Ralph and Pats Blog on RealTravel

Spokane journal: Time to Catch our Breath

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:42:24 GMT

The reason I'm filing this first entry on the third day of our trip is that we covered nearly 1400 miles Sunday and Monday.

By midday Sunday, I realized I'd forgotten: our 2008 National Park Pass, Ralph's jacket, a warm jacket for me, my book.

We dropped Dallas off in Coon Rapids and drove to Bismarck Sunday night. Monday we drove to Butte, Montana.

Monday the "Things We Left Behind" list (TWLB) had grown: my makeup brushes, my black shoes, pictures to share.

Along the way, we passed a North Dakota that was so green, it looked more like spring than the end of July. We ...

United States journal: Way Out West 2008

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:56:36 GMT

We are off to Washington (state), Oregon and California.

Council Bluffs journal: Wedding at the Bluffs

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:15:36 GMT

We gathered at 4:00 pm atop the bluffs. The sun was hot, but the breeze refreshed us. I don't know if this is what Meriweather Lewis and William Clark had in mind for this site. but it's a lovely place for a wedding. We watched hawks glide out over the valley as Ryan and Kristina exchanged vows.

Ryan's daughter Shawna made a beautiful (and accomplished) flower girl. Kristina's brother Jason was a dedicated ring bearer, braving the hot sun in a dark suit. Ryan's sister Lisa was among the bridesmaids and Roxanne's brother Randy was a groomsman.

After the ceremony we drove down the ...

United States journal: Ryan's Wedding in Council Bluffs

Sat, 31 May 2008 18:45:14 GMT

We're off to Iowa for our grandson Ryan's wedding, May 31st. Ryan is the youngest of Ron and Roxanne's children and he is marrying Kristina at the Lewis and Clark Monument in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Stay tuned.

-30-

Las Vegas journal: April 26, 2008

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:51:58 GMT

What a beautiful day! Kylee and Joe could not have asked for better. The wedding was in Red Rock Conservation Center about 20 miles outside Las Vegas. With the wedding party in the limo, Ralph and I hitched a ride with Barbi, Kwandee and Sam. We flew out across the desert on the freeway until the Red Rock casino seemed to erupt from the desert floor. Immediately after turning to the park, the terrain began to change and huge outcroppings of -- you guessed it -- red rock jutted up from the ground. Spring in the desert is an amazing sight. Wildflowers of burnt orange and deep purple bloomed from ...

Las Vegas journal: What Would Bugsy Say?

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:22:22 GMT

Some of this hotel has been remodeled. Our room is very sleek and modern, if inpractical. The all frosted-glass bathroom is ultra, ultra with a TV screen in the mirror, but it would be nice to have a towel rack and a hook for your robe. Surely, something would have fit with the decor.

Overall - not impressed for the price

Las Vegas journal: Bugsy Says, "Hi."

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:22:21 GMT

Friday, I trekked down the street with Barbi, Kwandee and Sam to the Mandalay Bay where the Bridal Party were lodged. We managed to get into the pool area through some fast key-swapping and walked around, around and up the stairs and around again, till we came to the "overflow" pool. Beautiful day, warm in the sun without being too hot. The water was great and we all enjoyed the dunk and watching our boys - Dallas and Sam- as they wrestled and dived for a plastic something (I still have no idea what that thing was.)

After awhile, I got tired and headed "home" via Las Vegas' newest ...

United States journal: Kylee's Wedding

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:36:02 GMT

Hi. We're in Las Vegas this weekend for our granddaughter Kylee's wedding and we thought you might want to tag along.

We don't have the whole family with us (Ron, Roxanne and their brood couldn't make it) but we do have Bonnie, Brian and Dallas, Barbi, Kwandee and Sam, Jodi and Chris (her significant other) and Kylee and Joe (the groom.) Most everyone got to town today. Ralph and I, Barbi, Kwandee and Sam are at the Flamingo. The rest are at the Mandalay Bay.

Sequoia National Park journal: The Big Trees

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 14:02:48 GMT

We're back in more ways than one. We're home and I've got my laptop up and running online. I'm really embarrassed that I didn't figure out how to fix the problem sooner. All I needed to do was a System Restore from a time before I began having problems. So now we can tell you what happened during the "blackout."

After driving through Death Valley, we desperately wanted to see something growing. So we went to where things have been doing just that for thousands of years. Sequoia National Park is very close to Death Valley and we still had a lot of desert to cross but this was still ...

