Photos are Eiger Mountain in distance and Franzi encounter with a cow! (apologies if y and z may be reversed, they are reversed on Swiss keyboard)
30 September 2010 (Rome to Catania Sicily Italy)
We board the train 727 at 1127 for about ten hour train ride from Roma to Catania in Sicily.....where we have booked a car to start exploring the island! Great experience with the train actually got on the ferry which has tracks for our ferry ride to Messina...they split the train in half because at the other end, half goes to Palermo and half to Siracusa!
29 September 2010 (Rome Italy)
Another gorgeous day for a morning walk to Villa Borghese and then met Jan who arrived from Florence on the train at 1345...then we will start planning Sicily!
28 September 2010 (Rome Italy)
Decided it was time to wash clothes....they have combo laundry and internet....3 euro to wash and 3 euro to dry.....and 15 minutes of free internet although the price is cheaper at 1.50 euro per hour....and the sun is still shining so more walking about the city for the remainder of the day....to the Coliseum, Pantheon, Vatican City and along the Tiber River.
27 September 2010 (Trani to Rome Italy)
Four hour train from Trani to Roma to meet Jan on Wednesday for our travels in Sicily and Tunisia....several hour walkabout of the fountains of Rome with meal of pizza and gelato!
26 September 2010 Sunday (Trani Italy)
The sun has returned so enjoyed getting some sun at the beach. Not only are businesses closed from midday until 5, they are also closed all day on Sunday! And plus I have been seeing heaps of Twingos, the car that I owned when I lived in France in 1998!
25 September 2010 Saturday (Trani Italy)
Unfortunately, the rains have arrived but mostly sprinkles....I had initially stayed near the port over a rather noisy square and have now moved to lovely apartment right on the sea with the roar of the ocean to lull me to sleep....great visit to the castle....the last weekend is European Heritage days in 49 countries and the entry fees are waived.
24 September 2010 Friday (Trani Italy)
Katherine and I took the train to collect her car near her husbands work near Foggia (he is on work assignment here with Boeing) then drove to the small hilltop village of Sant Agata di Puglia....just wonderful.....after walking up through the village to the castle on the hill with great views, we enjoyed a delicious meal at a local restaurant.
23 September 2010 Thursday (Trani Italy)
Beautiful full moon on the harbor this early morning....lovely city on the water with old cathedral and castle....but could only find one internet place in town at 3 euro per hour.
22 September 2010 Wednesday (Bari to Trani Italy)
On the train again to Trani to visit with an artist friend Katherine Wright whom I had met at a Gallery Walk near Seattle when I was housesitting on Bainbridge Island last spring. She met me at the train station and we did short walk through the small town with great cappucino at local "bar"...if you stand and drink the price is about half! We then walked to her lovely place on top floor with views of the sea where she fixed a very Italian lunch for us and her two sons aged 14 and 18! Elton John is performing here this evening but gave it a miss at 300 euro per ticket.
21 September 2010 Tuesday (Bari Italy)
Exploring the old city of Bari on the coast.
20 September 2010 Monday (Mljet Island to Dubrovnik Croatia to Italy)
Sunny return to Dubrovnik from the island of Mljet (had a wonderful stay although the weather was not the best...they have these overcast windy days called Yugo that occurred) on the ferry catamaran Nona Ana and now on the bigger ferry from Dubrovnik Croatia to Bari Italy (nine hours).....overnight with a sleeper arriving Italy at 8am on Tuesday....and what craziness for boarding since the Italians have no idea what a queue is and all these crazy women kept running to the front...they were all returning from a pilgrimage at Medjugorje in Bosnia! I finally tried the local specialty of black risotto (cuttlefish) before I left Croatia...quite good.
16-20 September 2010 (Mljet Island National Park Croatia)
Morning ferry to Mljet Island National Park (90 minute ride) and then bus and car to my accommodation in the fishing village of Soline...four apartments that are owned by David from London and his wife Gina from here. Beautiful location ... but no access to internet so no updates from here.....
15 September 2010 Wednesday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
Another sunny gorgeous day so walked another area of the city called Lapad where many of the hotels are located and the beaches....most mainland beaches are pebbles or stone slabs with the sandy beaches located on the islands...1244 islands of which 40some are inhabited.
14 September 2010 Tuesday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
A day to finally see Dubrovnik and relax on the beach....still heaps of tourists off the cruise ships....reminds me of Juneau!
13 September 2010 Monday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
Day tour to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina....absolutely wonderful....such interesting history of the destruction that occurred just a few years ago (1991-1995)...and then of the rebuilding!
12 September 2010 Sunday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
Day tour to Albania and Montenegro! An early start before 7am with Branko our guide. It was just me and Patrick from Washington DC in a car for beautiful drive along the Montenegro coast and then inland to Albania, a much poorer country, with wonderful walk along the walls of the fortress and then a walk around the city of Shkoder (birthplace of Mother Theresa)...more later when I have more time....just returned at 9pm.
