tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80716310526661784102024-03-20T18:08:57.790-06:00Joey's EclectisismsA telling of adventures from Joey. This will include travel, food, wine, music, foreign exchange, family, and other things that come up.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-63095894095063701522012-01-03T20:15:00.001-07:002012-01-07T20:46:33.205-07:00Trombone Shorty @ The Bluebird in Denver 12/29/11,It's been awhile since I've been out here on the blog. One of my "goals" for 2012 is to get back on track with my writing and of course, my photography work, too.<br />
<br />
2011 was a year of lots of live tunage for me...Yay! I LOVE live music. I had the pleasure of catching national acts, regional acts and homegrown acts as well. I was lucky enough to hang out with my brothers, (and sister) as they took the stage(s) to share their talent with the masses. Throughout the year, I caught Rock N Roll, Metal, New Age, Jazz, Blues, Celtic, Classical, Old World and Everything in between.<br />
<br />
In deference to a colleague, I plan to refrain from blogging about shows that I an attending as a photographer first and fan second. For the following, I was Absolutely there as a fan & such, didn't have a rig with me, so not so much in the way of pix.<br />
<br />
OK, now we're ready to roll...<br />
<br />
This time out, Bobby & I saw a Great sold out show at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. <a href="http://bluebirdtheater.net/">Bluebird Theater Denver</a> Dr. McCoy was supposed to attend, but was sadly a sicko..I mean a sickie, arrg was not healthy. Thursday, December 29 and it was time to Par Tay!<br />
<br />
Even though I could use one word to sum up the show, and it would be Fanstical!!!, I'll do my best imitation of one what knows how ta tolk gud. <br />
The Fox Street Allstars opened the show with a bang. Fox Street Allstars are a local Denver area band and really show the crowd a good time. While I heard influences such as Derek Trucks and some good ol' down home Suthern styles, and even a touch o the Blue Brothers thrown in. The band definitely was in their element and was having a good time. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7eSCq7Ib4A/TwO_kFO1CbI/AAAAAAAABrs/yPjFP6N26kc/s1600/Fox+Street+Allstars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7eSCq7Ib4A/TwO_kFO1CbI/AAAAAAAABrs/yPjFP6N26kc/s320/Fox+Street+Allstars.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox Street All Stars</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The Fox Street boys got the house jumping and in a great groove. Bobby & I were already smiling a bopping a bit, just seconds into their first song. We all know that opening acts sometimes, (often), get a bum rap and in worse cases, fans and concert goers can be down right rude. This was definitely different & with good cause. These guys know how to have a good time and know how to share that with the audience.<br />
The Band played the better part of an hour and were entertaining the entire time. I'll keep my eyes open for a chance to see them again and perhaps in a more "headlining" capacity. For now, if you get the chance, check out Fox Street All Stars. You WILL have fun! If you don't well, then you ain't tryin'! <a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/foxstreetallstars#!/page_object/page_object_photos/artist_1123472?sel_photo_id=3863966">Fox Street Allstars</a><br />
<br />
Now, on to the night's headliner; Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Can you say, "Boo-Ya"! This show was Off The Hook!<br />
Let's put this out there right now. Trombone Shorty is one Talented young man! He plays trombone, (uh, duh...), trumpet, (Extremely Well), sings, (Very Well), and even plays the drums. In between all of that, he dances, works hard & plays hard.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bIrasQ6kzsU/TwO_8iTOHUI/AAAAAAAABr4/v690Us4XePQ/s1600/TS+trombone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bIrasQ6kzsU/TwO_8iTOHUI/AAAAAAAABr4/v690Us4XePQ/s320/TS+trombone.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trombone Shorty</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I was lucky enough to see Trombone Shorty & boys a couple years ago in Telluride, CO with my boys Marc & Hans. I was impressed with the energy back then and Very impressed with the price...it was a "free in the park" show. I was So impressed that I knew if I ever got the chance to see him/them again, I'd have to go for it and even pay. Well, lemme tell ya what...it was WELL worth the price of admission!<br />
The band hit the stage a bit after 10. They Rocked & Rolled, Jazzed & Bluesed, Funked & Souled their way through about a 2 hour set and had the crowd on it's feet, (well, we woulda stood up for it even if there Had been seats), for the entire time. I can honestly say that I haven't had quite that much fun at a show in a long time. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70urYx0DtUs/TwPABdkT-mI/AAAAAAAABsA/Qj9rYZ9efsM/s1600/TS+trumpet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70urYx0DtUs/TwPABdkT-mI/AAAAAAAABsA/Qj9rYZ9efsM/s320/TS+trumpet.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trombone Shorty</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
When it comes to "shakin' my groove thang", I'm afraid I am terminally Caucasian. These guys are so fun & awesome that yes, even I was dancing around a bit, (OK, head bobbin' and toe tappin anyway). Trombone Shorty was channeling the great Jazz and Funk players and at any given time throughout the show, you got the feeling you were partying with the likes of James Brown, Cab Calloway, Lenny Kravitz, George Clinton & P Funk, ("bow wow wow, yippy yo yippy yay..." and any number of cool cats, even had a touch of Louie Armstrong. Of course, it's all wrapped up in a you man from NOLA. Trombone Shorty and the band have two recent full length discs out and they played much of both of them. For Me, the biggest highlight, (there were several), was one of my favorite songs and one of my new theme songs. This one is "Right to Complain". Do yourself a Huge favor and check it out on YouTube or better yet, Buy The Disc! Without swiping the entire lyrics, it's goes a bit like this "...now you say you want change, if you won't change yourself, you got no right to complain." Hmm, Imagine That. If you ain't gonna make a change, then you shouldn't oughta be shootin your mouth off. What a concept. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1ft3eHBhk8/TwPADrwkQdI/AAAAAAAABsI/fk5GoCA9if4/s1600/TS+Sings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1ft3eHBhk8/TwPADrwkQdI/AAAAAAAABsI/fk5GoCA9if4/s320/TS+Sings.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trombone Shorty</td></tr>
</tbody></table> There were other highlights as well, such as the "Back it Up" segment where the band took turns, well, backin' it up NOLA style. The boys have some dancing talent as well and Big D was down right Funny! As Shorty put it, Big D was backin' it up like a dump truck. Excellent!<br />
The final "segment" of the show was a chance for Shorty to show his skills on yet another instrument as he moved to the drums. As impressive as that was, it was way cool that the entire rest of the band moved "over 1" and played other instruments. Everyone in the band is multi talented. Oh Yeah, I nearly forgot, yet another highlight was the fact that the singers in Both acts actually...wait for it...SANG! No Cookie Monster vocals here!.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tromboneshorty.com/#!all">Trombone Shorty</a><br />
<br />
Bobby put things into perspective on the way home, so long as he keeps his head in the game, he'll be around for a Long time. The Kid's got talent AND he knows how to get & keep a Great band with him as well.<br />
<br />
Here's my hope for Your 2012. I hope you get a chance to head out, experience some Great live music and you will Support Live Music whenever you can. That means, National, International, Regional and Yes, Even LOCAL Music. It's Good for the Soul!<br />
<br />
Bring it on 2012, let's DO This Thing!<br />
<br />
Peace,<br />
JoeyJoeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0Denver, CO, USA39.7391536 -104.984703439.5892456 -105.23951890000001 39.889061600000005 -104.7298879tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-33955930626721339002011-06-19T10:45:00.000-06:002011-06-19T10:45:22.413-06:001 year (or so) in the life of Cabo & Rio Paisano<!--[if !mso]> <style>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One year, (plus a little), in the life of Cabo & Rio Paisano</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s been a bit over a year since we found Dad’s family at Casa de Paisano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time has been flying by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For us, it seems pert near like 7 years.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">Since we don’t have thumbs, (you know, to hold a pen or type, or give you a thumbs up, even), we had to dictate this to Dad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the way, this is Cabo talking right now, (you know, First, as it should be).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should have reported in before now, but you know how it goes when you’re Uber<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>popular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much to do, so little time, Oh, Look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Squirrel!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Anyway, it’s been a very busy year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much too soon, our boy Marc went home to Germany, but not before we got a quick chance to meet his Momma Heike, Sis Jana & Pop Frank.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are Great folks, just like Marc!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We absolutely Loved all the time we spent hanging out with everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, when the Wilkens family was in town, Dad had a little get together & invited people over to visit us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We Love people, Especially when they're here to see us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, folks Say they're here to visit Dad, but we know better.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Even though it seemed like a long time to us, it was only about a month or so and then we were watching Marc packing up his things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it was the first time this happened, we were confused, and figured Dad would make everything alright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t much like it when Hans & Dad took Marc for that last trip with all his stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, they all left, just like normal and then only Dad & Hans came back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We looked for Marc and were sad, but then, Oh Look, another Squirrel! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_Y5RHAzGAWrDgL8keu54ItNuSeqGMYV1qYjUd9dnWREkjAQkaCH2534oyCwAM4YATSdzsghQfCZbOSqZ3w4kKEbSo_0aTlFg6-nSsvum6n3G3qOTU6irVWZU_8kfU5gcmQrZOdcxCqI/s1600/IMG_4138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_Y5RHAzGAWrDgL8keu54ItNuSeqGMYV1qYjUd9dnWREkjAQkaCH2534oyCwAM4YATSdzsghQfCZbOSqZ3w4kKEbSo_0aTlFg6-nSsvum6n3G3qOTU6irVWZU_8kfU5gcmQrZOdcxCqI/s320/IMG_4138.JPG" width="320" /></a>Not long after we lost Marc, Hans & Dad took off on the motorcycles for what seemed to us as For Ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dad's daughter, Ashlee and her critter, Chloe hung out with us for almost 3 weeks, that was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK, but we were SO excited when we heard the bikes in the driveway, we were bouncing off the walls and couldn’t wait for hugs from the guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, we only had another day together and then we lost Hans, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to tell Dad to stop going to that airport place because it kept stealing our boys.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">OK, OK, Ok, now it’s MY turn!!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rio here, now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m SOOOOOOO Excited to talk now!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Cabo sez, we’ve been Really Busy and have done lots of traveling because of Dad’s work with EF Foundation for Foreign Study.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been All over the state of Colorado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every time we get a chance to go in the Vue, we Love it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I REALLY love sticking my head out the window and getting all those cool new smells!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love hanging out with Dad & the road trips are really cool, because we get to spend time together and he always takes us for walks in great new places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dad says we’re Great road dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We Are, of course, because, as he says, Road Dogs Rule!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve got some favorite things and those are walks with Dad & Cabo, visits from & to some of our favorite buddies, like Jesse & Aunt Sunny, Shay & Uncle Bobby and Schroeder & Uncle Eric & Aunt Ames.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, we Love Dad’s family and all the other folks that get to come by and visit us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone who comes to our house is family and not too long ago we got to finally meet Gramma & Aunt Ruby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are So awesome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They gave us lots of luvin’ while Dad was at work & Gramma even made me a new stuffed bunny, Yay!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I LOVE to swing and toss my bunny around and Oh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Squirrel!</div><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Maybe one of my bestest, most favoritest things is just hanging out with Dad & Cabo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love to relax and lay my head on Cabo, like a pillow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHM84xXchKRk8pfyHMIwG7fHY1r-nxcVI1JKlv49J0zzuNlXSQM1lgvJr1BQ_XYv-ucDxPPXdFP4TfXd_1b6uBb1YcQ9s_AAI0XUV3LCYjBthrmmlbSG5B0PCLpfjDs9V25gsJwrcQL0/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBHM84xXchKRk8pfyHMIwG7fHY1r-nxcVI1JKlv49J0zzuNlXSQM1lgvJr1BQ_XYv-ucDxPPXdFP4TfXd_1b6uBb1YcQ9s_AAI0XUV3LCYjBthrmmlbSG5B0PCLpfjDs9V25gsJwrcQL0/s320/IMG_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Dad laffs because he says it’s because my head is so heavy, on account I got rocks in there, but <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>really it’s because Cabo & I are family and, and, and I luv her, she’s my Momma and I’m SO glad Dad decided to bring us both home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would have been really hard to not see her.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That’s about it for now, but both Cabo & I wanted to say Thanks to our friends at 4 Paws and all the other cool animal rescue places around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it wasn’t for the great work all y’all do, kids like me & Cabo wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to be a part on this awesome Paisano familia.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, here’s a paw High Five, (ok, 4 and a haf) and a great big Hoooooowldy to all our friends and family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we didn’t mention you it’s not because we don’t care, it’s because we are blessed with so many awesome humans in our lives.</div><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Big wet slobbery kisses from Cabo & Rio!<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">OK, Joey here, those two are pretty demanding sometimes, like “Dad, write this down, NOW!”, but really, I don’t mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These girls have made my life so much better and have helped ease the pain of not having my boys around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s in a perpetual wagging state and then I look into the face of Rio with her mischievous eyes and ever straight up ears and then she gently places her favorite toy in my lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know I’m blessed to have found these two & can’t imagine my life without them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I travel away, it’s these two I miss the most.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH49HYSyUAhHHSYWIjrCK-nQtQcpzFA51PNvnqz6BLxhko0zAg7erPx41U5m1gqDNSaBZYjVpSpljxaTJcyuqqwlNzrWgZA9f7EombNRa5DRqERNHHrRgpH1c9IdI40W3zQgmTrysdjlU/s1600/IMG_3271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH49HYSyUAhHHSYWIjrCK-nQtQcpzFA51PNvnqz6BLxhko0zAg7erPx41U5m1gqDNSaBZYjVpSpljxaTJcyuqqwlNzrWgZA9f7EombNRa5DRqERNHHrRgpH1c9IdI40W3zQgmTrysdjlU/s320/IMG_3271.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bless All who work with animals & give of their hearts as much as the animals do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember, dogs are the only “people” who truly love you no matter what your mood or how bad or good your day was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give them a chance & Please, Never, Never, Ever abandon them. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Our Best to You,</div><div class="MsoNormal">Joey, Cabo & Rio Paisano</div><br />
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</div>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-27133249724571271742011-06-16T21:47:00.000-06:002011-06-16T21:47:12.114-06:00Joey's VocabreativitismHere's a list of words that have mostly been made up by Joey. The others have been "liberated" from other sources.<br />
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1. Eclectisism - The ability OR curse of being interested in many, many different hobbies, musical genres and various other activities.<br />
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2. RAQ - Random Ass Question - A question that seemingly comes out of nowhere.<br />
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3. RAT - Random Ass Thought - Similar to a RAQ, only it's not a question, but a thought that seemingly appears out of nowhere.<br />
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4. Corprafied - The act of having one's soul sucked from them while trying to be a loyal subject of the corporate world. I.E. - "You know, that Joey guy was pretty cool when he was working for himself, but then he went to work for that corporation and now everyone is supposed to call him Joseph. He's been corprafied"<br />
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5. Sleevetalker - Members of the secret service and other "special" security guards. "The President was surrounded by sleevetalkers and other people who were tasked with keeping him safe".<br />
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6. Randomness - the way in which the most odd and "random" things happen. Sometimes it's an event, sometimes it's a thought. "When Joey looks around, he sees things that other folks tend to take for granted. <br />
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7. Coolness - the epitomy of "great"<br />
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8. Dr. DMMT - Doctor of Mental Manipulation Theory - taking the art of BS to a higher, professional level.<br />
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9. Vocabreativitism - The idea of creating one's own vocabulary.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-24199463015618853112011-06-08T20:35:00.001-06:002011-12-31T18:52:39.490-07:00RandomnessI plan to try to make some headway on this particular blog as things come up. It may be something I see, it may be something I hear, it may even be something I make up, but I gaurandamtee, it WILL be Random!<br />
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6/1/11:<br />
While I was traveling on Highway 50 on my way to Montrose, I found a beach area called "Bay of Chickens", apparently, it's just like Bay of Pigs, only without the scary Cuban stuff...<br />
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6/2/11 - <br />
While in Montrose, I came across a Honda Civic painted in a camouflage paint scheme. Apparently, the military is concerned about fuel economy while on maneuvers.<br />
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As we get closer to Father's Day here in the US, a word to Dad's everywhere. Please, Do Not let your spouse of the Mother of your children talk you into "unique" names. It will just lead to trouble down the road. Case in point, I ran into a young lady named Desire. Really?? You named your kid "Desire"? She's a short step away from becoming an "Adult Entertainer" or other some such occupation. Same goes for "Bambi", "Peaches" and/or "Jade".<br />
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6/4/11 - I've been riding my motorcycles to work quite a bit lately, so that I can try to save some money on gas. I just happened to look down at the trip meter that read 66.6. Sure seems like an omen. Sometimes work IS a road to hell, sometimes, not so much.<br />
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6/8/11 - <br />
After I returned from my trip to the "Uppity" Wally World, where you can see ALL manner of Freaks, I hear and then see a lady walking down my street with a vacuum pulling along behind her. That was Odd, but of course, it gets better...as she's walking by, she shouts out; "Hey, you wanna buy some jewelry for your wife?' Of Course! I would LOVE to buy from you! LOL! Oh, Crap! I forgot, I don't have a wife...Drat!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-30035054049354329482011-01-22T20:24:00.000-07:002011-01-22T20:24:04.280-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Final ChapterThis is the "Final Chapter" of this long and winding road that we've dubbed the Paisano European Tour 2010. It's been my pleasure to recount the tale and relive the adventure. <br />
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Originally, I had planned to chronicle the last couple of days and tell you all about the amazing lack of consideration and customer service shown by various arilines, specifically in the area of luggage handling, (NOT Luftansa), however I've decided to "get over it" and realize that's Not how I wanted to end this trip.<br />