Elk Grove journal: Down but not Out

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 09:48:13 GMT

I know, I know. WHERE HAVE WE BEEN? Well, we've been to visit Barbi in Green Brae (near San Rafael) and then on to Elk Grove to visit Roy and Beth and the girls. Unfortunately, my computer is not allowing me to get online.. I get a message about a Gateway Entry Default. Apparently, it's missing but I don't know how to get it back. If anyone out there has any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them.

Otherwise, I may not be able to file the rest of our trip until I get home. But I will do it. Sorry for the wait and the inconvenience. That's life on the road.

We are well and still having a ...

Beatty journal: Hoover Dam & Death Valley

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:10:14 GMT

Our last day at the canyon we wanted to see Yaki Point which is only accessable by park shuttle. The skies were sometimes overcast and the wind blew very hard, making it cool to stand on a jutting cliff with no natural protection. Even when the sun came out, the wind was very cold. I was glad I decided to change from shorts to jean before leaving the hotel. Although no weather could deter from the magnificent views we enjoyed that day, we cut it short. After three solid days in the sun and wind, hiking along cliffs at 7,000', we were pretty tired. We said good-bye to the Grand Canyon and got a ...

Tusayan journal: The South Rim and Hermit Road

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 20:16:48 GMT

Leaving the North Rim we faced a 215 mile drive to the other side. (It's only 14 miles as the raven flies.) We backtracked past charred trees of a forest fire and past the Vermilion Cliffs until we reached Cameron on Highway 89. Then we turned west on Highway 64 toward the South Rim of the canyon. Once inside the park, this road is called the Desert View. One of the main sights along this road is the Watchtower, built by Mary Colter for the Fred Harvey company. Mary Colter built many structures inside the park for Fred Harvey and the railroad. All of the buildings are meant to depict specific ...

Northern Rim, Arizona journal: Our first look at the Northern Rim!

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 08:04:01 GMT

The drive from Flagstaff to the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon is about 300 miles and takes easily 5 hours. That's if you don't stop to admire the National Monuments along the way. We suggest you do take the time. As Cathy told us in Phoenix, they are worth it!

Our first stop along Highway 89 was the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. This eruption took place about 1062 BC. Lava flows and cinders still look as fresh and rugged as the day they formed. But seeing how the trees and flowers have come back in places is the real joy. There will be a hillside or a plateau of black ash ...

Northern Rim, Arizona journal: A step into history and a step into childhood

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:33:55 GMT

We enjoyed our cabin with it porch and rocking chair imensly. We could have stayed for a week. The views were spectacular and the sunset was all the entertainment we needed.

Flagstaff journal: Flagstaff is the center of it all in Northern Arizona.

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:05:33 GMT

To me Flagstaff has always been a town to be passed on Route 66. But, now that we spent some time there (3 days), we have a new appreciation. It is, of course, in northern Arizona and the elevation is 6910'. Pine trees everywhere. The first day (Saturday), we drove down to Phoenix to visit Jim and Hazel Spencer. For a point of reference, Jim stood up for Ralph when we got married and we haven't seen them for a very long time. We had a great day of visiting and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

The next day was laundry and errand day. We found a drop off laundry in the same strip mall where I ...

Santa Fe journal: Santa Fe for the Art Scene

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 20:07:33 GMT

I'm a little delayed in this report of Santa Fe. It seems like ages ago and it was only last Wednesday and Thursday. It really is a lovely town that can't be mucked up even by the heavy tourist traffic. We enjoyed our stay at the St Francis hotel which is on the National Register and took advantage of a beautiful room to get some needed rest. We walked around the town visiting the St Francis Basilica and some art galleries. We walked through the plaza and strolled by the jewelry artists showing their fare along the "porch." Everything is catered to the tourists: if you don't want to buy ...

Santa Fe journal: When in Santa Fe - Stay at the St Francis

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:03:30 GMT

What a treat to stay in a National Register hotel. Beautiful, comfortable rooms, great food in the restaurant and room service (this is NOT your grandmother's carrot cake!)

Colorado Springs journal: Fourth Day on the Road

Tue, 29 May 2007 22:55:33 GMT

Okay, we actually left home Friday, May 25th. We drove to Minneapolis and had lunch with Bonnie and Jodi, then we drove down to Hollandale and went to dinner with the family. The next day we headed for Glenwood, Iowa to spend a couple days with Ron and family. It was great to see all these people, some we hadn't seen since last year. We really enjoyed playing with the little ones in Iowa (though we were dragging our tushies afterward).

