Holbox Island - Day Four and Five (The Clouds) and Departure

Our last full day on Holbox Island was Monday and it was a bit of a letdown relative to the weekend as the clouds rolled in obscuring the sun. Still, even with a cloudy sky the weather was much preferable to the snow and freezing cold of Toronto! Monday was spent reading, wandering into town (window shopping; we ended up buying nothing on the trip). Dinner was at El Chapulim in Holbox (the same place we had dinner on Saturday night) and was excellent. Lisa had a surprisingly good seak and Christos had the seafood medley (Fish, Shrimp and Mussels); the fish was superb, the mussels and shrimp good. After a walk along the beach at night, we settled back into our bed and fell asleep watching "Suits" on Lisa's Ipad. Tuesday we awoke with to another cloudy day but with no power on the island! This was a bit problematic as we had no water for showers and were leaving in a few hours. So our day of return to Toronto was off to a bad, stinky start and got worse with a three hour delay once we reached the Cancun airport. Ah well, all told it was not so bad (we have had far worse travel experiences) and the trip to Isla Holbox was well worth it; hopefully we have recharged our sun batteries enough to make it through winter.

Holbox Island - Days Two and Three (The Sun!)

Our second day in Holbox started with a beautiful blue sky and warm weather. After a quick breakfast, we embarked on a three hour boat tour (shades of Gilligan's Island). The start of the your was funny as a guy showed up at the hotel in a golf cart and told us it was time to go ... So we started walking towards the golf cart thinking he would take us to the pier or some such but he just waived us towards a boat that was offshore from the hotel that we had to wade out to! The tour took us to a few different spots. First was Mosquito Point which seemed to be lacking in Mosquitos but was rich in birds of all sorts including flamingoes. Then it was off to Isla Pajaros for more bird watching before heading to Yalahao lagoon for a swim in a cenote. The visit to Isla Pajaros (Bird Island; which is a protected island for bird nesting) was great! Quite cool to see the Pelicans, Ospreys, Herons and other aquatic birds close up. A platform just off the island has been built where one can moor a small boat and then observe the birds from only a few metres away.

On the way to Yalahao we had the most amazing experience .... A pod of around six to ten dolphins came up to our boat and started swimming and arcing around the water's surface for us. After about ten minutes it was time for them to go so they treated us to two leaps in to the air before swimming off! Truly amazing!!!

The crazy thing was that we ran into the same pod of dolphins on the way back from Yalahao and they once again entertained us for about ten minutes, albeit without the leaping out of the water this time. We got back to our hotel in the mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day lazing around, walking on the beach and pestering the local iguanas (we kept ofefring them fruit which they were happy to eat but if we approached to closely they would scuttle off).

Speaking of iguanas, our hotel grounds were thick with them to the degree that we would often find one blocking the door to our room!

After the boat ride it was into town for dinner at an excellent little restaurant called El Chapulim where we both had fresh fish on a bed of mushrooms with a side of rice. The fish was excellent, tender and flavourful.

After dinner we walked back along the beach and stopped at a local bar on the beach to enjoy a cold beer.

Extra Long Weekend on Holbox Island! The arrival

We woke up in Toronto on Thursday morning and with the TV telling us it was minus 11 (minus 21 with the wind chill), we were happy to be heading south for four days (five nights) in Mexico! Air Canada flew us to Cancun where (after a transfer to the FBO airport) we boarded a tiny plane for the flight to Holbox island. We had to laugh when we noticed the instrument panel informing anyone who would notice that the pilot data needed an update, and had so since 2007! Clearly our pilot was not too concerned and seemed to know where he was flying. The twenty minute flight was fun as it was the first time Lisa and Christos had been in a tiny plane together. After a muddy taxi ride in a golf cart through town (cars are not common on Holbox but golf carts are), we finally arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon, had a few beers and a snack and just relaxed until dinner a few hours later. We were slightly apprehensive about the weather as it had been raining since we arrived in Mexico (hence the muddy ride) but it soon cleared up and we had no rain on our first night.

Friday was our first full day on Holbox and it was wonderful. Blue skies with a few clouds but no rain, nice and hot! The first half of the day was spent lounging hammocks by the beach and reading before we rented bikes for a ride into town. The ride was quite an adventure as the mud roads were still filled with small ponds from Thursday's rain so we had to swerve to avoid puddles or plot through them hoping we would not get too wet. After the tour through town, we returned to the hotel for a little rest and then went down to the beach to watch the sunset while having a beer. Finally  it was off to town at night for dinner at Rosa Mexicana where Christos had the octopus and Lisa had the steak. Both were quite yummy. After dinner, we strolled along the beach gazing at the stars and enjoying another beer. We tried to watch "Despicable Me Two" but only managed to get about fifteen minutes in before sleep took us.

Oyster Party VIII

Once more as summer turns to fall (which then creeps towards winter), it is the time of the bivalves! Our annual Oyster Party was a blast with three types of oysters (Rodney's, Colville Bays and Pemaquids),  yummy nibbly sandwiches and enough booze to satisfy the Irish.