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Ultimately, what REALLY mattered about this trip was the amazing quality time I got to spend with family. I was lucky enough to celebrate Momma Paisano's 80th birthday, (admittedly 8 months late). There were SO many high points to this trip that I would end up spending another several days talking about it. The reality is <br />
the time spent with Momma was wonderful. Being able to see Switzerland and meet Eva & Mike. The time spent with Marc, Heike, Jana & Frank as well as more of the family there in Germany. The time spent with Hanso, Line, Morten, Ronja, Kristen, Maja and the rest of the Norwegian family. That All added up to a phenomenally exceptional adventure. <br />
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We couldn't have asked for a better time and amazing wealth of history, nature and the most important point of all, FAMILY. As you might have guessed by now, I place a pretty high value on family. Even though my blood family is relatively small, it's my extended family that makes me proud to be who I am. Sure, I talk, (alot), about feeling like I'm a dork, but in reality, I know I can do anything I put my mind to and with the help of this family, it WILL be possible. I hope one day to welcome a wonderful woman into my life and children of my own as well. In the meantime, I am Very proud to call all of You my family and for me, it's Not just a comment, it IS from the heart.<br />
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Deutsch: Momma und ich möchte Ihnen für Ihre Gastfreundschaft, Freundschaft danken und vor allem zur Herstellung von uns das Gefühl, wie eine Familie. Sie alle haben immer eine offene Einladung, hier zu Besuch in Colorado, wann immer Sie wollen. Die Familie ist immer willkommen! <br />
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Norske: Momma og jeg vil takke deg for din gjestfrihet, vennskap og mest av alt for å gjøre oss føler at familien. Dere alle alltid har en åpen invitasjon til å besøke her i Colorado, når du vil. Familien er alltid velkommen!<br />
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I AM blessed for All of my family, all over the world. As each year goes by, I get to meet and interact with ever more people, see and experience more sights, sounds and yes, "experiences", too. With that, we'll call this blog session over.<br />
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Bless You and may your life Always be as good as you deserve.<br />
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JoeyJoeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-66938125638328543662011-01-12T08:15:00.000-07:002011-01-12T08:15:04.886-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 22<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Day 22 is September 28<br />
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Today is a our last full day in Norway and we're out to make it a good one. As you might have guessed, I was up coughing again at 12:30 and down stairs until about 4:30. I was up a bit after 8am, finished up my medicine and then we were off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGi5nHlueW4VQ38gMgNuKLm1nnBSH3vOfVGGgPTipRBBZ919G8F0i2KCOMC_m4rhHe3e5r70RMINtqhX095dMGl6wCu2OKKpKNUjroEM981mpQqvaVkyOQPgr5ZCfJUXZzrZHhCE69ek/s1600/IMG_3116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGi5nHlueW4VQ38gMgNuKLm1nnBSH3vOfVGGgPTipRBBZ919G8F0i2KCOMC_m4rhHe3e5r70RMINtqhX095dMGl6wCu2OKKpKNUjroEM981mpQqvaVkyOQPgr5ZCfJUXZzrZHhCE69ek/s320/IMG_3116.JPG" width="320" /></a>The adventure today was a trip to Hans and Ronja's school. It was nice to see the halls of a high school outside of the US. While we weren't able to get an "official" tour of the school, Hans did a good job of showing us the highlights. It was also nice to be able to wonder around a bit without going through all of the security issues as we have to here, especially in Colorado. Momma and I had a chance to sit in on a biology class that was kind of fun although we did miss most of the lecture since it was, (understandably) in Norske. I So should have studied both Norwegian and German for this trip. ;) Just before the class started, I got nice surprise and had a chance to meet up with Thomas again. Thomas is a schoolmate of Hans Olav's who was also in Colorado for the year that my boys were here.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8UrTg4rcCirjWcvKcXiM14MOv8zJa5SiyCHVuMjgUFcYYyoWxi7QJVkHigAje75X01y_Q0AF8puZ1RA9rHu2yqiAa-1EwYmUInbglhifhWtQBXMlpYEZ7nARYI-VIeVl7f929kJo3SM/s1600/DSC01719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8UrTg4rcCirjWcvKcXiM14MOv8zJa5SiyCHVuMjgUFcYYyoWxi7QJVkHigAje75X01y_Q0AF8puZ1RA9rHu2yqiAa-1EwYmUInbglhifhWtQBXMlpYEZ7nARYI-VIeVl7f929kJo3SM/s320/DSC01719.JPG" width="233" /></a><br />
After we finished up at school Morten took Momma & I to "The Castle". As we got there, a bus tour was just finishing up, so we went in for that last of that. I thought maybe that was the tour, but I should have trusted my friend Morten Much more. He, Of Course, Hooked Us Up. What we got instead of the normal "touristy" variety was a great personalized tour. Our tour was very interesting and full of great information. The furniture was beautiful and very intricately designed. There is great amounts of history here and much of the building is from the 1100's. Of course, there were many additions over the years and a very interesting mix of old and a little less old. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiUcPVzUFJ2OsMViuhoY7wUxchs_ZGvD_MQORzJmaptgK3gkZnCYLUiwNxskuhZSpHFL0IMFoX2uLMtoZ0FnaffyC2hwojHLZbykSla_k39CqJBpgFnDvxg06wtVCGIHlf1RGeWFsx_E/s1600/IMG_3123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiUcPVzUFJ2OsMViuhoY7wUxchs_ZGvD_MQORzJmaptgK3gkZnCYLUiwNxskuhZSpHFL0IMFoX2uLMtoZ0FnaffyC2hwojHLZbykSla_k39CqJBpgFnDvxg06wtVCGIHlf1RGeWFsx_E/s320/IMG_3123.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX0tgELp75IUw1gFFCRcVSf9r06ITMAs26Wb99xITG4K5pxNRGfIsohS_YU2t4cWptBjwd9uCXxQD-HMo-6fJ86fmCzNEWGbQsrxvuPRTWJ_uOvoXi06_k_bBvFDVO-e2xLgt3xHg8l8/s1600/IMG_3120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtX0tgELp75IUw1gFFCRcVSf9r06ITMAs26Wb99xITG4K5pxNRGfIsohS_YU2t4cWptBjwd9uCXxQD-HMo-6fJ86fmCzNEWGbQsrxvuPRTWJ_uOvoXi06_k_bBvFDVO-e2xLgt3xHg8l8/s320/IMG_3120.JPG" width="320" /></a> Some of my favorite things about the tour were the excellent historical stories which included the story of the "happy virgins" and the "mad" or sad virgins. The story says that the happy ones look pretty (and happy), because they were clean & fresh, (and therefore became part of the "chosen"). From looking at the statues, the unhappy ones were pretty ugly...). The guide said the statues actually represented a scene from a cupboard found in Florence, Italy.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcuuHEblh2qCEbRzii504Wz2zdRWxb9nvdjv4QNIKK5CZTCr1_EBMLU823GIo2nGmGbrO-Sgg2pm8iiWwlx9vAvmsZxUwmw4w8gS12bmMCmD5rXFJ2eQsaDZ-WSlYGzWFxqJvF8SgxMY/s1600/IMG_3128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcuuHEblh2qCEbRzii504Wz2zdRWxb9nvdjv4QNIKK5CZTCr1_EBMLU823GIo2nGmGbrO-Sgg2pm8iiWwlx9vAvmsZxUwmw4w8gS12bmMCmD5rXFJ2eQsaDZ-WSlYGzWFxqJvF8SgxMY/s320/IMG_3128.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsa8YMCHi3lgFbeu-rOEIHsO51YHQVoDMZCz-6tR7oNJsOIgtOVzle8YAKaUeHM7k9hPpzmGl7_f9e_7WscpE80K-rQLEHLh7TzyTbY93Vpch9LCpeJEm5zEvO5UxS7s6zsNbykTxaMo/s1600/IMG_3146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsa8YMCHi3lgFbeu-rOEIHsO51YHQVoDMZCz-6tR7oNJsOIgtOVzle8YAKaUeHM7k9hPpzmGl7_f9e_7WscpE80K-rQLEHLh7TzyTbY93Vpch9LCpeJEm5zEvO5UxS7s6zsNbykTxaMo/s320/IMG_3146.JPG" width="212" /></a>At the castle, there is also a burial chamber off the chapel area that stores the wooden coffins of the "master of the castle" and his 3 wives, (no not at all at the same time). They had many, many kids and unfortunately, as the years wore on, the estate and castle, (and wealth), seemed to dwindle. On the grounds, outside the walls of the castle is oldest pyramid in Scandinavia. It's a rather unexpected sight but really very cool. Right here is a perfect place on the grounds for echo, echo, echos.... great stuff.<br />
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Our next stop was a quick trip to Hans & Ronja's condo and then we head off for a tour of the cannon/gun turret/fort on the coast. This gun was orginally installed on a small German battleship. That ship was partically destroyed so the German WWII war machine decided to install them in a 5 story battlement which was meant to defend this area of Norway from Allied Forces. The World War 2 history here is very interesting and when we are able to step back, you can see the very machine like precision of the German war effort. The facility was built by POW labor and is really a model of efficiency. Luckily, this gun was never fired in anger. Thankfully, this installation came on line later in the war. Had it been eariler, the outcome could have been different.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUuZALZqRHE-55AfcV7OCF5Veci87eEmnF-pVTee-N76O-fPE_7xVk15vWNhm1Kdg7xkp2q5Uy6EZVOX60Lprl2r5NDWB0XYBWxRagESYDEHYHW1_AEg61R5oH4-XuNbI2ZuiPK-h9iw/s1600/IMG_3173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQUuZALZqRHE-55AfcV7OCF5Veci87eEmnF-pVTee-N76O-fPE_7xVk15vWNhm1Kdg7xkp2q5Uy6EZVOX60Lprl2r5NDWB0XYBWxRagESYDEHYHW1_AEg61R5oH4-XuNbI2ZuiPK-h9iw/s320/IMG_3173.JPG" width="156" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuMNdQFc9OVIsT4WQn68U55uB07wINXfafAaKIkU-_LnVWiZkHLaE7jNrCTBOyB7WS3wH2bvpBzTTZhc_BxVaDkdia7IuZYXe1TPvC8wjkoRcrypyp2CE3B-q5828j8rWnxMyIPBWSZA/s1600/DSC01735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkuMNdQFc9OVIsT4WQn68U55uB07wINXfafAaKIkU-_LnVWiZkHLaE7jNrCTBOyB7WS3wH2bvpBzTTZhc_BxVaDkdia7IuZYXe1TPvC8wjkoRcrypyp2CE3B-q5828j8rWnxMyIPBWSZA/s320/DSC01735.JPG" width="320" /></a>Again, Momma was a trooper and made her way through the building just like she'd been climbing around in things like this for years. In fact, she even demonstrated how the soldiers would have loaded the shells. She's so awesome. Of course, I also got a Huge chuckle out of the interaction between Hans and Ronja (and Morten, too). In one area, Ronja was trying to blow through the communication tube to no avail. Hanso, being the big brother, had to show off and made the whistle blow loud and clear. It Could be the fact that our son is full of hot air. ;) I Really like the photo I was able to grab before the tour. I think it shows two young adults that have grow to respect one another and will help each other through trials & tribulations through the rest of their lives. THAT's Great stuff!<br />
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After we finished up with the canon tour, we 5 head off to Line's Mom's house. Liv was a wonderful host(ess) and dinner was excellent. Momma and I got to hang out with Liv and Kyrre as well as Line, Kristen and Maja. Of course, Morten, Ronja & Hans were also there. The house and location were perfect for a great view of the water and a really awesome moon rise. We topped off the great dinner with fantastic desserts.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCh02uMN385fPQSbvXwTw4FxZrSQqHomOUTa_c-DHEKhn9r1wae_zhYYlQztPnYd2tcVbF_hEoYHPSO-1gNGBb7aeNTZXABvHaPJtKiYecv83n3eGTbdsg-vHNrkZCIyLoJz-yEcwwC0/s1600/IMG_3217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCh02uMN385fPQSbvXwTw4FxZrSQqHomOUTa_c-DHEKhn9r1wae_zhYYlQztPnYd2tcVbF_hEoYHPSO-1gNGBb7aeNTZXABvHaPJtKiYecv83n3eGTbdsg-vHNrkZCIyLoJz-yEcwwC0/s320/IMG_3217.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbJM7Dtjirg6J47htl5ZK2C35hsHJwP0QRoqIOMrndttfim8nDjqK12-fJKUp5aa1kTbSnh6SFyvsqmgUjTGQoC8IA_wpk_ve2XbZ-0gqVD8he8Wd4DTPxY_Gpb8ZogNgs9503ns61jU/s1600/IMG_3202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbJM7Dtjirg6J47htl5ZK2C35hsHJwP0QRoqIOMrndttfim8nDjqK12-fJKUp5aa1kTbSnh6SFyvsqmgUjTGQoC8IA_wpk_ve2XbZ-0gqVD8he8Wd4DTPxY_Gpb8ZogNgs9503ns61jU/s320/IMG_3202.JPG" width="320" /></a>Tonight is our last night in Norway. It hard to believe we are at the end of our time here. Everyone here has not only shown us amazing generosity, but Momma and I have both felt like a true part of the family. For that we say Thank You, Thank You , Thank YOU.<br />
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Takk, hver og alle for innbydende oss inn i deres hjem og liv. Vi vil alltid sette pris på vår tid sammenJoeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-42425067598215947802011-01-07T22:35:00.002-07:002011-01-12T08:12:03.528-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 21Day 21 is September 27<br />
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Well, it's 12:30 am and I'm up coughing again. I'm still trying to get over this crud and so I head downstairs to the cough and banish myself until about 5am. I got some sleep until about 9am. By the time I drag myself back downstairs, it was breakfast time with Morten and Momma.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLX9Nz-u8SvyKSAerTqedP3Km7jDwHGZpo-AtMK6RPKJaryYwOAZaPUeevqu1sDwyQBzVGlorVAhXz4NKTM0C9KaCg23FUlzn-eLUcckkFANmmZTuZY3qYtOnZtJoT3AhWtIb4C2AsDE/s1600/IMG_3055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgLX9Nz-u8SvyKSAerTqedP3Km7jDwHGZpo-AtMK6RPKJaryYwOAZaPUeevqu1sDwyQBzVGlorVAhXz4NKTM0C9KaCg23FUlzn-eLUcckkFANmmZTuZY3qYtOnZtJoT3AhWtIb4C2AsDE/s320/IMG_3055.JPG" width="320" /></a>Today, our first adventure is a trip to Kristin and Maja's school. Line and Morten worked with the school and Maja's teacher to allow us to visit. While we were visiting the school we got to spend time in Maja's class. It was really fun for me and Momma too. The kids were great, very polite, had some great questions for us and even though they were pretty shy, really were a lot of fun. I think it was a learning experience for all of us.<br />
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After we finished up answering all the great questions, we got a chance to hang out with an older class as well. In this class we spent some time on geography. It was great to spend time with the older kids and especially for them to get a feel for how far the US is away from Norway. It also gave them a great example of how similar we are, even if we're half way across the world.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5lmBfOOkp0RFGz0XCl4cDWPdpnYPTlAiQUNQIcMFvdu1xoZUMCAUjVPnQzSjw7t_e3OhPIYbYa4EVfLmGnXde9v0LQXb4ll9CjxsmVh8oY153b5gQ3Q0zhN_XKLsvaons8MH4G7ISDc/s1600/IMG_3061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5lmBfOOkp0RFGz0XCl4cDWPdpnYPTlAiQUNQIcMFvdu1xoZUMCAUjVPnQzSjw7t_e3OhPIYbYa4EVfLmGnXde9v0LQXb4ll9CjxsmVh8oY153b5gQ3Q0zhN_XKLsvaons8MH4G7ISDc/s320/IMG_3061.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
After we finished with our classroom activities, Momma, Morten and I spent some time outside during the recess time and were treated to a nice little performance from Kristin, Maja and some friends. It was fun for me to see how much kids here in Norway remind me of kids back home in Colorado. We got a few more pictures at the school and after a great day with the kids we were off to the store to pick up more medicine to try to get rid of my crud.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3MmuoaumyaXLwZ_QZEZvegGPnpXMWmXG4Nknlf1mt1KGgetSAAJviRKiBmsQKeQvr0v-c02EfNUv1A2Q3U1s98JUjdaj0N0kx5X-AbZN6GUn6WLwhopX1l2HyEoIxUWyWvh2R4h9P98/s1600/IMG_3073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3MmuoaumyaXLwZ_QZEZvegGPnpXMWmXG4Nknlf1mt1KGgetSAAJviRKiBmsQKeQvr0v-c02EfNUv1A2Q3U1s98JUjdaj0N0kx5X-AbZN6GUn6WLwhopX1l2HyEoIxUWyWvh2R4h9P98/s320/IMG_3073.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Dinner tonight was Great! We had moose and roe deer meat. Here's a thought. If we woulda had more moose would it have been meese meat or mooses meat??? This was Really great stuff! I, of course had never had either. It was really outstanding! This great meal was topped off with a wonderful bottle of Spanish red gifted from Hans. He brought it back from his, (and the family's) trip to Spain. Yahoo! Great, great stuff!<br />
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After the dinner, Hans and Ronja were hanging out and we all went to Raustein Farm to checkout the sunset. It was beautiful. I always enjoy both sunset and sunrise, but in reality, sunset is easier for me to deal with. You know, it's later and I'm not still trying to get my Much needed beauty rest. :) We were able to get a few pretty cool sunset pictures and even one with some gray haired dork. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1LcWvQNHnyUSbi2WHYwH2O4iw6GyWpuDKqWMv-RLzlKP_YrBQKMMhAiP7RQ4vWlXt7kahF2rn9lB60DXXU1B4EYYEgRGolBSeQFnTTYCljg_cZx7SQj4g8SXkzywI0PWnOFJo21jdNA/s1600/IMG_3096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm1LcWvQNHnyUSbi2WHYwH2O4iw6GyWpuDKqWMv-RLzlKP_YrBQKMMhAiP7RQ4vWlXt7kahF2rn9lB60DXXU1B4EYYEgRGolBSeQFnTTYCljg_cZx7SQj4g8SXkzywI0PWnOFJo21jdNA/s320/IMG_3096.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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We all enjoyed a nice coffee and dessert with the family and got ready to call it a night. On our way home, Morten decided to drive the '56 Chevy and well, Morten's a nice guy, so he kindly let me drive...Yay!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW6C7fIQffooCLD4WiijmEZaKot0gmOQ5OW1Jna9dW2CDmXe2Wfj5NqUgkSYCFAvHL711wOuFu37VBevcFymI779FkHlNru1Nx_PpjTAnQabIvXZ-C0aSs8OmzxnuNNW42-u71F7HT3w/s1600/IMG_3077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW6C7fIQffooCLD4WiijmEZaKot0gmOQ5OW1Jna9dW2CDmXe2Wfj5NqUgkSYCFAvHL711wOuFu37VBevcFymI779FkHlNru1Nx_PpjTAnQabIvXZ-C0aSs8OmzxnuNNW42-u71F7HT3w/s320/IMG_3077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV20aSLWbo6MTLkq9IL_dR3Jh4-FnTsFCyhwM-3HIgvzCOhTB-AJ21nc26TAivANhDndY3ysYX6dU_IyBGo-2n3rgdPwHiqHXUaVJTv3yX2Xj8-RgrstaYgEjFWrcMCvtmMTSqYJu3Sl8/s1600/IMG_3105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV20aSLWbo6MTLkq9IL_dR3Jh4-FnTsFCyhwM-3HIgvzCOhTB-AJ21nc26TAivANhDndY3ysYX6dU_IyBGo-2n3rgdPwHiqHXUaVJTv3yX2Xj8-RgrstaYgEjFWrcMCvtmMTSqYJu3Sl8/s320/IMG_3105.JPG" width="320" /></a>After we got back home, we call it a night, I head upstairs and try to get healthy(er).<br />
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Good Night All! It's SO hard to believe that this trip is nearly over.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-40986195712141991172011-01-02T21:15:00.001-07:002011-01-04T10:09:50.216-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDeUsmmZ5fpIZMk7rm7vR9imhvBrpBkpnwQ7ZHtkQDtEzBapP-_wP8jB3jEpVXktUmebJ5XLpUqAawt9sA3s9hduWdnAysVcKOoY_w2WdWd_pLyyoxI74vg4uLPUhRPlJS2MQoeaG-LY/s1600/IMG_2950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWDeUsmmZ5fpIZMk7rm7vR9imhvBrpBkpnwQ7ZHtkQDtEzBapP-_wP8jB3jEpVXktUmebJ5XLpUqAawt9sA3s9hduWdnAysVcKOoY_w2WdWd_pLyyoxI74vg4uLPUhRPlJS2MQoeaG-LY/s400/IMG_2950.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Day 20 is September 26<br />
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This morning I was up around 7 am and coughing up a lung and a half. After catching my breath, I did grab shave and a shower. Even though I'm still me, I do look a touch more "civilized". I was able to spend a bit of time catching up on my journal, (you know, if I don't write this stuff down, I'll be in the same boat as the Route 66 ride and forget important stuff), I also got a couple emails out as well. After I caught up on my paperwork duties, breakfast was with Line, Morten, Momma, Kristin and then Hans and Ronja a touch later.<br />
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Our plans for today start with a "pic a nic" lunch, (you need to hear that in your head as Yogi Bear;) ). After packing up the lunch, Momma, Hans & I head out to take the ferry to the "other" side of the fjord. We three met up with Morten at Orland, (that's pronounced "Er-land" or at least that's how an American might pronounce it) field.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ99Ak5BdayNhO4jBYFpn-UUqhQDO43jccMcShPTrRTHi41_yJUEbLhA1aLWY-xTAsiGONCrGH43I7CHmXuCJ6NQ2dV6bTHyNaRhFEzKyZGq13KBqObP-vl_L5iliUwVbRA71upReQ3QA/s1600/IMG_2978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ99Ak5BdayNhO4jBYFpn-UUqhQDO43jccMcShPTrRTHi41_yJUEbLhA1aLWY-xTAsiGONCrGH43I7CHmXuCJ6NQ2dV6bTHyNaRhFEzKyZGq13KBqObP-vl_L5iliUwVbRA71upReQ3QA/s320/IMG_2978.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJPepN_gDKY0fhWMlRGfbu8uW4FQHTcD6piVJDko97dyQmKwpNzSG-bG86FTIDFddJcy8lP7mjcu-QOuynJ3owiC8k5oXvRu7vUN3YYxdjxDsWQ0VhKRbETRJOWWyi8hxThbOot8BNDk/s1600/IMG_3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJPepN_gDKY0fhWMlRGfbu8uW4FQHTcD6piVJDko97dyQmKwpNzSG-bG86FTIDFddJcy8lP7mjcu-QOuynJ3owiC8k5oXvRu7vUN3YYxdjxDsWQ0VhKRbETRJOWWyi8hxThbOot8BNDk/s320/IMG_3003.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB9WRTabFLrV-ymkVaubnQotbjHKgeG1bqEl_SHuMlbE5I7bg_eI8N-zU7jx1JJU4WkdJVRibiCZOE8mSItTNDg0g99EFyF3vaGquEOI-g_LkeXtzAzZMlipG9JUS5hPLu19rxF2Jv1I/s1600/IMG_3032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvB9WRTabFLrV-ymkVaubnQotbjHKgeG1bqEl_SHuMlbE5I7bg_eI8N-zU7jx1JJU4WkdJVRibiCZOE8mSItTNDg0g99EFyF3vaGquEOI-g_LkeXtzAzZMlipG9JUS5hPLu19rxF2Jv1I/s320/IMG_3032.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0Ccf4rME6LhYIC30qwqZq_uhbWWf-Y_ZOFt02yZajK-SAbTbC267ZjNhVzOiCBV9qQ9GlNirZGsg8xUh23NheeNBygHyQl7c_r_5XFtSneCdzSFjwW1WWqHb9x2uiRYW4swJQ_PKJ08/s1600/IMG_2974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0Ccf4rME6LhYIC30qwqZq_uhbWWf-Y_ZOFt02yZajK-SAbTbC267ZjNhVzOiCBV9qQ9GlNirZGsg8xUh23NheeNBygHyQl7c_r_5XFtSneCdzSFjwW1WWqHb9x2uiRYW4swJQ_PKJ08/s320/IMG_2974.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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We went to Orland, well, mostly because that's where Morten landed his plane and well, That's where we need to be if we want to head up into the "wild blue yonder". Momma was the first one up in Morten's small two seater single engine trainer. The look on Momma's face when she got all strapped in, was Priceless! Momma said she really enjoyed her flight. To hear her tell it is the coolest, but I'll do my best. She said it was so great being up in the air in the small-ish, (but Very cool plane). When Morten asked her if she wanted to fly she said "oh, I don't know, I think I'll pass". She thought about it and then said; "I'm 80 years old, I may never get the chance again..." I Love that!<br />
