Helen and John's European Adventure - Part 2

We managed to navigate out of Prague without any major setbacks and then the TomTom device kicked in at the Austrian border. Our departure was early enough that we arrived in Salzburg with daylight to spare. We stayed at the actual house, not the "Sound Of Music" version, of the von Trapp family. Our room for the night would be Liesl's room. Christopher immediately told us the name was not correct, that Hollywood changed the child’s name from Marie and that in fact a son was the oldest child in the family. One of the many changes made to ump up the story telling. We were informed of a local restaurant and how to get to the city center, so we started the 15 to 20 walk we were told it would be to the restaurant and then from there a bus would take us to the city. But, we only made it 3 minutes when we were crossing the train stop, when a young girl of 16 asked us for help. She was lost, and needed to get to a particular stop to catch a train back home, in Slovenia! We momentarily looked at the map and information board, but when her eyes got a little watery I suggested she walk back with us to where we were staying. Our hosts would know for sure how to direct her. And in one sentence, Christopher gave her all she needed to know, drying up her eyes and forming a smile on her face! We walked back to the train stop together where she remained, as Helen and I continued on our walk to the restaurant, which was probably more like 30 minutes away than 20. It was dusk by the time we reached the restaurant, with rush hour traffic filling the road beside us. We had some good Austrian food along with the usual European spotty service. Our female server seemed to get reassigned to or became responsible for another section of the restaurant, because when it was time to pay the bill she was never in our section. But we managed that and also received bus information to get to the city, which turned out to be only 4 stops away from the stop near the restaurant. Probably a shorter walk to the city from the restaurant than the walk to it from where we were staying! Salzburg was pretty quiet when we got there, but we walked around and checked out what we could and made some pictures. We returned to the train stop via bus and turned in for the night. The next morning we had breakfast, packed the car in a steady drizzle and drove to the city, parking in an underground garage. We walked around on a chilly, wet morning. Luckily as the morning gave way to the afternoon the rain subsided and the day became mild. After we strolled through the older part of the city we went up to the castle, purchasing 2 tickets to enter. We spent the rest of our time in Salzburg here, as there was much to see. We left around 4pm on the slightly over 3-hour drive to Venice, where we would be spending 2 nights. Helen was a "snapping fool", alternating between camera and phone taking pictures of the Italian Alps as we crossed into Italy. I have now crossed the Alps from Salzburg, Zurich, and Munich, and I must say it is a gorgeous experience every time. It was night when we pulled into Mestre, which is the closest city before going out to Venice. I had a little trouble, with road construction causing some tension, but we made it close to our hotel until there seemed to be an issue with a one-way route that we couldn't take. I parked the car on a side street and walking just a few minutes found the hotel. We parked around the back and checked in. Wasn't entirely impressed with the property, but I've seen and stayed in worse places. English was completely foreign to the man at the front desk, so we stumbled through the process and went to the room. Uninspiring but clean, we unpacked and crashed for the night intent on getting an early start. The slideshow for Salzburg is at http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/92bcddbfd15e44baa3e33ada94556745?wf=slideshow

Helen and John's European Adventure - Part 1

My sister Helen came from Tallahassee, Florida, arriving in Amsterdam a little after 9am on the 9th of October. Her stay was to be 3 weeks, with a little more than 2 of those weeks spent on a road trip circuit through Europe. Not wanting to waste any time, we headed directly to Rothenburg, Germany right from Schiphol airport. She was remarkably fresh from her overnight flight, having gotten plenty of sleep after taking a melatonin tablet. The first adventure I provided to her was to run out of gas on a German highway! Yea!! What fun!!! Let me set the table for this unique opportunity I was gracious enough to provide for my dear sister. Our lease car has a dashboard readout, and "kilometers left in the tank" is just one of the displays you can see above your speedometer. We're driving along, and I observe the readout indicates 100 kilometers are left in the tank. Now, the lowest I have ever taken it was to 50 kilometers on one of my solo trips. So, I figure we're doing pretty good but should start considering a stop. The readout also details outside conditions, and I noticed the temperature readout was 7c below zero with icy conditions! Well, it was actually closer to 20c degrees and partly sunny! I look again at the readout and see the information change from 100 kilometers to 40! Helen sees this too. So, a road sign indicates a rest stop is up ahead and I decide that's where we will fill up. So Helen and I are engaged in a conversation and before I know it I'm passing the rest stop! Now I'm as concerned as Helen has been, because the low fuel light is on steady. And then the 40 kilometers left in the tank sign disappears, and it's replaced with dashes!!! We come up on an exit from the highway and it seems there's a gas station right off the highway. But, there's a huge backup of vehicles waiting to take the exit. I'm trying to figure how hard it will be to get back on the highway if I take this exit as we're passing this extremely long line of stopped cars waiting to take the exit. Right when we get to where the exit peels off the highway, there is a slight space that I could hit the brake, dash over to and squeeze in - - but I don't due to it being a jackass move. Of course Helen is telling me to take it, but I drive on, hoping for another exit. Well, you obviously know the outcome. We're driving, both of us tense as hell, and eventually the car starts hesitating. Done. Game over. I can't apologize enough for the bone-headed start to this trip! I coast the car as long as I can, but