Chilly check-ins...

Before heading back to Dubai, we dropped back into Delray for one more quick visit.

Unprepared for the lingering "arctic" weather but determined to enjoy the sunshine, we bundled up in some borrowed clothes and headed out to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens.

South Florida and Japan have a century-old connection that started when Japanese farmers were welcomed to the region with goals of revolutionizing farming in the area.  These farmers formed the Yamato Colony in Boca Raton with aims of testing a variety of new farming models and experimenting with new crops.  Unfortunately, the results were disappointing and many in the Colony ultimately left for different parts of the US.

George Morikami was the only member of the Colony to stay in Delray after WWII and went on to become very successful, acquiring multiple acres of land.  In the 1970s, he donated the land to Palm Beach County in hopes that they would turn it into a park that would preserve the memory of the Colony and teach others about the Japanese culture.  The Museum and Gardens opened in 1977 offering a bridge of cultural understanding between the two countries.

The gardens are beautifully manicured and help visitors understand the evolution of the Japenese gardens over hundreds of years.  While many walk quietly and introspectively through the gardens, others take the opportunity to use it as a backdrop for about 100 Instagram photos and posts. 

Of particular note was the Bonsai (pronounced "Bone-Sigh", not "Bahn-Sigh" as we always thought!) Garden which detailed the extensive grooming and pruning process used to create these special trees, as well as the cultural centre which details more about the Colony and Japanese life.

After a chilly but wonderful afternoon, we warmed ourselves at the Osteria Salina, a new restaurant on the Delray strip.  The owner, in from the Hamptons to launch his newest venture,  was doting, generous and funny, clearly knowing how to charm a group he knew was likely to become very loyal and frequent customers.  As we devoured our generously comped dessert and after-dinner aperitiv, we felt satiated and happy - the perfect end to a fabulous trip!

The Captivating Cape...

After a great visit on the Atlantic side, we popped by Hertz to pick up our rental car and enjoyed the fastest and most gracious service we could imagine.  Did they really apologize that it took us a whole five minutes to get everything sorted?!

Starting off on a good note, our trip across Alligator Alley was a smooth and quick one, and we made it to Cape Coral in record time.  We were greeted by Geoff's parents and their new pup, George, who was so welcoming and adorable that we quickly started plotting how we could try to sneak him home in our suitcase.


When we could pull ourselves away from playing and snuggling with little but quickly growing George, we made the most of our time out and around Cape Coral.

Although George was initially a reluctant traveller, he slowly realized that car trips brought great things such as visits to the charming Sanibel Island and the welcoming Jaycee Park, where children and adults would faun on his every move.  He was probably almost sad to see Carol and Beth head out on their annual trip to TJ Maxx - little did he know that the store had lots of people and a great dog section!

Although the weather turned unseasonably cold due to the polar vortex sweeping across Canada and the Northern States, we didn't let it stop us.  We played our daily pickle ball matches (either with ourselves or whoever else was on the courts), and even beat out the masses who arrived oddly early to play tennis on New Year's morning.  Luckily, our chilly after-dinner walks were short and sweet as George couldn't walk far and often relied on Dan's comforting arms to carry him briskly around the neighbourhood.

We learned a lot during our visit - whether it was figuring out how to put together a wood puzzle (thank you youtube tutorial) to understanding that an air fryer is an absolute must-have kitchen item.  But, one thing we couldn't get our heads around was the appeal of the Sous Vide cooking method.  And no amount of Apothic Red could change our minds...

Delightful Delray

For our holiday trip to Florida, we felt lucky to have scored reasonably priced tickets on the non-stop Emirates flight from Dubai to Fort Lauderdale.  Such a quick and easy trip...

Until we actually thought about how long a flight that would actually be.  It turns out that the 16.5 hour trip is the 4th longest flight in the world!

But... the trip was surprisingly enjoyable - with a smooth flight and fantastic service by Emirates.  And the long distance provided plenty of time for short naps which actually seemed to help with the jet-lag.

It seems that the hardest part of the trip may actually have been for Beth's parents who ended up having to park 3 terminals away, when picking us up from the airport, just to find a spot during peak holiday travel season!

Once arriving at the house in Delray and pushing our way through myriad Amazon parcels (all addressed to Geoff, yet surprisingly few actually being for him), the rest of the trip was a breeze.

Paddling with our HBC ladles

The blow-up bed proved itself incredibly comfortable and the daily activities with family a true delight.

From our morning gym and tennis rituals to walks on the beach to our regular shopping trip(s) to Town Centre, we couldn't have asked for better weather or better company.

And of course, Christmas celebrations were a highlight.  From the most unusual Secret Santa stockings - for which we are now well prepared for Dubai's hot weather with our new iphone plug-in fan - to the most delicious dinner with Nancy in her stunningly renovated home, it is a holiday we won't soon forget.

Though we could have lived without the Idiot Test game show, we found new hits with Spontuneous and What Do You Meme...although we are pretty sure Steve hopes the latter one never becomes am annual holiday tradition...

Art and About...

Fun and funky art installations are popping up all around Dubai ...

Dame Joan

It was probably a good thing that Geoff was out of town for business when Joan Collins came to Dubai - an intimate audience discussion with the Dynasty legend would just not have been his thing.  And I was also very lucky that my friend Julie is also a Joan Collins aficionado and suggested we go!

Embracing Dynasty's glamour as much as we could without our 1980s power suits and shoulder pads, we started the evening with a glourious dinner at the Armani.  So engrossed in conversation, however, we looked down  at our watches to realize that the show was to start in just 15 minutes! Hastily paying the bill, we sprinted in our heels to the Dubai Opera (lucky just a few blocks away), and made it to the theatre just in time for the show to start.  The dramatic evening had already begun!

Recovering from the flu, Joan Collins didn't seem totally on her game.  Nonetheless, she pushed on, showcasing some wonderful clips from her illustrious career and speaking candidly about anything the audience chose to ask her.

There may not have been any catfights but the allure of Dynasty certainly lives on.

DIFF!

In December, Dubai hosts the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

In its 14th year, DIFF has become a global festival, hosting 140 films from 51 countries in more than 38 languages.

Cate Blanchett chaired the judge's committee and welcomed other stars such as Sir Patrick Stewart, Rob Reiner and Bollywood actor Irfan Khan.

We were lucky to be invited to the Gala showing of "The Disaster Artist" and, as per the dress code on the ticket, donned our best Black Tie attire.

So we were very surprised to show up at the Gala to find some people following the dress code, but others dressed in their comfies as if they were watching a movie in their living room!

With the stunning backdrop of Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah, its grand ballroom magically transformed into a magnificent movie theatre, we were proud to don our fancy gear and by no means thought our clothing choice was a "disaster"! Having not seen the The Artist previously, the whole story was very new to us, and we could hardly stop ourselves from laughing long enough to breathe.