11 September 2010 Saturday (Split to Dubrovnik Croatia)
On the ferry (more like a cruise ship the Marco Polo) through the islands south to Dubrovnik with a 6am departure......stopped at islands of Hvar and Korcula.....gorgeous sunny day although raining when we arrived in Dubrovnik.
10 September 2010 Friday (Split Croatia)
exploring the city....but not much walking in the morning as it was pouring down rain...but now the sun is back out! btw, you have to pay to pee in all of these countries and sometimes there is no attendant and you need exact change....ouch!
9 September 2010 Thursday (Zagreb to Split Croatia)
The currency here is Croatian Kuna....one dollar equals about 5.60 kuna.
It was about a six hour journey on the new "tilt" train to Split on the coast of the Adriatic Sea (it used to be over eight hours) where we passed very close to Bosnia....but heaps of tourists in this city of ancient ruins....and much warmer and humid but overcast.
8 September 2010 Wednesday (Zagreb Croatia)
After spending time booking my onward journey via train to Split and boat to Dubrovnik and boat to Bari Italy (and a good thing that I did because many are filling up fast), I walked for several hours on the pedestrian only streets of Zagreb....wonderful old and beautifully architected buildings and churches (wonderful ringing of the bells) and botanical gardens. I also needed to find a fix for my now broken rolling suitcase....the extension handle will not come out.....so stopped at a department store for a belt and there was a huge queue to purchase umbrellas! After early morning fog, it had rained a bit midday but nothing torrential ... and now the sun is shining again. Also a much needed haircut at less than $15(much less than that in the previous places that I have visited)! Listened to thunder and lightening and rain during the night.
7 September 2010 Tuesday (Munich Germany to Zagreb Croatia)
Deutsche Bahn train from Munich Germany to Zagreb Croatia via Austria and Slovenia (about 8 1/2 hours)...and just gorgeous ride through Austrian alps. Arrived in Zagreb at 5pm and spent a couple hours walking around the town...wonderful old buildings...will spend more time exploring tomorrow then train on Thursday to Split on the coast. I hope to find sun at the coast.....it was sunny when we departed Munich but then a bit of rain in Slovenia....still beautiful ride with very few folks on board. Met an interesting man from Ireland just doing a week in Germany and Austria (he got off in Salzburg) and a couple from San Diego doing the europass through Europe.
6 September 2010 Monday (Zurich Switzerland to Munich Germany)
Deutsche Bahn train from Zurich Switzerland to Munich Germany (about 4 1/2 hours) via Winterthur, St. Gallen, St. Margrethen, Bregenz, Lindau (island on Lake Constance/Bodensee where the train pulled in then backed out and continued on "backwards"), Memmingen, Buchloe, with arrival in Munich at 2:45pm. It was a very comfortable ride with two seats to myself. I have since walked for a few hours around Munich taking in all the sights with several thousand other visitors!
5 September 2010 Sunday (Zurich Switzerland)
Barbara is off to work today just until 2 and I am trying to finalize my travel plans in Croatia....we visited the Rheinfall today just north of here. This is the largest waterfall in Europe at 150m wide and 23m high near the village of Schaffhausen where the fortress of Munot is located.
4 September 2010 Saturday (Zurich Switzerland)
Barbara and I drove to Luzern for the day (less than one hour drive) to walk the old town and to wander the Saturday morning market on the river and to cross the Chapel Bridge (with paintings of Swiss history) over the Reuss River and to visit the carved lion war memorial ("dying lion of Luzern" hewn out of natural rock in memory of the heroic death of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuilleries in 1792)and to eat delicious pasta at Mama Leone's and to visit her parents in Hochdorf. Luzern has been voted as the fifth most popular tourism destination in the world in 2010 by tripadvisor!
3 September 2010 Friday (Basel to Zurich Switzerland)
Train from Basel to Zurich to visit my friend Barbara whom I had met on my travels in Africa in 1996 (then Monday train to Munich then Tuesday train to Zagreb)
2 September 2010 (Basel Switzerland)
Franzi and I had a great afternoon hike in the Jura Mountains near Basel for about five hours....a big train to Leistal then the little red train to Waldenburg then a bus to start the hike at the village of Langenbruck and a hike up for views of the Alps at Belchenfluh (1099 m) then back down to the village of Eptingen for return to Basel via bus and train.....many cows and sheep and farms and a bit of a run-in with one of the very large cows!