don't you know through all the kilometers of driving with a wide shoulder next to us, now there's no place to pull off to the side. We pass an exit, and Helen suggests taking it. But I say I would rather stay on the highway as we have a better chance of getting assistance that way. So, no shoulder to pull off onto and now we are going up a slight hill! Emergency blinkers on and I'm pushing the car on the highway to get to an area ahead with a shoulder. Fun, right? Not 3 minutes later a police car comes up from behind, as cars are making their way around us. An officer gets out and I tell him what happened. He actually asks, "Why did you run out of gas?" I gave him the only answer I could: "Because it's my turn to be an idiot." They towed us to a gas station less than 5 kilometers away, where we filled up and were on our way after several thank yous and hand shakes. We lost less than 30 minutes from that stupidity, and so lucky to have them show up when they did. I was thinking it was going to take a while to get us back on the road as the engine cut off, but we lucked out. First adventure in the books, but I managed to keep that adventure an isolated one! Our first stop (other than the unscheduled one just detailed) was in the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. It is one of the finest preserved walled medieval towns in Europe dating back to 1170. This was my 3rd visit, and I always enjoy walking the streets and now the familiarity I feel as I turn corners and recognize where I am. We checked in, and Walter assured us it was a romantic room. As my full-body cringe wore off I explained that we were brother and sister so any concerns with romance were wasted on us. I needed to ask a question of Walter, so I walked back to the reception area in the other building where we had checked in, but Walter was located in yet a 3rd building and walked over to us when we summoned him on the intercom. This was a slightly inconvenient set up as we needed to have some answers to questions but reception wasn't staffed after a certain time. But we managed best we could and made use of the daylight left to us. It was enjoyable for me to see Helen observe her first European setting, and it being Rothenburg, which looks centuries old and like no other place she had ever visited, made the experience even more rich. We decided to join the night watchman walking tour, which I had not done on either of my previous visits. It was informative and entertaining, as the man who played the night watchman had a great delivery and sense of humor. We walked and listened for over an hour, and if you ever find yourself in Rothenburg I highly suggest joining this tour. We walked along much of the wall the next morning and into the afternoon coming upon places I don't recall ever seeing. We visited shops and had a bite to eat before reluctantly starting our 3 1/2 hour drive to Prague around 3pm. Leaving was a little tough, as it was already closing a chapter on this story too soon. The drive to Prague was tricky; especially once we got into the city because the navigation device had maps for Western Europe only, so now entering Eastern Europe we were working with written directions from Google Maps. The darkness made it more difficult, as street signs were harder to see, especially when they weren't present! There is a difference in efficiency between GPS devices and using directions, which impacts the length of time the trip takes, as we made stops to ask for clarity in our directions and wrong turns (of which there were quite a few). I pulled over into a spot on the street at one point because neither of us was sure of our next direction. I called the hotel, and was informed, "You are right around the corner." I walked up the street 30 seconds and at the intersection I saw the hotel right across the street! Problem was, the streets were one-way. After trying the "legal" route, which did not get us there, I came back and shot down the 30 meters in the wrong direction to the hotel. I had to confirm no trams were coming, as they traveled in the same direction as the one-way traffic. Helen was really good at reading the directions. We got hung up sometimes due to missing signs, a road not where we expected it to be, and things like that. Otherwise, we managed quite well. And once we left Prague in 2 days, we would put GPS back in charge. We parked the car and there it stayed for 2 days as we took the public transportation into the city. Prague is a beautiful city with many settings to immerse oneself in. One of my favorite cities in Europe, its well-aged atmosphere sparkles with history. Comfortable walking shoes are a necessity in most European cities, and Prague sets a good example of that rule. There’s so much to enjoy just walking around from one side of the river to the other. Prague Castle and Golden Lane, Charles Bridge, Old Town Square with St. Nichola´s and Tyn churches, the Astronomical Clock and the Old Town Hall, and St. Vitus Cathedral are some of the sights to enjoy when visiting this great city, and we hit these places on a day with fantastic weather. We bought tickets for a string concert the first evening, which was a great treat and reminded us both of the symphonic concerts we would go to as children back in Florida and fight off the urge to fall asleep, as the music was so soothing. The next morning after breakfast we drove on to our next destination 6 hours away: Salzburg, Austria. The slideshow for this post is at http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/68cd29437a9a4394a4e385642a6aa145/slideshow

Poland - Land of My Mother - Part 2

