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August 9th 2007
I last left you in Belgium! I have now made it back to Colorado (see pics below) Since then, the Travel Blog website crashed & everyone's blog was lost, mine included! Hope you enjoyed; it was as fleeting as the trip. (Now, apparently 21 of the 22 entries have been restored) So, some closing comments & highlights! First of all, thanks to all of you for spending time to check in with me during my travels; it certainly was a lot of fun, & I looked forward to each entry. As people have asked me, yes, I am certainly glad I took the trip; it will be a life-time highlight. In many ways, it was as expected-fun, exciting & interesting as well as challenging (mostly regarding dirt, heat & schedules). I had plenty of time to ... read more
July 24th 2007
Why not. The hostel has a bus excursion on Tuesdays, so I went through Antwerp for about 90 minutes & 2.5 hrs in Brussells. Holly cow, overload on chocolate, beer & waffles. Left about 10 AM-about an hour to the border; drove past Rotterdam (3rd busiest port behind Shanghai & Singapore) another half to Antwerp then another hour or so to Brussells. From the bit I saw, cool cities, neat architecture & definitely overload, in the tourist areas with chocolate, beer & waffles. Lots of traffic in Brussells & lots of big multi-national companies (Microsoft, HP, Toyota...) Belgium info: -Amsterdam & surrounding area-1 million people -Antwerp-400,000 people; Brussells-1 million people -The area of Belgium is Flanders where they speak Flemish, a dialect of Dutch (however, I was greeted by Bon jours by every store owner ... read more
July 22nd 2007
I planned a few flex days at the end of my trip in case I needed more island time; I did not. So from Athens, I have flown to Frankfurt, Germany, for a layover. Had about 4 hrs, so I ventured to the city center (I think); had beer & pretzyl & walked for about an hour; crossed the river Main & made it back for my flight to? On that flight to Frankfurt was Rapper, Game & his entourage. I never heard of him before but a couple of people were taking pictures & getting autographs. I sat next to him on the bus across the tarmac to the terminal. So I looked him up on Google: The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, recently came fourth in the BBC News website's Sound Of 2005 ... read more
July 19th 2007
16 hrs. on the ferry, but at least these seats reclined so it wasn't so bad; I slept a bunch as I finished my book! Part way through it turned too random & I wouldn't recommend it. I'm going to try & find an English version of Time magazine or something like that. Back to the ferry, boarded at 2 AM even though it didn't depart until 430 AM. About 3, not a nightmare, but reality when about 50, looked to be 9th graders, from France entered with teachers in tow shushing them all way. It took one of the ships crew in uniform to issue a commanding shush for quiet to be restored. So we all slept together, and then about 7 Am, they all left (yes, we were docked at an island when ... read more
July 16th 2007
(Long blog; lots of pics; enjoy what you will) Arrived about 10 AM. Found a good place to sleep on the ferry, that was nice. Deviating from my original plan, cut a day out of Kos, so I'm early to Rhodes & got a hostel in Old Town. Very hot! But otherwise, Rhodes is cool. Old Town is a fortified (walled-in) city. It's pretty big, elaborate labrynth of cobblestone streets, some wider, sometimes opening to bigger squares, some incrediblely narrow. To enter Old Town, you cross (what may have been a moat?) bridges to enter through "gates" which are arched short tunnels (the shade is great!). It's incredible how some of these people's houses seem to be built into the walls. It's really bizzare how you walk down these narrow streets & just see some ... read more
July 15th 2007
Well, thıs ıs as far from Boulder as I'll get! Stıll offıcially in Europe & still 9 hrs ahead & 135 degrees around the globe. Bodrum (bode drum) Took the half hr ferry over. İts very hot! 41 degrees (C); that's about 107 F. Lots of shoppıng & aggressive bargaining. Didn't venture out from this beach, dock, shopping area, so similar to what I've been seeing. The only differences were the Turkish flags flying & using Turkish Liras instead of Euros. Glad I came though. & so the journey, now back towards home, continues. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World (I know this stuff has been in the news a lot lately, so maybe you don't need the refresher) Only the (1)Pyrimids in Giza still remain standing. (2)The Lighthouse of Alexandria is also in Egypt. ... read more
July 14th 2007
Yesterday was Friday the 13th! My day in Kos, you could write the script now, walked about & checked the tourist district & the beach, got some food... Saw Fracture at an outdoor movie theater (Greek subtitles); it was a good movie, wıth Anthony Hopkins. And, get ready Sarah, stopped for the late night sweet crepe, peanut butter & Nutello (which is a chocolate spread widely popular in Europe). Eventually went to my room for the nıght whıch turned out to be awful. Not so much the shower this time, but it was stifleing warm & mosquitos buzzing about. Needless to say, İ tossed, turned & cursed, put ınsect repellant on & Benedryl, all wıth slıght dozıng. That lasted for about 4 hrs (130-530); İ couldnt take ıt any longer, showered, left & found a ... read more
July 11th 2007
Unfortunately this hotel does not pick you up at the port. (Ironically, it is by far the most expensive accomodation of my trip. Just one night here & then to Paradise Beach; they couldn't accomodate me there both nights). So I had to navigate the public bus, not too bad. Got dropped off in Mykonos Town, but then had to figure out the other bus to Psarou Beach; that was a bit of a challenge as Mykonos Town, by the waterfront, has a labrynth of streets; actually specifically designed that way to confuse marauding pirates. Of course, the heat of the day doesn't help. Anyway, got dropped off near the hotel & with some more pointing in the right direction, I got there 830 PM! A room with air conditioning! But again, the shower was ... read more
July 8th 2007
Stood in a large crowd to get on the Blue Star Naxos Ferry; it's nicer than the first two GA Ferries I took. Only 2 hrs. north from Santorini to Naxos; it's a fairly big island. Docked & was greeted by aggressive hotel/studio/pension reps. trying to get people into their places. Fortunately my ride for the Hotel Soula was there; I transported over w/ a family from Sweeden. Again, you don't get much for $13-3 bunk beds with enough extra room for a 4th & there would be no where to move, so small. And not only is it also a phone booth size shower, but there's no curtain! What are these people thinking? Bunked with 2 other pairs from Sweeden. For those interested-there are 9 million Sweedes; their president is Frederick something & their ... read more
July 6th 2007
Left Ios about an hour late; it took about 4 hours to get to Santorini which included some stops at other islands. Saw the spot where the boat wrecked (roped off by buoys so the oil doesn't leak all over) near Santorini a couple of months ago. Passed some cruise ships. Small port, but crazy busy when a ferry docks. The ferry carries cargo in its belly so trucks roll on & off; it's a big ship. & lots of locals either meeting you to take you to your place or trying to sell you a place for the night, so they all stand around holding signs & trying to solicit your business. From the port, you immediately climb up a steep road to the plateau of Santorini (forewarned ma, you probably won't like this ... read more
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