This picture was on my Gateway Start Page. My page is set up with things I like, one of them is a "Places to see" link and there is always a beautiful picture of some exotic location! It looked very Grecian to me, and the flowers and vases are very beautiful and it is all so aesthetically pleasing! The view of the ocean is fantastic! I clicked on the picture and it took me to this marvelous review of somewhere in the Greek Isle! http://www.etrave...
This trip to the Bahamas sets a new standard for fun in mine and Colleens life, we never left the resort. We had a room on the ninth floor in the Royal towers over looking the lagoon which is separated into several pools and contain a variety of fish, shark, sting rays and eagles rays, just beyond that was the ocean, the view needless to say was so spectacular that it could make someone weep with sheer joy! The food there was incredible no matter where in the resort you choose to eat. W...
I arrived in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in Iraq, on Friday the 19th of September. Erbil International Airport is small, but has everything an airport needs. In fact it reminded me of a toy airport made bigger. (Continued in linked article.)
So I started in Berlin with some 2000 Dollars. But I needed more. I took a plane to Vienna, where I spent only one day. My guide was a former room mate of mine who happens to live in Austria’s capital now. Vienna is the most beautiful city. And it is quite visible that it is one of the few cities that once ruled the world (specifically during the 16th century when the Holy Roman Emperor was also King of Spain). And there is even a historical “Judenvie...
He's falling She's a day tripper. Paul would agree And we don't know Where to Go She has the world in her wonderful fleshy hands Oh, his Thumbelina The sun is always in Her eyes and She's his rainbow maker raining and loving Please, don't fall into her muddy sky eyes.. Look me in mine say you do not love Her sweetie honestly, sincerely She has me in a corner crying, whying Everyone will love her Anyone could love...
Well a bit late, but better late than never right? During Golden Week in Japan (one week of holidays from the end of April to the start of May) I went to a samurai festival in Odawara (a city near Yokohama) at Odawara Castle. The festival is to celebrate the feudal lords who used to rule this area, the Hojo clan, during Japan's warring states period (1467-1603). There was a parade, lots of people in costumes, people firing the old Japanese arquebus, and one overenthusiastic samurai who had wh...
Imagin staying at the Waldorf Hotel in Newyork for as low as $65 per night or at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas for as low $50 per night!!! The hotelclub can make your vacation dreams come true!!!
Cherry Blossom season in Japan is a pretty big event. It happens in Spring, usually around the start to mid April (in Tokyo) and goes for a paltry one to two weeks. The cherry blossoms are really short lived. The Japanese have a picnic during this time, called 'hanami' (literally flower watching). The main foods are sushi and sake (Japanese rice wine). This party became popular for the masses during the Edo period (1603-1867), whereas before, it was the preserve of the nobility. The cherry ...
As a gift to us, Colleen has booked a suite at the Bellagio Hotel {5+ stars} for 4 days and nights. We leave December 17th and come back the 21st. She got us tickets to the BLUEMAN GROUP and one of the Circe De soleil shows. In the suite is a jacuzzi hot tub. {yay} Five star restaurants abound right on premises {yay} Bellagio trip with shows and airfare. 2500.00 Eating out for the trip. 1000.00 Having the best lady on the planet. PRICELESS!!
One of the strangest discoveries I made in Israel was not the conflict between Israel and several terrorist groups that want to destroy it but the way that Israelis of all types live together. I have seen racism about which I wrote earlier. But I have also seen synagogues, churches, and mosques standing in the same city, and I have seen the religions live together in peace. I have seen Muslims and Jews interact in ways which are completely impossible in Europe. It is perhaps difficult t...
I am now back in Jerusalem. The hotel I chose based on recommendations and their Web site is excellent. I can only recommend the Jerusalem Hotel (next to Damascus gate). This is in East-Jerusalem and my cab driver was surprisingly angry at me for wanting to go there. We argued for ten minutes about the address, in Hebrew, and I finally rang the hotel and asked them to give him directions. They told him exactly what I told him (he put them on speaker). He finally seemed to believe me....
I am now in Tel Aviv, in a hotel overlooking the beach. Tomorrow I will go back to Jerusalem. Haifa was good. The University of Haifa is, I think, a nice place to study. I wish I had known about that a few years ago. Things could have been very different. Not that they should have been. I was here in Israel to learn Hebrew, and I think I did quite well. Back in Dublin there are very few people with whom I can speak Hebrew, and it seems like I am also going back to the same job. I was th...
Dragon*Con: Day 2 We got a little more sleep last night, but there was a 10 AM panel that I wanted to attend, so we got up around 8. It was now obvious to us that there was something leaking in our bathroom, so I called the front desk and they sent a maintenance man up. He promised to either fix the toilet or have our stuff transferred to another room, seeing as we were ready to leave for the convention. However, we missed the free breakfast at our hotel and we didn't have time to go up...
Dragon*Con: Day 1 My sister and I arrived in Atlanta around 10:00 pm last night, after having gotten on the road at about 9. Despite the length, it was a pretty nice drive. The weather was mostly good (we only hit pockets of rain) and for the most part, traffic was light. I did, however, experience several periods of extreme stir crazy boredom when I wasn't driving. I was at several points tempted to play Tetris or Jewel Quest on my cell phone, but my sister would have probably done so...
internet advertising Yuanmingyuan, located in the northwestern suburbs of Beijing next to the Summer Palace, is a theme park with particular historic meaning renovated on the ruins of the famous imperial garden in the Qing Dynasty. Yuanmingyuan was composed of three separate gardens: Yuanmingyuan (Garden of Perfect Splendor), Changchunyuan (Garden of Eternal Spring), Qichunyuan (Garden of Blossoming Spring). It covers an area of about 350 hectares with ...