My condolences to all those who lost their lives in this tragic accident. 

The Costa Concordia has a special place in my heart as less than one year ago, my wife and I had a wonderful experience cruising the Mediterranean on that very ship.

We could well imagine the terror those people went through, knowing the layout of the ship as we do.

Is there a fig connection to this posting?

Yes.

At each port of call my wife and I would enjoy the sights, smells and tastes of the local offerings. We would also hunt for fig trees and if possible, borrow a cutting or two. My wife became quite proficient at spotting fig trees even those not yet leafed out.(It was early March of 2011)

Each cutting holds a story and a special memory (Liguria, Malaga, Tenerife, Casablanca...). . This sumer I hope to taste the fruits of our journey.

Holy hell!  I wonder if it was the same Captain?  Thank heaven you went last year.  My heart goes out to all those poor families who were struck with this catastrophe.  I hope the Captain gets whats comming to him!

Ed, that was the first question we had. Fortunately it was not Schettino.

He will get his just deserts.

I had three family members on that cruise. All are safe and back in Chicago.