En route to Fortaleza, Brazil- 4th day at sea

27 November 2007- Tuesday
4th of 4 days at sea on the way to Fortaleza, Brazil

I've got the best room on the ship! Out off the room and turn right I;m on deck, turn left and down the stairs I'm in reception, end of the hall- I can use my lap top wireless connection or down a flight of stairs and buffet dining- plus it's mid ships which means I feel no ship motion and it has been a really smooth crossing. So it was easy to run out to the back of the ship and get a good spot for crossing the equator at 10 am- ship blew 3 blasts at the exact moment- and I wanted to be able to photograph the GPS showing latitude 00:00. But got locked in at the rail with my video camera for the ceremony where King Neptune come aboard and people who never crossed the equator before get abused. So there were 3 victims, all of the female crew members in their bathing suits, because after sentence was pronounced they were put on a table and doused with meringue pies, baked beans, flour and what ever else they scrounged from the Kitchen and then threw them into the ships pool- of course they managed to drag others in also. Festivities lasted about 30 minutes- the duration of my DVD video and then the Filipinos had to drain and clean out the pool. Afternoon was a talk to a small group of interested people in to how to write and publish a book by Bill and Rosemary's friend. (Rosemary tried to sell me the book that she bought from this guy for 25 dollars because she doesn't like his writing style) It was interesting but not inspiring. By the way, Carlos, the babbling professor who's chief area of interest is the history of Brazil has also had some great titled lectures but I realize he never sticks to the topic and I rambles so badly I have to leave. At dinner tonight we each discussed our day and Ellen only had a salad and a cup of yogurt she saved from breakfast. There is only one show tonight and it Elena Ivanina, the Russian pianist. Tonight her AV guy is on the ball and she does a great program of Gounod, Bach, Schubert, Mozart, Tschaikovsky and Chopin. (I didn't know Bach had 21 children or that Mozart had a pointy nose and once wrote a composition where a note was so erratically placed he had to use his nose to play it.).The Manhattan was very good tonight and since we turned our clocks back for the time zone crossing, decided to finish off Rome.- HBO and BBC make a good team. Which reminds me that they do show big screen movies occasionally and one of them that I skipped was "Amazing Grace"- sounded girly, but today I found out that it is the life of Wilberforce, the guy who got England to ban the slave trade in 1830something? Anyway the title of the movie came from the hymn that was composed by an ex-slave ship captain who joined the Anglican church. I'm almost ready to join the trivia challenge that they have on the ship in the afternoon.

En route to Fortaleza, Brazil- 3rd day at sea

26 November2007- Monday
3rd of 4 days at sea- en route to Fortaleza, Brazil

Have really gotten spoiled by this "at sea" routine- really relaxing. Highlight of the morning was Dr Keesal's talk on "will Canada split into 2 countries?" He started off by pointing out that the world is tending to split into more and more countries and pointed out Yugoslavia- which is now Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia and status of Kosovo? USSR is now fragmented with all the Stans splitting off along with Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, etc. He went through the various referendums that were held in Canada and how the vote went and it seems to be almost 50-50 but wasn't so in the past. Apparently the French speakers education was different and Charles De Gaulle's statement about Quebec being part of France didn't help. Education has improved for the French speakers and there are more job opportunities so Dr Keesal doesn't think it'll happen- The Canadian couple Jim and Alvah say they bet it does and good riddance. They live in Ottawa and I didn't realize until recently that the reason the Canadian capital is there is because it lies on the border of English and French speaking Canada. Lunch with Bill and Rosemary again and have the usual chit- chat, Rosemary well informed on ship happenings and she's the one who told me that they removed a woman by litter and she had an IV at Cape Verde. At dinner last night someone mentioned a guy with a fat red leg at shuffleboard that they urged to see the doctor and he's now in bed with injections (DVT versus cellulitis?) Also at dinner Ellen pointed out that informers had told her I wrote the note on her place card. We're still friends and she offered to share her wine with me. She also had people guess her age and bragged about retiring at 62 this year- could have fooled me- I thought she was in her 40s. Entertainment tonight was a pinch hitter for the comedian who missed the ship. he is on of the singers with the Marco Polo Company- a young kid from Iowa who must have trained on Broadway because you can understand every word he sings, but not much of a voice. Good show but I think I'll skip the Filipino crew show because they don't do it until after they finish work- 1030pm and that's past my bedtime.

En route to Fortaleza, Brazil - At sea- Day 2

25 November 2007- Sunday
2nd of 4 days at sea en route to Fortaleza, Brazil

Another day at sea and the battle of the deck chairs rages. A large gentleman threatened to to throw a passenger overboard for taking his chair. There may be a lawsuit brewing as "threatening" is an offense under some country's law. The way things work is that about 7 or 8 am a bunch of people hit the deck and put books and towels on a bunch of chairs than indicate that they are occupied then go off for breakfast lunch etc and claim the chair for the whole day. The published rules are that if the chair is not physically occupied for 20 minutes the stuff can be removed but no one enforces it. (It's like the wheelchair lady who took her wheelchair ashore in Madagascar last year- when the tour specifically stated "not wheelchair accessible.") Most of the violators are German! Stumbled across a one hour program on the Fox channel about the battle of Britain- and reminded me that I has brought the DVD of the movie along in case I got bored. Worked out great because Carlos was lecturing again and decided to spend the afternoon watching the movie instead- great flick! So carrying my HP entertainment notebook pc pays off. Had lunch with Bill and Rosemary came over when a guy who had given a lecture in the Charleston room yesterday came by with an autographed book for Rosemary- for $25. He turns out to be the CEO of Embassy Suites who had to sit on a jury trying a rape case when he came up with the idea of a book on violence against women (actually how women can avoid this problem). Of course, Bill mentioned that we had discussed my writing a book yesterday and as it happens John is scheduled to give a lecture on "how to write a book" on Tuesday. what a coincidence. Tonight is a "polo club" reception where pins are given out for cruising with the Marco Polo - one guy got a crystal globe for 25 cruises and they gave out about 6 ruby pins for 10 cruises- I just remembered I made sapphire last year on my 3rd cruise but they never mailed me my pin. Ran into Ellen on deck (a federal prosecuting attorney who is the replacement for Ann from Australia) and she announced she was invited to the Captain's table for late dinner- we sit next to the Captain's table at early dinner so I wrote her a note on her place card. Had dinner at 6 with nice menu of steak, lobster bisque, etc and then free drinks from 745- 830pm and then Tufty, the multiple instrumentalist who played the clarinet, saxophone (large and small) and the flute. Not a bad performance and with all the drink was asleep by 10pm.

