Walking Through Knoxville, Tennessee

While staying at the Hyatt Place in downtown Knoxville, we were conveniently close to several parks.

So we walked from the Hyatt to the nearby Market Square.

For husband Pieter, being a longtime Rotarian since May 11, 1976 and having been President of the Dutch club in Venray over the year 1978, this was a must photograph!
Rotary's Global Polio Eradication Campaign is near to our heart.
October 24, is again World Polio Day and we know a special Rotary Friend from Jakarta, his touching story can be read below blog...

Interesting Aluminum part in large scale!

Back side..

Nature was so lovely on April 4!

We walked past the Hilton Hotel, where Pieter stayed in 1986. To the right you can also see the Knoxville Sunsphere.

Close to the World's Fair Park also...

Closeup of the blooming Redbud right on its trunk; seen in the above photo on the left.

A very special Rachmaninoff Statue

Rachmaninoff: The Last Concert By Victor Bokarov, Sculptor
In honor of Sergei Rachmaninoff's last concert's performed in Alumni Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Tennessee
February 17, 1943
Donated by
Victor Bokarov of Russia to the City of Knoxville
Erected, July 2003

Smelling the perfume of Daphne odora!
We tried this shrub once in our garden but it is too hot for it to survive...

 Closeup of these beauties!

This is Knoxville's Federal Courthouse
Beautiful architecture!

Back to our Hyatt Place and now we ride the elevator to the Rooftop!

If you wish, you can enjoy here cocktails with a spectacular view!
Seen to the right is the Federal Courthouse.

Great view and you can even see the nearby mountains...

Yes, we were also conveniently close to the Interstate, where I did continue my journey next day for visiting sweet blog-related friends Patricia & Roland, in Ohio, near Lake Erie, who had suddenly lost their eldest daughter due to surgery complications.

That day I too walked in Pieter's Footsteps from 1986 when he studied at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

We did have a very warm visit with our sweet friends, they are Catholic just like we are and we left from our Hyatt Place in Canton, OH after 2 nights and drove to the Hyatt Place in Asheville, NC.
Again a visit to dear friends in East Tennessee and next after 2 nights I started the journey back to Georgia.

Yep, I'd done 1987 miles or (of is Dutch) 3198 km...

Related posts:
Taking Husband Pieter back to Knoxville, TN in Mom & Dad's Footsteps | previous post
SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN | previous post
{World Polio Day - Nobody's child everybody's man - Jakarta Post} | previous post
{October 24, 2012 is World Polio Day} | previous post

Taking Husband Pieter back to Knoxville, TN in Mom & Dad's Footsteps

On April 4, of this year we both stayed in Knoxville, TN for two nights.

For a very special reason...

After having gone to Clingman's Dome, see previous post below, we visited with a dear blogger friend close to Knoxville and then checked in at the Hyatt Place downtown.

The blogger friend is: Katie Isabella she is very sweet in person!

Also: Ramblingon Katie Isabella's Mom

Yes, we met both of them!
It is always a joy for Meeting with any Blogger Friend that you know for many, many years and it also proves again and again that you have so much in common.

Here husband Pieter finally stands in a spot where he took daily lunch break walks...
Pieter had to do a course about Statistical Process Control at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for Campbell Soup.
So on Saturday, September 6, 1986 Pieter flew from Atlanta, Georgia to Knoxville, Tennessee after I'd dropped him off at the airport.

Here, Mom & Dad are walking the gardens around the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, on May  6, 1987.
As a matter of fact, just received this photo from my Dad on May 21, 2019, when I drove straight home from the airport after landing in Amsterdam.
Showed him some video on my MacBook and photos from our trip to Knoxville in April.
Dad jumped up and grabbed his photo book from their FIRST trip to the USA.
Never had seen those pictures myself and of course immediately asked Dad to take them with me for scanning them.
So happy with these memories!

Pieter took this photo from the University of Tennessee, from the Hill Street...

