Travel Snippets 1 of 9
�Personal/Travel Snippets of Jim and Emmy Humberd�
Personal/
Travel Snippets
of
Jim and Emmy Humberd
A�Why-Not-Travel� rather than a
�How-To-Travel� Essay
This Book is dedicated as a Memorial to Emmy, my most Beautiful, most Fabulous Wife for nearly 55 years.
By Jim Humberd
Personal/Travel Snippets
ISBN - 0-9618405-4-4 978-0-9618405-4-9
� Jim Humberd 2007
February 14, 2007
Valentine�s Day
My Sweetie�s second Valentine�s day in Heaven
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book in any form, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Jim and Emmy�s Books
�Invitation to � �� Series
Or as John Steinbeck might have said:
Travels With Emmy
Invitation to Germany
ISBN-0-9618405-2-8 9 780961 840525
Invitation to Italy
ISBN-0-9618405-3-6 9 780961 840532
Invitation to France
ISBN-0-9618405-1-X 9 780961 840518
Em-J Publishing
Burbank, CA 91501
Please Read this Before You Attempt to Read the Book!!!
This book is written as a Memorial to Emmy, my Beautiful Wife, and Wonderful Travel Companion for nearly 55 years. Dozens of Snippets tell, indicate, hint, express, insist, and broadcast my complete, intense, deep-felt love forever. While I have been signed on as the author of this book, Emmy�s Travel Notes were indispensable. These really are Jim and Emmy�s love stories and travel adventures, so her name appears at the top of the page. Most of the stories were written ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago in the Humberd Chronicles or our Travel Journal, then selected and edited for this book.
This is a most unusual book. You can flip it over and read from either front cover � Personal Snippets at one end, Travel Snippets at the other. You may turn to any page, read what you want, then flip as many pages as you want, either forward or backwards � the paragraphs are random. They are separated by a dashed line, and there is no connection with the next Snippet, or the next page.
Since there is no easy way to find anything in this book, other than to read and read, I suggest you read with a pencil in your hand, and make a mark in the margin if you might want to find that Snippet again. If the first sentence of a Snippet doesn�t look interesting, don�t stop reading, the subject changes multiple times in many Snippets.
At both the Personal and the Travel Snippets ends of the book, there is an odd style of an Index entitled �Punch Lines,� with a phrase from a few Snippets, along with the page number where it is located. Find a Punch Line you like, flip to that page and read the Snippet, then flip pages forward or backward from there, as you will.
Jim and Emmy�s Snippets
Travel Gems & Morsels
These are some paragraphs that I find interesting, and a few I really do think are special. Consider this, the best Snippet of all, is the one just three or four past where you stopped reading.
They are basically, but not always, in Alphabetic order, because no other order seemed to be better.
Each and every story here is true, we lived them all, and wrote each and every word. It�s been fun, the 30 years in the computer business, our years of travel, and ESPECIALLY the nearly 55 years of working and enjoying life with my beautiful wife, Emmy.
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�Breathes there a man with soul so dead � � that he is not gratified by another�s appreciation of his home, his city, and his country. He may grumble in private over the plumbing, the taxes, and his government, but he loves to have the visitors find their surroundings beautiful and interesting. The architecture, ruins from ancient times, gardens with precision plantings, the natural beauty, art and treasures, all can easily be appreciated. The tourist who comes to �appreciate� will visit and see the beauty, and never notice the negatives seen by the tourist who came to �criticize.�
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Our Travel concept includes:
If we have no schedule, we aren�t late.
If we don�t care where we are, we aren�t lost.
If we have no itinerary we�re just where we ought to be.
If we can�t see IT this trip, we�ll see IT next time
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In the RV our clothes are on a hanger
There are goodies in the refrigerator.
We know who used the toilet last.
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Our vacation is not a destination, it�s the Journey.
Turn here, explore there, relax and enjoy.
It ain�t what you got, it�s what you do with it that counts.
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In addition to clothes, money, and a passport, the most important thing to take with you on vacation is a positive attitude. It�s amazing how many stupid, ignorant, inefficient, obnoxious people we meet when (if?) we are in a bad mood. That�s true even when we aren't on vacation.
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A �pleasure trip� does not mean we will spend all our time on the beach, or in any restaurant in the area, or even attending cultural events and every museum listed in the guide book. We visit the countryside and the market place, exploring towns and cities and talking to cabdrivers, farmers, gardeners, shopkeepers, and our seat mate on the bus or train. There is pleasure in finding ourselves in ancient towns and in the lovely countryside, discovering for ourselves the joys of meeting people in their own environment.
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A distinguished gentleman we met in Trier, Germany, told us his sons, who were attending college in the US, would prefer to live in our country, rather than return to Germany after graduation. When we asked why, he stopped, thought a moment, then answered, �Freedom from the neighbors.� We responded, �In Germany you have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and a very good standard of living, so what do you mean by �freedom from the neighbors�?� He again thought a moment, then said, �People in Germany are so concerned with what their neighbors are doing � when they wash their car, when they hang wash on the line, stores close early in the evening, and are closed on Sunday. In general there�s a feeling of less individual liberty than many people feel they should expect.� (1989)
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A few miles after we had left Zams, Austria, (looking for Emmy�s distant ancestors) we stopped at the side of the road to enjoy the scenery. We watched a group of men unloading a truckload of mattresses, and noticed a helicopter sitting next to the pile of plastic-wrapped mattresses, perhaps waiting to take them high in the mountains to a ski hotel. A few moments later we heard the engine start, and looked around and saw the men leaping onto the piles of mattresses that were flying away with the wind from the helicopter blades. Men, plastic, mattresses, and dirt, flying in all directions. (1991)
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A few miles from Foug�res, France, we stopped in a nice brocante/antique shop. I pointed to the Visa Card imprinter and jokingly asked, �Antique?� The lady laughed and said, �No, pratique.� (1985) .
