Category Archives: Other

2023 National Pickleball Championship – Dallas Texas – November 5-12

As many of you know, I have been playing Pickleball for the past few years. My nephew, Dave, introduced me to the game, and I am completely addicted. Recently, Dave entered the 2023 National Pickleball Championship Tournament in Dallas, Texas. Since that is just a couple hour drive from Austin, I decided drive up there and watch him play. I made a video of the activities that week. You can watch it here:

National Championship Tournament

Dan Klepper Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame -September 2023

In September 2023, my brother-in-law, Dan Klepper, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. I travelled to Lincoln, Nebraska to attend the banquet on Friday, September 23rd. We also attended the Nebraska football game the next day. (Nebraska defeated Louisiana Tech 28-14). Here are some pics of those events.

The first stop was a kind of mini-family reunion in Omaha at Tracks Lounge, a restaurant owned by two of my nephews, Justin and Mark. Here are some pictures:

I stayed at my niece Tammi’s house in Fremont. Another niece, Anna, and her husband Dustin and their almost 2-year-old son Asher Joe also stayed there. Everyone who knows me knows that one of my favorite places growing up in Omaha was Zestos, a fast-food restaurant. My favorite thing to get was a chocolate soda. The Zestos in Omaha has closed, but they have one in Fremont. Of course, we all went there.

The oldest and youngest Zestos fans.

Friday was the Hall of Fame banquet. It was held on the University of Nebraska campus.

Dan Klepper speaking at the Hall of Fame banquet.
Brother Mark addressing the crowd. Actually, the crowd was gone, and he was talking to himself.

On Saturday a lot of us had tickets to the game between Nebraska and Louisiana Tech. Before the game, we had the traditional tailgate party. Here is how it looked:

Kathy and her godsons

After the tailgating, it was time to watch the game. I had not been in that stadium for 57 years, back when Nebraska was a powerhouse, and I was amazed at how much it had changed. Because of all the good years since then, the stadium now holds 90,000 people and all the seats are filled for every home game. In the middle of the 4th Quarter the game was temporarily suspended, but it eventually resumed, and Nebraska won 28-14. Here are some pics:

Before the game the Hall of Fame honorees were introduced. Here is Dan on the Jumbotron.
Nebraska’s Quarterback, Heinrich Haarberg (10) runs the ball to the end zone during the 4th Quarter.

“See You In September” Trip

Updated September 29, 2019

Here is the deal. I have six sisters, three brothers and more nieces and nephews than I can count. Three of my sisters and one of my nieces were all born in September (It gets very cold in Nebraska in January, so people tend to stay inside and find things to do).

A few years ago, the “September” babies decided to get together and take a trip to celebrate all our birthdays. When went to Savannah, Georgia and stayed in an Airbnb. It was a great idea and a great trip, so we decided to do it again this year. Sister Rose (Sep 23) arranged for a BnB in San Francisco so we could go to places like Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf and some of the fine restaurants in that great city. We also planned to take in an Oakland A’s baseball game.

Here is Nancy (Sep 20), Rose (Sep 23) and Myself (Sep 1), when we first arrived at the BnB:

Behind us is what we called the “Stairway to Nowhere” … sorry Sarah Palin. It is a spiral staircase that actually just goes up to the ceiling and stops. Weird.

Here are the Birthday people:
Me (Sep 1), My Niece Anna (Sep 14), My sister Nancy (Sep 20 ), My sister Rosemary (Sep 23) and my sister Susie (Sep (28).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

About an hour after I arrived in San Francisco, we decided to look for a place to eat. The street in front of the BnB was very narrow and there were cars parked on the street directly across from where I was parked. I totally misjudged how wide the street was and, while looking both ways for oncoming traffic, I hit a car on the other side of the street with the car I had rented.

The damage looked like this:

Being the honest person I am, I left a note on the damaged car with my name and phone number. I was not worried because I had purchased what I believed to be “full” coverage insurance on the rental car.

Turns out I did not read the insurance policy correctly. Any damage to the rental car was fully covered, but damage to other vehicles was NOT covered. That damage had to be reported to my personal auto insurance. It was covered, but I had to pay a $200.00 deductible. That was a very valuable lesson and I will be sure to read everything the next time I rent a car and purchase insurance.

Friday, September 20, 2019

This morning we went to Chinatown. That is a very famous part of San Francisco.

Here are some pictures of our time there:

On Friday afternoon we went to the Pier 39 which is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, California. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3D rides, and views of California sea lions hauled out on docks on Pier 39’s marina.

One of the things we (at least Rosemary) tried was the “Aquamassage“. Basically what that is a quick, convenient way to get a full-body massage. Jets of water are used over a protective plastic barrier to give a relaxing massage without the need to remove any clothing, or apply any lotions or oils. No physical touching involved, the entire massage is given by the machine.

Here is what that looks like:

She said that it was “amazing”. I didn’t try it, but I wished that I had. It wasn’t that expensive. Here are the prices:

In addition to the “Aquamassage”, there were numerous gadgets designed to massage you in various ways. Nancy and Susie tried out the “shoulder massage”.

A few California sea lions began “hauling out” on PIER 39’s K-Dock shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. By January 1990, the boisterous barking pinnipeds started to arrive in droves and completely took over K-Dock, much to the exasperation of PIER 39’s Marina tenants. The Marina Staff turned to The Marine Mammal Center, an organization devoted to the rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals, for advice about their new slippery tenants. After much debate and research, the experts from The Marine Mammal Center recommended that the sea lions stay in their newfound home.

With a plentiful supply of food from the Bay and an environment protected from predators, the PIER 39 Marina proved to be an ideal living situation for the sea lions. Within a few short months, the number of sea lions grew to more than 300 and hit an all-time record of 1,701 in November 2009.

While the number of sea lions at K-Dock rise and fall with the seasons, available food supply and natural migration patterns, the world famous sea lions always have a home at PIER 39.

Another inhabitant of Pier 39 who let me take a selfie with him/her:

Later than evening we were joined by Anna and Dustin. We went to a Sports bar and had some drinks. Then we took an Uber down to the famous Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. If you are younger than 50 years old you probably have no idea of the history of that area.

My niece Tammi falls into the Under 50 category, so she looked it up. Here is what she sent us:

Haight-Ashbury : Birthplace of the 1960s counterculture movement, Haight-Ashbury draws a lively, diverse crowd looking to soak up the historic hippie vibe. Upper Haight Street is a hodgepodge of vintage clothing boutiques, record shops, bookstores, dive bars and casual, eclectic restaurants. Bordering Golden Gate Park, the neighborhood features many colorful, well-preserved Victorian homes, including the storied Grateful Dead House.

We took a picture at that famous intersection (with our signs, of course).

Then we had a great dinner right down the street:

I had the Tiramisu …. Mmmm ….

Anna and Dustin in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.

Saturday, September 21,2019

Anna and Dustin were busy this morning, so Nancy, Rosemary, Susie and I set out to explore the neighborhood where the BnB we were staying at was located. It was in the “Castro” District of San Francisco. In case you don’t know what that is (before I came on this trip I did not), here is what Google says about that area:

“The Castro District, commonly referenced as The Castro, is a neighborhood in The Castro District. The Castro was one of the first gay neighborhoods in the United States.

Having transformed from a working-class neighborhood through the 1960s and 1970s, the Castro remains one of the most prominent symbols of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activism and events in the world.”

The Castro is a “thriving marketplace for all things gay” meaning everything in the area is catered to people who identify with LGBT culture and other associated meanings to the word gay. There are cafes, the Castro Theater, and many businesses that cater to or openly welcome LGBT consumers. These establishments make the Castro an area of high spending and lead to high tourist traffic. In addition to the city’s locals, people travel to visit the shops and restaurants as well as the events that take place, such as the Castro Street Fair. 

