Our last port was Dubrovnik, Croatia. Many of our friends told us how much they liked Croatia so I was pretty excited about this stop. The harbor was very neat, you actually had to pass by several small islands just to get to the main harbor. In between all of the islands there was a area of water just big enough for the ship to swing a 180 degree turn, and that is exactly what it did. On the horizon, however, storm clouds were brewing. We got off of the ship and caught a taxi just in time to avoid the rain. By the time we got to the old town portion of Dubrovnik the rain had started. It rained pretty steady, the wind blew and it was cold...we were rea
dy to go back to the ship, but we got out our umbrellas and kept walking. The old town is a walled city and you can purchase tickets to walk the old wall. Because of the weather we opted against it, but I am sure the views would be spectacular. The old town itself was not very large, basically a main street with several shops, a couple of churches and a few statues. We walked along looking at the shops, statues and churches, all the while fighting with our umbrellas against the stiff wind. We ducked into several shops and churches, not only to see what was inside but to dry off and warm up. As we were leaving the old town we passed a walkway that lead to a little inlet, where the sea was raging. We took some great pictures and then decided since we were there we should go down to the beach below and find some sand and shells to add to our collection. We sent McKay down first to do this task, then Sharma wanted to go and then Maddi and Hailey followed suit. I was the only one to stay up top taking pictures. All I can say about the water in that inlet was "the sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli" (Seinfeld quote). So in all honesty a
fter looking back on this port, I am not sure what I was missing to make people think this port was so great. I guess we will just have to come back, when it is sunny, and re-evaluate Dubrovnik. Until next time...
Info
Transportation to city: cruise ship (MSC Magnifica)
Transportation from port to old town: Taxi 10 Euro/person, one way
Sites: Walk on the walled portion of the city 70 HRK (Kune, need local currency)
morning and, as always, we gathered the troops and headed to the breakfast buffet. After getting our food we were able to find a seat next to a window that overlooked the water and off in the distance the Hagia Sophia loomed, painted against a dusky morning sky. We disembarked the ship with much anticipation. Through my reading I knew that I needed to change some of my money into Turkish Liras. There was a bank across the street from the port, just down from where we needed to catch the tram, very convenient. After getting my money we headed toward the tram area, a 100 meters away. Since I wasn't sure how to purchase the tickets, I waited and observed. When you are in a foreign country this is one of the best tools of the trade, waiting, watching and learning. So after observing a few people purchase I felt confident enough to try. No problem, money inserted, button pushed and token given. We caught the tram and headed on our way up the hill to the Hagia Sophia. At this point of the story, I need to explain that at some point in my schooling, I am sure during a history or social studies class, the name Hagia Sophia was talked about. I remember thinking to myself this important structure
seemed such a world away and realizing that I would never probably get there. Well, here I was, about to walk through it. I was very excited. We got off the tram and there it was the Hagia Sophia, just towering above the people walking around her. This was not to be outdone by the Blue Mosque, a huge mosque with minarets shooting toward the sky. We purchased tickets to get into the Hagia Sophia and walked through these towering doors and entered her sanctuary. The inside was this marvelous empty space surrounded by pillars, chandeliers and walls covered in frescoes. We spent quite a long time taking it all in. There were so many pictures to be taken, we just couldn't get it all. The edifice was old, that you knew for sure, but she had grandeur and you knew that in her day she was the place to be. After spending quite a bit of time on the first floor we hiked the stairs to the second floor and then had a great view from above, looking down on everybody else. The wa
lls were tatooed with frescoes of Christ and his mother and other depictions of Christ and Apostles. Although, the walls were in a state of disrepair and the frescoes were crumbling you could still make out the picture. Considering this building was built in 6 AD, that is not too shabby. At this point it was time to move on, so much to see in Istanbul in just one day. We walked over to the Blue Mosque next, and like any mosque the ladies had to cover their head and we had to remove our sh
