Old City of Dubrovnik

One of the highlights of my 1st cruise last month with Royal Caribbean on Splendour of the Seas was visiting the old city of Dubrovnik. The old city still has its fortified walls, towers, narrow walkways and charm. It was awesome to get to walk around it and learn about it from my Croatian guide. At one time, the capital of the city-state of Ragusa, it was a trading power that rivaled Venice. Unbeknownst to the powers in the area i.e. Spain, Croatia (for a time) and the Ottoman Empire at that time, the Dubrovniks bought each power off and made fortunes trading with each of the powers. It remains 1 of the top tourist attractions in Croatia and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

This is a picture of Stradun Street which is the main and widest street in Old Dubrovnik. All the buildings in the old city are built of stone presumably to help protect against fires.

Here is the clock tower in the old city. I thought it was pretty neat looking.

Jelly Belly Jellybeans at Arundel Mills Mall

One particular shop I like at Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, Maryland is Sweets from Heaven. The reason I like them so much is because they offer over 40 different flavors of Jelly Belly gourmet jellybeans. Jelly Belly jellybeans are some of the best on the market and claim to be the #1 gourmet jellybean in the world. Price wise, the shop is equal to what you would pay on the Jelly Belly website http://www.jellybelly.com/Default.aspx. All the different flavors are priced at $2.25 per quarter pound (4 ounces). One particular flavor I'd recommend if you like peppermint is candy cane which is very pepperminty.

The shop sells other candies such as almond bark and candy corn though I can't tell you if those are any good. I go there just to buy Jelly Belly's. The shop is self service and, Jelly Belly's as well as a number of other candies are sold in bulk. The customer gets a bag and uses one of the scoops provided to scoop as much of each candy as they want. The shop has scales provided so, the customer can see how much they have and guesstimate how much their purchase will cost. When they're done getting what they want, they can take them up to the cashier and pay for them.

The shop's hours are:

Monday to Thursday - 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Friday & Saturday - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday - 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

(Source: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sweets-from-heaven-hanover-3)

Happy snacking all!

A "The Hobbit" Movie Review

On Sunday December 23rd, I got to see the new movie "The Hobbit" by Peter Jackson at the Arundel Mills Mall Cinemax Theater. I'd been looking forward for some time to this movie. I expected it to be excellent and, it was. The movie is taken from the book "The Hobbit" written by J. R. R. Tolkien in 1938 though the movie does have some changes from the book.

For starters, the character of Thorin Oakenshield is developed far more. We see him as a brave and inspirational leader determined to reclaim his lost home. Also, we learn more about the Necromancer who turns out to be Sauron who hides in the fortress of Dol Guldur. Another change is the introduction of Radagast the Brown who is living what would become Mirkwood. It's Radagast that discovers the Necromancer and informs Gandalf of it. Another change is the orc Azog. Azog was the orc chieftain living in Moria who started the Dwarf-Orc war that culminated in the battle of Azanulbizar. We see the battle in the movie BUT, the battle takes a different turn from what Tolkien told. Tolkien has Azog killed in the battle by a young (32 years old) Dain Ironfoot. In the movie, Jackson has Thorin cut off part of Azog's arm and, Thorin assumes he dies of his wounds. Azog doesn't and hunts down Thorin and his company with the intent of killing Thorin.

None of these changes hurt the movie and may enhance it. I suspect we'll end up caring more for the character Thorin and his death scene with Bilbo in the 3rd movie will be far more poignant. Also, the movie helps tie in some of what we see in Lord of the Rings. We see where Gandalf got the Elven blade Glamdring and the petrified trolls we see briefly in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Concerning the 3D technology, I saw the movie in XD 3D. I didn't feel any nausea. I did notice that the images were sharper and, I think the colors were brighter. Those helped make the breathtaking outdoors scenes even more stunning. There are scenes that will knock your socks off in that way.

The movie itself is nearly 3 hours long but, it never drags. At the end, I found it hard to believe I had sat for nearly 3 hours in the theater. It didn't feel that long. There is lots of action with some humor thrown in to keep the movie from being too dark. We start to see Bilbo develop discover things about himself he doesn't know are there though I think Gandalf can see them. The movie ends at a good point with the band looking across Mirkwood to the far distant Lonely Mountain which is their ultimate objective. Jackson pans into the mountain and gives us a look inside where we see a huge eye open in a tantalizing glimpse of Smaug.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this movie. Any fan of Middle Earth should be delighted with it. It is so believable and well done. Howard Shore does another fine job score wise with the movie which helps create the appropriate moods. New Zealand itself shows its best in the movie and will tempt lots of people to visit this stunning country. Hopefully, by now, the theaters won't be so jam packed though the movie still pulled in over $35 million this past weekend. It wasn't when I saw the movie though I attended the 11:35 a.m. showing. Folks may be even tempted to see it a 2nd time as I am because, there is a LOT to take in. Happy viewing all!

Free Costco Tire Rotation

One plus you get when you buy a set of tires from Costco is free tire rotation during the life of the tires. This can save you some bucks on top of the good tire prices Costco offers. Recently, I visited the Arundel Mills (located in Hanover), Maryland Costco where I took them up on this offer again. The tire department was prompt, fast and courteous and the best part was there wasn't any charge for the service.

Another mixed blessing Costco offers tire wise is filling their tires up with nitrogen gas vice regular air. The reason they do this is so the tires maintain regular pressure at all times. Regular air expands when it gets heated and contracts (apparently) when it gets cold. This means your tire pressure can change based on the local temperatures. How inflated your tires are can have an effect on your gas mileage  Nitrogen doesn't expand or contract based on the temperature. This enables the tires to have a steady pressure and help get you more miles to the gallon. The down side is that nitrogen isn't available every where and, some of it does eventually escape the tires making it necessary for the car owner to get their tire pressure checked at Costco and if needed, get more nitrogen put in the tires. That's why I call it a mixed blessing because, it is a bit of a hassle to go to Costco to get your tires topped up with the nitrogen.

Happy driving all!

Royal Caribbean's All Access Tour

On November 16, 2012, I got to do Royal Caribbean's All Access Tour on their Splendour of the Seas ship. I thought I'd tell a bit about the tour for those who don't know what it is and what you'd get to see.

The All Access tour in a nutshell a behind the scenes tour of various areas of the ship passengers don't normally get to see. It gives them a glimpse of what life is like for crew members as well as how the ship is run. The tour does have a minimum sign up number which I guess is at least 6. I know on my first cruise, we had 4 people sign up for the tour and, the ship cancelled because that wasn't enough people. Also, the ship runs the tour while the ship is at sea. This makes it possible for passengers to take in any land tours they want to do while the ship is in port. The tour lasts at least 3 hours and, there are some narrow steps that people on the tour must be able to handle. As tour enters sensitive areas of the ship, tour members were escorted by ship security the entire tour and at 1 point, they had to undergo a security check to make sure they weren't carrying anything dangerous before they were allowed in some of the sensitive areas. Cost wise, the tour can cost $150 which I found pretty steep and kept me from taking it before. To my delight, during my 2 cruises, the Splendour of the Seas offered a special where you buy 1 get 1 free. What that means is you pay the $150 and, you get to take a friend a long for free. This breaks out to $75 per person which is the same price (or close to it) you would pay for a land excursion. I thought that reasonable.

Our tour group assembled at the customer relations desk where we were issued our special All Access badges. Then, with appropriate security escort, our tour director (sadly name forgotten) led us down into the areas never seen by other passengers.

The tour began on the 2nd deck where we met Martha Grimm, one of the ship's human relations people who lead us through the crew members club and dining room. She told us about various activities that were organized for crew members and how long the crew would serve on the ship before getting to take leave and go home. She told us that no more than 2 crew members were put in a single cabin.

After visiting the we got to visit the laundry department. The ship has its own miniature dry cleaners and laundry service with big dryers and double barrel washing machines that can wash 100 kilos of laundry at a time. Also, there are pressing machines to steam out any wrinkles in various ship uniforms. The laundry department was very extensive though it would have to be considering the staggering number of sheets, towels and crews uniforms they would need to wash.

Next, we were taken to the incinerator room where we were briefed by the environmental officer Malcolm (last name forgotten). He was in charge of making sure the ship followed all the international and national regulations concerning the disposal of liquid and solid waste. The incinerator room was more than where they burned trash. They had bottle breaker with a box underneath that caught the crushed glass which would later be recycled at various ports. Also, there was a machine for compacting cardboard boxes which were also recycled. Concerning waste water, the water would be treated on board the ship to a point where it was safe to release it. The regulations concerning where it would be safe to release it could vary greatly so, the environmental officer had to have copies of different countries rules on this in his small office.

After the briefing was over with the environmental officer, we headed up to deck 4 where we got to stand on the stage of the ship's theater and see what it was looked like for the ship's performers. One of the actresses briefed us on how the productions were run. She showed us the show manager's console that controlled the lights and coordinated things with various stage hands. Then, we headed to the men's wardrobe and the women's wardrobe where we got to see their various costumes. We found out how they changed them so fast (they use a lot of velcro which enables them to get the clothes off quick) as well as having the costumes custom fitted for each performer. Lastly, she told how performers would rotate between ship's and shows and how they would be selected for various shows.

Chief Engineer Aleksandr Petrov was the main man in charge of the ship's engines as well as surprisingly the ship's fire sensors. The engines are constantly monitored by computers who instantly show how they are running on consoles one of the ship's engineers are always monitoring them. I think each 1 of the engines could generate something like 17,000 horsepower though please don't quote me on that. As I mentioned, the other job the engineers have is monitoring the fire sensors throughout the ship. If a sensor should go off, the person in the engine room will contact ship security immediately and, they'll send someone to check it out. If need be, they can activate various fire suppressor systems in the ship.

