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The blog has been dormant—to say the least, and it’s about time to dust off the old laptop and start blogging again.  The good news is that things have been very busy here at Casa Bork.   Here is a summary of our activity since the last post:

We went rafting in the Huasteca and visited a few waterfalls for the long weekend in November.  This requires a full posting so I’ll just mention it and post about it later.

I took a Christmas Cookie baking class.  We made lots of sugar cookies and even a Christmas tree made of sugar cookies.  They were tasty and lasted about 3 days before they were devoured (I’m sure we have sugar cookie mice as it couldn’t possibly have been us).  I learned lots of new vocabulary including that a snowman in Spanish is called a “mono de nieve” which translates directly to “snow monkey”.  Of course my snow monkey didn’t make it into the picture as his head fell off shortly after decorating him. 

After cookie class came Christmas cake class where we made a chocolate mint cake, a fruit cake, a banana cheesecake and an orange poppy seed cake.  They were all decorated up and we got to take our 3rd of each cake home to share with our loved ones.  Again, I’ll blame the mice for devouring these cakes too. 

We went to Don’s staff Christmas party which was  held in the courtyard of the Westin Hotel and had a great time.  The courtyard is gorgeous and a wonderful venue for a party but it was during a cold snap here and we were questioning the sanity of holding the event there.   Luckily for everyone it was held in a tent and there were propane heaters going to keep us warm and toasty—the brandy and coffee also helped!

We headed back to Canada for Christmas and spent a wonderful time visiting with friends and family.  It’s always nice to be back, but for some reason there is never enough time to see everyone.  To those of you we saw: it was great to see you and we can’t wait to visit again!  To those of you we missed:  we’re sorry that we couldn’t find the time, but you’ll be on the top of our list the next time we’re back. 

We froze our behinds off in January due to an unusual cold snap.  It was 12C inside the house and there was no escaping the cold.  My only reprieve was to go to the gym, work out and take a steam shower.  For those of you who believe that Mexico is this place where it’s always hot and sunny:  I’ll be posting the horrible truth soon. 

We had visitors in February (Yay!! We love visitors!!!).  This again is a full post or two which will follow.

So yes, we have been very busy here but I’m happy to be back blogging about our live way down south.  I promise to keep everyone updated more often.  

Last Saturday morning we saddled up Mr. Bork and headed out to Bernal, about 2.5 hours from SLP.  Bernal is a tiny little town in the altiplano with one big thing going for it:  La Peña de Bernal.  Depending on where you do your research, La Peña is the 3 or 4th largest monolith in the world.  The really cool thing is that you can climb within 50m of the top.

We arrived a La Peña de Bernal around 11:30 AM, which we thought was quite late but there weren’t too many people there yet.  It was a hot sunny day so we wanted to hike up to top before it got too hot out.  It took us about 45 minutes to get to the top but it was a bit confusing because we arrived at a platform which we assumed was the top but we saw two people further up the mountain so we decided to see if we could get up there too.  This last part of the hike is a bit difficult and we were definitely thankful for our hiking boots and rock climbing classes we took oh so many years ago.  Getting to the top was definitely worth the effort as the view was absolutely breathtaking.  We got to the top just in time as while we were hiking down, lots and lots of people were just starting to hike up. 

After climbing up La Peña de Bernal we decided to have lunch at an Italian restaurant in Bernal.  I had read some good things about it and thought it was worth a try.  We took a mototaxi into town and we dropped off at La Piave which is on Zaragoza and had a delicious meal of home made pasta and tasty salads.  There were cute things on the menu (rabbit), which in my world means the restaurant has potential.  I was tempted to try the rabbit, but I hadn’t had good ravioli in a long time so I settled on that.  The food was amazing and we’ll definitely return the next time we’re in Bernal. 

After lunch we headed down the road to the Freixenet Winery and did a winery tour.  It was an interesting introductory tour, but let’s just say that we’ve been spoiled by winery tours in the Niagara peninsula.  The Freixenet Winery is quite the destination for tourists.  You can come do a winery tour, then buy a bottle of wine and some lunch and sit out on the patio and enjoy your afternoon.  There were a few people there that looked like they had spent a lovely afternoon sharing a bottle of wine or two with their loved ones so we decided to try a glass of wine and then head out to hotel in San Juan del Rio. 

