Go? or No Go?

We Dreamers planned a trip to Europe over a year ago. Shortly after we returned from our 45th Anniversary Celebratory Trip  Our friends, Ranee & Marc contacted us, letting us know that they had such a great time doing a riverboat cruise and liked traveling with us... and would we like to do another trip?! We vacillated... should we?! or.. shouldn't we?! Finally, a few days before the cut-off for a prepaid discount, we laid out the cash.

This is a mega trip for us. The trip begins with a few days in Prague. Then we are bused to the riverboat in Nuremberg. We travel along the Danube to Budapest. We Dreamers did our first riverboat cruise from Budapest to Passau, Germany, in 2006. Holy cow! That's a long time ago! That was long before I even thought of blogging! There will be only a few stops that we have visited previously, and I am sure we will see new things and learn new things.

But.. wait! 

There's more! 

After a few days in Budapest, we will continue along the river heading toward Giurgiu, Romania. (When I return I hope to be able to pronounce the name of the city!) Once we arrive, we will be transported to Bucharest. After a few days exploring that city we will be transported to the airport, our magic fairy wings will be stripped away, and we fly back to San Francisco and our almost mundane lives! (Well... I guess I can't really say that! My life is rich and I am fortunate to be able to enjoy retirement.)

Tuesday night of this past week... just days before our long-planned departure... Mr. Dreamy discovered suddenly  that he could not walk without a great deal of pain. His foot was swollen and the pain was excruciating. He was able to see a Doctor the next morning, and then we motored on to the imaging facility for X-rays. The results determined that he had not broken a bone, and the pain was from a severely strained ankle and foot. What? How? When? Where? He could not recall anything that had happened to cause the injury. But, the swelling indicated something had happened. (To truly add insult to injury, as he was hobbling into the kitchen at our son's house he kicked "the castle". Alexis is standing in the castle in the picture below. It provides a stable platform that allows her to cook with Mom or Dad. )

Thus began the discussion:

Should we go?

Can we go?

Can he walk?

The cruise company is not ADA compliant. Wheel chairs will not work on the ship, or on their tours.
We had purchased insurance policies. We could get a voucher for another trip, and the airline would refund our money with a statement from the doctor ... which we had.

So... we moved on day by day. Not sure what to expect.  Should we stay or should we go now? The Mr. tried EVERYTHING to alleviate swelling and pain. He used ice. He used compression. He used KT Kinesiology tape. He used elevation. He even went to a Medical Marijuana Dispensary here in California (where it is legal) for some pain relieving lotion.
The swelling increased. The pain increased. Then.. by Friday... it seemed that he turned the corner. The swelling began to diminish. The pain in most areas of the foot began to subside. He believed that he could, indeed, make the trip to Europe. So, we packed our suitcases!
We have arranged for a wheel chair at each airport. We are ready to call Uber... or shall we call Lyft?! We are ready to be on our way!
Stay tuned for posts about our voyage!