Our Thanksgiving holidays were spent in Germany, totally immersed in the advent of Christmas! The three of us, Kate, (colleague, not daughter) Keith and myself, headed out of Poland to see what the Christkindlsmarkt was all about. Kate and I have been looking forward to shopping the traditional markets, tasting the "gluhwein", and eating hearty German food! And I think Keith was ready to get on the autobahn. I can hear some of you snickering! Yep, he was speeding down the highway! Well, speeding for him, we were getting passed left and right! The recommended speed limit is 130 km/h (81 mph), and true to his nature he barely exceeded that! Although he did over-take some of the trucks, and as Kate said, drivers that looked to be a hundred and one years old! Oh, and ... read more

I think the weather was probably the only thing France's king couldn't control in the late 1600's, even though his manicured gardens appear to be an attempt to control nature. The weather for our weekend visit was rainy and cold, but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm. The palace lived up to it's reputation for opulence! It is true expression of self-glorification and King Louis XIV set the standard of quality very high. During the French Revolution the palace was "emptied" of it's furnishings and abandoned. Standing in the Hall of Mirrors, I tried to imagine the drama and chaos of 1789, as King Louis XVI and his family were forced to leave this gilded world. In 1837, Louis-Philippe turned it into the National Museum dedicated to "all the glories of France". Although the Palace of Versailles ... read more

With our time in Greece quickly coming to an end, we are looking forward to spending a couple of days on the island of Hydra. The hydrofoil ride over from Pelopennese, was a first for us. It's a boat on skis, you "vibrate" across the water. Before we knew it we were docking at Hydra Town. If we had needed help with our luggage or getting to the Hotel Leto, we could have hired one of the many donkeys waiting at the landing! No need, we formed the luggage parade, and off we went up the narrow streets. You do not have to worry about stepping out in front of a car. The island's only cars seem to be for the trash collection and police. The only thing to watch out for, is that you might ... read more

From Monemvasia, ancient Sparta is close by, and our group heads out for a day trip. Overlooking Sparti, on a steep hill is the archeological site Mystras. This is one of the six places designated by UNESCO, that we are able to visit during this trip to Greece. It's design as a Late Byzantine fortified settlement, makes it important enough to be on the World Heritage List. As do the frescos. For the art lovers, it's frescos are rare examples of the style and color range of Byzantine art. In each church the crumbling painted walls were gorgeous. It was entrancing to see the art in it's "environment", outside of the protection of a museum. You step into these medieval churches, and once your eyes adjust to the dim light, there are these unframed masterpieces, as ... read more

From Olympia, we headed south to stay a couple of nights in the coastal village of Kardamyli. Not much to do in this tiny spot along the Agean Sea. The landscape is rugged. Hard to imagine making a living from the earth in these hills. Pirates and bandits hid here. Down by the water it is more inviting, though the beach is made up of stone and pebbles. We took a sunset stroll with our friends and ate at a charming outdoor taverna. It was another delicious Greek supper. In the morning, we headed out with a couple of friends, to walk up to Agia Sofia, past the Old Kardamyli tower houses. On the way, we came upon a goat. Not so unusual in the country, but he was munching grass growing out of the ... read more