I'm driving to Warsaw, wanting to get there before nightfall to make it easier to find the hotel. It was about 6pm when I was 30 kilometers away from the hotel in Warsaw, roughly 20-45 minutes depending on traffic. I was driving on a divided highway moderately populated with vehicles traveling around 100kph, as was I. Along a slightly wooded area with a few buildings and side streets, a man stepped out off the side of the road with what appeared to be a ping pong/table tennis paddle. He was moderately gesturing with it in a motion that meant, "slow down" to me, and brake lights came on all around me. Several kilometers down the road a motorcycle cop rolls up beside and with his lights on. So, I pull over and he stops in front of me. Walking over to me, he speaks in Polish, obviously, and of course I tell him I don't speak the language. He asks for my license, which I give to him and he drives off, but stops about 50 meters in front of me and looks back at me. So, I take that as "follow me, you dumb ass" and drive up to where he is. We make a u-turn and head back to where the guy with the paddle was standing, but now I see there are about a half dozen police there, 2 or 3 motorcycles and a couple of cars. I can recognize what this is no matter what country I'm in - Speed Trap. Out of all the cars in the group I was traveling in that were going the same speed, I'm the one the hunted down and brought back. I honestly didn't know what the problem was, because as I just wrote we were all traveling at the same rate, I had made no lane changes, nothing obviously wrong with the car. So, a lot of Polish being directed in my direction and the old guy with the paddle was especially agitated with me (join the club). I simply said I have no idea what you are saying. Eventually a cop came over who spoke limited English, and through trial and error he told me the speed limit where they are standing is 50kph and there's a fine for going over that, and a fine for not stopping when I was waved at with the paddle (which explained grandpa's anger at me because obviously he takes his paddle work quite seriously). I told the semi-English speaking cop I didn't see any change in the speed limit as I was traveling along with everyone else, and I had no idea that the paddle gestures meant for me alone to stop. I didn't even recognize the guy holding the paddle to be wearing a uniform, as he popped out at the last moment as the group of cars traveled by. No matter according to the cop. I am to pay something like a 1000 Zloty fine (€230/$320), 500 for speeding and 500 for not stopping. When I told them I did not have that they said no problem they would take me to an ATM. I requested a ticket be written and they dragged their heels on that. As I began to shift from ignorance of what happened, to apologetic for the misunderstanding, and then anger at the attempt at extortion, the mood changed. I called the hotel to inform them I would be late, and explained what was happening. The man at the hotel said what the sops were doing was not right and I should contact my embassy. He provided the number and I started placing calls, first getting London and finally making contact with the American Consul in Poland. While all of this was going on my new police friends were looking at their watches and saying time was going by. I said I was in no hurry, which was true because I didn't have to pick Radhika up at the airport until 10pm. An hour went by as I walked around, leaned on the trunk of my car, and kept the cell phone to my ear. Another cop who could speak good English was called out, and he spoke good English. He covered the same ground that the other cop did, and I responded with what I had already expressed. He told me I should know all the traffic laws of the countries I visit. I told him I seriously doubt he would know ALL of the traffic rules and regulations of the USA if he were to visit there. I also informed him that I have driven all over Europe and have had no difficulties (other than my flinger-flipping incident in Belgium which conveniently slipped my mind). In Poland, they have a sign rectangular in shape, which shows the silhouette of the skyline of a city. I understood that to be an entering a "city limit" sign, because there was another almost exactly like it however it had a slash through it, and it was always located when it looked like you were leaving a city. But in fact, that sign means the speed limit is 50kph. The cop asked me if Amsterdam or the US had the same sign. I said "No! They are silly that way. For some reason the just post the numerical digit of what the speed limit is. I have not seen this sign anywhere outside of Poland." He was surprised. So much went back and forth between these two cops and me. I became more obstinate as the minutes ticked away, and at one point said how unfair and underhanded their tactics were. When I finally made contact with the American Consul and brought her up to speed, the cop said he didn't want to talk to her. By now, it was getting dark, and as much as I hate mosquitoes I was loving the fact that these guys were constantly fighting off these especially aggressive pests. By now, they had pretty much wrapped up their little enterprise, and most of the cops were huddled in my area or ducked into cars to avoid the pesky little blood suckers. I made a strong effort to slowly and nonchalantly wave away any mosquitoes in my area to project they weren't too much of a concern to me. Anyway, I asked the cop why he was afraid to talk to her. He said he wasn't afraid, but it was due to her inability to speak Polish. I asked her, and she said of course she speaks fluent Polish. I informed the cop, and he had no recourse but to take the phone from me. They spoke for a brief time, he handed the phone back to me, and she said I could leave. I asked her what she said to him, and it was the exact same things I had said to him. I paused my conversation with her, thanked them and apologized for the misunderstanding, and they all smiled and asked me to drive with care, and then resumed my conversation with her for a few minutes more. The cops, cars, and motorcycles were gone within 30 seconds. The realization that there was no money coming from me, their impatience, the mosquitoes, or a combination of all 3 caused a hasty retreat. I thanked her for her help and called the hotel to say I was on my way. Confirming my concerns, finding the hotel under darkness was difficult. Calling the hotel and getting step-by-step directions was not efficient, so I told the guy I would just keep him on the line until I was on site. Closed roads and construction which did not appear on the map made it extremely difficult on my own, and one of the last directions I received by the hotel was to ignore the sign that indicates you cannot drive down this road, because it is the only way to get to our hotel!! So, I parked the car, checked in and put my luggage in the room, and then took a cab to the airport to pick-up Radhika, as I was done driving for the day! David, the guy at the hotel who provided such excellent support received a well-deserved gratuity from me!! The next day we did a full day of sightseeing in Warsaw, and really enjoyed the city. We received several "advisories" of even "warnings" about Poland (the roads are in bad shape) and