dcwpt
Donna Wetzel Joined: March 18th 2009
Logged in: May 3rd 2009
Logged in: May 3rd 2009
Travel Blog Posts
Obviously, we have returned home. I cannot believe how quickly one month can pass. I am still pinching myself in wonder of all we have seen and done. It has been such a wonderful experience - an opportunity not to have missed. This last entry may be difficult for some to read so be forewarned that it is not for everyone. I have learned so much on this trip and this was the most difficult lesson of all. The one event that continues to haunt me is the time spent in Auschwitz and Birkenau. I don't know that the world will ever come to terms, if that is even slightly possible, with the history of that time. I know that it will certainly never leave me. There were several facts that I learned that I doubt ... read more
It is hard to believe that tomorrow we leave for home. The time has escaped us. There has been so much to see and do; we have tried our best. Each day has been filled with surprises. There is so much to learn here. How much I wish I had asked more questions to fill in the brief history that we learned in school. There is so much to know and learn from. We have such a mixed heritage in America. Our histories are so intermeshed with the rest of the world. I feel I have deprived myself of so much as far as my knowledge of the many generations that have preceded me. We had a very brief visit in Warsaw. It is a huge city not easily navigated. We were fortunate in being invited ... read more
April 4, 2009 We had our last day in Lithuania. During John’s final class, the students were most insistent on our seeing more of Lithuania. On Friday, we traveled to Trakai to see the Trakai Castle Island. It is exactly as the name decrees. It was built during the 13th century and has the requisite towers and moots. It is situated in the middle of a lake that is presently frozen much to the consternation of the many beautiful white swans who are walking on the ice. The castle has been invaded many times going back to the Crusaders. It met its demise during the Russian invasion in the 1600s. Oddly enough, the Russians helped to finance its rebuilding in the 20th century. It houses many museums displaying armor and weaponry of the crusader era, furniture, ... read more
April 2, 2009 We are back in Vilnius. Our first class train ride was wonderful. There are several differences to first and second class. Both compartments were structurally the same with the exception of the first having only 2 beds. These were fully made up with mattress pad, fresh sheets (grey stripped), freshly covered duvet and pillow - all covered over with a spread. There was also the requisite towel. There was a TV for video viewing. They showed a Leonardo DiCaprio film in Lithuanian. You have no need to go to the dining car as your dinner and breakfast are served in your compartment. The common bathroom was also more luxurious. Both first and second class were enjoyable. Again we were boarded by the Russian soldiers in large group. They maintained the same demeanor. We ... read more
John at The Hermitage
Last night we enjoyed a great dinner at our hotel. We enjoyed their vodka. The trick to serving it is an ice cold glass and freezer stored vodka. It is not a drink that you travel any distance with. I had crepes with their least expensive red caviar. It was delicious. No, John would not partake. Today, hired a guide who John met at the Hermitage. He was a former university professor who is visually disabled. We went by very hectic taxi ride and a little scary to the Puska Palace which is the summer palace that Elizabeth and then Catherine built. As beautiful as the Hermitage is, this is even more fantastic. It had been destroyed by the Nazis and has been restored to most of its original magnificence. The amount of gold leaf used ... read more
Today, we went to the Hermitage. It was the Winter Palace of Catherine II - the Catherine the Great. She had been a German princess who married Alexander I. She had him killed and claimed he had had a stroke. She was not a very attractive woman. It is called the Hermitage because she was alone when she resided there as a widow. She did have many lovers and gave birth to many illegitimate children with legitimate son, Paul. She died at the age of 66 and had a 29 year old lover at that time. She was a lusty lady. The first Winter Palace was made of wood. Catherine had galleries attached to it. When it caught fire, the guards watered down the walls attached to the galleries to protect their content. It was said ... read more
The previous blog was delayed due to our ineptitude at computer skills. Hopefully, these will be more successful. We have arrived in a place I never thought I would see. We took an overnight train from Vilnius. We were in a second class sleeping compartment. It contained 4 bunk style beds in a red velvet with faux wood walls. I felt like I was in one of those wonderful old movies. We lucked out as we were the only inhabitants. There was a beautiful dining car. I have never traveled by train. It is a wonderful experience; I now understand what Jack Nixon talks about. They provide you with beautifully smelling sheets, a duvet, pillow with fresh case. It is so civilized. We were awakened twice. Once at the Lithuanian border where the trained dog sniffed ... read more
March 25, 2009 I am so far behind in this travelblog. My intentions were good but we have been unable to find an internet connection. Hopefully, tomorrow John will be going to a lawyers office to attach this to the blog. For anyone out there who is kind enough to be interested in this, I apologize for the delay. It is a curious thing to write. We have been in Vilnius since late Sunday. At first, the city appeared as a very depressed area. Many of the buildings are in deteriorating condition. In many instances, this is the result of the prolonged Soviet occupation. It is a period that is not remembered with a fondness by the residents of Vilnius. In the Eastern Block countries, the Soviets sought to build utilitarian buildings demonstrating none of the ... read more
Where do I begin? John is going to cut and paste this for me as we do not have an internet connection where we are staying. Hopefully, this will be corrected. If not, we will figure it out. Since I do not have the previous blog, I may be repeating myself. So, please be patient with me. Kate stayed with us until Thursday evening when she returned to Ireland for her final leg of vacation. It was very exciting over there as the Irish Rugby team was up for their championship game against Wales in the Six Nations Tournament and they won 17-15. She and I toured through Salzburg recreating the Sound of Music. I believe I covered this. On Friday, John had class until noon. We were able to travel to Bertchesgarten in Germany. This ... read more
We are still enjoying the beauty of Salzburg. Kate flew from her week's vacation in Ireland to join us for two days. She and I enjoyed the Sound of Music Tour which is the prime tourist draw to this area. The tour took us to the locations that were actually filmed here and some that were duplicated in Hollywood. Kate had me singing the songs that as she filmed and I also filmed here. We are definitely not Julie Andrews but you just couldn't help yourself in this setting. Curiously, we were talking with a student from Poland and she was baffled by the interest in this film as she had never seen or heard of it. When we recalled that Julie Andrews also starred in the Princess Diaries, she was able to make some connection. ... read more
