just like a chocolate milkshake only crunchy (it beats as it sweeps as it cleans)

A cruise is not just about toe-dipping tourism. Sure you flit through ports looking around for a few hours, maybe pick up a few souvenirs directed specifically at tourists, learn a little and then move on. However, as I’ve learned on this holiday, there is so much more. It’s a health resort if you want it to be. There is 24 hour food service which is free (well, paid for in the ticket price) so if you want to you can chow down all day on hamburgers and high calorie, low nutrition delights, but it’s also easy to find salads, soups and seafood and eat healthily and modestly. There are all manner of health and beauty services on board. I dragged my bad back and gammy foot off to the resident acupuncturist / Chinese herbalist. The treatment was both beneficial and educational and I’ve been lounging lazily in the hydrotherapy pool and then wandering off to the heat treatment chairs to lounge some more. All this lounging is done while watching sparkling aqua ocean and gorgeous Adriatic islands pass by.
So it’s not the same as doing the Paul Theroux and travelling through Asia and India by train while chatting to and learning from ordinary and colourful local folk. In fact it is probably at the opposite pole, any cultural knowledge gained is extremely shallow, but cruising has an awful lot to recommend it. Just expect a totally different experience to other forms of travelling.

Bet Theroux didn't get towels magically whipped into a different animal each night. Towel Art. You gotta love it!

Endless beautiful views at sea.

The ship
She's my favourite

it's just like Venice without the water

That seemed like a pretty wild claim to me. Venice is all about the water so how would old town Dubrovnik be just like Venice? K claimed he’d accept that claim if it had narrow streets, piazzas, gelati and Venetian style masks. Well, the old town has narrow streets, piazzas, gelati and even masks not unlike Venetian masks. There are no cars or motorcycles just like Venice, but then there are no Vaporettos and no canals. So while not being a totally bizarre claim, there are essential ingredients missing.
It’s incomprehensible that just twenty years ago this town was being bombed in the Serb-Croatian crisis. It’s a lovely town set on hills rising out of the Adriatic. We dined on a terrace overlooking the diamond water. A pair of pigeons preened next to us as we ate.
The old town is like many in Europe. It has massive 25 metre high walls surrounding it and it is well preserved. It only functions because of the tourist trade. Small shops house paintings and crafts by local artists, others sell the usual run of souvenirs – it seems that every city in Europe claims Pinocchio as their own! Some of the buildings house international clothing companies like United Colours of Benneton. Every thing is aimed at extracting euros/krunas from tourists who flit into town, take photos, eat, buy a few souvenirs and move on.
In the fleeting visit what I learnt was that this part of Croatia is breathtakingly beautiful. it survives on the tourist trade and that the locals, like many throughout Europe, are multi lingual.

Lots of greenery and ocean views in Dubrovnik.

I rather liked this sculpture in the main square. It was both amusing and beautiful.

Hills. Venice doesn't have hills, but it does have lots of steps!

paris

bad photo, great jazz bar


French Rosee

Paris finds us sans fun art in a grand old hotel. We've stumbled on a wonderful place that oozes 19th century opulence, has jazz in the layback bar, great Rosee, good coffee and knowledgeable, helpful staff. What more could one want?

Pics to follow. There seems to be some kind of limiting device stopping pic uploads at present!!

refuge from the thronging crowds

Brugge lives up to its reputation of being jam-packed with people on the weekend. You'd have needed a shoe horn to fit anyone else in yesterday. While wrestling our way onward we spotted a Kempinski Hotel down a narrow cobblestone laneway. A minute later we were in spacious air-conditioned luxury.

The building is a 15th century residence which has been refurbished beautifully. Fun art is a theme. The bar has a sculpture of a giant set of paintbrushes as well as several paintings of musicians which combine paint and brass. The most amusing though is the giant red poodle in the manicured gardens.

planes, trains and automobiles

We had a day of varied transport. An uneventful automobile trip to the airport was followed by a cattle-class flight across Europe to Paris. The plane took off late so we were at the airport for over 4 hours. On the bright side the Air-France crew got us safely to our first destination. We arrived rather later though and had to hot tail it out of there to make our connecting train. What was reputed to be a 100 metre stroll turned out to be a one kilometre fast paced limp. We leapt on the train as it was pulling out and made it to Brussels. After a quick brekky we headed for the train to Brugge. I think that they pinched a train from India and plonked it in Belgium for the day. People were standing cheek to jowl, hundreds were hanging out windows and others and their cows were strapped to the top of the vehicle as the train laboured and grunted under the weight of cows, baggage and people. Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but it was close.

