Singapore, Penang, December 3

After breakfast at Starbucks we had an hour before going to the airport so we walked towards the river. Was that a nice surprise - a very beautiful walk, and most amazingly many many beautiful buildings - both in the Colonial district around City Hall and the more modern downtown buildings. And hardly any shops, malls, hustle and bustle! Across the river there were many smaller, colorful buildings and lots of waterside cafes - we'll definitely go back there later this week.

The airport is also beautiful and we enjoyed strolling through it on our way to the gate. They have a beautiful orchid garden with a koi pool - the largest koi fish we have ever seen!

We had decided to pamper ourselves and had booked the Oriental and Eastern Hotel in George Town. It's one of those old British Empire hotels and looks like a place out of a Somerset Maugham book. We were greeted at the door by a guy in khakis, knee-high socks and a cork hat - "Dr Livingston, I presume?" seemed like a good way to greet him but we held the urge back. The suite is charming and we have a nice view of the ocean from our window. (of course, on closer scrutiny we found all kinds of things which are not quite right, like the TV panel which is held together with masking tape, but the British Empire has declined after all.)


The staff suggested we take the shuttle to their sister hote (not half as grand) on the beach about 40 minutes away.  That was a very good suggestion - Avi swam both in the ocean and in the hotel pool there. He also had a long conversation with a very nice young woman from Bahrain. (We are very impressed at how modern and western Malaysia seems - you see quite a lot of very Moslim looking women but the vast majority are not covered at all. Reading the local paper also seems to indicate that this is a progressive country with rather liberal laws - a different kind of Moslim country). Then we walked through the overnight market (the normal watches-electronics-clothes stalls you see everywhere), and arrived at a square full of tables with lots of food stalls all around. It's a very nice system - you order from the food vendors and tell them your table number and they bring the food over and then you pay them. Was very nice and tasty - lots of Indian, Chinese (no pork!) and Malay (which seems rather similar to Thai) food. Also very cheap...

Then it started pouring and we got back to the hotel lobby to wait for the shuttle completely drenched. We were completely exhausted by then and dozed off on the ride back. It was wonderful to take a shower and fall asleep in this fancy suite!

Today's photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5818342125026015009?authkey=CLTcs_7h77OxBg

Singapore - Dec. 2

We made it to the hotel at 8am. So we of course had to pay for the night we did not sleep but could check in immediately and take most needed showers. They did give us free breakfasts "out of the goodness of their hearts" as the check-in person said, and it was nice to eat non-airplane junk after such a long travel period.

Despite the tiredness we decided to go exploring after breakfast. We walked along Orchard Rd which is the main shopping drag. It's one of the most kitschiest places ever. Seems like any architect in Singapore can throw up any building s/he feels like - the more unusual and odd the style the better. So we walked and marveled at the impossible monstrosities all around us - and to top it off they were all decked out in Christmas decorations. The whole place is basically a huge shopping mall which extends over many city blocks. And we were shocked to see quite a lot of litter in the streets. But that might have been due to the early Sunday morning stroll when the streets have not been cleaned yet.

Our stated goal was go find a tailor and order a couple of custom made jackets for Avi. We "interviewed" about 4 such tailors - all Indian, all very nice and all explaining why their stuff is unique and their prices the best (we could not see the uniqueness and the prices were pretty much identical). So Avi haggled a bit and we settled on number 4. Avi was measured and they were quite impressed with his asymmetry (turns out that not only are his legs of unequal lengths, but so are his arms...). We will pick them up when we return for Penang, and if need be they will adjust anything which needs adjusting. Hopefully this experiment will be successful as it was not cheap. We did stay firm and did not order slacks or ugly blouses for me to their great disappointment.

We went back to the hotel for an afternoon nap which was cut short by the cleaning staff filing in (we forgot to lock the door...). So back out for another walk - back to the tailor for a meeting with the expert tailor(!). By this time of day the streets were completely packed with people - strolling, shopping, eating... There are so many different types of people it is very nice looking at them all and trying to figure out their ethnicities - Chinese, Indian, Phillipino, Caucasians and all possible mixtures. And they all seem to be living together harmoniously - so amazing when you compare to other places...  The streets were much cleaner than what we saw in the morning but still not as spotless as the way Singapore is always described. I even saw one guy spitting - shocking!

Then we explored Little India and the Arab Quarter. Little India is billed as "an experience for all senses" but we were underwhelmed - it's cute but rather sterile looking and not very interesting after having spent time in the real India. We were struck by the fact that there were hardly any women on the streets there.

The Arab Quarter is even less interesting  - a couple of mosques and a few men in Arab garb.

By then we were ready to collapse so we headed back to the hotel. Avi insisted we have a proper dinner which was a good idea. We went to an Italian restaurant at the hotel. It was very good but we did not enjoy it enough as we were nodding off...

The night was quite restful despite the 13 hour time difference. I slept for 8 hours and Avi is still asleep so we should be ok today. We have to leave for the airport around 11. It's a short flight to Penang, Malaysia so we should have some time to start exploring Georgetown tonight.

Today's photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5817514008860325025?authkey=CImL7uGsqaeCZw

Hong Kong

Here we go again... We are on our way to Singapore with a 2day detour to Penang, Malaysia.

The flight over was a piece of cake as we flew business and slept well (but the food was rather awful despite that).

We had a very tight connection in Hong Kong but that stopped being a concern once we were told that the flight is delayed at least 5 hours... So here we are in the United Lounge and Avi is very happy with the mango juice he is drinking...

Avi, Eyal, Yuval - England, June 2012

Sunday, June 24.

Landed on time in London Sunday morning. First thing first - went on the Internet and found out Einat was accepted to HUJI & Academit - YESH!!

Subway to Earl's Court, where our Westbury Hotel is. Very nice neighbourhood, part of Chelsea.
Small, clean hotel. The (small) room was ready so we collapsed for an hour. Had lunch in one of the neighborhood pubs, and took off to the city. First, to Leicester Square, to buy tix for the week. Then strolled to Trafalgar square (which had some rock concert), to the river, and back to St. Martin in the Fields Church for Evansong at 5pm (this happens in many churches - a choir sings hymns, a pastor reads and the audience joins and says Amen when appropriate. We were impressed with many things besides the organ and singing: in this church they correct original hymns to make them gender-equal, they have quotes from the Quran, the pray for the weak and poor everywhere, and in particular that day the people of Syria, Aphganistan and Greece!

