Finale

Had to edit this when I pasted it in, as it lost a lot of spaces and returns. So if you find a few words run together, they're the ones I missed.

Well, this will be the last of the series. I’m home, unpacked, Christmas is past, and a nice one it was. Although it wasn’t a white Christmas. Since it wasn’t white, it was nice that the weather was sunny and reasonably warm. Droughtbuster Dick is working his magic as I write this. On Christmas nite, or perhaps this morning, it started to rain lightly here in Bear Valley. And now it’s turned into a rather heavy rain, mixed in with a little sleet, or maybe even hail. Can snow be next?

I’ll give you all a brief summary of the last few days of the trip. I made a big mistake in Zurich. I chose Sunday to walk around town, see the sights, and visit the churches, things like that. Then Monday, since my train for Berlin didn’t leave until 7:00 PM, the plan was to visit the museums. The first half of the plan worked OK. The old town of Zurich is quite nice. Covers both sides of the Limmat River. Lots of narrow streets, cobblestone, of course. Somewhat like Lucerne, but without the murals that were painted on so many of the buildings in Lucerne. The transition between the old town and the modern business and shopping areas is almost transparent, if that’s the right word. I got a great view of the city and the lake from the top of one of the towers of the Grossmunster church. Although the wind was pretty cold!

The plan for Monday, as I said, was museums. The first museum I wanted to see had an exhibit on the 14 Dahli Lamas, with quite a bit on the current one, it appeared. That would have been interesting. On the door was the sign “Montag Geschlossen”. It means the same as “Hetfo Zarva” (or something similar) did in Budapest. “Closed Monday”. Oh well, why not a boat rides on the lake, then the historical Museum? Got to the lake 6 minutes after the boat left and no more trips for an hour and a half. So on to the museum. You can guess the sign on the door there. I really didn’t want to go back to the lake and wait for the boat, so I just wandered about. And it was getting colder.

I went into the train station around 4:00 PM and just window-shopped in the many stores there. Dinner in a restaurant there was my first experience on the trip of a waiter trying to take advantage. My meal cost 24chf, so I gave him 30chf. He said thanks and walked off, I thought to make change. But he never came back. I finally got his attention, and he gave me the change, begrudgingly. 6chf was too big a tip for the mediocre service. While I was wandering in the station, it started to snow. By the time the train was ready to board, it was doing so in earnest, with more than an inch, and coming down steadily.

That nite, I slept with two women.

And three guys.

In a room the size of a king size bed.

On the train.

Yeah, in a compartment with three bunks on each wall, and a narrow space between. I boarded the train, saw the compartment, and remembered my overnite trips to and from Istanbul. I wondered why they reserved the middle bunk for me, and not the bottom, as I figured there wouldn’t be anyone else. Wrong! A hippy, and I don’t use the term loosely, joined me before we left Zurich. Long hair, lived in a commune north of Berlin. Then at the next stop, Basel, a man and a woman joined us. Next, not sure where, another woman. And somewhere in the middle of the nite, another guy. I decided against changing into my jammies early on. Should have figured there would be more folks going from Zurich to Berlin than to and from Istanbul.

Morning came, and we all managed to get our shoes on, etc. and our various pieces of luggage together as we approached Berlin. Believe me, there wasn’t much room for luggage in that compartment. I’m glad I was there first. I got a prime spot under a bottom bunk for mine.

Berlin was a piece of cake. No snow, just a light rain. The bus to the airport was right outside the station, and got me to the airport with no trouble. Lots better than my experience in Bratislava, I can tell you. I did have to haul my luggage around with me, as they wouldn’t check it in until 1 ½ hours before flight time, and I arrived nearly 3 hours early. Darn train, got me to Berlin on time.

The flight home was uneventful. And that’s a good thing. I can’t think of many eventful things on aplane that are pleasant. Although two of the recipients of this met on a plane, and that was, I think, a pleasant event, wasn’t it, LR and LR? We had a two hour layover in London. There were 6 or more choices for movies on the final leg, but “Batman Begins” was the only one I hadn’t seen that looked interesting. And watching a movie while flying across the Atlantic, isn’t the most thrilling way to see a movie. Particularly a movie I probably wouldn’t pay to see at home.

My son Doug met me at LAX. I spent the nite with them. His and Tammy’s son, Ryan, born in late July, has sure grown! Amazing what three months can do at that age. And on Christmas, I saw Mason, just over a year, and now walking! More on the family in the Christmas letter, which I’m going to post on a blog when I get around to it. If interested, the blog willbe:

www. 2005-family-newsletter.blogspot.com

I’m really into this blog thing, aren’t I?

Now it’s several days later. The rain I mentioned ended up almost ½ inch, and since we’ve had another ¼ or more. With more to come. Don’t take Droughtbuster Dick lightly.

It’s Dec. 31 now, and it’s beginning to drizzle. That’s about it for the trip. Might as well close by boring you with some of my thoughts and recommendations on traveling in Europe, or anywhere, for that matter.

Lonely Planet books do the best job, in my opinion, on providing travel information. Before my trip last year, I compared some of the places I’d seen in my limited travels with what was in the various guidebooks. LP came out closest to what I’d remembered.

Look for the local Tourist Information outlet in any reasonably large city you visit. They usually have maps, and a local guidebook with listings of eating places, shopping, sightseeing recommendations, hotels, etc. You can even find out what days the museums close, IF you take the time to read a bit, as some folks don’t do.

Credit card companies, at least the two I deal with, charge about 3% on each transaction. There isn’t a fee when withdrawing cash with a debit card using an ATM with the Cirrus symbol. I couldn’t always find an ATM (Bancomat in most of Europe) with Cirrus, but I haven’t found any withdrawals that had any fees added.

Whoops, I just found out that my bank does charge 1% on "foreign-Initiated transactions" from ATM's, but that's still better than 3%, isn't it?

On the subject of cash and credit cards, considering my experience, I started carrying only enough cash to get through the day in my wallet, and kept all my cards and back-up cash in a pouch around my neck. And my wallet in a zipped up jacket pocket. After Prague, that is. Having cash is often the only option. I found a number of places that wouldn’t take plastic.

In much of Eastern Europe, it’s a challenge to leave a country with a minimum amount of their currency. The exchange fees are not low. And often higher in theAirport/Rail terminals than in the cities.

Hostels are a relatively inexpensive option. Call ahead, or contact them on the Internet for a reservation. Some will make a reservation for you at your next destination. Most have single rooms, or will put you in a 2 or4 bed room, but not put anyone with you. I never quite managed to try the dorms. Just not ready for that type of companionship. And do bring your own towel and toiletries. Some provide them, some don’t.

While I didn’t use it too much, as I enjoy walking and looking, public transportation is a great option in the major cities. Get help with the routes at the Tourist Info centers, or the place you’re staying.

You don’t need to pack as many clothes as you think. Laundromats were relatively easy to find. Most of them will do your laundry for you for not much more than the cost of using the coin operated machines. And you can eat a decent meal while they do it, so you won’t have to kill time waiting.

I think I’ve said this, but be prepared to watch a lot of CNN and/or BBC news on your room TV. Or speak the local language. Several English language newspapers are available, but at premium prices.

I’ve thought about where the best places were. It varies, depending on available time. With only one or two days to spend in Europe, I’d go back toInterlaken, because of the scenery surrounding it, summer or winter. For a week, Rome and Athens are about equal. For a month, Greece. And all the other places rank just below those.

While visiting in fall/winter resulted in fewer tourists, it also meant that many attractions were on an abbreviated schedule. Or in some cases, not even available. Local cruises on the Danube stand out in my mind in that category.

I can’t think of any more advice, and you probably don’t want any, so I’ll stop. Hopefully, when I get my photos organized, I’ll put some on the web. If I do, I’ll let you know where to look. Internet access through a modem, my only option at home, is really slow, so don’t hold your breath.

Attached is a photo from Athens, taken from theAcropolis. Hadrian’s Gate is the arch in the foreground, behind it the pillars are the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the white area on the upper left is the Athens Stadium. Perhaps you can see why I exclaimed “WOW” the first time I saw it from on high. And a photo in no way does it justice.

Also attached is one reason why I think so highly of the Interlaken area, taken from Jungfraujoch.

(Not sure I remember how to get them into the blog, so they may not appear there)

In closing, I’d like to sum up my thoughts on Europe. And my friend Pepe, from the island of Menorca, does a much better job than I could. So with many thanks to Pepe, and with sadness that Menorca wasn’t on my itinerary, here is how Pepe summarizes Europe.

I'm enjoying a lot about your trip's descripction. All of them reflected perfectly the life in the old Europe You can understand the principal: Europe is very old, and close bigger than USA, but there are many differents cultures in each country: languages is theprincipal difference and mark all the ways of every people. That's can be difficult to undeerstand for a"yankee" with only one language and very similar ways to cook, movies, sensibilities for music, landscapes, ways of locomotion, borders...etc. The weather helps a lot with the differents humour of the countries. In Central and North Europe with many rain and cloudy days, people is more closed than in the sunnier mediterranean àrea. Greece or Italy are very differents to Swiss, Austria, inland people. In Spain, it happens the same . There are many differents sensibilities about cook, local music an ways to live and also differents from cloudier north than mediterranean or south àrea.

Muchas Gracias, Mi Amigo

And that’s it until the next trip.

Happy New Year

Love,

Dad/Dick/Grandpa

At Home, more to come

Zep, I made it home in one piece. This American keyboard is sure strange. The y and the z are interchanged. Also, all I have to do to get an @ is to key upper shift 2. These Americans sure have some strange quirks.

Christmas will be here in less than 4 days, so you'll have to wait patiently, impatiently or don't give a darn, whatever, for the detailed final rundown on the trip. But I did fulfill three fantasies today. I had breakfast at Denny's, the original Grand Slam; pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and all the decaf coffee I could drink. For lunch, three of Chipotle's Barbacoa soft tacos, and then for dinner, the crowning glory, Pepperoni Pizza. What a day!!

More after Christmas.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New year,

Things on my mind

I've had several thoughts I meant to pass on, and always forget when I write. So here they are, before they slip away again.

On the way back from Jungfraujoch (joch means mountain pass, thanks, Libby) the railway played a scenic video. And the video had a sponsor, of course. With a gret commercial. Started with a hand holding a stone, which it tossed into the air. As the stone spun in the air, it morphed into a stone cutting tool, then into a crude stone knife, then into a more sophisticated stone knife, then into bronze, on and on, until it took it's final form. Your challenge is to identify what that final form was. Hint: It's a product Switzerland is famous for.

