The Briar Patch

When does reality kick back in for you on holidays? Everyone loves before, or so I think. The last day of work, the drive to the airport, and sitting having a meal and a drink, but when does it wear off? I know a person who says the second you leave, it wears off, and you know you have to go back to work. I don't think like that; it almost feels like, why go if you're worried it's already almost time to get back at it? My wife is the planner; we are off to Spain in a year, and she is already looking into things. Which is great for me. I personally hate looking things up. I want to be shocked and amazed, but with years of traveling with her, I have learned there is a lot of value in having a plan. If you want to be guaranteed of doing things. If you want to wander or relax, you may not need a plan. With a trip like this, though, I want to do things; what's the point in traveling across the world to do nothing! I don't know when reality kicks in for her, but it was ar...

 Another chapter in an ongoing travel blog. Might want to read them before you dive in here. Already been through Paris, Rome, Venice, Florence and Verona. If not check out a day in Kalambaka and Holy Meteora                                                                 As you can see not my pic FYI Our morning was the same as every other one. Awake early, even though it was a late bed. Actually, I think they gave us an extra hour of sleep, but it didn't make a difference; we're still up early and down for breakfast. This was another large hotel, and it must have had a few tours staying, as we filled the breakfast area, another bus load or two were also down there filling plates. Breakfast was the same as always, meats, cheese, fruit, breads. Again, all good. I thought Athens might mix it up, ...

No food or drink is as tasty as airport food and drink on the departure side of the airport.... Unless it is departing towards home, it is slightly less tasty then. Ah, ready to go again! I guess this is kind of a travel blog, but not in the series I was doing. I am almost done with that one, and soon enough, I will have all new things to write about. Doing a very similar trip to the last. A weekish on a tour and then a weekish on our own. This might be the new norm for my life. Every two-ish years, do a big trip somewhere. Hoping I got at least 30 more years, so 15 more amazing places?? I have done more looking into things this time. Last trip, I knew I wanted to see Paris, Italy, and parts of Greece, so I didn't dig too much, just let it come. Spain and Portugal, which we are doing with a tour group I don't know much about. So yes, I did some googling, and it did get me excited. Spain looks pretty damn nice. We will see Barcelona, Madrid, Toledo, and Seville. Then some time i...

So the States are liberating Iran. The fact is, its not a bad thing. Not a lot of good ever comes from there. The regime of the last 40 some years is actually awful. Lets not kid ourselves about it though, the only reason this is happening is the Epstein files. Chump doesn't give a shit about freedom or helping these people. He wants the world to move on, what better way than trying to be a hero. Also that is going to lock a lot of votes in for his party. Him saying servicemen may die it happens in war is terrible. It does look like Lord Farquad in Shrek. Trumps have never served once, in fact they have dodged the draft. Don't see Barron running out to fight. Remember a couple years back when chump said Obama would create a war with Iran to improve his poll numbers... Ya good times. Or when he said he wouldn't create new wars.... Keep in mind this wasn't him being a good human. This has dragged on! I wrote that the first day the war started. Now its been dragging on and...

Another in a long series of travel blogs, you may want to read them first.... Or dive right in! The morning was the same as any, up early, shower, and go down for buffet breakfast. It is funny, I can picture the room for breakfast, but they all kind of roll into one. Same foods, mostly the same automated coffee machine, same seating, eating, and getting the hell out to the bus on time. Florence was the only one that seemed like a nice place for breakfast. When we got to Paris, I hated the Nescafé instant coffee in the rooms. By this time, I was having one with a single sugar in the rooms before breakfast. Either way we ate and left the Soviet prison looking hotel for the highway. We rolled into Verona late morning, pushing lunch. This was also a beautiful sunny day. I am not sure if the shopping district has a name, or if it was actually a shopping district or just downtown. Where we got off, there was an opening in the sidewalk that looked down. Under the current sidewalk, beneath a s...