The next morning we visited an opal mine near Tequisquiapan (Te-kees-kee-a-pan).  We arrived at the mine owner’s house just behind a large group of people so the owner first checked to make sure we had a “high vehicle” and then drew us a map to get to the mine and meet up with the rest of the group.  I was really thankful we had Mr Bork on our way up to the mine and even more thankful that Don was driving.  This is one section of the road, there are better parts, but there are worse parts:

Fortunately with Mr. Bork’s big knobby tires and Don at the wheel we made it there and back with only a small scrape in the paint—no biggie, it just blends in with the other “beauty marks” Mr. Bork has.   The great thing about the mine tour was that we were given hammers and we were allowed to look for opals.  Most of the opals were cracked and useless for polishing, but it was great fun to play miner for a day. After the mine tour, we were brought back to the mine owner’s shop/house where we saw some amazing jewellery and carvings. 

…and of course I had to bring home a stone turtle with opals on his back. 

After the mine tour we hit the artesian market near Tequisquiapan and then headed back to San Luis.  On the whole it was a great weekend getaway and we plan to return because we want to do some via ferrata, check out the centre of Tequisquiapan and also visit Queretaro.  

At the end of August we headed back to our roots and visited the Istmo.  It had been about 10 months since our last visit and it was long overdue.   The biggest problem about visiting the Istmo is getting there –it’s just not that easy.  Our options are 18 hours by car, 20 odd hours by bus or 6 hours by bus + 1 hour flight + 2 hour drive.  Any option makes it difficult to get there, but that’s the beauty of going there:  it’s well off the beaten path so you don’t run into too many tourists. 

There aren’t any beaches up here in the altiplano so we wanted to take some time to relax and enjoy the beaches near Huatulco before heading into Salina Cruz.  We made arrangements through our friends at Hecho en Mexico Tours to stay 2 nights out at San Augustin, which is a tiny village about 45 minutes outside of Huatulco and is an amazing spot for snorkelling–all you have to do is stand in less than 3 feet of water, stick your snorkel and mask on and open your eyes.  It’s the most important coral reef on Mexico’s Pacific coast and a must see if you are in the Huatulco area. 

Most people come for the day, snorkel and eat some fish and return to their resorts in Huatulco however there are a few rustic cabins where you can spend the night.  The cabins are basic: bed, mosquito net and a light.  If you need to go to the bathroom or take a shower, you’ll have to climb down the stairs and walk down the road a bit.  This is exactly what we were looking for and Don was actually a little disappointed that we had a bed and didn’t have hammocks to sleep in.  Of course there was one on the patio so he slept in the hammock (for some reason mosquitos don’t like Don) and I slept comfortably in the bed under my mosquito net. 

We spent our first day doing some snorkelling and taking it easy because we had been traveling since the night before and wanted to relax and rest.  We enjoyed some yummy fish at a restaurant and discovered that puffer fish aren’t always spiny, they can also be smooth (which I found out when I dove down and scared a pretty yellow one).  We planned scuba diving for the next day and we did two 2-tank dives in different areas near San Augustin.  The water was so warm you didn’t need a wetsuit and we saw octopus, lobsters and lots of different fish.  My only complaint was that there were a bunch of small jellyfish in the water and they were stinging me from time to time.  Of course, I was in their domain, so I shouldn’t really complain. 

After our dives, we returned to San Augustin and ate some clams that our divemaster had caught.  They were served up raw with just some chili and lime and they were perfect.  Of course, I ate Don’s clams and he drank my beer so it all worked out well. 

Don took this picture of the sunrise on our first morning in San Augustin:

What?  Sunrise on the pacific coast??  Yep, there is from weird geography that goes on near Huatulco and Salina Cruz and it was possible to see the sun rise over the pacific.  He wanted to try to grab a picture of the sunset, but it wasn’t nearly as nice that night. 

The next morning, we did some more snorkelling and then headed into Huatulco for 2 nights to shake the sand off of ourselves and get cleaned up before heading into Salina Cruz.  The two days in Hualtulco were relatively uneventful but also very relaxing.  It was great to be in a place where we didn’t really have to think too much.  We ate breakfast at Terracotta in the Mision de los Arcos hotel where they serve up the best omelettes and French toast that you’ll ever try on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.  Every time we’re in Huatulco, we go there for breakfast and I always order the same thing. 

