Blogs from Europe - page 13071

Day 48 (Part 2): Rome during the World Cup So being in the center of the country that wins the World Cup Finals is NUTS!! There were about 200,000 people in Circus Maximus, watching 3 big screen TVs and waving Italian Flags. We enjoyed being in the middle of the crowd, but also went up the hill to look down at the crowd. IT was great to watch the people. It went to shootouts and when France missed for the second time, the crowd just went crazy. It was definately an experience, as high as being at Stanley Cup Game 7 or Denver winning the Superbowl. Day 49: Monday, July 10: Rome Today we headed back into Rome and went straight for the Vatican Museum line. We got in in about an hour, which wasn't too ... read more

22:30-Aeropuerto de Barajas (Madrid) Cuando llegamos a la nueva terminal del aeropuerto de Madrid, esperábamos encontrarla llena de turistas dispuestos a volar por unos días a cualquier lugar. Muchos españoles comienzan sus vacaciones a mediados de julio, como íbamos a hacer nosotros. Casi no había nadie. Todavía nos encontramos menos personas en lo que comienza a llamarse la isla, esa terminal que se encuentra en medio de las pistas y de donde suelen salir los vuelos internacionales que no pertenecen al espacio de Schengen, y a la que se accede después de atravesar controles, pasillos, subir y bajar escaleras mecánicas, y, por esas casualidades de la vida, después de coger el que sería primer tren de nuestro viaje en tren. Se nos anunció retraso. Lo que nos dejó en una terminal fantasma con un solo bar ... read more

Had arrived in Paris the night before and this morning got up and caught the metro to Rambuteau to meet up with Kates family. They had an amazing apartment right near the Pompidou centre, central to all the sights, especially the Notre Dame. As it was Bastille day we headed down to the Champs Elysees for the Bastille parade. It was an amazing show of military power adn nationalism. Something that would neer be done in Aus. THere were row upon row of jets, aircraft adn helicopters, people marching, motorbikes, tractors, rocket launchers, tanks adn cavalry. French flags lined the streets and it was all very patriotic. We ended up walking all the way back to the apartment, because its so flat and you just lose track of time. We saw some very attractive French police ... read more

Well, this is my last week with Wayne Farms. It started to hit me this past week. I know I will keep many of the old friends but at the same time, it still a sad time letting go; but at the same time, it is also an exciting time of looking to the future. For those that do not know, I have accepted a new position with Elinar Broiler located in Naro-Fominsk about 80 km southwest of Moscow. It is a joint venture between USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) and a Russian owned poultry company (Elinar Broiler). To no surprise, I have "my list" of things I need to get completed before I go. Some of them I have been able to do in the evenings, while others are only during business hours ... read more

We drove with our friends Sverker and Annika from Stockholm to Nyköping (nee-shipping), a smallish town about 120 kilometers down the road. Near Nyköping they have a beautiful country cottage near the Baltic, which they have restored. Here it is so quiet that all you can hear is the wind blowing through the grass and the occasional moo of the neighboring cows. Most of the houses we have seen are what we would call barn red with white trim around the windows and doors and terra cotta tiles on the roof. These seem to be the typical Swedish design. Sometimes the houses are a golden yellow, but most are red with the white trim. The country around here seems to be sparsely populated, especially outside of the towns. As you drive you see fields of wheat, ... read more