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A few miles past the border between Spain and Morocco (Cueta, Spain, is on the continent of Africa; Llivia, Spain is in France; Gibraltar, owned by England, is in Spain; all of them cause problems), our tour-bus just happened to stop at a place where there were both large camels to ride and small ones to pet. Emmy enjoyed riding a camel. (1979)
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A few miles west of Split, Yugoslavia, there was a campground near the most delightful little town of Seget. On the shore at the edge of town several boats are being repaired. A new one was being built of oak or walnut or something that smelled like very good wood. This little Yugoslavian town consists of maybe 30 or 40 stone buildings, lining neat walking streets. Some buildings contain stores and restaurants, but most are homes. In the center of town is a little stone church, and the sidewalk surrounding the church is made of a more special stone than the other walks. (1989)
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A few miles west of Vienna, Austria, in the town of Melk, the most magnificent monastery in Austria, the Benediktinerstift Melk (Melk Benedictine Monastery), stands high on a hill overlooking the Donau (Danube) River. Among the reasons it is so beautiful, Josef Munggenast, Emmy's ancestor, several generations removed, was the architect. On our first visit, we were not yet aware of this, during our second visit, Emmy was introduced to the tour group as a Mungenast. Another member of that family, Sigmund Munggenast, a descendant of the family of Austrian architects, from Schnann, Austria, was one of the artists and craftsmen who worked on the Echternach Abbey in Luxembourg. Some Mungenast�s are one �g,� some are two. Don�t know which decade or which century that changed. (1980)
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A freighter ship has only 12 passengers and no Doctor, with an age limit of 70. Many of the 70 passengers on the M/S Enna G were too old to sail on freighters. We talked about travel and we don�t think there is a place on earth that hadn�t been visited by one of them. Many lost account of the number of cruises over the years. One spent 128 days on ships in 1979. There were MD�s, Ph.D.�s, farmers, lawyers, rich people, others had saved every penny to pay for this trip. Then there was the beautiful, wealthy French-Canadian lady, who lived in Chicago. She became a real good �friend� of the Captain, and continued to be a real good �friend� of the Captain, even after we got a new Captain, halfway through the trip. Maybe she received a refund for her cabin, she rarely used it. (1980)
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A friend of ours, Mike, had a world-record-size collection of gambling chips � worth over $50,000, 25 years ago. He asked us to get chips from European casinos, especially in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. We got all gussied up with with dress for her, tie and all for me, and went to town and to the casino in the Intercontinental Hotel. We were the only people in the casino this early in the evening, so we bought $50 in chips. I gambled and lost $1, and said we would be back later. I know when to quit gambling. One time I gambled and doubled my money. The problem was, I only bet a nickel. (1985)
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A funny thing happened while we were on a ferry boat crossing the English Channel. It was somewhat of a shock to hear those ladies� voices, as several women entered the room where I was already hardly at work. Well, I just finished what I was doing (thank goodness), and walked through the room and out the door, just as if they were the ones who were wrong. I don't remember seeing a sign, but maybe I thought I was on a Scottish ferry and L-a-d-i-e-s spelled �Laddies.� (1980)
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A generation of impressionists set their easels on the quay at Honfleur, France, and there are always artists with easel and palette, and photographers with a neck full of camera straps, attempting to capture the charm of this venerable city. Since the English Channel tide goes in and out a great depth each day, Honfleur�s harbor has a canal-lock to keep the larger boats afloat while the tide is out. Small boats, docked outside the harbor, are built with �legs� and �feet� so they will rest on the mud and remain upright during low tide. (1991)
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A lady from Urbino, Italy, who operates a Bed and Breakfast, told us this story. �In WW II my father had been fighting with the Italian army for 4 years and no one knew if he was alive or not. At last the war was over, my father returned home, I was born, and my birth was of Grace by the Holy Mother, Maria. My name is � Maria Grazia.� In the US we would say, Mary Grace. (1944)
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A lady in Palm Springs, who had been born in Germany, and lived there as a child during WW II, told us the story about the Soviet soldiers, thousands of miles from their homes, who were horse-riding Mongols and Cossacks. These men, raised in a most primitive society, were not prepared for the �advanced� manner of living near Germany�s eastern border, in that war-torn country. A devastating problem arose when potatoes the soldiers were washing for their dinner, suddenly disappeared. This was the first time they had ever seen a flush toilet. (1944)
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A little Italian man with a large Canadian man in tow, said, �Come along and I will tell you about Vicenza�s Teatro Olimpico,� which he did, and it was interesting. The semiprivate guide was well worth the few thousand Italian lira. The auditorium has steep semicircular wooden bleacher-type seats, and the ceiling above the audience, painted with a cloud scene 100 years ago, is in excellent condition. The stage at the Teatro Olimpico is excellent, designed so it appears to be streets going in several directions. The �streets� are constructed and painted in Trompe-l��il (false relief, painted to fool the eye). We looked down one 18 foot street (one of several), the floor (street) slopes up and the ceiling (sky) slopes down, and the sides (buildings) close in, so it feels like we are looking for blocks. (1989)
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A man we met in the campground in Strasbourg, France, brought his VW Van from Canada to Europe on the T. S. S. Stefan Batory. He gave us a phone number and we were able to make arrangements to take us and our RV from Europe to Canada, later that year. We arrived in Montreal at 8:00 AM, and it took three hours to get everybody and everything unloaded and through customs � our RV swung to the dock on a cable. Canadian Customs officers just glanced at our vehicle, and didn�t look at all the luggage inside. We made sure our insurance was in order, found a gasoline station, then left Montreal. We spent that night in a motel in Bowmanville, Ontario, then on to our home in California. We have visited Canada several times, and have visited every Province from beautiful Vancouver Island on the Pacific Ocean, to the Province of Prince Edward Island, on the Atlantic Ocean. (1985)
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A man we talked with in Copenhagen told us the Danes complain that in the US, we don�t treat our millions of immigrants the way the Danes say we should, and he admitted the Danes don�t treat their very few immigrants, very well at all. He then added, �But this is Denmark, we don't want any immigrants.� (1985)