The University of Tennessee, Hill Entrance

From September 6 till the 12th, husband Pieter stayed at the Knoxville Hilton in 1986

On Friday, September 12 of 1986, I did pick up Pieter at the Atlanta airport by 6:35 PM and he proudly showed me this!

Pieter took this photo upon arrival in Knoxville with to the right the tower from a special Church...

This was a photo taken by husband Pieter, from the Observation Deck at the Sunsphere, showing the Church Street United Methodist Church of Knoxville, TN

Just click here for more info about Knoxville, TN - Church Street United Methodist Church and what a magnificent building that is!

A very poor quality photo but seen are Mom & Dad and I presume that I did park near that Church for strolling around the University as that is to the right...

Here I am standing in front of this beautiful Church Street United Methodist Church!
While Pieter was napping, I found it on the Internet, and now had the address for walking to it from our Hyatt Place in Downtown...
It was rather difficult to recognize from the bad photo I had of Mom & Dad.
Pieter took this photo from the median with pedestrian traffic lights as otherwise the entire building would not be in the picture.
Pedestrians could not cross this 6-lane road in 'one' trip...

Mom & Dad on May 6, 1987 at the World's Fair Park in Knoxville
The tower's window glass panels are layered in 24-karat gold dust...
It measures 266 ft or 81 m!
The 1982 World's Fair, formerly known as Knoxville International Energy Exposition in which The Netherlands also participated and China for the 1st time EVER. 
See short video: Remembering the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee where President Reagan opened it on May 1.
Also called 'Sunsphere'

Husband Pieter took this photo in 1986 when walking around during lunch break...
In the center you see the Hilton hotel
Oh, I do recall Pieter talking about Worlds Largest Rubik's Cube From 1982 Worlds Fair of which they had a HUGE one on display.
Designed by Hungarian Architecture Professor Erno Rubik and became one of the 1982 World's Fair's most well known icons.

This photo I took of Pieter on April 4, 2019...
The first time that Pieter ever came back here since 1986!

Yep, Public Parking Poplar St Lot and Pieter pointing to the World's Fair Park and it is visible to his right.
There are still overhead wires visible but a lot less than in 1987 when I took Mom & Dad's photo.
Horizon pollution...

The Tennessee Amphitheater shown here, which got constructed during the 1982 World's Fair

Dad gave me also this photo where we just arrived in North Carolina.
We visited Highlands and also nearby Dry Falls of which Dad himself had pictures.
We spent the night in Cherokee TN, at a Best Western
Next day we went to Gatlinburg, TN and on to Knoxville.

Quite a solo trip for me, as we had dropped off Pieter at the airport on Sunday, May 3, after we had spent the weekend in Atlanta at the Marriott Galleria.
1226 km for me solo or 14 hours driving...
Pieter was still working full time for Campbell Soup as Vice President Training & Development.
A total of 1,226 km and back till the airport in Atlanta to pick up Pieter, all on May 6, and from there, Pieter did drive home!
That was a full day... all the way from Knoxville.

We had all four been together to the Dutch Queen's Birthday Reception at the Dutch Consul's home on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta.
Dad sang the Dutch Wilhelmus on this side of the Atlantic!
So with 2 nights at the Marriott and some shopping, dropping Pieter off at the airport I'd gone back to Dublin for 1 night... Next day we left for North Carolina and the above Knoxville, TN visit.
When I'd come home in Dublin, I also altered a newly bought dress for Mom (while in Atlanta!) so she could wear it!

So happy for having received Dad's photos and being able to look back and for having shown Pieter once more...

Previous post:
SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN | previous post by me

{Mom Lived 16 Days Short of Her 91st Birthday} | previous post by me with Mom & Dad's words in guest book

{Tea in Atlanta with a Blogger Friend I Admire}

FINALLY I get to post this... Meeting a very sweet and special Blogger Friend, Tamago and her husband 

Tamago writes the very humorous and fun blog: GOROGORO & NIKONIKO about her two adorable cat-boys.

