2024 Year in Review

A little past due, with many missed months of blogging in between. As winter depression sinks in and I await any sign of sun, I decided the best way to conquer those blues is by looking back at what I accomplished in 2024 and begin planning the fun I will embrace in 2025.

Last year I did a bingo card with a list of what I wanted to achieve in 2024. I truly believe in writing things down and watching them manifest without putting in too much effort. Effortless Action’ was a phrase I picked up last year and will continue to live by. I interpret it to mean- we shouldn’t put so much work into something but rather ease into what’s next and watch life transfigure into what it is meant to be.

I had to dig through my Frida journal to find my bingo card and it surprised me what I did NOT achieve. Ie: going to a music festival, take a class about something new, spread appreciation weekly, go two weeks without social media. But what I did achieve was great!

Know I need to continue to set goals to avoid becoming complacent in routine. For me routine is my killer of joy. I have to remain open to new sights and sounds and remember to close off the noise that surrounds me.

This has been challenging as I started work on premises surrounded by other humans 🙂 Also doesn’t help that last time Trump was in office I was able to escape the noise by living in Thailand, but now am tethered. I took a baby step last week by stopping at Burnet Woods on my way into work to admire the snow perfectly aligned on the tree branches. This person that I find when spontaneously doing such things is the core of my being. I will continue to feed her.

January started off great, ringing in the New Year with George, Charlie, Angela and Dale. Then catching a flight to Germany with Zoe as I attended the Heimtex Textiles show. Zoe and I stayed an extra weekend and despite the train strikes, took a bus to Heidelberg which was fantastic!

February was mostly hunkering inside to avoid the chill, similar to where I find myself today while typing. But last year I was able to get out on a walk with Kevin over the river capturing some amazing views of the city as the night fell. Also tried out a new coffee shop with Sedona in Walnut Hills.

March was great! I booked a long weekend in Scottsdale, Arizona hoping to grab some much needed sunshine only to discover Spring Training going on. Did some hiking in Sedona, Arizona. Saw an Aimee Mann concert and drank a green beer on St. Patty’s Day with Sedona and Namgi.

In April, Debbie and I did our best to chase the sun and took a round trip day in Tampa, Florida- highly recommend this adventure! Especially with a laid back friend. Spent a weekend in Cincinnati with Angela and Dale. Celebrated George’s birthday with after school bowling while my twins celebrated their birthday adventuring in Arizona on a sister trip with Solaire.

May was filled with friends. Murder Mystery dinner party, Reds baseball game, trip to Tennessee to see family, exploring Indiana with Virlane, and hosting a fun dinner with Namgi’s parents visiting from South Korea. A lot of memories. Also the celebration of life of my dear friend Beth. I recently had another reiki session and find I am still holding onto a lot of grief with losing her friendship.

June came with a wonderful visit from Zoe and Leo ( Brazilian Cambly friend). A hike with Linda, which was long overdue, as well as a spur of the moment drink with Sarah and Kathie.

July- I visited Grand Rapids, Michigan for my nephew’s wedding. Was wonderful seeing all our relatives again and capturing a photo of the cousins together. (minus the groom who was busy) Saw the Pompei Exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, nature is wild and relentless. Then spent a weekend in Indianapolis with Sedona attending a throw back UB40 concert! Lastly experienced my first silent disco with Angela in Louisville. Great way to let loose tension!

Last minute in August, Kassie convinced me to fly to Aspen for a weekend to see Bobby and Lisa. What a beautiful place to visit. Day drinking off season like we owned the town. Was inspiring to see the business the Kunkles built out there with Wendy. (Kemosabe) Earlier in August I spent a simple weekend hiking near the farms of Ohio with Debbie. Cherished childhood friend visits squeezed into one month.

September business trip to NYC- allowed me to squeeze in another hello to Kassie and a grab a hug from Solaire. Spent an amazing night at Stephanie’s lakehouse, hiked with Rebecca and went to the Hip Hop Exhibit at Cincinnati Art Museum with Sedona.

October is my month to visit Zoe in California. I told her we needed to do less this visit, and do two long weekends instead of one week long road trip. But those two weekends were like a month of sights! Was the most beautiful visit to June Lake, Mono Basin and Yosemite National Park. We even caught the view of a comet that only went around every 800 years or so!

