Category: Uncategorized

Today, Tuesday was a travel day.

We left Budapest at 9:41 am by train and arrived in Bratislava about 12:30 pm. We caught a really nice boat (we had front two rows) to Vienna about 4:00 pm and arrived about 6:00 pm.  We dumped our stuff and went out on the town until about 9:00 pm and arrived back to the hotel exhausted.

The temperature is becoming more and more fall like. We are also seeing a lot of Golden leaves.

On the train. We met some Aussies that were going to Prague, and had a nice conversation.  They were traveling for about 30 days.  Did you know that people in different countries often are on vacation for 4-5-6 weeks at a time? Their vacation time is structured differently from ours.

On the boat.

Gerard at the front of the boat.  Nice pic taken by some Japanese friends.

We saw these neat shanties along the Danube River. The top picture is at a distance and the second is zoomed in.  They are fishing cabins, or shacks.  Notice the water drum on the second photo.  I would think we saw about 100 of these tiny buildings.

 

This is a castle wall, with the castle pretty much in ruins.  We also passed by the wall that separated Slovakia from Austria. It was not in good repai either, but with the EU they are probably good with the wall falling down.

A great day was had by all. Three got ice cream after a fish dinner. It was some of the best ice cream ever eaten.  Maria and Gerard may still be out exploring. We can’t keep up with them.  Most of our days have started about 9:30 am and that seems to work well for us.

we just have one more week and this marvelous trip comes to an end.  Thanks for reading today.

 

 

 

Two full days in Budapest, but we did not get to do it all. Actually, we could have stayed longer in all the cities. However, this tour was designed to just get an overview of our stops.

We stopped first at the John Calvin statue. He played a very important part in church history. Then we went to the famous marketplace of Budapest. It has everything from souvenirs to vegetables to meat, coffee, and mostly paprika in all degrees of sweet and hot. Several bought some. I bought some beautifully colored beans, After I paid, he said they were not dried so they do not need to cook as long.  I hope they do not spoil before we get home.

Ron and I made our way to the train station to buy our tickets for tomorrow to Bratislava, Slovakia. Ron decided to walk, then we decided to take a taxi, then we changed our minds and decided to take the metro. In the end , we took a taxi. Would you believe we got in a taxi without a meter? Yep, we did. Here are 2 pictures of the train station. Most of the buildings in Budapest are humongous. The train station is no exception. Put both pictures together to get the size.  The circle down from the peak is a clock.

All 8 had agreed to meet at 2 for our lunch. Maria and Gerard did not show so we wrote a note telling them whew we would be and left it on the pedestal of John Calvin’s statue.  I found one rock and something else to anchor it down.  Maria and Gerard never showed up at the restaurant. After lunch we went back and found the note on the ground, but the anchors were still in place. I would like to know if any passers-by read the on foot

After a short rest the 6 of us lit out again. This time in search of Independence Square and Ronald Reagan.  We found him. See pictures below. Notice the church in the background.

We continued on to St. Stephen’s Basilica onfoot. The church took 54 years to build and was finished in 1905.  It had 3 architects working on it. It is absolutely gorgeous on the inside. It is named for the first king of Hungary. See below. I could not upload the picture I took of the inside. Then we walked back to our hotel arriving about 7:00 pm, exhausted as always.

Here is one more picture of the Parliment building. It is the third largest in the world after Buenos Aires and London.  One more bit of trivia. Hungary has produced many famous people and scientists. FYI. The rubric’s Cube comes from Hungary and the current best record for solving the puzzle is 5.6 seconds. Can you remember how long it took you? Did you ever even solve the puzzle?

May I back up to Athens? I need to tell you a story about what happened to Carol in Athens.  Remember she did not go to the Acropolis with the rest of us? Late afternoon, she decided to go next door to John’s Hot Dog stand and get some nourishment. Her choice sounded good, but after the first bite, she knew it was not to her liking,  so she wrapped it up and deposited her hot dog in the small trash receptacle nearby. No longer had she done it, when she noticed a small kitten that looked hungry.  So she did what any cat lover would do,  she retrieved the hot dog for the feline. To her surprise, when she went back to the table where she had been sitting, there was a shinny Euro on the table.  Her guess was that a gentleman passing by, saw her digging in the trash, and left a coin on the table for the pitiful homeless lady.  We all got a big laugh about her escapade for the day.

