dlhinsf's photostream on Flickr.
Here are some more! I think I'm getting the hang of this!
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Met My Man In Mykonos
I never thought it would happen. I check into the VOtsaLaki (means small rock..really rock no misspellings here) here in Mykonos. Costantinos is here to greet me. It is love at first sight. He is an architect and designed and owns the resort along with his family. I always thought I would meet my architect in my job selling into architecture firms, but this works! I have yet to meet his Mother and Father and can only hope they love me as much as I love their son. Will you come join us with our celebration? I'm picturing a combo of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' and 'Mama Mia'. I will be sending for a few things and we will winter in Athens and summer here at the resort.
There is only one catch...he doesn't know I love him it's unrequited love. I could only wish. He's real, but the Love Story isn't. Well it is, but only coming from my side.
Enough fantasy let's get down to what really has happened in the last month. It has been really busy and I'm here in Mykonos for some quiet down time after facing hoards of people every place I go.
We left off with me telling you I was heading to Copenhagen to visit with an old friend and co-worker Bianca Bruhn. I was greeted at the airport by Bianca and her lovely smile and a warm hug. How wonderful it was to see her after all of these years. She and her husband, Henrich, now have an amazingly bright and beautiful daughter Sofia. I had a wonderful, relaxing long weekend with them. Poor Sofia (she's almost 3) knows as much English as I do Swedish. She would chat away with me and get smiles, but no verbal response. At one point she just turns away and starts speaking to her Mom and probably thinking, "What's wrong with this guy? He doesn't understand a word I'm saying, I'm going to chat with someone who gets it" We finally got a little understanding with Ya Ya and Tack, which means Thank You. She was adorable, playing waitress, forgetting my drink. Bianca was great translating to her and I asked where my drink was. She just shrugged and said, "I forgot". Copenhagen was starting to get cold, but Bianca and I had a brisk walk along the lakes close to her house. We also toured around the city center and enjoyed catching up. I couldn't take the winters there since I was told there is very little sunlight. I would have to invest in one of those light machines or hibernate for the winter.
From Copenhagen to Italy. After my relaxing time I headed off to Sorrento Italy to meet up with Kyra and Chris, who I used to work with at InPro. Finding out on Facebook that Chris had proposed the evening before I was to see them was exciting news. We had a great time in Sorrento and headed down to the Amalfi Coast to Positano. It was the most amazingly tranquil and serene setting. Now I know why everyone said you have to go there. I would like to have continued on, but I had to head back up to Genoa to meet up with Sally Smith, my longtime friend from college. She's now Sally Shwartz, but she'll always be Sally Smith to me.
Genoa to the Cinque Terre. I met Sally at the airport and we then took a train down the coast to a picturesque town called Monterosso. We spend four days there and do a daily hike down the coast. Sally went alone one day because it really did kick my ass and she's a born hiker. On our third day we decided to take the trail, in Corngilia, a few towns down. Right as we are going to head up it starts to rain. We stop grab a couple of ponchos and make our way up. I mean up! I starts pouring cats and dogs. We aren't deterred and keep making out way. At one point I decided to look up to see how much further we had to go...big mistake! We finally made our way to a midpoint and there was an old church. We stopped, used the restroom, and headed further up only to be stopped by some woman who had made safe haven in the sanctuary of the church. She told us not to go any further because there could be flooding. Sally and I caucused and thought we didn't get this far to turn back. Up we went and as we reached the top the sky cleared and the sun shined. We were rewarded by the most amazing views of Monterosso below. We made it. Heading back down was trickier, but we pretty much made it unscathed.
So I caught this really nice cold and wasn't in good form for our next day hike which was going to be from Riomaggiore to Porto Venere. The night before at dinner Sally gave a sigh of relief that I wasn't well enough to do this. She was able to get up at the crack of down and make the journey and not have to wait for me since I'm slow moving in the morning. Off she went and I got it together to take a train to La Spezia and then a bus from there to Porto Venere. Long story short after trying to figure out where to catch the bus and getting off too early, then catching it again going the wrong way and then finally getting back on track and got to town. At check in I told the clerk I was expecting a friend to join me. He said, "She's already here.". WTF? She hiked 11 miles and got there before me? It was really funny. Porto Venere is a nice simple fishing village at the last point of Cinque Terre trail. It was all so quaint with great food along the way.
We head Southeast (yes I had to look at a map and yes this is a lot of work). I had days when I needed to ask Sally where we were and where we were going. That's the nice part about me meeting you somewhere. I'm along for the ride and love that I get a break from having to plan.
OK back to what I was saying...southeast to Sienna. We arrive in Sienna after a long train ride. Not thinking we just jumped in a cab and headed to another one of my great airbnb.com finds. We are welcomed by Giancarlo's very pretty daughter who shows us a sweet little apartment on their great spread of land. They have a wonderful setup with the parents in one house and each daughter having a place of their own. Mom watches and helps with the kids and prepares dinners. They have another building that houses about 8 apartments. Such a nice family. What we didn't think, when we jumped in the cab, we're way out in the country and it's not assessable to anything close by. We find a little restaurant down the hill and had a great dinner. The waitress knew enough English to get us through a meal. At one point she comes back to the table and I start talking and she has the pained expression on her face like 'please I can't take anymore of this..I know just enough English to get your food' Sally and I just cracked up...one of many great moments with my gal Sal. We see some touristy stuff, a great church, get confused about if Michelangelo did this or that. All of it is sometimes overwhelming.
