Today I went to buy cigars for Jill’s dad with Jamie, Vicky and Jill. We mailed them home from the post office. Her dad likes contraband cigars. We went to visit Mount Pilatus. There is a restaurant and observation deck on top.

Switzerland is not as exciting as I thought. I would rather have spent more time in Germany; I would rather have gone to Munich and spent less time here. (Thinking it over after 30 years I think is was wrong, I’m glad I got to see and do those things in Switzerland with my friends while I had the chance. I got to spend much more time in Munich and Germany later.)

I took Vicki and Vicky for a night tour of Luzern. We went to a café but it was very crowded and we had trouble finding a seat. I am very popular because I am going to college and have been to Europe last year; also because I can speak German. I am very tired and went to bed early.

7/15 Tuesday Lucerne

Alan’s alarm went off at 5:30 am instead of 6:30. We stopped in Brienz at a wood carving place. Brienz is actually near the headwaters of three major rivers Rhone, Rhine and Danube. Also famous for its cuckoo clocks.

7/16 Wednesday Grindelwald

Slept late 9:00. There are four people to a room here. The guys from Iowa did their wash in the sink in the room and hung up their wet clothes. They told us not to do that here. I was mad.

It seems that half the people here are mad about something. I think it is the Foehn (a particularly warm, dry wind with low barometric pressure also known as a rain shadow.) People say that it is very clean here. They are right.

I bought an English book here Englisch fuer Auslaender. The publisher is Langenscheidt. It teaches people who know German how to speak English. I still have that book. Spoke German to the lady at the printers and in the Bookshop. We had lots of salad for lunch. Went out with Nolt and Kirch and Zem(enski). Left them, Bought a Swiss army knife with graduation money from Aunt Sue. I kept that knife until 2003 when I mistakenly left it in hand luggage and had to give it up on Magadan Air flight from Alaska to Siberia. I gave it to our Bus driver.

Then we had dinner. Gave another walking tour of the pedestrian  bridge of Luzern with its famous murals of the Dance of the Dead. Went to the Swann Gasthof for a beer. Took a shower and packed. Dianne and Vicki are up to something.

7/17 Thursday Interlaken

The driver got a commission but the prices were cheap anyway. I wanted a music box with a traditional Swiss tune, but all they had were popular American tunes like Frank Sinatra. I still have the Swiss music box my Grandmother bought me when I was a kid. It plays The happy wanderer. I bought a music box for my Dad. He still has it. It has a picture of an old man on it. I also saw a beautiful music box with good tone it played three songs. I cost 2400 Swiss Francs ($1000.00) half the price of this trip.

http://www.interlaken.ch/

Oberer Gletscher. We had lunch at the Wetterhorn Hotel. From here you can see the Eiger and Jungfrau mountain peaks. We are right in the middle of the Swiss Alps. It is beautiful here.

I went for a walk alone after lunch. I walked right up to a glacier it was cool. Glaciers are actually a compact for of ice that doesn’t melt in the summer. Some glaciers have an amazing pale blue color. You can walk right up to them and touch them and they will not melt. Glaciers are constantly moving. Albeit very slowly, about a half inch per year. It is the repeated freezing and thawing as well as the pressure that forms the glacier.

I am in a bad mood. I think I have a chip on my shoulder and am determined not to like it here. I think it has something to do with the weather.

It rained in Interlaken. The quality of life in Switzerland is equal to the US but not better. I wanted to feed the swans but it was raining. Came back wrote in Journal and post cards home. Dianne is mad at me but I don’t know why. Could the weather here be the Foehn? Went down to have a coke with Jill.

Italy Venice

Venice

Train transfer to Venice 10 hours. There was a nice couple on the train with a dog. They had an interesting kind of milk in a tube. They spoke German and Italian only. They thought I was English and complimented me on my German.

They offered Becky and me some Cognac. Susie choked on a sip.

Two Swiss kids from Switzerland couldn’t understand my German until their mother explained it was Hochdeutsch (High German). I taught them Some phrases in English What is your Name? And do you speak German?”

We are staying in a cheap hotel. The hotel is actually in Mestre on dry land. The hotel is old but it is okay for sleeping. The electricity kept going out whenever the girls tried to use their hairdryers. Our RAP is Pasquale. He is old and kind of strange. He has very tight pajamas. I think he is a little too interested in the girls. He is Italian but harmless. Someone tried to play a practical joke on me while I was asleep. I was not amused. I think it was Zem.

A note says I spent L 2,000 for meals about $2.50.

We had hard rolls with butter and jam for breakfast today and coffee of course. I’m drinking coffee now. Black, my friend Sharon says any other way and you’re only fooling yourself.

This morning was our tour of Venice. We saw many interesting things including the Doge’s palace, Prison and Weapons of Leonardo including a chastity belt. We saw Chiesa San Marco one of the great Byzantine cathedrals of the world. Walked to the top and stood right behind the famous horses.

7/18 Friday Venice

Venice is the only city of its kind in the world because of the way it was developed: it was built on over 100 islands in a lagoon four kilometers from terra firma and two kilometers from the Adriatic Sea. If you have ever seen the movie The Italian Job then you will know what I’m talking about.

The entire historic center, crisscrossed by canals connected by hundreds of bridges, is a treasure from the artistic and architectural point of view.

It takes on an exceptional atmosphere during the phenomenon of “high water,” when the high tide exceeds the level of dry land and floods the main streets and piazzas of Venice.

For these reasons, Venice is one of the cities most visited by tourists from around the world. From the administrative point of view, it is the capitol of the province and of the Veneto region. It has 310,000 inhabitants. http://www.giroscopio.com/english/enciclopedica/venice.html

Today we went to the glass factory it was very interesting. This is a very old City. Enjoyed a coffee with Roger at the Piazza San Marco. We ate lunch on the piazza. We met Sally’s mom here and she treated us all to ice cream. That was nice.

Dianne and Sharon spread toothpaste on my lips while I was asleep. I woke up of course. What a practical joke! I finally figured out what they were up to.

The Remains of St. Mark the evangelist were brought to Venice from Alexandria in the ninth century by Italians.

The only building on the San Giorgio Maggiore Island, this church was built in 1566 AD. It is built inside a Benedictine monastery (that was erected in 1000 AD) in accordance with a plan by Andrea Palladio. The bright interior is covered with paintings by Carpaccio and Tintoretto, such as ‘L’ultima Cena’ and the ‘Raccolta della Manna’. From the bell tower, there is a magnificent view of San Marco. Mass (with Gregorian chants) is held every Sunday. http://uk.holidaysguide.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-93520-action-describe-chiesa_di_s_giorgio_maggiore_venice- date accessed 7/29 2006

Mestre http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/winged_lion_of_st_mark.htm

7/19 Saturday

Feast of the Redemption

This was a big day. Went back to the Piazza San Marco and bought a book about for two dollars. I really like this place. Then to the Accademia. It was open this time and we took pictures. And the Ca’ Rezzonico palace. And Piazza it is built right on the water. Had lunch at a Student place and met a student from Denmark named Paul at the International hostel.

Walked around. Took the vaporetto across the wide part of the Grand Canal to San Marco. Found a junk market where I ran into Cam and Randy, the guys from Iowa. Took a nap in the piazza San Marco. Saw the altar and walked around the inside. I chased the birds in the square and an old lady got mad at me. Bird walk. Came back early and took another nap. We had dinner at the facility. Went back to the Piazza San Marco another time. They are celebrating the Feast of the Redemption of Mankind. This festival is unique to Venice. It has been celebrated for 400 years. It is a Feast day of the Catholic Church. It is like the 4^th of July for Venice.

They had great Fireworks. We had a very hard time getting from Mestre because of the crowds. First we missed the bus, then the first boat. Jack and Vicky got the next boat. I think there is a little romance starting here. Nolting left with most of the group. Marcie, Roger and I got the next boat—we found Jack and Vicky under the Lions tail. Sat at café—ordered one of those big ice cream gelato with cookie rolls chocolate sauce and strawberries and sparklers. It was really cool.

Return to Nolting and group and bus station Fireworks.

7/20 Sunday Padua

Sunday Bus transfer to Florence. The bus was late, stopped in Padua. The Giotto Frescoes are beautiful. Scrovegni Chapel http://www.giottoagliscrovegni.it/eng/monum/storia_dipinti.htm

http://humanitiesweb.org/human.php?s=g&p=c&a=p&ID=954

Florence

We are staying in a pensione again. The food is delicious and the location is good. The girls are washing clothes. We had pizza for dinner with ice cream for dessert. I took Vicki on a tour of Florence seeing the David, Duomo and Baptistery. She is sick. Talked to Sylvia and Marcie.

I was just about to enter my pensione when I hear a woman passing by in a Carmen ghia convertible, screaming my name at the top of her lungs Teddy—-It was my High School English teacher. I didn’t know she was going to be in Florence. See travels with my aunt Margaret

I’m making Friends with Vicki. She is a junior. She bought a very nice necklace for herself today on the Ponte Vecchio. Had fun at the San Lorenzo Market again, bought some leather goods, including a pair of driving gloves. This is one of my favorite places in Italy. In addition to the leather market there is also a fresh food and meat market here.

I’ve discovered the trattoria got the bill for dinner tonight L 17,000 about $26.00 for six people including wine, water and bread. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I thought it was going to be $1000. I had roasted veal, pasta and red wine. I’ve discovered sparking water is cheaper than still and much better for you too. I found some interesting licorice flavored gums called charms. They sell them at the espresso bars.

Pisa

A day trip to Pisa in the morning.

Pisa was very good; we had a tour with a good guide. We climbed the leaning tower. There are also a Baptistery and Basilica here dating from the twelfth century. Pisa was ruled by the Ghibellines. They were the mortal enemies of Henry the Lion and the Welfs from Bavaria.

Leonardo La ultima cena

http://www.artbible.info/art/large/150.html date accessed 8/9/11

7/24 Thursday Assisi

On the way to Rome the bus makes an excursion to Assisi, Umbria. The visitor feels as if he’s on a journey down the aisle toward the altar. No approach could be as spectacular or as appropriate as this. On the wall to the right of the staircase are frescoes done by Cimabue, who taught Giotto to paint. The largest and most famous is the Madonna with Four Angels and St. Francis. Assisi is a beautiful medieval town built on a hill—just being there gives a better understanding of what medieval life was like. St. Francis was a very interesting man. The girls are talking about the movie Brother sun Sister Moon. The churches are good. The Giotto frescoes are excellent. Saw the black body of St. Claire and a cloistered nun. Her face was covered.

