'Round The World

Off To The Volga

2009-09-03T05:08:00.002-07:00

We understand that we may not be able to get on the net during our Volga River Trip. It5 may be a bit before we are in contact asgain.

Lost in Moscow

2009-09-03T00:41:00.000-07:00

Red Square at night

Being lost in Moscow is like being lost in Oslo, except Moscow is a helluva lot bigger, there are a helluva lot more people and a helluva lot fewer of them speak English. Then there are the street signs written with cyrillic characters.

2009-09-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

In Stockholmn, the complete remains of the great ship Vasa, whose career lasted for 6 hours in 1628. It tipped over and sank on its maiden voyage. Something may have been wrong.

For us, it's on to Moscow.

More of Stockholm

2009-08-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

Never did find out what this building is, but it didn't know us either.

We found depictions of St. George to be abundant in Stockholm. Nobody told us how or why George and his favorite dragon made their way over from England, but who are we to argue with a fait accomplis.

Stockholm Arrival

2009-08-30T01:01:00.001-07:00

Very different from Oslo!
It's a complicated city. We think we can master it in a week or so. We leave in three days.

Oslo, without getting lost.

2009-08-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Maritime museum

A castle unlike any we have seen in Sarasota.

We were typical tourists on our last day in Oslo. Visited a couple of museums and a castle, rode the trolley and a ferry and tried to look like true Norwegians. We are sure we convinced many of our obvious Scandinavian heritage. On to Stockholm by train tomorrow.

Lost in Oslo

2009-08-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

Back in Oslo. One of the dog food manufacturers is obviously proclaiming the benefit of using its brand.
An advantage of getting lost is that it provides an opportunity to see parts of the city not ordinarily seen by mere tourists.

Coast of Norway6

2009-08-27T01:27:00.000-07:00

Small islands in a lacy pattern along the west of Norway

Exploring Norway's Fjords

2009-08-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

We were without Wi-Fi on the boat and so no blogs.

The fjords were beautiful as touted, but the surprise for us were the hundreds of waterfalls which are part of the whole scene.

The Big Boat

2009-08-23T03:36:00.000-07:00

Starting a boat trip today. Only three days, but it should be interesting (we hope.) We would like to see a fjord or two if they are big enough. We are heading to the arctic circle and hope the woolies Marge packed will keep us somewhat warm, but our Florida blood may have other ideas.

A Day in Bergen

2009-08-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Bergen, Norway's second city is attractive, but wet. We were told the story of the visitor to Bergen who asked a child, "Does it rain every day in Bergen?" The lad replied, "I don't know because I have only been alive for eleven years."

On To Bergen

2009-08-22T01:52:00.000-07:00

The best way for Floridians to see snow - from inside a warm train.

Around Oslo for a Day

2009-08-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

A quick day in Oslo (we'll be back.) Marge liked the abstract art piece, but was not thrilled by the huge park full of nude statues. The tiny car with its unique parking position seemed like the answer to Sarasota's parking problems.

Copenhagen

2009-08-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Copenhagen welcomed us appropriately. The outdoor cafes had red blankets on the chairs so that Floridians could wrap themselves up to stay watm and the busses had pictures of a python wrapped aro9nd them We felt at home.

Ready to Go!

2009-08-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

The luggage is packed and ready to go. Now, if we can also get ready to accompany the bags, all will be OK. That is still in some doubt.

Getting Ready for a cold time in 2009

2009-07-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

Plans are afoot…

We are off to Cleveland for family and old friends visiting. Then, on August 18^th we fly to Copenhagen to start our tour of some Scandinavian countries and Russia. As before we will try to do a daily post on things we like along the way. We will appreciate any tips on what not to miss in this area of the world. Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

2008-08-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

We are home. Thanks for traveling with us.

Love, Marge and Fred

Hong Kong - The End!

2008-06-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

This is the end of the trip since we leave for the US tomorrow. It is also the end of the blog. Incidentally, we found Hong Kong a fitting climax since it was far more interesting and captivating than we had expected.

