Spain 2026-07

Spain 10,

Sept. 28, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Today was a travel all day type of day, just to get somewhere and sleep during the trip. I was tired after the race but was really happy with my team mates. We bid each other good-bye after a beer and hopefully we will meet again at the Worlds in Hamburg next year. I will be 78 at the time of the race and might be getting a little old for these tests of endurance. We will see next year when the time comes to register.

I dropped my bike off at the parking lot as arranged and drove back to Pontevedra to pack. You can’t get served in a restaurant in Spain before 9:00 pm so there is no point even in trying. I spent the time packing and left the hotel at 9:00 to go to the same restaurant as last time. Unfortunately, I did not memorize the route or the exact name of the restaurant. After driving around on small roads and getting semi lost, I realized that my search would be in vain. I stopped at a roadside taverna and the owner was kind enough to serve me. I consumed the biggest ham and grilled cheese sandwich that I have ever seen, accompanied by chips and a smaller empanada. The sandwich was half a bagette long overflowing with cheese and lettuce. With a beer to wash it down, it really hit the spot. I spoke at length with the owner about the race as well as my blog and my book. I never pass up a chance to publicize myself.

I slept from midnight to 5:30 am and drove to Vigo 1 hour away to drop off the car. I then took a local bus from the airport to the train station where I boarded a train to Pontevedra. The roads and the signage on the roads is incredible. The speed limit is 120 km/hr but people tend to drive even faster. On the other hand, the signage to get you from the bus station to the train station leaves much to be desired. I was lucky to meet a young Egyptian fellow who was doing his PHD in engineering in Vigo. He helped me with my luggage and guided me to the station. I must make quite an impression with my white hair and 2 pieces of luggage because even young and middle age women offer their help to me.

I boarded the TGV equivalent to Madrid which moves along at 3:30 km/hr. Wow. I tried to take pictures of the countryside but the train was moving too fast so the pictures got blurred. I promise to take pictures of the route tomorrow. It was a struggle to get from the Madrid train station to T4, then to T1 where I took a taxi to the Crown Plaza Hotel. I slept on and off on the train and managed to do my final bookings of trains and hotels for my trip. I am having some trouble with bookings in Paris as it is hard to book an airport hotel, for my dates, for less than $500 a night. It must be a holiday weekend.

My motorcycle, a Honda 500 Rebel, was delivered right to my hotel. Great service. I inspected the bike and it is exactly the same one that I rode last year so I am familiar with wth the controls. I packed just enough for the 10 day trip as I prefer to wash clothes rather than carry extra baggage.

Although it drizzled all day today, tomorrow will be partially sunny, 25C, just perfect for riding.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 6,

Sept. 24, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I am staying in Dena-Meana, about 20 km from Pontevedra. There are very few rooms available in Pontevedra where the Triathon is taking place. Nirvana books up all the rooms 1 year in advance and then sells it back to the public at double the price, Most of the Canadians are staying out of town and taking a bus or a train to the race. I rented a car for the week which was disappointing at first. However, all things considered it gives me the possibility to visit the area.

I woke up early in the morning. Not wanting to make the mistake as last time, being undernourished for the race, I ate a substantial breakfast and drove 20 minutes to Pontevedra. The traffic in the city was horrible and everyone was looking for a parking space. I squeezed into the smallest space in a free lot and walked over to registration where I got my body markings for the race. I dropped off my bike in the transition zone and memorized the spot. There were 4500 bikes present. It was cool with a cool breeze and my race was to start at 4;00 pm with a water start. The water was cool so I wore my wetsuit.

I ate a light lunch and waited patiently for the race to start. I drank the sugary energy drink that I bought yesterday and carried the chocolate bar with me. I also have a recovery pack, a powder to be mixt with water for after the race. My water bottle was filled with a mineral liquid to be drunk during the bicycle part of the race. I was all set.

The swim was ok, with my wet suit I was warm enough. Surprisingly I don’t swim as quickly with a wet suit. I came out of the water feeling ok and jogged off to get my bike. My age is written on my calf so I usually get a lot of cheers and encouragement. I mounted the bike and took off. The bike part of the race was very difficult. It consisted of 1 long hill interspaced with curves and then downhill for the 2nd part of the race to the finish line. I didn’t even peddle as I was going too fast.I was exhausted. I stopped twice to catch my breath and 2 motorcycle refs stopped to ask me if I needed help. I waved them on and continued. The girls start their race after the oldest guys so i raced in a pack with the girls. They all shouted encouragement to me.