oes. The outside and inside were gorgeous. The blue tiles covered the inside and outside. Inside, we needed to be reverent because there were still people worshipping, praying on their hands and knees. We probably spent 10 minutes in there and then were ushered out because the Mosque needed to close. We all needed to use the restroom so we found a watercloset (restroom) next to the Blue Mosque. Well McKay and I had no trouble going, but for the ladies it was a different story all together. Instead of toilets the girls just had a hole, nothing to sit on. So the next thing I know as McKay and I waited, they show up with toilet paper in hand and no bladder relief. They couldn't do it. So I basically paid 2 Euro for 3 pieces of toilet paper...I guess that will go in their scrapbooks. Next on the agenda was the Grand Bazaar. Again, one of those things you hear about growing up, but never really believe that you will ever make it. We wandered from the Hagia Sophia area, through little winding streets following the street signs directing us. When we reached the bazaar, it wasn't what we expected. The building was partially hidden by kiosks and vendors selling their wares. A little alley led to the entrance. What I didn't realize was that it wasn't a bunch of tents bound together, it was actually a building...never knew tha
t. The place was busy, but no so busy that you couldn't move or negotiate. We really didn't have any specific souvenirs that we needed, just whatever caught our eye. I decided I wanted an Aladdin's lamp. So I found one I liked and negotiated with the shop keeper. He reluctantly agreed but said he will sell it to me for 10 Euro but I had to go a few stores up and visit his cousin. His cousin's store had rugs, rugs, more rugs...oh and some rugs. We talked for several minutes and then as is customary he offered us some tea. We explained that we couldn't have the tea and the reason why. He said he knew all about our religion, in fact he had many friends in both Utah and Idaho and was very familiar with the LDS faith. He even pulled out his address book to show me the people he knew in Utah, almost like he was wondering if I knew them as well. He went on to explain that this tea was okay because it was an herbal cherry or apple tea which was safe for us to drink. And just for the record, it was the best cherry tea. Needless to say by this time he had made a sale. Sharma bought a table runner which was very nice. We continued to walk through the Bazaar and bought trinkets along the way. One guy saw Maddi and gave her a bracelet for free, just because. Sharma bought a handful of old buttons and I got a fez. The day before, when we were with Ali in Ephesus, he had prayer beads that we found very interesting. Prayer beads are divided into three sections with 7 beads in each section. So we were all able to find prayer beads to buy as souvenirs, which I thought really expressed our reverence for this country and it's religion. That is the thing about souvenirs, you buy (or find) the ones that have a special meaning to you, there should always be a connection. Our next, and last, stop was the spice market. It was back toward the ship so we started heading that way. We wound our way through the streets, passing a myriad of people. I must say at this point, the Turkish people were very friendly, never did I feel like I, or my family, were in harms way in this country. I think we were both a little concerned about Turkey due to our preconceived notions (based on nothing substantial), but those concerns were soon laid to rest. The spice market was a tornado of colors. Every stand had the rainbow on display, first time in my life I could smell the rainbow (no offense Skittles). The aroma of all the spices blended together so much, you couldn't tell which specific spice was tickling your nose. On our way out we decided we should buy something, so we entered a shop and talked with the shopkeeper and then we purchased some of his colorful bounty. We then finished up the day heading back to the ship. It was a long walk but what better way to see Istanbul. We had to cross a large bridge to get back to the ship. The bridge looked like it had sprouted a thousand antennae from all of the fishermen hanging their poles off of the bridge in hopes of landing 'the big one'. Once back on the ship, I just couldn't sit still knowing that we were still in Istanbul. I tried to lie in our cabin next to Sharma, who was asleep at this point, but I couldn't. I just needed to take more of Istanbul in. The ship was getting close to it's departure time and dusk was settling in, so I decided to go to the front of the ship on the highest deck possible and just watch and listen. I found myself gazing across the horizon at all of the buildings, especially the mosques with the minarets giving away their positions. And then the call to prayer happened...I just had this overwhelming feeling of respect for the Muslim religion. Realizing that they pray 5 times a day and the dedication they have to what they believe...do I have that same dedication? As the sun set, I overheard the couple talking next to me, they mentioned something about the LDS faith. I mustered my courage to ask them if they were LDS as well, they were and we talked for 30 minutes outside on the deck as Istanbul faded off in the horizon. What a great time we had here.