Everyone expects great food on a cruise but, not every one knows all the hard work that goes into producing such fantastic food. My tour group got to visit the ship's galley where we were briefed by the ship's Executive Chef Michael Luik. Chef Luik has cooked for the Queen of England, the President of the United States, various European Prime Ministers and celebrities such a Phil Collins and Celine Dion. Wanting a new challenge, he hired on with Royal Caribbean and certainly found it there. He runs all the restaurants on the ship as well as managing cooks from 19 different countries with considerable different levels of ability. Some are brand new cooks while others are sous chefs who run different departments in the galley such as soups or vegetables. Also, he checks all incoming food shipments to make sure it's of the best quality and manages over 10,000 different items the restaurants and dining rooms use. Lastly and surprisingly, he also monitors the disposal of food waste to make sure it doesn't do any harm to the environment.

Last up was 1 of the highlights of the tour, we got to visit the bridge of the ship. The views from the bridge were AWESOME!!!!! We got to see the radar screens and 1 of the ship's officers briefed us on how they could identify different ships on the screens as well contact the ship's if necessary. Depending on what the ship is doing, the number of officers on the bridge can vary from 2 to 6. The more difficult the task, the more each task is broken down to prevent overload on each officer and make it possible for Captain Iv Vidos to know what exactly is happening with his ship. The ship itself is very maneuverable with front side thrusters and engine pods that can rotate 180 degrees if necessary. Also, the ship has stabilizers which are deployed when the ship is in open seas which cut down on the rocking of the ship. After a briefing by 1 of the subordinate officers, Captain Vidos himself showed up and spoke to us for a bit before very kindly agreeing to allow tour members to have their picture taken with him. I thought this was really nice.

After visiting the bridge, our tour was over. We were escorted back to the Centrum area of the ship where we were released. We were told we would receive 2 gifts as mementos from the tour. Later, I found an All Access tour tote bag and a kitchen apron in my cabin. They were very nice mementos of a great tour. If you can get the same deal I was able to get on this tour, I'd heartily recommend it. It is a very interesting tour that will show you how Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines do their "magic." Happy cruising all!!!!!

Olive Garden Italian Dressing

While shopping at my local Sam's Club, I saw they had Olive Garden's Signature Italian Dressing for sale. As I like the Olive Garden restaurant chain though I don't eat there very often, I decided to buy some of the dressing. I found the dressing very good on salad and, it does remind me of the dressing Olive Garden puts on their salads at their restaurants. I don't know if it's the same recipe or not. Price wise, the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club is selling 2 20 fluid ounce bottles of the dressing for $6.98 excluding tax. I thought this was a reasonable price and apparently better than you can find else where. Amazon has various sellers offering the dressing starting at $8.86 for the 2 bottle pack and, that doesn't include shipping. The dressing must be refrigerated once it's opened and, it should be shaken before being poured on whatever you're going to use it on.

Overall, I definitely give this dressing a thumbs up and recommend it if you like Italian salad dressings. It has a great flavor and will remind you of the fine Olive Garden restaurant chain. Bon Appetit!!!

My 2 November Royal Caribbean Cruises

I got back late Saturday night from my 2 Royal Caribbean cruises out of Venice, Italy on their Splendour of the Seas. While there were some disappointments, overall, I had a great time and, I'll be counting the days till I go on my next 2 cruises in early Spring of this coming year.

During my cruises, I got to visit the following places:

Alberobello, Italy
Bari, Italy
Paleokastritsa, Corfu
Acheilleon Palace, Corfu
Island of Delos
Kusadasi, Turkey
Cavtat, Croatia
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Fera, Santorini, Greece
Oia, Santorini, Greece
Ephesus, Turkey
Olympia, Greece
Katakolon, Greece

What were some of the highlights? Exploring the ruins on Delos. The was the sight of the 2nd most sacred place in Ancient Greece. It was claimed the sun god Apollo was born here with his twin sister Artemis. Over 30,000 people lived on the island at one time. Another highlight was wandering the walled city of Dubrovnik. At 1 time, it was a trading power that challenged Venice. Another was visiting the incomparable Ephesus. You can see the 24,000 seat amphitheater where Saint Paul preached and was challenged by those selling souvenirs of the temple dedicated to Artemis. Also, I did the All Access tour on the ship. This tour allows guests on the ship to visit where the crew eat and party, where trash is disposed, the engine room that powers the ship, the ship's theater (the only time I'll be on the stage vice sitting before it), the ship's galley and the bridge of the ship (awesome views). The tour was awesome!!!!!! Lastly, it was great to get to visit Venice again. The place still shines in my book.

I did have some learning experiences. I found out about the bus parking lot on Venice and, I used their People Mover (1 Euro each way) twice so, I could go to and from the bus parking lot and walk on to P. Le Roma where I caught at waterbus to the Rialto Bridge and back from the Piazza San Marco. I found out where the waterbus and Alilaguna stops were at Marco Polo International Airport were as well as the cost of 24 hour tickets on both (20 and 30 Euros as I remember respectively). Also, I did have a bit of a time finding the Best Western Hotel Sant Elena. The hotel was deserving on its reputation of a fine hotel. I'd gladly recommend it.

Lastly, the crew on the Splendor of the Seas were outstanding. I had a great head waiter from India named Alick. There was a fantastic bartender named Zoltan from Hungary and a nice cabin steward named Patricia (forget what country she was from). Customer Service were solid with a great rep named Nikolay. I got to make my first ever cruise reservations at ship's Crown & Anchor desks with Johanna. Many thanks for that. And lastly, many thanks to the unsung awesome cooks on board the ship who every day fixed such fantastic food. I had to show considerable willpower to keep myself to 1 plate per meal. I didn't want to leave as cargo at the end of the 2 cruises.

If you like cruising or are interested in cruising, you should give Royal Caribbean a look. They do a consistently fine job. I've done 7 cruises with them and, I've been pleased with them every time. Also, the have an excellent frequent cruiser program (Crown & Anchor) making it very worth whiled to do a lot of cruises with them. Happy travels all!!!!!!!

Arrived in Italy

Yesterday, I arrived at Marco Polo International Airport from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The flight was uneventful barring the flight being delayed 3 times which meant we got in an hour later.

It's been years since I was last in Venice. This time is unique in a number of ways. First, I took the water shuttle (Alilaguna) from the airport to Lido Island and later took it to the cruise ship terminal so, I could scout it out in advance. I wanted to know where exactly I had to go this Saturday.

Second, I've stayed overnight in Venice. Best Western has a very nice hotel called the Sant' Elena which is off the path of the tourist crowds but within 5 minutes by waterbus from St. Mark's Square. The hotel is in a converted convent and has nice rooms, free WiFi and a fine breakfast buffet which I tried this morning.

Third, this will be the first time I've ever sailed out of Venice or done an European cruise. Yesterday, Oceania and MSC cruise lines had ships in port at the cruise ship terminal. It looks like a very nice facility and millions of people have done cruises out of Venice thanks to it. It was something to see the MSC Armonia sail down the Guidecca Canal on its way out to sea last night all lit up. Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas is supposed to sail at 4:30 p.m. (the ship I'll be on) and should have some awesome views of Venice as we sail out. Stay tuned for some pics on that.

Fourth, I'll get to sail on a different class of ship for the first time. It's Royal Caribbean's Vision Class ship. It's the 2nd smallest class ship they have. I'm looking forward to exploring it and finding out what it offers. Royal Caribbean has another Vision Class ship called Grandeur of the Seas which will sail out of Baltimore beginning in May 2013 and, I'd really like to do a cruise on that ship. So, it'll be handy to know the layout of the ship as each of the ships of a particular class are pretty much the same.

That's all to tell for now. I'll leave you with a picture I took of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice yesterday while exploring. Happy travels all!

Wegmans Organic Fruit Punch

A couple weeks ago, I visited the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans. I checked the coupons they send me in the mail and, I found 1 for that week that would get me a free 8 pack of Wegmans Organic Fruit Punch if I spent $10. I decided to try it. Their 8 pack has 8 6.76 ounce tetra pack containers. The fruit punch is 50% fruit juice and each container has 50 calories of punch. The punch is lactose free, gluten free and meets the requirements for vegetarians. Thanks to their small size, you could easily pack one of these in a lunch box and, they don't have to be refrigerated until they're opened. Also, they have a good shelf life - approximately 6 months. Price wise, I think they were priced around $2.50 though I'm not certain on that.

Taste wise, the punch didn't taste that fruity. I did think I could taste some of the juice but, I wasn't impressed with the drink overall. I've had better fruit punch. Also, I didn't like their small size. 6.76 ounces isn't a whole lot stuff to drink. Kids might like their small size but, I don't think an adult would. I did like the tetra pack thing as this makes them handy on a trip since you don't need refrigeration. Still overall, I wouldn't recommend this product. I wasn't impressed with it.

The Mark of Athena Review

Rick Riordan's "The Mark of Athena" book was released on October 2nd. The The book is the 3rd in a 5 book series called The Heroes of Olympus. The book features 7 demigods: Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Leo, Annabeth and Percy. Percy and Annabeth would be familiar to readers of Riordan's books as they were featured in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Each of the demigods are the children of different Roman and Greek gods. 3 of them are from the Roman gods and 4 are from the Greek gods. The Roman and Greek gods were actually the same. The only difference was the Romans changed the Greek gods to reflect their thinking which was different from the Greek way of thinking. Example: The Greek god Poseidon became the Roman god Neptune. While the Romans respected Neptune, he was never as prominent in Roman civilization as he was in Greek civilization because the Roman's weren't a great seafaring people like the Greeks were. Rome was predominantly a land power.

Anyway, in The Mark of Athena, the 7 demigods come together for the first time and set off for Rome (and will ultimately head to Greece) in order to defeat the giants and the earth Goddess Gaea. Riordan throws in all kinds of surprises along the way including possessing spirits, treacherous old gods, evil nymphs and a battle with the twin giants Ephialtes and Otis as well as bits of information and dreams our heroes must figure out in order to prevail. Also, they must deal with their own inner doubts as well as their relationships with their other demigods. It makes for an an interesting tale.