Got to Rome before dinner. Facility on top of hill. Casa Tra Noi http://www.tranoi.it/movimento/princip.htm Good location for St. Peter’s and Vatican. Had meetings. Didn’t go out. Told jokes in Vicki’s room.

It is very hot in Rome this year about 30 C, in fact it is so hot the asphalt is melting in front of the Caesar forum.

I’m enjoying the little pieces of coconut for sale by street vendors for 100 lire about 25 cents. I’ve learned that it only costs 50 lire to sit down, while drinking your espresso, that’s less than 15 cents. Saw some great maps of the extent of the Roman Empire by the Forum today.

Rome still my favorite city in the WORLD!

7/25 Friday Rome is still great!

It’s the Holy year.

The “Heavenly Jerusalem” is a metaphor for the Catholic Church. And in Rome, St. Augustine saw a metaphor for God’s society of goodness and order and peace in the world based on its role as the heart of Christ’s Church. The singular authority this Church has maintained over two millennia of changing civilizations makes that truth abundantly clear. Amid the ruins of the former empire and its pagan temples, the Church of Rome stands as the living and unfolding history of the Christian legacy. It is only natural that the pilgrim’s journey should lead here. http://www.adoremus.org/6-72K.Gribben.html

Catholics usually gain special indulgences by going to Rome during a Holy Year and performing certain devotions, such as visiting St. Peter’s Basilica or other main basilicas such as St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran or St. Paul Outside the Walls. The Pope inaugurates this Holy Year with a solemn Mass, often celebrated on Christmas Eve of the preceding year (in this case 1999). He will also open the holy door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which has remained bricked up since the last Holy Year in 1975, and close it again at the end of the year; the dates for those ceremonies have not yet been set. Other rites, usually including special papal audiences, beatifications and canonizations, are also celebrated, but no schedule of events has yet been issued.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=travel&res=9E03E4DA1031F93AA15751C1A960958260 http://www.sspx.ca/Communicantes/Mar2000/Jubilee.htm

Pope John Paul declared a special Holy Year in 1983. 2000 was also a Holy year

Michael Petracioni is our RAP again.

Because I’ve been to Rome before I’m getting to do some things on my own without the group. In a few days, I’m planning to go out to the model city of EUR it is very far away and hard to get to. I also visited the ancient Appian Way and church of San Sebastian and tomb of Cecilia Metulla. I’m using the little orange guide book I bought last year.

Went back to the Tivoli Garden tonight with the group it is such a silly place.

The ruins are beautiful. St. Peter’s looks big this year. Probably because of all the other churches I’ve seen. Last year I had nothing to compare it to. Went back to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums, the Raphael frescoes didn’t appear as good as last year. This time I liked the Sistine chapel. The impressive mosaic maps of Italy in the map room were also as remembered. Saw the holy hammer used to open the holy doors for the holy year. Walked to the top of St. Peter’s again this year—no film. It was Fantastic.

7/26 Saturday Tour of Rome

Saw the Pantheon, pyramid of Cestius, Spanish steps; San Paolo fuori le Mura, St. Peter in Chains saw the Michelangelo Moses. Tre scalini was on strike. Later went to St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran on my own. There is a communist Festival in the village of San Giovanni.

I tried to get a Vatican stamp for my passport by the Swiss Guards but they wouldn’t do it. Apparently a stamp gives permission to enter the Vatican and not just show that you have been there. The Vatican does have its own special stamps and coins however. Paul VI is still pope. He is at Castel Gandolpho for the summer. Saw Aida at the baths of Caracalla with camels and horses but no elephants.

There is a special story about the Knights of Malta. Their territory is located on the via Condotti next to all of the fancy shops. Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta

The Sovereign Order of Malta is a sovereign subject of international law. The Order – which is based in Rome, in via Condotti – has its own Government, an independent magistracy, bilateral diplomatic relations with 94 countries and is granted the status of Permanent Observer in many international organizations, such as the United Nations. Its operational activities are managed by the six Grand Priories, four Sub priories and 46 National Associations of Knights in the five continents.

The Order issues its own passports and stamps and creates public institutions, endowed with independent juridical personality. Order’s life is governed by the Constitutional Charter and the Code, reformed in 1997. http://www.orderofmalta.org/struttura.asp?idlingua=5 I still have never made it to the Borghese gardens or Naples in all of the times I have been to Rome. Update it is 2011 and after another attempt in 1986 I finally made it to the VB. It was well worth the wait. Went to the Zoo with KT and met Marion after lunch we had to make reservations several days before. Naples and Sicily another time I guess just spent ten days in Rome again. Fantastic I really love that city.

Public bus #118 goes from the Colosseum to Via Apia Antica. The church of Domine, quo vadis is there and the tomb of Cecilia Metulla. The bus line ends where the ancient road begins. http://en.beijing2008.com/07/80/article211998007.shtml

Some people in our group said they saw Dan Rather downtown in Rome. CBS reporter and recently appointed 60 Minutes correspondent received national attention due to reporting on Hurricane Carla.

Jack and I played a trick on everyone. I had him dress up in a sheet like Caesar with powdered face and laurel crown. I had everyone assemble in the court yard and at the right time Jack jumped out from behind the curtain. I told everyone I had found a statue in the Forum.

http://www.romeartlover.it/Vasi21.htm

Olympic stadium

Drove by the Stadium from when the Olympics where in Rome in 1960. It doesn’t look anything like our Olympic field at home in St. Louis.

The History of the Olympics: 1960 – Rome, Italy It had been Coubertin’s wish since 1904 to have the Olympics hosted in Rome: “I desired Rome only because I wanted Olympism, after its return from the excursion to utilitarian America, to don once again the sumptuous toga, woven of art and philosophy, in which I had always wanted to clothe her.”* Fifty-six years later, Coubertin’s wish was fulfilled.

Italy created a mixture of modern and ancient sites to hold the contests. An Olympic Stadium and a Sports Palace were built for the Games while the Basilica of Maxentius and the Baths of Caracalla were restored to host the wrestling and gymnastic events respectively.

The 1960 Olympic Games were the first Olympics to be fully covered by television. The history of the Olympics http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa081000r.htm date accessed 8/6 2006.

7/27 Sunday

7/28 Monday

The night before leaving we went back to the Piazza Navona and Tre Scalini, another big group. You know how much I hate that! Well I made the best of it. I had another tortufo with the secret center; it’s kind of a tradition with me.

7/29 TUESDAY LAST day in Rome Went to EUR.

Public bus #93 from the Termini to EUR http://www.photo.net/italy/rome-eur

Yes, it’s probably more accurate to think of Fascist architecture as either the product of Italian Rationalism (a kind of cool, minimalistic modernism) or a variant on the Art Deco style (in this case a stripped down classicism). Granted, much of it is monumental, cold, and uninspired. Part of that is due to the fact that so much of it was in the form of public buildings. They were often built on large undeveloped (or newly razed) tracts over a relatively short time frame, which tends to encourage architectural monotony.

http://www.romeartlover.it/Appfratt.jpg

In recent years, there has been some re-evaluation of the qualities of the architecture of this period. It is not entirely fair to dismiss it with the evils of Fascism. Buildings may certainly convey a sense of power and become dehumanizing, but qualities like these are not exclusive to architecture built under dictatorships. There is an understandable natural tendency to project a dark symbolism into Fascist architecture. There is also a remarkable tendency to reinterpret such symbolism when the same forms appear in a democratic context.

http://www.romeartlover.it/Obelisks.html#Quirinale

For example, do you recognize this structure in the photo I’ve attached? No, it’s not Saarinen’s St. Louis Arch, gateway to the American West. It’s an unrealized Fascist project for E 42 (now called the E.U.R.).

Part of the Museum of Roman Civilization was closed but I did get to see the model of ancient Rome and some of the other things. Walked around, saw the sport palace from a distance also found beautiful gardens.

Went to St. Peter’s for the last time. I wanted to buy a candle but there were none. Used Holy water. Tried to get a pin for the Holy year. Left for Madrid after lunch.

7/30 8/3 Sunday Spain

We flew from Rome to Madrid

Madrid. We flew from Rome to Madrid. We saw some soldiers on a catwalk with machine guns at the airport in Rome. Due to the killings on an El Al Israeli airlines flight. A couple of men got a little unruly on the plane Alitalia I guess they were drunk. Went to a special department store downtown. Bought a wallet El Corte Inglés. We are staying in a nice hotel again. Went to the café Iowa bar near the Plaza d España.

I’m glad to be back in Madrid, because I had so much fun here the last time.  It seems strange to be ending up the trip here this time.  We had a tour of Madrid with a terrible guide.  We didn’t see too many things.  She kept taking us to shops and asking, “Don’t you want to buy something.”  I think Kirchoffer was angry.

This year our trip includes a visit to Philip II royal palace at el Escorial our guide is a hoot she is chiding the girls for not paying attention to her history lesson.  I can still hear screaming about Titian’s Charlie the V fighting the Araps (sic).  She wouldn’t answer questions.  The tombs were beautiful marble.

Valley of the Fallen and el Escorial

This controversial monument is a Roman Catholic Basilica and now contains the tomb of Spanish dictator Franco.

The most beautiful of the many grand squares in Madrid is the Plaza de Cibeles. The heavily trafficked square is surrounded by majestic buildings. http://www.aviewoncities.com/madrid/plazadecibles.htm

The Plaza Puerta del Sol is the perfect starting point to explore Madrid. This bustling, centrally located square is one of the city’s most lively places. http://www.travelinginspain.com/madrid/puerta_del_sol.htm

La Cibeles http://www.fotosearch.com/PDS126/200358863-001/

Everyone went to the new Burger King downtown. I did not go. I don’t see what the big deal is. We returned to my favorite the Plaza Mayor at the center of Madrid. We did not eat at Botin’s this year.

So I ended up in Madrid again where I had begun my adventure a year ago.

Sunday

Went to el Rastro. Today the Flea market bought a couple of things – a very large brass key and an antique metal box with a lid. There are a lot of veterans here selling trinkets from WWII. Security is tight at Madrid Barajas airport. There are lots of soldiers with guns. Edie M. had to have a hand search because her underwire bra set off the metal detector. That was scary.

Flew back to Chicago and then to St. Louis on Ozark. It was a lot better than the bus last year.