Transportation to city: cruise ship (MSC Magnifica)
Transportation in city: Tram-To Hagia Sophia 1.80 TL/person, token received; Walked from Hagia Sophia to Grand Bazaar to Spice Market and back to ship
Sites: Hagia Sophia 20 TL/person; Blue Mosque-free, head covering for women; Grand Bazaar, Spice Market
ldn't find any body that spoke English and that he would drive us. This was actually good for us because apparently he is one of the best english tour guides at the port but he doesn't do much guiding anymore.We got into his car and drove out of Izmir and into the Turkish countryside. His name was Ali and he was very nice and explained much about his country. He obviously was very proud of his country and wanted to show it off. We drove in the car for an hour and I was wide-eyed the whole way, just taking in as much as I 
could. Originally I had just wanted to make it to Ephesus, but then decided it would be nice to also go to the reputed house of Mary (the mother of Jesus). Supposedly she was taken to Ephesus by the Apostle John. On the way, Ali said we should pay the entrance fees with our credit card...I suddenly realized I didn't bring my credit card, it was sitting back on the safe on the ship. Thankfully, Ali offered to pay our entrance fees into Ephesus up front and we would pay him back. I figured out that by the time I paid him for the tours and for the entrance fees I wouldn't have much cash left 
to purchase souvenirs (the rest of the money was left in our cabin on the ship as well). Well it was the best I could do and so I took him up on his offer. We first went to Mary's house because it was furthest away and it was small, so if we got trapped behind tourist buses we would be there for a long time. It was definitely a tourist destination now, complete with kiosks selling souvenirs and a cafe. We walked up to this humble house and got in line. The house consisted of two rooms of modest dimensions. No personality, no decorations, no flair but I could imagine her living there. Now, whether she actually lived there or not, I don't know, but she could have, and that was good enough for me. The most interesting site was the wall of letters that people leave for Mary. People leave letters for Mary to answer or leave their troubles for her to work out. It was literally a wall of paper, many of which have been seasoned by the elements. I wondered how often this wall gets pared back. Next to the wall were a few fountains with water, supposedly with special healing power. Since I felt good, I opted against imbibing. We loaded up the car and the next stop was Ephesus. Tickets were purchased and we bought a nice book that showed the way it used to look and compared to how it looked today. Hailey commandeered the book and explained to us about each place, she did a nice job as a tour guide. We walked through the ruins with an eye of amazement. Feeling the surreal nature of this place and trying to come to grips with the history that had taken place here. We walked the main street past all of the old facades, down to the library. This edifice looks like it will topple over at any minute, a tall thin structure tacked up against another building. We then w
alked down to the open air stadium. A large half-circle structure with a platform at the front. At the exit of Ephesus there were a lot souvenir shops. We bought a few items to remind us of our time there and then hopped back into the taxi. During the car ride I asked several questions to Ali about his faith, as he was Muslim. He offered to take us to a Mosque before we went back to the ship. We excitedly agreed, what better way to get a feel for somebody's religion than have them take you on a personal guided tour. We got off at an exit that wound us through Izmir city. It was very crowded with traffic and I started to become a little nervous because we only had a little over an hour before we needed to be back on the ship. The city of Izmir has dozens of Mosques (maybe hundreds), easily identifiable by the minarets that shoot into the sky. We pulled up to a light blue m
osque on the top of a hill that overlooked the harbor, off in the distance we could see our ship docked in the harbor. Ali spent several minutes talking about his faith, the importance of the mosque. He explained the importance of taking off your shoes before entering, covering the heads of the girls with scarves. He took time to tie each scarf on each of my girls...and they looked great. We really felt a great deal of reverence and respect for this religion. Although I am not a believer in the Muslim faith, I couldn't help but feel a great deal of respect for Ali and his religion. We walked
into the Mosque and it was covered wall to wall in tiles, all beautiful colors. We took pictures and marveled at the beauty. He allowed us to take several pictures, which we appreciated. Our time came to a quick end at the mosque and it was time to ride back to the ship, trying to take in all that Izmir had to offer. Reluctantly, it was time to leave this wonderful day behind.
Info
Transportation to city: cruise ship (MSC Magnifica)
Transportation to Ephesus: taxi 20 Euro/person, roundtrip.