Riordan does a great job of moving the story along. It never gets dull or tedious. He finds a good balance between the different demigods so, we can see what each of them are going through and thinking. One concern I've heard is that there is apparently a rumor that one of the demigods dies in the book. This doesn't happen. I do think it'll probably happen later in the series. The reason I say that is because I believe Riordan hints at it in the Son of Neptune book. Also, we learn in The Mark of Athena that the Doors of Death must be closed on both sides i.e. someone is going to have to stay on the side that is in Tartarus to close them on that side and be trapped there with all of Gaea's monster minions. We don't find out who that'll be in The Mark of Athena as our heroes at the end of the book finish their adventures in Rome in a great climactic finish and head to Greece where they'll struggle to close the Doors of Death in the 4th book of the series The House of Hades which is due out the Fall of 2013 (sigh).

Overall, the book is another outstanding read by Riordan. It moves really well. It has lots of unexpected twists and turns certain to keep the interest of his readers while occasionally showing some of Riordan's great sense of humor (I bet Coach Hedge had fun digging the coconuts out of the Argo II's hull.). I would highly recommend this book to any fans of the previous books in the series or of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. My only complaint is I'll have to wait a YEAR till they come out with the 4th book. I'll be wondering how will Percy and Annabeth make it to the Doors of Death on the Tartarus side past all of Gaea's monster minions. What new weapons will Leo come up with now that he has the Archimedes sphere. How will our heroes close the Doors of Death and prevent the Roman and Greek camps of demigods from fighting each other while preventing Gaea from awakening. They have just 1 month to accomplish all of this in the next 2 books. It guarantees lots of action with plenty of surprises thrown in by Riordan. Happy reading all!

Wegmans Rotisserie Roasted Chicken

Recently, while visiting the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store, I decided to try their rotisserie roasted chickens. They were advertising them for $4.99 which seemed a good price. One thing I discovered while looking them over is Wegmans offers their chickens in 5 different flavors - plain, barbecue, lemon pepper, roasted garlic and Caribbean lime. As I like Caribbean stuff (see my recent review on Jamaican style spicy beef patties), I decided to try their Caribbean lime. I found it was a nice flavor and, the chicken was nicely cooked. The meat was tender and, the chicken was reasonably packed in its container. The only drawbacks I saw is you are paying a slightly higher price for the different flavors and, you don't get as much chicken for your money. Sam's Club recently lowered the price on their 3 pound roasted chickens to $4.88 (this was the price at the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club on October 17th, 2012) which makes them slightly cheaper and, Wegmans roasted chickens weigh in at 2 pounds 2 ounces so you don't get as much chicken for your money as you do at Sam's Club. Still, it is nice to be able to choose among the different flavors. I look forward to trying their barbecue and lemon pepper flavors. If you want to try something a little different chicken wise, you might want to try Wegmans rotisserie roasted chickens. You'll find them in the prepared foods section of the store. Bon Appetit!

Update January 11, 2015: Sam's Club roasted chicken's at the Laurel, Maryland store are $4,98 now. Today, I bought one and, that is how I know the current (as of this update) price. They are still 3 pounds.

Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties

One food item I've bought a number of times at Sam's Club is Caribbean Food Delights Jamaican Style Spicy Beef Patties. To folks in the U.S., a pattie is a hamburger. These patties aren't hamburgers. These are basically Jamaican style beef turnovers. They're spiced beef stuffed in a corn meal type shell. Caribbean Food Delights fully bakes the turnovers so all the consumer has to do is heat them up and serve them. I have a 1300 watt microwave and, I can heat 2 of the turnovers at the same time in 2 and 1/2 minutes. I don't know how authentic the turnovers are but, they are tasty and convenient. Concerning the spices that are used in the turnovers, I personally haven't found them that hot. They're definitely not on par with Mexican food I've had. The only drawback I see with the turnovers is you must keep them frozen until you're ready to heat them up. Price wise, a box of 10 individually wrapped turnovers will cost you $10.99 (price quoted is good as of the time of this post for the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club).

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this product. They're easy to prepare, not exorbitantly expensive and keep to keep as long as you have a freezer of some time. If you like Caribbean food, you might want to try this product. Bon Appetit!

Mega Chicken Laurel Maryland

I drive and ride on Maryland-198 a lot. As a result, I've passed by a restaurant called Mega Chicken (address 3485 Ft. Meade Rd i.e. Maryland-198) a number of times. The restaurant claims to sell charcoal cooked chicken Peruvian style. As I have fond memories of my Globus tour of Peru, I've been wanting to try out their chicken for a while. Today, I decided to treat myself to some. I bought their half chicken meal for $7.25 which comes with a small standard salad (iceberg lettuce and shredded carrot pieces) and a choice of either rice, standard french fries or yucca (sweet potato) fries. Also, they include 1 small cup each of an unidentified yellow sauce and an unidentified green sauce.

The salad was nothing to get excited about and came with a small cup of a salad dressing I couldn't identify. As I wanted to try something different, I went with the yucca fries and was glad I did. I didn't find them very sweet but, they were pretty good. I enjoyed them more than having the standard french fries. I dipped the yucca fries in the 2 different sauces. I found the yellow sauce all right and very mild. The green sauce reminded me of a dining mishap I had in Peru. During my tour there, on our way back from Paracas, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. They served a salad with the meal I ordered. There was a slice of what looked standard green pepper. I promptly stuck the whole thing in my mouth and munched it. I found out very quickly that was a big mistake. It wasn't your standard green pepper. It had plenty of zing and, I had tears coming down from the fire in my mouth. I'm pretty certain the unidentified green sauce is made with the same green pepper I had in Peru. In regards to the chicken, I found it tasty and tender. It readily came off the bone and, it was easy to eat.

Overall, I was pretty pleased with Mega Chicken. Parking was good, service was prompt and, the food was pretty good (better than good). I thought it was reasonably priced too. I particularly liked the yucca fries which is something you can't find routinely here in the U.S. I saw on the menu they offer fried plantains which I've tried once in St. Lucia and, I'd like to try again. Also, they sell the national soft drink of Peru i.e. Inca Kola. They offer it in 16 ounce plastic bottles for $1.25. This isn't the best deal as down the street at Shoppers Food Warehouse, you can get a 2 liter bottle for $1.59 I believe. I like Inca Kola but, I will warn soft drink drinkers, it tastes VERY different from your standard cola drinks (more like bubble gum). If you would like to try some Peruvian charcoal cooked chicken, this place is worth checking out.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Excursions

On Royal Caribbean Cruises webpage, you can create a log-in for their My Cruises page. This page enables you to see what cruises you've purchased or held, what ones you've saved and what cruises you've completed. Also, it allows you to access the webpage where you can reserve excursions for your upcoming cruise in advance. What's the advantage of doing that? The biggest one I can think of is avoiding having to pay for all those excursions at the end of the cruise or getting a big charge card bill afterwards. You're already going to have a few bills from souvenirs, meals you may have had at their pay restaurants or at one of the ports you made, charges for using their WiFi network on board the ship as well as any alcoholic drinks you had on board. Another plus is it guarantees you'll get on the list for the excursion instead of trying to sign up when you get on board the ship and possibly finding out the excursion is fully booked. Also, it helps you avoid the LONG lines that happen at the beginning of the cruise when EVERY ONE else wants to sign up for their excursions.

I've heard from others that you may be able to get the same excursions cheaper when you make port but, that costs you time in port having to find a place that sells the excursions though often excursions vendors will be close to where the cruise ships pull in. Also, you have to see what excursions the different companies offer vice being able to see a complete list offered by Royal Caribbean. Lastly, if you reserve your excursions in advance with them, you'll find your excursions tickets waiting for you in your cabin at the beginning of the cruise. Should your excursion for whatever reason cancel, Royal Caribbean will automatically refund you your money by giving you a credit on your SeaPass account.

Another plus if you book your excursion through Royal Caribbean is that they are obligated to wait for you if your excursion is late returning to the ship. After all, they chose the company for the excursion and, they would've told the company when you HAD to be back. If you book on your own with some other company, you're taking a chance though the company should know when you need to be back. Still, I wouldn't like the thought of the ship leaving without me. It would be a HUGE hassle to try to catch up with the cruise ship at your next port of call.

Lastly, Royal Caribbean does offer a good choice of excursions that should have something for everyone. I've gotten to go salmon fishing in Alaska through them as well as see a Tlingit Indian song and dance show. I got to see the Mayan city of Tulum while in port at Cozumel, Mexico and a sea turtle farm in Grand Cayman.  They offer scuba diving excursions at every Caribbean port I believe. In Europe, they have excursions where you can wine taste some of the local wine (I'll be doing 1 in Italy and 1 in Greece). If nothing else, checking out the excursions on the Royal Caribbean website gives you an idea of what will be available during your cruise as well as the cost. Knowing the potential costs makes it easier for you to budget for the excursions. I think this service is really handy and, I've used it myself 4 out of the 5 cruises I've done with Royal Caribbean (I wasn't aware of the service on my 1st cruise with them). Yesterday, I used it to book all the excursions I'll take for my 6th and 7th cruises in November.

FYI, the website is also useful for pre-paying for any spa services, pay restaurants or drink packages You'd like. I particularly like pre-paying for the unlimited soda package. The unlimited soda package is useful in regards to avoiding a charge on your SeaPass account for EVERY soda you drink. However, I think you have to drink 3 sodas a day to get your money's worth out of it. So, there is a trade off.

That's all for this post. Happy cruises all!

Disclaimer: I'm not in any way connected with Royal Caribbean Cruises or their parent company. Concerning my claim that Royal Caribbean will wait for you if you book your excursion through them, you might want to double check that though as far as I know, it's true. I've personally seen them do it.