Enroute to Fortaleza,Brazil- at sea Day 1

24 November 2007- Saturday
Ist of 4 days at sea enroute to Fortaleza, Brazil

We are in an area of the Atlantic where the ship can only pick up Fox news- in fact this is the case ever since we left Spain (has made us the laughing stock of the international travelers). Anyway, heard the news about the Explorer hitting an iceberg and sank in the Antarctic. This was the first ship I had signed on for an Antarctic trip because it was going to South Georgia and the Falklands as well as Antarctica and was labeled as "in the footsteps of Shackleton." This was back in about 2001. The trip was canceled when the ship blew a turbine and they said they couldn't get it fixed by the departure date- and that led to my introduction to the Marco Polo. Have always felt safe on the Marco Polo since it was built in East Germany for the Russians who ordered a double hull to be used as an icebreaker in the 60s or 70s and was called the Alexander Pushkin (famous Russian poet). It was bought by Orient Lines in 1990 and made into a passenger ship and renamed the Marco Polo. By the way, the ship looks great- they are painting something every day.
So the day flew by- did laundry in the am - these coolmax clothes really do dry fast- had to send the cotton stuff to the laundry at great expense. AM lecture by Prof Keesal good as usual "Economic Recovery of Eastern Europe" He talked about his personal experience with Czech epublic. (Czechoslovakia split into 2 countrys- local politicians convinced Slovakian people they could do it alone since they had the steel mills- didn't consider Czech republic could get cheaper better steel elsewhere. Keesal did a pro bono seminar for the Czechs for senior and middle managers when the Russians left. He commented that the scaffolding around the buildings when he arrived were there to catch falling bricks and didn't relate to new construction. He found that there were 7 plants producing vegetable oil for 20 million people, whereas Canada had 2 plants for 40 million. Noted that there are now only 2 such plants. He said there are a number of conditions necessary for economic prosperity- risk taking entrepeneurs, stable government, Privatization, education/business schools, modern plants/quality, and work ethic. Asked about Baltic countries, he said they were not considered in the Buffer zone created by the Russians extending from Poland to Romania. But commented that all the Latvian Jews were destroyed by the Germans, but that a Russian Jewish community has moved in to the Synagogue and Jewish school that still existed. He said German reunification has put a serious strain on economy as 50 years of communism has led to a different work ethic and philosophy in the East.
The second lecturer was Carlos Bakota- terrible first lecture so thought he deserved a second chance- 15 minutes into his ramble I gave up...started off with some ramble about St Sebastian and passed out a "handout" on the Fado (Portugese mournful songs) and then told the audience that couldn't follow his talk to ask him "what's the point" a minute later someone yelled it out but he didn't reply. Maybe I'll just go to heckle him next time. (no, that wouldn't be right because tomorrow is Sunday- I'll wait til Monday). Lunch with Bill and Rosemary. Bill is a retired Lutheran minister and when St Sebastian came up I mentioned that I had considered doing a book on the saints associated with various maladies and healing and he said he thought it would really sell. Afternoon laid back and at cyber cafe and skipped high tea for dinner at 6. Since the comedian missed the boat again they are going to have a tribute to Glenn Miller Dance band in Ambassador Lounge. I passed. Oh yes, it full moon and I'm amazed at how it lights up the whole area and makes the horizon really visible. Would hate to have been on board a convoy in the north atlantic on a full moon night in WWII.

Porto Grande, Cape Verde

23November 2007- Friday
Porte Grande, Sao Vincente Island, Cape Verde

Beautiful weather for arrival but wind and seas are up and almost got flung out of the shower. On deck for arrival at Porto Grande and thought the Captain would have more trouble docking becase of high winds. at 0810 the first shuttle bus (free) took of for town, but I decided to wait til 9 to avoid the rush and the fact that things were probably not open before 9.
Oh I shsould mention that Cape Verde used to belong to Portugal and believe it was descovered by one of their navigators- Cabral. Now they have their own flag and money (it is still called escudo) and the population is mostly black African former slaves. My first stop is the post office where I try to get stamps but the only money they take is escudo. So I walk to a very nice square where I find a bank and change dollars into escudo- 71 escudo for each dollar. Ah, the good old days. Pick up a lot of postcards get my stamps and go back to the ship- 10 minutes by shuttle- doubted I could have written these in the park because of the wind. Finish my chores and head back to town for a walk about to take pictures ( with my lesser camera so as not to atract attention) get hit on by a couple of beggars otherwise nice walk. Architecture is Portugese with second story balconies- place looked a little grubby in parts but lots of new paint and construction- so maybe there is a tourist boom. At dinner, Clive the Welchman says he heard the other islands were being developed for holiday homes for Europeans, but pointed out that it is a 6 hour flight from UK and you can be in Orlando Florida in that time. Plus, the places were not cheap and airfare bound to rise.)
So, back to the ship for high tea at 4, and enjoy the departure from the dock at 5pm. Wind still hadn't let up but with thrusters et al no trouble leaving the port. I especially like the 3 blasts on the horn when we leave port- great sound- like a giant tuba. After dinner had a piano concert by Elena Ivanina- a Russian who now lives in Connecticut. She is very good, a thin blonde in white gown, dimmed light so she can run a slide show a a back drop. Usually tells a story about the composer or the song and proceeds to bang the keys. The guy that ran the slides screwed up but she was game and the show went on... Edward Grieg, a national treasure of the Norwegians who supported him for his entire life with a building complex in Bergen, Frederick Chopin who had an affair with a woman who flaunted all the social customs- George Sands, Peter Ilyich Tshaikovsky who had a patroness whom he never metbut exchanged over a thousand letters with, and Felix Mendelsohn, a Jew raised as a Protestant who resdiscovered Johann Sebastian Bach who's music had not been played in hundred years. Another episode of Rome kept me up past my bedtime.