Sites: Ephesus 20 Turkish Lira/person; Mary's house - 12.50 Turkish Lira/person
ings to do but it did have a nice old walled city. We walked from the port to the walled area, which followed the coast and we had some beautiful picture opportunities. Many of the old Italian men sat next to each other and conversed, probably talking about the 'good ole days' before all of these tourists showed up. There were many people fishing, probably for their evening meal. When we got into the walled area we found ourselves in a maze of narrow streets with a couple of really nice churches. The church interiors are always interesting to see, although they really don't vary much. After walking through the churches we decid
ed to walk to a fort. As we made our way we started to hear this violin music playing. As we walked it got louder and louder until we rounded a corner and came face to face with this gentleman, dressed rather smartly, playing a violin. We stopped, listened, took a photo and paid him for his talent. He was happy, we were happy...win, win. We made it to the fort and decided to pay the two euro to take a self guided tour. Again it was nice, but not really much to it. We will see just about anything that comes our way, you never know when a fantastic photo opportunity will arise. In all honesty there wasn't anything that really set this port aside from other ports, but it was a very nice and peaceful city. Our next stop was Katakolon, Greece, more specifically Olympia, Greece. We got off of the ship and headed straight to the local rental car company. We were able to rent a car for 35 Euro, with the agreement that we would put 5 Euro in 
gas tank. Avis, eat your heart out. We were lucky enough to follow one of the workers at the rental car agency as he was taking another couple to the Olympic site. We arrived early and beat many of the tour buses to the site. We parked near the Olympic museum and walked over to the the Olympic site. There were crowds of people all around from the cruise ship. Evenly spaced throughout the complex, they had workers with whistles and if anybody was standing on a part of the ruins they would blow the whistles and call out to get off. We didn't have any sort of guidebook for the Olympia but each area was labeled with what they thought it was. We tried to stay away from the crowds of people, which was a very difficult task at times. It was amazing to walk past the temple of Zeus and have these columns that have collapsed, leaving these fragmented discs lying one ag
ainst the other. It was hard to picture what they structures would have looked like during their prime, but it was fun imagining. The highlight was making our way into the stadium area walking under the arched entrance. You almost felt like you were there to compete. I expected my name and country to be called out as I passed underneath this arch. Since nobody stepped up to compete against me, my kids decided to humble me. We lined up and Sharma told us to go. Even before I had taken ten steps I knew I had lost, and you know what? That is exactly the way I wanted it. 
o fix it and we needed to make a decision. We threw caution to the wind and decided to risk it. I got off at noon, packed the van and off we drove. We actually made good time, so good infact that I got flashed (automated speed traps) for going 10kph over the speed-limit, but I digress. We drove toward Munich and then turned in a southerly direction toward the Austrian border. As I drove I kept thinking to myself "these Alps should be around here somewhere, they can't hide that easily". Off on the horizon I could make out this jagged outline just above the horizon. It kept getting bigger and a little clearer until this massive sawtoothed beast on the horizon appeared. They looked like somebody had just hacked away at them until they took this very rugged appearance. I just had this surreal feeling to think that I soon would be driving my way through the Alps, hoping all would go well. We turned off of the Autobahn and drove through these Bavarian villages and slowly, ever so slowly we started to climb. We crossed the Austrian border without hardly even knowing it. We meandered our way through the Alps on these tiny two lane highways, through tunnels two miles long. As the sun set beyond the outline of the Alps you could see the whiteness of the snow against the mountainside and it gave off the otherworldly glow. The night was clear as a bell and the moon glowed brightly, lighting up the sky. We slowly made our way up the mountains and then down the
mountains, one after the other. To show my ignorance, I had no idea that we were also going to be traversing the Dolomites as well. We soon started to climb higher and higher and the snow line kept coming closer and closer until we were surrounded by snow...and then mother nature did the unthinkable, it started to snow. The snow started to fall ever so lightly, then a little more until a nice steady snow started to fall and stick to the road. Since we had no heater we started to fog up very quickly in the car and therefore couldn't see out of the windows very well. We had to wipe the windows and roll them down at times in order for my windshield to stay clear. Then we reached the apex and started to descend and the snow turned into rain and the windows cleared. We drove what seemed like 5 hours through mountains, past large lakes, overhanging cliffs and little Italian villages. I am sure during the day this has gorgeous and breathtaking scenery, but today this winding road was just a nuisance. We finally pulled
