Preface: I wrote this as a catch-up post on Sunday night, because I realised I hadn't written anything on my personal blog for a week. But as always happens to me, a few words become a couple of thousand, so I've decided to slice it into several posts for those who don't specialise in endurance reading. But keep in mind that I wrote it as one long ramble, so it will probably make more sense read in sequence… It's been such a busy week, I'm not really sure where to start. I've met so many people, the names and faces are all blending together. As for where I've been, well it turns out that being an international guest (rather than just a tourist) opens a lot of doors, so I've been places that a lot of people don't get to go. In amongst all the work - the meetings, the tours, and the presentations - I've had some great experiences this week. On Monday night, I went out to dinner with the Sister City commissioners. They were a great bunch of people, and very welcoming. I also made a great new friend - General Bob Felderman, retired from the National Guard and now a realtor and photographer. I call him "The Skeleton Key" because he has access to everyone and everything. On Tuesday, we had a couple of hours to spare in the afternoon, and we noticed that the American Queen, a large paddle steamer that cruises the Mississippi River, was in dock. It turns out that the engines were needing repair, so they were unexpectedly staying overnight. Cindy, our host from the Council, managed to get us on board by speaking to the captain and explaining that we were international guests. It turns out that hardly anyone has seen the American Queen in Dubuque, apart from paying travellers. It's an amazing vessel, like stepping back in time. There was a card room for the gents, and a lounge for the ladies, an on-board theatre, a steam-powered calliope piano, and grand views from the top deck. It's not historical (built in 1995), but it draws on a rich heritage of paddle steamers, and if you half-close your eyes, you could almost see Bret Maverick shuffling cards for the poker tournament…