Catching Up...

Not sure why I have not bothered to post for EIGHT years now, but here we are. I'm really thankful for the all the moments I took the time to blog here. Too bad ADHD or whatever kept me from doing this for other major moments in my life. So I will summarize up to this year...

2016: After returning from our great trip in Europe, I met my future wife Jenn Curtis. After meeting online, it took a couple of months to finally meet up - by accident at a bike store :) From there we hit it off.

2017: Sam and I vistied Iceland in August. My boy was delayed a couple of days due to the death of his grandmother, but joined me in Reykjavik. We really didn't know what we were going to do (thought we'd visit the Pacific Northwest on another baseball tour - but Iceland turned out to be cheaper). We found out we needed a car, and we sure did. We made the most of it by visiting all the major tourist traps in the Golden Circle, which was repleate with glaciers, waterfalls, craters, geisers, and just a host of amazing destinations. A highlight was a visit to the Blue Lagoon, where the waters are always warm no matter how cold it is outside. Quite surreal. Maybe the highlight was seeing puffin birds without having to pay for a tour ;)

2018: In May, I visited Roma in England since her husband Tod was dying of cancer. I didn't get to see him, but caught up with my cousin Aeron while there. Afterwards I visited Israel and my cousin Max. Quite the trip. I arrived in Tel Aviv and spent a few days there before heading to Jerusalem where Max lived. I rented a car and drove myself to the Galiliee area via Nazareth. Stayed at a home of an Israeli family on the hills overseeing the lake. Took tours of the "Jesus Coast" with stops in Carparnum and other Biblical areas. Visited Tiberias quite a bit at night since it was the only place with anything going on after the sun when down. I swear that nearly every tour bus in existance was there! I drove back to Jerusalem via the West Bank, then met up with Max who showed me the Old City of Jerusalem, then Masada and Dead Sea. There I literally floated on the water.

In November of that year Sam and I visited England for a massive tour of the island. We attended nine football matches in the 11 days we were there. This included a trip to Cornwall to visit my cousin David and his family. Our trip out to them was nervewracking with negotiating extremely narrow and widing roads, at night and in the rain. It was all worth it when we woke up the next day with a stunning view from David's house of the Cornwall coastline - right out of a movie. The rest of the trip took us up through Wales and Scotland, and back to London. The trip to Cardiff was eventful where after that game we tried to find the house we booked, which was misaddressed. We finally found it around midnight. Other highlights include visiting Hadrian's Wall and somehow getting into the Scottish League Final in Glasgow by getting tickets outside the park. 

2019: In November Jenn and I visted England. Here I proposed to her at a bench dedicated to my mum near her childhood home in Stretham Hill. The rest of the trip was great visiting family including a night in Eastbourne, and another visit to Cornwall. 

2020: In this year of COVID, Sam and I decided to visit the Upper Penninsula of Michigan - since very few were up there anyways. Had an amazing time driving over the Mackanaw bridge, visiting the Porcupine Mountains and the Apostle Islands. We also the made the most of visiting popular destinations along Lake Superior. On the way back through Wisconsin, we visited Door County where I jumped off a cliff edge about 20 or so feet from the water. Doesn't sound like much - unless your over 50!

2021: This is the year I married Jenn. After all the years of dating in futility, the Lord brought me to this day with a wonderful woman. Because of the pandemic, we decided to have the ceremony at Sand Key Beach in Florida. We chose April 3 due to the coincendence of the calendar - 4-3-21. I had my friend John Tinker officiate the affair, with his two children helping out with recording and videoing the event. We basically rouged it up there, and it turned out wonderful. We were able to livestream the event on Facebook to 50 or so of our friends and family. Afterwards I settled down at her home in Dyer.

2022: Returned to England that November with Sam. Totally forgot that the World Cup was going on so no top-flight soccer. During our trip, we made our way over to visit Sam's friend Alex in Amsterdam for a weekend. He let us stay with him and we had a fantastic time with the amazing architecture - and of course BIKES! We caught a USA World Cup game at a downtown pub with other nationals, where the England game was going on simultanously below us. We shouted insults at each other - good fun! From there we returned to London, and made our way back to Cornwall. A major highlight there was catching the USA vs. England game at a quaint pub in the heart of the village. The match was a tie - which for us was a big victory. Thankfully all in the pub were very nice to us - not sure we'd get the same reception in London. 