My blog is “Rated G – For General Audiences“, so I won’t go into detail or post any questionable pictures of what we saw and heard, other than to say it was a “very interesting” area.

We went to a place called Hot Cookie and had some delicious pastries for breakfast. There were other goodies for sale, but I won’t describe them. None of us purchased any of them. Here are some pics:

I was not aware of this calculation. If you take your man’s shoe size and add 2, you will get your “Drag Queen” shoe size. Who knew? I like the $69.99 shoe, but that’s just me.

As a Star Trek fan, I was attracted to this poster. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be a poster advertising a drag version of the revered TV show. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock would probably not approve.

On Saturday afternoon, we were joined by Anna and Dustin. Before we went to the Oakland A’s game that night, Susie, Dustin and Anna had a surprise for us. They had arranged for us to go on a Gondola ride on Lake Merritt in Oakland. It was a really a great surprise that we all enjoyed very much.

The Gondola captain was named Mike. Dustin and Anna provided champagne for everyone (Cola for me). Mike sang a few Italian songs as he rowed us around the Lake. In one of my favorite Elvis movies, Viva Las Vegas, Elvis sang an Italian song called Santa Lucia. I asked Mike if he knew that song. He said he was familiar with it, but could not sing it. Everything else was so great that I didn’t care.

Here are some pics:

After the gondola ride, we all went to the RingCentral Coliseum to watch the Oakland A’s play the Texas Rangers. Rosemary, Anna, Dustin and I are die hard baseball fans. Nancy and Susie … not so much, but they were good sports and went anyway.

Here are some pics:

As with any other event since 911 involving thousands of people, security was tight … Thank You Osama Bin Laden.

After the game (which Oakland won 12-3 … lots of home runs), fans were allowed to go down on the field and watch an excellent fireworks show:

September 22, 2019

This was the last day of our September Birthdays trip. Again, Anna had to stay home and work on her dossier, but Dustin was able to join us.

The whole day was spent in Sonoma and Napa Valley, regions known everywhere for wine making. We saw all the vineyards and visited several wineries for some wine tasting. The others enjoyed sampling all the various wines while I enjoyed hearing the wine masters tell the stories and secrets behind the various types of wines.

We started off with a delicious breakfast in Sonoma.

Then it was off to the vineyards and wineries. Everywhere we went we saw grape vines … lots of grape vines.

Susie was driving home that afternoon, so she only got to look at the wines … so sad.

ONE FINAL NOTE TO END A GREAT TRIP:

In September of 1968, I was stationed near Santa Barbara, California. A good friend of mine from South Omaha was in the Navy and his ship was going to dock in Oakland for a few days. We decided to meet up in Oakland and do some sightseeing in San Francisco.

I drove up the coast from Santa Barbara and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Oakland … at least that is what I have been telling people for the last 50 years. It turns out that to get to Oakland from San Francisco you use the Oakland Bay Bridge, not the Golden Gate. Until this trip, I had never been on the Golden Gate.

To get to Sonoma from San Francisco, you do cross the Golden Gate and, on September 20, 2019, I finally was able to say I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. I don’t have a picture because it was so foggy that morning that you could not even see the bridge, but I did get a T-Shirt, so I am no longer a liar.

See you all next trip.

“Back to the Past” Trip — Thailand

The sign I always look forward to seeing.

Updated September 9, 2019

Time to go back to Texas. I am at the airport in Bangkok right now. From here I fly to Tokyo, Japan (7 hours), then to Los Angeles (10 hours), then to Austin (3 hours). I stayed up most of last night so I could sleep most of that flight time.

It was a great trip. I am glad I made it. (One more Bucket List item to check off).

Updated September 8, 2019

OK. I’ll just go ahead and say it. The “Taste of Thailand Tour” was the best part of my 2019 trip to Thailand. I learned so much about the history and customs of Thai food that I will never be able to remember all of it, especially the names some of which are very hard to pronounce.

I also ate so much that I don’t think I will need to eat again for a few days. Each place we visited had small samples of their specialty, but, if we found something that we really enjoyed, we were encouraged to eat as many samples as we wished. (And we did).

Speaking of hard to pronounce words, our Tour Guide was a pooying (Thai Girl) named KhiewWan. She knows that name is hard to remember or pronounce by non-Thai people so she told us to call her “Katy.” That is something I remember from my time in Thailand. Most Thai people have nicknames because their names are so difficult to pronounce. For example, the King of Thailand’s name is Maha Wachiralongkon . I have no idea what his nickname is and I was afraid to ask.

Here is “Katy”:

One of the first things I learned about Thai food is that many herbs and spices are used to bring out the flavor of whatever the main dish is (rice, chicken, pork, beef, etc.).

Katy took us to a place that supplies spices to the vendors and restaurants in Bangkok. She warned us that the strongest curry used in Thai cooking is Orange Curry. She said if we ever go to a Thai restaurant and see a dish on the menu with Orange Curry to avoid it unless we have a death wish.

Rice is a staple of most Asian food. However, when you are buying food from street vendors, it is pretty difficult to eat rice while walking down the street. The vendors have solved this problem by selling the rice in plastic bags. You just squeeze the rice right into your mouth. No utensils needed.

I made two new friends on the tour. This is Francisca and Altan. She is from Brazil and he from Turkey. They met while attending school at USC. They apparently are pretty well situated financially because they took a semester off from college and are taking a two month tour of Asia. They are spending 3 weeks in Thailand alone.

The only thing I wasn’t really crazy about was the Thai tea. I am not a fan of tea anyway, but Katy said that I should try everything. It wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t good.

Another thing that I remember from my time in Thailand is Thai people only use chopsticks for certain dishes. Most of the time they use a fork and a spoon. You pick up the food with the fork, put it into the spoon and then eat from the spoon.

Another strange custom is eating what they call “sticky rice.” You eat it by compressing with your right-hand fingers and using it to scoop up food and sauces. Katy taught us this method.

I also learned something about eating in Brazil from Francisca. She said the people there never eat with their fingers. They always use utensils to eat any food, even chicken or pizza, even sandwiches. Altan is a muslim and does not eat pork. That was unfortunate for him because pork is the main ingredient in many Thai dishes.

I have many more pictures, but I think you get the point which is if you want some good eating go to Thailand. Failing that, go to a good Thai restaurant, but don’t ask for chopsticks.

We topped off the tour by eating some coconut ice cream. It was delicious. I asked Katy if they had any chocolate syrup to put on top. She made a face that meant “Yuck!”.

Updated September 7, 2019

I don’t have many regrets about the time I spent in Thailand all those years ago, but one thing I am sorry for is that, when, for the first time in my life I was in a foreign country, I didn’t make more of an effort to absorb the culture.

I did try to learn the language. Eventually I got to the point where I could do things like count to 100, order food in a restaurant or ask for directions. I also took some classes about Buddhism in a local Temple because I was curious about religions other than the one I was brought up in.

One thing I did not do was get in to the food. Whenever I tell someone I lived in Thailand for a while they almost always ask me about the food. Thailand is famous for its food and I am sorry to say I know very little about it. I think I was a little homesick for the good old USA back then and I usually ate the American food that was available on the base.

Even when I did go off base, I stuck to things like cheeseburgers, fries and pizza … things that reminded me of home.

On this trip, I want to try as many Thai foods as I have time for, especially their famous “street” vendors.

I did my due diligence and found out there is a company called “Tastes of Thailand” which provides an all-day tour devoted entirely to the food of Thailand. They take you to various restaurants, street vendors and other places where you get to sample what we call “Thai Food”, but what they just call “food”.

