HAPPY NEW YEAR

We had a great New Year's Eve celebrating with our newish friends. All of the kids had a movie night and the adults had great conversation and friendly yet competitive card game (no, I didn't win - dang it!). We witnessed an abundance of fireworks and paper lanterns flying through the clear night sky. Now as I sit in bed, I am hearing the young Cheltonians yell their good-byes to friends as they part ways after a party. Welcome 2010 and happy new year to everyone!

A Visit & All's Well That Ends Well

Yesterday, my British friend from America, Jane, came to visit us. Her family lives nearby and she, her husband and kids are visiting the UK for the holidays. It was so great to see her! It was a miserable day so we took a car tour of the town and sat at home chatting. Craig took a half-day and called midway home to say that his bike had exploded and that he was at the bike shop trying to get it fixed. Well, fixing a 10+ year old bike would have been just as expensive as buying a new one. I guess this was Santa's way of telling Craig he needed a new bike. Craig bought a bike and we hopped into the car to pick him up and go to lunch. We spent the entire rest of the day talking until it was time for Jane to go.

It is another miserable day today so I decided to take the kids to the RAF base to shop, eat, do some laundry in the industrial-sized washers and bowl a game or two. We went to the gas station first. I got gas, asked the kids if they wanted to come in to pick out a treat, paid and returned to the car which was LOCKED with the keys in the ignition. My ever-cautious and conscientious eldest son locked the door for me as a favor. How wonderful. I ask the gas station guy if he thinks we can jimmy it and he was doubtful. I was extra doubtful when he said he'd have to take the door moulding off around the window so I opted out and decided to call Craig at work from the gas station phone as mine is locked in the car - no answer. I call the office part of his work and get a friend on the line (TY Danielle!) who says she will try to find Craig. I then call home in the off chance that Craig actually was home because Owen said he thought Craig was taking a half-day and lo and behold... Craig answers the phone!!!! Long story short - the kids and I walk to the bowling alley (a very long walk in the rain), Craig meets us there, we all eat and the kids and Craig bowl while I shop for groceries.

Three good things: 1. Usually, I just go in with just a credit card to pay for gas. This time, I had my entire wallet with me which was a good thing because all of our military ID's were in it and we needed them to cross over to the other side of the base where the bowling alley is and I had cash, an ATM card, etc. 2. Finn never wears a coat in the car. Today, he had the good sense to grab his coat from the car as we were going to the gas station because it was raining. Otherwise, we would not have been able to go anywhere while waiting for Craig to rescue us. 3. Evan has learned to leave the locking of the doors to the driver.

Christmas 2009

We had a very relaxing Christmas Day. I was allowed to sleep in until at least 8 am which, in the McCarter Christmas tradition, is very late. Owen and Finn showed great restraint waiting for Evan and I to awaken. The kids opened their gifts in record time and immediately went to work putting them together. We thank everyone for their generosity! Here are some snaps from the day:

We had a delicious free-range chicken for dinner that was as big as a turkey. Craig had saved the wishbone after carving the bird and let the wishbone dry for a couple of days before the kids wished upon it. After dinner tonight, Finn and Owen made a wish and counted to three and pulled simultaneously. This was the result:

We are not sure if this means that both of their wishes will come true or neither wish will come true. We are sure that we have never seen a wishbone break so evenly.

The Perfect Storm

While all of our Maryland family and friends are enjoying a blizzard, we are enjoying the absence of snow here. However, we are not enjoying the absolutely frigid weather and whopping six inches or less of snowfall in Kent and Dover which caused a) four Eurostar trains to malfunction INSIDE the Chunnel with over 2000 passengers aboard and b) the Dover Port to completely shut down overnight into this afternoon. Hmmm, I think I am jumping ahead of myself.
This morning, we left the house before 8:30 to catch the ferry to Calais, France for a 12:30 crossing. On the way down, we heard that four Eurostar trains malfunctioned inside the Chunnel. It seems that when the trains left the frigid outside weather in France and entered into the warmer Chunnel, they malfunctioned and stopped. I can't believe that this happened but also that this has never happened before, but then again it is REALLY cold here. I am sooo happy we did not decide to take the Eurostar on thie trip. So, we went a different way to Dover (the Eurostar leaves from nearby Folkestone on the way to Dover) and were going to be so on time. But lo and behold, there was a traffic jam from here to eternity about four miles out from the port. There were more 18-wheelers lined up and parked ON the highway than in the movie Convoy! As it turns out, the entire port of Dover was CLOSED last night and through noontime. Yes, closed. It seems that there was such bad weather in France and then ALL of the snow (> 6 inches mind you) closed the port on both sides. So, here we are, sat in the car for oh, two hours. We would move five feet when a car left the queue to leave and then sit for 15 minutes, move another 10 feet and sit... You get the picture.