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A missed photo opportunity occurred in the bright autumn sunshine as we drove near Grindelwald, Switzerland. The leaf colors were in full bloom, but no place to park, so we could take a photo. Suddenly, as the road curved there stood a remarkable tree, much like a sculpture with bare branches and twigs, each heavily coated with ice from the recent shower. Just then the sun broke through the clouds, and while a meteorologist might say it�s impossible, the icy tree, backlit by the beaming sun, gleamed with all the colors of the rainbow. We could tell by the gestures of people in the other cars, they were as astonished as we were. There was no shoulder of the road where we could stop and grab the camera, then snap a photo. In a moment, the sun again hid behind the cloud, the colors vanished, the fabulous tableau was gone forever. (1988)
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A most unusual Cathedral, the Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family), is being built in Barcelona, Spain, and has been under construction since 1884. It was designed by Catalan architect Antonio Gaud�, and a most interesting design it is. Four colossal openwork spires, the tall round towers or spires of Barcelona�s Sagrada Familia, remind us of the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, built with a similar style by an Italian immigrant, named Simon Rodia. Perhaps that should be the other way around, but we saw Watts before we saw Barcelona. Only the towers and part of the front of Sagrada Familia are completed, no auditorium yet. In another hundred years or so, who knows. (1979)
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A picture is worth a thousand words, a visit is worth a thousand pictures, the video is priceless. When I sometimes had a problem writing about my Sweetie in these Snippets, it dawned on me that, �The eye can see and the heart can love what the word can not describe.�
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A portion of a Poem written by a friend, about her visit to Europe: The luring tour prospectus wrote, � "From Naples comes a trip by boat, � Sorrento and the Grotto Blue." � How little, ah, alas, we knew � We soon began to pitch and toss, � our breakfast was a total loss. � Five minutes after we set sail, � three girls were leaning o'er the rail. � For me, I merely wished to lie � pale face up turned to azure sky � Hark to what the boat men say, � that throng the waters of the bay, � "No grotto trip, each second wave � closes the entrance of the cave." � I cried, "I want a bed! A bed! � About my lunch let naught be said, � or if I drink, pray let it be � a death-draught acting speedily." � If you would sail to Capri's hill, � just choose a day when all is still. � The sea as peaceful as the skies. � Choose such a day, or otherwise � Dear me! (1931)
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A Potsdam suburb, Babelsberg, was the center of the German film industry, before WW II. Although it most likely doesn�t translate this way, it�s not hard for us to imagine a connection between the Biblical �Tower of Babel� and the film industry. (1991)
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A prime example of a town that we just happened to �find� is Foug�res, France. It�s an outstandingly beautiful French village with a castle, complete with wall and moat, and a cathedral with beautiful flower gardens and lily ponds, on top of the hill. The joy of travel without a schedule included accidentally meeting our Daughter Linda and friends across the street from the thousand year old Chateau de Foug�res, in a town none of us had even heard of earlier that morning. We knew she was in Europe, but had no idea where. (1983)
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A ring with three large amethyst stones and several small rubies, was purchased by my Sweetie while our cruise ship, SS Fairsea, was docked in Acapulco, Mexico, in the early 1970s. Other ladies on the cruise loved the ring, and said they wished they had seen it first. An unusual 18k gold pendant cross, purchased in Florence, Italy, in 1970, held by a nice gold chain we bought in Fort Worth, Texas, a few years later, were lost somewhere during our travels in Europe. (1972)
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A tall, handsome, retired �hall Porter� who had worked in 4-star hotels in Venice, Rome and Munich, told us that senior citizens in his hometown of Venice, are �three metal� people. Silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, and lead in their fanny. He said, �Residents of Venice must do a lot of walking, but they also eat and drink a lot. After a party, Venetians don�t worry about a ticket for drunk driving, but they may fall into a canal and hope they quickly become sober.� (1988)
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A tooth came loose in my dental plate, so the people in the campground-office gave us a map to the Dentist, a few miles away. The Dentist lives near Plaza Roma in Venice, and rides the bus to his office, in a town nearby. With hand signals, newspaper pictures, calendars, and just plain �willing� an understanding, the Dentist and I discussed the recent US election, and any number of other subjects. Again, this is where the language problem is so frustrating. Our Presidential election was just held on Tuesday, and the Italian newspapers are filled with news of that election. Page after page (first six pages in one paper) were completely filled with pictures and stories of the US election. An Italian election may get a paragraph on page 22, in major newspapers in our country. (1988)
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A trip on a ship is our favorite way to travel, except maybe for an RV trip through Europe. But on second thought, both are best. At Brandisi, Italy, we boarded the SS Valentino, the elevator took the Renault RV, with us inside, to the top deck where we parked at the port rail. We fixed our meals and had a good night�s sleep while we enjoyed our slowly-rolling, slightly-pitching campground as the ship sailed the Adriatic Sea, past Greek Islands, to the city of Patra, Greece. The RV sways more in a rain and wind storm. Compare that with a night in the Ritz Hotel. For us the RV wins, every time. (1989)
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A trivia question: In what way are homes in Iceland and homes in Hawaii built the same? We�ve visited both and found the answer: Neither have chimneys. Iceland pipes geothermal hot water from underground to heat buildings, and with its wonderful weather, in Hawaii they need no central heat. (1979)
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About five miles from St. R�my, France, there is the unimaginable little village named Les Baux. It is nearly hidden on top of a bare rock spur, a couple of hundred yards wide and a half mile long. We have read guide books, tour books, advertisements, tourist brochures, history books and whatever � no one has really described Les Baux, and try as we might, after three or four visits, we can�t either: Narrow stone streets; shops that extend into caves in the rock; outdoor fruit markets; restaurants; hotels; and St. Vincent�s Church, built of wheat colored stone. Unforgettable. In the 1200s Les Baux was famous as a �court of love,� where passionate verses praised ladies of noble birth. The prize for the best verse was a kiss and a peacock�s feather. At least that�s the only prize they mention. (1980)
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Adaptability can make the difference between a pleasant and an unpleasant trip. Sometimes your plans will be changed by factors outside your control. Early closing hours, exhibits and buildings closed for repairs, bank and religious holidays can appear at the most inconvenient time and place, and who knows, it may rain for a week straight.
