Geo: 10.4797, -84.7156This was our second full day in Costa Rica and we planned the longest trip for today. We headed northeast to see the Arenal Volcano and enjoy the hot springs, but our first stop for today was at a combination Butterfly and Toucan House and gift shop. We visited the butterflies first, but saw only a few. Most of the ones we did see were large with a beautiful blue on the top and a grayish brown underside. There were a few others, too, but this was not a particularly worthwhile stop just for the butterflies. However, they also had a toucan in captivity. We all walked into the cage with the toucan and were able to stroke it's soft belly. The toucan was very tame and would step onto anyone's arm if they ... read more

Geo: 35.0841, -106.649... read more

Geo: 35.0841, -106.649... read more

Geo: 44.0833, 26.6333Our trip home began with flights to London today, by way of Vienna on Austrian Airlines. However, before we left, the last stop on the tour was to Bucharest, Romania for a drive around the city and a visit to the second largest building in the world, Parliament Palace, aka Ceausescu's Palace. Ceausescu started construction on it in 1984 when many of the people in the country were poor and hungry. He worked on it until his death in the revolution of 1989. The dictator never planned to live in the palace, in fact, he was probably afraid to stay there. He installed ventilation holes in the ceiling in case anyone tried to murder him with poisonous gases. Ceausescu simply wanted a showpiece. And it is showy, including the one million cubic meters of ... read more

Geo: 44.0875, 27.2549The Black Sea Discovery cruise finally made it to the Black Sea. The last thirty miles was by motor coach, but we made it to Varna, Bulgaria. The first stop at the Archeological Museum was interesting. A few artifacts in the collection date back to the Old Stone Age (10,000 – 100,000 BC). The museum has its charms and is a long way from decrepit, but it lacks any kind of style and most of the displays are very ordinary and somewhat shabby. The country doesn't have money to spend on making the place attractive. As in many of the places we have visited on this trip, photography is not allowed inside. After visiting the museum, we had some free time to see the city. Varna is a popular resort location for Bulgarians and ... read more