Tomorrow is Tuesday. The time has just flown by.  We will be arriving home next Tuesday. We have seen and done a lot.  Actually, the more you see and do, the more you realize there is so much more to see and do.

Thanks for tuning in today.

Yesterday,  Saturday, was a different day. We got a shuttle at 11:00 am to take us from Athens town to the country and the beach. It was a pleasant ride through the country. Our beach resort was beautiful. Right on the Aegean Sea. All of us took some time to walk around the grounds and explore the hotel. Of course, Carol and I had a massage. Then dinner started at 7:30 pm. We had a very nice buffet and called it a day.

We chose this hotel because it was near the airport and it would give us a different look of Greece. It had none of the hustle and bustle of the big city. It was also off season, so the hotel was not very full

Today, Sunday, it was up at 5:00 am to arrive at the airport by 6:15 so we could be on time for our 8:20 am departure. Arrival was at 9:20 into Budapest. (2 hr flight and one time zone change.)

Our hotel is very old and the Nazis used it during WWII. However it is very well kept and it is very near tons of things.

Budapest is a beautiful city. Actually our guide said it was the second most beautiful city in the world. I always wonder what the first is, don’t you?

Below are pictures of the Parliment building in Pest. I have a night picture of the Castle, but I could not get it to upload. The Castle and the Parliment building are separated by the Danube River.

I have a picture of Sandra at this “Hero’’s Square,” but I could not get it to upload.

This is the Parliment Building.

I have a picture of me at this fountain, but I could not get it to upload.

How about this picture, Renee and Mike?

Thanks for coming along today.  We are all bushed again tonight.

Continue reading “Budapest, Hungary”

Breakfast first and then a shuttle from the hotel to the bottom of the Acropolis.  Time to begin the ascent! (Carol elected to stay back today.  She saw it from a distance yesterday, and decided the climb was not for her.)

It is a hard climb for younger people but for those with grey hair, it is a beast.  However, as the saying goes, we aren’t getting any younger. There are plenty of places to stop and rest, which we utilized.

What a scene! The Acropolis is the hill and the temple built to the goddess Athenia is The Parthenon.  Acropolis means “top of a rocky hill.”  This one is 512 feet high. It has a gently slopping path upward.  Those are the worst kind. Then as you get closer to the top, there are steps.  Today there was a nice breeze and overcast.  Our pictures came out great and we did not suffer from scorching heat.  There are other ruins on the Acropolis, not just the Parthenon.

    

The Parthenon is amazing. It only took about 10 years to build at a cost of (2010 cost of silver) $9,765,966.08. That is 469 silver talents.  One talent is about 85 pounds and each talent is valued at $20,822.9554.  It has a limestone foundation and the columns are made from marble. Just a bit of trivia for you.

Below is Hadrian’s Wall.  He said you have not learned until you have studied in Athens. ( or something like that.)

The Parthenon was a fortress, a temple, and a place for retreat when the Greeks came under attack. It was also built to hold a large statue of the patroness god of the city, Athenia. After the Ottoman conquest, it was turned into a mosque in the early 1460’s.  On September 26, 1687, an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures.  Below. My friends are really studying the information on the boards. How is this Derrick?

   

Today there was quite a bit of scaffolding as they are in constant restoration. Actually, we were remarking about how much money this destination makes in a day. If The Taj Mahal gets 40,000 visitors a day, The Acropolis surely gets 50 or 60 thousand a day, and adults pay 20€ .  It seems like this one destination could support the government, which has had financial problems for years.  Below.  We could not pass up taking pictures of these tiny dandelions.

One more Athens detail, and that is, Athens boasts of the birthplace of democracy.