I found the answer something that has puzzled me since I've been in Switzerland. Where does the "CH" come from? It's the domai name for most Swiss internet sites,and the money is in Swiss francs, designated CHF. So how doe you get "CH" out of Switzerland? Turns out it comes from another name for Switzerland, Confoederatio Helvetica. So now at least my mind is at ease.

Now for a walk around town.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Can you guess what the weather is like in Zurich? My, how bright you are!

Yes, I arrived in Zurich today, and it is, only off and on, snowing here. Preparing me for a Bear Valley Christmas, right? What's the outlook, those in the area?

So, with not much else to do, let me fill you in on my last day in Lucerne and my first day in Zurich.

I really made a good choice to wander around in town, take the boat ride, etc. on Thursday, 'cause I woke up to a steady rain on Friday. Great day for museums. First I had to change hotels, as the hostel I was in closed until March on the 16th, and I didn't leave Lucerne until the 17th. but they found me a reasonably nice place, and also made a reservation for me in Zurich, so I can't complain (and a lot of good it would do me, right?)

After settling in, I found a Starbucks and had coffee and a cinnamon roll. Have to get back in shape for home. Then I went to the Transport Museum. It really is a good museum. But make sure, if you ever go, to allow plenty of time. I didn't, and missed out on a lot. The rail section has a great deal about the early Swiss rail system in the Alps. With a broad representation of the rolling stock from the first railroads in the 1800's to the near present. I found it better than the Sacramento, CA rail museum, and that says a lot.

In addition to the transportation end of it, there is an IMAX theatre, so I elected to see a showing about the first group to travel the Blue Nile from source to the Mediteranian Sea. Very good, but it would have been even better if the narration had been in English. More on that later.

Then on the the planetarium. Told you there was a lot to see. Unfortunately, I spent too much time in the rail section. They closed the planetarium at 4:00 PM, and I arrived at 4:01. The Swiss are nothing if not prompt. So I spent the time until closing in the air and then the auto sections, but not enough time in either. So get there early.

The IMAX had a showing at 5:00 on the Lions of the Kalahari, since the museum was closing, I went to that. That's when I found out that there are are listening devices available that provide an English version. No one told me before, so I missed the narration on the Nile earlier. Even without understanding what I heard, it was very good.

Then for a very English dinner of Fish and Chips at the Pickwick Pub. With a couple cans of VB (Victoria Bitter) from AU to wash it down.

It snowed a bit in Lucerne while I was packing this morning, but stopped before I left for the station. The train trip was uneventful. Swiss trains leave on time, arrive on time, and are very comfortable. Not much more I can say, is there?

Checked into the hotel here, and went out for lunch. While settling in, I noticed it was snowing, but by the time I left for a late lunch, it had stopped. It didn't look too much like walk-around weather, so I bought a couple of papere, Time and Newsweek, and settled in for the afternoon.

I found that "The Famiily Stone" was playing here, so decided I'd give it a go. I'm seeing a lot of movies lately. Is that a sign I'm ready to get home, or that I'm just finding movies to see? I don't know. In any case, it was a pretty good movie. Maybe a few too many issues to try to cover in one movie, but it covered them well. And any movie with Diane Keaton has to be good.

Movies here ain't cheap! Tonite's was 16.00 Euros (can't find the symbol for Euros on this European keyboard, can you believe it?) or about $12.50. And I thought $6.00 for a senior was bad at home! Every movie I've gone to here has assigned seating and an intermission. Don't understand the assigned seating, as they never seem to be anywhere near filled.

That's about it for tonite, except to mention that the TV here has a wonderful selection of Swiss channels, and good old CNN. So back to the magazines, newspapers and CNN. If nothing else, I'll be well informed when I get home next Tuesday.

My apologies for spelling, Spell Check doesn't seem to want to come up tonite. At the moment, it looks like it's stopped snowing, but I've said that a number of times already today. So Goodnite.

Interlaken was really a good choice, Lucerne ain't bad

If I were offered one day in Europe, and then had to return, I'd choose Interlaken. Not so much for Interlaken itself, although it's pretty good, but for what's available to see and do nearby. I guess you can tell I'm pretty impressed with the area, Libby, please tell Jacob thanks.
Before I continue with Interlaken, several brief comments about Bern I forgot the last time.

If you go to Bern, the climb up the tower of the church is worth the effort for the view. But be sure you really want to pay the admission. There are about 250 steps to climb, before you get to the ticket seller. That's a lot of climbing if you change your mind. And there are about 100 more from that level to get to the very top.

All the major streets in the central part of Bern, the old part, are lined with arcades. I think I read 6 miles of them, but I'm not sure. When the city was young, the streets were much wider. The shopkeepers built sheds in front of their shops/homes. Over time, these were joined, and then second and more stories were added. Now it looks like they were originally built that way. Nice in bad weather, too.

Back to Interlaken. I did make it to the train on time, and got to Jungfraujoch, well worth the early awakening. By the way, if one takes either of the first two trains, there is a fair discount for early birds. Look into it if you come here. The mountain itself is Jungfrau. I'm not sure what the appended "joch" means.

Beautiful views of the mountains and glaciers. I have to say, even as a Californian, that I think the Alps surpass the Sierras in grandeur and are really awe-inspiring. (waxing poetic, aren't I?) The weather was really fine. The temperature was around 4 or 5 C (40 to 42 F) with only occasional gusts of uncomfortably high wind.

The last part of the trip was on the cog railway I mentioned. Between the rails is a continuous strip of teeth and a gear wheel on the train engages them and provides the drive. Hope that's clear to you. I don't think It is, but can't think of a better description. Much smoother ride than I anticipated when I saw it. The last 6 or thereabouts kilometres were in a tunnel through the mountain. There were two stops with side tunnels to the outside as viewpoints. Well worth it, believe me.

On the way back, I changed trains at the halfway point and went back through Grindenwald (SP?) I considered it as one of the possible spots for skiing the next day, and wanted to get a look. It would be a nice little village to spend a relaxing day or two in, and a good base for skiing.
And to keep the streak running, I met a couple from Perth, AU while on the mountain.

The next day was the skiing day. I'd had several inputs on where to try. On the train back, I met a couple from Northern CA who had been skiing at Grindenwald, and said it was pretty nice, with a lot of powder, but not really long runs. Turns out they were staying at the same hostel as me. Then at the hostel, I talked to a young man from Washington, and he had been at ???? (can't remember the name of the run.) It sounded like it was a bit longer, and the trail map made it look more appealing (one easy run; blue, red, black, not the American green blue, black.)
So I chose ???? and it turned out to be a good choice. I started out on the blue run, which was really more of a trail meant to be shared with cross-country skiers. After one pass on that, I took the red route, except for the first part. That looked to me to be pretty steep even from the bottom. And they always look steeper from the top.

It did get to be a bit boring by the end of the day. There are only 5 lifts open near Interlaken so far, in three different locations. To get from one area to another, one has to take the gondola to the train station, then the train to the next area. Then, in two cases, the gondola again.
But all in all, it was a pretty good day. My knees were rather sore that evening, and even into the next day. I haven't been keeping up my normal exercises on the trip, and maybe that's the reason. Or could it be age whispering sweet nothings to me?

On to Lucerne. I got here yesterday around noon. The train ride was nice, but the visibility wasn't the best. Cloudy and overcast all the way. Same in Lucerne, but that's life in the European winter. I checked into the hostel, then wandered around town. Took a lot of pictures, as usual.

In the evening, I had dinner at a Spanish restaurant, for a change of pace. Then I took in "King Kong". "Lord of the Rings" it isn't. Special effects are super, and the beginning and ending are fine. But I found myself thinking several times that something had been edited out by mistake. Lots of discontinuity, at least for my mind. Even for a fantasy, I really had to use my imagination. So much for my career as a movie critic.

Today, I took a boat ride on Lake Lucerne. Since it's pretty cold, I only took one to the first stop and then back to Lucerne. I like to stand outside, and it was just a bit too cold for that.
On the subject of boat rides, there must be quite a business in the summer here. I counted at least 9 pretty good sized tour boats, and several smaller ones. Only one line is now running, and it's primary purpose is as a ferry to the towns around the lake.

I spent a good deal of time walking around the town this afternoon, as it was a beautiful day, in spite of the chill. Lots of sunshine. This is a really pretty town. The old town has retained the old Europe look in the buildings and cobbled streets, except for the ground floors. They are for the most part modern retail stores. No cars allowed, although it seems delivery trucks can get in. And old town is surrounded by the modern city.
Late in the afternoon, I visited the Glacier museum. It seems that someone digging a wine cellar in the late 1800's found an area that was a perfect example of what glaciers can do, and it was right in the city of Lucerne. So no wine cellar, a museum instead. Not too bad.

Trivia time. I've got all my tickets and hotel accommodations lined up for the rest of the trip. Not usually good at planning, but I figured I'd better do it, rather than get stuck somehow.
In Interlaken, I had "Jugged Deer" for supper. That was the English translation on the menu. I asked what it meant, and the waitress looked puzzled and said "Jugged". Even when she asked for help, that was about all I could get. Finally the head waiter came back and gave me something about "Jugged" having to do with the antler size. You tell me, I don't understand.

That's about it for now. Time is running out.

Interlaken, and a good choice it was!

Yes, I chose Interlaken. Decided I'd seen enough ofthe big cities for the trip, and needed a little small tourist town or two on the agenda. My decision was aided by the son of the lady who showed me around Canberra last year, Libby Parbury. She suggested I contact one of her two sons who live in Switzerland, so I did. He and I chatted on the phone for a while. When I told him of my unresolved agenda, he immediately said Intelaken and Lucerne were much better choices than Geneva.

Then that evening at supper, I started talking to the two men at the table next to me. One had been in the Swiss Embassy in Washington for 4 years. They also said Lucerne and Interlaken were better choices. He was very interesting to talk to. I learned the reason, per him, that Switzerland wasn't invaded by Germany during WWII. They told Germany that if they did invade, they would fill the 11 mile tunnel that connects to Italy with explosives, and lite thefuse... Germany needed access to Italy more than it needed Switzerland. Learned a few more interesting things about Switzerland from him, but more than any of you want to read about.