The thing that caught my eye was a sentence in their brochure that said: “Do NOT eat breakfast before starting the tour. We will feed you until you cry Uncle!”

I signed up and will be taking the tour tomorrow. It is an all-day tour which I hope will prove very educational as well as delicious.

Stay tuned.

Updated September 6, 2019

In most cities that attract large numbers of tourists, they have what they call “Hop On Hop Off” bus tours which stop at some of the most popular attractions of the city. You buy a ticket, get on the bus and get off at whatever site you want, look around, maybe spend some money, then get on the next bus to the next attraction on the tour.

In Bangkok, they have the same thing, except it is a “Hop On Hop Off” boat that goes up and down the Chao Phraya River which flows through the center of the city. That sounded fun, so I bought a ticket.

The first stop was the WKB Siam shopping center which I had already seen, so I didn’t get off the boat there.

The next stop was the Wat Arun Buddhist Temple. You have to see this place to believe it. I will say one thing for the Buddhists. When they build a Temple, they do not mess around. Everything is so gigantic that you really can’t fit most of the buildings in a picture unless you stand a very long way back.

But, I tried anyway. Here are some pictures:

Of course, in a place like this, you gotta have rules.

One of the stops on the river tour was the “Grand Palace.” This is the official residence of the King. Again, I have to repeat, you have to see this to really appreciate the magnitude of the site. All in all, the complex covers 2.3 million square feet. In comparison, the official residence of the President of the United States contains 55,000 square feet. Of course, even Donald J. Trump does not claim to be a descendant of the gods (at least not publicly).

First, a little history. The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings at the heart of BangkokThailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (and later Thailand) since 1782. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Thailand. If you are a Thai citizen, you get to see the Palace for free. If you are not, it costs 500 Thai Baht (about 15 bucks and it is worth it.)

Here are some pics:

That is a LOT of gold.

When I was in Thailand and took some classes in Buddhism, I did not become a Buddhist, but I did become a fan of meditation, which is a big part of that religion. I still meditate on a daily basis. I recommend it to anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Updated September 5, 2019

Back in Bangkok:

There is a shopping mall here called MKB Siam (Siam is what Thailand was called until 1949 when the name was changed to the Kingdom of Thailand).

I heard about this place when I was looking for places to go. I couldn’t believe what I read, so I decided I just had to go there.

It is a store about the size of a Walmart Superstore (maybe even larger) and it is dedicated to “All Things Cellphone.” That is right. They don’t sell anything there but cell phones and cell phone-related items. They have aisle after aisle of cell phones, charges, cables, attachments, cases, cell phone repair shops, and all kinds of related gadgets and paraphernalia in a market-type environment with stalls crammed into every available space.

I am not kidding. You would not believe this place. I walked around for about an hour and only saw about half of what was available. Here are a couple of pictures, but they don’t really show how huge this place is:

Updated September 4, 2019

About 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Bangkok is where I was stationed in April, 1970. The place was called Utapao Air Base. It was located right outside of a small village called Sattahip.

Today I did some investigating and found out there was a bus that goes to Sattahip from Bangkok every day, so I bought a ticket and literally took a trip back to the past.

I was expecting everything to be different. After all, it has been half a century since I was there last. I was not wrong. First of all, the Air Base is gone. It has been replaced by dozens of high rise condominiums. The base was right on the Gulf of Thailand, so these condos are in a prime location.

As for Sattahip. It is still there, but it is no longer a sleepy little village surrounded by huts most of which had no electricity or running water when I was there. All those luxury condos have turned it into a rather large, modern city. I did not recognize one single thing, except the name.

Oh well, I can’t say I’m disappointed. It was just what I expected. On the bus trip back to Bangkok, I was wondering whatever happened to that little restaurant I used to go to and that waitress who never spoke to me again. Just a couple of the many things I will never know.

C ‘est la vie.

In Thailand, even Ronald McDonald uses the traditional Thai greeting. It is called “The Wai.”

“Sawadee”, Ronald.

Sawadee

Updated September 3, 2019

(You may get a little confused by the dates I post things. Thailand is exactly 12 hours ahead of the US. If it is 8 PM on Wednesday where you are, it is 8 AM on Thursday here. Kind of blows my mind.)

Here is the view of Bangkok from my hotel room:

This certainly not the Bangkok I knew back in 1970. I did a little research and found the population of this city in 1970 was about 2 million people. Today it is over 10 million. It is like a totally different city. Think of Omaha, Nebraska when I left home in 1968. The Crossroads Mall was just a few years old and 72nd Street was about as far west as you could go. Today that Mall is gone (I think) and I have a sister who lives off 156th Street.

The hotel has an “Infinity” pool on the roof that looks like you could swim right off the edge (you can’t).

You think traffic is bad where you are? Here is the same view of the city from my room that I took at 11 o’clock at night. It is worse during the day:

Thank goodness I will not be driving. In addition to the traffic, they drive on the left making it more confusing.

Luckily, getting around in the city without a car is pretty easy. They have a train system that will take you just about anywhere once you learn how to navigate. Only you don’t want to do what I did a little while ago. You don’t want to try and take it during rush hour. They pack people in like sardines. I came back a couple hours later and the train was about half empty.

Updated September 2, 2019

After taking a 3 hour flight from Austin to Los Angeles and a 2 hour layover in LA then a 14 1/2 hour flight from LA to Hong Kong then another 2 hour layover in Hong Kong then a 3 hour flight I FINALLY arrived in Bangkok.

The first thing I noticed in Thailand was something I didn’t see back in 1970. A lot of people were wearing masks. Here is one at the airport:

This made me curious, so I Googled it. Here is the explanation if you don’t already know:

In 1934, a global pandemic of influenza struck solidifying the face mask’s place in Asian culture. At first, face masks were only worn in Japan during the winter months, when cold and flu viruses are at their height. The Japanese predisposition toward being polite created a culture whereby people wore face masks in Japan to ward off giving their germs to others more so than protecting themselves from contamination.

Some Asians say they wear surgical masks when they are on their scooters because they often get blasts of smog, small bugs, or dust in their faces from passing buses. Nearly everyone rides scooters in Asian countries, so wearing face masks could be very useful.

Some people say that they wear masks because they long to protect themselves from sun rays which can age the skin prematurely over time. Smooth, youthful skin is seen as a feature of beauty in Asia, therefore Asians wear masks to keep their skin protected from the harmful effects of prolonged exposure to the sun.

Conclusion:
Overall, we will never fully be able to answer the question: Why do Asians wear masks, because as it seems the answers are as varied as the people who wear them. Whether for health reasons, fashion reasons, or simply to avoid social interaction, one thing is certain: wearing masks in Asia is here to stay.


Anyway, that is what Google says.

I previously mentioned that they have pictures of the King everywhere in Thailand. One of the first things I saw was one of those pictures. I don’t know if taking a selfie with a picture of the King would be considered disrespectful, so I made sure no one was around to see me do it.

That is not the person who was King in 1970. It is his son. The King who got me in trouble all those years ago looked like this.

Updated September 1, 2019

I’m on my way to the airport to start the 9,156 mile journey “back to the past.” I have been doing a lot of thinking about the time I spent there. I have a lot of stories. Here is one:

One of the first things that happens when the military sends you to a foreign country is the “orientation’. They sit you down and tell you how to behave in the country where you will be living. There are lots of “do’s” and “don’ts”.

During my orientation, one of the first things covered was how deeply respected the King of Thailand is. He is generally considered to be a descendent of the gods. You will see pictures of the king in every home, every shop, every restaurant, every public building. The people in Thailand worship their king and it is very easy to say or do something they will find offensive. The best thing to do is not say anything at all involving the king.

I had gotten into the habit of eating dinner in a little restaurant just outside the base.  There was a waitress there that I kind of liked, so I would always sit at one of her tables and we would always joke with each other. You might even call it flirting.

