Summer 2004 European tour and cruise: 

Germany, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Monaco, Spain, England

July 7, 200

Frankfurt, Germany

Joel, Elaine, Rick, Levonne and Mark (our cousins) arrived in Frankfurt at noon on Wednesday and I got to the hotel at 9:30 PM.   A storm had caused the local trains to stop running.  After standing on the platform listening to announcements in German ("Americans! … there are no trains tonight"), I walked over to the high-speed train station and took the futuristic ICE train into the Main Train Station.  Our hotel was across the street.  I had only two bags (total of about 85 pounds).  Fortunately, Mark was in the lobby waiting for me and we quickly went to our room.

 In the. morning we picked up the nine passenger VW van and drove north to the village of V, Pracht where Willi and Renate live. Their son Andreas greeted us.  Soon we sat down to a fantastic lunch that Renate fixed for us:

French fries, sautéed mushrooms, peas and carrots, green beans, roast pork.  She also prepared special vegetable patties made with whole grains.

Before dessert, we drove to near by historic Hachenburg: 17th century buildings and a nearby farm museum containing ancient farm houses, barns, mills, garden, sheep and so forth.

Back at Willi and Renate's we were served three kinds of dessert:  Strawberry shortcake, Sacher Cake (dense chocolate) and apricot cheesecake.

Renate arranged for us to stay at a nearby inn in Niederhausen.

The Essigs in Germany

Andreas wrote this:  Tom  wanted to get drunk with beer (without alcohol) in a brewery called "Uerige". It is one of the oldest places to celebrate and' forget your about  sorrows. Renate brought a cone of ice- cream and ate it without permission of  the bar keeper.  A sign on the wall says : Drinking Schnaps during the consumption of beer will spoil your health and also the brewer's income .

Köln, Germany

July 9-10, 2004

Pracht/Hamm

Hallo, friends of Daniels and Ganos,

(If you want to be removed from this mailing list, please let me know …  ed)

Today we said goodbye to the Essig family.  I forgot to say that Andreas was an exchange student when he stayed for a year (1987-1988) with Joel and Elaine and went to Molalla High School with my nephews Marcus and Philip.  We've visited his parents before and they've been to the US, too.  They live in the countryside west of Köln and Düsseldorf.

The second day here we drove about 90 miles to Solingen where Andreas lives in a newly remodeled condo.  He fixed us a huge brunch.  He has a Jura (Swiss) electronic espresso and coffee maker that uses little coffee cartridges!

In nearby Düsseldorf toured the main shopping (Königs Alle) and harbor districts.  It was raining by this time and not everyone had coats and/or umbrellas.  It was not very cold, though.  (In Europe, summer has been late in coming.)   New business-quarter in the harbor with 3 Gehrys buildings  one covered with aluminum tiles

On to Cologne where, at the Cathedral, we met Urusala, Andreas' girl friend (who is a costumer for movies.)  Inside the "Dom" we heard Benjamin  Britten's War Requiem Requiem inside the "Dom" had been disturbed by a "handy" (cell phone) which had a ringtone that fit composition!  Andreas said that under the main floor was a "Treasure chamber" containing an assortment of bones of the holy three kings.

Late supper was at Cafe Spitz Table where we sat at a table for 10. 

On Saturday we drove to Linz, an old city on the Rhine where we shopped and toured.  This village is on the Rhine with an old section of winding streets and old, colorful "half timber" buildings.  Ate apple strudel, listened to electric player pianos, watched glass blower, saw torture chamber museum, bought umbrellas

Althirch, France

The Eymann's in Switzerland

July 11, 12 2004

Colmar, France

Bon  jour, mes amis,

When we were at Renate and Willi's, our innkeeper came and said he wanted us to know that a special Saturday night disco was to take place and did we want to move to a nearby inn?  We decided not to and were entertained during the night with the latest Euro - Techno - House music.  In the morning, Renate and Willi served us a gib breakfast and sent up on our way. 

Yesterday was a relatively long driving day to get to our modest motel in Colmar, France.  We passed through Luxomburg and stopped to tour the old city of Triere, France where we saw Roman remains and a part of the old city wall.

Colmar is south of Strasbourg and is the home of Bartholdi, the designer of the statue of liberty.  It's the 100^th anniversary of his death and we just missed a festival in his honor featuring Jesse Norman, the opera singer.

