jpalbny

Certainly not on on the €30-per-day allowance that he's allotted! 😉

Not me, but I've met him!

We did do the climb 10+ years ago. The problem is that you need to reserve a time slot and if you're there on a ship's tour you rarely have enough time, because all the times are sold out for many hours in advance. I think it was our second visit, and it wasn't crowded because it was November. So we ran to the ticket booth as soon as we arrived, and luckily there was a slot available not too far in the future, before the bus left! It's worth the entry fee because (in our opinion), it's a real trip to climb the spiral staircase while it's at such an angle! So steep on one side, such a gentle incline on the other. Disorienting almost. Worth skipping lunch for! 😉

That would be a deal-breaker for me.

I was hoping for a photo of that which the young Englishman was ogling.

Looks like a nice hotel! The included transfer from there to the port in Cairns will be a doozy, though.

Looks like a fun ending to a great trip! Thanks for sharing and I hope you're back on the rivers soon. The Douro is beautiful; though we have't done the river cruise there (yet) we have visited by land. Welcome home!

He was low on cash; only had €30 when he started then spent €9.50 on the ramparts walk. Ron, you need to talk with Ann about a bigger allowance!

According to my Clear app, the Clear line in Terminal B at LAX closes at 10PM. No indication whether it is for the PreCheck line only, or both at that location. Good luck! Hate it when you get stuck on an airline that doesn't participate in TSA PreCheck! That definitely slows down the process.

It's fine in the winter too. Especially in the hot tub. Borrowed from Maxwell?

Hi @ural guy! Glad you're enjoying Portugal even though your trip is different from what you expected. That area looks like another place to add to the list of places to visit on our next trip there. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Thanks QSS - I just added the show to my queue. We just got Apple TV a week or so ago when I changed my TMobile plan, and it's included. Lucky me! Looking forward to it; Eugene Levy is great. Portugal is an absolute gem. You must go. Bottle of Rioja or not. As you remember we did a week there on our own and it was one of the most fun trips - just full of incredible sights and so much good food. I hope you book something soon. ETA - just saw a post on the River Cruising boards (River Cruising Water Cooler) from someone who is in Portugal now. Check out his pictures if you need any more temptation!

Yum - foie gras! And that spicy curry makes me hungry too. A shame your lovely dinner was interrupted by a view of the MSC Gargantuosa but looks like you had a fun day!

Be careful what you wish for. We have walked the streets, so to speak, with Mysty and Myster. OK, just kidding, they were very well-behaved! And it was a pleasure.

Speaking of cats, zqtchas... This is a classic!

Terry - our "house" Sauv Blanc is Matua. It's less than $10 a bottle and goes well in almost any season. When there's a $2-3 rebate per bottle, we buy a case. Cloudy Bay goes for $25.95 a bottle at our local discounter. We're cheap too, so we don't splurge for it.

Enjoying the tour of Brazil, @Lirio! Our only visit to your country was a brief crossing from Iguazú to Iguaçu so we could see Las Cataratas from both countries. Would like to visit again! We had a nice relaxing weekend. The weather was cool but the sunshine was plentiful, so it felt very warm. Yesterday afternoon we took a walk by the Hudson and saw some wildlife. A scraggly deer who needs to finish losing its winter coat. And a bald eagle nest! Occupied! Closer to home, our old lady cat enjoyed the sunshine in her own way. Today the weather was even nicer. So we got adventurous and jogged most of the way along the river path. The eagle's nest was still occupied. We had seen a pair of bald eagles flying around our neighborhood two weeks ago so we're thinking it's the same pair with this nest. After the long jog we were hungry, so Easter dinner was soon underway. Grilled spiced duck breast with a blackberry and balsamic reduction. Chris made the salad. Very artistic. And dinner was served with a Finger Lakes Cabernet Franc which has been aging in the cellar for just such an occasion. While we ate, I browned the duck bones on the grill and now they are in the instant pot, cooking down into a rich broth for later. We are soaking our tired legs in the hot tub! Happy Easter and Happy Spring to all!

Here @zqtchas, someone else is making the same connection with Rapa Nui.

Happy Easter!

Good one; truly looks like Easter Island in that picture! Here's a photo of that site that isn't photoshopped!

I have that picture too; I use it in my talk about chest imaging!

Ron, those pictures look very familiar...If it's the place that I think it is, it's a great place to visit! We were there when we were in Barcelona before our Spirit cruise in November 2021.

That would be the DL flight which leaves annoyingly early... We looked at it a few years ago and decided against it. Too many things that might go wrong, even though KEF is a fairly efficient airport. It's far from the city. Even if everything goes perfectly it would be hard to get there before 9AM. We flew Iceland air instead, which has afternoon departures. Less stress.

Nicely done Ron! I agree. Looks like a lovely evening for the grill.

Ah! Saturday morning and Mysty posting funnies in the Cooler. All seems back to normal in the world. Happy Easter to all! I might watch Chris make Pysanky today.