As on Sunday there are hardly any West End plays, we found on Time Out something in a fringe theatre in Chelsea and took the Double Decker bus (the weather was almost perfect most of the day). We started talking to a guy on the bus, who stayed with us the whole evening. Turns out the guy (28 yo) is a Rabbi of a small congregation in Chelsea, has trouble with the religious establishment, is extremely educated and have seen many more plays and films than us. He came with us to the play, which may have been a mistake. Anyway, it was far from great. Called "The Sluts of Sutton Dr." by a young American playwright, and advertized as a story about a mother going through a breakdown, is a bit more. It is extremely gory and graphic. For some reason people kept laughing and giggling, and we feared the week will continue like that. The actors were good, but the play...it was an experience.  We went to a nice restaurant to wash off the play! All is all, a great start.

Monday, June 25

Yuval went for a run in the morning. Then we looked for a cafe in the neighborhood - we quickly learned that London is full of Boulangeries, Patisseries, Brasseries,...It is not clear why, though we did hear French tourists (the city is absolutely packed with tourists!). We found a nice one, Paul, a chain like most, with decent coffee and croissants. From there we walked to Kensington Park, and discovered biking. For sthe rest of the day this was our most frequent mode of transportation. The same as in every big city now, plenty of locations everywhere, you can pick up anywhere and leave them anywhere else, cheap, and the first 1/2 hour free as it was several times for us. Went around Hyde Park to return to Serpentine Gallery, on the Rabbi recommendation, to see the new yearly constructed Pavillion, this time by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Nice, all made of cork! WEnt in to the gallery itself - it had (some weird and some very interesting) exhibition of Yoko Ono. Biked again through Hyde Park, St. James Park to catch a London Walk at Holborn Tube (and just had time to a nice very healthy lunch at a chain called Pod). Edna and I took walk, "Legal and Illegal London"  years ago, and this was again as much fun. The guide  was great with imitations and quotes, and the Inns of Law just off Fleet Street just gorgeous with their little courts and gardening. Rested at another patisserie with even better food and coffee, Apostrophe, and walked to St. Paul to catch another Evansong, but on Mondays they just pray. So on to the Barbican, which is really a huge development of apartment buildings around the art center itself.

After that we took bikes again, and went to Covent Garden (some areas are less fun to bike than others...as was  that way). We sat there, drank a smoothie and listened to the artists, first a string quintet and than an opera singer -lelakek et haezba'ot! But, on to the play, at the Apollo Thatre on West End, "A long Day's Journey into the Night" by Eugene O'Neal. This was  a great success in every aspect - great play and great acting. And...nobody laughed! Another story of a real(!) dysfunctional family. Happy, we went in to an Italian restaurant nearby which was quite good - so far random places  had good quality food and reasonable (eg like NY) prices. Walked half the way home - the night air was great (again all day was perfect), and then took the Tube. Now we wonder at what hour of the night will Eyal join us.

Tuesday June 26

Eyal arrived at 2:30am, not bad given that his flight had an unexpected fueling stop in Milan.
We woke up at 9, checked out the hotel breakfast and decided to opt out. We rented bikes again and set off riding - the weather being perfect again (hard to believe we are in England!). First to breakfast at another branch of Apostrophe, then to the gardens - Kensington and Hyde park, and from there to Regent Park. Riding the outer circle of Regent park, which goes along a canal, we accidentally got on the Regent canal path, lined up with parked narrow-boats just like the ones we lived on for a week many years ago (and Edna did again with Lily and Judes a couple of years ago). This canal led us to Camden Town, which looked so cool, lined up with cafes and restaurants, that we decided to return the bikes and look for lunch there. HUGE mistake! Camden Town is a tourist trap of humongous proportions, with zillions of tacky shops and tourists. You could see Eyal gets physically ill, begging us to escape. We took the Tube to UCL (University College of London) to have lunch nearby (again, in Pod - you can tell there are definitely things we like and return to!). Eyal left afterwards for his first professional lecture away from Jerusalem - we'll find out tonight how it went.

Yuval and I went to the Old Bailey. As they don't let in backpacks (they suggested we let some shop or pub keep it for us, but  I had my laptop there) I went and sat at Cafe Nero to work on my lecture while Yuval went to see a trial by himself.  He reported hearing one witness in a murder trial, part of something which will probably take long. So, after enough coffee and cake we went to Covent Garden, again saw some street performers, and went to buy tix for a Thursday matinee of 'The Physicists". From there, to see "Noises Off" a comedy by Michael Frayn.
It is a farce about staging a farce, very clever and funny, and extremely well acted. Certainly recommended!
Finally, dinner at Cote Bistro - again we find that good food is everywhere, even in the touristy areas of West End. Yuval is eating very nicely - perhaps he'll grow some more this week.

Wednesday, Jun27

Despite promises of rain, we woke up to somewhat cloudy sky, which persisted the whole day. Hardly a few drops. England's famous traditions are going down the drain (and perhaps they'll finally eliminate monarchy).

We went to breakfast at a neighborhood cafe (Eyal likes to experiment!) - it was OK. As he points out, almost all servers are from Eastern Europe. Then, for a day in the British Museum. It is huge, and we spent about 6 hours there (well, with a lunch break at a nice Thai place nearby). There was the usual cool stuff of stolen Greek and Assyrian and Egyptian treasures  - there was even a brochure explaining what the Greek government demanded: it seems they only want the Parthenon sculptures and reliefs back, and the British Museum response: Forget It (since we are using it to educate the public). Touche! We also saw plenty of art from all over. A very nice one was an exhibition of Picasso etchings (not clear why the BM should acquire that...).
Exhausted we sat on the outside stairs to rest our weary legs (and in Eyal's case also painful knee), till they kicked us and another hundred people away - turns out (believe it or not) the stairs (which are about 50m wide) are an escape route in case of fire in the museum... so we went to sit in a nice park - Lincoln Inn Field - instead.

