Our landlord had recommended a train ride into the Pyrenees mountains, starting at Villefranche and going to Mont-Louis, but we didn't get up in time to catch it and decided to drive the route instead. (Route N116 out of Perpignan towards Andorra) It was well worth the effort. The mountains are so green, except for the snow capped peaks, making for beautiful vistas. One of our favorite routines (which probably needs review, looking at my waistline) is having a proper French lunch. Mont Louis is a skiing village which, as most skiing villages in the spring, was dead, but we did find one hotel dining room that looked pretty busy, with big windows overlooking the mountains and valleys. We were seated, and just settling in for a nich quiet lunch, when the tour bus pulled in. We had noticed that all the tables near us already had bread and water on them. The whole busload poured into the restaurant and surrounded us on three sides. This was a boisterous group from the beginning, and wine didn't quiet them down. Too bad we couldn't understand any of the obviously very funny remarks being made.

One of the French traditions (I think it is pretty much just the French) that always amuses us is bringing their dogs to lunch or dinner. The dogs we have seen in the restaurants over the years are amazingly well trained and never a bother, although I have never figured out how they make sure that their pets don't mistake a table leg for a fire hydrant. Now, that would be distracting. The couple at the next table went so far as to put the dog's dish on the table and scrape all their leftovers into it.......and leave the dish on the table until they left.

The rest of the time in Collioure was pretty laid back. There was a restaurant on the main drag, in neighboring Pont Vendres, which the British skipper had recommended, but it took us three tries to find it open. I guess that each day, they assessed the weather and anticipated business, and made a business decision as to whether to open. After a lunch of pizza and pasta (both very good), we spent the whole afternoon finishing our wine, taking a stroll, and sitting on a bench watching and talking about everyone else.

When our week was up, we paid the bill. cleaned our apartment, packed the car, and headed for our next destination. We had reserved a gite (in this case, a studio apartment) at Ferme de Riola (www.fermederiola.com), a campground, that also has six apartments, 30 minutes north of Nice. Joel Gambiez and his son, Claude, who studied in the US and speaks English, run this beautiful place. The property is part of an olive grove and an arboretum with 120 different species of trees. We have been too busy sightseeing to totally explore the grounds yet, but everything we have seen is immaculate and beautiful. I would highly recommend it.

Our little gite is just a studio apartment and I was leary at first, but it has turned out to be just fine. The kitchen is quite well furnished, and this time, we have a little oven as well. I now, one week later, have cooked several meals successfully. We are well up in the foothills of the Alpes-Maritimes, just a ten minute walk from a tiny village, Sclos de Contes. There is no boulangerie, but the necessary daily baguette can be purchased in the post office! Only in France.....There is, of course, a cathedral, a restaurant and bar (only serves food at lunch until 2:00, unless there is any bread left over, and then maybe you can get a sandwich after that, and the bar closes at 8:00), and a pharmacy. All the roads in the whole area are a series of switchbacks, and we are talking, in many cases, 180 degree switchbacks. Dick was a nervous wreck the first couple of days, but has adapted beautifully. He is often convinced that the road must be one way, since there is no room for two vehicles, when, around the turn, comes some sort of truck. Somebody always finds someplace to pull over while the other vehicle passes.

The villages around here are just charming – all very old and built on the sides of or on top of the hills or mountains. The interior streets are so tiny – many are for walking only and are a maze. Flower pots hang from every avaiable window or hook. To live here, you would have to be happy with your village, because driving between them is one constant switchback. There would be no going out to dinner, drinking wine, and driving home after dark.

One of our first trips was to Berre-des-Alpes, a tiny little village with one restaurant, a small store which is the grocery/hardware/full purpose spot, a church, and a wonderful art gallery buried in the caves under the church. It is really untouched by tourism – we met a delightful British couple and their young daughter at the lovely little restaurant, who had purchased a place in town, to which they plan to retire. For those of you planning on visiting this area, other cute towns that we have visited include Luceram, Coaraze and Castillon. Others recommended by our host are La Brigue, Notre-Dame des Fontaines, Saorge, Peillon, Gourdon, and Tourrettes-sur-Loup – we will get to some of those this week. I am trying to take it a bit easy on poor Dick since he does all the driving on these roads. Our little Puegot has a manual transmission, which I learned on years ago, but haven't driven in some time, and we both agreed that the 180 degree switchback roads in these mountains aren't the place for me to renew my skills.

Villefranche sur Mer was recommended to us. It is a lovely little seaside town just east of Nice, and also the temporary home at one point of Brangelina, who were the guests of Paul Allen's, of Microsoft fame – just to give you some idea of the neighborhood. One of the highlights in neighboring Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat are the Villa & Jardins (Gardens) of Beatrice de Rothschild, who spent her life collecting art and creating beautiful gardens. The garden includes fountains that are timed to music, and gardens inspired by those in Florence, Japan, Spain and Provence. it is a beautiful place, and well worth a visit.

We have been to Nice twice now – they have a brand new tram that starts north of town near the A-8 (at Pont Michel and Las Planas) and goes downtown. We love it. There is a big parking lot where you can park all day for 2E (the locals, of course, just find parking on the street). From what I can determine, the part of Nice worth seeing , besides the famous 4 mile Promanade des Anglais along the water, is the old town, which includes the market on Cours Saleya. The market was fine, although not outstanding, but we weren't in the position to buy much since we were going to walk around the rest of the day. The old town is primarily the narrow cobbled old streets lined with shops and restaurants. Off that area are some pretty parks and plazas. We were there on Sunday, where it was warm and sunny, while up in the mountains, they were having some of the worst rains in history.

We were amused to watch the process of a car being towed. Putting the car on the dolly to load it on the truck is quite a lengthy process and involves lots of crawling under the car and manually jacking it up on all corners. Two police cars were standing by, so there were at least 5 men involved. Just as the dolly was connected and the car was about half way up the ramp, the owner came around the corner. We expected there to be a confrontation, but instead, just a lot of arm waiving and laughing. The tow truck driver just turned around and started the unhooking process. I suppose he got paid, but whether by the driver or the city, who knows.

I have decided where the Americans' reputation for being rude comes from. We aren't rude – we are confused, and when we are confused we forget all the nice things to say, all the bonjours, mercis, s'il vous plaits, etc., and just blurt out the one word we do remember to make our request known – vin (wine), carte (menu), l'addition (bill), etc. Another cultural dilemma answered, but not solved.