Back to Bern. On Saturday, I went to the Botanical Gardens. At this time of the year, there isn't reallyv a lot to see, but I still enjoyed walking around the grounds. They have a number of plants in hothouses. One of them held a number of cacti from many places around the world, including SW USA. Of course I took photos if you Tucsonians are interested. Then for a walk along the river bank, the Aare (sp?).

Then to the Historical Museum. There is an exhibition on Einstein's life and scientific accomplishments. Took me nearly 3 hours to get through it. Really an interesting one to see. I learned a lot about his life, and saw a lot of what he accomplished scientifically. It confirmed what I'd heard at his house, that he was active politically. Original letters were on display from him to Roosevelt, Roosevelt's response, one from Aba Eban asking him to take the position of President of Israel, and his response.

Next stop was the Alpine Museum. Unfortunately, I'd spent so much time with Einstein that I had just over a half hour till closing time. And when they close here in Europe, they close! No stalling allowed. Wish I'd had more time for it, particularly the last section I found, which was a series of black and white photos dating as far back as the 1800's on activities in the Alps. Kill a little time, and then off to dinner. That took more time than I anticipated.

Seems on Saturday nite in downtown Bern, the sidewalks tend to roll up. Less than half the restaurants were open, and those that were had most of their tables reserved for someone who was about to show up. Or they decided they didn't want to waste a seating on one American. Whatever. I finally ate in an Italian restaurant. I think the waiter was one of the Yugoslavian immigrants my friend from dinner the previous nite told me about.

Not much different this morning. I wanted to try Starbucks to get a decent cup of cofee along with a muffin. But they don't open until 10 on Sunday. Even the McD's don't open there until 10 or later, and no breakfast menu. I finally found a restaurant open at the train station where I could sit down and eat. Had good old fashioned ham and eggs. I continued the tradition of American style food at lunch when I arrived in Interlaken. I went to Hooters and had a Cheeseburger. Hooters in Interlaken?

The train to Interlaken was a nice ride. Not too many people on it in Bern, but it filled up at the intermediate stations. Soon after leaving Bern, we were in the snow country. Soon after that, I got my first view of the Alps. Really something to see, I have to say. Hard to compare them to what I'm familiar with, the Sierras. I'd have to say they look more rugged. They seem to rise almost straight up, sheer as can be. More on the Alps in my next e-mail.

Tomorrow, starting at half past no-oclock, I get up to catch the train to Jungfrau. Jungfrau is the highest railway in Europe, at 3454 metres, 11, 333 feet. Yes, I have the brochure in front of me, I didn't remember the numbers. It's a two hour ride from here, at 567 meteres, 1860 ft. So a lot of climbing. I believe, but am not sure, that the last part of it is so steep that the track is a cog track. We'll see.

Interlaken itself is a nice little town. Around the size of Grass Valley, where Lynda nad Amber live. Similar also in that it's a tourist town. Easy to walk around in, interesting shops to look at, lot's of restaurants to choose from, and open even on Sunday evening. I tried Fondue for dinner tonite, and think I could get used to it.

On Tuesday, unless something changes dramatically, like the weather, I plan on skiing. The weather today has been gorgeous. I hope it continues for a few more days. Particularly with what I have planned, but just in general I could use a few days of sunshine. Although sunshine is nice in the daytime, it really lets the cold in at nite. Don't know what the temp is outside, but around noon, while walking near Lake Breinzersee, a nearby pond, maybe half an acre in size was frozen.

Time to close for now. The desk closes at 9:00 PM, and I promised I'd pay them before they closed down. More to come in the next few days. Wish me good weather, not as cold as some of you in the states are getting are at present.

Footnote: Often when I paste this into the BLOG, I find that the retrns at the end of paragraphs are lost, and have to edit them in. Tonite, I found that the returns at the end of lines were gone as well. So I added them in. Hope I got them all, and I hope it hasn't happened before.

Bern, Me and Einstein

The train trip here from Venice went like Swiss clockwork. Everything on time, no hitches. Well, one time I got a bit concerned, based on previous experience. As we approached the last city in Italy, they started making announcements in Italian that ended in "...Bern". And people started to get their luggage and head for the door. So I crossed my fingers, hoped for an English speaker, and asked if I had to change trains to get to Bern. The answer was no, so being a trusting person, I stayed put. Wise decision. The train went straight on to Bern, and arrived right on time. And this time when I left the terminal for the 15 minute walk to the hostel, I went out the right door, and turned in the correct direction.

I forgot to mention in Venice how impressed I was with the interior of San Marcos Basilica. Not nearly as large as some others, many in fact, I've seen. But it made up for it in grandeur. The marble (I assume marble) columns were of a somewhat darker material, and had even darker, very pronounced veins. The floors were nearly all mosaics. All in all it was very beautiful. No photos allowed. But, as I found out in many Italian Churches, they charge admission to see, in this case, some parts of the church. In many admission is charged simply to get in the door. So I didn't feel too guilty when I took the one shot into the church from the cupola.

And in the evening, I took some post card quality shots wandering around Venice. In fact, I believe I could have marketed them under the series "Venice Sunset" and "Evening in Venice". Could have? Yes, could have. I inadvertently (read: stupidly) deleted them before I copied them to CD. Best shots I've ever taken. And since the evidence is gone, who can challenge that?

Today in Bern dawned cold and cloudy. Droughtbuster Dick at work. Bern is a great place to simply stroll around. I did visit Einstein's home here. Were you wondering how that got into the tile of this? Now you know. I even had my photo taken sitting at his original desk. Closest I'll ever come to scientific greatness, or any greatness, for that matter. An interesting 20 minute film on his life. I had no idea he was such a political activist. He was even offered the presidency of Israel at one time.

I'm debating on whether to go from here to Geneva, and then back toward Zurich, or go from here to Interlaken, then Lucerne. If the alter, I think I'll try skiing one day. It would be nice to be able to say I'd skied the Swiss Alps. I'm leaning toward Interlaken ad Lucerne. Geneva can wait for the next trip.

And here's one for you. How many of you can say you've seen "The Chronicles of Narnia"? So a few of you can. But in Bern, Switzerland, with German subtitles? I will have, later this evening. Fortunately, the seating I'm going to is the English version. The earlier one was the German language version.

I keep feeding coins into this Internet station, and am about out of coins. So you'll hear from me next either from Geneva or Interlaken.

Venice, and less than 2 wweks left!!!

Well, here I am, about to leave Venice for Switzerland. Less than 2 weeks to go, and I board a plane for LA. My, how time flies, if I may use a cliche.

Before I go into the last few days, I have to tell you about something that happened on my first day in Venice. How I forgot it the last time, I'll never know, as it was the highlite of my day. On the vaporetto (I've learned to use the Italian word for water bus. Sounds a lot more romantic, doesn't it?) to Piazza San Marcos, I noticed a Lonely Planet Guide on the suitcase of one of the passengers. Couldn't help but comment, as it's my bible. Turns out it belonged to one of two young ladies from . . . . . . No, not Australia. They must still be boycotting Italy. These two were from . . . TA DAH!!! New Zealand. Four NZ'ers in 4 days, after none in nearly 3 months.

Moving on. My first full day was a walking tour, unguided, of Venice. Just wandered around. It's impossible to get lost here. Just keep heading in the direction you think you should be going. You'll either get where you want to be, run into water, and make an adjustment, or find something you hadn't planned on, but are happy to discover. In fact, I discovered a piazza that had been converted into Christmas piazza. even selling Christmas trees. And some delicious goodies that tided me over very well until supper time.

The next day, Tuesday, turned out to be a bit drizzly, so I decided to make it a museum day. But on the vaparetto to San Marcos, my chosen starting point, I realized that the vaporetto went all the way to Lido. So why not? Glad I did, as it turned out to be a nice, relaxing visit. Lido is the summer beach area that, I assume, all Italians strive to get to. A really pleasant, wide, long beach with several classy hotels (closed for the winter) and a huge number of cabanas to use when the sun is too much. I expected to find a typical CA winter beach, with lot's of surf, etc., considering the weather. But it was really very calm. Reminded me of Carpinteria, for those who know it.

On the walk back to town, I found myself in the local open air market. Several blocks of fruit, vegetable, cheese and sundries. I decided I hadn't had been getting as much fruit as normal, so decided to buy an apple. Picked out a really big one, and asked the vendor how much. He, I think, said "Just one?" When I said yes, he told me to just take it, courtesy of the house. Wouldn't accept any money. Really nice, don't you think? Then for lunch, the proprietor of the shop I stopped in couldn't understand any more English than I can Italian. Sign language wasn't working either. fortunately, one of his customers had a bit of English, and I got the best ham and cheese sandwich I've had in a long time.

Back to Venice on the vaporetto (now that I know it, I sure use it, don't I?). Decided it might be unique to get off at each stop along the way and walk around a bit, so I did. Not that there was much to see. hardly anyone around at the first few stops (5 in all). Guess they all go to work in Venice during the day. But how many people do you know who've debarked at all the stops between Lido and San Marcos?

When I arrived at San Marcos, I went to the Correr Museum and the Archaeological Museum. Correr has a number of copies o Greek sculptures from the Roman days. The Romans must have liked the Greek work, as they sure copied a lot of it. Also a number of paintings, a coin collection that covered nearly all the major coins of Venice from perhaps the 10th century or so forward. Also the usual display of arms and armor.

The Correr and Archaeological Museums share the same building. Correr closes at 5:00 PM, but they start herding you out at 4:30. Arch. doesn't close until 7:00PM. The two are in one building, with nothing but a door between them. I had checked my umbrella in the Correr, but retrieved it. I couldn't convince the Arch. folks that I was OK. They insisted on escorting me back through the Correr to retrieve the umbrella. The docents spoke very limited English, and just spoke Italian to me. Some fun. The most interesting part of the Arch. was a hall dedicated to manuscripts of Don Quixote. Probably 12 display cases full of various editions. I wish the descriptions had been in English, as well as Italian.

So on to today, Wednesday. I failed to mention that by the time I got back to San Marcos, it was really raining. So today, my last day, dawned bright and sunny, thank you. I had one more museum I wanted to see, the Modern Art Museum. I'm glad I had time for it. late 19th thru mid-20th century artists. I really enjoyed it. One display was Rodan's "The Thinker". He really did some fine work. No more of it here, though. I have to say, as I think I did once before, that I enjoy the 19th and very early 20th cent. artists more than the more recent ones. Guess I'm just not abstract enough.