Let me tell you about this 4 star hotel.  See the picture? The mirror is too tall for short people unless you stand 6 feet away.  See the hair dryer’s short cord? You can’t look in the mirror and dry your hair.  There is no box of Kleenex in the room.  No wash clothes, which is normal. . . But they have a system that allows you to call the USA for free and you can even take the phone with you while you’re out and about the hotel and use it as a GPS. Go figure!

We closed up early today about 4:30 pm.  I think everyone was tired from the long day yesterday.  Tomorrow we move to the beach area, putting us closer to the airport for our Sunday morning early departure.  Isn’t Greece known for its beaches?  We try to include everything.

Thanks for joining us today.

 

 

 

Yes,  I know Paradise was spelled incorrectly yesterday.  What happened to spell check!

Yesterday was a travel day.  We left the hotel at 9:00 am and made a connection in Doha, Qatar.  Actually I had never heard of the country until our itinerary routed us through there. I still do not know much about the country, but they have a beautiful airport, with not many people in it.  Our second flight probably had fewer than 100 guests. We are amazed at how these flights can fly with so few people.  I would presume  the government subsidizes the airlines.  Excellent service each time we have flown in the Middle East.  And, the airports have been immaculately clean.  We will see if we notice the same in Europe.

When we arrived at the hotel at 7:00 pm, we learned that all 4 of our reservations were cancelled and they only had 3 rooms left for the night. Reason: the credit card was invalid.  Really? They took it for the 3 rooms  now. After about an hour they found Ron and me a hotel across the street for just that one night, then we would move to the original hotel. We took a taxi because to get across the street we had to cross underground.  I did not think I could drag my suitcase up and down steps.  In the morning, we decided to do the steps and Ron would make 2 trips.  Fortunately, they had a ramp so I wheeled mine all the way.  We had breakfast at our original hotel and decided to depart at 9:30 am.  Upon asking directions we were informed there was a strike today and the sightseeing bus was not operating and the Acropolis was closed.  We wasted a long time trying to discover what to do. Finally, we decided to go ahead and use our hop off hop on bus ticket.  It was an informative ride. At 1:15 pm we took a walking tour that was supposed to last 1 hour 45 minutes.  It lasted 2 hours 45 minutes.  That is a long walk.  Our guide was interesting for the first hour and then she became boring, according to me. We did take at least 30 minutes to see the changing of the guard at the prime minister’s  palace.

We were tired by then but it was too early to call it a day. We decided to go back to the hotel drop off some things and get a gyro in the neighborhood.  Our newest and best friend was the bellman.  He suggested we take a 7 (hah) minute walk to the metro station, go 2 stops, and walk down a certain street until we found lots of restaurants and better gyros than in the hotel neighborhood.

So, off we went.  It took longer than 7 minutes, then try to picture 8 old folks trying to use the machine that spits out tickets.  Quite comical. Hope you are not standing I line behind them.  Did I mention, neither of us know any Greek words.

We found a restaurant and had some really good gyros.  Gerard asked for lamb and Greeks don’t make them with lamb. We were stuffed, but some still got a gelato.

We traced our way back through the streets, the metro, and the walk back to the hotel. We arrived at the hotel a little before 9:00 pm absolutely beat.

Changing of the guard in Athens

This map shows Doha to Athens. It does not include Oman to Doha.

One of the ancient buildings of Athens, with Carol riding on the sightseeing bus.

Ron and I and Maria and Gerard in a selfie. We are on the top side of the bus.

Carol enjoying her gyro. It ended up all over her face!

Can you believe this pile of food? Tons of French fries, a gyro club sandwich, and a chefs salad.  Can you even believe Robbin and Cathy ate almost all of it? Actually we were all pretty hungry.  We have just been eating 2 meals a day for the most part.

That’s it for Wednesday and Thursday.  I hope you enjoyed our day, without the tired feet and sore legs.