1973 December 17^th – Italy, Rome Airport: five Palestinian terrorists began shooting as they pulled weapons from their luggage in the terminal lounge. Two people were killed there. The assailants then made their way to an American Airlines 707 preparing to take off for Beirut and Teheran. Hurling incendiary devices inside the aircraft, they killed all 29 people aboard and destroyed the plane. Next, they herded five Italian hostages into a Lufthansa jetliner and killed all 29 people aboard and destroyed the plane. Next, they herded five Italian hostages into a Lufthansa jetliner and killed a sixth person, an Italian customs policeman, as he tried to escape. The plane, carrying the hostages, crew and terrorists, took off and the pilot was ordered to head for Beirut. Lebanese officials refused to allow the plane to land, however, and it flew on to land in Athens.

In negotiations with Greek authorities, the group demanded the release of two Arab terrorists held since August 1973 for an attack on the Athens airport. (It is unclear whether the Greek government refused to release the terrorists or whether, after their release, the two Arabs refused to join the terrorists, as they were from a rival Palestinian group.)

In an effort to gain compliance with their demands, the terrorists killed one of the hostages and threw his body onto the tarmac before leaving Athens. The pilot had urged Greek authorities to meet the terrorists’ demands, reporting that four other hostages had been killed. (He was unaware that it was a hoax designed to place more pressure on the Greek authorities.) The plane then flew to Damascus where it took on fuel and food during a two-hour stop. Later that day, after landing in Kuwait, the terrorists released their hostages in return for free passage to an unknown destination.

Bombings shootings at airports. http://www.emergency-management.net/airterror_shoot.htm date accessed 8/6/2006

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe                 English by Edgar Alfred Bowring

Der Türmer, der schaut zu Mitten der Nacht     The warder looks down at the mid hour of night,

Hinab auf die Gräber in Lage;             On the tombs that lie scatter’d below:

Der Mond, der hat alles ins Helle gebracht;     The moon fills the place with her silvery light,

Der Kirchhof, er liegt wie am Tage.         And the churchyard like day seems to glow.

Da regt sich ein Grab und ein anderes dann:     When see! first one grave, then another opes wide,

Sie kommen hervor, ein Weib da, ein Mann,     And women and men stepping forth are descried,*

In weißen und schleppenden Hemden.         In cerements** snow-white and trailing.

Das reckt nun, es will sich ergetzen sogleich,     In haste for the sport soon their ankles they twitch,

Die Knöchel zur Runde, zum Kranze,         And whirl round in dances so gay;

So arm und so jung, und so alt und so reich;     The young and the old, and the poor, and the rich,

Doch hindern die Schleppen am Tanze.         But the cerements stand in their way;

Und weil hier die Scham nun nicht weiter gebeut,     And as modesty cannot avail them aught here,

Sie schütteln sich alle, da liegen zerstreut         They shake themselves all, and the shrouds soon appear

Die Hemdlein über den Hügeln.             Scatter’d over the tombs in confusion.

Nun hebt sich der Schenkel, nun wackelt das Bein,     Now waggles the leg, and now wriggles the thigh,

Gebärden da gibt es vertrackte;             As the troop with strange gestures advance,

Dann klippert’s und klappert’s mitunter hinein,     And a rattle and clatter anon rises high,

Als schlüg’ man die Hölzlein zum Takte.         As of one beating time to the dance.

Das kommt nun dem Türmer so lächerlich vor;     The sight to the warder seems wondrously queer,

Da raunt ihm der Schalk, der Versucher, ins Ohr:     When the villainous Tempter speaks thus in his ear:

Geh! hole dir einen der Laken.             ”Seize one of the shrouds that lie yonder!”

Getan wie gedacht! und er flüchtet sich schnell     Quick as thought it was done! and for safety he fled

Nun hinter geheiligte Türen.             Behind the church-door with all speed;

Der Mond, und noch immer er scheinet so hell     The moon still continues her clear light to shed

Zum Tanz, den sie schauderlich führen.         On the dance that they fearfully lead.

Doch endlich verlieret sich dieser und der,     But the dancers at length disappear one by one,

Schleicht eins nach dem andern gekleidet einher,     And their shrouds, ere they vanish, they carefully don,

Und, husch, ist es unter dem Rasen.         And under the turf all is quiet.

Nur einer, der trippelt und stolpert zuletzt     But one of them stumbles and shuffles there still,

Und tappet und grapst an den Grüften;         And gropes at the graves in despair;

Doch hat kein Geselle so schwer ihn verletzt,     Yet ’tis by no comrade he’s treated so ill

Er wittert das Tuch in den Lüften.         The shroud he soon scents in the air.

Er rüttelt die Turmtür, sie schlägt ihn zurück,     So he rattles the door—for the warder ’tis well

Geziert und gesegnet, dem Türmer zum Glück,     That ’tis bless’d, and so able the foe to repel,

Sie blinkt von metallenen Kreuzen.         All cover’d with crosses in metal.

Das Hemd muß er haben, da rastet er nicht,     The shroud he must have, and no rest will allow,

Da gilt auch kein langes Besinnen,         There remains for reflection no time;

Den gotischen Zierat ergreift nun der Wicht     On the ornaments Gothic the wight seizes now,

Und klettert von Zinne zu Zinnen.         And from point on to point hastes to climb.

Nun ist’s um den armen, den Türmer getan!     Alas for the warder! his doom is decreed!

Es ruckt sich von Schnörkel zu Schnörkel hinan,     Like a long-legged spider, with ne’er-changing speed,

Langbeinigen Spinnen vergleichbar.         Advances the dreaded pursuer.

Der Türmer erbleichet, der Türmer erbebt,     The warder he quakes, and the warder turns pale,

Gern gäb er ihn wieder, den Laken.         The shroud to restore fain had sought;

Da häkelt—jetzt hat er am längsten gelebt—     When the end,—now can nothing to save him avail—

Den Zipfel ein eiserner Zacken.             In a tooth formed of iron is caught.

Schon trübet der Mond sich verschwindenden Scheins,     With vanishing lustre the moon’s race is run,

Die Glocke, sie donnert ein mächtiges Eins,     When the bell thunders loudly a powerful One,

                Und unten zerschellt das Gerippe.         And the skeleton fails, crush’d to atoms.

Interlaken   http://youtu.be/nqCEhmqsSnY

Laundry day. I went to the laundromat it’s so much nicer than doing it in the sink. We have all kinds of soaps, clothespins, laundry line and other things to do the laundry.

Canterbury and Dover.

2 Paris

Transfer to Paris via hovercraft Dover to Boulogne.

This is my first time in Paris. We had to skip it last year because of the cost of Moscow. I’m so excited. I would return again in 1978, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1992 and March 2001.

We crossed the English Channel by Hovercraft at Dover to Boulogne after taking a bus from London and stopping in Canterbury and Rochester in Kent. We could barely make out the white cliffs of Dover in the fog. We would return here with Teddy, Marion and Margaret in 1999. The cross-channel service was discontinued in 2005. We took a bus to Paris from Boulogne

Our RAP is a woman but after 30 years I cannot remember her name. She doesn’t speak English very well, but I like her. She is nice and very well-informed. She is a University student in Paris.

Tonight I got a letter from the phantom writer, I wonder who it could be? It was a love letter. We stayed in an old college Stanislaus with lots of rooms on the sixth floor and no elevator. And a big staircase. I took the room on the sixth floor because Susie T. complained. I remember singing as I came down the stairs.

They drink coffee here in bowls mixed with milk and sugar, also hot cocoa. We take our meals in a cafeteria in the college. The servers are mostly old women but very friendly.

7/7 Monday Paris

Tour of old city of Paris torn down to make way for new market.

http://www.invalides.org/pages/historique.html date accessed 7/27 2006

L’Hôtel national des Invalides.

.

Our Rap is a student of French History. She took us to Le Marais and gave us a very special walking tour of the 4e arrondissement including the place de Vosges and the Jewish quarter. This tour was of the medieval heart of Paris. Le Marias means swamp and was originally a swamp. Much of this area has now been torn down to make room for the Marche de St. Quentin. Discover Paris. Walking tour of Jewish quarter and old shopping district of Paris with Ralphie and group.

Little story of Le Marais.

Paris’ original attempt at urban planning, the Place des Vosges is now its oldest square. The square symmetry of the square, with its ground floor arcade, consists of 39 (some say 36) houses – each made of red brick with stone facings. Its construction was under Henri IV from 1605 – 1612. The site was originally occupied by the Hôtel des Tournelles.

The project was probably designed by Baptiste du Cerceau, and originally named the Place Royale. The kings and queens pavilions were the center south and north gateways respectively. The square acquired its present name in 1799 when the Department of the Vosges (near the southwestern German border) was the first to pay its taxes associated with particular military campaigns of that time.

Several of its houses have their own particular histories, and among these are the Hôtel de Chaulnes (number 9), the Academy of Architecture; the Hôtel de la Rivière (number 14) whose ceilings by Lebrun are now in the Musée Carnavalet; number 1 is where Mme de Sevigné was born; number 11 occupied from 1639-1648 by the courtesan Marion Delorme; number 17, former residence of Bossuet; number 21 where Richelieu lived from 1615 – 1627, and number 6 – now a museum: Maison de Victor Hugo.

http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Vosges/

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Obelisque.shtml date accessed 7/29 2006

Full day tour of Paris including Place de la Concorde, Montmartre home of many famous artists and painter and the church of Sacre Cœur. Tour Eifel. Notre Dame. I love the cathedral. Left bank.

Tour of Louvre with Edie. Saw the Mona Lisa again. Margaret Lewis said she cried the first time she say the Venus de Milo it its beauty was so exquisite. In 1969 for the first time ever the Mona Lisa went on a world tour including New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo and Moscow. I saw it in Moscow at the State Pushkin Museum last summer already. At the time it was already valued at $100 million.

Saw other paintings of Leonardo including Virgin of the Rocks, and St. Anne with Virgin and child. . I’ve tried my luck copying this one no wonder it took Leonardo 18 years.

SanChapelle blue glass

I didn’t make it to the Follies Berger. One of my goals on my bucket list. I still haven’t made it but my Grandmother did. Saw the beautiful San Chapelle.
http://tinyurl.com/3vqqm3u date accessed 8/12/11

Took a walk after dinner with Jill, Jack, Meg, Jim and Sally. Ellen had trouble with a French man in a café in the Latin quarter. I guess he got a little fresh. Saw the Paris MacDonald’s. Had a Gin and Tonic at a night club. My new favorite drink. Still no clue on the identity of the phantom writer. I think it must be Dianne.

7/8 Tuesday Paris

Jill and Sally are sick. I went for a walk, looking at artwork along the Seine-postcards, books, magazines.