Proper attire in a Hindu temple

2008-06-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

We went with a guide this morning and started by seeing a Balinese play that we didn’t understand even with a translation in English. Then we went to a factory for jewelry, which Marge understood all too well even without a translation. More sightseeing of beauty in the PM. Then on to our guide’s favorite temple for which we had to dress appropriately. When Fred saw how charming he looked in this outfit, (or so he thought,) it was difficult to restrain him from becoming a Hindu on the spot.

Beauty and the Beasts in Bali

2008-06-15T02:35:00.000-07:00

In anyone jumped to a foolish rash conclusion, we hasten to point out that the beasts being talked about are those on the beautiful wood carving.

Monkey farm in Bali

2008-06-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

We were impressed with the monkey reading the paper, but when we discussed it with her afterwards, we found she was strongly prejudiced with a Republican point of view. So we went to the others and hoped to find a good democrat, but all they wanted to do was eat eat and laze around rather being involved with politics.

2008-06-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

A last look at Thailand before we leave tomorrow with 3 pictures:.

Two charming Muslim girls from Malaysia with whom we shared an oxcart, a charming elephant who shared her girth with us, and a charming sign from a Buddhist temple that shares a universal sentiment.

2008-06-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

The last look at Thailand before we leave tomorrow with 3 pictures:.

Two charming Muslim girls from Malaysia with whom we shared an oxcart, a charming elephant who shared her girth with us, and a charming sign from a Buddhist temple that shares a universal sentiment.

Contrasting ideas in Thailand

2008-06-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

The contrasts of Thailand and of some visitors.

We went to a tour of a“Rose Garden” but didn’t realize until we got there that this is not the season for roses in Thailand. However, they gave us an interesting show, not of roses, but of Thai cultures. We still aren’t sure of the connection between an empty rose garden and Thai cultures, but this picture is the result. The next day we visited the spectacular ultra modern shopping center in the other picture, but we didn’t do any shopping. The Thais probably can’t see the connection between a shopping center and non-shoppers , so I guess we are even.

Newer Bangkok

2008-06-09T06:50:00.000-07:00

We find Bangkok to be a world unto itself. There is a great amount of modernity (as shown in the buildings in the picture) combined and overlaid with elements that are old and worn and everything is enmeshed by a pervasive Buddhism. We plan on spending several days in the city, trying to figure it out at least to a small degree.

We and the elephants

2008-06-05T05:10:00.000-07:00

We feel we have successfully battled the elephants to a standstill, but we may be in a little worse shape than the pachyderms after our encounters.

2008-06-04T05:49:00.000-07:00

Now in Chang Mai, Thailand, which I assumed Marge has been dreaming about visiting since her youth.

This is another temple, but the interesting thing about this is that the picture beside the Buddha is of the present king. He had to spend 30 days in a monastery in his youth, just as every Thai male does.

Tomorrow we go to grapple with the elephants

Bangkok at dust

2008-06-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

We are back in Bangkok. When we were first here a couple of weeks ago, we thought of it as a city of complete pandemonium. After our days with the traffic catastrophe that is Hanoi, Bangkok now seems almost tranquil and serene..

The perils of Hanoi

2008-06-01T02:05:00.000-07:00

Traffic in Hanoi outdoes it all. Those who know say there are two ways of crossing a major thoroughfare. The first is to go half way and pray. The second is to go half way, shut your eyes, and then pray. The streets are one continuous Near Death Experience. That applies even to walkers because the sidewalks are so jammed with parked cars, motorbikes, and vendors that it is frequently necessary to walk in the street.

More beauty in Vietnam

2008-05-31T19:17:00.000-07:00

Vietnam has problems, of course, but great beauty also. Tourism is up and they are awaiting even greater growth in the near future. More visitors are expected especially from China, which borders this country, but also from Europe and the U.S.