The next day we drove on south stopping in Altkirch which was the home of the Frey's, our great-grandmother and her parents.  We walked around the old town.  Eventhough it was Monday, most shops were closed (summer hours?).  It was also 2 days until Bastille Day.  We ate delicious éclairs and drank coffee at a pastry shop. 

Then we were on to Switzerland, paying 30 Euro's road tax at the border.  We went directly to our hotel in Interlaken.  It is situated between 2 canals filled with turquoise-colored water rushing by.

We back-tracked a little and drove up into the mountains to find our Eymann relatives.  They live close to Heimenschwand and the farm is called "Bruggmatt".  We got within 1/2 mile before we stopped to ask the rest of the way.  Hedwig, her sons Roland and Beat were waiting for us.  We chatted and took pictures before they invited us in to look at pictures and family trees.  They invited us to have fondue and white wine!  It was delicious.  Some of us drank a sports drink called "rivella" that was not too sweet, carbonated and made from 35% milk whey.  In 1994 Roland came to the US and stayed with my aunt and uncle (Steven and Dorothy).  His trip was 10 months long and included Australia, New Zealand, the US (plus  Hawaii) and Canada.  Roland speaks English while the others don't although we could understand most of what they were saying when they were speaking German.

Switzerland

July 13-14, 2004

Switzerland to Lake Como, Italy

We left Interlaken and drove up to nearby Lauterbrunnen.  It is a picturesque Swiss village from where you can take little mountain cog train up into the mountains (like Wengen).  It was drizzly, but the chalets with bright flowers in window boxes shined through.  We didn't have time to take the train (naturally) and hit the road towards Italy.

We wound up and down windy Swiss roads and when we got to the summit (at Sustenpass), it actually snowed on us and we passed a snow plow that had pushed a little row new snow to the side of the road.  Tunnels and switchbacks led us to the tunnel at the Goddard pass.  Mile by mile (or km by km) the temperature rose as we approached the Italian border.

After we check in to our Hotel Como rooms, we walked about 15 or more blocks to the main Piazza.  The streets were narrow with few cars but lots of shops.  At the town square at the water's edge we ate our first Italian supper.  Naively, ordered pasta and salads.  We were served our hot meals in cardboard, microwave "dished".  What is this world coming to?

We were only had time to see a small fraction of Lake Como.  It's a beautiful place to return to.

Lake Como, Italy

July 14-15, 2004

Verona and Venice

This was our last day of driving.  From Lake Como we go on the auto-strada (toll freeways) and drove towards Venice.  We stopped off at Verona, parked close to the old city wall and walked to the nearby Piazza Roma.  On a street or so away, we found an old church that had been turned into a pizza restaurant … and ate lunch (pizzas!).

The sets for this year's production of Aida were lying near the arena.  Carl and TomO (with whom we'll are to meet up in Venice) saw this opera several days prior.

The final drive to Venice took about an hour.  We parked at the parking garage near the train station and dragged our luggage to our Hotel.  It wasn't far, but we had to go up and down several sets of bridge steps to get there.  TomO was in the lobby waiting for us.

The eight of made the long walk across the Grand Canal, over the Rialto Bridge to Piazza San Marcos (PSM).  We stopped for dinner along the way (the best risotto!). 

The next morning we took a water taxi to the Star Princess and checked in.  We had tickets to take the shuttle from the ship to PSM.  The weather was warm and the Piazza was very crowded.  Rick bought a little bag of corn (1 euro) and we fed the pigeons. 

Verona, Italy

Venice, Itlay

July 15-16, 2004

Venice and Torcelli

In Venice, a group of us walked over to the Peggy Guggenheim museum to see her collection of modern art … Works by Piet Mondrian, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Marc Chigall, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Jackson Pollack, Alexander Calder, Ameleo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso were on display.  TomO found a vendor selling the rainbow "Pace" (peace) flags and we bought a couple.

The next day Carl, TomO, Mark and I walked across the island from Piazza San Marcos to a vaperetto stop where we boarded a ferry to the island of Torcelli.  This is a small island that looks like Venice might have appeared centuries ago.  We lunched here and walk around a little until it was time to catch the ferry back to Piazza San Marcos.  We barely make the last shuttle back to the ship

The departure was spectacular … the Star Princess cruised out through the main channel, past the Dogges Palace and San Marcos.  We stood on the upper deck, some 17 stories high, looking down on the roof tops of Venice.  It was a beautiful sight!