Dinner was the first failure this week - an Indian place which was quite blah. But it was a good decision to eat before rather than after the play - we'll be asleep before midnight. The play, "Posh", was another success. It is the new riot in London, about the "Riot Club" of rich Oxford kids going on a wild dinner party which escalates and goes bad as expected, though the ending was not expected by any of us. Again, acting was superb!

Friday, June 29

It was another long day but I'll try a short report. Eyal left us at 5:30am, and we managed to fall asleep again.
The first business of the day, after packing, checking out and leaving our luggage, was to catch a London Walks tour of "Eccentric London". It was clear that this guide had no sense of humor, and we braced ourselves, but she turned out to have a good sense of drama, lots of knowledge and picked really interesting items so the tour ended up a great success. Among the stories, one about Henry Fawcett, that in the mid 19th century became postmaster introduced sending parcels and money by mail, then became parliament member and argued against the ridicule of all others for voting rights for women, and to top it all, was blinded from a hunting accident at 25. Another was about the party to celebrate the finishing of the Nelson column and statue in Trafalgar square - the night before moving the statute to the top, the 13 main architectures and builders had a first class, 3 course dinner with the best dishes & cutlery and wine, on the top of the column! Many many such cool stories. From there we went to spend a couple of hours at Foyles (the book store) - could have spent 2 days...we also ate lunch there. After years of chaos some Foyles inheritors modernized, computerized and organized this store finally.

Then off to Bletchley Park on the train. We had a nice dinner in the hotel with some of the speakers of the event tomorrow, .
(the full list and short biographies is here
http://www.bletchleypark.org/resources/file.rhtm/660784/speakers+list+-+low+res.pdf )
We heard many stories of other Turing events and other related stuff, among the most interesting is about the Zairja
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zairja
I need to read more about this one!

Saturday, June 30

This was our day at Bletchley Park. It was extremely interesting on many levels.
We learned a lot we didn't know about Turing and many aspects of his academic work, about code breaking during WWII and lots of other stuff. The speakers were a very interesting bunch - the program of the day is here
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/resources/file.rhtm/662542/ted+programme+-+low+res.pdf
and it is worth while searching the biographies of some of the speakers.
Most moving was the talk by Captain Jerry Roberts, 91 years old and the only person alive to be part of the code breaking team, who talked about these times.
"A particular statement he made is that during the war, Alan Turing was the most important person on the Allies side, bar none, bar Churchill". There is plenty of evidence for that, and common estimates about what would have happened without his successes on breaking the German codes go from Britain losing the war (starvation due to U-boat success in cutting all lines from the US to Britain) to "mere" prolonging of the war by two years.
The museum they have there on the machines built to break Enigma & Tunny and much more is wonderful too
http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/visit/whattosee.rhtm

Cruise Day 10 - 2012-03-28

The last time we slept in Guest Cabin 5 (also known as Theta), the last shower, and lots of other lasts...

We were quite surprised to see that David & Monika, Susan & Persi and Noun dragged themselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 6am to say good by - most appreciated!

The last coffee, and then more hugs and kisses and promises to keep in touch. Davi and Stefan were responsible for our last yacht experience. Davi drove the boat which took us ashore, and managed to replace one of his "Yes, ma'am"s with "Yes, Darling" (Davi, the second mate, is by far the most formal crew member!) which I found very sweet. Stefan got off with us and accompanied us on the short taxi drive to the airport and then made sure we find the airline counter and manage to check in. Once he left we knew that nobody is going to take care of us from now on and we started missing this most attentive and friendly crew before he boarded the taxi on his way back to Davi!

The plane took off on time, the Miami connection worked well, the ABC parking folk at Newark were as friendly and efficient as usual and we arrived home around 5pm. Was great to see Yuval after such a long time away, and as expected he managed very well in our absence and we suspect he also grew a few more millimiters during those 10 days!

Last photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5725117525205778497?authkey=CK28_t2Sx8f4gwE

Cruise Day 9 - 2012-03-27

We moved before breakfast to St. Thomas, and immediately after breakfast went over to St. Thomas to clear immigration and customs. This was the first time we had to do this in person - our passports had been collected on the first day and Captain Chris did all the procedures for us in the British, French and Dutch Virgin Islands, but the US insistes that people take care of themselves! A small hint to remind us that the vacation is almost over and it's time to behave like adults and take care of ourselves....

We spent a large part of the day on the beach. The yacht's elves were again busy at work and by the time we were taken over, they had erected umbrellas, planted beach chairs and had all our snorkeling stuff ready for any taker. The morning was spent swimming, kayaking, snorkeling and a short hike by the beach and also on a path through the forest with platforms overlooking a salt pond - lots of birds and tiny crabs around and in the pond.

Then back for lunch - hard to believe, but this would be our (Avi & Edna) last meal on board. The afternoon passed by lazily and then we watched a slide show Morgan (the ship's IT engineer) created by borrowing our cameras' cards and sifting through the thousands of photos we took.

And then the farewell party - all the guests and all the crew (except for 3 crew members who had to stay behind and look after the yacht) piled into one boat and we all went together to a restaurant situated at Gallows Point, but very nice nonetheless. It was great to sit together for once, see the crew in the 'civilian' clothes and be able to have nice personal conversations with them. Victoria's hand was apparent - she had set up the seating arrangements and made sure we all mingled - and as usual she had the perfect touch! The food and wine were very nice and the conversations even better. I for one had a fascinating conversation with Chris about running such a large operation, the difference between it and any other kind of operation and I also heard about his sea-faring grandfather, father and uncles, and about his 3 daughters who seem to be moving away from the family business but sound like amazing young women - quite a family!

Avi & I had to say goodbye to almost everybody once we got back on board, due to our early morning flight - the Bard was quite right when he said that Parting is such sweet sorrow!

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5725114653837952913?authkey=CJamprmO36jHogE

Cruise Day 8 - 2012-03-26

We woke up by Saba - a small island with steep "mountains" on it. In fact, the top of the mountain is promoted as the talles spot in The Netherlands....

