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April 27th 2008
Tempelhof is one majestic airport! Despite mishaps on the way over (diversion to Cincinnati on account of Dulles weather, Dulles delays, lightning strikes over the Atlantic disabling video, unhelpful Brussels Airlines representatives, etc.), you couldn't ask for a better arrival spot into Berlin, and the weather was fantastic. Pulling up under the immense hangar cover at Tempelhof (THF) is too cool. We took our time in and around the airport, viewing spots where Roger used to work, live, eat, and go to the movies. The main arrivals/departure hall is grand; towering ceiling and columns. The granite stonework all around the airport is great. The scale of the outside of the buildings is massive. Results from the referendum online this morning show that fewer than the requisite 25% of eligible voters participated, so I think that means ... read more
May 6th 2007
Arrivederci Roma; Bon Giorno Pompei! Europe » Italy » Pompei By carnelles May 6th 2007 Eric 06 May 2007: Arrivederci Roma; Bon Giorno Pompei! Took the early morning train to Naples and connected on to Pompei. I vividly recall Mt. St. Helens eruptions in the 1980s and the seemingly endless towers of ash, so was interested to see Pompei. And it does not disappoint. The excavated area is huge. The large cobble stone boulevards with chariot ruts give it a sense of the real. The Roman houses, especially the ones with fountains at the entry, look like they would make for excellent living. There is art everywhere on the interior walls. And ancient political graffiti on th... read more
May 5th 2007
Trastevere & Parco della Musica! Europe » Italy » Rome » Trastevere By carnelles May 5th 2007 Eric 05 May 2007: Trastevere & Parco della Musica! Starting at the top of the hill seems like a good idea after almost a week of cobblestone promenades. So, we took in a great view from the Monument to Garibaldi on the Gianicolo. Very nice, even though cloudy! Down hill through small windy streets and off to the Farnesia where Raphael painted an entire room with frolicking chariots and randy Gods, The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche and the Counsel of the Gods. Apparently he was in love with the local baker’s daught... read more
May 4th 2007
Colosseo and Circo Massimo Europe » Italy » Rome By carnelles May 4th 2007 EricRoman deluge in the morning. No joke. It was raining cats, dogs, and romuluses and remuses.... Sought refuge in the Borghese Gallery in the morning and saw some fantastic sculpture. Took advantage of the afternoon sun breaks for a tour around the interior of the Colosseo and down the Palantine Hill toward the Circus Maximus. I'm going running there tomorrow!... read more
May 3rd 2007
This was another "studied that back then" kind of visit, which couldn't possible adequately prepare for the original in-person visit. ... read more
May 2nd 2007
02 May 2007: Spent the entire day in and around the Vatican. Wednesday is the Pope's mid-week audience, so the entire square in front of St. Peter's ringed by the Bernini colonnade was setting up for Benedict XVI's 1000 audience. We decided to visit the Vatican Museum first. Lines everywhere make Disneyland on a holiday seem totally rationale and doable. 1 hour 50 minutes of standing in line in the drizzle later, we got in. Of course the drizzle turned to complete downpour the minute we got inside, so good fortune at a minimum was on our side. The downpour lasted only 15 minutes but left some great contrasts in the sky, Highlights of the immense collection were of course Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel), which I'd never seen but Mom had seen pre-cleaning, as well ... read more
May 1st 2007
01 May 2007: Eight Hours of the Eternal City on Foot! May 1 is of course a holiday. And checking online we discovered that many of the main attractions (Vatican for example) were closed for the holiday. So off for an extended walking tour! Heading east on the Via del Tritone, first vantage point was the Piazza Barberini with its Triton Fountain and the Palazzo Barberini just behind. The gateway to the Palazzo Barberini was fantastic, and the early morning light was the best we had all day. Southeast down the Via delle Quattro Fontane, you come across…you guessed it the Quattro Fontane with nice 16th century renderings of gods in various states of repose. Apparently the aqueduct for the fountain is the same today as it was then (ditto for the fountains at Piazza ... read more
April 30th 2007
Roma! Europe » Italy » Rome By carnelles April 30th 2007 Eric 30 April 2007: Roma! Staying just off the Piaza di Spagna provides a good incentive for getting out the door—to see any one of the seemingly endless sights, of course, but also because everything seems to be down hill from there! First afternoon in Rome started, appropriately, with a view from below the Triniti del Monte and above the Spanish Steps across the city toward the Vatican. A stroll through the Borghese Gardens gave the impression that Rome was one big park! Respighi’s Il Pini di Romi was playing in my head all the way! Below the fantastic view from the Pincio, we walked into Santa Ma... read more
April 29th 2007
29 April 2007: We woke up early only to find all cafés in Palanga do not open on Sundays (or any day for that matter) until 10am. Odd for certain for a tourist town.... So, off to the Curonian Spit. After a 30 minute drive, we arrived in Klaipėda and took the car ferry over to the peninsula. The peninsula is 97km long, but only 52 of them are in Lithuania (the southernmost portion being Kalingrad and Russian). The Lithuanian maps uniformly do not show the remainder of the spit below the border south of Nida. The four principal Lithuanian towns on the spit (Nida, Preila, Pervalka and Joudkrantė) all united in the 1960s into “Neringa,” and the spit was named a UNESCO world heritage site for its “cultural landscape” in 2000. At Joudkrantė, we ... read more
April 28th 2007
28 April 2007: Siauliai to Palanga. The drive to the Baltic Coast was a combination of newly constructed two lane highway and under construction road, so it took probably twice as long as needed but the arrival in Palanga made it all worth while. We walked the main Palanga promenade to lunch in very blustery but sunny weather. The fishing pier at the end of the promenade sticks about a quarter mile out into the Baltic, but few people other than the fishermen made it all the way out. The beach sand is probably the finest (smallest grains) I’ve ever felt. If I were in the business of making hour glasses, I would definitely want to use Palanga sand. We strolled through the Palanga Botanical Gardens which runs for 1.5 km along the beach front. ... read more
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