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After she flew for a bit, Morten did a couple rolls with her as well. She came through like a trooper and had a grin on her face for the rest of the day. ;)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJou9syMhhbvW_Irwas1VypQWZeTi4uQdZc8qI3LSzRBDjbQVb3-fVBnZnOgW2Mj-jhxtxpQd9OgydpMRMzVdG_vl0_53avmmE93ljWdT3sKVZNz3qShXXX5rWKUG94yM8SywZYEEVUE/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJou9syMhhbvW_Irwas1VypQWZeTi4uQdZc8qI3LSzRBDjbQVb3-fVBnZnOgW2Mj-jhxtxpQd9OgydpMRMzVdG_vl0_53avmmE93ljWdT3sKVZNz3qShXXX5rWKUG94yM8SywZYEEVUE/s320/IMG_2977.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO7ZEuh6Km2VT74QOE7-vj6t7-3ixiNGJlREMRmbkiG2EQLdYjWwwXwAvPoR0v7Rf5TfH7QkaZW_vULq44C4hwTTDmUnVaq7eJ1m2qIa1WOrNykh5UA_bkYsu1bC7yQ9_bnWRVTQlgAY/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO7ZEuh6Km2VT74QOE7-vj6t7-3ixiNGJlREMRmbkiG2EQLdYjWwwXwAvPoR0v7Rf5TfH7QkaZW_vULq44C4hwTTDmUnVaq7eJ1m2qIa1WOrNykh5UA_bkYsu1bC7yQ9_bnWRVTQlgAY/s320/IMG_2983.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We finally drug Momma out of the cockpit and it was now my turn. The flight was awesome! The scenery was absolutely beautiful. The mountains, fjords, trees, and the water all Amazing!. We did rolls, flips and other Way cool stuff! We pulled a bit over 4Gs during "my" flight, what a Rush!!! Morten even let me land :) Ya- Hoo!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ20ytVugRbegTd-8m46NM2MbOOHB9Lbj0rSpYDvo9BbndELlukstbfNyhnIjN6ebJQ0e7V39MupvP6qTiJl90Dl4eH6ggIvcUi_cvAc5504i-Sk9vKt3QtpEjVFbP7FZbcM9PyVtYhJc/s1600/IMG_2991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ20ytVugRbegTd-8m46NM2MbOOHB9Lbj0rSpYDvo9BbndELlukstbfNyhnIjN6ebJQ0e7V39MupvP6qTiJl90Dl4eH6ggIvcUi_cvAc5504i-Sk9vKt3QtpEjVFbP7FZbcM9PyVtYhJc/s320/IMG_2991.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM803OZrf2Pu4fgwqx3JbBLjXaKFPjlHTOJxZvqUCmR_2S7hnSsSTQecwW-Eazhf1ImbTLdlqBQyvVMIvH51LIPkhEVfGjwpSGBfBsV3WmA-L-aqa3bGJpBSx7jj9PAq95DZXiGV722hQ/s1600/IMG_3157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM803OZrf2Pu4fgwqx3JbBLjXaKFPjlHTOJxZvqUCmR_2S7hnSsSTQecwW-Eazhf1ImbTLdlqBQyvVMIvH51LIPkhEVfGjwpSGBfBsV3WmA-L-aqa3bGJpBSx7jj9PAq95DZXiGV722hQ/s320/IMG_3157.JPG" width="304" /></a>Our next stop after the flights were over, was a trip to Hans & Ronja's condo. They stay here because it is So much closer to their high school. It's a place they share with a couple others and it's really a nice place. I'm Very proud of both Hans and Ronja. I had an extra little smile when Hans told me he has a glass of wine at the end of the day, a little something he learned from his "American Dad". Not that he indulged while in Colorado, of course. Hans takes good care of his sister and roommates, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eUl9XCRH2nSKDtc6R5sRZRZmUQiHjucaV3u2TMfHL6RNJGgKj2PIUS3aLT6W3IAQboXTSu0owLc6lvjYd407mZUEhIUgHvZvDIqOzAr3sO42Sr-QVERcLjGe9kf7vOjloSJHRypZ8Kg/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eUl9XCRH2nSKDtc6R5sRZRZmUQiHjucaV3u2TMfHL6RNJGgKj2PIUS3aLT6W3IAQboXTSu0owLc6lvjYd407mZUEhIUgHvZvDIqOzAr3sO42Sr-QVERcLjGe9kf7vOjloSJHRypZ8Kg/s320/IMG_2999.JPG" width="320" /></a>After the "Condo Tour" and pic a nic, with Line and Kyrre, (Line's brother), we head over to celebrate with Morten's sister Mayanita. Hopefully, she had a Happy 40th and it was great for Momma & I to meet ever more of our adopted Norwegian family and we got to see the video of the wonderful wedding in Spain. There were lots of kids around and I sure wish I had their energy. I'm still feeling poorly, but keep on going because I can't bear to miss anything on this trip of a lifetime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKvKFHdQ2GzmsDbtjjCQlLajTqfj7wTxK2nqWFCZys3aAVDuJePjCaDfTY9QvWuD8xcTctOoOsZdPz7PlkhW2WMv-1PYd9csNG25QGUaNP5EnzWSwBr5j_k8O3b4SyAidNGm2Fe1ZMJ8/s1600/IMG_3000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKvKFHdQ2GzmsDbtjjCQlLajTqfj7wTxK2nqWFCZys3aAVDuJePjCaDfTY9QvWuD8xcTctOoOsZdPz7PlkhW2WMv-1PYd9csNG25QGUaNP5EnzWSwBr5j_k8O3b4SyAidNGm2Fe1ZMJ8/s320/IMG_3000.JPG" width="320" /></a>As the time as starting to get a bit late and closer to dusk, we decided to head back home. Morten and I took the plane back as Momma rode with the rest of the family. Hanne and her girls gave us a lift back to the airfield and Morten and I got ready to fly home. Man, I Love the way that sounds! Morten, in his infinitely patient way, "let" me take off and even fly for awhile Cool doesn't even begin to touch the feeling. It was starting on it's way to getting dark, but it was a Beautiful full moon this night. After I "gave up" the stick, we did some more awesome sightseeing and more rolls, Very Cool! We landed at the small hanger Morten has somewhat close to home and after putting the plane away, I got to ride Hanso's "spaghetti racer" back home. I decided to ride a little bit past the house and along the highway that follows the shore. I've now Officially ridden a motorcycle in Norway. I SO need to get my Lowrider out here. Hmmm...I need to work on that idea.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVqhyphenhyphenzjrOyZ4jIRMUgFH4sG5oYHWrN1_5QCjtE-eDcu7JvwxQwAJgXS_lS4giJuGrw1spfyUmx12Lnaesw1H228wvSkC6F2YPCB90LLZ-_EaUiQBq-gLeaMK5jGHxcPSzPL43b4EBybk/s1600/IMG_3002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKVqhyphenhyphenzjrOyZ4jIRMUgFH4sG5oYHWrN1_5QCjtE-eDcu7JvwxQwAJgXS_lS4giJuGrw1spfyUmx12Lnaesw1H228wvSkC6F2YPCB90LLZ-_EaUiQBq-gLeaMK5jGHxcPSzPL43b4EBybk/s320/IMG_3002.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnZpGz_RMKeQ0RfaBpo95-p5Wk9ms17qNiGmusrf9L278CJOnjtVeLgP305SIltQPH0D8TvMY5STBf_gLXdiGBjkz5LMkRV3WAlaIjqIJlnFPBxg_l9s6JcpKGltUCOTi7nP3zk6iX6I/s1600/IMG_3003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnZpGz_RMKeQ0RfaBpo95-p5Wk9ms17qNiGmusrf9L278CJOnjtVeLgP305SIltQPH0D8TvMY5STBf_gLXdiGBjkz5LMkRV3WAlaIjqIJlnFPBxg_l9s6JcpKGltUCOTi7nP3zk6iX6I/s320/IMG_3003.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNjeH-pEAFK9rDBzd0MoIbXVAM2jTge0q3YIHSoVfIINzZDC0fpeGajtKhmCSM4KfGJUyCLYJl6oAPB4IkRuuwl7-1JaflPJ2hsmcq_TNI3D3HGGJCtZ0Ipge_oCbpIOw_tB8fihHYlE/s1600/IMG_3004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNjeH-pEAFK9rDBzd0MoIbXVAM2jTge0q3YIHSoVfIINzZDC0fpeGajtKhmCSM4KfGJUyCLYJl6oAPB4IkRuuwl7-1JaflPJ2hsmcq_TNI3D3HGGJCtZ0Ipge_oCbpIOw_tB8fihHYlE/s320/IMG_3004.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
As much fun as the day was and as cool as the ride was, I, of course, am sicker now. Oh well... We had more great conversation and then it was off to bed for me. I woke up at 12:30 or so and headed downstairs again, this time until about 5:30. Sickness...yuck...<br />
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Another great day in the books and a need to get ready for more cool stuff tomorrow. Good Night All!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-14711909608072519322010-12-27T22:44:00.000-07:002010-12-27T22:44:12.308-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 19Day 19 is September 25<br />
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Welcome to another amazing & full day. I was up way early as my coughing woke me up and I tried my best to leave the rest of the family at peace. I was down stairs well before 5:30 and camped on the couch. It's all good because I was ready for coffee and "tried" to help with breakfast but was politely kicked out of the kitchen. :) After a very nice breakfast with much of the family - Morten, Line, Ronja, Hans, & Momma - we were out the door by about 10am & on our way.<br />
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Today, we are heading out to catch our dinner. We, (Morten, Hans, Momma & I), piled into the van, stopped by the farm and picked up Astrid and then made our way down to the boat to meet up with Marten. Most often, boats and ships are named after women/ladies, but in this case, Marten named this boat the Hanso. "She" is named after Hans Olav because he is the only grandson. That's pretty special stuff. The Hanso is a great boat!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkN1rNfYYm7YYsHUtkaCNMcF75geUy1T0tLY7JX_JcFW3E2Uk_oiO-jtkLjJLsgvYfgroqongnQIGS4WE_EgrVywgT5TJbFz-B5ptAfPbSgZGlHc89xg-yQq91DK4jgHHlU1hbXdVge0/s1600/IMG_2856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkN1rNfYYm7YYsHUtkaCNMcF75geUy1T0tLY7JX_JcFW3E2Uk_oiO-jtkLjJLsgvYfgroqongnQIGS4WE_EgrVywgT5TJbFz-B5ptAfPbSgZGlHc89xg-yQq91DK4jgHHlU1hbXdVge0/s320/IMG_2856.JPG" width="320" /></a>At the beginning of our journey out to sea I must admit I was cold. Of course, I'm a wimp and generally prefer the heat. We motored out to a fishing spot Marten had discovered. We used the electronic map and fish finder, to get ourselves in position. After getting to our fishing "ground" we drifted a bit and between the skills of Marten & Morten, we were in place. The hooks were dropped from the first side, which was the "electric" side and then we dropped "old fashioned" side. After both sides were dropped and cranked back up a couple of times, we started started reeling in fish. Now this was Fun fishing! I gotta tell ya, I really am not much of a fisher man, but that is likely because of some less than wonderful memories as a boy. I never caught a fish at anytime when we went and well, you know me, I Cannot stay still and well, that didn't make for a very good fishing experience. Momma and Astrid did an outstanding job observing & supervising. Couldn't have done it without these wonderful ladies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vsw_NHwPZAwFJYY_-mvBfTcZGwWrIWUCSZvukNstudP_ePCnl1-Z-Sz2PdwmtuON2FtDG8J14WwMtaTUMWNy-dW8wxWByhVQpBz10mxApOTKzZSgHS21B5bGw4ne3DNoLrfoajZzTQY/s1600/IMG_2857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vsw_NHwPZAwFJYY_-mvBfTcZGwWrIWUCSZvukNstudP_ePCnl1-Z-Sz2PdwmtuON2FtDG8J14WwMtaTUMWNy-dW8wxWByhVQpBz10mxApOTKzZSgHS21B5bGw4ne3DNoLrfoajZzTQY/s320/IMG_2857.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
At any rate, I cranked in a couple times & got 3 or 4 total and Marten's side got quite a few more. We finished our expedition with about a dozen Coalfish or Sei fish, depending upon who you are speaking with. That was by far, my "greatest" fishing experience. Heck, if I could catch fish like that All the time, I'd be "hooked". In reality, it was likely Marten's expert "fish divining" and Morten's "skippering" that got us to the right spot at the right time. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AckEYYdg-UmVfSszOMNDeZ_uzeJYHCb7NOInku5fxYEjWF8xvfIRk7zcfkqUVcq-un1qgyYOGOYj9yLeLPEHDqTfNXw1PpnaGh18aBJsfUkMMUnQwQb2U-I5eMae43IAFF3ZKpSPtpY/s1600/IMG_2877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AckEYYdg-UmVfSszOMNDeZ_uzeJYHCb7NOInku5fxYEjWF8xvfIRk7zcfkqUVcq-un1qgyYOGOYj9yLeLPEHDqTfNXw1PpnaGh18aBJsfUkMMUnQwQb2U-I5eMae43IAFF3ZKpSPtpY/s320/IMG_2877.JPG" width="320" /></a>We decided to take our fish and motor around a bit. As we were heading towards the fjords and shores, we encountered several things. As you can see, we had a following of flying rats, I mean seagulls. I think I got some pretty cool shots of the birds. I even impressed myself. We also saw a pod of small whales, how cool is that! The scenery around the coast is really beautiful. There are what Morten calls cabins dotted around the coastal areas and near the shore. Wow, those look like some pretty fancy cabins, but at the very least, What a View! There are some amazing near sheer drops into the ocean and many of the cliffs are pretty high up as well. Some areas reminded me a bit of Colorado, well, except for the water, of course. We had a great time. No doubt, this was my best time fishing, ever...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL9UxMA1MWpWZQtQsdwRN_U68bqX9q5LfEG9ZPkQNcrwD5AjDGiSGx2EQ_0VN4AZrUMHrr85j4eDOOsuO_AKWEVyGKOwrWDaOMTSzEOvs3nM_x9HvVo28r8kOg9rsKbET3tkttOjGN5o/s1600/IMG_2893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL9UxMA1MWpWZQtQsdwRN_U68bqX9q5LfEG9ZPkQNcrwD5AjDGiSGx2EQ_0VN4AZrUMHrr85j4eDOOsuO_AKWEVyGKOwrWDaOMTSzEOvs3nM_x9HvVo28r8kOg9rsKbET3tkttOjGN5o/s320/IMG_2893.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeuwZpxQ0QJMV4TmDOxK-4cwdVgRvyoPIL4_D1GR1UUwsuPzMoV0xLjjaLW6kRgz3l1k4phHoD_3JN-Gsp9aMHCeTpQ_Tx6xpIUscalMA3XW5QwYT6vhFmHT9ZZQwY1JQoCBGZcMTxbI/s1600/IMG_2897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeuwZpxQ0QJMV4TmDOxK-4cwdVgRvyoPIL4_D1GR1UUwsuPzMoV0xLjjaLW6kRgz3l1k4phHoD_3JN-Gsp9aMHCeTpQ_Tx6xpIUscalMA3XW5QwYT6vhFmHT9ZZQwY1JQoCBGZcMTxbI/s320/IMG_2897.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAU1rkiBOdUY0OWyy56mL-ZUoZ3AMrbk-lS6HEEtuy36mopzA22grDbQe5BqCtPf4Z6NkOefx6f2OCLHyHrlZm8BaIwKyDjP59eFu4FshiXNB6EJ-jSBtb9tU2COaGmnOZTcpPBYNfORc/s1600/IMG_2899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAU1rkiBOdUY0OWyy56mL-ZUoZ3AMrbk-lS6HEEtuy36mopzA22grDbQe5BqCtPf4Z6NkOefx6f2OCLHyHrlZm8BaIwKyDjP59eFu4FshiXNB6EJ-jSBtb9tU2COaGmnOZTcpPBYNfORc/s320/IMG_2899.JPG" width="320" /></a> Once we're back on shore, Marten, Morten and Astrid clean the fish while Line, Hanne and company boil carrots, potatoes and the like. This meal was Outstanding! The VERY fresh fish was the Best. All the food was great and the conversation was excellent! While everyone else was cooking and slaving away, Morten and I took the veteran Volvo out for a spin. That was fun, but I got the biggest chuckle out of Morten's park job. He "claimed" the reason for the parking challenges was because he was backing in, had new gravel in this spot and he says it's Very light in the rear end, sure, sure... :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMKXu4X1hlCZeBSHYD5kWnv5NgBNXjPzTnOA4Zu9H4D9b2SUptSgpesHHnFj0u6FrVj0r28hyphenhyphen4iF1uQeIK20Q6sjTvYCVRbteltklFIVvhdtE50ftNpQYY8jLRQO2Ug_0YvpOfBs5bvo/s1600/IMG_2907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMKXu4X1hlCZeBSHYD5kWnv5NgBNXjPzTnOA4Zu9H4D9b2SUptSgpesHHnFj0u6FrVj0r28hyphenhyphen4iF1uQeIK20Q6sjTvYCVRbteltklFIVvhdtE50ftNpQYY8jLRQO2Ug_0YvpOfBs5bvo/s320/IMG_2907.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7r_2JQGCXQkATSbU8sF-Xd9E0M6nLAKcB6BTxlbsaJbp2vTq6ZSdMpanIBazqkZ01W-eGoV8lTZ47LBYrS09_7h5l-LEe97hxWLklW62818VW3ERwOde6IPN8-72JIqyeQ8J0c6qElM/s1600/IMG_2914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7r_2JQGCXQkATSbU8sF-Xd9E0M6nLAKcB6BTxlbsaJbp2vTq6ZSdMpanIBazqkZ01W-eGoV8lTZ47LBYrS09_7h5l-LEe97hxWLklW62818VW3ERwOde6IPN8-72JIqyeQ8J0c6qElM/s320/IMG_2914.JPG" width="320" /></a>We head back "home" for a bit of relaxing, talking and viewing of fishing pictures and videos. I also had a great talk with Ronja about her upcoming plan to take part in the EF High School Year. I know I'm excited for her! We talked about the differences between Colorado and well, everywhere else. I know that wherever Ronja gets placed, she'll have a Great year. Ronja is part of an outstanding family and I know I will do everything I can to help as well. Oh yeah, she's planning of going to Hawaii on "My" week as well. Yay!<br />
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Later in the evening, Morten, Hans and I went to a "show" at the local pub. I was suitably impressed. It was Great to see, up close and personal like, in a different country that music really IS a great equalizer. The show was 2 acoustic guitar players, (electrified a touch, of course) and a pretty good drummer as well. The guys sang in English, which was a plus for me. They did mostly covers, but did a great job of it. They were into and the folks in front of the stage were enjoying it as well. There was lots of dancing and all in all a very well behaved crowd. I liked that those who had a bit too much cheer were well taken care of.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBCzM7YMhgfO4mW_t2vQOseQRtyYHONDMfhRu_Z4oaB7JxEvpgSNPgUOIbJg_TUnKdoRqQqHBBYv7E1laga1l2WbzD-HH0M5Gk9h7JHTZeCXOz1k2RzSvvGl8Mthmvus1IEYAucCBjp4/s1600/IMG_2937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBCzM7YMhgfO4mW_t2vQOseQRtyYHONDMfhRu_Z4oaB7JxEvpgSNPgUOIbJg_TUnKdoRqQqHBBYv7E1laga1l2WbzD-HH0M5Gk9h7JHTZeCXOz1k2RzSvvGl8Mthmvus1IEYAucCBjp4/s320/IMG_2937.JPG" width="320" /></a>I kept thinking this could be a possible for In The Machine or Channel 27. One of these days "we" need to do a European tour and ya know, the band(s) WILL need a roadie AND photographer...hint, hint. After the show I had a chance to talk with the lead singer. Nice guy and he had the same Great attitude of the "great" musicians that I've had the pleasure of meeting and knowing over the years. He said "as long as you are passionate about what you play, the audience responds to it." Great stuff!<br />
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What a day & night! Line was nice enough to pick me up and take me back home. I got a bit of medication and finally turned in by 2:30. It was a pretty awesome day, but I'm Beat and being sick is Really getting old. I spent a good part of the day & night coughing...yuck.<br />
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Anyway, Good Night to all and be ready for another jam packed day tomorrow.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-21916878116331353322010-12-24T20:52:00.000-07:002010-12-24T20:52:01.339-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikj-U7eS4qNUfcKGdJd3X1hdiyo1516b5eSk9iVtPvQB2uDv7XHv6pFMdUXkQeviWWbi_AnVt56YAWpl0dDeEoZbDw6ynUerR6IVnJP_Q7itIfDlw9mbttreDB1SlZycvKw8gw_W7WzYk/s1600/IMG_2820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikj-U7eS4qNUfcKGdJd3X1hdiyo1516b5eSk9iVtPvQB2uDv7XHv6pFMdUXkQeviWWbi_AnVt56YAWpl0dDeEoZbDw6ynUerR6IVnJP_Q7itIfDlw9mbttreDB1SlZycvKw8gw_W7WzYk/s320/IMG_2820.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Day 18 is September 24<br />
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Ahhh, our first full day in Norway. I was able to sleep in a bit today and finally drug myself out about 9am. After a nice breakfast, I started feeling a bit better. No one ever likes being sick, but I would much rather feel bad at my own home. Being sick on the road really sucks; I also want to try to make sure I don't get anyone else sick. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQmQwx8JS7y5DKGF49YmnxI3Sw8R0ECK6_8y9Lrqj8ZHMIZsWQYFfEKHURfvzmYDMRvYEfa6_xmMzUoWMvim7vwyp3RoDt8wEQvt8EIQT3LOgTpypBLvbKOFJpU_3VeJEYlFu_JwNXbE/s1600/IMG_2822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWQmQwx8JS7y5DKGF49YmnxI3Sw8R0ECK6_8y9Lrqj8ZHMIZsWQYFfEKHURfvzmYDMRvYEfa6_xmMzUoWMvim7vwyp3RoDt8wEQvt8EIQT3LOgTpypBLvbKOFJpU_3VeJEYlFu_JwNXbE/s320/IMG_2822.JPG" width="320" /></a>After I get myself together and everyone else is out for the day, Morten took Momma and I sightseeing. Today, we started out with a trip to the nearby light house. The views up there are Amazing! As always, Morten gave us great stories to go along with the views. Parts of the lighthouse area and concrete foundations were left behind by the World War II Nazi war machine. Other than that, it was great place to be and there's even a picnic and cabin area near by.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLe3NgOmhJcji0aHZ5k5zAIwvPlZJRmOn4xgqUZ4CW9OHHhAuf9SnirKAMyLM9-mzWGCeFs0cndtqjeuC6Je4kks8oIJrbvdy8gkbIp_h0pbSqQi9G2YZ9p_uxKZmQbeFAK7HP9QawAw/s1600/IMG_2828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGLe3NgOmhJcji0aHZ5k5zAIwvPlZJRmOn4xgqUZ4CW9OHHhAuf9SnirKAMyLM9-mzWGCeFs0cndtqjeuC6Je4kks8oIJrbvdy8gkbIp_h0pbSqQi9G2YZ9p_uxKZmQbeFAK7HP9QawAw/s320/IMG_2828.JPG" width="320" /></a>We took pictures and looked around from the high 180 degree plus views, we drove around the area and checked out the coast. We also took in the site of the future Raustein palace. Actually, maybe not a palace, but the future home-site looks like it will be outstanding. The somewhat cliff/mountainside location facing the fjord will be Great. All that and it will be at the end of the street, as well. Those are always the fancy houses. Hey, wait, my house is at the end of the street...oh yeah, I live in the 'hood; never mind.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RiyYH3_n0PRy6_lYaUvEeCbugSYooAaUyHjEiANjAAKgQQ1r-eQ2SVqYz8Cf6YolVFghoDRMAYMZpjuvaTHzcLn9UPKU5spD0vjWJ0XzudpHKPhShB-PfK286Y3xKPnBShxz3BgaclI/s1600/IMG_2823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RiyYH3_n0PRy6_lYaUvEeCbugSYooAaUyHjEiANjAAKgQQ1r-eQ2SVqYz8Cf6YolVFghoDRMAYMZpjuvaTHzcLn9UPKU5spD0vjWJ0XzudpHKPhShB-PfK286Y3xKPnBShxz3BgaclI/s320/IMG_2823.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our next stop on this day's tour was a great opportunity to meet Morten's, Marten and Astrid, out at their farm. Morten has some toys out at the farm. Two of the coolest were "veterans". He's got an old, basic troop carrier of sorts and a great looking '56 Chevy Bel Air wagon. It's a very cool black and white and has plenty of room for the whole family. There's always something very cool about a nice old car. Back in the '50's, those cars had real personality. There's lots of great stuff out there on the farm. What a great place and the views were great, too. Marten & Astrid were awesome about making us feel very welcome as well. Takk!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOUXj-5QXq1DgHFz_ZjPRwAdfa11we66j0odLu2LIrvJmJeDn6D3DX0KfSpp5BsbUc0AzQF7sNuZwnzJCr5uLdiq3yJ0V2Euhzh4qnleljBjcwicXXGj6Eyp3fzyl-vIfh7t_WQWp9qw/s1600/IMG_2824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOUXj-5QXq1DgHFz_ZjPRwAdfa11we66j0odLu2LIrvJmJeDn6D3DX0KfSpp5BsbUc0AzQF7sNuZwnzJCr5uLdiq3yJ0V2Euhzh4qnleljBjcwicXXGj6Eyp3fzyl-vIfh7t_WQWp9qw/s320/IMG_2824.JPG" width="320" /></a>Dinner tonight was lasagna and vino. Two of my favorite things and Hans was good enough to pick up a great bottle of one of my favorite wine regions in the world. Rioja! Yay! Takk Hans, you learned well. ;) <br />
I had a bit of fun convincing Line that Rio was named after the wine region. Her name is actually Rioja, but maybe I'm just lazy and call her Rio, I mean after all, I call Hans Olav, just Hans... ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MgbWZrIFevsSe04c56uPdrTqOMka2DMy7bOYez2xjy9cwnG2Av9WICEMBZDdWtqyQLhtIMkC9S7IrMSdUFS0JHxWJ97-PhwKgXMayxp-MagWq83sOZsSSonXhJ8FpImL_gg-_sTg9mA/s1600/IMG_2827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2MgbWZrIFevsSe04c56uPdrTqOMka2DMy7bOYez2xjy9cwnG2Av9WICEMBZDdWtqyQLhtIMkC9S7IrMSdUFS0JHxWJ97-PhwKgXMayxp-MagWq83sOZsSSonXhJ8FpImL_gg-_sTg9mA/s320/IMG_2827.JPG" width="320" /></a>After dinner, we did a drive out to the coast to try to catch the sunset, but we didn't quite make it this time. That being said, it was still great. The coastal area is wonderful and of course, just like Switzerland and Germany, the family here is unbelievable. Later in the evening, I spent some quality time with Hans. We worked on a "saying" for his graduation announcements. I came up with "Fanticecceptionalistic Norwegianal Explorer" , we'll see if I get "published". Either way, I had a good time giving my brain a bit of a work out. That being completed, I'm done, out and calling it a day.<br />
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Here's to a hopefully good night's sleep and feeling a bit better in the morning.<br />