The place is famous for its excellent diving/snorkeling so most people got off the boat for fish watching, and all came back full of excitement about the wonderful things they saw.

Around noon we all stepped into a boat and were taken to a small landing dock on the other side of Saba. That place was very ugly, but once we started driving up in the 2 vans which awaited us on the duck, things started improving rapidly. There are a few small villages on the island (~2000 people live there), scattered on the hills with a beautiful background of the rain forest. This island, small as it is, has a medical school. We also saw a couple of medical schools and a vetrinary school on St. Kitts - seems that many American kids come to study in these schools.

Lunch was at the Queen's Gardens Resort (Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands). We sat in a beautiful garden and were served very nice food - definitely the best eating we had on shore, but still a far cry from Matthew's creations.

About half the group went for a hike in the rain forest and enjoyed it a lot, and the rest went back to the boat.

And then some more snorkeling, showers and dinner - the last one on the boat... The evening ended with the last act of Heartbreak House - we all enjoyed this a lot and some of the readers put their whole soul into their roles.

Photos at: https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5724554052627160305?authkey=CPeepObZ-8e4tAE

Cruise Day 7 - 2012-03-25

We started moving at 1am. Despite my fears I felt fine (maybe the new patch helped). Breakfast at 8, and then off to St. Kitts to meet Greg from Greg Safaris. He took us on a lovely hike in the rain forest which is full of interesting trees and other flora and also fauna which we did not see but could occasionally hear. Too bad Avi decided to stay on the boat and work... He did meet us for lunch at a converted sugar plantation - a most beautiful place with wonderful gardens, and mediocre food (the usual complaint - Chef Matthew has spoilt us rotten...). We went for another 30 minute walk in the rain forest behind the hotel so Avi got a touch of what we had seen earlier.

Back to the boat, the hot-tub... Some people went snorkeling and kayaking and the rest are hanging out by the bar. Tonight dinner on board and then we'll continue with the play reading. La dolce vita!

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5723966118393031441?authkey=CKak-vTYtfe4fQ

Cruise Day 6 - 2012-03-24

The morning started with diving for the divers (David, Daniel & Avi), snorkeling for the snorkelers, and exploring a small island for the others (me included). Was an easy exploration for Persi and me who just went up a very small hill - the view was spectacular. Others went up higher hills and saw even more.

By the time we got back to the yacht, the St. Barth regatta was starting and we had a fantastic vantage point. It was beautiful - we were surrounded by the most graceful sailboats and it was almost hard to stop looking at them to walk over to the lunch table, but of course it was worth it.

After lunch a new diving/snorkeling started, but I went with the crew to Gustavia (St. Barth) to replenish the supplies. Gustavia is a very posh little place and of course packed with the people who came for the regatta. Was quite fascinating to see the amount of supplies Matthew the chef bought. Apparently he had never yet seen a group of visitors who ate so many pastries! Victoria also shopped for things to server at the bar, juice for Avi and candy for everybody.

After a lousy overpriced cup of coffee we went back to the yacht. We should have waited to get coffee there... On to Pilates, then a quick shower and back to Gustavia for dinner at a yacht club. Was nice, but again - the boat has better food... Some people stayed on shore to participate in the post-regata party, but came back rather quickly.

Cruise Day 5 - 2012-03-23

Avi decided not to participate in the morning's ride to Anegada. We moved from the boat to a truck which took us around the island. The weather was far from great - grey, windy and drizzly. We saw where baby iguanas are taken to so that they wont be eaten by feral cats (which we did not see) and toured around the island. Was a nice drive but not very interesting. I did not take many photos, mainly because I forgot to replace the battery in the camera before I left so it died after a few shots.

By the time we got back to the boat we were "starving" (we have definitely gotten used to being over-fed with amazing food every few hours). Some of the group went out snorkeling. The next activity is pilates with Marina at 5:45. We are on a tight schedule as we have to leave at 7 for drinks and dinner back on Anegada.

Today's photos are at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5723191640500307697?authkey=CPL9tN3T4q7zxgE

P.S. - we ate excellent lobsters in Anegada - they were huge and so full of meat I did not even consider wrestling with the claws and such. When we got back on boat we went to visit the captain and see how he maneuvers the yacht back out to ocean. They have a fascinating array of monitors and electronic systems controlling all aspects of navigation, but they also need a crew member to keep watch at all times. Emma told us that they do occasionally spot a small boat which is not picked up by the instruments.

We were warned that the night will be rough and many people used the patch behind the ear. I had already put mine own a few hours earlier so I was rather confident I will be ok, and that I have absorbed enough anti-nausea medicine. Boy - was I wrong - I started throwing up before midnight and could not stop. Avi went up and got me a Dramamine so I was finally completely knocked out after midnight and woke up at 8am in a quiet mooring spot - feeling almost completely recovered...

P.P.S Quote of the Day - I feel a mixture of sadness and relief when they remove my plate at the end of a meal (Monika)

Cruise Day 4 - 2012-03-22

Another fabulous day. As usual we started with a sumptuous breakfast on the top deck. Then we were decked out in the best beach shoes we ever saw and were taken to a Gorda island - landed at Pirate Bay. Our fearless crew had managed to plan a few umbrellas and bring all our scuba gear, towels, water etc. on shore before we got there - they are really amazing.

The snorkelers stated snorkeling, but the rest took a walk to "The Caves". The island is full of huge boulders which balance precariously on each other and form little nooks and crannies, small ponds etc. The path involves going up and down ladders, ducking under boulders climbing over other boulders etc. - lots of fun. The weather was rather gray and drizzly but as the temps. never change here it really does not matter much, and it's nice that we do not get too sun-burned.

Back on the beach we all got into the water and then Avi & I went for another exploration of the caves.

