tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55545660381181528312024-02-19T04:08:20.464-08:00Jack n Karen's Travel BlogA scrapbook of our travelJacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-50544476182500466902019-09-15T15:43:00.001-07:002019-09-15T15:43:20.939-07:00Completing the Great River Road<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Two states left-Mississippi and Louisiana before we reach the Gulf of Mexico. But these two states are challenging to navigate as the River Roads no longer parallel close to the river nor frequently use the green Pilot's Wheel to help find the road.<br />
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Crossing back into Mississippi from Arkansas started the miles and miles of cotton fields and the cradle of nearly every American musical style from gospel, blues, and jazz to country and rock n'roll. We passed many a birthplace or gravesite of famous Southern blues singers including Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith and W.C. Handy. We attempted to find live music but most "juke joints" had very late hours.<br />
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We did make one stop at a cute little museum-the boyhood home of Muppet-master Jim Henson. The good-natured curator was a wealth of information about the collection that honored Henson, Kermit the Frog and his other creations.<br />
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Vicksburg, MS was certainly worth a two-day stop to explore the many Civil War battlefields and try to get a better understanding how Vicksburg stubbornly opposed the Union thus becoming one of the longest siege in U.S military history-47 days before surrender.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the battlefield was wide-open space and the Union built trenches and tunnels to reach the Confederate armies</td></tr>
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One of our information books said "because the surrender occurred on July 4, 1863 until the end of World War II Independence Day in Vicksburg was celebrated only by African Americans".<br />
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Along the roadway were over 1,300 monuments, statues and markers, many of which were placed by surviving veterans in the immediate years following the battles. Red markers designated the Confederate defense lines and blue signs indicated the advancing Union assaults. This really presented a good picture in our mind of the overwhelming battlefield and the thousands of lives lost.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9qAPxuXlHu_hK_OllWZMrz2Yl2io8cbS-ahr9pojdamiBTM4csmrYtBiK0GRWkDhf7W6h0HSAY53Z66RmzMEagDNKnwy2QpyNwQCopXAj7GQwxSOpt7hTxoNReO-89XQ1JGIiC0ycPY/s1600/IMG_4019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9qAPxuXlHu_hK_OllWZMrz2Yl2io8cbS-ahr9pojdamiBTM4csmrYtBiK0GRWkDhf7W6h0HSAY53Z66RmzMEagDNKnwy2QpyNwQCopXAj7GQwxSOpt7hTxoNReO-89XQ1JGIiC0ycPY/s400/IMG_4019.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of advancing and retreating over the many days</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nearly 20,000 casualties combined</td></tr>
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Vicksburg was not all compelling history and we enjoyed the River Casino boats, creole gumbo, and the best Mint Julep ever made!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Roosevelt Owens who created his own "famous" award winning Mint Julep and has tended his bar in the Monmouth for over 30 years. He was named an honourary "Kentucky Colonel" by the KY governor for his Mint Julep which is the official drink of the Kentucky Derby (lots of debate where this libation originated)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the drink must be served with fresh mint in an ice-packed silver cup</td></tr>