One night, she messed up my order and I jokingly told here that I was just going to tip her one Thai Baht. In those days, that was worth about 5 cents.  She called me a name in Thai which I knew meant “cheapskate.” I pointed to the coin and said: “What is wrong with this? It has a picture of the king on it.”

I knew instantly that I had made a huge mistake. She thought I was making fun of the King. She gave me a very dirty look and walked away. From that day to the day I left Thailand, she never spoke to me again. Whenever I would come back to the restaurant and sit at one of her tables, she would get someone else to wait on me. I tried many times to apologize, but she wouldn’t have it.

The moral of the story is: “If you ever go to Thailand, do NOT talk about the king.”

One Thai Baht

Question: What do the words Ciao, Salut, Aloha, Servus, Shalom and Sawadee have in common?
Answer: They are words in different languages that mean both “Hello” and “Goodbye”.


I bring this up because I have decided where my next adventure will be. In March 1970, I was a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. I came to work one morning and there was a manila envelope on my desk. I opened it and I saw orders sending me to Utapao Air Base in Thailand.

This was in the middle of the Vietnam War and Thailand is located just to the West of Vietnam. However, Thailand was not part of the war so it was not considered a combat zone. I didn’t get combat pay, but I also didn’t get shot at. Fair trade.

The first word I learned when I got to Thailand was “Sawadee”, the word which means both hello and goodbye.

I have always wanted to go back and see the places I saw when I was stationed there. The time I spent there was one of the most exciting and interesting periods of my life. I know the whole world has changed since then and I doubt I will even recognize the place, but, you never know.

On my 74th birthday, September 1, I will board a plane and begin that 9,156-mile trip “Back to the Past.”

Stay tuned.

2019 Kim’s Wedding Road Trip

When I was invited to my niece, Kim’s, wedding , I decided to make the wedding part of a long road trip that included some of my “Bucket List” destinations.

That trip would take 3,289 miles and I would go through 11 states (Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee and Arkansas).

Here is the route:

I wanted to attend the wedding, of course, but I also wanted to eat at my favorite place in Omaha, Joe Tess’ Restaurant, to see baseball games with the Brewers, White Sox and Astros in Wisconsin, Chicago and Houston. I also wanted to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and Elvis’ home at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.

I managed to do all of these things, except Joe Tess. The heavy rains and bad weather in Oklahoma and Kansas delayed my trip so that I reached Omaha too early in the morning to have the “Famous Fish Dinner” at Joe Tess.

On the first half of my trip it rained and rained and rained. I spent a lot of time looking at this view from the front of my car:

When I stopped in Omaha, I drove by the Yambor’s house on 21st Street. It looked like this:

The house is falling down. It looks like no one was living it it or even could live in it. Very sad.

When I got to Saukville, the site of the wedding, some of us went to a nearby city called Ft Washington. It was right on Lake Michigan and we had an excellent seafood lunch at a place called Schooner Pub. Here are some pics:

3 of my SIX sisters

Of course, as usual, I got a T-shirt to commemorate the occasion:

In every Shanahan Family gathering there is a Poker game, a Craps game or a Blackjack game. The day before the wedding there was a Texas Hold ‘Em poker tournament. My brother-in-law, Ron, took first place. I came in second. I will take my winnings, as usual, and buy a T-bone steak dinner at a nice restaurant. Fewer meals taste better than a dinner bought with OTM (Other People’s Money). Thank you John, Rose, Dave, Jason and Dustin.

On the morning of the wedding. Dave, Jason and I went on a 15 mile bike ride. Halfway through, we stopped to fuel up at a place called Milwaukee Ale House, right on the Milwaukee River. (You can store calories as long as you burn them off). Here is what I had. It was called:

Wisconsin Pretzel Bun Knuckleburger

“Usinger’s pork brat with sauerkraut, sauteed onions and a side of beer cheese. Served on a pretzel bun.” Mmmm …..


Getting ready for the wedding there was a “Twirl” photo op. (They didn’t ask me to twirl. I would have declined anyway.) Here are Bridget and Anna twirling:

Here are some of the pictures I took at the wedding. You won’t see any pictures of me dancing because … well, I was taking the pictures, so I couldn’t very well take any pictures while I was ‘getting down’. If you have any pictures of me “busting a move” feel free to send them and I will post them here.

Mark and Kayla dancing. Kayla had some good moves … Mark … not so much.
The wedding had a “Harry Potter” theme and who decided to show up, but the bespectacled Wizard himself, Mr. Potter. He waved his wand and, like magic, the day of the wedding was the only day of my trip where there was no rain. Thanks Harry!

Milwaukee Brewers vs Philadelphia Phillies on May 26 (the day after the big wedding).

Some family members decided to go to Miller Park in Milwaukee to watch the Brewers and Phillies play some baseball. We saw quite a game. 5 Home Runs in all. The Brewers won 9-1. Here are some pics:

Here is a place for kids to play before (and during) the game. Pretty cool.
Here is Rose at the statue of her favorite baseball player – Robin Yount. (Just kidding .. her all-time favorite player is Pete Rose) … (Just kidding, she is not a fan of “Charlie Hustle”) She had one job at the ballpark … remember where we parked. Needless to say, we got lost looking for the car.

On Monday, I headed for Chicago. I wanted to watch the White Sox play the Kansas City Royals. I actually wanted to watch the Cubs at Wrigley Field, but they were on the road. Ironically, they were in Texas playing the Astros.

The first thing I noticed in Chicago was the price of gas. On the day I left Austin, gas was $2.39 a gallon. Here it was $3.49. That is a difference of about $17.00 a tank. Wow!
I did stop by at Wrigley Field. I had to.
Here is the only tailgate party I found at the White Sox ballpark. Quite a difference from Milwaukee where the tail gate parties went on forever.
In the 5th inning, it started to rain. It rained so hard that they eventually had to postpone the game to the next day. I was headed for Memphis on the next day, so I was cheated out of at least 4 innings of baseball.
Covering the field.
The scoreboard clearly shows the Astros were winning at this point. (They did win the game).

On Tuesday, it was off to Cleveland, Ohio and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2019. I guess the world of Rock and Roll has passed me by. I know who Stevie Nicks is and I have heard of Janet Jackson (I think she has a famous brother).
The others … Don’t know who they are and don’t really care.
Very disappointed. You would think someone known as the “King of Rock and Roll” would have a bigger exhibit.
Bruce was there, of course.

Off to Memphis and Graceland.

He was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in a 2 room shack, the son of a truck driver.
He grew up to be so rich that he could give away Cadillacs.

He could sell out any venue until the day he died, on August 16, 1977
He died in Memphis, Tennessee in a mansion on a street named after him.

I have loved his music since the first time I saw him on the Ed Sullivan show when I was about 12 years old. I have been to Graceland several time, both before and after he died. I wanted to go one more time and I did it today, May 30, 2019.

Here are some pictures:

Of course I took the VIP tour. I got to see places and things that the regular tour does not include.
Me at the gates of Graceland.
Elvis’ back yard
He had a lot of gold records
A gift shop with nothing but Elvis stuff
More Elvis stuff
I wanted to buy this suit ….
… but they didn’t have my size.
Elvis’ favorite meal was a fried banana and peanut butter sandwich. I passed on that and had his second favorite meal … meatloaf, mashed potatoes, baked beans and cornbread … Mmmm
The last thing I saw was his plane … named after his daughter.

Dr. No, 007 and Me

(Updated September 8, 2018)

When I was in high school, I read a list of President Kennedy’s favorite books. One of the books on that list was From Russia With Love, a James Bond novel by Ian Fleming.