Warsaw (quite boring and mostly new because more than 80% was destroyed by the Germans in WWII). Outside of the first 40 to 60 kilometers after crossing into Poland from Germany in the south, which were completely terrible and allowed for a max speed of about 40kph, the rest of the roads weren't much different than roads in Amsterdam. And we really enjoyed Warsaw and would recommend a visit to anyone considering it. The next day we drove to Lublin to visit that small city farther east and it's Majdanek Concentration Camp. We enjoyed that city too, and the camp was an interesting experience. Our hotel was a bit of a disappointment, as any information they seemed to provide to us was wrong. But we stuffed ourselves with many varieties of pierogies, potato pancakes, and Polish beer and had a good time. We went back to Warsaw the next morning, arriving in the afternoon and sightseeing that evening and part of the next day until mid-afternoon, when I drove Radhika to the airport for her flight to Amsterdam. I immediately hit the road, expecting to stop somewhere near the Polish-German border east of Berlin, which is what came to be. However, not before encountering the worst rainstorm I remember from recent memory. Florida can dish out some heavy water in the summer, and I recall one way back in '84-'85 in Indiana with a girlfriend, but this one was at night, visibility seemed to be feet if not inches. The sound of the pounding rain and wind was deafening. I could see by the illumination of the headlights that the wind was blowing the rain horizontally at times! Vehicles were off to the side, emergency blinkers on, under bridges, and this was no flash rainstorm. It lasted for a very long time. You would drive for a while after it let up for a moment, and then start pounding the car in the blink of an eye. I made it to the first hotel, one that was on my list to consider when I came upon it probably somewhere around 9:30pm. Not the ideal place, but not so bad either. Logistically it was just what I wanted, only a few minutes from Germany where the navigation would take over and direct me back to Amsterdam when I left in the morning. And that's exactly what happened. I slid through Germany on their great highway system without too many delays (roads are always being repaired in Germany and if you're not caught in a backup you are very lucky) and made it to Amsterdam in the late afternoon. Another adventure came to a close.

Poland - Land Of My Mother - Part 1

We had visited Portugal back in April, and what a terrific place that was! I'm half Portuguese from my Father's side of the family, as my grandfather came to the United States around the turn of the 20th Century. My Mom's father came from Poland at about that same time. I drove to Portugal, and I drove to Poland. I left Amsterdam early in the morning at the end of August. I drove straight towards Krakow, as my first stop would be Auschwitz and Birkenau. My Navigation device did not have maps for Eastern Europe, so I used Google Maps to get around, and that worked pretty well. I also bought a map on my first refueling once inside Poland. I got an early start on my first full day, and as suggested by what I read online I went to Birkenau first, getting there by 10am. The size of the place is the first thing that impacted me, and many of the buildings have long crumbled away. The stories and information provided add to the experience and your understanding. I was there most of the day and for the first hours I didn't see many other visitors. Not until after noon did visitors in significant numbers come into the camp. All of my pictures are void of people, which I feel add a feeling of emptiness to them. I don't feel the need to go into detail, because I thought many things as I walked around, absorbed the place as it is today, imagining it full of people 70 years ago, and making images along the way. I have my thoughts and feelings about these types of places, and instead of trying to convey those here, I believe it's best for people to go to these places themselves, if they can, and cultivate their own thoughts and feelings. I got to Auschwitz at 4pm, having spent almost 6 hours at Birkenau, and I'm glad I saw these 2 places in this particular order. Auschwitz is small and compact...mostly a collection of brick buildings. The information, media presentations, and displays are much more numerous here, and reading all of this material can take more time than it takes to walk the entire grounds and see everything at Birkenau. I had limited time at Auschwitz and admit to being wiped out from my 6 hours at Birkenau, and could not read everything at Auschwitz. But there are interesting exhibits and displays, from daily life depictions, how new arrivals were processed, an entire building devoted to Dutch prisoners, etc. I left Auschwitz at 6pm a very tired man, and still had to drive to my next destination. By the time I got there, it was dark and the hotel didn't seem to be where the map said it should be. I stopped at a house near where I thought the hotel should be, and this nice, older Polish woman who spoke no English tried her best to gesture where I needed to go when I showed her the name of the hotel. I thanked her and backed out and onto the short stretch of road, making a left onto the main road I was on originally and after 50 meters saw lights on my right past some trees and then a big, nicely lit sign. I just turned in thinking I would ask for more directions, but then noticed the sign on the building and smiled, as it was my home for the night. I was in Zakopane, the southwestern part of Poland which is very mountainous and a big winter ski area. It was a matter of convenience concerning the geographical areas I would visit on this trip. Convenience concerning driving distances and most importantly I wanted to visit the area where it's thought my Mom's father had lived before coming to the United States. That area is around two very small towns named Bobowa and Jankowa, and they were due north between Zakopane and Warsaw where I would meet up with Radhika in two days. Zakopane is a really nice region and the people seemed friendly, although little English is spoken. There were many other tourists around, by my estimation mostly Poles, shopping and enjoying the atmosphere in the town. I had potato pancakes and pierogies...in Poland! For me, that was cool. And they were tasty!! From Zakopane, I wanted to find a location that was convenient