At Sea

The Star Princess … observations from Carl Spiegelberg:

The first thing I love about passenger ships is the way they look … at least the way they used to look.  The Star Princess isn't one of those, but one of many new cruise ships in "The Grand Class", the largest passenger ships today.  The new Queen Mary is also of the Grand Class, but is half again as large, 1,500 feet long.  The "Grands" can't go through the Panama Canal and seem to need special docks that can accommodate them.  From the outside these 7,000 ton ships are top heavy and boxy in an effort to fit so many cabins on board --- ours holds at least 2,600 passengers (and we were told there were 2,800 on this sailing).

My heart sinks slightly as our water taxi in Venice gives us our first look at this ungainly leviathan, but this feeling is dispelled as we step on board and experience the second thing I love about ships … the sensation of entering a private, enclosed  world of its own that, today, in an age of super-security, offers a sense of privilege, as no visitors are allowed.  There is  a smell in the air conditioning reminiscent of all ships I have ever been on that tells me I have once again entered a self-contained floating realm.  We are eyed carefully as our electronic room cards are clicked into a machine and our carry on luggage is x-rayed. 

We find our way to Dolphin (Deck 9) cabin 232 and enter our mini-suite complete with private outdoor deck, not uncommon on most of the "Grands".  Our port side cabin is not in the "POSH" category of old when the English would value a "port out, starboard home" cabin when traveling to India via the Suez Canal.  Javier, our room steward from Guadalajara, greets us with the first of many "Buenos Diases."  The 1,500 person crew all wear badges with their names and home countries printed on them … many from Mexico, the Philippines, Romania and the U.K.  We sense they have all been highly trained in friendly-guest-relations, for we are inundated with constant greetings and assurance we are having a good time.

With our pocket ship maps (layout, deck plan), we set out to explore our new domain.  It takes about a week before I feel I can negotiate this world of fore and aft, starboard and port without the maps … the show rooms and bars (you are never far from a drink), the lounges, the shops, the internet access, the pools and spas and discos, and casinos … and dining rooms.  You are also never far from food … 2,100 pounds of beef, 1,800 pounds of poultry, 1,600 pounds of salad, 7,000 pounds of fresh fruit, 500 pounds of butter, 6,000 pastries, 300 cakes and pies and 90 gallons of ice cream … DAILY.  This is another thing I love about ships.  We feel we are eating our way around the Mediterranean … The initial impulse is to get as much as possible because it's "free."  Shrinking waistbands eventually bring on some common sense and the two or three desserts at our five course dinners give way to our share of the 6,000 pounds of salad and 7,000 pounds of fresh fruit selections (daily!). We are eating on an open seating plan called "Anytime Dining" and try various venues and waiters until we finally settle in with Francisco at table 130 in the Portofino dining room

Kusadasi, Turkey

July 19  Kuradasi Turkey

After 2 days at sea out of Venice. We arrived in Turkey at the port of Kusadasi.  Nearby were the ruins of Ephesus and the last home of the Jesus' Mother Mary.

Joel, Elaine, Rick, Levonne and Mark booked a tour of the ruins while TomO, Carl and I meandered through the shopping streets.  We had been given the name of a good rug shop so we went there first.  TomO's interest was piqued as they rolled out carpet after carpet.  He started to eliminate and choose and when Carl said he like a particular one, TomO quickly bought it!  Carl was not to be left out, so he bought an older and bigger one!  The pressure was really on and I ended up buying one that I had my eye on.  They will be sent via FedEx to arrive shortly after we get home.  The rug dealer burned the fiber and rubbed it and showed us how good they were.  I wanted to know if they would repel cat vomit.

The Turks are so friendly and they especially took pleasure in taking our money.  Carl and TomO bought leather jackets.  Mark bought Diesel Jeans and I bought a Dulce and Gabbana Capri pants (which are the latest craze for young men in Europe).  When I got back to the ship I realized ''Quality and Original Design" was spelled ''Duality and Orginal Desing" (sic, sic and sic).  Do you think these might be those knock offs that people are talking about?

Elaine made a mis-step getting off of the bus and sprained her ankle.   She was able to carefully continue the tour but saw the doctor on board our ship. The doctor thought it was not broken and gave her pain pills and an ointment.  Elaine's ankle is better everyday.