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After a full day of sightseeing, Emmy would have given anything not to walk that �last mile� from the streetcar to the RV in the campground on the Vltava River, in Branik, a few miles south of downtown Prague, Czech Republic. Later, since the ambulances weren�t running a regular schedule, Emmy stayed in the RV while I just had to walk and walk in downtown Prague after dark. Oh what sights I saw, and what wonderful sights I was able to preserve on video tape. (1991)
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After Emmy�s German Cousin B�rbel's wedding, we went to the Ellerhof in Merzig, Germany, for a dinner and reception. To get a breath of fresh air I was standing near a tree looking over the city of Merzig. There were steps down to a lower level, to a pasture where sheep were grazing. I saw a lady come from the Ellerhof, and run down the stairs. She reached down and pulled up her long formal gown, pulled down her panties and � well, perhaps there was a line at the ladies room. Emmy�s Cousins got a kick out of what I said was my excuse it took so long to get a breath of fresh air. (1985)
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After filling out the proper forms and buying our visa, we approached the next Checkpoint Able control point for our second visit to Berlin. Here the East German guard, who was the spittin� image of General Charles De Gaulle, told Emmy to take off her sunglasses so he could check her passport picture. He then asked if we had a transmitting radio and something else we couldn�t understand. He pointed his fore-finger with the other three fingers curled and his thumb sticking into the air just like a little kid playing cops and robbers, to let us know he was asking if we had a gun. (1980)
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After hearing my strong views on immigration and culture, some people have accused me of being against diversity. Just the opposite. If I want to see how the Mexicans live I will go to Mexico, not Van Nuys. If I want to know how the Algerians live, I will go to Algeria, not Paris. If we let people go from this country to that, and not require them to adopt the culture of their destination country, soon that culture, therefore that country, will disappear. Already too many foreigners want to live in the USA and in Western Europe, obeying all the tenets of their previous culture that they hated enough to leave. If it was so bad that you left, why bring it along? The rights, the duties, and the privileges protected and guaranteed by any Culture, do not, and must never include the right to destroy that Culture.
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After miles of beautiful mountain scenery near Feldkirch, Austria, we came to a rest area. There were several parked cars, and a small lunch and souvenir stand. Between cars in the parking lot and the lunch counter, a man and his wife had set up their picnic table, complete with tablecloth, chairs and all the trimmings � lunch at the exhaust pipes. A half mile in either direction there were beautiful, uncluttered, non exhaust-pipe places to eat, but here they were, on the parking lot and next to the lunch stand, with all their paraphernalia. (1983)
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After the Berlin Wall fell, when we drove past the former Checkpoint Baker at Drewitz, near the Berlin city limits, we saw buildings and huge parking lots behind the fence, but there were no guards to order Emmy to take off her glasses so they could compare her to the passport photo, as there had been the previous two times we crossed here. To make sure Emmy did not feel neglected, doing my best guard imitation, I barked, �Ohne Brille.� (Glasses off.) This time, no gun toting guards threw kisses, either.(1991)
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After the few hot days in Sicily, we needed some ice. The RV makes ice when we camp, not much when we drive. We stopped at a couple of restaurants, and asked to buy ice, but they had none. Finally, in a small hotel they said maybe, just maybe they had some ice. When the hotel had opened a couple of years earlier, someone had put water in the ice cube trays, but no one has touched them since. The ice-cube compartment was frosted into one solid white mass, and soon several people were chipping and laughing, and finally reached the ancient cubes. They were so happy, surprised and pleased someone wanted this ice, they refused to even accept a tip. (1980)
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After we left the ruins of Nan Madol on the island of Ponape, in Micronesia, we continued through water channels in the reef, to the fascinating Kepirohi Waterfall in the Madolenihmw district, then took a dip in the soothing water of the pool. We looked on the Internet for a description of this waterfall, and all we found were the words �wonderful, fascinating, breathtaking, �� and on and on. While it is far from the largest water falls we have seen, Kepirohi was indeed the most unusual and extraordinary waterfall of the dozens we have visited in Hawaii, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Niagara, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Plitvica National Park in Yugoslavia, and many other places. (1980)
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After we managed to slip past some downhill traffic, we found ourselves driving up a very steep street, then making a sharp right turn, then through a three meter wide arch, then a left turn, then a right (all so steep we were afraid to stop, thinking we might not get started again), then we were in a dead-end plaza in front of a church in Ostuni, Italy, where boys were playing soccer. The Plaza was big enough so we could get turned around, but just barely. The soccer players didn�t seem surprised to see us, but wow, were we surprised to see them. (1989)
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After we stopped at the Baskin-Robbins ice cream store, a short walk further down Boulevard Victor Hugo in N�mes, France, brought us to the Roman Amphitheater that was built in 50 AD. The Romans are known to have built seventy amphitheaters, and this one ranks about twentieth in size. It was designed by the architect, T. Crispius Reburrus, with enough internal stairways so the 20,000 spectators could leave the stadium in about five minutes, or whatever they called that span of time. Wonder how long it took them to get home? The arena has been here for centuries, but a few years later we could not find Baskin-Robbins � maybe we just missed it. (1995)
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Alexanderplatz in East Berlin was a spacious area that included a large world clock that told the time in major cities all over the world. In 1980, while the Berlin Wall still stood, someone said, �Why do people in East Berlin care what time it is in Tokyo, they can�t even visit West Berlin.� (You get three guesses as to who said that.) (1980)
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All that is needed to build a cobblestone street or walkway, is a man, a bucket of sand, a pile of stones, and a hammer. It can take any length of time, and any number of workers can participate. Among the advantages of cobblestone, it is easy to repair a pot hole, and to replace the street after repairs to underground utilities. Among the disadvantages of cobblestone, they make a readily available, easily obtainable weapon when a mob decides to attack their government.