out of the mountains, with no staus to speak of. We drove to our first night's lodging, Aviano AFB. The next morning we drove to the Venice pier, where we were to catch our ship. We caught a vaporetto (water taxi) from the Maritima port to St Marks square in Venice. It was a nice little jaunt over to the disembarkation area, passing canals leading into the center of Venice, buildings that were surrounded by water, bridges that provided the only means of getting to a destination. We pulled into St Marks square and were immediately hit with the sights and sounds of bustling tourist activities. We worked our way to piazza San Marco through the throngs of people. We noticed that they had risers that were strategically placed through the square, leading from one end to the other. Then I noticed that many people were wearing rain boots, but it wasn't raining today. After a moment it all made sense, it had rained hard and the piazza was flooded so your only option to get past the piazza into Venice was walking across the risers or wading through in rain boots and since we didn't get the memo to bring rain boots we crossed on the risers. It was slow going, much like a two
lane highway when you were behind a large truck, but we eventually made it. The streets of venice were a maze, not like a pencil and paper maze, more like a mouse and cheese maze...where would we find our cheese? We decided to immediately to get some gelato, I mean we are in Italy right? So even though it was cool outside we indulged ourselves, I got mango...I always get mango. For the record it was good. We knew we wanted to get to the Rialto bridge and take a look at the Grand Canal and luckily there were signs posted on corners of buildings directing you in the general direction of the Rialto bridge. Along the way you had to cross very tiny bridges as you went from island to island. Gondolas sat, waiting patiently to be used in every canal large to hold them. The Gondoliers all were too happy to chat up the experience of taking a Gondola ride...sorry not today, not enough time. The Rialto bridge was not just any old bridge, it had personality, hordes of people and a plethora of souvenir shops. There were enough mask shops to outfit everybody in Venice. Finding the one you like is akin to finding the proverbial needle in the haystack, just too many to choose from. Sharma settled on several that lived up to her standards and they were purchased. I found a little shop that sold handmade calligraphy pens and handmade bound leather notebooks...I thought this was very 'Jon Mitchell' of me (personal reference to a friend of ours who has very unique collections and souve
nirs from his travels). In addition to these items we bought other obligatory souvenirs and took many pictures, trying to document the uniqueness of this famous city. We realized our time was fast coming to an end and we needed to head back to the port to catch our awaiting ship. We walked back through St Mark's square and realized that all of the water that was there four hours earlier had receded and there was not one sign of standing water. We caught our water taxi and watched as St Mark's disappeared in the distance. It is hard to leave really neat places, like Venice, because you never know when or if you will get back. So, hopefully, until next time, Adieu.
Info
Transportation to city: Drove to Venice from Kaiserslautern; Vaporetto to Venice- 12 Euro/person, roundtrip
Parking: at cruise terminal
to walk to know her. We hit a souvenir store and bought all sorts of small trinkets and souvenirs, now we didn't feel so pressured to buy something right before we left to go home. We walked around the outside, walking past the flying buttresses, arched doorways and the gargoyles keeping watch of the tourists. As a side note, I took french in junior high and high school, one of the things my teachers did was bring France to life. We had culture days and they would talk about all things Paris. So when I was at Notre Dame, I felt like I had been there before. We walked through this magnificent structure and marveled at the architecture, but you know there was a feeling of emptiness. I say that as I compare it to the churches and temples that I know from my faith. But still this place meant something to me. Then we walked away from Notre Dame down a few streets, up a few streets, to the left, to the right, and that in a nutshell is the beauty of Paris, just being on the streets. To drive through Paris, you miss the charm, the smells, the excitement...it would be a very sterile trip indeed to take a bus or drive through the city. We found our way to the Louvre, I could feel her beckoning to me, but we didn't have time on this day...but just wait patiently, I'll be back to grace your entrance shortly. As we walked in the courtyard of the Louvre, it opens up to a nice garden with ponds and trees and benches. In one of the ponds there was this elderly gentleman who had a fleet of handmade sailboats that he was renting by the 1/2 hour to kids. The kids would take a stick from the man and push and maneuver the boat around this large pond and there was enough of a breeze to actually make it look like these boats were on the high seas. I rented one for McKay and then sat back and relax
