11/09 Jerusalem, Israel

My eyes were glued to the window of the bus.  The landscape we passed reminded me a lot of my home.  The anticipation of knowing Jerusalem was approaching was beginning to take hold.  There were many images that had been presented to me throughout my youth that I now have the opportunity to touch.  The bus let us off at the Jaffa Gate.  Jenni had a name and address of a family given to her from a mutual friend that could perhaps put us up for the night.  I noticed a tourist office just off to my left and thought that might be a good place to start and to find ourselves a map of the city.   …

08/23 Algarve, Portugal

Thank God everyday was a sunny beach day.  I began the day with some hair of the dog in a small grass shack that hugged the sand leading toward the water, just like yesterday.  I struck up a conversation with a young lady who had given me a strange gesture after a fly had landed on her shoulder.  We all look from different angles don’t we?  She was disgusted with the idea that the fly was attracted to something on her body.  I on the other hand would be more concerned with what the fly might have brought to me.  It’s a wonderful world that has more than one color.  …

07/09 Northern Finland

There were about eight of us on a train traveling from Sweden across the Arctic Circle into Finland.  When we reached a painted line across the tracks, the train stopped and they ushered us out for a celebration.  When the speeches were over, they actually gave each of us a certificate validating our crossing, woopty-do.  It was a nice opportunity to stretch our legs, until we came to learn that this leg stretching exercise would continue for another few hours.  …

06/21 Northern Ireland

It was raining a bit and we had a couple of open containers.  The roads were narrow with no extra space to speak about.   I knew if we got stuck behind another logging truck we could be here for weeks.  Once we managed to pass a couple of these trucks we began to make up for some lost time.  Jim began complaining that his bladder couldn’t take much more of this abuse but before I was willing to pull over, I wanted to put enough distance between ourselves and the logging trucks.  …

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.   …

11/17 Haifa, Israel

We discovered that the prior day’s information was incorrect.  There were no boats leaving today.  We got our Sabbath’s mixed up again.  We had already packed everything up and trekked the long walk down to the docks.  At first I had doubt that anybody was talking straight.  I always had to ask a few to get some comfort in confirmation.  We managed to gather numerous alike answers and concluded that we were stuck there another day, fuck.   …

10/10 Rome, Italy

Early morning trekked across town and I followed the cats to the Coliseum.  I was disappointed it was a ruin.  I would really have enjoyed if it had been rebuilt and had the opportunity to see mock gladiatorial games or mythological dramas within its walls.  When I was young my exposure to that type of history was either through reading books or viewing movies but to actually stand in such a historical site awakened the senses of my imagination.  I could almost make out the roar of the lions and the cheer from the crowd. …

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.  …

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.

…

07/06 Uppsala, Sweden

With a cup of coffee and a cigarette, I got an early start and headed toward Gavie to see its shores.  All this talk about love and kissing had got me thinking about it as well.  In regards to the young ladies that had entered my life that I have loved, I always acted as a gentleman and never took control until the door was open and I was invited in.  I needed a green light.  …

08/07 Lugano, Switzerland

I was awakened by the sound of sweeping in the distance.  It’s funny how things looked different under the light of the day.  I really thought we had selected an isolated location where we could be unnoticed but the fact was we practically slept on top of a monument.  It was comfortable and no one bothered us and would have been perfect if we weren’t sharing the space with a colony of ants.  …

09/24 Countryside, France

I wandered about the northern coast of France skipping from hostel to hostel and enjoying their fine cuisine.  Finding excellent food was easy but locating a smile or a friendly gesture from the locals was sometimes impossible.  I felt that the rudeness the Northern French dished out actually provided the glue that bonded us tourists closer together.  I came across a nice room in Blois and utilized it as home base to visit the chateaus in the area.  …

10/02 Venice, Italy

I finished last night’s joint out on the balcony and then spent about an hour watching the taxis jockey for position and transport the masses from place to place.  A unique perspective on canal life.  I passed a few dollars into the hands of a boat owner who showed me around the channels.  I figured that was a good first step to accustom myself to the island.  I traced the labyrinths of narrow streets and waterways and watched gargoyles pass under arches where the king of ghosts and shadows once danced.   …

05/27 Avebury, England

One night at Mik’s place while passing around the pipe, he weaved stories of sprits possessing the trails between the white horse and the many rock circles heading north.  I could almost visualize these images he was painting and hear the pounding of drums in the wind, as I focused in on the flames dancing with the beat.  …