Then for my last ride on the vaparetto. Rode it as far as San Marcos, taking pictures all the way. Then into San Marcos Basilica. Here and Florence are the only places I've been where they charge admission to the churches. I also went up into the cupola of San Marcos, with a nice view of the piazza. But nothing to compare with the view of Venice from the Bell Tower! That was really something. And it hasn't changed in centuries. Yesterday, I saw a pencil sketch of Venice from the 15th century. I swear it could have been drawn today, it looked so much like Venice does now.

The rest of the day was spent proving my point that it's impossible to get lost in Venice. And in spite of all the wrong turns, I made it back to the hotel, copied my photos to CD, and headed out again for more. At least until it got dark, and was time for supper. Did that, and now this.
Trivia time. Do you think that in 2000 or 3000 years, someone will uncover NY or LA or Sydney or wherever and marvel at what we did with no more technology that we had at our disposal?

If you get to Italy, you'd better like oil and vinegar dressing on your salad,'cause that's all there is. And no more cucs and tomatoes. at least fresh tomatoes. These must have come with me from Istanbul.

I wondered the first day why there were no vendors setting up and selling their wares from the multitude of tables that were in the middle of many of the major walkways. I've since found out they aren't tables. They're walkways for the really high tides, which occur now and then, particularly during winter. About 2 to 3 feet above the sidewalk, and 4 or 5 feet wide, they are stacked all along the major thoroughfares in readiness for when needed.

The vaparetti are very utilitarian, and run with great frequency, but are just no match for the glamor of the Water Cats in Brisbane.

If you are in Italy, be conditioned to seeing nothing on TV in English but CNN and/or BBC. At least in Athens, I found a movie channel with spoken English and Greek subtitles.

Lastly, I' heard that some European countries were requiring Internet Cafe users to provide a Passport or other valid ID before using a terminal. It's true, not all over, but here in Italy, I've only found only one place that would let me on without recording my Passport number. I guess it's to aid in tracking down terrorists using the Internet.

And that's really it for the night. Wish me luck on my train trip to Bern tomorrow.

Venice, and getting there

After one of those "Laugh later" days, I finally made it to Venice on Saturday. (I did have a chuckle or two during the day, I must admit). The 3 hour train trip turned into two totaling about 7 hours. Started out with the train leaving Venice 40 minutes late. I finally boarded, and was just making friends with 3 young men on a church mission from the states, when they said "Get off this train, and get on that one" or words to that effect. Ours was broken, it seems.

So we boarded the train for Milan, and were assured it would get us to Venice. But we had to battle for seats with the regular Milan passengers. It was a bit crowded, and seat reservations meant nothing. We finally got under way. Somewhere after Bologna, I asked the conductor what time we'd arrive in Venice. By now, I'm sure you know what her answer was. "This train goes to Milan, not Venice". Turns out we should have changed trains in Bologna.

Not to worry, just catch the 15:05 or 16:05 train to Venice when we arrive in Milan. "When do we arrive in Milan?" "At 15:15." Sort of rules out the 15:05 train, doesn't it? Upon arrival, we find that the 15:05 is 1 hour late. Who knows about the 16:05? So the 15:05 finally makes the board, and leaves at --- 16:05. Mad rush to board. All the 15:05 passengers, the 16:05 passengers, and we displaced persons. Forget about 1st class seating, much less a seat reservation. Just find a place to park.

Somewhere back in the last several paragraphs, I lost the church men. But I picked up a couple from Hong Kong. I thought they were from the states, their English was so good. Then as we approached Milan, a young lady asked me if I spoke English. "Unfortunately, yes, only English." She also missed the announcement, if there was one, to change trains in Bologna. We asked her to join us, but she took off. She had planned on a simple day trip from Florence to Venice and back. Surprise!!

Finally, Venice, 19:00 or so. Getting off the train, I found 3 more displaced persons from California. Should learn the local language, I guess. No hotel reservation. Arriving at 13:30, I'd have plenty of time to find a hotel, right? So, fortunately, there is a hotel booking office in the train station, and they found me a place right away. As they were making the call, who shows up but the day-tripper. They were in the process of trying to find her a room when I left. Maybe I got the last one, or maybe her standards were higher than mine, who knows?

Check into the hotel, and tell him I'd be there 3 or 4 nites. Not so. They are closing in the morning. But they'll help me find a room. Turns out, they did, and a fairly nice one at that. In fact, it was one of the hotels I'd planned on checking out. So all's well that ends well.

Anyway, Venice is really nice. It's everything I expected it to be, and a lot more. Not a single car. No place for them. Plenty of canals. More than I expected, even with all I'd heard and read. Narrow streets, wrong turns are a real pleasure, unless your are pressed for time, which I'm not. The water buses (I guess that's what they are called) run on pretty regular schedule, and quite frequently. Only problem I ran into was when I wanted to take it to the end of the line, and found out that at high tide, the end of the line moves well into the city. So I went one stop and had to get off. No big deal, get the next one going the other way.

I did get to Piazza San Marcos and had a fine time wandering around there. I'd purchased a "Venice Card", which grants me free boat access, and free admission into a number of museums, so I went into the Doge's Palace, the original seat of government, as well as the Doge's residence. It was quite a place. Huge halls, the largest over 50 meters by 20+ meters. All were filled with huge paintings dating as far back as the 15th or thereabouts century. And when I say huge, I mean huge. One hall, about 40 meters long, had three paintings on the long walls, and there was almost no space between them. Big.

I closed the evening with a Vivaldi concert. He's probably my favorite classical composer. Not that I can identify any of his works by name. I'd probably have difficulty even picking him out on a CD with a variety of composers. But I do enjoy him when I can identify him.

And when I left the concert, sure enough, the rain had caught up with me. Fortunately, my pullover cap was waterproof enough to get me back to the hotel without soaking my now getting a bit long crew cut. Forgot to mention that the area around Milan had a 3 to 4 inch coating of snow when I passed through.

Time for a side note. One really nice thing about Italy is the signs I see around quite frequently. "Vietate Fumare". Even here in the Internet Cafe. "No Smoking". Yippee!!

Can't think of anything more to say for now, although as soon as I hit Send, I will. Cloudy grey today, so I may use up some of my free museum admissions. Or ride the water buses around, who knows? Anyway, that's it for now.

Firenzre, Toscano e Chianti

And that's about the limit of my Italian. I do get a Grazia, Prego, and a few others in once in a while, but not very effectively. Took me several trips thru the metro and railway station to realize that "uscita" wasn't a street that was in the direction of the arrow, but the Italian word for "exit". Live and learn.

Firenze (Florence) is fine, and I'll have to come back here sometime. Lots more to do, but I leave in the AM. Here's a quick update on the last few days.

On Tuesday AM, I walked thru the market area. A building one city block in size, with stalls surrounding with all kinds of good it on all sides. The entire first floor is dedicated to fresh meats, with one small corner for fish. (guess that explains why fish is so expensive in the restaurants, not much of it around) The second floor has all the fresh fruits and veggies you could ask for. I bought my third hat of the trip in one of the stalls. Left the nice cold weather one with ear flaps I bought in Romania on the train. Dumb.

Since it was drizzling, I decided a day indoors would be Good idea. I found what I couldn't find in Rome. A tourist office that actually gave out decent information. Even had a map for 1 euro that gave a one paragraph description of all the museums and other places of interest. Of course, it's in the hotel now, so I'll probably misspell most of the names. They even looked up the weather report on the computer for me. It was wrong, but that wasn't their fault.

Then I went to the Galleria dei Academia. Two exhibits made the entire trip to Florence worth while. Michelangelo's David is on exhibit here, and it is quite something to see!!!. The way it's displayed really sets it off. Really a work of art, and I hope that doesn't sound like a cliche. Additionally, there are several of his unfinished works on display. You can see the transition from rough chipping on marble to the finished product on one piece of work. Really makes you (or me, at least) appreciate his talent. I tried to take photos, but the camera cops were really vigilant. I swear they could hear the power button on a digital camera being pressed. So I broke my rule, and bought a souvenir booklet on the David.

They also have a musical instruments section, which in itself was quite interesting. But what really made it worthwhile was the fact that they had several Stradivarius instruments on display. One was a viola that was (except for the strings, I imagine) completely original. The others had some repair or replacement work (the bridge, noticeable).

Then on the the Uffizi Art Museum. Stopped along the way at the Santa Maria dei Fiore Cathedral. This is the one with the dome so often seen in photos of Florence. There is aslo a Bapistry and bell tower, which I didn't try. More on that later.

The Uffizi has one of the largest collections of Italian Art in existence. It's a two story building, a block long, with a courtyard in the center, so it's effectively 4 blocks long, for those interested in numbers. I was more impressed than I thought I'd be with the art. Over time, it got to be a bit much. I can only handle so many "Madonna and Child", "Crucifixion", "Holy Family", etc. Included in the artists are Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, and a smattering of Dutch masters, including Rubens.

So Much for Tuesday. On Wednesday, I took the advice of the hotel clerk and didn't take the 39.00 euro tour to Pisa. Instead, I took the train and did it on my own. Good suggestion. The tour was 5 hours long, including 2 plus hours on the train. I took the same train for 10.10 euro round trip, and was able to spend as much time as I wanted in Pisa.

The tower really does lean. What you see in the photos isn't an exaggeration, by any means. I climbed to the top, just under 300 steps. Take deep breaths. Some view from up there! And you really do sense the fact that it's not level when walking on the top. You feel as if you are walking up/down hill. The only bad thing is that the tower trip is 1/2 hour long. Period. And that includes the time getting up and the time returning. So you really only get about 15 to 20 minutes up there. It' s almost worth paying another 15.00 euros to do it again, but I didn't.

Also in the square is the Cathedral that accompanies the tower, and the baptistery for the Cathedral. The tower is actually the bell tower for the Cathedral. You can purchase a ticket for one, two or three of the five museums/exhibitions in the square. I chose to visit the Baptistery and the Duomo dei Opera. Not an opera museum. I need to find out what opera means, because it's used for more than just what I think of as opera. Neither was too exciting. I covered the Baptistery in about 10 minutes. But then, part of it was closed. The Duomo dei Opera was a good deal of sculpture, pieces of the original Cathedral building, etc.

