A Week at Home, Yet Still Traveling

It's been a week since I arrived in San Antonio. It is nice to be back home, although I haven't had much of a homecoming yet with many of my friends being gone this week. My sister Sue has been visiting our mother, my friend Merryl is off to Egypt and Jordan with her Adventure Women tour group, my friend Jean has been down in Corpus Christi at her condo, my friends Bob and Judy Maroney are off for 18 days in Argentina, etc. But I have needed the time to unpack, put things away, do laundry, go through the mail, update my account files related to my spending while gone, etc. Even though a whole week has passed, things still are not back to normal. And even though I am now at home, I am still traveling in a way. During the past week, I have:

1. Attended a concert by Heinavanker, an Estonian vocal group that is just fantastic with their polyphonic a capela singing of folk songs and their performances of renaissance music. Here is a second link to a You Tube recording of them.

2. Seen foreign films on DVD from the Czech Republic (Autumn Spring), Iran (Baran), and Israel (Late Marriage which is about Georgian Jews living there).

3. Attended the International Accordian Festival downtown hearing performances of groups from Panama, Romania, the Basque region of France/Spain, etc., as well as local groups playing conjunto music. Click on the Artists tab on that page to find links to the various groups that performed. Some of the better ones were Rupa and the April Fishes, Daddy Squeeze Trio, Amuma Says No, and Paris of the Heart.

In addition to those international-flavored activities, I went to the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead which transports the characters from the Peanuts comic script into their high school years with accompanying frustrations, hangups, and insecurities that have developed. Snoopy has died of rabies after having first killed the bird that sits on his dog house. Beethoven is gay and avoids the toilets and the lunchroom as a way of hiding from harrassment by his old friends. Pigpen has turned into a super neat freak. Lucy is exploring life with different personas almost weekly. The little curly headed girl (The Doctor is In) has been committed to a mental institution for being a pyromaniac, and Charlie Brown is discovering that he is also gay and wants to become Beethovan's lover. It was hilarious. But it was a bit too mature a subject for the local audiance whose members were shocked by the gay kisses and simulated sex.

Back Home

Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008--Zurich (Continued)

When Rolf returned from leading his meditation, we had a pasta dinner--salad, pasta with a tomato-mushroom-onion sauce, and fava beans mashed and served with sliced garlic and olive oil. Afterwards, we had more desserts! My sweet tooth has been fed well here.

Monday, Oct. 6, 2008--Zurich to Chicago to San Antonio

We enjoyed a nice breakfast together. Then it was time for me to head to the airport. Rolf and Claude walked me to the tram stop, then Rolf accompanied me to the airport. Claude needed to return to the apartment, since she makes lunch every Monday for a group of people who live/work at the temple. Rolf has a yearly pass for the trains and buses for all of Switzerland, so going all the way to the airport with me didn't cost anything extra. When we got there, we checked me in and then went to a cafe for a drink and a final dessert.

The flights from Zurich to Chicago and from Chicago to San Antonio were essentially on time and went well. I had good seats. I watched a couple of films on the longer flight and finished reading a book I had started. I tried to nap some, but I wasn't very successful. Later, on the San Antonio flight, I napped a little, but it wasn't easy and it was off-and-on napping that isn't satisfying. While transferring my bag through customs in Chicago, I pulled a muscle on my right side, so I was in some pain for the rest of the day that also made napping more difficult. The good news is that I FINALLY made it all the way and am home now.

I finished reading Acqua Calda by Keith McDermott. I gave it only 2 stars out of 4. Essentially, the story followed the preparations for an avant guarde stage production. I found it boring. I can see why it has the title it has. The only section of the book that really came to life was the few pages describing the evening when the actors went swimming in a place by that name.

Weight Loss Update: I had a set-back during the last weeks of my travel in terms of my attempt to lose weight. I ate too much in Georgia, Denmark (ESPECIALLY in Denmark!), and Switzerland. I am sure I gained back some of the weight I lost during my travels. However, I was surprised to find that I still was at the level this morning that I had been aiming for when I departed. I weigh 71 kg (156 lbs). That is less than I weighed when I graduated from high school. Now I must develop a plan to keep the weight off during the months when I am in Texas. I plan to review my typical food intake while here and analyze it in terms of calories consumed to decide where to make changes. Also, I must plan to get more exercise when in Texas.

Final Spending Update: During my entire trip, I spent $5883.83 over 154 days for an average of $38.21 per day. That is an average of $1146.30 per month. It does NOT include the cost of the air tickets I was using. My ticket cost about $4600 for ATW IX, the ticket I have been using since Bangkok and will continue to use for the first part of my travels next year.

Nice Times in Zurich

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008--Zurich (Continued)

We had a nice dinner in the evening. Claude baked sliced potatoes in the oven. And she stir-fried broccoli and cauliflower which were seasoned with soy sauce. It tasted great. Then she brought out a wonderful cake she had bought in the morning. It was a half-sphere (a dome) of sponge cake topped with cream and covered with a layer of marzipan. Delicious!

Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008--Zurich

Today was just gorgeous. The skies were completely clear. When I looked out the window there were no clouds other than a layer of fog along the river that was gradually dissipating.

After a breakfast similar to the one yesterday but including a special braided white bread (like challah) that the Swiss eat on Sundays, we headed out for a day in the mountains. Going with us were Losang, the teacher who just arrived here at the Buddhist center from England a few weeks ago, and Daniel, a friend of the teacher who is here helping him learn the German language for his work at the center. We took a street car to the edge of town and then a train most of the way up the mountain. We then hiked to the top where there is a restaurant near the TV tower. There, we each ate pumpkin soup and had something to drink. I had hot chocolate following my soup.

We continued to hike in the mountains with fantastic views of the snow and glacier-topped mountains in the distance, fields with cows and sheep, orchards, corn fields, small villages in the valleys, etc. Claude commented that she had never seen the mountains so clearly as we could see them today. We took a cable car back down to town where we caught a train and a street car to return to the neighborhood.

I talked quite a bit with Daniel who has been a Buddhist monk in the past. We discovered that we were in the same place at the same time last year--the town outside Leh in India where the Dalai Llama goes for a week each year to speak to pilgrims who come there to study and meditate. He travels to India often, so I gave him the address of St. Joseph International Academy in hopes he might stop there as a volunteer at some point in the future.

This is my last night away from home. Rolf is leading meditation in the temple early this evening. We will have dinner when he returns around 20:00. Then tomorrow morning I will go to the airport to catch my flight from here to Chicago which will be followed by a final flight from Chicago to San Antonio late tomorrow night.

Seeing Long-Time Friends

Friday, Oct. 3, 2008--Copenhagen to Zurich

I packed everything, walked out of Grethe's apartment, locked the door, went downstairs, put her key in her mailbox, opened the door to go outside, and realized I did not have my coat. I had been so warm in my pullover that it never registered that I had not gotten the coat out of the closet. It was too late by then, because I had no way to reenter the apartment. I had to head to the airport without a coat and accept that I would be in Switzerland for 3 days and then travel home through Chicago without one.

When I arrived at the airport in Switzerland, I was surprised by being met by two people. Rolf had a woman with him whom I did not recognize. Then he said, "It's Elizabeth." She is a friend of theirs and of Arne's whom I have met and visited when I have been here a couple of times before. They all had dinner together recently, and when Rolf and Claude told her that I was coming today, she asked if she could come into town from Thun where she lives and meet me and have dinner with us.

Rolf had already bought me a 3-day pass good for the trains and buses and for discounts at museums. He validated it and we immediately took a train into town.

Claude was just finishing a seminar when we arrived at the building. The building is a Buddhist center and includes their temple and apartments for people involved in the temple--monks, nuns, employees, etc. Claude is the educational director for the temple with a variety of responsibilities including the seminar she had conducted.

Upstairs in their apartment, we visited while Claude made a very nice vegetarian dinner consisting of rice with grated cheese and mixed vegetables stir fried with tofu. We ate and continued to visit. Then we shared a rhubarb pie and some special sweets Rolf had bought at Sprunli called Luxemburgerli. They are delicately crunchy with a nice creamy fruit filling. Ummmm!

Elizabeth had to catch her train back home, so we said goodbye to her and went downstairs to prepare the temple for a festival that they will have tomorrow. We had to empty the water out of many bowls and clean them. Then various items were put into the bowls including more water, beads, flowers, food items, etc.

When we returned to the apartment upstairs, we had more sweets and tea before finally retreating to bed for the night. It had been so nice to catch up on so many topics with the two of them.

Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008--Zurich

We had a nice breakfast this morning--various breads, jams, honey, yogurt, fruits, etc., with tea. We ate casually and continued to talk about many topics.

We walked to the local market area to shop after that. There is a farmer's market in the square, and there are supermarkets and other shops nearby. Claude bought lots of fruits and vegetables from the farmers. Then we went to the supermarket for sparkling water, cheese, and other treats. Finally, we stopped at a bakery where she bought a cake. She and Rolf actually like sweets more than I do if anyone who knows me can believe that!

The 3-day pass they gave me includes a trip on the lake in a boat, so we headed to town and took a boat that was just arriving at the docks. We got a table by a large window, ordered food, and ate lunch while sailing around the lake with views of the mountains and the houses along the sides of the lake. Claude and I had spinach-cheese ravioli plates, and Rolf had sausages with French fries.

