11/06 Nikolaos, Greece

I woke to the sound of wind that seemed to be gaining strength.  It sounded like cats crying in the distance but no, it was closer.  I went out onto the balcony and noticed two of our lady friends down in the street trying to get somebody’s attention.  Apparently the door was locked and they had no key.  We had an early boat and needed to get moving.  Elspeth discovered her girlfriend never made it back from last night and she presumed she may have gotten lucky.  Either way she wasn’t going to hop on the ferry without her, so we left the two behind. …

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.  …

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.   …

09/28 Baden-Baden, Germany

I woke up with a serious problem.  I don’t know if it was the combination of the exercise the other day, the consumption of alcohol or both but my arms had stiffened to the point where I could not extend them beyond a forty five degree angle.  I tried carried my bags first in one hand and then the other using the weight of the bags to help stretch out my muscles, very scary. …

09/29 Strasborg, Germany

I stopped in Karlsuhe for something to eat and decided to head through Offerberg and then into Strasborg for a day or two.  I had had four consecutive days of good weather and today was no different.  The water just smiled back with the reflection of the autumn leaves.  I loved the way the city was broken into pieces by the water.   …

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.  …

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.  …

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.  …

08/10 Zurich, Switzerland

Our rail passes provided free passage on numerous lake cruises, so we decided to take advantage.  We gathered up the ingredients for a day out on Lake Zurich.  Opened up a cold beer, claimed a table with a view and broke out the cards to continue the cribbage marathon from the night before.  What a perfect day it was to be out on a lake.  There was just the right mixture between the warmth of the sun, the coolness of the breeze and the temperature of the beer.  Man some of these homes that line the lake with their manicured yards and adornments screams money.  …

06/14 Dublin, Ireland

We paid twenty pounds each for deck passage to Ireland.  Everybody we had been crossing paths with had one priority, duty free beer.  Especially a couple of guys from the states.  One was from San Diego and the other from somewhere outside of Boston Massachusetts.  I was still tired from the long walks and late nights in Liverpool, so I thought I’d catch up on some sleep.  After two beers sleep wasn’t hard to find.  Jim volunteered to watch our bags so I wandered off and found myself a comfortable place to grab some sleep.  …

06/10 West Coast, Scotland

I looked down and saw the speck that was our car and I could almost make out Jim sitting there reading his book.  “You’re missing out”, I yelled.  I realize coming off one of these mountain I lost my wallet.  Backtracked but couldn’t find it.  Not much money and no credentials or credit cards inside, so that was a relief, but I did lose my address book.  So for all those that I promised I would write, please accept this as my apology. …

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.

…

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.   …

10/22 Corfu, Greece

Even though all the other guys had paid for a room joining the ladies outside became a priority.  Good looking women typically have that effect over men.  We all traded stories and passed around a few bottles of alcohol.  By the time we reached Corfu we had assembled into an interesting group of travelers.  Once we hit Corfu’s dock an elderly lady persuaded us to check out her hotel.  I used our group’s size as a bargaining chip and obtained a better rate for the group.   …