John Howe Autographed Books

Yesterday, I received my latest order from WETA, the folks that create the sets for the Hobbit movies as well as the costumes, swords, armor and special effects. WETA does some incredible stuff. My order consisted of 3 books of maps that John Howe illustrated - The Road Goes Ever On and On which contains the map of Tolkien's Middle Earth, West of The Mountains East of the Sea which contains a map of Tolkien's Beleriand (a land that existed in Middle Earth's 1st Age) and There and Back Again which contains the map for Tolkien's The Hobbit. All 3 books were autographed by John Howe. Howe and Alan Lee are the 2 artists that have really defined how people envision Tolkien's Middle Earth. When Peter Jackson decided to do the Lord of the Rings movies, he hired these 2 artists to help him show what Middle Earth looked like. I think you can say that Jackson's vision of Middle Earth really is what Howe and Lee imagined it as. Howe is the artist who created the image of Bilbo Baggin's home at Bag End. The rooms that viewers saw of it in the Lord of the Rings movies and will see in The Hobbit movies were created by Howe. His vision of Middle Earth is beautiful and stunning. I wish I could afford to buy a work of his of Middle Earth. I remember seeing one at the Lord of the Rings film exhibition in Indianapolis, Indiana many years ago. It was gorgeous. Unfortunately, it had an $800 plus price tag with it which terrified my wallet. For now, I'll content myself with these 3 neat books. FYI, WETA sells the 3 book set for approximately $84 U.S. Shipping from their New Zealand warehouse was an additional $17.88 U.S. You'll earn 8 WETA dollars with your purchase. The WETA dollars are a nice bonus from shopping at WETA. They can save you real money. I used 32 of mine which knocked the price down to approximately $51 U.S. Remember too, if you spend $500 in 1 year at WETA, they upgrade you to Gold level which gets you an extra 10% more WETA dollars getting you an even better deal. Happy reading all!

Venice Italy

This is a photo I took of the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy in 1996. I was in the Air Force at the time. I got tagged to do a temporary duty assignment to Italy. On my free time, I decided to take a train to Venice. I was glad I did. I found the place incredible. It's only town I know of that you would need a motorboat to get around. Also, it gives a whole new meaning to the word alleyway. I tried walking from the train station to the Piazza San Marco and took numerous wrong turns ending in canals cutting me off. The Venetians did this intentionally for defensive purposes. As Venice doesn't have any walls to protect it, it would've been easy enough to invade. But, would be invaders would've quickly ran into the same canals cutting them off like I did. Only a native Venetian would've known where the bridges were that linked all the various islands.

Venice was the capital of the Republic of Venice. This republic was a rich and power state for many centuries. It was the link between Europe and the Far East. It got very rich off the spice trade. The glory of that was the most serene republics as it was called can still be seen in the stunning buildings like the Ducal Palazzo and Basilica of Saint Mark in Venice.

Why did I bring up this old photo? Because to my great delight, I'll finally get to see Venice the beginning of November of this year. I'll fly in, have a free day to explore and remember my visits back in 1996 and then, I'll get to sail out of Venice for the first time on my first ever European cruise. During the cruise and its sister cruise, I'll get to explore the Greek Islands as well as visit Athens for the 1st time. I've heard Athens is dirty but, I still want to see the birthplace of democracy. Plus, it'll be something to see the stunning Acropolis. I'll make sure I post pictures on my blog so, you my readers have some interesting posts to look forward to. Happy travels all!

Laurel California Tortilla Closed

This may be old news to some but, I thought I'd post on it any way. A couple weeks ago while I was delivering mail in the Contee Road and Route 1 area, I noticed that the Laurel California Tortilla was closed. Their outside sign had been removed and, I didn't see any activity inside the former restaurant. I was saddened by their closure as I felt they sold good food which was prepared quickly. I was curious why they closed as from I'd seen, they did a good bit of business.

I found a post by California Tortilla's Marketing Manager on www.yelp.com dated July 5, 2012 stating that the restaurant franchisee had been unable to come to suitable terms with the landlord regarding the future use of the property. California Tortilla corporate tried to put in a new owner for the restaurant but failed. So, the restaurant was permanently closed. The marketing manager also stated that California Tortilla hopes to return to Laurel soon. Anyone who has any further questions about the closing can email California Tortilla at: skane@californiatortilla.com.

I hope the chain succeeds in opening a new Laurel restaurant. I liked them a lot. I thought their chicken honey lime burritos were particularly good. Also, I liked their turkey chili. I'll let my readers know if I hear anything more on California Tortilla re-opening in Laurel. Happy dining all!

Reminder HRC All Access Ends September 30th

Greetings all! I wanted to remind any readers I have that Hard Rock Cafe's All Access club ends September  30th. After that, any rewards you've earned will be trashed. Today, I visited their Baltimore cafe just so I could use up the $140 in rewards I'd earned and saved up. An FYI for you, you can't exchange your rewards for a Hard Rock Cafe gift card. I tried that so I wouldn't have spend my rewards. The system wouldn't take it. So, I ended buying various things in the merchandise shop like their cards and chip set and a fleece I could use this fall. Also, apparently the powers that be at Hard Rock Cafe are keeping word of their new reward program under wraps. I asked the sales guy in the merchandise shop what he'd heard. He knew as much as me. It remains to be seen what the new program will be like. I know it'll have 1 feature I'll like i.e. I'll be able to earn rewards at ALL the cafes, not just the ones corporate owns as it is with All Access. However, Hard Rock has mentioned a possible fee for a certain tier. That isn't good for me as at times, I don't visit their cafes that much. Today's visit to the Baltimore cafe was my first visit since I visited their Aruba cafe last November. We'll see what works out with their new program. I'll post whatever I find out as soon as Hard Rock Cafe gives me the info. Keep on rocking all!

Demigod Diaries Review

I thought I'd write a book review on Rick Riordan's Demigod Diaries. The book takes its name from the first story in the book about a diary Luke Castellan starts keeping. Luke is the demigod that goes bad in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series before redeeming himself at the end by stopping Kronos, King of the Titans. The story tells of Luke and Thalia on one of their early adventures and how they meet up with Annabeth. The book also has stories involving Percy and Annabeth; Jason, Leo and Piper and a story by Riordan's son Haley. Haley is the reason the Percy Jackson books were written. Riordan created the character to entertain his son and, I think to encourage him with his ADHD which made it hard for him to read. Haley's story is interesting and well written. It tells of what happens to a demigod that fought on the side of the titan's. I confess I was curious what happened to those though I thought most of them would show up at Camp Halfblood after the deal Percy worked out with Zeus and the other major gods and goddesses. Lastly, the book has some small games in it like a word search and a scrambled name game where you have to figure out the names on the 7 demigods that will go on the quest to Rome and on to Greece. Anyone who has read the first 2 books of the series The Heroes of Olympus should know who they are.

Overall, the book is nice. For me, it served as a tide me over till the book I'm really waiting for comes out in October i.e. Mark of Athena. That's when the action will start building in The Heroes of Olympus series. Riordan gave some hints about what'll happen in that book on his blog as well as some in the Son of Neptune book. Fans of Riordan's Percy Jackson books should enjoy Demigod Diaries. It even has some pictures of their heroes such as Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, Piper and Jason (I think they've used the Piper and Jason pics before as I saw them some where else). Happy reading all!

Royal Caribbean Wi-Fi Update

Recently, Adam Goldstein, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International posted on AnsweritRoyally (http://www.answeritroyally.com/blog/?p=5043) about how Royal Caribbean is trying to connect with social media such as Facebook. Goldstein asked for comments on how people use social media to share their vacation experiences as well as how they disconnect from their normal world while on vacation with Royal Caribbean. Also, there was a link to an interview Goldstein did with Travel Weekly (http://www.travelweekly.com/In-the-Hot-Seat/Royal-Caribbean-Internationals-Adam-Goldstein/). This article is noteworthy because Goldstein mentions how Royal Caribbean is working on offering faster Wifi connections. Royal Caribbean will be partnering next summer with a company called O3b who has a satellite network that will offer "speeds normally available only on land" with their Oasis of the Seas ship in the Caribbean. This should deal with one of the complaints customers have had about slow connection speeds. It remains to be seen if Royal Caribbean will expand this service to other ships and what the cost of the new service will be.

Concerning cost, Mr. Goldstein was kind enough to answer a comment of mine about Wi-Fi rates on his Splendour of the Seas ship. I'll be cruising on Splendour of the Seas this November and, I wasn't sure if the Wi-Fi rates in Europe would be the same as they are in Alaska and the Caribbean. Mr. Goldstein referred me to an FAQ page Royal Caribbean has on their website (http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/whatToKnow/topTenFAQs/detail.do?pagename=top_10_faqs&pnav=4&snav=2&faqId=310&faqSubjectName=Top+10+FAQ&). My take on this page is that there is a FLEET WIDE standard rate for Royal Caribbean's Wi-Fi service. One note I have to make about this page is that a number of Royal Caribbean's ships offer Wi-Fi throughout the ship vice in 6 designated hot spots as the webpage states. Based on the number of ships Royal Caribbean has upgraded in this way, I think Wi-Fi will eventually be available throughout the entire ship on all of Royal Caribbean's ships if it isn't already. I believe this would increase the number of people using the service as it'll be more convenient. It is a bit of pain having to haul your laptop to a hotspot.

On the cost again, I'm looking forward to finding out in November if Platinum Crown & Anchor Society members get a better discount on the ship's Wi-Fi. I know Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members from August 2011 to February 2012 received a coupon in their value booklet for 45 minutes of free time on the Internet as well as a coupon for 25% off on any Internet package. This is one of the ways it can pay to be a member of their frequent cruiser program i.e. Crown & Anchor Society. Happy surfing all!

Update: September 11th, 2013

Crown & Anchor Platinum members do get a better discount. You get an extra 5% off on pre-paid packages. I forget if you got a better set dollar amount off with the coupon. Later this month, I'll get to sail as an Emerald member for the first time and, I'll get back with this post and let you know if you get a better discount as an Emerald member.

Also, Royal Caribbean is upgrading all its ships to where Wi-Fi will be available throughout the ship. However, the upgrade won't take place on each ship till it goes in for re-fit so, it could take a while before it's available ship wide fleet wide.

Update April 30, 2016: Please see my update on my first post about Royal Caribbean's WiFi. It tells about comments made by Royal Caribbean Chief Executive Office Michael Bayley and about them installing their new VOOM WiFi system on all their ships.