Day 2 enroute to Cape Verde

22 November 2007- Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving.
At sea enroute to Cape Verde

Keeping to my 0600 wakeup routine- and near the beginning of the line for fried eggs in the am- actually most people get the ham, mushroom, tomatoe, onion, cheese, jalepenia omelletes. Prof Keesal on again this am- "Is south asia a future world powerhouse." Again never really andwered the question as he spent most of the time talking about the partitioning of India after the second world war. Stated the Britiish left the Indians with a communication system, railroads, schools and other infrastructures (neglected to mention a unifying language) and so India was ready for independence. Mentioned that religion played a part as Muslims outnumbered by Hindus and wanted their own country - Pakistan- at that time both east and west. (neglected to mention that Ali Jinnah, the father of Pakistan was fatally ill with TB and died shortly after the partition). East Pakistan split off and is now Bangladesh- a move by local politicians led to the formation of this impoverished country. Ceylon became a separate country called Sri Lanka which is mostly Buddhist and there is an ongoing civil war with the Tamil Tigers (Hindu). The Kashmir with no particular attraction except it is a beautiful resort area has had 2 wars fought over it by India and Pakistan and it was Nehru who was born there that insisted that it be India. (Actually at partition, Kashmir had a Hundu Maharajah- the people are mostly Muslim. A plebiscite was supposed to take place where the people would vote to see which country they wanted to belong to- India has never allowed the vote.) He mentioned that Indira Ghandi, Nehru's daughter was assassinated by her Sikh body guard (he failed to mention it was after she approved a raid on the Golden Temple at Amritsar- the holiest temple of the Sikh religion) Maybe I should get on this lecture circuit. And finally, said Bhutto had one of the most corrupt goverments Pakistan ever had except for her father's time in office. Carlos Bakota talked that afternoon but I had enough of him the other day so never went. Skipped the Rocky Balboa movie put on tie and jacket for Thanksgiving dinner of turkey and fixings. Front row seats for Marco Polo Showtime where the kids did broadway tunes show called "Standing room only" They always do a great job- not the best voices but lots of energy- does us old folks good. The 1030pm movie was Mission Impossible 3, but it was after my 10pm bedtime.

Enroute to Cape Verde

21 November 2007- Wednesday
At sea- enroute to Cape Verde

So with all the free time onboard a ship at sea you'd think I'd have great accomplishments to report. Not so. There's only about 3 happenings to write about. The first is another lecture by Prof Keesal- "China- will its economic future include world domnation?" He didn't really answer his question but pointed out that China's economic growth is fantastic as evidenced by the past 10 years when bicycles have been replaced by motorized vehicles and that all the apartment houses in Shanghai have air conditioners in their windows. He feels the Chinese will never abide by the Kyoto protocols on Pollution as it would slow down their boom. Differentiated it from Russia where Gorbachov gave the people political freedom but no economic freedom and Deng gave China economic freedom but no political freedom and claims most of the people are satisfied with that arangement as long as they are prospering. He uses a lot of personal anecdotes of his travels to illustrate his points. Lunch was hamburgers at the poolside and french fries. Have to practically climb over the people out there sunbathing- the Germans have gotten a reputation for staking out the steamer chairs early in the morning by putting a towel and book on a chair and coming pack an hour later to stake their claim. (there is really a 20 minute rule, but no one pays attention to it). We had a Polish group called the Marco polo trio, violin and piano and double bass give a classical concert before dinner and it was a nice change of pace, (her violin sounded better that the $200,000 borrowed violin that Vincenso played the other night). Dinner fine with Ellen spotting me a glass of Beringer's white zinfindel. Since Mr Robinson our comedian missed the boat we are going to have Tufty Gordon a comedian musician take his place. I remembered Tufty from an Antarctic cruise and didn't much care for him- but figured I'd give him another chance. Clarinet and Saxaphone were his instruments tonight but what brought the house down was an audience paarticiaption number of Ghost Riders in the Sky. He got an American and a Swede on stage- the Swede spoke no English and as a result of the lack of communication it was hilarious. However a lot of Tufty's material has a Yiddish overlay e.g. "how do you pronounce Hawaii- Hawaii or Havaii? Answer- Havaii. Thanks. You're Velcome." Wine must have done me in so off to write post cards to be mailed in Cape Verde, but the wine got to me.

Arrecife, Canary Isalnds, Spain

20 November 2007- Tuesday
Arrecife, Canary Islands

Arrive in the port of Arrecife at daybreak and the boat is docked just in front of one of those huge Carribean cruise ships that carries 3-4000 passengers. Thye must all be asleep because there's nobady walking around hte decks. It really towers above our ship and makes you feel like you're in a row boat. Today's tour is going to be to Jameo's Cave and cctus gardens. The island we landed on inly one os several Canary islands the most notorius of which is Tenerife where 2 747s ran into each other on the runway- One had been cleared to take off and the other taxied onto the runway. The island we are on is Lanzarote. The islands are volcanic in origin and formed about 35 million years ago when the South American continent split off fro Africa. There is an Atlantic ridge that runs from Isceland thru the Azores, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Ascension Island, St Helena to Tristan de Cunha along which these volcanic islands formed as is where the continents are drifting apart. Alfred Wegener who came up with the idea visited this place in 1912 to show how it fitted in with his theory of continental drift. The bus drive takes us to the highest point on the island where ther is a radar station for air traffic control. Lanzarote also has an airfield. The land is really barren you can see dozens of cinder cones at one time and the soil is brown except where farmers have gotten volcanic ash and covered their fams with it. It acts as both a fertilizer and pevents water evaporation. This was really poor country until the 60s-70s when tourism took over. Now over 90% of the population is involved with tourism. They have enacted laws to keep down high rise buildings- all the structures must be painted white, there are on certain styles of chimneys to choose from and the shutters and other structures have to be blue, green or brown. I didn't get into town, but from the boat you can see he only tall building on the island and it was a 16 story building built before the regulations took effect. All the resort hotels we passed are built like villages. Roads were good and very little trafic so I think when the tourists arrive they pretty much stay at the resorts. So the tourist attraction we are on the way to see is a lava tube that runs from a volcano crater called Corona to several hundred feet out to sea. (Lavva tues form when hot magma running downhill cools on the outside first and forms a rind and when the hot stuff runs out it leaves a tube.) Anyway, this place was developed by a local artist called Cesar Manrique who made an entrance to the tube where its upper wal had collapsed in one area so it became like a cave- so he built a restaurant, a natural pool that has albino, blind crabs about an inch long , that you can't swim in, a concert hall for a few hundred people and on the outside a man made pool that you can't swim in either. Ther is also a very well done volcano museum and a shop that sells postcards but no stamps (we are back in Spain again). All in all not a bad place to spend an hour. Then on to the cactus garden by the same Cesar- he's also created modern sculptures that are in the roundabouts- in front of the Cactus garden he built a huge cactus out of steel tubes and rods. The garden is supposed to have 10,000 different cacti in it but I quit counting and the usual coffee shop. There is also a windmill which makes a nice backdrop. Next to the cactus garden there are real cactus gardens on which they are raising cochinilla, a liitle whit beetle that when crushed produced a real red color that is used in expensive lipstick and Cinzano- was musch sought after in the middle ages (cardinals robes)but the modern chemicals are much better. Then back to the ship in time for lunch- a mob scene as it is 2pm and that's a long time since breakfst. The sailaway at 430 is preceded by the departure of the huge ship behind us- I think it was the Queen of the seas. Anyway, it was amazing to see all the ropes let go as it smoothly backed out of the pier turned and headed for the Carribean. When it blew it's 3 depating blast though it almost knocked us off the back deck. From a distance it looked more like a container ship instead of a passenger vessel. Hope never to sail on one. Entertainment tonight ws excellent a Brit comedian called Tony Stevens. The early show was packed and it turned out to be a good one because he was really fst with the jokes. I hear there were only 45 people at the late show and he flopped.Oh well, I have gotten into the second season of Rome so I couldn't go to both shows.
Don't want to jinx myself, but the seas have been great so far, a small swell now and then but otherwise smooth- although I probably wouldn't thinks so if I were in a rowboat.