We drove to LaTurbie, a beautiful spot overlooking Monaco. It was in this area that poor Grace Kelly met her demise. There is also a lovely little park dedicated in 2007 to Prince Ranier by his son. The views are breathtaking. We have no desire to visit Monte Carlo , having lost our 20 French francs in an obligatory stop at the casino 20 years ago, so were very satisfied to just view it from above. We also had a very good lunch in La Turbie at Le Cafe de la Fontaine on Avenue du General de Gaulle. Would recommend it.

On the way back home, we stopped at Eze, a medieval village, apparently known for shopping. As is typical, everything goes up, so we got some exercize. Around every corner was another shop selling goods from Provencal, or an upscale hotel and restaurant. If we ever win the lottery (which is unlikely since we never buy tickets), I am going to travel Europe staying exclusively in Relais and Chateux hotels. Apparently there is a very pretty garden on top of this hill town. Dick was tired of climbing so found a friendly bench, while I trudged my way to the top. Unfortunately, the entrance fee was 5 Euro, but I could only find 4. By the time I got back down to get more money, I had lost my desire, so will have to look it up on the internet to see what I missed. We are loving the GPS, “The Lady”. It has taken so much strain out of the driving – for both of us. Even when we miss a turn, or she occasionally takes us down an closed road, etc., she instantly re-routes us, and off we go. Its not always pretty, but we always get there. We have learned that, if possible, we should make U-turns to get back on the original route – the alternative routes can be challenging.

Since we arrived in this area, Le Moulin de L'Oliveraie, a restaurant in a very small town near here, Blausac, has been recommended to us. We had tried on our first Sunday here, but were told emphatically, once we had climbed straight up for about 20 minutes from our car, that without reservations on Sunday, it simply was “not possible” to seat us. Sunday lunch is a very big deal over here. So we decided that Wednesday lunch was a better bet, and we have now become hopelessly addicted to our lunches out. This time our long hike was rewarded. The restaurant is a bit of a splurge, but what the heck! And it was worth it. The long French lunch is infamous – hard to get out of a restaurant in under an hour and a half, if not two hours. Actually, the biggest wait seems to be after the meal is complete – it moves along fairly well until the coffee is served, and then the waiter or waitress just disappears. In La Turbie, we waited and waited.....I looked around and found our waitress at another table leisurely enjoying her own proper French lunch, with no concern for anything else. We have decided that we need to ask for our bill as soon as they clear the last course, although, if the chairs are comfortable, and we are on a balcony with a beautiful view as we were in Blausasc, what else do we have to do?

Another medieval town on my list was Peillon, which we found after lunch. Now, this is the quietest town I have ever seen. These hill towns are amazing – we could see it perched high above the main road. We turned off and started up. The French word for hairpin curves is lacet (meaning “bend”, but also meaning “lace”). We saw several warning signs of 7 lacets or 5 lacets ahead, in which case we cork-screwed our way up the mountain, Dick swearing that if we met another car, it was sure disaster, which of course, we did, and it wasn't.

After writing the above, we left for lunch at the little restaurant in Berre-les-Alpes. We each had the plat dujour, wine, dessert (Dick) and coffee (me). The woman (also the chef) who took the dessert order spoke no English. I very clearly told her that Dick would like the chocolat glace (chocolate ice cream) and asked if she had chocolat sauce. She enthusiastically gestured that she understood and off she went. I commented to Dick how much fun it is to actually be able to communicate, albeit it something so simple. A few minutes later she was back with his dessert – rum raisin and cherry ice cream topped with whipped cream! I laughed until tears ran down my face – so much for my ability to communicate. My other accomplishment was to successfully purchase coffee and eggs at the little store across the square, which we then went off and left on the bench outside the restaurant! Oh well.....

For the record, in my first post, I talked about the series of talks by Thomas Kimmel about his grandfather, Admiral Kimmel and Pearl Harbor. Well, I was operating from memory, and apparently got my facts wrong because I got this comment from Mr. Kimmel:

Dick and Carole, Thanks for the plug on my lectures, but I may have mis-led you on some of your facts. It was Kimmel and Short (not Stark) who were denied the critical information from decrypted Japanese diplomatic and spy communications that gave indications of the time, place, reason, and deceit plan to cover the attack. Kimmel did not discover this fact until 2/21/44 (not 1942) when Captain Safford blew the whistle to him about Japanese codes, i.e., MAGIC. Finally, it was J. Edgar Hoover, and William Donovan of FBI and OSS/CIA fame respectively, who did not testify at any of the 10 Pearl Harbor investigations despite having clearly relevant and material information.

The power of Google!! Anyway, I stand corrected.

Time to post – I apologize for these tome-sized posts – I have been struggling with how to post pictures with the appropriate section, so have been holding back (also, my Picture Manager keeps crashing and my 7” screen makes it impossible to move the pics around). I am going to do my best, however, and am going to try to post more often.

We successfully caught our cab and got a very honest driver for the short trip to catch the bus for the Pueblo Ingles adventure, the English language immersion program for Spaniards. This week, the Spaniards are all from El Pais, a Spanish newspaper. There are 20 of them, from departments all over the country – editors, journalists, HR, marketing, accounting, administration, etc. We Anglos are from US, Canada, UK, and Australia. We were on the bus for 4 hours, riding to La Alberca, a remote little town in the north near Portugal. We are staying in a resort, just outside of town, made up of the central lounge, dining room and meeting room, and a group of cottages, each with 2 bedrooms/bath and a central living room and kitchenette. We are sharing our cottage with Juan Carlos, an archivist, responsible for providing the background information for journalists' stories. Both lunch and dinner are 3 course meals – lunch at 2:00 and dinner at 9:00. So far, the food has been very good, and there is always a big jug of red wine on the table. On the first night, we started with a couple of “ice breaker” exercises, i.e. pairing off with a Spaniard and then introducing each other to the group, etc.

The level of English proficiency of the Spaniards varies widely, although they all have at least a basic understanding. In Madrid, we had commented on how few Spaniards speak English. Apparently, during the Franco regime, the learning of any other languages was discouraged. Several of the Spaniards here have said that they are now really having to catch up with the rest of the world in order to compete. The primary activities of the day are “one to ones” where Anglos and Spaniards are paired off for 50 minute individual sessions discussing anything they want, two on twos where we discuss suggested subjects, or telephone conversations simulating everyday situations. The English language is very hard to learn, because we have so many words with different meanings, and phrases that do not adhere to the rules of English they have been taught. The Spaniards are not allowed to speak Spanish at all the entire week, even to each other, the waiters, etc. It is very hard work for them, but their attitudes were great. At each meal, there are to be equal numbers of Spaniards and Anglos at the tables......talk, talk, talk.