Luckily, smart mommy had packed a good-sized cooler with snacks and drinks and smart daddy had purchased chocolate croissants just before we left so we were not lacking for nourishment. The kids took a pitstop in the bushes and threw some snow around which was a slight distraction however, we realized we were not getting anywhere and it was 2:00 pm. Therefore, taking into account the time it would take to actually reach the port, secure a spot on another ferry, drive to Belgium and successfully find our hotel, we decided to leave.
We then quickly stopped at a (luckily) nearby Tesco Extra (think Wal-mart + Giant combined in one space) for a proper lunch and potty break and took off for home. After a detour for gas - we have to use Texaco stations to get cheaper gas - with another chance for a snowball fight and a missed exit off the motorway and a mini detour through London, we arrived back at the house by 6:00 pm. Craig managed to cancel two of the three hotel reservations but our ferry passage and the hotel in Luxembourg are still up in the air as I type. Craig is very dejected that this trip is not happening mainly because he spent a lot of time researching and finding good lodging. I am dejected because this country just has no idea how to manage snow.
On the bright side, we managed to take almost every M motorway from here to Dover and back that we possibly could, the kids got a taster of snowball fighting, and we had minimal temper tantrums from anyone (including me) during the entire day. Oh and we didn't have to drive in snow and/or ice or whatever was in store for us in France. Finally, we are all safe.
I wasn't going to add this, but I have decided to do it. As I think you know, traveling is one of my favorite things to do. Well, I woke up this morning and my first thought was, "I don't want to go on this trip" - no lie. Eerie premonition if you ask me!

Sleeping Beauty

We thoroughly enjoyed the panto of Sleeping Beauty. It was just about the goofiest thing we have ever experienced, but it was so funny. The panto basically followed the entire story of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, but instead of the three fairies as her guardians, Briar Rose was adopted by Nanny Nicehands who also had a son, Muddles. There was a huge amount of audience participation: singing, boo-hissing at the wicked witch, general yelling, and answering back to the characters. There are stock classic lines which I am assuming are characteristic to every panto. It was very colorful and the comic team of Nanny (an old man dressed as a woman) and Muddles was very funny. In one scene, they were making a cake for Briar Rose's 18th birthday and ingredients were all over the place. They were throwing eggs to one another and one "slipped" into the audience and Craig caught it! It turned out to be an empty eggshell, but very funny. I think one of my favorite parts was a song sung by the witch about how no one likes a 40-year-old fairy. The words were so funny.

Going Postal

So here is legitimate proof of another goof. We received this card today with a dog bite out of it. I especially like the red words that say, "Received in Damaged Condition". This must be post office speak for "I didn't do it!" I also guess this means that my friend, Julie, mailed it in this condition. I sort of doubt it since they don't have a dog. It must have just been a ghost from Christmas past. Julie, we could still see the adorable photos of your Santa boys.

Tewkesbury Abbey Carol Service & Next Week

Last night Finn sang with the Lower School Choir and the Chamber Choir at Tewkesbury Abbey. It was a wonderful evening service with reflective readings and beautiful singing. Finn stood smack in the middle front and he was so still. I have never seen him stand that still in his 12 years.
Tomorrow, Owen will sing in the Junior School Choir at their carol service at school. Then, we are going to see the local panto of Sleeping Beauty. Pantos are comical adaptations to fairy tales and involve old men dressing up as women. More on the panto after we have experienced it.
On Saturday, we leave on our vacation to Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, France and possibly Switzerland. We are taking the ferry from Dover to Calais and then driving all around the place. We are staying mainly in Alsace which is in France and bordering Germany. The area has both French and German history and is supposed to be beautiful. We are expecting snow as well. We will return home on Christmas Eve.

We fear change.

