Fragrant Harbour

Hong Kong means "Fragrant Harbour" due to its early history of incense shipping, it gave the area a pleasant smell....not so much today but....Oh! What a city! When you fly into the airport the island looks like some futuristic city full of glass towers with a network of red taxi cabs, buses and cable cars.....all hovering precariously on the edge of the harbour (my computer likes the English spelling!) encased by plush, green tropical mountains. By day, it's buzzing with luxury malls and restaurants with connecting indoor walkways for well dressed business people and tourists to move about the city...... and plenty of market places full of street vendors, my favourite's!

We experienced a shoe maker (Lii Lii near the office) and payed a visit to Rick's tailor (Sandy at William Cheng and Sons on Kowloon) .....

and we looked for margins at the Ladies Market, Stanley Market, Li Yuen East and West....

We ate at some fabulous restaurants! AQUA and SPOONS were in towers on the Kowloon side giving us an incredible view of the evening light show in Hong Kong.

and an excellent, hard to find, family style Chinese restaurant in central Hong Kong....Yun Fu.

This was my Hong Kong.......

Cutty Sark

Which came first......

No, not the Scotch..... first, one of Britain's greatest maritime treasures, the clipper ship Cutty Sark. Launched in 1869 from Scotland, Cutty Sark visited most of the major ports around the world. She carried cargo ranging from the finest teas to gunpowder and from whisky to buffalo horns. Cutty Sark made her name as the fastest ship of her era during her time in the wool trade.

In April, Her Majesty The Queen officially reopened the Cutty Sark after an extensive conservation project, with major support totalling £2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. "It is splendid that she is re-joining the London skyline once again!"

Book your tickets on line before attempting the trek to Greenwich, tours are offered every hour. The ship is beautifully restored with interesting displays on every level.....

Sailors must have been short in the 1800's!

The best part of my day was watching the kids interact with all of the hands-on displays....

Call ahead and book a table at the Gipsy Moth - they have a huge outdoor eating area and traditional pub food! (When it stops raining!!!)

A revolving door.....

"The reality is that the AWC of London has a revolving door,
some come and some go,
and some even come back for more!
The memories are many, the friendships are true,
joy and happiness are our wish for you!
 Again, we say goodbye to another good friend. Becky managed to touch the heart of so many women in her short year and half. These are just some fun pictures of her farewell party at the Admiral Codrington...

Imagine ...a cocktail party at Tea Time? Canapes of Spring Pea and Mint Soup, Mini Yorkshire Dale Sausages. Not pictured are the Goat's Cheese Tartlets, Chili Salt Squid, and Smoked Haddock Fishcakes! Now you aren't going to get that at "American Joe's"!

I can totally embarrass my family when I cry at the airport - and that is when I see STRANGERS saying goodbye! So instead of a speech, which I surely would have blown, I wrote a poem...it was a hit...laughter instead of tears!

Our gift was the Timothy Richard's bookends featuring a red phone booth and a red pillar box (mail box).....so British! We also signed our favourite recipes in Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook. Becky was entertained with the comments!

As you cross the pond to the Lone Star State,
remember your adventure in London,
wasn't it great?!!!

'livin la vita' in NYC

Meeting up with London friends in New York City....how fun is that? Especially when it includes a night of dinner and the premiere of a Broadway play, followed by an early morning on the stage of GMA. I always say, "I am so very privileged to know people who know people!"

First, dinner at the famous Sardi's and then a walk to 47th to the Brooks Atkinson Theater for the new and exciting performance of Peter and Starcatcher....

 PETER AND THE STARCATCHER "A wildly theatrical, hilarious and innovative retelling of how a miserable orphan came to be The Boy Who Never Grew Up, upends the century-old legend of Peter Pan. A dozen brilliant actors play more than 100 unforgettable characters using their enormous talent, ingenious stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of imagination."

The next morning, early, we were escorted to the Green Room on the set of Good Morning America. It was thrilling to watch the whole morning show proceed without a hitch. The cast is quite, so much of the interviews are pre-recorded, until the camera rolls and then they truly "crack each other up"!

We were hustled outside and given a prime viewing spot for the live entertainment on Time Square........

Yes...Ricky Martin and cast of Evida!

We were 'livin the life' with great friends in New York City!

Rioja and Chorizo

We hoped to escape the rain in San Sebastian with a day over the mountains in the Rioja region. Our cute guide picked us up early with supplies in his trunk......proper coffee cups, a thermos of hot water, and the best instant coffee I have ever tasted. As he drove he talked about everything from Rioja wine to the history of the Basque region. The coastal landscape and bright green fields changed quickly to dry vineyards as far as the eye could see.

Our first stop, rising out of the medieval town of Elciego, was the incredibly unconventional Marques de Riscal Winery and Hotel designed by Frank O.Gehry (who also designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa).

You might recognize this particular Rioja from it's bottle wrapped in a gold netting with a silver label wrapped around the neck. The guys made note of the years they preferred! If you look back at the picture of the Hotel you might be able to see Frank O. Gehry's inspiration for the gold, silver, and rose colored building.....or NOT!

While we were touring the winery our cute guide went into the town for a snack. While there, he was approached by the MAYOR who complained that the tour guides take the tourist to the winery but never bring them into his beautiful town. So when we found out we had been invited to have a glass of wine in the local cafe/shop with the mayor we were honored and honestly, it was one of the highlights of the day. As it turned out the mayor was an interesting character, young, enthusiastic, dressed in black, several piercings, and plays the saxophone in a band. (Certainly not our image of a small town Spanish mayor!) The wine, white asparagus, and local chirizo were delicious and of course we bought some to show our appreciation. The town of Elciego was lovely too!