Each evening there is a different group session designed to require communication of ideas and teamwork..... and usually silliness. To relieve some of the stress, we had a party with a DJ where folks danced early into the morning. A couple of women from Reno, NV introduced line dancing, and we had a great display of Spanish dancing. We were “treated” to a local ceremony designed to drive away the witches, culminating in sipping a concoction of alcohol, fruit, and spices that had burned dramatically for 15 minutes – great presentation! There were a few excursions into the beautiful local town. The primary product of the region here is jamon (ham). The best of that is the Jamon Bellota – black pigs raised stress free, eating acorns. I have a package in the frig that we will open soon. All in all, the whole experience was wonderful and the program is very professionally run. We became quite close as a group and there were lots of tears at the final meeting.....but on the bus ride home there was very little talking – we were all exhausted!! We exchanged information with the Spaniards and will look up the Barcelona folks when we return in November – it will certainly enrich the visit. I am sure we will see some of the Anglos again as well – great group.

Spending a week doing nothing but talking, gives the opportunity for lots of discussion topics. One thing I found interesting, is that, while the Spaniards certainly respect the US and were great to us, only one said she would like to live there. Its primarily a lifestyle issue. They love the fact that they do not have the pressure to pay for their kids college education, that their healthcare will always be provided, and that retirement, albeit not lavish, will be secure. They know that Americans at the same “level” have a higher income, but the Spaniards are very satisfied to live on less without the uncertainty. I have read that It is a fairly consistent belief throughout western Europe. I am not trying to stir controversy here – I just thought it was interesting and thought provoking. Are our frenzied, harried lifestyles ( not ours :-)), larger houses, bigger cars, bigger bank accounts, etc. necessarily better than basic security, 6 weeks of vacation, and a slower pace? I am glad we have the choice, but it made for interesting conversation.

We spent our last night in Madrid, hitting some tapas places with other Anglos from the program. Madrid is really a spectacular city, and quiite easy to visit in that the central part, where most of the sights are, is walkable and easy to navigate. I highly recommend it.

Saturday was another dreaded travel day – our last mass transportation move with luggage until November. The trip to the airport in a taxi was uneventful, and would have been about $10 cheaper if I had remembered the right terminal. It was the first of two times that day, that reading the information I had so diligently printed out and carried with me, would have been oh so helpful! I have to remember NEVER to assume that things are like they are in the US, i.e., signs for departing airlines outside each terminal.

We arrived in Toulouse and called the number for the shuttle to take us to the Puegot lot to pick up our car. No answer. After a fairly tortuous conversation with a French rental car agent (nice, but not a lot of English), she called our Puegot guy at home! Kemwel, the third party agent in the lease deal, had neglected to tell him that our plane did not arrive until 7:30 Sat. evening. He tried to talk me in to waiting until the next morning to pick it up – he, too, had only very basic English. I explained that we had no transportation to our hotel (no shuttle to the cheap hotel we stayed in), but it was only after I told him we were hungry and had not had dinner (also not available in our cheap hotel), that he said he would be there in 30-40 minutes. The French always understand dinner! That's one of the reasons I love them.

He actually arrived in about 10 minutes (I think the 40 minutes was an attempt to discourage me), and was very nice about signing us up for our car. I turned on our Tom Tom and tried to type in the address of the hotel (which our guy had never heard of), but the street name wasn't in there. We knew generally where it was so started driving. We finally realized that we were almost downtown, and had definitely passed all the airport hotels. We pulled onto a street to turn around, saw a little neighborhood type restaurant, and decided it was time to eat. I looked again at the hotel information, and read that the front desk was only open until 9:00 – this was at 9:03. I called the number anyway and got some convoluted message about making reservations, cancelling reservations, etc., but nothing about talking to a live person – there were so many restrictions – cheap doesn't come easy – that I was convinced that we had missed our check-in opportunity. Dick has a way of becoming very calm in a crisis, a wonderful quailty, and said that we would still eat dinner, and find another hotel later. The restaurant was very local, which I normally love, but that also translates into no English. I couldn't convince the waitress that I did not want the Sangria she offered, and ended up with the Sangria. We finally figured out the menu, and had a nice meal, considering the fact that I spent the whole time rationalizing the fact that although we had already paid for one room, we were now probably looking at $200 to get another one at the last minute. We drove back towards the airport in the rain, and when we were almost there, I remembered that I could go to Hotels in the Tom Tom, and voila!! Our hotel was listed...and open. What trauma could be avoided with a little more thinking! Now I know why I hate travel days.

After breakfast at McDonalds (our first ever in Europe), we started the journey to our next home. When the Tom Tom asked if we wanted to avoid toll roads, we decided that would be the most scenic (and economical) choice. Good decision – we really saw lots of very pretty countryside, lots of small town, and found a really nice little restaurant for lunch. By this time, I had found my menu translator books, remembered to say Bonjour and Merci, and ordering was much smoother. I had a wonderful goat cheese salad, and Dick had mussels and fries (moules and frites). That and a yummy chocolate mousse made for a very good experience. I do love a continent where wine is cheaper than soft drinks or bottled water. We have also noticed that the resistence to serving tap water, rather than 4 Euro bottled water, has lessened. I was emboldened when I learned last week that Richard Branson refuses to order the bottled water either.

Villa Capcollioure is a very interesting place. It is a huge home sitting on the top of a big hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was built in 1949 by a couple after the war. In 1939, she was a single American woman, traveling the world alone (gutsy gal), who fell in love with a French man. They lived in Casablanca until the war broke out, and then moved to America. After the war, they returned and built this large three story house. It is now divided into 7 or 8 very basic apartments, each with a terrace and spectacular view. Although prices here are high, the Europeans have a wonderful way of allowing you to choose your amenities. One example is the hotel room in Toulouse. There are a number of these very clean but very basic hotel chains (Etap, Formula One, Premiere Classe). They look like dorm rooms, with bathrooms that make RVs look roomy, they charge extra for breakfast, but they are only 45 Euro a night, In our current apartment, there are no sheets or pillowcases (which we brought with us), no towels, no kitchen linens, dish soap, bar soap, etc. All these amenities can be rented, at a pretty steep price, or you can bring your own. The first night, we bought a kitchen towel at the neighboring campground, so that we could at least dry our hands, and the next day (no towels, hence, no showers), we went to the store. It wouldn't make any sense on a short trip, but since we have a car and will be here for 6 months, it works for us. Also, the regional airlines are incredibly cheap, with absolutely no frills, no free soft drinks, fees for checking bags, but we only paid 24 Euros apiece to fly from Madrid to Toulouse. I really like the option to choose where we spend our money.....and you all know where that is!