Our metro stop is near the Tour Montparnasse the tallest building in France. This is the new district of Paris. I love it here. This is the location of the new Galeries Lafayette. http://tinyurl.com/3e2jxfo date accessed 8/10/2006

I helped Jack buy a French birthday card for his sister who is taking French in college. Jack and I went to the Eifel tower. It was very dark, I did not get good picture. We got caught in a big thunder-storm coming out of the Eifel Tower Jardins du Trocadero and got drenched on the way home. We were late for dinner. Went to Montmartre and had a chocolate crepe a specialty of Brittany. At Montmartre there are lots of people from Africa selling things. I don’t mind talking to those vendors and I get to hone my bargaining skills. I bought a ring with the Eifel tower and Jill wants to keep it. I also bought a bracelet for a dollar. I’m using the new Eisenhower’s. The guy didn’t know what to make of it but he liked it because it was BIG. His starting price was 200 F ($50.00.) Everyone has told us how expensive Paris is, but I’m enjoying it none the less. I love the Galeries Lafayette. Went to the café Sebon near where we are staying. Had another gin and tonic. I am very tired.

In 1851, Emperor Napoleon III commissioned the construction of a Jeu de Paume court (ancestor of tennis) in the Jardin des Tuileries. With the arrival of outdoor tennis in 1947, the building was converted into a museum dedicated to Impressionism. When the collection was transferred to the Musée d’Orsay in 1986, the gallery concentrated on contemporary art, which is well represented through its temporary exhibitions. It now holds photography exhibitions. Look out for the large glass conservatory and compare its architecture with that of the nearby Orangerie. My Travel Guide http://www.mytravelguide.com/attractions/profile-79020905-France_Paris_Galerie_Nationale_du_Jeu_de_Paume.html date accessed 7/27 2006

Manet Dejuener sur l'herbe

Olga’s Gallery http://www.abcgallery.com/M/manet/manet6.html date accessed 7/27/2006.

http://www.parisdigest.com/promenade/montmartre.htm La chambre de Van Gogh a Arles (Van Gogh’s Room at Arles) 1889 Artchive Favorites Tour GREEK

My daughter will kill me for writing this, but when viewing this painting for art class in grade school she was asked is there anything odd about this painting. She replied they didn’t wash their hands before having lunch. This painting by Manet is widely considered the first Impressionist painting.

Renoir

Date accessed 8/6/2006 The pride of the Phillips Collection WDC 1881 bought from the artist

Venus de Milo Parian marble, h 2.02 m (6 1/2 ft) Found at Milo 130-120 BC

Musee du Louvre, Parishttp://artchive.com/artchive/V/van_gogh/bedroom.jpg.html Date accessed 7/29/2006

A Bit of History

The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition, Gustave Eiffel’s was unanimously chosen.

However it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names – including those of Maupassant, Emile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier), and Dumas the Younger – protested its construction.

At 300 metres (320.75m including antenna), and 7000 tons, it was the world’s tallest building until 1930. Other statistics include:

•  2.5 million rivets.
•  300 steel workers, and 2 years (1887-1889) to construct it.
•  Sway of at most 12 cm in high winds.
•  Height varies up to 15 cm depending on temperature.
•  15,000 iron pieces (excluding rivets).
•  40 tons of paint.
•  1652 steps to the top.

It was almost torn down in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna – used for telegraphy at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio (since 1918), and French television (since 1957) have also made use of its stature.

During its lifetime, the Eiffel Tower has also witnessed a few strange scenes, including being scaled by a mountaineer in 1954, and parachuted off of in 1984 by two Englishmen. In 1923 a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level. Some accounts say he rode down the stairs, other accounts suggest the exterior of one of the tower’s four legs which slope outward.

However, if its birth was difficult, it is now completely accepted and must be listed as one of the symbols of Paris itself. http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Eiffel/

Ecole-Militaire seen through the base of the tower. http://www.sbac.edu/~tpl/clipart/Photos/Eiffel%20Tower.jpg

Olga’s gallery Le Chasseur de la Garde http://www.abcgallery.com/D/david/gericault.html date accessed 7/30 2006

7/9 Wednesday Chateau de Versailles

This morning our tour included a stop at the famous Chateau de Versailles. Palace of Louis XIV had this beautiful palace built to keep an eye on his rebellious nobles. Most of the furnishings removed during the French revolution are still missing. The famous hall of mirrors has been often copied in other palaces throughout Europe, including Russia and Germany.

Went back to the Louvre. The two great Museums so far are the Louvre and the two-story Jeu de Paume in the Tuileries Gardens facing the Place de la Concorde. I like romantic artist Theodore Gericault’s Horses.

Today I bought newspapers and cigars. As you know I have a collection of them from each country that I visited. I’ve even smoked some of the cigars. Used the cross of St. Ted. The cross of St. Ted is used on people who have been especially kind or flavorful to me originally it was a chicken foot from the market of Florence. Today is Bill’s birthday had a cake and a night tour of Paris. The man liked Susie so he let her drive the boat! Everything is lit up; it is beautiful.

Last entry in Journal for Paris: Paris is very nice. I love the homogeneity of the architecture. The people aren’t all mean, as we have heard. Just be nice to them. They are very proud of their city and rightfully so. It truly is the world’s most livable city. Things just seem to work here. Even this strange running water in the curbs which just seems to come and go and disappear into nowhere.

PARIS IS GREAT!

http://france-for-visitors.com/photo-gallery/paris/versailles/versailles-chapelle-royale.html date accessed 8/06/2006

7/10 Thursday leave for Germany

Divided Germany

We have no chance of visiting a city like Berlin or Dresden.

Germany

Aachen http://www.greatbuildings.com/cgi-bin/gbi.cgi/Aachen_Cathedral.html/cid_1123537676_00766v.gbi “The Palatine Chapel, built about 796-805 at Charlemagne’s palace in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), is the preeminent surviving Carolingian structure. A domed, double-shelled, two-storied octagon, it presents a type reminiscent of Early Christian and Byzantine architecture. Indeed, it is generally accepted that the Palatine Chapel was modeled closely after S. Vitale in Ravenna and was perceived as an antique revival.”

Site of the coronation of the German emperors.

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/The_Palatine_Chapel.html

Köln http://www.koelnerdom.de/

We took a train from Paris to Cologne. My first time in Germany, It was fun all the boys stayed on the train and passed all of the suitcases out of the windows to the girls who were standing by the track. We’re staying in a Hotel in the city. They say it’s in a bad neighborhood, so be careful when going out after dark. This is unusual for Germany. We are getting about 2.4 marks for a dollar. That seems a lot less than the 4 per mark I had heard about but two years later it would be less than 2.

Cologne is a beautiful city, I was sorry to hear that it had been so heavily bombed. Walked to the top of the Dom (Cathedral of Saints Peter and Mary). The three crowns have been an emblem of Cologne since the 12th century, because in 1164 Emperor Frederick Barbarossa defeated Milan and gave the relics of the Magi as booty to the Cologne archbishop Reinald von Dassel, his faithful chancellor, who then brought them to Cologne. These relics are still being kept inside a golden shrine behind the high altar in Cologne Cathedral. On account of its many and important relics Cologne was considered a sacred city in the middle Ages and proudly called itself Sancta Colonia. http://www.cologneweb.com/arms.htm

The cathedral was built to house these relics in the 13^th century, making Cologne the Rome of the north.

Most of the building is new, except for the cathedral which was miraculously saved, being so close to the Bahnhof (train station). My German teacher always threatened to flunk anyone who said Bahnhof like hot instead of hope. Bought some koelnisches Wasser #4711-eau de Cologne. Saw a McDonald’s.

I took care of some guys bothering us at the beer fountain. Das schaut aus, wie ein grosses Schwanz, nicht wahr.—*++-***? Bierbrunnen (beer fountain) Schildergasse, Innenstadt, Cologne, Germany

The Beer Fountain marks the lower end of Schildergasse, where the street broadens to form a little square. The stone seats placed around the fountain are a convenient place to meet, or good for simply sitting down to give your feet a rest. Meanwhile you can watch other shopaholics dash in and out of Kaufhof, Gap or H & M. This is also a place where you can nearly always catch a street performer. The minimalist, rather phallic stone column was designed by art students and erected in 1972. A Cologne brewery sponsored the presentation, when beer gushed from the top of the stone. Today it is merely ordinary water that flows down the column. http://tinyurl.com/4xn6lnw date accessed 8/10/11

7/11 Friday Rhine Cruise Germany

German Corner Koblenz

I remember a story my grandfather Gast told me about the Rhine cruise he took with my grandmother in 1960. He said people were so poor they would stand around just to get the dregs of your coffee when you were finished. He also said it was very cold then. Things are sure different now. He also told me how much he and my grandmother enjoyed Rudesheim. We stopped there but didn’t see much. He had a photograph enlarged from Rothenburg OT that he took on the trip in 1960. The boys were wearing Lederhosen.  There were no tv aerials or telephone wires.It looked like it had been from the 1940′s.

On another trip to Germany I met my Grandparents in Nuremberg. He told me about Frankie’s maid. She left a camera on a park bench and said she would go back for it after she had finished her lunch. She knew it would still be there. And it was.

My grandparents also went to Berlin on that trip. They made my grandfather the honorary bandleader and the Hofbraeuhaus. He said they had a delicious beer and then ruined it by pouring in a shot of raspberry syrup. The famous Berliner Weisse, it’s actually pretty good. I guess he didn’t like it.

When they landed in Hamburg they were supposed to have a chauffeured car take my grandparents around Germany. My grandmother did not like the driver. She took one look at him and said I’m not spending one minute driving around with that man. Get another driver. And they did.

Bought a newspaper. Koblenz is beautiful. Jill and I ate lunch in the park. Walked around Koblenz. At the end of the cruise at Rudesheim, we took the bus to Heidelberg. Saw a lady in a restaurant that looked like my German teacher. Went to a beer garden. We ran into some boy scouts-toothpaste-wooden shoes-switchblade. We are seeing some of the underside of modern Germany. Dinner was bad.

7/12 Saturday Heidelberg

Last day in Germany. Breakfast was delicious. Tour of Heidelberg today. Saw the famous castle and Trinkfass. Heidelberg is on the Neckar River. It has a famous University and is known for its students. I bought a beer stein (Krug) today. I still have it along with many others that I keep in my living room.