1 September 2010 (Battle UK via Paris to Basel Switzerland)
Off on the train today from Ashford via Paris to Basel.....and the sun is still shining! Eric drove me to Ashford International then boarded the very full (and very expensive) Eurostar train to Paris....I had a very uncomfortable seating arrangement at a table with three very noisy Frenchmen who never stopped talking (very loudly)....so I moved to the space between cars on a small bench...much quieter. I walked from Gare du Nord to Gare de l`est in Paris to board the now very comfortable SNCF train to Basel....not full and with seat to myself. Franzi (we met on my travels in Africa in 1999) met me at the station and we took a tram to her home then biked to the river Rhein (I rode her electric bike) for a picnic.....catching up and watching the sunset.
Four hour train from Trani to Roma to meet Jan on Wednesday for our travels in Sicily and Tunisia....several hour walkabout of the fountains of Rome with meal of pizza and gelato!
26 September 2010 Sunday (Trani Italy)
The sun has returned so enjoyed getting some sun at the beach. Not only are businesses closed from midday until 5, they are also closed all day on Sunday! And plus I have been seeing heaps of Twingos, the car that I owned when I lived in France in 1998!
25 September 2010 Saturday (Trani Italy)
Unfortunately, the rains have arrived but mostly sprinkles....I had initially stayed near the port over a rather noisy square and have now moved to lovely apartment right on the sea with the roar of the ocean to lull me to sleep....great visit to the castle....the last weekend is European Heritage days in 49 countries and the entry fees are waived.
24 September 2010 Friday (Trani Italy)
Katherine and I took the train to collect her car near her husbands work near Foggia (he is on work assignment here with Boeing) then drove to the small hilltop village of Sant Agata di Puglia....just wonderful.....after walking up through the village to the castle on the hill with great views, we enjoyed a delicious meal at a local restaurant.
23 September 2010 Thursday (Trani Italy)
Beautiful full moon on the harbor this early morning....lovely city on the water with old cathedral and castle....but could only find one internet place in town at 3 euro per hour.
22 September 2010 Wednesday (Bari to Trani Italy)
On the train again to Trani to visit with an artist friend Katherine Wright whom I had met at a Gallery Walk near Seattle when I was housesitting on Bainbridge Island last spring. She met me at the train station and we did short walk through the small town with great cappucino at local "bar"...if you stand and drink the price is about half! We then walked to her lovely place on top floor with views of the sea where she fixed a very Italian lunch for us and her two sons aged 14 and 18! Elton John is performing here this evening but gave it a miss at 300 euro per ticket.
21 September 2010 Tuesday (Bari Italy)
Exploring the old city of Bari on the coast.
20 September 2010 Monday (Mljet Island to Dubrovnik Croatia to Italy)
Sunny return to Dubrovnik from the island of Mljet (had a wonderful stay although the weather was not the best...they have these overcast windy days called Yugo that occurred) on the ferry catamaran Nona Ana and now on the bigger ferry from Dubrovnik Croatia to Bari Italy (nine hours).....overnight with a sleeper arriving Italy at 8am on Tuesday....and what craziness for boarding since the Italians have no idea what a queue is and all these crazy women kept running to the front...they were all returning from a pilgrimage at Medjugorje in Bosnia! I finally tried the local specialty of black risotto (cuttlefish) before I left Croatia...quite good.
16-20 September 2010 (Mljet Island National Park Croatia)
Morning ferry to Mljet Island National Park (90 minute ride) and then bus and car to my accommodation in the fishing village of Soline...four apartments that are owned by David from London and his wife Gina from here. Beautiful location ... but no access to internet so no updates from here.....
15 September 2010 Wednesday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
Another sunny gorgeous day so walked another area of the city called Lapad where many of the hotels are located and the beaches....most mainland beaches are pebbles or stone slabs with the sandy beaches located on the islands...1244 islands of which 40some are inhabited.
14 September 2010 Tuesday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
A day to finally see Dubrovnik and relax on the beach....still heaps of tourists off the cruise ships....reminds me of Juneau!
13 September 2010 Monday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
Day tour to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina....absolutely wonderful....such interesting history of the destruction that occurred just a few years ago (1991-1995)...and then of the rebuilding!
12 September 2010 Sunday (Dubrovnik Croatia)
Day tour to Albania and Montenegro! An early start before 7am with Branko our guide. It was just me and Patrick from Washington DC in a car for beautiful drive along the Montenegro coast and then inland to Albania, a much poorer country, with wonderful walk along the walls of the fortress and then a walk around the city of Shkoder (birthplace of Mother Theresa)...more later when I have more time....just returned at 9pm.
11 September 2010 Saturday (Split to Dubrovnik Croatia)
On the ferry (more like a cruise ship the Marco Polo) through the islands south to Dubrovnik with a 6am departure......stopped at islands of Hvar and Korcula.....gorgeous sunny day although raining when we arrived in Dubrovnik.