I dropped off the bike, took a drink and jogged off for the run. The run consisted of 2 lengths through the streets of Pontevedra lined with cheering crowds all yelling ‘go Canada’ for me. I was proud. The run had 1 hill after another. All along the way they give you water in a glass. I drank a bit and spilled the rest over my head to refresh myself. I finally got to the finish line and a pretty young put a finishing medal around my neck.

By the end of the race I was soaking wet. The temperature dropped and I started shivering. I walked into a restaurant and crashed onto a chair. The lady took one look at me and knew exactly what I needed. She gave me a huge bowl of chicken noodle soup followed by a yogourt and a tisane. After an hour I was ready to take on the world.

I took my bike and bag and wandered off to find my car. The ride home seemed long and I went straight to bed on arrival, sleeping of course with my medal around my neck.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07

Spain 5,

Sept. 23, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I ate breakfast at my usual café and slowly made my way to Pontevedra. I managed to find a tight spot in a free parking lot. Hopefully I will find my way back to it as my iPhone has run out of battery. The super tiny battery bank does not seem to like my iPhone. I may have to buy another one which is always more expensive, bigger and heavier. Oh well those are the trials and tribulations of travelling in a foreign country.

I picked up my rental bike in the parking lot and had the fellow adjust the seat and put on my own pedals. It is super light with semi automatic gears which the fellow had to explain to me how to change gears. Sometimes modern conveniences are above my level of comprehension. I managed to find my way to the registration counter and was able to register without too much difficulty. People here take an extra bit of time to help white haired seniors find their way around.

It was 16 C this morning but has warmed up to 30 C now at 3:00. I race tomorrow at 2;00 pm so the heat should really be fun. There are a lot of stands at the site selling various foods and drinks for the race. Last time I made a mistake and was tired and dehydrated at the end of the race. I found a stand selling foods and beverages and was served by a young knowledgeable young lady. I explained what happened to me last time. She gave be a drink to have just before the race, special energy bars for the bike ride and run and a recuperation drink for afterwards. She also gave me a water bottle with an electrolyte drink which I can fill at will.

I will be off to the assembly area in a few minutes to meet with my team. There are 4500 athletes here from 60 countries. All the countries assemble by continent and in alphabetical order. We take a group country picture and then march in under our respective flags through the cobblestoned streets in front of 10,000 fans cheering us on. Wow!! Everything is filmed for local and close circuit TV.

Continued:

My iPhone was not working as the connection was loose. I found a great telephone shop with a knowledge salesman. He seemed to be happy that Canada will have EU status and would immigrate to Canada if at all possible. He fixed my phone and sold me a new battery pack, somewhat heavier than the one I have but with more memory and much much faster to charge. It took some time for him to set everything up, but it was worth it. I missed the team photo but got several photos of the parade. I marched in with the Canadian team. It was really fun. 4500 athletes and 1000s of spectators with a lot of camera men. The World Championships Triathon is very important all over the world except North American.

looked for the Israeli team but could not find them. I am not sure if they were with Europe, Asia or the Middle East group. I saw one group of individuals with a Free Palestine flag. I walked by, showed them my dog tags and told them I was with the IDF. I was with a large group of Canadians, mostly looking big and strong, so my risk was minimum.

I am eating supper at 10:00 pm, in a restaurant overlooking the water. Life is beautiful. I am looking forward to the race tomorrow.

Love,

Brian

Spain 2026-07,

Spain 2,

Sept 21a, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday was really ‘a longdays journey into night’. Although far from my 36 hour, door to door voyage that I did last year for my trip to Israel, 21 hours is still rather long for an experienced traveler like myself. Dominique drove me to Trudeau Airport at 2:30 arriving 3 hours ahead of schedule. I had the ‘Yul Express app’ which allows you to skip the line, saving a few minutes. Once through customs, I went over to the BNC private lounge where I have privileges. Unfortunately, many others also have privileges so I had to cool my heels in a regular chair for 30 minutes waiting for the invite to go in. I began my trip in the middle of the afternoon with a Bloody Mary and a piece of cake. What the heck, I am not operating on anyone today, don’t have to drive anywhere or fly the plane, do I might as well enjoy myself.