Bier stein is actually dialect used only in the Palatinate, otherwise it is a neologism and only refers to beer scale. Lunch was good. Next we took the train from Heidelberg to Luzern.

http://home.tiscalinet.ch/jud.zwahlen/lu/lutour.htm

Luzern, Switzerland

http://www.gletschergarten.ch/de/loewe.html

We stayed in a Hotel in the heart of town. I remember we had very good service at the restaurant. The waiters were always rushing around and getting things for us. Dinner was rushed but good. I think we were late. Swiss precision and all. I went for a short walk with Jim, Dianne, and Sharon. Mark is complaining about not spending enough time with the other people in the group. Alan started it. He made the situation worse.

7/13 Sunday Lucerne

We had our tour of Lucerne today. There is a covered bridge over the lake and a famous relief of a wounded lion. Lunch was more leisurely. Took a walking tour of Lucerne with the RAP.

I liked the Totentanz on the bridge over Lake Luzern, fed the swans, sat and looked at the lake. see text next blog

For dinner we went to the fondue restaurant. I danced a folk dance with a Swiss lady. Then I danced with the girls. The fondue was all right. For entertainment they played the alpenhorn and had a flag thrower. I met some boring Italian men. Later, I went for a walk before going to bed.

Six countries in five weeks.

Current Events of 1975

London, England

Paris, France

Germany

Luzern, Switzerland

Venice, Florence, Rome, Italy

Madrid, Spain

I think it cost about $2000.00 including all meals and airfare. I think they still have this program but they go during Spring Break and it costs over $3500 for ten days and they just go to Italy. Because of OPEC the price is up $800 from $1200 from last year. I am now graduated from High School and will be attending Vanderbilt University in the fall.

The big thing this summer is Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago, which we have seen in all of the bookstores in the cities and Capitals of Europe.

In 1973, fearing that he might soon be imprisoned again, Solzhenitsyn authorized foreign publication of The Gulag Archipelago, a vast work that he had completed in 1968 documenting, with personal interviews and reminiscences, the operation of the oppressive Soviet system (see Gulag) from 1918 to 1956. In Feb., 1974, Solzhenitsyn was arrested, formally accused of treason, stripped of his citizenship, and forcibly deported to the West. In exile he personally accepted his Nobel Prize in Stockholm (1974). http://www.answers.com/topic/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn

Hot movies for 1975 are Jaws, Barry Lyndon and the Man who would be King. Also big are Nashville and Tommy.

The big talk this summer is Mikhail Baryshnikov, although the movie The Turning Point with Anne Bancroft won’t premiere for another two years everyone is talking about his defection.

Gerald Ford is the President of the United States, after the resignation of Richard Nixon last August. He has given the controversial pardon which many feel cost him reelection in 1976.

The Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa gains independence after 500 years of Portuguese rule. The shameful Fall of Saigon also occurred on my birthday 29. April. The Baader-Meinhof urban guerilla group is rampant in Germany, kidnapping government officials and bomb attacks.

Volkswagen introduced the front wheel drive Rabbit in the United States and Canada. It is an instant success.

The Altair 8800 is introduced. My dad and brother couldn’t wait to get their hands on one.

Merv Griffith launches Wheel of Fortune on NBC and SNL with Chevy Chase, John Belushi and Jane Curtin begins this fall. Margaret Thatcher leads the Conservative party in the UK.

The Rocky Horror Picture show opens on Broadway it is still running in theaters in2011.

The Shinkansen bullet train opens in Japan. Busch Gardens opens in Williamsburg. Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing in Detroit. Fugitive Patty Hearst is captured in San Francisco. Her father feeds the first example of the Media frenzy with his accounts of her kidnapping in front of his home.

Juan Carlos becomes Head of Sate in Spain.

30. June Monday

Left St. Louis for Chicago. We fly to London on TIA, Trans International Airlines, a charter airline owned by Transamerican Corp. The one with the pyramid in San Francisco. This trip is sponsored and organized by FSL the foreign study league. We get little background books on each country we visit. The plane left Chicago early, made no stops. Got to London early.

1. July Tuesday London
   

The bus driver didn’t know the way to the dormitory. We are staying at London Poly, which is on Marylebone Road, across the street from Madam Tussauds and not too far from 221B Baker Street. That’s the London Polytechnic. It rents out its rooms for the summer. It is a very modern campus. I like it. They have corn flakes for breakfast.

http://www.madametussauds.com/london/ date accessed 2011 July 4

Our Rap is Chris Taylor.  She is young and pretty. She is very interesting young woman. She asked me why do Americans say “wahddur”, when it’s pronounced “wauTTer”? She was talking about water of course.Went to Victoria Station to change money ($30.00). Had pork for dinner.

Went to Piccadilly Circus. It is still spectacular. Saw some new signs. I met a panhandler from Montreal but I wouldn’t give him any money.

There are lots of sex shops here although they are not as visible and not as smutty. Was dragged into a sex shop by Dianne K. and Sharon G. We didn’t do anything, just looked. What was in that shop well really just a bunch of silly things? The strange thing about it was it was just on the strip with the other stores and not hidden somewhere. Laughed about it on the way home on the tube while people watched us. Went to two plays Mousetrap and another about the Beatles. Also saw Shaw’s Pygmalion with Diana Rigg in the lead. I love London’s West End. Saw the new Ivor Roberts-Jones Statue of Winston Churchill next to the Houses of Parliament.

7/2 Wednesday London

Had a tour today and a good breakfast. The tour wasn’t as good as last year. I went to the Left had shop and bought some cards. Tried to talk to the lady but she was not very friendly. I’m trying to find a new raincoat for school this fall.

Went to the London zoo and saw the Pandas. They were not so active at first but woke up as we were leaving. Somehow, I got into the aquarium for free. Went to another play Murderer and pubbing with Mr. Cordell. Went to a party in Jill’s room.

7/3 Thursday London Windsor

We had meat pie for lunch at the University. After lunch we went to the British Museum. Fantastic! Rivaling the Louvre it really is one of the top five art museums in the world. The mummified man was nice. I was sorry to see that so little was left of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens. Housing Greek and ancient Egyptian sculptures as well as Assyrian and other antiquity the British Museum has a large a truly impressive collection. I wanted to see the Magna Carta, but it was closed because Prince Charles was coming for a visit so I couldn’t. I ran into him again 4 years late on his Asian tour in Hong Kong (I later saw the Magna Carta many years later when it was on tour to St. Louis.) The guard was extremely rude not only to us but to another man as well. Very unusual for Britain. I bought a map of London.

Then I went shopping at Selfridge’s and Marks and Spencer (Mark’s and Sparks), my favorite department store in London after Harrods of course. Harrods has everything but is so expensive. I’m looking for a raincoat for school this fall. http://tinyurl.com/3n2ywhv date accessed 8/10/11

Walked down Oxford Street from Baker (yes the Baker) to Regent Street looking in shops (Aquascutum), I tried on many coats, the clerk was very nice.

Then I met Jack. Jack takes many vacations like us. He has been to Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, too.

It is very, very hot in England this summer. We are enjoying watching the Wimbledon on the TV in the pubs. I bought a London T-shirt. Then we went to a play. John, Paul, George, Ringo, . . . . and Burt. A musical about the Beatles by Willy Russell.

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Big-Ben-and-Winston-Churchill-Posters_i833876_.htm

“Big Ben” does not refer to the whole clocktower, but to the huge thirteen ton bell that strikes the hour.

One theory has it that the bell was named after a popular heavyweight boxer Benjamin Caunt. However, the consensus today seems to be that it was named after Sir Benjamin Hall*, a (literally) weighty politician of the time who was the Parliamentary Commissioner of Works.Also known as The Palace of Westminster, The Houses of Parliament incorporates The House of Commons (destroyed in WW2, rebuilt 1950), The House of Lords & Westminster Hall.http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/guide/about/gallbigb.html

    http://www.royal.gov.uk/OutPut/Page557.asp

Windsor

We visited Windsor Castle and saw the changing of the guard. Windsor is a small town outside of London on the south bank of the Thames. It is not far from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Windsor Castle one of the favorite residences of the Queen was subject to a horrible fire in 1992. The Queen has one of the largest collections of Leonardo drawings here.

Hampton Court not as beautiful as the other palaces. (This comment really surprises me as I remember Hampton Court as one of the best places I’ve been) This was the favorite palace of Henry VIII. I really had an epiphany moment here when I realized you could actually visit paces you had read about in History.

7/4 Friday It’s the Fourth of July.

How strange to be in London for the fourth of July! Nobody seems to notice just another hot summer day to them. Attempted a walking tour at St. James palace. What a farce. I found all of the things, but not in the order described. This was my first attempt at following a guide book; I would get much better in years to come. I went to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. It was hard to see. We saw more guards and were closer at Winsor. I am really impressed by Whitehall the seat of British capital in Westminster and home of the famous foreign office. Then saw 10 Downing. The prime minister is still Harold Wilson.

Then went back to Trafalgar square. I had lunch upstairs in a nice pub. I love the pubs here. Next I went shopping at the Burlington arcade and bought a tan cashmere sweater. It is really soft. What a neat place!

The Beadles enforced the Regency laws which prohibited singing, humming and hurrying in Burlington Arcade and, true to this tradition, today’s Beadles – resplendent in their Edwardian frock coats, gold buttons and gold-braided top hats -continue to ensure that shoppers uphold standards of courtesy, quiet and decorum. http://www.burlington-arcade.co.uk

Went to a crazy place with the group for an Elizabethan Dinner. It was a special treat. On the way we saw a building with a sign Vanderbilt. The dinner was very good but I had to help Jill get home. I had a good time at the feast, it was a good icebreaker. We had mead, Bordeaux wine, soup, salad, and slaw. Pheasant, which was really chicken. A boar’s head, lamb, vegetables, artichokes and raspberry glop for dessert. We also received a white clay pipe with tobacco in it and snuff and a Birthday cake for the United States.

What a great Fourth of July!

7/5 Saturday last full day before transfer.

Greenwich

I went shopping again. This time I finally found a raincoat at John Lewis on Oxford Street–I didn’t get the best exchange but the banks are closed on Saturday. I settled for the Burberry, but I still had my heart set on the Aquascutum but just couldn’t find one in my size… I think I spent about $80.00.So I guess you’re wondering what happened to that raincoat. Well, after all that searching it would be stolen from the lunch room within the first 2 weeks at Vanderbilt. I’d get another Aquascutum and leave it on the airport Limo in Houston many years later. I guess it’s fate. I’m not destined to have a nice raincoat.