Monday, the 28th (Bonnie and Sam's birthday) we left Omaha and headed west. The vacation had begun. Long driving day (about 500 miles) took us to Ft ...

Appleton journal: [37] Auntie Em Was Right!

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 08:55:47 GMT

[37]

After leaving Paris, we made a list of things we hadn’t done in four months: driven a car, cooked a meal, watched TV, We began to think of bacon and eggs for breakfast and a thick steak. When the weather turned cold, I visualized myself in front of our fire and sleeping in my own bed. On the other hand, we knew we were going to miss the sidewalk cafes, the art, the architecture that had become an expected part of our day. Ralph said that ideally it would be great if we could be at home, but miraculously "appear" on a small European street two or three times a week. Alas, it cannot ...

Paris journal: [36] There's No Place Like Paris

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:58:01 GMT

At first we planned to skip Paris. We’d been there in 1993 and weren’t sure if we wanted to go back this trip. At least that was what we said to each other. But as the trip wound down and we got closer to the City of Lights, we had to admit that our "Grand Tour" wouldn’t be complete without Paris. Yes!

So we came and walked the wide boulevards, rode the Metro, ate fois gras, visited the Louvre and sat in cafes. There is no town that invigorates like Paris. The fashionable men and women walking down the street, either make you feel more chic or shabby. We also had to go to the tower – ...

Dijon journal: [35] Dijon is Not Just Mustard, You Know

Thu, 09 Nov 2006 01:11:05 GMT

Dijon as in "Do you have any Grey Poupon?" is in the heart of burgundy. I’m not a real fan of mustard, so guess what we concentrated on? This is really a beautiful town. (Have I said that before?) It’s the kind of town we’ve been hoping to find during our travels. We found it in Verona, possibly Genoa and again in Dijon. A mid-sized city with some historical significance, lots of restaurants, beautiful architecture, friendly people – a place where we would readily agree to return.

The problem was – yes, there was a problem – neither one of us was feeling too well when we arrived. I was ...

Avignon journal: [34] Avignon in Provence

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 08:43:26 GMT

[34]

We met a lovely, friendly family on the train from Genoa to Nice. Unfortunately, they all had colds and REB succumbed. Nobody’s fault, just the joys of traveling. I mention the family not because of the germs we shared but because of the travel stories we shared. We haven’t met that many people while traveling which is probably our fault; we’re not very outgoing. This family from Oregon and Florida were outgoing enough for all of us and we had a very pleasant trip.

I promised to send them a journal and we want to welcome them to our online world for the first time.

This ...

Genoa journal: [33] Genoa is a Jewel

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 07:29:08 GMT

Genoa (Genova in Italian) is really a jewel of a place. We both agree that we’d go back anytime. It’s the kind of place that it takes time to explore. It’s built on steep hills, and for us each one has to be climbed s-l-o-w-l-y. REB thinks it would make a great place for a murder or spy novel with all the narrow streets and long stairways that lead from one level of streets to another.

But as we said goodby to Germany, we had to say goodby to Italy. It’s probably my fault, I got worn down by the food and wanted something other than pasta and pizza. And I got worn down by the dirt. Jackie ...

Florence journal: [32] Florence & Pisa

Sun, 22 Oct 2006 09:57:10 GMT

[32]

Florence

In Florence we have reached a new high in Internet prices. Five Euro for a half hour, ten Euro for on hour, 240 Euro for 24 hours, which is approximately $300. If you want something other than Italian food, you need a plane ticket. Although, it’s not been terrible, it hasn’t been that remarkable either. A $20 steak at Romanogili’s in Iron Mountain would cost you $80 in Italy - if you could get it. We can’t figure out how they manage to cut the veal and pork chops so thin - and they’re still tough!

Wednesday, we went to the Academy of Fine Arts, to see the David ...

Rome journal: [31] Roma Roma

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 06:49:26 GMT

We were five days in Rome which is like saying, "You have 35 minutes, go see as much of the city as you can." Rome is colossal and her sights are colossal, spread out over seven good-sized hills. Besides we had to have a laundry day. We were way past wearing the "cleanest dirty shirt."