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Natchez, just above the border with Louisiana, is the beginning of the beautiful antebellum plantations and homes. Before the Civil War, Natchez had the most millionaires in the U.S. being owed to the slave-picked cotton plantations across the river in Louisiana lowlands. Oddly the plantation owners who were dependent on generations of slaves, opposed secession and sided with the Union. Why? They realized that the Union and old Whig traditions offered the best route for protecting their economic interests. We had very mixed emotions about visiting a Plantation home and were fortunate to find one that is part of the National Park Service.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melrose Mansion of John McMurran, a northerner who rose to a position of wealth and power in antebellum Natchez now a part of the National Park Service. The NPS acquired this property and a ranger-led tour of the home tells a more "real" story of antebellum life. The family had about 15 slaves here but hundreds worked their cotton plantation </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> this is a "Revolving Game Table"-the stem of the card table would fit on the round cushion and the chairs could swivel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp8A_-G2zGtcKZ1_I_vcDNvJAdYgWV5zk5rl4p3OaQDWeTWS62uPMRX0hDxkMDIlE4Tow7V0Pxsd0a-THzA9W32CFmhl7zKYO5cFx4ub1OLIghR4CBhwtqg-W0rG2lela21G6I6gRlcM/s1600/IMG_4124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp8A_-G2zGtcKZ1_I_vcDNvJAdYgWV5zk5rl4p3OaQDWeTWS62uPMRX0hDxkMDIlE4Tow7V0Pxsd0a-THzA9W32CFmhl7zKYO5cFx4ub1OLIghR4CBhwtqg-W0rG2lela21G6I6gRlcM/s400/IMG_4124.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">large mahogany fan that hangs from the ceiling that a young slave boy, called a punkhawallah, would stand in the corner during mealtime and gently pull on the rope that would create a slight breeze yet not put out the candles. </td></tr>
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We finally made our way into Louisiana....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we "followed" this paddlewheel riverboat for several days. This is a 21-night cruise from St. Paul, MN to New Orleans</td></tr>
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...avoiding New Orleans as we've spent considerable time there before, choosing instead to stay at St. Bernard State Park on the Mississippi River. It was still unbearably hot and humid so we focused on "windshield sightseeing".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UbKtUwt4ZqOjPpm44g8HAwEe9bsFmefxGnX7AAuAkOYusqVXvn5JOurn_sgQPu447R0kJeLIYHw8mYNQFJwZvxExaXasdsz6_kv7PX12A9AFU-nfcVC8Mys9To7PPn-xFbry1egMlv0/s1600/IMG_4261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UbKtUwt4ZqOjPpm44g8HAwEe9bsFmefxGnX7AAuAkOYusqVXvn5JOurn_sgQPu447R0kJeLIYHw8mYNQFJwZvxExaXasdsz6_kv7PX12A9AFU-nfcVC8Mys9To7PPn-xFbry1egMlv0/s400/IMG_4261.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the campground was an oasis among neighborshood ghosts of Katina devastation</td></tr>
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Our final destination on the Great River Road was Port Sulphur, a town of about 1,700 people dependent on refineries, coal, docking sites and producing above-average schools. Post-Katrina, the homes and businesses are mostly built on stilts<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2d-WV1IkZ9e0bQBJ3FXQyCh8t6H2Dm_tQmGYnJegzSsrWaK1z3tVawCw-e6WVDrchA5o7bOX2xL5vxCh9-kgsJcTVlHSDSI1j4HZAdcsQGcWN9QibAUY7J4qEc30v3HM8DvagMT9J3T8/s1600/IMG_4159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2d-WV1IkZ9e0bQBJ3FXQyCh8t6H2Dm_tQmGYnJegzSsrWaK1z3tVawCw-e6WVDrchA5o7bOX2xL5vxCh9-kgsJcTVlHSDSI1j4HZAdcsQGcWN9QibAUY7J4qEc30v3HM8DvagMT9J3T8/s400/IMG_4159.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rebuilt homes were on very high stilts while most houses that were on the ground remained empty and abandoned </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">big homes and even single wide trailers were on stilts</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">factories, the hospital and even the fire station were all elevated</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we took a small car ferry back and forth across the Mississippi River to finish up on both east and west sides</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up in Minnesota at the