Some people stayed on the boat for more swimming and snorkeling and the rest of us went ashore at a tiny very picturesque village. We took a local taxi half way up the mountain and then hiked for about 30 minutes to an observation deck. Dan and Liana arrived there first and swear they had a beautiful view but by the time we got there everything was shrouded in clouds. Oh well - it was fun walking through this dense forest nonetheless. Avi slipped on some leaves at the end of the trail and pulled a muscle in his back and/or cracked a rib - he has some pain, but says he is ok. Hopefully he is right!

Addendum (written on 3/29) - Avi went for an x-ray and was informed he broke 2 ribs. Nothing to be done of course but no wonder he cannot talk for a few minutes after sneezing...

When we got back to the yacht we asked Victor, the head engineer for a tour. This boat is quite an operation - engines, generators, waster desalination plant (all the water we drink and use is desalinated), and of course everything is kept in tiptop shape and is gleaming. Then on to the laundry room (all our wash is meticulously washed and ironed - we should have brought all our laundry with us!), and then the piece de resistance - the galley. We spent a long time talking to Chef Matthew (who is French of course).

So here I am -sipping my lemonade with vodka. We will go ashore for drinks soon and then dinner - Matthew was in the middle of preparing the tarte tatin for desert when we talked to him - looks fantastic!

............

The bar was very nice indeed - this time I decided on a mojito rather than a pain killer - was very good. They have a collection of antique boat engines and also a pool with a long moray eel, lobsters and a huge crabs - all perched on an old anchor.

Dinner was as beautiful as ever and just as tasty - the most exquisite mushroom ravioli and the tarte tatin was perfect.

>After dinner we did the play reading which David & Monika had planned weeks ago - Heartbreak House by G.B. Shaw. We did not know this play but it is very good. Various people volunteered for parts and the whole thing worked very well. We did Act 1, and Acts 2&3 will follow on Saturday night.

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5722838973868916081?authkey=CO2DkqH7g_KOHg

Cruise Day 3 - 2012-03-21

Hi all, this is your guest (or ghost) writer writing. I thought that since today was the first scuba diving experience perhaps I should do the blogging today.

Might as well start from the beginning ? it was another day full of activities.

Woke up, brushed our teeth and went up to the deck. In case it was not clear, this boat has many decks, and it took us 10 minutes to get to the right one. (In case it is not clear why 10 minutes, you should realize that this boat has 5 stories - or five are accessible to us, but there may be more). Anyway, we found the right one where Marina were holding a Pilates class at 7:15am. Marina is one of the guests, our hosts son's girlfriend, full of life and zest, and a Pilates teacher in training. My 9 months out of practice showed, but they show also when I do it frequently. Edna told me today that our joint Pilates class trainer in Tel Aviv told her 6 months after we started training with her, twice a week, that she believes I am beginning to understand her instructions.

Anyway, then it was breakfast time. The meals here are something else (like everything else). First, sitting at a table on a(nother) beautiful deck in perfect weather, overlooking the fantastically blue sea with the green islands between has an effect. Then the fresh baked goodies and the fresh berries and fruits, all artistically arranged has an effect as well. Service reminds you of the fanciest restaurants, and naturally they are happy to make your cappuccino, macchiato, latte the way you like it.

Then the hike. Well, I can't report on it personally (but it was lovely), as I went snorkeling (but heard it was great). We snorkeled at "The Caves", which are small and have only few fish of the shy variety, but around them are great variety of fish. Hopefully pictures will show up soon. I considered swimming back to the ship (a few hundred meters), but Jonathan (one of the crew - the crew deserves a separate blog entry) explained that he would have to shadow me with the little boat, which would slow down the other snorklers' return to the ship (believe it or not, the motor boat is faster than me). The shadowing rule is a new one that Chris the Captain made yesterday, after I swam by myself to the ship from the shore (about a kilometer) - from far away I could see he was waiting for me on the deck, and could see from his expression that both me and the entire crew of deck hands will get a lecture "this should not happen again - every swimmer must be escorted!" I guess they like us alive. So today I swam around the boat - one turn is about 3-4 laps of an Olympic swimming pool.

Next was scuba initiation. Many people have never done it and wanted to try. Naturally, the boat is equipped perfectly, not only with equipment but also with some crew members who have taught scuba diving for years. The only ones with experience are David (our host) and me. So we quickly passed and were allowed to roam free around others, but the real dive would happen after lunch.

Lunch was another festive event. Again beautifully arranged salads of large variety, a few heavier items and a fantastic desert we never had - pineapple Carpaccio in some remarkable infusion spiced with cinnamon, vanilla and a few other things I could not recognize. Another side story which fits this is that Hugo, one of the guests (who I particularly like and you'll see why) pledged to give me all his desserts, so I eat two every meal!

Finally to the scuba diving. I had trouble with masks snorkeling yesterday and today - water leaked in, yesterday despite Vaseline I smeared on my moustache and this morning despite the razor I applied to my moustache. But the 3rd mask was fine and just on time for scuba diving. We dived "The Indians", named after rocks which reminded someone of Indians for some reasons. More appropriate name would be "Some rocks", but deep around them is a really nice diving site, with plenty of coral and fish. I tried my hand in under water photography for the first time -looking at the pics this evening I believe I need some more practice, but it was great fun (Victoria, the interior manager of the yacht lends everyone her underwater camera, and so does the Captain).

Back on the yacht, we learned that we are only allowed a short (1/2 hour) at the hot tub (which is again on a deck with the same gorgeous view) as interested parties are invited to Willy T's - a bar on a rusty boat - to drink and watch the sunset. I thought again of bailing out, but Edna thought we should try it, and she was right. Everyone but me had a Pain Killer, which our captain described as "composed of Rum, Rum, and some more Rum", while I had a Virgin Pain Killer where they leave out the Rum, and so was quite sweet (they do put a cherry on it though, which they dont put on the non-virgins...). Lots of colorful characters, in various stages of sobriety were in this open-air bar, and like the sunset were fun to watch.

It may be hard to believe but we made it back for dinner. Absolutely exquisite dinner table (did I mention the flowers? The yacht is scattered with beautiful orchids and other flowers, and the dining table always has a fantastic arrangement of fresh flowers on it) waited for us, and dinner itself was as exquisite, whether you had the catfish or the beef (and despite asking every day in advance what you'd like, they bring seconds for everyone from both selections). I did get two chocolate meese (I am guessing that must be the plural of mousse), curtsey of Hugo.