Because Rome is so vast, we decided to take a bus tour of the city. We’d done this once before in Berlin and although the sound didn’t always work, it did give us an idea of where things were and what we wanted to see. The idea is that you buy a ticket from a specific bus company - they usually have ...

Trieste journal: [29] Verona and Trieste - Backtracking

Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:58:18 GMT

[29} Backtracking to the week before last when we were in. Verona and Trieste

So let me tell you about Verona and Trieste before we get any farther along. We said goodby to Jodi and Kylee in Munich. They left for home Monday, October 2nd, and we headed south.

It’s really unfortunate that there were no stops along the way because the train from Munich, through the Bavarian Alps, past Innsbruck was breathtaking. And we have no pictures to show!

We only wanted to travel about five hours on the train so that took us to Verona our first Italian city. It was a delightful ...

Venice journal: [30] Venice is Out of Order

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:25:17 GMT

[30]

What I mean is that this travelog is out of order. We stopped in Verona and Trieste before going to Venice, but I wasn’t able to get at the pictures. I’d downloaded them to the laptop and erased them from the camera disk, but we couldn’t use the laptop for a few days so we had to go to an internet café. So, for now, Venice. We'll come back to the others tomorrow.

As you can see from the pictures, it’s a beautiful city. We had a nice hotel (sans internet capabilities) that overlooked the Rio Del Malcanton from one window and the street from another. We also had a garden view ...

Dachau journal: Dachau

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 06:41:58 GMT

[28]

Dachau

Not the first place you think of when you travel, but Kylee told us she wanted to see the concentration camp outside of Munich so we made it a priority. After returning from the mountains we booked a hotel at the Munich airport to make things easier on the girls when they left early Monday morning. From there it was an easy taxi ride over to the town of Dachau Sunday morning. It was a beautiful day which gave the experience a surreal quality.

Dachau was the first camp and initially created to hold "enemies" of the Third Reich: Communists, Social Democrats. But it ...

Schwangau journal: [27] Fairy Castles and Kings in Bavaria

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 23:19:13 GMT

[27]

We’ve been "off the air" for a couple days because we had to internet access. After a few wild days at the Oktoberfest, we all boarded a train for the mountains south of Munich. We wanted to show the girls a little something of the surrounding country in Bavaria and maybe a castle or two. The train took us to Fussen, then we went up the road about 2 km to the tiny town of Schwangau where we stayed in a lovely guesthouse/restaurant. This is the Bavaria of green meadows and golden cows – and Crazy Ludwig.

Ludwig II of Bavaria became king at the age of 19 in 1864. He grew up in ...

Munich journal: [26] Munich - Wilkommen Zum Oktoberfest 2006!

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:32:11 GMT

This is the big event, the first thing Ralph wanted to do when he came to Europe – go to the Munich Oktoberfest. And here we are. To make things even more special, our granddaughters Jodi and Kylee, joined us here for the week. "Over the moon" doesn’t even come close.

The weather hasn’t been all the great but our spirits have not been dampened. REB and I arrived a day early and walked around the fest grounds to get our bearings and as soon as the girls got off the plane yesterday we headed over there. It really is a huge party. The people who seem to have the most fun are the ones in ...

Salzburg journal: [25] Salzburg - Mozart Has Left the Building

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 01:20:09 GMT

we did get to stop and let a parade of cows go by. A natural stop-off point between Linz and Munich. What makes this small city beautiful is the location. Settled along the Salzach River, Salzburg clings to, then climbs up a sheer rock cliff to the castle Festung Hohensalzburg. We were grateful for the funicular railroad that took us to the top of the cliff in 60 seconds rather than making the climb. The view of the city from there was amazing and the mountains that surround were lovely. Some of it reminded me of Tahoe, especially when we could see the ski runs cut into the trees.

We’re ...

Linz journal: [24] Life in Linz

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 01:53:54 GMT

Linz, Austria. That’s where we escaped to when we left Prague. We just couldn’t take the crowds any longer. It was impossible to move in that city without forcing your way through roving bands of tourists following someone with an umbrella or stick with a ribbon on it. The guides would hold these aloft like battle banners and the glaze-eyed throng would follow like ducks crossing the road. They neither saw nor cared what they mowed down as they moved along. It makes REB angry when people will part for him but plow into me as if I were invisible. And it isn’t just my size, either. I get run ...