You can take a break if you want...as I said this was an action packed month.
Sienna to Florence. David sees The David! I was going to title this blog entry with that, but liked what I used better. So Florence is, to use an expression from my Father,...' A Cluster Fuck!' There are so many people everywhere that you can't move. Sally had the foresight to make appointments for our two excursions. Thank you Sally! So we see the David in the morning. Wow! As much as you think the Mona Lisa is going to be larger this was on the other end of the spectrum. David was huge! Such an amazing sculpture. We then have another scheduled time late in the afternoon for the Uffizi Gallery where Sally is going to try and educate about art. We are so overwhelmed with the amount of people in Florence that as we were walking we both thought 'wait a minute there has to be a nice hotel lobby where we can leave this mayhem behind. We found it! Hotel Lungarno felt like you were sitting in someones very nice, large living room. We enjoyed our quite time with a cappuccino and some cookies.
We're off early that evening and take a train back to Genoa and Sally will be heading back to the States the next day. It was so hard to goodbye. After all these years we were able to pick up where we left off to some extent. I think the first night, Sally tired with jet lag, was trying to connect all the dots. I think I told her about everyone in my life. She needed a diagram since I'm fortunate to have some pretty great friends. We did laugh a lot and she is one of the funniest people I know. I had a difficult time being back on my own after she left. Getting back into the groove of traveling alone isn't easy.
OK enough about Sally Smith! It is your payback after she had to hear about all of you! Off from Genoa to Venice.
One motto we did adapt from when I traveled with my Mother years ago was to capture the moment see everything you can. My mother looked at me on our trip and said, "It's not like we're coming back". Sally and I kept that spirit alive.
Venice I'm not sure if you know this, but Venice has a lot of water! It was pretty amazing place, but going back to my Paris days...I've never been so lost. One night I decided I would find this restaurant that was recommended by my host and walked and walked and thinking around every twisted corner I would find my way back. Never did. Finally I asked a couple who was looking at their map where we were. I asked if they knew on the map where San Carlos square was and they pointed to the other side of the city. I have no idea how I got there or how I was going to get back. They pointed to the water bus and I thought good idea. Luckily there was a private taxi driver who was picking his wife up I think and along with this Asian Mother and Son he took us back through the various small canals that run throughout the city. This wasn't a gondola ride and I wasn't going to take one by myself so I asked if he wouldn't mind singing to us. It got a laugh. Thank God he was nice enough to take us there for 10 Euros each since the water buses take forever going every which way until you finally reach your destination. I will post links to all the places I've stayed most recently. The apartment was designed by the architect who owns it and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Something out of a magazine.
So now I'm in Mykonos and in love with an architect. It's amazing here, just like the pictures you see. I'm happy I'm not here during high season since I understand it's crazy. After this I head to Athens and then to meet Peggy O'Brien in Rome. So looking forward to seeing her beautiful face and hear her infectious laugh! After Rome I'm going to Abu Dhabi to see an old friend, Chel Seaborn, from Phoenix and then on to Amsterdam to meet Katie Skinner (Wiederholt)...again Katie Skinner to me. We are heading out on a Safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Wow, wow, wow. I do pinch myself now and then and think what an amazing journey this has been and will continue to be.
OK here is a link to pictures. Not sure this will work, but I posted some on here. I need tech help!
Also on the blog there is a link to Flickr. More to come!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20179298@N07/sets/72157635920919954/
Link to apartments.
Axel's place in Stockholm. Click on his profile picture and he now has a video. He is adorable. Great place.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1187945
Sienna, Tuscany
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/577248
Genoa, Italy
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/81350
Venice, Italy Amazing
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1590453
Mykonos even more Amazing!
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1143159
There is only one catch...he doesn't know I love him it's unrequited love. I could only wish. He's real, but the Love Story isn't. Well it is, but only coming from my side.
Enough fantasy let's get down to what really has happened in the last month. It has been really busy and I'm here in Mykonos for some quiet down time after facing hoards of people every place I go.
We left off with me telling you I was heading to Copenhagen to visit with an old friend and co-worker Bianca Bruhn. I was greeted at the airport by Bianca and her lovely smile and a warm hug. How wonderful it was to see her after all of these years. She and her husband, Henrich, now have an amazingly bright and beautiful daughter Sofia. I had a wonderful, relaxing long weekend with them. Poor Sofia (she's almost 3) knows as much English as I do Swedish. She would chat away with me and get smiles, but no verbal response. At one point she just turns away and starts speaking to her Mom and probably thinking, "What's wrong with this guy? He doesn't understand a word I'm saying, I'm going to chat with someone who gets it" We finally got a little understanding with Ya Ya and Tack, which means Thank You. She was adorable, playing waitress, forgetting my drink. Bianca was great translating to her and I asked where my drink was. She just shrugged and said, "I forgot". Copenhagen was starting to get cold, but Bianca and I had a brisk walk along the lakes close to her house. We also toured around the city center and enjoyed catching up. I couldn't take the winters there since I was told there is very little sunlight. I would have to invest in one of those light machines or hibernate for the winter.