Went to speaker’s corner in Hyde park with some friends, then to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards.

Had lunch at the same nice pub in Soho. I had steak and kidney pie with chips. Katie and I would have kidney again at a special restaurant in Cairo on our honeymoon in 1982.

After lunch we went on a Thames cruise to Greenwich. I saw the Cutty Sark. Greenwich is home to the Royal observatory. National Maritime Museum and Old Royal Naval College. It is situated on the Thames just south of London. It of course best known for the Prime Meridian of zero degrees longitude. http://www.visitgreenwich.org.uk/ dated accessed 8/10/11

In 1869, when Cutty Sark was launched, the ship was expected to have a life of around 30 years. Cutty Sark has lasted 4½ times longer. Her 135-year history has been one of continual repairs, refits, maintenance, and ultimately restoration. Yet she still retains around 90% – 95% of the hull fabric that served her during her sea-going career, and this fabric survives continues without significant loss of strength or integrity. http://www.cuttysark.org.uk/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.afbkghkcdkkgoofb#

I didn’t get to the observatory because I wanted to take High Tea. That day I learned an important lesson why go to the trouble to visit one place only to make a mad dash to get somewhere else. If you’ve made the effort to get somewhere stay and see what there is to offer. Just assume that you will get back again someday otherwise you will drive yourself crazy. Went back along the Thames. I tried to take tea and Fortnum and Mason, but they are closed on Saturday. Went to the Piccadilly Hotel. Dinner at Hatchetts—chicken. Saw the play Mousetrap by Agatha Christie. It was excellent.

Travels with my Aunt Margaret

Margaret Lewis was my wife’s aunt. She lived in New York City but later in life moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. I had the pleasure of taking many nice trips with her. Here is an account of those trips I gave my son while entertaining him on a drive to his college Carnegie Mellon.

Well, I’m back now. I just enjoyed those trips that I had with your mother and Margaret. We went to some special places of course with you kids and Margaret. The first trip we went on well, I took Margaret and your mother to London in 1988. I was supposed to be going to Germany on business and I asked your mother if she wanted to go and she said sure. Somehow Margaret fanageled her way in on the trip and before I knew it they were going to London and I ended up going to Germany by myself.

But I did spend a couple of days in London with them and that was a blast. And your mother and I got up to Inverness in Scotland and you were a baby but you didn’t make that trip. You stayed home and I went on to Frankfurt to the Achema which is a huge process and chemical engineering show that they have in Germany every three years. It’s really amazing. So that was the first trip that I made with Margaret Lewis. And then I ended up going to Germany again the next year to a trade show Envitec, an environmental trade show, in Düsseldorf and I ended up staying in Duisburg and driving down to the show every day with our German agent, not a secret agent, just a business agent.

That was the year of the Exxon Valdez crash in Alaska and I was in Germany during that crash. I also bought Poppy your famous Steiff stuffed bunny which you still love. The Sahara sand was the strangest thing I ever heard of. Sand from the Sahara desert is carried 4000 miles in the stratosphere by the jet stream to Germany. It is very bad for the cars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYi1UejjFro

Well, then in 1996 your mother and I went on a Panama Canal trip with Intrav and because my grandfather had told me in your life if there are two places that, if you ever got the chance to go you should go. One was Ephesus in Turkey. With its famous library of Celsus, temple of Artemis, Basilica and tomb of St. John, and nearby the home of the Virgin Mary.
And the subject of St. Paul’s famous epistle in the New Testament. I got to visit Ephesus with Ted D., Roberto and Marisa in January 1978. It was  a very cold winter that year.

The other one was the Panama Canal which he went on with the Shriners in 1974. Well, lo and behold we got this brochure about the Panama Canal and I thought boy that’ll never happen and somehow I talked your mother into it and it was November. It was right before Thanksgiving. We flew to Acapulco and the Mexican Navy was in port and it’s a very small navy but it was fun. We could see the ships from our hotel room.

Then we went on the cruise and we went to Nicoya and San Jose, Costa Rica and through the Panama Canal and Miraflores and we stopped in Cartagena in Colombia, which I also enjoyed. Many people on the ship said they didn’t enjoy that. They didn’t like the poverty.

And then St. Martin, which is the half French half Dutch island in the Caribbean. And the Dutch side used to have square coins. They were one of the few square coins in the world. They were 15 cents, 15 Dutch cents. And they were widely sought after by collectors. I got a few of them. They still have square coins in Suriname. They were just about as popular as those triangular Tuvan stamps that Richard Feynman collected. I never got any of those. But I did get a picture. I have a picture of them (view slideshow.) And I have his book and maybe a hat and a t-shirt. And then we went to the Virgin Islands where I had never been but your mother had. And we went to Magens Bay in Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas and it’s beautiful. I loved it.

I thought it was more beautiful than Hawaii even though I didn’t put it on my top 10, somehow I think I got confused. Then we went to Puerto Rico for just a day. I’ve always wanted to return and visit the el junque rain forest but haven’t made it yet. The only tropical rain forest in the United States.

I called grandpa from San Juan. It’s just like making a call in the United States you dial one plus the area code and then the number. No cell phones then. Then we flew home.

And we loved that trip so much that the next year Margaret Lewis wanted to repeat that with us and so that was our second trip with Margaret and it was March and it was winter and the port . . . we left from Hollywood, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Everglades where your great grandparents used to live. We stayed one night at the Caribe one night on the way back, but you kids didn’t like it because there was a mean man who didn’t like kids.

And I remember we had to fly through Detroit on some kind of crummy connection and it was snowing and a big blizzard and we almost missed the flight. There was no one to check the luggage and your mother was busy watching you. It was horrible. Margaret was waiting there for us. She had come from Cincinnati. And she was in a panic by the time we got to the gate. The flight had been called and was leaving in 45 minutes. So it was your mother and I and you and your sister. So we flew down to Florida and we stayed in a crummy hotel where a lot of students on spring break stayed. You had to leave a deposit on everything, on the towels, on the fly swatter, on the refrigerator because they were just used to everybody stealing everything. It reminded me of the special towels they have for gun cleaning at the Lake of the Ozarks.
But Margaret stayed with some friends, with Cookie and Mary Carlyle. When they dropped Margaret off Mary screamed my name going down the road in her mom’s convertible. It was a repeat of  Terry Cannon in Florence in 1975 with the Carmen ghia (see 1975 I had so much fun).

And so we got on that trip and it was a fun trip. And maybe that was ’97. I think actually it was ’96. It was supposed to be for my 40th birthday and I ended up getting a gold diamond ring and a bracelet, an 18 kt gold bracelet, which I still wear. I’ve never taken it off in 12 years and a nice watch which I still have and uh…

I got your mother another watch but it broke a few years ago, but I still have mine. You shared a cabin with Margaret and your sister. Your mother and I had our own cabin. The picture widow in the cabin was so big that you and Marion sat in there every morning and ate your cereal.

Nassau was where your maternal grandparents went on their honeymoon in 1948. We took a submarine ride in Nassau to see the fish in the bay and they just lifted Margaret into the boat and they called her Mama. She didn’t like that. She didn’t realize they call all women that. It’s a sign of respect. So that was Nassau in the Bahamas and then we went back to the Virgin Islands and we went to St. Thomas and St. Croix this time and that was trip #2. That was your second time in the Bahamas. We took you and Marion to Freeport on a day cruise when she was a baby.

Well, then next I think we went to Nebraska or we met Margaret in Lincoln at the Abbotts, at Mike Abbotts. And we rented a minivan so that the 5 of us could ride comfortably out to Alliance. Do you remember what year that was? I think Marion was about 7. So that was about 1997 or 1998 and we rode the horses and we looked at the airplane but we didn’t get to go up in the airplane because the weather wasn’t good.  He was living in Lincoln at the time. Mike had a pond in his yard and we went frog gigging after dark. You kids liked that.Chris owned 49 square miles or sections in the sand hills. His wife was Kim and she was nice. That’s a lot of land. It looked like Mongolia, hills and grass but no trees anywhere. I made you kids ride a horse bareback and without bridles and you fell off in the mud and you still haven’t forgiven me. Margaret had been there before for a big wedding at the ranch. I think it was Dianne. Voss had been to the ranch too.

And then we drove back through Neely and we stayed with one of the Abbott girls. I think it was Helen.The first of the Abbott girls I had met was Andrea. That was a long time ago in New York City. Margaret was there, too. It may have even been before your mother and I were married.  Then we drove home and boy that was a long trip in that car back to St Louis. And then Margaret had to get back to Cincinnati. So that was the third trip with Margaret Lewis.

Well then 2 years later Margaret wanted to treat us to a cruise and that was in 1999 and that was the famous Scandinavian cruise. They lost Margaret’s suitcase and she had to go back to the airport and get it. It was a big waste of time. And once again we started in London and the cruise left from Dover. We took the bus down to Dover. And the interesting thing about that trip uh, except for the end which I’ll get to in a minute, the electricity went out in our hotel in London. We were staying at a very, very fancy hotel in London and all the electricity went out. All the cash registers were down and there was no way to pay for anything so they had to give us our breakfast for free and they weren’t very happy about that. They had a shop in the hotel that sold beautiful colored enameled coins. I bought a German 2 pfennig piece and a farthing for your mother that she wears as a necklace. And that’s also when we saw the eclipse; we saw the famous solar eclipse. The druids at Stonehenge went nuts. http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEplot/SEplot1951/SE1999Aug11T.GIF

Well that was the trip when you bought the third Harry Potter book. You just sat in the pub and read that book No one had really heard of Harry Potter but you had. You said it was going to be big and you were right.

I got a beautiful silk scarf at Liberty’s from two interns from Madrid. Their English was impeccable. We went to the Bigso store from Sweden and got some cool office supplies on that trip too. We all went to the tower of London and saw the crown jewels. That was neat.

One night we went to dinner at a Pub in the Mayfair district of London. They wouldn’t seat us, because we had you kids with us (view slideshow.)  The first time in London that had ever happened to me. We ended up at an Italian restaurant across the street it was very fancy and very nice. You all behaved well. It made an impression on me because it was the first time I spent more than one hundred dollars for a meal. I think it was more like $125. But we enjoyed it and it was worth every penny.

