10/13 Marina Piccola, Capri Italy

I awoke the next morning, took an early walk and just couldn’t believe how beautiful everything was.  Every so often I claimed a bench with a view and sketch out some thoughts.  I headed down toward the harbor to catch a bus to the other side of the island.  I planned on seeing the blue grotto.  I couldn’t figure out where to pick up a bus and nobody would give me a straight answer so I decided to walk.   …

07/30 Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany

I was intrigued with the works of Escher and understood there was an exhibit in the Hage, so I persuaded Jim to board a late train out of Luxembourg.  We arrived in to Rotterdam even later.  There didn’t seem to be anybody but the two of us, the streets were virtually empty.  We wandered toward the lights advertising vacancies and pounded on doors until one finally opened.  The price the gentlemen in pajamas requested was outrageous.  …

08/28 Nerja Spain

We had awakened almost in the same position we had fallen asleep.  But now the birds below sang that the morning was new and filled with joy.  It was as if natural geometry and rhythms had aligned and everything was clearer than the day before.  We traveled hand in hand occasionally catching each other smiling as if it was just a bit hard to believe that we had found one another.  …

09/02 Barcelona Spain

After a morning cup of coffee I took a direct route to the train station and boarded the first train heading towards Barcelona.  I didn’t offer Jim a single word.  He either followed or went his own way and at that point I wasn’t going to give it too much consideration.  I wasn’t interest in continuing the conversation from the night before so sat in my own compartment.  About a quarter of the way to Barcelona a group of travelers from North Africa joined in and donated some hash for the ride.  …

09/05 Montpellier, Spain

As we crossed into Montpellier, we were followed by a young Austrian girl after crossing paths on the platform.  The three of us wandered through the gardens and down along the Roman aqueduct.  Eventually we ended up strolling down the narrow streets gazing into the many store windows.  I was attracted to an antique brass figure of a dancer, very Degas.  It was absolutely gorgeous and about a hundred years old or so I was told with a price tag to match.  …

12/08 Lienz, Austria

When we finally reached Villach and obtained some currency, sugar was on the menu.  I found a dream of bakeries and was operating on the ‘try everything once’ premise, but we cut that short for some real food.  We spent the rest of the day checking out shop windows.  Jenni expressed a passion for shop windows.  I suggested that she get herself a nice camera and perhaps someday she would publish a book.   …

12/10 Amsterdam, Netherlands

I knew we had reached the Netherlands when the standard blue or green trains turned multi-colored.  Two guys had hit us up in the train station soliciting us to take a room on their boat.  I preferred being in the heart of the city where access was easier and I could be closer to the coffee shop I decide to write in, but Jenni kind of liked the idea of being on a boat.  I was leaving in a few days and felt that getting her acquainted with another group of people was also a priority.  …

08/15 Heidelberg, Germany

In a middle of a dream a young man introduced himself to me, explained that we knew one another and that he had something to show me.  I looked at his face and couldn’t recall where we had met or when.  He stated that he had been given permission to show me something and at that moment opened what could be best described as a door.  Behind the opened door I saw billions of people of all ages, with all characteristics, moving frantically as if searching for someone important to them.  As I moved closer I noticed that my mind did not perceive the physical characteristics of these people.  …

07/23 Arhus, Denmark

We entered a compartment that could be best described as humorous.  There was a young lady traveling by herself, who had spread her clothes from one end of the compartment to the other. This was orchestrated to persuade us to look elsewhere. We just laugh since this was a technique we often used to maintain our privacy.  We found it amusing to watch her reaction to our comfort.  She acted as if her mother unexpectedly allowed her new boyfriend into her unmade room.  …

12/06 Split, Yugoslavia

We charted a bus north up the coast into Split where I was able to see the beautiful coast line.  One of the advantages of traveling in baby steps is that we could stop at those beautiful places and not neglect the details that make each special.  When we reached Split we headed through the walls of the old city seeking a room for the night.  We either were appalled at the high prices for a room or they didn’t have any available.  Since our budget was deflating I posed an option to Jenni.  …

05/19 Los Angeles, California

Imprisoned by my own curiosity. I felt as if I was looking up through trees that encircled my view, staring at the many branches and the fruits suspended beyond my grasp.  I knew I could no longer be satisfied simply to lie here on my back, closing my eyes and dreaming of things out of my reach.

…

09/30 Freiberg, Germany

I found a gorgeous room in Fribourg that overlooked the main square that surrounded the church.  It had a lovely café out front and was an ideal location to watch foot traffic and to catch up on my journal.  There was a gentleman who showed up playing the harmonica and really put on a show.  Talk about envy, “I wish I could play like that”.  …

08/31 Toledo, Spain

We both had traveled through Madrid on our way into Portugal but neither one of us had our mind on sightseeing.  We had planned on traveling through into Avila and then on to Toledo so we only got off the train to stretch our legs and find ourselves some food.  When we first arrived in Toledo we walked around its outer wall.  Ann was sporting a t-shirt minus a bra and again my mind began orbiting.  …

12/05 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

Our train ended in Karajevo where we were left to wait for a bus.  There was nowhere to hide from the cold so we all had to move around a lot and it seemed like the bus was ever going to show.  We had scattered moments of sleep, moving here, moving there, trying to forget how cold it was.  That was one bad night.  The bus eventually showed up late and wasn’t scheduled to enter Dubrovnik until around breakfast.  I just dazed out looking past my reflection at blackness that was the sea passing by in a blur.   …