for driving through the area where it's thought my grandfather came from, which I would drive through the next day. Looking at the map I chose a place to stay in a small town called Krynica-Zdrój. It was a brand new place, just opened, so it was a pleasant surprise and stay, as I didn't know it had just been built and opened. The town was small and charming, with hills and forests around it which made for great walks and some good photography. There wasn't a restaurant nearby the evening I arrived, so the man on duty asked if I like potato soup. I said I did, and he prepared a delicious bowl of it, along with a tasty dessert and ice-cold bottle of Polish beer! I ate in the dining area with 80's American music playing on the sound system (Europe loves the 80's!). The next morning I began my daylong drive north to Warsaw, stopping at the small towns Bobowa and Jankowa, which were less than an hour away. There was not much there to see - farmland, railroad tracks, a very small general store (they had Pepsi Twist though!), and what looked like a plumbing supply store. I brought considerable interest with my Dutch plates, dark complexion, and cameras slung off my shoulders. The kids on bicycles brought a smile, following me and being intensely curious about this outsider. It was nice to walk around, say hello to the people, breathe the air, see everything with my own eyes, but beyond that I can't say I accomplished much by going there, not that I had any real expectations in the first place. I drove on after a while, following the crude map I had drawn and using the purchased map. It wasn't long before I came upon a road construction site. I had seen road signs, indicating the towns that were up ahead, but there were X's of black tape crossing out the names, so I thought to myself there might be an issue waiting for me. And there surely was. The road upon which I was traveling was dug up and construction crews and heavy equipment were busily working. A man came out of a construction trailer and waved at me. I stopped as he came over and I rolled down my window. He said something in Polish and it was quickly determined the road was closed. It was looking like this could be a serious delay for me. I showed him my map and asked how I could get to the spot I was pointing at. He exchanged a few words with the guys near the site, and then they moved barricades and I understood them to tell me to keep going straight. After several thank you's for letting me go through, I saw where I was on the map and was good to go. I don't know how long it would've taken me to find alternate routes, but I can't imagine that I would've enjoyed the same outcome back in the states. But perhaps being delayed could've been a good thing, because another mess waited for me 30 kilometers south of Warsaw. I'll get to that in part 2. The album for Poland can be found at: http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/5e1d1c58befd436e80f75b83c1fea334/slideshow

Athens

Another place on our list, Athens. The only destination that we arrived and departed from together as time and schedule did not allow me to stay longer. We stayed in a friend’s apartment, someone we met in Amsterdam but currently lives and works in Zurich. The Athens airport seemed nice, and it wasn't crazy far away from the city, as so many airports in Europe seem to be (remember Istanbul's Sabiha?). Radhika and I were to meet up with a friend of his that would provide the key to his apartment. On the train into the city we were immediately overcome by intense body odor of those around us. It's mid-September, but it's still very warm in Greece. The main culprit was a guy who got on at the same stop as we did, and he decided to stand behind and over me, as Radhika and I were able to get seats facing each other. For stability he grabbed the bar above his head raising his right arm up, which almost sent our breakfasts in the same direction. Radhika was making rather loud pronouncements of her impending unconscious state when I discovered that my cologne had leaked a little onto my Fla. State baseball cap while in the suitcase during the flight. I gave her this, which she used as a pseudo-gas mask for the reminder of the ride. We made our metro connections and got to the stop we needed to meet the young lady who had the key. After a few text exchanges, we met and then walked over together to the apartment. A few warnings about safety and the area, and then we were on our own. Just about the first thing we did was something that bit us on the ass. We bought 48-hour hop on - hop off bus tickets. Given our limited amount of time in Athens, we thought we were making a logical decision. Not so quick, Mr. Spock! It took no time to figure out we were boobs, and that Athens is not a city where a bus tour is any benefit to travelers like us. That is we like to be on our own, we can get around with no physical limitations, and hold up in heat and cold. Besides, to get your money's worth you need to be on the bus. Get off at the Acropolis and you are pretty much done for several hours if not for the day (unless you're the "shuffle up, raise your point and shoot, shuffle off" type of tourist). So, we buy these tickets from the woman selling them near the bus stop after hearing her repeat the same safety warnings heard earlier. We ride for a while, maybe 20 minutes. The bumpy road, heat, exhaust, or combination of everything tossed a little case of nausea on me. When we came to the Acropolis, we decided to get off, as the break would help alleviate my condition. After a cold Sprite we decided to stay and visit the site. Getting in was tricky, as you get to the gate to go in but you have to buy a ticket first located elsewhere. With sincere deference to my Greek friends, I began to see why perhaps there are problems in the country. Anyway, we managed to get our tickets and entered. I was back to feeling fine in no time, and we walked around the ruins and really enjoyed the site. By then it was slightly after noon, not the ideal time I want to be making photographs outdoors, but that's when we happened to be there. And fortunately due to the time of year, the sun was not directly overhead. It was cloudless and the sun was relentless. My formed-in-Florida molecules were loving it!! We were at the Acropolis, and then had lunch at The New Acropolis Museum finishing around 5pm. From there we walked to Hadrian's Gate and Zeus's Temple, finishing there around 6pm. We waited for