Very relaxing day today.  Get up when you want, leisurely breakfast, off to sit under an umbrella. . .

here are a few shots from today. Beautiful flowers

all around. Inside flowers. A centerpiece of orchids. The bread table. Yum yum   Double hibiscus and others You can see, no weight loss!Beautiful sunrise.

We went into town for 2 hours today and had some treats.

Tomorrow is a travel day.  We travel from Muscat, Oman to Athens, Greece with a stopover in Qatar.

i hope you can come with us the next time.

 

 

 

 

It is our 15th day. The time has just flown by. Just about everyone has been “under the weather” at least one day, but no one has tripped and fallen. And, we have not had a hospital visit.  Thanks for praying for us.

Nothing was planned for today.  For one reason, the hotel costs are way too expensive. That is one advantage of group travel, the guests don’t know exactly what they paid for each component. For the Shangri-La they would say “you shouldn’t have, but I’m so glad you did”

Two photos From our balcony

    

One photo from our lounge chairs.

A photo around the grounds.

 

Two photos of our rooms from outside.

    

Two photos of the Gulf of Oman just off the Arabian Sea.

   

It is absolutely beautiful here.  Photos give you an idea, but seeing the beauty in person cannot be beat. Off we go to dinner.

 

Today we went to abudhabi.  This is the correct spelling.  It is also spelled       Abu Dhabi, two words.

Our guide today, Hi-Sam, was Egyptian. He has been in Dubai for 4 years.  He was quite knowledgeable.  Our first stop was the mosque.  It is the first in the world.  Not because it is the biggest, (trust me, it was big) but because it is white.  The outside is white marble from Greece and the inside is white marble from Italy.  It took 11 years to build from 1966  to 2007.   It is only 11 years old. It cost 1/2 billion dollars and utilized  about 25,000 workers. The mosque was paid for by the royal family and they still maintain the facility.  It also had semi precious stones inlaid in the marble like the Taj. This mosque can hold 41,000 worshippers at a time.  Usually on Friday about 10,000 come to worship.  This mosque also has the biggest carpet in the world. I can’t remember the size but it weighed 47 tons. It was woven as one piece but they had to cut it in order to get it in the building.  That seemed strange to me, like they did not think it through before they started the project. Obviously, I do not know all the facts.

        

Abu Dhabi is the largest of the 7 Emirates. The 7 Emirates became a  country  in 1971. There are 12 million people in the Emirates. About  10 million come from other countries in both capacities of workers and wealth.

In 1958 oil was discovered in the desert. The land belonged to the government, so the government owns the oil. The Royal Family runs the government.  There is a connection here. The ruler (see his name below) was a very clever person. He is known as the Father of the Country, and he ruled from 1971 until his death in 2004.  He took the oil money and invested it in roads and other forms of transportation, as well as skyscrapers. All this to attract foreign business.  He also invested in education, saying it was not an expense but an investment in the future. Today’s pride is that UAE has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The illiteracy rate has been less than 1% since 2014. There is no tax on land, or homes. However, just this year January 1, a 5% VAT tax was added on things you buy.  The Emirates have a president.  He is the son of the former ruler. The royal family does not consist of just a few people, but it could be 100s of people.  Each of the 7 Emirates have their own royal family.  There are no kings, only princes. The founder of the UAE is Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi.  His son is now the president.

It was very, very hot today.  Each day upon waking and looking out the window, they is a lot of haze.  It really never burned off, even though the sun was very, very hot.  Electricity is generated by gas now, but they are working on using the sun as the generator. Sounds like a splendid idea as hot as it is here.  It has been close to 100 during the first 14 days of our trip.

We heard again today, that Dubai is working on a new building that would be taller than the Burj Kaliafa, and it should be ready for the Dubai Expo in 2020.

 Our guide took us do the 74th floor, an observation deck, where we could see the royal palace and the government palace  in Abu Dhabi. Both were Impressive.  In the Third picture is the Fairmont hotel. The picture was taken  from inside a not exactly clean window.  Anyway, The Fairmont looks like a gate to the ocean. It was beautiful. The other pictures did not come out.

