Hi all. Was not sure whether to post in GD or Lounge. DFW says hi to DU.

[7wo7rees]

I had opportunity this am to have a cup of coffee with DFW and his lovely wife before they left on 2nd leg of their journey.

He said tell DU hi and that he'd be logging in after they get settled in. Had their 1st shot Monday, all ok.
Ms. 7wo7rees

[Iggo]

1. Thanks, and "Hey!" To DFW!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Thanks for letting us know, Ms. 7wo7rees!

He'd mentioned that he was going to visit with some DUers in Dallas, and I wondered who!

They are such cool people!

[7wo7rees]

6. The best!! I actually thought of you when making the post!

Well, everyone else too....

[mahina]

3. Hooray, hey, and thanks!

[malaise]

4. Backk at yah

[malaise]

5. Backk at yah

[Hortensis]

7. Both have had first dose already. Great! nt

[2naSalit]

8. Here's hoping thier journey...

Is safe and pleasant the way!

[SheltieLover]

9. Hi to you, DFW, & Mrs. DFW!

Glad 1st shot went well!

[DFW]

22. It did, indeed, thanks!

We were warned that the second one would lay us flat for two days, and then turn us into E.T.'s aunt and uncle, but that's not for three weeks, when LaGuardia turns back into an airport.

[SheltieLover]

25. Lol

Glad you are both feeling well! I had both & only a mildly sore muscle at injection site, more after 1st vax. Go figure.

[PatSeg]

10. Thank you

That was very nice of you.

[mountain grammy]

11. Thanks for this

and hi to DFW and to you

[7wo7rees]

12. No thanks necessary, but thank you. It was a delight to finally get opportunity.

Well, plus I bribed him with something he couldn't refuse...... Handmade chocolates from an artisan making quite a splash, Maravilla Cacoa.

[gademocrat7]

13. Thank you for the update, 7wo7rees

Wishing DFW and his wife safe travels.

[Skittles]

14. I'm sure he'll be telling us all about it

[DFW]

15. Well, we finally did make it to New York. Time has not just stood still, it beat a hasty retreat.

We tried something we hadn't done before: Air BnB. We will be here for 3 weeks, so some fancy hotel at $350 plus taxes a night was out of the question. But this apartment we rented is from a time when LaGuardia was the name of the Mayor, not the airport. No TV, water barely running, and we had to be shown which of the electrical outlets actually had electricity coming out of them.

There is a doorman downstairs, but I think I will secretly have to take a crash course in Bengali to get my thoughts across.

There IS a router for WiFi, but the code we were given to log in was incorrect. A quick examination by the molecular chemistry research lab of the nearest FBI field office revealed that whoever had dictated the key to the apartment's owner had done so erroneously. This has since been rectified (never rent a long-term apartment that doesn't have an FBI field office nearby), but the question did then arise as to how the apartment's owner was able to log on before being told this.

There is a gas stove, but we were warned that no one had actually used it to cook since before Molotov and Ribbentrop signed the Non-Aggression Pact. This was sufficient to prompt us to eat Chinese tonight.

Although full with chicken in black bean sauce and eggplant in garlic sauce, the chocolates Ms. 7wo 7rees gave us as a parting gift in Dallas, are staring me in the eye, saying, "you don't SERIOUSLY think you're ignoring us until tomorrow, do you?"

Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of "LaGwhereduya Think YOU'RE goin?"

[FakeNoose]

17. Any word on the grandbaby yet?

Please let us know, and post a pic if you can.
I'm sure we'd all love to see the baby.

[DFW]

19. Not yet

To be fair, the official "due" date isn't until the 25th. We just wanted to be here in case he arrived early.

As for pics, we will probably have some when he's here, but keep in mind what MY grandfather told me when I asked him if he wanted pictures of our new baby in 1983: "No, don't send me pictures. All newborn babies look like Winston Churchill anyway."

[msfiddlestix]

18. Thoroughly entertained by this writing..

you have a way of bringing the reader right along with you in as if in person, which I always enjoy.

I'd pass on the dinner plate and go for truffles!..yum.

[DFW]

20. We decided to put them off until tomorrow anyway.

The chicken with black bean sauce was just too copious to leave enough room to really enjoy them.

[GulfCoast66]

23. Wow. Sorry to hear about the AirBnB

The last 12 places we stayed in Europe were all either AirBnB or more often Trip Advisor homes or flats. All were great. The one In Heidelberg had odd bathroom placements but was in the Pedestrian zone in the old part of town and the reviews mentioned it.

Glad you could get your first Jab. Will the EU respect the type of vaccine you received? I ask because we want to go back to Iceland but the wife received the J&J and Iceland does not allow travel with that vaccine yet.

I hope your grandchild is born healthy and you are here to see him or her.