Agadir, Morocco

19 November 2007- Monday
Agadir, Morroco

Dock in the new port and as usual it's bustling. Got a later tour today since I elected to visit the ancient Saadian capital of Taroudant (which I'd seen protrayed as a mud brick desert fortress on the edge of the Sahara from the old Beau Geste movie) Saw all that was left of the Fort on a hill overlooking the harbor. Fort and most of old Agadir destroyed by an earthquake in 1960 with 15,000 deaths- the squadron of C130 from Evreux France where I was stationed at the time flew in the relief supplies. A new city has been built to support the mostly European tourists looking for second homes in a sunny climate. Had to drive throught the fishing wharf area- an olfactory experience I don't care to repeat. Highlight of this excursion was to see tree climbing goats in argan trees. The Argan are small trees with an olive shaped fruit that contains a nut which is pressed for oil and is edible- typical Morrocan breakfast bread dipped in argan oil (I couldn't live here). Got a couple of pictures before the goat herder whistled them down- so It's aplanned tourist experience. Taroudant a disappointment, built like a fortress alright but surrounded by a modern city. Took some photos from the ramparts and then walked throught the souk (market). Guide never stopped for explanations but lead us into a town square where we aited for the bus to return. I did find a store that sold stamps and luckily had euros with me because the merchant refused to accept dollars. (This could lead to a tirade on how our countrys decline is related to our present administration, but I'm trying to keep this apolitical. of course our economist lecturer is not saying anything to allay my fears that we will not long be the leading world power.) Drive back not very exciting- Moroccan roads are in great shape. Dinner good as usual and had a talk with Al who lives with his wife Barbara in Mexico. He used to own a restaurant there specializing in sea food. a real interesting guy who has Parkinson's. The theater tonight was Vincenzo Gentile- an Italian violinist who did a really nice job in spite of the acoustics being screwed up. I like the guys soft spoken accent- he sounded like Luciano Pavorati but he has a bald head so he looked like Mussolini- said he was only on for one night and was joining another ship tomorrow. These shipboard entertainers move around alot- must be well paid to lead such a hectic life.
forgot to mention that all these new building in Morocco hae rooftops covered with satelitte dishes. Guide says the reason for that is the connections are free if you have a telephone
Agadir

Casablanca, Morocco

18 November 2007- Sunday
Moroccan Independence day
Casablanca (the white house)

Ready for my fried eggs at 6 am but none available because in spite of our early departure the kitchen is on their own schedule. But we don't leave at 715 because the Moroccan authorities have to clear the ship and we finally get off at 820. So my tour is called the Imperial City of Rabat and Casablanca and the guide is Merriam who speaks great English, is dressed in a caftan (neck to ankle coverage with long sleeves and a hood on its back). On of our resident kooks on the ship bought one on a previous visit to Morocco and decides to wear it on the tour. Anyway the guide is a fountain of knowledge and we find out the Moroccans are very liberal Muslims, Sunni, and they grow grapes and drink wine- they use the Muslim lunar calendar and observe Ramadan. The Flag is red with a green 5 pointed star. Green is the color of Islam, 5 is their holy number- you pray 5 times a day- you observe 5 things if you are a Muslim- give alms, pray 5 times a day, observe Ramadan, make a haj (pilgrimage to Mecca is you can afford it) etc. It's an hour and a half drive from Casablanca to Rabat- the imperial city- as it lies north of Casablanca, but also a coastal city. Our first stop is in the Mechouar quarter to see the present king's palace. The bus parks next to the mosque and we walk up to the main gate where the various guards are posted- they have spiffy uniforms, looks like British rifles but they are really relaxed- almost lackadaisical- but it is a pretty boring job. Get to see the changing of the guard- no real marching- just route step- no saluting, etc. Anyway the palace is huge in acreage and looks pretty modern. I notice the cannon in the square are 17th century Spanish and there must be a story there. The palace is next to an archaeological site with Phoenician, Roman and Arabic sections. Lots of stairs down and up- as usual there are no handrails. Then we drive along a winding road overlooking the Bou Regreg River and we park at the Mohammad V mausoleum- courtyard contains columns of various heights- one for every day of the Muslim calendar. This ruler is the one who was in power when they got their Independence from France. French is still an official language of the country. The mausoleum is white marble with a green roof with a lot of fountains that aren't working right now. The guards at the tomb are a little more military and when you walk in you're in a gallery overlooking the tomb which is a marble rectangular box with a slanted roof. We leave on the opposite side of the grounds and it is the guide, not the 3 flaky femmes from the ship who notice we're missing one of the group- guide finds him in short order. (That could be making of a nightmare- lost in an Arabic country) We go visit some unimpressive gardens, drink some mint tea and head out to lunch. Main course is a ceramic bowl with cous cous covered with lamb pieces. It was preceded by a ceramic bowel with chicken and olives. last course bowl of fruit with seedless tangerines. Lunch was interesting in that one of table mates tried to start a discussion about religion versus science which I tried to duck out on. but I had to respond when a Jewish woman commented "but you're Jewish, aren't you?" Drive to Casablanca uneventful. Made 2 stops- one at the very impressive mosque of Hassan II Looks big enough to hold thousands but we didn't go in. Next was shopping- all I got was postcards because the prices were exorbitant- an inlaid wooden box 6 inches square for 50 dollars- and no bargaining? Their handicrafts have changed- poor quality, thin brass; but then how many Moroccan hand washers do you need. Glad to get back to the ship, Wash off Moroccan dust. Skipped the show which was listed a Jazz concert but turned out to be Bourbon street music. We had set sail for Agadir about 5pm.