After about an hour of sailing, we got off the boat and walked the rest of the way back to town along the side of it making a stop at the Chinese gardens. Then we wandered through the center of town. The weather cooperated the whole way with sunshine peaking regularly through the heavy clouds that were about. Eventually, we stopped at Sprunli and had a hot drinks and desserts. By then, rain was beginning and we were tired, so we returned to the apartment at 16:30.

Seeing Friends on Last Night in Copenhagen

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008--Copenhagen

I visited Old Grethe today. (So many people have the same names in Denmark that it is necessary to use qualifiers. Later in the evening when talking, the list of Grethes included Nurse Grethe, Old Grethe, and Dead Grethe!) Old Grethe will soon be 87 and was a long-time friend of Arne's. She came to Texas for a visit around 1986. She suffers from macular degeneration which creates frustrations, since she is in good health otherwise. It was nice to see her. We recalled wonderful memories of times during the years. Unlike most of my friends who probably assume that it is too sad a topic, she likes to bring up the subject of Arne and talk about our memories of him. I enjoy that, because usually I only get to talk to myself about him.

I took open-faced sandwiches for us to have for our lunch, since Grethe cannot see to cook. Well, she does cook some, but it is difficult for her and she limits what she prepares to a small list of simple things. Therefore, she appreciated the chance to have something different. I do not understand that others still visit her without bringing food. What a burden to put on her with her handicap. Anyway, we ate the sandwiches which was followed by tea which she can easily make and some cookies her granddaughter had made and sent to her (baked from a recipe that Grethe brought back from Texas).

It was a beautiful day. I walked both ways to visit Old Grethe. Although it is October, the weather is better than it often was when I visited here in the summers.

When I returned to the apartment, I helped prepare for a dinner Nurse Grethe had planned for the evening. I set the dinner table, set the coffee table, helped prepare the salad, etc. The guests (Jens, Robert, Kurt, and Finn) arrived at 18:00, and we had a great evening of eating and visiting. We had a chicken casserole with Greek salad as a starter with white wine. Then we had pork tenderloin stuffed with parsley as a main course with boiled new potatoes, brown sauce, pickled pumpkin, and red wine. At the coffee table, we had more wine, cookies, chocolates, and coffee. We talked about anything and everything that came to mind.

Because it was a work night for Grethe and Finn, the evening ended about 21:45. It was so nice to see everyone one last time, though. And the food was so delicious. What a nice ending to my visit to Copenhagen. Tomorrow, I am off for a weekend visit with friends in Zurich before returning to Texas on Monday.

Returning to Copenhagen

Monday, Sept. 29, 2008--Klaipeda (Continued)

My room is nicer than the one I had here when I arrived several days ago. This one has exposed beams in the ceiling, a private bath, and a sitting area with cable TV that is shared with one more room in the same entrance.

I finished reading Mother of Sorrows by Richard McCann tonight. It is very well written. It is unique in that it tells a story as a novel, but each of the chapters was originally a short story. The life of the author is slowly revealed in the stories that were written over a period of 18 years. I gave the book 4 stars out of 4.

Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2008--Klaipeda to Palanga to Copenhagen

It is raining again today. I had hoped to spend 2-3 hours wandering around Palanga, but it won't be fun doing that in the rain. Anyway, when it appeared to be clearing in Klaipeda, I departed for the bus station and caught a marshruta for Palanga. By the time we arrived there, it was raining again.

I stopped at the tourist office to try to get some information about going to the airport by bus. But when I asked about the schedule, the lady didn't know. When I asked about the cost of the bus, she didn't know that either and acted like I was crazy to be asking such questions. The former Soviet states still don't get the idea of service. Tourist offices tend to be places to make money selling souvenirs, selling tours, making reservations (for a fee or a kickback), etc.

Even though it was raining, I decided to walk down the main street in Palanga toward the beach. The city is known as a party town, and this street is lined with old wooden houses that have been converted into restaurants and bars. They are rather stylishly done and look nice with many huge trees around them. I walked on the boardwalk over the dune line and onto the pier at the beach. Again, it was nice. Palanga seems to be a pretty town. But tourists coming here have to consider the competition--Nida on the Curonion Spit. People wanting the party atmosphere with lots of attractions to distract and entertain will choose Palanga. But people wanting a village experience with lots of nature to explore will prefer Nida. I think I would choose Nida.

I ended up walking to the airport in the rain. When I found the bus stop, I discovered that the bus only runs every 2 hours or so. And someone there told me that the charge is 2 Lati. I had been spending my money down and had only 1.30 Lati in my pocket. I had thought that might be enough, since this is a small town and I had paid only 1.50 Lati for a long bus trip in Kaunas a few days ago. Anyway, I went to the supermarket and bought me one last seeded candy bar for 1.29 Lati and started hiking. The trip wasn't really that bad. It didn't rain the whole way, because the rain continued to come and go. There were sidewalks about 1/3 of the distance. Then there were shoulders for the next 1/3 of the distance. The only bad part was the final 1/3 of the 6 km (3.6 miles) which had neither sidewalks nor shoulders. I walked on the left side of the road facing the oncoming traffic in an effort to keep safe.

The flight arrived in Palanga about 35 minutes late, but we managed a quick turnaround there. Then we made up more time in flight so that we arrived in Copenhagen only a minute or two later than originally scheduled. I grabbed my bag and headed for Jens' and Robert's. It had been agreed that Nurse Grethe would go there after work and I would come there from the airport. I expected her to be there and having a gin and tonic when I arrived, since she is usually off work about 15:30 and I was arriving around 16:00. But she was late. When she did arrive an hour or so later, she looked tired and explained that she is having staffing problems at the hospital due to people being sick--some truly so and some others apparently just saying so.

We relaxed on the glass-enclosed patio and drank champagne once Grethe was there. Then we moved to the dining table for dinner. Jens made frikadeller, Danish meatballs, for us for dinner and served them with boiled new potatoes and bernaise sauce. Later, we had Dagmar Taerte, which is crusty Danish pastry with a buttery marzipan filling, for dessert with coffee. It was all delicious as usual.

Grethe was on her bike, so she road home while I walked. The weather here is really quite warm for this time of the year, so it was a pleasant walk.

Spending Update: Lithuania was a surprise by being more expensive than I expected. It was only second to Japan in terms of expensive countries for me this year, and it actually cost me about 86% of what it cost to be in Japan--much closer than I would have expected the costs of the two countries to be. Anyway, I spent $463.57 over 8 days in Lithuania for an average of $57.95 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have spent $5784.02 over 148 days for an average of $39.08 per day.

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008--Copenhagen

I felt lazy today. I am so tired of traveling and feeling that I must get as much as possible out of each day that being in Copenhagen, a city that I know so well and that has little I want to see again, gave me the chance to slow down. I spent much of the morning on the computer and watching the news on TV. I finally showered and dressed just before noon.

I went to Domus Vista, the building where Arne used to live which is nearby. I looked in the supermarket there, because Grethe had told me it had been remodeled. Then I wandered through the courtyard shopping area of the building and was surprised to see how run down it is looking these days. There is a new entrance to the apartments that avoids the need to go through there, and most of the businesses have vacated the premises. Since the door to the elevator area was open, I went inside and rode up to the 27th floor where we used to live. It all looks the same except that there is a different name on the door of Apartment 18. I saw that Annette, our nicest neighbor is still living there, but I didn't ring the doorbell. It was lunch time, and also there is a language problem between us since I do not speak Danish well and she does not speak English at all.

I stopped at a nearby store and bought everything needed for making burgers tonight. I always make them for Grethe one of the evenings I am here. I brought those back, then I went to the cemetary where Arne is buried. The small number markers are so grown over with grass, that I could not find the specific marker (or any of the ones nearby). Fortunately, I knew where the gravesite is and know that I was at it even if I could not find the metal marker. By then, rain was threatening. And I had no interest in exploring the city; nothing here holds the interest for me that it once did. I come here only to see my friends who live here. Therefore, I returned to the apartment for the rest of the day and awaited Grethe's arrival.

Last Days in Lithuania

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008--Vilnius

Breakfast here includes an egg. That's more than at the other places operated by the same company where I have stayed. It's nice to have an egg along with the cold foods.

I climbed a hill to the Three Crosses. They are a symbol of Vilnius and the people are especially sensitive about them, since the Russians forcefully bulldozed them down when they took over the country after WWII. That makes them also a symbol of resistance. Many pieces of handwork that I saw in the Genocide Museum had needlework showing the three crosses. Climbing the hill was interesting. Some teenage boys started up just ahead of me. They paused at the turn in the first flight of stairs because they were already exhausted. I managed to climb the entire hill without a pause. It's nice to be in shape!

Make several more local stops to see sights--St. Anne's Church which has nice brickwork on the outside and is delicate and beautiful inside, Vilnius University which is known for its beautiful courtyards, other courtyards in Vilnius Old Town, the two areas that were Jewish ghettos during WWII, etc.

I tried to go to a concert at a church. It had been listed in a program that was for several months with September being the last month listed. I guess the one I wanted to attend was canceled, because the church was closed with no activity around it. Therefore, I went to the store and self-catered again tonight--herrings on brown bread, beer, and waffle cookies.

Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008--Vilnius

I have now moved from the cheapest hotel (cheapest room in a place that rents multiple rooms) in Vilnius to the most expensive hotel in Vilnius--from Litinterp to the SAS Radisson Astorija. I used expiring frequent flyer points to get a room for one night. It's nice, but I wouldn't say it is worth 5 times what I paid at the other place (which is the price differential between the two). In fact, not long after I checked in, the power went off and stayed off for over two hours!

I am still exploring back areas of the Old Town in Vilnius. It is the largest old town in eastern Europe. However, I think I prefer the Old Town of Tallinn better. Tallinn seems to have more atmosphere to me, and it seems to be more complete (fewer gaps or places where new buildings have been inserted). While out, I found a nice market not far from where I am staying. The only market my guidebook mentioned is one that is far north from here, so it was fun to find this one which is so close and in a completed remodeled building. There are stalls for cold cuts, for bakeries, for meats, for clothing, etc. It is a big area not far from the bus and train stations.

Tourism is thriving here. Although it is the end of September, the streets are full of tourists--individual ones walking around with maps in their hands and groups going by bus from site to site. And many Americans seem to be here based on the accents.

I found a concert today. The church across the street from the hotel was scheduled to have one at 14:00 according to the same schedule I used for the previous one I tried to attend. This time, there was one, but it was at 13:00 instead of 14:00. Fortunately, I went to the door to see if anything was posted and discovered the earlier time. It was an organ concert and was well attended. It was a good mixture of old and new music. I found a piece named Orpheus by Ruth Zechlin to be intriguing--modern and haunting.

A cold front has passed through. It is breezy and uncomfortably cold late in the afternoon. But it seems to also be clearing out the skies which have been cloudy for 3 days.

Monday, Sept. 29, 2008--Vilnius to Klaipeda

There is light rain off and on today. It's the first rain I have encountered since leaving India other than the night rains I had in Georgia. I've had to bring out the umbrella. That makes it a good travel day, I guess.

Breakfast at the SAS Radisson was good, but the staff were very disorganized. No one came to meet me to see my room card either at the entrance or at the table. No one offerred to serve me coffee or tea, so I finally just got a pot myself from where they were standing. The orange juice container remained empty with no one noticing for quite a while. Anyway, I had scrambled eggs, salmon, mushrooms, broiled tomato, bacon, cheese, bread, juice, coffee, and pastries.

I took the bus at 10:25 and am now in Klaipeda. My flight to Copenhagen is tomorrow from Palanga near here. It's also raining off and on here. Will just relax this last day, I guess.

In Vilnius

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008--Kaunas

I wnet to two museums today and got pensionist's admission prices! How nice. One was the M. K. Cuirlionio Museum. It features paintings by that artist who is considered the greatest from Lithuania. I especially liked another exhibit--sculpture creations using bark by Elzbieta Daugvilieve.

The second museum was the IX Fort. It was a prison used by both the Nazis and the Russians over time to house political prisoners. 50,000 people were murdered there during WWII. 30,000 were Jews. For some reason, the Nazis also sent Jews from Munich (where there was another concentration camp) to here only to kill them 5 days later.

I had a problem finding the bus stop for the IX Fort Museum. It is stressful being in a place where everything is unknown and trying to find one's way around. I had studied the map and had an idea where I should go, but it wasn't very detailed. I knew approximately when I was there, but about that time, the sign inside the bus quit posting the names of the bus stops, and the signs at the bus stops quit having their names posted. I went beyond where I should have gotten off. The driver was nice, though. He told me to sit. I finished his route and then he put me off there when we returned.

I went to the train station to check on trains for Vilnius. The station here is beautiful and has just been completely restored. I can take a train at 10:42 tomorrow. That should be fine.

Friday, Sept. 26, 2008--Kaunas to Vilnius

Notes:

1. The ending of the last name here indicates whether a person is a man or a woman. Unfortunately, there are two endings for women to indicate whether they are married or not. They have tried to move away from that, but it hasn't worked, since only married women have chosen to use the new generic ending for women.

2. Lithuanians are not as attractive as Georgians were. Georgians had very dark features. Lithuanians seem bland in comparison.

3. Smoking is bad here. It's worse than in Georgia, and the guidebook had warned me that it would be bad there.

I was surprised today to find that the train to Vilnius would not leave from the main station but from a suburban one due to work being done on the track within a tunnel. Fortunately, I am always early to go places, so I had time to catch a bus to the station where the train was leaving.

In Vilnius, I went to the Genocide Museum. Actually, it is mainly for two purposes--to tell about the resistance to the USSR takeover of Lithuania and to show what the KGB did here during the USSR years. It was interesting to actually be in the KGB headquarters, see the cells where they housed prisoners, etc.

In all the former communist countries, the construction was so bad. I saw it in Georgia, and I am seeing it here. It is quite common for marble facing to be cracked and/or loose and falling, paving stones to be broken and uneven, fountains and reflecting pools to be inoperative, rust developing where concrete is too thin to cover the rebars well, bricks and concrete crumbling, etc. I am sitting in front of the opera and ballet building here. It is a perfect example of such poor construction. How sad.

I ate a nice snack today--a bar like peanut brittle only it had seeds and they were much more compact (with little sugar to bind them). Umm.

Among the other places I visited today are the Frank Zappa statue (who apparently is the most famous Lithuanian outside the country), the Cathedral which is rather simple and elegant but has a very ornate Chapel of St. Casimir inside, and Sts. Peter and Paul Church.

I did self-catering again tonight. I bought some chicken pate, bread, Italian salad, and a beer and ate in my room.

I went out walking in the evening. Vilnius is nice at night. I went by two places where stages had been set up earlier in the day. I was thinking that I would hear some music. However, the stages were being taken down. Guess the music was for a very limited time.

Sunny Weather in Lithuania

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008--Klaipeda (Continued)

I walked out by the university, because I thought I remembered seeing a mall out there when the bus came into town. The campus is nice. There is a cluster of old buildings that were constructed at the same period of time. But there are other buildings, too.

Sure enough, there was a mall. But it was only half a mall. One half belonged to the university. It had multiple levels (I could tell because of stairways that were exposed), but I am not sure if it was a basketball arena, a large lecture hall, or what. Maybe they let the mall owner build on their property with the understanding that he would build this facility for the university. In the half of the sturcture that was a mall, there were a couple of restaurants. But I was looking for a food court where I could see their offerings and try to find something that would represent local food.

I returned to the area around my hotel and went to a corner bar that I had seen earlier with a sign board outside. I compared my list of Lithuanian foods noted in my guidebook with the items on the signboard. Only one item matched--cepelinai. It's a roll made with a potato/flour dough, stuffed with a meatball, and topped with a cream sauce. It is tasty, but I am sure it is very fattening. One order is č fist-sized rolls. A man at the bar was friendly. He told me what I was eating is the national dish of Lituania. He worked in London one year and speaks English well. He knew about San Antonio because of the Spurs.

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008--Klaipeda to Kaunas

Lithuania is costing me more than I expected. It is more expensive than Estonia and Latvia were last year or Georgia was this year. Buses are especially expensive. And food is costing me more so far. Finally, I am paying more for rooms here, too.

The country is essentially flat with some hills. It is very green with lots of forests, so it is pretty. Autumn is just starting a few trees are already a bright yellow, red, or golden color. Most trees are pines and will stay green. Of those that aren't, most are still green and just starting to show signs of changing in color.

Kaunas is a bigger city than I expected. It has a long pedestrian street connecting the New Town (where it is wide with a double row of trees) to Old Town. There is a bit of a strange feeling being here, though. I think it may be due to lack of restoration. The Old Town is nice, but it seems OLD. The New Town has lots of new stores, but the buildings themselves seem to need work on top and the paving stones seem old and dreary. It's just a bit depressing along the route, for some reason. I saw the St. Michael the Archangel church, the Statue of Man, the Cathedral, the House of Perkunas, etc., as I explored the area. Someone was rehearsing on the organ in the cathedral, so I just sat there listening for a while.

I also went around the universities here. This is a city known as a university center in Luthuania. The area just did not have the atmosphere that I found in the university town in Latvia last year. I also did not find a student canteen like the nice one where I ate last year in Latvia. But there are many students everywhere I go here in town. I am sure it has a lively nightlife, especially on the weekends.

Again, I tried a shopping mall in the evening for dinner. There is a huge one called Akropolis just a couple of blocks from my hotel. It has an ice rink, a bowling alley, a huge food store, many shops, but no fast-food court. Instead, it has many sit-down restaurants with menus. I guess that Lithuanians just prefer a sit-down place when they go out to eat. Anyway, I went into the supermarket and bought me some salami, olives, crackers, and a beer and took them back to the room for a self-catering dinner.

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008--Kaunas

I finished reading A Scarecrow's Bible by Martin Hyatt. I was bothered by all the drugs being taken toward the beginning of the book, but the story eventually took off with the drugs left behind. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.

The weather has been sunny every day since I arrived in Lithuania. I am lucky. It is cool and even cold at night and in the mornings, but the afternoons are quite nice with the warmth of the sunshine. This time of the year could be cold and rainy. I hope the weather will hold out for my next few days as I travel to Vilnius tomorrow.

Wonderful Curonian Spit!