I wandered around Pisa for a while, in the rain. Anyone coming to Italy at this time of year has to remember what a Mediterranean climate is all about. I did, so I don't feel too bad.
One thing Worthy of note. I finally ran into two Aussies in Pisa. The first I've met in Italy. Additionally, I met a new Zealander, just about the first Iìve met on this trip, with the possible exception of one in Berlin, but I'm not sure.

So what happened on Thursday? The weather finally caught up with the projections, and it was nice and sunny. I went up to the Piazza Michelangelo. Great view of the city from there. Also, a bronze copy of the David statue. While the same size, it just didn't have the effect the original did. Another in one of the squares in the city, and it also doesn't come close to comparing.

After lunch, I took the advice of the hotel clerk, and took the "Chianti" tour. Worth it. A nice ride through Tuscany to a winery/olive farm. Great view from the castle, as they referred to it. I think more like manor house, but it's not my country. Then for a little wine tasting in the dining room. 10 at one table who all spoke English! Talked to a couple from Chicago most of the time. Could have bought wine, but I don't have any place to put it for the rest of the trip.

Then on to the town of Greve. Had two choices there. Either spend an hour walking around the town square looking like a tourist, or following the two blondes from the wine tasting mentioned above to the wine bar. I'll leave you to ponder my decision, and move forward with the narrative.

Let me tell you about the high tech wine bars in Italy. They sell a card for 10 euro. You simply insert it in a slot, press the button above the bottle of wine you'd like to sample, and out it comes. Make sure you put your glass under the spout. There must have been 20 to 30 different Chianti's to try (no, I didn't, I actually had 5 euros credit when we left.)

Turns out Chianti is controlled like champagne. It can only be sold as Chianti if it's grown in Tuscany, and only certain areas of Tuscany, at that. The really good stuff has a DOCG on the label, which means "denominozione di origine controllata e guarantita". I'll let you figure it out. The next lower grade is DOC.

On the return to Florence, the two blondes, a couple from Dallas, and I had dinner. One of the blondes, Amelia, was from New Zealand. How about that? Two folks from NZ in two days!!! The other was sort of an American expatriate from Washington. Had lived in NZ, AU, S. Africa, and SE Asia. We all had a nice dinner and it was really good to speak English and be understood for nearly an entire day.

On to today. Last day in Florence. Bought my train ticket to Venice. I mention that because I've found that the prices of tickets purchased directly at the station, at least in Italy, are markedly less than the price on the Rail Europe web site. The worst example is the price from Florence to Pisa. I mentioned my ticket was 5.10 euro. That's about $6.00. On the web site, its $28.00. Most of them aren't nearly that bad. My Rome to Florence cost me 42 Euro, or $49.00, vs. $61 on the web site. Just something to look for if you plan on traveling here.

I went to a really great museum this morning, the Musio di Storia di Scienza, or Story of Science, I think. All kinds of scientific and mathematical instruments form the 15th century on. Even had some of Galileo's instruments. The detail and workmanship, with the tools they had available is amazing. It should be appreciated as much as any piece of art, considering the craftsmanship that went into making it. I spent as much time there as I did in the Uffizi, and it's much smaller. I'm sure any of you with an engineering or scientific inclination would really enjoy it.

In the PM, I went to the Boboli Gardens. By now you know I always visit the local parks if at all possible This one is part of a Museum complex, the name of which escapes me. Nice, but no flowers. Several nice ponds with fountains that lent themselves to photos with reflections, so all was not lost. The ticket entitled me to visit the Porcelain Museum, not nearly as elaborate as the Dresden China exhibit, but nice if you like porcelain. Some of it was really pretty. And the ticket also included admission to the Mythology and Erotica museum. A bit on Mythology, and not very erotic. The ceilings of the exhibit were the real attraction, to me. Frescoes that were worth bending your head back to see.

And that's about it for Florence. Off to Venice tomorrow AM. Less than three weeks left. Time really flies. Have I said that? It seems so. Oh well, It's my e-mail/blog, isn't it?

Arivederci Roma

Think that would work as a song title? I doubt it. Just doesn't have that necessary ring to it, does it?

Anyway, I'm now in Firenze. Arrived this afternoon. Took a later train than I originally planned. More on that later. Here is an update on Saturday and Sunday in Rome.

Saturday turned out to be pretty fair weather. At the start. I went to the Trevi fountain first. Another song title comes to mind that also probably won't make it, "Three Coins in the Fountain". What do you think? The fountain is really nice. The biggest and most elaborate I can remember ever seeing. I did toss coins over my shoulder, the first so I'd come back to Rome, the second as a wish. At least that's what I'm told the order should be.

From there, I went to the Piazza San Estuchio (sp?) for a coffee in the cafe of the same name. I'd been told the best coffee in Rome could be had there. The owner disagreed. He said it was the best in the world. I had a Gran Cappucino, not my regular coffee, so I can't comment on quality, except to say that I enjoyed it.

Then on for a walk along the Tiber river. I had a somewhat risque story I was going to tell, but discretion being ..., I won't. The Tiber was --- the Tiber. Can't say much for or agin' it.

Then on by the Circus Maximus, which is a big open area for jogging, exercising dogs, etc. It was much more in the early Roman days, I guess, but not much is said about it now. The real reason for going there was that it was on the way to the Forum.

The Forum is something to see. Probably at least 1/2 mile long and 1/4 wide, with all kinds of ruins from ancient Roma. Quite a feeling to wander through it, and realize how much history took place as a result of decisions made there. Not quite the same feeling as I had in Athens at the Acropolis, but along the same line.

On the way back to the hotel, I passed in front of "St. Paul at the Wall" Anglican Church. I mention the name only because it strikes me as a strange name for a church. Moving on. Outside they were selling tickets to the Opera "La Traviata" to be performed there latter that evening. I'd intended to see it, so went ahead and got my ticket. As it started to rain. And continued, hard, for the rest of the night.

Decided it started too early to eat beforehand, so I made a dinner reservation for later. I'd heard that Italians eat late, but wasn't sure, so I had a conversation, if that's what it can be called,between a head waiter who didn't speak any better English than I do Italian, but we agreed I'd show up at 11 PM. I wasn't certain they'd still be open. They were, and busy as could be when I got there.

Back to the Opera, La Traviata. I did enjoy it, but I must say that a church is not the venue for an opera. The orchestra is between the barely raised stage and the audience, so the conductor masked everything that went on center stage. And the lady in front of me, the archetype for a bobble head, took care of the rest of the view. La Traviata isn't easy to follow, even with the program which did outline the story. I think Don Giovanni tells a better visual story for the novice.

So on to Sunday. Decided to get cash from the ATM. First two I tried told me something I think meant that the phone lines were down. The third one worked perfectly, except that id didn't give me any cash. A receipt saying it did, but no cash. I called the 800 number and, one I got past the recording, someone told me to call my own bank as soon as they realized I didn't speak Italian. SO I had the hotel receptionist, who also didn't speak English, to call them and make them listen to me. Got someone who spoke English, and he said to go to the bank when they opened in the morning. It was their problem.

My plans were to leave for Florence Monday at 10:55. I didn't know if I could resolve it in the amount of time available, so I changed my reservation. That was a pleasant surprise. Stood in a line of about 15 people, and was at the window in less than 10 minutes. The clerk just wrote me a new ticket for the train I wanted, no charge, and sent me on my way.

As fate would have it, the bank opened at 8:30 on Monday, and it took me all of 5 minutes to get a credit back into my account. All's well that ends well, but this is another of those funny later on, but not while it's happening things.

Back to Sunday. I went to the Diocletian Baths, one of the sites listed as not to miss in all the literature. Saw the museum, one section with the contents of a large burial site somewhere near Rome. The second was on epigraphy, or the various writings of ancient times. Neither thrilled me. Then a courtyard with some statues around the periphery. Where were the baths? Closed for the last year and a half, never to open again. All the artifacts have been moved to other museums or stored.

So on to the the main museum in Rome, name of which I can't remember. That was pretty interesting. There was a very nice display of tapestries, which I didn't think I'd care too much about, but did. Then a number of paintings by Italian masters. What I liked most was the statuary. I guess I'm a 3D kind of person when it comes to art.

And that about did it for Rome, in the time I had. Sure is a lot to come back to, as I know I missed a lot.

The train ride here was nice. Pretty scenery, when we weren't in a tunnel. Lots of rain recently. Some of the farmland was really flooded. I'm in a hotel near the train station. Walked to the city center to look around, had dinner, and now it's time to close and turn in for the nite.

Rome, Transit Strikes, Early Closings and Rain

In spite of all that, I still like the place. To get you past wondering what I'm talking about, I'll talk about it. Today was the day for the Vatican Museum. So I decided on the metro to get there. Turns out there was a 4 hour transit strike today, starting as I was about to go down to the metro. So walk it was. (Italian Keyboard, so forgive my errors in punctuation).

I got to the museum just before noon, so I figured I had the rest of the day there. Decided the Sistine Chapel was the most talked about, so I went that way. Just as I felt I'd seen enough of it and was about to move on to the rest of the museum, the security folks started herding everyone out. Turns out that from Nov. thru Mar, they close at 1:45 PM. I can understand a bit earlier in winter, but 1:45? So I'll have to try again either tomorrow or Sunday, if I don't find something I'd rather see.

Since I was in the area, I decided to re-do St. Peter's Basilica. Ate lunch in an outdoor cafe, and sure enough, it started to rain, and has been ever since. Into each life...... But the Basilica was really nice. I went around the circuit three times.

They wouldn't let me in at the security checkpoint because of my pocket knife. At the museum, (and other places on this trip) they let me check it, but the guard told me to throw it in a trash can if I wanted to get in. I found a convenient niche in one of the marble columns and hid it there instead.

So that's today in a nutshell, except for the ATM that scared me. It wouldn't let me have any money, and said to contact my bank. Before I panicked too badly, I found another ATM that worked fine. Don't scare me like that, please. I've been without plastic before on this trip, and it' not fun.

I do have to say that I was really impressed with the Sistine Chapel. Quite something to behold, even with the stiff neck from looking up so much of the time. Being a novice, I didn't know that the frescoes on the walls weren't the work of Michelangelo. I thought he did the entire Chapel. Of course, I don't remember the artists who did the rest. When I first entered, I thought there were draperies along the walls. Turns out they are painted on the walls. Some realism! Photos allowed in all the exhibit rooms leading to the Chapel, but not in it. Guess I'll have to buy a postcard.

