Tel Aviv - October 2010

I took a taxi to my beautiful hotel - here's a view. I went to my favorite cafe for dinner then back for an early evening.

Day 22 - October 7

Today's a relaxing beach day. The weather was perfect, but a few hours in the afternoon sun were enough.

My favorite building near the beach.

Day 23 - October 8

I started at the antique market.

But first I stopped at a pharmacy - the cold I got from my friend Julie was affecting my sinuses. The pharmacist was no help, and he couldn't even recommend a doctor. The second pharmacy was much better, where since I didn't have a prescription, he recommended a holistic remedy - oil of oregano and a mystery solution. I'm still alive and feel better, so it must have worked.

Then I went to the more popular Carmel Market. It was super crowded with everyone getting ready for the sabbath. I bought a bagel and lemonade.

I walked up and down, but left empty handed.

I heard thunder so headed back to my hotel.

I walked to the old town of Jaffa in the afternoon, visiting familiar sites. I went to a favorite restaurant, and had the fantastic hummus I remembered from my last visit.

I then went to the flea market and local bazaar.

Finally I took photos at the old port before walking miles home.

Doors in the Old Jaffa Port.

Flags on the beach.

Sunset was a 5:15 pm - very early. Dinner was Mexican - not much open on Friday night. It was good, with pita bread for the taco.

I had a great lemonade with mint from this stand.

Masada and the Dead Sea - October 2010

On my final day in Israel I took a tour to Masada and the Dead Sea. I think that's a camel above, taken from the bus.

You could either walk up the snake trail, or take the tram. We took the tram for the three minute climb.

Here I am, in Masada, where King Herod built another of his fortresses. This one on the top of a mountain overlooking the Dead Sea.

Look for the black lines on the ruins. Everything below the line was original, surviving many earthquakes and battles.

Here's a view of the Dead Sea, with Jordan in the background.

And here I am floating. You walk in and sit down and float. Safe even if you can't swim. The water was super salty, over 30% salt. It was very oily too. But my skin didn't peel off from all the chemicals in the water.

Here's sunset over the Dead Sea. My last day in Israel. Tomorrow I'm off to London to visit my good friends Ann and Norman.

Trans-Canada Tour - Banff Sept 2010

Our train ride from Vancouver started late on August 29, so we had the entire day to kill. As we walked around Vancouver we saw a huge tent in the distance. As we got closer and the crowds grew, to our surprise it was Cirque du Soliel - Kooza. We got fantastic seats and saw another amazing Cirque show.

This is the first Cirque show I've seen in a tent.

The sleeper cabin on the train was tiny - bunk beds and a small toilet. We spent most of our time in the glass domed car.

As we started entering the Canadian Rockies the views got more magnificent.

Here's the train we took for the first leg of our trip, from Vancouver to Jasper. We rented a car and drove four hours to Banff. Since it was late, we didn't stop for any sightseeing on the way. We're saving that for our last day in Banff and the ride back to Jasper.

Day one was a tour of Banff.

You must know by now that I'm a sucker for beautiful flower arrangements. Even with the short growing season, they manage to display amazing colors.

The most magnificent hotel I've ever stayed in is the Banff Springs Hotel. I stayed there in 1980, while attending an actuarial convention. During that trip, I was very adventuresome and climbed out on the roof. This trip we're staying at a condo in Canmore, about 15 minutes south, with our good friends Julie and Amelia. They arrived later then us, and Julie was sicker than a dog. Amelia caught the illness the next few days, and I'm starting to feel bad myself.

The main reason for visiting Banff National Parq is to see the wildlife. Above is the only example we saw the first day. Pretty scary, eh!

This is a view of the main street in Banff with the towering mountains in the background.

One of the hundreds of flower pictures I took.

I had three guesses for the last mystery photo. The winner was my cousin Naomi - it was the side of a wooden boat. The other guesses were very close. Above is today's mystery picture. Submit you entries for a chance at a fabulous prize (TBD). Creativity in you response will definitely help.

Day two took us to Lake Louise, about an hour north. Here are some canoes sitting on the water waiting for some sailors to chance the freezing weather - it was in the 40s.

Here's a view across Lake Louise. It was a little disappointing. I expected a huge lake and a hotel similar to Banff Springs. The hotel was large, but more like a modern Disney hotel.

On the way back, we had to stop in Banff because a warning light was on in the rental car. As we pulled off the main highway we were greeted by three young male white tailed deer. We parked the car and they got withing five feet of the car, allowing for amazing photos.

On day three we took the gondola to the top of of Sulphur Mountain. The vista was amazing. The picture above captures Banff far below.

Here's the gondola on the way down.

One of the few shots of camera shy Eric and Julie.

A repeat visit to the flower gardens on the outskirts of Banff.

A view from behind the Banff Springs Hotel.

Late in the afternoon we took a winding road up another mountain and encountered seven wild mountain goats. Our goal before leaving is to see some bears.

Another beautiful vista.

I hope you enjoyed part two of the Trans-Canada Tour. Tomorrow we ride back to Jasper, and hopefully see lots of wildlife. Then we're on the train to Winnipeg. Bye for now.

Trans-Canada Tour - Vancouver Aug 2010

This is the first posting of our Trans-Canadian train trip.

It was a long flight from Orlando to Vancouver, with stops in Miami and Dallas. Those extra frequent flier miles keep adding up.

Vancouver is a very modern city, with many glass high rises like the one pictured above. We were surprised at how large the city was.

The next morning we rented bikes and toured Stanley Park. After an hour and fifteen minutes, the clouds opened up and we were drenched. There was no rain in the forecast and our rain gear was back in the hotel, of course.

Here's a view during our ride around Stanley Park.

Vancouver, like most cities in the northwest, have hundreds of beautiful hanging baskets. The weather was nice and cool, a big change from our hot humid Florida weather.

The following day we took a seabus (ferry) to N. Vancouver. There was a nice indoor market, but not much else to do there. It was mainly a residential community. There was a gondola to the top of a mountain, but we're saving that for Banff.

Here's a view of Vancouver on our seabus ride back.

Next stop was Granville Island, a tourist community under the Granville Bridge. Many people were renting kayaks - seen with a reflection above.

Here's another mystery photo. As usual, the person who guesses what this is wins a prize. The last contest was won by Julie Mackinson - who almost guessed the correct answer. She also was the only one to submit an entry.

Another beautiful arrangement on Granville Island.

A view of False Creek.

The food, as usual, is one of the highlights of our trip.

Fresh produce at the Granville Market.

Our restaurant was directly under the Granville Bridge. While we were eating I saw something fall from the bridge. It turned out to be a person jumping off. Luckily he survived and was rescued by the police. That was very bizarre.

What to do with your bike when you no longer go riding.

Our final stop in Vancouver was Chinatown. What a disappointment! We went for dinner, and the two best restaurants were closed for private parties. We strayed one block to the left and were accosted by derelicts - not a great neighborhood. We finally found a restaurant and then went to the small night market - nothing like the ones in Asia.

Tomorrow afternoon we will wander the rest of the city, and then board the train for our ride through the Canadian Rockies on our way to Jasper.