The issue of universal health care has been on my mind a lot in the past few weeks. I have decided to take the proverbial bull by the horns and rant a bit about it because it's my blog and I can. Sit back, relax, open your mind and don't forget your pencil and paper to jot down agreements and/or arguments 'cuz I am sure there will be a few.

Firstly, a definition of socialized medicine is warranted. From Wikipedia, under a search using the term 'socialized medicine':

"Exact definitions vary, but the term can refer to any system of medical care that is publicly financed, government administered or both.

The original meaning was confined to systems in which the government operates health care facilities and employs health care professionals. This narrower usage would apply to the British National Health Service (NHS) hospital trusts and health systems that operate in other countries as diverse as Finland, Spain, Israel and Cuba. The United States' Veterans' Health Administration and the medical departments of the US Army, Navy and Air Force would also fall under this narrow definition. When used this way, the narrow definition permits a clear distinction from single payer health insurance systems, in which the government finances health care but is not involved in care delivery.

More recently, a few have used the term more broadly to include any publicly funded system. Canada's Medicare system, most of the UK's NHS general practitioner and dental services, WHICH ARE ALL SYSTEMS WHERE HEALTH CARE IS DELIVERED BY PRIVATE BUSINESS WITH PARTIAL OR TOTAL GOVERNMENT FUNDING (my caps), fit this broader definition, as do health care systems of most of Western Europe. In the US, Medicare, Medicaid and the US military's TRICARE fall under this definition.

Most industrialized countries and many developing countries operate some form of publicly-funded health care with universal coverage as the goal. According to the Institute of Medicine and others, the US is the ONLY wealthy, industrialized nation that DOES NOT PROVIDE universal health care (my caps).

The term is often used in the US to create an understanding that the health care system would be run by the government, thereby associating it with socialism which has negative connotations in American political culture."

From the above, one can see that:

a) Universal health care already exists in various forms in the US as I type;
b) The model of universal health care upon which this administration is attempting to base its proposed system is delivered by private medical providers;
c) The United States is behind the times in its system of health care delivery.

I assume many arguments abound, the first being that small businesses in the US will be required to offer health care their employees. This system in no way models the NHS system where you are covered from birth and your workplace has no involvement in your health care coverage. The US should just make the jump to eliminate the health care insurance industry and use these grand institutions (haha) to their benefit and bring them in as the paper shufflers. Secondly, I think I might hear that health care in the UK isn't all that great. In response to this, we receive medical services for FREE in a country in which we are not even citizens, nor do we pay taxes. Granted, we are in a special situation, but it is what it is. Now, allow me to tell you a few things:

1. Infant mortality is higher in the US than in the UK or any of the countries listed above as having a type of 'socialized medicine' (6.3 per 1000 live births in the US; 4.8 in the UK; 3.7 in Finland; 4.2 in Spain; 4.7 in Israel; and 5.1 in Cuba). This means that 150 more babies survive in the UK than in the US for every 100,000 babies born. Also, all of these countries have a higher survival rate of children to the age of five than does the US. A Cuban child is more likely to see its fifth birthday than a child in the US. Please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate for further statistics.

2. Appointments to see a doctor are free and available when needed. We have never had to wait more than 10 minutes to see a doctor and the actual doctor came to greet us in the waiting room. We never leave with a bill to be paid or filed. There is no paperwork involved on our end. In the examination room, the doctor puts everything into the computer during your visit.

3. They do phone triage here which means that if you need to see a specialist, the doctor will send you to the next level via phone instead of making you go to the local surgery (doctors' office) to be told you need to see someone else. This does not happen all of the time, but it is common practice.

4. Health care for children 16 and younger is completely and utterly FREE from birth. This includes and we have experienced all of these:
doctor's visits including all immunizations
ALL prescriptions
eye exams
lenses for glasses (frames are a small cost depending on style - my kids' frames cost on average $30 each)
free repairs to frames and one repair of lenses per year
free dental visits & cleanings
free sealants
free orthodontia (must meet criteria of malocclusion - Evan did easily and his teeth aren't really that bad)

5. Adults on daily prescriptions can obtain an Exemption Card depending on the medical disorder which allows for free medications. I am on a daily med for hypothyroidism and my medications are free. In the US, I was paying at least $100 every three months for medications and we had insurance. Also, the surgery applied for the Exemption Card for me, just asked me to sign the form and the card was mailed to me in less than a week.