Brugge was a thriving and important seaport until the 16th century. Interestingly many of the buildings were rebuilt to original specifications in the 18th century. They made it all a bit more gothic than it had been to start with so now it's ubergothic.

This was outside the Gruuthuse museum. Apparently 'gruut' or 'gruit' was a herb that was used in beer. Mr Gruut had a monopoly on it and made a killing. When gruit was replaced by hops, Gruut was given the right to tax the brewers and managed to make even more money. How the rich do prosper!

This is the view from the top of the brewery.

Belgium is reputed to be have the best beer in the world, or so the Belgians say. Aussies would dispute that. Anyhow, in respect of our hosts I had to have a beer. Normally I get the glass to my face and back out. The yeasty fragrance is too much for me. But, being a good tourist, I gave it a go. It wasn't completely disgusting.

Brugge is quite lovely with its cobblestone streets, lovely old buildings and canals. It's a bit reminiscent of both Amsterdam and Venice, but at the same time it is quite different.

This pic is simply a case of playing with focus. I like it so I thought I'd chuck it in.

mussels and chips are fine by me

There are many enjoyable aspects of a holiday; the sights, the colours, the sounds, the smells and the strangeness of the places you visit amongst them. I think though that one of the best elements is the opportunity to reinvent yourself. No-one knows you. You don't know them. It's a relatively clean slate. I don't need to be the shy introvert. I can be the confident extrovert. I can be lazy, energetic, dull, excitable ... anything I like.

Hmmm. On the other hand, I'm going to be taking my gammy foot with me. And ... can you go to Belgium and enjoy mussels, chips and beer if you don't like beer? Can you start liking beer? Do you want to start liking beer?

Well that's obviously a question of earth-shattering importance that I'm going to have to answer in the next few days.

Picture nicked from http://punchin.net/blog2/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/steak-frites-mussels.jpg

hospitals yet again

I'm walking through the a shopping centre without a care. All is well with the world. Suddenly with the next footfall I'm writhing in pain. Each footstep is incredibly difficult. I limp across the shopping centre, along a passage, out a door, across a carpark and into the car. As I do I realise that the pain is in the exact parts of my foot that hurt two years ago when I fell and sprained my ankle. It took me months to recover from that injury ... and here it is again out of the blue.

I limp off to see an orthopedic surgeon as last time it was suggested that I may have broken a bone in my foot. He quickly tells me that despite the pain and despite the swelling, there's absolutely nothing wrong with my foot. What I am feeling is referred pain from a problem with the lower back. As strange as it sounds, I come to terms with that.

A few days later I manage to get an appointment to see a brilliant osteopath in Dubai. Upon hearing my story he doubts the accuracy of the diagnosis. The upshot is that he is sure that the pain I am feeling in my foot is a result of injuries to ligaments and tendons. My back is fine. I look down to see that he is wearing a hard plastic boot; the same one he wore when I visited him two months earlier. He fell off his motorbike and fractured several bones when the bike landed on top of him. I figure he knows about foot pain!

So here I am about to set off on a walking tour of Europe with a gammy foot. Or is it a gammy back? I'm going with the foot.

you've gotta love banks

Well you know it's a funny thing. A year ago I was blogging and grumping about banks here in Al Ain. We were about to do a grand tour of Europe and had applied for an HSBC card. All was going well. The card was approved and we'd received it, but when I decided to test it, it didn't work - declined. That was a great start! I rang the bank. Yes, I'd activated it. Yes, I'd done X, Y and Z. It turns out the bank had cancelled the card for some, still mysterious, reason. It took us several days to figure out that this had happened. After making umpteen phone calls, in desperation, we ended up going to see the bank manager, who was a very nice young-ish Emirati man. With his assistance we finally got the account reinstated and received a replacement card the night before we took off for Europe. This was a great relief to us on the eve of our holiday.

Well, as it happens we are about to head off on holidays again and true to form HSBC have decided that now would be a good time to mess us around again. Our credit card, which had a 35,000 dh limit has just dropped to a 600 dh limit. 600 dh? They have to be joking. It turns out that they reduced our credit limit because we haven't been using the card. Apparently one has to use 1000 dh per month to maintain the limit. Not that we were ever told that, it must be in the extra-fine print. Of course it's not possible for the bank to adjust the limit up again, but if we keep the card at the 600 dh max for six months, they'll review the situation and may adjust our credit upwards. That's so helpful. I am completely underwhelmed!

