March in EQUADOR AND THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

It's March 1st, and off we go to Equatorial regions.  Artisans of Leisure has helped us plan a 2 week visit to Equador. People have told us we absolutely should not miss the Galapagos, so we plotted to get there.

We met in Atlanta to catch our  Delta flight at 6pm on the 1st. It was a great flight with really nice food and good movies! We arrived at the Quito , Equador airport at 11:30 pm. Quito was settled by the Spaniards in the 16th Century, and many of its buildings date from that era. It is nestled high in the Andes Mountains and the elevation is about 9,400 feet. Population 2.4 million.......Quito was declared the first World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978 because it boasts the largest expanse of
original Spanish Colonial Architecture in all of the Americas.

This morning, the 2nd, we are recovering from the late night and will meet Xavier, our guide,  to take a walking tour of the old town this afternoon.  We are in a beautiful old hotel called Casa Gangotena.
After centuries of indigenous people living in this area, the Incas came in the late 15th Century.
In 1534, the Spanish came , conquered, and built up a town here. The earliest major church is San Francisco, and the Gangotena family built a stately home just next to the church. Our room overlooks the plaza and the entrance to the church.

Facade of Church of San Francisco

Our tour with Xavier started at the top of a hill in town where the people erected a huge statue of
a virgin angel. She is a metal sculpture and represents the Angel of the Apocalypse .

We walked around the old town and visited an amazing Baroque Jesuite Church, La Compania de Jesus...  It is known as one of the most beautiful Churches in Latin America, and is more elaborate than most we have seen anywhere!

Outside La Campania 

Dinner was at ZaZu, a well known Peruvian restaurant in town. Dinner was acceptable, but nothing special.

Friday, March 3rd was a Banner Day in Quito. In the morning, our guide , Javier, took us on a 40 minute drive outside of town to see the place where the Equator is actually marked. There was a bit of a museum there.

We also saw the farmlands that exist inside the rim of a huge volcanic crater. If that crater erupts, a lot of farms will be toast!!

The we went to see the home and museum of a famous Ecuadorian painter named Oswaldo Guayasamin. He was a great painter and great collector of Pre Columbian art and also art from the Spanish Colonial period.  His house is now a museum.

Inside the artists studio

Lunch was at URKO Cucina Local..... a 4 course meal and all ingredients are local. It was Beautiful and delicious!!!

The kitchen at URKO

After Lunch we drove to the TelepheriQue to ride up the mountain to the ridge to admire the town below and the 7 volcanic mountains that surround the city. 15,000 feet and the air was thin!

We are overlooking the farms that have established themselves inside an old volcanic crater. This is the one we hope never becomes active again.........

The city below us as we ascended the mountain

Quito from the top of the volcanic mountain

They had an Oxygen bar at the top for those who were giddy. We both tried it. I didn't notice any effect.....

Dinner later was at Gloria. Tuna tartare and Grilled octopus ( both yummy) followed by
Prawns in a saffron sauce for both of us. We celebrated Rays retirement from his 40 year career
with Champagne and candles on the chocolate pistachio torte that was dessert. He was very pleased to be feted......

Tomorrow morning we head to the Ocean Spray catamaran to tour the Galapagos Islands.

Our visit to the Galapagos began on Saturday, March 4th. We flew to the Island of Baltra, and were met by an Ocean Spray Crew member  and were transported to our large Catamaran cruise boat
in time for a late lunch and as soon as we settled in, we departed for our first wildlife exploration .
We landed on the nearby Island of North Seymour and were immediately surrounded by wildlife of all sorts. It was stunning and amazing!

Our Cabin on the "Ocean Spray"

All 8 cabins on board had a private balcony

Our first Land Iguana on North Seymour Island.....Over several days, we saw many of these guys.

On North Seymour we saw many male frigate birds displaying their red throat, as it was mating season. Very impressive dudes!

The Blue Footed Boobie is abundant here. Their feet get the blue color due to their diet of krill. There are other species of boobies, some with red feet.