I decided to read the book and I instantly became a James Bond fan. Fleming wrote 12 Bond novels and 2 short stories. I read all of them, most of them more than once.

Three of the novels, Dr. No, Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun took place in Jamaica. The first Bond movie, Dr. No, was filmed in Jamaica. It seemed like a pretty cool place. Ever since I saw that movie, I have wanted to go there.

Well, that “bucket list” item, is about to be realized. I am currently planning a trip to Jamaica on my 73rd birthday, September 1. This will not be a cruise because, on a cruise, you just get to spend a few hours in whatever city the ship docks. I want to spend several days in Jamaica so I can do some real exploring.

Stay tuned.

Day 1 – September 1, 2018
Austin to Kingston

Flew from Austin to Atlanta. 5 hour layover in Atlanta (I hate that. For some reason, when you are stuck in an airport, hours seem like days)

Finally got to Kingston late last night. Too late and too dark to see anything so I just hit the sack. I will start exploring this morning.

I am staying at the Spanish Court Hotel. It is really nice.

Day 2 – September 2, 2018
Kingston, Jamaica

Today is Sunday and there isn’t much going on. (Note to Self : Think about that when you plan the next trip.) I spent the day walking around the neighborhood of the hotel. One thing I noticed (as a person previously involved in the home building business) is that all of the homes here in Kingston are made out of concrete. Than made me curious, so I did some research.

Here is what I discovered:

Prior to 1952, most homes in Jamaica were built out of local and imported woods, much like we do in the U.S. However, this changed after the Caribbean Cement Company started production in 1952, and concrete gradually overtook wood as the most popular construction material.

Replacing wood with concrete has made new construction even safer against natural hazards, such as hurricanes and earthquakes and fires, as well as being more environmentally friendly. (Note to Anna Rose and Joe C. Maybe there is another book on fire prevention here in the Caribbean).

Anyway, here are some pictures I took of homes in this neighborhood:

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A few other things I noticed on this otherwise uneventful day:

In Jamaica they don’t have “Diet Coke”. At least they don’t call it that. They call it “Light Taste” Coke. (Couldn’t find any Pepsi here):

Also, you can feel like a rich person here. I have a pocketful of these:

Too bad it’s only worth $3.66 in American dollars.

Jamaica is one of only 76 countries in the world (about one-third of all countries) that drive on the left side of the road. This can get confusing, and even dangerous, for those of us who are used to driving on the right side.

I won’t be driving here, so that is not a problem, but I still have to be careful. For example, when you are about to step off the curb into the street, you have to make sure you look to the right for traffic instead of the left as you do the in the US.

I learned that lesson a couple of times today as I was walking around Kingston.

Day 3 – September 3, 2018

The pool at my hotel is pretty amazing. I really liked this sign (especially Rule #9):

For most of the time, I was the only person at the pool. That’s fine with me. I think I would do well in a post-Apocalyptic world where I was the last man on earth (with maybe a few Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders).

Day 4 – September 4, 2018
The Food

Before I came to Jamaica, many people told me about the “Jerk” food. I am always interested in trying new food in the places I visit. I did try the “jerk chicken” and the “jerk pork” here in Jamaica. The truth is I loved them both. However, as I have posted here many times, people have to tell me when food is bad. I don’t think I have ever had an meal anywhere that I did not enjoy.

Once, when I was on a winning streak in Las Vegas, I ate in the most expensive restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip. I had a rib eye steak dinner that cost almost $100. (no alcohol, of course). The next day I ate at McDonald’s (Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Fries), about $5.00. I enjoyed both meals equally … and I never paid $100 for a meal again.

Having said all that, today I ate in a restaurant here in Jamaica. I ordered the “Escoveitched Fish” and it was really good … much better than the jerk chicken or jerk pork.

The menu described the dish as: “Fried fish topped with a spicy sauce and pickled vegetable medley, including sweet peppers, onion, chayote and carrots are lightly cooked in a vinegar sauce that it’s seasoned with garlic, thyme, Jamaican pimentos and scotch bonnet pepper.”

It was delicious. I still prefer the Famous Fish Dinner at Joe Tess’, but that dinner comes with a side order of South Omaha Nostalgia. Hard to beat that.

Here is what it looked like:’

Day 5 – September 5, 2018
Emancipation Park

On August 1, 1834, slavery was officially abolished in Jamaica. That was 29 years before it was abolished in the United States. In 2002, a park called Emancipation Park was dedicated to commemorate this historic event. It is one of the most popular parks in Jamaica, so I wanted to visit it.

One of the most prominent statues in the park is called Redemption Song. The statue portrays two former slaves, a male and a female standing naked in a pool of water with their eyes looking towards the sky.  It was named after a Bob Marley song (I will get to Mr. Marley later).

Here I am in front of the statue:

Here are some more pictures of the park. The thing that impressed me the most was how clean the park was. No Litter. No cigarette butts. No trash whatsoever. When I was there, there were more people sweeping and cleaning than there were visitors. Nice.

Apparently, if you want your wedding pictures taken in the park, it will cost you $2,000.00.
Not to worry, that translates to only about 14 bucks in American dollars (probably the cheapest wedding expense a couple will experience).

Day 6 – September 6, 2018
Jamaica’s Elvis Presley

Before coming to Jamaica I didn’t know much about the island. That’s one reason I wanted to come here. There were a few  things I did know. I knew that Bob Marley was Jamaica’s version of Elvis Presley. I knew that the music he played was called “Reggae.”

In my lifetime, I have studied most of the major religions and I knew that Marley belonged to the Rastafarian religion which originated in Jamaica in the 1930’s. They believe in the Bible but do not consider themselves to be “Christian.”

The thing most people know about the Rastafarians is that they consider ganja (marijuana) to be sacred and they use it as part of their spiritual rituals.

To say that Marley was the Jamaican Elvis is really an understatement.  Marley  is much more popular in Jamaica than Elvis is in the United States. Everywhere you go, you see his picture. Everywhere you go you hear his music.  They play it on the radio, in the airport, in the hotels, in the shops, on the street and in the restaurants.

When I was searching for places to visit in Jamaica, the Bob Marley Museum came up over and over. When I asked anyone in Jamaica to recommend a place to visit, the first place they mentioned was that museum. Like Elvis’ Graceland, Marley’s home has been turned into a museum. And, like Graceland, they do not allow you to take pictures inside the place, but here are some photos outside the museum.

Here is a place in the backyard of his home where he would sit, smoke pot and write his songs:

As you can tell, I was really fascinated by the story of Bob Marley. I heard so many of his songs wherever I went in Jamaica that I think I have become a fan. I bought one of his CD’s at the museum. I will play it when I get home.

Here are a few more things I found interesting about Marley.

  • He smoked ganja every day of his life, but in all other respects, he had a very healthy lifestyle. He played soccer almost at a professional level. He was a vegan who did not eat beef, pork, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy or any other animal products. “My body is not a graveyard for animals” was one of his sayings.
  • Reggae music usually relates news, social gossip, and political comment.
  • Reggae music is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat, and the offbeat rhythm section. If you know what the heck that means, you are smarter than I am. Maybe my nephew Josh gets it. He is the only musician that I know.
  • While playing soccer one day, Marley injured his foot. At the hospital, doctors discovered he had a cancerous lesion on one of his toes. They wanted to amputate the toe, but Marley refused based on the Rastafarian belief that amputation is sinful. The cancer spread rapidly and he died on May 11, 1981. He was 36 years old.

Day 7 – September 7, 2018
Back to the US of A

It was a great trip and I am glad I made it. I learned a lot about Jamaica and that is always my goal when I travel.

One last thing ….

Whenever I leave my country and return, I see a sign like this, and I am glad to be back Home:

Thanks … and stay tuned for my next trip … probably sometime in the first few months of 2019.