The next morning our friends from Salina Cruz picked us up at our hotel and we headed on the 2 hour trip from Huatulco to Salina Cruz.  The highway is long and windy and unfortunately we had to pull over for one of our travel companions who got a little motion sick.  After arriving in Salina Cruz, we checked into the Mision San Jose which is by the far the best hotel in Salina Cruz.  It’s simple and comfortable with air conditioning and hot & cold running water.  That afternoon we spent having lunch with our friends and catching up on everyone’s lives.  The next day we did a little shopping (for coffee & totopos) in the market and then headed back to our friends place for some more good eating. 

That night we took the bus up to Oaxaca.  Normally night busses are rather comfortable but this ride was a little too windy and bumpy for me to be able to sleep (250 kms in 5 hours, you do the math).  We arrived early in the morning and checked into our usual Oaxaca hotel, Las Mariposas.  Again, it’s just a nice, simple, comfortable hotel with great service and it’s well located in the city. 

The first day we did a bit of shopping and then picked up some Scorpion Mezcal that we had ordered before we arrived.  Mezcal is traditionally bottled with the worm from the agave cactus however for a twist, this company puts in a whole scorpion instead.  It’s a great marketing tool and the mezcal is award winning too, plus there’s the added dare of eating the scorpion when the bottle is empty. 

The next day we headed to the village of Teotitlan del Valle near Oaxaca where they specialize in weaving and we picked up a beautiful area rug and also a wall hanging of Diego Rivera’s “Desnudo con Alcatraces”.  It’s a gorgeous rug and I’m so happy to have it.  We returned to Oaxaca and had lunch at Don’s favourite restaurant La Biznaga and ate some of the finest Oaxacan food in the city. 

The next day we arrived at the bus station at 8:45 to catch our 9:30AM bus to Mexico City only to find that the teachers were protesting and had blocked the highways in and out of Oaxaca and all buses were cancelled until 2:30PM.  This was not good news as we had tickets on another bus line for 5:30PM in Mexico City and now there was no way we were going to make our connection.  The roadblock was cleared by about 11:00 and we were able to get on the 12:30 bus out of Oaxaca.  We were still going to miss our connection in Mexico City but this meant we could make it home by 1AM rather than 3AM.  The bus company in Mexico City honoured our tickets even though we missed the bus we were supposed to be on and we made it back by about 1:30AM (we were originally planning to be home by 9:30 PM).  That’s life in Mexico. Some days even the best of plans can turn sideways but all you can do is laugh and be patient. 

It was an amazing holiday and I hope that I can get back to the Istmo again soon.  The friends we have there are like family and it felt so good to be back home again.  Hopefully next time we can stay longer. 

The manager of our local liquor store is very kind to Rotary so when we can, we buy our wine and liquor from him.  After seeing us at the Rotary Wine Tasting, he mentioned that he also has wine tastings through the store and thought that we would be interested.  Of course we jumped right on the opportunity!  The manager mentioned that it would be offered in June and so I stopped by a couple of times to find out when the tasting was scheduled. 

After my third visit, the manager just took my details and said that he would call me when he had everything lined up.  For the rest of the month, I patiently waited for his call and at the end of the month, just assumed that this wasn’t going to happen.  Around the middle of July, I received a phone call from the manager inviting us to a wine tasting sponsored by Concha y Toro where we would be tasting wines from the Casillero del Diablo line.  We immediately signed up for the event –which was free and being held at the local Argentinean steak house, El Gaucho. 

We arrived at El Gaucho at 9PM and of course we had to wait a bit because things weren’t quite ready, but we were patient and knew that we would be rewarded for such virtues.  They presented 4 wines all from 2007, which was said to be an historical year for red wine production in Chile.  We sampled a Sauvignon Blanc, a Malbec, Carmenere and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Normally Don and I are big fans of big beefy Argentinean Malbecs but that night we learned that Chilean Malbecs are milder and not as bold and for that reason we weren’t impressed with it.  Our favourite for the night was the Carmenere which had lots of flavour and definitely was the tastiest for us.  The restaurant served up some empanadas and stuffed mushroom caps for snacks, which were really yummy, but Don and I assumed that because it was a free wine tasting that we would have to order from the menu and we came with fairly empty stomachs.   At the end of the night (around 1:00 AM) we left the restaurant and had a serious case of the munchies so we hit up a local taco stand only to find the couple we sat beside all night were already there snacking away.  We were a bit sheepish about finding each other munching away on street food after our wine tasting but this quickly faded when the owner of the liquor stores pulled up and ordered up some tacos for himself. 