Prague journal: [23] More Prague

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 02:10:17 GMT

[23]

More Prague

Before we leave Prague, we wanted to send you some more pictures. The images are swelling our brains, so maybe sending them out will help. Today we went back up the hill to Prague Castle and inside St Vitas Cathedral. You would think that after a time one cathedral is pretty much like another, but it’s amazing how really impressive each one is. They each retain an individuality, and each time we enter there is that moment of "Wow." St Vitas is beautiful and we were lucky enough to get a couple of pictures that show her off.

We also stopped at Our Lady ...

Prague journal: [22] Agog in Prague

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:30:21 GMT

[22]

You’ve heard about Prague. It’s beautiful, friendly and cheap. Two out of three ain’t bad. It is beautiful. You think of Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, Romanesque. But did you ever think of Art Nouveau? I must have missed that day at school because this city is practically a shrine to the swanky, ornate style of the late 19th and early 20th century. You’ll see from the pictures. Forgive me for the number of them, but each time we walked half a block, another building or doorway would come into view. It reminded me of trying to get a picture of the perfect vista in Alaska. It can’t be ...

Berlin journal: [21] Berlin

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:10:44 GMT

[21]

What do you do on your first day in Berlin? We took the city bus tour. We’ve never done that before, always "poo-pooing" the idea as too touristy. But Berlin isn’t like most cities. It didn’t start from a central core and spread out. Berlin is a conglomerate of several municipalities that were enticed into the larger metropolis over the centuries. The most recent being the Charlottenburg acquisition in 1920. This place is really spread out, with many "city centers." So, the bus tour. We picked the "Hop On-Hop Off" variety and hopped on for our two-hour tour. We sat on top, the ...

Cologne journal: [20] Cologne (Koln)

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:05:40 GMT

[20]

We’ve had a strange week. It started in Lubeck and ended up in Berlin which sounds simple enough, but the tale of what happened between the two towns makes our heads spin. You know we went to Osnabruck where I lost my wallet. The next day - Wednesday - we made it to Mechelen to Ralph and Ria’s. A safe haven. We were there to pick up the new Inogen but it wasn’t to be delivered until Thursday (between 9 and 5) so we waited until nearly 4:00 pm (that’s (16:00 on the world clock) for the package. It came, REB plugged it in, it worked, we called a taxi and grabbed our bags in a race to ...

Mechelen journal: [19] Quick Stop in Mechelen

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 06:33:19 GMT

[19]

Just a quick stop here in Mechelen to pick to OC machine (which has arrived and is in our hands at last!) and then we're on the road to Berlin. So some good news is always followed by bad news. Some of you may have heard that I lost my wallet in Osnabruck Wednesday. I was coming out of a book store and stuffing the change into my beautiful new wallet that I bought after my other one was stolen in October, when I saw REB coming out of a store across the passage way. We talked and went back to the hotel. This was Tuesday evening. The next morning as we hurriedly packed for an 8:00 am ...

Lubeck journal: [18] The Weekend in Luebeck

Sun, 27 Aug 2006 05:14:12 GMT

[18]

NOTE to Diane: (whom I love because you noticed I'd lost weight) There is a short rant in this entry, so close your office door before you begin to read.

The Weekend in Luebeck

We’ve come to this small city in northern Germany for a quiet weekend. So far, so good.

We had plenty of time; trains to Luebeck leave from Hamburg every hour. Our cab driver from the hotel cussed and jerked the cab through the street traffic, then pulled over when we heard an approaching siren coming up behind us. Great! Our driver jumped in behind the police car and we zoomed along leaving ...

Hamburg journal: Hamburg Again [17]

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 10:41:53 GMT

[17]

We’re back in Hamburg and you might ask why - anybody would. We’re here because we’re expecting a replacement oxygen concentrator for Ralph. This just happens to be where it is being shipped.

Big news today is not what’s happening here but 9,000 miles away in California. Welcome to the world Jayneth Lillian Coleman. Born to my niece Elizabeth and her husband Scott, Saturday, August 19. We are thrilled with the news, of course. If Jayna is anything like her three sisters, look out world! Jayneth has Cometh and it’s a great day!

Having a couple days to reflect, our time in ...