[DFW]

24. We will post when he is here.

We are in the fortunate position of not caring what the EU respects. My wife is a German citizen, and can travel to the USA as the wife of an American citizen (as long as she is accompanying me), and back home any time she wants. As a U.S. citizen, I can travel back to the USA any time I want, and as a legal resident of Germany, I can travel back to Germany any time I want. The paperwork has to be kept current, but they will honor it if it's all in order.

The incidence of infections in Europe is so bad right now, that they are again locking down all over, and it's almost as complicated to travel from France to Belgium as it is to travel from Germany to the USA.

[COL Mustard]

32. Zo.....

Your papers are in order???

(In best Cherman accent.)

[DFW]

33. Wir gehen davon aus

Bis jetzt hat man uns nicht verhaftet, zumindest.

(In my best southern drawl)

[orleans]

26. this from march 19

Iceland Is Now Welcoming Vaccinated Tourists

"U.S. Citizens will officially be permitted to enter the country with proof of full vaccination, certified for use by the European medical agency such as AstraZeneca, Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Moderna, or Pfizer.
https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Iceland-Is-Now-Welcoming-Vaccinated-Tourists

and this:
https://www.europeanpharmaceuticalreview.com/news/147282/janssen-covid-19-vaccine-authorised-for-use-in-eu/

[DFW]

27. Places change their rules frequently

Last few times I went to Holland and Belgium, there was no issue at the border. They told me this past week they couldn’t pass any EU border without a negative PCR test no older than 48 hours (Germany) or 72 hours for France, Belgium or the Netherlands.

When I booked our flight to New York, out Texas travel agent told us all quarantine restrictions for passengers arriving from Texas has been lifted. When we got to the DFW airport, however, we had to fill out forms and agree to quarantine for several days.

As for Iceland, I haven’t been there in 50 years, and my wife wants to go, so maybe if we can steal a few days AND our vaccinations are enough to get us in and back, we’ll run up there, too.

[GulfCoast66]

41. I highly recommend Iceland. I was ambivalent but the wife really wanted to go.

Spent out 25th anniversary there.

I’ve been to Alaska, the Rockies and the Alps. The natural beauty in Iceland is like nothing I have ever seen. And the lamb is the best I have ever eaten.

And their history is very interesting. They have the oldest parliament in the world and have not had a real war in around 800 years.

We met an Icelandic couple a few years earlier in Paris and they hosted us at their home for a nice dinner.

Needless to say, as normal my wife was correct. Iceland is worth a visit.

[7wo7rees]

16. Eat the chocolates now.

Tomorrow you may not have wifi. Life is short.
Glad to have Ms. 7wo7rees' report on a great visit today.
Spin the wheel again on that bnb or you'll be at Hampton Inn by Monday.
Godspeed DFW.

[DFW]

21. Thanks for the words of wisdom.

We will wait on the chocolates despite all that. Anything supposed to be THAT good needs to be enjoyed on an empty stomach.

[DFW]

28. To all who asked:

Apparently my arbitrary choice of yesterday to arrive in New York earned me a crystal ball nomination. Our daughter had to postpone our planned brunch this morning.

It seems she has some unexpected business at a local maternity ward.

[7wo7rees]

29. Oh DFW, I see you winning the competition!!!

Very excited for you all!!!
The 7wo7rees fam

[DFW]

30. Thanks to all of you!

We will let you when we hear more. Cross whatever fingers might be free at the moment!

[BobTheSubgenius]

31. I love these little moments of human contact among DUers.

It makes it seem a lot cozier and more "real," if you take my meaning. I'm not sure I'm describing it at all well, but hopefully you get it.

[DFW]

34. Thanks to all. The baby is here!!

More later!

[7wo7rees]

35. Congrats!! Thinking of you guys all day!

Can't wait to hear more!! Celebration time!!

[DFW]

36. Laurence, welcome to the world!

They chose the French spelling, I suppose they'll tell us why at some point.

[7wo7rees]

37. Very nice. So now what are you going to be known to Laurence as?

So very excited for you all. I just can't really believe how narrowly you made it just in time!!

Hugs and kisses to you both! Now enjoy some chocolate with a nice glass of wine or your fave liquour you think might pair well!! What a week the two of you have had!! Just amazing!! One heck of an anniversary!!

[DFW]

38. As a last note, here was the conclusion to Saturday's story

The "other" grandparents called and asked us out to dinner, so, of course we did!


Meanwhile, our daughter and her husband were resting, exhausted, having brought this little man into the world:

[7wo7rees]

39. Happy grandparents! What a beautiful young man!! Laurence fits well.

Laurence is just beautiful!!

Hugs and kisses to you all!!

Ms. 7wo7rees

[DFW]

40. Thanks! It has been a hectic couple of days since we got to NYC!

Lots of things yet to do, but a lot of daughter-seeing, too!

[GulfCoast66]

42. Congratulations! What a beautiful baby.

[DFW]

43. My daughter says she hasn't had much sleep since Friday

We warned her to accept this as the status quo for the next two years.