London Heathrow

I was lucky not to arrive at the new Terminal Five - a luggage disaster. But Terminal Four was not much better. There were no busses to my hotel, so I had to take a train to Terminal Two and then find the hotel bus.

It is now Tuesday and I'm waiting for my American flight to Miami and Orlando.

The first half of my trip is almost over, and I'm glad I recorded it on this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading it and seeing the photos when I post them.

Tel Aviv

I arrived in Tel Aviv at 6 or 7am - who knows - less than three hours sleep on the flight from Barcelona. Luckily my hotel had a room early, so I slept until 11am. I then walked along the beach, only one block from my hotel. I bought a phone card, got cash and a few groceries. Most shops close at 3pm on Friday for the Sabbath. It was even difficult to find a restaurant for dinner.

On Saturday I was going to take a bus tour - but there were no busses, not even public ones. So I walked to old Jaffo, over 4 miles, only to find my favorite restaurant (and waiter) closed. And now, I had to walk the four miles back to my hotel. I was going to stop at the Carmel Market, but figured that would be closed too. There were lots of people on the beach and on the boardwalk. There was one group of people doing traditional Israeli dances (only one gay couple participating).

On Sunday I took an all day tour to northern Israel. We started in Caesarea, the ancient Roman Capital and port. We walked through the archaeological ruins and excavations and sat in the theatre. We continued to Haifa, a very modern city high on a hill. We visited the Bahai garden and viewed the Haifa port. The next stop was Acre, the Crusader underground city and crypt. We then drove to Rosh Hanikra to visit the limestone grottos. We were lucky, because the sea was rough and there was a lot of wave action in the caves.

Sara - DO NOT READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH.

On exiting the tiny cable car from the grotto, we turned left and were at the border to Lebanon. Of course, the border is closed now, but I was 20 yards from Lebanon.

On Monday I visited the shopping center, looking for another cycling shirt. I then visited Carmel market and got lots of interesting photos - which will be posted in a few days. On the walk back to my hotel, I purchased an interesting metal sculpture - a multi-colored cyclist. I bought this instead of the shirt.

I left the hotel and make my way to the airport for my long journey home - via London and Miami.

Barcelona

Well I made it to Barcelona, bad back and all, and I have two days to do three days worth of sightseeing. No problemo. The Axel Hotel is in a great location, very near the University of Barcelona. Before setting out, I went for some tapas, which is really a great idea - we need more tapas restaurants in the US.

My first stop was the Museum of Art, high on a hill. I then visited the Olympic Center, where there wasn't that much to see. In the evening I went to see Mamma Mia in Spanish. I was going to the ticket office and someone told me they had an extra seat. I was 10th row center and paid less than face value. What a bargain. The show was just as good as on Broadway or the West End, except it was all in Spanish, even the songs. I loved it anyway.

Day two started early with the Dali Museum. I then walked to the Gothic Quarter and visited the Barcelona Cathedral. I then walked through the midieval section of town to Port Vell. The weather was great and I enjoyed the walk.

Lunch was tapas and paella - a must in Barcelona. One order was more than enough for two. I then walked through the Rambla - a wide pedestian street. The Market was very colorful, with candy, fruits, vegetables, meats and fish for sale. Back on the Rambla I could have bought any type of pet imaginable, but had no way to take it home.

That evening I met my cousin Naomi and her granddaughter Jasmine. We walked the Rambla again before I left at 9pm for my 12:15am flight to Tel Aviv.

Platja d'Aro (north of Barcelona)

I spent four interesting days with my friend Robert in Platja d'Aro. I took a train from Sitges to Platja d'Aro and Robert picked me up at the station. His house is amazing, with a fantastic view of the Mediterranean Sea from high on the mountain. His sister lives with him, but she speaks only French, so we could not really communicate. And their two dogs, Ona and Poppers were very friendly.

The first day was rainy, but we ventured into the resort town for lunch. On the second day we went to two midieval villages - Pals and Peratallada. Both different, but interesting. On the way back I purchased some interesting kitchen utensils, that you can't find in the US. The weather was great in the morning, sunny and in the 50s. That evening Robert and I went to a local restaurant and had a paella type dish, made with pasta. I forgot what it was called.

Day three we went to Girona, and visited the old Jewish quarters. The rest of Girona is just a city. The bridge pictured was designed by Eiffel, of the Paris Tower. I spent the afternoon reading. Robert made typical French dinner, and I'm waiting for the recipe to treat my friends.

The next day I was supposed to go to Barcelona, but I pulled a muscle in my back and could hardly move. Robert was kind enough to let me stay one more day. He took me to the train the next day and I made it to the Axel Hotel in Barcelona.

Sitges - Spain

Since I had two extra days - having left Cairo early - I made my way to Sitges, which is just south of Barcelona. Eric and I visiting there a few years ago and had a great time.

The train from the airport was free - maybe because its a holiday week here. By the way, Happy Easter and Passover to all. The weather was pretty cool, but the sun was out for two days. I walked miles along the beach. The most difficult adjustment when visiting Spain is waiting until after 9pm for dinner. But the food was worth waiting for - great paella and Spanish wine.

There´s lots of shopping in Sitges, but with the euro costing $1.57, there were absolutely no bargains. So I wandered up and down the narrow streets, just window shopping and people watching.

Today I left Sitges and am visiting my friend Roberto, about an hour north of Barcelona. I´ll tell you about my visit in a few days. Today its raining and I didn´t get to see much of the town. His house is amazing - high on a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean. Hope the sun is out tomorrow so I can get some amazing pictures.

See the Pyramids Across the Nile

Well I've spent three days in Cairo. I'm glad I came but even more glad to be leaving tonight.