And then, well I’m just trying to be brief here. Then we went to Germany and we went through the Kiel Canal and to Berlin.The kids and parents stood along the canal and waved as we passed by. In Berlin we took the train from Rostock then had a tour and lunch. We went to the KaDeWe the world’s largest department store and I got donked on the head in the parking garage. We saw the newly restored Oberbaum Bridge in Friedrichshain, Tempelhof airport recently closed and site of the Berlin Airlift. We also saw the recently restored French and German cathedrals at the Gendarmenmarkt.
Also the old Cafe Moscow restaurant in East Berlin where Ted D. and I had eaten so many years ago (Nov. 1977.)  Once a showcase of E. Berlin, it was closed and looked pretty crummy. The thing about that place was it had a huge menu 90% of the things on that menu were never available. It was my fourth trip to Berlin. Of course the old Berlin wall was gone.

Then the ship went to St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo and finally Copenhagen.

In St Petersburg Margaret and your mother went to the opera performance while I took you kids to the circus. I tried some Vodka and a man thought Marion was so cute he gave her a little wooden doll with a real fur collar. Russia had really changed since I had been there in 1974. You and I had a little adventure in the Hermitage. Some old ladies from Minneapolis were so incensed that you had sat in one of the chairs in the museum that we got separated from the group, missed the bus and had to take a cab then walk two miles back to the ship which would have been alright except I had Marion’s passport and they wouldn’t let her back on the ship till I got there.

And then on the way back to Dover in the middle of the night our ship was struck by a container ship in the English Channel and we were all almost killed. And they called the general quarters and they had the Delta, Delta, Delta with the emergency command. And they had us put on our life jackets and we stood there for an hour but they determined the ship was safe. We didn’t actually have to get into the lifeboats. But as it turned out we were crossing the English Channel and the container ship was coming through. So we had the right of way but it struck us.

The container ship was owned by Evergreen from Taiwan. Containing paint, it caught fire and burned for weeks in the English Channel off Margate.  

Ok, I’m back. I had to take a break. That was 10 minutes. I’ll elaborate on that trip later. That was certainly – Berlin and St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Copenhagen – wonderful, wonderful things. We bought Teddy a watch in Copenhagen, I think; it was a watch wasn’t it? It was a very special watch. It had a compass, calculator and many other special things (view slideshow.)

We went to the store where they painted the Royal Copenhagen figures. That was a special shopping street. Margaret liked that. That night we went to the Tivoli amusement park and had a faartarme. That’s a special thing they have for kids in Denmark filled with candy and little toys.

Well, okay, so now I want to get to the last trip before I forget. Um, which was to France? We went to… This time we took Margaret. It was March of 2001. Katie got an internet bargain for us. We got a week’s hotel in Paris and airfare for the 4 of us and then we added Margaret on at no extra charge. So we stayed in Paris for a few days and went to the Louvre with the kids. And that was probably the highlight of the trip was getting the Louvre trip with Margaret. And then we went to the Jardin de plantes which was Marion’s pick. Everybody got a pick.  The cab driver was interesting and he wanted to know why the kids weren’t in school we said spring break and he didn’t understand then we said Easter break. And then we went to museum of Cluny and saw some famous tapestries and Roman baths in the basement. Everyone liked that museum. http://www.musee-moyenage.fr/ang/homes/home_id20393_u1l2.htm And of course we went to many book stores. We got around Paris pretty well although we had trouble in the beginning because the hotel that we were supposed to stay in was overbooked. So we ended up getting in the 15th Arrondissement which is a residential area. But Saturday morning we just walked down the big boulevard looking in shops and cafes. We enjoyed that. We eventually ended up getting split up on the Metro but somehow got together again for lunch at the Louvre. We found a nice shop selling office supplies from Japan and I ended up having something strange for lunch. That turned out to be a great day. We had a hard time getting a taxi for five people you had to order them because taxis don’t cruise around the streets the way they used to because of the price of gas. Margaret could barely keep up with us.

We had a hard time picking up the rental car it took over an hour and a half. We couldn’t find the office and didn’t have a GPS. We rented the biggest French car they had but the kids thought it was too small. We should have rented a Buick.

Well, then we drove to Normandy. First we went to Rouen the capital of Normandy. I had read about it in French class. It was beautiful. We saw the tomb of Richard Lionhearted and Mathilde daughter of Henry I and Queen of England and Germany. The Plantagenet family ruled this part of France from England until the time of Joan of Arc. They were all entombed in the famous cathedral, the one that Claude Monet painted for his study of light. We would visit his home in Giverny on the way back. http://tinyurl.com/6r2z4k
Also Napoleons home Malmaison.

We drove to Honfleur which was beautiful and on the coast and Winston Churchill had stayed there and it was very near the big port of Le Harve. Margaret and I had crème brulee every night for desert. We stayed in a very nice refurbished old hotel. We loved it.

But we went the other way. Katie had always wanted to go into Mont Ste Michelle. So that’s where we went. And we drove there and spent 3 or 4 hours there and watched the tide come in and out and then we drove back and it was spectacular. On the way there we found a little village that made copper pots just by accident, just little cooking pots. They were very reasonably priced. So we bought a pot and we bought little vases and we had a very nice lunch, and they gave us a little tour of their factory. This was right before the euro conversion in 2002 and the euro stood at about 60 cents to the dollar. Everywhere we went things were very reasonably priced. Marion and I had a seafood cocktail tower in Honfleur which was about oh I don’t know 16 or 18 inches tall and it had every kind of seafood you could imagine from lobster to mussels to clams to prawns and it was delicious.

Back in Pairs we drove right by la defense, the business district of Paris. I remember because I did most of the driving. Also, in Paris we went to a special Alsatian restaurant right on the Champs d’Elysees and I told the children it was going to be too expensive. We wouldn’t be able to eat there. But we could just walk along the Champs d’Elysees. But actually we ate there. I think with the 5 of us even with wine it cost about $125. So if we went back today in 2009 it would probably be $300. So anyway that was the last trip that we took with Margaret Lewis. It was trip #5.

This year, 2011 we returned from Rome. It would be at least a hundred dollars a person because the Euro is so strong.

There was one more trip. That was with Margaret, Voss and Tom to Greg and Anne’s wedding in Hamilton, Bermuda. I didn’t go on that trip but  your mother did

Okay, well, this is an addendum to that previous memo because we’ve been talking about it and I’m going back to that ’99 Scandinavian cruise and for the sake of thoroughness I believe our ship was going through the channel and the container was crossing from Dover to Oostende or another port maybe in the Netherlands or Belgium and the international seaway rules state that the ship going the shorter distance, which would be the one crossing the canal would have the right of way over the ship going through the canal which we were coming from Copenhagen which makes sense because it gives you more time to maneuver.

Anyway that accident, as we discovered later on another cruise, was one of the most studied accidents in maritime history.

On our Alaskan cruise we met a pilot and he was amazed that Katie and I had been on that trip. I never thought I was going get your mother to go on another cruise again in our lives. It took some convincing on that Alaskan cruise to the Aleutian Islands, Bearing Sea and Kamchatka. We enjoyed that. We’ve enjoyed all our trips. But that’s for another blog http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/428667.stm

Katie and I recently celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary by visiting our daughter in Rome.

We celebrated by having lunch overlooking the Basilica Ulpia in Hadrians forum. After lunch we met Marion for a tour of the Campidoglio the Capitoline Museum. We saw seven weddings that day. Earlier that day we visited the Colosseum.

That was the day we met Anne, Marion’s roommate. She is very sweet. We went to a kind of discount hardware store near the Cenci, then had a beer with Anne followed by dinner at a cool restaurant in the Trastevere.

Click to view slideshow.Click to view slideshow.

International exchange

The East German mark was officially valued by the East German government at parity with the (West German) Deutsche Mark, but it was never freely convertible. Beginning in 1964, the East German government instituted a Zwangsumtausch (forced exchange) (or Mindestumtausch — minimum exchange), whereby most visitors from non-socialist foreign countries were required to exchange a set amount of Deutsche Mark (or other hard currencies) for East German marks at the ratio of one Deutsche Mark to one East German mark for every day of their stay. Starting on 13 October 1980, Western visitors to the GDR  were required to exchange a minimum of 25 Deutsche Mark for East German marks per day. Some exceptions were authorized: for example, tourists who booked hotel stays in the GDR that were paid in hard currency were exempted from the minimum exchange requirements. (Of course, such accommodation charges almost always exceeded the 25 mark daily exchange threshold.) At other times, West Berliners, retirees, children, and youth were granted either exemptions or were authorized reduced minimum exchange amounts. Members of the Western Allied military forces stationed in West Berlin were also exempt from these rules when visiting East Berlin, in part because the Western Allies did not recognize the authority of the GDR to regulate the activities of their military personnel in East Berlin; only the Soviet Union was considered competent to do so.

20 Mark coin featuring Karl Marx, 1988

On the black market, the exchange rate was about 5 to 10 M to one DM. In the mid-1980s, one could easily visit foreign currency exchange offices in West Berlin and purchase East German banknotes (in 50 and 100 mark denominations) at the rate of 5 (East) = 1 (West). However, the GDR forbade the import or export of East German currency (as well as the currencies of other socialist countries) into or out of the GDR, and penalties for violation ranged from confiscation of smuggled currency to imprisonment. The East German mark could not be spent in Intershops to acquire Western consumer goods;

Travels behind the Iron curtain Spring 1978

After four days in Berlin, we wanted to go to Prague/Prag with a stop in Dresden along the way, about 100 miles/160 km. This would mean crossing into East Germany. We had entered East Germany at the checkpoint alpha on the Hanover Berlin Autobahn and entered West Berlin  at the Wannsee crossing in southwest Berlin, the lesser known Checkpoint Bravo. We had already used this crossing to visit Potsdam, San Souci and the Cecelienhof home of the infamous Stalin, Truman and Atlee conference in August 1945. As an engineer my father never really understood the intricacies of the communist system. If there was a closer highway exit to where you were it didn’t make sense to use one all the way across town just because it was the only one open to foreigners. The communist system was based on control not convenience. My mother related being surprised that all of the intermediate exits on the autobahn were barricaded.

Communism, in practice, was never based on logic despite dialectical materialism. It was very unusual for people to travel though East Germany on their own outside of Berlin especially Americans. Got to Dresden too late to do anything but we did have a nice dinner and stay at a nice hotel. We couldn’t get rid of our East German marks before we left. We had the same problem after leaving Prag. My dad said you can only use so much food or gas. We cleared East German customs and drove about 100 feet and had to do the whole thing over again. The whole thing took about 3-4 hours. It was really terrible.

We didn’t get to do much sightseeing in Dresden but stayed at the Dresdner Hof, a very nice Hotel and ate at a very nice restaurant on the opposite side of the Elbe, the best in town. The next morning we walked around the center of town much evidence of war. Then we had to leave. My mom and dad fell in love with the city and have visited three times including the rebuilt Frauenkirche.