A cluster of male frigates advertising their wares. Hoping to attract a worthy female......

2 gulls getting ready to mate right in front of all of us. The female did a lot of squawking all through the process. Never saw that before.

Waiting for the panga to pick us up to return to the boat.

One of our first sea lions. They are great swimmers!

On day 2, Sunday, we cruised to the Island of ISABELLA. It's the largest island and shaped like a seahorse with 5 major volcanoes. Our first destination was Punta Vincente Roca, at the Northwestern end of the island, at the mouth of the seahorse. In the morning, we took a panga ( zodiac) ride to view the small Galapagos penguins, cormorants , and sea turtles. Oh yes and the sea lions. WE had our first snorkeling experience in a bay there and the water was clear with tons of fish to look at.
After lunch, we landed at FERNANDINA  Island, Punta Espinoza. We hiked over volcanic lava and
along a beach with coarse sand and rocks. More sea lions and lots of marine iguanas basking in the sun.
Over the next few days we stopped at a variety of spots:
Tagus Cove on Isabella
Urbana Bay , Isabella
Elizabeth Bay, Isabella
Moreno Point for a snorkel
Santa Cruze Island ...  The town of Puerto Ayora

We saw a variety of landscapes, and many creatures on land and in the sea. Here are some of my favorite photos

The point on Isabella

Sea Lions getting ready to hunt for fish

A Group of Marine Iguanas basking together in the sun

A Marine Iguana close up. They are herbivores like Land Iguanas, but they eat plants in the sea.

The surface of this island is volcanic rock. Very bleak.

These Lightfoot Crabs are found on sea drenched rocks everywhere.

A galapagos map showing the places we stopped.

High  above Tangus Cove on an early morning hike.

A sea turtle emerging after morning rain at Elizabeth Bay.

Ray captured 2 big guys in conversation

This area on Isabella is full of mangroves. This shot shows the family from Atlanta in their panga with our naturalist guide, Javier.

Another part of the island is a lava field. Ray went on this walk and shot this . I chose to be lazy that afternoon.

On that same walk they came to this. Just goes to show the amazing diversity on Isabella.

Where lava meets the sea.

Our final day was a stop on the Island of SANTA CRUZ. The largest town in the islands is on the South shore.
Sea lions bask on the benches and all around the dock all day long. People just walk around them.

The harbor at Santa Cruz. These are taxis.....

The preserved body of a tortoise called "Lonesome George" by the locals. HE was the last of his species, and he died in 2012 at a very advanced age.

After spending a day on Santa Cruz, we headed back to the Baltra airport for our flight to the mainland and Quito.  The food and service on the Ocean Spray were both divine, and we recommend them. We met our guide Xavier in Quito to continue our journey.

Our new driver, Antonio, and drove us through the mountains and through a bunch of small towns to our next destination: a hacienda called Zuleta.  Its the old family home of a former president of Equador and his family.  The property  has been passed down the generations and is now managed by one of the great grandsons. It is a huge working farm with 120 employees. Part of the operation is the guest rooms and traditional dining room serving old Ecuadorian recipes.

                                                      The back lawn of Casa Zuleta

One of our activities was a ride down the cobblestone path to visit the condors they keep in captivity, for rescue and for breeding purposes. This is our view form horseback. The mound in the pasture is the buried ruins of an ancient Inca
pyramid.

It was great to be on horses. It has been way too long! They have about 60 horses. Also Cows , sheep, Alpacas, and a significant artisanal cheese operation. They sell their cheese all over Equador.

What a delicious property nestled in the Andes!!Amazing shades of green!

2 of the 4 CONDORS they currently have on the property.

We checked out the expansive gardens on the property. All sorts of produce and herbs are cultivated here. Due to the climate, they can grow it all year round. Here I am in the gardens with our great guide, Xavier. He lives with his wife and 2 sons in Quito.

Hand embroidery is a cottage industry here. We bought a few things at this shop.

This friendly guy was sitting on the side of the road. Looked like he was waiting for a ride. 