A mountain road

2008-05-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

We went to the top of the mountain in a National Park here in Vietnam.If you look closely at the picture you will see a faint line weaving and turning. That is the road as it twists its way up the hill. Interestingly, to say the least, it is a one lane road with shear cliff drop offs, and traffic goes both ways. Fortunately, we didn’t meet more than a small number of other cars going down as we were going up, and we made it to the top to take this picture, Perhaps even more fortunately, we made it back down. Thus you can see the picture and some of the beauty of Vietnam.

Harvesting rice in Vietnam.

2008-05-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

Among other interesting features of Vietnam is that they are the third largest exporter of rice in th world. We wonder what will happen when technology and their rice get together.

Prominence in HoiAn.

2008-05-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

We flew north to DaNang and were transported to the charming seaside resort of HoiAn. Among its features is a female god. Feminism is obviously alive and well.

A street in Saigon

2008-05-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

Saigon is likable with many charms. They told us that there are 8 million people in the city and 4 million bikes. We don't understand how they came up with that small figures for the bikes.

Sidelights of Cambodia

2008-05-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

These are pictures that only hint at the interesting diversity of parts of Cambodia. People from both pictures have to leave for several months during the monsoon season. The ones who live on the houseboats are apparently among those who are well-to-do financially because they can sell the fish, which they harvest in abundance. There are sharp contrast in the country between rich and poor. In Siem Reap, expensive condos are being built (and sold.) We didn't get to the national capital, which those in the outskirts dismiss as just another big city.

Cambodia!

2008-05-22T21:27:00.000-07:00

Cambodia is intriguing, fascinating, and different, different, and different - perhaps the most different place we have ever been. More photos of differences to follow tomorrow.

Angkor Wat. Cambodia

2008-05-22T01:26:00.000-07:00

Angkor Wat is humungus and impressive, and it has been around for a thousand years. We assumed while looking at it that we'll all be around a thousand years from now to check on the buildings in Sarasota, and we wonder how they will be.

Orchids in Bangkok

2008-05-19T22:17:00.001-07:00

No problem with the compouter this time. It was our miscalculation and we lost the picture. We'll try again tomorrow from Cambodia.

Bangkok

2008-05-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

People in Bangkok assure us that our new friend standing behind us had a sweet, cherubic smile before he spotted the essentials of modern living in the other picture. Either he didn't like them, or he is upset that he can't enjoy them. Who knows which.

From Athens

2008-05-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Once again, our beloved computer has developed problems and problems. So no picture from Athens. Everybody has seen pictures of the Acropolis and the Parthenon where we spent the last two days, so no great loss. It's on to Bangkok tomorrow with a nine hour overnight flight. We will write (and maybe have a picture) from Bangkok.

The Island of Delos

2008-05-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

The ruins on Delos are older than those of Pompeii. After reaching this point at the top, we felt older ourselves than either. Back to Athens tomorrow.

Mykonos

2008-05-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

Mykonos is beautiful, but it is primarily a resort area, which is not quite our style. We are going to Delos tomorrow by boat to see the ruins. We have asked the cruise company to ship us back to Athens for the rest of the week, which ought to be interesting, assuming they will go along with the idea.

Cruise Ship

2008-05-11T07:17:00.001-07:00

“The best laid plans of mice and men oft gang somewhere else.” We flew from Naples to Athens to catch our boat for the weeklong cruise. A traffic jam held us up on the way from the airport to the port. We eventually got there, but with less than two hours to spare before the boat left. However, we couldn’t find the dock for the boat. We asked numerous people, got many suggestions for finding the correct dock, but no boat. Finally, after an hour of searching, and getting perilously close to departure time, we went to the port authority. They had never heard of the boat! Oh, my gosh! We were in Athens, Greece, and had been scammed.

After the authorities searched through their records at greater length, they finally found the boat’s name but said it obviously wasn’t there. They searched further and managed to come up with a phone number. With pity upon two despairing, bedraggled and exhausted foreigners, they called the company and there was an English speaker who gave us another phone number of someone in Athens. After another call or two, we found the boat trip had been cancelled because of mechanical problems. They had tried to contact us, but we had already left on this trip. The boat company seemed apologetic and offered us a compromise: they would refund what we had paid for the cruise, would give us a free ticket for a future cruise, would pay the cost of our trip from Naples to Athens and would give us plane tickets to Mykanos and pay our hotel there for a week. So here we are.