The following weekend we took off to Death Valley which was seriously like nothing I have ever visited before. Hiking landscapes were beautiful, desert sands, artist palette painted mountains which are impossible to photograph (least on my old Iphone which I got in 2019) salt basins and a brewery to boot over on the Nevada side.

Can’t leave October without mentioning my fabulous trip to Grand Rapids again to spend Halloween with Trisha and Tim while babysitting their new grandchild. We took time to go to Meijer Gardens and see the Japanese Garden section which was amazingly transitioning to fall colors. Early voting began in Ohio and I picked up a penny outside the venue which reminded me of my mom and I wondered what she would think of it all.

November came with a babysitting gig with my grandcat Luca. Went Christmas shopping in Waynesville, Ohio and met up with some great women! KangKang came for a visit and we had a blast! George prepared his usual overkill Thanksgiving meal and hosted a wonderful party.

December came with a bang! Ballet with my twins, a wonderful night out together. A new tradition which quiets the mad rush of the holidays and allows us time to appreciate each other. Ice skating on Fountain Square with Charlie and my girls, a visit from Tiffani and matching Xmas pjs. Great news came with a year end visit with Solaire- she’s having a baby girl in May!! Super excited!

Cincinnati Art Museum with Baby B

I was so happy that SKL suggested I take a week off before starting full time again.

My last day at DPI (the remote gaming job) was September 3. Worked there almost 3 years. I learned a ton, but also realized I honestly wasn’t passionate about gaming products (really hated the weapons and violent aspects) and remote work culture is tough to maneuver. Interesting working remote- the flexibility is awesome, but getting things fixed or done with everyone on different time zones is challenging. I’m not a patient person. I like to move and accomplish tasks. I’ll miss my friends there, but never got to see my boss’s face since she never once turned on her camera. All very odd to me. Working for a bubble on a screen. Technology… maybe I’m too old school.

My new/old job at SKL started full time September 9, so okay….3 days break. I really needed a detox. Should’ve taken the opportunity to clean my house or catch up on the stack of mail I haven’t bothered to look at, but it was such a gorgeous day!

While scrolling Instagram, I saw there was a Hip Hop Culture Exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum and Thursday evenings were free. I texted Sedona and she was open and we made plans to go that night.

Outside the museum I snapped this photo and loved how well Sedona’s top coordinated with the sculpture.

Inside the museum there were a couple shoes made out of car parts. Human creativity.

Ever wonder why someone was inspired to do such a thing?

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have never not liked an exhibit. It always opens my mind.

We learned how there was a language created for graffiti.

I’ve always been fascinated with street art. Loved reading that the hip hop culture communicated through this method.

This ceramic cluster fascinated me as well. Such symbolism in its parts.

Love him or hate him, you have to give credit to Jay-Z for all he has done for the movement and rights to empower. Reading about how artists used to represent fashion brands and even took some leadership in designing through those brands, but he took it to an entirely higher level labeling himself as the brand.

Gucci. Ever wonder why its so popular still? Those infamous Gs.

Pharrell hat’s designed by the late Vivienne Westwood. Always one of my favorite fashion designers.

I never considered how hip hop culture progressed fashion in terms of weaves, hair color, nails, jewelry and the influence on women’s rights and power.

Biggy. So instrumental to the movement, coming up from the streets of NYC.

The colors were bright on the walls and really read/felt warm and invigorating. I know Sedona got a lot more out of this exhibit than I did. Was a beautiful way to awaken me to the influences that when put together made total sense but I never really took the time to consider previously. Sometimes life just evolves and unless you look back, its easy to miss the reasons and pieces of the puzzle.

The setting sun reflected on the clouds and turned them an luminescent pink. We decided to try to find a place where we could catch the sunset.

The City View Tavern in Mt. Adams was perfect. The two small clouds did not move above the distant buildings for the longest time. It was if we were looking at a painting.

The sliver of a moon captured against the Cincy skyline. Perfect ending to a beautiful day.

Eagle Park- In the Middle of Nowhere Ohio :)

Blogging about this little stop is not even worth it, but it was so odd I just had to.

On our drive to the preserve, we passed a very odd metal sculpture park. We decided someone took the time to put this in the middle of nowhere, so we should at least honor it by stopping and taking a look. I love when there is no time frame to a day and you are just wandering.

