A Trip To Europe!

My sister Susan and I just got back from a 2 week trip to Europe, not to mention the even more exotic Dallas, Texas.  The reasons for the Dallas part of the trip make me want to cry, so I won't go into them here, except to say that before I knew what hit me, I was standing in Dealey Plaza - where John F. Kennedy was shot - staring out at the Grassy Knoll, wondering if there was indeed a second gunman.  But on to happier things, such as the photograph of my sister Susan standing in front of La Terrasse, located in the Rue Cler neighborhood of Paris, which our favorite part of the entire trip (both the neighborhood and it's many cafes, I might add).  Wherever we went on this trip, finding a good cafe to sit at afterwards was critical.

After spending 5 days in Paris, we took the night train to Florence, which was a truly interesting experience (referring of course to the ancient Chinese curse hoping that you will live in interesting times). We traveled in a six person compartment that at night folded into six "couchettes," which in fact were three bunk beds on each side.  Sharing that compartment with Susan and I were a young woman from Australia (with a horrible cold that I caught), a 59 year old guy from Italy, and a young couple from Homestead, Florida.  The following morning the young woman from Homestead, Florida said it was the worst experience of her life, and they would never do it again.  She kept mumbling about sleeping in the lower bunk and having to watch the Italian guy putting on his pants or something.  I assured her not to worry.  She was still young, and I am sure she will have way more horrible experiences in her life than this.  My sister Susan said she did not sleep at all, but found it all very interesting.  In any case, the photo on the right is of Susan in front of the Colosseum in Rome, which we walked around on our way to Sorrento via still another train.

From Florence, we went to Siena, and from there on to Rome, Sorrento, Positano, and Naples, before heading back to the airport in Rome for our flight back to Denver (after spending a night and a day in Dallas, Texas, but the experience still makes me want to cry, so once again, let's skip the details for now).  In the photograph on the left is a self portrait of me on the rooftop bar of our hotel in Rome, just down the block from the Campo de Fiore, the nicest piazza in the city.  As I mentioned before, it was important to scout out the location of bars and restaurants wherever you went in Europe, so you knew where to start the recovery process after a day of sightseeing.  I always thought it was strange that my friends Bill and Renee always seem to visit Europe in February, and always have a good time. Now I know why.  Over the next 6 days I intend to share a blog post about each place we visited, giving you a blow by blow account.  Better fix yourself a drink.