6. Non-exempt adult prescriptions cost a flat fee of about $10. This includes every and any prescription which if long-term are usually a three-month supply. That's $10 every three months per medication.

7. Private health insurance is also available here just like in the US. However, sometimes when a person goes to a "private" hospital that accepts only private insurance, they end up at the NHS hospital because care is not available such as diagnostic machines and surgical options or the cost is too high and the private insurance won't pay the full amount. The NHS gets government funding so the more up-to-date methods and diagnostics are readily available whereas they are unavailable or extremely costly in the "private" hospitals.

Downside to universal health care:

1. Sometimes you have to wait for follow-up or an operation but this is definitely based upon severity and need.

2. The Brits must purchase travel health insurance when they travel outside of the UK. Cost is minimal though and you can buy it when you purchase a plane ticket, it's that easy.

So here's what I see:

In the US we pay health insurance premiums to still pay co-pays. We pay to pay. For those without insurance, regular doctor visits are cost-prohibitive to the less wealthy therefore eventual visits are more serious and often result in trips to the emergency room. The patients still can't pay and eventually get treated, often in a substandard way, and we as US citizens still wind up paying for it in the form of higher premiums or taxes.

Since we already pay health care premiums, why not just assume that is the amount of "tax" or whatever each person, family, etc. would contribute to the national plan and put a cap on the actual amount no matter what age, race, medical condition? I mean really, what's the difference?

I know I am going to get the argument of how great Hopkins is and everyone has access, blah, blah, blah. Well, for one, Hopkins makes mistakes too and is a huge bureaucracy in its own right and two, if there were institutions like Hopkins in every state in the US, universal health care would not be an issue. We are very privileged to live in a privileged area. Ever been to Baton Rouge General? I worked there and it's no Hopkins. It's scary and depressing and no one should have to be in some of the situations I have seen because they don't have the money to see a doctor or they don't know how to fill out the stacks of paperwork involved to obtain Medicare or Medicaid.

It's very easy to say 'no', it takes a strong commitment to say yes. Our country has a definite and very recent fear of change which seems ludicrous since it was born from the need for change. And whatever happened to our belief in democracy and equality which is being overtaken by capitalistic attitudes? I say let's try it. Things can change again with a new administration if it doesn't work out. That's what our country is all about.

Our Country's Future Postal Workers

I mailed our US Christmas cards approximately a week and a half to two weeks ago at the USAF base nearby. I handed them in inside a small shopping bag. They were rubberbanded in groups and because they are thick in the middle (like some Americans - heehee), I flipped some over alternating them to make them fit better in the bag. Each card had an address label and a stamp on one side and our PO box return address label on the back flap of the card.
Yesterday, Craig received a call from the postman at his work. A large group of our Christmas cards had been returned to sender and he was just telling Craig that he was going to resend them. It seems that the postal clerk (either US Air Force or US Army) fed some of the cards through the address reader machine upside down and backwards and they were mailed back to us - to the return address! He/she was either too stupid or too lazy (or both) to feed the STAMPED side through the address reader. He/she probably thought, "Oh look, they are all grouped in a block of cards. I can just put the entire block into the machine."
This leaves me to wonder what the IQ cut off is to be placed in the mail room as an enlisted soldier/airman. No wonder the mail takes so long sometimes. Literacy should be a requirement to work in the post office. Maybe it's the lack of intelligence that makes the intelligent postal workers to "go postal"? I think I would go postal everyday if I was a postman.

Phineas McFinn is 12!

Well, he survived 12 years.

Here's the cutie pie and some entertainment to boot.

This was even before cake.

And for your listening pleasure...

After the festivities, Craig and I polished off an entire bottle of wine while listening to Finn and Owen practice their instruments. One bottle was almost not enough.

This Weekend

We had a busy weekend. On Saturday, we caught a train to Birmingham to go to the Christmas Markets there. The markets were very authentic compared to our Germany experience last Christmas and also very crowded since it was a Saturday. The train ride was about 40 minutes and very pleasant without transfers.
On Saturday night, Craig and I went to his work Christmas Party, but to be as politically correct as possible, it was termed the "Winter Seasonal Event". It was held in Winchcombe, the next small town over. A good time was had by all. The food was excellent and our dinner companions were very enjoyable.