I think I'd better stop as Edna is asleep already and tomorrow there must be another such day - time for digestion and rest.

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5722696543640757841?authkey=CJO5ob6C5o3i1gE

Cruise Day 2 - 2012-03-20

Woke up at 8am after a great night's sleep - much better than trying to sleep in the plane on the way over! Slowly congregated on deck and then dug into a scrumptious breakfast on deck. We do wonder how many china sets they have here - have seen no repetitions so far!

Then the small boat dropped us off close to Ram's Head and we hiked up to its top. An easy hike of about a mile each direction with beautiful views off the ocean. As the path zig-zagged we kept seeing the ocean from opposite views - high cliffs going all the way down, interesting cacti and lovely views of "our" yacht which is definitely the most beautiful one to be seen!

Swimming and snorkeling next - and as usual I wimped out at the snorkeling and bailed out to the boat after less than a minute in the water.

Now all the snorkelers have arrived back and the next stop will be lunch at a local cafe called Skinny Legs.

***Later****

Skinny Legs was a nice beach shack with rather nice food and a very nice drink of the day. When we were picked up to go back to the yacht we were told that it's kayaking time. So obedient as always we stepped into kayaks and started paddling. Avi & I shared a double kayak. A few minutes out it started raining rather heavily. Of course the temps did not really drop so it was not a big deal but at some point we decided to return and soak in the hot tub instead. Great idea - not only were cocktails served in the hot tub but we saw a most amazing circular rainbos - it went into the water under the boat and came out again - a perfect 360°.

Time to go back up - maybe a pilates lessong before dinner. We are so busy...

Photos at https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5722031233331264113?authkey=CLKojoaxsICESQ

Cruise Day 1 - 2012-03-19

An early morning drive to Newark to catch the 7:30 flight to St. Thomas. The security line was long but that is to be expected. At the gate we met Monika & David and a few minutes later Sorin & Noun joined us.

At St. Thomas we were met by the captain of the yacht and arrived at it after a short drive. It's beautiful to see from the outside and breath taking once you step on board - amazing decor, art, flowers.... Beautiful cabins with the most exquisite furnishings and the nicest, friendliest staff.

We spent a couple of hours exploring all the nooks and crannies and having drinks and snacks on deck until the rest of the party arrived. We had a wonderful lunch on deck and in the meantime made our way to St. John. We moored in the bay and split up. Some people went snorkeling and swimming (including Avi) and the rest went on shore for a short hike to an abandoned sugar cane mill and on through a tropical forest to see some piroglyphs (1000 year old rock drawings).

Avi is catching up on his missed sleep and we'll have dinner in an hour - this time in the dining room and the table looks gorgeous already!

More photos on https://plus.google.com/photos/115788154995936631095/albums/5721752737407198177?authkey=COyQwei03dacLw

Sicily with Lily & Judes, June 1-8, 2011

Unfortunately, this is another retro-blog as Internet connections are not easy to come by.

June 1: As our flight was at an ungodly hour (5:30 am) we all slept at Judes' place and took a cab to the airport from there. So by the time we landed at Catanya airport we were already quite tired. It took a long time to get our rental but we ended up with an upgrade to a wonderful Citroen station wagon. It is brand new and very accessorized and it took us quite a while to figure things out (e.g. how to release the parking brake or adjust the mirrors). The way from Catanya to Scopello where we are staying starts on the A19 highway which goes halfway across the island west and then north towards the coast. It is a very impressive highway as large parts of it are built on aqueduct-like bridges. The view is beautiful – lots of cliffs and smallish mountains which rise very abruptly. Lots of wheat fields, vineyards, citrus groves, olive trees.... - even the steep mountain sides are cultivated. Once we arrived at the coast, the sea was added to the view which made everything even prettier.

The GPS (affectionately known as GP) was very helpful and we arrived at Scopello in good time. Giuseppe the care-taker showed us the house and we were delighted – it's just beautiful. Scopello is a tiny hamlet built around a small village square with a fountain. There is an archway opposite the fountain which opens into a large square with a couple of bars and pizza places and a building at the back with a few rental units. Our door is the green one. The place is large – 3 bedrooms and bathroom upstairs, a spacious kitchen & living room & bathroom downstairs. It is very well equipped but the best feature is the amazing back yard – lots of nooks and crannies to explore as it starts sloping down the cliff and the view from every part is different. Scopello is situated directly above an old tuna processing plant on a small cliff which has 2 ruined towers to guard it, and beyond it is the sea. This is all part of a bay which surrounds 'our' cliff and there are a few picturesque large rocks in the water there too. It's completely exquisite.

The afternoon and evening were spent in trying to rest a bit, some grocery shopping, a bit of exploration and a bad pizza dinner (very disappointing!). We saw 2 bridal parties which came to our square to celebrate – very cute! We went early to bed as it was a very long day.

June 2: In the morning we drove to Segesta. This is an archeological site which houses an amazing Doric Temple from around 500 BC as well as a well preserved Greek theater and some later ruins. The town changed hands a few times, was destroyed and rebuilt but was a flourishing community in different eras. The surroundings are also beautiful and we spent a few hours exploring and admiring the ruins.

We decided to go back via back-roads. GP took some convincing but eventually we managed to convince her and she paid us back by devising a route which was not only off the beaten track but also off the paved road – the 'road' we drove for about an hour had more potholes than asphalt and we were the only car around for miles. But the views were again amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed this. Eventually we got to San Vito lo Capo – on the north western tip of the bay (Scopello is at the southern part of that bay). It's a very cute summer resort which is apparently completely deserted in the winter (most of the tourists we see are Italian). Luckily we arrived on the first night of the Couscous Fest Preview! (the real couscous fest is in September). This meant that there were lots of people on the street, many food vendors and general jollity. We also saw the couscous judges but our Italian is not up to understanding the goings-on.

Except for some mild sunburns it was a great day. We finished it off with beers and a cheese and sausage platter at the bar in the courtyard – much better than the pizza!