Our visit there was quite drab with rain about all the time, but we were able to visit this amazing place called The Eden Project which was series of indoor gardens. Also, before we left, my cousin Louise told us about more family in Devon, which was on the way back to London. This was my cousin Adrian and his wife Emma. We made our way to their home in Tiverton, and had a most wonderful time meeting them and their two girls. Emma was just amazing and even offered to do our laundry! From there we made our way back via Bath to see some of the great architecture there. Before heading back to London we visited Aeron on his canal boat north of the city. I was very happy to have caught up to him. After another day or two with Roma, we were back home.

2023: Yet another trip to England in November. This time footy was in full swing and were able to catch Arsenal at home. Incredible stadium! Stayed with Roma for most of this visit. Had a bit more time with Aeron and floated a bit on his boat in central London. This time, we stayed with Emma and Adrian on our way back to Cornwall. We got to meet Adrian's family, including his brother Ben and his wife and children. During our stay we toured Tiverton and a drop-dead beautiful parksite east of the city. Met my much younger cousins as well - total sass. We made our way to Cornwall and had a great get together at Louise's mother's home with David showing up, with his son Rich and a few others for a memorable family dinner.

European Vacation - the rest of it (ugh)

Wow, I'm pretty sucky at this stuff.  Yeah, writing this a YEAR + after it happened, but need to wrap things up.  So here it goes...with as much memory of it as I have left...

June 20, 2016:
Made our way to Normandy to visit D-Day locations.  Rained all day, but we were able to visit a bunch of sites - most notably the Allied Cemetery.  Back in 1987, I missed seeing this by only a few minutes.  Also visited where the British landed and walked out to old mulberry harbors which are still in place today.  Went through a museum as well.  Lovely dinner and bed.

June 21th:
This day was with Jonathon, and he took us up to St. Malo, which is an old walled city on the English Channel.  Wonderful spot - and had a drink at a bar name that is longer than the building it occupies. From there we rode to Dinard, which is an amazing city on a hillside.  Sam and I walked up that hillside too - whew!  Met up with one of Jon's friends, watched as they chatted together in French, and headed home.

June 22th:
Off to Paris, but no goodbye from Jon - he was out cold.  Alison drove us to Rennes, where we caught the train out.  Found out I left my back pillow in her car, which dampened my trip a bit since my back was aching.  Rode into Paris, checked our luggage at the train station, and began a six-hour blitz of the city.  Saw all the major sites, rode bikes down the main avenue, and made it back to the airport in time for takeoff.  Landed in Copenhagen, and dragged our weary bodies to a VERY cozy chain hotel nearby.  Did I say cozy?  It had to be the smallest room I have ever slept in - and the bathroom was proportionally tiny too.

June 23rd:
Our day in Copenhagen.  Took a train downtown, and walked and biked our butts off.  An AMAZING city - saw a bunch of sites and was totally gobsmacked at the number of BIKES being used.  UTOPIA!  They were everywhere - and they would run you over if you weren't careful.  Beautiful city, with Sam considering it the highlight of the trip.  Back to the shoebox of a room afterwards.

June 24th:
We leave Copenhagen and train next door to Malmo, Sweden.  Upon arrival we store our luggage, and take a walk around the city.  Basically just so we can say we visited another country :)  From there we headed to the airport, and flew into Poznan, Poland.  At the airport we found an Uber driver who got us to our hotel, and reluctantly took a $10 bill from me as a souvenir (you don't tip them). The hotel was modern and nice, and we made our way to the old city center, and my spirit took off. This is a BEAUTIFUL city!  Just thinking that my own ancestors walked these streets over a hundred  years ago put a huge smile on my face.  I was smitten.  We also discovered that the money was REALLY in our favor and sat down for a fancy meal - all for under $20!