Copenhagen journal: Leaving Denmark [16]

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:06:45 GMT

[16]

Hey, we're back online! Few frantic days and then Voila! it all started to work again. We are heading back to Hamburg tomorrow because we have a new Inogen-One coming in there. (REB's breathing machine is making unmannerly noises) So you folks who've been to Hamburg, let us in on the best schnitzel because if Ralph doesn't get some pretty soon the trip may be over.

Some of the photos attached are from our trip to Roskilde about a half hour away by train. We went to see the Viking ships they've lifted from the bay but we really enjoyed our time walking around this small Danish ...

Copenhagen journal: Lots of photos but no juice [15]

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 05:56:15 GMT

[15]

Although our hotel (The Clarion) is far from the city center and it takes the #30 to go out for a sandwich, we've still had a good time here in Denmark. I also have a lot of photos but since I'm regulated to the hotel's lobby computer, I can't share them right now. Maybe one of you cyber-types out there can help me figure out what's wrong. At this hotel they give me a card with a User ID and a Password under a scrape-off portion (like a lotto ticket). All one has to do it click on Internet Explorer and the login screen from the Danish phone service TDC comes up. You log on with ...

Copenhagen journal: Royal Copenhagen [14]

Thu, 17 Aug 2006 10:40:03 GMT

[14]

Royal Copenhagen

We arrived in Copenhagen (Kobenhavn) yesterday afternoon and set out today to see what we could see. Each time you arrive in a new city (usually a new country, too) you have to figure out how it works. You need the local currency. The 25 EU (European Union) member states or countries have a common currency and that does make traveling a bit easier than it used to be. Denmark, however, is not a member and still uses the krone (DKK). So we had to change some money right away. We had to figure out to get into the city (the hotel I booked is in the warehouse ...

Copenhagen journal: Boverhuis Family Sojourn [13.5]

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 12:06:34 GMT

[13.5]

Again I’m supplementing the last issue because \it went out before I was finished. You may have noticed a -30- symbol at the end of my journal entries. That is the universal journalism notation for "the end" or "finished." If you get a travel journal without that symbol, you will know that it went out before I could finalize it or correct it for mistakes. I don’t even know if everyone on the list gets it because I have not designated the "send to all" button.

Having said that I want to welcome some new people to our travel adventures. Saturday, August 12, we all visited ...

Amsterdam journal: Boverhuis Family Sojourn [13]

Sun, 13 Aug 2006 07:56:39 GMT

[13]

The past two days (Friday and Saturday) have been spent fulfilling family tasks. Friday we rose early and took the train to Assen, northeast of Amsterdam. It’s the town Ralph’s father called home before slipping off to America in 1920. Through the help of a waiter in the De Passage restaurant in cental Assen, we located the Christian Reform Chuch that even had a Boverhuis on its building crew. Now, we wanted to find the gravesites of Reinder & Jacoba Boverhuis ~ Ralph’s grandparents and the girls’ great-grandparents. No idea where to look. We decided to find the cemetary closest to ...

Amsterdam journal: [12.5] More Amsterdam

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 13:16:16 GMT

[12.5]

I'm going to call this 12 1/2 because the previous entry went out before I was ready to let it go. (Sorry about any mistakes) As you can imagine, we have been very busy since the girls arrived. Tuesday we picked them up and went to the Van Gogh museum, then a late (for REB & me) meal, yesterday we slept in then went to Anne Frank Huis. After a late lunch REB and I went back to the hotel for a nap and the girls wandered on their own. They visited the Tulip Museum (yes) and some other places I'll let them tell you about. They were gone several hours and REB paced the room (not the ...

Amsterdam journal: Amsterdam [12]

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 10:31:07 GMT

[12]

Firstly, we want to thank everyone for the myriad of kind words and expressions of sympathy and love that we've received that past few days. This has been a most difficult time for us and your thoughtful emails have helped immeasurably. That we are in the Netherlands now is especially poignant. This is where Ma B came "home" so many times throughout her life; the country of her people.

Of particular joy to us was the arrival of Bonnie and Barbi this morning. They came more or less directly to us from the funeral and it felt so good to put our arms around them and hug hard.

Mechelen journal: Some sad news

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 10:14:09 GMT

We learned this morning that Ralph's mother, Louise Boverhuis, passed away Thursday afternoon in Albert Lea, Minnesota. Although she was 94, one can never be prepared for a loss such as this.

We've decided to stay the course here and look forward more than ever to seeing the girls next week. Our hearts are with the rest of the family in a little town called Hollandale in Minnesota. The funeral is scheduled for Monday. Please excuse our absence from these pages for a few days.