From Copenhagen to Italy. After my relaxing time I headed off to Sorrento Italy to meet up with Kyra and Chris, who I used to work with at InPro. Finding out on Facebook that Chris had proposed the evening before I was to see them was exciting news. We had a great time in Sorrento and headed down to the Amalfi Coast to Positano. It was the most amazingly tranquil and serene setting. Now I know why everyone said you have to go there. I would like to have continued on, but I had to head back up to Genoa to meet up with Sally Smith, my longtime friend from college. She's now Sally Shwartz, but she'll always be Sally Smith to me.
Genoa to the Cinque Terre. I met Sally at the airport and we then took a train down the coast to a picturesque town called Monterosso. We spend four days there and do a daily hike down the coast. Sally went alone one day because it really did kick my ass and she's a born hiker. On our third day we decided to take the trail, in Corngilia, a few towns down. Right as we are going to head up it starts to rain. We stop grab a couple of ponchos and make our way up. I mean up! I starts pouring cats and dogs. We aren't deterred and keep making out way. At one point I decided to look up to see how much further we had to go...big mistake! We finally made our way to a midpoint and there was an old church. We stopped, used the restroom, and headed further up only to be stopped by some woman who had made safe haven in the sanctuary of the church. She told us not to go any further because there could be flooding. Sally and I caucused and thought we didn't get this far to turn back. Up we went and as we reached the top the sky cleared and the sun shined. We were rewarded by the most amazing views of Monterosso below. We made it. Heading back down was trickier, but we pretty much made it unscathed.
So I caught this really nice cold and wasn't in good form for our next day hike which was going to be from Riomaggiore to Porto Venere. The night before at dinner Sally gave a sigh of relief that I wasn't well enough to do this. She was able to get up at the crack of down and make the journey and not have to wait for me since I'm slow moving in the morning. Off she went and I got it together to take a train to La Spezia and then a bus from there to Porto Venere. Long story short after trying to figure out where to catch the bus and getting off too early, then catching it again going the wrong way and then finally getting back on track and got to town. At check in I told the clerk I was expecting a friend to join me. He said, "She's already here.". WTF? She hiked 11 miles and got there before me? It was really funny. Porto Venere is a nice simple fishing village at the last point of Cinque Terre trail. It was all so quaint with great food along the way.
We head Southeast (yes I had to look at a map and yes this is a lot of work). I had days when I needed to ask Sally where we were and where we were going. That's the nice part about me meeting you somewhere. I'm along for the ride and love that I get a break from having to plan.
OK back to what I was saying...southeast to Sienna. We arrive in Sienna after a long train ride. Not thinking we just jumped in a cab and headed to another one of my great airbnb.com finds. We are welcomed by Giancarlo's very pretty daughter who shows us a sweet little apartment on their great spread of land. They have a wonderful setup with the parents in one house and each daughter having a place of their own. Mom watches and helps with the kids and prepares dinners. They have another building that houses about 8 apartments. Such a nice family. What we didn't think, when we jumped in the cab, we're way out in the country and it's not assessable to anything close by. We find a little restaurant down the hill and had a great dinner. The waitress knew enough English to get us through a meal. At one point she comes back to the table and I start talking and she has the pained expression on her face like 'please I can't take anymore of this..I know just enough English to get your food' Sally and I just cracked up...one of many great moments with my gal Sal. We see some touristy stuff, a great church, get confused about if Michelangelo did this or that. All of it is sometimes overwhelming.
You can take a break if you want...as I said this was an action packed month.
Sienna to Florence. David sees The David! I was going to title this blog entry with that, but liked what I used better. So Florence is, to use an expression from my Father,...' A Cluster Fuck!' There are so many people everywhere that you can't move. Sally had the foresight to make appointments for our two excursions. Thank you Sally! So we see the David in the morning. Wow! As much as you think the Mona Lisa is going to be larger this was on the other end of the spectrum. David was huge! Such an amazing sculpture. We then have another scheduled time late in the afternoon for the Uffizi Gallery where Sally is going to try and educate about art. We are so overwhelmed with the amount of people in Florence that as we were walking we both thought 'wait a minute there has to be a nice hotel lobby where we can leave this mayhem behind. We found it! Hotel Lungarno felt like you were sitting in someones very nice, large living room. We enjoyed our quite time with a cappuccino and some cookies.
We're off early that evening and take a train back to Genoa and Sally will be heading back to the States the next day. It was so hard to goodbye. After all these years we were able to pick up where we left off to some extent. I think the first night, Sally tired with jet lag, was trying to connect all the dots. I think I told her about everyone in my life. She needed a diagram since I'm fortunate to have some pretty great friends. We did laugh a lot and she is one of the funniest people I know. I had a difficult time being back on my own after she left. Getting back into the groove of traveling alone isn't easy.
OK enough about Sally Smith! It is your payback after she had to hear about all of you! Off from Genoa to Venice.
One motto we did adapt from when I traveled with my Mother years ago was to capture the moment see everything you can. My mother looked at me on our trip and said, "It's not like we're coming back". Sally and I kept that spirit alive.
