the water level was too low. We would instead go to Passau where we would be bused to Munich along with others.
We have been to Munich before. We even stayed in the same hotel. The hotel is near the train station. There were lots of beggars who are in bad physical shape. I remembered that street beggars were there in the same location back in 2019.
Our hotel is right across from a laundromat. We are thrilled to wash all our sweaty clothes. We were running out.
It is fun to learn about our names in other languages. Martin told me that Brenda in the Old Norse means “Axe Head”. Well, what do you know? It is fun to learn how to say Street in other languages:
- English – Street
- French – Rue
- Spanish – Calle
- German – Strauss
So I guess that my last name in German would be Strauss!!! In fact, my husband, Robert Henry Street would be: Ruprecht Heinrich Strauss.
Hi Brenda and Rob,
We loved reading your blog particularly Jack’s question about having a ‘bop’😂. We found Jim Gaffigan’s horse routine hilarious, you’ll have to watch Making English easier for the Americans by Michael McIntyre. We enjoyed your company on the Avalon Envision, you were both such good fun. Continue to enjoy your travels. Suzanne and Martin.