The master photographer at work.........

A framed sample of local embroidery in our room at Zuleta

We visited a street market in Otavolo on Saturday, the 11th.

These guys are selling leeks

She's displaying her guavas

These ladies were eating lunch while selling their produce

Xavier took us to Hacienda del Compania de Jesus for lunch... The family that owns the place was there to host us.

The historic chapel on the property. This is an old Franciscan chapel.

The family owns a large rose growing operation and these are a sample of what they sell. We visited the greenhouses after lunch.

Zavier in the greenhouse

Saturday night we were back in Quito at the Casa Guangutena for a one night stay. We had dinner that evening at ORKU Cochina Locale because we liked our previous lunch there so well.

Sunday morning we flew from Quito to Coca and traveled down the Napo River to board our boat, the ANOKANDA,
to explore the Amazon River Basin.

Our first sunset on the Napo

That first evening after dinner on the boat, we put on our bug repellent and went for a jungle walk to experience night there. We all had little flashlights and our guide, Aval ( who grew up in this region)
really knew how to spot stuff.

A young Rainbow Boa. As adults , they are apparently much bigger. Yikes!

A really cute nocturnal tree frog.

This tarantula was hiding in his hole. Aval went fishing for him with an unfortunate cricket on the end of a fishing line.
The spider bit and Aval pulled him out of the hole for us all to see. WOW! Big hairy dude!

Our group of 8 passengers on the motorized Canoe on Monday morning. We are heading to a tributary of the Napo for a beautiful wildlife watching cruise to Panacocha Lake. Following are a few of the creatures we spotted.

A pair of  Amazon Turkeys

Orange Howler Monkey. They make a riotous noise.

Near the lake we landed at a lodge with a wonderful enclosed patio. The crew was ready for us with a barbecue lunch.

Happy Campers

After lunch there were water activities. This kyak ride was cut short by the boiling hot sun.

Later that afternoon, we returned to our river boat for a dinner and a quiet evening 

Tuesday morning we got up early to motor over to the local Parrot Licks....... they start their day taking in the minerals from the rocky river bank.

Nearby Aval spotted some Amazon Spoonbill Flamingos feeding in the shallows.

Next up was a visit to a local community..... special because it is run by women and an exercise in Sustainability.
Called "Sami Isla".... A few of the ladies greet our group.

We toured the gardens and learned how they harvest yucca, hearts of palm, and chocolate.

The building that houses the kitchen and the community rooms.

They cook and eat everything they grow, and fish they raise in ponds and catch in the river.

Sampling the specialties with the Spanish couple from our boat, Ramone and Anna.

Boll Weevel larvae..... they grill them on a skewer. Good protein. 

Aval proved that they are good raw! He ate them that way as a kid in a remote Napo River village.

And if that wasn't enough, there was a HOT afternoon climb to the top of a viewing platform to look over the jungle from above. I sat that one out but Ray was game.

our group on top of the jungle........

The following morning, Wed the 15th , we took the motorboat back to Coca town and flew back to Quito. Xavier and Antonio met us and drove with us to the HACIENDA SAN AUGUSTIN de CALLO.

The central courtyard at the Hacienda St Augustin de Callo. This is a very historic place. First constructed in the 15th century by the INCAS as a fort and later used as a monastery by the Augustine monks. Purchased by a family in the early 20th century, it has been converted to a wonderful hotel for visitors to get a feeling of upper class life in this country. The downside was no central heating. Fireplaces and wood stoves are it. They use a mash made of ashes and diesel fuel to 
ignite the wood . Smelly and not very healthy. But we needed to take the chill off the High Andes air.

The entrance to the living room. The stone wall is part of the original Inca structure. They were amazing builders. These stones are aligned so perfectly, no mortar is used to hold this and other walls in the building together. The dining room
nearby is completely this structure on all 4 walls. A wonder!

The hacienda kitchen. The food was delicious!

The bathroom in our suite

The Incas built right in the shadow of the great COTOPAXI volcano. This was photographed from the window in the Hacienda Living room. At dusk.