Devoted Cat-Mamas together; Tamago to the right.

We enjoyed some tea and dessert at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead where we were staying for a free night, annual gift that comes with their Visa card's anniversary.

This makes Tamago my 6th Blogger Friend that I met in person.

It is always very special to do so.

Mr. D. with my Pieter, two devoted Cat-Daddies.

This was on June 28 of 2015.

Thank you sweet Tamago for this special photo of the two of us together!

As usual we did exchange some delicious cookies...

Again I'd baked some Amaretti Cookies from Almond Meal with Coconut Palm Sugar to bring with me.

Sweet Tamago and Mr. D. gifted us with some very special individually wrapped Macarons from the Mozart Bakery.

This very special Bakery also seems to have a restaurant and we for sure will check it out within a couple of months!

The thrill of tasting a Mango Macaron!

For the color I added these orange Hibiscus...

And of course served, using the Japanese lacquered tray with Kyushu teapot and Japanese teacup, in honor of Friend Tamago.

Sorry for having eaten this yummy Mango Macaron almost before taking a picture!

Mozart Bakery's Macarons are yummy and their tastes are: 

Blueberry

Chocolate

Coffee

Green Tea

Mango

Strawberry

Tiramisu

Vanilla...

Thank you so very much sweet Tamago and Mr. D.!

Wish we would live closer and do this more often.

Related links:
{Brunch in Toronto with Blogger Friends I Admire} | previous post by me
{Port Huron, MI - Meeting with Blogger Friend I Admire} | previous post by me
{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Blogger Friend I Admire} | previous post by me
{Visiting Ria from IT'S ME} | previous post by me

{Brunch in Toronto with Blogger Friends I Admire}

Where the time finally comes we will meet with two more Blogger Friends that I admire!

The lovelies: Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista  and Susan Liberatore  from Ava Grace's Closet .

The waitress was so kind for taking this photo of all five of us.
From the left: Lovely Susan, me, Celia and her lovely Mr. G. and my Pieter...
A table of many languages!

Sweet Celia, had made ​​reservations for all of us at The Hazelton Hotel  in Yorkville, Toronto's hotspot.

We were seated in the rounded area, center of photo, Where the famous ONE Restaurant | The Hazelton Hotel  is located.

The Hazelton Hotel is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World.

Delicious Chicken schnitzel for brunch ...
Indeed:  ONE RESTAURANT We deliver ... The See and be Scene and delicious food by Canada's Most Celebrated Chef MARK McEWAN.

Bragged enough!
But so well deserved and we're grateful for having both had the opportunity to be here.
Thanks to Celia who had returned from Paris only two days before ...
Jet lag or not, she was there; all smile!

Such BLISS that was for finally meeting in the flesh ...
Celia is one blogger friend I've already mentioned before as a Blogger I Admire.
She survived what should have been a fatal accident, some 9 years ago.

Susan was caught in traffic and arrived a little bit later.
This spunky Mama of 3, is another incredible lady!
Indeed, two Blogger Friends I Admire.
Only too bad that little Ava was sick and could not join her Mama...

A very lovely Sunday Brunch together; thank you once again Celia & Susan - we owe you big!
If you ever do come to the South East of the USA; we will reciprocate.
We both are very happy we did add Toronto to our trip !!!
Stay well and happy Celia and Susan, Until we meet again  ♥♥

Related links:
{Arriving at Hyatt Regency Toronto on King} | previous post by me
{Port Huron, MI - Meeting with Blogger Friend I Admire} | previous post by me
{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Friend Blogger I Admire} | previous post by me
{Our Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Michigan Afternoon Tea} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Flora} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Carriage Tours} | previous post by me
{Patriotic & Romantic Mackinac Island} | previous post by me
{Shepler's Mackinac Island, Michigan Ferry} | previous post by me
{505 S Huron Avenue, Mackinaw City, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Delta Annual Companion Certificate Flight to Detroit, Michigan}  | previous post by me