NY Subway

Xavi is really "into" the subway at present. we watch these videos all day. Enjoy!

LOOK WHO'S THREE !!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!

It was a piñata party with half a dozen little friends from our building. It was hot (30C) with a late change predicted, but lucky it didn't arrive

Hola de Lleida!

Hi from Spain. Paul was at a conference at Lleida (pronounced YAY-da) last week. It's an old city in Catalonia about 200 km inland from Barcelona and 600 km N of Madrid. Pop. is about a quarter of a million and the modern city is on the banks of the Segre river with the old cathedral up on the hill dominating it. There's a nice running path for 12 km along the river. Training up from Madrid, it was flat, hot and dry - like the slopes & plains of NSW on the other side of the GDR. FYI, the "Central" train station in Madrid we departed from, Porta Atocha, was the one bombed by the terrorists a few years back. As part of the social side of the conference, we went to a recital in the cathedral on Friday night. It was built in the 13th century and has a incredible cloister but used as a barracks during the Franco era and stripped out. It has a famous bell called "Monica".... The view is spectacular from up there. But as the graffiti indicates, they are clearly doing it tough in Spain what with the abdication of the king, the austerity measures and lots of North African migrants in the town.

Enhanced security measures at the 'Celebrate Israel' fun run today

The memories of last year's Boston Marathon are still painful for many. So like the NYC marathon last November, there were "enhanced security measures" for this morning's fun run. The Israeli lacrosse team participated, as well as a member of the Knesset. They sang the Israeli national anthem as well as the Stars & Stripes, and as the starting gun went off, Havanah Gileah was playing over the loud speakers.

Thankfully the race went off without a hitch, on a beautiful spring day. It was a joyful celebration of Jewish culture, which permeates right through New York life right down to the nice lady handing out bagels at the finish. Shalom!