By and large, English is not widely spoken in Australia and you’ll need to know a few convenient local phrases to get by in most Australian towns and cities. And the mere act of making an effort is much appreciated by the locals. Below is a primer which is by no means, exhaustive. “Gud-day” is… Continue reading 25th Wedding Anniversary: Freemantle Australia
Category: My Musings
25th Wedding Anniversary: Komodo Dragons
We limped back to the Riviera, down one man. The events are recounted below. Our bright orange, tender steered a direct course for the Komodo coastline. Its contents included two guides a trapper, a navigator, a naturalist and 25 pampered and entitled seniors. Komodo (pronounced Como-Doe) is one of the 17,000 islands that make up… Continue reading 25th Wedding Anniversary: Komodo Dragons
25th Wedding Anniversary: Bali
From the SS Riviera ship logs November 22, 2025 At 288 million people, Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world behind India, China, and the USA. Indonesia is a country of islands. The count stands at 17,000 of them but the opposition party is demanding a recount. Indonesia has one official language but… Continue reading 25th Wedding Anniversary: Bali
25th Wedding Anniversary in Surabaya
The Java Sea cradled the Riviera as our sails swelled with its heavy but harmless humid breeze. A full day at sea, and we arrived into Surabaya with a mild thump of the Riviera’s bow against the city’s ancient dock. The Dutch East India company built this city and the improvements ceased when they fled…fortunate… Continue reading 25th Wedding Anniversary in Surabaya
25th Wedding Anniversary in Singapore
Like an 18th century privateer with a Monarch’s deed to pillage the perfumed seas of the South Pacific, we made our way to the port city of Singapore. We met in New York where Susan fell for my swashbuckling smile and baronial ambitions which, alas, never parlayed into sovereign territory on the Upper West Side. … Continue reading 25th Wedding Anniversary in Singapore
Eulogy for Mom
On July 22nd, my mom breathed her last breath. Sure, I am a little sad even if I am only the middle child. I will miss our weekly calls where she spoke and I listened. Truth be told, it was getting more and more difficult to have a meaningful two-way conversation with her due to… Continue reading Eulogy for Mom
Fame and Glory are ours
Fame and Glory is ours. Last night Susan and I won our neighborhood’s Seinfeld trivia contest – which was temporarily renamed “Del Boca Vista” for the festivities. We entered our team’s name as “Crazy Joe Davola and Miss Rhode Island”. I was Crazy Joe. To win, we would have to beat the odds-on favorites, a… Continue reading Fame and Glory are ours
The Berardi’s go to Rome
Picture yourself as a popular performer during ancient Roman times: Celenus Dionys, Eltonicus John, or perhaps Mr. Buddy Hatticus, and your agent booked you at the Roman Coliseum after paying your dues in Ephesian dives and resort clubs in Casearia. Your dressing room would certainly include a private vomitorium (especially if you were Celenus Dionys)… Continue reading The Berardi’s go to Rome
Andrew gets a massage in Thessaloniki
By the time our ship docked into the Greek port city of Thessaloniki, I was unable to move. I could blink, but not without effort. After ten days of touring and nearly 70 miles of surveying ancient ruins and navigating crooked cobblestones, my back and legs said “uncle” and went on strike. Susan suggested I… Continue reading Andrew gets a massage in Thessaloniki
The Berardi’s go to Israel
When the plane landed in Tel Aviv, like in the early days of aviation, the cabin erupted in applause and the pilot, sounding like Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo, proclaimed “was that some beautiful landing !” And thus, our month- long journey began. We paid $250 for the “VIP airport treatment” which meant Hannie, a cute and… Continue reading The Berardi’s go to Israel