I had a direct flight to Madrid, but unfortunately the take off time was 5:55 pm. I usually prefer to leave at 11:00 pm which allows me to go asleep and wake up 7 hours later in Europe in the morning. With a 6 o’clock take off time, I didn’t fall asleep until 11:00 and only had 1.5 hours of sleep before arrival. I sat with a lovely girl from Quebec who was flying to Spain to meet her father. He is doing a 300 k walk and she will accompany him for 200 k to be done in 10 days. The walk to Santiago d Compostela is very well known and I will perhaps try to visit it when I am here. (By car, not on foot)

I took a shuttle bus from T1 to T4 with my 2 bags bumping along with minimum trouble. I find that people are very willing to help a short old white haired gentleman with 2 bags of luggage. The shuttle took me to the Madrid train station where I had a cappuccino in a restaurant waiting for my train. I boarded a train high speed train to Pontevedra which took 3 hours. I was able to cat-nap for a couple of hours. From Pontevedra I took a local bus to Vivo airport to pick up my car. I didn’t have any change for the bus, so a kind American lady paid my 1.3 Euro fare, Who ever said that Americans are not nice.

I picked up my Hertz rent a car at the airport and drove to Pontevedra and then to Meana where I am staying. I arrived at 5:00 rather exhausted from the lack of sleep. I am staying in a hotel-apartment with a pool and exercise room. I left the hotel at 9;30 to get a bite to eat in town. The locals go out to eat at 10:00 pm. There are a lot of Spanish tourists here but no Americans, Germans, Chinese or English. Supper consisted of a fish empanada and a salad with a glass of local beer and wine. The portions are very large

I got lost. The roads here are 1 lane wide and it is pitch black after 10:00. A drove around for 1 hour thinking that I might have to sleep in my car. My GPS lady was totally lost and my phone didn’t have a local SIM card. Finally I saw a couple sitting on their balcony at 12:00 am enjoying the evening. I called out to them and they directed me to my hotel. 50m away. I must have passed it 10 times. I went to sleep at 1:30 am.

Love,

Brian

Israel 2026-07

Israel 20,

July 21, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

This was my last day in TLV so I did the usual things that one does on the last day. Early morning emails, airline check in, swim to the break water, run 5k and pack. All very exciting. I fly to Paris and on to Montreal tomorrow. Let’s hope that I can do it in 12 hours. The last flight here took 36 hours door to door.

This evening I took Vicki out to eat at a beach side restaurant. The food was so-so but the company with Vicki is always nice. No one knows what the outcome of the war will be. Trump is too crazy to predict. There will be an election in October and hopefully a big change in government. The government just voted that studying Torah is equivalent to going into the army. That unfortunately guarantees support from the Haredi group. The country like the rest of the world is in trouble. No country in the world has a good leader now.

When I return to Montreal I have a busy 5 weeks at the office. I then will retire on Sept 1 after 44 years in practice. I have 3 goals this year: 1, learn to speak Hebrew. I will take an online course and them maybe do an ulpan next summer. 2, promote my book, Swords of Iron. I have several speaking engagements which should lead to sales and donations. 3. Learn to navigate. I can race my J 24 well round the buoys but I can’t do long distance navigation.

I have 3 triathlons lined up. The 1st one is in Wasaga Beach Ontario which I have to win to get on next years Canadian team. The 2nd one is the World Championships in Spain. The 3rd is a relay in Spain at the same time.

Love,

Brian

Israel 2026-07

Israel 19,

July 20, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

I got to bed at 1:30 after watching the World Cup disappointing Final game. But as the saying goes, ‘you win some, you lose some.’ This one ‘we’ lost. I was up bright and early at 9:30 just in time for breakfast which is served from 6:30 to 10:00. I met my Australian friends, M & W, from last night so we had cappuccinos and cinnamon buns together. We arranged to meet at noon to go down to the beach for a swim. W is a good swimmer and a swimming instructor so we swam out to the breakwater together. That is the 1st time in 3 years that I have ever seen a swimmer go out that far. She told me that in Australia she would never go out that far from shore due to the danger of being eaten by a shark. Why tempt fate. They left for Haifa later in the afternoon. They are on a 3 month world tour, ending up in Vietnam which leaves me drooling with envy. Next year!?

After my usual, I took a beach cold water shower and had the 6:00 soup and wine provided by the hotel. This evening, I decided to visit the beach side, 5* hotels. I have photographed them from the beach many times but have never ventured inside them. I took the initial picture from the outside from several angles. I then went inside to photograph the lobby. The final photo was taken of the main restaurant.

All of the hotels are beautiful and worth staying in if 5* hotels is your ‘thing’ and of course if you are willing to spend the money. I usually avoid 5* hotels when I am travelling, trying to stay in B&Bs or 2-3* hotels. I will stay in a 5* if a medical conference is being held there as we always get a group rate. The hotels did not disappoint me with their overall decor. The lobby’s and the restaurants were all tastefully decorated. The food prices, except for the Kapinski, were on par with the local nice restaurants. The prices of the hotels ranged from $500 to $1000 to $2000 per night. A pasta meal or a big Israeli salad could be had for $30. A fish meal was double that except for the Kapinski where the prices are much higher. Kapinski is really top tier, followed by the Hilton and the Sheraton. The Carlton, Renaissance, Herod, and Crown Plaza are just 1 step down but still nice. There are other nice hotels here but I concentrated on the ones on the beach. Next time I am here, I will have an Israeli salad in each one for comparison.