I'm ready to return to Turkey! How about next year?

Athens, Greece

July 20 Athens

The cruise staff said that we should not pay more than 10 Euros per taxi to take us one-way to the Acropolis.  However, when we got off of the ship and tried to get a cheap taxi to the Acropolis but no one was interested.  So we walked 25 minutes to the nearby station and took the train to a stop not too far from the famous ruins and the Plaka (- narrow shopping streets).

I decided to walk into the Plaka.  Further along, I switched over to a fashionable shopping street and ended up Parliament Square, the location of the Grand Bretagna Hotel where Joe and I stayed in 1995.  The square in front is STILL under construction - but looks almost finished. 

We passed lint some Olympic venues which also looked unfinished.

The  others walked up hill to the Acropolis and other antiquities and were finished after noon.  I had found an attractive "Taverna" where had a pleasant lunch outside under canvas awnings.  Greek salads, mousaka, spinach pie, etc.

At Parliament Square we asked some policemen about taking the train back to the port.  They said the bus would be a better way, so that's what we did.  We bought .45 Euro tickets at a little kiosk and boarded a long, articulated, air-conditioned bus that took us on a 30 minute ride to Piraeus where the ship was docked

Rome, Italy

July 22, Rome

This stop was added when Istanbul was removed from our itinerary.  We docked at the newer port called Civitavecchia which was about an hour's bus ride from Rome.  Carl stayed on the ship, TomO and I took the short shuttle ride into this port town and the others boarded a Panorama bus tour to Rome.

It was "market day" and a large shopping area was set up in the town center, a few blocks from the port.  Many booths sold vegetables and fruit.  An adjacent building contained stalls selling meat, fish and cheeses.  TomO bought European closed toed sandals. 

We found an Internet café and I was able to send some pictures and messages.  Kids were occupying most of the terminals, playing games involving hunting and shooting.  You'd think it was a terrorist training school!

In a nearby shopping district, TomO bought a pair of 3/4 length pants that seem so popular over here.

The Panorama Bus tour took Joel, Elaine, Rick, Levonne and Mark to St. Peters Basilica.  The had time to walk through this magnificent structure before going on to the Coliseum, the Forum, many fountains and beauties of Rome.

Naples, Italy

July 23, Naples

The ship docked at a modern port facility about 2 blocks distance from the fortress Castel Nuovo.  We were offered excursions to the Almalfi coast, Capri and Pompeii.  TomO, Carl and took off for town and the others went a tour of Pompeii.   It was already very hot at 9 AM, before the shops opened.  However, in the shade is was pleasant.

The Galleria was nearby: a shopping  arcade, built in the late 1880s.  We walked through that and down the pedestrian street called Via Toledo (turning into Via Roma).  Metal pull down doors started opening up.  Later on Carl and I bought lemon slushes called "graniti" ... sometimes we saw these in colored plastic containers with automatic stirrers.  Here they were in metal trays alongside other trays of gelato.

The Pompeii tour guide led JERLM through the ruins of this town that was covered by ash after the 79 A.D. eruption.  (Nearby Herculaneum was similarly smothered by mud from the same volcanic event.)  They saw the streets with chariot ruts, mosaic floors, frescoed walls, statues, buildings and so forth.  Pompeii was discovered and excavation begun 1748.

When the others came back, Mark and I went back for some last minute shopping.  Many stores were closed for siesta.  We found several clothing stores and I bought 2 pair of "Capri pants" for 7.5 Euro's each.  I swear, all of the men here are wearing them ... they come in pedal pusher, Capri, clam digger and toreador lengths.

On Board Entertainment:

Pisa, Italy

July 24, Livorno, Pisa and Florence

At this stop, I stayed close to the ship.  For $4 each way I took a shuttle to the downtown area of Livorno.  It is a sturdy, port town which is about 15 minutes by train to Pisa.  I walked down their "Rodeo Drive" before turning back to the more modest shopping area.  I walked through a a very large open air vegetables and fruit market.  I ate a cone of gelato which helped cool me down.  It was hot in the sun and pretty comfortable in the shade.