The festivities began at 4pm, the oyster bar closed at 7pm and of course the party went till the wee hours, ending at 2am! After the oyster bar closed, DJ Tweed made a rare appearance spinning old favourites and new tunes. Much mirth was made, a few drinks were spilled, some beer crimes were committed and all told the evening was a smashing success. It was lovely to have our good friend Aare the Esto visit from Newfoundland although his usual quarters were occupied by a new couple of attendees; Neil (Lisa's brother) and Jenn, Neil's girlfriend, who made the trip from BC. It was an east coast meets west coast houseguest situation. 

In the end, we worked our way through some 550 oysters. Thankfully the master shucker Lawrence was on hand to deftly deliver the bivalves to the plate at an estimated rate of five or more per minute, although he was often fighting a losing battle as even at his speed the oysters were snapped up faster than he could plate them!

It was great to see many of our friends but also wonderful to welcome a new crowd to our annual event. 

London ... Finding your Local

With summer turning into fall and the market doldrums of August coming to a close, it was time for Lisa to head off to London for a round of marketing her company to investors across the pond. The trip involved in a weekend in London so we decided to (once more) make it a working holiday and Christos accompanied Lisa to the foggy city. We flew overnight on Thursday, arriving late in the morning on Friday, and both Lisa and Christos had meetings until the late afternoon. After meeting up back at the hotel around 5pm we walked up Mount Street to our favourite pub, The Audley. The evening was spent quaffing cold Guinness; we were joined by a Scotia trader (Kal) and our plan for a "couple" pints quickly turned into an evening of many pints! We were also informed that the Audley is our "Local" in London (a fact I think we already knew although had not crystallized into such a simple phrase).

The next morning we awoke to a wet and rainy London and we didn't really get up to too much. We had lunch at "The PunchBowl", a pub that Guy Ritchie and Madonna bought together (he got it in the divorce) and wandered a bit before settling in to our room for a night of movies (we liked "The Internship" but not "Str Trek: Into Darkness") and room service.

Sunday was another rainy day in London and other than a trip to Fortnum & Mason in the afternoon was pretty low key. for dinner we hopped in a taxi and went off to "The Albion" in Islington for an excellent traditional Roast Beef dinner with all the fixings before returning to our hood for a pint at the Audley and then a good night's rest.

Monday was a work day for Lisa so Christos headed off to Leighton House in the early afternoon via a walk through Hyde Park. It was a bit of a hike (just over an hour each way) but well worth it as Leighton House was a nice small museum in the home of the Victorian painter, Frederic Leighton (his most famous piece being "Flaming June"), who was a bit eccentric having done much of the house in an Arab/Middle Eastern style. Definitely worth the visit and Christos purchased a small pottery bowl while there (we seem to be addicted to pottery).

Tuesday was a work free day for both so we headed over to the Victoria and Albert museum for a visit which was thoroughly enjoyed. The Ardabil Carpet was a highlight but the rest of the museum was also worthy of a visit (although Lisa did claim that the statuary paled beside the works of Bernini) including the option of dressing up in a replica tunic from the Middle Ages! We were done at the V&A after about two hours and hopped in a cab back to the hotel as it was once again raining.

Our plans to leave on Tuesday were dashed by mechanical problems which resulted in an extra night in London and a quick meeting for Christos on Wednesday morning. We finally managed to get back to Toronto on Wednesday evening and were happy to sleep in our own bed after our wonderful London escape.

Partyin' Like Rednecks and The Rich Pageantry of Buck Lake

For the weekends of the 10th and 17th of August, we had road-trips out of Toronto; first up to Orillia for the 50th birthday celebration for Lisa's cousin Mike and then subsequently up to Buck Lake (north of Kingston on the way to Westport) to enjoy what James (a university buddy of Christos') calls the "Rich Pageantry of Buck Lake". Both trips were awesome!

For Mike's 50th, the evening started a bit slow with dinner and festivities at a local golf club but the evening got crazy when Jason and Jeff  (more of Lisa's cousins) took us to a local house-party in the woods (the redneck party) after the first party! We left Mike's birthday party a little before midnight, arriving at the redneck party shortly after midnight. There was a live band playing, a bonfire and free flowing beer!

We danced, drank and enjoyed the party till the wee hours ... not getting back to our hotel until just before 4am ... dang those rednecks can party!
The next day was rough as breakfast was at 10am. We enjoyed the pancakes and bacon before limping back to Toronto in the early afternoon.

The next weekend, it was off to Buck Lake on Friday night with James (he had arrived the night before and stayed at our place). After a long four hour drive, we arrived as the sun was setting and enjoyed some frosty beers (thank the gods for mini-coolers) while the fridge revved up. James' brother Ian arrived shortly after we did and the four of us quaffed many a beer on the deck until midnight at which point Lisa and Christos retired, although not before a trip to the deck where James and Ian indulged in some late night skinny dipping! The next morning we awoke to discover that Ian had already left for another social engagement (at 7am!) after he and James had been up till 4am catching up over cold beers (it was a veritable forest of empties on the kitchen counter the next morning).