Venice I'm not sure if you know this, but Venice has a lot of water! It was pretty amazing place, but going back to my Paris days...I've never been so lost. One night I decided I would find this restaurant that was recommended by my host and walked and walked and thinking around every twisted corner I would find my way back. Never did. Finally I asked a couple who was looking at their map where we were. I asked if they knew on the map where San Carlos square was and they pointed to the other side of the city. I have no idea how I got there or how I was going to get back. They pointed to the water bus and I thought good idea. Luckily there was a private taxi driver who was picking his wife up I think and along with this Asian Mother and Son he took us back through the various small canals that run throughout the city. This wasn't a gondola ride and I wasn't going to take one by myself so I asked if he wouldn't mind singing to us. It got a laugh. Thank God he was nice enough to take us there for 10 Euros each since the water buses take forever going every which way until you finally reach your destination. I will post links to all the places I've stayed most recently. The apartment was designed by the architect who owns it and it was the coolest thing I have ever seen. Something out of a magazine.
So now I'm in Mykonos and in love with an architect. It's amazing here, just like the pictures you see. I'm happy I'm not here during high season since I understand it's crazy. After this I head to Athens and then to meet Peggy O'Brien in Rome. So looking forward to seeing her beautiful face and hear her infectious laugh! After Rome I'm going to Abu Dhabi to see an old friend, Chel Seaborn, from Phoenix and then on to Amsterdam to meet Katie Skinner (Wiederholt)...again Katie Skinner to me. We are heading out on a Safari in Kenya and Tanzania. Wow, wow, wow. I do pinch myself now and then and think what an amazing journey this has been and will continue to be.
OK here is a link to pictures. Not sure this will work, but I posted some on here. I need tech help!
Also on the blog there is a link to Flickr. More to come!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20179298@N07/sets/72157635920919954/
Link to apartments.
Axel's place in Stockholm. Click on his profile picture and he now has a video. He is adorable. Great place.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1187945
Sienna, Tuscany
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/577248
Genoa, Italy
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/81350
Venice, Italy Amazing
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1590453
Mykonos even more Amazing!
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1143159
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Moving on from Madrid....
Well sit down and pour yourself a drink. So much has happened since I last posted. I've been busy exploring and not spending enough time putting my experiences into the written word. I've sent out a few emails letting many know that I'm alive and well, but haven't really told any stories.
After I left Madrid, which I have to say is one of the most beautiful cities I have encountered I embarked on a journey to Barcelona. Wow! I have to say that I had such a great time and hung out with my new best friend Ludi, who was raised in France, but ventured out to London at the age of 18. He's now 40 something and his french family tells him he sounds like a Canadian when speaking to them in French. We had some wild nights on the town that involved a full day of recovery. He seems to bring a smile to everyone he encounters and we have kept in touch since. I'm now sitting here in London, where he lives, catching up on all that has occurred in the last couple of months. Today is rainy and cold and I thought I would come home and put my thoughts into writing.
Barcelona was 2 weeks of clamoring around a town full of tourists all speaking different languages. I visited most of the famous landmarks, among the the Sagrada Familia designed by Gaudi. Elies Rogent, the Director of the Barcelona Architecture School once said of Gaudi, “We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show.” After visiting many of his buildings I'm not really sure which one he is..fool or genius.
Now on to Ireland. The good bad and the ugly. I started in Dublin and met with a good friend and old client...not saying he's old, but we got back quite a long time, Steve McCullom. We had a great time in Dublin and enjoyed touring the Guinness Brewery, The Old Jameson Distillery, and many pubs. Again the architecture is very interesting with old and new. A couple who was boarding the plane when leaving Barcelona told me to be careful. They said, "The Irish are very friendly people, so be careful when asking directions because even if the don't know they're going to tell you". The Irish were very friendly.
Now on to Cork, where it gets a little Ugly. I take the train from Dublin to Cork. What a change, there's a impossibly miserable heatwave. Picture this. I'm renting a top floor flat high up on a hill with very little cross ventilation. Good times! Cork also is somewhat thuggish when it comes to the youth. I didn't fear for my life or anything, but didn't get a warm vibe that I found in the rest of Ireland.
I did start back doing some yoga. I showed up at this yoga studio down the hill, now remember everything was down the hill. I showed up for a class and everyone was half my age. The instructor was this totally hot guy that I couldn't take my eyes off of. I kept up and was happy getting back into it. So two nights later I go back and the instructor looking like he walked out of an International Male Catalog (my gay friends will get this). He had on this cotton gauzy little number and the body of a model. It was a little difficult to concentrate. Oh and I kissed the Blarney Stone. That's allows me 7 more years of being full of it!
Leaving cork and on to Galway. I sent, what I thought was, a clever little email saying I made it all the way to Galway. What a difference a train ride makes. I was met by a wonderful woman name Aoife (pronounced Efa). Her apartment was a very short distance to everything. Galway is on the North Atlantic Ocean. Amazingly beautiful and an electric nightlife. I also did a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher. Just beautiful.
From Galway I headed to...now pour another glass of whatever you're drinking...make it a double..Belfast. Talk about getting along. What a mess. Catholic, Protestants, English, Irish. What a messy town. A wall still exists separating the division. Irish and English flags still fly separating one side from another. It amazes me that there is such division. In America we have Republicans and Democrats and we don't wear it on our sleeve. The theme of the trip changes as we move along.
