October 29, 2018 Before leaving Panama City this morning we visited El Chorrillo Neighborhood. It is well known in Panama for an incident the Panamanians call Black Christmas. In 1989, the United States invaded Panama in an attempt to overthrow military dictator Manuel Noriega, who had been indicted in the US on drug trafficking charges and was accused of suppressing democracy in Panama and endangering US nationals. Noriega’s headquarters were situated in the middle of this neighbourhood. On December 20, 1989, 4 days before Xmas, the US bombed Noriega’s headquarters. But of course, being in the middle of a crowded neighbourhood there were a lot of civilian casualties. There is a painted sign on a wall that says « Santa Claus brought bombs, this Christmas, to avenue A, December 20, 1989. » We then proceeded out ... read more

Leaving for Panama Friday October 26. Have to get up very early to get to the airport by 4:30 am. Haven’t gotten up that early since I retired almost 2 years ago. It will be painful. It’s a 9-day land tour + 3-day canal cruise. I will be travelling with my hubby and family and friends (9 of us this time). Bags are packed and ready to go. Whenever I mention that I’m going to Panama the first reaction I get from people who have been there is “oh it’s really hot there”. I will be adding blogs along the trip. If you don’t want to receive them just let me know and I will delete your name from the distribution list.... read more

August 19, 2016 Munich is the capital and largest city of the German state of Bavaria. It is the third largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg and the 12th biggest city of the European Union, with a population of above 1.5 million. The city is known for its annual Oktoberfest celebration and cavernous beer halls, including the famed Hofbräuhaus, founded in 1589. In the walkable Old Town, Marienplatz is a central square containing landmarks such as Gothic Neues Rathaus (town hall), with a popular glockenspiel show. This a clock tower with little bonhommes that come out and dance to the sound of music. August 20, 2016 Today we went on a most informative walking tour: Third Reich Tour Hitler's Munich. Munich is the birth place of Nazism. The tour covered all important facts and ... read more

August 14, 2016 We arrived in Vienna today by train from Budapest. The train ride was uneventful, but quite enjoyable. On the way from the train station to the hotel J, B and JP (who were sharing a taxi) got a guided tour from the taxi driver. J got a little worried when the taxi driver told her that the hotel was cheap and that the showers were in the corridor. However, it is not bad, it is a 3-star, but it is clean and very close to the tourist area. Today we didn't do much, after checking in, lunch and a nap we went walking about. We had dinner at a spanish restaurant. We had a good time, between the big class of wine ( I'm sure it was 9 oz), the waiter screwing up ... read more

here are the photos for the last post.... read more