Cool sounding trip, Dorph! Right up your alley! Congrats big time to Robin! And Jan? Stop getting sick! That's an order! I'm sitting on the bed of our hotel room in Sevilla, Spain right now. We got in a few hours ago, we've had a poquito siesta, and we're trying to cobble together a plan for dinner. Since this is the birth place of tapas, I'm thinking we'll slap on our walking shoes around 9pm-ish and just walk from bar to bar to sample the local delights. Tomorrow morning I have an all day market tour and cooking class set up for just me while Steve attends his meeting, and then we have the whole rest of the week and weekend to get to know the city better. My Spanish is pretty weak, but that doesn't stop me from trying it out. I know from experience that one looks less foolish making mistakes while *trying* to speak the native tongue than one does by responding to every question with a loud "Do you speak English?" Our cabbie was cool and helped me with my pronunciation and after some slow exchanges he asked me if I spoke French (seeing as how I answered him in half French/half Spanish). He was fluent but for his heavy accent (as was I, but for mine) so we got a 20 minute personal run-down in the city in French. I hope I can shake this jet lag nonsense because I'm so thrilled to be here right now and I want to soak the experience in. Life is so short and uncertain. I want to seize every moment on this trip.

Great quote! I'm writing that one down. And Son of Sam, I remember him all too well. When he was on his rampage in NYC, I was traveling there a lot on business, & I remember just how terrified people were to go out at night.

It's funny that you mention Viking. We are on their email list and in the past few months have been receiving a weekly email with offers, after years of once-a-year contact. I'm sure the economy has taken it's toll and they are trying to stimulate business. One of my DH's partners did a Viking Cruise and highly recommends it. He is someone whose opinion I would trust about this sort of thing. We are considering doing one as part of our next trip to Europe. I did a Caribbean cruise once and I'll never do that again. I didn't like the huge ship, the big crowds, the mediocre food, and the bizarre atmosphere of gluttony that pervades the ship. I didn't like being stuck in the middle of the ocean, with nothing to see, for days. I'm hoping a smaller river cruise would not only avoid those things but I can get off the ship in Paris, or somewhere, and see the sites & go find a decent meal if need be.

My purple coneflowers & zinnias are just now going out. My hummers are gone and the robins are starting to come in. I am just above you living in the woods next to Fort Rucker. Visit us over on the butterfly forum