Monday, Sept. 28, 2008--Copenhagen to Palanga to Klaipeda

I few to Lithuania today on a small regional jet operated by Cimber Air. It was a good flight with a nice salad plate with lots of shrimp. But my arrival gave me a surprise. It is a VERY small airport. There is NO ATM. There is a bank, but there is NO exchange there. And there is no way to make a withdrawal from the bank using a credit card. So...I was out at the airport with no local currency. I remembered that the town was only 6 km away and was glad to know it was so close. I headed out walking. Guess the other people on the flight were returnees who fly into and out of here often and had local currency on them.

Palanga is a nice town. It is so clean. And it is nice to see here that essentially everything is restored. It helps to be a member of the EU! I got there easily other than the fact that there was no sidewalk along the highway. When a local road went straight, I took it rather than veering off on the highway. It took me right into the center of town where I found an ATM and then came to the bus station where a mini-van was leaving immediately for Klaipeda.

Klaipeda is also nice. It is a bigger city than Palanga. In fact, it is the thrid largest city in Lithuania and is the main port for the country. My guidebook had a map, so I had no problem seeing where I was as the bus came into town and getting off at the closest place to where I had already reserved a room. It took only a few more minutes to walk to there.

I have reserved rooms for all my nights here in Lithuania with Litinterp, a company that operates its own bed and breakfast operations in the bigger towns. They are about half the price of the less expensive hotels in the country. Here in Klaipeda, I have a single room with a shared bath for about $36 per night. It includes breakfast which is brought in a picnic basket and left outside the room at an assigned time. Inside the room there is a pot for boiling water, instant coffee, chocolate powder, and tea bags. It's a clean and nice place.

Lithuania seems prosperous compared to Georgia. There are nice shops. Everything is essentially restored or in good condition. There is a brightness to the place. Also, I can read the alphabet here! It makes such a difference to be able to read signs, menus, etc., even if they are in another language. Whew!

I wandered through the old town in the late afternoon, because I knew my time here would be tight. It's a nice place with cobblestone streets, restored old buildings, a nice theater area, etc. But it is quiet. Most of the action in the city is across the river in the New Town where I am staying. By 19:00, it was starting to sprinkle, so I decided to head back to my room. Rather than find a restaurant, I stopped in a food store and bought some snacks to eat at the room.

It is nice to be in a new country and exploring again. I was a little tired of traveling, but I am back in the mood again now.

Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008--Curonian Spit

I took the ferry across to the Curonian Spit this morning. It is a thin stretch of sand like Padre Island is. But it has wonderful forests (mostly pine with many birch trees also) on it and quaint old villages. It is a fantastic place that has been added to the World Heritage Site list.

I took the bus down to Nida, the main village on the spit and also the furtherest place south that one can go without crossing into the Russian part of the spit. It is such a pretty and nice village. There are many open green spaces. There are old homes. There is a pleasant waterfront with a nice walkway. They also have these special windvanes at many of the houses--raised on poles in the lawns and with shapes of figures in the town on them.

I walked out of Nida to the Parnidis Dune. I climbed the 176 steps to its height of 52 meters where I could see across the entire spit from one body of water to the other and down the spit into Russia. I sat there and enjoyed the nice sunshine for a while and made an entry in my blog.

Walking back into town, I heard 3 ladies speaking English with a North American accent. I told them they sounded as if they were from Canada or the U.S. They responded that they were all from Florida. One was originally from here in Lithuania, and they had all come here on a trip with her.

It is late afternoon now, and I have just returned to Klaipeda. I will go explore the New Town which has some old buildings. I will also try to find a place to try Lithuanian food tonight.

Seeing Everyone in Copenhagen

Spending Update for Georgia: I spent $484.83 over 17 days in Georgia for an average of $28.52 per day. Since leaving Texas, I have spent $5296.45 over 136 days for an average of $39.08 per day.

Friday, Sept. 19, 2008--Copenhagen

Grethe and I explored a new shopping area that has been built in Valby on the sites of some old factories. They have spent years clearing the site and redeveloping it, and it looks so nice now. We bought dinner gifts to take with us tonight and tomorrow night, and Grethe bought some things she needed in the apartment for the next few days.

The TV cable company here reorganizes their channels once a year causing them to be relocated on the spectrum. And TVs here have to be programmed to pick up the cable channels. They don't just automatically come through on assigned channels. Therefore, as I do each year, I helped Grethe reprogram her TV to get the channels that had "disappeared" as a part of the reoganization recently. I also helped her create a folder and store selected photos from her trip to Greenland in it that had been sent to her via e-mail.

Jens and Robert invited us to dinner along with Kurt and Finn. We were asked to arrive about 45 minutes early so I could help them with their computer. They wanted their outgoing e-mails to show a different name than they had been showing. Normally, it would be a simple task, but all the computer tabs and pages within the program are in Danish. It took me a while to figure out what to do. First, I was creating a new outgoing mail protocol. But finally, I found a tab for editing the present one. Then it became easy. I just had to find the slot with the present info they didn't like and replace it with the information they wanted to be associated with the mails.

It was a nice evening and a nice meal. After Kurt and Finn were there, we went out onto the balcony for a champagne welcome drink. The weather is so nice that it is pleasant to be outside these days. Back inside at the dining table, we started with a shrimp cocktail that I especially enjoyed because it was spicy. Then we had a very tender roast beef with Jens' usual potato salad--slices of boiled new potatoes, chopped red onion, vinegar, and oil all tossed together. Next, we had three kinds of cheeses with both red and green grapes and crackers. And finally, we had assorted chocolates and mints. Of course, there was white wine with the shrimp cocktails, red wine with the main course and the cheeses, and liqueurs/cognac with the chocolates. The conversation never failed, and it was often quite funny due to Kurt's usual sense of humor. It was a great night.

Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008--Copenhagen

I finished reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. I had bought it in a bookstore in Tbilisi for my last day there, because I had time on my hands and had run out of other reading material. Although I had read other books/stories by her back in my school days, I had never read this book which some consider to be her best. I liked it, too. I gave it 4 stars out of 4.

Morten (Grethe's brother) and his wife Helle joined us for lunch today. It was a simple table with lots of ingredients set out that can be used for making Danish open-faced sandwiches. We sat around the table and visited while each making our own as we wished. Grethe poured aquavit for us, so there was an occasional toast. And we all had beers to drink with the sandwiches. I had two kinds of herring, some machkeral salad, boiled eggs, liver paste, etc., on two kinds of bread--rye bread with whole kernals and white bread. We talked about anything and everything. It has been a year since I had seen Morten and Helle, and we always have good conversations. Morten told about working with his new American boss and asked whether some of the ways he does things are typical of the American style of running a company. Helle was interested in discussing the financial situation now and various contributors to the problem. They wanted to know about my trip to Georgia. We all sat and visited for about 3 1/2 hours. Then Grethe sent them home so she could rest a while before going to our dinner tonight.

Torben and Erik invited Grethe, me, Jens, and Robert for dinner tonight at their apartment. When we stepped off the train, Jens and Robert were there on the platoform exiting from another car. We all arrived together. They gave me a tour of the their new bathroom and new kitchen. Both have been remodeled since I was there the last time, and both are beautiful.

They had champagne as a welcome drink. Torben had prepared four small appetizers for us and had them in Chinese-style soup spoons. He brought them out one at a time. We would hold a spoon and eat the 2-3 bites of each appetizer while continuing to enjoy the champagne. The first one had a dark green base made from blended peas. One had salmon. Another had chicken. It was fun to try them all.

It seemed strange for only 6 of us to be in their dining room. I have never been to a "small" dinner party there. Typically, they have 16 to 24 guests at a time. Torben says he finds it easier to cook one dinner for 24 guests than he does to cook 4 dinners with 6 guests each.

We had a fantastic orange-ginger soup with shrimps as a starter along with white wine to drink. I asked Torben for the recipe, because it has such a refreshing taste. Here's his reply if anyone is interested: Basically, it is lots of carrots, a few onions, fresh ginger, chilli, salt and water cooked and then mashed in a blender. After that I put in fresh juice from 4-5 oranges and cream and heat it up again without boiling. Serve it hot with shrimps, scallops, lobster tail or small pices of baked salmon added and fresh bread on the side. Could also be made with curry and no oranges and served with pieces of chicken breast and red pepper fruits. The bread he served it with was his usual homemade baguetes.

Our main course was roast beef. And there were lots of side dishes--a salad of cabbage and carrots, boiled potatoes, the natural sauce from the meat, etc. (My mind is going blank now, because there were so many dishes going around the table for us to add to our plates.) We had red wine with all of this.

Dessert was warm fruits flavored with cinnamon and served with three kinds of cheeses. Then we had chocolates from Belgium afterwards with coffee and liqueurs. We were all stuffed by the end of the evening. It was so nice to be together again and enjoy such a night of food of conversation.

Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008--Copenhagen

Grethe and I had a quiet morning in the apartment. I've made an error with her, I think. I introduced her to a card game on the computer, and she seems to have become addicted! She keeps returning to the computer to play a few more rounds in hopes of winning. I have a feeling she may start playing this game on the computer at work rather than doing her job!!