Cadiz, Spain

17 November 2007- Saturday
Dock in Cadiz
Tour of the Capital of Andalusia- Seville

The toen was built an the soutern most portion of the iberian peninsula- the site where Hercules had separated the continents of Europe and Africa to form the straits of Gibraltarand is hterefore washed by the waters of both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians built the sity in 1100 BC which makes it the oldest city in the western world. Dock in Cadiz early enough for me to get good sunrise pictures- they've actually been nicer than the sunsets. I'm ecoming addicted to the 2 eggs over easy with bacon and toast on the fantail of the boat. Our tour is the first one called by Tamara (more about her later) and we wind up with another good English speaking guide. Drive through Cadiz which also has a long history but became especially prominent when the Guadajiver River silted up the port of Seville and Cadiz became the preemminent town to unload all the treasure coming from the new world.
We follow the road north along the Guadajiver River with a lot of open land and arrive in Seville with a lot of new housing available on the west bank which makes me wonder where they hold Feria (the horse market that became a week long festival after Eater week) now as hey used to set up their casatas (wooden tents) on that bank. We make a stop at he Maria Luisa park to see some buildings put up for the 1929 Pan American exhibition which was Spain and its former colonies in South America and conclude this part with a visit to the Plaza Espania a stately semicircular building to which each province contributed a mosaic about thei most important contribution to medieval times (e.g. Heulva as the site of embarkation of Columbus) an impressive edifice. Then on to the center of the old city with a visit to the Cathedral- built in 1248. The. 3rd largest in Christendom built on the site of a mosque but much embellished with the riches of the new world- it is also the place of Columbus' tomb. It is a Gothic construction with the choir for the nobles in the middle of the church in front of the main altar. The main altar is completely covered in gold leaf and it's hundreds of figures tell the story of the life of Christ.The Ghiralda is the bell tower next to it and is moorish architecture. From there we visit the King's palace which is more moorish architectue with tiles and inlaid woods and then a walk through the narrow streets of the Jewish quarter. The houses are all whitewashed , iron grilled windows and have flowering plants all over the place. All in all a very nice tour followed by a lunch at the Hotel Macarena. In Seville, the Macarena is a statue of the BVM with a glass bead tear on her cheek which is caried cross town to the Cathedral by a procession of penitents during holy week before Easter. The lunch is a full 3 courses and we finish at 4pm and are back at the ship by 530pm but there is no way I can eat another meal at 6pm. Skip dinner, but make the Marco polo showtime for a program entitled "music makes the world go round" with some enthusiastic young people who do a good job- and it is another erly bedtime since they have advanced the time of tomorrow's tour to 715am departure. The only saving grace is that we have crossed another time zone and turn back the clocks tonight.

Malaga, Spain

16 November 2007- Friday
Malaga City Highlights

1st established by the Phoenicians 3000 years ago where it was used as a place to salt their fish and led to the name of the town since Malacca means "to salt" The Greeks arrived in 500 BC and the Romans in 218BC. The Moors invaded from Africa in 711 AD as part of the Muslim conquest. This is our first port call and they've got a number of excursions to choose from- Granada and the Alhambra (been there, done that- although I understand that Ferdinand and Isabella are buried in the Cathedral a Granada but that's not mentioned in the brochure)- A tour of Ronda (town in the mountain built above cliffs with a 400 ft high bridge over the Tajo river gorge)- Marbella Beach (take a swim on the Costa Del sol, the suncoast.)- Mijas a hilltop Andalusian village or highlights of Malaga- which is the one I selected. Bus ride up to the fort overlooking the cit called Castillo de Gibralfaro. This hilltop was originally a lighthouse for the Phoenicians 2000BC. A Moorish king Yusuf I built built the fort in the 1300s- the name Gibralfaro is Arabic- Gibral = mountain, faro= lighthouse. There are about 700 words in Spanish that are Arabic and reflect the 700 years that the Moors held Andalusian part of Spain.
There was a little museum on top in which I found a small medical display- the highlight of which was a triangular bandage with illustrations for its use printed on it dating to WWI.
A walk along the ramparts and a good view of the town below. Then downhill to visit the Alcazaba (Arabic for a palace within a fortress). This building was at a lesser elevation but still overlooked the town and dates from the 11th C. Then a walk through the town square to view Picasso's birthplace and the outside of the Cathedral- which has only one tower- the money to build the second tower ws sent to the US to help the revolutionary war against the British and we never gave it back. The cathedral itself dates to 1538 to celebrate the Catholic Monarchs (Ferdinand and Isabella) victory over the Moors. In the US we remember 1492 as the yer Columbus "sailed the ocean blue" but in Spain it marked the expulsion of the Muslim Moors from Spain after 700 years of occupation. It also marked the expulsion of the Jews unless you wanted to become a Catholic- ergo the appellation of the Catholic monarchs. We then re boarded the buses for a visit to a bodega where we tasted some local wines- they were all blended like Sherry and the only good one was their top brand which tasted like sherry. It would have been nice to take a couple of bottles back to the boat for an aperitif before dinner, but the Marco Polo now confiscates all booze and gives it back to you after the cruise another cost cutting measure to offset fuel prices? Dinner excellent fare and discover that the Welsh couple actually live in Malaga- apparently a lot of Europeans use the Costa Del Sol as retirement areas. "Moscow Magic" our entertainment- a husband and wife team who were pretty good. Best one was the one where he ties her up with ropes around her arms and leg and hands behind her back, stands her in a sack with a guy from the audience who is wearing a jacket, pulls up the sack and less then a minute later the sack falls and she's wearing the guys jacket with the ropes wrapped around outside the jacket! How do they do it? Gives you something to sleep on. Actually struggled to stay awake beyond my 10pm bedtime-that's because we were going to pass the rock of Gibraltar at 11 pm- captain said we'd be passing within 3 km so thought I'd get a good look at it- on deck at 11 and disappointed to see a dark night with shore lights and the form of the rock barely visible.

Day at Sea-en route to Malaga, Spain

15 November 2007-
Full day at sea

Eleser, my cabin boy, waiting outside my door as I go to breakfast at 7. I think they try to figure out your schedule so they can do their job without inconviencing you. They put a small piece of paper between the door jamb so when you open the door it falls on the floor in the hallway and they know you've leftr the room. The diet will be a problem as omeletes cooked to order are too appealing. Then it's a stroll around the deck to watch the coastline of Spain going by and make it up to the computer room to sign up for the internet and look for special deals- there are none and I didn't get the 500 free minutes from the raffle either. But find that my cabin is within wireless range so I won't have to lug my laptop up to Charleston lounge everytime I want to upload. 10 am it's a travel program to tell you what shore excursions are available at extra charge- There is one that's an overnighter to a luxury hotel in Marrakesh that will then meet the boat in Agadir. Bill and Rosemary have signed up for it- but it's a little pricey for me and I swore I'd never go back there after having to literally brush the beggars off at my last visit in 73. Starving by lunch and hope my full stomach will not cause me to nod off at Prof Norman Keesal's lecture on "How nations compete." He is a Harvard trained economist under John Galbraith- Kennedy's ambassador to India (which I considered a stroke of genius and the vision of Utopia appeared only to be dashed out on 22 November 1963) Anyway Prof Keesal quoted Porter's book frequently and pointed out that a nation can be an international competitor if it has 3 one of 3 things- acheap labor force, lots of natural resources or ingenuity. Pointed out that Germany and Japan have succeeeded because of quality products- so Quality plays a role. Major exports were interesting- US aircraft, Britain auctioneering, Germany printing presses, Sweden wood and stainless steel, Japan cars and microprocessors, etc. Keesal did a great job and was followed by an idiot- Carlos Bakota who was to speak on "the mediterranean- crossroads of the world." Completely disjointed- his power point slides were terrible, mainly maps of the Mediteranean that has nothing to do with what he was talking about and the last straw was when he put Francis Drake and Horation Nelson in the same century. I walked out.
Evening was better. It was the Captain's reception and supposedly formal- few dinner jackets, mostly suits rare tuxedo, Glad I didn't pack my mess dress- it's prbably poor form to upstage the captain. He intodused the officers with a noticable exception of the doctor who I hope was busy attending a patient and not drunk in his cabin.. Oh yes, they still xray your carryons to make sure you don't bring your own booze on the ship. I they find any they take it away and hold it for you til the end of the cruise. I've already schemed to put vodka into waterbottles and see if they find that. New lady appeared at the table from Nebraska- Ann from Australia showed up a little late and lost her seat- too bad because I like an international group.
Entertainment to night was a Russian singer from Siberia who put on a good show and did a great job on Phantom of the Opera where you could hardly detect his accent. So with all that free time you'd think I'd get alot done- well maybe napping.