June 25th:
This day turned out to be epic on so many levels.  I planned to have a guide meet us at the hotel to take us on an ancestry tour of the city and suburbs.  His name as Lukaz, and we began our tour right around the corner from our hotel.  There we saw the homes of our mom's family, who were Jewish. From there he drove us out to see sights where my dad's family came from, including a church where my great grandfather was baptized, and great great grandfather was married.  We also visited two Jewish cemeteries that were destroyed during the Nazi occupation, which really drove the whole Holocaust episode even deeper.  Lukaz then dropped us off at the train station, and swelling with amazing memories, we rode west into Berlin.  Arriving there we caught some European soccer championship games in front of the Brandenburg gate.  We arrived back to our hotel after a full day and properly passed out.

June 26th:
We started our day sightseeing in Berlin, and used a "Hop On, Hop Off" bus to get around the city. We also took the time to visit the Holocaust memorial near the Brandenburg Gate, and also visited nearby relics of the old Berlin Wall.  When finished we made our way to the station, and began the loooong train ride (8 flippin hours!) to Munich.  Not sure why I didn't book a flight, since the long train ride was pretty boring and made my back hurt worse.  When we got to Munich, we made our way to the hotel, took a short walk around town, and off to bed.

June 27th:
I had planned for us to go to Hitler's Eagle's Nest in the Alps, but thought better of it since my back wasn't too well and changed our plans to visit the Dachau Concentration Camp.  To say the least this was a powerful visit, and very emotional.  Seeing the site where so many thousands died needlessly, and also painfully, brought home the terror on a personal level.  I had hoped to visit one during our trip, and I am very pleased we were able to.  From here we got back to the city center, and walked around and eventually ran into a huge beer garden showing the Iceland-England soccer game.  Sam was really excited about this since Iceland was a massive underdog, and by winning they would to the semifinals.  Being a son of an English woman, I rooted otherwise.  At the beer garden, Sam ordered a huge stein of their local brew, and promptly downed it.  He claimed he didn't like it, and wanted to be done with it right away.  I informed him that's not what you do with alcohol, and sure enough, there was my son, drunk before my eyes.  Thankfully he took it well, and as for the game, Iceland won - making him quite cheerful.  After making sure he drank plenty of water, we got back to the hotel after another banner day.

June 28th:
The final leg of our trip began with another long train ride to Italy.  This time I was very happy about the trip since we weaved our way through the Alps and were met with a myriad of stunning vistas.  When our train arrived in Innsbruck, Austria, we jumped out and made sure we "visited" yet another country.  Thing is, the train had a problem and we ended up stuck there for about an hour.  Eventually we made our way to Bologna, Italy, and (barely) caught a bullet train to Florence.  Barely since we waited on track 4 for our train - but there was ANOTHER track 4!  Lucky Sam caught that.  We did manage to jump on the train, but had no idea where to sit, so we just sat in what turned out to be first class :)  No one said anything to us, so we rode in style for the 45 minute trip.  Upon arrival in Florence, we were met by my long-time friend Oliver, and were driven to his home on the outskirts of the city.  Upon entering his second-floor flat, we met his wife Alejandra, and settled into our room.  From there we met up with Oliver's mother, and rode back into the city center, meeting up with Oliver's friends, including an old one I met back in 1992.  As the wine poured, we all drank, and so did Sam.  This made him utter the best line from the trip - "Dad, why did you let me get drunk again?"  Ah, proud papa!  We got back to Ollie's flat, had some good laughs, and passed out.

June 29th:
This day Oliver took us downtown for a visit to Florence.  First we had some coffee and pastries at the local cafe on the corner just two doors down from his flat.  We met the owner, who welcomed us in his best broken English.  From there off to the city, and you could tell it was his tenth-jillion visit, but he nonetheless made sure we saw all the sites we needed to.  Visited lots of great, famous locations.  Did not see the sculpture David, but did see a replica outside the museum.  Good enough for us. It was also pretty hot, so we tried our best to stay indoors. We arrived back at his flat, had some dinner out, treated to the famous Italian ice cream, and back for another night of laughs.

June 30th:
Sam and I left on our own for Venice this day, which meant catching a bullet train and arriving in about 2 hours.  Glad we were able to see this historic city before it sinks :P.  As advertised canals meandered throughout the entire city, and where there were no canals, there were pedestrian-only roads.  It was crowded, but because the city is maze-like, you could break away on your own quite easily.  Caught all the typical tourist traps, and saw people hawking selfie sticks and water just about everywhere. Again indulged in ice cream treats - helped that the day was a scorcher without a cloud in the sky.  Having enough of the place, we boarded the train back, and relaxed at the flat.