Grethe left around noon for a conference, and I left a few minutes later to go northward for an afternoon with Arne's family at their summer house. Again, it was a beautiful day with sunshine and a high temperature of about 20 C (around 68 F), and the gardens were so green out there with wonderful flowers blooming. Gitte had told me in advance that it would be Arvind's birthday and that most of the family would be there to celebrate. After arriving, I found out that it is also the wedding anniversary for Evy and Arvind.

Arvind picked me up at the bus stop and proudly told me that his oldest son (Bjorn) from a previous marriage would be there with his family. I guess I had known about Bjorn before, but I don't recall information like that until I have actually met the person and interacted with him. So it seemed a surprise to me that there was an older son.

We stopped to see the changes at Evy's and Arvind's place first. Everything is just so beautiful. They have a sloping lawn down to a lake that is filled with reeds and ducks. Although I was here at the same time last year, it is much prettier this year because the summer has been warmer allowing everything to grow better.

We walked up to Gitte's and Carit's place for the party which began about 15:00. There was a big table set up inside the tent they have attached to their summer house. Their daughter Sascha was there with her boyfriend Christian. Bjorn was there with his wife and 4 children. Anita and Holgar were there. And Nils. I have known this family now for 24 years, and it was so nice to have them all together and to be with them again. They are some of the best people in the world.

Sascha and Christian told me about their trip to Vancouver during the summer. They loved the fact that it seemed so different from Europe. But they found it to be quite expensive. Nils told me about his present job and his children. Anita talked to me about my mother, since she works in a nursing home with patients with dementia and told me about Poule's wedding this past year which was based on a ceremony related to Old Norse Mythology. Bjorn's wife talked about her trip to China 15 years ago and other trips she has made or that they have planned. Evy, Gitte, and I talked about Christmas plans, and they want to make the Texanskbroed that I invented last year--a basic Danish butter cookie called Finskbroed with chopped pecans instead of chopped almonds baked on top of them. Everyone asked about my sister Sue, since they know her from a Christmas visit here several years ago and wanted to know if she will return some day for a visit.

During all this visiting, we had coffee with desserts--homemade ablekager (an applesauce type of dessert), Danish cookies, and other bought cakes. Then we progressed into dinner. The latter was based on steaks cooked on the outdoor grill with each of us having to cook his own so that no one could be blamed if it wasn't cooked to our tastes or preferences. With the steaks, we had salad (lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, corn, etc.) with a homemade garlic dressing. I had a soft drink along with the kids while most of the adults had wine or beer. During a break between the afternoon desserts and evening meal, Arvind opened his birthday gifts--lots of drinks including a vodka I had brought him from Georgia, a tower stand for warm days/nights, etc.

Anita and Holgar gave me a ride back into the city around 21:30. I was sorry to say goodbye to everyone, because it had been a nice visit. But I told them I will probably be here around the same time next year and will look forward to seeing them again.

Monday, Sept. 22, 2008--Copenhagen to Palanga

I am off to Lithuania today. I will fly out just after noon and will be there for the next 8 days. I do not know how easy it will be to find places for the Internet there, so the posts may slow down (or even be non-existant) for the next week. I will spend two nights in Klaipeda, two nights in Kaunas, and 3 nights in Vilnius. Will return to Copenhagen on Tuesday of next week.

Back Home in Copenhagen

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008--Tbilisi (Continued)

Ate a wrap sandwich at a place where I have seen long lines many times. It was juicy and delicious. Then I exchanged all the rest of my money except what I needed for taking the bus to the airport.

I returned to the apartment in Tbilisi and said goodbye to the family which had become friends to me. Picked up by bags. Eduard, the father, walked with me to the bus stop and made sure that I caught the right bus.

The bus was rather crowded with people returning home from work. But there was room for me in the back. I stood the whole way to the airport because of my luggage which included my backpack on my back, too.

Read from a new book I had bought while waiting at the airport. Found 3 seats together without anything between them and was able to recline and sleep some. It would be after midnight before I could check in.

Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008--Tbilisi to Munich to Copenhagen

By 1:50 I was checked in. I noticed that the airport here is also served by other airlines in the Star Alliance that would take me to various places on my ticket--London, Vienna, Riga, etc.

Tbilisi has a nice terminal. It is new while being small. In fact, it probably isn't much larger than the one in Corpus Christi. Beyond passport contol, there were even better seats for waiting, so I reclined across 4 of them and napped some more while waiting for them to call us for boarding.

I had a seat hog beside me on the flight from Tbilisi to Munich. He wasn't very large a person. He just felt free to put his arms and elbows beyond the armrest and into my space. I was frustrated, because I was planning to sleep and knew that I wouldn't be able to do so with his arm pressing against me and moving during the night. Then I got an idea. I wrapped my blanket around my arm on that side and put it down against the armrest inside my area. That caused his arm to be against the blanket whenever he came into my space. He didn't after that. As I figured, it made him feel too warm to be against the blanket!!

There was a delay in the flight from Munich to Copenhagen of almost an hour. It was my first delayed flight on my trip this year, I think. It seems that there are more likely to be delays in Europe and the U.S. than in other parts of the world.

Nurse Grethe was at the airport to meet me. It was the first time someone has done that since Arne died. It's nice to come out of customs and see a familiar face waiting. We took the metro home. It was the first time I had been able to do that, since they didn't start running that metro line until after I had been here last year.

Grethe prepared a nice meal for the evening, and Jens, Robert, and Claus joined us. I felt amazingly well, since I napped a couple of hours after getting to the apartment. She served roasted pork with crispy skin, brown sauce, new potatoes, pickled pumpkin, pickled asia, and pickled cucumber. That was preceded by tuna mousse topped with caviar as an appetizer and followed later with Danish apple cake (a pudding really) for dessert. We had white wine, red wine, sparkling water, etc. It was a typical Danish feast. Ummmmm!

It is nice to be back in Copenhagen. It isn't as difficult to be here anymore now that 4 years has passed since Arne's death. The city still feels like home to me.

Final Hours in Georgia

Monday, Sept. 15, 2008--Telavi (Continued)

The dinner was so nice. Fortunately, there was a Hungarian couple there, too, so that I was not alone with the American man. We had a nice conversation except when he cut in with his strange comments that were always self-centered. What a bore! Anyway, the meal consisted of tomato-onion salad, borscht, a vegetable dish that I cannot identify, roasted potatoes, bread, and wine. I was careful with the wine, but it didn't bother me to drink it.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008--Telavi to Tbilisi

Breakfast was the same as yesterday, but there was cheese inside the pastry today instead of beans. Fortunately, the nice couple from Hungary shared the table again.

I arrived at the bus station just before 10:00 and caught a marshruta leaving at 10:00 for Tbilisi. Most of the trip involved backtracking over the routes I had already traveled. Fortunately, the van was not full, so I had plenty of room to relax. The trip was rather slow and uneventful except for occasional bumps that sent me up out of my seat unexpectedly.

Getting to the apartment was interesting today. It happens to be on a street that leads to the rear of the building which houses the offices of the President of Georgia. Therefore, there are often policemen making cars move to keep the street clear. Today, however, the street was lined with standing policemen every few meters. NATO has been having a two-day meeting here to discuss the status of Georgia and the problems with Russia. The delegates are all in a hotel just behind our apartment and apparently there is lots of movement between there and the President's Office. Anyway, no cars were allowed to be parked on the street and the standing cops were watching everything carefully.

When I arrived at the apartment, the relatives from the U.S. (Ohio) were there. It is the sister of the father of my family here and her granddaughter who happens to be the same age as the son of my family here. They are both nice people. Tomorrow is the grandmother's birthday, so she has invited the family and me out to dinner tonight to celebrate.

We turned on the TV and watched the news after getting a call from relatives in the U.S. telling that there was a financial crisis there. I already knew about the failure of Lehman Brothers and about the buyout of Merryl Lynch by Bank of America to avoid a failure by them. We heard the reports about the large drop in the stock market and the continuing concerns about AIG. I was relieved to find that the mess was not quite as bad as the telephone call had made it seem. I am still happy, however, that I have a pension rather than investments only (as many people do) as my retirement income.

Eduard, the father, remembered that I wanted to buy a couple of items to take to Denmark, so he offered to take me shopping. We walked several blocks and found what I wanted. Then we stopped at a flower shop on the way back to the apartment for me to buy a bouquet of gladiola for the lady who has invited me to celebrate her birthday tonight.

We all dressed as best we could. I wore my best travel pants after they were ironed by Irene. Eduard and Andro both wore new khaki pants that I guess the relatives had brought from America. We all wore casual shirts. The grandmother wore a very elegant black dress with a top that was see-through black and sparkled. Irene wore a black dress with a lacy top. We went to what my guidebook calls "one of the best restaurants in Georgia." It is called the "Old House," because it is actually in a nice old home on the edge of the river here. The building has nice woodwork, lots of copper implements in niches in the walls, carpets hanging over railings, etc. There was a live band with 3 singers playing a variety of music including traditional Georgian songs. Eduard, in consultation with his sister, ordered for us. We had 15-20 small dishes (like having tapas in Portugal) of various vegetables, cheeses, etc. We also had two plates of shishkebab--one pork and one mutton. We had a pitcher of red wine and several bottles of sparkling water and sparkling fruit-flavored drinks. It was a traditional Georgian celebration. We all shared from all the dishes. Every little bit, Eduard would make a toast. The toasts were long ones where he would say something like this: "Now we will toast to those who are no longer with us. To members of our families and our friends who have passed on but who are remembered in our hearts and still loved. May we remember them and hope to be with them again someday in the future." Other toasts like that were to members of our families, to those of us from America, to his family, etc. Fortunately, they do not believe in emptying the glass with toasts, so we could just sip after each one and continue eating. Everyone felt fine and no one was drunk at the end of the evening.