Collioure is a beautiful little town, just 20 or so miles north of the Spanish border, in the Languedoc Roussilion region. It is very hilly, near the Pyrenees mountains, and while there seem to be more trees than in our part of southern California, we have seen prickly pear cactus, and grapes are the primary crop. There is supposed to be lots of fish, but apparently the local fisherman are on strike, protesting oil prices. They are blocking the oil tankers from delivering their oil to the larger vessels as well. We have run into a British guy a couple of times, who skippers a small yacht for a German businessman. He was on his way from Majorca, Spain to Monaco to meet up with the owner, but weather forced him to dock here. Now, he can't get out because the fisherman are blocking the entrance to the port, and he can't get diesel. The French love their protests – they are a feisty proud bunch. It also explains why the fish markets are all empty, and the skipper says that the restaurants are struggling to find fish for their menus.

We drove south to Spain yesterday on a twisty turny road along the water. The cliffs are rugged, and many of the views reminded us of the Big Sur in northern California.

Our European adventure is underway, After months and months of planning, we were finally on the plane from San Diego to Galveston to board Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Sea and start the 13 day re-positioning cruise to Barcelona, Spain. We will spend 6 months traveling around Europe, returning on the Navigator of the Seas leaving Barcelona on November 10. Since we are planning to spend the majority of our time in smaller towns, going to markets, hiking, biking, etc., we are planning to rent apartments, where we can enjoy the wonderful food found at the many markets, and pretend that we are living there rather than just passing through. With few exceptions, we will stay at least a week at each place, and many times, more. We are leasing a Puegot through Kemwel on their buy-back lease program for 162 days, the maximum time allowed. I found all the apartments on the internet through the many sites that allow owners to advertize their apartments for direct leasing, rather than through an agency. I found these by Googling “vacation rentals by owner in Spain”, etc. I suppose there is some risk to doing this, but all of the people I have dealt with so far have provided me with enough information to convince me they are legitimate...we shall see. The cruises were booked through Crucon and Vacations To Go, depending on who had the best prices.

To stay in touch with the rest of the world, rather than taking my HP laptop, which Dick refers to as the “boat anchor”, I purchased the cutest little laptop through Amazon.com – an Asus Eee, a completely functioning, albeit small, computer with a 7 inch screen, and weighing just 2 pounds. It comes fully loaded with software (in my case, Linux OS, although, for another $100, you can get one with Windows XP), is wifi and internet capable, and costs only $400! For a travel computer, you can't beat it. For more info, Google “Asus Eee”. You will find hundreds of reviews.

Boarding the ship was a bit of an ordeal, made worse because we forgot to drop our bags off, as instructed, at the dock. Consequently, we had to drag them through the rain to the correct terminal and stand in line, only to be told to turn arounrd and take them to the baggage area – duh!! After an hour or so, we were on board. This is a beautiful ship with capacity for 3100 passengers.

Life on a cruise ship is a bit surreal. It is kind of like living in a shopping mall, complete with shops, bars, restaurants, and of course, the casino. We are experiencing significant, although not severe, “motion in the ocean”, making it a little difficult to walk. Dick is suffering some motion sickness, although he feels fine when he lies down, and his medicine seems to help as well. I have to admit that it was a little creepy last night when we turned the lights out and lay in bed feeling the ship rock and hearing the waves crash against it and the walls creak.

There are lists of activities every day – fitness, games, trivia, lectures, language classes, dancing classes, etc. We keep threatening to take the dance lessons – a different dance every day, but Dick always finds an excuse to get out of it. The ship's staff is wonderful, and works so hard. Except for a very few Americans on the Cruise Director's staff, including the director, it is a totally international staff.

One of our favorites has been a 9 part lecture by Thomas Kimmel, the oldest grandson of Admiral Kimmel, one of the two men who were officially blamed for the success of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. Thomas also spent 10 years in the Navy before leaving for a 28 year career with the FBI. He has done extensive research and lays out a very compelling case for the injustice of this ruling, the primary points being that Admiral Kimmel and Stark were deliberately not sent the intelligence revealing the plans for the attack, and the ordering of officials to lie about it at the pursuing investigation. Neither Kimmel nor Stark were asked to testify, and Kimmel did not learn of the existence of the intelligence until February of 1942. If you have any interest in this subject, go to www.PearlHarbor911Attacks.com.

In the evenings, there is some sort of live show, and several musical options at the various bars. We particularly like Paul, a young Australian, who plays at the piano bar. Another entertainment highlight was the ice show last night – we saw some routines we have never seen and may go again to the Sunday show.

A highlight for us was Dick's performance in the Guest Talent Show yesterday. It was held in the auditorium and had quite a large crowd. He was pretty nervous, but did very well – played St. Louis Bues and brought the house down. We have found a piano on the 14^th deck for guests to play, and he is playing as we speak. I imagine we will be spending quite a bit of time up here.

We are enjoying the infamous cruise ship food, and were happy to see that they are offering quite a few healthy dishes. Luckily for me, the desserts are not so good that I can't resist and we have not been up late enough for the midnight buffet. I am trying to save myself for the food in Europe. The fruit carvings are beautiful, and they do quite a nice job of producing meals for almost 3000 people.

We thought that with the USD problems discouraging many folks from European travel, the ship might be quite empty. Boy, were we wrong!! Not only do many Americans (especially Texans, since the ship leaves from Galveston) use the cruise as their vacation, flying home right after we get to Barcelona, but loads of Europeans fly to the US just for the cruise. One British guy told us, tho, that Royal Caribbean will not sell the cruises as cheaply to UK and European citizens as they will to us, due to the exchange rate discrepancy – probably the only “bargain” we will see this year!