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Along each side of the canals in Amsterdam, Netherlands, there are places to park cars, often without a rail of any kind to help keep the car out of the canal, and there are warning signs, with a picture of a car going into the canal. We have heard of a school that teaches people how to get out of the car when it goes into a canal, as apparently many do each year. Why not teach them how to park, instead? (1970)
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Although generally unknown to most Americans, there are millions of campsites in Europe, located in most every country, many situated in a most magnificent location. In France alone there are 12,000 campgrounds, with over 1,000,000 campsites. In Paris, on the Seine river, almost in sight of the Eiffel Tower, there is a campground that will hold 5,000 people. If you drew a ten mile circle around St. Mark�s in Venice, you would find five or ten times as many campsites, as hotel rooms. Europeans have taken advantage of these locales in every manner that can be imagined � tents, buses, caravans, RVs, small buildings, motels, and modified railway cars. Many campgrounds have room for thousands of guests, and we often find restaurants, grocery stores, and a variety of other shops.
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Although our travels have been made in an RV or camper, a private automobile, the bus, or a train could take you to most places we have visited, but the time and effort to duplicate our trip in some other travel mode is hard to envision. Can you imagine finding a hotel room 600 times, and finding a couple of thousand restaurants to replace the bedtimes and mealtimes we have enjoyed in our RV? Your clothes would wear out from packing and unpacking the suitcase each day.
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Among our collectables are a 10 pound black volcanic lava rock that we found when we climbed to the top of Mt. Vesuvius, Italy; another lava rock, reddish in color, from the Island of Hawaii; a small stone from the Barbegal Aqueduct in Southern France; a small pink stone as used to build Assisi, Italy; a perfectly formed round stone from the beach at Meth�ni, Greece; an eight inch square ceramic tile from Assisi; a salt-incrusted rock from Death Valley; and two 10� pieces of the Berlin Wall, along with the hammer that did it. I had a larger pink stone from Assisi, but Sweetie gave it to the church named, St. Francis of Assisi, in La Quinta, where we lived.
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Among the problems of driving on the wrong side of the road in England, Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, is that each morning we must figure how to do it all over again. In one area there were high hedgerows (10 to 15 ft. high) and high stone fences right at the left edge of the road, and the road was very narrow. In our vehicle with left hand drive, I was inches from those hedgerows and stone walls, so had no chance to see far enough around a sharp curve to see what was happening down the road, ahead of me. The passenger just can�t remember it�s her job to see what is around the next curve, but she does serve very useful, and really delightfully curvy functions. (1980)
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Among the several sidewalk cafes in the Hauptmarkt in Trier, Germany, we recognized one by the ever-popular Golden Arches � familiar food and drink, and there are clean restrooms on the second floor. A townhouse nearby, is the birthplace of Karl Marx. The most unusual church building in Trier (perhaps unique in all of Europe) is the Constantine Basilica, in what had been the Roman Imperial Palace. Originally built by Emperor Constantine in 310 AD, the Basilica is a massive rectangular brick structure that was used for Roman court functions for 100 years. While it was engineered, designed, and constructed without a modern day building permit, with an occasional redo it has served the citizens of Trier (and Rome) for nearly 1,700 years. Germany�s capital of Roman Antiquity, Trier, is little known to tourists who vacation in Europe, but it should be one of Germany�s most visited cities. (We�ve been to Trier maybe 15 times.) (1980)
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An Italian man told us the roads in Greece are almost impassible and the drivers are almost impossible. That�s not what we found at all. Can�t imagine an Italian complaining about the way someone in another country drives. The pot and the kettle, the mote and the beam, a silk purse and a sow�s ear, � . Well maybe that last one doesn�t fit, but you get the idea. (1989)
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An overnight ferry from Stockholm, brought us to Helsinki, Finland, for a stay with our son Ron, his wife Hagar, four year old Joanna, and seven month old Peter. When we got close to their home near Helsinki, we found so much street construction, we had to hire a taxi to let us follow him the rest of the way. Emmy was delighted to play Grandma, and bake this and that for the Grandkids. In addition to playing with the kids, I enjoyed the national symbol for Finland, a Sauna. A week later we spent the night with Hagar�s sister in Vasa, Finland, then ferried to Sundsvall, Sweden. (1979)
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Any vehicle problem, of any kind � tires, battery, starter, brakes, electrical, oil change, water pump � that we experienced on six different RVs, during our 87,000 miles of RV travel in nine visits to Europe, was usually either solved or forgotten within an hour or so, with little or no inconvenience to our travels. We got to talk to the mechanics and to �real� people, while work was being performed on the usually insignificant problem. Two of the vehicles, driven two years each, for a total of 52,800 miles, were Dodge Vans, made in the USA. Near Vienna, Austria (where we had a brake job), and another time (for a broken door handle) somewhere in England, we did see a dealer sign that said �DODGE.� (1980s)
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As a bumblebee can�t fly, the experts say the dome of Rome�s Pantheon can�t be built, and won�t last if it is built. It�s only lasted for 2,000 years, so far. The building and the dome (the diameter of which is equal to its height from the floor), is built so a ball 142 feet in diameter would fit inside. With no windows in the very thick walls, the 27 foot round hole, or oculus, in the roof of the Pantheon provides the only light source. The portico (porch or entrance) is borne by sixteen columns, each made of one piece of granite 40 feet high and over fourteen feet around, from Corinth, Greece. All columns are original, except for the three on the left. We�ve visited four times (once we could not enter, but enjoyed the exterior view), and look forward to the next experience, it�s an exciting example of Roman architectural art.
