Previous Next
05/25 Bath, England
12/03  Belgrade, Yugoslavia
07/12 Helsinki, Finland
10/24  Athens, Greece
11/18  Rhoads, Greece
10/06  Pisa, Italy
11/13  Jerusalem, Israel
08/18 Lisbon, Portugal
09/21 Versailles, France
10/18  Cefalu, Italy
09/11 Milan, Italy
11/19  Lindos, Rhoads Greece
08/01 Gloriette, Vienna Austria
06/05 Coventry, England
08/30 Granada, Spain

05/25 Bath, England

We caught a morning bus into Bath.  There was such a beautiful view out the window I hardly noticed any of the other passengers.  I could almost imagine hearing the hunter’s horn heralding from the hills, the sound of dogs running alongside the hooves of horses.  I gazed at the many sheep spattered like white paint against the green, divided by a patchwork of trees and fences. 

Continue Reading

12/03 Belgrade, Yugoslavia

I was told I still had family in Belgrade.  My grandmother had given me addresses of relatives so at one point I considered visiting, but the negative idea of just showing up on somebody’s doorstep crept in.  I ran it by Jenni.  She didn’t have any plans of her own and kind of reluctantly agreed to follow, as long as we were heading north.  We spent the rest of the day seeing some of the sights and roaming the streets.  The one thing I didn’t want to do was to visit another museum. 

Continue Reading

07/12 Helsinki, Finland

I woke from a dream, fixing my eyes on the unseen shadows of the dark room and began tracing the steps of the dream that had just left my grasp.  I got up, sat at a table in the corner of the room and stared out at the moon.

Continue Reading

10/24 Athens, Greece

On the trip into Athens we were joined by another young lady and young man who had been pursuing her.  She wasn’t interested in him but tolerated him because she liked the attention.  At least that’s what she told us.  We discussed renting a van and exploring Greece’s mainland.  I wanted to visit Delos and then each extension of the Maurice Cross but Athens was first on our agenda and we decided to postpone making a decision until later.  

Continue Reading

11/18 Rhoads, Greece

When we reached the port we began to wander about.  We really didn’t know which way to proceed but luckily we crossed paths with a couple who spoke English.  They were retired Americans who had been living abroad for the last three years.  Instead of joining a country club or pursuing some hobby back home they decided to see the world at a slow pace.  They explained that they would live in a different city every three months or there about and they planned on doing that indefinitely.  

Continue Reading

10/06 Pisa, Italy

I was told of a nice beach just outside of Pisa so I snuck in an early shower again and took an early train out.  Tuscany provided an enchanting landscape painted in pastels.  I followed the tourists to the tower in Pisa, gave my two cents and climbed to the top.  With all those people hanging all over it I was surprised it hadn’t fallen and decided to head down before it did.  After strolling through the Duomo and viewing Ramous’s doors I wandered across the river to get a feel for the countryside and sat along the side of the bridge thinking.  Truth, like art is sometimes in the eye of the beholder.  

Continue Reading

11/13 Jerusalem, Israel

Alongside the darkness we walked the city streets.  It was a different feel since the majority of the shops were boarded up for the night.  It gave the streets a maze like feel.  We came upon a community of water pipes where I sat across from an elderly blind man and a few of his companions.  We shared a pot of spearmint tea and a conversation.  I had a picture taken but it was very dark and without a flash I wasn’t sure if it would come out. 

Continue Reading

08/18 Lisbon, Portugal

Eventually we exhausted our rail pass in Lisbon.  It felt good to slow down our pace and relax from the routines associated with traveling by train.  We chose a place where the locks worked, the toilet flushed and the view down onto the street below was descent.  By the time I reached for the second bottle everything had a rosy glow, and the food was excellent.  I must have had quite a smile and/or my wallet was showing because every young lady looking to trade sex for money introduced herself. 

Continue Reading

09/21 Versailles, France

The wind blowing through the trees surrounding Versailles whispered voices from it past.  Is it a revolt?  No it is a revolution.  Words.  Words that had challenged the cast system of the church and the rich.  Science, literature and invention tore the fabric of the aristocrats.  It started here.  A revolution now and then can be healthy thing.  I followed an English speaking tour to gather additional information.  It was a beautiful home but the maintenance bill must have been outrageous.  I guess it is good to be King? 

Continue Reading

10/18 Cefalu, Italy

The storm passed through very quickly.  When the sun rose I gathered up my things and without even saying goodbye I headed down the volcano like I was escaping.  I had just come out of a sulfur cloud, was coated in mud and must have smelled like shit.  I sure felt like shit.  When I finally made it back down to the residence below they too were cover in mud.  I’m glad somebody could laugh at this.  The first two people I saw were in the process of shoveling themselves out of the mud.  

Continue Reading

09/11 Milan, Italy

I found a good cup of coffee on the square in front of the Duomo, sat there and caught up on my journal while I watched Milan wake up around me.  The morning light danced past its arches onto the adjacent building.  It was a breathtaking sight, absolutely gorgeous, a very unique structure.  I spent some time queuing inside and then sat along the edges of the square.  I discovered an excellent restaurant just not far from the Duomo and relaxed to a bottle of wine. 

Continue Reading

11/19 Lindos, Rhoads Greece

I planned on taking a bus over to the ruins in Lindos but Jenni wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t too motivated to go anywhere.  “I’ll see you tonight” I told her.  The thought of missing something changed her mind and she decided to come along anyway.  It was a nice sunny day with a cool breeze.  A gorgeous little white washed village lodged under a Roman acropolis.  

Continue Reading

08/01 Gloriette, Vienna Austria

One thing was for certain, I needed a shower.  Sleeping out with element guarantees one thing, we were up early, so we took advantage and started searching for a room.  Luckily we found a room in the area that accommodated our needs, but we couldn’t check in until later that afternoon, so we reserved a room.  They were kind enough to watch our bags, allow us to scamper off and tour the city. 

Continue Reading

06/05 Coventry, England

I was disappointed that Jim didn’t have the same level of interest in seeing these local sites.  I started referring to Jim as “Stationary”, because literally, he’d stay in the train station and read a book while waiting for me to return from my trek.  Wasting opportunities like these between the pages of some romantic novel seemed foolish to me when this is all new. 

Continue Reading

08/30 Granada, Spain

A good shower and I packed up for today’s trek.  Our first stop was to see if we could check our bags at the train station but the area used for this service had been closed down some time ago.  It was suggested that we try a hotel across the way.  Typically hotel won’t check in new customer until around noon but usually will accommodate us early arrivals by watching our bags until check in rolls around.  We have done this enough times to know to take advantage of this hospitality. 

Continue Reading
10
https://www.two-coin-travel-journal.com/wp-content/themes/press