Belfast to Belgium. I'm off to meet my friends David and Paul. I'm pretty much along for the ride of whatever is planned. I'm just so happy to be with my friends after a month of traveling alone. I arrive to what seems to be the most spectacular men.. I mean the most beautiful 20 something men. Muscles from Brussels. We speculated that they were in town for some sort of music fest. WOW! Paul has planned an amazing trip for David's 50th Birthday. We stay overnight in Brussels and head to Munich with a stop for lunch and a little tour of Frankfurt. After a quick stay over in Munich with an evening out to celebrate David's big day we head to Baden Baden. Clinton said it was so great you had to say it twice. So picturesque. The water did feel like it had some healing properties. Even if it didn't it was a sweet little town. Now we are heading toward Lake Lucerne Switzerland. At the point we are heading for the border, now remember in the EU there are no borders, but Switzerland is not part of the EU. We come to a checkpoint and now David is driving and not happy about all the traffic. He is rude to the border patrol agent. This doesn't bode well to find out. We drive another 3 hours on these crazy switchback roads with David thinking he's Mario Andretti. Finally we arrive at this primarily family resort with an amazing pool and spa area. Let's just say we were the only gays in village. Paul is handing out the passports to find out the border agent has given back both my and Paul's passport, but David's has a cover. That's all we get back is the cover. Paul wants to drive back to the border to get it. I'm thinking I'm not going through that crazy ass drive again. The hotel calls and has the border office mail it to us. That means we are now spending an extra night at the spectacular resort with views I can't describe in words. I don't have a problem with it. With our extra day we drive to see a couple of amazing castles. We get Dave's passport back and hit the road heading back to Brussels. We arrive and find a nice hotel. David and Paul head out the next day. after breakfast, on a train back to London to catch their flight back home. I, on the other hand, have NO travel plans since we have been constantly on the road with limited Internet connection and little time to think. I spend an extra night in Brussels to get my shit together. I'm thinking where to next? I need to do a little planning and connect a lot of dots.
Well that gets me to my next email I sent out...have another drink..."Hotter than Hell in Hamburg". Not one person got my salutation...Warmly...you know me. I would never sign 'warmly'. Oh well sometimes I think I'm funnier than I am. Well I'm on this fancy pants air conditioned train thinking this is the way to travel. I then get to my transfer point and find myself on a piece of shit train without any amenities. I'm surprised it had bathrooms. No air conditioning. I felt like I was on something designed by Hitler and we were off to the prison camp. It was the worst. I end in in Hamburg and take a cab to my newly rented apartment. It was amazing, just outside the city and amongst huge mansions. I walked the neighborhood and the city. I loved it there. The weather cooled and it was very enjoyable.
Hamburg to Berlin. What can I say? The wall, the Jewish museum, check point Charlie, East & West Berlin. Here I am in another city divided. They are still trying to get the transit system to connect one side to the other. As I'm there and viewing all the atrocities that took place I think to myself, "How could this have happened?" How could this man Hitler gotten away with this? It reminds me of what's going on in Syria now. We can't allow this happen again. I wish I had studied my world history a little more. I want to know more, study it more, try to rationalize this.
Berlin to Stockholm, Sweden. I'm thinking go North young man. It has to be cooler there. Loved Stockholm. I rented a place from this absolutely adorable guy name Axel. His place was not far from the center of town and he turned me on to the Yoga Studio he like to go to. His little apartment had a great kitchen, giving me a sense of being home, allowing me to prepare some things I love. Mainly my shallot salad dressing I've been missing. Stockholm is perfect. It's one of the places I could see myself living. Maybe it was just that his place was so comfortable or maybe it was that the people were just so Swedish and kind. I don't know.
Finally, I'm not sure what drink number you're on, but it almost brings us up-to-date. I'm now in London. I'm intrigued by the history of the monarchy and plan on finding some interesting reading material. I'm staying here for a couple of weeks. Well one more week. It's so rich in architecture and even richer in history. I met Ludi...remember my new BFF from Barcelona, for drinks at the top of the Chard. So cool. After that we walked along the River Thames to a fantastic restaurant and had an outrageously expensive dinner. Well one thing led to another and we ended up in the very gay Soho neighborhood. Once again I had to nurse my hangover. Thank God we live so far apart. I've had great food here. I ate at one of the best Indian restaurants here in my neighborhood of Shoreditch. Super close to the city center and everything is easy access via the tube. I hit most spots; The London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster and the Churchill War Rooms. Probably the most interesting museum I've visited to this point.
Up next is Copenhagen to see my dear friend Bianca, her husband Henrick and daughter Sofia. After that I'm off to Posatano, Italy to hang out with a couple of old co-workers and then heading up North to walk the coast with my college friend Sally Smith. Cannot wait!
After I left Madrid, which I have to say is one of the most beautiful cities I have encountered I embarked on a journey to Barcelona. Wow! I have to say that I had such a great time and hung out with my new best friend Ludi, who was raised in France, but ventured out to London at the age of 18. He's now 40 something and his french family tells him he sounds like a Canadian when speaking to them in French. We had some wild nights on the town that involved a full day of recovery. He seems to bring a smile to everyone he encounters and we have kept in touch since. I'm now sitting here in London, where he lives, catching up on all that has occurred in the last couple of months. Today is rainy and cold and I thought I would come home and put my thoughts into writing.