10 September 2010 Friday (Split Croatia)
exploring the city....but not much walking in the morning as it was pouring down rain...but now the sun is back out! btw, you have to pay to pee in all of these countries and sometimes there is no attendant and you need exact change....ouch!
9 September 2010 Thursday (Zagreb to Split Croatia)
The currency here is Croatian Kuna....one dollar equals about 5.60 kuna.
It was about a six hour journey on the new "tilt" train to Split on the coast of the Adriatic Sea (it used to be over eight hours) where we passed very close to Bosnia....but heaps of tourists in this city of ancient ruins....and much warmer and humid but overcast.
8 September 2010 Wednesday (Zagreb Croatia)
After spending time booking my onward journey via train to Split and boat to Dubrovnik and boat to Bari Italy (and a good thing that I did because many are filling up fast), I walked for several hours on the pedestrian only streets of Zagreb....wonderful old and beautifully architected buildings and churches (wonderful ringing of the bells) and botanical gardens. I also needed to find a fix for my now broken rolling suitcase....the extension handle will not come out.....so stopped at a department store for a belt and there was a huge queue to purchase umbrellas! After early morning fog, it had rained a bit midday but nothing torrential ... and now the sun is shining again. Also a much needed haircut at less than $15(much less than that in the previous places that I have visited)! Listened to thunder and lightening and rain during the night.
7 September 2010 Tuesday (Munich Germany to Zagreb Croatia)
Deutsche Bahn train from Munich Germany to Zagreb Croatia via Austria and Slovenia (about 8 1/2 hours)...and just gorgeous ride through Austrian alps. Arrived in Zagreb at 5pm and spent a couple hours walking around the town...wonderful old buildings...will spend more time exploring tomorrow then train on Thursday to Split on the coast. I hope to find sun at the coast.....it was sunny when we departed Munich but then a bit of rain in Slovenia....still beautiful ride with very few folks on board. Met an interesting man from Ireland just doing a week in Germany and Austria (he got off in Salzburg) and a couple from San Diego doing the europass through Europe.
6 September 2010 Monday (Zurich Switzerland to Munich Germany)
Deutsche Bahn train from Zurich Switzerland to Munich Germany (about 4 1/2 hours) via Winterthur, St. Gallen, St. Margrethen, Bregenz, Lindau (island on Lake Constance/Bodensee where the train pulled in then backed out and continued on "backwards"), Memmingen, Buchloe, with arrival in Munich at 2:45pm. It was a very comfortable ride with two seats to myself. I have since walked for a few hours around Munich taking in all the sights with several thousand other visitors!
5 September 2010 Sunday (Zurich Switzerland)
Barbara is off to work today just until 2 and I am trying to finalize my travel plans in Croatia....we visited the Rheinfall today just north of here. This is the largest waterfall in Europe at 150m wide and 23m high near the village of Schaffhausen where the fortress of Munot is located.
4 September 2010 Saturday (Zurich Switzerland)
Barbara and I drove to Luzern for the day (less than one hour drive) to walk the old town and to wander the Saturday morning market on the river and to cross the Chapel Bridge (with paintings of Swiss history) over the Reuss River and to visit the carved lion war memorial ("dying lion of Luzern" hewn out of natural rock in memory of the heroic death of the Swiss mercenaries at the Tuilleries in 1792)and to eat delicious pasta at Mama Leone's and to visit her parents in Hochdorf. Luzern has been voted as the fifth most popular tourism destination in the world in 2010 by tripadvisor!
3 September 2010 Friday (Basel to Zurich Switzerland)
Train from Basel to Zurich to visit my friend Barbara whom I had met on my travels in Africa in 1996 (then Monday train to Munich then Tuesday train to Zagreb)
2 September 2010 (Basel Switzerland)
Franzi and I had a great afternoon hike in the Jura Mountains near Basel for about five hours....a big train to Leistal then the little red train to Waldenburg then a bus to start the hike at the village of Langenbruck and a hike up for views of the Alps at Belchenfluh (1099 m) then back down to the village of Eptingen for return to Basel via bus and train.....many cows and sheep and farms and a bit of a run-in with one of the very large cows!
1 September 2010 (Battle UK via Paris to Basel Switzerland)
Off on the train today from Ashford via Paris to Basel.....and the sun is still shining! Eric drove me to Ashford International then boarded the very full (and very expensive) Eurostar train to Paris....I had a very uncomfortable seating arrangement at a table with three very noisy Frenchmen who never stopped talking (very loudly)....so I moved to the space between cars on a small bench...much quieter. I walked from Gare du Nord to Gare de l`est in Paris to board the now very comfortable SNCF train to Basel....not full and with seat to myself. Franzi (we met on my travels in Africa in 1999) met me at the station and we took a tram to her home then biked to the river Rhein (I rode her electric bike) for a picnic.....catching up and watching the sunset.
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