our Hop On- Hop Off bus at the stop right outside Zeus's Temple, but it didn't seem to be running. Seems they go to a reduced schedule after their summer season ends, and that was just a few days ago. So we decided to go to dinner at a place right across the street with a great view, an almost equal quality meal, and good service at Athens Gate. One view offered the Acropolis and the other side afforded a great view of Zeus's Temple! We walked through the tourist-laden streets on our way back to the square where we bought those now infamous bus tickets and caught a €3 cab back to the apartment. The next day we were using the 2nd day of our bus ticket to go to the port where the ferry to Ihdra/Hydra departs. So in the morning we're packed, check the apartment, lock it up, and take our luggage with us. We walk all the way back to the square where we are to catch the bus that goes to the port which is about 20 minutes away. We wait, and then are told by the woman who had sold us the tickets that we should take a bus that just pulled up. It's not going to the port, but is going to the next stop where a bus will leave from to go to the port. She tells us that the bus that goes to the port doesn't always stop at our current location - even though it's supposed to. Okay! So we drag ourselves and our luggage onto this bus for one stop, which plops us back at the stop for Zeus's Temple. A bus eventually arrives and we board, finally going to Piraeus, the port where the ferry will take us to Ihdra. All this time we are flogging ourselves, as we wasted time and money buying those stupid bus tickets! We get to Piraeus, and there's nothing there to see. It doesn't even take us to the port! To get there we need to walk or take a taxi. So we start walking, not knowing the exact distance we have to travel. A taxi pulls up, inquires about us, we tell him where we're going and ask him how much the fare is, we hop in. Three minutes later we're there! One last kick in the ass from those bus tickets! We're early, but there's no place to eat on the dock side, and a group of American's in the waiting area are really annoying us, so we go across the road where there's a small outdoor cafe and we eat a light lunch. Keeping an eye on the time, we finish our meal, pay the check and walk back over. Seems like the ship should be in. They're numbered, and we don't see our number along the dock. I ask the woman at the ticket counter and she said it will be 10 minutes late. That, of course, turned out to be at least 30 minutes before we actually left. The boarding process (I laugh at my use of the term "process") was FUBAR. Our seats were in the front, where the ship's sides taper in, so we're in very closed space and the air circulation is zero. The Neanderthal taking people's bags must be getting paid by Samsonite to test luggage integrity, because he's tossing bags in every direction. Some people don't help the matter, because they behave in a bizarro-world Emily Post way, themselves. People start moving from the front area before we leave the dock, as veal calves have more comfort than we do. I am deciding in my mind whether I want to bother the people next to me and crawl over them to get out. I was tired of eyeballing that barf bag, thinking it was going to be my close friend very soon, so finally I utter an excuse me and move past them, going to the area behind us where there's more room and plenty of seats. In no time I told Radhika I was fine and back to normal. The trip was less than 90 minutes, and pulling into Ihdra was a great sight…small Island, no vehicles, charming buildings, and lush terrain. Yes...this was going to be nice. We asked someone who pointed us in the right direction to find where we were staying the first night. Following the signs the hotel had placed along the way, it wasn't too difficult to find. It was a really nice place in a location not too far from the waterfront. We put our stuff in the room around 3:30pm and went back down the short route and walked along the dock area and up to a place right on the water where we could have an small late lunch while the sun was still out. We found out later that the restaurant was voted the 2nd best view in the world (http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=8372439). We walked around some more, along a dirt path on the far side of the island, and then turned around as it started to get dark. We found a nice restaurant set in an outside garden to have dinner and then went back to our room for the night. Before going in, we sat outside in the small garden area and had a drink by ourselves. It was so quiet and peaceful. In the morning after breakfast we would be moving to another place higher up in the hills that has a great view over the town to the water. We met a woman down at the port who would walk with us to our new hotel. She picked up some passengers off a ferry and together we walked up the 300+ steps to the hotel. Two mules carried our luggage. The route involved several turns and different alleys, so recognizing landmarks was really important! We checked in, got our room, which was fantastic, put our stuff away, and got to the beach are by 1:30pm. I went walking with my cameras after a while as I can only sit there so long and swim so many times - the swimming was nice, however! Came across a friendly mule who came running up to the fence from across the field, but I didn't have anything in my camera bag for him (no way I'm feeding a Snickers bar to a mule!). Came across another beach that looked nice. The island actually has several beaches, accessible by walking or you can pay for a boat to take you. Made it back to the beach we were at and did some more swimming. The water was great and appeared very clear. The little fish would nip at my feet every now and then. Didn't tell Radhika that. She did pretty good swimming in the water. She's not a big fan of the stuff, and marvels at me when I swim under for a long time and just love it so. But she did quite well. I get a kick out of the sour expressions she makes when the salty water gets on her lips! I could post some funny pictures of her swimming, but would never hear the end of it! We left the beach around 6pm, one of the last people to do so. We walked back slowly, making pictures along the way. We got a recommendation of where to eat some good Greek food from the owner of our hotel, and we eventually made dinner at a place called Christina's at 9pm. We were checking out