FarewellVeniceHelloAgainTimorLeste

With this last photo I say goodby to my favorite city and get ready for the next adventure - back to the small half island country of Timor-Leste. The cab will be here to pick me up in 3 hours to begin the 35+ hour trip (Santa Fe to Albuquerque to Atlanta to Los Angeles to Sydney to Darwin to Timor-Leste). Again Doug and I will be returning to the school to finish projects that we started on our last trip. We have already received kind welcoming letters from Mr Krisna, the head of the school and Juliao, an important local contributor to the school's success. After a month in Timor-Leste we will spend a few days visiting Adelaide and Sydney Australia. In Sydney, I will fulfill a decades old dream of actually seeing an opera (Carmen) in the exquisite Sydney Opera House. So to everyone, thanks for reading the blog, and I hope you will come along with me on the next adventure. Happy Trails from Ramblinme (ILMOB)

RialtoAndFarewell

The Rialto Bridge is directly across the island from St. Marks Square and everything here is more reasonably priced (hence my purchase for 30 euros of a pair of black suede thigh high boots). Our hotel, the Amadeus, was close to the bridge and I couldn't have been more pleased with the location or hotel. The only negative was that my Australian friend was elsewhere and I was actively trying not to think of him. Of course the hotel was filled with high school students from Perth and there was no shutting out the sounds of Australian accents.

TheFamousBellTowerInStMarksSquare

SaintMark

This is a photo of the interior of the cathedral where the remains of Saint Mark are said to be buried.

LastGlimpseOfFreedom

The famous Bridge of Sighs connects the Palace with the jails of ancient Venice. It was said that as the prisoners crossed the bridge they were able to catch their last glimpse of freedom through these tiny portals and they would sigh as they took their last look. Casanova himself was one of the famous prisoners taking a last look through a portal on the Bridge of Sighs.

DogesPalace

For centuries Venice had been led by an elderly Doge. For the first time, I actually visited inside the famous Doge's Palace and it was spectacular.

SymbolOfVenice

GondolaliersSecrets

Some interesting facts on Gondola drivers from this trip - they are among the richest people in the city. I heard that if you look at the cars that they own, it is a nice selection of the most exotic and expensive. The Gondoliers have followed centuries of tradition by passing the job down from Father to Son. Recently Venice has seen its first woman Gondolier and there is an enormous uproar from everyone, even the woman's own Father.

StMarksSquareLandmark

WaterfrontCrowdNearStMarksSquare

St Mark's Square is the heart of Venice and it is where most of the tourist crowds seem to congregate, even on the coldest days. Hotel rates increase in direct proportion to how close you are to the square. It is a wonderful amalgam of tourists, vendors, gondolas, artists. performers, beautiful buildings, pigeons, and amazing views from the waterfront.

MyHeartBelongsToVenezia

The last stop on the tour was the exquisite city of Venice, Italy - locally known as Venezia. It has always been, and continues to be, my favorite city in the world. In my opinion, it has more beauty per square inch than any other city.

LoranBusDriverExtraordinaire

Our bus for the tour was the largest I have ever seen and Loran, our driver, could navigate through some of the smallest streets I have ever seen and through some of the roughest weather conditions. He was incredible. I lost count of how many times the entire bus broke out in applause in appreciation of his ability to "thread the needle." Both Loran and Krjstijan, I am sure you have noticed, are very handsome, and I promised that once their photos hit the net, tourism to Croatia and Slovenia would triple.

DynamicTrioFromOurTourGroup

My favorite representatives from Chicago, Atlanta, and Winnipeg!

CeilingDetailInBledCastle

OurTourGroupAtTheBledCastle

Our guide Krjstijen is in the forefront snapping away like the rest of us. He is from Slovenia and explained one difference between Slovenians and Croatians, "We are introverted. We don't sing. Okey, we sing when we get drunk. Croatians, they like to sing. We are highlanders and highlanders are forced to be introverted to be accurate during the winters. They don't like to spend. That's why Switzerland with all the banks became so successful."

LunchWithAMillionDollarView

MoiAtBledCastle

ViewOfBledFromTheCastle

BledCastle

MirroredAlpsInBled

BledBeauty

You can walk 7 km around the lake in Bled and see the most beautiful cathedral, the most beautiful fortress, and the snow capped Alps mirrored in the perfectly blue water.