I had a guide for the three days, which made getting around and seeing everything much easier.

On the first day, I had some trouble contacting my guide - he had his cell phone off (sounds like someone I know). So I wandered around the area near the hotel. The Nile Hilton is right on the Nile River. I expected much more river traffic, but only small boats can navigate this portion. Finally I reached my guide and he took me to the old part of Cairo. We stopped for something to drink, and I had a warm milk, coconut, nut concoction. It wasn't that bad, but not as good as a gin and tonic.

The traffic in Cairo is horrible. Pedestians have no right of way. There aren't even any crosswalks. You just walk between the cars across 6 or 8 lanes, and pray. By the third day I became a pro.

There were many stores and street vendors in the old city trying to sell me everything I don't need. Adel, my guide, told me just to ignore everyone. We stopped at a local restaurant for an Egyptian lunch, which for me was chicken soup and roasted chicken. We then went back to the hotel, since he had a class at 5pm. That evening I stayed in the hotel, not really willing to face the Cairo traffic alone at night.

On day 2 we headed for the Pyramids in the morning. What an impressive sight. It reminded me of the first time I saw the Grand Canyon or Machu Picchu. (I know I've said this before, but pictures will be uploaded eventually.) There are three large pyramids and a few smaller. A lot of the stone facing has been destroyed over the years, but you can still climb up a way, which I did.

We then headed for the Sphinx, which was also very impressive. I think I have about 100 photos of both. I wish the sky was a little clearer, but smog is a major problem here. We then went to town for a Pizza Hut lunch. I won't even eat there in the USA.

Adel left for class, and I was supposed to go to the Egyptian Museum in the afternoon. However, I wanted to change my flight, leaving Cairo two days early. This became a major problem, since Iberia does not fly from Cairo to Barcelona any more. I only had one flight coupon, so I was told I could only get to Madrid. Well after two hours, I convinced Iberia to reissue that flight coupon. I think they just didn't want to do any work.

We did get back together and visited the oldest university in the world (according to Adel). It is also a mosque and beautiful inside. We then went to the old Jewish section of Cairo (of course the only Jews there now are the tourists). The streets were packed with vendors and gift shops, and millions of tourists. There was nothing I needed to buy, so we took some time and had mint tea and watched the people.

Well that killed the afternoon. I went to the hotel pool and read for a while, before a nice fish dinner in the hotel.

Day 3 we went to the Citadel, and visited a few mosques there. Each one was very different, but all full of tourists. By the way, the admission to most of the sites was about 50 Egyptian pounds, or $10, the locals pay 2 Egyptian pounds, or a quarter.

In the afternoon we went to Nasr City, to a large modern shopping mall - one of the nicest I've ever been to. The prices were outrageous though, a t-shirt for $40. We then returned to the hotel.

In the afternoon, I visited the Egyptian Museum. They might complain that a lot of their artifacts have been stolen by other countries, but they had more than enough for many hours of viewing. Mummies - humans and animals, sarcaphagus, coffins, jewelry, and the best was the King Tutankhamun exhibit. The amount of gold in his tomb was amazing. He had about 20 gold necklaces and at least 15 rings. Then the famous gold mask covering his head. That´s so his spirit can recognize his body when he comes back to visit.

Back at the hotel for another 5 hours, I sat by the pool, prepared this post, had dinner and left for the airport at 9:00pm. Needless to say, the traffic was bumper to bumper for miles, but I got there in time.

I'm glad I visited Cairo, and I will be glad when I get to Spain. I know my cousin Sara will also be glad I'm leaving Egypt.

London Theatre

I'm staying right in the heart of the Theatre District in London. I'm renting a room in a flat, which is like being in the middle of Times Square in NYC. The noise is loud at night, but I could not have picked a better location.

I arrived Thursday morning, after a long flight from Rio. At least I slept most of the way. I took the Underground to Leicester Square and walked to the flat. I then went to see what shows were available.

But before the theatre, I must have crispy duck in China town, only two blocks from the flat. It was excellent.

In the afternoon I saw The History Boys - not at all like The Jersey Boys (which is also playing here). Front row seat, what more could I ask. The History Boys is about a nonconventional way of teaching a high school class on how to get into Oxford or Cambridge. I missed some of the English humor, but it was an excellent play.

For dinner, I opted for Indian food, which I hear is now the national dish in the UK.

That evening I saw Monty Python's Spamalot. What a fun show - eighth row center. I was going to see it in Orlando, but I hate the theater there - too large. Most of the West End theatres are small and intimate. I had a one block walk back to the flat.

On Friday I again went to the TKTS booth and got a matinee ticket for Chicago and an evening ticket for The Lord of the Rings. I've seen Chicago before, but it was interesting hearing a Brit trying a Chicago accent. This time I was only in the second row. All the actors were beautiful, which is one of the reasons I really like Chicago.

Lunch was my crispy duck again.

The best show of all was the musical of Lord of the Rings. The stage and costumes reminded me of a Cirque du Soleil production. It was a three hour show, which was needed to tell the full story. The stage revolved and went up and down in about 20 sections. Things were constantly happening, with the actors on stage and in the audience even before the show started. The Orcs came out into the audience during the second intermission, and scared many people. I don't know if this will every make it to Broadway, but if it does, a definite must.

Since I only had 30 minutes between the shows, dinner waited until after Lord of the Rings. Then I wandered around Soho until well after midnight.

Today I went to get a matinee ticket, but there was nothing I really wanted to see, so I'll wander around London until this evening, when I'm going to visit my good friends - Ann and Norman Shuker. Then tomorrow, I'm off to Cairo.