Barcelona Tour and Board Ship

14 November 2007-
Barcelona tour- Board ship

Full night's sleep- better living through chemistry. Feel rested at 6 am and head for restaurant at 7. Elevators have been designed so you push your required floor outside the elevator and it tells you which bank of elevators to take. First saw this in the Accord Hotel next to the Eiffel tower, second at the Marriott in New Orleans, but theirs didn't work. Arrive at restaurant to find it pretty full considering they only open at 7. We seniors do have an appetite. A bruiser of a fellow sits down at our table of 8 He eats 3 hard rolls with jelly and has a cup of coffee and leaves. He must be Hungarian.
Bags out at 8, check out and board the bus at 830 for an included tour of Barcelona before depositing us at the ship. Guides have been excellent- lots of facts and good English.
Barcelona city of 1.4 million- few really tall buildings. We start at the Holy Family Cathedral that has been being built since 1898- started by one architect and followed by Gaudi who took everything from nature so the place looks like melting ice cream. He was run over by a tram and his plans were destroyed by the communists but enough models remained so they are continuing the work. They have mass in the crypt under the church where Gaudi is buried and the roof will be completed in 2 years so they can move upstairs. See other interesting buildings- drive bys. then go up to the Olympic areas on Montjuic (named for an old Jewish cemetery) and arrive at the ship at noon. Being an old hand on the ship I go directly to my cabin- 645 on the promenade deck. Not as big as the main deck cabin but lot more convenient to the deck and rest of ship.
Pig out at lunch, but I can see I'll have to slow down for the rest of the trip. Found a scale in the workout area- may have to do daily checks. Shipboard mandatory lifeboat drill and captain announces delayed sailing because reprovisioning not complete. Ready for dinner at 6 and run into Bill and Rosemary from the last cruise but I'm not at their table. Am at a table with a Canadian couple, a Welsh couple, a couple from Tucson, a couple of Americans living in Mexico and an Australian woman who just arrived in Barcelona 37 hours after leaving her home in Brisbane. Meal was excellent- 5 courses and coffee. Ran into Bill and R. after dinner and they asked to move their table to the location we had on the last cruise because there was too much noise for them. They again asked if I wanted to join them, but I'll see plenty of them on the ship.
Went up to the theater where the paid dance partners were scouring the sparse audience for dance partners. When one of the gentlemen asked a 250 pounder (I'm being generous) to dance I had to leave and skip the movie. On deck for sailing at 8 pm. There's something about a ships departure that captures the imagination. As the lights of Barcelona fall behind, I go back to the cabin to complete my blog to upload tomorrow. by 10 pm throw in the towel because I'm bleary eyed and realize my bad typing has gotten worse.

Journey to Montserrat

13 Tuesday 2007- Tuesday
Montserrat

Awake after 3 hours sleep and debate whether or not to take an Ambien- 2 hours later wish I had. Phone rings at six and if it wasn't for the shower doubt I'd have made it to breakfast at seven. And what a breakfast- fish, cheeses, all kinds of bread and pastries, serrano ham, cereals and of course omelets made to order. Cafe con leche as only the Spanish can make it and I'm ready for the bus tour to Montserrat at 0830. At breakfast notice the diabetic from Chicago has ditched his shades and cane and is doing a great job at the buffet. Bus 3/4s full and some passengers look like the walking wounded, including myself, probably. Stopped at another hotel on Pius XII square on the Diagonal Blvd to fill up the bus. They must have paid more for the tour because the hotel is in a great location across from Alphonse XIII's palace. Head north to a strange looking mountain- Montserrat. Translated it is the serrated mountain- looks like the blade of a saw from a distance. Great scenery, but the reason for the trip is a Benedictine monastery perched on a cliff alleged to be very ancient and started as a retreat by a villager who wanted to devote his time to isolated meditation. Got bored and carved himself a Madonna which turned black from the smoke in his cave. When the Moors invaded Spain he hid it in a cave and it was rediscovered when Moors defeated and a shrine erected later to become a monastery. One of the monks accompanied Columbus on his second voyage. (There are a lot of anachronisms in the story).
The monastery destroyed twice. First by Napoleon's troops in 1808 and then in the Spanish civil war 1936-39 by the Republicans (communists). So most of the structures are new- all the provinces in Spain sent hanging lamps for the new church as a sign of reconciliation. The Black Madonna is ensconced in a glass case above the altar and the globe that baby Jesus holds in his right hand sticks out through the glass. There is a staircase up to the Madonna and great beneficence is obtained by touching the ball. She is the protectress of Catalonia/ Aragon. After the tour go on a photo shoot and pop into the church for the beginning of a 11am mass with 100 plus monks and their Gregorian chant- can only stay 10 minutes, but very impressive- Since this is past the tourist season church pretty empty. Get postcards and then go to the Montserrat post office where they have a generic stamp that the postmistress prints the value on. Back on the bus and complete the circuit of the mountain before returning to the hotel. Head for my all-you-can-eat place (Lunch is only 8 euros). Too late in the day to start a sojourn- it gets dark about 5- so write postcards and realize the printed labels I brought along are useless because I can't separate them from the backing?-
Finally watch another episode of Rome and tonight I do take an Ambien at 10 pm- I'm tired of being tired.

