Wayne & Dianne's Travel Blog

Sunday, February 12th 2012 – Mount Dora, Florida

Let’s go to Florida.!  It’s cold here.  Last night the maintenance crew at the Inn covered several of the plants in expectation of a possible freeze.  They were right on track.  It was very cold walking across the grounds to the lobby and conference room.  As we navigated down the staircase next to our room, I caught a glimpse of a lady in white on the landing above me.  I looked down at Dianne, who was ahead of me, then back at the lady.  She was gone!  When we reached the lobby, I asked the receptionist about what I had seen.  It seems I am one of the few people privileged to see Sabrina, a resident ghost.  I guest that knocks me out of my standing as a skeptic.  That was a real treat.

Continuing our adventure, we tried a different restaurant for lunch.  The Lost Parrot was our choice for a pulled pork sandwich.  The workshop continued to exceed my expectations.  The information gained will be very helpful.  After the conclusion of the workshop, we drove around for a couple hours stopping to take a few photos here and there.  For supper, we chose Jeremiah’s.  It proved to be the best of all our eating choices.  Tomorrow, we’ll drive home stopping about an hour and a half up the road to visit some friends.  

Happy Valentines Day,

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne

Saturday, February 11th 2012 – Mount Dora

It was a cool Saturday morning along the lake shore. 
We walked to the only operating inland light house in Florida.  It’s only 35 feet high. 
The air was clear.  It was in the low 40′s with a slight breeze. 
We walked about an hour before the workshop started. 
My brother Darrel and his wife Alevia drove down from Ormond Beach to have lunch with us. 
We ate at the Goblin Market, a very popular soup, salad and sandwich restaraunt. 
This afternoon session of the workshop covered quantum learning.  The wine and cheese reception
hosted by Jgam was outstanding.  Jgam is the investment management branch of Jeske Bank of
Denmark specializing in offshore investments for American clients.

All the Best,
Wayne & Dianne

Friday, February 10th 2012 – Mount Dora

Do you remember the movie Dirty Dancing?  The Lakeside Inn reminds us of the lodge in that movie.  It’s historic, it’s quaint, and it’s an unpretentious beauty.  We love it.  As for the workshop, it’s more than I expected.  Many of my investment ideas and philosophies have been reinforced and I’ve learned some new viewpoints and courses of action. 
During our ample lunch break, we tried one of the many boutique restaurants. 
The Copacabana Cuban Cafe has an authentic Cuban Cuisine menu.  We really enjoyed it. 
We haven’t had to use the car since everything is within easy walking distance. 
After the workshop today, we were treated to a wine and cheese reception at a nearby boathouse.  The reception was hosted by a local realtor.  One of the highlights was a swim-by of one of the local alligators.  We’re relaxing even with the extra brain work of the workshop.

All the Best,
Wayne & Dianne

It’s Thursday, February 9th 2012, and we’re in historic Mount Dora, Florida.  We were captivated by the historic buildings as we drove in this afternoon.  Just walking the few steps to check into the the historic Lakeside Inn, I felt the tensions disolve and I started to relax.  The quaint features of the lobby gave me a sense of calm.  As we climbed the old staircase to our spacious room, we felt as though we were in a time machine.  Taking only enough time to put down our bags, we began a walking tour of the historic district adjacent to the inn.  As supper time approached, we chose the Palm Tree Grille & Bar.  It was an excellant choice for true Italian Cuisene.  Now that we’ve rested a bit, we’re heading down to the lounge for some live Blue Grass music and a nightcap.  Well, maybe tomorrow.  We’re wiped out.

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne

December 24, 2011         Saturday              -              on the way home

We flew from Cairo to Frankfurt, Germany where we changed planes.  From Frankfurt we flew to Newark and changed planes again.  Our next stop and plane change was in Atlanta, Georgia.  Dearest friends, Louis and Gesa, picked us up in Pensacola for the hour-long ride home.  The trip was more than we expected and we made some great new friends. 

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne

December 23, 2011         Friday    -              Abu Simbel  – Aswan – Cairo

After a leisurely breakfast, we were driven to the airport for our flight back to Cairo.  In Cairo, we were booked into our luxury hotel adjacent to the City Center Mall.  This hotel is fabulous and we enjoyed its enormous traditional Egyptian buffet.  A security check led from the hotel to the adjoining shopping mall which has 7 levels above ground plus 3 levels below for parking.  This super modern upscale mall made us “ooh” and “aah”.  With the subsistence living of so many Egyptians, we were shocked to see how crowded it was.  The food court on the bottom floor had waiters in suits and ties and linen napkins.  We managed a few hours sleep before our 2:55AM flight.  The hotel prepared box lunches for our journey.  These were not ordinary box lunches.  Surprisingly, the plane provided still another lunch.

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne

December 22, 2011         Thursday             -              aboard the Prince Abbas

This morning was the grand approach to the colossal Abu Simbel temple which could be seen from quite a distance before landing.  This was one of the most spectacular sights of the trip.  The temple was only a short walk.  We toured the Temples of Ramses II and Nefratari.  These temples had been relocated 200 feet higher to protect them from the rising water created by Lake Nassar.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in the temples.  We returned to our boat for a supper break before returning to the temples for a sound and light show.  We were given DVDs of the show to take home.

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne

December 21, 2011         Wednesday        -              aboard the Prince Abbas

After breakfast, we toured Wadi El Sebua (Valley of Lions).  We had another great lunch aboard our boat before touring Amada Temple.  We had our usual tea break at 5:00PM and dinner was at 7 as we continued south on Lake Nassar.

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne

December 20, 2011         Tuesday               -              transfer to the Prince Abbas

We had our luggage set outside our cabins by 7:00AM.  We sailed across the Nile on a traditional Egyptian felucca.  We had a van tour of Aswan and the Aswan Dam which is actually 2 dams.   Aboard the Prince Abbas, we sail Lake Nassar which was created by the dams and resulted in the displacement of the local Nubian people and several temples.

All the Best,

Wayne & Dianne