Back to yesterday, Thanksgiving. I decided since it was nice and sunny, it would be a good day to walk around and see some of the more memorable churches. First was Santa Maria Maggiore, which was nice. But then I got to St. Giovanni de Laterano. That was really something to behold! Not as large, but I almost think it rivals St. Peter's. Somewhat different in style, but really wonderful. I lit candles for all those I've lost in my adult life, starting with Shirley and ending with Stefan. Of course, the candles are electric bulbs that turn on when you drop a coin in the slot, but the intent was there.

The next two churches on my list were closed for refurbishment, and I found myself at the Colosseum, so that took care of the rest of the day. Again, I'm at a loss for descriptive words, so I'll just have to repeat myself and say it really is impressive. And I learned one thing I had no idea about. The floor that the gladiators fought on was made of wood, with sand spread over it. And the wood was the roof for a number of chambers underneath. They were the dressing rooms, as it were, for the gladiators, and storage, etc. Also, the gladiators trained on a field some ways away form the Colosseum. They got to the Colosseum through tunnels that ended in these chambers. I probably saw/learned all of that in Spartacus, The Gladiator, or Mr. ??? (help me classmates) History class, but sure did forget it.

I do have to say something about being a tourist in Rome. You can turn down just about any street and find something of interest. There isn't any one specific historic area, and no area that seems dedicated to just modern times. They all simply blend together. Have to say I like it. The city isn't as intimidating as you might think from looking at a map, either. A 30 to 45 minute walk can get you from the center to just about any point of interest, in my opinion. Of course, the map reading takes more than a little work.

I'm certain there are a number of places I'll have thought about seeing and not had time when I leave. And innumerable ones I hadn't thought of.

One criticism of Rome's tourism services. They don't have much in the way of general info available beyond a map with places of interest identified (in Italian) but nothing on what they are about, just a name. There are many pamphlets that get very detailed about certain places. But nothing in between. The best I've seen, at least meeting my needs, was the info map provided in Athens.

Trivia time. I talked to lady from Minnesota at the hotel. She's touring Italy with her daughters. Turns out she is from Faribault, MN, which is the home town of my father, and residence of one of my three surviving aunts. Small world.
I think I passed through a time/space warp, or whatever you Sci-Fi buffs call it, on the flight from Athens to Rome. I haven't met a single Aussie here in 4 plus days. That's virtually unbelievable.

Lastly, and this is a good thing, from my perspective. No stray dogs or cats, or at least not in numbers enough to be counted. I like that.

So that's it for tonight.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

And I really mean it.

Hope you all have/had awonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.I had a turkey and french fry sandwich (yes, french fries in the sandwich, nuff said) for lunch in honor of the occasion, and a really nice Italian dinner.

Rome, or maybe Roma is more appropriate

Yep, here I am in Roma. Arrived on schedule on Monday evening. I was really congratulating myself on what a great job I was doing of getting around successfully. Took the metro to the airport in Athens, and after pestering the poor security lady a number of times about whether this was the train to the airport,it finally was. Of course she was right all along. Just be patient and have faith.

At the airport,, check in was a breeze. Also no passport control. Had a seat to myself on the flight to Rome, and just relaxed. When we arrived, I found there was no passport control either, so no Italian stamp as yet. I guess EU country to EU country doesn't require it. Although that wasn't the case in some other EU border crossings. Who knows?

I only had a five minute wait for the metro into Rome. By now I was feeling pretty good about my navigational abilities. Never let your faith in yourself take control. I left the train station and started the walk (5 or 6 blocks) to the hotel. Had trouble locating street signs, but that's OK, I can count intersections.

Didn't take long to realize I was hopelessly lost. Finally (tough to do, since I'm a guy) I asked directions. Of course, he couldn't speak English. But eventually I got back to the train station, and asked again. Turns out I left by the south exit, and should have left by the north exit. So an hour late, I checked into the hotel.

The next day, Tuesday, was the usual walk around and get the bearings. Turned out I saw a number of the sights I'd hoped to see while here. Of course, I'll go back for more, as this was just get acquainted time. But for starters, I saw Piazza Venezia, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, and St. Peter's Square and Basilica. And many lesser sights between these. All very impressive. In a different way, which I can't define, than the effect Athens had on me.

While at the Vatican, I took the trip up to the dome. I didn't realize that the sign at the base meant 320 steps IN ADDITION to the elevator ride in order to get to the cupola. I thought it meant 320 steps OR the elevator. That just gets you to the base of the dome. Which is a ways up in itself.

The 320 steps don't give you the option of turning around, either. There isn't room for that on the narrowest circular stairway I've ever been on. But once you are there, you have a marvelous view of Rome! I was there right about sunset, so I hope I have some pretty nice photos. Once again, I was deleting earlier shots, to make room for more.

After the cupola and dome, I walked around inside the base of the Basilica. I'm really going to have to go back there. It was almost 5:00 PM, ans the evening mass started, so I stayed for mass. 1st time I've been on this trip, sad to say. But at least I did it at a memorable place.
By then, it was time to head back to the hotel. Decided I'd done enough walking for the day, a lot more than I'd planned on. So I took the metro back. Same station, but I knew north from south, so I got out all right. As it turns out, the west exit is best.

On the way to the hotel, I decided on a pizza for supper. The salads are still huge, by the way, but no cucs here. And I learned something about Italian pizza. If the menu doesn't say pomadoro (tomato, I think) then there won't be any pomodoro on the pizza. I prefer the Americanized version, where you can always count on tomato and cheese unless you specifically tell them you don' want it. Live and learn. From now on it'll be pasta. Wish me luck.

While at the Vatican, I found out that the Pope has an audience every Wednesday at 10:00 AM. So I ate breakfast as early as they open at the hotel, and rode the metro back to the Vatican. That in itself was an experience, as it was rush hour. I've seen pictures of subway crushes, but this was my first experience. With what's happened on this trip, I kept one hand on my wallet at all times, and my camera was in an inside, zipped pocket (as was my wallet). Some crowd on the metro!

But I arrived in time. Turns out you need a ticket to get into the seating area, but I arrived early enough to get in the first row behind the barrier, so I had as good a spot as possible, sans ticket.

The Cardinals came out promptly at ten, and by then, I felt pretty good about getting there when I did. The crowd behind me was quite large. The Pope actually came out at about 10:20 or so, in the Popemobile. But with no protective screen. I was much to far away to get a view of him then, but they had monitors around.

He gave a sermon in Italian (I think). Then all the groups who were in attendance were recognized by him with a short speech in their language, or at least in French, English, German, Italian and Spanish. There was one group there from Stanley, ND.

After the formal ceremony, while the crowd dispersed, he greeted some special groups in person. I was able to move into the reserved seating area for this, and eventually got to within probably 30 or 40 yards of him. I did record his English language speech, so if anyone wants a copy, let me know, and I'll make you one when I get home.


After that, I walked to the Piazza Spagna, and looked for a charming little restaurant for lunch. Didn't find the charming part, but I did have lunch. Another area to go back to before I leave. Turns out the poet John Keats spent the last months of his life living in an apartment in the Piazza Spagna. There is a museum there dedicated to him and John Shelley.

So that's about it for tonite. Time to go and find a charming little restaurant for dinner.

More on Athens (or lots of photos of rocks)

Now it's Sunday evening, and I leave for Rome tomorrow. Athens has been great. It's not a place you'd want to leave early, by any means.

I said I was going to take in the museums on Friday AM, didn't I. But it turned out to be such a lovely day, that I couldn't see spending it indoors. So I took in more of the Archaeological sites. (I love using big words like that, thank heaven for spell check). First I went to Keramikos, an ancient cemetery, but the descriptions made it seem more as another major portion of the original city.

Then on to the Ancient Agora. It was, long ago obviously, the center of business, culture and religion. Nearby was the Thission, or Temple of Hephaestus. Much like the Parthenon at the Acropolis, but somewhat smaller. It is more complete, however.

Those two took care of all the morning, and into the afternoon. Just enough time for a Mcd for lunch (Starbucks muffins for Bfst) and then on to the bus for a really nice drive along the Saronic Gulf coast to Sounio where the Temple of Poseidon is located. Beautiful views of the Aegean Sea and the Saronic Gulf. And the temple ain't half bad. Another multi pillar structure, again like, but smaller than the Parthenon Sounio is the southermost tip of this part of Greece.

Interesting story about the naming of the Aegean Sea, and for those of you who were with me in AU, this isn't a Coober Pedy story, it's as it was told to me. King Agea's son went to Crete to slay the minotaur. The king told him to change the black sails on his ship to white if he was successfull. If he wasn't, only his remains would return, under black sails. The son slayed the minotaur all right, but like most kids, forgot to do everything he was told. Didn't change the sails. So Dad saw the ship coming back with black sails, and was so grief stricken, he plunged into the sea. From a very high cliff. He didn't survive, but they named the sea after him, the Agean Sea.

So much for Friday, except to say I had dinner at---- The Hard Rock Cafe. An all-American day, as far as food went. Although I did order a Greek Mac for lunch, a big Mac on Pita Bread.

So on to Saturday. Took the metro to Pireaus to catch the ferry to Aegina. It was cloudy when I left, but not enough to cause me to take my umbrella or rain hat. Yeah, you guessed it. Nothing more on that subject, except to say that it didn't last all day, and wasn't too bad. I did have a hood on my jacket.

So now I've been to a Greek Isle. Eat your hearts out!!! This one is about the closest to the mainland, but still an isle. The city of Aegina seems to be primarily a fishing village, with, of course, an interest in tourism. The island is noted for it's pistachio nut crop, and I saw plenty of orchards that I assume were pistachios.

I first went to the Achaeological site near town. That was pretty interesting. They have isolated ruins from multiple civilizations beginning around 2500 BC forward through Roman times in the area. In addition to the ruins, some great views of other islands and a beach nearby.

From there I walked through town and out into what passes for the country, or suburbs, I'm not sure. Found some tide pools and looked them over, but no shells or other souvenirs. Then back through the residential area to the main part of town.

Saw a construction project under way. One guy shoveling cement and sand into a cement mixer. On the other side of it, a pile of wet cement had been dumped. The guy there was shoveling it into buckets for the bucket brigade. The bucket brigade hauled it into the building, I guess to pour a floor.

