http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/No2ndhome/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from No2ndhome en-us Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:54:45 +0000 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:54:45 +0000 Excerpt from my book Our Summer in Australia New Zealand Amazon.comDay Eleven. I had been looking forward to this day since first planning the trip to Australia. Climbing Ayers Rock at sunrise Itrsquos really not dangerous. Since records were kept beginning in 1960 therersquos been only one fatality every two years on average. Considering my life so far those are very acceptable odds. T http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/Uluru/blog-457239.html Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL AMAZON.COM It was during the time at the beginning of the century that San Francisco became a lure for playwrights poets authors actors and actresses which altogether comprised a bohemian society. Frank Powers who was Devendorf's partner in the Carmel Development Company and who was wellknown to that bohemian circle and espousing the virtues of hi http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/blog-451770.html EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL AMAZON.COM The square mile incorporated city of CarmelbytheSea in addition to the 120 galleries and art studios also claims two stage theaters the internationally acclaimed Bach Festival the equally renowned Shakespeare Festival a music society and an annual art festival among its more prominent cultural events. This focus on the arts is not a r http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Monterey/blog-449981.html Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA AMAZON.COMAfter a dayandahalf to travel few hundered miles we finally left Maribor and Slovenia about noon our destination for the night Lake Balaton in Hungary. I know were still not in Budapest but hang in there we'll get there. To get to Lake Balaton from Maribor one drives for about a halfhour through Croatia so I expect Elysee and I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Hungary/Central-Transdanubia/blog-447575.html Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA AMAZON.COMLeaving our comfortable guest house nearby Celje after a satisfying breakfast except for the instant coffee we set off for Maribor Sloveniarsquos second largest city about 110000. The morning coffee very important to starting Elyseersquos day as it is for many Americans including myself was the nasty European Nescafe type. Thi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-446135.html Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA Amazon.comWhile at Bogensperk Castle we were introduced to the Slovenian custom of the fiveminute waiting period just before the marriage takes place. The bride and groom are seated surrounded by their immediate family and five minutes of silence ensues. During this period the bride and groom are to think separately and silently about their marriage http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-445015.html Excerpts from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA Amazon.comAs I have noted before a major factor in Elysee and I deciding to spend a summer in Slovenia is it being excellently situated to enable side trips to other countries. It is possible to easily drive from Bled to Budapest in six or seven hours. In our case being in no hurry we took several days stopping overnight at Celje Slovenia visit http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/Styria/Celje/blog-441737.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN ESTONIA AMAZON.COMThe following day we traveled to the nearby island of Saaremaa.Connected to Muhu by a causeway across a shallow inlet Saaremaa isEstoniarsquos largest island almost 1700 square miles. Saaremaa like Muhuwas declared a frontier zone during Soviet occupation therefore travel toand from the island was severely restricted. Saaremaarsqu http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/blog-434078.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND AMAZON.COMLeaving Perth we were once more confronted with the vast emptiness of Australia. The flight from Perth to Ayers Rock is 2260 odd miles crossing inhospitable terrain devoid of a trace of Manrsquos civilizing mark. Frank Lloyd Wright pointed out how nature abhors a straight line. When flying over most of the worldrsquo http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Northern-Territory/blog-432167.html Excerpt from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL AMAZON.COMMother Naturersquos gifts to Carmel and Monterey Bay are not limited to its trees. The sand in places on Carmel Beach is strikingly white. This is attributed to a prehistoric upwards thrust of the coast that exposed the lightcolored granite which over the ages has been ground down to a fine whitepowdersand beach. Also there is Carmel http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/blog-431138.html From my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA AMAZON.COM.On our last evening in Vienna we took a decidedly different approach to dinner. On this night we actually dressed up that means I put on a jacket and went to the Rauchfangkeher loosely translated into the ldquochimney sweep who fell in love with a woman married to a baker and who always dusted her roof with white flour after cleaning up the chi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Austria/Vienna-State/blog-428430.html From my book OUR SUMMER IN ESTONIA AMAZON.COMItrsquos ironic that my second historical interest on Muhu spans those800 years with the battle of 1227 representing the beginning of Estoniansubjugation and a deserted Soviet air defense missile site representingthe final shaking off of Estoniarsquos foreign occupation. Muhu was off limits to all but the islandrsquos residents for the almo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Estonia/Saaremaa/blog-427372.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND AMAZON.COMWe finally made it to Perth Crossed Australia from Sydney in a week. Now to upgrade and revel in the delights of this big city of 1.3 million. Ahthe Hyatt Regency Club Floor for three nights. We arrived at 7pm and were being served complimentary cocktails fifteen minutes later with enough canaps that dining out wasn http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-426164.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL Amazon.com Carmel's unusual climatic conditions contribute to several other natural phenomena. One example is the Monterey Pine. This is the tree that Cabrillo discovered in 1542 after which he named Cabo de Pinos. This species of pine grows large tall and straight a shipwrightrsquos dreamtree in the sailing days of the 1617th centuries. It is the http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Carmel-By-The-Sea/blog-422366.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN SLOVENIA AMAZON.COMVienna is no exception to most large world capital cities in having many dining options. From serving grand multiwaitered multicourse meals in opulent surroundings to more typical Viennese restaurants specializing in meals akin to but not quite the same as found in Germany and lastly a class of restaurants called Heurigen which roughl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/blog-419752.html EXCERPTED FROM MY BOOK OUR SUMMER IN ESTONIA AMAZON.COMIn addition to staying at an authentic manor house I had otherhistorical interests for visiting Muhu. This island was the last mainstayand defender of ancient pagan Estonian freedom a freedom thatfinally succumbed on this island to the forces of crusading Christianityrepresented by the German knights and the Danish king. There hadbeen many http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-417865.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND AMAZON.COMFrom Point Leeuwin we picked up the pace to the Margaret River region visiting a newly opened winery looking very similar the newlarge ldquoindustrialrdquo wineries built recently in California. It was there I confirmed my long held notion that the ubiquitous Australian wine Shiraz was actually Syrah ldquoflowingrd http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Margaret-River/blog-416181.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL at Amazon.comThe highlight of the afternoon festivities was an appearance by the Comets of Bill Haley and ldquoRock Around The Clockrdquo fame. Haley passed away some years ago but the other original five members of the group had reunited and were enjoying international recognition. For their years could they still rock Wow Their average age was http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/blog-415223.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER IN CARMEL Amazon.comThe Monterey Peninsula is comprised of several small towns woven seamlessly together all hugging the cool waters of Monterey Bay witheach community having its own distinct character. In Carmel there was a gathering at Devendorf Park the social center of the village with live music. Pacific Grove a small former Victorian village separated f http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Carmel-By-The-Sea/blog-414842.html Excerpted from my book OUR SUMMER in CARMEL Amazon.com Why Carmel Bearing in mind we are to consider the entire world each year for place to spend the summer why Carmel And why am I making repeated visits when I preach about the virtues of going to a different place each year The simple answer is that I have an incurable attraction to the Monterey Peninsula. From the first time I drove throu http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Carmel-By-The-Sea/blog-412296.html