Although it was a late night, it was a lot of fun and it was a great opportunity to try some wines that we may or may not have bought on our own and I am definitely looking forward to the next one!

Interestingly enough, I have an aversion to hotdog carts and most street food in Canada.  Sorry, a guy in the park selling tubes filled with mystery street meat is not my thing.  For some reason, when I travel street food is what I love to try.  In my opinion, Mexico has some of the best street food going.  Day or night, you’ll always find something yummy to eat on the street.  You will never go hungry in this country (unless you’re super picky or a vegetarian).  One tasty offering is called tacos de canasta which literally means “tacos from a basket”. 

You can see these vendors all over town from about 10AM to 12PM (or until their supply runs out) and you’ll know who they are because they are usually armed with a blue cooler or two of tacos.  At first it seems weird to buy tacos from a cooler on the street and your spidey sense tingles with the thought of bacteria festering inside the cooler but once you bit into this tasty treat, all is forgotten!  

I have found the tastiest tacos de canasta are served outside the state university near the school of medicine.  Eating street food in front of a building filled with doctors and aspiring doctors–how much safer can it be?  The tacos are warm tasty and the tortillas (corn or flour) are softened by the steamy inside of the cooler. They are filled with everything including beans, eggs, potatoes, sausage, pork skins and chicken and run about 22 pesos for 5 tacos.  What a great deal!  It is the perfect snack to tie you over until you rush home at 2PM for dinner.  (Don also likes to call this snack second breakfast).    If you are ever in Mexico and have a hunger pang around 10AM, seek out tacos de canasta and you’ll have a spring in your step for the rest of the day!

Mexico City is huge.  There are 19 million people living in the GMC (Greater Mexico City) making it the biggest city in the Western Hemisphere.  It can be intimidating for first time visitors and lots of people warn you about traveling there.  People say it is a dangerous city, but the crimes tend to be crimes of opportunity like pick pocketing.  Although Mexico City can have a bad safety reputation, it is an amazing city to visit not only for shopping and museums but also for food! 

Don and I decided to head off to Mexico City last weekend do a little shopping and see some sites.  This was our 3rd time there and we had done all of the major sites (the Zocalo, Teotihuacan, Xochimilco, the Museum of Anthropology, Chapultepec Park etc.) and we decided that we would look for new things to see and do.  We always take the bus there because traffic is a nightmare so it’s much easier for us to get around by taxi or subway. 

We went to the south of the city to see the less famous ruins of Cuicuilco which is a round pyramid which is about 2,500 years old.  It was buried under lava and volcanic ash after the eruption of the Xitle volcano.  After which, its inhabitants are believed to have moved to the more famous site of Teotihuacan.  The ruins are small but entry is free, so it’s worth it if you are in the area and like ruins.

You can get some great views of the city from the top of the pyramid:

It was a relatively clear day and you can see the city from all around.  It was really neat to see.  After our visit to Cuicuilco, we stopped by the Museum of Science and Art (MUCA) however because it is a part of the university, it was closed for their summer holidays (the last two weeks of July).  But I did get a shot of a really cool building on the university campus. It looks like we’ll have to make another trip back to check it out sometime.

We then headed off to the Beer Factory, which the guero posted about here. 

We stayed at the Sheraton in the neighbourhood of Cuauhtemoc which is located right next to the famous Angel (on top of the Independence Monument):

The next morning we went to El Moro for churros and hot chocolate (a must for every visitor to Mexico City) and we went shopping in Chinatown (el barrio chino) on Calle Dolores near El Moro).  Chinatown might be a bit of stretch it was more like China block. It was literally one block of restaurants and shops but that was OK as we loaded up on sake, noodles and spices that we can’t get in SLP.  China block, was all we needed. 