BledMyTripFavorite

Before this trip I knew almost nothing about Eastern Europe and I certainly had never heard of Bled in Slovenia. If Walt Disney had been alive during the Midddle Ages, he would have designed Bled - quite possibly one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

TheBigGottchaInSlovenia

While wandering through the streets of Ljubjiana, we were enchanted by this chorus singing Christmas carols in Slovenian. "What a lovely tradition," I thought. When the singing stopped, we all clapped and then I heard one of the singers yell into the crowd, "Are you folks from America?" in a perfect American accent. This wasn't a Slovenian group performing a traditional carol. It was a Morman missionary group serving their time in Slovenia. Certainly fooled me! Stay tuned for further blog entries on the two places that I feel were the best parts of the tour - the fantasy city of Bled in Slovenia, and the ever enchanting Venice Italy. Until then - Happy Trails! (ILMOB)

TheTourTechWars

If you have read my blog in the past, you know that I rarely sign up for organized tours. Perhaps that is why I was so surprised to see the extent of technology that came along with us on the tour. All of us on the tour brought our iPods, laptops, Kindles,and cameras - and such cameras they were!!. My estimate is that among the 18 people on the tour there was close to $20,000 worth of sophisticated camera equipment.During some of the longer bus rides I would hear what I could only describe as the war of technology where the best equipment, the best angle, the best lighting,the best shot, etc., was argued and defended quite loudly. Interestingly, the one person on the bus who is a prfessional photographer never entered the frey. In the photo, Art, (he of the great hat) is taking a picture of a glass of brandy being warmed in another glass. There were so many photos taken of the brandy glass that I am expecting a coffee table book on the subject to be published soon.

LovelyLjubjana

The city is gorgeous, with its Three Bridges crossing over the rushing river, its cobblestone streets and squares, its open air market, City hall, Parliament, and Robba's Fountain.By the way, Slovenia is the home of the Lippizaner horses and also Melanie Kraus, the current Mrs. Donald Trump.

CrossingTheBorderIntoSlovenia

As Kristijen said, "You can make funny with me, but not with Slovenian customs. They have no sense of humor." Crossing the border was tense, with an official actually getting on the bus and taking his time examining each of our passports. There was one foolhardy soul who started making wisecracks, but he was quickly hushed up by the group. This is what happens when a country (in this case Slovenia)officially becomes a member of the European Common Market. Any entry from a non-EU country into an EU country becomes a very serious matter. Once inside the EU territory there is no problem going from country to country. I can remember what a pain it used to be traveling within Eurpoe from country to country and I'm pleased not to have to endure that anymore.The photo is of icecycles dripping off a bridge in Ljubjana, the capital of Slovenia. Photos are definitely prohibited at the customs stop.

ChristmasCharm

One special evening was spent at a very country restaurant in a tiny charming town.The evening got off to a roaring start with wine tasting and homemade suasages in the basement of the inn. The dinner included classic examples of local cooking ("yummmm," as Kristijen would say), and hours of amazing accordian playing. Did I just write that? Actually it was true. The accordian player wasn't Grandpa has had been promised, but a professional musician.

TingAndTheLifesavingCathedral

The lovely woman standing in front of the cathedral is Ting, a member of our group from New York. Everything that could go wrong on a tour happened to Ting. Her flight from New York was delayed by weather and she arrived almost 2 days late before joining the tour. Her luggage finally arrived two days before the end of the tour, but through it all she kept smiling! The cathedral in the background was literally a lifesaver for many of us. We had many hours of independent touring and there are just so many coffees you can buy in the various restaurants to try to keep warm. I kept going back to this cathedral and taking advantage of the little radiators that run beside each of the kneelers in the pews.

OpenAirMarketInZagreb

The town center had several layers of open air markets which were doing a booming business despite the below zero temperatures. Flowers sold at the market were brought in from Holland daily.

IceSkatingInZagreb

In the center of the market, I found this young girl ice skating and caught her photo just as she grabbed onto the wall before falling. Remember when you were a kid and had no temperature receptors? You could always have fun regardless of the freezing cold!

TheAtlantaContingency

Rita and Merv, tour members from Atlanta, found the best way to stay warm - huddled against each other. Why didn't I think of that?

LovelySectionOfOldZagreb

SnowyDayInZagreb

ZagrebFromTheHilltop

There is actually a fununcular that will take you to the lower part of the city.

WelcomeToZagreb

Entry into Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, was a very bleak affair. It seemed so dark and industrialized and the weather didn't help, but a tour through the older section of town revealed some gems, like St Martin's Cathedral with the coat of arms of Croatia, and the coat of arms of the town beautifully crafted in the roof tiles. By the way, St. Martin is the patron saint of wine!

KristijenGuideExtraordinaire

I can't imagine a more difficult tour guide job then taking a group of 18 people through Croatia and Slovenia during the foggiest and coldest days of the year, slogging through icey rain and snow through city after city and keeping everyone's interest. Can you imagine having to start a sentence with, "If you could only see to your right, you would see...." and then having to paint a picture to make the unseen interesting? Kristijen did that and more. He has an almost photgraphic memory for history and dates, and without notes, can take you through the 10,000 year history of a city with accuracy and one of the driest wits I have encountered.During the trip I found myself capturing "Kristijenisms" that are pricelss.