July 1st:
Oliver and Alejandra drove us through Tuscany, and eventually to Pisa on the west coast. Before that, they drove up to a high point above Florence where we were treated to a breathtaking view of the city and surrounding area.  From there we motored off through the romantic Tuscan countryside, passing small towns and wineries along the way.  The rolling hills were picture-postcard beautiful, enhanced by radiant sunshine.  We first arrived at a village high in the hills, where they are located a bunch of old Roman ruins - including an amphitheater.  First time we encountered such history.  Next was our journey to Pisa, to see the famous leaning tower.  As Oliver mentioned, that's all there really is out there - nothing else of interest.  He was right, but the tower is enough.  When we arrived we gazed upon countless tourists trying to "hold up" the tower.  I was more impressed with them actually.  The tower itself is a marvel in gravity-defying engineering.  We didn't bother going up - far too costly - and who knows if this would be the day it final lets gravity win!  We drove back to Florence afterwards, caught a Euro game, and back to the flat.

July 2nd:
After talking to Oliver, it was best to get a hotel room in Rome before our flight out - so we booked one, and took fast train out there for a visit for our last day on our trip.  Great idea...NOT.  Rome isn't exactly the kind of city you want to try and visit in a day.  Traffic is terrible, and people outnumber ants.  We did it anyway, but first the hotel.  It took us a bit of time to find it since it was only a few rooms on a floor in an apartment building.  We were met by the host, and it turned out to be a great place.  So once settled we first hit the Vatican after paying too much money for a tour.  We put on special headphones so we could hear our guide, and made our way in.  From there we became human cattle, struggling to hear our thick-accented guide while weaving through countless other tourists. We did see everything though, and we left awestruck at the immense St. Peter's Basilica.  After this it became a bit chaotic as we rushed from historic site to another, pausing briefly as each.  This included the Pantheon, Trivoli Fountain, the Roman Colosseum, and nearby Forum ruins.  We tried our best to use that Hop On Hop Off bus, but it didn't run very well, and we ended up walking a bunch of it.  UGH!  After the sun finally set, we settled in at a local bar to watch Italy play in the Euro - and lose. At least it was close and those in the bar were passionate - great atmosphere!  From there we got to our "hotel", and packed up for the trip home.

July 3rd:
This day was bittersweet.  Bitter in getting to the airport, and trying to find our gate.  What a mess! I though O'Hare was busy - the Rome airport beats it hands down - at least this day.  Sweet when we finally got on our plane, arrived in Stockholm for the transfer, and were notified we were switched to business class - SCORE!  We enjoyed extra-wide seats all the way home, and rested well with the fantastic memories of a trip like no other.

FIN

European Vacation 2016 - June 19th

Up and early, and off to the station with Roma to catch an airport bus.  She was very insistent we get there early, and to make sure we had enough time to make our connecting flight to France to meet up with my cousin Alison.  We actually had PLENTY of time since Roma misunderstood me from the night before - no worries tho, we were able to catch an earlier bus.  We hugged, said our goodbyes - and off we went.

The bus traveled at least an hour north to Stansted Airport, which is the newest London facility.  The trip took us north of London, where Sam alerted me to an amazing view of the city from the outskirts...never saw that before.  The airport itself is a model of all what the future holds - transportation facilities that double as duty-free malls.  This was obscene - we had to wind our way around a ton of shops just to get to the gates.  Mind you these were not just shops along a corridor you could walk into - we were actually IN the shops themselves.  Genius planning.

Before we embarked Sam got very upset about a passport detail that cleared itself up - basically our first blow up on the trip. After this we got to our gate, and took a fairly short trip to Dinard, France on Ryan Air.  Not bad for an ultra-discount carrier.  The airport however was tiny - really tiny...and smack in the middle of the French countryside.  Nothing nearby - a far cry from the hustle of London.