May 14

We arrived in Barcelona on Saturday and uneventfully made our way to the airport and on to Madrid. That is where the action began! Coming from the airport on the subway, we got hit 3 times by pickpockets! We had to change subway trains twice with our luggage, so were real targets. One woman even got her hand in the inside breast pocket of Dick's sport coat! Luckily, we had everything in neck pouches and they got nothing. They are really slick - one guy saw us looking at subway maps so was very helpful and then followed us closely on to the subway, got both of the zippers on my backpack open and his hand in Dick's back pocket before jumping out, just as the train was to take off. Another group of women got between Dick and me getting on the train, blocking him. While he was pushing the doors open, they had their hands in every pocket and then again, jumped off just as the train was taking off. The "old" Europeans blame the "new" ones (eastern countries), since there are now no border controls. Between that excitement, dragging our suitcases up and down several flights of stairs, and walking the last 2 blocks in the rain, we were tired and sad-looking puppies. I was really glad that I had spent a little more on a nice apartment – we needed some pampering. Our landlord, Juan, was very upset about our experience and came back in a few minutes with a nice bottle of red wine to calm our nerves. It seems that our first day of every European trip starts traumatically, but it always improves immensely after that.

The next day was beautiful, and we spent the day following Rick Steves' walking tour. Our apartment is in a great location, near the Puerto del Sol, in the center of Madrid and within walking distance of most of the major sites. We found a festival in Plaza Mayor with lots of local entertainment with folks in traditional garb, and ate at Museo del Jamon (Museum of Ham). There are rows and rows of whole legs of ham, a wonderful deli counter with meat and cheese, a stand up bar, where you can get ham sandwiches, and a sit down restaurant. One of the things I love about Europe is that, while you can certainly spend lots of money eating, there are also very cheap tasty alternatives. In most cafes, you can drink coffee for less money standing at the bar than at sitting at a table, and less sitting at a table inside than outside. We had beer and wine priced on the menu at 1.50 Euro, but because we sat outside on the terrace, it was 3.50 E each. But then yesterday, we had wonderful sandwiches from a pastry shop for 2 E each, a bottle of water for 19 cents, and a lovely lunch sitting on a park bench, They have mastered the art of eating frugally without sacrificing taste. And, you know me – as long as I can eat good food and drink wine for a reasonable price, I am happy! Just a few doors down the street from us is a wonderful restaurant , catering to the locals (until both Rick Steves and Lonely Planet discovered it), where we have eaten the last two nights and will probably continue to eat for the rest of our stay. They take no reservations, and people start lining up at 8:00 for the 8:30 opening. I am going to add to the blog a list of everywhere we stay and eat, for those who are interested.

One of the treats I had read about as being traditional is Churros con Chocolate – deep-fried pastry sticks dipped in dark chocolate pudding – now, how's that for South Beach friendly??? But it seemed culturally ignorant not to try it, don't you think? On a previous walk, we had found one of the places that Rick Steves says is the best for this nasty little delicacy, so we walked back there to indulge. It is on a little side street, and we came in from the opposite direction. We found our table, a waiter appeared, and we ordered. The churros were a different shape from those on our neighboring tables, and the chocolate pudding was lighter colored. Too late, I realized that our chairs were also a different color, and our waiter came from the wrong cafe – we had missed it by one table, and were stuck with what appeared to be a poor imitation of the good stuff next door! Darn!! I am thinking we have to go back and try again.

On our way to Puerto del Sol, we walk down a street that, while safe, is a bit on the seedy side. It is sad to see the young beautiful prostitutes standing in every doorway – not the hard core looking ones in the US. Rick Steves says that many are young girls from eastern countries and Africa who come to Madrid and find that they can't make it here any other way.

Today, we took the bus to Toledo, a historic walled city about 50 miles from Madrid – we were advised that it was much cheaper than the train, and the best way to go. Sure enough, we took the subway to the bus station and headed for Toledo, a direct one hour ride. After a day walking around in this beautiful town (at the top of a very steep hill, as all walled cities are), we boarded the bus home. Not long after we got on the A road (their interstate), we exited again. Dick said, “This isn't good” and he was right. We were on the milk run, stopping in every little town to pick up and drop people off. Two hours later, we were home. Actually, it was kind of interesting – we saw lots of smaller towns and non-touristy areas of Madrid than we had planned, but we were dragging big time by the time we got home. Ah, the joys of traveling – I reminded Dick that we had had two perfectly good days where he wasn't miserable once, so to buck up!

Today, I think we will take this morning off, while I get this posted. This afternoon, we will go back out, perhaps for another try at the Churros con Chocolate and a couple of hours at the Prado, Madrid's famous art museum. On Friday, we will begin a week at Pueblo Ingles near Salamanca, where we will volunteer with 28 other native English speakers from around the world at an English immersion school for a group of Spanish journalists (www.puebloingles. com). We meet the other Anglos tomorrow afternoon at a luncheon where we will be treated to paella, the famous Spanish dish of rice, meat, seafood, sausages, and saffron, and Flamenco dancing.

We waddled up to Livingston, TX to the home park for the Escapees RV Club to visit with Boomer friends Barry and Jan Kessler. We hadn't had any down time for a while, and enjoyed a few days of relaxing, catching up with “real life” stuff, and meeting new RV friends for happy hour. Jan and I recruited two new Boomer couples, so were very proud of ourselves! Just before we left Abbeville, I purchased a Tom Tom auto GPS system. O'my'god – do I love this new toy!!! Our biggest frustration in this mobile lifestyle of ours is getting lost. I did some research, and while Garmin is easier to use, Tom Tom has the best European maps, which I will purchase before we leave in April. On a visit to Houston see friends and family, we whipped all over the city stress free – I have no idea why it took me so long to buy one!

Our next big adventure was to Santa Fe, NM to meet my son, Steve, and his girlfriend, Julie's, family. We left Winnie in Las Cruces in the side yard of friends', Paul and Stephanie Bernhagen's, beautiful home, ( watched over by their next door neighbor, Roxie) since Santa Fe is way too far north this time of year. Turned out to be a darned good decision since it snowed several times while we were there! Rather than stay in a hotel, we rented a beautiful apartment to share with Steve and Julie. If you are ever headed that way, check out http://www.vrbo.com/, rental # 53388. The owners also have an art gallery, and the place is decorated beautifully, with amazing attention to detail. I think they may have a one bedroom apartment available as well. Our first night there, the whole family joined us at the apartment for a pasta and salad dinner, and the next night we had cocktails at Julie's folks' lovely home. Historic downtown was lit beautifully with Christmas lights, and, with the falling snow, was a real postcard scene. The restaurant scene in Santa Fe is amazing, and we had several wonderful meals. If you ever have a chance to order the duck hash eggs benedict with jalapeno lime hollandaise for breakfast at the Anasazi Hotel, go for it!!

