ITALY | Thursday, 4 Dec 2014 | Views [694]
IT SNOWED OUR LAST NIGHT IN GERMANY which just reenforced our decision to head to Venice. So we dropped off the car in Frankfurt and took the train to Venice. The usually always-on-time Deutsch-Bahn wasn’t so punctual and it took us ... Read more >
ITALY | Wednesday, 3 Dec 2014 | Photo Gallery
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NETHERLANDS | Sunday, 30 Nov 2014 | Views [407]
SO WHAT HAPPENS IN A COUNTRY THAT HAS places like Shockland and Beemster that have been reclaimed from the sea, when a land of canals that must be protected by dikes is threatened by a major storm or, heaven forbid, rising sea-levels? When the ... Read more >
NETHERLANDS | Friday, 28 Nov 2014 | Views [540]
VINCENT VAN GOGH WAS A LATE BLOOMER. HE WAS IN HIS late 20s when he began painting seriously and it took more than a little help from his friends to develop his skills. Despite his fame (“Sunflowers” recently sold for $82 million) ... Read more >
NETHERLANDS | Thursday, 27 Nov 2014 | Views [665]
I WAS LAST IN THE NETHERLANDS IN 1970, an unsophisticated young sergeant just back from Vietnam. I remember windmills, tulips, canals, cheese and Amsterdam’s (in)famous Red Light District. The country has probably changed since then.... Read more >
NETHERLANDS | Wednesday, 26 Nov 2014 | Photo Gallery
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BELGIUM | Tuesday, 25 Nov 2014 | Views [430]
BRUGGE IS ONE OF THE MOST CHARMING CITIES we have visited, the kind of place visitors seek out. It is historic, authentic, scenic and compact making it easy to explore. And on this cold November day, Brugge was devoid of tourists. ... Read more >
BELGIUM | Monday, 24 Nov 2014 | Views [391]
THE NATIONAL STRIKE PLANNED FOR MONDAY had little noticeable effect on Ghent, although I imagine much of the student population cut classes in its observance. Ghent is a university town and students will be students. It was quiet as we crossed ... Read more >
BELGIUM | Sunday, 23 Nov 2014 | Views [428]
BRUSSELS IS THE CAPITAL OF BELGIUM, heart of the EU and the headquarters of NATO. It is famous for (incredibly) chocolate, hand-made hats, waist-expanding waffles and to-die-for moules — Brussels mussels. It’s favorite son is ... Read more >
BELGIUM | Saturday, 22 Nov 2014 | Views [443]
IN ALL MY TRAIPSING AROUND EUROPE I SOMEHOW skipped Belgium. Not to worry, we are here now. Armed with our Rick Steves guide to Brussels, Bruge and Amsterdam, we have set out to explore the “low countries” for a week or so. ... Read more >
GERMANY | Friday, 21 Nov 2014 | Views [456]
THE GERMAN SKIES LOOKED ESPECIALLY GRAY and brooding after the sunshine of the Philippines. But Ramstein Air Base is our Frost-y home away from home, where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. I think I have mentioned that ... Read more >
BELGIUM | Sunday, 16 Nov 2014 | Photo Gallery
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PHILIPPINES | Sunday, 16 Nov 2014 | Views [518]
SUBIC HAS GONE DOWNHILL SINCE 1992 when Mt. Pinatubu erupted and covered this part of Luzon with ash. That's when the US Navy decided to close the base here, depriving thousands of swabbies of the Pacific fleet one of their favorite — and ... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Friday, 14 Nov 2014 | Views [458]
WHEN WE BEGAN OUR TRAVELS A COPY OF LONELY PLANET and a jar of peanut butter were all we needed to get around. Not any more! Well, peanut butter is still a staple, but Lonely Planet , once our bible, is now about as reliable as Cliff’... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Thursday, 13 Nov 2014 | Views [2440]
THE WHS TERRACED RICE PADDIES MAY BE WORTH THE TRIP to Banaue but the birding isn’t. Connie found a report from a birding trip to the area and decided it was worth a look. As it turns out the birding was near Mt. Polis, 1 1 / ... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Tuesday, 11 Nov 2014 | Views [805]
LOYAL FOLLOWERS OF THIS JOURNAL MAY REMEMBER our vow to avoid long-distance bus travel at all costs. Sadly, a bus — an overnight bus at that — is the only way to get from Manila to Banaue and other places in northern Luzon. To ... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Monday, 10 Nov 2014 | Views [1056]
THE BIRDING WASN’T ALL THAT WE HOPED but the three days that we spent in the hills of Mindanao at Pitcher Plant Farm was idyllic. German Voelker and Janet, his Filippina wife, and their two kids have found a bit of paradise near Malaybalay ... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Thursday, 6 Nov 2014 | Views [465]
WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT TROUBLE IN THE PHILIPPINES, they are probably talking about Mindanao. But Zamboanga, where government forces and the MILF (no, not that MILF but the Moro Islamic Liberation Front) are still battling, is far from Cagayan de ... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Tuesday, 4 Nov 2014 | Views [539]
SINCE OUR CEBU PACIFIC FLIGHT FROM PALAWAN to Mindanao was stopping there anyway we decided to spend a few days on Cebu. Actually we stayed on the tiny island of Mactan where the airport is located. Vista Mar is a sprawling hotel that, except ... Read more >
PHILIPPINES | Sunday, 2 Nov 2014 | Views [438]
IT WAS RAINING CATS AND DOGS when we arrived at Sabang on the other side of Palawan from Puerto Princessa. The pool was dappled with raindrops and the ocean looked surly. It didn’t bode well for a weekend at the Sheridan Beach Resort.... Read more >
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