I am sitting in one of my favourite beach side restaurants that I have frequented in the past. The sea is black and I can hear the waves lapping the shore. There is soft rock music in the background, not loud enough to disturb. I am on my 2nd Tuboug beer to go with a falafel. It is 25C with a cool breeze. There is no better way to spend an evening in TLV. I walked on the board walk for 2.5 hours to do my photos. There must have been 1000s of people out, strolling, running, skateboarding, bicycling, and scootering. TLV has to be one of the nicest places to be in the summer. There are very few cities in the world of this size which have a beach-waterfront so easily accessible.

Love.

Brian

Israel 2026-07

Israel 18,

July 20,2026,

Yesterday I felt that I had had enough sun so I took the day off to walk around Tel Aviv. TLV is a great city and fun to visit on foot. I needed a new mouse as they tend to break if you drop them too many times. The price was the same as in Montreal which surprised me as everything else, from restaurants to apartments is much more expensive. I still managed a good swim and a run. My afternoon snack consisted of a frozen yogourt at Golda’s but I found the taste too sweet and will stick with ice cream for my next treat.

I met a nice couple from Australia and we spent the evening together watching the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. Billed as Europe vs South America or Palestine vs Israel, depending on how you look at politics. It was supposed to be a thrilling match between 2 championship teams. Unfortunately, the game was uninspiring for us. We came down to the beach front restaurants at 8:30, expecting to easily find seating. Everything was either reserved or had long lineups to get in. We walked down the beach for a while eventually finding seats off to the side but with a reasonable view of the screen if you had binoculars. There were at least 2000 fans on the boardwalk and on the sand watching the game, eating and drinking at our chosen restaurant.

Spain had 20 shots and 12 on goal. Argentina had 2 shots and none on goal. The Argentina goal tender kept them in the game until the 2nd overtime period, stopping 11 shots allowing a 1 goal victory by Spain. The Spanish midfielders were on top of Mesi every time he touched the ball. The audience was silent for the whole game, as Argentina’s performance gave us no reason to cheer. After the game, we filed away quietly to lick our wounds. The game ended at 1:15 AM so I slept in this morning.

Love,

Brian

Israel 2026-07

Israel 17,

July 18, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

In Israel, everything is very quiet here on Friday nights as people spend Shabbat with their families and most restaurants are closed. That changes completely on Saturday when the whole city descends upon Tel Aviv Beach in spite of the fact that it still is Shabbat.

For the last 2 weeks, except for the weekend, I was up at 5:30 and usually didn’t get home until 5:30 pm. Given the fact that I find it difficult to go to bed early, I have been sleep deprived the whole 2 weeks. Last night for a change of pace, I slept for 8.5 hours. That is close to a record for me who usually goes on 6 to 6.5 hours of sleep per night all year.

I woke up fully refreshed and ready to start the day and my 4 days of holiday. I had my usual full filling breakfast and then headed upstairs to the roof top terrace to catch up on my emails. It is amazing how much emails pile up in this day and age if you don’t select, file and turf what you don’t need on a daily basis.

The rest of the day was filled with R + R (rest and relaxation for those of you who have not watched MASH in the 80s). Without going into details, I rented a beach bed, suntanned, swam to the breakwater twice, ran 5k, Magnum ice cream at 4:00). The beach was rather crowded but far less son than the Riviera beaches. I had to duck footballs, volley balls and paddle ball games which slowed down my run a little. I am now as dark or even darker than most Israelis. However, they still address me in English in bars and in restaurants. But, 1 French lady addressed me in French (do I now look French). 2 young Americans asked me if I spoke English (to them, do I now look Israeli). Their question was, ‘what were the dates of WW1?’ I guess with my white hair they must have thought that I could be a veteran of the Great War.

After a light supper of soup, wine and a fruit salad I took a stroll on the boardwalk. The whole town is out tonight. All the bars and restaurants are doing a great business. There are musicians out playing sax, guitar or just singing. There is a championship game of beach-volleyball-football with hundreds of spectators. It consists of a volleyball net on the sand and 2 players. They use a football (soccer ball) and hit it back and forth with their feet, chests and heads. It is amazing how long they can keep the volley going while being encouraged by the noisy crowd.

