March 06, 2006
British Humor
Ending the BBC news report today on the Oscar winners, the anchor noticed that the Icelandic singer Bjork was nowhere to be seen. "She was wearing the white feathered swan...Read this update
April 09, 2005
Royal Wedding
I have both CNN and BBC on my television in my apartment so I often switch back and forth. It was interesting to notice after the nuptual blessing that the...Read this update
September 05, 2004
Exact Center of Europe
On the outskirts of Vilnius is European Park where The French National Geographic Institute places the center of Europe at 54 degrees North Latitude, 25 degrees 19' East Longitude. Recently...Read this update
September 04, 2004
Interesting Lithuania
The Baltics...Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Are these in Central Europe or do we call this Eastern Europe...where is the line? We stop a few days in Vilnius Lithuania on the...Read this update
September 01, 2004
Bob & The Europeans
There is something in the European demeaner/attitude that brings out my anti-establishment posturing. On the flight from the U.S. to Frankfurt (Lufthansa Air) my seat was broken. "No problem," said...Read this update
August 06, 2004
Former East Berlin
When I was in Berlin in 1965 it had been 18 years since the end of WWII and Europe was still digging itself out of the ashes. Nearly 40 later, Europe is transformed and on it's way, through the European Union, to providing a balance of power to the United States.Read this update
August 04, 2004
No Chinese Visa
Today we try to get our China visa but were refused because we weren't Germans. It was suggested by the Chinese embassy that we could get a visa in Hong...Read this update
August 02, 2004
U-2 in Berlin
Coming up out of the U-2 line of the Zoo railway station and thinking of course of the Irish rock band we enter now-rich, Western, happening Berlin. We pore over...Read this update
Posted by laughingnomad at 11:42 PM |
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July 30, 2004
Jet Lag
After twenty hours sandwiched in a pressurized cabin in the air we drift down through darkness...time and space dissolving down long corridors and up and down escalators. We change money...Read this update
April 12, 2002
Santorini & Sifnos
As the ferry approached the island through the caldera you see a red-brown black and pumice grey terraced cliff face that looms hundreds of feet above the water with...Read this update
April 10, 2002
Bob & The Greeks Again
Bob had some more adventures on the ferry the morning of April 13th. He saw big cups and little espresso cups by the coffee machine and said he wanted a...Read this update
Stuck In A Train In Napflion
Train Trip to Nafplion The next morning we walked to Syntagma Plaza to took the metro to the port at Piraeus for departure to some of the Greek islands by...Read this update
April 09, 2002
Bob And The Greeks
How to Develop Your Patience by Traveling On the plane to Athens the stewardess came by with a refreshment cart and Bob, who was on the inside seat and couldn't...Read this update
Athens
Landed in Eletherios Venizelo airport and everyone clapped as is often the custom around much of the world. Took a one hour bus ride from the airport to Monastiraki...Read this update
St. Peter's House
The Vatican In 1965 I had missed seeing the Vatican because I refused to stand in line three hours. So we took the Metro across the Tiber River to the...Read this update
April 08, 2002
Rome
"Italy will return to the splendors of Rome, said the major. I don't like Rome, I said. It is hot and full of fleas. You don't like Rome? Yes, I...Read this update
April 07, 2002
Last Night In Florence
April 24, 2002 On the last day in Florence our room was booked by someone else and we had to move a few doors up the street to the Hotel...Read this update
Posted by laughingnomad at 12:00 AM |
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April 06, 2002
David
Bob is going on a walking tour where he will learn how the Renaissance Medici family ruled and held onto their city as an independent state for three centuries in...Read this update
April 05, 2002
Serendipity Florence
Well, we are in Florence, by serendipity, on April 5, 2002. By that I mean that we were on the train from Cinque Terre on the Italian Riviera headed to...Read this update
April 01, 2002
Cinque Terre
Took a train to the Cinque Terre (Five Lands..or villages) area on the northern Italian Riviera. The towns, jutting out into the Mediterranean and straight up the hills on...Read this update