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As a statement on something: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is buried at Weimar, Germany; Friedrich Schiller made Weimar his permanent home; Franz Liszt lived in Weimar for years; Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche lived and died in Weimar. The headquarters of Germany�s Shakespeare Society and the Goethe-Schiller Archives are located in Weimar. And on the hill above the city of Weimar is the Buchenwald National Memorial commemorating the 50,000 who died in the Nazi concentration camp located there from 1937 to 1945. (1985)
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As expected, we were early for our flight from Barcelona, Spain, to the Island of Majorca, so we caught the earlier flight, a normal occurrence for us. This is the off season, our room at the Hotel Palas Athenia was only $50 a day, with breakfast. There are not many people on the streets this time of the year. Ate at a little cafe, and maybe it was my imagination, but I prefer the �restaurant� in our RV. Emmy said she felt wonderful after her hot bath at the hotel, and I checked and said she felt more than wonderful to me. After two nights, we left the hotel at noon for the 15 minute taxi ride to the airport. Surprise, we were early for our flight, early enough so we caught the earlier flight to Barcelona, instead of waiting for the scheduled flight. That sounds familiar, doesn�t it. (1979)
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As I stood on the shore on Kauai, Hawaii, I found an exceptional view, so I climbed onto a protruding flat rock, and took a snapshot. A few months later I played tennis with a guest at a hotel, who was the editor of a travel magazine. Since I had traveled a lot, she gave me a copy. The picture on the cover was of the same scene as my photo. We were amazed, so used a magnifying glass to compare the photos. We determined the magazine cover photographer had stood within a few feet (on the same rock) of where I stood, and obviously within a very short time (by comparing the twigs on the tree) of when I had been there. Isn�t it a shame that sometime in the 25 years since, my copy of the magazine disappeared from my file, and its name has disappeared from my memory. (1980)
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As I was just leaving the Amphitheater in Delfi, Greece, maybe 20 feet below the entrance, an elderly (yes, older than some people I know) lady asked if it was worth her effort to climb to the top. I said that since she was 20 feet from the Amphitheater, I would say yes, but had she asked the same question as she was ready to leave the Theater, a long way below (where Emmy was waiting), or the Agora (market) even further below, I would have said the Amphitheater was well worth the effort, but would make sure she knew it would take a lot of effort. (1989)
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As it says in our France Travel Journal, �In one of the Ribeauville�s town squares there is a church with a multicolored design on the roof, and next door is the antique store where Emmy dreams a lot, and spends a little.� She did buy a little foot stool one year.
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As we approach a town or city we have visited in the past, I will often describe to Emmy what we are about to see, then check to see if I remembered as well as I thought I would. That�s not just to show off, but to check to see if I really do remember such things as well as I think I do. And I am correct an amazing number of times.
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As we approached Warsaw, Poland, on our second visit, coming from Gdansk we were on twenty miles of a four-lane divided freeway. There must be a better word to use than bragging, but what else do you call it when I can recognize the skyline and other checkpoints of Warsaw, and determine where we are, even though we have no map, and were never on the northern part of the city during our two days here, six years earlier. Well, not completely correct, while trying to pass a street construction site I turned into the parking lot at the train station, but we needed to buy a map, and this was a good place to do it. The taxi drivers, lined up and waiting for a fare, were very interested in our RV. Emmy was my only audience during my bragging session, but now it�s been engraved in these Snippets. (1991)
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As we arrived at the Port to board the Cruise ship for the celebration of our 52nd wedding anniversary, my Sweetie was wearing a favorite blue print blouse, with plain blue slacks. When we looked at the thousand people waiting to board the ship, there was no doubt that my Lovely Wife was dressed the neatest, and the most beautiful of any. Two different Supervisors of the Carnival Cruise Lines came to her and congratulated her on how nicely she was dressed. The �Salvation Army Store Reject� dress style of these days did not please my Sweetie at all. What she wore would have been considered �plain� a few years ago, but these days, just look sweet and clean, and you can win a prize for best dressed. Just a decade ago, even crew members would not have been permitted to dress as carelessly as most of the passengers do these days. (2003)
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As we checked into a campground in Phalbourg, France, one night, a little girl wanted to know where we lived. She did not recognize America, United States, or California, but when I mentioned Disneyland, her face lit up and she said (through an interpreter), �If you could be in Disneyland today, why are you in France?� This was published as a Letter to the Editor, and that resulted in a personal letter of thanks from Mike Eisner, President of Disney Corp. (1983)
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As we checked out of the Kona Hilton Hotel, on Hawaii, in 1977, there was a long line, and only one checkout station was opened. I tossed the key to a clerk, and said good-by. We were soon �paged� over the public address system. Emmy was concerned, but I said, �Forget it, they have our credit card number.� A letter from Hilton said that we did not check-out, but said the bill was paid. I wrote to the Manager telling him that this was not the first morning some guest had checked out of a Hilton Hotel someplace in the world, and we weren�t going to spend part of our short vacation time waiting in line for them to figure how to do it right. We got a very nice letter from the manager saying that he agreed with us, he understood, and hoped they could do better next time. And these days they do it better.