There was a parked RV in the lot and when we pulled up an older gentleman exited to turn on his generator in the attached pick up truck to cool off. We presumed he picked this quiet, off beat location for a camp out. Would be perfect as it seemed quite desolate. Reminded me of my van trip days.

The animal metal sculptures were cool. Debbie took a selfie.

I wondered why or who sponsored it. The giant eagle in the background catches your eye.

I posed underneath the huge eagle’s nest.

And a vulture. Just things that make you go hmmm..

Cincinnati June Days

There are always things to do in this beautiful city of mine! I mostly stayed local in June and kept busy visiting with friends and my family. Never a dull moment on my calendar.

Wanted to do a quick recap for myself- to remember.

Somehow I always see new art when I walk downtown. It may have been there for years, but I see newness every time in the urban landscape.

Murals on the sidewalks invite new energy. Makes me want to skip down it.

We asked Waverly (our neighbor’s daughter) and Charlie to pose outside of this mural and I was able to capture this stunning image in literally seconds. We all walked downtown and bowled at Pins, rode The Connector, and got some Godfather’s Pizza.

In the meantime, we have Red’s baseball! We took Charlie to her first professional game. The weather could not have been better!

Was fun teaching her how to read the scoreboard and information on the batters.

Our crew taking in the cheap seats at the game.

Later in the week the twins and I spent a fun day eating and drinking just to enjoy some quality time together. Zoe came to town for the Indianapolis 500 race.

I love this photo of them sticking out their blue tongues after drinking a blue drink. Reminded me of our trip to Virginia Beach when I made them stick out their purple tongues after eating ice cream at the Purple Cow. (think they were 4- now 20 years later)

Zoe captured this image of Sedona and I as we were walking ahead to the street art festival where one of my friends had a booth.

The beautiful art I purchased from Dr. B

That night I went out for one drink at Somerset to meet their friends who were in town visiting. Zoe had a friend she met in LA who actually has family here and happened to be visiting at the same time. Sedona’s friend recently moved from Omaha to Columbus, Ohio- and she also joined us. Was fun being the mom and meeting their crew.

Also in June my Brazilian student and I finally met! Leo stayed with me for a bit and I did my best between work to show him highlights of Cincinnati.

Sedona and Ki joined Leo and I at Factory 52.

Sedona and Leo got along great, I swear they were like kindred spirits.

The girls and I also partook in cosmos at JAlexander’s. The best!

Zoe snapped this natural photo of me. I rarely like photos of myself but feel she captured me fully.

Linda and I went for a short hike in Devou Park.

Her brother lives right up the street so it was a convenient trail. Unfortunately filled with mountain bikers so a bit un-nerving to walk while always fearful of getting plowed over.

I have never seen a mushroom cluster like this before. Have you?

My childhood friend Sarah came down to visit her sister-in-law and good friend, Kathie. We all went out to Japp’s to enjoy their band early on a Friday night. I think Sarah was the youngest one there. Kathie packed snacks since the bar doesn’t have any which cracked me up.

Sarah and I have known each other since she was 5.

George eventually joined us and became our Uber back home. We decided to stop by Fireside Pizza in Walnut Hills for dinner.

Took a photo of this mural outside the pizza place. Iconic Bootsy.

That’s what its all about. The time we spend enjoying this life.

Reunion with Virlane- Columbus and Nashville, Indiana

My goal in 2024 was to do more weekend adventures. Virlane and I had planned a meeting point back in February, picking a weekend in May that we both had open on our calendars. I want express how much I love my women friends who commit and stick to it. Unwavering friendship and calendar keepers.

I realize my love language is quality time. And this is probably why my one on ones with my friends are so important to me. It grounds me. Helps me feel loved and meaningful in this crazy world. Gives me genuine conversations and less meaningless chatter.

This trip was the weekend after Beth’s visitation and my head was still swirling with loss and over working with the two jobs I was balancing. Loss of life always gives you perspective and pause for reevaluating one’s own choices and future.

I was very much looking forward to seeing my Phuket friend who always has wisdom and peaceful energy to share.

Rolling into Columbus, Indiana across the iconic bridge. It looked to be storming all weekend but that didn’t matter to us as long as we had a place to stay and beer to drink.

Our first evening I asked Virlane to help straighten out my thoughts about work. She packed her familiar ‘perspective’ cards that we frequently utilized during our past Thailand lunch dates.