Mediterranean Cruise

(Updated May 27, 2018)

Day 1 – April 29, 2018
Austin to Barcelona

The first and last days of a cruise to Europe are the worst because you first have to get to Barcelona and then you have to get back. This involves driving to the airport (1 hour), waiting to board the plane to New York (2 hours), flying to New York (3 hours), waiting to board the plane to Barcelona (2 hours), flying to Barcelona (10 hours), taking the shuttle to the port ( 1 hour), then FINALLY, going thru the embarking process to board the ship (1 hour).

When the cruise is over, you repeat the process in reverse.

In case you lost count, that is 40 hours of driving, waiting in airports, riding on buses and flying. Fortunately, most of that time is flying and my Super Power is sleeping on planes. I have no trouble doing that. I miss a lot of meals, but I don’t care. When I wake up, we are usually beginning the descent into wherever we are going.

When I got to New York, I spent a lot of time looking at this:

Before boarding the ship in Barcelona I did what I always do. I counted the life-boats to make sure they had enough. They did.

Day 2 – April 30, 2018
Fun Day at Sea

“Fun Day at Sea” – That’s what they call it when you are just cruising and not stopping in any ports. The good thing is, there is a lot to do on board the ship. I will go into that later.

(Note: It is called a ship, not a boat. A boat is something that goes on a ship, like a life-boat).

The very first thing that happened was I discovered I could not get on the Internet with my laptop. That is very important. First, because I paid a lot of money to use their WiFi and Second, because I like to post pictures and comments day-by-day on this Blog.

One of the problems with sailing on a brand new ship is you are bound to run into some problems along the way as they tweak things. I have a friend who cruised on a first-time ship a few years ago and she said there were some issues, so I knew there were things that could go wrong, but this was a major disappointment for me.

I spent a lot of time with the Customer Support people trying to connect, but it was hit and miss. I would be able to log on from time to time, but it was only for short periods and the connection was so slow it wasn’t worth the trouble. Finally, I gave up and asked for my money back, which they did with many apologies.

So … what I decided to do was create a day-by -day posting of pictures and comments on my laptop and then, when I got back home, post them day-by day as if I were still on the ship. This is the first post. I will be updating it every day.

Stay tuned.

Day 3 – May 1, 2018
Florence/Pisa, Italy

Florence

The first city we visited was Florence. Normally when I travel I have two rules.

1. I travel alone. That’s how I always have rolled and I like it.

2. I avoid guided tours. I prefer to show up at a new location and go where the wind blows me without having to worry about being at a certain place at a certain time. In order for cruise ships to make money, they need at least 2 people in every cabin. If you travel alone like I do, you have to pay for 2 people. I don’t mind because that is still cheaper than a wife or a girlfriend … sorry ladies.

Now I am going to write about ‘excursions’.  I know many people reading this have taken cruises and know what excursions are, but I mention them for those of you who have never taken a cruise.

Unfortunately, when I started taking cruises, I had to abandon Rule #2. When a cruise ship docks at a port, you have the option of just going ashore and ‘going where the wind blows you.” However, there are dangers in doing that. If you get lost or lose track of time or have trouble getting back to the ship on time, they will not wait for you. The ship will sail on schedule and you will be left in a foreign country while most of your belongings are heading to the next port.

The cruise ships sponsor “Excursions”, which are guided tours of wherever you happen to be. It is true that they have a fixed schedule and you have to go where they want to go when they want to go. However, the reason for taking them is they guarantee they will get you back to your ship in plenty of time before it sails away. That’s a good thing.

The most famous landmark in Florence is the Cathedral, or, as it is called in Italian, the Duomo. Construction started in the 13th century and took two centuries to finish. As with most of the important structures in old cities like Florence, the people who finished building it were not even born when construction began. That kind of blows my mind. To compare, when they rebuilt the World Trade Center, in spite of many delays and problems, it was finished in about 4 years.

Here are some pictures of Florence and many of its buildings and statues:




NOTE: The woman holding the sign was our tour guide. I could not believe the knowledge she had about all the buildings and monuments and statues. She knew the dates when every building and every statue was started and finished, the architect or the sculptor and some history about every one. I know that was her job, but it was amazing nonetheless.

BTW The statue of David was sculpted by Michelangelo between 1501 and 1504 when he was just 26 years old. David, of course, was the biblical character in the Bible who had that famous battle with Goliath. The statue was  originally intended to be placed on the roof of the cathedral, but the authorities in Florence were so overwhelmed by its beauty they placed it where people could see it up close.

In case you are wondering why David is naked, you aren’t alone. Our tour guide was asked that question and she said there are many theories and speculations, but nobody really knows the answer. The ancient Greek sculptors frequently created nude statues, but David was a character from the Christian Bible and the statue was commissioned by the Catholic Board of the Cathedral of Florence, so why he had no clothes remains a mystery today. From time to time, he has been covered with a fig leaf or some sort of cloth, but, today, he stands the way he was intended by Michelangelo.

 

Pisa

There is only one reason to go to Pisa … to see the leaning tower, of course. Our tour guide described it this way:  “With 207 columns ranged around eight stories, Tower of Pisa looks like a massive wedding cake knocked precariously askew by a clumsy giant guest.”

The construction of Tower of Pisa began in August 1173 and continued for about 200 years. (Here we go again with hundreds of years of construction.) Till today, the name of the architect is a mystery. The tower started leaning shortly after construction began. Maybe that is why the architect wanted to keep his name out of the picture.

The reason the tower leans is because the water table is higher on one side of the tower than the other, so the soil is softer on that side. As the tower was built, it started leaning towards the soft side. The top of the leaning tower of Pisa is about 17 feet off the vertical.

The tower is also slightly curved from the attempts by various architects to keep it from leaning more or falling over. Many ideas have been suggested to straighten the Tower of Pisa, including taking it apart stone by stone and rebuilding it at a different location.

Over the centuries there have been many unsuccessful attempts to stop the tower from leaning and, eventually, falling over. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that engineers finally discovered a solution that worked. They began excavating soil from the side that was not leaning. Eventually they got to the point where the tower started leaning towards the vertical.

In May 2008, engineers announced that the tower had been stabilized such that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated that it would be stable for at least 200 years.

Many people have speculated that, if they wanted, they could eventually get the tower to be completely vertical.

Can you guess why they won’t do that? (Hint … read my first sentence in the Pisa section.)

Here are some pics. You won’t see a picture of me trying to keep the tower from falling over. Everybody was doing that.




Day 4 – May 2, 2018
Rome

After leaving Pisa, we were taken back to the ship (on time, of course). The ship set sail at 7:30 PM and headed for the Port of Civitavecchia and the Capitol of Italy, Rome, AKA The Eternal City. (They still use the term “set sail” even though no cruise ships have sails any more).

We were only going to be in this port for about 12 hours and there is NO WAY you can see everything in that city in such a short period. The cruise line offered many excursions for different atrractions. I chose the one that went to the Colosseum and Vatican City. I thought I might run into the Pope and strike up an interesting conversation (I didn’t).

It is about a one hour bus ride from the port into the city. If you have ever been to Europe, you know the public restroom situation is terrible and that is especially true in Italy. The restrooms are few and far between. Most restaurants and shops do have bathrooms, but they expect you to buy something in order to use them. The few public restrooms you find will charge 1€  – a little over a dollar.

The tour guides and every sign I saw in English referred to restrooms as “Toilets”. It is a perfectly good word, and I don’t know why, but I found it kind of vulgar.

When we were just outside the city, the bus stopped at a service station. Look at the lines for the restrooms. At times like this, I am glad I am of the male gender. The woman’s line was about 3 times as long. The good thing is, because they are charging money, they keep the restrooms very clean. That was a nice surprise.