Barcelona was 2 weeks of clamoring around a town full of tourists all speaking different languages. I visited most of the famous landmarks, among the the Sagrada Familia designed by Gaudi. Elies Rogent, the Director of the Barcelona Architecture School once said of Gaudi, “We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show.” After visiting many of his buildings I'm not really sure which one he is..fool or genius.
Now on to Ireland. The good bad and the ugly. I started in Dublin and met with a good friend and old client...not saying he's old, but we got back quite a long time, Steve McCullom. We had a great time in Dublin and enjoyed touring the Guinness Brewery, The Old Jameson Distillery, and many pubs. Again the architecture is very interesting with old and new. A couple who was boarding the plane when leaving Barcelona told me to be careful. They said, "The Irish are very friendly people, so be careful when asking directions because even if the don't know they're going to tell you". The Irish were very friendly.
Now on to Cork, where it gets a little Ugly. I take the train from Dublin to Cork. What a change, there's a impossibly miserable heatwave. Picture this. I'm renting a top floor flat high up on a hill with very little cross ventilation. Good times! Cork also is somewhat thuggish when it comes to the youth. I didn't fear for my life or anything, but didn't get a warm vibe that I found in the rest of Ireland.
I did start back doing some yoga. I showed up at this yoga studio down the hill, now remember everything was down the hill. I showed up for a class and everyone was half my age. The instructor was this totally hot guy that I couldn't take my eyes off of. I kept up and was happy getting back into it. So two nights later I go back and the instructor looking like he walked out of an International Male Catalog (my gay friends will get this). He had on this cotton gauzy little number and the body of a model. It was a little difficult to concentrate. Oh and I kissed the Blarney Stone. That's allows me 7 more years of being full of it!
Leaving cork and on to Galway. I sent, what I thought was, a clever little email saying I made it all the way to Galway. What a difference a train ride makes. I was met by a wonderful woman name Aoife (pronounced Efa). Her apartment was a very short distance to everything. Galway is on the North Atlantic Ocean. Amazingly beautiful and an electric nightlife. I also did a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher. Just beautiful.
From Galway I headed to...now pour another glass of whatever you're drinking...make it a double..Belfast. Talk about getting along. What a mess. Catholic, Protestants, English, Irish. What a messy town. A wall still exists separating the division. Irish and English flags still fly separating one side from another. It amazes me that there is such division. In America we have Republicans and Democrats and we don't wear it on our sleeve. The theme of the trip changes as we move along.
Belfast to Belgium. I'm off to meet my friends David and Paul. I'm pretty much along for the ride of whatever is planned. I'm just so happy to be with my friends after a month of traveling alone. I arrive to what seems to be the most spectacular men.. I mean the most beautiful 20 something men. Muscles from Brussels. We speculated that they were in town for some sort of music fest. WOW! Paul has planned an amazing trip for David's 50th Birthday. We stay overnight in Brussels and head to Munich with a stop for lunch and a little tour of Frankfurt. After a quick stay over in Munich with an evening out to celebrate David's big day we head to Baden Baden. Clinton said it was so great you had to say it twice. So picturesque. The water did feel like it had some healing properties. Even if it didn't it was a sweet little town. Now we are heading toward Lake Lucerne Switzerland. At the point we are heading for the border, now remember in the EU there are no borders, but Switzerland is not part of the EU. We come to a checkpoint and now David is driving and not happy about all the traffic. He is rude to the border patrol agent. This doesn't bode well to find out. We drive another 3 hours on these crazy switchback roads with David thinking he's Mario Andretti. Finally we arrive at this primarily family resort with an amazing pool and spa area. Let's just say we were the only gays in village. Paul is handing out the passports to find out the border agent has given back both my and Paul's passport, but David's has a cover. That's all we get back is the cover. Paul wants to drive back to the border to get it. I'm thinking I'm not going through that crazy ass drive again. The hotel calls and has the border office mail it to us. That means we are now spending an extra night at the spectacular resort with views I can't describe in words. I don't have a problem with it. With our extra day we drive to see a couple of amazing castles. We get Dave's passport back and hit the road heading back to Brussels. We arrive and find a nice hotel. David and Paul head out the next day. after breakfast, on a train back to London to catch their flight back home. I, on the other hand, have NO travel plans since we have been constantly on the road with limited Internet connection and little time to think. I spend an extra night in Brussels to get my shit together. I'm thinking where to next? I need to do a little planning and connect a lot of dots.
Well that gets me to my next email I sent out...have another drink..."Hotter than Hell in Hamburg". Not one person got my salutation...Warmly...you know me. I would never sign 'warmly'. Oh well sometimes I think I'm funnier than I am. Well I'm on this fancy pants air conditioned train thinking this is the way to travel. I then get to my transfer point and find myself on a piece of shit train without any amenities. I'm surprised it had bathrooms. No air conditioning. I felt like I was on something designed by Hitler and we were off to the prison camp. It was the worst. I end in in Hamburg and take a cab to my newly rented apartment. It was amazing, just outside the city and amongst huge mansions. I walked the neighborhood and the city. I loved it there. The weather cooled and it was very enjoyable.