again in the morning, taking a ferry back to Athens and then on to the airport. Breakfast was not as good as the first place we stayed at, but it was served outside too, which made it nice. We were packed and ready to go. I had gone off early to get a few more shots made, and somewhere along the way my eye extender slide off my camera. I went back down to the area I had visited earlier, tracing my steps, but didn't find it. I consider myself lucky in that regard. I've had a lens cap blown off the deck of a ship in Alaska, a polarizer slipped from my hand, bounced off the deck of a ship once and then went "plunk" into the Li River in China, and now this. I actually glued the piece on just a month or so prior, because it came off my camera in France, but I backtracked and found it. Apparently the glue wasn't strong enough. Already sent an email to Canon complaining and asking for a fix. Anyway, our ferry was late, very late, and people were getting itchy. Some UK vacationers said they would pretty much miss their flight because of the delay. Luckily we had padding and had no such issues this time. But the Greek ferries are notorious for poor service and never being on time! We can vouch for that. Two ferry trips - two delays. Another trip, another great place. We were so down on Athens the first day there. The crumbling streets and buildings, horrible graffiti covering everything, people sleeping on the streets, the traffic congestion, the train experience, and the people...some seemed to be just beaten down while others I sensed were boiling over inside. Our feelings softened on the 2nd day, and we enjoyed it and appreciated it more. It is a place that is unsteady right now, and that's a shame. Athens, the cradle of civilization, should be a shining, prosperous city. Paris and Rome have their areas that the tourist board and chamber of commerce would like to keep hidden, but they have their "shiny" areas that they highlight, tout, and almost stand beside and go "Ta-Da!” Nowhere in Athens did I see an area to really "Ta-Da" about. I hope things turn around soon for Athens and for all of Greece. It's beauty and history needs to be restored. The album for Greece can be found at: http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/9eed44026d304bd0940d9f76cacd255a/slideshow or click on the albums button when on the blogs homepage.

Istanbul - Part 2

The next morning we had breakfast a little later than I would like, but someone does like their sleep! We were inside the Blue Mosque at the crack of noon!!! We walked around quite a bit, stopping for lunch and dinner. Many sidewalk hawkers have things for you to buy, and one of them is a toy that is a complete copy of Spirograph and the even more outrageous Super Spirograph. Those old enough (but not too old where the memory is no longer intact) should remember those kits. They were around at the same time as Lite Brite. The next morning I sneak out early to make some photos, where I encounter the kinky kitties mentioned earlier. After I return to the hotel and we have breakfast, we're off together and reach our first main sight to see at high noon (see a pattern yet?). It's one where we will spend the entire day at, Topkapi Palace. Part command center for a massive military empire, part Eastern pleasure dome, the lavishly decorated Topkapı Palace was the seat of Ottoman power for over 300 hundred years. By the time we left there it was close to 6pm and by the time we finished dinner and was back in the room it was 11pm. Another early start for me as I was tiptoeing out by 7am the next morning. After I came back to the room, breakfast was enjoyed and preparation for the day was finished we were on the streets by 11:30am. A visit to the massive underground cistern, several markets, the Bosphorus, the hotel where Agatha Christie stayed and worked on her stories, a trip up Galata Tower, and dinner of authentic Turkish cuisine gobbled up our last full day. The next morning was the same as the previous 2, with me getting an early start, coming back for breakfast, but this time packing and checking out, storing our luggage at the hotel. We had an early evening flight, so we visited some other places including Haghia Sophia. We spoke with a company in the neighborhood of our hotel that runs shuttle vans to Sabiha Airport, but their schedule would have us at the airport 4 hours before our flight. We figured we would just take a taxi back to Taksim Square and then the Havas bus to the airport. We came back to our hotel early enough for us to cool off a little and clean up, and as we did so a taxi was called and there. The driver said he would take us all the way to the airport, and serious price negotiations ensued. He had to pull over so we could settle the matter of him either taking us to Taksim Square or all the way to Sabiha. It was finally agreed he would take us all the way - what a nightmare! The traffic was THE WORST I can recall in recent memory. It was just stopped or crawling for 90% of the trip. In hindsight, the shuttle van, in this traffic mess, would've arrived at the airport at the right time for our flight, all things being equal. To make matters worse, the driver, once we were on a section of highway that was moving well, passed an exit that indicated it was the way to Sabiha. I asked him why he didn't take that exit, and from his broken English determined he was just going another (I assumed faster) way. In fact, he was avoiding paying a toll to maximize his profit. As the time ticked, Radhika became more nervous but I remained calm and optimistic. When we ended up off the highway and in a small town, stuck in traffic on side streets, that's when I began my serious doubts of making the airport on time. From time to time we would just say things like "We're running out of time." "This is not good." "We have 1 hour before the plane takes off." He may not have understood what was being said, but he surely understood the tone. We were making plans in our heads of getting a hotel room at the airport and/or finding a flight back to Amsterdam. Ultimately, a 1-hour trip to the airport was about 3 hours, and the guy ended up loosing his profit from the time and gas he expended, and he had to go back! The flight was slightly delayed so we could downshift and breathe deep. BUT, my strong warning to all those that visit Istanbul is be aware of the horrendous traffic and as always, no matter what country you visit, scrutinize the taxi drivers. Know your fares! As always, click on the link to the right on my blog site page (www.jd-thebigmove.blogspot.com) or go to the address below to view an slideshow of photos from Istanbul. http://www.photoshop.com/users/johndp/albums/04eb3ee46f4a468eacc00e9c79fb46e1?wf=slideshow