beginning</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the bottom in Louisiana</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">giant freighters and tankers line up waiting their turn into New Orleans. We counted 6 here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLHKIMZ5vBZyyv-BsSTKXx9rBkp2KxboYyElR6CNx-tz7w27eNjknPkpftlDA9p0XKywFj4wnQOqv6Mm0oNcxG03TZA97wrdTtM4EULLcx-svsekwg2kocEJVJ78vcDjGsRGfi3i_tWQ/s1600/IMG_4212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLHKIMZ5vBZyyv-BsSTKXx9rBkp2KxboYyElR6CNx-tz7w27eNjknPkpftlDA9p0XKywFj4wnQOqv6Mm0oNcxG03TZA97wrdTtM4EULLcx-svsekwg2kocEJVJ78vcDjGsRGfi3i_tWQ/s400/IMG_4212.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">look what was coming around the bend - it was huge!</td></tr>
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Our three weeks along the Great River Road was long, hot and at times difficult to navigate but full of interesting and new learning. The contrasts from forests to swamps, shanties to mansions, main street USA to empty ruins of towns, canoes to riverboats to giant freighters was mixed with some of the best food, culture and music around. Clearly our U.S. history has been greatly influenced by the mighty Mississippi.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq98klApUaXPU7GKqj7ryOx4ueOXpdXKVqDQeMnqYqM7ERpmj0TKN1sWyd7MekOAovJh3DaBPObu-Su_BfM5cRUS7PYboFnOKXBsqmLIDLVuZv0e2ByxmB3k4yVURtxU7W0bBETiVU80/s1600/IMG_4187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheq98klApUaXPU7GKqj7ryOx4ueOXpdXKVqDQeMnqYqM7ERpmj0TKN1sWyd7MekOAovJh3DaBPObu-Su_BfM5cRUS7PYboFnOKXBsqmLIDLVuZv0e2ByxmB3k4yVURtxU7W0bBETiVU80/s640/IMG_4187.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-70854041419398315982019-09-08T20:57:00.000-07:002019-09-08T20:57:26.083-07:00Canoeing on the Arkansas Buffalo River<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Arkansas-We decided to take a side trip into the Ozarks of northwest Arkansas an area of wilderness, mountains, caves, rivers and hot springs. Our goal was the small, Ozark town of Leslie where Jack's father grew up and three generations of Cottons lived. We took off from Memphis and the Great River Route across the "blue roads" of farmland and fruitstands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg3ghu8QvL3bqC-Tz9HlggRabZ9RPKEgaajGnLByOGwUizAoE7pxGOklEQ7YFUNYPf3x_KGRv0pQlVAmf3aTKGPcLzkAwFoOgEMl7aN_ae0VA1E4gOjCdn3Lp4A-KYoRVXJYWfuCmdG8/s1600/IMG_3778.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1345" data-original-width="1600" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg3ghu8QvL3bqC-Tz9HlggRabZ9RPKEgaajGnLByOGwUizAoE7pxGOklEQ7YFUNYPf3x_KGRv0pQlVAmf3aTKGPcLzkAwFoOgEMl7aN_ae0VA1E4gOjCdn3Lp4A-KYoRVXJYWfuCmdG8/s400/IMG_3778.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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We found a campsite at Greer Ferry Lake, a reservoir that was created in the early 1960's. Quirky campers strung long ropes of colored globe/bulb lights around their campsites or hung 5-gallon buckets illuminated with electric lights. It looked like a carnival midway!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7Z5JoWRuh4YaahPk_iIU6a0NeCklROJ7zV_yqM0SB642ONMWRoord8e7nCognKBWGH-a0ZjroeFGosLIYoP3Hd2iJ7mw1thEsE5YiGI78Bh4lQPHJq-4ZD9FNmt5GvmMFYN3ZuWVO_4/s1600/IMG_3859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7Z5JoWRuh4YaahPk_iIU6a0NeCklROJ7zV_yqM0SB642ONMWRoord8e7nCognKBWGH-a0ZjroeFGosLIYoP3Hd2iJ7mw1thEsE5YiGI78Bh4lQPHJq-4ZD9FNmt5GvmMFYN3ZuWVO_4/s400/IMG_3859.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Greer Ferry Lake campground</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi0iVlsrjtcQ67UiBpTEi_B6LAXBn5VlB8dIV_6dZIICMsiaq2R5GSzTPcqrFM6Y9A40PRmIXAlizUL_KHazsK4NAu9l3sPRadnlVKA1bFJCn75x0GhjcvpWZV0QhGnjvv85J6aIvtuo/s1600/IMG_3860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpi0iVlsrjtcQ67UiBpTEi_B6LAXBn5VlB8dIV_6dZIICMsiaq2R5GSzTPcqrFM6Y9A40PRmIXAlizUL_KHazsK4NAu9l3sPRadnlVKA1bFJCn75x0GhjcvpWZV0QhGnjvv85J6aIvtuo/s400/IMG_3860.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Party Camping!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjodBHXc2DDyiW07pxUFLMIPa_uoCVD_nzfHtAfKEfC_ZpwNbXnDOYis0lSwNyXDAYDKWn_SigT8pV3IfrussVvILN-G_p3I3-Ns8T-mRCisS0JXJ3w6g-9vhRRqtSHkz5ISxE8Vvcuw/s1600/IMG_3794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjodBHXc2DDyiW07pxUFLMIPa_uoCVD_nzfHtAfKEfC_ZpwNbXnDOYis0lSwNyXDAYDKWn_SigT8pV3IfrussVvILN-G_p3I3-Ns8T-mRCisS0JXJ3w6g-9vhRRqtSHkz5ISxE8Vvcuw/s400/IMG_3794.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Our "neighbors" used this large construction fan outside- it was very hot & humid</td></tr>