I am writing my blog, enjoying the warm summer breeze, overlooking the Med, sipping a beer and eating fries. Lovely. Tomorrow is the FIFA final between Argentina and Spain. I will try to arrive early to get a seat as the place will be packed. Israel is routing for Mesi (who is very pro Israel) and Argentina as Spain has a reputation of being very antisemitic.

Love,

Brian

Israel 2026-07

Israel 10,

July 13, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

After completing my blog on the terrace yesterday, I went down to the beach for my daily athletic event. I swam to the breakwater twice, a distance of 1k and then ran 5k on the beach. Some people have told me that they have been stung by jelly fish so I will have to be more careful with my swim. I wear swim goggles so I should be able to identify one before getting stung…

I purchased a day ticket that allowed me to go back and forth from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for 24 hours as well as to take unlimited trips on the local bus and light rail system in both cities. I met my cousin, David, in Jerusalem in front of the City Hall. The trip to Jerusalem takes 45 min and the light rail trip takes 10 min. I first met David 50 years ago in Trout Lake at my grandmother’s cottage and renewed acquaintances with him 2 years ago. He was a rabbi in the Israeli Air Force and now does IT research for the government. We are diametrically opposite on the religious spectre and still get along superbly. We went to an upscale restaurant in an upscale mall and had a wonderful dining experience together. I broached the political subject of the solution to the current crisis hoping naively for incite or an answer. Unfortunately at the present time there is none. I personally don’t think that Israel will strike Iran first unless Trump asks them to do so. On the other hand, Iran is striking Middle Eastern countries at will on a daily basis. I am scheduled to fly back to Canada on July 22. I have made a decision to stay and work with MDA if rockets are flying in Tel Aviv before I leave.

Today I worked an early shift with MDA. We had multiple false starts that were cancelled before arriving. The 1st case of note involved a 44 y/o worker how had a heart attack and cardiac arrest on the 5th floor of a building under construction. The white, BLS ambulance arrived first. The patient was in ventricular fibrillation requiring shocks twice. We learned of this before arriving, by the web. We ran up to the 5th floor with all our heavy equipment. They don’t let me carry anything probably believing that it would be too much of an effort on my part. They are right, 5 floors at full speed is enough cardiac exercise for me.

On arrival, the patient had partially regained consciousness. We did the usual routine, IV, EKG, oxygen, blood sugar, BP, pulse, fluids etc. We placed the patient on a back board for precaution. 6 of us then carried the patient down the stairs to our ambulance. We rushed the patient to the hospital with sirens blazing.

The 2nd patient was a small child with a possible anaphylactic shock from peanuts. This was not really the case but we took the patient to the hospital with appropriate monitoring for precaution.

I met several people at the Maxim daily cocktail, one of whom is a French-Israeli author and film maker of note. He has a Wikipedia page describing his accomplishments. That is my next goal. We exchanged emails and formed a WhatsApp group. Perhaps this will help me to advance my book sales.

Love,

Brian

Israel 2026-07

Israel 8,

July 11, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Last evening I was invited for a Shabbat dinner at one of Vicki’s son’s homes. Several of her children were there as well as some of her grandchildren. She has a lovely family. She is divorced but seems to have a cordial relationship with her x, as he was present. I had an interesting discussion with him about his travels. He was originally from Washington DC. He travelled for 2 years from about 1970 to 1972. He went through Europe, Africa. South America and Asia eventually arriving back in the US 2 years later after many adventures. I travelled for 1 year in 1970-1971. I considered continuing to travel around the world but in the end, made the decision to go to France and study medicine. The road that you did not travel is the road that you will never know. We then had a stimulating political discussion around the table. No one knows will happen in the near future between Trump and Iran and how that will affect Israel. One of her children lived in NY for many years and another one in Boston. He will take up a position at the U of T for 1-2 years.

I worked 4, 12 hr shifts in the last 4 days so it was time for a rest today. I think that I am finally getting over the jet lag and was able to sleep 7.5 hr without waking up in the middle of the night not know the time or where I was. Today was laundry day. My old laundry place has closed down but a new one opened up 1 block away. My last 2 cappuccino cafes have closed but a new and better one opened up next door. My kickboxing school has closed down but a new exercise place opened up 1 block away. I will find out if it is the same instructor as last year.

In the afternoon I swam to the breakwater twice and ran 5k with ease. Maybe my triathlon won’t be too difficult this year. I will do 3 this year. 1 in Ontario to qualify for the Canadian team for next year’s World Championships. I will then do a sprint and a super sprint relay in Spain for Canada at the Worlds this year.

Love,

Brian