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Good Night All.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-49679260222812781562010-12-17T21:16:00.000-07:002010-12-17T21:16:10.428-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 17<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Day 17 is September 23<br />
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Today we had a very early start. I was up a bit before the alarm.at 415 am. Unfortunately, I started the day with a massive headache & joint pain. However, from there on, the day was another Great one for the Paisano European Tour.<br />
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I can't say it enough, I'm So proud of Marc and Jana, too. They've got the greatest relationship with their folks and that's Outstanding! I'm really looking forward to having that kind of relationship one day, in the meantime, Danke to Marc for being one of my kids. ;)<br />
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Marc and Frank were good enough to take Momma and I to the Hamburg airport and make sure we were all ready to go and checked in. Again, Danke! Everyone in the Wilkens family made us feel Extremely Welcome. Remember, you ALL are Always welcome in our homes and we look forward to seeing you all again, soon.<br />
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Our flights today took us from Hamburg to Copenhagen and then to Trondheim. We were lucky in that we had uneventful flights. Yahoo! As we arrived into Copenhagen I had to take a quick little trip to the restroom. Since I peed there, that's counts for another country on my list, right?? The Copenhagen airport is surprisingly a very quite. I guess I'm so used to LOUD American airports, I was rather surprised. As we took a brief break between flights and grabbed a caffe, we also acquired more "new" money. This time, we've got Danish krone. I Love traveling, seeing new things, experiencing new places and collecting new money as well. ;)<br />
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I have to admit that as much as I love traveling and that I have Absolutely LOVED being in Germany for the past week, I am Beat...I feel pretty worn out. I've been coughing, had major aches and a massive headache today, but...we made it to Trondheim in one piece and found ourselves in a Very quiet airport. It was a bit odd as even the folks in the the lounge were very quiet.<br />
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Momma & I are now on to our 3rd or perhaps 4th country during this trip. 4th, only if you count Denmark because I used the restroom there. ;() So, when do YOU count a country??? Morten was good enough to pick us up. I can't thank our European family enough, Everyone has been SO generous. Takk Morten!!!<br />
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After we left the airport, our first stop was Kristiansten Fort. The view from up here is really amazing. Check out this link for some cool history. <a href="http://www.gonorway.no/norway/counties/sor-trondelag/trondheim/76360d31fcd1f60/vr/kristiansten.%20%20">http://www.gonorway.no/norway/counties/sor-trondelag/trondheim/76360d31fcd1f60/vr/kristiansten. </a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqepQbknptxTfem_CbNqgz7VyJmjMBnyj6ok2kJae4P6x-4RjIpp8j-5SMqJPSvpcEGWmxEBfSYeDlFJ9WNDz1jBFz9Hip-rSxdaAXgDm8WYXYmwboxx28KpycdxfhaIvH3BK1cdVO49w/s1600/IMG_2783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqepQbknptxTfem_CbNqgz7VyJmjMBnyj6ok2kJae4P6x-4RjIpp8j-5SMqJPSvpcEGWmxEBfSYeDlFJ9WNDz1jBFz9Hip-rSxdaAXgDm8WYXYmwboxx28KpycdxfhaIvH3BK1cdVO49w/s320/IMG_2783.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoCS7eih0_PjALIqlOUk55Q2UMWT-fqI2_i6hUa-t6lGKv50xHMgM-sw_TL6OCRIAwZmw_51E-t-oYaeL82KeR7YaNws6130JSvv4UdqBk3kat4Cm1yVEvJTsAe9FxWXwQf8MvKK7I6s/s1600/DSC01634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqoCS7eih0_PjALIqlOUk55Q2UMWT-fqI2_i6hUa-t6lGKv50xHMgM-sw_TL6OCRIAwZmw_51E-t-oYaeL82KeR7YaNws6130JSvv4UdqBk3kat4Cm1yVEvJTsAe9FxWXwQf8MvKK7I6s/s320/DSC01634.JPG" width="300" /></a>We spent some time looking around and even got to take a special tour with the grade school kids. That was cool too. The vantage point up there for pictures was amazing. <br />
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Of course, that would also mean that the folks who built the fort, WAY back when, had the same idea. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigICW0VLD3Jz1f7bfqGCu9ylQdPjK7tJyRNqugUXw0VoTlTlWNKPxyD_p1Tc3XRt8Wc9xgVwGnWw6FsQDAiXKjOoJ0ZC5l0zbEOz9RUvPJ7DBhD3eLbyUhVSzkm7I7cT-EXAb8k4hKIow/s1600/IMG_2782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigICW0VLD3Jz1f7bfqGCu9ylQdPjK7tJyRNqugUXw0VoTlTlWNKPxyD_p1Tc3XRt8Wc9xgVwGnWw6FsQDAiXKjOoJ0ZC5l0zbEOz9RUvPJ7DBhD3eLbyUhVSzkm7I7cT-EXAb8k4hKIow/s320/IMG_2782.JPG" width="192" /></a></div>After taking in the sights from the Fort, we next went to the beautiful church in the heart of Trondheim. That was impressive, to say the least. One of the most interesting things was the artwork on the church. I found it quite interesting when Morten gave us the run down of how, way back when, the leader of Norway was converted to Christianity. He went around the country and asked if the people were Christians. When they said no, well, guess what, they lost their heads. If they said yes, then, Ta-Da, they kept their heads. At any rate, there's a spot on the church that depicts a church "elder" with a bag full of heads. Interesting, huh? <br />
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Morten was nice enough to take us around the city to view the sights and then we stopped at one of my Always favorite places. We hit the Harley shop. Yay! I scored a t-shirt and it's got all the stuff that we just saw. Very cool & it was just like Morten knew what to show us. ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lCvBkYeziEwRK9C-sZThGIdW1-EUvdEYwHiPauc-B0C1v-DNXvlMv31LyVxb5TegfLpZ_w7wi5aMNe_Xk-OFD7yFXvt90XNPkEJwafl7TCF_FIKt66caQOkP2SMZPYwDcJahBogwwrQ/s1600/DSC01640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7lCvBkYeziEwRK9C-sZThGIdW1-EUvdEYwHiPauc-B0C1v-DNXvlMv31LyVxb5TegfLpZ_w7wi5aMNe_Xk-OFD7yFXvt90XNPkEJwafl7TCF_FIKt66caQOkP2SMZPYwDcJahBogwwrQ/s320/DSC01640.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Our drive from Trondhiem was absolutely amazing, especially the further north we went. At this point, I realize that I So need a bike out here! The ride out to our new "home" for the next week was great. After we got home, we finally got to meet Line, Maja & Kristen. That was Great! We got a chance to hang out while Morten & Line were cooking dinner for us. What a Great way to get settled in. Just before dinner was ready, Hans and Ronja got here. Just like when I saw Marc at the airport, I realized just how much I missed my boys. LOTS! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlOHsxpomoYTSjjOkS71TIbQbAXnvVrb7B1BXXvF-L46a31bnEHOnj04bIOcorLo8cxSZ5MkYJ5-aPKplU_5g070RagBaglWwqY1hj5A-tx2HpEZZetGsn7-Po2PtXiAN5fq6bHDueAs/s1600/DSC01641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlOHsxpomoYTSjjOkS71TIbQbAXnvVrb7B1BXXvF-L46a31bnEHOnj04bIOcorLo8cxSZ5MkYJ5-aPKplU_5g070RagBaglWwqY1hj5A-tx2HpEZZetGsn7-Po2PtXiAN5fq6bHDueAs/s320/DSC01641.JPG" width="193" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCCzeasSGc9Sd4TyVI1UaXtJdiElzap7AX9ePM4vNgnnRxrs0Di2jZGedWr0b-p0XO40530e7_yHBQ3MnWfttMQ700iJ9vt6dJG4JqKTKltlwX9z2YqQcz_Vlx3PsQx9gGWXjHJ45uJU/s1600/DSC01642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCCzeasSGc9Sd4TyVI1UaXtJdiElzap7AX9ePM4vNgnnRxrs0Di2jZGedWr0b-p0XO40530e7_yHBQ3MnWfttMQ700iJ9vt6dJG4JqKTKltlwX9z2YqQcz_Vlx3PsQx9gGWXjHJ45uJU/s320/DSC01642.JPG" width="240" /></a>Tonight, we got a chance to go to a "grand opening" for the multi use building and community center in Linnsvik where Line is in charge of several key areas of the municipality. This was Very nice surprise. The program was really nice. They had bands, music, singing, dancing & story telling. I know Momma and I both enjoyed it very much, even the "stuff" we didn't understand. Thank you Line for helping the Americans out. ;) So, Line was the MC, Kristin as a back up singer and Ronja was also part of the program as a member of a team. Very cool AND the Raustein's were well represented. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljK84sofMQixc9Qb7_kYqN4QkdvkSjivWkHcAks1OvgyxTq72tgpFUNPj6MaM20I4IceODF_l_8YJ5XMHeDWJ58nTGIuaE-HNEYeUhk4ySwLpae9vCmKAebnb7X0o_B-VDB7j7odZbAo/s1600/DSC01648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljK84sofMQixc9Qb7_kYqN4QkdvkSjivWkHcAks1OvgyxTq72tgpFUNPj6MaM20I4IceODF_l_8YJ5XMHeDWJ58nTGIuaE-HNEYeUhk4ySwLpae9vCmKAebnb7X0o_B-VDB7j7odZbAo/s320/DSC01648.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZmpHUzAdC-rPPsZrQAu_b5pEGgIEq1yZvoy2Bt6QWzbX5QC6TSXtexzC3hMfaTFJuzaQjDMYcTyljsNCJUyqotzzuVvkdTeJ1A7PlybHxcqk7HPLElAlGhue2v98JYM6DBPZA7PmeCU/s1600/DSC01652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ZmpHUzAdC-rPPsZrQAu_b5pEGgIEq1yZvoy2Bt6QWzbX5QC6TSXtexzC3hMfaTFJuzaQjDMYcTyljsNCJUyqotzzuVvkdTeJ1A7PlybHxcqk7HPLElAlGhue2v98JYM6DBPZA7PmeCU/s320/DSC01652.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
After show, we went back home and had a nice little meal and some great conversation. Hans & Ronja spent the night here at home and Momma and I give up and head up for bed. I was out like a light and was hoping for a good night's sleep so that I could try to get over being sick. Welcome to Norway!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-90387362702274814612010-12-05T22:26:00.000-07:002010-12-05T22:26:10.302-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 16<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Day 16 is September 22<br />
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Sadly, this is our last full day in Germany ;(<br />
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While I was waiting for the rest of the Wilkens crew to make their way downstairs, I got some pictures of the horsies out back and couldn't help but think of my Sis Jenno's comment when we saw horses in Colorado. Her comment was "Ohh, look at the horsies, Woof, Woof". Cracks me up Every time! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-5oTysWuw9XZ88-gIG9eh2P7Ki2lk3d0Equ-t_QTVHtFnQUjmqDKqMFEwLV2Y8QOKd2sRuctq834it2fi4zPSnVYyeTE6gzjM6x49rNHz_ajFqUfJ8bSsc9n0Nuzcfw7_Hd7EDX9E-E/s1600/IMG_2742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-5oTysWuw9XZ88-gIG9eh2P7Ki2lk3d0Equ-t_QTVHtFnQUjmqDKqMFEwLV2Y8QOKd2sRuctq834it2fi4zPSnVYyeTE6gzjM6x49rNHz_ajFqUfJ8bSsc9n0Nuzcfw7_Hd7EDX9E-E/s320/IMG_2742.JPG" width="320" /></a>Today we, (Frank, Heike, Momma, Marc & I), spent time driving around a bit, seeing sites around the area and then we dropped Marc off to take his driver test. As we expected, Marc passed with flying colours! YAY!!! Marc is now an officially, fully licensed German driver...uh-oh, I mean, Yay! I Knew he could do it. I mean afterall, he did some learning out here in Colorado, (and did a Great job, too). While we were waiting for all the "important" folks to show up, the instructor commented about Marc's "fan club". Glad to be known for something. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6r47hH8U5rqBjO15FJR_-v6bG-ALMt-qDZFhVcJjuqbJ9LSZFAjrjdr7SpV_YkW6zdafs06pSU4y4X9zvYguW_VcJbN_tgqVCtWP2HMevARpoQxNr_xmXBHQx0Ha7NC_zjhloLyO18E/s1600/IMG_2746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6r47hH8U5rqBjO15FJR_-v6bG-ALMt-qDZFhVcJjuqbJ9LSZFAjrjdr7SpV_YkW6zdafs06pSU4y4X9zvYguW_VcJbN_tgqVCtWP2HMevARpoQxNr_xmXBHQx0Ha7NC_zjhloLyO18E/s320/IMG_2746.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylfJmsb2IAHgFtDX77IzYrkZOe2InCKW1AdJq1BPUy0N-VZZP-dSrhol5eZJyCbeSqd67p5aAv4gPAeWou6dkqHgCowsgVwmBeCAaeG2_d-_QA7OLlGcQXu6NKsPKcHgZUC26tjbHvOw/s1600/IMG_2749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylfJmsb2IAHgFtDX77IzYrkZOe2InCKW1AdJq1BPUy0N-VZZP-dSrhol5eZJyCbeSqd67p5aAv4gPAeWou6dkqHgCowsgVwmBeCAaeG2_d-_QA7OLlGcQXu6NKsPKcHgZUC26tjbHvOw/s320/IMG_2749.JPG" width="320" /></a>After Marc's triumph, we had a light lunch and then went to Alster Lake. This time out, it was Momma, Heike, Jana & I. The weather was Beautiful! We walked around for awhile and I was able to get some really cool pictures. This time through the park area I saw much that I didn't get to see on our first visit. There were folks hanging out enjoying the sun, dogs playing, folks out on the lake, sailing, rowing and enjoying a great time. I also saw some sculpture around the pathway and they even had these really cool lounge chairs out in the middle of the park for people who want to relax and enjoy nature. Why can't we have things like that here in the US?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoby-eTsaYYfVx1qyeDo0Im7d3ADr8vte7XNzJfxbRMkkAc5kz2kCkPHGy_lqLbUU3zhz7MeZ3UiCsG9e_OaBOi_1OunpHWUUy-eCS8L8pzwdqOjR8qlSYZcu8aGzTgM3SpmdzcCnoHY/s1600/IMG_2757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoby-eTsaYYfVx1qyeDo0Im7d3ADr8vte7XNzJfxbRMkkAc5kz2kCkPHGy_lqLbUU3zhz7MeZ3UiCsG9e_OaBOi_1OunpHWUUy-eCS8L8pzwdqOjR8qlSYZcu8aGzTgM3SpmdzcCnoHY/s320/IMG_2757.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1_CAFe067TMANWqoaK85g9v1GHkSHk3T4SVEuB1soeRDrGD_n9pUd56-Qa2gloTybm79OSpPxj6ZcUGkZet21itMs-mbPQwKA1w0jMSLlQbjWn2zdyeveUzEigkqS1SpucaIlBxpjXI/s1600/IMG_2748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1_CAFe067TMANWqoaK85g9v1GHkSHk3T4SVEuB1soeRDrGD_n9pUd56-Qa2gloTybm79OSpPxj6ZcUGkZet21itMs-mbPQwKA1w0jMSLlQbjWn2zdyeveUzEigkqS1SpucaIlBxpjXI/s320/IMG_2748.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51zsY2sqy1QarZ_Gihy3PAiYNTBWYUgP4B7kDGz_431df_JDHGB5GxI_bKEWUAWj6eU_o6uWdHbCoPeycpyQOwimMlRuOA3sAA4DSOmje7lSjnrdJb_DwCPD61_kcG00HWECI_i3qHKY/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51zsY2sqy1QarZ_Gihy3PAiYNTBWYUgP4B7kDGz_431df_JDHGB5GxI_bKEWUAWj6eU_o6uWdHbCoPeycpyQOwimMlRuOA3sAA4DSOmje7lSjnrdJb_DwCPD61_kcG00HWECI_i3qHKY/s320/IMG_2751.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>Our last night here in Germany featured a Great dinner with the Wilkens'. Tonight we get to dine with Suzanne, Nadine and Aline as well as Heike, Jana, Marc and Frank. It was outstanding! What a great end to a wonderful week. After dinner and dessert, we got to watch Aline's pictures of Cypress. I Know I've not traveled Nearly enough and seeing these pictures serve to prove the fact. These pictures were great. It looks like a wonderful place and too many people, Especially, folks from the US, do not think about traveling to other countries, especially those countries that the think are "different"<br />
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This evening's celebration was wonderful, BUT...I'm really starting to feel the effects of Marc's cold and his souvenir he gave me from his trip to Poland. That's OK, I guess, it's the gift that keeps on giving.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAajV-DgRDJsOF9ZosDfrnyIkslq3tJj7LKXPrTrqOfbQC6fQ_aHoEeHbbbQporzjATkXugHKM6V1wJjOyklKDPoDkUDjRc2lNHfAZc74FzTGiPzqSVBC3Jfo5WwWhKNKo5mxCPQV_3SM/s1600/IMG_2779.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAajV-DgRDJsOF9ZosDfrnyIkslq3tJj7LKXPrTrqOfbQC6fQ_aHoEeHbbbQporzjATkXugHKM6V1wJjOyklKDPoDkUDjRc2lNHfAZc74FzTGiPzqSVBC3Jfo5WwWhKNKo5mxCPQV_3SM/s400/IMG_2779.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="" id="result_box" lang="de"><span title="">danke euch allen dafür, dass Mama und ich nach Deutschland, wie es war bestimmt Erfahrung, mit der Familie. </span><span title="">Es war eine Reise ihres Lebens. </span><span title="">Immer in unseren Herzen. </span><span title="">Vielen Dank für die Familie.</span></span><br />
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<span class="" id="result_box" lang="de"><span title="">Thanks for the memories,</span></span><br />
<span class="" id="result_box" lang="de"><span title="">Joey</span></span>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-91336888185761161642010-11-30T22:05:00.000-07:002010-11-30T22:05:10.849-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 15<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_lNsvaqi88DWSnEebSWKMLUYZmYxp0NCnYnt7WzoUhtnRosAL0WrF4728aBsum0k0Vb_8xcJeIzVJi3sR1PBT_Dd-WT0Urxp5JRdJw3_Z2MMZs51botJS0K0VfIb8ll9YKLUQ2pqzj4/s1600/IMG_2645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_lNsvaqi88DWSnEebSWKMLUYZmYxp0NCnYnt7WzoUhtnRosAL0WrF4728aBsum0k0Vb_8xcJeIzVJi3sR1PBT_Dd-WT0Urxp5JRdJw3_Z2MMZs51botJS0K0VfIb8ll9YKLUQ2pqzj4/s320/IMG_2645.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaNUE62fPL_WZjW2q92CbMSVqmzRYyPF-JKRAxopzkF5iA88w0NkS51ReMjBQfLi9A9SBLhbqDdDiCjI7FY7BkqLYOZJ86WwVFMthGM5qRuc8pSppaQwsnn4b2osixNbxguQzrv8KOfc/s1600/IMG_2646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIaNUE62fPL_WZjW2q92CbMSVqmzRYyPF-JKRAxopzkF5iA88w0NkS51ReMjBQfLi9A9SBLhbqDdDiCjI7FY7BkqLYOZJ86WwVFMthGM5qRuc8pSppaQwsnn4b2osixNbxguQzrv8KOfc/s320/IMG_2646.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Day 15 is September 21<br />
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I know, you're surprised but today was another great day. Momma and I got to spend the morning with Frank and Heike. The day started off a bit cool, but then turned out great.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0B-5mAf8i4gmv-Y9u_M_t3DFUwlr2VamPCyaU3FtIiBtNorTfUC6bNy0VHPvxBirGXSXTDBpD_pwkaWPbhcirlrIRqT7ZWU-9n1dh0glHmid7JVANoyBufUMoNS4PzX7vncKrPDtDxo/s1600/IMG_2650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0B-5mAf8i4gmv-Y9u_M_t3DFUwlr2VamPCyaU3FtIiBtNorTfUC6bNy0VHPvxBirGXSXTDBpD_pwkaWPbhcirlrIRqT7ZWU-9n1dh0glHmid7JVANoyBufUMoNS4PzX7vncKrPDtDxo/s320/IMG_2650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After we get the kids off to school, the four of us head to a great area along the coast. It was very nice and relaxing out there. There's a nice little walkway that runs quite a good distance along the shore, well, OK, so it's actually raised over the river area. There's a cool section where the flags of the ships' country are raised and also a "welcome" recording. It was pretty interesting to see and while we were out there we got to see several boats and ships go by. We even got to see the "Heike" and the "Jana". I'm a firm believer in the idea that everyone should have "something" named after them. Oh yeah, and while we were walking along I saw topless critters enjoying time on the beach. It was fun to see them enjoying themselves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQyPy0wzogyQLAKUkIzPAmRhoFKyA3A6TlcJvAOWRXbUaVNO8S5EMDrrdz0rYyqDTGVww_AEArsgtHS1Ds-KwEZCpOBmn5f-9QdO4mrCy3qGU47whsHoEkNDpm5bI2A4t5JhkEyyNSXM/s1600/IMG_2665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQyPy0wzogyQLAKUkIzPAmRhoFKyA3A6TlcJvAOWRXbUaVNO8S5EMDrrdz0rYyqDTGVww_AEArsgtHS1Ds-KwEZCpOBmn5f-9QdO4mrCy3qGU47whsHoEkNDpm5bI2A4t5JhkEyyNSXM/s320/IMG_2665.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VzpYV1zH327bWQL4UFD65S1Fv0e-C-RnRl37eTR45IDWDQxYzBbnjJChezRJTf4V7B6r9gVT7RQWMqx_wfrLsa8iJoJvNo4vnxfXQHqzTj1iNRLukBnDySgBNc8rOKv31IsOYAX5xoY/s1600/IMG_2674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VzpYV1zH327bWQL4UFD65S1Fv0e-C-RnRl37eTR45IDWDQxYzBbnjJChezRJTf4V7B6r9gVT7RQWMqx_wfrLsa8iJoJvNo4vnxfXQHqzTj1iNRLukBnDySgBNc8rOKv31IsOYAX5xoY/s320/IMG_2674.JPG" width="212" /></a>After our time at the beach, we drove around Hamburg. We saw the really great old buildings and the warehouse areas along the river. It was cool to see the OLD buildings and the new ones pretty much right next one another, or at least across the channel. You could almost visualize the old sailing ships pulling into the warehouse area and using the old school block and tackle and pulley systems to unload all the freight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67KmesqDCEuHn_UGeOfW9U1fG19ER-52KyPjsuBBr6_9vmfJrwyi5ZZZoUX1DHy5M6YHk87ia8iEuCTslBPAytw9jg7suS7dodXsnuOIOweZykRTcwseOigkBN9zsxQ59KUhfKcWsBVo/s1600/IMG_2678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67KmesqDCEuHn_UGeOfW9U1fG19ER-52KyPjsuBBr6_9vmfJrwyi5ZZZoUX1DHy5M6YHk87ia8iEuCTslBPAytw9jg7suS7dodXsnuOIOweZykRTcwseOigkBN9zsxQ59KUhfKcWsBVo/s320/IMG_2678.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVF7C5oXa_Xj2cX5HPdUQ-H3lwmRbJU4L5_28Q0ckJvruy6nxK7Bn-2ioiDkLxoMa6gwohzBAoxO2LjEaS0k1qPi3Itpk9GnSb070S9mbVdL-CxqzhOIXGEP6bmseTNs4-ontNh5Zsmjc/s1600/IMG_2694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVF7C5oXa_Xj2cX5HPdUQ-H3lwmRbJU4L5_28Q0ckJvruy6nxK7Bn-2ioiDkLxoMa6gwohzBAoxO2LjEaS0k1qPi3Itpk9GnSb070S9mbVdL-CxqzhOIXGEP6bmseTNs4-ontNh5Zsmjc/s320/IMG_2694.JPG" width="320" /></a>After our drive around the city, we head back home for a nice lunch with everyone. Today was salmon and spinach. Very good! Later on, Marc, Jana, Momma & I head to the Pinneberg train station to head "downtown". At the station we met Nina and Teo, Marc's friends. The young ladies are Great! We had a wonderful time hanging out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdvjLBNVNw_04qPJCZtmrXobam1VHR7uEXcrs0Y2JJ4Ye5_mum1LviFnGtkJIuUAm4zwapseMPIBLNyFBSej7eW2IlwwacrGYOU5wbXpukfkFfL5tx-dlwY8goBsYN5XGhJyBs5qb_bI/s1600/IMG_2697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgdvjLBNVNw_04qPJCZtmrXobam1VHR7uEXcrs0Y2JJ4Ye5_mum1LviFnGtkJIuUAm4zwapseMPIBLNyFBSej7eW2IlwwacrGYOU5wbXpukfkFfL5tx-dlwY8goBsYN5XGhJyBs5qb_bI/s320/IMG_2697.JPG" width="320" /></a>While we were in Hamburg, we got a chance to see more cool stuff. One of our first stops was our trip to St. Michaels. St. Michaels is a really great old church in the heart of Hamburg. The views from the top of this church are absolutely amazing. The 4 kids have been Absolutely amazing and has been wonderful about showing great things around the city and have been very cool when we need to stop and take a break. You know, at this age, we get tired. :)<br />