An early morning view of the volcano. It is often surrounded by clouds. This is an ACTIVE VOLCANO by the way. the last time it blew was 2015. Ashes everywhere, but no lava flow..... that time. 

This beautiful painting is a portrait of the current owner of the hacienda, Mignone, by the famous Ecuadorian painter, Guayasamin. We visited his studio back in Quito.

Hacienda Living room. The painting of Mignone is on the left wall.

Ray and Paula, the hacienda manager, feeding carrots to the lamas in the courtyard. They were invited in just for the treat. They live in a pasture on the property.

On Thursday, we visited an indigenous market..... local people only. Tourists don't usually find this one.

Ray and Xavier in their lama chaps ready to go riding around the hacienda.

Friday morning we went to a huge park at the base of the Cotopaxi Volcano and took a walk around a lagoon there. Lunch in a mountainside restaurant at the base of a lot of hiking trails.
We were at over 12,000 feet elevation and the air was thin. The top of the volcano rose
about 8,000 feet above us, to 20,000 feet above sea level.
the photo above is the lagoon formed by melted glacier from the top of the volcano.

This is a building near the mountain restaurant..... we stopped there for a simple lunch
on Friday.


Later in the afternoon, Xavier and Antonio dropped us off at the Wyndham Hotel at the Quito Airport 
where we spent a few hours before taking our Delta flight back home. We departed Quito at 11:30pm and arrived JFK at around 10 am on Saturday, with a stop in Atlanta.
Highlights of the trip for us were the amazing variety of experiences this small country ( about the size of the state of Georgia) provides, the friendly people, good food, and wonderful guide, Xavier. He was one of the very best we've had so far. 

Adios Equador!!!!!

THE 2017 JAZZ CRUISE

We needed a Winter Getaway with our favorite music. This is perfect.
My Brother , Craig, his wife Bridget, and I are taking our mom, Evelyn, 89 years young,
to sea!

Departure is Saturday , Jan 27th, from Ft Lauderdale, FL..... The ship is the Celebrity Summit. To see a total list of all the bands playing for us, simply google the Jazz Cruise, get the right departure date, and you'll see the list.

Boarding the ship was a bit complicated, as everybody came at about the same time. But after boarding and surviving the safety drill, we started to unwind.

Saturday evening was the first "All Star" show in a huge theater. We sat right by the bar ( smart) and got a preview of coming attractions. Then a nice dinner in the main restaurant.

Opening night concert was a showcase of bands to come. In this photo, Eliane Elias is at the piano. We had to take photos with our iPhones as we didn't have Ray with us.

After dinner, we found the Rendezvous Lounge... a venue that seats about 200 people, and listened to a lovely French vocalist names Cyrill Aimee, and her band. She was great, and she was followed by the Jeff Hamilton Trio. He's the drummer, Tamir Hendelman is the pianist, and Christoph Luty is on bass. they were fabulous... absolutely top notch. Great arrangements of every song. Cant wait to see them again.

Sunday we docked at Key West, which is usually a lovely tropical place, but that day there was a storm. Rain, wind, chilly. We went to town for a very short tour
and Ev and I made a beeline back to the ship and dryness. Craig and Bridget braved it and found the Key Lime Pie shop. They brought some back and it was Fabulous!!!!

Enjoying the "Beautiful" weather on Key West....and sampling local specialities, Conch fritters and stew.

Afternoon found us resting up from all the travel, and Sunday evening, I went to
see Clint Holmes and his band in the Revelations room. Its a big venue on the bow of the ship at the very top. He is GREAT! Also saw part of Eliane Elias, a Brazilian pianist and singer, and her band.  Wow!  Oh, and The singer Clint Holmes and his great band up in "Revelations" lounge..... After Clint, I Had dinner in the Cosmopolitan Restaurant with my good friends Fred and Sabrina, who are fellow cruisers.

