New York

There was good, and there was bad.

Good was my air fare. Good was seeing a performance of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera House. Remarkably good was the selection of inexpensive restaurants in the neighbourhood of East 23rd Street and 3rd Avenue near our hotel. Awe-inspiring was The Cloisters, a branch of Metropolitan Museum of Art (see pictures below). Wonderful was flying, because I don't experience vertigo in a plane, and can enjoy looking down at the tiny, perfect skyscrapers and ribbons of highway, mattresses of cloud, everything seeming so peaceful. Especially good was spending time with wonderboyny. Best of all was spending four days doing it all with djjo.

Disappointing was missing avad and trapezebear. Bad was the cost of our room at the Marcel Hotel. Bad were the cleaning staff, who brought new toilet paper a day late, and didn't replace our dirty glasses until the last night. Bad was the belching toilet that invariably shot dirty water onto the floor.

Bad was I, for not pacing myself better on city sidewalks, hurrying from one train to another, and navigating too many museum exhibits. Bad was the lack of foot room at the opera house. Excruciating was the ache in my hip, turned to shooting pain down the entire leg, which I took for arthritis but may have been sciatica, and forced me to buy a cane.

I love travelling, and have endless curiosity and energy for new adventures, but need to be more mindful of how I tackle them. Home yesterday and back to work today, I am thankfully out of pain again. I'll take it as a kind warning.

Still, the good won by a landslide.

I've included photos of several rooms at the Cloisters, an illuminated page from an ancient Bible, and a rosary bead. This bead contains tiny carvings of Biblical scenes. Closed, it would be midway between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. I'll post a few more pictures along different lines through the week.






( +3 )