Back from Vaca

We're back from our vacation to Greece and Turkey. We loved Istanbul, such a colourful city. We visited the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Market, the Blue Mosque, the Haggia Sophia and took a lovely cruise along the Bosphorus Strait. We also took the tram and went to a Turkish Dance show which included some fabulous belly dancing. Staying at the Crowne Plaza hotel in the old town was a treat and we didn't want to leave.

Visiting the Greek Islands was a dream come true, although it was not without some trauma. The Louis Cristal cruise ship is more of a 3 star facility. A lot of people contracted diarrhea including my family. It could have been a virus. The cabins had tiny washrooms complete with a squigee brush to push the water toward the drain after a shower. We were also asked to avoid putting toilet paper in the toilet in true European style and dump it in the waste bin instead. Our waste bin didn't even have a lid.

Poor M had severe diarrhea the first night. The next afternoon, we disembarked in Mykonos. He proceeded to faint after about 20 minutes on the island and hit his head on a rock. Fortunately we were with 3 other families. The 3rd family we had just met on the tour and the couple happened to be doctors. The doctor acted quickly and stopped the bleeding on M's head and declared that he needed stitches. An ambulance came and transported M and myself to hospital. The doctor there immediately put M on an IV drip, declaring that he was dehydrated. He had also bruised his shoulders and they were painful. The group continued their touring of Mykonos, including our kids. M and I were able to return to the ship that night where he got some more drip. On the bright side, I was able to see the sunset from the hospital window and we were able to appreciate Mykonos by night! I had also ventured out to the pharmacy to buy some medicine.

The next morning, M and I were able to disembark and enjoy a walk on Patmos. M bought new sunglasses as he had broken his other ones during the fall. We even bought 12 litres of water back to the boat to share with the group as it cost 6 times as much on the ship. I carried the water most of the way.

We cancelled our family tour that afternoon, of the Ancient Ephesus ruins in Kusadasi, Turkey. The ship doctor had booked M for a precautionary CT Scan at a private hospital in Kusadasi. The scan took about an hour (the radiologist doctor said everything was fine although we received the report in Turkish) and they offered us some refreshing apple tea at the hospital. Ephesus would've been a long, hot (45C) walk anyway. K and I went shopping at the Turkish bazaar in the port after that. We had fun buying some leather goods, although I think I could've done a better job at the bargaining.

The next morning we went with the group on a tour of Rhodes. We climbed the Acropolis in Lindos (slippery marble steps) and visited the old town in Rhodes.

I particularly liked the Agios-Nikolaos port in Crete where the cruise ship docked the next morning. Lovely mountain views and we were able to swim at a beach there. The water of the Aegean Sea was clear and refreshing, a pebbled and rocky beach, as opposed to sandy. M didn't swim because he didn't want to get his head stitches wet at that point.

That afternoon we disembarked on tender boats to visit Santorini. It's very steep but the town of Oia is very picturesque, just like in the movies. And real estate is super expensive. At Thira, we had the option of descending to the tender boats by cable car or Donkey. Everyone seemed to be doing the cable cars.

We ended our tour in Athens, staying at the Ledra Marriott hotel. I have to mention that I felt like I was still rocking a few days after disembarking the ship. Anyway, the hotel was gorgeous, with a rooftop pool that had an Acropolis view. we swam there one night and it was surreal. That first night in Athens, we dined at an outdoor restaurant in the Plaka area under the Acropolis, which was also surreal. Unfortunately, the next morning, M woke up with a swollen throat (suspected allergy) and we again rushed to emergency at a private hospital about 10 minutes away. They put him on a steroid drip to reduce the swelling and the doctor decided to keep him in hospital for 2 nights' observation. M seemed fine at this point, but whatever. We were due to leave the next morning! Thank goodness we had listened to the travel agent and purchased deluxe travel insurance! We were able to get a flight home the day after M was discharged from hospital, although we had been told the flights were very busy and there was the possibility of having to wait for days.

At any rate, hopefully I can post some photos soon, I have some good 'food' ones.

M is still tired and getting lots of rest, he's been through a lot. He's usually very healthy.

I still have a bit of jet lag, but we did 4 loads of laundry and the mail is all taken care of. We're getting back into the busy routine. Summer is slipping away and the back to school sales have started.

