Better to be in Montenegro than in the Middle East, I say . . . T. Jones, here...on the Grey Pearl bridge reporting in - Braun & I are reading with GREAT interest about the conflict (OK, war) between Hezbollah and Israel. As many of you know, we were in these countries the month of June and in some of the very locations bombs are landing today...in Jounieh and Beirut Lebanon; Haifa, Ashkelon and Ashdod, Israel. Can you say lucky? Sadly, we may have been one of the last yachts for awhile to visit ports in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Since the last dispatch, we moved on from the Middle East and enjoyed a welcomed couple days in Ayios Nicholas located in SE Crete after landing there from Port Said Egypt. From the time we left Pt. Said we were caught in a Meltemi (seasonal winds that blow continuous for days/weeks at 25 to 40+ knots). They harassed us while working our way North in the Aegean Sea. These wind conditions are common this time of year in the Aegean, but we were hoping to avoid them - no luck there. Friends, Layne & Adam got a little sample of these fierce winds during their visit - lots of mal de mer. We cruised to the Cycladic Islands of Ios, Mykonos, Siros and spent a week in Piraeus/Athens to get some work done on the boat. Since leaving the Mid East, July was spent having some friends on board, catching up with our fellow Nordhavn buddies Uno Mas & Satchmo in Piraeus, working on boat projects, scootering to the beach, mindless reading, making up for our 3-month pork withdrawal...yep, we're Americans and proud of it...so, pass the bacon and chops please! We enjoyed our time in Greece which means eating more than one's share of Greek salad & mousaaka washed down with Mythos beer and Greek vino - tasty! A day ago we left the northern Ionian Greek island of Corfu. The Ionians are all lush and lovely but Corfu with the most yearly rainfall of all the Greek islands, is the greenest and quite possibly, I think one of the prettiest. Emerald mountains, turquoise waters (swam right off the dock!) lapping rocky coves, pastel colored buildings, colorful bougainvillea, oleander and jacaranda spread over cottages, shimmering silver olive trees...get the picture? We were 5 days berthed just below one of the two ancient forts in Corfu Town, located in the middle of the island's east coast. This town is a pretty, bustling and the people and the places are very cosmopolitan. Though definitely Greek much of Corfu's old town displays the architectural styles of its many conquerors - Molto of Italy's Venice ruled over 400yrs., then France and England which also left behind cricket & ginger beer. We talked about touring the forts and the archeological museum but, nah...we're kinda tapped out on ruins (affectionately known in the boat touring crowd as "more rocks"). How do you compete with the ruins of Baal Beck in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Palmyra in Syria and Masada in Israel? Not to mention what we were fortunate to see in Turkey and Egypt. We set out from Corfu for an overnight passage heading north in the Adriatic Sea, passing well off the shores of Albania and eventually entered a fjord to sail 17 miles inland to its end and the town of Kotor, Montenegro. A "must stop" suggested by friends Presently, we are tied up to the town quay just steps from the city. A classic looking medieval walled town that is UNESCO listed as a World Heritage site. We have found this label to be like the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval... if UNESCO rates it, it's usually absolutely worth seeing and preserving. While preparing to Med-moor to the dock early this morning, Braun & I thought we were suffering from severe sleep deprivation when we noticed further down the quay that all too familiar stack of a Nordhavn 62...but no illusion it's our sister ship, 'Sans Souci' that crossed the Atlantic with us 3 years ago. She was owned by friends Ken and Roberta Williams whom we really wish were here. Cocktails on board, dinner in town and all that fun stuff... Time to sign off and explore...BJ has me hiking 1 kilo to the top of the mountain all along the fortified walls to the last hold out, then to the maritime museum in the old town...hold me back... We will spend a few more days here and then sail north to Croatia. Stay cool - Best, Tina & Braun Tina and Braun Jones Grey Pearl Nordhavn 62 Editor's note: Photos of Grey Pearl and her owners are posted at <http://radio.weblogs.com/0137829/2004/06/30.html>.