Arrival in Barcelona

12 Monday 2007- Monday
Ambien Failure

For some reason the Ambien only lasted 2 hours and the rest was trying to go back to sleep. .Movies were lousy and no music channels worth listening to. So finally at 6 am we get served a mini croissant and even smaller pastry with coffee. Glad the large woman moved or else she may have gnawed my arm off. We land in Madrid at about 10am and then walk for 20 minutes- thank goodness for the 12 moving sidewalks. Barajas airport in the 70s was a 2 story building which wasn't very large. Now it is gargantuan and eally tests your stamina. Just when we get to the S concourse I realize we have to go through security again. No shoes this time but the Spaniards are really big on removing your belt- and it's the only time I've had to open the lap top. They are already boarding at S25 for the flight to Barcelona. This leg I am seated between a 20 something Spaniard reading an English text about working with DNA. On the aisle is a well dressed young lady with mesh stocking and we are offered juice or water. (Spanish also big on pineapple juice). Land as scheduled and usual passport control lines- I pick the wrong one and am behind a frizzy haired South American woman who presents 4 sheets of paper folded in quarters to the officer who looks like the Norm from Cheers with his specs on the tip of his nose. Ergo, I was the last of the 200 plus passengers on the Airbus 320 to leave the area. But at least the luggage has arrived and I did I find the Orient Lines lady without any problem, but have to wait on the others along with my wheel chair diabetic friend for about a half hour. Then it's a 2 city block trek to the bus but the wheel chair got to ride. 30 minute bus ride into Barcelona, very European avenues and sycamore trees all over. The hotel room at the Melia knocked my socks off- wood panelling, sliding doors of opaque glass, a tub and a separate shower room where the water comes out of a large shower head in the ceiling- more like a rain downpour than a shower. Later found out bed is spring loaded so it elevates to chest high and rotates forward to make linen changes a snap. But none of that could keep me awake and I slept from 2 pm until 430pm- gets dark early in Barcelona so after a shower go in search of food- then I was informed the restaurants don't open til 8 or 830. But a few blocks from the hotel I find an all -you- can- eat place that did not have gambas ajillo (garlic shrimp) but salads and pasta hit the spot.- having only a half bag of trail mix before my nap. Fifteen dollars (10 euro) and the vino tinto was delicious. Decided to watch one episode of Rome and crashed at 10pm.

Departure Day

11 November 2007- Sunday
Veteran's Day

Up early for last minute housekeeping and am ready to leave as Tom shows up on time at 10 am for my ride to Cincinnati Airport. It's raining, the lawn is almost obliterated with leaves- but it's Sunday so there should be minimal traffic on I-75. Weather clears up on the way south- good omen. Actually made it in about 1 hour. Delta area about empty and my silver medallion status saves me 50 bucks, because I'm 5 pounds over 50 pound limit. Check bag all the way through to Barcelona, grab a quarter pounder artificial hamburger and make it to the gate near boarding time. Flight loads uneventfully and by now the bad weather has caught up with me. Cincy to Chicago flight uneventful. Cheese and crackers and a small bottle of water for snacks. Long walk to Iberia (shares gates with American Airlines so I have my AA card ready when I pick up my boarding card for an aisle seat. Two hours to wait as I see Iberia taxi inter international building area. Sit next to large gentleman with baseball cap, dark glasses and a cane. It didn't have a red tip, so I guess he wasn't blind. Proved it when he says " I see by your baggage tag you're going on the Marco Polo." Turns out he has been cruising since 1990. Owns a home in Phoenix and his daughter is his next door neighbor- "but they have their own friends and don't visit much- at least I have someone to talk to on the cruises!" he said he does 6-7 cruises a year- some back to back and one year he did 13 cruises in 12 months. His wheel chair and attendant roll up and when he stands he really is a big guy. Told me he's a diabetic and is always either hypo or hyperglycemic- smelled a little ketotic to me.
Iberia is flying an Airbus 380-carries 300 passengers and has 4 engines- a real widebody. I get to board in first batch because row 33 is pretty far back- only 4 rows behind me. In fact it is so far back that the center row in front of me has 4 seats, but mine only has 3. Sitting (read crammed into) in the opposite end on this center row, one seat between us is a very large woman who looks really miserable. After the doors are closed, the stewardess says it is ok for her to move into the back row- since there are a few empty seats- as she gets up she says "this is nothing personal, but if I stayed in that seat an hour, I wouldn't be able to walk". I later saw her sleeping peacefully (Pickwickian). Take-off on time, dinner ok- chicken pieces I could not identify anatomically. Couple across the isle from me from southern CA and he wears a basque type beret and an ascot. Bragged that his beat up beret 40 years old. the Basque in the seat behing him pulls out his inherited beret 60 years old and the match ended there. Of course, I popped an Ambiem before the meal as the movies were really bad and I'd had a long day.

Afterthought: Veterans day used to be Armistice Day. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 and armistice was signed between the Great Powers (The Germans, the AustroHungarian empire and the Ottoman empire) and the Allies- Britain, France and (since 1917) the USA -in a railway car at Compiegne. It was the war to end all wars, but in Paris in 1919 things went awry and many of the problems we have today date back to that era. In the mean time, the US has been involved in 5 wars not counting the invasion of Grenada and Panama.

Preparation for Transatlantic Voyage

10 November 2007- Saturday

N.B. Am going to try to do a blog of my transatlantic cruise and get caught up on preceding trips. France was too hectic to get anything done- (bus trips don't leave a lot of time) so thought Greece would be easier, but got discouraged when 3 days of typing disappeared into cyberspace beofre I could upload them. Hope wordpad doesn't let me down again

The usual scramble to get things done before an overseas trip was compounded by 2 no shows for the Friday afternoon didactic sessions with the students in roataion 2- Their last day on surgery. Ken (vascular surgeon of almost my genre who trained under Emerick Szilagyi- one of the founders of vascular surgery) did the cardiac stuff and I did 2 hours of urology- that was after Kathryn taking some time to give her critique on her OSCE on how to break bad news. Then it was quick trip to the base to make sure I have enough thyroid for the 3 weeks I'll be gone. Managed to miss my eye appointment because of the lectures so I'll probably go blind on the trip.
Met with Tom (4th year student ER wannabe) to brief the house sitting job and discuss the upstairs shower being plugged, igniting the fireplace in the trophy room and the mysterious Brink's alarm- may be related to the giant oppossum he caught in the headlights of his car when he came over. Saturday was a blur of deciding what to pack, making Christmas flight arrangements, watching the Bucks lose their number one standing and several phone calls but at nidnight decided to call it quits.

Afterthought: Ken's father was a med student in the 30's (pre antibiotic era) and his notebook listed over a dozen signs of impending death- our students are learning how to break bad news. I guess there has been a lot of changes in medicine.

