Page 137: AROUND THE WORLD
Helen and I have realized our lifetime ambition of going around the world. Departure was from Port Everglades on January 19, 1978 on the SS Rotterdam, flagship of the Holland American lines.
When we tied up at Los Angeles, Cousin Gladys and Arthur Baum, her husband, met us in the Rolls-Royce and we lunched at The Bistro. We visited twenty countries. The trip took 83 days. Most impressive to us was the People’s Republic of China.
We flew to Kweilin from Canton. The City of Kweilin is the center of 700 square miles of limestone sugarloaf peaks. We were told that 200 million years ago this area was all under water which left the peaks rounded, limestone not being a real hard stone.
Dramatic Vista
The peaks varied in height from 100 to 500 feet and provided a dramatic vista. The Chinese are fastidious and their rice paddies were between those Kweilin peaks. Helen and I took a boat ride along the Li-Chiang River for 3-1/2 hours and this trip was something we will never forget.
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Other highlights were the San Blas Islands, home of the Cuna Indiana in the chain of isles along the coast of the Caribbean. They are noted…
Page 138: (Photo) Caption: Taken during the cocktail hour in the Ambassador Lounge on board the S. S. Rotterdam during our world cruise.
Page 139: (Photo) A beautiful picture of Pompeii’s Pillar and Sphinx taken by me in Alexandria, Egypt while on our World Cruise.
Page 140: …for their handmade beautiful molas and matriarchal social mode. The magnificent shops in Hong Kong were fascinating as was the Peninsula Hotel which reminded us of the Plaza in New York with violin music playing in the background.
I toured ancient Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) by helicopter and had my first elephant ride outside of Kandy. Continuing via helicopter I visited Anuradhapura where the magnificent ruins of palaces recalled an era of grandeur when Anuradhapura was the capital of Ceylon for 1,000 years. I then flew to Sigiriya and photographed the famous Fifth Century frescoes.
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Helen and I had never been in the Holy Land so we enjoyed viewing the religious shrines, including the Wailing Wall and the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.
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Toni [daughter Carla Cotillo Paterno] met us in Naples, Italy where we had the famous champagne and peach drink, “Belini,” at the Hotel Excelsior and then feasted on veal piccata in the dining room. She spent the night with us in our stateroom on the Rotterdam before returning to Rome.
Although our trip was a fantastic experience, Helen and I were ever so glad to return home to the good old U.S.A.
This trip culminated one of our main desires in life. I really did not want to write thesee reminiscences until this goal in a full life was realized.
Page 141: Just previously I became a member of the Naples Athletic Club, a gentleman’s sanctum which adjoins Piccadilly Pub as a primary restaurant in the Fifth Avenue South business district. Be not misled by the “athletic” in its name. It added lustre to my life pleasures as a place for cards, social drinks and geniality among elderly retirees who socialize there. The “athletic” physical exercising seems to be elbow-bending over lunch and card tables. This club really rounded out my whole way of life.
FELLOWSHIP
FELLOWSHIP is as old as man.
It is one of the elemental traits rooted in all men.
It is more than the impetuous comradeship of youth.
It is the settled faith of men in men.
It knows no boundary of nation, creed, or calling.
It asks only an open heart, a cheerful countenance, an honest purpose and a will to understand.
[Author Unknown]
(Photo) Caption: Dad and me at Pinehurst, N.C. in 1928. That year we won the Father/Son Tournament.
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