Vacation Thread

[Beam_of_lite]

wasn't a bmw for years...was a Mazda mx5 Miata.......and it was exhilarating.........

Well WTF...like I know anything about cars

Didn't mean to cut into what you were doing....it just jogged a memeory

 

[george55]

The fortress is one of the many remains of WW1 in our areas. Right here there was the longest frontline in Europe in WW1 and the scene of some big high mountain battles between the austrian and italian army. The Austrians could turn the events into their favour in the end with help of gasbombs which killed thousands of italian soldiers hiding in the caverns.....i think it's a not so wellknown fact from WW1.

We visited a WWI museum a couple days later........alas no pics........mindboggling the inhumanity done to man by his brothers..............

 

[george55]

the next day was my birthday and someone was kind enough to make me a cake...........first one in years......

 

[mestre]

happy birthday, mr george!!
franco

 

[george55]

Off on the road again the next day...........Phoenix thought I should see some of the rich nature of Slovenia....one of us was in for a rude awakening...........my body didn't do well going up and down mountain paths.........IT HURT!!!!!!!!!!!


But great scenery..............

 

[Galene]

Wow, great pictures of wonderful places, george!





.

 

[george55]

The Alps...their majesty says it all........

 

[george55]

Wow, great pictures of wonderful places, george!





.

Thanks Rania........two more sets then off to Athens!!!!!

 

[george55]

happy birthday, mr george!!
franco

thanks Franko.....belatedly...it was on April 5th........

 

[Galene]

Thanks Rania........two more sets then off to Athens!!!!!

What, you are catching a plane to come see me? Bring swimming trunks

 

[george55]

We traveled on to a Italian chapel way up in the mountains...this area of Slovenia is very remote....
Phoebs driving again.......we drove six kilometers on a single lane track...constantly she was on the lookout for falling rocks!!!! We slowly made sure not to hurt the suspension......

This was a tribute to the fallen Italian soldiers in this sector the front in WWI...........Their names are inscribed on wooden pull outs inside.

The chapel is so remote it is kept locked and you must pickup a key in the nearby village...........

 

[george55]

What, you are catching a plane to come see me? Bring swimming trunks

 

[george55]

this valley is so remote that most of the homesteads have been abandoned.......with the frigid cold of the winters there is no way out....power may go out fro days or weeks...

Ms P told an interesting story about the first picture here, maybe she will share it....................

 

[george55]

I wanted to say a little about the Slovenian hospitality

several times we were invited
to friends homes and each was great........
One evening we pulled up in to drive and the man
of house met us the in yard with bottle of Black
Jack!.......Down the hatch....straight.....
Then we were served homemade bread, cheese,
and fresh sausage.............
Oh, and homemade white wine, grappa, then
another neighbor brought some red...homemade!!!
I thought I would need to be poured in the car,
but the next morning I woke with not a hint of
a hangover.........must of been the beer I didn't
drink.....
Most of the gathering didn't speak English, those
who did went out of their way to engage in
conversation and the rest had many questions
translated..........I felt totally at home......7000
miles from home............


sorry...no pics.....

 

[VickyBee]

lovely! all of it - the pics and the stories

 

[george55]

lovely! all of it - the pics and the stories

hey, you are a traveler too.............we all have stories...

 

[VickyBee]

hey, you are a traveler too.............we all have stories...

i will send some of Cadaques soon
lovely little place

 

[george55]

i will send some of Cadaques soon
lovely little place

down to the sea in ships.................


what a great trip!!!!!!!!

 

[george55]

My trip to Athens was way different.............no where near as many pics ................Not that I didn't do as much......in some ways I did more!

MY hosts; NG and Rania met me at the airport and whisked me through traffic, Nick is kinda like me...........speeds just a mite!!!!!....to my hotel......what a hotel....Four Stars!!!!

The Athens Atrium, on a side street about 15 minutes from the center of Athens............talk about hospitality....they oozed hospitality........friendly knowledgeable service....


Nick took time out of his hectic schedule to take us on a early evening tour of Athens.......all of my pics from that night were blurred..........haven't a clue. Parking in Athens is at a premium.......we walked thru the Plaka....the touristy area downtown the streets were pedestrian only......the sales people pitched their wares right at you.....mostly to Rania...who had a way of saying no....she could have been saying much more.......I don't understand Greek!!!!

Speaking of languages, both host families speak English very well...........made my trip so much easier.......

I tried for shots of the Acropolis but it must have been the sun on the rock that blurred.........

 

[george55]

Rania and I had a deal....she would come into town and meet me...she took the underground.........and we would tour in the morning......then off she went and I went back to hotel to rest.........I needed it!!!!

The second morning she and I took a bus tour of several locations...........made it so much easier.....but unlike the buses in Rome; they were enclosed.

First is the Temple of Zeus........we talked and I ended up with just the one shot..........much was taken by invaders to build other structures.............

 

[george55]

Most of my pictures were taken at the Acropolis..........We stayed and listened to our tour guide and then went off by ourselves..........

The Acropolis is home to quite a few temples.....several are seen just as ruins....they do go back past the 15th century BC.............

Of course every knows the Parthenon..its the largest and best preserved..............

It's hard to take pictures of total portions since you are so close and so many people...............

a side note...this lady in a reddish pullover kept showing up in my pictures..........have no clue why.................

 

[george55]

Here she is again, viewing the architectural marvels of a 21 century guard shack.......

 

[george55]

I took several shots of the Erechtheion and it's Porch of the Caryatids; under it lies the first Temple of Athena.......

 

[george55]

the large stones are numbered parts of several different temples........I don't know if they planned to rebuild or not.....it's just stone on top of stone........amazing that these blocks make up such scenes of antiquity....


Next we went into the Acropolis Museum.....There is a new modern museum below and many of these pieces will be craned off the top to their new resting place.......
Ran said if I wanted to the best of the Greek treasures I should go to London to their museums as the British Museum quite a hunk of the Greeks heritage.........Greeks don't find this humorous..........

Inside the Museum you are not allowed to use flash, or pose in front of any of the antiquities............

 

[george55]

I put this one separate because Ran and I were both were amazed at the detail in the cape.....remember this is sculpted out of one piece of stone!!!