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As we crossed the border from Germany, into France, we could see several officials standing in the doorway of the office building nearby, as we approached the Customs Booth at the border. I asked the young man, �Is this your first day as a Customs Agent, and are they watching to see if you are doing it right?� The French Customs Agent smiled and said, �Yes.� I said, �Do whatever you need to impress your boss.� He smiled and relaxed, looked a minute more, then waved us on. This border crossing point must have been a training place, we had a similar experience here more than once � with both men and women agents. One woman was very nosey. (1980)
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As we drove across the city of Rome, we stopped several people along the street and displayed the pillow case filled with dirty clothes and asked, in sign language, where we could find a laundromat. We were sent to places such as dry cleaners, and to laundries that would do our laundry and have it ready for us in a few days, but finally we found washing machines near the Vatican, not far from St. Peter�s. Once in Vienna, Austria, while trying to find a laundromat we were sent to a car-wash place. Oh thank goodness the language differences have never prevented us from solving a real problem. (1970)
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As we drove between Arles and Les Baux, France, we followed a sign that directed us to route D82, and to the ruins of the Roman Aqueduct, the aqueduct of Barbegal, 4 km south of Fontvieille. That aqueduct supplied water to towns and the countryside in this part of France, all those millennia ago. A portion of the aqueduct had been demolished so the road could be built, and ancient, original stones were scattered along the road. We didn�t feel a bit out of order, when we picked up a small stone that had been run over many times by passing cars, and brought it home as a remembrance, a collectable. (1995)
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As we drove from Bamberg, Germany, going to Prichsenstadt, Markbreit, and Rothenburg, we found a most beautiful Abbey Church, in the town of Erbach. Construction on this exquisite, beautiful place of worship was started on July 4, 1200, and we can�t imagine anything more beautiful has been built since. Church services were about to start, we only had time for a quick look inside. In the book we bought, Romanesque, Gothic, Rococo and Baroque describes the Church and its decorations, and we will add the words glorious, magnificent, resplendent, and delightful. The marble, the stained windows, the pillars, the style and the design are just exceptional. Emmy said that the white wrought iron gate inside the entrance, somehow made her think of the gates to Heaven. Well, it was beautiful, but that beautiful? By now she knows for sure, and I can�t wait to talk to her about it. (1991)
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As we drove from Brussels toward Antwerp, Belgium, we saw a sign for the Breendonk prison. This fort was used as a prison during the German occupation of Belgium during WW II. Breendonk has not been cleaned up very much at all. We still saw the posts where prisoners were tied for the firing squads, the place where they were hanged, and the smelly straw cots where they had slept. At each stop of the tour through the prison, a recording would tell the horrible story. Using hand tools, the prisoners were forced to remove 300,000 cubic yards of soil from the fort, then create an earthen wall around the prison, to cut off views of the fort from the outside. It�s a very grim place. (1970)
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As we drove from Rome toward Milan, I made a surprise stop in Florence (we had been there a few days earlier) to buy the elaborate (18K gold, with 18 emeralds) ring Emmy was just �nuts� about -- anything to win a few brownie points. I was afraid that if I didn�t buy it, I would get only �cold toast� for the rest of the trip. The ring that I bought, and the bracelet (purchased for me by a friend, in 1971), are 18k gold, with a total of 82 emeralds. They were purchased on the Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge over the Arno River), in Florence, Italy. In 1995, at the same store, a very simple 18k ring with one emerald, cost $1,000, many times more than the original elaborate multi-jeweled ring cost. The ring and bracelet appraisal is now about 40 times original cost. (1970)
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As we drove into Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in 1989, the streets and buildings seemed so familiar to me, it doesn�t seem possible we only spent one night here, in 1985. It�s amazing that I remember things like this. Near the town square there was the Nama Department Store with a stained glass dome, where I bought a very nice cane for my collection. It only cost $2.50, I should have bought a dozen, they would have made nice gifts. Across the street was a beautiful chapel. At the foot of some stair steps, there was a bread store, with a delicious loaf of bread for ten cents. Up those stairs was the large market place with dozens of vendors, and across the street from the market was the Cathedral with two tall, pointy steeples. We really like this city, and except for the Communist Government, it looks very livable. Today, nearly 20 years later, I bet I could draw a useful map of Zagreb. I haven�t looked at a map since we were there.
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As we drove north from Zagreb, Yugoslavia, we passed a very small church in a very small town. It appears they wanted, but could not afford, a larger church, so this tiny church is placed high on a man-made mound of dirt so the steeple sticks above other buildings nearby. We also remember the very tall steeples on the large church, in nearby Maribor. (1989)
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As we drove on the Autostrada in Sicily, at several places there was a concrete retaining wall with planter boxes high on the side of the highway, but if they planted anything, it has died long ago. As one man told us, �Italy is not well organized. We do a great job of designing and building, but we have yet to hear about maintenance.� Mt. Etna smoked in the distance, no maintenance needed. (1980)
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As we drove slowly past a group of Czechoslovakians repairing a Prague street, they saw our US flag bumper-sticker, they smiled, waved and one man hollered, �American!� Some people are going to break their neck looking out of streetcar windows at our RV. They don�t have to see the US flag to know we are from somewhere else, since there aren�t many dark brown Dodge RV Transvans in this part of the world. (1985)
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As we have found so many times, while we received a friendly greeting when we mentioned we were from United States, or America, we get a more exuberant response when we say we are from California. People all over Europe, but especially the Italians, have inflated grandiose ideas of life in California. Some Italians excitedly retorted, �California, Bella, Bella, Bella.� .