June 3: We had conflicting advice about Palermo – on the one hand that it was dirty, impossible to drive and should be skipped and on the other hand that the Capella Palatina in the Norman Palace and the Norman Duomo in Monreale (which is 8km south of Palermo) are not to be missed. In fact I was told I should not come back home without seeing them! So the obvious compromise was to go just to these 2 sites. The next question was how to get there without having to drive & park in Palermo. Finally we hit on the solution: we drove to Monreale, parked there and took the bus to Palermo. The queues were not half as bad as we expected and was it ever worth it! The Capella is just marvelous. It has the most exquisite mosaics depicting Old and New Testament scenes. It is hard to believe these are mosaics – the details are amazing, the faces full of expression and the architectural styles (Norman, Byzantine and Muslim) blend together beautifully. We were utterly amazed by this treat.

After that we queued up to see the Royal Chambers – this part we could have safely skipped had we known...

The little we saw of Palermo convinced us we do not want to see more so we took the bus back to Monrale. This town is a charming medieval town and it was a pleasure to explore it and end up in a very nice bistro for lunch (excellent pasta). After that we went to the Duomo which was built by William II, the grandson of Roger who built the Capella Palatina and is just as beautiful (William II seems to have been jealous of his grandfather and a lucky thing too!) . Again beautiful mosaics depicting biblical scenes, and the church itself is a most beautiful structure. As we were getting ready to leave we realized there will be a wedding there soon so we ended up staying for the whole affair – was a lot of fun.

Then we walked around and found the cloisters behind the church – wonderful mosaic-inlaid columns all around a large square – very tranquil and pretty. It needs some refurbishing work as it is falling apart but very beautiful indeed. We were very happy to see the bride & groom again (Valentina & Valerio) – they had come there for photos!

The drive back was a bit nerve wracking until we left the Palermo area, and then beautiful all the way home. The first thing we saw in Scopello was another wedding party!

Supper in our backyard and then out for a beer.

June 4: Drove down to Trapani – a pretty coastal town. GP had some quirky ideas about the best way to enter the city but we managed to park not far from the old city. It's very quaint and pretty with crooked very narrow lanes and beautiful old buildings. Trapani is very narrow so you cross it a few times from coast to coast. We had the greatest trouble finding the fish market but the search was worthwhile as it is a completely non-touristic market and it was fun looking at the sellers, buyers and fish. Then we drove through the new and not very pretty town to the funicular stop (were 'helped' into a parking lot by a very eager young man – we figured we'd better tip him in advance if we want to see our car scratch-less when we return). The funicular ride to Erice is about 20 minutes long – Erice is 700m above Trapani. It is a very pretty medieval town and it was lovely wandering its narrow lanes. Had a good lunch and also ate the local specialty (originally made by nuns) – marzipan, which is rather too sweet. The skies were a bit overcast so the views were not as spectacular as promised but very pretty nonetheless. The way back was uneventful except for the guy who tried hard to back into us and missed us by a hair. We were sorry to have missed the wedding in the open air church in Scopello, but while admiring the church (which is usually locked but was still open as they were tidying up), we started talking to 2 Parisian couples. One of the women told us that seeing the pretty open air church she considered converting from Judaism to Catholicism!

June 5: Sunday, so we decided we deserve an easy day with no driving. Had leisurely coffee and spent the whole morning strolling around Scopello and people-gazing. There was some kind of large luncheon in the restaurant next to us. We tried to understand who were the people participating and did not arrive at firm conclusions but enjoyed looking at everybody, the children in particular.

The restful day included an afternoon nap and then we walked down to the old tuna processing plant on the beach and spent a couple of hours there. Tried another restaurant for dinner and were reasonably satisfied. Then met the French people for a drink in the bar next to us.

June 6: The plan was for a long drive south along the western cost but as it was overcast and somewhat drizzly we made it only as far as Marsala. Another pretty and quaint town. We strolled around, had a lengthy lunch, walked some more and managed to see a wedding in the cathedral (had wedding withdrawal after 2 dry days). Then we gave GP a destination which we were sure she could not navigate to via any highways and were successful – drove back through winding country lanes among vineyards and fields and very beautiful changing views.

June 7: Last coffee in the bar by the fontanella (our favorite place was closed), finished packing and then left the house for the last time. We drove all the way to the east coast – and spent the afternoon in Taormina. Easier said than done as GP became very confused a few times – took us through Catanya rather than around it and then kept sending us back to the highway when we tried to find the parking lot. Finally we managed to park and strolled around Taormina for a few hours. It is a very pretty town with a marvelous Greek-Roman theatre but it was completely over-run by tourists (and we realized how lucky we were to have spent the week in the less touristic western part of Sicily). So we ate, strolled around, had ice cream, walked some more, did some shopping.... Finally it was time to drive to the airport, say goodbye to the car and then wait for a few hours for our late flight. Another night with very little sleep but all we can do is conclude with the following conversation we overheard on the plane:

Woman 1: So – how do you summarize the tour?

Woman 2: On a scale of 1-10, it was a 9 – after all it can never be a 10.

But she was wrong – it can and was a 10!

Lapland - Days 5&6 (March 7-8)

This was the second day where the poor doctors had to endure 3 hours of lectures. I went for a lovely walk with one of the women - across the bridge, along the river and then crossed back on the ice - frozen rivers are very useful! We also did some shopping, but there really isn't much to buy here.

At 11:30 we drove to the zoo - about an hour away. It's not a zoo in the normal sense of the word - it's a place where they collect the local animals and also some almost extinct species. It's mainly outside and I am not sure how they manage without hibernating, but most of the animals were wide awake and there were also quite a few birds. Was nice as far as zoos go.

We sat at dinner with some very nice and interesting people who were not from the doctors' group - made for a very nice change.

This morning we woke up at 4:15 for a quick breakfast and were on the road by 5:30 (non-trivial as getting dressed takes quite a while here). We drove for almost 2 hours to Kemi on the Baltic sea, enjoying a beautiful sunrise on the way (sidenote - the days are 45 minutes longer now than they were when we arrived 6 days ago!). We boarded the icebreaker at the harbor and started the best day of the trip.