The Colosseum

This is the first time I have been to Rome, so, of course, the Colosseum had to be on my list of places to visit. I have looked at the pictures I took and there is no doubt a picture does not begin to show what seeing this structure in person is really like. It is awesome. I highly recommend anyone who has not been there already to go as soon as possible. You will not regret it.

Before I post the pictures, here are some interesting (at least to me) facts abut this ancient stadium:

  1. The Colosseum has over 80 entrances and can accommodate about 50,000 spectators.
  2. It is thought that over 500,000 people lost their lives and over a million wild animals were killed throughout the duration of the Colosseum hosted people vs. beast games. However, in spite of the fact that early Christians were certainly the victims of horrible persecution and executions, most modern historians believe there is no evidence that Christians were fed to lions in the Roman Colosseum.
  3. All Ancient Romans had free entry to the Colosseum for events, and were also fed throughout the spectacles. This was done to distract them from the fact they were treated horribly by the various Roman Emperors.
  4. Many natural disasters devastated the structure of the Colosseum, but it was the earthquakes of 847 AD and 1231 AD that caused most of the damage you see today.
  5. Receiving millions of visitors every year, the Colosseum is the most famous tourist attraction of Rome.

Here are my pictures:

One final note, then on to Vatican City.

After experiencing the bathroom situation on the way to Rome, I was curious about the bathrooms in the Colosseum. After all, there would be as many as 50,000 people in the place at any given time. This was 2,000 years ago, so I imagined the facilities would have been pretty primitive, so I raised my hand and asked our tour guide what those facilities were like.

She seemed hesitant to answer the question. Probably because there were a lot of children on the tour. She said there was plenty of information available on the Internet and I should check it out. So, I did.

Here is what I found out. It is kind of disgusting, so you may want to scroll past it.

The Colosseum would have required many toilets, although there is limited information about this subject. There has, however, been evidence found of two very large toilets or latrines in the Colosseum. In the foundations of the Colosseum there are the four underground tunnels and  below them there are four big drains (1.3 by 3.8 meters). These passages were made during the building of the foundations. Communal toilets, or latrines, consisted of a row of holed seats. A flow of water circulated under the seats. A system of small sewers led from all parts of the Colosseum to one great circular drain which surrounded the amphitheater. At regular intervals along this drain there were wells that reached 8 meters deep. This large drain, in turn, connected to the Cloaca Maxima, the main sewerage system of Rome. Toilets in the Colosseum have seated as many as 100. The open water channel in front of the toilets was used to wash using “cleaning” sponges tied to the end of a stick.

Sponges tied to the end of a stick and, presumably, used by many people???

Here is a picture I found on the Internet of a part of the Colosseum that was not included in the tour:

The Vatican Museum

It was just my poor luck that, on the same day I was in Rome, there was a huge soccer game in that city between Liverpool and Rome. I am not into European soccer, but apparently, it was the equivalent of a playoff game in the National Football League. The reason it was bad luck for me was there were tens of thousands of soccer fans in the city for the game. While waiting to go to the game, many many of them decided to visit Vatican City at the time I was there. The long lines to see every attraction were horrible. Moving through the Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica was done at a snail’s pace. It was literally wall-to-wall people.

Here is a picture as we entered the museum. Our guide held up her #14 sign to keep us together, but it was tough with the throng of people all trying to get to the same place:

Another view of the crowds moving through the museum. Pay attention to the ceiling. In person and in photos, it looks like the ceiling is a very elaborate painting. It is not. Most of what looks like paintings in the museum are actually mosaics. Every single one of those “paintings” is actually a mosaic, done with painstaking detail, and created with thousands of tiny pieces of colored glass making the mosaic, that they only appear to be paintings.

The world’s largest jigsaw puzzles, to say the least.

How cool is that? Can you imagine the time and effort it took to create these masterpieces?

Saint Peter’s Basilica

In terms of area, volume, length, width, height, and capacity, St Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world. Tradition holds that the tomb of the Apostle Peter is directly below the high altar of the Basilica. Besides St. Peter, there are 91 Popes buried in the Basilica, the most recent being John Paul II.

There is one door to the Basilica that is only opened when a Pope calls for a “Holy Year”.  It is said that people who pass through that door receive a ‘plenary’ indulgence. A better Catholic than I am can explain what that means.

Here are some pictures:





Ever since I first saw a picture of it many years ago, I have been fascinated by the Pietà, a sculpture by Michelangelo. The marble statue depicts the body of Jesus being held by his mother, Mary, after the crucifixion. I don’t know why, of all the statues in all the world, this one speaks to me. Even after I no longer considered myself a religious person, I have always wanted to see it in person and now I have.

Here are some things I learned about this work of art:

  1. Of all his paintings and sculptures, the Pietà is the only  one Michelangelo ever signed.
  2. If you look closely, you can see the size of Mary is much larger than the size of Jesus. Michelangelo did this on purpose because he knew he could not could not impose realistic proportions and have her cradle her adult son in the manner he envisioned.
  3. The first time the statue ever left St Peter’s was when it was brought to the New York World’s Fair in 1964. When the statute was placed on the ship which brought it across the Atlantic, it was equipped with a radio transmitter that would broadcast its location in the event the ship sank.
  4. In May, 1972 a mentally ill man damaged the Pietà with a hammer. After repair work was complete, the Vatican had the marble statue encased in a triple layer of bulletproof glass.

Now, here it is:

The Pontifical Swiss Guards are the traditional bodyguards of the Pope. Like the soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, they maintain a 24 hour guard of the Pope’s residence. The Guard is one of the oldest military units in continuous operation.

In order to join the Guard you must an unmarried Catholic male between the ages of 19 and 30 who has completed basic training with the Swiss Armed Forces. (I guess that leaves me out … except for the ‘unmarried’ part).

We happened to be there when they were changing the guard.

Pretty snappy uniforms … right?

The Sistine Chapel

Attached to the Basilica is the world famous Sistine Chapel . It is the site of the principal papal ceremonies and is used by the Sacred College of Cardinals for their election of a new pope when there is a vacancy.

The chapel holds some of the most renown and famous paintings and frescoes ever assembled in one place,  culminating, of course with the incredible ceiling painted by Michelangelo. It is really indescribable, so I won’t try to describe it.

Here are some pictures:


Ooops … actually, I can’t show you any pictures. Here is why:

Around the year 1980, Vatican officials decided they needed a complete restoration of some of the paintings in the chapel, including Michelangelo’s ceiling. The price for the restoration was so costly they sought bids from outside entities. The contract was awarded to a television network in Japan called Nippon TV. In return for funding the renovation, Nippon TV received the exclusive rights to photography and video of the restored art. That is why there’s no photography or video allowed in the Sistine Chapel. As my tour walked through the chapel we constantly heard shouts of “No Photo! No Video!” from security guards.

If you want to see some of the art in the chapel, you can see it here:

Sistine Chapel Paintings

One last thing.  Once a week, when the Pope is in Rome, he addresses the people in front of St. Peter’s. It turns out that he was going to make that address on the day AFTER we were there. They were setting up chairs as we walked by and, although it would be more than 24 hours until he appeared, people were already lining up to see him. (Take that Beyonce!).

Day 5 – May 3, 2018
Naples

We arrived in Naples early this morning. I went up on deck to see what the city looked like:

Since the city of Naples is right on the port and you can see the ship from just about anywhere you go, I decided not to take an excursion. I just walked off the ship and walked around the city.  After Florence and Rome, Naples was not that impressive.

Here is a picture of a typical apartment building. I was told some of these buildings are three to four hundred years old. They all seemed to have balconies.

One thing is certain. You would never catch me standing on a balcony of a 400 year old building (and, the whole time I was there, I never saw anyone standing on one either).

