2007 Year in Review

So far this year, I've only been to my second home in Charlotte, NC and my travel plans for 2008 haven't yet been confirmed. I'm thinking Brazil and Thailand. I'll keep you posted.

Till then, I thought I'd review 2007. It truly was a busy year! It started with Costa Rica in January (see photo). My girl Dee and I went to Tabacon Spa Resort for some rest, relaxation, pampering and zip lining through the rain forest. It was a blast! And of course, we collected a few friends along the way.

In May, I was off to the Czech Republic, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin and Madrid with a friend of a friend. The weather was a bit chilly but we expected that. We did a six hour walking tour of Prague; the baths in Hungary were great; a four hour bike tour of Berlin where the balcony Michael Jackson dangled his son Blanket from was highlighted along with the Berlin Wall. My travel partner Tish and I then parted company for different parts of Spain. She went to Malaga and I went to Madrid to visit a friend that was there on a work project. This was my second trip to Madrid. This time I went to the bullfights. Gruesome! I could see if the matador was in peril but, he never seemed to be in danger at all! Just killing bulls for sport. Didn't seem like a fair fight to me. Oh well, who am I to criticize cultural traditions?

July brought me back to Italy. This time, it was to Perugia for their annual Jazz Festival. I was traveling with friends I met in The Netherlands for the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004. We've been doing the JF circuit together sporadically, ever since. Highlights of Perugia besides the music and food, were going back to Florence (one of my favorite cities), Norman crashing his car, me renting a five speed auto and having to drive myself, a la The Amazing Race, two hours away to the airport in Rome at 4 in the morning. Cool.

The above mentioned Norman, lives in Cork, Ireland and he and his companion (and my friend) Yolanda, invited me to the annual Guinness Jazz Festival held the last weekend in October. So, I spent Halloween kissing the Blarney Stone!

Although I started the year in Costa Rica, it was their winter so, I didn't get much of a tan. How could I go the whole year without ONE trip to the beach???!! And one day in September at Cocoa Beach in Florida doesn't count! So, it was time to return to Antigua for my Aunt Doris and cousin Stephanie's birthdays for a week in the beginning of December. I tried to cram a years worth of sun into 3 days. Yes, black girls do tan. And they burn too! LOL.

Ciao for now!