At the end of the shuttle, TomO and Carl continued on by bus to the train station for the short trip to Pisa.  Joel, Elaine, Levonne, Rick and Mark took a bus excursion to Pisa and they all met in the square by the tower.  Oh, by the way, the tower is still leaning.  And I thought the Italian engineers closed it fix it?!?

Others on the ship took buses for an excursion to Florence.

At one time Pisa was the port town but over the centuries, the harbor was silted in by the Arno River and the port shifted southwest to Livorno.

Monte Carlo, Monaco

July 25, Monte Carlo

Mark said that from what he could see, this was the "happiest little principality" that he knew.  And it was very charming.  And it's very small (1 square mile), built on a hillside surrounded by France.  And it's very rich, from the look of it.

Monte Carlo was the only stop where we needed to be brought ashore with tenders.  We weren't in a big hurry so we had a leisurely breakfast in the sit-down dining room first.  By the time we were ready to go at 9:30, there were no crowds trying to get off.

Once on the dock we walked towards town and then took a path up the hill to the royal palace and "old Monaco".  We started with a tour of the palace.  Beautiful rooms with antiques, history, gilt and elegance.  Near the end was the throne room with a large painting of the royal families, past and present. 

This tour ended just in time to see the changing of the guard.  Frozen, white-uniformed guards come to life, are joined by a band, march back and forth then get in a van and drive away.  Lots of people taking pictures. 

In the Cathedral we found the burial place of Princess Grace --- a large marble rectangle on the floor with fresh flowers and special lighting.

We entered the warren of tiny pedestrian streets of tourist shops and found a restaurant on a tiny square where we ate pizza and salads.

We split up afterwards with some going back towards the ship and Carl, TomO, Mark and I continuing on to the Casino where we paid 20 Euros to enter.  It was kind of a disappointment.  There were 3 large and popular roulette tables with fancy chips flying.  In another room were some quiet people playing quiet slot machines.  We only saw a little part of this huge building and I think that the more flamboyant games (baccarat and I don't know what else!)

Palma de Mallorca, Spain:

Friday July 30, 2004 -

 
Friday was our last day in Palma de Mallorca, an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Valencia and Barcelona, Spain.
 
When we left the Star Princess in Barcelona, the 8 of us went to the Hotel Barbara (where the Oregonians will be for next couple of days and where we'll be staying when we come back here).  Since our plane didn't leave for about 9 hours, we had the day to spend walking and sightseeing.
 
That afternoon, we flew on Spanair (on a Boeing 717 that looks like an MD80).  The taxi that took us to our hotel started prematurely and almost left Carl standing at the open door!  Our hotel is called the HM Jaime III.  Jaime is the name of the last 3 kings of Mallorca. 
 
It's also spelled Jaume, like a lot of names here, a Catalan spelling and a Castilian spelling.  Someone told us it's Mallorquesa (my spelling) which is similar enough to Catalan that they can understand each others dialect.
 
Platja - Playa
Carrer - Calle ?
Passeig - Paseo?
Avinguda - Avienda
Placa - Plaza
Ibiza - Eivissa
 
The hotel is at the edge of the old town and relatively flat ... we walked everywhere.  One day we bought 13 Euro tickets for a double decker tour bus get on and off all day long.
 
Mallorca is nothing that I expected.  Palma is a city of almost 1/2 million people on the south shore of the Island.  It appears prosperous, modern and sophisticated.  Tourists arrive by the plane load (many from England) to rent fancy hotels, lie on the beaches, buy souvenirs and dine at nice restaurants.  Oh, that sounds like US!

This is our last day in Palma de Mallorca, an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain.

When we left the ship in Barcelona, the 8 of us went to the Hotel Barbara (where the Oregonians will be for next couple of days and where we'll be staying when we come back here).  Since our plane didn't leave for about 9 hours, we had the day to spend walking and sightseeing.

We flew on Spanair (on a Boeing 717 that looks like an MD80).  The taxi that took us to our hotel started prematurely and almost left Carl standing at the open door!  Our hotel is called the HM Jaime III.  Jaime is the name of the last 3 kings of Mallorca. 

It's also spelled Jaume, like a lot of names here, a Catalan spelling and a Castilian spelling.  Someone told us it's Mallorquesa (my spelling) which is similar enough to Catalan that they can understand each others dialect.