Monday was spa day...... but first a documentary film on the life and music of Harold Arlen. And another few songs by Cyrill Aimee. The 4 of us had a quick lunch together , and then I went up to the Spa ( by Canyon Ranch) for a session with the wellness guys on the link between Detoxing, wellness and weight loss. Right up my alley!
I'm going to get a body analysis by them tomorrow to learn more about my metabolism. Should be interesting. Then at 3pm was the Zumba class with 
great Latin music and a super instructor from Romania. What a workout!

Dinner is in the restaurant , Blu, which is connected to the Spa. Should be yummy and clean. Is that an oxymoron? I don't think so.......

Craig and Evelyn enjoying a quiet moment

Cyrille Aimee and her band in the Rendezvous lounge. I bought two of her CDs.

Evelyn and I at a show. I don't see the family resemblance, do you ?

Over the course of the week, we saw loads of shows, enjoyed the warm weather, the pools,
the many restaurants on board, and most of all each others company. 

We were absolutely spoiled by all the great music. I've already Mentioned a few, but also, Wycliff Gordon, Marcus Miller, The Clayton Brothers, Niki Harris, Ken Peplowski,
Shelly Berg, and a vocal close harmony group called Take 6. 

Take 6 in the Celebrity Theater

The final night's concert. 

On the last afternoon , there was a "Passenger Jam Session" on the stage by the pool.
Sabrina and I signed up to sing with the players who shared their talents with the crowd.
WE both got to do a tune, and Fred played piano for us. Fred's friend and fellow band leader, Paul Broadax was also on the cruise and it was great to see him!

We were sad to see it all end. I flew back to Philly with Mom ..... then on home. To Winter.

THANKSGIVING 2016 in CANCUN

Thanksgiving 2016..... a long weekend in the Sun!

Ray and I had never been to Cancun, so we decided to give it a try. Ray selected the Excellence Hotel at Playa Mujeres just north of the town of Cancun. It's at the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, really the Eastern most point in Mexico. We are both very happy Ray picked this hotel. It has about 7 pools and 10 restaurants. Food, entertainment, and drinks
are all included! Oh, and ADULTS only!!! We arrived on Wednesday afternoon, November 23rd. The first thing we did after checking in was head to the bar for Mexican Margaritas !

Really pretty hotel, right???

So we went for dinner Wednesday night at "Agave", the Mexican Restaurant at the Hotel.

Afterwards there was a Jersey Boy Show in the bar area. Only 3 guys singing, but good songs and harmonies. Then the deal is you go to a big open air theater for a stage show. 

That night it was an Elvis Presley impersonator. He was good at it. Mom would have loved that show. We didn't stay long. We enjoyed the warm night air on our private ( sort of) patio.....

Thursday , Thanksgiving Day, We took the local Ferry to the nearby Island, Isla Mujeres.

This Island was first populated but the Mayans ( more on them later) and when the Spanish Explorers discovered it, the Mayan people had abandoned the island, but there were lots of female statues , hence the name "Island of the Women."

The place is very touristy now, with a flea market lining the streets. We headed straight to a quieter street with a comfortable looking restaurant. Lunch was yummy! Cervesas and real Mexican dishes. Then we walked down the block to the Playa Norte, one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Mexico, which is saying a lot! And it was a fabulous beach!!

Isla Mujeres Playa Norte...... a perfect beach.  We rented chairs and an umbrella and hung out happily for a couple hours that afternoon.

Thursday evening was dinner at Chez Isabelle, The French place in the Hotel. With another show in the evening. There are a lot of young couples here, many of them on their Honeymoon. Some are in groups. There is a LOT of drinking and partying going on as you can imagine.....

Friday Morning after our buffet breakfast, we headed to the nearby golf course , Playa Mujeres, to play our 9 holes. 

We got on the course and saw a sign about crocodiles on the course, so we kept an eye out.  We saw our first one floating in a little lagoon just watching us. Later on hole 9, there was a very BIG guy lying on the side of the fairway near a pond. He was basking in the sun and didn't seem interested in us. But he was SCARY!!! Ray did not seem too excited, but I was Very happy to leave that course. 