Costco Member Prescription Program

Yesterday, while I was collecting my latest Propecia refill at the Arundel Mills Costco, I found out they have a new member prescription program. The lady at the prescription counter was kind enough to tell me about it and enroll me. The program doesn't cost anything to Costco members and can save them between 2 and 40% on their prescriptions. However, the program isn't available to all Costco members. If you have prescription drug coverage or receive benefits from either Medicare or Medicaid, you're not eligible. Also, not all Costcos offer the program. If want to find out if your Costco does off the program, you need to call Costco at 1-800-806-0129. In regards to my Propecia, the program saved me $7. A 90 day supply of the drug normally costs $214 but thanks to the program, my refill cost me $207. Not a great savings but better than nothing. I would recommend Costco members check into the program if they think they're eligible. With money tight now a days, the savings in this program can help.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Video

When I did my 2nd cruise with Royal Caribbean, I received an unexpected bonus with my cruise. As luck would have it, the Oasis of the Seas was in port the same day my ship Navigator of the Seas was leaving. This gave me a chance to see the ship for the first time albeit at a distance. The ship is very impressive. The ship is unique (barring its sister ship Allure) in that the interior of the ship is open to the elements and changes what would've been interior cabins. Guests on board the ship can look out on either the only class of ships to have a park with real plants growing (over 15,000 of them!) or watch a show put on by the Aqua Theater (it has the largest and deepest pool on a cruise ship - 1 million gallons of water and 16 feet deep!) from their balconies. I'd heard about a video that was made showing the behind the scenes goings on with the Oasis and tried finding to no avail. Then, to my great surprise, the unofficial Royal Caribbean blog (http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/) posted it on August 4th. The video is over 46 minutes long and shows various goings on during the maiden cruise of the Oasis. It's filled with all kinds of facts like how much the ship cost (over $1 Billion dollars), how much luggage they have to deliver to the various cabins (over 15,000 pieces) or how much stuff (21 truck loads) they have to load on the ship to accommodate its passengers (over 1,000 rolls of toilet paper alone!). The ship's captain Captain Wright correctly states the ship was intended to WOW people and, it clearly succeeds. It and its sister ship the Allure are the largest cruise ships in the world. They can accommodate 5,400 passengers and over 2,000 crew. The ship is over 1,000 feet long and 154 feet in width (which helps its stability). The video also shows what Royal Caribbean did in conjunction with various agencies to prepare for the ship like the massive upgraded cruise ship terminal at Ft. Lauderdale or the dredging at the main port in the Bahamas.

Overall, the video is really fascinating though I will warn you, it will tempt you seriously to do a cruise on the Oasis. I hope to do 1 some day but, I'm not in any hurry because of the ship's itineraries. On its or the Allure 7 days cruise, you can expect to spend 3 days in port and 3 DAYS at sea. That'll give you plenty of time to explore the ship but, I'd rather be exploring some port I've never been to. At the time of this posting, a friend from work and his wife are sailing on the Oasis. They'll get to visit the new port of Falmouth (built with the Oasis class in mind), Royal Caribbean's resort at Labadee, Haiti and make port at Cozumel, Mexico which I got to visit on the same cruise I saw the Oasis. It's a decent cruise but, I'd prefer to do either the cruises I'll do in November when I visit 10 ports in 14 days (none of which I've ever been to before) or the 2 cruises I did this past November when I visited 9 Caribbean islands in 14 days. I cruise to see stuff not check out all the stuff on the boat though that can impress too like Royal Caribbean's Voyager class ship having an ice skating rink on the 3rd deck. A reminder, the video can be found at: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/ Happy viewing and dreaming of far away places!

Update: September 15, 2013

This video can also be found on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyaJ2cUX6K0. I watched it again today and, it remains a really interesting video of the ship's operations. It's like the All Access tour I did on Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas but, you get to see the ship's personnel actually in action whereas on All Access tour, you see some of the behind the scenes things.

Pre-order Demigod Diaries

Rick Riordan's Demigod Diaries are available for pre-order with Books-a-Million and presumably with Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Books-a-Million are offering the book for $10.98 plus shipping. If you belong to their Millionaires Club, you get free Express shipping with your order. The book will be available August 14, 2012.

The book has stories by Riordan on adventures by Thalia, Luke and Annabeth (before the Percy Jackson adventures began), adventures by Jason, Leo and Piper, an adventure with just Annabeth and Percy and finally a really intriguing one by Riordan's son Haley. The story tells of what happens to a demigod that fought for the titans in Manhattan and survived the battle. Personally, I doubt that demigod's fate would be good as the gods aren't going to be kind to one who fought against them. Also, it was Haley who caused the whole Percy Jackson thing to begin as Riordan created it for his son Haley. Lastly, this book will be a good way for those of us who are hooked on Riordan's books to assuage our addiction till Mark of Athena comes out in October (I'm getting a little tired of re-reading Son of Neptune).

Maryland Columbia & Crofton Wegmans Hiring

I signed up for emails from Wegmans which tells me of various promotions. To my surprise, on July 30th, I received one saying they were accepting applications i.e. hiring full time restaurant cooks and various part time positions at its Columbia, Maryland store and, at its future Crofton, Maryland store which will according to the email open in October 2012. While I don't have any interest in working for them (I have all the hours I could want at my post office), I thought this would be worth passing on to my Maryland readers with the job situation out there.

According to the email, Wegmans has been rated as 1 of the top 100 companies to work for the last 15 years. As I don't have any friends nor have I ever worked at Wegmans, I can't say how reliable this ranking is. Also, it claims competitive pay, flexible scheduling and growth i.e. promotion opportunities. In regards to these claims, I have no idea how valid they are.

My only experience with Wegmans is shopping at their Columbia, Maryland store. I've found the store clean, well organized, has good prices and has helpful staff. Shopping wise, I'd heartily recommend them. Work wise, I can't make any recommendation. Still, if you need a job, I think they'd be worth a look. In regards to getting an application, here is the link they gave in their email:

http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&identifier=CATEGORY_533&sc_cid=em_FNSA_RecruitmentCrofColu073012&em_uid=31303595

Best of luck to you if you decide to apply.

Limited Edition Mark of Athena

Yesterday, I decided to check Rick Riordan's blog Myth & Mystery (http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/). He posts some interesting stuff there for those who are fans of his books. There was a new post dated July 21, 2012 that caught my interest. Riordan mentioned he was doing his weekend homework. His homework was to sign 1,000 title pages from his future Mark of Athena book. These special title pages will be inserted into 1,000 special edition Mark of Athena books by the U.S. printer as the books are being made. As Riordan mentions, it sounds pretty cool.

The special edition Mark of Athena book will come in a deluxe slipcase with special color artwork by John Rocco. Rocco has done all the book covers for the Percy Jackson books in the United States. The special edition does have a few drawbacks however. First, there is the shipping date. The Mark of Athena is supposed to be released on October 2nd, 2012. The special edition won't come out till 2 weeks later on October 16th, 2012. Second, there is the price. The regular hardbound will cost you $11.04 from Amazon. The special edition will cost you an extra $47 plus at $58.89 (Barnes & Noble offers it at this price too). Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble offer free shipping. Barnes & Noble has a discount card which would save you an additional $5.88. Not all book sellers are apparently discounting this book as I checked Books-a-Million website and found them offering it for $110! Yikes!!!!!!

Still, if you're a fan of Rick Riordan's books, I think it would be cool to have an autographed copy of one of them. I have an autographed copy of Alan Lee's Lord of the Rings sketchbook which I think is pretty neat. In time, I hope to get a book signed by John Howe, another outstanding Lord of the Rings illustrator. So, it would be neat to have a book signed by Riordan to add to my Lee book and future Howe book.

Warning! If you intend to get 1 of these special edition books, you should order as soon as possible. Remember, there will be only 1,000 copies of this book in the United States. Riordan expects there to be a special edition in the United Kingdom. Also, he stated on his blog that he'd signed a number of title pages for a special Taiwanese edition. However, if you don't want to go through all the hassle of buying a book from the United Kingdom or Taiwan and you live in the United States, you should get your order in soon. I know I plan to. Happy Reading all!

Royal Caribbean Deploys Freestyle Machines

Today, I received this information from Royal Caribbean's blog on http://www.answeritroyally.com so it's hot off the press. Royal Caribbean announced that it's begun deploying Coca Cola's freestyle machines on its ships. For those who don't know what Coca Cola's freestyle machines are, they're soda machines that can make 125! different Coca Cola products. That alone would make these machines pretty neat but, it's even better for those who like to sail on Royal Caribbean's ships. Due to lack of bar space, Royal Caribbean can't offer all of Coca Cola's products. For me, this is a real bummer because while they offer Sprite (I don't care for Coke), I like Barq's root beer and Fanta's orange soda too. This machine solves that problem. The machine should help Royal Caribbean in another way in that it can be easily operated by the person wanting a soda vice needing someone to run the soda machine.

One problem Royal Caribbean had to work out with Coca Cola was how to be able to check people's souvenir glasses to make sure they purchased the unlimited soda package they offer. Royal Caribbean plans on using the souvenir glasses that come with the package for the machines. Right now, whenever someone goes up to get a soda at the drinks stand, they have to show their seapass to prove they bought the unlimited soda package (and the DO check) otherwise they have to pay (was $2 a glass when I sailed in November) for each class of soda (bit of a pain). Royal Caribbean and Coca Cola worked out a radio frequency identification thingy that will be attached some how to the souvenir glasses that the machine will be able to check to make sure the customer has bought the package.

I believe the freestyle machines will cause more people to buy Royal Caribbean's unlimited soda package because of the greatly improved choices the machines will offer as well as being more convenient for the customer (they won't have to wait for a bar person to pull them a soda from the soda machine). Royal Caribbean should benefit in another way as this will free up some of their staff that have to work behind the drinks bar.