I pulled the below images when asking what to do. The cards perfectly read for me….but still did not clearly give me the answer. Instead was asking me to dig deeper.

I was being given an opportunity (the frog) but it was messy and not exactly my prince charming pie in the sky job. But I needed to make a choice but wasn’t quite sure what to look for.

She pulled out a longer deck and I continued to pull cards that offered clarity. In a short recap they were – Balance/Success/Leadership/Almost/and Guilt. All revealed in perfect order what my fears were and what my final choice was. I felt such a relief.

The following day we decided to adventure to Nashville, Indiana. I had never been there but our Airbnb guide book mentioned an Indiana distillery, so we decided to go for lunch.

The entrance to the distillery was artistic, triggering my interest.

There were a lot of different tours going on. A perfect weekend outing for large groups.

We stopped into the bar area first and discovered they had released their first batch of bourbon – so I purchased a bottle for George to try. He loved it.

Super cute facility and the grounds were gorgeous.

Once seated for lunch, I ordered a Bloody Mary. It was amazing. My sweet friend across the table.

After lunch we wanted to walk it off a bit and headed to the Main Street of Nashville, Indiana.

The small town was bustling with the Indianapolis 500 scheduled the following weekend. This metal sculpture was pretty cool.

Found the town to be a mix or arts and crafts, culture and music.

A little history which made perfect sense of what I felt/saw.

Quaint place to visit if you are ever in the area.

I rarely see sweet natural daisies anymore.

It was hot out and we walked around as much as we could. Neither of us found anything to buy. We headed back to Columbus and upon arrival, I mentioned we could either bust a move and keep it moving or take a nap. Virlane immediately opted for the nap and we both crashed for a solid hour plus!

We headed out as evening fell to check out Columbus night life. It was a tad disappointing.

I’d already visited Columbus with my daughters on their 21st birthday years back, so I was familiar with all the architecture.

Just two beautiful gals that found each other in this world somehow.

They added quite a bit of street art since 4 years ago.

This new awning was over the main street.

I felt bad that the restaurants were busier or that the town didn’t have a bigger weekend crowd. At the bar that night we overhead another couple also noting they simply came for the weekend to check it out.

As Virlane and I were leaving Sunday am, I ran back to her car before she took off and said, hey we never got a selfie!

Our crazy quick shot. Until we meet again.

Murder Mystery Dinner Party

Found this game at George’s house and his daughter and I started looking into how to play. It’s designed for adults, but thought it would be a fun idea to host a party with our neighbors in Cincinnati, who also have a daughter around Charlie’s age.

I also invited Allen and Linda, knowing they are always good sports and who were also grieving the loss of our friend Beth earlier that week. We decided there would be no talk of our loss and instead we would embrace life in the moment.

We really had no idea what we were getting into with this, but it was so much fun! One of the best dinner parties I have ever hosted.

Was also Derby weekend, so George brought down all his father’s collectible antique Derby glassware for our cocktails.

And of course his charcuterie which everyone appreciated and nibbled on throughout.

You can catch a glimpse of my Mickey Mouse styled shoes below- these have been with me since my backpacking days purchased in Spain, 1991. I handed them down to Zoe and found them in the shoe cabinet. Perfect for my costume.

Everyone was assigned a character ahead of time and was told to dress up accordingly. George was the host/head of the theatre- Charlie was an accountant who borrowed my pinstriped dress- Sedona a cat loving lawyer.

The game contained clues, name tags and character descriptions, witness readings, a dead body and motives. It lasted about 4 hours and even instructed us when to have a drink, eat dinner, etc. Honestly was loads of fun with our motley crew.

George made us all pose in costume and put this incredible photo collage together for us to remember it by. My friend Linda (middle bottom) was assigned a male golfer role which she embraced fully. Waverly (middle right) was a jockey, Beth (center) a tennis star, Clint (bottom left) a circus performer, Allen (middle left) a clothier and me (upper right in case you dont recognize) a baker. It was literally the best group of guests! Everyone stayed in character.

The guests being silly. Sedona played the Great Gasby soundtrack in the background to set the mood for the time period.

I ended up being the murderer- poisoned the director with my bake goods.

We voted on best costume which Linda won! And best actor which Waverly, the jockey won.

