Big worldwide trip "bon voyage!)

[generdawg]

Hi Guys and Guyettes

Thanks so much for the concern. Here is what I told G&D:

"We are so jet lagged it isn't funny - it's 02:20 and I'm wide awake. I was beginning to think I was soft, but friends at worship tonight who have travelled Europe just before us said, "it took us a couple of weeks" to recover!

Also, wanted to get some photos up and running before I posted. But the task is enormous and I can't focus, have no energy and soon lose heart.

We really punished ourselves, especially the last week. We had a heavy day of self touring in Cyprus, then we had a 10 hour tour at Ashdod the next, followed up with a 9.5 hour tour in Haifa. Three big days in a row, plus a tour in Rhodes and our second self tour in Athens to clean up the left overs before departing.

Flight from there to Dubai was 3.5 hours with a two or three hour layover, then a 13.5 hour flight back. Talk about mans inhumanity to man - I don't wish to go that route again soon."

Maybe after this week I can get a few photos up - but please don't hold your breath.

dead dawg

[generdawg]

Forgot I had some photos ready to go, so picking up Europe where I left off after the Dublin/London diversion:

A Caruna Spain October 1:

A very old church.

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An ancient Roman light house. We took the hop on hop off to get there. Funny thing; went out to eat at our local Spanish restaurant after returning from our trip and was chatting with the young owner. "Oh yeah, my wife (the cook) is from A Caruna, - so did you visit the tower?" Turns out he was born here, but is Croatian and has travelled Spain and Europe extensively. So we were talking about places we've both been too, like Dubrovnik and Split plus Cadiz etc. Small world eh?

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View from the light house with a few Roman ruins near the barbque at cliff edge in left of shot - just few stones really.

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[generdawg]

Leixoes (Porto) Portugal Oct 2:

European history is everywhere.

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Indecision and hesitation on the hop on hop off bus meant I caused us to miss the "port" part of this port. Really wanted to get some too - port that is.
The little port boats (see the port barrels) viewed from the bus - don't ask me, as I said, we didn't stop to get any.

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Proof Europeans don't have Hills Hoist.

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[generdawg]

Lisbon Portugal Oct 3:

View from the ship

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Beautiful four lane tree lined boulevarde.

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Traffic shares narrow cobblestone streets with trams and cars parked in unbelievable places.

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[generdawg]

Lisbon Portugal Oct 3:

Now that's narrow.

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Massive open square with history.

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A very old fort guarding the city and surrounded by water during high tide. This may have been surrounded all the time in the early days, or not at all because we learned that some places we visited were once sea ports, but the sea was now 12km away!

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[generdawg]

Lisbon Portugal Oct 4:

On the second day we used our two day hop on hop off bus ticket to use the tram to the top of a hill overlooking the city, which was a strategic position for the King Jorge fort. We stumbled onto the fort while looking for Chapito's restaurant. With some difficulty, we found the restaurant which did not open until 12.

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The tram was electrified in 1955. Before that animals were used for power negotiating the narrow winding lane ways and climbing the substantial inclines, but the city has some beautiful wide tree lined streets as shown earlier.

A fort at the entrance to the habour is very old and under restoration pictured in previous post. I think they wanted us to help with that work with a 5 euro entry fee. We chose not to see the inside.

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We've found that when it comes to vehicles and especially motors scooters, Australia is small beer. Even the cops use bicycles, scooters and Segways.

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[generdawg]

Lisbon Portugal Oct 4:

The same company that built the Golden Gate in San Francisco is said to have built this bridge.

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I don't know who built the Brazilian look a like statue.

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Sea view of that same fort, this time surrounded by water at high tide - and goodbye Portugal.

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Some have remarked on the weather - well except for Marseille France (freezing) Oct 11 and Pisa Italy (rain) Oct 14, the weather was absolutely magic for the whole trip from Dublin to Athens.

[generdawg]

Cadiz (Seville) Spain Oct 5

I felt the same for Cadiz as A Caruna - loved it. History everywhere.

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We stumbled upon a wedding while negotiating the twisting narrow little lanes complete with authentic Spanish musicians. Much to the joy of the crowd, the bride entertained with traditional dance to the tune of the music.

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Quite often on these self guided (misguided?) tours of ours, we would come upon something quite unexpected, like this huge church at the back of this square. We found another one with the date 1647 engraved in marble that we photographed too.

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[generdawg]

Cadiz (Seville) Spain Oct 5:

One of the attractions of Europe is the history going back centuries, something Oz only has a couple of. Then there was the remains of an ancient Roman structure probably dating back a couple of thousand years.

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Several places we've seen had open air markets. Not sure if they are year round, but I kind of doubt it, especially considering the produce.

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Seems everybody and his dog has a dog in little towns lacking the elements that canines truly enjoy – green open space to explore and exercise in. We saw more than a few cooped up in small flats with just a small balcony to vent their curiosity.

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[generdawg]

Cadiz (Seville) Spain Oct 5

Note the date

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Then there is the contrast between aged and proven

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and new and pristine.

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And here we leave Cadiz.