Hamburg to Berlin. What can I say? The wall, the Jewish museum, check point Charlie, East & West Berlin. Here I am in another city divided. They are still trying to get the transit system to connect one side to the other. As I'm there and viewing all the atrocities that took place I think to myself, "How could this have happened?" How could this man Hitler gotten away with this? It reminds me of what's going on in Syria now. We can't allow this happen again. I wish I had studied my world history a little more. I want to know more, study it more, try to rationalize this.
Berlin to Stockholm, Sweden. I'm thinking go North young man. It has to be cooler there. Loved Stockholm. I rented a place from this absolutely adorable guy name Axel. His place was not far from the center of town and he turned me on to the Yoga Studio he like to go to. His little apartment had a great kitchen, giving me a sense of being home, allowing me to prepare some things I love. Mainly my shallot salad dressing I've been missing. Stockholm is perfect. It's one of the places I could see myself living. Maybe it was just that his place was so comfortable or maybe it was that the people were just so Swedish and kind. I don't know.
Finally, I'm not sure what drink number you're on, but it almost brings us up-to-date. I'm now in London. I'm intrigued by the history of the monarchy and plan on finding some interesting reading material. I'm staying here for a couple of weeks. Well one more week. It's so rich in architecture and even richer in history. I met Ludi...remember my new BFF from Barcelona, for drinks at the top of the Chard. So cool. After that we walked along the River Thames to a fantastic restaurant and had an outrageously expensive dinner. Well one thing led to another and we ended up in the very gay Soho neighborhood. Once again I had to nurse my hangover. Thank God we live so far apart. I've had great food here. I ate at one of the best Indian restaurants here in my neighborhood of Shoreditch. Super close to the city center and everything is easy access via the tube. I hit most spots; The London Eye, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster and the Churchill War Rooms. Probably the most interesting museum I've visited to this point.
Up next is Copenhagen to see my dear friend Bianca, her husband Henrick and daughter Sofia. After that I'm off to Posatano, Italy to hang out with a couple of old co-workers and then heading up North to walk the coast with my college friend Sally Smith. Cannot wait!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Paris, Provence and on to Madrid
I'm not sure where to start. I finally figured out my way around Paris and had to leave to the next day. It wasn't that bad, but I think after that I will be better equipped to navigate my way around most cities. It was a great start. Cute place in Paris where I stayed.
The month seemed to fly by and I had some great adventures. My friend Joan and her husband Dominic spent a few days in Paris before heading on a river cruise up to Prague. We had such a great time together and Joan turned me on to the best croissant in Paris. I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good. It's a good thing I couldn't find my way back, otherwise I would have been there daily.
I was invited to have dinner at Danielle's home whom I met during a visit she had made to San Francisco. I've read not to expect to be invited into someones home and was happily surprised that I did receive this invitation. We had a wonderful visit and she gave me great advice about ways to travel about Europe.
Shortly after Joan and her husband left I decided to take the train to Versailles. It's a lovely little estate that dates back to the mid 1700's. I walked the entire estate and then headed back to Paris. I had decided to just grab a quick bite at my local eatery since I was really tired. I sat down and asked the waiter for an English menu. The woman next to me said, "How wonderful you speak English. Where are you from.". I told her Northern California. She was from the same part of the world! We chatted for a while and she boldly said, "Do you want to hang out while I'm here in Paris?" I thought YES! GREAT! someone to explore the city with. Margaret Randall was a godsend since she speaks some french and was a wonderful companion to explore.
Margaret invited me to have dinner and drinks with some expat friends of hers. I ended up meeting a great couple Randy and Jack and spent some fun time with them after Margaret left.
Margaret was heading down to Provence, where she would be spending a week with friends. Part of her stay at the chateau was going to be having a french chef come in and give the group cooking lessons. I thought that sounded amazing. Well leave it to Margaret she mentioned me to her group of friends and gave me a call letting me know they would love for me to come down, spend the afternoon and evening and attend Phillipe's cooking class. I bought a train ticket, rented a car, got directions and was on my way. The house the rented was beautiful as was the countryside. An opportunity like that only comes once in a lifetime and I jumped on it.
After exploring Paris and seeing almost every museum and church it was time to leave. I was ready since it was cold and rainy most of the time.
So on May 31st I headed to the airport and departed for Madrid. I got here with the sun shining and the people's disposition matched the weather...warm and sunny.
I was greeted at apartment LOLA, by her wonderful daughter. She explained what I needed to know about the apartment. Light and sunny, newly remodeled and steps away from the Prado and Sofia Reina Museums. Here is Lola.
https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/571765
This time I decided the first thing to do was take the bus tour of the city to get my bearings. Lesson learned in Paris. Madrid was my Mother's favorite city and we had come here about 13 years ago, but only after a guided tour of Portugal, Morocco and Southern Spain. We only spent a few days here before heading back to the states.
My friend Dave Schintzius arrived about 5 days later. We had great walks, great food, and took in a couple museums. An all around great time! As Dave said to me last time we vacationed together..."We vacation well." I couldn't agree more.