According to the blog post (http://www.answeritroyally.com/blog/?p=4971#comment-80778), Royal Caribbean deployed the machine to their Majesty of the Seas and will continue to deploy it to its U.S. based ships this year. Royal Caribbean said they'll continue to deploy the machines in 2013 presumably to its ships overseas though this isn't stated. I would hope they'd be able to do that. Sadly, in my case, I won't get to try out one of these really cool machines until next year when I hopefully do a few cruises based out of the U.S. Happy Sailing All!!!!!

Hard Rock Rewards

Hard Rock Cafe came out with a little more information on July 6th. The program that'll be taking over for its All Access Club is called Hard Rock Rewards. The new program will be launched the day after the old one (All Access) expires. The webpage (http://www.hardrock.com/promo/membership/?WT.mc_id=20120703&WT.mc_ev=EmailOpen) reveals one improvement over All Access in that you'll be able to earn points from ALL the Hard Rock Cafes all over the world. With All Access, you could only earn points at corporate cafes. If you visited a franchisee cafe, you would get 10% off anything you purchased. The 10% was nice but, I liked earning points myself.

The webpage also allows you to sign up now for the new Hard Rock Rewards and states they will notify you when it launches if you sign up on the website. For those who are All Access members, an email I received from Hard Rock Cafe dated May 7th, 2012 stated that we would be inaugural members of the new program i.e. Hard Rock Rewards. NOTE: If you wish to be one of the inaugural members, you must change your username to your current email address (Per May 7th email). As one of the inaugural members, All Access members will get VIP tier for the first year. The announcement webpage about Hard Rock Rewards doesn't say anything about any tiers. However, they stated their still working on the program details and, they still have over 2 and 1/2 months to work those out.

Reminder: Any of you that have earned any rewards with All Access MUST use them up by September 30th, 2012 otherwise, you'll lose them. Any rewards you have can be redeemed at any CORPORATE Hard Rock Cafe i.e. you can't redeem them any franchisee cafes (source: May 7th, 2012 email from Hard Rock Cafe).

Rick Riordan Twitter Post

On June 25th, 2012, the author Rick Riordan posted on his blog (http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/) questions from fans that he answered on Twitter over the Solstice weekend. I found some of the questions and answers interesting. One thing I learned is that apparently he's finished the 3rd book in the Heroes of Olympus series, the Mark of Athena. He doesn't say that directly in his answers BUT, he does say he has 2 books left to write in the series. As Mark of Athena is the 3rd book, logic says he's finished it though it'll undoubtedly have to go through some serious editing before it comes out. Another hint that he'd finished the book was his comment about being between projects. His latest project as far as I know was Mark of Athena so, if he's finished a project, it would most likely be that one.

Another interesting answer he gave is about a totally new project he'll be working on. Riordan will apparently be writing 3 books using the Norse mythology. It'll be interesting to see how Riordan handles that one. As far as I know, the Norse gods didn't go around creating lots of demigods but, Riordan can do whatever he wants in the fantasy world he's created. I look forward to his take on Odin, Thor and Loki and the other Norse gods.

The Demigod Diaries are apparently coming along. Riordan mentions that he's editing his son's 1st manuscript most likely on the story he'll be contributing to the Demigod Diaries. On Riordan's June 15th post, he says Haley's story will be about a demigod son of Hecate who fought on the side of Kronos and, what it's like to be an outcast demigod. I think that would be an interesting story and, I look forward to the release of the book on August 14th. Plus, it'll help tide me over (as Riordan mentions) until Mark of Athena comes out on October 2nd.

These are just a few of the topics Riordan kindly covered in his Twitters and blog post. There are more interesting questions and answers which you can check out if you're interested in his stories or his life. Happy reading all!

Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's

Today, I decided to treat myself to some Spin & Win at the Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's. For those who don't know what a Dave & Buster's is, Dave & Buster's are a combination sports bar, restaurant and arcade. They have big screen tv's in the the sports bar part of the complex for the sports nuts. They have a restaurant section which is right next to the arcade with some tv's for the not so devout sports nuts and, they have a million dollars worth (supposedly) of arcade games. The games run the gamut from shooting basketball hoops to shoot em up games to skeeball and my game which is Spin & Win. Spin & Win is a game where you pull a lever which starts a light going around a big massive number wheel like Wheel of Fortune. You hit a pad on the console which stops the light moving and whatever number it stops on is the number of tickets you win. The ultimate prize of this game is winning 1,000 tickets. There are 3 spots on the wheel where you can do that. You just have to have great timing and hand/eye coordination. Also, you mustn't let yourself get distracted by all the noise, the people around you or the excitement of playing the game. It's not easy to hit the 1,000 ticket light but, it is really cool when you do it. I managed to hit it 5 times before I decided to call it quits though I still had over 350 coins on my powercard (I did a $100 re-charge).

When you're ready to cash out, you walk up to the Winners Circle where you put all your tickets in a big plastic tub and, they weigh them. They know by weight how many tickets you'll have won. Also, they'll tell you your total number of tickets you have on your card. After that, you can browse the prizes in the Winners Circle. They run the game from candy to game cartridges to small appliances like a George Foreman Steak Grill or blender. One particular neat prize I saw was a fake jukebox which plays CDs and, I believe it can play MP3 tunes. I saw a USB hook-up in it. This particularly nice prize was also the most expensive costing a hefty 110,000 tickets! Still, I thought it was pretty cool.

The Arundel Mills Dave & Buster's is easy enough to get to. It's in Hanover, Maryland just off of Maryland-100 or you can exit Maryland-295 (the Baltimore Washington Parkway, drive down Arundel Mills Boulevard (I think), turn left so the Tower Federal Credit Union is on your right and drive around the huge mall until you see the Dave & Busters's. It's right next to Chevy's. Parking wise, there is a lot of parking BUT, it can still be a challenge to find a spot on weekends and holidays like today. For those who like to ride motorbikes (like me), there is a special parking zone for motorbikes though this can get filled up like it did today.

Happy gaming all!

P.S.
Concerning the food at Dave & Buster's, I can't rate it. I never eat or drink there. All I ever do there is play Spin & Win and check out the prizes in the Winners Circle.

Update on Baltimore's Future Royal Caribbean Ship

I found out from an anonymous commenter that Grandeur of the Seas had been posted to Baltimore previously before Enchantment of the Seas took over. Also, Enchantment of the Seas is scheduled for a refit in December 2012 (source: Royal Caribbean website). I did some Internet research and found out some more information on Grandeur of the Seas which will be returning to Baltimore on May 3rd when it arrives from a re-positioning cruise which begins in San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 24th.

The people of Baltimore will be getting a vastly improved cruise ship when the Grandeur of the Seas arrives. According to the Incentive Travel and Corporate Meetings website http://www.incentivetravel.co.uk/cruise/7768-royal-caribbean-internationals-grandeur-of-the-seas-completes-refurbishment-, Grandeur of the Seas finished a $48 million dollar refit on June 1st. The refit was part of the Royal Advantage program where Royal Caribbean upgrades its older ships with things that have proven popular on its newer ships like its Izumi Restaurant or pool side LED screen. The ship will also have Royal Babies and Tot Nursery as well as a brand new Diamond Lounge for it Diamond (and above) Crown & Anchor members (source: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/grandeur-seas). All the improvements should make for a really nice cruise experience. Personally, I'm looking into the re-positioning cruise as I think it's a great cruise (6 port of calls and only 2 days at sea) and, it would be cool to sail into Baltimore and see Fort McHenry from the sea. We'll see on this. Stay tuned.

Old Glory Harley Davidson

One Harley Davidson dealership that is very easy to get to in Maryland is the Old Glory Harley Davidson dealership in Laurel, Maryland. The dealership is located just off of Maryland 295 (Baltimore Washington Parkway) and Maryland 197 (Laurel Bowie Road). The dealership has a very nice facility and, it offers a very good selection of Harley Davidson merchandise and bikes. The sales staff are friendly and helpful. While I don't own a Harley myself, I do use their gear such as gloves and reflective vest. I know they have an active HOG chapter and, they hold various events throughout the year. You can find them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/OldGloryHD) or their website http://www.oldgloryhd.com/. Lastly, they offer some very good motorcycle riding classes which you can find out about on their webpage. I took my motorcycle safety orientation course through Harley Davidson and, I felt it was well worth the money. Happy riding all.

Columbia Wegmans Update

Today, I visited the new Columbia Wegmans store to claim some freebies and see what else they had. Freebie wise, if you sign up for the store's shoppers club card, you'll get a reusable Wegmans shopping bag and an 8 ounce bottle of their brand basting oil free. All you have to is print the coupon and present it at check out. Another freebie I got was a dozen large grade AA eggs. I got these using a week 1 coupon I'd received from Wegmans. There are 2 conditions on getting the free eggs. You had to have a shoppers club card and, you had to spend $10 or more. In regards to the shoppers club card, you get the card on-line or at the store. I ordered mine on-line and, it took less than a week for it to arrive in the mail.

Concerning what other things I saw at the store, I got to check out more of the fresh food bars now that it wasn't wall to wall people like it was opening day. A couple interesting bars I noticed were the soup bar and vegetarian bar. The soup bar offered an impressive 6 fresh soups to choose from. I can't list them as I didn't write them down. The vegetarian bar should please vegetarians and looked well stocked. Also, they have an Asian bar that offers fresh hot Asian food like egg rolls and dim sum.

One kudo I want to give the store while I remember was its concern for customers and the heat. Today, it was at least 95F outside. In that kind of heat, it's easy to get dehydrated. The store in response offered free cups and free cold water so customers could re-hydrate. This was a very nice gesture on their part.

Another neat section of the store is their bulk candies section. They offer a good choice of various candies customers can bag and weight themselves. Some of the candies offered included Jelly Belly jellybeans, Ice Cube chocolate squares, Bit-o-honeys, spearmint leaves and orange slices. Some of the items brought back childhood memories of some of the candies I enjoyed as a kid.

Another section of note was the cheese section which looks like it offers an impressive selection of cheeses from all over the world. I can't tell you how well they stack up price wise as I'm not a big cheese eater.

