Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!!!!!! One day late, but I was thinking of myself (and all of you) when I was enjoying my day in Old San Juan yesterday :)

It was a gorgeous day, sunny, not a cloud in the sky, with beautiful breezes off the ocean. We wandered the streets lined with brightly-coloured, colonial-styled houses - reminded me a lot of New Orleans. We explored the El Morro - the fort out at the promentory, 6 levels high and covering several football fields - the spaniards were serious about protecting the island! If you stay off the cruiseline/touristy track there are some neat little shops. People are very friendly and helpful here (we get lost a lot :)

Today was spent checking out the Contemporary Art gallery, the market area and the Belles Artes gallery. Loved the name of the cafe we found for lunch - Bla Bla

We made it OK to San Juan - actually it was a great trip. We zoomed through security, and actually had assigned seats even before we went through. So the plane was pretty open. We even got upgraded to the front - what a treat to start off our holidays! The crew was great, very friendly. When we first pushed back there was a technical problem, but thankfully they were able to fix it quickly. Once at the airport it was super quick to get a taxi, they set you up with a car and tell you how much you will be paying. $18 including tip. There was a mix up in that they wrote down Miramar (the area we are staying in) and the driver thought we were going to hotel Miramar. After a little re-routing we ended up at Olympi Court Hotel. What a gem! All updated, big rooms, super clean, with kitchenette, 2 full beds - all for only $85 including all taxes (usually there is a 13% tax and $5 per person charge for electricity). The man at the front was super helpful. We have now walked over the bridge to the beach area - very Miami. Cars all lined up cruising. Art deco buildings. Kids jumping off bridges and walls into the water. Little beaches dotted along. Lots of new building mixed in with old ones being taken down - an area changing all the time.

Spent my first week off getting lots of errands done, including getting my travel shots and medications all up-to-date so am ready for anything now (except perhaps Japanese encephalitis but I just won't go near pigs in remote villages ;) Also needed a bit of time to let go of work - that is taking a little longer then I thought it would, hard to turn off after so many years. I realized I have been working non-stop (even during school/university) since I was 16 years old. (Except for a period due to a car accident, but that I'm not counting). Not counting all the various odds and ends, babysitting, etc I did prior - but being on a payroll for 25+ years... That thought finally made me let go - and start to enjoy every moment of this break.

My first trip is with my niece Tamara - we're going to run off together for a girls' week before she has to start hanging out with the oncology gang again. I offered her the world - "where do you want to go"... only to find out I couldn't take her there - ARGH! Didn't realize I couldn't take family on other airlines standby - Scott could take her, but I can't. Then there were so many places that I could get us into, but couldn't guarantee I could get us home... not such a bad thought being stranded in Chile or Hawaii, but we both have places to be. Wanting a place with culture and history, warm weather, new to both of us - this was getting challenging! Finally landed on Puerto Rico - throw in a rain forest and some beaches... and I think we have met our criteria! We leave Sunday at 10:30AM if all goes well - I'm just worried my karma has taken a turn for the worst - think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts...

So it is official...I'm off work. Odd, it hasn't quiet sunk in yet! My company offers a great benefit - after 10 years of service, employees can take an unpaid break from work, called a "coffee break" - fitting for a coffee company! Kohvipaus is coffee break in Estonian - like the idea of the pause...time will go by so quickly it will seem like a momentary pause.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.
Live the life you have imagined - Henry David Thoreau