I'm off this Saturday to Barcelona and then to Dublin Ireland at the end of the month. I think I'm ready for a few English speaking countries. After Ireland I plan on England and Scotland. I will be sending out this link in an email as well since I've been told by some that they didn't receive the initial posting. Pictures next.
The month seemed to fly by and I had some great adventures. My friend Joan and her husband Dominic spent a few days in Paris before heading on a river cruise up to Prague. We had such a great time together and Joan turned me on to the best croissant in Paris. I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good. It's a good thing I couldn't find my way back, otherwise I would have been there daily.
I was invited to have dinner at Danielle's home whom I met during a visit she had made to San Francisco. I've read not to expect to be invited into someones home and was happily surprised that I did receive this invitation. We had a wonderful visit and she gave me great advice about ways to travel about Europe.
Shortly after Joan and her husband left I decided to take the train to Versailles. It's a lovely little estate that dates back to the mid 1700's. I walked the entire estate and then headed back to Paris. I had decided to just grab a quick bite at my local eatery since I was really tired. I sat down and asked the waiter for an English menu. The woman next to me said, "How wonderful you speak English. Where are you from.". I told her Northern California. She was from the same part of the world! We chatted for a while and she boldly said, "Do you want to hang out while I'm here in Paris?" I thought YES! GREAT! someone to explore the city with. Margaret Randall was a godsend since she speaks some french and was a wonderful companion to explore.
Margaret invited me to have dinner and drinks with some expat friends of hers. I ended up meeting a great couple Randy and Jack and spent some fun time with them after Margaret left.
Margaret was heading down to Provence, where she would be spending a week with friends. Part of her stay at the chateau was going to be having a french chef come in and give the group cooking lessons. I thought that sounded amazing. Well leave it to Margaret she mentioned me to her group of friends and gave me a call letting me know they would love for me to come down, spend the afternoon and evening and attend Phillipe's cooking class. I bought a train ticket, rented a car, got directions and was on my way. The house the rented was beautiful as was the countryside. An opportunity like that only comes once in a lifetime and I jumped on it.
After exploring Paris and seeing almost every museum and church it was time to leave. I was ready since it was cold and rainy most of the time.
So on May 31st I headed to the airport and departed for Madrid. I got here with the sun shining and the people's disposition matched the weather...warm and sunny.
I was greeted at apartment LOLA, by her wonderful daughter. She explained what I needed to know about the apartment. Light and sunny, newly remodeled and steps away from the Prado and Sofia Reina Museums. Here is Lola.
https://www.airbnb.com/users/show/571765
This time I decided the first thing to do was take the bus tour of the city to get my bearings. Lesson learned in Paris. Madrid was my Mother's favorite city and we had come here about 13 years ago, but only after a guided tour of Portugal, Morocco and Southern Spain. We only spent a few days here before heading back to the states.
My friend Dave Schintzius arrived about 5 days later. We had great walks, great food, and took in a couple museums. An all around great time! As Dave said to me last time we vacationed together..."We vacation well." I couldn't agree more.
I'm off this Saturday to Barcelona and then to Dublin Ireland at the end of the month. I think I'm ready for a few English speaking countries. After Ireland I plan on England and Scotland. I will be sending out this link in an email as well since I've been told by some that they didn't receive the initial posting. Pictures next.
Monday, May 6, 2013
My First Week in Paris
I will post pictures soon, but I wanted to get the blog up and running since I'm getting pressure from certain individuals (you know who you are) to do so....sooner rather than later.
I arrived on Wednesday, May 1st which is a National Holiday in France. It was Labor day, perfect since I don't plan on Laboring for a year! Most things were shut down for the day so the city was fairly quite.
Mostly I can imagine myself as a stinky sweaty American here on holiday. I know enough French not be rude. Since my arrival the Parisians have been very hospitable.
After being here almost a week and being lost most of the time I can say I'm getting to know the city. I get on a train to find out I'm going in the wrong direction or I've taken the wrong train. I guess purchasing a month long pass doesn't necessarily make me an expert.
I plan on taking an above ground bus tour since most of my time has been on the subway and I need to get my bearings.
So far I've been to Maison de Victor Hugo (his mansion), the Pompidou (which I thought was a building under construction) , The Louvre (need to go back not enough time that day and too much to see), and The Eiffle Tower.
BTW the apartment in the Marais District is adorable. Tons of personality and I'm learning to live without a dishwasher or a clothes dryer.
I arrived on Wednesday, May 1st which is a National Holiday in France. It was Labor day, perfect since I don't plan on Laboring for a year! Most things were shut down for the day so the city was fairly quite.
Mostly I can imagine myself as a stinky sweaty American here on holiday. I know enough French not be rude. Since my arrival the Parisians have been very hospitable.
After being here almost a week and being lost most of the time I can say I'm getting to know the city. I get on a train to find out I'm going in the wrong direction or I've taken the wrong train. I guess purchasing a month long pass doesn't necessarily make me an expert.
I plan on taking an above ground bus tour since most of my time has been on the subway and I need to get my bearings.
So far I've been to Maison de Victor Hugo (his mansion), the Pompidou (which I thought was a building under construction) , The Louvre (need to go back not enough time that day and too much to see), and The Eiffle Tower.
BTW the apartment in the Marais District is adorable. Tons of personality and I'm learning to live without a dishwasher or a clothes dryer.
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