IST - MAD - JFK

This old blog is wilting on the vine. I stopped taking my laptop on trips because of security hassles and other inconveniences. Now I’m rethinking this strategy seeing how many people travel with those nifty, small p.c. notebooks.

The connection is I just don’t have time to write ~ let alone think.

So, 23 days away is a considerable amount of time. It's nice to be home again. Florida’s “cool” winter days have been replaced by balmy weather - easterlies still blow across the state from the Atlantic keeping the humidity at bay for at least a few more weeks, thankfully.

Where’s the world-wide recession?

Istanbul was bustling. Ankara has a gleaming new airport terminal which was full of incoming and outgoing passengers. Turkish Airways is announcing new services to Africa, South America (yikes), Canada and deep into Russia.

Madrid is hyper-hyper-hyper. The earliest one can get a meal is 9 PM. Several of my colleagues and I set out at 10 PM for drinks one evening. We finished tapas (Spanish hors d'œuvres) at 11 PM and paid the check for dinner at 12:30 AM. Most restaurants were just filling up as we walked back to our hotel. (double yikes)

New York was also booming. Times Square was a zoo last Saturday due to the NFL draft taking place in the city. It was difficult to walk the sidewalks for the number of people meandering around the Big Apple. Bryant Park was ablaze in tulips (and people).

On Monday evening I found some peace and quiet in Mario’s barbershop. A real Italian that Mario. And a fine haircut for only $12 – or $3 less than here in Florida. What’s up?