Herculanium

2008-05-09T02:28:00.000-07:00

At Herculaneum as seen in the picture, Marge made it plain she was of the same caliber as the guy up on the marble pedestal, and expected the same deference by others. Since that poses obvious problems for another member of the family, it is time to go elsewhere. We leave tomorrow for a boat out of Athens with no more Roman rulers who might inspire her.

Capri

2008-05-07T23:12:00.001-07:00

We visited the Isle of Capri yesterday. If you love beautiful scenery, are enthralled by masses of tourists and enjoy looking out over sheer and petrifying cliffs, Capri is the place to be. We achieved 33% success on that agenda.

Pompeii

2008-05-06T23:25:00.001-07:00

Pompeii is huge and it took us two full days to give it any kind of a look over. We were reminded of Joe Bflstk. For those of you who are to young to remember Joe Bflstk, he was the cartoon character who always had a black cloud hanging over him. Pompeii had a major earthquake in 62 AD and 17 years later it was finally recovering when Vesuvius erupted. Good old Joe Bflstk.

Sorrento from Above

2008-05-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

A glorious view from our first hotel in Sorrento. The only difficulty was that we had to go up over hairpin curves with sheer drops and Italian drivers coming the other way. As a consequence, we decided that being down in the city without a view had certain consolations for our nervoius system.

Train To Sorrento

2008-05-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

Naples is an intriguing city, a little rough around the edges, but with many charms. Marge has even discovered a potentially new spot for her art. We'll just need to find some railroad cars in Sarasota.

Mt. Vesuvius

2008-05-03T09:58:00.000-07:00

We didn't get to Pompeii today as we had planned, but we did see the archeological museum which was great. Barring an unexpected explosion of Vesuvius or of Marge, we should (might) get to Pompeii tomorrow. However, we are also planning on moving to Sorrento tomorrow, so who knows?

Beach at Nice, France

2008-05-02T11:40:00.001-07:00

We arrived today in Naples and found it to be a beautiful spot on Naples Bay.

We had forgotten one picture from Nice that you may find surprising.
Can you imagine? The sunbathers at the beach in the center of Nice bring their bicycles right with them on the beach!

On to Pompeii or Herculaneum tomorrow.

2008-04-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately for everybody who has been waiting to see the picture of the 180mph train taken from another 180 mph, the computer said it was too fast for it. So in its place we have put the much slower window from the Matisse chapel in Vence. We have found Vence to be charming and tomorrow we go to Nice to see a couploe of museums and then take the overnight train to Naples.

Paris Flowers

2008-04-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

We came from Paris to Nice by High Speed train. For those of you who have never seen a picture of a train going 180 mph(?) taken from another train going 180 mph (?) in the opp0site direction, you have a great treat coming. But you will have to wait until tomorrow (more computer problems.) In the interim, some more pretty flowers, taken by guess whom.

Luxemburg Gardens, Paris

2008-04-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our last full day in Paris in the Spring, which we spent at Montmarte and the Luxemburg Gardens. Tomorrow, on to Vence and Matisse's work at a Chapel there. We are scheduled to take a cruise out of Athens on May 10, but everything from Vence to Athens is up for grabs, except that we will go to Naples from Vence and spend a couple of days seeing Pompeii and Herculaneum. If anyone has suggestions for other places, please send them on.

The Eiffel Tower at Night

2008-04-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

We started at the Louvre this morning and then followed the suggestion that came yesterday and had a late lunch at Pompidou followed by a journey through several of the galleries there. The Louvre is magnificent and huge, but the Pompidou has more of the art that Marge appreciates. We ended the day seeing the Eiffel at night, and thus the picture. We decided today that we are glad we are taking this trip at an early age because it would be more difficult if we were twenty-five years older.

2008-04-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

We missed an entry on the blog yesterday because of another cataclysmic computer catastrophe. Marge has missed some of the most magnificent computer repair shops in Europe with her fascination and concentration on art.