Cards are now cancelled and we're not in a hurry to have dealings with HSBC again!

new camera

Jumping for joy. New camera ... finally. I've only wanted one for a hundred years. I've been using dicky little point and shoot numbers forever. I figured out my budget, did my research and came up with the perfect camera for my needs. All was well.

Well, that it is, until I got it home. It's so damn fandangled! The last time I had a decent camera it was well before the D appeared in DSLR. It used to be a matter of light, aperature, speed. But this new number has so many buttons, knobs and dials that I don't know where to start. I'm terrified of it.

I've taken it out for a few runs and it keeps producing unexpected results. This camera is the boss of me. I can see myself spending the next year or so attempting to subjugate it.

The first pics are of the apartment. I thought I'd show the folks back home, who are never gonna come and visit us, what the place looks like. The aim of this first one is to make the balcony look bigger as it's really just a tiny elongated postage stamp. And because the folks are not likely to visit, they'll never know the deception I've perpetrated.

View from the postage stamp.
And the loungeroom. The aim here was to give an impression of what the room looks like. That didn't work! I'm sure it doesn't look this messy in real life, does it?

As you can see, it might be a year or more before I can both manage all the bits and bobs on the camera and take a pleasing shot. At any rate I do expect, in 365 days, to be able to award myself a Master of Cameraology. Oh and the camera ... a Canon 450D ... and I'm so far out of my depth it's silly! Imagine being able to step up and manage the Canon 5D MkII. Crikey! How do you do that?

Oh, and we're off to Rome. What are the chances of coming out of the trip camera intact?

I was heading to Al Jimi Mall the other day when I noticed the left lane of the road was blocked off by witches' hats. (I'm not sure if that's Aussie English or international English - witches' hats - you know those orange cones indicating road works or a road hazard). An official yellow, diamond sign helpfully informed me 'lift lane closed.' That was good. I like road signs like that, they get the imagination going, but my all time favourite road signs in Al Ain are the arrow markings on the road.

This used to be my favourite bit of road in Al Ain.


Until I saw this. Sorry? Which way do you want me to turn? Seriously?

long time coming

Decisions have been made. Plans are afoot. This baby (pic) is going to take us on a 20 day Mediterranean cruise. Our cabin comes with a balcony so the plan is to lie back with feet up, book in hand and a coffee or fermented grape substance in easy reach.

Before and after the cruise we're staying in each of Brussels, Bruges, Paris and Rome for a few days.

Sorting out itineraries, accommodation and transport is not a great deal of fun and has the potential to spoil a good holiday. But on the other hand, I guess that it's so wearying that one is ready for good holiday after that!

Another month of teaching, marking and adminning. Then we're off.

New York Paris Rome?

Part of the cost of living in the Emirates is the summer holiday expenses. Staying here in the heat with half the city closed down is just not an option. So where to?

In our holiday planning in the last few weeks, we've taken virtual trips everywhere. We spent a few weeks in South Africa and a week in Zanzibar. We did a road trip of the US and a trip back home to Australia. We did a week in Amsterdam, a week in Rome and a three week cruise of the Mediterranean. But ... we're no closer to making a decision. In fact, after all these virutal trips and decisions we're pretty much sick of the whole thing.

So where to?

some nights one just can't get any traction on the pillow

Three in the morning. Any sensible person would be all tucked up in bed by now.

emeg

Last week we took a trip out to the Emirates Marine Environment Group. What a fabulous trip. I've never seen the girls so relaxed and happy. They had a ball and so did we. There was lots to learn and see. Wonderful place.

Unfortunately I forgot to recharge my camera battery before I left. I'd hoped to at least be able to get a few shots off before it died. I guess that I should be grateful for the one solitary shot I did get. It hardly does the place justice but here it is.

desert days

Two of us ventured out into the depths of the desert the other day with a group of local girls. Okay, it wasn't the depths of the desert, it was just a ten minute trip from Al Ain, but who knew that they were hiding a lake out there. With Jebel Hafeet as the backdrop, it was very pretty.

I loved the colours; the orange of the sand, the blue of the sky and the lake, the green of the bushes and the reeds and the contrast with the black abayas and shailas.

Check the sky.

Three girls go strolling.

Shot!

Jebel Hafeet makes a lovely backdrop.

hospitals

^%$*&%$$ !$@%!

London

Long time passing.

Pics of London. I love the red telephone boxes. I remember them from when I was a kid in Aus, but that was a hundred years ago. They've all packed up and gone now.

I'm a sucker for a romantic comedy, so I had to visit Notting Hill; love Portobello road with its old buildings, ramshackle array of goods spilling out of shops and brightly coloured doors and walls - pink, green, red, orange, blue, purple. And as an extra bonus George Orwell lived there. No sign of Hugh though. How trendy does a street need to be?



