Wanderings

While the Hotbed has obviously cooled over the last few weeks, we have a good excuse. We were on the road for most of the month of May. I started the trek in the Middle East, where I made my way from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to Bahrain to Saudi Arabia to Kuwait to Qatar. After the Middle East I had some meetings in Paris, so Agnes met me there. For some reason it took me several days to convince Agnes to fly to Paris in the springtime where everything but the flight would be covered on the company's dime, but I eventually won out. I think she was holding out for better company, but she finally gave in.

For those of you are ever planning on traveling anywhere, talk to Agnes first. She is the ultimate traveler and a fantastic trip planner. We saw most of Paris in a few action-packed days. But keep in mind, Agnes' tours are not for the faint of heart. I think we walked about 20 miles a day. Luckily she let me stop for crepes, macaroons, ice cream, and a lot of other snacks along the way.

On the last day we were there, ALL the museums in the city were free and open until 2 AM. We would still be living somewhere in one of the museums like in "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" if it were up to Agnes. If you don't know that book, read it now.

As for Saudi Arabia, it has to be the strangest place I've ever been. The Saudis may not like Americans, but they LOVE American things, like Chevy Caprices and Applebee's. And while you can't get Applebee's riblets anywhere in the Kingdom (I think you can get beheaded for ordering pork), you can get jalapeno poppers.

Oh, and the next time you pay $4.50 a gallon for gas, try to think of a rich Kuwaiti or Saudi sheikh in his Prada ski suit learning to ski in the brand-new indoor ski resort in Dubai, and take comfort in the knowledge that you're paying for it.