Istanbul - Part 1

I flew into Istanbul on August 17th. They have 2 main airports there. The older one on the European side, which is perhaps 20 minutes at the most outside the city, and the newer one, which is on the Asian side, and can be well over an hour away if traffic is nasty - - and traffic in Istanbul must like to be nasty because it always seems to be so! You can guess which airport I flew into. That's right, good 'ol Transavia Airline dropping me off at Sabiha Airport, which requires catching something called a Havas Bus (one of a few choices on how to get to Istanbul from this airport) outside the terminal that will take you to Taksim Square. From there you will require another bus, or bus then train to get near enough to where we were staying. I chose the taxi outside the Pizza Hut once I made it to Taksim Square. Besides, I had read it was only a €5 fare and that was okay by me. But just for my own entertainment, the powers that be gifted a cab driver to me who didn't know where my hotel was. You have to imagine nighttime, narrow streets, congested with vehicles and people, scant observable traffic laws...confusion with a dash of chaos. Up a road...down a road...wrong way down the one-way...ask someone - new information - hard left turn...show him the location on the map...puzzled look...ask another person - get ignored - yell at them...pull up on sidewalk - go into store to ask where's New Era Hotel...up next road...down next road...back down same road...ask someone...new direction...honk horn...do a 9-point turn...squeeze past standing traffic...left turn...cars block road...BUT, I see New Era Hotel sign...stop, I'll get out here and walk the rest of the way. Paid the guy and happily checked in at the reception desk which was the size of my suitcase. Went up the equally narrow staircase to my room and got settled. The next morning I awoke early and had breakfast on the rooftop terrace, which offered great views over the rooftops out to the Sea of Marmara! Some strange choices were on the buffet (french fries) but there was enough nutrition to get me started. My first destination on foot was the interesting neighborhood I caught glimpses of the night before. At the time I was convinced this is the Miami, Naples, Boca Raton for buildings, where they come to decay and die. I have since discovered they apparently also like Athens, but that's a later story. So...urban decay surrounds me and I find it interesting as hell - but many locals are looking at me with WTF expressions. Thought bubble - "Beautiful mosques surround him and this schmuck is making pictures of buildings without roofs? Crazy infidel!!" But their mental confusion did not deter me, as I smiled and kept making pictures and moving on. CATS!!!!! Cats everywhere!!!!!! Darting in all directions, licking themselves, licking each other, sleeping, in trash cans, fighting, having kitty booty calls, sniffing things, eyeballing each other, trying to catch a small sparrow. There were 2 cats next to me that just started getting busy, and she (I'm going to assume the one on the bottom or "nailee") looked miserable the ENTIRE TIME!!! Stupidly, I told her (yes, I spoke to this cat) "Turn around and knock him the F@#$ off of you." He looked and acted really pissed off the entire time, and she looked miserable for 90% of it and bored the last 10. At least the lions we saw in Africa "getting busy" had what appeared to be good experiences - he definitely looked worn out and proud, and she looked and acted satisfied. If I had ever seen that female cat's expression over the years in my species (human, before you get any funny ideas) I would've needed serious counseling to get back up on that figurative horse. So my entire morning is spent in this neighborhood, visiting a couple of Mosques and some outdoor markets. All of these places are in Sultanahmet, where the famous Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) is located. In the afternoon I took a tram to a stop near the Bosphorus, the waterway that separates the European and Asian continents. That is a very bustling place as most waterside locations can be. Of course a nice man befriended me as I sat to take a break in the shade from the heat. What are the odds he would be a carpet salesman?!?!?! Such good fortune I have sometimes! And he was once a photographer!! Again, I'm beating the odds. I bet he graduated in my high school class and I never knew him, even though he was about 10 years younger than me!!!! Anyway, after all of our similarities and coincidences were behind us, I took a look at his store where they sold carpets, gold jewelry, and maybe a few other things that escape me now. As I enjoyed a refreshing, scorching cup of tea on this frigid 90f/32c day, I looked over several samples of carpets brought out by another sharply dressed man (image of ZZ Topp pops into head). I told him from the start I make no purchases of this type without my wife, not even to surprise her as he suggested, so that pretty much wrapped things up there. I didn't get back to the hotel until close to 10pm, tired from a full day of walking. The next morning after breakfast I walked down to the waterside near the hotel, where the Sea of Marmara comes ashore. I walked away from the hustle and bustle of the Blue Mosque tourist area and went to the commercial area. Another long walk on an increasingly hot morning, I ended up back at the Bosphorus where I spent a lot of time on the bridge, watching people along the shore and fishermen on the bridge. I walked back to my hotel a little after lunchtime, and made some more pictures of the neighborhood in the area. I had to go back to Taksim Square that evening to meet up with Radhika, who followed the same plan I did once landing at Sabiha Airport. We took a taxi to the hotel, with me knowing and telling the driver where it was and how much the fare should be. Of course we arrived and the driver quoted an amount twice what I told him it would be, and I advised him of that. We paid in Euros because I didn't have enough in Turkish Lira, so he got a little extra anyway. We got settled in the room and then went out for a nice dinner. We found an "okay" one instead, and called it a night.