And of course there was lots of weather!

cold hot cold hot

Grey skies, rain, hail, momentary glimpses of sunshine (if you look up at the right time!). Of course I'm in London. Love the red double decker buses and the red telephone boxes. They are so iconically London.

Food and drink are criminally expensive. Just a modest snack sets you back an arm and a leg, and most of the fare is very ordinary so one resents having to pay for it. We've had a few nice meals, but they seem to be the exceptions.

Checked out a Kevin Spacey play at the Old Vic; 'Complicit.' Theatre in the round. Minimal set, very talky. The play dealt with the moral issue of journalist non-disclosure. The script didn't get to the nub of the problem and was somewhat shallow. We were disappointed and thus can't presently bring ourselves to book another play - we should though before we leave.

The Tube is fantastic - easy to navigate and trains arrive the instant you set foot on the platform - I think a footfall triggers the trains' appearance. The pace of the city is frenetic. People rush by at a great rate of knots. They've obviously got places to be and things to do!

Galleries and museums being free is fantastic. I gained a new respect for Gainsborough. I'd always thought of him as 'the landscape guy.' Seeing his work up close, I loved it. The detail and brush strokes are stunning.

Today's plan is to take in The Globe, Millenium Bridge and St.Paul's amongst other landmarks.

The weather is icy, especially when the wind picks up, but is quite bearable when wearing lots of layers. The problem is that the indoors are heated/over-heated to the point of being stifling and one doesn't want to strip down to one's undies for fear of offending others! Or maybe I'm just too prudish and should just do it and be comfortable. ('Maybe not' I hear you say.)

quietly adding another year to the tally today

Happy festive season to all my readers (I think that's just me and the stray cat that's walking along the balcony railing and peering over my shoulder). Let's trust that 2009 will bring lots of great things, though of course it is hard to determine just what that is. For me it includes a rocketing British pound and US dollar and a plummeting Aussie dollar.

We've had the usual round of expat do-s, all of which have been enjoyable and all of which involved copious amounts of bubbly. Last night it was a murder dinner and I thought for a moment that 'I done it,' but turned out to be that floozy across the table from me.

One problem that I always have during Christmas - New Year is that my birthday falls smack bang in the middle of that period and brings with it more festivities. I feel that a reprieve from festivities is needed. Maybe if I just say a quiet, "Happy Birthday me," no-one will notice and the day will pass otherwise unremarked.

Well, it's 7:45 am and my son, T, just texted to say that he and his girlfriend, C, have arrived in Doobs. They're staying for a couple of days at a swish hotel right near the Burj. K actually checked The Age newspaper this morning at 1 am to make sure that no planes had fallen out of the sky between Australia and here! It seems that one never stops being a parent and never stops worrying about the offspring!

Looking forward to seeing T & C for a few days before they continue their journey on to Egypt to check out the pyramids and take a Nile cruise.

PS - pic above knicked from net.

how to win friends and influence people

Ennui sets in.

Psychologically limping through to the next hols. Dispute with neighbour over cats. What next?

Actually I feel bad about the cat thing. The neighbour took an instant dislike to me 18 months ago when we first met. I made a flippant remark way back then which I heard through the grapevine was absolutely misinterpreted and held up as evidence of my skinflint ways. Ah well, what can you do?

Said neighbour is one of a small group feeding the stray cats in the neighbourhood. The cats are mangey, thin and some are injured. One has only one eye and one seems to have some kind of conjunctivitis as it can't open it's eyes very much. I understand the pity for the animals, but it seems to me that feeding them only encourages breeding and has the effect of inviting cats from further afield to move into our neighbourhood.

The neighbour has taken to feeding the cats right at the entrance to the apartments. This has encouraged the cats to hang around the door. Instead of the usual one or two cats we had to ensure didn't find their way into the stair wells and common areas, we now have to shoo several cats away. The car park and entrance area sometimes smell strongly of cat pee. The newspapers delivered to our door have even been peed upon.

I don't know what the answer to the cat problem is - letting them starve is hardly humane. A neighbour who has moved out used to have them neutered. That's a better solution, but I really don't know who footed the bill.

I've never been a fan of cats. I don't wish ill for the strays, but nor do I want them, their food or their pee stench at my door. Seeing said neighbour feeding them today, I felt obliged to say something. Needless to say it didn't do anything for our relations! I'm not sure that it did anything to encourage the feeding of the cats in another location either. I guess time will tell.

When you see them like this, they look pretty innocuous, don't they?