Iceberg in blue... Ian Newport

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Surviving Patagonia

In March, I was persuaded by a friend to go with him on an “adventure hike” in the wilds of Patagonia. Supported by gauchos, horses, cooks and sundry retainers, 18 souls set out on a series of murderous “crossings” through the Patagonian mountains in March. Our fellow hikers were experienced wilderness trekkers and included ex-marines, a CIA guy who had fought with the mujaheddin in Afghanistan and several women who could carry horses. It was cold, the tents were small and bathroom facilities were non-existent.

We walked 12-13 hours a day (I am not joking), climbed over treacherous mountain passes, scrambled down ravines, traversed glaciers, experienced 100 mph winds (in the aptly named Windy Pass at the end of the Tunel Valley) and ascended to the great Southern Ice Cap bordering Chile. We stood in awe below legendary mountains such as Mount Fitzroy and Cerro Torre and imbibed the most incredibly wild and desolate scenery (and vast quantities of Malbec at night in camp). Condors, guanacos, wild horses and lots of foxes were our only companions. It was truly the experience of a (shortened) lifetime and my feet are still sore. I am signing up next for an attempt on Everest-for my 70th birthday!

Under the Tuscan Sun

To celebrate Regee’s graduation and my 60th birthday (yes, folks, intimations of mortality are many), we flew to Zurich in mid-May and stayed there for a week with Regee’s sister and family. We then drove across Switzerland (it takes about 25 minutes!) to Italy and undertook the Grand Tour of Venice, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria. We fell in love with Tuscany (who doesn’t?), visited 3,283 baroque churches, looked at multiple statues of naked men (Regee was entranced by Neptune in Florence!) and drank espresso all day so we could visit more churches at night. Ironically, the Italians never go to church. They worship football and the World Cup instead.

The highlight was a two-week idyll on a beautiful farm-Podere Spedalone-near Pienza. Regee’s sister and family joined us for four days. All the kids were supposed to join us as well but had work/study commitments-feeble excuse. A fabled Renaissance city, Pienza lies between Montalcino and Montepulciano, so we were obliged to test a ridiculous number of bottles of Vino Nobile and Brunello. The Tuscan food was life changing and Regee is now deep into that cuisine. On the drive back to Switzerland on June 1 we encountered a raging blizzard in the Spluga Pass and barely made it back to Zurich. And I thought Patagonia was dangerous!

Cruising

Then came two unexpected cruises. We went on our first ever cruise in September to celebrate the 80th birthday of one of Regee’s aunts. It was a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. We were then persuaded to sign up for a 10-day cruise on Holland America’s m/s Volendam......
Anyway, Inca got us an incredible deal that turned out to be cheaper than staying at home. We had a wild time and felt extremely young, as the average age must have been about 78. If you weren’t wheeling around your oxygen tank, you were considered fit enough to join the line dancing and the needlework and cooking classes. The ship put in at Aruba (a desert island with houses), Curacao (Technicolor Dutch), Dominica (lush rainforests) and the Virgin Isles (virginity seriously compromised). It was a fun experience-except you had to wear a tuxedo most of the time for all the formal dinners.

Thanksgiving

We disembarked in Fort Lauderdale on Thanksgiving Day and immediately boarded a
plane to fly up to Boston for Thanksgiving with Adrian and Patricia. After gorging ourselves at sea for 10 days, we were still capable of demolishing an 18-pound turkey and all the trimmings. They cooked the best turkey I have ever tasted-it was marinated in brine. And the next day we went wine tasting at a vineyard 30 miles south of Boston. Wine growing in Massachusetts?
Al Gore could be right about global warming.