Overall, I had another nice visit at the Columbia Wegmans. I found they offered good prices on items, gave good service, run a well stocked and clean store and have plenty of parking. This is a store worth giving a look. Happy shopping all!

Costco Rogaine Coupon

Recently, Costco Wholesale came out with its latest batch of coupons. 1 particular coupon caught my eye. Costco has a coupon that'll get you $10 off a 4 month supply of Rogaine foam. Rogaine is one of the treatments you can take to stop hair loss and possibly get new hair growth. I started using it when I bought a Bosley Professional Strength for Men package which included Rogaine. I don't care to mess with the Rogaine liquid. I prefer the foam as it's easier to work into the scalp. Costco's $10 coupon will knock the price of the Rogaine foam down 1/5th to $39.83 (today's price at Arundel Mills Costco was $49.83 per package). There is a limit of two 4 month packages. The coupon is good from 14 June to 8 July. If you didn't receive the coupon through the mail with the others, you can request a book of coupons at your Costco. Considering the regular price of Rogaine foam, this is one Costco offer worth using if you use Rogaine or are interested in using it. It will save you a bit of cash. Happy shopping all!

Please note this offer has expired. However, Costco has since come out with its own 5% Minoxidil foam which presumably is just like the Rogaine foam. Rogaine's patent has expired enabling Costco to do that. I'll post a blog in the future on what Costco's Minoxidil foam costs in comparison to Rogaine.

Prince Caspian Review

Yesterday, I finally got around to watching my Prince Caspian DVD. I very much enjoyed The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and had looked forward to watching Prince Caspian. I found myself somewhat disappointed with the movie. Supposedly, they tried to make it darker and less religious. I think they succeeded there though I don't think that helped the movie. At times, it seemed absurd how whipped the Narnians would be and then, we're to believe they some how rally one more time. Also, Prince Caspian played by Ben Barnes seems a bit of a nitwit at times screwing on Peter Pevensie's plan to attack his treacherous uncle's castle though Barnes did look the part of handsome noble prince. One interesting take the director Andrew Adamson did with the movie was make the Telmarines very Spanish. I think you can see in them shades of the Spanish Conquistadors who were equally treacherous. Adamson increased the number of special effects in the movie vice the previous movie The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe but, he did a good job of not letting them overwhelm the movie. One particularly delightful character in the movie was Reepicheep, the swashbuckling mouse.

Overall, Prince Caspian is a nice movie though I don't think it is as good as The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I would recommend for those who want to understand some points better like how the Telmarines took over Narnia to read the book. I look forward to checking out the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Stay tuned for a review on that. Happy movie watching all.

New Wegmans Opens

Today, a new Wegmans opened in Columbia, Maryland. I decided to check it out as I've never shopped at a Wegmans. The first thing I noticed and appreciated was the bi-level parking. The store needed it with the crowds that showed up for its opening day. Thankfully too, they had plenty of employees directing traffic to the different parts of the 2 lots. The second thing I noticed the was the large size of the store. The store has 2 levels with a food court on the second level and, the main shopping aisles on the first level. Third were the extensive hot food sections such as hot fresh veggies or soup. Also, they have good size sushi, fresh fish and cheese sections. Fourth, for those who care, they had an extensive organic food selection and gluten free production selection. Fifth, they offer a wide range of Wegmans brand products which presumably will be cheaper than the name brands. I'm looking forward to see how their root beer stacks up taste wise though the price was very nice at 79 cents for a 2 liter bottle. I would recommend you get their shopper's card as this can save you some money there. I got a nice deal on Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits thanks to this (two 9 ounces boxes for $4). You can order it on-line at wegmans.com/columbia or get one at the store. If you want to take advantage of some of the card savings immediately, the cashier has a generic savings card they can swipe for you. I ordered my card last week. We'll see how long it takes to reach me.

Overall, I was impressed with the store. I did find they sold some high end food items like fresh Dover sole for $23 or $24 (too pricey for me thanks) but, they had more affordable stuff which will make it worth my whiled to shop there. If you're any where in the Columbia, Maryland area, you should give this store a visit. I think it'll impress you and your wallet/purse. Happy shopping!

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

One of the ways airlines help passengers whittle the time away on long flights is movies. Such was my case on my Air Canada flight from Toronto to Tel Aviv. I looked through the airplane's movie selection (it was quite extensive) and chanced upon Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. The reviews I'd read on Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com) said the movie was very good and grittier than the previous Mission Impossible movies. As I've never seen of the Mission Impossible movies, I couldn't say how it stacked up to the other ones. I did find the movie very good. The story line was easy enough to follow with the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) getting the blame for an explosion at the Kremlin and, Cruise's team having to go rogue in order to prove the Force's innocence. The movie moves along very well traveling to various exotic locations with plenty of action along the way. I doubt anyone watching this action thriller would get bored with it. Some of the action sequences were pretty incredible including Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) climbing the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai. The movie also showed some humor at times such as the time one of Hunt's faulty climbing gloves comes back to taunt him as he tries to climb the Khalifa building. Cruise is well supported by the other members of his team Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner and Paula Patton who play Benji Dunn, William Brandt and Jane Carter respectively. Special mention has to go to Paula Patton who does a great job of playing a beautiful seductress at times and at other times, one bad ass butt kicking babe. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side.

Overall, the movie was a very nice action packed fast moving movie with plenty of surprises leaving you wondering till the end how the team will pull off its mission. The movie ends with Cruise accepting another mission from the IMF. Considering that the movie was the highest grossing Mission Impossible movie of the 4 (as well as the 5th highest grossing movie of 2011), I think it's very likely we'll see Cruise in action again in another Mission Impossible movie. Happy viewing all.

New Peter Jackson Production Video Out

If you haven't heard already, Peter Jackson released production video number 7 for his Hobbit movies. You can find it on Facebook. This video is interesting in that it takes you all over the Stone Street Studios where so much of the movies are shot on set. You'll see the costumes department, scripts department, the trailers where the actors and actresses live in during the shooting, prosthetics, where Alan Lee and John Howe work, the sound studio and the behind scene folks that are so crucial to making the movies happen. They are the unsung heroes who might get a mention in the film credits at the end of the movie that no one watches. The video is an absolute delight as all the previous ones have been. Also, it has a very nice surprise for Orlando Bloom fans at the end. Definitely check out this video if you haven't seen it already. Here's the link to the Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151028043926807&utm_source=Weta+News&utm_campaign=bef38f7cc8-8_June_2012&utm_medium=email

I hope the link works. Happy viewing all!

New Maryland Casino To Open Tonight

Maryland's newest casino will open tonight at 10 p.m. The casino is called Maryland Live! It's located just across from the Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover, Maryland. According to the Maryland Lottery website, the casino will be allowed to operate its phase I operation starting tonight. The site doesn't explain what phase I entails. The website stated the new casino will feature 4,750 slot machines (that's a LOT of slots!) and electronic gaming tables when fully open. To me, this implies that the casino might not be fully operational. That would jive with the saying it completed phase I whatever that is. I've seen the casino from the outside and, it looks all right as well as having its own parking.

For me personally, I'm glad it'll create jobs (God knows those are hard enough to come by now a days) but, I don't like it being so close to the mall. When they were talking about building the thing, I got the impression it was going to a good distance from the mall. It isn't. Also, I don't think having another casino will really help things in Maryland though apparently the politicians feel differently. I know I don't plan on ever visiting it myself. Still, to all you gamblers out there, this should be good news. It's another place to lose your money at. Enjoy. Cheers all!

Procedures at Terminal 2 Amman International Airport

I thought I'd post what you can expect at Amman International Airport's Terminal 2. Things are different there from what I was used to in the United States.

First, you pass through your first security screen upon entering the airport unlike U.S. airports where you would check-in at your appropriate airline.

Second, you then check-in with your appropriate airline. In my case, it was with the German airline Lufthansa who code shares with Air Canada, the the airline I was flying.

Third, after checking in, you go through Jordanian customs. Here, you'll get your passport stamped and, they'll make sure you have a boarding pass.

Fourth, you take an escalator up to the top floor where you'll find the Duty Free shop, restaurants (KFC, Pizza Hut, etc) and news stands. This is the main waiting area for your flight. They won't allow you to the gate till your within an hour or so of your flight. Also, there isn't any shops by the gates so, you better get any drink, food or paper here before passing through the 2nd security screening.

Fifth, to my surprise, there is a 2nd security screening. I guess the Jordanian officials really want to make sure you're not carrying anything nasty so they check you twice. After you pass through, you can walk to your appropriate gate where there is a small waiting area and access to bathrooms. There isn't anything else. There are electronic signs at this screening that will tell you the status of the flights in the gates it covers. Mine covered gates 10, 11 and 12.

Sixth, an airline employee will announce at your gate when they'll start boarding and who gets to go first usually First Class and Business Class passengers as well as those belonging to their frequent flier program. When boarding commences, you'll show your boarding pass and passport and board your flight.

Mark of Athena Chapter 1 Released

I decided to check on Rick Riordan's webpage www.rickriordan.com to see if there was any word on his future book Mark of Athena. It's the latest of the Lost Heroes series and ties in with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. To my delight, I found out Disney released the first chapter of the book and its new cover. The cover doesn't wow me but, the chapter was a delightful read. We get to see things from the Greek side as the Argos II arrives in the Roman camp. Riordan in his Son of Neptune book showed us things from the Roman side with Percy doing his best to keep the Romans from attacking the ship at the very end of the book. The chapter will give a small fix to hooked readers who will have to wait until October 2nd for the Mark of Athena book to come out. That will be one book I'll be waiting for so I can experience more of Riordan's surprises, interesting takes on the Greek and Roman gods and his funny sense of humor. The cover and chapter can be found at: HeroesofOlympus.com. Happy Reading all!