Vacation Break

Well, it's time to finish packing for our upcoming vacation. We've been looking at the optional excursions with our tour (more $$). I tend to like the scenic ones as opposed to all the historical sites, how about you? It looks like early 7 am departure-type mornings, eeps. As we are going with 2 other families it will be interesting to see what optionals they choose, if any. The days are busy with K at summer school and with getting L ready for university. We received the tuition statement as soon as she registered for courses! The challenge is to squeeze some regular exercise into my days. I should be able to start posting again in early August! Bye for now.

Oh, here's a recipe for Grill-Roasted Clam Linguine that I found. It says 'Clams cooked in the shell pop open on the grill, just like they do when steamed. And there's a bonus for the cook: No big, heavy pot is needed.' I never knew you could grill clams.

And here's a funny video where this 'comedian owns heckler, wins back crowd'.

Jeanne Robertson Comedy

A friend sent me a couple of humourous videos that might appeal to some of you:

JEANNE ROBERTSON VIDEO! Don't Bungee Jump Naked!

Jeanne Robertson "Don't send a man to the grocery store!

Sooner or later, I'm going to have to get a smart phone (blackberry, iphone, android, whatever). It seems you need one to 'read' this billboard:
Calvin Klein Jeans Replaces Racy Billboards with QR Codes

Mango in Motion

Here is a quick healthy recipe I found from
the 'Your Healthy Weight' website.

'A very nutritious drink ready in less than 5 minutes!'


2 serving(s)

Ingredients

1 cup (250 ml) cold milk

2 tbsp (30 ml) frozen mango-orange 100% juice concentrate

1/2 cup (125 ml) vanilla yogurt

Preparation

Add all ingredients to a tall glass. Stir until the juice concentrate dissolves. That’s it!

Option: replace the vanilla yogurt with fruit yogurt and the mango-orange with any of your other favourite frozen 100% juice concentrates. Yum!


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This video is heartwarming and worth sharing, I think.

A few nights ago, we ate out with some friends at a Northern Persian restaurant. We enjoyed the food very much. L and I ordered succulent, flavourful lambchops on beds of basmati rice. K enjoyed his chicken kabobs and M had a beef sirloin kabob with pomegranate sauce. One of our friends had a chicken 'stew' with pomegranate sauce. I had a taste and it was very good. We sipped on cardamom scented tea and some Persian pastries afterward.

Sony 3D TV demo

L and I were at the mall yesterday and tried out the new Sony 3D TV's on display in Centre Court. The 3D glasses cost $150 and the TV's cost about $4500 (Canadian dollars). They come with a 3D transmitter that sits on top of the TV monitor. 3D looks REALLY good, the polar bears looked so real swimming around on the TV screen. Then the attendant switched to a world cup soccer match. It was so realistic, and even if you turn the 3D feature off to rest your eyes, the picture is still incredibly clear.

Here's a recipe I received from Life Made Delicious - General Mills Canada. It's on my list to try.



Asparagus And Swiss Bake

Succulent asparagus and savoury Swiss cheese pair up in an easy and tasty egg bake.
Prep Time: 15 Mins | Total Time: 55 Mins | Makes: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups (500 mL) cut (1-inch/2.5 cm) asparagus spears
1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped red pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) sliced green onion
2 cups (500 mL) shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup (175 mL) BISQUICK* mix
11/2 cups (375 mL) milk
1 tsp (5 mL) lemon-pepper seasoning salt
3 eggs

Method:

* Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In medium saucepan, heat 1-inch (2.5 cm) water to boiling. Add asparagus; cook uncovered 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
* In baking dish, mix asparagus, red pepper and onions. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) of the cheese. In medium bowl, stir the remaining ingredients until blended; pour into baking dish.
* Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes, sprinkling with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) cheese for last 5 minutes of baking, until knife inserted between centre and edge comes out clean.


For this recipe you'll need Bisquick* Variety Baking Mix
Bisquick* Variety Baking Mix
Tip
Kitchen Tip: If you don't have fresh asparagus on hand, use frozen asparagus cuts, thawed and drained. Don't cook the asparagus in boiling water; just add it to the casserole.


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