After getting past a long line of customs, we went outside and were met instantly by Alison and Gerard - her hubby.  A short drive later we arrived at her country home.  Again, in the middle of nowhere in the Provence of Brittany.  Absolutely beautiful countryside and her home was extremely new on the inside, but still very rustic.  We were shown to our wonderful accommodations upstairs, and then joined them for a dinner with a couple of friends (and had fun with Gerard using Google Translate).

Before dinner we did take a short bike ride around the "hood."  This was nothing more than a few country roads and farms.  There was a very impressive French manor house we passed and ogled at for a while.

We also met up with Jonathon, and his son.  Unfortunately his son had to leave to his mom's that day. Jonathon however was a joy to be with - and funny as hell.  As the night wore on, so did his wine consumption.  Before we all hit the sack, he was drunk, and quite the entertainment as well.  Vulgar too, and Sam had this nervous smile throughout.  Off to bed and prepared for a long day of touring ahead.

European Vacation 2016 - June 18th

Woke up on my last full day in London...to more rain.  Again, not much, but all these clouds were getting me grumpy.  Tod, Roma's husband, was finally back home from a trip to the states to visit his mum, and I spoke with him for a few minutes with plans to meet up later.  We planned to finish our English stop with a visit to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, and whatever else struck our fancy. We would be joined by Aeron - and met up with him on tube at a station near his girlfriend's flat.

We arrived at a station near the observatory, and made the trek thru town - following the visitors to the grounds.  Very large area - can almost remember when I visited with my parents well over 30 years ago.  Up a steep hill and we entered the grounds and made our way through the old building. Well done displays and great preservation of the old telescopes as well.  Interesting to know there were several prime meridians before the final one was settled.

We walked on from there, and this is where Aeron decided to take us on an "insiders" tour of London. In the process of moving about we were escorted from a train onto a bus due to mechanical difficulties.  Apparently this is a London tradition.  This included a visit to a backdoor hot spot of shops and eateries, as well as back to Camden Town. A highlight was a stop at a very popular pub with a bevy of brews available.  We all had ourselves a good pint.

We eventually met up with Roma and Toby at a restaurant in the Hampstead area and had a great going-away meal. Tod was still too exhausted from his trip to join us. We arrived home for more chatting, then packed up for our departure early the next day.

European Vacation 2016 - June 17th

(Yep...couldn't keep up with the blogging.  Kinda tricky with a cell phone, and Sam was busy on his laptop.  Soooo here I am a couple weeks later finishing up.)

Alright, up again and out to visit a few more notable locations while we are in London.  First  up was Westminster Abbey, for anything else just to show Sam a true-to-life medieval cathedral.  Like most days this was also a wet one, but not too bad, and we made our way in with little waiting.  The tour is well done, with an audio accompaniment guiding us through. Probably helps keeps the hoards moving along as well.  We took our time and peered into the many nooks an crannies, such as chapels and tombs.  The obvious highlight was the immense ceiling in the main aisle.

From there I decided we would walk (ugh!) to the Imperial War Museum just about a mile or so south.  Problem is, we needed lunch, and there were few options for us - and Sam wasn't keen on pub food.  So we walked past the museum, and eventually to a seedy mall.  Not the best part of the city, but we did manage to get some sandwiches and move along.

We made our way to the museum, and were very impressed with the exhibits (not to mention the FREE entrance).  The first involved WWI, and it was amazing in detail and presentation.  It took both of us a good two hours to make our way through, and still could have lingered longer.  However, we wanted to see the Holocaust exhibit, and only gave ourselves one measly hour to do so.  Clearly not long enough, but we sped through and caught the major parts.  Like WWI, this was a fantastic exhibition, and worthy of far more time that we allotted.

 After this we decided to try out the gondola ride over the Thames sponsored by Emirates Airlines.  We were amused that they actually received a mention on the London transport map - it's simply a tourist attraction.  Anyways before we arrived we walked into the Millennium Dome, now called the O2 Arena.  There was a teeny-bopper show happening and youth were running wild.  The dome interior is now an upscale mall which rings around the arena - quite impressive transformation.  I had heard this was a white elephant, but good to see things changed for the better.

Next door was the gondola ride, and we paid the small fee to journey across the Thames.  It was neat, but to me personally a bit frightening.  Can't remember the last time I rode one of those things.  Great views all around.  We then journeyed back to Piccadilly Circle to enjoy some wild weekend scenes, grabbed a Ben and Jerry's, and headed back.  A few minutes chatting with Roma and off to bed.