March 30, 2002
Nice
From Avignon we took a train southeast to Nice on the Mediterranean and stayed there in a virtual apartment in the Hotel Constadt a block from the water. Spent...Read this update
Posted by laughingnomad at 06:07 AM |
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March 28, 2002
Avignon France
Took the train from Barcelona to Avignon in the Provence area in the south of France. Stayed at Hotel Mignon on rue Joseph-Vernet. Cute little French hotel room but...Read this update
March 25, 2002
Barri Gotic Barcelona
In Barcelona we stayed in the Lower Barri Gotic area at Hotel Peninsular at Carrer Sant Pau, 34. Two single beds; sink; window opens into central court; very clean and...Read this update
March 23, 2002
The New Young Brits
In the train, before crawling into my compartment, I stood out in the hall and had a great conversation with a bright energetic young Brit (Richard) attending Cambridge. He had...Read this update
March 12, 2002
Algeciras
From Seville we took a bus to Algeciras on the south coast of Spain and saw hundreds of windmills that reminded Bob of Don Quijote. In Algeciras we took...Read this update
Posted by laughingnomad at 05:13 AM |
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March 11, 2002
Seville Spain
In Seville, found a charming pension-the Hospedaje Monreal at Calle Rodrigo Caro, in Barria de Santa Cruz-about a block from the cathedral right in the middle of maze-like Barrio...Read this update
March 10, 2002
Lagos, Portugal
Bob was hell-bent on going to Lagos, a resort area on the south coast of Portugal thinking it would be a nice break from the cold wind and one...Read this update
March 09, 2002
European Popular Culture
Most days in Europe you would see at least once a wonderful display of affection between two young people-playful and sensuous-mostly kissing-but never offensive. And then they walk on as...Read this update
Lisbon
Roosters are symbols of Portuguese culture so we felt that it was appropriate that after staying one night in a boring part of Lisbon, Portugal in a hotel room...Read this update
March 08, 2002
Spanish Trains
Spanish trains have compartments with room for six people. Luckily ours had two young Swiss girls that we recruited, a young guy from Japan that was studying Spanish in Salamanca...Read this update
March 02, 2002
Salamanca Spain
I just walked out of the jaw-dropping Cathedral in the beautiful old city of Salamanca a few minutes ago. Made Notre Dame in Paris look pretty tame. And there are...Read this update
Through Others' Eyes
In the hotel in Paris at breakfast one morning. I struck up a conversation with a woman that wasnīt speaking French to the waiter and she had avoided talking to...Read this update
March 01, 2002
Bayonne & Biarritz
Bayonne is a beautiful Basque town in the south of France. I would not be surprised if the movie "Chocolat" was made here. We were told that Bayonne had...Read this update
February 28, 2002
Paris
Well we have been in Paris less than 24 hours and have had many adventures already! We found a cute little Basque restaurant last night-Bob had squid in its own...Read this update
Posted by laughingnomad at 05:54 AM |
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February 21, 2002
A Good Thing
Itīs a Good Thing to take along a tour guide and in this group that will be Bob-most probably because he has the greatest need to know where he is...Read this update
TVG Trains Better Than Hitching
High speed (TVG) trains travel over 200,mph. In 1965 when a college friend and I traveled through Europe; it took all night to get from Dover to Ostergard on a...Read this update
February 19, 2002
Do your Homework
When Bob went to the train station in London to buy a train ticket through the chunnel; they did not bother to tell him that if he had a Eurostar...Read this update
February 18, 2002
Mother Country English
Last night we were walking to the theater and a guy sitting on the sidewalk against a building waiting for the bus after work called out and asked if we...Read this update
February 17, 2002
Hip Notting Hill
We didn't realize that our neighborhood was "hip" until we were sitting in our hotel/bar in Notting Hill a couple days ago and I noticed a newspaper clipping pinned up...Read this update
September 16, 1965
Hitching Europe In 1965
The summer of 1965, the summer I turned 21, a friend and former roommate, Barbara Stamper and I arranged to meet in London in June. She, a teacher, found an...Read this update