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008--Tbilisi

Well, this is my last day in Georgia. I will miss the family I have been staying with. They have become friends. Eduard, the father, is my age and seems to enjoy having me around. We have made outings together just to talk and be out of the apartment. Irene, the mother, is so sweet. She, like most women in Georgia, works so hard from early morning to late at night, yet she maintains a sweet spirit and continues smiling. She resists any effort to keep her from carrying so much of a workload. Androu, the son, is such a sweet young man. He is 21, yet he is so mature and so nice to his family. We have had some great conversations during my visit as if there were no age difference between us.

We had a huge breakfast together with the guests from America this morning--scrambled eggs with cheese, meatballs, a cauliflower dish with a white sauce over it, tomatoes, bread, tea, jams, etc. I kept having things and telling everyone it was because it was my last chance. Best of all, as usual, were the fig preserves. UMMMM!

I have spent the day walking about town. I went back to an area I had explored before and just enjoyed it again. I stopped at a book store and bought a classic book to read tonight at the airport, then I stopped at a nice neighborhood park and started reading it then. I took a cable gondola to the top of one of the mountains and walked around a lake there where people go for outings from the city. It has beaches around it and small restaurants selling snacks, drinks, and meals. I am not at the cyber cafe and will take the bus to the airport in about 2 hours. Before then, I will go eat a sandwich for dinner, then I will exchange my leftover Georgian currency except for enough to pay for the bus to get me to the airport. Finally, I will stop by the apartment to pick up my luggage and say goodbye to the family.

My flight isn't until after midnight tonight. But I will try to sleep some in the lobby of the airport until the airline opens up for us to check in around 1:00. There is no easy way to handle these nights when the flight is too early to try to sleep and get up early to go to the airport and too late to try to sleep before going to the airport. Tomorrow will not be an easy day, and there will be a dinner in Copenhagen. I will have to nap in the afternoon while Grethe prepares the food for the dinner.

The Bad Adventure

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008--Kvarti to Shilda (Continued)

After I had finished seeing the museum and the winery, there was really nothing else to see or do in Kvarti. It was 13:20, and the lady at the winery told me there would be a van leaving for Telavi at 14:00. I walked up the street to where there were people who could help me get on the right van.

About 13:57, two men walked up. One spoke English and said he was a soldier who had served in Iraq. He was wearing an Army jacket and said that it had been given to him by an American friend there. He had been drinking some, I could tell; his friend seemed okay. Anyway, they wanted me to have a beer with them. I told them I had to catch the van at 14:00. The one speaking English asked me to wait there. Well, I would have been gone if the van had come, but it didn't. He returned with 3 beers, one for me and one for each of them. Continuing to wait for the van, I started drinking on mine with plans to give it to them when the van arrived. However, there was still no van by 14:15. They started suggesting that I go home with them and spend the night as their guest and then go to Telavi the next day. I continued to wait for the van, and they kept encouraging me.

Another man walked up and asked if there was a problem in English. I told him that I was just waiting for the van and that these men were inviting me to stay with them. He said that they were local men and that I could trust them if I wanted to go. I looked at the other men standing around to see if I should be alarmed, realizing that this third man could be part of a nefarious plan. No one nearby indicated anything. I know that vans do not run as the day gets later and there are fewer people traveling, so I went with them.

They took me nearby to a house where there were two women (their wives) and three children. They put food on the table and opened a bottle of wine. We ate and drank. They were very friendly. Everything was fine. One of them even went inside and came out with a gift of a clay horn and drinking bowl to give me me as a souvenir of my visit to Georgia. But after we had eaten, they wanted to drive me to Telavi and drink some more there. That's when I became alarmed. I really didn't want to go to Telavi with them because they were already too drunk, and I knew that the night would be boring and cost me more money that I would like. But how could I get out of it?

We made a couple of stops. They got money from an ATM. Then they stopped for gas and to put some fluid into the car. We started off around 16:00 for Telavi. We turned onto the main road just out of town and I remember thinking he was driving too fast. I also started thinking that I should move my U.S. dollars to a safer place so that I could excuse myself after spending just the amount that was evidently on me. There in the back seat, I unlocked a compartment of my bag the guy had seen inside when helping me store the horn and moved my packet of dollars to there and locked it again without their seeing what I was doing. Then I remember thinking again that I would need a stragegy to get away from them before they got too drunk and the night became a mess.

Just then, they started to pass a horse-drawn cart and a car was coming toward us. Our driver started pulling back to our lane and putting on the brakes, but he wasn't stopping fast enough. (I think it must have been brake fluid that he was putting in the car earlier.) I could tell that we were going to be in an accident.  I looked down, because I really didn't want to see what was happening. Anyway, there was a bump. I looked up and we had hit the back of the cart. I saw something flying off of it. At the time I thought it was a person, but as I think back on it, I am not sure what it was. I also sensed that we ran over whatever fell. I do remember that a man jumped out of the cart with a long, wooden staff and rushed toward the car hitting at the hood and the windshield. Again, I sensed a bump and thought that maybe we had run over this man's foot. Our driver stepped on the gas and rushed off. I don't remember noticing any lumpiness in our movement, but somewhere down the road the driver pulled off onto a side road and stopped. The guy speaking English got out and looked toward the front wheel, so I am hoping that something was wrong with it and that was what caused the bumps that I thought could have been us running over people. The English speaking guy (Za Za?) walked back to look down the highway to look toward the cart. I thought, I have to go now; it's a perfect excuse for an escape. I opened the door, grabbed my bag, and told the other guy I was leaving. I heard him getting out of the car and running toward Za Za yelling his name as if their bait was getting away.

I heard the car doors slam and the car start again. I looked back only to make sure that they were not coming for me. They had turned back toward the accident and town. I rushed on down the road away from it all trying to think about what I should do. I knew I didn't want to be with the two guys any further. And I was afraid to go back to the cart in case those men were hurt and would attack me. Instead, I walked as fast as I could until I came to a corn field. I went into it and sat on the ground where I could not be seen from the roadway and thought and thought. I knew I should contact the police, but I also knew they wouldn't understand me. I was afraid that the two guys would tell the police that I had been driving and was at fault to try to save themselves. I looked at my map to see where I could go. I knew if I kept on the highway the way I was going, either the guys or the police could search for me. I thought about cutting across fields back toward another road leading a different direction from the area. I even thought of just staying there in the field all night.  Bees were being attracted to the gel in my hair though, so it would have been very uncomfortable trying to stay there in the corn field.  Eventually, I decided I should contact the police.  Otherwise, I might find myself on a wanted poster and arrested by the police as I tried to fly out of the country.  (The two guys had taken photos of me at their home.)

I thought I had seen a house further down the road, so I started walking to the back of the field so that I could walk parallel to the road without being seen by traffic on it.  The first place I came to was just a barn and not a house. I walked further heading toward another place and realized that it was a barn, too.  I saw a house across the road and decided I should cautiously try to get to it.  Just as I started walking that direction, I heard someone yell at me.  I looked around and saw that it was a shepherd with a flock of sheep in the field I was crossing. I went to him saying, "Polizia; telephone polizia!"  He did not speak English, so I tried to draw a picture on paper of what had happened. He eventually made a call. I don't know if it was to the police, but who else could it have been? He handed the phone to me and there was a woman on the line. She did not speak English. I tried to use words--accident, road, etc.--that she might recognize, but it was obvious that nothing was being communicated. I gave up and handed the phone back to the shepherd. I figured that at least there would be someone who would know that a person who spoke English had tried to contact the police that afternoon.

The shepherd looked at me.  Using hand motions, he point to me and then used his hands to indicate drinking from a bottle.  I realized he wanted to know if I liked to drink.  I shook my head yes.  Then he pointed at me and then at himself followed by using his fingers to indicate a walking motion and said, "Come."  

Over the next 1 1/2 hours, we herded his sheep back towards an enclosed pasture.  It was easy.  All I had to do was walk behind them with my arms out from my sides while making circular motions with my hands.  The sheep just moved.  If one to the side fell behind, I just moved behind him and did the same.

When we got to the enclosure, he made a couple of phone calls.  Then he took a baby lamb and tied its legs with a rope.  One of his sons arrived on a horse cart.  The lamp was pushed up under the seat.  The shepherd and I sat on the seat, and the 9-year-old son sat in back.  Having just looked carefully at the map and knowing that I needed to be aware of where I was, I asked, "Shimla?"  He shook his head yes and continued.  On the edge of the village, we stopped for his son to get off at a friend's house.  Then we road intoto the village of Shilda where they lived.

When we arrived at the house, the wife met us.  She took the horse and wagon to the side and began unharnessing the horse and taking care of it.  Jixo, the shepherd, took the young sheep and hung it from a hook with the head down.  He took a long knife and slit its throat. Then he bent the head back until the neck broke.  He cut the head off and set it to the side. Then he cut the lower portions of all 4 legs off and threw them to the dog. He then skinned the lamb's body and cut it into parts which were put into a large pot of boiling water which the wife somehow already had going in the yard.

