Paris was wonderful and everything that it lives up to. I was not sure how to title this entry since I wanted to attempt to capture everything that happened on New Year's in Paris but also include other things that I just did not mention earlier. Sorry that it has taken me a few days to enter my last blog from my trip because I wanted to summarize a lot and I could not do it on the European keyboard. Paris Wow, what a wonderful city with culture, history, romance, beautiful places, people from around the world and oh yeah - tons of tourists! It would be hard for someone not to love it. I walked over the Pointe Alexandre III (or one of the bridges from the left bank to right bank of Paris) and ... read more

No matter how many times I visit this city, I am always in awe... On Monday, I took a city tour for a few hours to let my foot rest and also stay warm. I am always amazed that people pay money to ride a bus around town but never look out the windows or plug in their headphones. I took the grand city tour that hit all of the highlights and then took another one that showed the st germain or latin district. The city is very accessible by metro and there is always one less than 500 meters away. The weather is still cold, but my foot is killing me. It did not stop me from walking nearly 3 kilometers or almost 2 miles. I am staying in the Rue Cler district which is ... read more

Brussels is famous as the unofficial capital of Europe and the place where many business people come. However their landmarks are something different. I thought there was a miss-print in my book, but no. Their grand palace or square has beautiful statues on top of the buildings all pointing in different directions. The statues are pointing to...who tooted {who farted}. All around town the statues point in a different direction of who passed the gas. The other famous landmark here is of man peeing. Seriously??? Besides all of the funny statues Brussels is a beautiful city with a lot of culture. The people are very nice and curious as to American politics. Last night I had dinner with a lovely couple currently from Belgium but originally from the Congo. They each speak four languages and their ... read more

The mecca of golf...Sawgrass Golf Course. I am not a very good or experienced golfer, but to play a beautiful course makes you want to play beautiful courses every day. A couple friends and headed to Jacksonville to play Sawgrass, "The Players Course". It is what the pros play for a multi-million dollar tournament every year and we bet for $20 who would have the lowest score. When you walk off the shuttle bus to the club house, the staff treats you like you are royalty (which is not hard to get used to)! Everything is set up, your practice round, your caddie, the clubs, and an estimate of how well you will do that day. Let's just say, I lost track of my score after the 2nd hole. So, my friend Brenda and I decided ... read more

My sister and I made it back to the States yesterday and are safe and wanting already to go back on vacation! It is somewhat good to be home, but already miss the culture and diversity of Europe. The Europeans know what to take seriously and how to enjoy life. I am already missing the croissant for breakfast and beer throughout the day. This is the first time that we both have not craved a Fanta while there. We only had one and it was good, but pure sugar. Since I have only been home a few hours, I have been asked numerous times if I heard about the financial crisis in the US. The European television stations generally only carry one or two English stations. Usually, CNN World and the BBC in some areas. So, ... read more