The icebreaker was retired some years ago as it is too small to help the big boats on the water today, and was converted into a tourist attraction. Turns out icebreakers cannot operate without ice due to the egg-like shape of their hulls, so this one is used as a moored floating restaurant in the summer. But today it plowed bravely along, breaking the ice on the way. It was not terribly cold so I managed to spend close to an hour on deck and it was fascinating to see the thick sheet of ice just crumbling away.

Finally we docked in the middle of the frozen sea, and they lowered a gangplank for us to walk on the ice. This was exciting enough but the best part was the floating garments we could change into - they made us look like teletubbies but allowed us to step into the icy water and float on our backs - was amazing! Everybody seemed to enjoy looking ridiculous and paddling in icy water.

After a nice lunch in Kemi we continued to the ice palace. It's a huge structure which is rebuilt every winter. This year's theme was cartoons and it was fascinating to see what can be done with ice. The palace also has about 20 bedrooms and a honeymoon suite and it seems that quite a few people sleep there (they do provide furs and sleeping bags...), despite the cold and the steep prices...

So that's that. We'll probably hang out with some of our new friends tonight and tomorrow will check out and drive to the airport to catch our 1pm flight. It's definitely been a unique and lovely vacation!

Lapland - Day 4 (March 6)

Another beautiful sunny day. We started at 8:30 towards the husky farm. After a short lesson we were on our way. One person sits in the sleigh, the other stands on the runners and tries to control the huskies. The only real control is a brake you step on when you feel they are running too fast. They decide if to obey or not... It's really quite exhilirating especially as the way was beautiful and the ice glittered in the sun. But it was quite cold - around -7 (Celsius) and both driver and passenger slowly felt their extremities freezing.

Midway (after about 40 minutes) we were told to switch places and I got into the sleigh and Keren onto the runners. After a sharp turn I saw one of the Finns running towards us and disentangling the dogs and then he told me I had to drive. I was a bit puzzled and even more puzzled and surprised when I saw Keren walking towards me. Turns out she fell off and I did not even notice. Seems her punishment was to be banished to being passenger again.

After hot berry juice and a most welcome fire in a kuta along with explanations about the huskies, we went out to pet and photograph them and then on to the reindeer farm. That was rather pathetic - a few ragged reindeer drawing sleighs around in a circle - similar to children's pony rides. We skipped that but got our reindeer driving licenses nonetheless.

Excellent mushroom soup for lunch and on to the arktikum which is a very beautiful local museum dealing with the local flora and fauna and indigenous people.

A gala dinner tonight - again with the ambassador...



P.S. The gala was terrible - the worst meal by far! The ambassador told a couple of good stories but we did not like him nonetheless. Then we tried to see the aurora borealis but no luck. Some people are still going to try and walk to a dark spot and wait for it there but we are too cold and sleepy.

P.P.S I forgot we also went to Santa's village today. As expected - a tourist trap but a good place to send postcards from.

Lapland - Day 3 (March 5)

Had a lovely trip towards the town called Kuusemmo (!). We stopped before we got there and walked down the hill for about 20 minutes until we were just below the frozen falls. Some of us clambered about 30 meters up to their base and then slid down on our butts - was great fun and the arctic clothes proved their worth again.

Then back to town and went out for lunch and now a free afternoon while the doctors are sloggin away...

Lapland Day 2 (March 4)

We woke up to another beautiful sunny day with very little wind - perfect for driving snow mobiles! (and it did get a bit chilly occasionally).

We started out driving for a while on the frozen river (which had quite a few signposts, separate traffic lanes etc - not your standard river!), and then through the woods. It's all very peaceful - not an animal or bird to be seen - I guess they are all hibernating or have migrated to warmer places. Driving is quite easy and you get the hang or it after 5 minutes. Nonetheless it is more strenuous than I expected and quite a workout for the arms and hands. We took turns driving and when it was very bumpy the passenger also got a workout by hanging on for dear life.

We stopped on a lake and tried our hands at ice fishing. Drilling the holes was fun, but the fish did not cooperate. Nonetheless we had an excellent salmon-potato soup in an "authentic" Kuta (log cabin) served by a girl in peasant clothes.

Then we drove back and arrived around 5 to the hotel. Fun as it was, 5 hours on a snowmobile are quite tiring and everybody seemd happy to get back.

Dinner in a few minutes - the Israeli ambassador is coming for a shabbat dinner with us. Yay!

Tomorrow we split up - Keren is going skiing and I am going on a hike to frozen falls. The poor pediatricians will have some talks in the afternoon...

Lapland - March 2011

This trip is different - I am on a trip to Lapland with my friend Keren. Keren is a pediatrician and this trip is in the guise of a pediatric dermatology conference - about 5% medicine and 95% fun but who complains.

We left Israel very early and landed in Rovaniemi, Finland at noon. All the passengers on the plane were Israelis (except for 2 Finns who came to see soccer matches - apparently the Finns were playing against Israel and the Ukraines). There are 5 groups traveling in parallel - 2 groups of doctors, a photography school and a couple of other groups.

It's a very nice & sunny day here today - the temps. are just above freezing but the winds are gusty and that of course makes things colder.

The first order of business was being outfitted in the "Arctic Center" - boots and socks, an overall, scarves, hats... A bit bulky but very comfortable. The overalls have zippers all along the legs so that one can change in & out without removing the boots which is very handy. And of course one needs to shed as much of the overall as possible whenever one enters the bus or a building.

After lunch we went for a lovely walk in the woods, crossed a bridge over a partially frozen river and arrived at a small hut where we got some warm berry juice and heard a story by a small campfire.

It will be an early night tonight to catch up on sleep and get ready for a day of snowmobile driving tomorrow!

Finland has an extensive network of webcams. http://www.rovaniemi.fi/layouts/rovaniemi/includes/360/lordi-aukio.asp?sek=10 has a view of the Lordi square which is about 200m away from our hotel!



More photos on https://picasaweb.google.com/ednawig/LaplandMarch2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOnD-7j0wdDttgE#