Like other homes in Georgia, this one housed an extended and widened family.  No one spoke English, though. Eventually, a young man (a nephew) came for about 15 minutes.  He could speak English and explained that the families were those of two brothers, their wives and children, and their parents.  He said that the brothers had just returned from fighting in the war with Russia which ended just in time for me to make my planned visit to Georgia.  Unfortunately, the time was so short with the nephew that we did not discuss what happened.  Also, the story was so complicated that I wasn't sure how well he might understand the vocabulary I would have to use to explain it.

That evening, they had a feast. I knew what that meant for me. I had already been drinking at the winery and with the two men in Kvarti.  But it is traditional that the guest join in the drinking. My guidebook says that under no circumstances should one refuse to drink. And tradition is that the entire glass is emptied each time there is a toast. We weren't drinking wine; it was a form of homemade vodka called chacha that is very strong.  At the same time, we were served the lamb, tomatoes, and bread. I took a rib section that had 3 ribs. It was tough, had no flavor, and there was not much meat on it. But I made it last me, because I didn't want more. I tried to eat lots of bread to soak up the chacha. There were two big round white balls (about the size of baseballs) on the platter with the lamb meat.  They put one on my plate and said, "BEST:  Eyeball!"  Took one slice and then moved the rest of the eyeball back to the plate.  They watched and smiled as I ate the slice (which I tried not to taste nor to think about).  I eventually had to also take one bite of the heart, too, at their insistence. In the meantime, they kept making toasts with chacha ("To the world," to Georgia," "to America," "to your family," to our family," etc.)--a traditional procedure I had already experienced at two other places on this trip including the home this afternoon.  They were a genuinely nice family, and the whole extended family was there with us--grandfather, grandmother, brother, brother's wife, nephew, Jixo, his wife Nana, and one of their sons and his friend. They had gotten drunker, and I was becoming too drunk.  My name had morphed from "Randell" at the beginning of the evening to "Rambo" when they addressed me.  It was such fun.  But before I knew it, I had drunk too much. I got sick and rushed outside to throw up.

After that, the night was a disaster for me. I continued to throw up several times. The family was so nice to me.  They were holding a cold damp cloth to my forehead, rubbing my back, and holding a pan under my head.  I had to take off my pants and put on one of Jixo's pairs of jeans so the puke could be washed off mine. Eventually, I was no longer throwing up, and Jixo and his brother put me to bed with the pan beside me for the night. I felt miserable. I remember telling them over and over again, "So sorry."

Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008--Shilda to Telavi

I still felt bad in the morning. I still had a wobbly feeling as if I were drunk. I had a glass of mineral water, but a few minutes later I threw it up. The wife made me a cup of hot herbal tea (with local stems and leaves in the cup), and it came up, too. I was not interested in anything going into my stomach.

The men, however, all came together. They felt sorry for me, but in a pleasant way of concern. They ate breakfast which included a glass of chacha for each of them. How do they do it? Jixo teased me about joining them:  "Rambo!  Chacha?"   I tried not to even think about the idea of food or alcohol, and they all laughed.

The family gave me some special tea from their area to take with me and returned my clothes which they had washed during the night. I got the impression that they had become concerned that I might not have money due to the fact that nothing was in my pockets. (I had removed my money and my special money pocket and put them in the jeans when I changed clothes.) They asked if I had money and mentioned that the van would cost money. My guess is that they thought I had been robbed since I had been wanting to call the police when Jixo saw me in the field and since they hadn't find money anywhere in my pants. I assured them that I had money and was okay.

Anyway, before leaving, I unpacked the horn and glasses (which are for serving/drinking chacha) that had been given to me by the two men the day before and gave them to this family.  Then, about 9:30 a.m., the men and one of the sons took me up to the corner to wait for the van.  The men shared a 1.5 liter beer with friends there while waiting. Georgians really drink a lot! Anyway, I met townspeople there. Everyone was friendly and nice, but mostly they were curious. I'm sure it was strange to them to have an American visiting a local family.  The brothers told them who I was and asked those planning to ride in the same van to look out for me.  One boy of 9 spoke some English, but he was shy. Anyway, the van came at 10:00, and I took it to Telavi.  A woman made sure that I got off at the proper stop and directed me to the center of town.

By that time, I had decided that there was no need to try to contact the police. I had tried yesterday. There would be a record that I a foreigner had called if I needed to prove that I had done my part to help them rather than run from the accident. I didn't feel well, so I just wanted to find a room.

I had no problem getting a nice room using my guidebook. I immediately went to bed and slept for 2 1/2 hours. Then I went out to see the town. That's when I found the cyber cafe. After that, I bought a wrap sandwich made with shaved chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, onions, parsley, mayonnaise, a red sauce, paprika, pepper, and salt. It tasted good and did not bother me. I bought a diet cola and drank that, too. Then I went back to my room and stayed there for the rest of the night reading until bedtime.

Monday, Sept. 15, 2008--Telavi

I had a good breakfast where I am staying. It consisted of a pastry filled with beans, oatmeal, cherry preserves, yogurt, tea, and cookies. And I shared the meal with another American who is here. He is a statistician (retired from the federal government) who currently lives in a small village in Guatamala. He was a bit strange, but it was nice to visit with someone. He is here just relaxing and preparing a paper that he will present to a statistical conference when he returns home in a few weeks.

I explored the town. What there is to see is closed today, since it is Monday. That is a fortress with a Persion palace behind it. But the town is full of children. Today is registration day for the new school year. I bought a cola and sat in the park reading from my book and watching the students. Occasionally one would say something to me. Most young people here are taking English and can speak some if they are not too shy. Later, I walked down a couple of old streets to see the older houses with their projecting balconies across the front, a form of architecture that Georgia is known for.

I will have dinner at my guesthouse tonight and will return to Tbilisi tomorrow to meet the guests from the U.S. visiting my family there and have dinner with them. Wednesday night (actually, Thursday morning), I will leave for Denmark after taking care of some final things I want to do there in Tbilisi.

Adventurous Times in Georgia

Note: I finally arrived at a town with broadband Internet. Signaghi had a cyber cafe, but it was dial up. Most web pages don't work well that way anymore. I waited 12 minutes and could never get to the posting page here at my blog.

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008--Tbilisi to Signaghi

I got up early to catch the bus for Signaghi at 9:00. It leaves from the southern part of the city from a metro station that I do not know. Also, the family here has company (the father's sister and her daughter) coming from the U.S. today for a long visit. They need to clean the room and have everything ready for when they arrive.

Signaghi is a beautiful town. It looks like an Italian village. It is an old walled city set on a mountain top with old brick towers extending into the air. The entire center of the city has been restored--buildings, cobblestone streets, tile sidewalks, etc. They have installed some nice statues that make good picture-taking spots. They have some nice parks for sitting and relaxing. The only place I saw that looked bad was a base for a missing statue that has obviously been pulled down due to steel rebars sticking into the air and bent downward. My guidebook shows that it is a statue of Stalin who was born in Georgia, so its removal must have been recent.

I am not happy with where I am staying. It was arranged by the son in Tbilisi, but the family here is charging me too much for what they have--$35 per day for the room and 2 meals (which is the most expensive place I have stayed in Georgia). The town is a bigger tourist town than elsewhere, but I have learned from the tourist office here that I could have stayed in a nicer, restored guesthouse with TV and hot water for that price or less. Instead, my room is an old Soviet room which is bare other than for the bed and a cabinet. And the bath is down outdoor stairs under the house and connected to the carport. There is no hot water. If it had not been pre-arranged, I would not have stayed here. It's only 2 nights, however, so I will bare it and find my own places in the future. I did get an extra meal out of the deal, though. The lady made me breakfast at 11:00 when I checked in--fried eggs, fresh bread, honey, homemade ketchup, tomatoes, cookies, tea, and homemade vodka! (Apparently they drink that in the mornings here.) That means I will have 3 breakfasts for the stay of 2 nights. Of course, they are happey to do that for me, since what I paid them for the two nights is about 2/3 of the per capita income per month in Georgia.

The man at the tourist office is nice, but his life must be difficult. He is married to a Russian woman, and Russians have not been appreciated since independence. They are especially disliked now because of the recent war. But he and his wife are also Jehova's Witnesses, a religion that is not favored in Georgia which is mostly Orothodox Christians. He was helpful to me, however. And he will try to find the names of places to stay at my next stop, since my guidebook does not list any.

As I walked around exploring the city, I passed a young boy of about 12. A moment later, he rushed back to me and motioned for me to stop. Then he pointed at a dog that was resting in a passageway. Apparently, it can be vicious. He guided me around the short block and pointed up to where I had been intending to go.

I walked outside of town to see the walls of the city. Without a good map (none in my guidebook and a poor one offered at the tourist office), it was difficult to know just where I was. Eventually, after failing to find a path to take me up from the highway, I returned took a local road that angled upwards to a point where I had seen a church above me. The church proved to be a chapel in a cemetery on the point. In the distance was the long, flat valley below our mountain and then the range of the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains which separate Georgia and Russia. What a view!! There was a gravesite which had a table and benches beside it, so I reclined and read from my novel for a while. Then I napped maybe 10 minutes.