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Besides the views from St. Michaels we also visited Hamburg Parliment. It's pretty amazing how cool the "offices" are here in Germany. The architecture is beautiful. Out in front of Parliment was a "map" of the city. That was very interesting as it was a 3D map that has Got to be a Pain to fold up and put in the glove box of the car.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERxk4WIR41brVH5UGzFmpLfqqwRQ8I2dkuumWGVuFe-HCFn_oT9xjRwIfelRgVrVf57meFVYIt8H-VL1D1yk7ZXJv_UO4regCxF_ZI7Xo5gDMdzkRhQ4KPE3aBv7X8lI6eNLuLuG5tWQ/s1600/IMG_2704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgERxk4WIR41brVH5UGzFmpLfqqwRQ8I2dkuumWGVuFe-HCFn_oT9xjRwIfelRgVrVf57meFVYIt8H-VL1D1yk7ZXJv_UO4regCxF_ZI7Xo5gDMdzkRhQ4KPE3aBv7X8lI6eNLuLuG5tWQ/s320/IMG_2704.JPG" width="320" /></a>We continue our walk around Hamburg and end up at a great cafe right on the shore of Alster Lake. Between us, we had a cappuccino or two, macchiato, ice cream and even a banana shake. It was a bit chilly, but this cafe does some really cool stuff. They have blankets in all the outside chairs. What a Great idea! Seems like they had some heaters as well, but I'm not quite sure. I'm not quite sure that ice cream & a banana shake made a whole lot of sense, but then again, I'm FAR removed from being a teenager.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA0j4u-NEM80bElNJsk8m3uNwYrZ01lZ__KIywqmuaFEFFJ4Oa1GES4XxSE0hLYSPWBXJHIUbIpfpbN7ltotQRacJOhwYuQ84uUjVNK8ZjVtDMk_rceDusYG2D21atpgUjryyvf3jYsY/s1600/IMG_2718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCA0j4u-NEM80bElNJsk8m3uNwYrZ01lZ__KIywqmuaFEFFJ4Oa1GES4XxSE0hLYSPWBXJHIUbIpfpbN7ltotQRacJOhwYuQ84uUjVNK8ZjVtDMk_rceDusYG2D21atpgUjryyvf3jYsY/s320/IMG_2718.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcsCRQ8UeloLwMvNrHTiUn4tOEcdSSM405_Y3eXDW1aFo9xhHZ6Mfg7oeGRjk48aPaXBT3eNQ-irRyPL8UebQW-EooXLBybPkrDzL6hGDHf-aQBztFCepP5YSs4sn_CM-7KE5o7q3QMk/s1600/IMG_2719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcsCRQ8UeloLwMvNrHTiUn4tOEcdSSM405_Y3eXDW1aFo9xhHZ6Mfg7oeGRjk48aPaXBT3eNQ-irRyPL8UebQW-EooXLBybPkrDzL6hGDHf-aQBztFCepP5YSs4sn_CM-7KE5o7q3QMk/s320/IMG_2719.JPG" width="320" /></a>Of course, as we were walking around, we got lots more pictures. I'm having a Blast taken pictures everyday. I must say that even I'm impressed with some of the shots I've been able to take during this trip. We take a little side trip past a square that Heiner told us about where they purchased several redwood trees from the USA. Beautiful area and now we're on our way back "home". Bless Heike for being our chauffeur, expecially since she dropped us off and picked us up, too. Danke Heike!<br />
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Just one more day and we're our way again. It's hard to believe that our time in Germany is almost over. Hard to believe how fast this has been going.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-70906648347569104432010-11-29T14:50:00.000-07:002010-11-29T14:50:12.392-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 14Day 14 is September 20<br />
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Today is another great day to be alive, in Germany and with family. It is, however a bit cloudy & overcast - it makes me think of some of the time I've spent in San Francisco<br />
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Since today is Monday, Jana and Marc "get" to go to school today and Frank & Heike took the day off, so Momma and I got to hang out and see more sites. We get to have a nice breakfast - have I mentioned how much I really enjoy fresh baked bread and rolls along with a nice cup of coffee in the morning? No, well, Danke Frank! It was always a great start to the day. As we're finishing up the "wake up" coffee and fresh bread, we get the game plan ready to go.<br />
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Today our first stop is Hamburg Nord Harley Davidson shop. Yay! I always find it interesting to take in the sites at Harley shops when I get to travel somewhere else. I still wish I coulda gotten myself a Swiss Harley shirt, but I guess I can either look online OR I could go back to Switzerland, hmmm...I think I Like That idea! While we were looking around the shop, Frank said he may be considering selling his existing scooter for either a bigger one or a motorcycle. Of course, That got me thinking... Now we're talking a bit about some "Euro" rides. I'd Love to get out on the road in Europe. I think that might be an upcoming trip.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJN80zAI7YP1wiFbXcRFmBJEUjBkQvtG6foX3fszT4oS255-kCxF0vZyU1QIloozKSDcoJCLWezi2TJHQCrR-K2AEo68ikocnR5yf7wnOxW9JsmMmjEyzP92Wg5h-BeLI3khZNbnbeco/s1600/IMG_2619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJN80zAI7YP1wiFbXcRFmBJEUjBkQvtG6foX3fszT4oS255-kCxF0vZyU1QIloozKSDcoJCLWezi2TJHQCrR-K2AEo68ikocnR5yf7wnOxW9JsmMmjEyzP92Wg5h-BeLI3khZNbnbeco/s320/IMG_2619.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Our next stop was Graff a huge wine and beer shop with loads of "stuff" all over. It really reminded me of home, but in a good way. I know I could have spent a fortune there. I really like shopping for wine and even beer, too. Pretty much everything I saw here was cheaper - it must be the proximity to the supply. I should have gotten some of the cool single beers, but I was afraid they would end up getting broken before I got home. I mean after all, you've seen how those folks handle luggage, right?? I did however, pick up a bottle of French red that was bottled in Hamburg. We'll see if I can leave it alone until I get a chance to share it with Frank & Heike.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGXJ44a2v5FPlhy7JJCK41xeuc95-smFwdG9yHtVVuYjAhGKFidUcH0n4VtSZCwveyrjCdjBU7w-uuxgSVd3xVU4xj7PSQJfqMPirEJjyfPA-qyCa-0Z2qQyWOhUC3Ao8uAS5-2EsT9g/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGXJ44a2v5FPlhy7JJCK41xeuc95-smFwdG9yHtVVuYjAhGKFidUcH0n4VtSZCwveyrjCdjBU7w-uuxgSVd3xVU4xj7PSQJfqMPirEJjyfPA-qyCa-0Z2qQyWOhUC3Ao8uAS5-2EsT9g/s320/IMG_2624.JPG" width="310" /></a>After our trip to the wine shop we then stopped at a nice little market for dinner fixings and had an "early" typical German meal after the kids got home from school. Sorry, I forgot to mention that Frank and I dropped Marc off at school and while we are out, we take a drive past Jana's school, too. Just like most things, if you didn't know & forgot about the smaller flats, the neighborhoods here are just like the US. I think that's one of the coolest things about being here. Once you get out of the "city", it's very similar everywhere. That just means that we are all much more alike than our governments might like to think sometimes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTP-S4euePQCImhyQZc6x6M7ttyDiYhKeoXU0E8K6hwUa7tVbyX4p1XQ_VU4MHOGbQxE7d0g0rG58rRTBnSx-MPtvDwJgj9Zjx4607rCauqKRn4qY8K-dNOLuiaaCNbN28vmbAegT1Rs8/s1600/IMG_2627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTP-S4euePQCImhyQZc6x6M7ttyDiYhKeoXU0E8K6hwUa7tVbyX4p1XQ_VU4MHOGbQxE7d0g0rG58rRTBnSx-MPtvDwJgj9Zjx4607rCauqKRn4qY8K-dNOLuiaaCNbN28vmbAegT1Rs8/s320/IMG_2627.JPG" width="316" /></a><br />
After dinner and a rest, we went into Hamburg city to meet Frank's Uncle Heiner. What a great guy! We met and then went to a nice little tea house. Earlier, I had asked the real definition of Lufthansa and while Frank & Marc started to explain what it meant and no doubt, would have done a good job at it, Heiner, however, explained it perfectly. It doesn't hurt that he used to be one of the big wigs there. Heiner would be the teacher I would have loved to learn from when I was in high school or college. Heck, maybe one day, as I continue my schooling to become a teacher, I might even be like him at least a little bit, in a cool way, I hope.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W4F_owV6GeQo-g1P0SMwTfNLeiFG_EFyn7USI-3yVWCslhnsfs1k9B-nCdAs7vfvtzgfjI0-PeWR5-XnttKCAmqRAuiUZ_t-uZon7KbUw1fbjezFfQruP_zVOVwa6gYnlT0C6ZXP348/s1600/IMG_2629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6W4F_owV6GeQo-g1P0SMwTfNLeiFG_EFyn7USI-3yVWCslhnsfs1k9B-nCdAs7vfvtzgfjI0-PeWR5-XnttKCAmqRAuiUZ_t-uZon7KbUw1fbjezFfQruP_zVOVwa6gYnlT0C6ZXP348/s320/IMG_2629.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
So, back to the definition. Luft is air and Hansa is/was an loose association of trading partners back in the 15th or so century. Hamburg and other coastal cities and areas in Denmark, Sweden and even into the Russian areas were a part of this association. Of course, there were other cities as well. This association later became somewhat of a self protecting association against pirates and other riffraff. So in the 1920's LuftHansa air was born using the same general idea of servicing areas for flights and whatnot. Heiner is a font of great information and he has so much knowledge, but it really was like chatting with a favorite uncle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXoMHxOEqU6kX6ZBdIiW8TO0aWNCgj2HTe3SW9GX3EeO7VSrbPimG4oG0Hp4F5Ecr2It0FsBwlwen-h7pAABjcFWjlhVjfPgYc9zxfX5jYiaLgSS3kMQgP1DJQeHXxTdHZIv7U_uq3wc/s1600/IMG_2632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXoMHxOEqU6kX6ZBdIiW8TO0aWNCgj2HTe3SW9GX3EeO7VSrbPimG4oG0Hp4F5Ecr2It0FsBwlwen-h7pAABjcFWjlhVjfPgYc9zxfX5jYiaLgSS3kMQgP1DJQeHXxTdHZIv7U_uq3wc/s320/IMG_2632.JPG" width="320" /></a>After the great conversation, we took a drive to Alster Lake. We walked around a bit, but it was unfortunately raining a touch so we didn't get a great look at everything. What we did see, however was really cool. We did see the water taxis, boats, the skyline and what every lake should have, a bar right on the shore. I think one of my favorite parts was the dog park or what I decided to call a poochplatz. That park made me really miss my girls and I realized that I need to get the girls out and socialize. I think they would love hanging out with other dogs, I mean after-all, they had foster brothers and sisters before they became part of the Paisano clan.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUYoS2sHjF3RxVhX7MQMSYGvVw49k6HbfV2IratVt_1mVuT0wQA3Qfo0SzRa30bah4N8h9QeH0PgcZJFu6ruVBDqCPq3FimU1tXvQNlnkGRLY-AhXK9YUETC3rhShcekrUIA5FtI1EMI/s1600/IMG_2634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUYoS2sHjF3RxVhX7MQMSYGvVw49k6HbfV2IratVt_1mVuT0wQA3Qfo0SzRa30bah4N8h9QeH0PgcZJFu6ruVBDqCPq3FimU1tXvQNlnkGRLY-AhXK9YUETC3rhShcekrUIA5FtI1EMI/s320/IMG_2634.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
On our way home, we passed through a construction area that had, without a doubt, one of the coolest things I've ever seen. When you speed, they turn on the "frowny face" sign and then a "happy face" sign for non speeders. Classic! We SO need that here in the US. Of course, I would likely speed just to get the frowny face.<br />
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As we get ready to call it a day, and a very busy one at that, we had snacks and watched the movie 2012. It was during this time that we realized that we are already down to our last two days in Germany. It has gone way too fast.<br />
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We are now calling it a day so that we can get our and experience even more tomorrow.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-72784371410447578242010-11-25T17:19:00.000-07:002010-11-25T17:19:32.891-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 13Day 13 is September 19<br />
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Today was a day trip to Hamburg! Very cool day ahead of us. I woke up early again and tried to be quiet while everyone else slept. Luckily, I've had practice "creeping around", so I try to be stealthy. Of course, usually at my house I don't have to be too quite because when I've got the boys here, they sleep like rocks and my girls are awake at the crack of dawn.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixH1cqetKiZ0nKyDCRf0DV2rlCOkrgneyymET09Oj5PMAGZY0w47onL7xEQBFdrtk94jaFdbGIcSMbRS0AUcSwvMdHoZepWKiFH5BmB0Zst4Ty-eeg4D1F5mp3as5EW1c_v3oxComwBL0/s1600/IMG_2735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixH1cqetKiZ0nKyDCRf0DV2rlCOkrgneyymET09Oj5PMAGZY0w47onL7xEQBFdrtk94jaFdbGIcSMbRS0AUcSwvMdHoZepWKiFH5BmB0Zst4Ty-eeg4D1F5mp3as5EW1c_v3oxComwBL0/s320/IMG_2735.JPG" width="320" /></a>I must say I really enjoy that first cup of coffee in the morning, especially in a sleeping house. This morning was Beautiful! The sun & the horses out the back door were a very nice touch. While we were waiting for Jana's return from church, we got some laundry done and relaxed. Unfortunately, Marc is still feeling poorly. I guess I should explain that. Marc went on a class trip to Poland and as a souvenir, he brought back a cold. That will be important later on.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_Z19rheOeaAe5oztKhZc2Ry6CFSGBFhwy1w3W__FKrLdagLcjIjmskN0TRU2gq33YbBFdhZpZCUvRXkrKRnSWfmjR3OZm-zIXCRIQAjuY0ZQ4xD6uMBPtt34LigMrOOjw3GFFdCd0Yo/s1600/IMG_2595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_Z19rheOeaAe5oztKhZc2Ry6CFSGBFhwy1w3W__FKrLdagLcjIjmskN0TRU2gq33YbBFdhZpZCUvRXkrKRnSWfmjR3OZm-zIXCRIQAjuY0ZQ4xD6uMBPtt34LigMrOOjw3GFFdCd0Yo/s320/IMG_2595.JPG" width="148" /></a><br />
We head into Hamburg and our first stop is Heike's office. She's got an Amazing view of the harbor and clock tower. This building is named "Stella House", but I think based on my personal opinion, we should rename this "Heike House" It just has a better ring to it.<br />
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After our tour of "Heike House", we decided to take a walk along the river. It was very windy out along the shore & pier, but still very a cool parade of boats and ships. Near the river there was much traffic due to futbol game St Pauli vs Hamburg. I'd like to say I remember who won, but if you know me, then you know that there's So Much crap/stuff in my head that details like that just seem to fall out. I'm just hoping that one day something Really important doesn't fall out of there, you know, like how to ride a motorcycle or open a bottle of wine.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bnFlbnRpXkMd5kM9usUgDH1kk_IvkGRLNrVp8hliTh4IMuDZpELysJy5J1POGKE5qVGtbqDix035L_zmWePXInmIg-AqORVadFvO6qmWwJVZ2qHONMO502FLlVLtBCVrwG3DCJiw_Fo/s1600/IMG_2596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bnFlbnRpXkMd5kM9usUgDH1kk_IvkGRLNrVp8hliTh4IMuDZpELysJy5J1POGKE5qVGtbqDix035L_zmWePXInmIg-AqORVadFvO6qmWwJVZ2qHONMO502FLlVLtBCVrwG3DCJiw_Fo/s320/IMG_2596.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd0dVDFGNAXhtUQZ1wV5B_xy8oeBnDmOcDcBViScWql8RV-78VWMIWU4eQKYcE3EqBnDo2Ds1So7xx3lDLb4WeIyj29VKcyLnz5yO-yfLUrGdNaMG26Qupd9Qii8Rdulkzh2ogpJDHss/s1600/IMG_2599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd0dVDFGNAXhtUQZ1wV5B_xy8oeBnDmOcDcBViScWql8RV-78VWMIWU4eQKYcE3EqBnDo2Ds1So7xx3lDLb4WeIyj29VKcyLnz5yO-yfLUrGdNaMG26Qupd9Qii8Rdulkzh2ogpJDHss/s320/IMG_2599.JPG" width="320" /></a>We spent a good amount of the day driving around Hamburg, well, OK, we were riding as Frank was our chauffeur. The Elbe River flows in and around Hamburg and allows for some great sightseeing. One of the most interesting aspects of this trip was that at one point, we drove over the Elbe and then at another point actually drove under it. I knew it was possible, of course, with things like the Chunnel, but I hadn't ever experienced it. Pretty cool stuff. The whole idea of driving under the water can be pretty freaky, but since I shut my brain off, not so much.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5LEvVfp-vMRZit6I59hNE1UL0g4F_vv4-Q2x4lL2aOHLwFtdiMtt_RGHZn1sjNKp0G1qzz9jf_nUN8XwNuClFIKvx5mpIJoQk1Zvpl4jIBFJdoKksJ03ivJjxAa_JNWb1biB3YhWZgE/s1600/IMG_2614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf5LEvVfp-vMRZit6I59hNE1UL0g4F_vv4-Q2x4lL2aOHLwFtdiMtt_RGHZn1sjNKp0G1qzz9jf_nUN8XwNuClFIKvx5mpIJoQk1Zvpl4jIBFJdoKksJ03ivJjxAa_JNWb1biB3YhWZgE/s320/IMG_2614.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our next stop was the simply amazing Süllberg Hotel. This is a special location for our guides and rightfully so. The cappucino & other "hot beverages" and tortes were perfect. The prices seemed to be a touch on the expensive side, but if the decor and the views were an indication, it was more than well worth it. The expansive view from the "elevated beach" was very cool and as someone said, the picture from that vantage point looked like something out of a story book.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLG5Ws__TIuEb2ovIbyplL5Y8JDteLYLKjHwOSYcbuwHH5c7zRzpEzDQhNFnnhKWsi1q_cbAPRqrHayQV_0MMVX_MAMNpx10dKbOcFgg_DRfB3Qv902lMvjv6RY6iGte51GAUeNaNTbZM/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLG5Ws__TIuEb2ovIbyplL5Y8JDteLYLKjHwOSYcbuwHH5c7zRzpEzDQhNFnnhKWsi1q_cbAPRqrHayQV_0MMVX_MAMNpx10dKbOcFgg_DRfB3Qv902lMvjv6RY6iGte51GAUeNaNTbZM/s320/IMG_2615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We had the pleasure this evening of attending an EF informational meeting in Hamburg and got to watch Marc "at work". Marc is doing great stuff with EF and the German office seems to be rather pleased with him...as they should be. Other than not understanding most of what was going on, it was a good, interesting meeting. I even had a couple questions come my way as well. I found it interesting that even Momma noticed that some of the girls in the meeting were much more likely to be successful than others, simply based on their interactions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzigwnNqvQI5l13_zlAfjrpxdVRse39sjgs8lTSuOrHQTdEip8I23PeIvF7Q8OzEaStkoNeUJPUYb4CRw8ekZkV-1IliVfwO586TdcKhTnltrzkakwWEPo_uCqvXwUH-i8DdNk_xnPmkE/s1600/IMG_2617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzigwnNqvQI5l13_zlAfjrpxdVRse39sjgs8lTSuOrHQTdEip8I23PeIvF7Q8OzEaStkoNeUJPUYb4CRw8ekZkV-1IliVfwO586TdcKhTnltrzkakwWEPo_uCqvXwUH-i8DdNk_xnPmkE/s320/IMG_2617.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
As we call it a day, we finish up with a great chicken, rice & broccoli dish, all finished off with a very nice Rioja. Yum! Tomorrow, Marc & Jana "get" to go to school, but Frank & Heike get to play hooky and take the day off.<br />
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What a great day! Time to get some rest and get ready for another fun day tomorrow.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-82413813347691097592010-11-22T23:10:00.000-07:002010-11-22T23:10:27.019-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 12<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Q3oqY_bGn9MC-Rmo6uALJ3c4SMiW9n_-MU0dZSlcgQrl1WwDQmTkeenK6NGB8Eo9fOwMqInSrIlx2C7LmhG3o2HTc46IDNCqA6qxsQXKDMTe_8aMAMVs-28S7s_wdsf43_ffJB58gbE/s1600/IMG_2494.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Q3oqY_bGn9MC-Rmo6uALJ3c4SMiW9n_-MU0dZSlcgQrl1WwDQmTkeenK6NGB8Eo9fOwMqInSrIlx2C7LmhG3o2HTc46IDNCqA6qxsQXKDMTe_8aMAMVs-28S7s_wdsf43_ffJB58gbE/s320/IMG_2494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Day 12 is September 18<br />
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This morning we got up early. had a great "Euro" breakfast with great coffee and wonderful fresh bread, Yum! Soon there after we are on our way. The we in this case is Frank & Heike, Marc, Jana & Jana's friend Nathalie, Momma & I. Frank was nice enough to rent an Opel van and did all the driving. We hit the door and the road around 8:30am. It generally takes about 2 1/2 hrs or so to drive to Berlin, even on the autobahn. Of course, with the Opel, things seem a bit longer. No offense, of course, there Was plenty of room in there for all of us.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TVgUGuBBkUHO9Aaeu0v5esX2gYX8ThAGTZ7xHchWvW-i_st-86-MKoH4hg-A47X2qJj3ewKS0Z0mXEBHvK2UdlxIXFtB7RrnlgMA5eOtpQkWtUOs9ynAPZO62AvjRrmr6f8JcsELr_k/s1600/IMG_2505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5TVgUGuBBkUHO9Aaeu0v5esX2gYX8ThAGTZ7xHchWvW-i_st-86-MKoH4hg-A47X2qJj3ewKS0Z0mXEBHvK2UdlxIXFtB7RrnlgMA5eOtpQkWtUOs9ynAPZO62AvjRrmr6f8JcsELr_k/s320/IMG_2505.JPG" width="225" /></a><br />
The first thing we noticed as we arrived in Berlin was the huge amount of people and of course the history staring you right in the face. We parked and then walked the rest of the day. I Do love being able to walk around and not worrying about finding more parking spaces and such. As we were walking around, we went past museums, state buildings from before WWII that were so blackened & you could almost smell the smoke, as well as great street vendors and amazing architecture, both new and old.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQLg-XgsPK5cEmRdzX7aenPjGRlulCUWoUef6wz26CMEcxSNDEDJk3AtKudMnE-ExAAjmv_AOm1-ggWCh1H5KlyZiFNg6cOUzYC-mkMQevxP_KfVBMMUemRnjSeOPTsfz15BGoeCOEzI/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQLg-XgsPK5cEmRdzX7aenPjGRlulCUWoUef6wz26CMEcxSNDEDJk3AtKudMnE-ExAAjmv_AOm1-ggWCh1H5KlyZiFNg6cOUzYC-mkMQevxP_KfVBMMUemRnjSeOPTsfz15BGoeCOEzI/s320/IMG_2523.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
We started our tour by walking around, looking in and around shops and street vendors and taking in the scene. Since we were doing a walking tour, we made our way down to Check Point Charlie. On the way towards the "landmark" there are billboards and signage that explains how the Berlin Wall came into being and we were able to read the countdown to the division of Germany, which leads right up to the Check Point Charlie area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ntDt7sE1Pb9Tj3Dnqx4wAYcw1FfnRHvGnTXTLlr_hDGeUD-MT24wEOuGAMtO2n3rE3Rofl7xE4kZKOFRgIDYgN4yo4-Y8gNPhh8e1-lE84QaPUduHu9CVYC-66crWePDxgkYe6azk2o/s1600/IMG_2525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ntDt7sE1Pb9Tj3Dnqx4wAYcw1FfnRHvGnTXTLlr_hDGeUD-MT24wEOuGAMtO2n3rE3Rofl7xE4kZKOFRgIDYgN4yo4-Y8gNPhh8e1-lE84QaPUduHu9CVYC-66crWePDxgkYe6azk2o/s320/IMG_2525.JPG" width="320" /></a>The sense of history here is amazing. I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but I know So little about Germany and the Berlin Wall and all of that. What little I know comes from history books and American High Schools, so you know what that means, yep, I didn't really have a clue what it was all about or what it would feel like. We saw the brick lines in the road that indicate where the Berlin Wall used to be. One can only imagine what the Germans in the area went through. The area definitely has a militaristic feel, even after all these years. <br />
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Even though the border and crossing were there since the end of World War II, the "wall" wasn't constructed until 1961. As history tells us, there was such an outpouring of mostly young and educated people from East German at this time - approximately 20% of the population, the former Soviet Union decided that a permanent wall would be built. There is such a stark contrast between the two sides of Berlin, especially right in this area. I realized the total change that residents underwent when the line was drawn. People who were neighbors, friends & family were suddenly not allowed contact one another. Simply amazing. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_-RtlXpxipEfJ2aK7iTncdiXoe5HvkOkuBjwzTwn6A5-v1SmA3UqRT544U7DecbPi5txSdvuKqdZGE1OxgBfqKIcllOqxgdeRoAnWPO0ZEMiA0vcWe0HQMp9ZHpWfPnf8yGo3f88qFY/s1600/IMG_2526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_-RtlXpxipEfJ2aK7iTncdiXoe5HvkOkuBjwzTwn6A5-v1SmA3UqRT544U7DecbPi5txSdvuKqdZGE1OxgBfqKIcllOqxgdeRoAnWPO0ZEMiA0vcWe0HQMp9ZHpWfPnf8yGo3f88qFY/s400/IMG_2526.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
Our next stop on our Berlin Day trip was the Berlin Topography of Terror Museum. This museum is located on the site of the former SS & Gestapo headquarters. As I understand it, there is both an inside and outside of this museum. Today we decided to stay outside and take in the time-line portion of the rise of Adolf Hitler.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHM2vrRvQ9_pVvtuDRiRyLksabg4B461MKd71cS6rcjcmxxy84CskGN5Z0TL1gbvjj3hmIWoFLxtWVmRmom304NluVyIB-Ax1DpmQTMFbQwxBitnMAoW-7eO8e5UCzsR9-Gn6mSKGCrw/s1600/IMG_2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHM2vrRvQ9_pVvtuDRiRyLksabg4B461MKd71cS6rcjcmxxy84CskGN5Z0TL1gbvjj3hmIWoFLxtWVmRmom304NluVyIB-Ax1DpmQTMFbQwxBitnMAoW-7eO8e5UCzsR9-Gn6mSKGCrw/s400/IMG_2529.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