ed, watched and enjoyed as my son took me back to my childhood of floating leaves and styrofoam down homemade rivers. The next thing I knew Maddi had a boat to, I guess the guy thought her cute enough to give a boat to her as well. But she didn't have any money to give him, I guess he thought he could lose two Euro on my little girl. The pond was alive with people, kids running around the pond chasing their regattas with their sticks, willing the boats wherever they wanted. When it was time to go, I gave money to McKay and told him to pay for the extra boat. The old man said "save your money and go spend it elsewhere"...what a cool memory this is going to be. We made our way down the Champs-Elysees. Now I will be honest, I know this is a very famous street in Paris, but this was the lowlight...shopping. I don't want shopping, especially with the likes of a Nike store and other familiar stores that detracted from the aura of Paris. However, the street did lead to the Arc de Triomphe. By this time we were beat, tired and our feet just plain hurt. We sat at the Arc for a while and watched the cars buzz past us, as this was the epicenter of 12 intersections. After sitting here for a while we decided it was time to see the Eiffel Tower. As we got to the tower dusk was setting in and we were getting hungry. We decided to find a little grocery store and purchase bread, cheese and drinks and just sit at the base of the tower and watch the
lights come on. So that is exactly what we did. It was spectacular, the lights came on and it glittered against the night sky, like a giant Christmas tree. Maddi had achieved her Mecca, she was in heaven...and me? Well I felt like the best dad in the world, because the one thing Maddi wanted to do so badly, happened. The best feeling is knowing you brought joy to your child. Day two. We decided we would go straight back to the Eiffel tower and go to the top. Just as a means of a backdrop to our visit, there was a huge police/military presence at all of the tourist destinations because of terrorist threats. So we were sized up several times by men carrying large automatic weapons...I guess we didn't look like too much of a threat with three kids in tow. We reached the tower again and the lines were long, so apparently nobody was afraid of the terrorists this day. We rode the elevator to the top and took in the sights of Paris. Gale force winds blew that day, but no matter, we didn't care if our hair was messed up...after all, we were at the Eiffel tower. The view was spectacular and we stayed there for quite some time picking out all of the sites we knew. We rode the elevator down to the first stop and walked the rest of the way down. Thank goodness we didn't listen to Sharma who also wanted to walk up to the first level. We strolled along the Seine until we found the statue of liberty. Yes, the other statue of liberty...and it made me appreciate America just a little more. Since today was the first Sunday of the month the Louvre was free...and since I had promised it that I was coming back, that is where we went to next. We arrived to find lines and lines of people waiting to get inside and realizing that we only had a couple of hours until it closed, panic set in. I spotted t
wo security guards and in my most pleasant tone asked if this was the only line to get in. No, came the reply. Apparently there is a side entrance that we could also go in, next thing we knew we were walking directly into the Louvre without being in any line. My first stop was to see my lady. You see, Mona Lisa and I have had a pending date for quite some time, except I kept standing her up because I just couldn't quite make it to Paris. Well, today that date was going to be kept. We walked into this large and spacious room and in the middle, at the edge of the throng of people, there she was. The picture was small, but powerful. I stood in awe for 10 minutes and after getting enough we moved on. We also saw 'winged victory' and many other wonderful classics. Day three was our wildcard day. We only had one thing planned and then just whatever. We took the metro to Sacre Coeur, a beautiful white church set up on a hill overlooking the rest of Paris. This was the only time that it rained all weekend long, and it only rained while we were in the church. We walked around it, took pictures, enjoyed the view of Paris, trying to come to grips that this was our last day. We then went to the Moulin Rouge area. I almost hate to bring this up, as a good parent would have never taken their children to this part of town knowingly. And the worst part about it was that our kids were starving, so not only did we find ourselves in a seedy part of town but we had to find a place to eat and spend more time here than we wanted. Moving quickly on, we
decided to head to Ile Saint Louis, a natural island in the Seine River, next to Notre Dame. We had heard they had wonderful Salted Carmel ice cream and decided that we had to try it. We found a little cafe that had some and all got a scoop, it was wonderful and unique at the same time. We then just decided to spend the rest of our time wandering in no particular direction just wherever the next whim would take us. The next thing we knew we needed to get back to the hotel, pick up our luggage and catch our train. We enjoyed a nice quiet ride back to Germany...going 200 mph...Au revoir, Paris!
Info
Mode of transportation to city: ICE train from Kaiserslautern (234 Euro for five roundtrip tickets)
Hotel: Hotel Richmond (near Gare du Nord)
City transportation: Metro, purchased paris visit card for 3 days.
