Before Panama was open to land tours, my father and I took a cruise through the Panama Canal. As an engineer, he was fascinated by its construction. He read and urged me to read The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, . Without this historical guide, looking at the water and buildings would have had little meaning.
The Canal passage takes only one day; we agreed to spend som Read on...
Whenever you explore a new land, you cannot help but make observations about the culture, the people, the geography and the general way in which things are done. Some of the observations can be insightful, rooted in history, a reflection of cultural norms or a product of the nations geography. Most of my observations are none of this, they are just random and sometimes very off the wall idiosyncra Read on...
Saturday was an trip to Rila Monastery in the Rila Mountains. On the way was a stop a the town of Dupnitsa, then known as Stanke Dimitrov. The town had been renamed in 1949 for Stanke Dimitrov an early Bulgarian Communist leader. Turkish tobacco had been introduced to Bulgaria during the period of Ottoman rule. (Tobacco had been introduced to Turkey by the Spanish, who imported it from the Ameri Read on...
As soon as we returned after the last trip, we set about finding a new fridge solution. Youd think choosing a fridge would be easy. Not quite so. Many options are not available, or had very long lead times. 3 way or purely 12volt? We opted for 12volt. Next thing was size. The newer fridges are taller and skinnier so none would fit our space exactly. We didnt want a smaller capacity either. Who cou Read on...
I cant say I have been to many remote places in the world. They may have seemed remote, like the Atacama, Siberia, or the Arctic Circle. But check this out! Looking to really get off the grid? to Point Nemo, which gives a whole new meaning to the term middle of nowhere. Officially known as the the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, Point Nemo is the oceanic point that is the farthest from any shore Read on...
We decided to have a leisurely start today, as we didnt have as long a drive ahead of us. It was the first day weve had that the sun wasnt shining. In fact, there were sprinkles here and there, and it was decidedly cooler. This leg of our trip was bringing us along the ocean through many small towns, and lots of forests. We crossed over the 2 mile bridge that connects Washington and Oregon at abou Read on...
Ptin viett viimeisen yn Dsseldorfissa lentokentn lhell. Klnist on toki hyvt yhteydet Dsseldorfin kentlle, mutta varauduin siihen, ett junat eivt kulkisikaan vaikka lakon takia, joten lentokentlle voisi menn vaikka taksilla.
Nukuin huonosti: ehk lht hermostutti. Onneksi talviaikaan siirtyminen antoi ylimrisen tunnin. Hawa tuli paikalle klo 11. Ovihan piti lukita avaimella eik siin ollut postilaati Read on...
As we expected late yesterday afternoon when we arrived in Fox Glacier, the weather today was not going to offer much in the way of opportunities for outdoor activities. And so it turned out to be.
As light came up outside out motel unit, we had, what would turn out to be a last look at the surrounding mountains before they disappeared behind the mists of rain that persisted all day.
It was cold Read on...
Nachdem ich gestern schon von Stuttgart aus kommend in pinal angekommen war, war heute war das Wetter in dieser Region schn und sonnig. Zum Frhstck a ich neben Kelloggs Frosties 3 Pain au Chocolat,1 Joghurt, 3 Kaffee und 1 Orangensaft. Danach startete ich meinen Spaziergang durch die Stadt, die ja an der Mosel liegt. Es gibt eine schne Altstadt mit Kirche und heute war auch Markt, einen chinesisch Read on...
Following our hikes in the Warrumbungles, our muscles were aching and we looked forward to the hot artesian springs of Moree to recuperate. Gwydir Caravan Park did not disappoint, with five thermal pools ranging from 28 degrees through to 39 degrees celsius, all with reputed healing qualities. The bore feeding the pools taps into the Great Artesian Basin, and reaches down some 953 metres. The wate Read on...