We also took a day trip to Taos, where it had snowed several inches the night before. We took in a bit of shopping (my newest toy is a milk frother to make cappuccinos - Dick says I am very easily amused) and then had a terrific lunch at Orlando's, in El Prado, just a couple of miles north of Taos. On the trip home, we took the scenic highway – with the trees all covered with snow and the amazing vistas, it was a real treat. What great country. I love the pueblo architecture and southwest décor.

We also really enjoyed talking with Julie's stepmom, Christine. We have had a particular interest in WWII since visiting Normandy and Belgium, and were fascinated by her stories of growing up in France during the Nazi occupation.

On our way back to Jojoba Hills, we stopped at the Escapee park in Benson, AZ to see some of our favorite Boomer friends. We only had time for one happy hour but it was great fun to catch up with them.

On our way to Knoxville, we spent a day in Staunton, VA. What a beautiful and historic town. We were pleasantly surprised to find Woodrow Wilson's Presidential Library, and spent a couple of hours exploring that. I learned a lot about WWI that I didn't know, and the potential ramifications of our congress not ratifying the Treaty of Versailles.

While we were having coffee at a shop downtown, we met a great couple from Greenville, TN. They own a restaurant near Greenville called The Farmer's Daughter – all family style fresh farm food, with amazing attention to detail. They were on a trip to pick up hams in North Carolina and to visit the guy who grinds the corn for their cornbread. Google the name of the restaurant for complete directions. We went near there, and would have loved to have stopped for lunch, but they are only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday lunch. If you are in the area, check it out.

We then had lunch at a very nice Italian restaurant, and rode the free trolley all around town. The bus driver was an amazing guy who, after being laid off from a hospital in Washington, DC (to which he commuted every day), now has a window washing business, drives the trolley, and is a preacher! This while raising 13 kids, all of whom have, are, or will go to college. What a guy, and very interesting, with a great attitude. We really enjoyed talking with him.

Knoxville, TN was next on our list to visit friends John and Linda Haynes from Detroit days. They bought a house on the Tennessee River 4 years ago, and moved down there 2 years ago after retiring. They are completely remodeling in a Frank Lloyd Wright style. John has done a big part of this himself, and it is absolutely beautiful. They were great hosts.....in just 1 day, we went to 3 live performances – bluegrass at a local radio station, “sultry southern swing” at the art museum, and a belly dancer at an Egyptian restaurant! Linda and I noticed that the belly dancer had long blond hair, and when we were discussing it the next day, John and Dick were both surprised – neither of them had even seen her hair. I wonder where they were looking!!??

On Saturday, friends of theirs were generous enough to provide tickets to the last home game of the season between the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt. What fun – the stadium was literally a sea of orange. We haven't been to a college football game in years and really enjoyed it. Then, when UT came back from a 24-9 deficit in the last quarter to win by one point, it was tons of fun!!

The next day, Linda took me into the Smoky Mountains and to their very cute cabin on a lake. We also drove along Tower Drive, an area with lots that have the most amazing views of the valleys and mountains that you can imagine. To add to the beauty, fall color is still in full bloom – it was breathtaking. One of my goals for this trip was to get my fill of fall color, and it hasn't disappointed. We had such fun with John and Linda –

Next up was the Big Easy. I have always loved New Orleans and have been anxious to return since the horrors of Katrina. We returned to Bayou Segnette, the state park just south of the city, in Westwago. It is only a 20 minute drive downtown, or you can drive to Algiers and take the free walk on ferry that dumps you off right at the base of Canal Street (something that worked very well during our trip to Mardi Gras 6 years ago). The park has huge sites, accepts the Golden Age Pass and has free laundry! Another bonus is that it is right next door to the big fish market open 7 days a week with multiple vendors selling shrimp, crab, local fish, oysters, etc. As we had heard, the French Quarter was not damaged, although it was kind of spooky to go by the convention center and Superdome, remembering the scenes from Katrina.

This trip was to be all about food. We had lunch at Mother's, a popular place with the locals where we split a Ferdi (roast beef and ham po' boy with “debris” and gravy) and a bowl of shrimp gumbo. We saved dessert for Cafe du Monde, the best deal in town with the cafe lattes and beignets for a grand total of $6. The next day was Thanksgiving and I had spent some time researching restaurants. I had settled on Ralph's on the Park, one of the Brennan restaurants. It sits right across the street from the beautiful City Park up near Lake Ponchartrain. When we got there it was a mad house – we certainly weren't the only people with this idea. When we did get seated, tho, it was upstairs in a very quiet area, and even beside a window as I had requested! Dick went with the traditional turkey menu (with local flavor, of course), while I decided on the blackened redfish, a house specialty. It was a 3 course fixed price menu and absolutely wonderful!

Since I had not celebrated my birthday properly, I decided that two more great lunches were justified. So, on Friday is was Commander's Palace, the restaurant that launched Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Legasse. What an absolute treat!! And if wonderful food wasn't enough, they have a weekday lunch special of 25 cent martinis and cosmos. Saturday was NOLA, one of Emeril's restaurants. The food was very good, but we both agreed that we enjoyed the two Brennan restaurants more. Emeril's food sometimes has a bit too much going on (i.e.,feta cheese and kalamata olives with my crab cake), and he puts a very high premium on it. But it was still great fun and I loved all three days. Jackson Square had its usual street theater, including three acrobats who put on a great show.

We did drive around some of the flood ravaged areas, and the damage is devastating. Even in the wealthier areas, many houses are still abandoned and For Sale signs are everywhere. It is hard to imagine full recovery – I don't know how the city is hanging on economically.

We had heard, from many other Rvers, about Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, 150 miles west of New Orleans. This is truly the heart of Cajun country – they are the descendants of the Acadians who were deported from Nova Scotia by the English in the 1700s. It turns out that the ones who landed here were part of a particularly feisty group led by Joseph Broussard. We went to a small museum in Erath, which luckily for us, was being manned that day by the man who started it. He is an eighth generation descendant of Broussard and very passionate about the history. He has written several books on the subject and was anxious to tell the story. He actually sued the British government and Crown for an apology to the Acadians, and after 15 years or so won an Official Proclamation of Apology from the Queen! He is a very accomplished attorney and had lots of other good stories to tell. We were particularly interested since we had seen all the history in Nova Scotia in September.