Ralph & Pat

Bruges journal: Many Faces of Belgium [11]

Fri, 04 Aug 2006 09:59:57 GMT

[Issue 11]

I haven't been online but we've been pretty busy all the same. And yes, Andrea, I do have pictures of Ria in this issue. I wouldn't dare publish without them.

The big news is that the heat broke -the worst heat wave in Europe for over 100 years - and we were here. Tell that to somebody that don't care. But with the break in the heat came rain and we've been traipsing around the countryside and along city streets in everything from sprinkles to downpours. Don't you love travel?

We spent a day in Brussels wandering the city and dodging Japanese tourists. When they ...

Mechelen journal: Catch Up Days - [10]

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 03:32:49 GMT

I decided to put numbers on these logs because some people came in the middle and are unsure as to the progress. I'm not going to go back and number the past issues, but will try to number from now on. This is the 10th [10] by my count.

Since we have the luxury of time for a few days in Mechelen, we're going to catch you up on a few events that happened while we were in Russia. REB is here telling me, "Tell them this, tell them that." So I have my work orders.

When we arrived in Moscow at 1:00 am, we were given a written itinerary with dates and times of our activities in Moscow. ...

Mechelen journal: Safe at "Home"

Sat, 29 Jul 2006 09:54:33 GMT

I kept telling REB that once we got to Belgium, we could get a good rest. That's exactly what we're doing. How wonderful it felt to see Ralph and Ria again. Even though it's been 25 years since I last saw them, it was like yesterday and my European "home away from home" in Mechelen is still a reality. For those of you who don't know (or haven't heard me talk about them for hours), Ralph and Ria Eeckman are a couple Andrea and I met the first time we came to Europe in 1973. We've been good friends since then. They visited me in the US and I came back here in 1980. These are some of the best ...

Saint Petersburg journal: 3St Petersburg and a little rest

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 01:17:19 GMT

Let me tell you a little of how we got to Russia. We left London on the EuroStar for and wonderful ride underneath the English Channel. The meal was the best we had all week. Arriving in the hot Brussels we went to our airport hotel because we had a 7:30 am flight in the morning and needed a good night's sleep. No a/c and we were on the sunny side of the hotel. Not much sleep. Oh well. it will be cooler in Moscow

Flying Austrian airlines through Vienna, the first leg went as expected and we deplaned for an expecxted 1-1/2 layover. But the pilot of the 2nd plane didn't like Ralph's ...

Moscow journal: March or Die

Sun, 23 Jul 2006 01:45:56 GMT

When you hire a guide in Russia, it is there duty to show you everything - I mean everything. If you falter they drag you. Just kidding but at times it did feel that we were taking orders from them. "Can we stop for a coffee, now?" I'd say. "Yes, of course." And then we'd be off to see the view of the Kremlin from the other side of the bridge, two more cathedrals and then we stopped for coffee.

It is beautiful and we've had lovely weather, a nice change from London's heat.

Our homestay is comfortable but a little odd as we never see the people. They make breakfast (another story ...

London journal: Leaving London

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 10:47:01 GMT

We're on the move again. I has been very hot here and not many places where you can find relief. We took the day off today. (After four days of hitting the tourist venues pretty hard in the heat, we needed the rest.) We have a travel day tomorrow (the Eurostar through the "chunnel") and a travel day Thursday when we fly to Moscow. The next two days are heavy sightseeing days for us but it looks like the weather will be in the mid 60s which we're looking forward to.

Bonnie asked if the pictures of the buildings we sent included our hotel (Not), so I'm going to try to upload that photo ...

London journal: Okay value

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 03:57:28 GMT

The Byron is an okay hotel for the price (I booked it through Bookings.com and got a better deal that the one posted at the desk. It has ac (until the weather gets really hot and then it has whisps of ac) The location off the Bayswater Road is not too bad for getting on the tube and getting around town. It does however, limit your choices of eating locally. Indian and Moroccan food are both very big here.

London journal: A Day on our Feet (and not much else)

Mon, 17 Jul 2006 11:06:08 GMT

I had some more technical difficulties yesterday so I didn't send the travelog. Yesterday we spent most of the day on our feet, Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard, walking in Hyde Park (only one guy at Speaker's Corner - it's pretty hot here, too)

Today we got up early and out to Westminster Abbey after a ride on the London Eye. Then after lunch we went to the National Gallery at Trafalger Square. I'm attaching pictures and the captions should be self-explanatory.