1968 Prague spring Russian tanks

Frauenkirche Dresden restored and ruins

So much for the socialist brotherhood. It was only 75 miles to Prag and it still took all day to get there. Prag is a beautiful medieval city with a cathedral, castle and even an ancient Jewish cemetery, also the home of Franz Kafka. It was a center of the Protestant reformation. This was, of course, before the split of the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. Czech was known for its Olympic athletes, fine porcelain and crystal. We visited some of the fine taverns in downtown Prag such as U supa and sampled the fine draft beer and wine.

It was the time of the Eishockey Weltmeistershaft and very hard to get a room. We let Fath out of the car and after an hour he came back with a room. Some people saw the L on our car and were convinced we had driven from Lebanon. They had never heard of Luxembourg. That’s where my parents had picked up the car just outside of Trier. Another point my mother remembered was breakfast at the Park Hotel. Apparently some of the ice hockey players were staying at the same hotel. They were huge from the eastern bloc… And one athlete ate as much as the three of us. The 60^th anniversary of the great October socialist revolution. St. Vitus in Regensburg. St Vitus

We finally got a room at the Park Hotel, a big fancy place on the other side of the river. I think it is still there. The base of the Stalin statue was still there but the staue has been removed. We checked into our rooms and turned in our passports. This turned out to be a big mistake. As Dad pointed out 35 years later, we were soon asked to change to a different room. When you turn in your passport they put it in the slot for your room. When we changed rooms they forgot to move our passports. When we went to check out they said they couldn’t find our passports. So there we were behind the Iron Curtain without our passports. I had forgotten about this but Dad said he won’t forget it as long as he lives.

Drove from Tabor in southern Bohemia; this was all behind the iron curtain to Vienna. We crossed the border to Austria at Nova Bystrice and Haugschlag in the Waldviertel in Austria, somehow missing Czeske Krumlow and Budevice (Budweiser).

It was a gray, humiliating and time consuming experience including a minimal currency exchange in instant border crossings. It’s difficult to grasp what this actually means. It was the same for the Soviet Union. See yes there is more

There was often intense pressure from friends and family not to go at all and support the communist system. Border crossings definitely interfere with sightseeing and other things even

in Hungary and Bulgaria.

I was a boy when the Red Army invaded the CSSR in the spring of 1968, but I remember vividly talking to my father about it. Many of the custodians,. At my school there were refugees from the 1956 Hungarian uprising. back then we called them janitors a reference to the Roman god of the household Janus more at January They knew when they left it was forever. They would never be allowed to return to Hungary.

Prague tavern U supa

Czech author Franz Kafka

There is more to come . . . .

More travels behind the Iron curtain and Munich to Istanbul on the Orient Express

Return Athens to Regensburg January 1978

The only member of the Warsaw pact I missed was Romania. I have not been there to this day. Albania was closed and impossible to visit plus it was cold, winter and I had run out of time. JAS Bond again. Yugoslavia, including Skopje, not safe to go there. Loved Belgrade Orthodox Christmas Sofia, Plovdiv and Istanbul. My neighbor in Cincinnati said “I’ve never heard of Bulgaria and you’ve been there.” The Visa scam you had to buy a visa and make a mandatory exchange of currency which had to be spent. Just try doing that in this wasteland of consumer goods. After working all day people stand in line to buy something without even knowing what it is. You also had to book your room in advance and always at a higher price than residents.

Personally I was always uncomfortable if I saw a sign, book or newspaper I couldn’t read. Indeed all alphabets including the Latin and Greek date back to the Phoenicians. That’s when I started my lifelong love of languages

Created with Microsoft Office OneNote 2007
One place for all your notes and information

This year has been a lot of travel for me. First I drove the new car back from Greg’s in Connecticut.  In August anther road trip with Teddy and Marion along the old route 66 from St louis to UCLA and Santa Monica. This include a stop off in Gallup and at the Grand Canyon. Another long train ride This time Marion and I take a three day ride from LA back to Saint Louis. We had a blast.

Considering a visit to Canada and Niagara falls  for Ted’s graduation from Carnegie Mellon and the fact that the train from LA stopped in del Rio, TX just six miles from the Mexican borer I have crossed the United States from east to west and north to south in a period of four months.

Food Transportation and Airports 1979

Lambert St Louis International  (STL)built in 1920 Still serves the St. Louis Metro area. Originally it was little more than a field. Aviator Chas Lindbergh sered the Chicago mail route in the 1920′s.The historic main terminal was severely damaged by a tornado on Good Friday 2011. http://tinyurl.com/3mf9wby date accessed 8/17/11 

San Francisco Old Ferry Building

Recently refurbished and beautiful

I had a chance to visit again in Mach 2010

Central passenger terminal

Alameda Naval Air station, Oakland NGZ 

Hong Kong Kai Tak  Airport HKG

(old Hong Kong airport) it has one of the shortest runways in the world and was closed to air traffic in 1998. We went through  this airport three times on our trip.

Shenzhen airport

Overstuffed Chairs

Overstuffed chairs We attended many formal meeting while sitting in chair like this. Always with tea and strong political discussions and welcome as visiting dignitaries.

The Forbidden City situated exactly in the heart of the municipality was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Ching Dynasties. Beautiful and we where one of the first Americans to see it after 30 years.

We enjoyed reading the Political posters on the Democracy Wall.

Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (IATA: SHA, ICAO: ZSSS) on CAAC

Huning railway 180 miles one of the most heavily traveled rail corridors in the word. Huning (Shanghai-Nanjing) Intercity Railway will be opened to traffic on July 1st as scheduled. Recently, track-laying has been started.East West

Nanking International Airport NKG

We flew from here to Beijing

The Ming capital of China

Once the largest city in the world 15th century

Sister city of St Louis

Home of the large bridge over the Yangtze

Canton Baiyun Airport (White Cloud)
Pai Yuen Airport CAN, opened 1932 closed 2004

The thing about the airports in China is that they don’t seem to be very busy. Only government Ministers can afford to fly. There is no commercial aviation company. CAAC is under the control of the Chinese air force. They practice steep approach landing. We landed here on our second trip to Canton on the way back to Hong Kong.

Chairman dances

Modern Bridge Janxi Province

Figure 1 Yangtze River Bridge Janxi prov China 1997-2001

Don Mueang International Airport  DMK (Old Bangkok International Airport) (Thai: ท่าอากาศยานดอนเมือง, also Don Mueang) is an airport in Bangkok, Thailand. It was officially opened as a Royal Thai Air Force base on March 27, 1914, although it had been in use earlier. Commercial flights started in 1924. Don Mueang Airport closed in 2006 following the opening of Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport BKK. After some problems at Suvarnabhumi, flights resumed at Don Mueang on March 24, 2007.

Paya Lebar Air Base (PLAB) originally a hub for Malaysian Airways built in 1955 known as Singapore Intl Airport 1981 converted to military use
巴耶利峇空军基地
Pangkalan Udara Paya Lebar

Singapore Changi Airport ground broken in 1975 opened 1981
新加坡樟宜机场Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் சாங்கி விமானநிலையம)

Taipei Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport

Chang Kai-Shek International Opened in 1979, the airport was known as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport (traditional Chinese: 中正國際機場; simplified Chinese: 中正国际机场; Hanyu Pinyin: Zhōngzhèng Gúojì Jīchǎng, Tongyong Pinyin: Jhongjhèng Gúojì Jichǎng) until the name was changed in 2006. China Civil Air Transport/China Airlines

Chiang Kai-Shek esteemed leader of the Kuomintang died in 1975. Know to the world by the derogatory name peanut as expressed by China theatre supreme commander Vinegar Joe Stillwell. Holed up in Chinese western Capital Chungking after being run out of Nanking by the Japanese engaged in a lifelong death struggle with the Chinese communist red army PLA. Run off to Taiwan in permanent exile until his death in 1975. After the defeat of the Nationalist in Nanking in 1949.

Figure 2 Malaysia

Tokyo Narita airport (NRT) http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/accessed 8/27/09

Mired in protests since its opening, this is the only airport still in operation except for Lambert in St. Louis

Matsuyama

http://nihonehime.blogspot.com/2009/08/oldest-style-cheese-in-japan-asuka.html accessed 9/7/09

On Japan’s Inland Sea, Hiroshima  home of the Iron chef started here but popular everywhere in Japan and elsewhere

Osaka Itami Airport     ITM

The Kyoto National Museum, then the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was proposed, along with the Imperial Museum of Tokyo (Tokyo National Museum) and the Imperial Museum of Nara (Nara National Museum), in 1889, and construction on the museum finished in October, 1895. The museum was opened in 1897. The museum went through a series of name changes, in 1900 changing its name to the Imperial Household Museum of Kyoto, and once more in 1924 to the Imperial Gift Museum of Kyoto. The current name, the Kyoto National Museum, was decided upon in 1952.

Gimpo Intl Airport South Korea SEL

Gimpo International Airport (Korean: 김포국제공항), commonly known as Gimpo Airport (IATA: GMP, ICAO: RKSS) (formerly Campo International Airport), is located in the far western end of Seoul and was the main international airport for Seoul and South Korea before it was replaced by Inchon International Airport in 2001. Now the second largest airport in Korea.

Gimpo International Airport (Korean: 김포국제공항), commonly known as Gimpo Airport (IATA: GMP, ICAO: RKSS) (formerly Campo International Airport), is located in the far western end of Seoul and was the main international airport for Seoul and South Korea before it was replaced by Inchon International Airport in 2001. Now the second largest airport in Korea.

Bulgogi

Bulgogi a mild meat dish that you cook yourself at the table

Kim chi a hot spicy Korean dish made with cabbage or cucumber

Soju a strong drink made from rice or other starches

Snakes yes we saw a restaurant serving black snakes for dinner. There were scores of them crawling in a basket in the window. We decided to wait on our next trip to Korea to give it a try.

Bori cha  refreshing barley tea served ice cold in summer

Pusan (PUS) Kimhae Intl Airport Gimhae International Airport
김해국제공항 金海國際空港
Gimhae Gukje Gonghang Kimhae Kukche Konghang

Ferries to Japan

Honolulu HNL I would return to this airport with Katie in 2008

Houston Hobby Airport

Your comments are welcome. What foods do you like? Have you tried any of these foods? Do you have a Favorite international airport that is no longer in service? Do you have an ariport horror story you would like to tell?