On Sunday, Craig's work has a joint reception with the British contingent at a venue called the Pittville Pump Room. This is a grand old building built ages ago for the sole purpose to "take in" the local mineral water which is said to have healing qualities. The water tastes slightly salty and sulfuric, like heavy mineral water but not completely disgusting. Craig sang in the choir and it was a good socializing afternoon even though I do not tend to enjoy these soirees.
On both occasions, the kids watched themselves without incident. They grow so quickly...

What's Been Happenin', Hot Stuff

Lately, we've been just living the day-to-day stuff.
On Thanksgiving, Craig and I ate lunch at a local pub he has been wanting to visit but one in which I had no interest and I experienced a "told you so moment" when the food was so-so. Drinks were good, so we did find a local "drinks only" pub. Then we lazed around while trying to get motivated to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. We finally caved in at around 4 pm and had chicken instead of turkey, but with all the trimmings.
Owen has joined the school choir and he had a singing engagement the night before at a nearby hotel (www.cowleymanor.com) who was hosting a Winston's Wish shopping evening. Winston's Wish is a charity for bereaved children. The evening was a bit unorganized in typical British fashion and parking was truly horrendous, but the kids did a great job.
It was very, very dark that evening and as I was trying to park, we noticed that the reverse lights on my car were not working and therefore, I could not see where I was going. I managed to come back around and find a spot. The next day, I called the mechanic who "Briticized" our car and asked him about the back-up lights. Apparently in Britain, reverse indicator lights are not a requirement, however, side turn indicators are and yellow rear indicators are, so he had to rewire and use the circuit for our back-up lights... It's only taken us 16 months to realize it.
Owen also achieved a bronze certificate in Maths which surprised Craig and I, well, more like shocked us. Only twelve or fifteen (can't remember the exact #) children of 60-65 total in his year earned a gold, silver or bronze certificate.
All of the parents-teacher conferences went well. Evan's teachers are very impressed by his aptitude and more than one said he was Oxford/Cambridge material which was nice to hear.
Finn's recent test results indicated he was Gifted and Talented and when we told him about the letter we had received, he said, "I've always wished something like this would happen" like he didn't know he was smart. Everyone needs some external affirmation every once in a while.
It's getting really cold. There was a thick layer of frost everywhere yesterday and I had to scrape the car windows. Luckily, Craig has decided to change his miserly ways and a) actually turn on the boiler, b) set it to a reasonable temperature and c) allow it to run throughout the day instead of on a timer so I feel like I am living in a real house vs. an igloo. I don't want to hear comments about how igloos are actually warm inside. I am sure an igloo is warm compared to no igloo in the arctic or wherever igloos are built! When we went around the table at Thanksgiving to say what we were most thankful for, I said, "A warm house."
The future holds a train ride to Birmingham this weekend to see the Christmas markets and Craig has just finalized a driving trip to Belgium, Alsace in France and Luxembourg with some side day trips into Germany and possibly Switzerland. I was totally off my game and dropped the ball on a Christmas holiday planning session.
Then, my friend, Jane, from the US is coming over here to visit her family for the holidays so I will be seeing her SOON!
Cheers!

Mums' Weekend in Prague

This past weekend, two friends here and a friend from home and I met in Prague, Czech Republic for a "Mums on the Run" weekend. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time sleeping in and walking around seeing anything that we stumbled upon instead of child-centered activities and constant food searches. Prague was very tourist-friendly and you'd really never know that up until 17 November, 1989 (just over 20 years ago), it was a communist country. We had excellent weather and coats were optional during the day. We were able to book one of the US Embassy flats which sleeps "exactly four people" and it was central to many sights and very safe given that there were Czech guards at the Embassy and in the streets checking every car that attempted to pass the Embassy - driver gets out to pop their hood for inspection, Czech guard uses a long mirror to view under the car...

Here are some photos from the weekend.

View out of our window of the Embassy and a dome


The Charles Bridge - Karlov Most

Statues in front of the Kafka Museum doing exactly what you think they are doing

Marionette Museum
Prague is known for carving marionettes.

