Time To GET Away

Hey, we’re getting up there in age, okay? Many of us are retired. And with all that time on our hands, what are we going to do? Let’s go on a vacation. Let me say that my wife and I have different ideas about what constitutes a vacation. I like the beach, golf, easy hikes, great food, maybe a game of pickleball. And while she likes those things, she is also a big fan of adventure travel. Call me crazy but my idea of a vacation does not include hiking down a steep path with wet rocks and loose gravel. In fact we did that once in Peru and I slipped and fell backwards three different times, only to be saved from hitting my head by the big, heavy backpack I was carrying. My wife’s point is a valid one: let’s take these trips while we are still physically able to. Don't want to try these in your 80’s. No, I certainly do not. But I ain’t so crazy about doing them at 72 either.

So Al and Joanne are taking the kind of trip John recently took and that I like to take. A little sightseeing in a country we’ve never been to before and great eating. A couple years ago, we went with another couple we’re very close to, and explored the Greek Islands. This past spring we went to Sicily with other close friends. Greek food, Italian food, beautiful natural settings, you can’t go wrong. We climbed a lot but they were streets and staircases, not mountains with wet rocks. Well there was a climb of Mt. Etna one day, an active volcano, but the only really challenging part was trying to get the black lava ash off my hiking shoes. A year later I’m still working on it. Part 1 is a riff John and I took on something that happened to me when I was a teen in Paris. I went into a patisserie and asked, “Combien coute…” before the woman behind the counter said impatiently (hey it’s France), “How much is what?” I replied, “the Napoleon.” To which she responded, “For a nice Jewish boy like you, one franc (this was before Euros, wayyy before). I said, “How did you know I was Jewish,” and she replied, “Your face looks like the map of Tel Aviv. No kidding. I hope the map of Tel Aviv is good looking, but I have no idea.

Al will keep trying to use his high school Spanish and French and we’ll keep trying to make you laugh. Have a great weekend, nous ami and amie (I have no idea if that is right). See you next week,

Andy and John