We loved it so much we are thinking of trying to find a murder mystery Christmas edition to play with the family when we all can get together. Highly recommend to anyone needing a fun gathering without too much stress.

Or allow us to feel comfortable enough to play a character 🙂

Sunday Funday

Coming back from Florida, I was missing my Sedona. She was travelling with her sisters in Arizona over her birthday and I wanted an excuse to catch up. We decided to grab salads and cosmos for lunch and do a little home decor shopping. Sedona has been a great help to me transitioning my empty nest. I recently purchased a new-gently used sofa and wanted pillows to help the coloration work.

My sweet Baby B and our cosmos which were to die for.

I noticed George was back at the empty nest and was finished with working, so I asked if he wanted to join us. We ordered him a salad and of course a second round of drinks for ourselves.

He then became our chauffeur and drove us to Home Goods where we grabbed a few decorative pillows and a throw. Then we headed back to the condo to find they perfectly worked! No returns needed.

Driving Sedona back home, we decided to pop into the Comfort Station where mixed drinks are served deliciously on draft. It was such a gorgeous day, we didn’t want it to end.

Sedona then took photos of George and I together on the bench which turned out so cute.

Was a great day. I wanted to post to not forget that sometimes a random small local day can be equally as soul filling as the adventurous ones too. Make the best of your time here and know money is just energy. It comes and goes. Life on the other hand may end before you can live it.

A Tribute To Beth

This blog post I began in the beginning of May. I haven’t been able to finish this, or write ever since but know in my heart, as tears come down my face as I type, that I need to. I need to get this out, to move forward with my writing, recording, memory making but I feel stuck without her. I paused, as I know nothing I say will be good enough to publish. My words will fall short of conveying her meaning in my life or acknowledging the nuggets of wisdom she planted in my soul. Please give me grace if you are reading this.

Tuesday came with the sad news of my friend Beth departing this Earth. I am still struggling to comprehend the fact that her kindness, wisdom, support and laughter will no longer be present in my life. In processing my pain, I dug through photos which were an excellent reminder of not only memories but of her light. The light she so freely gave. The light I was honored to be surrounded by over the past decades.

At her funeral service I couldn’t explain to those trying to console me that I understood she was in a better place. I wasn’t sad for her. She died gracefully, quickly and with dignity going through chemo treatments to allow hope for those not yet willing to let her go. Beth counseled others while she was suffering. A beautiful soul til the end.

Her voice/ability to speak was taken from her, similarly as my own mother’s, but she was able to get out in a clear sentence “I’m a fucking disaster” and we laughed so hard as we acknowledged her situation just days before she died.

We often walked in Spring Grove Cemetery to catch up on each other’s lives. It was usually the three of us- Linda, Beth and I. Beth loved the flowers when they were in bloom and was as fascinated with nature as I was.

Didn’t matter what the weather, the three of us hiked and shared our struggles. Beth was with me through many men, jobs, adventures, family issues and celebrations in life.

My daughters also hiked with Beth during Covid and mentally it was such a wonderful break for us all.

I captured this tree while hiking in Spring Grove. Beth was always pausing to look up and witness the details in nature.

The three of us road tripped to Red River Gorge where we drank and laughed until the wee hours of the night in Amy’s A frame.

Celebrated a birthday with cake and wine. Love Beth’s LIFE IS GOOD tee.

One of my favorite photos of Beth supporting her husband John’s university while looking so happy in her new hat. (she got in preparation for chemo round one, many years ago)

These two were also by my side as Beth’s son Mark tattooed the forever meaningful quote on my forearm-“we cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are”. A reminder to keep evolving

We also hiked in Hocking Hills before I left for Thailand.

The three of us had fun just trying to capture a selfie.

Beth and Linda- the three of us never got into arguments, or felt left out. It was a magical trio that I will forever cherish and wish I had more time in. A natural bond of respect, support, love and non judgement.

Ghost Baby to celebrate Linda’s 60th. One of our last group outings.

Cannot say enough about friendships. The individual souls who we randomly meet that stay with us through parts of our journey. Angels for sure. Connective positive energy. Couldn’t imagine life without my friends. Who would I be?

Beth, Linda and I always met at Cactus Pear for dinners and catch ups if we weren’t hiking. On my way to her memorial, I stopped and had a margarita in her honor. Cheers to the memories made! Never forgotten.