I discovered while on the island that there are at least two types of gyros. The first, in Athens, I sort of expected, meat, some veggies and sauce rolled into a pita bread, and eaten as a sandwich. That's what I ordered for lunch. What I got was a basket of bread, a plate with veggies topped with meat, sauce on the side, and french fries. When in Rome.....

While at lunch, I heard English being spoken. I'm always tuned to that. I think it's a result of traveling alone and not understanding the languages. Anyway, the group I heard it from was from Miami. Later, on the ferry returning to Pireaus, one of them sat in the seat next to me and we had a nice conversation about our trips.

On to today, my last day here. Sunny and windy enough that I decided a morning in the museum wasn't too bad an idea. And it wasn't. The National Archeological Museum was well worth it. That's an understatement. Being Sunday, everything I visited today was free. The museum had a display of pottery starting around 4000 BC, and moving forward into Roman times.

The statuary started around the 6th century BC and had exhibit rooms dedicated to nearly every century since up to maybe the 2nd or 3rd AD. Even my untrained eye could see some of the major differences. Those from the 6th BC weren't nearly as primitive as I had thought. One interesting point. Either the folks in the 6th BC knew something later folks forgot, or they didn't know something the rest did. Those in the 6th BC nearly all were smiling, while I didn't see a smile on anyone after that, except maybe Pan, and his was more a leer.

In the afternoon, I took in several more outdoor sites, which were still interesting, even with as many as I've seen. As I implied in the title, I've taken a lot of photos of rocks. And those ancients really did some fine work. Give me all the tools in Home Depot, a few more from Lowes thrown in, and I still couldn't match the workmanship they did with stone, bronze, and eventually iron age tools.

That's about it for the sights. I still keep on running into Aussies. Two were on the tour I took Wednesday, and they joined me again on Friday. At dinner, Thursday nite, I heard "Thank You"", so turned around and found an Australian lady eating in the booth behind me. So we talked for about half an hour. Those Aussies take long trips. Most Americans I talk to say "That Long?" when they hear about the length of my trip. The Aussies say ""Only that long?". Another one was in the hotel talking to the manager this morning when I left. You folks from Australia sure do get around!!!

A few more time-fillers. There are certainly a lot of motor scooters, motor bikes, ans small motor cycles in Greece. And they don't just drive on the streets, the sidewalks are prime real estate for them.

If you have free time to spend in Athens, have a cup of coffee or tea and just enjoy people watching in Syntagma Square.

In spite of my mistake in not bringing my umbrella on Saturday, I did several things right for this trip. I did bring the umbrella, and have used it, I rainproofed my rain hat, and I bought a pair of waterproof hiking boots as my main footwear for the trip. I remembered all too well the wet feet "Droughbuster Dick" had last year.

And with that thought, I think I'll sign off for now. Next stop, Rome.

Athens, Wonderful Place to Visit

Well, here I am in Athens. I flew in on Monday AM, and found my hotel with less trouble than I anticipated. The taxi dropped me off at the start of a pedestrian mall, and said "It's up there" so there wasn't much I could do but walk "up there". Turns out he was right. Not the greatest room, by far, but a nice view from the balcony. Common, not private. But I can see the flower market in the square below, and the Acropolis.

The police Europe aren't much help. in my opinion. I asked two who were standing at the beginning of the mall if this was the right area. They simply ignored me until I went away. Later in the day, I asked 3 on a street corner for directions to the Tourism Center. They pointed down the street and told me the place I wanted was right next to the Parliament building, 3 blocks away. I'd been there, and it wasn't. Turns out it was across the street from them. Maybe not for general directions, but for a Tourism Center, you'd think they'd have a better idea.

You may remember my experiences in Bucharest trying to get directions to the police station. And the cop in Vienna tried his best to talk me out of filing a report on my stolen wallet. They are much better in the US, aren't they, Patti? So much for the complaints.

After checking in, I got my bearings. The Acropolis is not far from where I'm at. I walked up to the entrance, but it was too late to spend much time there, so I didn't go in. But what a sight!
Also, the tourist area of Athens is very near. Street after narrow street of little shops, with all kinds of souvenirs. Lots of restaurants to choose from. Additionally, for those serious shoppers, the cross street, Ermou, a few blocks down from where I'm at, seems to be the classy shopping area of Athens, from what I see in the windows. You ladies would love it. Shoes, clothes, shoes, jewelry, perfume, shoes, accessories, shoes. Even a men's store or two.

Yesterday, I strolled around town for a bit in the morning. An early lunch, and then up to the Acropolis. I spent the entire afternoon there. As usual, I took numerous photos. So many that I was deleting some near the end of the day to make room for more. I wasn't carrying my CD recorder. Maybe I should. Sure do miss the stolen camera. It held more, and when I had it, I also had the one I'm using now as backup.

The first nite here, I had a reasonably good meal, but nothing spectacular. Last nite was different. I enjoyed the dinner so much, I rewarded myself for such a good choice by having baklava for desert. And it was so good, if I'd had room, I'd have rewarded myself for that, as well.

Today I took a trip to Delphi. The first thing I learned was that the "i" is pronounced like the "e" in "me", not the "i" in "I". You all really wanted to know that, didn't you? Or maybe all of you did know, and I'm just catching up. Anyway, the visit was worth it. It seems that the only way to do it is to take one of the tours. Otherwise, it seems pretty hard to get to. And that makes me wonder how it was chosen so many centuries ago as such a sacred place. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been getting there on foot, or horseback, etc. It's way out of the way.

It seems that everywhere I turn in Athens I find another ruin. Or should I say Archaeological site? I think that's more appropriate. I marvel at the work those folks did 2 1/2 and more centuries ago. When I look at the grinding holes in the boulders near home, I'm impressed by the work the native Americans did making those holes over time. With that in mind, seeing all the marble and limestone buildings, statues, pillars, etc. here, I have to believe they were helped by aliens. What a lot of work!!

And unless you want your home to be 20 feet under ground in a few thousand years, you'd better get busy with the dusting. That's how deep many of these sites are. And where does the dust come from? There must be some big holes somewhere on earth that provided the earth to cover these sites.

I have to mention my impression of my first view overlooking the city of Athens. On the way to the Acropolis, on the grounds, as a matter of fact, I noticed a hill that a lot of folks were climbing. So, the herd instinct coming through, I joined them. When I got to the top, I said out loud "WOW!!!" What a city! And from there, all I could see was the northern half. Had to wait till I got to the Acropolis hill itself to see the rest.

Another thought. Why is it that Athens and it's ruins are so clean and spotless in appearance? Most of the rest of the major cities I've visited are dingy and grey. I saw them in some places power spraying the buildings to clean them. Here, it seems everything stays pretty much it's original pastel color. Tis a puzzlement.

You may be able to tell, I'm impressed with Athens. If you ever get the chance to come here, don't pass it up. And make certain you plan on spending as much time as possible. You won't regret it.

That's enough for tonite. Much as I hate to plan ahead, I have to start making reservations for Rome. I'll probably leave for there next Monday. More on Athens tomorrow or Friday Nite.

Into each life a little rain must fall. And I'm making up for lost rain today. Plus bad planning. Woke up to a drizzle, so decided it would be a good museum day. But first, I went to Pireaus, the port for Athens. On Saturday, I plan on taking the ferry to Aeginas, a nearby island. Couldn't visit Greece without one trip to the Greeks Isles, could I? When I got there, it was pouring. But I found out the schedules and prices.

When I returned, the rain had made it to Athens. But museums are inside, right, so not problem? Wrong on two counts. From November to April or so, they close early. 3 PM for the one I wanted to visit. So I can do a museum in 1.5 hours. But today, November 17th, is the 32nd anniversary of a student revolt that got rid of a dictatorship, or so it seems. So there were marches, police by the busload (I counted 6 buses at one location), closed streets and public transportation. Guess what else closed early? I'm not going to say. But the rain let up, so lets try for the archaeological sites I want to visit. Same answer. Next time read the guide book to find out when things open. They all were open in the AM.

So tomorrow AM it's the museum, as early as it opens. In the PM, I'm scheduled for a tour along the coast to the Temple of Poseidon. It was originally scheduled for today, but the demonstrations got in the way, so they moved it out a day.

Weird and crazy thought time. If you ever visit here, or most of eastern Europe for that matter, be prepared to like tomatoes and cucumbers. When you order them, they are very liberal in the portions. And a Greek Salad, at least the one several nites ago, is something to behold. A dinner plate in size. The only lettuce was the minimum amount required by law. The rest was tomatoes, cucs and onions. The Feta cheese was a block 3 by 5 inches and about 1/2 inch thick.

Remember the cats in Istanbul? Must be the proximity to Asia, because now I'm seeing dogs on the loose again. As I did in Sofia. Strange thing here is that most of the dogs have collars and tags. But no apparent owner. Escapees?

The rest of the week is the museum and Poseidon tomorrow, Aegina on Saturday, and finishing up on Sunday. I leave for Rome on Monday afternoon by air.

It seems there was more I wanted to say, but I don't know what it was, so I guess this is goodnite for now.

Sofia, a nice place to be

Well, I've had two days here. I probably won't finish this tonite, but I might as well get something written now so it won't take so much time tomorrow.

First a review of things I've forgotten to say in recent postings.

I wanted to visit Gallipoli while in Turkey. Turns out I didn't research it well enough. It's an overnite trip from Istanbul, and I didn't plan for that. Or look into it soon enough once I arrived. I'm really sorry I didn't get there. It's been an objective ever since last year when I saw all the ANZAC memorials, all mentioning Gallipoli.

One of you asked how my digestive system has been holding up. Not bad, with a minor bit of, shall we say, distress. The only thing I've changed in my eating/drinking habits took place in Istanbul. I overheard the clerk in the hotel tell Mike, the AU, that they all drank bottled water. At home, I'd just say "So what." and drink from the tap. But I decided that it might be a good idea to use bottled water myself from now on. And I have been staying away from chicken and eggs, regardless of which came first. Probably not necessary, but with Bird Flu in Romania and Turkey, it may pay off to be careful.

Now to the present.

I feel obligated to mention that today is the anniversary of the day we lost Nick, my grandson. We're all coping, at our own pace. And I really think that's all I'll say, except ask you all to remember him in whatever way you feel comfortable in praying.

I think I said that I arrived here Friday PM and got settled in OK. Wandered as usual, ate dinner, and slept in the coldest room in eastern Europe. Three blankets. But I've figured it out now, and am reasonably comfortable.

