Lamborghini Drive

Before coming to Dubai, we didn’t know anyone that had actually won something big in a drawing. That changed when Steve arrived at work and pulled into the car park next to a Lamborghini. Seeing one of these exotic cars in Dubai isn’t unusual – they are everywhere. But seeing one in a Honeywell car park is a bit out of the ordinary. It turns out that the GM of Honeywell’s security business in the Middle East entered a drawing at the Dubai Airport Duty Free and won the car! He is an American, so the tax on the car was about $50K. He was gracious enough to take Steve for a ride. The acceleration left Steve breathless and it was an incredible experience to go 150 mph down Sheikh Zayed road – hardly seemed like we were going that fast.

Lebanon: July 2008

To break-up the 4.5 weeks Steve was on his own in Dubai, he wanted to get out of Dubai and see more of the region. Fellow American Scott Grishom and Steve decided to head to Beirut. It wasn’t an easy choice as the country still lacks stability; Hezzbolah and the Lebanese government squared off as recently as May.

Steve and Scott had a terrific time walking the streets of Beirut, taking a gondola up the mountains to see the sites, exploring the famous grotto, seeing the ruins of Byblos, one of the world’s oldest cities, and taking a self-guided tour of the The American University of Beirut.

Beirut is a wonderful city and used to be considered the “Paris of the Middle East.” However, the scars from 15 years of civil war are evident. Buildings are sprayed with shell holes and occasionally one stumbles on a burned-out building. The people are resilient; the newly renovated downtown was vibrant with life. Steve and Scott enjoyed the restaurant culture (they both love Lebanese food) and smoking shisha at sidewalk cafes. Both were glad to have made the trip.

Paris: Summer 2008

Because Steve’s assignment was extended through December, we were allowed a trip back home. It’s a long trip home – about 16 hours of flight time - so we decided to break the trip up by spending a few days in Europe on the way to and from the U.S. The best case would have been a few days in Brussels with Steve’s sister and nephew, Pamela and Henry, and a few days in Paris with long-time Australia and Napa friends, Kris Harvey and Greg Kryder. We couldn’t make our schedules work out with Pam and Henry, so we spent time in Paris on the way out and back.

Paris: June 24 - 27

Unfortunately, Greg was called to Ireland on business and could not see us on our first trip, but Kris and Taffy (our favorite golden retriever) were great hosts. They live in a beautiful apartment 1 block off Champs Elysees, so Paris was very accessible. We enjoyed the Eiffel Tower, d’Orsay museum, Les Invalides and a boat cruise down the Senne. The weather was great and the girls really enjoyed the sites. Kris had to leave one day early, so we took care of Taffy. We have now taken care of her on three different continents.

Paris: August 14 - 18

Maria and the girls arrived in Paris after being in the U.S. for 6 weeks. Steve flew from Dubai to meet them. That weekend we celebrated Anna’s 7th birthday and Steve and Maria’s 12th wedding anniversary. We went to EuroDisney for Anna’s birthday and had a terrific time. We arrived around noon and headed back to Kris and Greg’s apartment around 1 a.m.! That weekend we also climbed Arc de Triomphe and made a trip to Notre Dame. Again, terrific hosts and wonderful weather; we love Paris and our Parisian friends.