To say this was an emotional portion of our trip is a huge understatement This was so amazingly powerful I felt like the souls of the victims were reaching out from the past. Our time here was very surreal. In fact, even the weather was acting on it. The time-line here worked through the grim reality of that period of human history in which Hitler moved his way up the ladder of German government until his death. <br />
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As I continued to read the history, the clouds started rolling in until finally it started to rain. This was not the type of rain that comes in a downpour to cleanse the earth. This rain was so much more. The rain was soft and gentle and much more a gentle weeping than anything else. This rain brought with it a profound sadness and the spirit of those who perished simply because of a perceived "difference". When I looked up at the sky I saw two very different things. At first, the sky was dark and gloomy and perfectly matched the overwhelming sense of despair. <br />
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Later on, as we were finishing up the trip down the time line, I looked up again and was impressed to see a sky that had turned from dark and gray to one that was now half filled with beautiful blue. To me, this shouted out that even though there has been sadness, heartache and pain, there is still hope and a new day will come when things like this will no longer happen. It took quite sometime for me to shake the feeling that there was someone else there with me while I read the history along the foundation of the SS building, in fact, as I tell the story of that day & even now as I write this, I still get 'goosebumps" on my arms. That is an extremely powerful place, when one leaves their heart and soul open to experiencing it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KNkbcF2phYO9dGUceDOIOzRQL1IfVIwufa9xvAyGvjJ-NTBIiP152tmRp8A38MLsWgh7ytuxGieEELwTjfHZE8PFHHVUlYjv_k3WMRV5h7pM7N8s_HO2H__PPyXf7a-SQ4CEEcTH5lY/s1600/IMG_2530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2KNkbcF2phYO9dGUceDOIOzRQL1IfVIwufa9xvAyGvjJ-NTBIiP152tmRp8A38MLsWgh7ytuxGieEELwTjfHZE8PFHHVUlYjv_k3WMRV5h7pM7N8s_HO2H__PPyXf7a-SQ4CEEcTH5lY/s640/IMG_2530.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I find the power of cruelty in humans, especially to other humans to be utterly UnfreakinBeleivable. We cannot forget that one of the reasons Hitler came to power was because of his rhetoric, passion & ability to be charismatic, theatrical and had the ability to convince people that what he was saying & doing was a good thing. My biggest kudos go out to the German people for admitting the mistakes of a madman and for attempting to make amends. Perhaps more importantly for trying and succeeding in learning from mistakes.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NNthO58dHD_UU3yvmKAa2qMGdss9hS-sG14doFPZaVe67TPuQBLvpxVSAfbJ1XXhhJv5Tr6A79mBGyaeP2jO6e6XO_-JUuS0MqDBe65Ir0bQBZuqa6NpO4Cs2PWIiauv3U7ExHXwkcs/s1600/IMG_2554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1NNthO58dHD_UU3yvmKAa2qMGdss9hS-sG14doFPZaVe67TPuQBLvpxVSAfbJ1XXhhJv5Tr6A79mBGyaeP2jO6e6XO_-JUuS0MqDBe65Ir0bQBZuqa6NpO4Cs2PWIiauv3U7ExHXwkcs/s320/IMG_2554.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
We learned a tremendous amount about the history of Berlin and Germany today and we also had the opportunity to really connect a lot of dots along the way, while we were. Again coming from someone who really knew so little about German history other than the bad things, it was an eye opening experience. We got family pictures in front of the Brandenburg gate; which is impressive, to say the least and after having a Starbucks we were right across from the Potsdam station and then on to the Sony Center.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KIE-6FIvlCuGcvmlwuNPnbap0aLji08_wq9VL_zPJkwCVsy1ra-Iup7bLa-h0k7_QUSAOETB_DeGRLdnqCQN7kpHXCLaZnPVvQGdjtwNfrGFio3ARK8uQqWrAjrh73ctazTjuDP14lA/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KIE-6FIvlCuGcvmlwuNPnbap0aLji08_wq9VL_zPJkwCVsy1ra-Iup7bLa-h0k7_QUSAOETB_DeGRLdnqCQN7kpHXCLaZnPVvQGdjtwNfrGFio3ARK8uQqWrAjrh73ctazTjuDP14lA/s320/IMG_2548.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPsM08kdMevvxcKJxadIGJUs9S8hvNZG_FQhMs1SwRCY2vLXM1IO5HVyvTx8VYH_JcTgSgrc3IiJMw3NJq4ipmuZezaLSh_AzzhHy-9qJYUqGJdTW7MsCb4pkMEiCNLrSvMd0KYkyeV8/s1600/IMG_2535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPsM08kdMevvxcKJxadIGJUs9S8hvNZG_FQhMs1SwRCY2vLXM1IO5HVyvTx8VYH_JcTgSgrc3IiJMw3NJq4ipmuZezaLSh_AzzhHy-9qJYUqGJdTW7MsCb4pkMEiCNLrSvMd0KYkyeV8/s320/IMG_2535.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZoKEP5vR8onZdRAWNtah-RXM9NsQdeudcgVJLyTzG3eJovLvlPB-eydfPV82EB49v7V88n62ZpgUBGM-zLwTOs-DtUi4bsoGref_kttyeWgpQb7Xg5ztC_X6j5GXk8JRB6WythdB-bo/s1600/IMG_2543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZoKEP5vR8onZdRAWNtah-RXM9NsQdeudcgVJLyTzG3eJovLvlPB-eydfPV82EB49v7V88n62ZpgUBGM-zLwTOs-DtUi4bsoGref_kttyeWgpQb7Xg5ztC_X6j5GXk8JRB6WythdB-bo/s320/IMG_2543.JPG" width="212" /></a>Later in the day we also saw the holocaust memorial. This was another amazing place in Berlin. It is another area of the city that shows Germany's willingness to learn from the past. After we left this area, we walked around more and then went to see the Bundestag. There was even a demonstration at the Bundestag while we were there. A very full day and we're still exploring.<br />
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As we were winding our way throughout the city, we all decided that it was time to take a break and grab something to eat. We had a great dinner in a cool little place across from one of the many museums in the city. This was really great because we were just a few people in the pub and the food was great.<br />
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Finally, we started heading back to the Opel and and got ready to let Frank do the driving on our way back to Pinneberg. This was a hugely educational day and one simply filled with history, amazing architecture and great family. Oh yes, and we can't forget the German chocolate either.<br />
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Danke for a wonderful day!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-22716582329962603452010-11-17T23:12:00.000-07:002010-11-17T23:12:09.722-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 11Day 11 is September 17<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvzZMS0fkRXAiq-RZMMEJxOM5vVJ2OQIyegHgYcs4uY8HDzKUKJ8wj3pmYBbTVgtmGmxIJbemDZI32-FbXQN5OMqFA1JJMw8fF1-0rab-7HOhjEeqtXV2NLQxJIsHLowlgLwMbyxw9iI/s1600/IMG_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvzZMS0fkRXAiq-RZMMEJxOM5vVJ2OQIyegHgYcs4uY8HDzKUKJ8wj3pmYBbTVgtmGmxIJbemDZI32-FbXQN5OMqFA1JJMw8fF1-0rab-7HOhjEeqtXV2NLQxJIsHLowlgLwMbyxw9iI/s320/IMG_2491.JPG" width="320" /></a>Today we hop the train from Bern to Zurich. Luckily, this trip was uneventful which was rather nice. I still can't get over how much nicer 1st class is. It is Such the way to go.<br />
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While we were talking with Miki at the EF office in Bern, we decided that we would try to rub elbows with the "higher ups" at EF, but that didn't quite work out like I would have liked. I KNOW you're surprised by that. Ha! I just couldn't figure out how to "conveniently" get out of the airport, visit and then get back for our flight to Germany, so we decided to put that on the list for next time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhb7mQR20HhqdUVO7OHa690aScJzkV-cvt2AjwvZoof6gQWCAbr70IcAGbOh5vKD461huzDHw3GstG6kvwSXNXqDT8ilsKg9B8q2xR_XVFnMb2WoipCVWsenfrJUiRpEAlUK9v6iu4iI/s1600/IMG_2490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXhb7mQR20HhqdUVO7OHa690aScJzkV-cvt2AjwvZoof6gQWCAbr70IcAGbOh5vKD461huzDHw3GstG6kvwSXNXqDT8ilsKg9B8q2xR_XVFnMb2WoipCVWsenfrJUiRpEAlUK9v6iu4iI/s320/IMG_2490.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
We did, however, spend our day wondering around the Zurich airport and bought our first bunch of Swiss chocolate. Naturally, we didn't bring All of it back. We had to taste it and make sure it was OK, you know. Thankfully, airports, especially international type airports have come along way and the food there isn't so bad. Decent places to sit and relax as well.<br />
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Dank der Schweiz und aller erstaunlich wundervollen Leute, die wir und die schönen Aufstellungsorte uns trafen, wir sahen. Es war eine Wahrscheinlichkeit einer Lebenszeitreise. Michael und Eva, sind Sie immer in Kolorado willkommen<br />
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Because Momma & I are on a bit of a budget, before we left "home" we booked our flights from Zurich to Hamburg, Hamburg to Trondheim and Trondheim to Zurich. When we did that, we looked mostly at cost and you know what happens when you only look at cost, right? Something usually happens. Our Air Berlin flight was delayed about 1hour. I figured that if we would have flown Lufthansa it would have been fine because we would have just told them we know THE Frank Wilkens ;) Things would have been Perfect. Oh yeah, my suitcase showed up with a broken wheel. Oh well, that's OK, it was there with us when we got off the plane.<br />
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It was So Great to see Marc, Heike, Jana & Frank. I sure have missed my German Sohn. I am very sorry that we made them stay out so late for us. It's a bit of a quirk of mine. I always prefer to make my way to and from the airport. Not that I don't appreciate someone there for me, I just hate making someone wait on me, because it seems more often than not, my flight is late.<br />
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After the drive from the airport in the big - by European standards - rental van, we got settled in and chatted a bit and then turned in. It was so nice to be "home".<br />
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By the way, as you can see, it was a rather slow picture taking day, sorry. <br />
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Tomorrow is our day trip to Berlin.<br />
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Good Night All!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-65606865399615628432010-11-12T13:03:00.000-07:002010-11-12T13:03:54.970-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 10<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqBSzayYR2n3nKwNwKMCH4tcfhPMXGsmb6n1qVLsbzvkSe35gJUAQTP98GpX32bl2MC3GjU_QVwqhO9SYiDxIEG-NSaAEjYRLbgDB5hIcNPVlTStgyYm1j9lZqtLf3ZRNpbOnykNl6uk/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqBSzayYR2n3nKwNwKMCH4tcfhPMXGsmb6n1qVLsbzvkSe35gJUAQTP98GpX32bl2MC3GjU_QVwqhO9SYiDxIEG-NSaAEjYRLbgDB5hIcNPVlTStgyYm1j9lZqtLf3ZRNpbOnykNl6uk/s320/IMG_2455.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Day 10 is September 16<br />
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Momma and I got up, got ready and went up to our rooftop garden breakfast spot. We left Hotel Crystal without issue, which was expected because this was a great hotel. We drag our bags, (again ;) to the Metro. Again, the innkeeper was a great help, so we knew exactly where to go. The Metro got us to the Bahnhoff in time to catch our train to Bern from Lausanne.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7iyIWMgQSyDhsnWIpWobFpo0cge9FHKxibcF7Q36KMzGLbvPLwGN6pI3rIYD3Rbn0L44rbtW-3P3snlaEnvs4vjXU6EgdZXWqYs6HoqSgVGaTPCQV0WKkg1ZgEtW3VA1kNzyZWN6hQg/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj7iyIWMgQSyDhsnWIpWobFpo0cge9FHKxibcF7Q36KMzGLbvPLwGN6pI3rIYD3Rbn0L44rbtW-3P3snlaEnvs4vjXU6EgdZXWqYs6HoqSgVGaTPCQV0WKkg1ZgEtW3VA1kNzyZWN6hQg/s320/IMG_2460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpVN0cv3zrxYoJY7-bwAr7dF9nQ9KQ51TeYy6LQ5frJBw5ylFrQawu12lv_DlLQrkaLhUoGmUShigrS6LXVqA4-m-zjHFihZCfKSlFzjezE0o-lsOMwKPjk8uHqU2RiUBD-tGTJ4UX6I/s1600/IMG_2465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEpVN0cv3zrxYoJY7-bwAr7dF9nQ9KQ51TeYy6LQ5frJBw5ylFrQawu12lv_DlLQrkaLhUoGmUShigrS6LXVqA4-m-zjHFihZCfKSlFzjezE0o-lsOMwKPjk8uHqU2RiUBD-tGTJ4UX6I/s320/IMG_2465.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgarp81wCs31UOCVEia-GAe_nNeuxhP9KsIMFoX6cGjqgwbykoDp0bvF77LZdiuZ7tzyOQkKcxPWCCbAl3Lc4Jzt_VhpoM2Fy0-cfgYD1-wrzg_w0_6OFUMoONZat7ULyckMw6piAkY8/s1600/IMG_2463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgarp81wCs31UOCVEia-GAe_nNeuxhP9KsIMFoX6cGjqgwbykoDp0bvF77LZdiuZ7tzyOQkKcxPWCCbAl3Lc4Jzt_VhpoM2Fy0-cfgYD1-wrzg_w0_6OFUMoONZat7ULyckMw6piAkY8/s320/IMG_2463.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our trip from Lausanne to Bern was actually really nice. I can safely say that going first class is THE best way to go. While we were traveling I sent a sms/text message to Michael & Eva. Michael and Eva are Mom & Dad to Mona. Mona is an outstanding EF student who is living in Lakewood/Denver, Colorado. I was actually quite surprised at how quickly we got to Bern.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYK1CSB6F64KJ7fA0mTHVkDBAhda_-30lyiIQSUxwNH5-eUHHYeCbFz1LSbLHTCTe17t8JLw-9ySJ45nfwyMr_rhBXPqTl9NxmDxmC3S_Z7Ys0NIr6bAP9OKCuq7jHoo9p2yu2uab7G5M/s1600/IMG_2466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYK1CSB6F64KJ7fA0mTHVkDBAhda_-30lyiIQSUxwNH5-eUHHYeCbFz1LSbLHTCTe17t8JLw-9ySJ45nfwyMr_rhBXPqTl9NxmDxmC3S_Z7Ys0NIr6bAP9OKCuq7jHoo9p2yu2uab7G5M/s320/IMG_2466.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When we arrived in Bern at the bahnhof we were met by our "hosts" in this great city. Mike & Eva are Wonderful! They were so nice and got us to the tourist station so that we could book our hotel, then Michael drove Momma to the hotel Jardin while Eva & I rode the metro. We got rid of our luggage, yay no need to pull around the suitcases! After getting checked in & dropping off the stuff, we then joined Mike & Eva at the Rosengarten for lunch. The food was great, the service was very good & the company was outstanding! All was great, but I have to admit it was a touch loud, so I had to strain a bit to hear everything, but it was a wonderful lunch with outstanding conversation.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcjW_TeNTNQjm0W7jmuzF-T5zt6COjKYlOilB8d_dzYRAQ8TyoUkOJsmLuvTSjTMqfQggv5qcsdzmXswJhqZ9xGnEFv0ARvGh_YZrwMwKtk1kAmRS9h9hfQOeTS8xAyRtWOWCH2BUQ9E/s1600/IMG_2471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJcjW_TeNTNQjm0W7jmuzF-T5zt6COjKYlOilB8d_dzYRAQ8TyoUkOJsmLuvTSjTMqfQggv5qcsdzmXswJhqZ9xGnEFv0ARvGh_YZrwMwKtk1kAmRS9h9hfQOeTS8xAyRtWOWCH2BUQ9E/s320/IMG_2471.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
After our lunch, we got a chance to look out over the city and to get a few photos. We got a really great one with Mike & Eva, too. Unfortunately, they had other commitments, so after a brief drive around near <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyDHVmf3KTnqznbv2rw4wJ_WxaJ7h0_Ko5f_0S6GIeA6-QCVwgeBERFwNyJcpEMTvIX_q5k11n_gR5Ps7wxhCiDP-Jox9dnoIy2OvANsTrkUXlIAxU-Q-CE0Jz87PyGiiSshMzWngnpI/s1600/IMG_2469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyDHVmf3KTnqznbv2rw4wJ_WxaJ7h0_Ko5f_0S6GIeA6-QCVwgeBERFwNyJcpEMTvIX_q5k11n_gR5Ps7wxhCiDP-Jox9dnoIy2OvANsTrkUXlIAxU-Q-CE0Jz87PyGiiSshMzWngnpI/s320/IMG_2469.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOXWWSEVc9dl4wvG1vx2y5cjqHAERFOhWtFnI_8fGE3_A0WakPfKTF1BWAE2qO47L9X_dr0IYy0FfiVFQ0JACUekEofQV6u30VDXdBOMCxkAmr3lytzigHp5DHgXf9mnMTDJHemPoXTw/s1600/IMG_2472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOXWWSEVc9dl4wvG1vx2y5cjqHAERFOhWtFnI_8fGE3_A0WakPfKTF1BWAE2qO47L9X_dr0IYy0FfiVFQ0JACUekEofQV6u30VDXdBOMCxkAmr3lytzigHp5DHgXf9mnMTDJHemPoXTw/s320/IMG_2472.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">BärenPark and Old Bärengraben (Pit) next to the Aare River, we said our good-byes.</div></div>Momma and I walked around & saw some cool architecture, great old buildings & even walked past Parliament. Michael had said that Bern was a small city but we really had no idea until we suddenly ended up at the rail station.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZy7bzrhT5FV58-M8eMxXHqjSVs07KmShGHaSYU3kAVcD2-Umnv9aqybKoaz8k3KGiPfuxWPHn9w0XIbtOdaOFz4FKuQBxjs1YVNIL9C7Qy03uqNuVN4eH_nEURm1CsNB1iZ6QI8gCiA/s1600/IMG_2480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPZy7bzrhT5FV58-M8eMxXHqjSVs07KmShGHaSYU3kAVcD2-Umnv9aqybKoaz8k3KGiPfuxWPHn9w0XIbtOdaOFz4FKuQBxjs1YVNIL9C7Qy03uqNuVN4eH_nEURm1CsNB1iZ6QI8gCiA/s320/IMG_2480.JPG" width="176" /></a>Momma and I stopped for a bit of a rest & an espresso at a nice little spot on the street in Bern. While we were talking, I looked over Momma's shoulder and saw what appeared to be an EF flag. I say "appeared" because my eyes are getting old and it was backwards for me. I know what you are thinking...why would that matter, Joey is "backwards most of the time anyway. Yeah, well, Ha Ha... So, we finished up and checked it out as it was on the way to the metro. Turns out, I was right it Was an EF flag. Anyway, we went up, rang the bell and hung out with Miki for a bit. She was very nice & we had a great conversation. It's always a pleasure to meet folks from our other offices, all over the world.<br />
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After we took our leave from the EF Office, we walked the two blocks or so back to the metro and hoped on the right train..well I Thought it was the correct one, until I didn't recognize a single thing. As you might remember, I get a bit directionally challenged sometimes, so I was not so much lost, but "temporarily unaware of my physical surroundings as the related to our destination. Of course, we figured out that it was just the opposite end of the same line and when it came back to the station and then went the other way, viola! We got to where we wanted.<br />
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After a brief "freshen-up", Momma and I walked back to Ticino Restaurant/pizzeria for one of the best meals we've had on the trip, especially in relation to the amount of money we spent, (not much)& mostly cheap. I love the feel of this area because they've got great food within walking distance of the flats, businesses and hotels, great mass transit, until my hometown and great people as well. lastly, we went back to our hotel and ended our adventure with a caffe and ice cream.<br />
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Today was our last day exploring Switzerland and we had another great day. Thanks, certainly in part to Michael & Eva.<br />
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Have a Great Night!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-67077423006365329882010-11-08T16:45:00.000-07:002010-11-08T16:45:10.641-07:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 9 <br />
Day 9 is September 15<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83tug6guYaM3jDCCskISJ5ORcodLWqIr-3GnIEXbG6euc72e-U880CCIiPmJF-4oBgz641qPtH9huTTAJ2aTkdisVrsIYga2W_IE-TFfZpaVp-CDtxqHVF4yfROpLbaWE9sjJCYRMEy4/s1600/IMG_2416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83tug6guYaM3jDCCskISJ5ORcodLWqIr-3GnIEXbG6euc72e-U880CCIiPmJF-4oBgz641qPtH9huTTAJ2aTkdisVrsIYga2W_IE-TFfZpaVp-CDtxqHVF4yfROpLbaWE9sjJCYRMEy4/s320/IMG_2416.JPG" width="320" /></a>Today we were able to sleep in a touch and relax. This is our first day since we arrived in Zurich that we are spending more than one night in the same place. That was pretty nice.<br />
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Did you know that Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee & Museum? <a href="http://www.olympic.org/en/content/museum/">Lausanne, Switzerland - Olympic Museum</a>, Me either. Pretty cool stuff, especially since the US Olympic Training Center is in my town of Colorado Springs, Colorado. <br />
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Once we were up and (nearly) ready for the day, we had a pretty good breakfast upstairs on/in the roof garden. As you can see, Momma was enjoying herself and laffing at her son. That's OK we are here for Her 80th birthday!<br />
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While up there, we got some pictures from the garden. What a great view & the weather was wonderful. As we were finishing our caffe, we spent some time with a nice young lady and took a tourism survey. That was a kind of fun way to start and we learned a few things as well.<br />
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Our hotel is just off the square that is right in front of the University. On the other side and my point of reference as I found myself geographically challenged through our stay, was the cathedral. Just amazing buildings and scenery everywhere we turned. We spent the day relaxing and walking around the city. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0axq7okqzYVWOVvX-YTquP8VUnqmI7qGljh3AeskhY5foVpX9efD3XmglCkM-kavOIja8FPsnzws8GOYgKGBAW8Vl6_rjQ03uU4TyOiDzygTa_0_JLMCzUHBHzLJ6nsC1fB7TV1Soreg/s1600/IMG_2429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0axq7okqzYVWOVvX-YTquP8VUnqmI7qGljh3AeskhY5foVpX9efD3XmglCkM-kavOIja8FPsnzws8GOYgKGBAW8Vl6_rjQ03uU4TyOiDzygTa_0_JLMCzUHBHzLJ6nsC1fB7TV1Soreg/s320/IMG_2429.JPG" width="320" /></a>We did a pretty fair amount of window shopping as well. Momma did buy a little bit, but I decided to hold off. So far, I just haven't really found anything that I just couldn't live without, except, of course, the awesome pictures I've been taking . <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz8612cPXnBw58Cgb5tHRFEaOw0gOzwBlwDiuMzagej7YYbl2G-bVS-E_c9cMdZp8Bp7tG9880lniZmnqAsvFGhjXnlBkDMBptIHCy-Y6BZm2rSiVhIcczbeMH4RUeyi9mbne_xhIdhc/s1600/IMG_2428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz8612cPXnBw58Cgb5tHRFEaOw0gOzwBlwDiuMzagej7YYbl2G-bVS-E_c9cMdZp8Bp7tG9880lniZmnqAsvFGhjXnlBkDMBptIHCy-Y6BZm2rSiVhIcczbeMH4RUeyi9mbne_xhIdhc/s320/IMG_2428.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLMdUrASsQk3hWYcle_8Hy7XMXx_4SoELLHpEehnr5mXAAVI-sIhLh2xA6TeIO5164czadD_mRJ-QiM-28MQCOdk7zyDeqWIJSIc3NPJMofbXG22QG9VdVn7Nz7xjxjj3qmbFiWj2AyQ/s1600/IMG_2424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLMdUrASsQk3hWYcle_8Hy7XMXx_4SoELLHpEehnr5mXAAVI-sIhLh2xA6TeIO5164czadD_mRJ-QiM-28MQCOdk7zyDeqWIJSIc3NPJMofbXG22QG9VdVn7Nz7xjxjj3qmbFiWj2AyQ/s320/IMG_2424.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As we were walking around, we found the Giraffe Bar. I guess even the animals need to have an adult beverage from time to time. Of course, this bar is strategically situated midway between the University and the Cathedral. Coincidence?? Maybe...but then again. Anyway, it was still early at this point, so we didn't check it our, but I'm guessing there were some really High table, you know, for the Gi Rafs.<br />