Ibiza, Spain:

August 1, 2004 
 
Got up extra early for the 8:00 AM ferry from Palma to Ibiza.  Two hours later we landed in the heat of this Balearic Island.  Our hotel was about 1-1/2 blocks from the dock. 
 
Ibiza is like no place I've been before.  It is a party island, discovered by the hippies in the 1960's and the energy they brought stayed on.  Some observations:  All of the people here are tanned, thin, YOUNG, attractive, tattooed.  Our California wake and sleep cycles are all out of sync with Ibiza life.  For example, they (probably just the tourists): 
 
Arise at 11:00 AM
Eat breakfast soon after
Lie on the beach until 5 PM
Go to bed and sleep until 11:00 PM
Party until 4-6 AM!
Go to sleep until 11:00 AM
 
And there is a whole "Disco-Club" thing going on there.  You see advertisements all over town for them.  The hot ones cost 50 Euros to get in (discounts for early arrivals and pre-paid tickets).  They have DJs and specialize in different kinds of current music (Euro-tech, etc.).  We've been threatening to go to a club, but haven't wanted to stay out that late.
 
At around 11:00 PM, those who don't go to the clubs and discos, come to the street where our hotel is located (see picture link above).  On Saturday night, the street was absolutely packed.  There is a DJ who pumps music out on the street from a neighboring balcony.  Oddly enough, we don't hear much of that when we go to bed.

Barcelona, Spain:

August 4-7, 2004 

We left the high energy, high heat and late nights of Ibiza for a return to Barcelona. 

Barcelona is such a beautiful city.  We learned that hundreds of years ago there were smaller villages of narrow, windy streets (towns like Gracia, Barri Botic, La Ribera, etc.).  Modern Barcelona might be identified by the regular grid of wide avenues and streets that filled in the area in between the villages.

One thing here that was new to me were the "human statues" on Las Rambla, that wide, crowded pedestrian street.  Before, there were news stands, flower stalls and bird/pet sellers and lots of people.  Now, in addition, there is a wide variety of young people in elaborate makeup and costumes.  He or she stands idle until you drop some coins in the awaiting basket.  Suddenly they come to "life".  The crapper, strains on this throne and the paella-head become quite cheeky to you, the "sisters" dance and lift their skirts. 

One night TomO and Carl went to Placa Espanya to see the show of fountains ... water and colored lights. 

Of course you can visit Barcelona without seeing the works of Antoni Gaudi and his contemporaries who built these wonderful, whimsical structures.  Parc Guell was an early housing development and is now a big tourist attraction.   We took lots of pictures and you can get a sense of it in this postcard:  We also went to apartment buildings "La Pedrere" and Casa Batillo and most importantly, the Sagrada Familia.  The latter structure is still under construction and there is a worldwide effort to finish it by 2026 (the anniversary of the death of Gaudi).  You can see some of what we saw here: 

We are now on the road north of Barcelona.  We won't be back home to California until August 22.

This came in from Joel ...

I woke up early and couldn't sleep so have been going through the mail, etc.  Elaine is still sleeping.  This is a first.  We had no trouble getting your bag home.  The hotel arranged for a taxi and the driver was very accommodating although 4 had to sit in the back seat.  It isn't far to the airport. 

The only problem with the hotel was the lack of air conditioning.  Mark says they say they are putting it in.  The location is great and we stayed out very late each night, came home took a shower and slept pretty well.  Breakfast was adequate.  We'll see what you all think.  We left a few things, guidebooks, etc.  I think there is an internet card there with a couple of hours on it.  It is for that shop (Subway) a few blocks down on La Rambla.  I wrote the password on the back of the ticket.  The machines seemed to be fast. 

We had two very full days.  We enjoyed the pass on the tour bus although it only goes one direction which means riding "around" to get back to where you started.  We saw lots of territory, though.  One street that would bear going back to is St. Joan.  Like La Rambla it is divided and there was lots of activity:  children's playgrounds, boce ball, etc. 

After we left you, we took the blue line tour around to the Sagrada Familia seeing the port area, Olympic Village, etc.  We spent a couple hours at the temple:  allow plenty of time!  Mark climbed the stairs to the tower and Rick, Elaine and I took the elevator and walked the remaining stairs.  What a treat!  The view is spectacular.  We got back on the tour bus orange line and rode around the circle back to the Placa Catalunya and then walked down La Rambla looking for a place to eat.  We had paella in a cafe, Mark & I, seafood and Rick and Elaine, chicken.  Back to hotel late. 