On Saturday I found a tour going to the Rila Monastery, several hours from here. It sounded interesting, so I signed up. The write-up said that if you only took one tour in Bulgaria, this should be it. I agree.

Rather than a tour bus, 7 of us went in two cars. When we got to a town near the Monastery, the driver stopped, and the "guide" started asking people for what sounded like directions. He needs help in finding the destination?? No, to my relief, he was trying to find the garage the other car had gone to. Turns out they had problems on the way. But, they were fixed, according to the guide. Just "A minor electrical problem."

On to the Monastery. As I hinted above, it was well worth it. I won't try to describe it. Suffice to say it's in a beautiful mountain setting, and every bit worth the time to see. I have pictures galore, for those really interested. But not till I get home.

The last part of the drive there is really scenic. A narrow canyon, with a river running alongside the road for much of the way. If I had been driving, I'd have stopped at least a dozen times for photo ops. For those of you who know it, it's much like the road between Bakersfield and Lake Isabella. Or maybe the area between Auburn and Tahoe, fewer pines, more decidious (does he know what that means??? or how to spell it??? I hope so) trees.

And nothing ends nicely, does it? On the way back through this beautiful mountain pass, the "minor electrical problem" came back in the second car. After the usual "let's try this, let's try that" a tow strap was produced and we towed the car back to the garage.

About three or so hours later, after a lot more "let's try this, let's try that" a part arrived from the local Auto Zone (NOT) and we were on our way again. The 6 hour round trip turned into about 9.5 to 10 hours. But what the hey, we didn't have anything better to do. Just wish they hadn't been so optimistic for a quick fix, and let us wander around the town we were in. It looked like a pretty interesting Bulgarian small town. Oh Well, next time.

Had a really good dinner near the hostel. They were very busy, (people were eating, this time, not drinking) so they seated me at a table with a couple. They were pretty wrapped up in themselves, so not too much beyond "Hello". But they finished and a threesome sat down. They were a bit more communicative, and I got several good ideas of places of interest in Sofia.

Today, I first got a plane ticket to Athens for Monday. I'd originally planned on stopping in Thessalonika, Greece for several days, but since decided that I'd rather spend the time in Athens. The train trip started at 7:00 AM, changed trains in Thessalonika, and arrived in Athens at about 23:00. I decided to fly, and save my rail pass for day trips or overnite trips to places of interest near Athens.

Then, after a delicious Bulgarian Big Mac for lunch, I wandered the places my friends from the previous nite had recommended. Most were on the local map I had, so I found them with relative (more on that later) ease.

Among others, there were several churches on the list. One of you wished me romance on this trip. Not for me, thanks, but I witnessed romance today. At three of the churches, wedding ceremonies were beginning just as I arrived. I decided to let them have their time in the limelite without a tourist intruding with his ever-present camera during the ceremony, so I'll try again tomorrow. Those of you who suffered through last year's episodes may remember that I was in Brisbane about this time, and ran into two weddings in one day there as well.

I did see quite a few impressive buildings. I'll go back tomorrow to fill in the gaps, and get to a few places I missed.

I went into one building, primarily to find a WC. Turns out it was the National Library. The security guard insisted, after he pointed out the WC, that I see the building. He told me there were 18,000,000 books in the building. So I wandered around the main floor a while. Several rooms full of drawers of index cards. Lots of folks sitting at tables doing research, it appeared.

Had a nice dinner in what appeared to be an authentic Bulgarian restaurant. Looked like local folks there, and the atmosphere was very nice. And I treated myself to a special desert tonite. Dunkin Donuts. Found one on the main drag near here, and couldn't resist. The jelly donuts are great, particularly the blueberry, and the coffee was in a 12 oz. cup!!!

About the local map. The street names on it are all in Bulgarian, obviously. But are printed in the alphabet I'm used to. Howsomever, all the street signs (nearly everything, in fact) are in Cyrillic. I have yet to be able to correlate one to the other. The best I can do is to get an idea where I'm at, and count intersections until I get to where I want to be. And it doesn't always work, believe me. But it's fun to be lost once in a while.

Time to close up for the nite. More tomorrow.

And now it's tomorrow. Decided to walk some of the perimeter of the downtown section to see what there might be to see. About what you'd expect in a big city. Not quite as much traffic today, as it's Sunday, but still plenty. I found the Farmer's Market. About 3 or 4 blocks of produce, meat and clothing for sale. One thing I notice here. The vendors don't try to rope you into their stalls. They pay attention to the customers who show interest, but leave everyone else alone.

I got about half way around when I got to the area I was in yesterday with the churches. So I stopped my circuit, and started re-visiting the places I'd wanted to see more of. Two of the churches I'd visited wouldn't allow photos. With what I'd said about people violating the no photo rule in Istanbul, I could hardly take any pictures could I? But two of the older churches did allow photos.

I also went to two art museums. Quite honestly, I wasn't too impressed. One disappointed me. It was the Bulgarian Ethnological Museum. I expected to see some of the history and culture of the country. But it was just a number of paintings and sculptures by 20th century Bulgarian artists.

And that about sums up my visit to Sofia. I did meet yet another AU this morning. A young lady from Brisbane, my favorite AU city. She went on the Rila Monastery tour. I wished her good luck on the "minor electrical problems". When I got back to the hostel this evening, I met Steve, from Oklahoma. He just arrived this morning from Belgrade. He's about my age, maybe a bit younger. Been in Europe for about a month, with a month to go. His wife doesn't like to be gone for more than several weeks, so he travels alone.

That's about it for now. The next one will be from Athens. Need to go out and get some cash. I find that a lot of places here don't accept credit cards. Also, it seems that the CC companies are charging me a fee on each transaction. I hadn't bothered to do the math until recently, but they aren't just using the basic exchange rate, but about 3 or 4 % more. Live and learn.

That's it for now. See you in Athens.

Final on Istanbul & trip to Sofia

Well, I made it to Sofia, Bulgaria today. Settled into a hostel, and looked over the town a bit.

One more word on Bucharest. One of the things I liked was that it seemed there was a flower vendor on nearly every corner. There has to be something about a place I like.

Recapping the past few days: Monday was a dreary/drizzly day. I went to the Suleyman Mosque. It's the biggest in Instanbul, and second largest in Turkey. Quite impressive, in a much more subtle way than the Blue Mosque. Suleyman's tomb is on the grounds, he and more than a few relatives.

For lunch, I ate at a Turkish fast food place. It was almost a burrito, but no beans. Spicy meat, the "tortilla" was a bit tougher than a burrito, but all in all it wasn't bad.

While looking for a place to eat, I found myself in the Spice Bazaar. So named, I guess, because one in four or five of the stands, it seems, is selling spices of some sort. Not little packages, but one foot square boxes brimming with a spice. And about 30 or 40 boxes on display. The packages they walk away with astound me.

After lunch,I went to the Grand Bazaar. Blocks and blocks all under one roof, selling just about anything you can imagine that's small enough to take with you. Everything from fine gold and silver jewelry to Turkish rugs to any and all kinds of souveniers. And really busy.

I had a really great dinner Monday evening. Superb cheese plate to start things off. Then a main course based on Eggplant (Aubergine, here) Don't know what all went into it, but it was very good. They sure are proud of their beer here, most expensive I've seen on this trip. And this place was even prouder of their coffee. Two coffees cost more than two beers.

On Tuesday, I took a walk along the Marmara Sea coast, which is just down the hill from the Sultanahmet area where I stayed. Then I tried to go to the Topkapi Palace, but found out it was closed on Tuesdays. So I went to the nearby Archeology Museum. Quite a place if you have an interest in archeology, related to the middle east. Lots of interesting displays. They have displays of 10 distinct periods from the city of Troy, as an example.

I left for Sofia on Wednesday, but not until 10:00 PM, so I had the day to tour. First really nice day, sunny and a bit windy. Even wore my lite jacket for the first time in 3 or 4 weeks.

At breakfast, I had a talk with a fellow hotel guest. From AU, of course. He suggested going to the Galata tower, in the newer section of Istanbul, which I did. Great views of the city, and the day was outstanding, as I said.

On the way back, near the train station, I saw a large group of Police, with helmets and shields. There was some sort of demonstration across the street from them. I hung around for a while, but decided that being a tourist, and not speaking the language might not be a good thing if things got testy, so I took off. No idea what it was about.

This time I did get into the Topkapi Palace, which is really a museum now. Lots of Sultan lifestyle things on display. The grounds were the most interesting. I was a bit upset with one aspect, of the attendees, not the museum. One section had a number of artifacts directly tied to Mohammed. At the entrance to it, signs requested respect, and throughout there were reminders not to take photos. People flatly ignored them, and were snapping and flashing away.

I also went through the Hagia Sofia one more time. Didn't have too much time there. It is a place to just marvel at the building and what's left of the original mosaics.

Then a pretty good dinner, and waiting for the train. I stayed in the lobby of the hotel for most of the down time, rather than sit at the train station. A lot more comfortable.

Thanks to a nice ticket agent, I caught the train. I asked him what platform it would be on, and he pointed to the one I thought it was. No train yet, so I went into the waiting room. I was getting a bit nervous, as it was about 15 or so minutes till departure, and no train. He came into the waiting room, and rousted me out. Turns out it was on the platform he indicated, but a long way down, and around a corner. I probably would have found out myself, but with a lot more anxiety.

When we go to the Bulgarian border, we had to go through the passport thing again, only a 2 hour delay this time. And no need for a visa. The Turkish passport guy really looked me over. I guess 9 years, glasses, a beard and crew cut can change a person from what a passport photo shows.

Thoughts about things at random. I mentioned showers in a previous mailing. Want to make a lot of money? Follow this business plan. Get exclusive distribution rights to shower curtains and rods in Europe. Then start a campaign to convince folks over here of the advantages of shower curtains. Then start selling them and watch the money roll in. Almost all of the places I've stayed at don't have shower curtains, even on trips to Germany, France and Belgium in the 90's.

Circular stairways have really been the thing since about Hungary, if memory serves.

Small towns in Hungary and Romania almost always had a pristine church, no matter how poor the town looked. But passing through Bulgaria today, I noticed very few churches.

Turkey is the worlds worst, in my experience, for consistency on stair steps and floor levels. The height of steps will vary withing one flight of steps. The floors from room to room will vary in height as you pass through a door. Tough to get used to.

I think that's enough rambling for tonite.