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As I'm sure you all have guessed, I, of course, got us lost, again...it's a rare talent I have, I guess. I should look into the GPS, EPS or whatever you call that stuff. The one redeeming thing throughout all the "getting lost" stuff was that I did, nearly always, have the opportunity to take more cool pictures. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgc8C0vegkcQA3HCv9dcrilOItRrldfZw_4ipZKnbVHPrKDjVYB44aJar1y9CVTsFmxxg2Wl74dHMhCT3_eKbsVi4bPUdRu2wUY0ZqB_j1x7jpNjliDIKoT4r7OqTsBQktpWQ3sUKOQB8/s1600/IMG_2446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgc8C0vegkcQA3HCv9dcrilOItRrldfZw_4ipZKnbVHPrKDjVYB44aJar1y9CVTsFmxxg2Wl74dHMhCT3_eKbsVi4bPUdRu2wUY0ZqB_j1x7jpNjliDIKoT4r7OqTsBQktpWQ3sUKOQB8/s320/IMG_2446.JPG" width="320" /></a> This time out, I found a really cool outdoor music venue. You see, I seldom do just one thing at a time, so pretty much the entire time we've been in Europe, I've been looking for good possible venues for our musically talented friends in the bands In The Machine and Channel 27. I think I found at least one possible place. I SO need to spend more time around these parts.<br />
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After our outing, we decided to head back to our room for a bit to let Momma relax a bit. She's always so awesome about walking around everywhere and even better about dragging luggage around. After a little rest up, it was time to head back out again. Our first stop was the Bahnhoff so that we had our train tickets ready for us so that we could head out in the morning.<br />
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We got some good news, it turns out that the pass I bought did have a benefit. Our trip from Lausanne to Bern was pretty inexpensive and it seems like our trip from Bern back to Zurich should be free. Free is nearly Always good, even in another country.<br />
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Dinner tonight was pretty good. We ate at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. The food was pretty good, but I think my brain is just on overload. I'm really struggling with trying to think & speak in French while we're here. By the end of the day, I'm exhausted. I have Absolutely Loved our time in Switzerland, but so far, I've tried my hand at Swiss German, German, Italian and French. I SO wish I would have taken a (several) languages when I was in school. Oh well, it's all part of the adventure. I do also have to say, that most people we interacted with were very great about speaking English to us. Thanks for that, but I'm still a bit embarrassed that I can't speak other languages better. <br />
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As I said, we were out and near the university, so I was able to shoot some pretty cool "twilight" pictures. Oh yes, these were Not the Twilight vampire type pictures. These were much more fun & well, realistic.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN7BSRouuN_Z3544T1nAVQykGNj6NBeY32AujUOC7KHN_jc1YV2Ja9clP6ucatjIIUKwSawbHFIEqRS7kUQmTOSPxXcaUw_ccWXqXTpUOwCX0f8wpa6tsgXqYesgP0_CwLbAuni71Cts/s1600/IMG_2451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTN7BSRouuN_Z3544T1nAVQykGNj6NBeY32AujUOC7KHN_jc1YV2Ja9clP6ucatjIIUKwSawbHFIEqRS7kUQmTOSPxXcaUw_ccWXqXTpUOwCX0f8wpa6tsgXqYesgP0_CwLbAuni71Cts/s640/IMG_2451.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>We're just about to turn in because we need to be rested and ready to head to the banhoff around 9am. Tomorrow, we are on our way to Bern. It will be another Great day because we get to meet Mona's parents; Eva & Michael.<br />
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Another wonderful day has come to an end.<br />
<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span title="">bonne nuit </span></span>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-69878138304242957732010-11-03T11:37:00.000-06:002010-11-03T11:37:42.591-06:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 8Day 8 is September 14 <br />
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Hello and Welcome to a New & Beautiful Day!<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmj-nRHx-ydg9LJ7FSgvQZsvSdrWvRCedIwrbeaqWzU4UFgDPeB8BYciiq56-0FJ92lmqmlzbKer8WZfKO-4wbC45N47TsjOcvmRnbgnZvVHL5FRhO3rZ5g2HyTGsxa1pC_Z59fydaBs/s1600/IMG_2267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmj-nRHx-ydg9LJ7FSgvQZsvSdrWvRCedIwrbeaqWzU4UFgDPeB8BYciiq56-0FJ92lmqmlzbKer8WZfKO-4wbC45N47TsjOcvmRnbgnZvVHL5FRhO3rZ5g2HyTGsxa1pC_Z59fydaBs/s320/IMG_2267.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Momma and I had a pretty good night's sleep and a good breakfast. Now, we’re ready for the day! We've got our stuff packed and we're ready to go. We decided to take the bus this morning rather than a taxi because those are a touch expensive and the bus stop was only about a block away from the hotel. Here we go again, dragging our luggage down the street. Hey, maybe we just look like well dressed homeless folks or maybe just those "touristy"American folks.<br />
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I swear, I REALLY tried, but I couldn't find anywhere to buy a ticket. I guess we should just consider that minor payback for some of the previous days’ hassles. Once we got to the Bahnhof we were sitting around </div><div class="MsoNormal">waiting for our train to Interlaken. We kept looking around, thinking and stressing about Lucerne to Interlaken part of our trip. While this was going on, the Golden Pass Line train was actually sitting right there. Well, I finally decided "What the Heck" and walked up & asked the very nice porter gentleman there if there was some possible way we could get on this train, rather than going to Interlaken first. To my surpirse, (and relief, too) he said "No problem, you can take this train". Yay!! All that AND we got first class all the way. We did end up changing trains a couple of times but that was Totally not our fault and things were really fine. Our <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1288148909_7">last "special" train of the trip;</span> I believe it was from Ziewiess was Awesome!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29AvT7t50YD7dERXmsHFGwufDFQD3JXal4vuhfJJiCfME-q8fL1eGJBwSqEORyI-tB7fq0YbRn3Bo5peN-A3XSbD3qFLm1mmwfAKtfiazrlsRw-jgucsI8HbvohPzvzaXYJLHl7j72mk/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29AvT7t50YD7dERXmsHFGwufDFQD3JXal4vuhfJJiCfME-q8fL1eGJBwSqEORyI-tB7fq0YbRn3Bo5peN-A3XSbD3qFLm1mmwfAKtfiazrlsRw-jgucsI8HbvohPzvzaXYJLHl7j72mk/s320/IMG_2341.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mScH5y6Gu2_S6zeX_OmuzVK-zaQxBKQ4HcWCJ3CQatcfVsWFsetnT08xAUjzZqOzXRgOEiPuQVTJgKx1lT_bky4Gy9QZ6RlSspLbeRooLehYgop9LiC-D3Lo4XUA_mQZfYPWlPIJIfI/s1600/IMG_2312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mScH5y6Gu2_S6zeX_OmuzVK-zaQxBKQ4HcWCJ3CQatcfVsWFsetnT08xAUjzZqOzXRgOEiPuQVTJgKx1lT_bky4Gy9QZ6RlSspLbeRooLehYgop9LiC-D3Lo4XUA_mQZfYPWlPIJIfI/s320/IMG_2312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1bwTdcZajoBa27bJpPskfKaldzeGAFAJ5tQpqoawONpuIUsitbdj6lDD2fXs7vWIdy9xE9nSGImt8rbXpWjUy4rlqCa4dfNaof1ID5Ryh7NCWRXd_QwcOLK0rMjRjFVqBcTD2oue2fs/s1600/IMG_2343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1bwTdcZajoBa27bJpPskfKaldzeGAFAJ5tQpqoawONpuIUsitbdj6lDD2fXs7vWIdy9xE9nSGImt8rbXpWjUy4rlqCa4dfNaof1ID5Ryh7NCWRXd_QwcOLK0rMjRjFVqBcTD2oue2fs/s320/IMG_2343.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFVNHAAwdN8pjhWF6OwDHakDXOJkYEQ_EKyyVy-iu7KVq3HrKZTzzEyL-NMCGcjoVQLTTRotMLACQApNYBGJ_YCIwt84BIMdRI5oATDnkzwL45ykCKXbxwAL8YLGNwwVgJTflPyD2RYg/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFVNHAAwdN8pjhWF6OwDHakDXOJkYEQ_EKyyVy-iu7KVq3HrKZTzzEyL-NMCGcjoVQLTTRotMLACQApNYBGJ_YCIwt84BIMdRI5oATDnkzwL45ykCKXbxwAL8YLGNwwVgJTflPyD2RYg/s320/IMG_2362.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-7y7BSik0m2wcgb8ixhrLCZL_WbiPcoFJ-hfioMIofnta2AYfdjUffN727Qz3iUscB9BLIubMRaxzmIubWq05Zap5lz_lL2Hhq8SWEacHI19WcHylWVM6-fZ_JkSy-dF4CrOtFjc9UM/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-7y7BSik0m2wcgb8ixhrLCZL_WbiPcoFJ-hfioMIofnta2AYfdjUffN727Qz3iUscB9BLIubMRaxzmIubWq05Zap5lz_lL2Hhq8SWEacHI19WcHylWVM6-fZ_JkSy-dF4CrOtFjc9UM/s320/IMG_2378.JPG" width="320" /></a>On the Golden Pass Line we were sitting in the middle of 1<sup>st</sup> class & the porter(ess), lady told us we had paid for the front of the train; that Absolutely ROCKED! Our seats were in the very, very way far up front area. The train driver(is that engineer? pilot? wagon master?) was right above us, so we had an unobstructed view & it was just like driving. Rock On! I think I got some pretty great pictures, (Momma did, too), from that part of the ride. Being Right On the rails and sitting there in the front was simply Amazing. The feeling of seeing Everything that was on the track was a chance of a lifetime. I'm SO glad I got the opportunity to share that with Momma.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn47jFQtP5sJWDhaa_VUpkZPz4OgidHAv-Mq-XoshDdf3-kaoFAqLX_QQ27IWLteFob2Tc1l1GhthEUTXTZkjBQQ0gMP6YhMHbT-Kkvs75V9EJL7N7PaDOdd_tAhGIxx1ryssIC8JbTc/s1600/IMG_2390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicn47jFQtP5sJWDhaa_VUpkZPz4OgidHAv-Mq-XoshDdf3-kaoFAqLX_QQ27IWLteFob2Tc1l1GhthEUTXTZkjBQQ0gMP6YhMHbT-Kkvs75V9EJL7N7PaDOdd_tAhGIxx1ryssIC8JbTc/s320/IMG_2390.JPG" width="320" /></a>As we were rolling towards <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1288148909_8" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Montreux</span>; I, of course, had “Smoke on the Water” in my head the whole way there. Once we arrived in Montreux, we still had to head to Lausanne because we actually did some research on that & determined that it would be cheaper to stay in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1288148909_9" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Lausanne</span>. After de-training, (that's like de-planing, only not). By the way; "de-plane" is NOT the same as De Plane! for the little guy on Fantasy Island. Anyway, we got off the train, luggage pulling along behind and checked with the rail ticket counter.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, we checked on the Chocolate Train trip that we had been looking forward to and one of the reasons we decided to stay 2 nights in Lausanne and well, you guessed it…sold out! UFB. We were told we “could” have booked it the day before…Arggghhhh! Why do I feel like I've been here before??<br />
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So, after I come down from my stress high, we got our tickets that we needed to get us to Lausanne. The train was packed with school kids, but the view along <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1288148909_10" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Lake Geneva</span> was pretty cool. In about 20 minutes or so, we arrived at the station in Lausanne. Once again, we're off dragging our luggage across the train station and up the ramp on the other side. As we've been doing in the past, we decided to grab a taxi to the hotel rather than trying to figure out how to get one the right bus or metro.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our cab driver got us to <a href="http://www.hotels.com/ho150971/hotel-crystal-lausanne-switzerland/">Hotel Crystal</a>, our new home away from home for the next two nights. Our cabby was, well, kind of a "turd". He got us there safe and sound but refused to take Euro for the fare. OK, I understand we are in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1288148909_11">Switzerland</span>, but everyone else was OK with it & gave us change back in Francs and had no problems with it. I had to go into the hotel & get change. Heck, even the gentleman at the front desk was frustrated with the cabby.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We got ourselves checked in & are nearly done for now. The guy at the front desk is very cool. He said something as I was signing in & I answer “si”. Of course, I feel like an idiot but he just laughs and says “it’s OK, I am from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1288148909_12">Italy</span>.” Things are back and going well again. He gave us free tickets for metro/buses for our 2 night stay. We finished up with the check-in & relax a bit. After a little rest we decided to head across the street for dinner at a French restaurant. The food was really pretty good. The service was, well… I feel like I'm really struggling here because I struggle because my French is pretty much non-existant.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb-CuP5f0P3ITg0d67mohhuF9zp7cWk37_TA85VFzmWDaYYx8DMhfi660131rI-CurZRsQC6-BSu_g4wKyqF8gYw2mBHaYS5jI7eMC0nmSSWk7WUs4jRd68XFikjc_LO0FkmC6oshoZI/s1600/IMG_2405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqb-CuP5f0P3ITg0d67mohhuF9zp7cWk37_TA85VFzmWDaYYx8DMhfi660131rI-CurZRsQC6-BSu_g4wKyqF8gYw2mBHaYS5jI7eMC0nmSSWk7WUs4jRd68XFikjc_LO0FkmC6oshoZI/s320/IMG_2405.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKl8_kWsU7pojwlY8V3LZB01uu81ohWDlfAmLEM_VyQan-7asLkGAgDLT7vBm6CDH5B4KYmdQuH1vCp1vhPUWk4iR9KS1ndwL9Mwa0wd8-fWapgDpiPwVSZ6d5WpiyY82d1vDdo6b-91M/s1600/IMG_2411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKl8_kWsU7pojwlY8V3LZB01uu81ohWDlfAmLEM_VyQan-7asLkGAgDLT7vBm6CDH5B4KYmdQuH1vCp1vhPUWk4iR9KS1ndwL9Mwa0wd8-fWapgDpiPwVSZ6d5WpiyY82d1vDdo6b-91M/s320/IMG_2411.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbW99Vg_yM95M4snEM3ZMrU9Uc3aIo1EkHMAQ-YuQvvvBOnM35c7fWaTDhhHhi2ii_ghDhRcagPuoGznVlbNwaEUVDgrug80f4KJSVjjlhQvsOCozutxw7OWZSNRxUaNYtyslMC_CAL10/s1600/IMG_2409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbW99Vg_yM95M4snEM3ZMrU9Uc3aIo1EkHMAQ-YuQvvvBOnM35c7fWaTDhhHhi2ii_ghDhRcagPuoGznVlbNwaEUVDgrug80f4KJSVjjlhQvsOCozutxw7OWZSNRxUaNYtyslMC_CAL10/s320/IMG_2409.JPG" width="320" /></a>After dinner we set out for a walk & pictures. We walked up around the cathedral and out too far and of course, got lost, (again). I would have been upset, but I decided it was not a big deal. <br />
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That is, not a big deal except I feel bad that I’m dragging Momma all over, not quite Everywhere, but certainly Switzerland. We finally found our way back to the hotel, head upstairs and call it a day.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Good Night Folks and stay tuned for another day.</div>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-3568558453530692702010-10-25T17:00:00.000-06:002010-10-25T17:00:49.503-06:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 7<div class="MsoNormal">Day 7 is September 13<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, today starts off in a much better "place" than the end of yesterday. Momma & I both had a pretty restful night at the Holiday Inn. We had a decent breakfast in the morning and got ourselves ready for another day on the rails. I asked the front desk about getting back to the rail station and because we were in a decent place, I got some good info from the front desk clerk and found out we were able to just walk up the street to take the bus back to train station for 1.60 ch (that's Swiss Francs, by the way), instead of the 30 ch for the taxi the night before. That's good stuff.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, back at the ranch, uh, train station, we're trying to get on the Wilhelm Tell Line. Unfortunately, that was a big fat no go. The cool part about this time out was that the lady behind the glass was Very nice & tried to help. She wasn’t able to book the Lucerne to Montreux portion of the Golden Pass Line, for some reason. She said she could only do Interlaken to Montreux & that nobody could do the full trip. To me, that just didn’t make any sense as the literature I had didn’t say Anything about this trip being this way.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6E9KcfQL83TcBWXaS580fmT1WBUunesfR-zz5CEPw5FR2GCeva0UgY7DgNTnfgzsWVW2g4B1PCvPqYgdz-gvH4f429JqQIfh7VlCqWxcpZB7aKpFHnaUdMKWR-nBETXhCar83w9tGgc/s1600/IMG_2198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6E9KcfQL83TcBWXaS580fmT1WBUunesfR-zz5CEPw5FR2GCeva0UgY7DgNTnfgzsWVW2g4B1PCvPqYgdz-gvH4f429JqQIfh7VlCqWxcpZB7aKpFHnaUdMKWR-nBETXhCar83w9tGgc/s320/IMG_2198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In the end, we booked a train from Lugano to Lucerne as that’s where we’re staying for this night. It's not like we could really hang out in Lugano for another day. Too bad really, I think Lugano looked like a great city. The rail trip cost us an additional 60 ch. By now, I'm getting rather tired of paying extra for Everything. The pass I bought was supposed to be for 1<sup>st</sup> class & 50% discounts, which we didn't seem to be getting much of. All of that being said, I'm pretty sure this agent did give us the discount anyway. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>In the end, we had a very good trip, but we were told we could have been in 1<sup>st</sup> class, even thought our tickets said 2<sup>nd</sup>. In reality, 2<sup>nd</sup> class is still pretty good stuff. At this point, my frustration was on the rise again because I felt the $700 I spent on the rail pass seemed like a bit of a waste.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We arrived in Lucerne or Luzern as the Swiss call it, at a reasonable time and for the most part had a pretty stress free ride. It would have been nice to have taken the other "touristy" trip, but hey, we didn’t have to change trains, Yay!!!!<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBG2rwaGTQZCmLpN1f8DEqp_DxZ9uehokQuEDpCju6pov9QYdPwE0WPmYytNitJpHFlkhLguHSibOC8bIC6iXiKER88XY6JDDXIvYZteSVASBILoRqdUjjJzqFZ9opeiquMXqJzTaJF8/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIBG2rwaGTQZCmLpN1f8DEqp_DxZ9uehokQuEDpCju6pov9QYdPwE0WPmYytNitJpHFlkhLguHSibOC8bIC6iXiKER88XY6JDDXIvYZteSVASBILoRqdUjjJzqFZ9opeiquMXqJzTaJF8/s320/IMG_2210.JPG" width="320" /></a>After we got out of the station, I wondered around looking for our hotel. I don't think I would have walked around lost, except that the information I had, said it was about 900 yards from the station. Well, OK, perhaps my measurements are off, (I'm a guy, after-all), I just couldn’t find it. I got back to the little lakeside cafe I "dropped" Momma at and then we took taxi again. This time it was a 20 ch ride. That was OK because the hotel was a bit out of the way. Out of the way & small, but very cool and quaint.<br />
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Again today, like the rest of this trip, Momma has Totally rocked. She's been Great as I’m running around trying to find crap & has hung out with bags more than I would have liked.<br />
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Tonight, we stayed at <a href="http://www.hotels.com/ho213664/hotel-drei-koenige-lucerne-switzerland/">Hotel Drei Koenige - Lucerne, Switzerland</a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We got ourselves checked in by a very nice lady and<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAaFYidSZ1tTDapFUZmrspl-aNH4Th7wqR1WuHnt0AqODutA5M_97xPNk6nxViFXsFU-NSw4Xg61FbvnSnxw0H_yI9OJo87z0EVNbjwkEv16aYWC7ONjG5oFwjSCk53LWEhwPQqHuMY8/s1600/IMG_2217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAaFYidSZ1tTDapFUZmrspl-aNH4Th7wqR1WuHnt0AqODutA5M_97xPNk6nxViFXsFU-NSw4Xg61FbvnSnxw0H_yI9OJo87z0EVNbjwkEv16aYWC7ONjG5oFwjSCk53LWEhwPQqHuMY8/s320/IMG_2217.JPG" width="320" /></a> then we were up to our room. This room was by far the smallest we had, but it was pretty nice. We still haven’t gotten much at all for souvenirs because we’ve been using our resources in different areas and other "fun" stuff like that. I'm not at all pleased about that because I'd really like to have gotten some really cool stuff, but that's the way it goes. As much as I'm bummed about all the extra money spent, I have to remember that the most important thing is that I'm hanging out with Momma for her 80th birthday and That, as they say, is Priceless. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lM7GocVXP7IQIDyumUydGe6ggAabX7Ts1VJu3d_zSjEOIzzq6b4BzR9EKWYwpSPyKkCU0qJdvHzPA1J3wc3WLx6080lei2l_VYU7KR8pwYJEeu-EYqXOpqQjWTfRikn_sCMBG3s3LEI/s1600/IMG_2218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lM7GocVXP7IQIDyumUydGe6ggAabX7Ts1VJu3d_zSjEOIzzq6b4BzR9EKWYwpSPyKkCU0qJdvHzPA1J3wc3WLx6080lei2l_VYU7KR8pwYJEeu-EYqXOpqQjWTfRikn_sCMBG3s3LEI/s320/IMG_2218.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Dinner was next door to the hotel in a nice little pub. The food was really good AND the service was Great! We ended up having 2 different waitresses. The first was just fine, but the second waitress was cute with tattoos. I find it always interesting to get in a conversation with someone from another country & discuss things like tattoos, motorcycles, music, food, wine and other things like that. More often than one might think, there is a common ground. How cool would it be if Everyone would take the time t listen to someone else's opinion and of course, could have their opinion heard without anyone having the need to tell the other person they are wrong or don't know what they are talking about. The young lady I talked about ink with had two great things to share. A. If a person doesn't like my tattoos, that's OK, they don't have to look and 2. my tattoos are an expression of who I am are are very personal. I don't need permission & if you don't understand, that's OK, I still like YOU because of who you are, not how you look. Bravo! I know there's at least one person out there that will ask. No, I don't remember her name.<br />
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Dinner was quite good & Not hugely overpriced…yay! As we were eating, Momma and I got to thinking about how cool the area was. This was a nice little “neighborhood” with the pubs & restaurants right there, along with little shops & businesses. Houses and flats, too. If it were like that here, maybe living in the city wouldn’t be all bad. You know, a person wouldn’t even really need a car.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiea8tHjAZwPC2vvJBR8uYlAY6ToIfQSPnuRVAVbqDJ62shAxJdoEFmZ0pJmelZUlBt0FvdQnldUeynyz4WiVugjq95mABnP292RM85OmBDivqPoFzL6ZjGwhyphenhyphenlfN8mCJai4EjgHsAUYZ0/s1600/IMG_2241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiea8tHjAZwPC2vvJBR8uYlAY6ToIfQSPnuRVAVbqDJ62shAxJdoEFmZ0pJmelZUlBt0FvdQnldUeynyz4WiVugjq95mABnP292RM85OmBDivqPoFzL6ZjGwhyphenhyphenlfN8mCJai4EjgHsAUYZ0/s320/IMG_2241.JPG" width="320" /></a> <br />