Beth my dear, you will be missed.

Cosanti Windchimes- Scottsdale, Arizona

My daughters taught me to look up things via TikTok instead of Google. Explaining you will get more interesting advise and less paid advertisement options.

Several times the place, Cosanti, came up whenever looking into Scottsdale. Claiming if you are in this area, you should go see this store. It was 17 minutes north of where we were staying, but it was on my list- so off we went to check it out.

On the way there we passed million dollar estates and wondered where the heck google maps was taking us. Then in the middle of this amazing neighborhood, the sign popped up on the left. I guess we were in the right spot.

We pulled into the drive and the store was like a compound made out of clay.

I snapped this photo of the entryway. Wasn’t sure what we were getting into.

Every bit of this place was artistic. It housed hand crafted metal and ceramic windchimes, which were for sale, hanging from the ceiling. It felt magical. Like you were in a movie on a surreal set.

Places like this are destination stops for sure. George and I walked around separately taking it all in. I started on the hunt to find a windchime I could afford to bring home with me.

Some of the chimes / yard art larger pieces were 38,000$. If only.

There were tunnels that took you into different rooms. Most seemed for employees or artisans work.

All had different sounds based on their shapes and sizes. I finally found one that we both agreed on for $165.00. My token gift to myself.

An entire store dedicated to original works of art.

Imagine the sound of these beautiful chimes softly speaking as you walked through. Not sure who was the visionary for this concept or how it all began. But truly admire anyone who can create such a spiritually inspiring store.

As we walked outside, I noticed this tree and its contrasting bark with the backdrop of the cactus and pink facade. My eyes are open.

Brewery Hop Phoenix, Arizona- Day 2 part 2

After running around Scottsdale, I had crossed off all I wanted to see. George then began adding new breweries to our list. He started a google map to record all the breweries the two of us have tried together and I think we are officially up to 69 on our count. (maybe more)

I at this point, was just a tag along for the adventure.

First stop was OHSO brewery. It was in sort of a strip mall location.

We had a lot of tasters and then asked the bartender where she would recommend us to go next.

The outdoor venue to this brewery was packed and everyone was eating. They must have had great food. Personally found their seasonal selection best on the beers.

Next stop was in Phoenix in a warehouse district that didn’t quite feel safe. They were closing by 6 pm which made sense. We only stayed for one flight.

It was like the old breweries when you sat in their warehouses and played games. It was fun to check out. Felt retro. Before breweries became the mega hits with the funding that they now have. This was just a seat in a warehouse next to the tanks.

Nobody was there but us and one other couple who couldn’t get a bean bag on the board (cornhole) to save their lives.

Every brewery we went to, recommended we check out the one named Wren. Which I believe is their state bird. It was in a modified home in another odd location.

This place was pretty busy and had a fun outdoor seating area as well. I grabbed a seat facing out and found it amusing to see Mother Mary in the alcove and the sunrays beaming into the bar.

A great picture of me and how I was feeling at this point. Admired how they wallpapered their walls with their labels.

The next brewery, Roses by the Stairs, took us into a more occupied area. Had this cute mural in the parking lot.

George noticed a food truck outside and grabbed some tacos.

This place was annoyingly filled with dogs. Every table had a pet and all the pets snapped at each other and were not comfortable. As if this was a training ground for anxious pets. I couldn’t wait to get out.

Our flights are so fun. But I was getting a bit tired and just ordered a stout.

Selfie moment. Always have to document we were there 🙂

Our last brewery stop, Four Peaks, was my favorite. Located in a neighborhood, which was different, in a huge historic building. It was packed. We couldn’t eat inside unless we had a reservation, guess it was Saturday night.

Thought this sign in the bathroom was cute.

Driving between the breweries was interesting. Maybe we should have done more research of cool neighborhoods in Phoenix, but it seemed desolate in parts. Like driving down Reading Road in Cincinnati. I wondered if there was an area like our OTR that was filled with more options in one location, but it seems everything was very spaced out with nothing in between.

Enjoyed my evening nonetheless. Just observations of a new city. The Phoenix airport upon arrival was also a mess with a 20 minute wait between trams that took you to the rental car location and another hour wait to get the rental car. I was happy we arrived in the evening, so it didn’t feel like a waste of a day”. Travelling always teaches me patience.