After shopping in Chinatown we headed off to Al Malek (Cuauhtemoc #160, Colonia Doctores) which is a great place to buy our Lebanese supplies (like orange blossom water, Lebanese pastry and halava) and also have a bite to eat.  We loaded up on kibbe, grape leaves, fattoush and tabbouleh and with our bellies full of food, headed off the the Norte Terminal to take the bus back to SLP. 

The Norte Bus Terminal is pretty crazy on a Sunday and definitely not for the faint at heart.  The crowd alone could do some people in.  There are hundreds of people filling the waiting area and they don’t announce when the buses are leaving.  You have to keep an eye on the time, find the bus you are supposed to be on, check your luggage and get on at the right time.  Fortunately for us, we’ve taken the bus lots of times here so although it was really hectic, we were able to get on and get home on time. 

Mexico City is a great city to visit and the more we travel there, the more I like it.  Of course, I’m not ready to pick up and move there, but I’ll be certain to go back soon.

During a Rotary event, we discovered that a Rotarian couple gets together with some friends & family every 2 weeks to take a cooking class.  The class is held in a small event hall on Thursday nights and there are usually 10-14 people that attend.  It is privately organized so all the attendees know each other or have a common connection.   We were invited to join the group to try it out and of course we accepted!  It was definitely up our alley and it was a great opportunity to learn new food words. 

Because it was our first time at the class, we allowed to pick between two options:  Low Calorie Cooking (yeah right!) or Mexican Fusion (oh yeah!).  So, of course we picked Mexican Fusion—low calorie cooking can wait for another class. 

We arrived at 7:30 and received the menu for the night: 

Pork Loin with apple & hazelnut stuffing cooked in beer

Crab Salad

Chiles Rellenos (filled with cream cheese & pecans)

Strawberry tarts filled with cream cheese & pecans topped with a Strawberry pink peppercorn sauce

As we were the first people to arrive we got to pick which part of the meal we would prepare.  Don and I decided that making the chiles would be the more interesting part (I’m allergic to beer so the pork didn’t interest me and Don is allergic to shellfish so the salad didn’t interest him).  Once everyone arrived, we got down to work.  First we had to roast the chiles so that we could take the skin off.  Of course, we all know Don: if there is a fire, he’s right there: 

After we roasted the chiles we had to take the skins off, open them up and pull out the seeds and veins (where 90% of the heat from the chile is).  Then we stuffed them with a mixture of cream cheese, chopped pecans and an egg white.  After that we had to roll out some puff pastry dough and wrap the chiles in the pastry.  We then brushed it with egg yolk and stuck it in the oven for 20 minutes until the pastry was cooked and the filling was warm.  We also had to make a tomato salsa to go with the chiles. 

While we were doing this, others were preparing the salad, dessert and pork.  There was a lot going on in the kitchen:

The folks on the left are skinning hazelnuts (which they said was the WORST JOB EVER!), others were chopping jicama for the salad and the back of the photo, they are preparing the dessert.  Chef Gloria is to the right of the photo, just beside me. You can see our lovely skinned chiles at the bottom of the photo.  Chef Gloria goes from station to station checking to see how things are going and helping out where necessary. 

After a few hours of cooking, everything was ready and we could sit down and enjoy the fruits of our labour:

Here is our tasty dinner.  Our chiles are on the bottom left of the photo, next to some fried spaghetti nests that go with the salad.  Next to that are the strawberry tarts.  Above that is the crab salad, more chiles and in the centre of the photo, the pork roast.  Everything turned out really well, but I must say the chiles were super tasty and probably the best thing we ate that night!  They were very rich because of the combination of cream cheese, nuts and puff pastry.  I wanted to eat more, but I just couldn’t.  Lucky for us, there were leftovers and we brought the two extra chiles home! 

At the end of the night we decide on the menu for the next class and this time it is going to be Italian food.  It’s not really my favourite cuisine, but more importantly, it’s a night out to practice Spanish, have good food and enjoy good company.  Stay tuned, more cooking class posts are coming!