Back to Betty's RV – she is known for her hospitality – nightly happy hours either on her patio or in her converted garage, potlucks, organized nights out to eat crawfish, etc. Her park is small and Rvs are very close together, but she creates a great environment. Tonight she cooked red beans and rice for everyone. Interesting lady.

The Tabasco Factory is near and the tour was pretty interesting. The store, of course, sells all things Tabasco and we even sampled jalapeno ice cream, which was quite good. One impressive thing is that they don't throw away anything in the manufacturing process. Every part of the pepper is sold in some form, and even the barrels used for the 3 year aging process, after 21 years or so, are chopped up and sold as wood chips for BBQing.

Food, of course, is a huge part of the Cajun culture, and we did our best to sample as much as we could. Roadfood.com recommended Dwyers in Lafayette. It is cafeteria style, and they were already out of quite a few items, but luckily had one cabbage roll left, so we stayed. It was just simple comfort food, but oh so tasty – the seasoning is the deal here. We discovered Joey's, a grocery and catering firm that sells all kinds of frozen housemade Cajun specialties. I bought five meals worth for evenings, and we continued eating out for lunch. The two Joey's meals we have had so far have been excellent and I just wish I had a bigger freezer. I do love this Cajun food!!

Our next stop was the Elks Lodge in Alexandria, VA, just a few miles from the homes of two sets of friends who were on our agenda. Saturday afternoon and evening, we spent with Duncan and Natasha Crundwell, who have a lovely condo just a few blocks from Old Town Alexandria. The next day we visited Phill and Sharon Jourdan. He is a long time friend of Dick’s and the judge who married us. After treating us to a great lunch, we headed downtown with their son David to tour the National Building Museum and the Museum of American Art and Portrait Gallery. Both buildings were just beautiful, and I especially enjoyed the Kathryn Hepburn exhibit. We went through the gallery of the official presidential portraits – a gentleman at the front desk had told us that President Clinton’s portrait had been removed and replaced with a photograph. He didn’t know exactly why or when it would be replaced. When we went through we were surprised to see a photograph that looked like something taken in those photo machines at amusement parks. I would love to know the story behind that.

We moved up to Cherry Hill Park in College Park, MD to await the arrival of my sister and her husband. They successfully navigated the Metro system and arrived at a station 3 miles from our park – what a great invention the Metro is – we folks from Detroit and southern California aren’t used to such a common sense way to travel in big cities. For the next 5 days we were sight seeing at full speed, although we took plenty of coffee/treat, lunch, and afternoon beer stops. We spent the first day in the House and Senate galleries watching our legislative branch in action. We heard Barney Frank make an impassioned plea for job protection rights for homosexuals in the House, and watched a vote in the Senate. The votes are always fun since that is the only time that all the Senators make an appearance on the floor. Of course, none of the “presidentials” were in attendance. Security is much tighter than before 9/11 in that you can no longer just walk into the Capitol, but I was surprised that we still had open access to the office buildings of both branches and the little subway that takes the legislators to the Capitol. As before, we were impressed with how friendly and helpful everyone was. Later, we stopped in the Hawk and Dove Tavern for a drink – I always enjoy eavesdropping on the conversations, most of which involve something going on in politics or government.

We spent a day in Annapolis, a beautiful and historic town on Chesapeake Bay, and of course the home of the US Naval Academy. After a trolley tour, we had a great lunch at the Galway Irish Pub….its a beautiful place and serves amazing crab cakes. There is also a free tour of the State House – the oldest in America and the place that George Washington gave up his commission – that is worth taking. The Academy is impressive and in a beautiful setting. I was a little sad looking at all those high achieving hard working kids, wondering what might be in store for them in these unsettled times.

As it turns out, we were there for Veterans Day and the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam Wall. There were veterans everywhere and they had a stage set up in front of the wall where they spent 65 hours reading all the names. The weather was in the 40s and drizzly, but we agreed that somehow that was appropriate. The Korean monument is always moving as is the one for the civilian nurses, the “Donut Dollies”. I talked with one of them who was there for the ceremonies – the effects of that time were still very much with her.

The FDR monument is one of my favorites. It is huge and has a section for each of his terms. On the walls are inscribed quotes, my favorite being, “I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war." That was actually said in 1936, which may explain his reticence about getting into WWII. The newest memorial is the one commemorating WWII. It is on the end of the mall pond between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. It is very impressive, similar in some ways to the one we had seen in Bastogne, Belgium and we were pleased to find Daddy’s name in the database.

On Saturday, we started with the American Indian Museum, the newest Smithsonian, built to honor the cultures of not only the American Indians, but those of all the Americas. We went on part of a tour with an amazing young woman from the Cherokee nation who was so very passionate about explaining and preserving her heritage. The museum is built to represent parts of nature, with lots of curves, walls, etc.

We had a scheduled time to get into the Holocaust Museum, so had to cut our tour short. But, of course, we made time for lunch there at the Indian Museum. In the cafeteria, they had a section for each of five different regions and the associated cuisines. You could pick dishes from any or all of them. The food was absolutely delicious, and so interesting. I am never a fan of cafeteria style dining, and this was no better, but the quality of the food made it well worth it.

The Holocaust Museum is one of those that you never “look forward” to seeing, but at the same time feel an obligation to see. They have a limited number of tickets available each day to the main exhibit, so I had reserved some online. Dick and I rarely spend more than two hours in any museum, but we got there at 1:30 and didn’t leave until almost 5:00. You are spared nothing in this exhibit – it starts of course with the events that allowed Hitler to come to power and ends with the Allies taking over the camps and the resettling of the victims. Almost half of the prisoners still alive the day the Allies came were dead within three weeks. There were so many opportunities to have stopped Hitler early, or to halt the Holocaust in the early stages, but the Allies just couldn’t believe it was really that bad, and ignored the reports. At one point the St. Louis, a ship full of Jewish refugees, was first denied entrance to Cuba, and then turned away from Florida as well. A third of those people later died in the camps. Outside the main exhibit is a children’s museum called Daniels House. Take the time to go through it as well. It is narrated from a young boy’s perspective and skips the graphic parts, but still effectively gets across the horror of the event.

