Imagine spending many
magical days in wondrous ways, aboard cruise, or war vessels
not yet adapted to luxury travel! Not an opportunity most of us will
ever experience, but it was one Joe Munroe and Alex Bell were able to
enjoy. While working at BCBSM (during vacation time) and in retirement,
they were able to travel many miles, by land sea and air.
How does one become so
involved in such a travel mode? Simple! Alex was born in the U.S., but
his mother was born in Scotland and as good fortune would have, Alex and
his mom were able
to travel back to Scotland every four years. They were able to do this
up until 1939, when the war began and travel abroad came to a halt.
During my visit with
Alex, I heard some very interesting stories, two of which I'd like to
share with you!
After the war, in June
of 1946, Alex and his mother were able to return to Scotland via a
Canadian Shipping Line on the Ilea" de France, a ship not yet converted
to luxury cruising. Men and women were placed in separate rooms with
about 20 other people. They were happy to be able to travel, and the
trip was a pleasant as it could possibly be. Once there, however, they
were not able to return until the Queen Elizabeth was ready for
transport-six months later.
The next adventure
involved Joe and Alex. In 1956, they sailed on a ship called The United
States, which was the flagship of an American shipping line. They
boarded in NYC, stopped in France and South Hampton, where they
disembarked and traveled by train to London. While aboard ship, they
discovered former President Truman was aboard. The President was riding
in first class, while Alex and Joe were on the lower deck. This did not
stop them from seeing the President however! They merely climbed over a
few rails every morning and were able to walk about and say "Good
Morning, Mr. President". The President had no apparent bodyguards with
him, just a private secretary. How
many of us in the
U.S. could say we greeted The President in the mornings on our regular
a.m. course of exercise, and were able to shake his hand!
Joe and Alex enjoyed
fascinating travel, as evidenced by the travel log below:
·
They have
been on over 30 ships (not including the Bob-Lo Boat)
·
Crossed the
Atlantic over 50 times and the Pacific 6 times
·
Have
visited 30 states including Alaska and Hawaii, have been in all the
Canadian Provinces
·
Have
traveled in over 50 countries and most of them more than once
·
They have
ridden on camels in Egypt, elephants in India donkeys in the Greek Isles
as well as taxis, buses, many cars and even trucks in Indonesia.
Be alert on your next
cruise. Who knows what wonders you'll experience!