The second day Rick & I walked to internet (the places on our street were not open.)  Then met the others and got on the tour bus to to to the shopping area down by the waterfront.  We saw the Princess leaving.  We sat on a pleasant park bench while Mark went exploring.  He got to the beach and suggested we go there.  It reminded us so much of where we stayed in '65, but of course has high rise buildings around.  We decided that one should eat a heartier lunch, so we found a place to eat outdoors near the beach.  We weren't sure what to order, but people were having wonderful seafood around us.  Two old men were having lunch:  first a big platter of mussels (raw, I think) then another one of shrimp.  The waiter brought out bread with tomato rubbed on it and some sausage.  We ordered 1 seafood and 2 veg. paella's and 2 salads for our table.  The waiter brings out the hot pan for your approval and then goes back and serves it onto plates.  Two girls from Michigan on a several month tour came over to ask what we had ordered and we visited with them.  The meal was finished off with some lemon licquer and cakes and nuts.  It turned out to be a great place and filled up by the time we left.  We walked down the beach watching the topless bathers and the sunburns on the Nordic Europeans. 

We caught the Metro and rode to a stop Mark's guidebook said was right for Parc Guell.  From there it was a long hike much of it more vertical than horizontal.  We probably should have taken a bus, but it worked off lunch.  It is spectacular!  The view, and the ceramic bench.  We got to the bench last and it turned out it wasn't far to the orange tour bus.  We took it around again past the Royal Palace and the Soccer Stadium (second largest in the world) and back to the Placa Catalunya where we went to the English Department store.  We were looking for some shorts or longer pants for Andrew's birthday, which we found.  Then we walked down small winding streets roughly parallel to La Rambla and looked in the shops and bought a T shirt for Marina.  The city really comes alive by 8 o'clock and we ended up on La Rambla at a sidewalk cafe.  We ordered 2 platters of assorted tapas, each for 2, which turned out to be just about right for a supper.  Mark had sangria. 

After internet, we went back to the hotel and Mark went out for most of the night.  The next morning it was time for the cab to the airport.  As we got off the ship, I was wishing we were just going to the airport to fly home, but we are so glad we stayed on.  I'll look through the pix and send you some.

J.  (sorry this is such a ramble)

Bilbao, Spain:

August 12, 2004 

We are now in the interesting city of Bilbao in north-central Spain, near the Atlantic Ocean.  We have travelled through the northern Spanish countryside and Pyrenees mountains.  The scenery is beautiful ... a little like the California/Oregon border, but greener.  We stayed overnight in the towns of Girona, Spain, Prades (France), La Sue d' Urgell (Spain), Barbastro (Spain).  All towns I'd never heard of but glad I saw them.  From La Seu d'Urgell we drove into Andorra, which is a big duty-free shopping destination.  We looked at prices but didn't think that they looked that reasonable even with a 50% discount.

Bilbao is a former industrial, port city on the banks of the serpentining  Ria d' Bilbao.  With the decline in industry the city collaborated with the Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art (who was looking for a new European location) to build the museum here.  The main material are titanium sheeted walls, glass walls and light brown limestone.  You can get some idea of the design here:    (Other walls are plaster and floors are hardwood.)   The spaces are vast and when you tire of viewing the art you can return to the open atrium, walk out on the terrace and view the city beyond.  The 2 exhibits I liked were 2 American artists:  Bill Viola who projected his art (movies) on walls in dark rooms (like moving frescos), and James Rosenquist, an billboard/poster artist who used these skills to produce large, thought provoking pieces.  More scenes of the museum are on this postcard: 

Today we took the Bilbao metro (subway) out to some port neighborhoods, closer to the mouth of the river.  We ate a late lunch at a fish restaurant where they cooked the fish outside on large charcoal grills.  We watched them grill hundreds of sardines (5-6 inches).  Carl ordered sardines and got a dozen to eat.  I had a salad and an omelette and TomO ate "Dorado" fish?.  Here is a postcard of this trip outside of Bilbao:

To get to this restaurant we crossed the river on a gondola, suspended to street level from tall towers.  Cars drive in the middle area and people on either side.  It cost 0.25 Euros and took about 5 minutes to get to the other side.  Later on when we came back, we paid 4 Euros to take an elevator to the top of the towers and walk across the river from a height.  As we started the walk I was adjusting my camera and my old watch disengaged from my wrist.  In slow motion, I watched it drop to the walkway, slip through the space between the boards, tumble free, hit a support, separate into several pieces and hit the pavement.  Oh well, it was time for a new watch.