American College of Surgeons- New Orleans, LA

7-10 October 2007-

Wedding in Indianapolis

6 October 2007- Saturday

Athens to USA

25 September 2007- Tuesday

Flight- Rhodes to Athens

24 Monday 2007- Monday

Acropolis at Lindos

23 September 2007- Sunday

Rhodes, Acropolis, Old Town, Knight's Palace

22 September 2007- Saturday

Ferry to Rhodes

21 September 2007- Friday

Ferry to Rhodes

21 September 2007- Friday

Excursion to Hallicarnasus and Bodrum

20 September 2007- Thursday

Excursion to Patmos

19 September 2007- Wednesday

Kos and the Asklepion

18 September 2007- Tuesday

Ferry to Kos

17 September 2007- Monday

Kusadasi, Turkey and Ephesus Excursion

16 September 2007- Sunday

Museums, Mitilinoi, Eypalinous Tunnel

15 September 2007- Saturday

Ferry Arrival in Vathi- port of Samos

14 September 2007- Friday

National Archeologic Museum, Athens

13 September 2007- Thursday

archaic area of Kouri (statues which mimic Egyptian in that one foot forward and limited anatomic detail) then the unfolding of the classical Greek period with great detail of expression, etc. He turned us loose after some funerary stela and the bronzes like the boy on a horse- actually 2 (Mr V also staes he wasnGseparte finds put together- Only one place we couldn't photograph at all was a restoration of a bigger than life woman with a great expression completely enveloped with a pleated gown. Geore gave us 30 minutes to do what we wanted. I zoomed over to a visiting exhibition on the sculpture Praxiteles-with item from Vatican, Louvre and several other museums. Mostly photos of sculptures and photos of description- will read them later- another 10 minutes to the wing with the statues of the god of medicine -Aesculapius- with votive statues etc, then 10 minutes to work my way out of the museum and punctual at entrance to museum, but no one else there- 5 minutes of worry and then back into the museum to the gift shop and there is everyone including
George. I guess we were on Greek time.
Back to hotel for lunch but I walk 3 blocks to a post office to get postcard stamps. it is the only place to buy stamps unlike France where you can usually get them everywhere they sell pc. Goode lunch bags out by 11 and backpacks in storage- and then 2 hours more of our friend from Indiana- any other speaker would have lost his audience, but this guy is so goodit was not a problem- but he ran out of time and didn't cover religion which I was looking forward to,
Bus on time at 4pm and half hour drive to Piraeus the port of Athens. Large ferry boat belching diesel fumes and a huge steep staircase to climb glad to see everyone made it to reception where George did his room switches so that the large people did not have to climb into upper bunks- finally got my closet (room) inside, no windows- I didn't like it but it's just overnight. Ship leaves on time at 5pm and dinner at 7 consisting of shredded cabbage salad, spaghetti with meat sauce and canned peach halves- Unpleasant incidence with 84 yo Lithuanian who I found fuming at reception while I was inspecting the ship and he stated George had not assigned him a room and the receptionist wouldn't give him a room without George's permission. (George is unloading the bags from the bus). Mr V also states he wasn't picked up at the airport and had to take a cab to the hotel-(an eye witness said she saw the guy with the sign at the airport but Mr V missed it). Lots of shooting in Greek and Lithuanian accents and then calm returned to the dining room.
To the "closet" after dinner and watched one episode of Rome- Tom McGlone's B'day gift- as the ship began to pitch and roll.

Acropolis, Athens

12 September 2007- Wednesday

Athens- Welcome

11 September 2007- Tuesday

USA - Athens, Greece

10 September 2007- Monday

Paris to USA

18 August 2007- Saturday

Normandy- Giverny- Paris

17 August 2007- Friday

Normandy Beaches

16 August 2007

Blois- Mont St. Michel- Normandy

15 August 2007- Wednesday

Chateaux of the Loire Valley

14 August 2007- Tuesday

Bordeaux- Cognac- Blois

13 August 2007- Monday

Bordeaux

12 August 2007- Sunday

Carcassone - Lourdes- Bordeaux

11 August 2007- Saturday

Carcassone - Albi

10 August 2007- Friday

Nice to Nimes to Carcassone

9 August 2007- Thursday

Nice, France

8 August 2007- Wednesday

Avignon to Nice

7 August 2007- Tuesday

TGV Train- Paris to Avignon

6 August 2007- Monday

Paris- Chartres and Versailles

5 August 2007- Sunday

Paris- Les Invalides

4 August 2007- Saturday

Arrive Paris- Double deck bus tour

3 August 2007- Friday

GET- Grand Tour of France

2 August 2007

GCT River Cruise- Bucharest to Budapest

20 June 2007-
Canceled trip.

Road Trip to Kentucky

16 June 2007 Saturday

Assoc Surg Education/ Program Directors Surgery

Capitol Hyatt, Washington DC
11 April 2007- Tuesday through Sunday

LAX to CVG to Dayton to Washington, DC

Port Moresby, PNG to Brisbane, Australia to LAX

8 April 2007- Sunday

Karawari Lodge to Mt Hagen to Port Moresby, PNG

7 April 2007- Saturday

Sepik Spirit to Karawari Lodge PNG

6 April 2007- Friday

Sepik Spirit, PNG

5 April 2007 Thursday

Sepik Spirit, PNG

4 April 2007- Wednesday

Sepik Spirit, PNG

3 April 2007- Tuesday

Ambua Lodge, Tari to Timbunke, Sepik River, PNG

2 April 2007- Monday

Ambua Lodge, Tari, PNG

1 April 2007- Sunday

Ambua Lodge, Tari, PNG

31 March 2007- Saturday

Ambua Lodge, Tari

30 March 2007 Friday

Mt Hagen, PNG to Ambua Lodge (Tari)

29 March 2007- Thursday

Mt Hagen, PNG

28 March 2007- Wednesday

Madang to Port Moreby to Mt Hagen, PNG

27 March 2007- Tuesday

Madang, PNG

26 March 2007- Monday

Madang, PNG

25 March 2007- Sunday

Madang, PNG

24 March 2007 Saturday

Brisbane to Port Morsbey, PNG to Madang

23 March 2007 Friday (lost a day crossing the International Dateline)

Flight to LAX then on to Brisbane, Australia

21 March 2007 Wednesday

Return to USA

17 February 2007 Saturday

Merida to Cancun

16 February 2007 Friday

Merida

15 February 2007 Thursday

Merida

14 February 2007 Wednesday

Palenque to Merida

13 February 2007 Tuesday

Palenque

12 February 2007 Monday
Lincoln's Birthday

San Cristobal to Palenque

11 February 2007 Sunday

San Cristobal

10 February 2007 Saturday

Oaxaca to San Cristobal

9 February 2007 Friday

Oaxaca

8 February 2007 Thursday

Oaxaca-

7 February 2007 Wednesday

Mexico City to Oaxaca

6 February 2007 Tuesday

Depart USA / Arrive Mexico City

5 February 2007 Monday