Crossing from Israel to Jordan on Allenby Bridge

Yesterday, the moment I dreaded finally happened. I left the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv with 6 others, we drove to Jerusalem where we picked 10 more people then, our bus driver to us to the Israeli checkpoint you hit before the bridge and then on to the Israeli border crossing station. The station is where you pay the Israeli departure tax and get your departure stamp from Israeli customs in your passport. I found out you pay the departure tax at a currency exchange window which means they accept a lot of currencies in payment. It isn't critical you have Israeli shekels. After you pay the tax, the lady gives you a receipt and a small bar code stamp. Then, you get in line for Israeli customs who check your passport and make sure you paid the tax. Next up, you give the bar code stamp thing to another Israeli official who scans it in. Then, you're done with the Israeli side.

At the point, you would catch a bus shuttle to take you across the bridge. I don't know if there's a charge or not for the shuttle. In my case, Globus to my extreme delight had their Jordanian branch send a bus for us. I was so delighted to see that bus. The bridge itself was nothing to get excited about though it is historic in that the great British General Allenby who defeated the Turks in World War I around Megiddo had a bridge built there. You go over the bridge and, you're in Jordan. You drive to the Jordanian customs office where you have to get your passport checked by them. There isn't any entry fee to get into Jordan. I guess the passport is enough. Once you clear there, you're good to go. You can make your way to some Jordanian Dead Sea resorts and head for Petra like we did. Jordan is something with stark desolate lands and surprisingly nice people. I just wish I could a little Arabic. Not everyone speaks English here. Thankfully, my tour director speaks it superbly. Stay tuned for more posts.

Israeli ATMs

By all accounts, the place to get the best exchange rate in a foreign country is from an automatic teller machine (ATM). Thankfully, Israel doesn't lack for these though they do have some peculiarities that I thought I'd mention. First, I've found there will be usually 2 of the machines at the various banks. I don't know why they have 2 of them. Second, for some reason, my ATM card won't work in 1 of the machines. Thankfully, it always works in the other so if the first ATM you use doesn't work, try the second. Third, ATM fees in Israel are pretty reasonable. My first ATM withdrawal was for 200 shekels (approximately $50 U.S.) which cost me $1.42 U.S. Fourth, one drawback to the Israeli ATMs is the receipt you'll get back if you ask for one which I would recommend (makes it easier to keep track of your withdrawals). The receipt is entirely in Hebrew. Hebrew is a language that isn't remotely close to English. You can't remotely guess what the words mean and, it's written right to left vice left to right in English. This means you won't be able to figure out what your receipt says barring the amount you withdrew and the date/time of the transaction.

Overall, I'd recommend if you're traveling to Israel to use ATMs to get shekels vice foreign exchange service. The ATM fees are reasonable, ATMs are widely available in Israel as far as I know and, they offer very good exchange rates. Happy travels all!

Further Observations on Israel

These comments are various observations on things I've seen and experienced on my tour of Israel so far.

In the United States, you'll see lots of critters that are called squirrels. Israel's squirrels are cats apparently. They're every where. I've never seen so many. I suppose they are helpful in that they undoubtedly keep the rodent population down. Still, it is a trip to see so many.

Local country beers can be little better than piss water at times. One country I didn't expect to have a good beer was Israel. It isn't known for making a good brew. So, it was to my great surprise when I tried a large glass of Goldstar at the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel that it is a pretty good lager. I've had it 3 times now and, I wish I could get the stuff in the U.S. It is good beer.

For reasons I don't understand, Israelis won't serve meet with dairy products like cheese (fish is apparently not considered meat and is available in abundance) for breakfast. I've had 5 or 6 breakfasts in Israel and haven't seen hide or hair of a sausage or some bacon for breakfast. It made me wondered if they ate much meat here then, I had dinner at the Dan Carmel hotel in Haifa and, I found out Israelis do eat meat. There was chicken, stuffed eggplant and lamb. So, I guess there's something about breakfast.

In Jerusalem, they put on a great sound and light show at the Tower of David (hope that's the right place). It tells of the history of Jerusalem from David's time to modern times. I went to the show last night and, it was very good. I'd highly recommend it.

That's all for now. Happy travels all!

Tour Report on Israel

My tour of Israel continues. Yesterday, my tour group started in Galilee, visited the Shrine of the Beatitudes, the nine blessings Jesus preached of to people on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. After that, we drove to the close by Church of Peter's Primacy where Jesus commanded Peter to feed his sheep. It was also the site of his feeding 5,000 miracle. Then, to the ruins of Capernaum and the church that is built over the ruins of Peter and Andrew's home. Supposedly, it is the only church with a glass floor. The Jordan River is very famous though to honest, it isn't a very impressive river. It isn't terribly wide or deep. Still, it is the river John the Baptist baptized Jesus in. We visited a site that specializes in baptisms and makes it easy to get to the river. Supposedly mega-churches have baptized huge groups of people there. I wasn't super wiped out with the place though I did touch the water and my friend Harvey took a small bottle of it to take home. Bet She'an was next with a very interesting visit to the former Roman city. The city was the third largest Roman city in its time (Jerusalem was 1st and Caesarea was 2nd). Our group walked down the main street in town which showed the superb Roman engineering. The Roman's built the street with sloping sides that sloped up to a row of stones in the center of road. This helped carry water away when it rained. The city also hold some neat mosaics including one of the Goddess Tyche, the goddess of luck in a prostitution house. One last thing of note about Bet She'an is the tel located right next to the ruins of the city. The tel is over 7,000 years old and may hold all kinds on interesting archaeological finds but, apparently lack of funds has prevented any excavation though there has been funding for excavating the Roman city. Every thing our group saw was uncovered in the last 2 decades.

Our final destination of the day was the holy city of Jerusalem. For me, it'll be something to say I've been there. I wish the city still had a Hard Rock Cafe so I could buy a t-shirt and brag about to folks back home. We stopped at a place on the Mount of Olives that overlooked the old city. The views were awesome. It was something to see the walls built by Suleiman the Magnificent, the Al Aqsa Mosque (from a distance) and other points of interest. My tour director Jacob pointed many places we would visit today during a walk through the old city.

After our photo op, Asher our driver drove us to our hotel the Leonardo Plaza. It's a very nice hotel in a good location. We'll spend a total of 5 nights here. Stay tuned for more updates on my Israel tour.

Enchantment of the Seas Re-positioning

I think I posted recently that I didn't know where Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas was going to go once Grandeur of the Seas took its place in Baltimore, Maryland in April 2013. This morning, I received an email from Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society (their frequent cruiser program). As luck would have it, they let people know what new cruises will be available on the Enchantment of the Seas. On April 13, 2013, Enchantment of the Seas will do a special 12 day cruise where it departs Baltimore and makes port at Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Basseterre, St. Kitts; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacao and Labadee, Haiti. At the end of the cruise, it'll arrive at its new home port of Port Canaveral, Florida. Once it arrives there, it'll do 3 and 4 day cruises to the Bahamas. Presumably, later in the year, it'll receive its refit though I haven't seen any word on that yet. That's the latest (for what its worth) per Royal Caribbean on the Enchantment of the Seas (Source: Royal Caribbean website). Happy travels all!

New Ship in Baltimore in 2013

About 3 weeks ago, Royal Caribbean posted its 2013-2014 cruises for Baltimore, Maryland. The information that surprised me about the posting was the changing of the ship they home port in Baltimore. Currently, it's Enchantment of the Seas. This will change in April 2013 when another Vision Class ship the Grandeur of the Seas will take over their cruises out of Baltimore. At this time, I know nothing about this ship barring the fact it's the same class as Enchantment of the Seas. Presumably, once Grandeur of the Seas takes over, Enchantment of the Seas will be free to get a refit. Royal Caribbean was planning to refit the ship sometime in 2012 or 2013 (source their website). Nothing specific has been announced about that as far as I know. Currently, Royal Caribbean isn't showing any further cruises for Enchantment of the Seas on its website http://www.royalcaribbean.com once it finishes its last cruise out of Baltimore. At this time, Grandeur of the Seas is running cruises out of Venice, Italy. In November 2012, it'll cross the Atlantic Ocean en-route to the Caribbean where it'll offer cruises Caribbean cruises out of Colon, Panama (source: Royal Caribbean website) until it re-positions to Baltimore in April 2013.

Kibbutz

Yesterday, I got to find out what a kibbutz is. As of this post, I'm staying at the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel which is run by a kibbutz. Globus, the company I'm touring Israel and Jordan with, booked our group in this hotel so we could learn about kibbutz which is a uniquely Israeli institution. The hotel kindly had a member named Esther (last name unknown) who spoke very fine English to tell those in our group who were interested what kibbutz is and how it works. As I understand it, kibbutz in a nutshell is socialism at the village level. Every one contributes to the kibbutz financial well being through various jobs in the kibbutz. The kibbutz in turn provides for all its members basic needs such as food, clothing, medical, housing, utilities etc. All who take part in kibbutz in Israel are Jewish and Zionist. There a very few non Jewish members. The kibbutz that runs the hotel is a bit unique among kibbutz in that it is orthodox (more devout). Approximately, 20 out of over 250 kibbutz's are orthodox. According to Esther, the Jewish religion is very family oriented and, this makes kibbutz very attractive to Jewish (there are Arab) Israelis as a kibbutz is basically one very big (there are 190 families involved in the hotel's kibbutz) family. The kibbutz is very democratic. The kibbutz is run by various committees (there isn't 1 set leader) whose members are elected by the entire kibbutz membership. I think Esther said there are 32 different committees running the different aspects of their kibbutz. Some of the committees are surprising such as one that decides if a new committee is needed to cover a particular issue or if a present committee can handle the issue. Another handles relationships and can give money to a member so they can court a future wife or husband. In my opinion, the biggest advantage of a kibbutz is the security you have. You have a huge extended family who watches out for you and, it takes care of your basic needs at all stages of your life. A downside I can see is that you wouldn't make enough money to do some expensive things you might really enjoy such as travel in my case. According to my tour director Jacob, the kibbutz may be dying out in Israel. Esther confirmed that there haven't been any new kibbutz's created in quite a while. So, this uniquely Israeli institution may be slowly dying out. It was interesting to learn of it during my tour.