On Sunday, we went to Arlington Cemetery, hoping to see the services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but alas, got there too late. We stopped at the Kennedy graves and the Women’s Memorial and Museum. Cheney went by in one of the cars we saw, but you couldn’t tell which one. I was able to contain my disappointment at missing him. In retrospect, I wish we had gone to the Vietnam Wall instead for the services there and to hear Colin Powell speak.

I absolutely love Washington, DC and as cynical as I can be about the follies of our government, it is hard to believe that when most of the folks get there, they don’t think they can make a difference.

Cape Cod is a wonderful place! We are parked at the Elk’s Lodge in Hyannis, MA. These little towns are upscale with quaint little downtown areas full of shops, restaurants and coffee shops. On the main highway, of course, is suburbia, but the good news is that I found a Trader Joes! First one since we got back. Bad news - they don’t sell wine in most of Mass. TJs. :-(

Before we left Boston, Tammy gave me an article from the Boston Globe about oysters, one of my culinary passions. The restaurant with the cheapest raw oysters in the state just happens to be the Oyster Company in Dennisport, just 10 miles down the road from Winnie. Every night from 4-7, the oysters are 95 cents a piece, compared to up to $2.25 in other places. So, the first night here, we high tailed it over there. It’s a great little place, and since then we have become regulars. To add to the fun, they had live jazz on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons.

Hyannis is, of course, Kennedy country, so we went to see the museum and memorial, and did our best to get a view of the famous compound, where we found out later Teddy was recovering from his heart bypass. Another day we spent biking on a beautiful path that goes for miles through the center of the peninsula. On Sunday, we drove to the end of the peninsula, to Provincetown. It was a beautiful day and the crowds were out, but it was fun to walk up and down mainstreet with all its shops and restaurants. And we still made it back in time for oysters and jazz!!

Friends, Joe and Linda Chamrad in Mystic, CT. were next on our list. They were friends from Houston days, and we hadn't seen them in several years. Linda grew up in Mystic, and she and Joe have built a beautiful home right next to her mother's house. Since it was Halloween, Linda and I went trick or treating with their daughter, Julie, who was a much cuter witch than her older companions.

We left Mystic, CT, and not a minute too soon, since I am told that the next day the interstate was closed and the day after that Hurricane Noel came through – whew!! To avoid NYC at all costs, we went west through PA. What an absolutely beautiful drive – huge hills and valleys and colors were still quite pretty. We stayed at an Elks Lodge in Hazleton, PA. When we went in the lodge to check in, a friendly ol’ boy convinced us to have a drink. Meanwhile, the treasurer of the lodge, a very outgoing sort, came in and continued buying drinks – he called his wife, and she came to join as well. From the conversation, I sort of figured that we probably wouldn’t agree on many social issues, so stayed away from them. My suspicions were confirmed when the Treasurer’s wife told me that their mayor is the guy who recently got national publicity for announcing that he would revoke the business license of any company employing illegal workers, and fine any landlord renting to them. That explained some of the bumper stickers I saw as we drove through town. Nevertheless, they were very nice to us.

Our next stop was in Adirondack Mountains to visit yet another Houston friend, Christina Anderson and her mother, Freddie, who in her mid-80s still skis the most challenging runs in the mountains! Although they live in Schenectady, where they run a ski school, they have a beautiful house in the mountains near Lake Placid. The view from their balcony just can't be beat. Christina is a wonderful cook, and we enjoyed lovely evenings eating good food and drinking good wine made in the Finger Lakes, but sold in Lake Placid. The furnace is wood burning and Christina stays in amazing shape hauling wood and clearing land. She took Dick and me on a hike that, although doable, was challenging. But the views from the various stops on the way up the mountain made it worth it. A cold snap had arrived with us (something that would become a bit of a trend), and we had a chilly lunch at the top. It was a great hike and I was very proud of myself when it was over – one of those “hurts so good” deals. We went to The Wild Center, a natural history museum that gave a very effective overview of the Adirondacks – including otters, who put on quite a show. Well worth a visit if you are in the area. On the way home, we stopped at the winery to make sure that we liked the wine we had been drinking at home as well as we thought we did, and to stock up. It was a great, long overdue visit and we hated to leave.

My plan had been to go back through the southern part of Vermont, but we became convinced to go through the Berkshires in Massachusetts instead. I knew nothing about that area. We found another Passport park just north of Pittsfield and settled in for a few days. I was still marking scenic color routes on our atlas, so we hit the road, one day north into Vermont and the next day south to Stockbridge and Great Barrington. Another great area in which I could easily spend a month or more. That became my mantra the whole summer – I should be so lucky as to live as many summer months as I have places to visit!! In Stockbridge, I went to the Norman Rockwell museum – I grew up loving his often topical and insightful pictures. Great Barrington is remote, but is full of upscale restaurants and shops – I should have so much money as to spend a month in that place! When we were working, on vacation I would always try to figure out how I could earn a living in each of the new places we visited and loved. Now I try to figure out how I could live free or cheaply in them for a summer.

Boston was next on our list, and we were luck enough to be invited to park at Todd and Tammy Sells' (the family we visited at Moosehead Lake in northern Maine oh so many months and miles ago). They live in Bellingham, a suburb, and had room in their side yard for us – what a treat – great company and the price was right :-). Our first trip was to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum – beautiful site on the water and interesting, but we both agreed that it somehow was not as impressive as others we have seen – still definitely worth a visit. Todd and Tammy live near the last stop on the train into Boston, and since we had no intention of driving down there during the week, off we went. All went well except that I left my Tilley hat on the train – never to be retrieved :-(.

In retrospect, we probably should have taken one of the tours, but opted for a self-guided walking tour instead on the Freedom Trail. The highlight for me was the North End – boy, you couldn't feel anymore like you are in Italy, unless you are. Old Italian men are sitting out on the sidewalk solving the world's problems, and there are an endless number of very authentic restaurants. We picked a one with a menu from Napoli, and sure enough, there was the table of 6 or 7 men in the back of the room, eating spaghetti, drinking red wine, and speaking Italian – right out of a movie. What a great city!!!

On Sunday, we decided to drive up the north coast to Gloucester, stopping in Salem along the way – what a bonehead decision that was – the Salem part. We never stopped to think that it was the Sunday before Halloween! (Refer back to my comments on weekends and holidays). After fighting our way in traffic to the center of town, we were greeted with mobs of kids in costumes, and an offer to let us park the car for only $20! We just kept creeping along, straight out of town. We found a great pub for lunch and drove on up to Gloucester, a scenic town almost at the end of the peninsula