Here's Ray's photo of that crock. His tail goes all they way to that green sign behind him that probably says "Beware of Crocks". We didn't stick around long enough to read it..

Crocodiles have been known to attack golfers in the area. We were lucky.

Friday afternoon, we relaxed at the resort and enjoyed our patio and the "lazy River" pool in back of us. Dinner Friday was a special reservation for a table in the sand by the shore. 

There is a beach here with nice warm water, but a lot of seaweed and debris that rolls in to shore. But it was nighttime so we couldn't see any of that. Dinner was good, not great. We shared Rays entree, as I didn't want to eat mine. It was a very breezy evening by the water too.

After dinner was a great show. A singer who I loved. Ray didn't go with me, but I rocked out!

Her name was Claudia Trevino. She is from Cancun, but sings like an American. You can see her on You Tube.

Saturday we rose early to meet our driver and guide. His name was Wenceslau.... a local guy and father of 3.  His mission was to take us to visit the old Mayan town of 

Chichen Itza.

On our 2 1/2 hour drive to Chichen Itza, we stopped in this small town populated with descendants of the original Mayans. This is the 16th century church there.. It's no longer in use, just a relic of the past and a reason for tourists to stop.

Here we are at the base of the famous pyramid. Chichén Itzá is a world-famous complex of Mayan ruins on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. A massive step pyramid known as El Castillo dominates the 6.5-sq.-km. ancient city, which thrived from around 600 A.D. to the 1200s. Graphic stone carvings survive at structures like the ball court, Temple of the Warriors and the Wall of the Skulls. Nightly sound-and-light shows illuminate the buildings' sophisticated geometry.

This whole complex is dedicated to Mayan religious ceremonies and celebration of the 

Solar equinox, and the sacrificing of people to the God of Rain whenever the weather was too dry..... which was often.

Lots of Crafts for sale at these historic sites......and everywhere else ...

This is a sinkhole near Chichen Itza....... The water is 40 feet deep and the Mayans used to throw people in for sacrifice.

LONDON THEATER TRIP , NOVEMBER 2016

Let's all Go to London and see a few plays!! NOV 8th to the 17th, 2016.

This trip is organized by Weston Playhouse in Weston, VT. My friend , Janet, and I signed up to
join a group of 19 theater lovers to gather at the Montague Hotel in Bloomsbury. We are just next to the British museum and a short walk to Covent Garden.

I arrived in London on the morning of Nov. 9th, just as we were learning the results of the US election between Trump and Hilary Clinton. Trumps victory was stunning and unexpected, so
we all saw our first play in a state of shock.

Wednesday afternoon matinee was The Wyndam's Theater to see NO MAN'S LAND,  by Harold Pinter, starring Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart.  In the evening we took our private coach to
Chelsea for a "Welcome Dinner" at a wonderful restaurant called BLUEBIRD. A duck salad and amazing Daube de Boeuf. Excellent meal. I was the only Republican in the whole group and my fellow travelers didn't know how or what to say to me since I represented the "rednecks" who voted for Trump ( an actual quote).  It was very awkward for a while, but things did settle down in time.


Thursday Morning, we had a conversation with the other 2 actors from "No Man's Land". Owen Teale and Damien Malony  are also great actors. The show was very well cast. The session was moderated by our theater tour leader, Giles Ramsay. Giles has been leading this tour for many years. He is a London theater professional who is very knowledgeable about all things thespian, and also great at managing a group of Americans.

Thursday afternoon, Janet and I bought Oyster Cards and rode the Underground to Harrods to shop.
Then lunch in the amazing food Court. We went to the fish area and had Bouillabaisse and Fish Pie, and some lovely wines.

Thursday evening was The Garrick Theater to see "The Entertainer" starring Kenneth Branagh and Greta Sacchi. This one didn't really do it for me. After No Mans Land, it was a real disappointment.
But hey, you can't love it all, right?

