CONFIRMATION CLASS TRIP TO THE VIRGIN ISLANDS January 6, 2012: The Fabulous Five plus two met in the

pre-dawn hours at the Cape Air counter for an easy check in. Despite Sue & Jimmy's oft expressed fears, no permission letters, photo ID's (of kids) or other complicated stuff was needed. Hugs were exchanged and it was off on our adventure. We were loaded on a small plane (purple, Luis' favorite color) and we had it to ourselves. No other passengers-just the seven of us, the pilot and a mechanic who needed a ride to St. Thomas. Rosie got to be co-pilot and we saw a gorgeous sunrise as we made the short, half hour hop. We had no checked bags and, almost before we knew it, we were at the curb at the St. Thomas airport. Jim waited for Brooke Robbins, our driver/guide for the day, while the rest of the group took care of the important stuff-eating breakfast. Brooke and Jimmy picked up our rental vehicle and then the rest of the gang and we were off!

Our first stop was the Jewish Cemetery where we met Katina Coulianos, the synagogue's historian, who gave us a really interesting talk on the history of the cemetery and of the Jewish community on the island. The monuments in the cemetery are above ground while the bodies are buried belowground. In some of the other islands where there is a danger of flooding, the bodies are also above ground but there isn't a flooding problem in St. Thomas-the Jews did it because they were accustomed to this tradition. The group was most interested in Katina's presentation and, at its finish, Rosie presented her with a gift. After a brief stop at the original Jewish Cemetery, it was off to our hotel, Mafolie, for check in and a brief pause.

We reassembled for the (steep) downhill ride to our schedule lunch at Jen's Restaurant which, unfortunately, due to it being Three Kings Day was closed. We didn't panic-we knew we wouldn't go hungry and pretty soon spotted The Green House, owned by an old friend of Sue and Jimmy's from St. Maarten, where an outstanding lunch was enjoyed by all. LUNCH AT THE GREEN HOUSE We arose stuffed-but not too stuffed for local ice cream at a nearby stand. We had some free time for shopping and then piled into our trusty SUV for the very curvy ride up to the top of the island where we found the studio of Radio Buzz which is owned by Cristina and Alan Friedman who grew up in Puerto Rico and were married at Temple Beth Shalom. They gave us a tour, interviewed the kids (a recording of the interviews will be coming soon) and presented Buzz Tee Shirts to all. Everyone was stoked and really appreciative to Cristina and Alan for their hospitality.

THE BUZZ BUNCH After a little down time, we took off for the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas where, before the services, we got to see a DVD of the history of the Jews in St. Thomas narrated by Rabbi Arthur Starr who, unfortunately, was off island as was the current rabbi, Rabbi Stephen Moch. Their service started promptly at 6:30 and the confirmation kids were very much a part of it. Sarah and Rosie recited the blessing and lit the candles, Luis and Jaime opened the ark and Sam and Sarah read their confirmation speeches in lieu of a sermon. Everyone present was very impressed by the speeches and by all of our kids-they made us proud. On the first Friday of each month, the synagogue has a dinner after services to which we were invited. The food was Moroccan and was given high marks by the Puerto Rican contingent. They have Temple members who prepare the

dishes and each month they have a different theme. They charge the attendees a nominal amount but we were their guests. We presented a copy of The Jews of Jihlava Book to the synagogue for their library and made an early exit as we were tired from all of our activities.

January 7, 2012: A very good breakfast was included in our room rate and we did it justice. At breakfast, we met the resident three legged cat which, although a little freaky at first, soon became a close friend. Sue led a Torah discussion based on an allover recap of the Book of Genesis during breakfast and shortly thereafter we took off for another action packed day. We no longer enjoyed Brooke's services and Jim became the designated driver with navigating help from Sam, Sarah and anyone else with an opinion. The first stop was Coral World which is owned by a member of the congregation (as is our hotel) and is part of a worldwide chain of franchises originated in Israel. For a modest admission price you can see exhibits containing all kinds of ocean life and have the opportunity (for a not so modest additional cost) to go face to face with various of the denizens of the deep. We had selected "Sea Trek" an event where the kids donned helmets into which air is pumped and descended to the ocean floor (about 16 feet down) where they walked along a course which allowed them to see fish coral and other good stuff. We had lunch at Coral World and then watched the sharks being fed, got to pet a baby shark, got to see Omar the sea lion do tricks and enjoyed the various other attractions. When we were Coral Worlded out, we went back to the hotel to shower, change clothes and relax before heading downtime for some more intensive shopping followed by another highlight: a visit to Paradise Point. We arrived at the tram which takes you up an imposing mountain to the site at 5:30 only to be told that the tram was closing for the evening. We had brought our tickets in advance online and told them that if they closed the tram, we wanted our money back. They quickly relented and we rode the tram (over some gorgeous homes) up to Paradise Point which consists of a bar/restaurant, a Ferris Wheel and a bungee jumping facility. It doesn't sound like much but it was actually a lot of fun. The kids all took a turn on bungee set up which consisted of a harness connected to a frame by elastic cords suspended over a trampoline. Luis was the superstar as he was not only able to go up and down but managed some front and back flips. Everyone had a lot of fun (Sue & Jim in watching) although the harness was a bit of a pain in the crotch for the guys. After the kids had their turns, we watched some other people jumping and then headed to the restaurant for a surprisingly good dinner. During dinner we listened to a live jazz band and after dinner we headed for the Ferris Wheel for the ride which afforded a fantastic view of the lights of Charlotte Amalie. We got to meet the owners (not members of the synagogue,) many friendly employees and had a really fun experience. We were back at the hotel by 9:30 to watch a little TV and hit our beds.

Sunday, January 8, 2012: ON THE FERRY TO ST. JOHN Our last day started early with breakfast chaperoned by Tripod, the three legged cat. We checked out and hit the road to locate the car ferry at Red Hook which would transport us to St. John. After a few wrong turns, we made it to the ferry early enough to buy some (very expensive) gas. The ferry ride was a blast with pretty good sized waves washing over the sides and, too soon, we were at Cruz Bay in St. John studying our map to pinpoint the most scenic route to cover the island. We drove for an hour and a half visiting beaches, enjoying gorgeous vistas and making a few wrong turns before ending at Cinnamon Bay for snorkeling, skim boarding, swimming and our last lunch. ON THE BEACH AT CINNAMON BAY Then a mad dash back to the ferry arriving with plenty of time to spare and the ride back to St. Thomas. We thought we had too much time so we stopped in town for snacks before returning the

car and getting to the airport. Due to a slight miscalculation on Jimmy's part we actually had less time than we thought but it was all good and we went through customs, immigration and security without problem and were at the gate plenty early with time to make plans for a reunion. Again, it was a small plane on which we were joined by a couple from Maine, a quick flight and no formalities in San Juan. We had last hugs and then went on our separate ways after a fabulous, fun filled weekend. We had laughs, Jewish stuff, activities and-above all-a great bonding experience! Our special thanks to all who helped make this beautiful dream become a beautiful reality.

ADIOS ST. THOMAS