Versailles was great, and we will finally get to see the Louvre tomorrow.

Paaris Tour

2008-04-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

We did all kinds of touristy things today including a Seine boat ride, lunch looking at the Arc de Triomphe, seeing the Eiffel Tower and getting lost in all parts of the town despite maps, maps, and more maps. It is discouraging that when we show the maps to the Parisians and try to ask where we are, they not only don't understand our feeble French, but they don't seem to be aware of what we think the maps are trying to show. Nonetheless, we did manage to reach the Rodin museum (most interesting) and will try to find our way to Versailles tomorrow. If there is no message here for a few days, be aware that getting to and from Versailles was more complicated than expected.

Paris Museum

2008-04-22T10:25:00.001-07:00

Today, a trip to the Museum d'Orsay, as in the picture. Fred was amazed by the length of the line to get in, which was longer than any line he had ever seen. Strangely, Marge found the art to be of greater interest than the size of the line. Do you think that these two with such different viewpoints will ever be a ble to make it around the world together?

Paris 1

2008-04-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

After a high speed ride, we made it to Paris from
Brussels in just over an hour. Paris weather cooperated well and our first few hours of walking around were enjoyable, and we were unanimous (unlike our usual 50.00001% to 49.99999% voting) that we really like the town thus far.
Thanks Simplicitus for the suggestions and we are always looking for more in all the places we will be visiting.

Brugge

2008-04-21T00:48:00.000-07:00

We went to the charming and ancient city of Brugge yesterday where the buildings are older than those in most of Sarasota.. Now today it is on to the ancient city of Paris. The weather yesterday was somewhat warm (not by Sarasota's standards) but rain is predicted for today. We have decided that we should have come to Europe about one week later, but that seems to be an error that is difficult to correct at this point.

2008-04-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

This was just before she pushed me into the canal. Obviously, too much togetherness already.

On to Brussells tomorrow. If anyone has any suggestions about Brussels or Bruge (?) or Paris (on Monday) let us know.

Tulips and Us.

2008-04-17T10:12:00.001-07:00

Tulips

Day 2 Museums in Amsterdam

2008-04-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Just to let you know about our current disasters. The first is that one of us dropped the computer, which explains why there has been no blog until now. (We have agreed not to mention who dropped it nor what his name is, but the machine has now been repaired) The second calamity is that the temperature has not gotten above 55 and our Florida blood did not realize temperatures ever got down that low. Strangely, the folks in Amserdam go about as if this were not not a hopeless situation. That climate problem has not been rectified. The nuseums have fascinated Marge and even Fred feels they are interesting. The attached picture is the entrance to the Rijksmuseum. Marge's jet oag alloowed her t9 fall asleep looking at one of the materpieces on our first day here.

The Day Before

2008-04-12T13:50:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we GO

The bags are almost packed. The three you see are going with us. They are not very large but I have packed lots of soap!

We will be in Amsterdam for one week. more or less. There will be visions of Van Gogh and tulips dancing in my head. Who knows what will be dancing in Fred's head.

Then on to Paris on the 21st.

Up Up and Away!

The Plan

2008-03-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

The Big Picture

Our Current Path

Sarasota - Amsterdam - Paris - Nice - Naples - Sicily - Athens- Greek Isles - Bangkok- Cambodia - Viet Nam - Laos - Thailand - Bali - Hong Kong - San Francisco - Home

Many of the zigs and zags are in the planning. Some are nailed down by
reservations. Others will happen when we get there.

Request to all our traveler friends: Please tell us about what not to miss in any of the areas along our path. Share your knowledge and experience. We need the all the help we can get.

2008-02-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

Around The World in 80 Days...More Or Less

Maps, Guide Books, Videos and all manner of travel aids are cluttering our home and filling our heads with visions of exotic and fun places to see and experience. One fact for this post. We will leave for Amsterdam on Sunday, April 13, 2008. An itinerary is in the making (and remaking and revising and expanding). We'll post it soon.