Friday morning, we rode our coach to Sands Films. they make movies and they make all the costumes for their movies, plus design and make period costumes for others, but film and live theater.
It was fascinating. Lunch after was Fish and Chips at the Mayflower Pub. It dates back to the 1600s.
A must do!

Friday evening was a Great play at the Young Vic Theater called "THE NEST".....By Xaver Kroetz,
and translated from German to English by Conor McPherson. I'll tell you about this and any other play if you ask, but I'm not going into the synopsis here. I loved this 2 actor play.

The big event on Saturday was the matinee performance at the OLD VIC Theater of Shakespeare's KING LEAR.  In a stark and modern world reality, Lear is played by a stunning female British actor,
Glenda Jackson. She is now about 80 years old , and a formidable actor . She was amazing in this supremely challenging tragic role.  Saturday evening Janet and I took a walk to an Indian restaurant
called THE RED FORT. We had the tasting menu and loved the food.

Sunday was a concert at Wigmore Hall. It's a former piano showroom which is now a concert hall.
I skipped this event and took a long walk around the neighborhood instead. In the afternoon, Janet and I took a walk to Covent Garden. It isn't far from the Hotel. Looking up at the spectacle that is Covent Garden, Janet missed a stone step,   and fell down onto a solid stone floor. She picked herself up and brushed off, saying she thought no damage was done. Very relieved, the two of us kept going. We shopped and walked on to St Martins Church for the 5pm Evensong service there. As we approached, the bells were ringing in the church's tower to welcome all coming for the service.
It's a lovely place and we both enjoyed the service and the music. Next off to a nice Thai Restaurant to meet Giles, our guide, for a glass of wine and a chat, then dinner. It was called Patara at #7 Maddox Street. Yummy!

Monday morning, Janet woke up with a swollen and sore knee. She decided to get it checked by a doctor, and spent that day and the next resting that knee and dealing with general bruising and soreness everywhere after that fall. Such a shame, and not too surprising that she was hurting after that jarring fall.

I went to the British Museum on Monday to see the exhibit on Sunken Cities in Egypt. A coastal city near Alexandria was abandoned in the 8th Century ( 700s) as it slowly but surely sank into the Mediterranean Sea. It was discovered in the 20th Century and excavated. Statues of Kings and gods
were cleaned off after centuries buried in sand and silt. Lots of good Egyptian history there.

Our show on Monday night was called ( get ready)...... AN INTELLIGENT HOMOSEXUAL'S GUIDE TO CAPITALISM AND SOCIALISM WITH A KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES
by Tony Kushner ( he's the author of Angels in America). This is a challenging and very engaging piece about a union organizer who feels he sold out and that his life was a waste. He hosts an outrageous family reunion with his 3 adult kids who try hard to dissuade him from committing suicide.

Tuesday started with a discussion with Edward Snape, a London producer. I missed that talk as I overslept.

At 3pm I met with Piper, another trip leader, to see Lin Manuel Miranda's ( Hamilton creator) first musical, IN THE HEIGHTS. It was fantastic, and a musical was a great antidote to the selection of straight plays , all dramas, that were on the tour.

Piper and I took the underground "Tube" to Our final show. Love the tube..... it's clean orderly, not too noisy, and very civilized public transport.  The NATIONAL THEATER is an amazing State funded arts institution.  We saw THE RED BARN, a psychological thriller by David Hare, at the Lyttleton Theater. The sets and technical effects are great, not so much the play. The group returned to the hotel, and like most evenings, we spent an hour or so in the bar hanging out, munching on bar sandwiches and having a drink.. or two.

We met Wednesday morning to discuss with Piper the last 3 shows that we saw together, then we were joined by Giles and Matt Wolf. He's an American who has worked in London as a Theater Critic
for over 25 years. Good session.
I had lunch with Janet, who is feeling better, in the hotel restaurant. A London afternoon walk around and through Russell Square, some reading and a nap, and I'm ready for our final  "Farewell" dinner
at the YORK AND ALBANY restaurant, located near Regent's Park. It is a Gordon Ramsey owned
eatery in a former 1820's coaching inn.