Sorry for the short message, it is warm and I just found out through email that my Uncle Joe passed ...

London journal: The London Sunburn and How To Get It

Sat, 15 Jul 2006 06:05:34 GMT

To a few of you this is our second email. (I told you we'd be back) We walked down the street and found this Morrocan internet cafe where I could use my own machine. Now we know what to look for.

Okay, here we go. We arrived the morning of the 13th (we're 7 hours ahead of central time) and had an epic journey from the airport. NOTE: Do Not Fly Into Gatwick. Even though it took us 1-1/2 hours to get to our hotel the room wasn't ready so we had to walk around. Finally, after a sleepless night on the plane the two zombies got a nap and then stumbled out for dinner. Day one. Day two: the ...

Appleton journal: Ready for Take Off!

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 14:26:24 GMT

We leave for Europe on the 12th and Ralph asked me to add your name to our email list. This first note is just to check if I've got your address correct and to let you know how to use the site.

If you'd like to "join" you can add comments to the bottom of this page. If you'd rather not and still want to communicate with us, just email us at our AOL sites:

padubo@aol.com, rbo555@aol.com

Next time you hear from us we'll be in London. Come along for the ride!

-30-

Europe journal: Houdiniville On the Road

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 14:15:00 GMT

We are getting very close to our departure date of July 12. Ralph wanted me to add your name to our email list and so I've done. This first note is a way to test the email address and let you know how to log on to our site.

Our current plans are to spend the first week in London, second week in Russia, then Benelux (Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands), a week in Amsterdam where our daughters will join us. After that we have no set plans aside from the Oktoberfest in Munich.

So come along for the ride and let us know what you think.

-30-

Boston journal: Ducks and O'Briens - Our last Day

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 18:28:57 GMT

Our last day and it was a busy one. We walked over to the Museum of Science to catch our "Duck" for a tour of Boston. The ducks are WWI amphibious vehicles put into service to give tours around town and on the Charles River. Rolling through the streets seeing historical sites, we were greeted by locals who waived and shouted. We responded with "Quack, quack!" After slipping in the water, Dallas and all the kids were asked to drive. A beautiful day on the Charles, what could be better?

After we disembarked, Dallas and I headed over to Constitution Warf and took a tour of the USS ...

Boston journal: Fantastic

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 17:54:11 GMT

This is a must for kids but great fun for everyone. A great tour of the town and a ride on the Charles River in a WWII amphibious vehicle. Sent my point count with my grandson off the meter!

Boston journal: Paul Revere at the beach?

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:46:18 GMT

Today we woke to a blue sky and decided to walk over to the North End (for you non-Boston types read: Italian town) and had "breakfast" at Mike's Pastry. Dallas wanted to take pictures of all the goods. We visited Paul Revere's house and followed the Freedom Trail to the Old North Church and over to Copps Hill Burying Ground with its 300 & 400 year-old gravestones.

After lunch at "a little Italian place on Hanover St" we came back to the hotel. My cousin Kathy called to say she would pick us up and head to the beach. What a treat for me. I haven't been to Hampton Beach in New ...

Boston journal: Fenway Park

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 20:24:38 GMT

It was a Fenway day. We took the tour this morning and got to sit in the press box and on the Green Monster among other places. Then after visiting the team store (of course) we headed back uptown. We left our hotel for the game around 5:45 and got to Yawkey Way in time to see the carnival atmosphere that is a Red Sox game. Our seats were great, the weather was fabulous (a little sprinkle that started in the 8th inning didn't bother us at all) and the Red Sox beat the Nationals 11 to 3. We even got to see one of the boys hit a home run over the wall. It was a great day. Tomorrow we're off to ...

Boston journal: We're Here!

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 05:44:16 GMT

We got in last night a couple hours late due to thunderstorms. Diane picked us up and took us directly to the hotel which is in a flatiron building so all the rooms have a funky shape. We are in the Government Center section which is a stone's throw from the North End on one side and Faneuil Hall on the other. The "T" is a block from the hotel. Many Adventures in Store!

Today the weather looks great (maybe a bit humid) but the sun is shining and the clouds are puffy white. Tonight's the big game and we want to visit Fenway Park this morning to get our bearings. As soon as I finish this ...