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As we headed from France toward Andorra, we crossed a high mountain pass, and were in heavy fog. It had been a long day, and I was driving enthusiastically as if the day has just started, but Emmy was very tired. Andorra seems to exist in deep valleys, with some towns hanging on the adjacent hills, with only one narrow crowded highway for all the traffic. There was a campground right in downtown Encamp, so we checked in early so Emmy could rest, and I could go walking in the rain. There is a building boom in town, with large cranes that can transfer building materials from the main street, clear across the buildings in this block, to the new buildings in the next block. We were told these are vacation and second homes for people in other countries. (1980)
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As we left the Mus�e d�Orsay museum (formally the Gare d�Orsay, the grandest railway station in France), I congratulated the man at the information booth, and said, �The French Government has proved its ability to change an old Paris railroad station into a wonderful museum, so now would you see if you can get them to change Pompidou Center (National Center for Art and Culture) into a railway station.� The man laughed, agreed, shook my hand and enjoyed the comment. (1988)
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As we left the ship, M. S. Enna G, to spend some time seeing the Island of Majuro, on the Marshall Islands, I spotted a rusty old anchor (maybe 6 feet long) half hidden in sand and weeds. I told Emmy I was going to buy it and take it home. When we returned a couple of hours later, the anchor was gone. It had lain there for how many years, and now within hours of my seeing it, it was not only gone, we could follow the mark in the sand, made by a tractor dragging it toward the ship. The cruise director and his wife had this anchor in sight for months (MS Enna G. came here every two months), waiting for their home to be completed in California. This was the day they decided to take it home. The cruise director�s name was Marshall, just like the islands. (1980)
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As we left the ship, SS Odysseus, in Yalta, Crimea, my backpack was examined by a dour-faced Soviet soldier. He found a copy of our book, Invitation to France, started to leaf through it, wondering what it might be about. We pointed to our picture on the back cover, he gave us a big smile, and waved us on. We did not have to obtain a regular Visa for this visit, but they exchanged our passports for a special passport with a red cover, good only on a tour conducted by Intourist, the USSR tourist office. Only a couple of people from our bus went down the hill with our guide Gallime, to see the �Tomb of the Unknown Sailor.� When she returned, Gallime was very unhappy. The bus just sat there while she, over and over, told the story of the heroic Soviet military to the bus load of hostages. (1989)
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As we neared Anzio, Italy, we saw a large Italian civilian prison with guard towers, and high walls with chips of broken glass on top. The American and British invasion force landed at Anzio on Jan. 22, 1944 during WW II. We stopped at the US Military Cemetery in Nettuno where over 8,000 Americans are buried. One thousand British soldiers are buried in another cemetery nearby. My brother-in-law Gus, was in North Africa during WW II, then landed by ship in Naples, fought at Cassino, then in other sections of Italy. Perhaps some of his friends are buried at Nettuno. (1989)
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As we pulled out of the gasoline station in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, we heard a loud clank, and saw a sad sight. A little old truck had broken in two, just in back of the cab, and was sitting in two pieces, in the middle of the street. The truck had obviously been created by welding together portions of two old trucks, and the weld broke. Poor man. Sarajevo was not a great tourist place as far as we could see, in spite of the fact the Winter Olympics were held here a couple of years earlier, but we didn�t look around all that much. After we left the city, I remembered there is a marker at the spot in Sarajevo where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in June 23, 1914, resulting in WW I, but we forgot to look for that spot. (1985)
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As we returned from Sicily to the mainland of Italy, in front of us were two very hefty ladies with large bundles, maybe three feet in diameter � the bundles, not the ladies � but they didn�t appear to be very heavy � again the bundles, not the ladies. When we arrived at Villa San Giovanni, the ladies put the largest bundles on their heads, picked up others in each hand and gracefully waltzed off the ferry. (1980)
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As we returned home in 1983, as usual our suitcases were jam packed with Villeroy & Boch dishes (from the factory in Mettlach, Germany) protected by our dirty laundry. In spite of all the handling � down the stairs at Cousin Toni�s, and into a car trunk � from the car to the conveyer belt system and on the plane at Frankfurt � off the plane, more conveyer belts to and from custom�s inspection, and back on the plane in Baltimore � on the luggage trucks and through the conveyer belt system at the Los Angeles airport � finally in and out of our car in Los Angeles. And only one cup and one little bowl was broken.
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As we travel the abbey road in the Seine River Valley in France, from Rouen to Le�Havre, we can visit the ruins of several interesting churches and abbeys, and attractive natural beauty. Bridges and ferry boats on this part of the river will permit us to cross when the scenery looks �greener� on the other side of the river. As travelers accustomed to the sights and architecture of the US, when we travel through the Seine River Valley, jaws drop, eyes glaze, and words fail. (1985)
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As we waited at the bus stop near the San Marino campground, we talked (sign language, mostly) with some old men. One counted to 20 in his version of English, then tried to let us know how old he is. A couple of minutes later, before the bus arrived, we heard the beep, beep of a car horn, and here was our (counting) friend with his car, wanting to drive us to the city of San Marino, at the top of the hill. Very nice of him, he would not accept payment for his good deed, but we gave him two bus tickets we had no more need for. We convinced him we could not use them in California. (1989)
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As we walked on the Br�hl Terrace in Dresden, Germany, we smiled, shook hands, and tried to communicate with a group of Soviet soldiers. Emmy thought one of the Soviet soldiers was handsome beyond repair, the most handsome man she had ever seen (present company included). We think they understood that we were from California, and when one of them said he was from Leningrad, I managed to remind him that within the last few days, the city name Leningrad had been changed back to St. Petersburg (name changed on Sept. 6, 1991, and this was Sept. 22). He looked shocked, then had a wide smile of agreement and shook my hand vigorously.
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As we walked through Teutonia, Morocco, we came upon a snake charmer who just happened to be where the tourists were passing by. Brigitte, our new friend from Nice, France, let the snake charmer put one around her neck, ugh. That �ugh� is for the snake, certainly not for beautiful Brigitte. (1979)
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As we walked through the five towns of the Cinque Terre, (Five Lands) Italy, we said, �What a fascinating place for these people to live. What a fascinating place for us to visit.� These five towns were given the name Cinque Terre sometime in the 15th Century. It was said, �� it surprised one to see such steep and craggy land, rocky and arid � .� These towns were best known in those days for a special wine grown on the terraced hillside. Most of those terraces seem to be empty today. (1988)
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As we were crossing the German border, the Zoll (customs) man appeared to be a friendly type (most Zoll officers look dreadfully bureaucratic), so when he asked (in English) if we had anything to declare, I answered, �I declare today is a beautiful day, but yesterday it was raining cats and dogs.� The officer laughed, then asked, �How did you find Germany?� I replied, �I just looked out the window and there it was.� And he laughed some more. Before his job with Zoll, he worked at Villeroy and Boch in Mettlach, and knew some of Emmy�s cousins. (1983)
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As we were going up Mount Solmissos, above Ephesus, near Selcuk, Turkey, on our way to visit the last home of the Virgin Mary, Emmy saw a large field of red poppies, and asked the Turkish taxi driver about them. First he worried Emmy was interested in buying drugs, but then he understood and explained this is a crop of poppy seeds, not poppies for drugs. (1989)
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As we were parking in the Prague, Czechoslovakia, campground one night, the lady next door came and watched carefully as we backed into the space. When we talked to her (East German) she carefully looked around to see if anyone could hear, before she said very mu
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