Last week I hosted the Rotary Women’s Committee meeting and as the hostess, I was responsible for making snacks to serve during the meeting.  Of course I didn’t want to venture into the realm of serving up traditional Mexican snacks because it’s just too dangerous for the foreign person to do this so I decided to do a mix of things that I’m good at making but would be “friendly” to my guests.  The menu included smoked salmon (home smoked, using an amazing recipe from my father-in-law), hummus & pita chips, veggies, roasted red pepper spread (made a recipe from my friend over at Foodhead) and a chipotle spinach dip.  Everyone liked the food, but it was surprising at what I thought was pretty normal stuff was unknown to my guests.  I had a great time explaining what everything was and how to make it and I’m starting to think about opening up a smoked salmon shop out of my house because that was a favourite. 

Anyway, the biggest hit of the evening was the Chipotle Spinach Dip.  It’s really simple to make and it was a take on the standard Knorr Spinach Dip.  The chipotles add a nice burn and smokiness to the dip and it’s definitely worth making again.  You can find canned chipotles in the ethnic food/Mexican food aisle in some grocery stores, but you might have to venture a little further to your local Latin American food mart to find them.  The come in fairly small cans—two popular brands are La Costena and Herdez.

Chipotle Spinach Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and well drained

1 pkg Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

3-4 chipotles, minced (I leave the seeds in, but you can take them out if you want to reduce the heat but keep the flavour)

Using some paper towel, squeeze the heck out of the defrosted spinach until there is no water left in it—otherwise your dip will be super runny.  Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and let sit at least 4 hours, or overnight for all the flavours to combine.  The sour cream will decrease the heat of the chipotles so you may need to add some more to get the appropriate amount of burn for you and your guests.  I used about 5 for my guests and it was pretty spicy but not overpowering.  Serve it with chunks of dark pumpernickel bread, veggies or crackers and enjoy!

The way our house is constructed, we have an overhang in front of our patio door which blocks any sunlight from hitting the ground and makes it impossible to grow grass.   We ended up with just a big patch of dirt which would get tracked into the house every time we were in the back yard.  We finally got around to putting in a patio this week and it’s awesome!  This is what our patio looked like before:

And this is what it looks like after:

It was really interesting to watch the guys mix the cement.  They mixed it in the street and hauled it in buckets through the house to the back where they were working.  It was pretty impressive seeing as they didn’t get any cement in the house at all and they swept up all the dust and dirt that was tracked through the house from the project.  We’re very happy with the final product and we can’t wait to break it in!

We have good friends that live in San Antonio who are kind enough to let us use their home as mailing address for things that we order online from the US.  There are just some things in Mexico that are more expensive or poorer quality and therefore are better to buy. 

We celebrate Labour Day in Mexico on May 1st so it was a good excuse for us to take the bus up to San Antonio to visit Mark & Lily.  The bus ride is 12 hours overnight and it’s really not that bad of a trip.  We arrived in the morning and checked into our hotel, had a quick shower and headed off to check out some of the local sites.  We visited the Alamo, which had really beautiful gardens behind this building.

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I didn’t know the history of the Alamo but to summarize it briefly, this is where a bunch of Texans got their butts kicked by the Mexicans.  I found it strange that they call the Alamo a shrine of liberty and everyone seemed pretty proud of this place.  The famous quote “Remember the Alamo” really translates to “Remember how we got our butts kicked??  Let’s not have this happen again!!” 

We spent the evening at a place called Blue Star Brewing Company where Don and Mark had some beer while I snacked and drank some soda.  On the whole the food was pretty good but I can’t comment on the beer—I’ll leave that for the Guero. 

The next day we took a drive to the San Jose Mission which was much more beautiful and interesting than the Alamo.  It’s the biggest mission in San Antonio and by far the most beautiful.

Lots of brides come here to get their wedding photos taken and you can see why.  After touring around the mission, we headed over to our favourite Texas BBQ place, Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ.  The food is really good tasty and they have the best T-Shirts that say “ I didn’t claw my way to the top of the food chain….to eat vegetables!”  Sadly, every time I have tried to get one of these shirts, they either don’t have my size or they are sold out.  It’s not so bad, it just means that I have to keep going back! 

That night, Don hopped on the bus back to SLP while I spent the night at Mark & Lily’s so I could hop on a Southwest Flight back to Canada for a few weeks.  The flight was cheap and it was nice to break up the travel with a visit with our friends, but I wouldn’t recommend trekking back to Canada without the break.  On the whole, we had a lovely visit with Mark & Lily, did lots of shopping and ate very well.  Hopefully we’ll get to visit them again soon.