London, England:

August 15, 2004  …  In London

Today was our first full day of touring this big city.

We are staying in dormitory rooms at Hughes Parry Hall at the University of

London in the Bloomsbury neighborhood.  We each have a room with a single bed, desk and wardrobe.  Bathroom, kitchenette and laundry room (sink and drying lines) are down the hall.  You can get an idea of my room at Breakfast is included.

It is nearing the end of the summer session.  We can't stay here the last two days that we are in London because they need to get the rooms ready for Fall term students.  We'll move a couple of blocks away to International Hall for similar accommodations.

Breakfast is served in the Refectory, 1/2 level down from reception.  This morning we had bacon, eggs, potato things, mushroom-onion-pastry things, cereal, toast, juice and coffee.  We asked about some fruit and found out we need to order the cold breakfast to get yogurt, fruit and cereal, which we'll do tomorrow.

By the way, my UK mobile number is:  079-841-54342 through T-Mobile.  I tried to call home this evening but got a recording saying something is wrong with the number I entered.  I'm not sure of the USA country code.

Today we rode the Millennium wheel called London Eye.  Carl said that the original plan was to take this down after the millennium celebrations but it was/is so popular (making money), that it's been kept around.

On the way to the Tate Modern, we browsed the used book market along the Thames.  The Tate was having a Hopper exhibit.  We didn't try to get into that but took in the regular exhibits.

I'm probably going to go on and on too much about our last "museum".  It was the Dennis Severs House near Liverpool Station.  Dennis was an American artist who fell into this 18th century home in what was a little village called Spitalfields (spital=hospital).  It is 4 stories plus a basement.  We started with the basement kitchen.  The room was filled with furnishing, cooking things, coal burning in the fireplace/stove.  The items aren't just on display, but it's as if the occupants have just stepped out ahead of your visit.  There was some ingredients for pastry being mixed, food is half eaten, aromas of cooking fill the air, coal is burning orange and so forth.

Each room was like that as we climbed the floors.  In addition, for each floor, the house goes back a period of about 50 years.  The top floor has been rented out to immigrant Huguenot silk weavers.

There is so much to take in … we were there for a long time.

Dennis Severs passed away at the end 1999 and the house now belongs to the Spitalfields Historic Trust.  You can see more about this house at www.dennissevershouse.co.uk

August 20, 2004

Trip coming to an end (sigh)

My luck has turned.  It's time to head home!  I was struck as I was crossing the street.  You know, "look left" and "look right", painted on the pavement at every crossing place??  Well, I was looking for the underground station when a bicyclist ran me down.  Actually I stayed standing and he landed on the ground … neither of us hurt except for a scrape near my left eye.

We've been in London a week now.  We leave for home on Sunday.  Until today we've been staying at the Hughes Parry Hall at the University of London.  Today the dormitory was closed to prepare it for the arrival of Fall students.  We moved a distance of about 4 blocks to International Hall which will take us for 2 nights then we're off to Heathrow. 

I've seen 4 plays: 

·       Jerry Springer, the Opera, Cambridge Theatre:  A right-on treatment of this trashy show … lots of foul language and familiar phrases (provided you've watched his TV show).  Good music and good theater!

·       Anything Goes, Drury Lane Theatre Royal: - So many familiar, loveable tunes, good cast and sets, that you overlook the silly story.

·       Democracy, Wyndhams Theatre:  A behind the scenes look at Willi Brandt ascension to German Chancellor, thawing of the cold war and the East German spy in his inner office.

·       Journey's End, Playhouse Theatre:  This play was written 75 years ago and is a story of British soldiers in the WW-I trenches.

Carl and TomO saw some more shows.  Carl especially like History Boys and The False Servant (with Charlotte Rampling).  Tonight they are going to see Euripide's Iphigenia at Aulis and tomorrow A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Forum.

I've learned how to sip coffee at Starbucks and surf the internet on my laptop.  When you start a browser, T-Mobile comes up and asks to you buy some time.  In about 45 seconds and a credit-card payment later, you are on your way.