I returned to my room at 17:50 with nothing to do but read. I am worried that I will finish my current and LAST book and find myself in other quiet towns with nothing to do at night. There are no places here outside of Tbilisi for buying English language books.

It started to rain 15 minutes after I got back to the room. I am lucky that I returned when I did. Then later, it began to hail. But within an hour, it was quiet and the clouds had disappeared. I went down to dinner--chicken, beatballs, fried potatoes, pickled peppers, eggplant stuffed with cheese, bread, vodka, and cheap wine (but not homemade). The lady brought a plate of plums, grapes, and figs to the room later for me to have for dessert.

Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008--Signaghi

It is a beautiful, clear day thanks to the rain last night. Unfortunately, I had to start it with a cold bath. Then I had a meatball, eggplant with cheese, French toast with honey, tea, and an offer of vodka for breakfast.

I felt good, so I walked outside of Signaghi to Tsminda Nino Nunnery (also known as Bodbe) and back. It was about 3 km each way. The church looks modern on the outside, but inside it is old with frescoes covering the walls. It is the burial place of the saint who brought Christianity to Georgia and is also where the kings for this area were crowned hundreds of years ago. It, like almost everything in this area, has a setting that is fantastic with a view of the valley and the mountains in the background.

Signaghi has the best tourist infrastructure in all of Geogia--a tourist office, signs (street, statues, etc.) with English spellings, complete restoration of the town to make it pretty and comfortable, new touches such as the statues I mentioned yesterday and a couple of parks. It has a good atmosphere or feel about it. Unfortunately, it has few tourists right now, since the war has ruined the appeal for now.

I had another nice conversation with the tourist office man. He told me the name of the only hotel in the next town where I will go. And he asked me what I thought would help make Signaghi better. I suggested that they might encourage someone to put in a homemade ice cream store, since tourists seem to like that everywhere. I told him that small tourist towns where I live have weekend festivals at least once a month and suggested ideas such as a home canning competition, an arts and crafts festival, etc. I also suggested that with the city's beautiful setting and nice atmosphere it would be nice if there were some sidewalk tables outside some of the cafes and restaurants. However, I told him how special the town already is with what they have done up to now.

I went to the local museum afterwards and was really impressed. It, too, has been completely restored and has English explanations for all exhibits. In fact, the English explanations are very specific and made the trip educational for me. It covered the ethnographic history of the area (including a beautiful gold lion, brasswork, photos, and costumes). It also had an exhibit of paintings by Pirosmani who is the best known Georgian painter. He lived at the turn of the last century and painted on black oil cloth.

I tried to post to the blog. It was a dial-up computer, however. After 12 minutes, there was still no page for creating a post. I gave up and left.

A cool front came through. The air is breezy and chilly. My sandals and shortsleeve shirt are not enough if this stays the same.

It is quieter tonight at the house where I am staying. Last night, the entire extended family was here. Children were crying. People were walking around making noise. I think they were all celebrating their good fortune with my money I had paid them. For dinner, I had leftover chicken, fresh meatballs, rice, meatball soup, picked peppers, wine (the leftovers from the bottle last night), and fresh pears.

Friday, Sept. 12, 2008--Signaghi to Gurdjaani

Everything I have is wearing out. My favorite travel pants are getting a hole in the rear of the seat. I hope I have my press-on patching material in my suitcase to repair them when I get back to Tbilisi. I only have one other pair of pants with me on the trip. My shoes started wearing out (sole wearing through) way back in Japan. The laundry person in India caused spots I cannot remove on some of my shirts. My socks and underwear are wearing thin. My suitcase is lame with a broken wheel. Luckily, I will be back in Texas in only about 3 1/2 weeks.

There was no running water this morning. I bathed with water caught in a big barrel beside the bathroom. Then, around 8:30 as I waited to leave for the bus station, I heard the water come back on. Again, this place is not worth what I am paying for it.

I am having an experience today. I came to Gurdjaani because of the spa here. (Actually, it is called Aktala Sanatorium.) They give mud baths in addition to long-term treatments for various ailments. I missed getting a mud bath in Japan earlier in my trip, so I decided to try to do it here. There was a problem communicating, however, when I arrived. A man and several women stood there in white coats unable to understand what I wanted. Finally, the man motioned for me to follow him. We got in a car and went to his home where his son speaks English. It was arranged that I would stay in a room at the sanatorium for one night, have dinner and breakfast there, and have a mud bath tomorrow morning at 10:00 before leaving. The man, who is the doctor at the resort drove me back and got me checked in. That included getting my blood pressure checked. It was high (140/80) due to all the stress created from trying to communicate without a common language.

The sanatorium is in an old building. Nearby are other buildings. It was probably a major place for treating people in the Soviet days. But today, it is rather quiet. It does look like what I have seen in films and on TV of spas in the USSR--rather worn with old-fashioned treatments. I was given a room on the second floor. It is a plain room with two twin beds. The toilet is down the hall. Baths are taken in another building as a part of the treatment. It feels a bit like being checked into a nursing home. I am free to come and go, however. For one night, it is an adventure!

I walked far out of town to see Kvelatsminda Monastery. First, I walked northward, because that is how my guidebook implied I should go. Then I asked and was told to go the other direction. So I had to go all the way back to town, through it, and just as far south as I had walked northward. Then I turned on the road up to the church which went uphill at a rather steep incline for about 1.5 km. When I got near the church, it looked as if I were at a deadend at a home. But some young men at a lookout point nearby yelled at me. I went there, and one led me to the church by going through what looked like a private gate by the home.

The monastery proved to be the best one I have visited in terms of nice atmosphere. The floors have carpets on them. And the walls are exposed brick. There was a monk inside who spoke English, and it was nice visiting with him and learning about the church and his life. He majored in psychology at university, then became a monk. He has been one for 5 years now and has a long beard. He is 31. He said that he likes his teacher here, so he will stay at this monastery for the rest of his life.

On the way back to town, I met a lady on the roadside who had given me directions along the way to the monastery. She was impressed that I had walked there (probably 8 km round trip not including the walking that took me the wrong direction) and wanted to know my age. All this was communicated without understanding each other's language.

Dinner was at an outdoor area down the hillside. While waiting, many of the men and women were curious about me and tried to visit. Some of the women were from Azerbeijan. A young man in a wheel chair was especially nice and spoke just a bit of English. Everyone was very friendly and seemed happy to have me there. The dinner was a meatball, noodles, homemade yogurt, bread, rice porridge, and tea. Rather institutional tasting.

The doctor from the sanatorium was waiting for me when I finished dinner. He motioned for me to go with him. He drove me to his home. His son explained that they wanted me to be their guest for fruits and wine. We had watermelon, grapes, and figs. There was a read wine and a sweet liqueur. The son visited with me for about two hours. Since his parents do not know English, they left the table after a short time and watched the news on TV. Anyway, it was nice of them to have me over, and it was interesting to visit with the boy who also wants to be a doctor but still has two years of high school to go.

There is nothing else in this town to do other than see the monastery and be at the spa. And there is no Internet connection in town. I will move elsewhere tomorrow after my mud bath.

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008--Gurdjaani to Kvareti to Shilda

Breakfast was as simple as dinner. It consisted of a meat patty, groats, homemade yogurt, porridge (like fine grits), bread, and tea.

Finally, I got a mud bath! I was taken down to a building beside a mud flat where there were pools of bubbling mud. Inside, they took my medical papers and registered me. Then I was lead into a room with 4 tubs--3 of them full of muddy water. I was told to undress and go to the last bath next to the wall. I got in. The water was warm (38 degrees C, according to my medical papers) with a layer of mud clay on the bottom. I lowered myself into the bath and rested. The woman came inside and set a timer for 15 minutes. I stayed there feeling the warmth. I wasn't sure what else to do. I occasionally rubbed my skin with the mud thinking that would probably be something that should be done. The 15 minutes was just the right time length. I was hot by then. The lady told me to go to the shower area behind me and rinse off and dry, then to get dressed and come back out. It isn't easy to get all the mud off, though. It gets along and under the nails, in the naval, etc. When I was dry and dressed, they told me I was free to go back to the building, so I did that and checked out.

I had planned my next destination to be Kvareti. So I went to the bus station. There were no vans preparing to leave for there. Apparently they all go through town from elsewhere to there, so it is necessary to stand by the roadway and hail one down when it passes. The problem with that is that the signs are written in the Georgian alphabet which has lots of swirls. I have not learned to read it. But a couple of men were looking out for me. Finally, one yelled at a passing van and they stopped and took me.

Kvareti is at the base of the Caucasus Mountains. It is known for two things in particular--the house museum of a famous Georgian and a winery located there. I went to the house museum first, since I got off the van right beside it. It is a modern building that looks as if it could have been designed by Corbusier. A lady there spoke perfect English and said that she is the English teacher at the local schools. Later, I spoke with two boys who are her students, and they both spoke English well, too.

After the museum, I walked down the street to the Kindzmarauli Winery. I was given a tour of their facilities and shown their products. and given a taste of one of their wines and of their chacha, a vodka they make. They gave me the address of their importer in the U.S. in case I want to order some of their wine when I return home.

Note: I have been at the cyber cafe for almost 2 hours. Now I will stop for today and continue with the biggest adventure of all when I am online again in a couple of days.