Our first stop was at the Ferrari world which was an amusement park.  We only stopped for a coffee and rest rooms and pictures.

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I could not publish this last night.  We are now on our way to Oman and the Shangha-la hotel.  I hope I have good pictures today.

Thanks for joining us in the UAE.

 

 

Today was our second day of our hop on hop off bus tour in Dubai.

Our guide today said the Dubai Mall took up 12 million square meters, not one million. Which ever is correct it is a lot of space.

Today we realized how many, many buildings were under construction. Do you think they are all skyscrapers? You can bet your life on that one.

We stopped by the Egyptian Souk.     My was it beautiful.  I did not take many pictures today, but look at this stairway.

    

I had Carol stand by the stairs so you would know these pictures were taken on geogous stairs.  The stones on the posts were all different colors.

We passed up the gold market and stopped at the spice market. No one bought spices, but I bought tea and a scarf. Here is a picture of the scarf.  Too bad you can’t see the little diamonds on it.

We took a boat ride on the canal and saw some of the princes homes.  However there were signs reading “No photography” so we did not.  It was very hot again today.

Our hotel is in a very large mall. At one end there is an indoor ski slope. Plus it has other things to do in the snow.  It is another amazing thing in Dubai.

 

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Here is a picture of the Burj Kaliafa at night.  The tallest building in the world.

I leave you again tonight amazed at all the things they are doing in Dubai.  Let me mention a few more things.  Dubai does not mind copying other countries.  The have a building for “Big Ben.” They have copied the Sidney Opera House, and the water fountains are copied from Las Vegas.  They are also working on a building that looks like the Singapore skyline. Plus a lot of other buildings similar to one from another country.  It’s amazing.

 

 

Yes, it is our 2nd day in Dubai and the city holds all the superlatives.

yesterday we flew from Delhi India, a rather dirty place, to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a city that is superlative in every way.  Six went to the “Top of the Burj,” the tallest building in the world and loved every minute of their excursion.  Cathy and I stayed back and looked at other things, but were most intrigued with the furniture styles and colors.

After the top of the Burj Khalid’s we watched a delightful water show at the Dubai Mall, I would presume the biggest mall in the world.  Surprise! It is filled with all the high end stores, and all the fast food restaurants of America.  Our young waiter this morning said, the people of Dubai love it, but it doesn’t hold much interest for Americans.  Correct!

Words cannot explain the size and magnitude of the buildings here. Also the architectural work is very, very modern and stunning.  We noticed one building made a 1/4 turn as it reached for the sky.  We did the hop on hop off this morning, but it was so hot we came back to our room about 3 pm to get out of the heat.  We plan to do the night tour at 7:30 pm tonight.  No doubt it will be super.

In 2020 Dubai is hosting the Dubai Expo and they are gearing up for it.  They will have the tallest Ferris wheel in the world when it is finished.  Work began on it in 2012.  I say they better hurry up if they want to finish it in 18 months.  It is expected to draw 3 million guests each year.

We also went to the area called “The  Palms  Jumeirah”  which began work in 2000.  They dredged sand from the Arabian Sea and got rocks from the Himalaya mountains to make the (sea turned into land) look like a palm tree with fronds. This was an amazing sight. Just about unbelievable. And it is all luxury apartments, shopping, and eating. We stayed on the bus this time.  Too expensive for our blood.  Guess what? They are building a second palm about 20 kilometers from this one and it is going to be half again as big.  Really???

I’ve got to meet the gang for our evening bus ride.  When it is 10:00 am in Michigan, it is already 6:00 pm in Dubai.

just a few more facts and pictures.

the Dubai Mall covers 1 million square meters.  A meter is a little over a yard.  It attracts 100 million visitors a year.  I think most of them were there last night.

In 10 years 300 skyscrapers were built.  I can understand why it is the fastest growing city in the world.

     

Yes,  that is the picture frame building.  It has two skyscrapers attache at the top with more real estate.  The second picture is a hotel.  Ron says it is billed as a 15 star with prices to match.

I leave you today very, very impressed with the magnificence of this city.