Street market goodies

Interesting street art depicting the Czech sense of humor, giving new meaning to the phrase "going out on a limb"

View of the Prague Castle across the Vltava River

The biggest pan of potatoes I have ever seen

The Astrological Clock
Laura and I spent almost two days trying to find this %#@&! clock. After we located it pretty much right in front of our eyes, we must have passed by it or heard it chime like 15 times. It was a lot like the lame clock in Munich. Figures paraded in front of the two small windows at the top, a weak horn tooted and then it chimed the hour. Then, a trumpeter (real person) sounded a tune at the very top of the tower and waved down to the crowd.

My beau

The inside of the Spanish Mosque
The walls were painted from top to bottom. Photos were not allowed inside any of the buildings in the Jewish Quarter. However, after watching about 20 people take photos, I thought I'd sneak one. Within five seconds of snapping mine, an old lady docent charged in saying, "No photos! No photos!" Snap! Busted!

Street art near the Lennon Wall

The Lennon Wall

From Wikpedia: Since the 1980s it has been filled with Lennon-inspired graffiti. In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the then communist regime. Young Czechs would write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge. The movement these students followed was described ironically as 'Lennonism' and Czech authorities described these people as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism. The wall continuously undergoes change and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by some authorities, it was again full of poems and flowers the following day. Today, the wall represents a symbol of youth ideals such as peace and love.

St. Nicolas' Church in the morning mist

St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle
From Wikipedia: The full name of the cathedral is St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral. It contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings. The cathedral is an excellent example of Gothic architecture and is the biggest and most important church in the country.

Changing of the guard


This knight must have loved chickens.

Relaxing in a square

The Sex Museum foyer
No, we did not go in and no, I am not discussing this machine's purpose.

It was great to see a good friend from home and spend quality time with newer friends.

Spain: Part III

Our last day in Valencia was spent in the city's Old Town. The architecture was gorgeous and the city is just lovely. Our first stop off of the train was the bull ring. Really awesome, but the market inside of it was drug dealer central.

So we made our way to the central train station because it was supposed to be gorgeous and it was.

Then we headed to the central post office because again it was supposed to be awesome and it was.


Then we headed to the town hall because it was supposed to be pretty. The outside definitely was. The kids were just happy the doors were locked.

After a bad lunch, we went over to the Mercado Central. The guys enjoyed looking at the seafood for sale. Owen impressed the fruit lady by purchasing his own apple and orange with his own money.



Across the street is the old silk market (La Longia). This is an old medieval building with a ton of great carvings and unique pillars that spiral upwards about 80 feet to the ceiling. We were able to see the whole thing in time before it closed for lunch.





After a snack,

we headed to the cathedral. Totally gorgeous and most well-known for housing the supposed "Holy Grail" and having the actual right arm of St. Vincente.



Our last stop was a walk through the Torre Serrano. It is a really well-preserved tower gate on the northern entrance to the old city. The kids were most impressed with the array of Halloween costume castoffs populating the dry moat: a witch's hat, two brooms, a devil's pitchfork, a pair of silver pom poms and a plastic chair.





The metro tram stop was just across the river and not a moment too soon as the youngest two were sightseeing worn out! Lucky for us, St. Vincente gave his right arm to make the day worthwhile for centuries of school children.

On our last day, we got an early start to head south to Alicante. On the way we stopped at a town called Calpe where there is a huge 300m tall rock rising up out of the Mediterranean called Penyon d'Ifach. We played in the very blue sea.



After a very tourist-centered lunch, we continued south to Alicante.

We found our very posh five-star hotel (booked by Kris) without a fuss. The kids enjoyed the indoor heated pool and the groomed deserted beach. Craig had an evening run. We found an AWESOME Italian restaurant just around the corner from the hotel after opting out from the pricey hotel restaurant. We spent the last day in Alicante. Our favorite part was shopping in El Corte Ingles - a six story department store. We did go to see the "castle" in Alicante, but most of it was either being rebuilt or restored to look genuine.


Craig couldn't resist a photo op of 'the pirate guy' at the castle.



We headed to the airport early and waited for our flight. Overall, we did not enjoy the Costa Blanca and its being overrun by British old age pensioners. Cars were double-parked all over, people wandered into the streets and pushy hawkers selling junk were everywhere. However, the coastline is gorgeous. Spain was a worthwhile trip.