Saturday at Buck Lake was a full day. After a hearty breakfast it was off to Westport to re-provision (beers!) and visit the town. Serendipity was on our side as it happened to be the Westport Music Fest! We wandered around Westport for about an hour, visiting the local museum, shopping at a "Life Is Good" store on the main drag, re-stocking booze and food and just meandering through the crowds listening to the music. All in all quite a fun afternoon!

We made it back to Buck Lake in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day enjoying cottage life. We played a game of Carcasonne in the sun, listened to much music (Balearic according to James), did some turtle watching, had a wonderful steak dinner, enjoyed a floating sunset "booze cruise" of the three of us on a paddle boat in the lake and then just relaxed in the evening. A plan to light a fire was shelved as by the time it was dark we were already tired. Instead, we lit some fireworks that we had purchased in Westport (over the objections of Lisa) and then watched a little BBC TV on Christos' Ipad.


Sunday morning incorporated a hearty breakfast and a last goodbye to the turtles that seem to have taken to sunning themselves on the log of the deck at Buck Lake.

Rome - An Art Attack

We arrived in Rome on Thursday afternoon and after checking in at our hotel, Gigli D'Oro, we discovered a cute hole in the wall restaurant right around the corner filled with locals (ie no tourists) where we enjoyed an excellent lunch of pasta, roast beef and salad. Then it was off for a long ground pound with stops at Piazza Del Popolo, Piazza Navona and several churches. After a brief respite back at the hotel, it was time for dinner and we decided to play it safe and eat at the same place we had lunch. We were not disappointed as the pasta and veal we had was excellent! Finally we retired to bed and drifted off to sleep after watching the season finale of season three of The Wire.

The next day we had a quick breakfast before heading off to the Borghese Gallery which was simply amazing. The Bernini statues (The Rape Of Proserpina and Apollo & Daphne) were the highlights of the gallery and Lisa has now declared she wants to learn more about Bernini. The Caravaggio paintings, particularly David with the head of Goliath, were also stunners. After the Borghese Gallery, we wandered through the Borghese Gardens for a bit, bought some local art and then something we had never experienced before happened; a summer storm in Rome! We huddled under a doorway just outside the gardens for 45 minutes while thunder, lighting and sheets of rain came down. A very cool (and cooling) experience. Then it was off to the Church (and museum) of the Capuchin Friars nearby which was another interesting experience as not only did it contain a host of artifacts and information relating to the order but also housed a series of small underground chapels decorated in thousands of bones (effectively a large ossuary). Then it was off to the Barberini Palazzo nearby for more art which was once again amazing and we highly recommend it to those who visit Rome. Not only is it filled with art and beautiful as a building in its own regard, but it was practically empty. We stood gazing at Caravaggio's "Judith and Holofernes" by ourselves for minutes!

With three museums under our belt we were basically arted out for the day (and hungry!) so it was back to our neighbourhood for lunch at a local spot (yummy rucola salad!) and then some rest. After the rest, we went to a local bar and wrote out some postcards before another wee wander until it was dinner time. Dinner was good but too expensive and we were a little put off when at the end of the evening we ordered two more glasses of wine and instead received an (opened) full bottle. We suspect the proprietors were looking for ways to charge too much and also noticed a 10pct service charge on the bill that was not mentioned in the menu.  Ah well, at least dinner was good, as bad food is a bigger turn off than overpriced. Finally it was back to our hotel around midnight where Christos watched a BBC show on the Colosseum while Lisa drifted into dreamland.

The next day it was off to the Vatican Museum (and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel) which although full of art are even more full of tourists. While seeing the Sistine should be undertaken by any who can, fighting through the throngs of tourists can be a bit overwhelming. We walked to the Vatican, arriving around noon, and bypassed the massive line for the museum as we had booked our tickets online. We tried to get in on a guided tour as supposedly they also allow you to skip the line for St. Peter's but were unable so instead we shuffled through the corridors of the Vatican surrounded by tourists on all sides. Finally after 45 minutes we arrived to at the Sistine Chapel and spent some time viewing it ... once more surrounded by tourists! Interestingly, after one exits the Sistine, the crowd thins out and many seem to skip  the exhibits that are post-Sistine, including some lovely 1st-4th century AD frescoes and mosaics and other beautiful objects.

When we exited the museum, we passed by St. Peter's and the line was astounding ... so we skipped it (having both been before). Overall, we much preferred our Friday museum tour (Borghese, Capuchin and Barberini) over our Saturday tour (Vatican), all due to the crowds or lack thereof. We wandered around Rome for a bit longer and then had dinner at an amazing restuarant (Al Duello) just around the corner from us. Dinner included a lovely bottle of Tignanello (one of Lisa's favourite wines), mussel soup. fennel salad and beef with a green tomatoe sauce. It was definitely one of the best meals we had on the trip and ended up being less expensive than the previous evening's meal! Then it was time for one more wander through Rome and we spent some time in Piazza Navona viewing the Bernini fountains. It was a bit funny as we had passed through the Piazza many times (it being close to our hotel) but never really spent much time looking at the fountains as we always passed through when it was during the heat of the day and we were usually on our way somewhere. Finally we had one more glass of wine just aroudn the corner from our hotel before retiring for the night.