Sites: Louvre-free on first sunday of month; Eiffel tower-11.50 Euro/adult
told). It, now, is used primarily by Ryan Air. We were lucky enough to travel with a family we met through our church. This was a blessing as they have spent three years in Europe and have flown on Ryan Air many times, they were able to train us. That is the beauty of traveling with seasoned tourists, they know what you need to know. Now as they wind up their time and we become trained, we can pass along the information and soon we will be the experts...the circle of life...no wait that is a movie. We arrived in London very early on a Saturday. My wife reserved a car in London, now just to let you know I was very nervous about driving in England in general. When we got to the counter I learned that not only am I driving a car in England but I am driving a manual. I quickly described my hesitancy to the lady behind the counter and felt like saying "if you want your car in one piece, I should drive an automatic". For a few dollars more she obliged, and just for safe measure took out as much insurance as I possibly could on the car. We received a very nice 5 passenger Audi stationwagon. Not only was the pressure on to perform but mother nature decided to get into the act, it was raining. After taking a practice turn around the parking lot we ventured out. I specifically told Sharma that I am not going to drive into London, we will just catch a Metro stop outside of the city. The next thing I know I am driving through street lights, large buildings, restaurants looking for this elusive parking structure, all the time realizing that I 
am now in London. The first day was cold and rainy. But what are you going to expect for London. We bought Metro passes and headed for Buckingham Palace. We walked through a nice park where they had an art exhibit set up which consisted of several lawn chairs set up two by two. We decided what a great picture, much like many other people walking past. Whether or not it was allowed was a different story altogether. The park ended at Buckingham Palace. Throngs of people were lined up all over. We could hear in the distance the faint sound of music. It was getting closer. The pomp and circumstance was easy to feel in the air. We could hear the clomping of the horse's hooves coming toward us. The buzz in the crowd grew electric and then we could see the procession. It was the changing of the guards. It was quite a sight to see. After the hoopla died down we decided to keep walking. We walked over to Westminister Abbey and then down the road toward Big Ben (which quite frankly isn't as big as I thought it was going to be). On the way there we passed one of the infamous red phonebooths and decided that this would make a great family picture. We stuffed ourselves in and smiled. We found our way to Picadilly circus and Trafalgar square. We ate lunch at the Cafe in the Crypt, which is actually a crypt that they have put a cafe in. Apart from the ambience of eating lunch i
ginal Alice in Wonderland, Guttenberg bible, original writings of William Shakespeare, original pieces of Jane Austen, original songs by Beethoven, the wedding procession etc. I just thoroughly enjoyed the visit there. It was getting close to the time for us to see Wicked so we decided to pick up McDonalds and catch the subway to the theater. Unfortunately, we couldn't take the Tube all the way to the theater because of a mechanical issue. We took it as far as we could and then needed to run to the theater...literally run. We were very short on time and had no idea where the th
eater was exactly. only generalities. By this time it was pitch black and we were running at break neck speed...and that is exactly what almost happened. We ran across a street in a panic, and it being dark out, couldn't see the metal pole between the sidewalk and the street. Young little Maddi ran headlong into the pole which caught her throat high. In the instant it happened I could care less if we made it to the show, just as long as she was okay. I just knew we were on our way to the hospital. After a moment she shook it off and we were off and running again. We ran into the doors of the theater, sweaty, out of breath, just as they said "two minutes until the show starts". We sat in the balcony and had very decent seats...and we loved the show. The next day we decided to drive to Stonehenge and Bath. Stonehenge is this surreal place where you can't quite say for sure what happened and for what purpose. As we were driving we came upon Stonehenge so quickly we didn't even see it appear. You are just driving along and there it is, which is strange because the land gently rolls and these very large monolithic slabs stick out of the ground. We took the tour and marveled at the ingenuity and determination these people had. It is funny, however, that I thought the slabs were going to be much larger, I don't know why, I guess tv makes everything look la
rger. We then drove to Bath which is a Jane Austen favorite in her books and Sharma wanted to go desperately. It was a nice drive out and Sharma got to pay her respects to Jane Austen's geography. We walked around the little town and you could just see Sharma light up being there. Ah, those are the moments that as a husbnd you know you've done something good. When you see your wife happy like that, you almost believe that you can make up for all the wrong you have done in life...almost. We then drove back to our place and enjoyed a very quite evening before leaving very early the next morning to catch our return flight to Germany...that still sounds strange...Germany.
Info
Mode of transportation to city: Ryan Air (10 Euro/person, roundtrip)
Lodging: Royal Air Force Croughton (base, associated with USAF)
Transportation in England: Rental (Alamo) Car 89 GBP for three days; Tube (family pass)
Sites: Tower of London-47 GBP/family; Stonehenge- 20.30 GBP/family; Wicked tickets- 40 GBP/adult (discounted tickets), British Museum, British Library-free