After dinner, we wondered around a bit and got a look at the buildings, the neighborhood and the really awesome university area, the theatre section and shops. This was a very cool little city. Tomorrow, we on our way again. This time we'll be heading to Montreux.<br />
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Cheers to you & enjoy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-67330291967180516642010-10-19T22:14:00.001-06:002010-10-20T20:35:51.410-06:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 6 Day 6 is September 12<br />
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Today we hit the road or rail, if you prefer and are on our way to Lugano. <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">What a day!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Got to the airport & rail station & had to wait until they opened. One woulda thought they would be open 24/7. They weren't/aren't, so of course, we deal with it. Before leaving the US, I purchased the Swiss Rail Pass and paid extra for the first class option. It seemed like an Awesome idea.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-pyQuSA0mt0ZzFWUyq4hRxL5S9MN_Y5EM7NL7RYLGLHmG9HpS92sQgnaKplBgpJf6AE_qqLALLac3wy43iohwMGYsZmB3GhuXn1ia1Ki6nqM5N7NW5NwWKWDFaLgLSaVOeszLxF1L1o/s1600/IMG_2047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-pyQuSA0mt0ZzFWUyq4hRxL5S9MN_Y5EM7NL7RYLGLHmG9HpS92sQgnaKplBgpJf6AE_qqLALLac3wy43iohwMGYsZmB3GhuXn1ia1Ki6nqM5N7NW5NwWKWDFaLgLSaVOeszLxF1L1o/s320/IMG_2047.JPG" width="320" /></a>As we got our opportunity to talk with the gate/rail agent, we got the pass validated and then...we were told that the 1st class coaches for the Bernina Express were full and we would need to travel second class. By the way, the Bernina Express line is from Chure to Lugano. As you might remember, we're in Zurich at the moment. Zurich is a rail trip from Chure, where we start the Bernina adventure. Oh yeah, we also hear that the bus from Ticino to Lugano is full. We were told that we would need to book the bus online. Nice thought, but since I wasn't traveling with my laptop AND there was no time to use an internet connection at the station.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">The train from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1287112333_1">Zurich</span> to Chure was fine & clean. I had never really ridden on train before, so most of this week in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1287112333_2" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Switzerland</span> was a new experience for me. We traveled nearly exclusively by train all over the country. It was definitely a great experience AND a learning experience.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Bernina Express Line was very cool, but since we were in second class, it was a touch full & well rather tight and small. We sat next to two young German students. One of the poor guys was blowing the whole time. Luckily and good for us, there no sniffing or other yuck like Americans teens all too often do.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFi8e-9q9e7SUYmPwXjyDjpkAJghkHGb51SsXAm5jU26DkhevFSacvoMwh9KZxbAuFBGkFXfCOjq4FKxPqdvozG7886SesJKpt1bUb8GBDw1AObdUYirhywez14ZWdaNJBNr-zODnk9bQ/s1600/IMG_2062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFi8e-9q9e7SUYmPwXjyDjpkAJghkHGb51SsXAm5jU26DkhevFSacvoMwh9KZxbAuFBGkFXfCOjq4FKxPqdvozG7886SesJKpt1bUb8GBDw1AObdUYirhywez14ZWdaNJBNr-zODnk9bQ/s320/IMG_2062.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIYOKu1wj5vViyWGc7y9hHqwllPLqDr-Lj-fmH8m83WhWj39VI_9Fph5LkUP4vdl0Ybr6ThfasvtlQtvtX4TsJvscHXsL-tGsHp22lNX-fqjyvhqDs4jJu2jjqkp0ULdH2tpp-E1pGEs/s1600/IMG_2086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIYOKu1wj5vViyWGc7y9hHqwllPLqDr-Lj-fmH8m83WhWj39VI_9Fph5LkUP4vdl0Ybr6ThfasvtlQtvtX4TsJvscHXsL-tGsHp22lNX-fqjyvhqDs4jJu2jjqkp0ULdH2tpp-E1pGEs/s320/IMG_2086.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DATKWu4xiJUgqtNC-HwriICsSnJ2xGZnRwh9AvrWnC3hw58-tapZfS7USukiUtNF1NwRRltMhNX90-fYpYhc-U6Ndw718DHCLilIWfPgYA6_ulewSJh-j1WkvTvG7fDMiuXW1YwR9WY/s1600/IMG_2099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-DATKWu4xiJUgqtNC-HwriICsSnJ2xGZnRwh9AvrWnC3hw58-tapZfS7USukiUtNF1NwRRltMhNX90-fYpYhc-U6Ndw718DHCLilIWfPgYA6_ulewSJh-j1WkvTvG7fDMiuXW1YwR9WY/s320/IMG_2099.JPG" width="320" /></a>During this trip I got TONS of pictures. This trip was amazing. We went past several lakes and glaciers; ALL the scenery is Beautiful! There were several places on the way that went through great small Swiss villages & towns. During this particular trip I started thinking about future trips & how cool it would be to take a bike, (that would, of course, be Motorcyle), trip over here.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here is the link to the Bernina Express Line:<br />
<a href="http://www.raileurope.com/train-faq/european-trains/bernina-express/index.html">http://www.raileurope.com/train-faq/european-trains/bernina-express/index.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">When we got to Ticino; which is very near, (as in the office sits Right on<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wZlHHFYRQMX1IHghEPHeLOsOzMkaum7mS5JdwLQYipXv45B75Il0hkDrePgD7G5YxoJOmWORHezR1fA9iybM6AfsgDauhlNhSOXbUCep1po9uRzm8DmQeC7hadyqWRjvvJnpo8McTto/s1600/IMG_2149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2wZlHHFYRQMX1IHghEPHeLOsOzMkaum7mS5JdwLQYipXv45B75Il0hkDrePgD7G5YxoJOmWORHezR1fA9iybM6AfsgDauhlNhSOXbUCep1po9uRzm8DmQeC7hadyqWRjvvJnpo8McTto/s320/IMG_2149.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfxppZztKYLE_L_kPz5GVvgn7N0DDp-GEgkEcyNLnYGZzDoKth7dEo1KnE-1bKu1Z3jabW5xuyN71KxYaJiJafEktUWTw3-U12745djJaQFGNBbCu28Ge0OAv8N3eArg2ABWnUMy065s/s1600/IMG_2159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsfxppZztKYLE_L_kPz5GVvgn7N0DDp-GEgkEcyNLnYGZzDoKth7dEo1KnE-1bKu1Z3jabW5xuyN71KxYaJiJafEktUWTw3-U12745djJaQFGNBbCu28Ge0OAv8N3eArg2ABWnUMy065s/s320/IMG_2159.JPG" width="320" /></a>the border), with Italy. I spoke with the gal at the counter and found out that the bus was full, (that was part of the price…), so I had to get us a train to Lugano, where we were staying for the night. We had a choice of going back the way we came for part of the way or to go on the Italian side. I generally hate to go the same route on trips, so I opted for the Italian side. Unfortunately, this again cost us. The good part of this trip was that we got to travel through the Italian countryside, lots and lots of interesting stuff. This trip was from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1287112333_3" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Ticino</span> to Monze via the Milano line. This adventure "allowed" us change trains in Monze & then then head to Chiasso. At Chiasso, we change again and head to Lugano. Luckily, for these two traveling Americans, the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1287112333_4">trains in Europe</span> are pretty prompt & are a viable mode of transport, so other than changing several times and lugging around luggage…(apparently, that’s where the word comes from), it wasn't bad, except that for whatever reason, most of the stations we were in (in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1287112333_5" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Italy</span>) didn’t have ramps, so I got to haul bags up & down stairs at every station change. This part of the trip was a bit stressful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, we get ourselves to Lugano & we think that things will be golden from here out, well, guess what…</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stood in the que to talk to a Very frustrating, sweaty, absolutely Worthless "customer service" agent, to try to book tomorrow’s trip to Lucerne on the Wilhelm Tell Line. The classic line we heard was; “you need to do that more than 24 hours in advance”. I next asked about the following day’s trip, (Golden Pass Line from Lucerne to Montreux. Conveniently he couldn’t do that because "they" were closed. Seems to me that he just didn’t want to help out at all. Luckily, this "gentleman" was not at all representative of the rest of the assistance we got, throughout our trip. </div><div class="MsoNormal">By this time, my veins popping out f my head & said “gosh darn it!"</div><div class="MsoNormal">We ended up taking a taxi to our hotel because I just couldn’t figure out how to get there from the station. I guess my head just wasn't working any more at that point. We get to the hotel & I was totally not feeling great about it, but we got our stuff out of the taxi and up to the door. There was no discernible way to get in & there was a note on the door that said “go around back" or some crap like that. I hit the intercom button and got a very nasty lady on the line yelling at me about the stupid note. We start walking around the block with the bags; because the hotel is in the middle of the block and there is no other way to the back side.<br />
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I finally get smart and find a place for Mom to sit down and hang out with the bags. I finally figure out how to get into the bar area where the “reception” area is supposed to be. I see the keys, but of course there’s no one around. The phone on the bar is supposed to be used to connect with "someone". I try but can't reach a soul. Unfortunately, I'm just getting more frustrated by the second!<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">As I get out of the other place, I remember seeing a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1287112333_6" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Holiday Inn</span>, so I walk to that, get checked in and we spend a night there. What an ordeal. Our other hotel was pre-paid, so I have to fight them on that. The day's meals were a total of one granola & gelato. Our dinner at the Holiday Inn was poor because of a tour that had the dining room completely filled up.<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">After dinner, I called Swiss travel folks & got no where fast. This day was Very frustrating, but we had a place to sleep & that’s important. Through it all, Mom has been a real trooper. No complaints & she kept trucking.<br />
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After all was said and done, we still had an amazing day, we got to hang out, had great conversations and learned a tremendous amount about life. The pictures, as you can see here were pretty awesome, too.<br />
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Cheers for another day and I can tell you that the trip got MUCH better the next day.<br />
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You know, in looking back over this post, I realize that this really had a pretty negative tone. While all of what was said here was/is true, the trip, the experiences and the time spent with Momma were well worth the price and I'd definitely do it again. I just have a great many things I learned along the way. One of the most important things I learned was that being kind to those around you and open to Everything that the Higher Power chooses to send our way allows us to experience SO much more than we would if we just sat in our little box at home.<br />
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Peace to you all.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div>Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-8716014626867091182010-10-10T22:54:00.000-06:002010-10-10T22:54:16.935-06:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 5Day 5 is September 11<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU9X3UvYPp_EEv0a7qefHJnMakiYv-OeFXg3ytb7WI4V-wS52ez0t5ozWV4pqxoBLlgx-Tiun7xiSsggFDkjstF-QvgEAaLrzh98vM9IvYRJs-hJ6_360C6XAWEQV9UJTkcUbpmGRCrA/s1600/IMG_2036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU9X3UvYPp_EEv0a7qefHJnMakiYv-OeFXg3ytb7WI4V-wS52ez0t5ozWV4pqxoBLlgx-Tiun7xiSsggFDkjstF-QvgEAaLrzh98vM9IvYRJs-hJ6_360C6XAWEQV9UJTkcUbpmGRCrA/s200/IMG_2036.JPG" width="200" /></a>Momma & I are up and ready to go this morning, after a bit of breakfast at the hotel, we walk down to the train station. Apparently, because I'm so used to the mountains in Colorado Springs being on my West, I'm a bit directionally challenged anywhere else. Yes, I'll admit it, I got a touch lost and in Fine Fashion...I did NOT ask for directions. Gotta make my gender proud somehow. ;)<br />
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As we here in the US know, September 11 or 9/11 is an important date in our history. Sometimes, we as US citizens/Americans take too many things for granted. There are vigils and moments of silence, but Momma & I were both quite surprised and proud of our Swiss friends and what they had in store.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqB5_3W37mY8votRLtlEJQG-bZ9hRD5jZstpDc8jlI9kymBwm81xLGidn02plA4Rx0iVlJT582K40auHlOg0T1FSngLOTDb6bAUgdH9ta9GZUskAF67SHyImUN2EXpQm6osuPSBEjhHo/s1600/IMG_2020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqB5_3W37mY8votRLtlEJQG-bZ9hRD5jZstpDc8jlI9kymBwm81xLGidn02plA4Rx0iVlJT582K40auHlOg0T1FSngLOTDb6bAUgdH9ta9GZUskAF67SHyImUN2EXpQm6osuPSBEjhHo/s320/IMG_2020.JPG" width="320" /></a>We were exploring Zurich and having a Great time when the bells in a local church started to chime. At first, we didn't think much of it, but they kept ringing and ringing. This went on for a good 15 minutes. About 5 minutes into it, I realized it was at nearly the exact time as the tragic events unfolded. It was very moving and made us feel that Not everyone in the world dislikes Americans. <br />
For my part, I do try to NOT act like the stereotype when I travel and of course, Momma Rocks, so she was right there with me the entire trip, supporting our friends and trying her best to understand and embrace the customs and people of the area where we stayed and visited.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvlCHcXt-1u7McksMKBwBLXm4hS9IVpY0EtT5ujjwMvO57i2C_L3SCM98QdJN2qIEeVLOkAfNStstT8TiD-Q_f5548ouXaOXI3HR5X6fUsIHli35Lk0h-QcPxSxjRWBnBP0cQvRnzS1c/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvlCHcXt-1u7McksMKBwBLXm4hS9IVpY0EtT5ujjwMvO57i2C_L3SCM98QdJN2qIEeVLOkAfNStstT8TiD-Q_f5548ouXaOXI3HR5X6fUsIHli35Lk0h-QcPxSxjRWBnBP0cQvRnzS1c/s320/IMG_2038.JPG" width="320" /></a>As we spent the day walking around and exploring Zurich, we had the opportunity to see some great architecture, great views of Mother Nature and an interesting mix of people. As we were walking around, of course, we got hungry. We happened upon this great little churassco restaurant with outdoor dining. When I have the opportunity, I Always prefer being outside and this was great. Food was quite good, the service was good and the "people watching" was fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7ZCFswFgKFFZua3NkhuWgbfSTMQ3JeO8F7k9do0H_8_Mki4fmhfPral8lg-tkuDxWCm_mrhWPaoNpmsoxl_J__AJQrPLHS26zU95_R50GIPZp4ARB-I7HJZJkyQiS7tWrssZapSErKc/s1600/IMG_2007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7ZCFswFgKFFZua3NkhuWgbfSTMQ3JeO8F7k9do0H_8_Mki4fmhfPral8lg-tkuDxWCm_mrhWPaoNpmsoxl_J__AJQrPLHS26zU95_R50GIPZp4ARB-I7HJZJkyQiS7tWrssZapSErKc/s320/IMG_2007.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I have to say this now and will say that it was repeated daily during this adventure. Momma and I had opportunities for some great talks as we were enjoying our adventure. Sure, I KNOW she's cool, but this trip really reminded me just how cool she is. The phrase of this trip and beyond is:<br />
Momma Paisano Rocks!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFjwkx7krGgntg9gBqsLkskJYesdSgWQiYCC4pvYl4VmRe99ULcercI9NCT7UIPwWa3-jySFLsQjdDnWrDVqQUWqkBEUopFK5MVqNyVAccewWJQBNe0MdHe9mvuTF1FzHx5_RjvW4kt8/s1600/IMG_2024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFjwkx7krGgntg9gBqsLkskJYesdSgWQiYCC4pvYl4VmRe99ULcercI9NCT7UIPwWa3-jySFLsQjdDnWrDVqQUWqkBEUopFK5MVqNyVAccewWJQBNe0MdHe9mvuTF1FzHx5_RjvW4kt8/s320/IMG_2024.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sometime during the day as we were wondering around and exploring, we heard some music that didn't seem to be prerecorded. Since I'm Always in the mood to discover some new and/or good music, I had to follow my ears. Imagine my surprise when we turned the corner and found a mariachi band playing in the square. It was Great! The band was having fun and enjoying themselves. That means so much. I know many artistic types and musicians from many different genres and it Always comes down to the fact that when the artist enjoys what they are doing, it comes through to the audience.<br />
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When now decide that we want to head back to the hotel. Sounds easy, doesn't it. WELL...yes, you guessed it, I got us on the wrong train, so we ended up WAY out of the way. While it was out of the way, it was interesting and an opportunity to see more of Switzerland and in the meantime, Also learned a new word. Flughafen. Do YOU know what it means? Momma does. ;)<br />
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We finally got back to the hotel and we called it a day. Both Momma & I wrote up notes on our adventure and that was it. Tomorrow we start our true exploration of Switzerland.Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-49501928720354651092010-10-10T22:41:00.000-06:002010-10-10T22:41:47.850-06:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 4Day 4 is Friday September 10<br />
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We are in Europe! The flight from Chicago, (9/9) to Munich (9/10) was pretty uneventful, which is good. We had the layover in Munich with enough time to make our connection with no stress AND since we were flying with Lufthansa, we actually had good food and snacks on all the flights, AND it was free, too. What a pleasant change from the domestic US flights where they practically charge you to use the restroom.<br />
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The process to go through Customs went very smoothly and that was certainly a pleasant surprise. That will be important later on for the return flight...<br />
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While waiting for our flight to Zurich, I had the opportunity to be in the general vicinity of an attractive lady with Great legs. Now, before you ask, Of Course I didn't talk to her...I'm Shy, remember. The flight from Munich to Zurich was nice and didn't take too long. Really, after about 8 to 10 hours of flying, another couple hours doesn't really matter. I think this flight was a bit over 1 1/2 hrs.<br />
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We are in Zurich at last. Yay!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ixL_ms9PzFwv-6OeAhEGm97KiHkZfmcRCMT6NFikI2fQEI6-TdcP3FMt7ZXj9XovDnq93NtcshJ8Nb-o9lOPLA8bDrkpnrWb7SJTKsOW7QtK_l6cYB2mVAlfF50hCpJVH8QeUxNkV34/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ixL_ms9PzFwv-6OeAhEGm97KiHkZfmcRCMT6NFikI2fQEI6-TdcP3FMt7ZXj9XovDnq93NtcshJ8Nb-o9lOPLA8bDrkpnrWb7SJTKsOW7QtK_l6cYB2mVAlfF50hCpJVH8QeUxNkV34/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" width="320" /></a>We checked into and stayed at the Park Inn for two days and used this as a "base of operations" until we head south. The shuttle and check in went very smoothly and well, it didn't hurt At All that Anna, the gal working the front desk was CUTE. Yes, I know "here he goes again". I guess I have a thing for Gorgeous blue eyes, dark hair, a great smile & dimples, with an accent. (By the way, No, I'm Not just like everyone else. I really Do understand that True beauty is in what a person does & not how a person looks.) In this case that accent was because she was from Poland. Anyway, she was very pleasant and helpful. Our room was pretty nice and comfortable, so upon getting checked in and settled down, we both ended up taking a nap.<br />
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Naptime for Joey was much needed and Mom Rocks, so after a an hour or two she was ready for dinner. We didn't feel much like "exploring", so we had dinner in the hotel in front of the window that faces the airport. It was a nice way to relax a bit and settle in for a Great 3 weeks. Dinner was pretty good, if a bit pricey. We wrap up and wonder our way upstairs.<br />
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Momma Paisano, (Dora, for those who don't know her), had a "Dora the Explorer" notebook, courtesy of yours truly and was absolutely Great about writing in it every night. I'm so proud of her! Between Momma's writing and my lesson learned from the Route 66 ride, (Not writing at least Some notes), I kept up on my writing as well. I mean I've got a Ton of notes. I wonder if I would have done better in school if I would have taken notes like this back then...Nah, it was boring back then. :)<br />
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Tomorrow, we Explore Zurich!!!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8071631052666178410.post-59911750906632692522010-10-05T22:51:00.001-06:002010-10-06T19:25:29.671-06:00Paisano European Tour 2010 - Day 3Day 3 is Thursday September 9<br />
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Today, we hit the road, well sky is more like it, I guess.<br />
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We loaded up the Vue and set out for the Quad City Airport, (Now called the Quad City International Airport). Funny, it looks pretty much the same as it did 23 years ago. Also, if it's International, why did we need to head to Chicago before flying to our first stop in Munich?<br />
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Anyway, we got our bags checked in and then had a bite to eat. Airport "restaurants" are an odd sort. They tend to either be pretty good or well, not so much. The food at the Moline airport was OK and the service started out OK, but Wow did it go downhill fast. The flight from Moline to Chicago is similar to the flight from Colorado Springs to Denver, just about 35 minutes or so. Hardly seems worth it, but it is better than walking.<br />
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The flight from Chicago to Munich was all overnight and mostly uneventful, but we had two folks yakking behind us the entire time, (my Spanish is no bueno, so even the conversation wasn't interesting). We didn't get to rest much, just a doze here & there. Since the flight started out an hour behind, we were lucky enough to have layover time built in so that we were still able to make our flight from Munich to Zurich without freaking out, that's good because on the way back...well, we'll get to that. <br />
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This will be continued because Friday September 10 was EUROPE!!!Joeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09506713902038939167noreply@blogger.com0