I think most people know that pizza was invented in Italy. According to the information I had, Naples is supposed to have the best pizza in the country, so naturally I had to try it.

I’m not sure what the difference between American and Italian pizza is. I think I read somewhere the difference is in the sauce. We use a tomato based sauce and they use an olive oil based sauce. Also we like to put lots of different meats and toppings on our pizza. They stick to just one topping, one kind of meat. They say, if you ask for pineapple on your pizza in Italy, they will have you arrested.

It wasn’t bad, kind of boring, but at least I can now say I have tried pizza in the country where it was invented.

Of course, when you are in Italy, you also have to try gelato. I liked it better than the pizza, but again, give me a Baskin & Robbins chocolate chip cone any day.

Right at the port where the ship was docked, there was this enormous sculpture which was in the shape of a sail. It was kind of interesting. It is supposed to be some kind of beacon. I remembered I could see it from a long way off as we approached the harbor.

The sculpture is covered with something called “Corten” which makes it change color according to the light. During the day, it is black, like in the picture.  At dawn and sunset, it changes to a bright red.

Here is what the inscription said:

Day 6 – May 4, 2018
Fun Day at Sea

Those of you who have taken cruises before know that every ship has a “Cruise Director” who organizes fun things to do on ship. (Every time is see Cruise Director, I think of Julie the Cruise Director on the Love Boat TV show, but I guess that is just giving away my age).

Anyway, the person being “Julie” on this cruise is named Mike and he was everywhere. On the first day he said he was going to try and meet everyone on board (2,900) passengers, shake their hands and ask them if they were having a good time. I don’t know if he was able to keep that promise, but he shook my hand 2 times.

Here are some of the things he planned for today’s Fun Day at Sea.

  • Military Appreciation Gathering
  • Hairy Chest Contest
  • $2,000 Jackpot Bingo in the casino
  • Lip Sync Battle
  • MusicTrivia Contests (50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s)
  • Slot Tournament in the casino
  • Charades
  • Volleyball Tournament
  • Karaoke Contest
  • etc., etc., etc.

(I did enter the ’60’s Music Trivia Contest and took 2nd Place  …no trophy … just a round of applause from my fellow baby boomers).

That is just a partial list. There were dozens of other activities. In addition, there was the Comedy Club, a Las Vegas-type Showroom and , of course the 18 different kinds of restaurants and the endless buffet.

I usually spend most of these Fun Days in the casino, at the buffet or at the swimming pool.

Here are some pictures:

The Zip Line that went around the ship (I did try that … twice). No pictures from “up” there. They make you turn in your camera before you start. They don’t want you to drop it on somebody’s head. Probably a good idea.

You think you are a good pool player? Try playing on a moving ship where the balls won’t stand still.

The Hairy Chest Contest

Here is something I thought was neat. I don’t know if this is a new thing, but I have never seen it before. It is the elevator system. Here is how it works:

There are no “Up” and “Down” buttons at the elevators. You just pick the Deck you want to go to and the system tells you which elevator to take.

There are no buttons inside the elevator either. By the time you get in, it already knows where you want to go and it goes there. How cool is that?

Day 7 – May 5, 2018
Dubrovnik,Croatia

Croatia was a  republic that was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 1991 it declared its independence and was renamed the Republic of Croatia. Today it is a very popular tourist destination.

Here is how the port of Dubrovnik used as we arrived:

I signed up for an excursion on a river boat which traveled into the country and ended with a lunch at a restaurant located on the river bank. Here are some pictures:

This is the restaurant. By the time we got here, we were all very hungry, but is was worth the wait. I’m not sure what some of the food was, but they just kept bringing more and more. It was very good.

Day 7 – May 6, 2018
Corfu, Greece

About 10 years ago I did travel to Greece, but I stayed on the mainland around Athens. There were plenty of things to see there: the Acropolis, the Parthenon and more museums than you can count.

Greece also includes thousand of small islands. Corfu is one of those. We were only going to be there for a few hours, so I decided to take one of those “Get off Get on” bus tours where it stops at several locations, you get off the bus and explore, then get back on the next bus. you get the idea.

Here are a few pictures:

The city is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating back several thousand years. Naturally, there are some things that need repair.

This is all Greek to me:

Day 8 – May 7, 2018
Messina, Sicily

Okay, I’ll admit it. One of the biggest reasons I decided to take this particular cruise is because one of the stops is Sicily and one of the places where you could take an excursion is the village where some scenes of the The Godfather were filmed.

My Top 5 favorite movies of all time, in no particular order, are:

The Graduate
American Graffiti
Casablanca
Seven Days in May
… and, of course, The Godfather.

I definitely wanted to visit this village. The excursion was called In the Footsteps of the Godfather. Pretty cool, huh?

As any Godfather fan knows, when Michael Corleone killed Sollozzo (Mafia drug dealer) and McCluskey (NY police captain) at an Italian restaurant in the Bronx, he was forced to go to Sicily and ‘lay low’ for a while until things in New York between the Corleone Family and the other Mafia Families settled down.

While in Sicily, he met and married a local Italian girl named Apollonia. She ultimately met a horrible death, but I won’t go into that. Godfather fans already know and non-fans should watch the movie.

The couple met in a Sicilian village called Corleone, after the family name of Michael Corleone, the son of The Godfather. When Francis Coppola, the director of the movie was searching for a site for the movie, he rejected the actual village of Corleone because it was ‘too modern and too big’ to fit in with his film which took place in rural Italy in the 1940’s.

Instead, he filmed in a village called Savoca, which looked more like the period of the movie. That is the village we went to.

Savoca is located at the top of a mountain in southern Sicily. Here are are couple of views of the winding and twisting roads we took to get there:

Here I am standing in front of the view the people of Savoca see every day:

This is the restaurant called The Bar Vitelli. It is where a pivotal scene in the first Godfather movie was filmed. In the scene, Michael Corleone and his bodyguards sit on the terrace of Bar Vitelli and discuss with the owner of the bar a beautiful girl they saw just a little while ago in the country. “She wore a red dress and a red ribbon in her hair. She looks more Greek than Italian.” This is how one of Michael’s bodyguards described the girl.

Upon realizing that it was actually his daughter, the owner of Bar Vitelli storms off back inside, totally unaware of how important the man asking about his daughter, Michael Corleone, actually is in Mafia circles.

Michael Corleone, however, makes him an offer he can’t refuse, and the owner of the bar agrees to a meeting by saying, “Come to my house Sunday morning. My name is Vitelli.” It is only then that Michael learns the girl’s name is Apollonia.

Here I am actually sitting in the very terrace of the restaurant where the scene was filmed:

For the tiny minority of people who haven’t seen the movie, here is a picture of how that scene looked. It is hanging in the entry to the restaurant:


As part of the tour we also went to the church where Michael and Apollonia were married (in the movie). It was, as almost everyone knows, a very short marriage:

Day 10 – May 8, 2018
Fun Day at Sea

There are lots of bars on a cruise ship. People who cruise really like to drink. At one point I even saw the ship’s Captain standing at the bar.

Not to worry … turns out this was not the Captain. He is a crew member who keeps track of the liquor inventory . Big job.

If you spend a lot of time here …

… you have to spend a lot of time here:

Every morning, all over the ship, lots of towel animals show up:

Lots of towel animals:


This was the maiden voyage of the Carnival Cruise Ship Horizon, so there was some last-minute construction going on:

There’s a lot of water out there:

I finally did learn how to solve the Rubik’s Cube:

Day 11 and 12 – May 9th and 10th, 2018
Barcelona to Austin

Repeat Day 1 in reverse and I am back home planning the next trip (around Christmas, I think).

Stay tuned …