Here are the links to all of the photo galleries for my recent trip to Europe. I haven't made a Best Of gallery yet, but I intend to do that sometime soon. In the meantime, click around all the different galleries & have fun.
- Venice, Italy (Mestra area) - July 3, 2008
- Vienna, Austria - July 4, 2008
- Budapest, Hungary - July 5, 2008
- Vienna, Austria - July 7, 2008
- Vienna, Austria - July 8, 2008
- Venice, Italy - July 10, 2008
- Split, Croatia - July 12, 2008
- Iraklion, Greece (Crete, ancient site = Knossos) - July 14, 2008
- Kusadasi, Turkey (ancient site = Ephesus) - July 15, 2008
- Santorini, Greece - July 16, 2008
- Corfu, Greece - July 17, 2008
- Venice, Italy - July 19, 2008
- Venice, Italy - July 20, 2008
- Royal Caribbean Cruise - July 11 - 19, 2008
Show all of my European Blog Posts (the web page will re-draw, showing all of my European-travel-related blog posts, including this one.)
Ahhhh... to be back in the good old USA where ice cubes are abundant & you get ice-cold tap water to drink without even requesting it from the waiter. And ice-cold Coca Cola too... I can finally have a Coke and a smile!
I was getting pretty thirsty over there in Europe where they won't let you drink the tap water (even though it is potable) and your only option for water is to buy the small water bottles for 3 euros (roughly $5 USD.)
I just got home from Europe. It is 10:AM in Venice, which means that I have been mostly awake and en-route for 28 hours. I am spent, but I am also feeling anxiety about all the stuff that I need to do. This anxiety kept me from sleeping much on the plane rides back... well that and the cramped Coach-fare seats.
Somehow, come hell or high water, I need to drag my butt to work in a few hours. Let's just hope that I am present in both body & spirit. I shutter to think what my to-do list will look like.
This vacation is winding down & coming to a close. Today was the final day in Venice. Mom and I went to the island of Murano, where we received a glass blowing/sculpting demonstration. Here's a photo of the simple glass blowing technique that was demonstrated. Such artistry!
We bought a few souvenirs today, looked around, and had some gelato near Piazza San Marco. For dinner, we ate pasta and clams, with red wine and beer. For only the second time on our vacation, a little rain fell. Instead of a downpour however, it was a pleasant, cleansing shower that made everything smell fresh and new and cooled down the piazza.
Tomorrow morning we'll have a leisurely breakfast peering on the glittering green canal... but then I have to face the reality of getting all the luggage to the airport; and her suitcase is going to be the death of me. I did hand washing almost every night so that I traveled light, but mom just packed everything but the kitchen sink.
This vacation is done. In Italian, that's "vacanza è fatta"
Despite the beauty of Venice, and all of the Mediterranean, I am eager to get home. In a sense, this has been the hardest "vacation" of my lifetime. I've been caring for my 81 year old mom and that is not an easy task. Literally, my muscles are sore from helping to support her weight as she struggles to maneuver the many boat docks, cobblestone streets, and uneven staircases of these old towns. She's taken the whole thing very seriously: she's stubborn enough to push herself so that she can see as much of the world as possible. This lead to some breakdowns and there have been some moments where I've been frustrated, tired, hot, and downright cranky about the various situations we've gotten into. Once or twice I was so completely overwhelmed that I just started crying.
At the other extreme, I can be terribly protective of her. For example: there was a huge line for the cable car at Santorini. This group of Italians rushed the line (Italians don't queue.) I told them the back of the line was behind us; at which point they conveniently didn't speak English. So I spoke Italian and said the same thing. They were stubborn and refused to go to the back of the line. And all of us who had been in line waited a lot longer as a result (1.5 hours total). Later in this interminable, unruly queue, my Mom spotted a bench. She wanted to make her way up to the bench to sit with the concept that I'd catch up and she'd get back in line after a bit of a rest. The Italian woman wouldn't let her pass & started yelling at her & me. This was a very bad move on her part.
There's one thing I know from my time brief time living in Italy in 1993: Italians can be terrible bullies and verbally vicious, but they usually back down if anyone has the guts to challenge them. So, I didn't back down. I yelled at this she/he woman in both English and Italian, then... I challenged her to a fight. No, I am not kidding. I actually said "I will fight you, you b**ch." At this point, the other people in line felt the need to mediate so that we didn't literally come to blows. By the way: the crowd sided with me. Mom got to sit down and the Italian monstrosity had to shut up and wait in line just like the rest of us.
Let's just call these trying moments "learning and growth" experiences.