European Vacation 2016 - June 16th

This was going to be an interesting day from the start.  We wanted to make a visit to Parliament, then catch the England soccer game in the early afternoon - with Aeron and Toby.

So, up early we made our way down to Parliament about 10am, and proceeded to take a fantastic tour of practically the entire site.  This included the impressive Westminster Hall, then both houses - Lords and Commons - and everything in-between.  We were led throughout with the help of an audio guide that encompassed 20 different stations.  Wonderful time!

Afterwords things got a bit dicey.  I began calling both Aeron and Jake - Toby's brother - about where to meet for the game.  Jake gave me some idea where it was, but not exact.  On top of that, Aeron would have had to travel a long way to get to it.  With time running short, we decided to punt on seeing Toby, and meeting Aeron again in Camden Town.

Upon arriving, it was its usually chaotic mess of shops and food.  We first tried to meet in the same place we caught the game on Saturday - but they were remodeling it.  Then another bar - which was lame and not even showing the game (!!!).  Then we made our way into a rocking pub called the Oxford Arms, and found the perfect place - even if we had to stand for the whole match.

As for the match it was between England and Wales, and it was a tough one.  Being down 1-0 after halftime, the pub was pretty quite and concerned.  Then, a goal by England, and the place erupted.  If that wasn't awesome enough, England added another in stoppage time no less, and the pub went bonkers.  Soon after the game was over, and even more joyful noise arose.

From there we made our way back to Roma's for a great dinner, where Aeron and his girlfriend, Nabomi, joined us.  It was a great meal, and lovely sharing of memories.  Soon after it was bedtime, and we obliged.

European Vacation 2016 - June 15th

About all week rain has been a constant.  Thankfully only a mist here and there, and when it did downpour, we were either in bed, or somewhere inside.  However, I wanted to make sure there would be good weather for a trip to my "happy place" - Eastbourne.  This day was it, and we were off.

Leaving from the home, we wound our way to Victoria Station, and then a train into Eastbourne, passing POLEgate along the way, and the Longman of Wilmington - who has been welcoming me to this city since I was a young boy.

Upon arrival we wove our way up to the English Channel coast from the station, and sat down for a traditional lunch of fish and chips.  Yum.  Then we visited the Eastbourne Pier, where I mourned the loss of the grand ballroom, where I blew countless pounds in their arcade.  It burned down a few years ago, and now it's only a wide spot in the pier.  Hopefully they will rebuild.

We made our way around the pier, and then took part in a long-standing tradition - enjoying a "99 Flake" ice cream cone.  I've had hundreds of these over the years, but Sam was able to have his first. It's just a bar of flaky chocolate stuck into a soft serve ice cream, but it sure is good.

After that bit of reminiscing we began our walk down to my grandfather's old flat along the Channel. We sat in his memorial bench out front (getting pretty faded), then proceeded down to the beach to scatter a bit of my mom's ashes in the approximate spot where my grandfather's was scattered some 20 years before.

Then began the journey up to Beachy Head.  First we stopped in for a pint of beer at the Buccaneer pub, then off on a open double-decker tour bus to the cliff head.  What a wonderful experience - we sat in the back on top, with the wind and sun in our faces as we listened to a commentary about all the sites we were passing by as we made our way up.

We were dropped off at the top, and walked a few hundred feet to the cliff edge.  Around us was an absolutely stunning view of rolling green hills and the Channel.  The South Downs are now a national park, and it's easy to see why.  Just breathtaking beauty all around.  Sam then walked along the cliff edge, with a nervous father looking on.  We finished up in about an hour, hopped back on the bus, took and additional tour of a nearby village, then back to the station, and caught a train to London soon after.  All along enjoying the party sunny weather throughout.

Back in London we decided to wind our way up to the location of Abbey Road Studios - where the Beatles recorded.  A bit surreal with some "fans" taking turns on the famous crosswalk.  Their gift store was closed, so I committed to come back the next day.  To be different we jumped on a bus and rode it close to our home, then a very short tube back.  More late night chatting with Roma and Toby ensured, and off to bed.