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Reading tourist brochures that described Leslie as a "quaint Ozark Mountain town - a treasure all its own" and "a restored town with old buildings that harkens back to a bygone era of Americana" we were expecting a cute, rustic town. Well, our raised expectations were, needless to say, crushed. There were few businesses left and while there were homes on the National Register of Historic Places, most were run-down or vacant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTeoC19nMG_10EbXird2DTXgSOagkHlg2T_VKtupNjPLh310ItYIm2Nr2Bh2-p_Fc3tx6AEop6lghnoRQ1B92Bzn6fOvalxII7ldgZClJPxshGzwlN7zEOKS5JasNNwRXhXoUjLxkniM/s1600/IMG_3742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTeoC19nMG_10EbXird2DTXgSOagkHlg2T_VKtupNjPLh310ItYIm2Nr2Bh2-p_Fc3tx6AEop6lghnoRQ1B92Bzn6fOvalxII7ldgZClJPxshGzwlN7zEOKS5JasNNwRXhXoUjLxkniM/s400/IMG_3742.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pretty little corner park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RNjFe0N0eLoAKVJuIcJ3sbTMz6ZKvX2CRuvjh1CgflKWpkflH6rk6XrLkWP5uoXZIrEPskBZwpySUSW9kjCLNuKUFs7ryZAvUjFt_ZuyJjX1sLAdCDJ98Sl8_hnuqLAmOP2TLzs94oE/s1600/IMG_3744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RNjFe0N0eLoAKVJuIcJ3sbTMz6ZKvX2CRuvjh1CgflKWpkflH6rk6XrLkWP5uoXZIrEPskBZwpySUSW9kjCLNuKUFs7ryZAvUjFt_ZuyJjX1sLAdCDJ98Sl8_hnuqLAmOP2TLzs94oE/s400/IMG_3744.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">more boarded up buildings than open</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxaHlIEYvLda9UpNLiDe08n7sm_UiOjlC-yvP3yjKBYA5i41ImZf3nO-QiicSb8sqmBCWCGx7fPm7rfgUYGMpBmJ4Flg3YlvvdRQ1jJaqBB6MIoJgEckpGCt5vlatGQY4V_p0ZHFQr9k/s1600/IMG_3745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxaHlIEYvLda9UpNLiDe08n7sm_UiOjlC-yvP3yjKBYA5i41ImZf3nO-QiicSb8sqmBCWCGx7fPm7rfgUYGMpBmJ4Flg3YlvvdRQ1jJaqBB6MIoJgEckpGCt5vlatGQY4V_p0ZHFQr9k/s400/IMG_3745.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the few "antique"-"junkque" shops</td></tr>
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There are clearly some dedicated residents and community members who maintain the Ozark Heritage Arts Center (great building built in the 1930's and the only stage in the entire county) and several fine restaurants. We went to a gospel music performance at the Arts Center and enjoyed a fantastic lunch at the SkyLark Cafe.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS96-YX97UOoNVP4pJVi5dRZciIqTikdDq1d_R6zftU5uxJe7IPECTtpFW5JfbgT1-vtPz0CzPSrru_BaTSPDAMQ8LOGQdvMpfTARUhrEwgSbuHbbT7PPCGCP-sNQcALzaFv7Vu2wieIU/s1600/IMG_3765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS96-YX97UOoNVP4pJVi5dRZciIqTikdDq1d_R6zftU5uxJe7IPECTtpFW5JfbgT1-vtPz0CzPSrru_BaTSPDAMQ8LOGQdvMpfTARUhrEwgSbuHbbT7PPCGCP-sNQcALzaFv7Vu2wieIU/s400/IMG_3765.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the menu there is a description of the house being built by Dr. J.O. Cotton-Jack's great-uncle</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkky1A_kTdTSnjjos3bEHWiXyKaUo2E4LxpL-2z5ZX9sW2-Ccg2EzM6HZ7J4MIGPRPuc8eAKbMdZvPzM9W6LEPQxZQ54ykBJkiRIZ_H-K3GqvoCtB0qwAgY-miOQmfh1lUwvho8Wvbrxk/s1600/IMG_3779.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="1125" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkky1A_kTdTSnjjos3bEHWiXyKaUo2E4LxpL-2z5ZX9sW2-Ccg2EzM6HZ7J4MIGPRPuc8eAKbMdZvPzM9W6LEPQxZQ54ykBJkiRIZ_H-K3GqvoCtB0qwAgY-miOQmfh1lUwvho8Wvbrxk/s400/IMG_3779.PNG" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCzR5Vjw3bvlK81ePr2IallpC6EckjC0N6OkNJyAi7OC5mt9g7fyBwn7BKVka2bTzO3oXHVo3HB9JX8vf7iGbJM9CO8UGjWXRVWnfeU04I22jjk3RC9Oh-I6QrRjl7Z3REpi4NI480pI/s1600/IMG_3754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCzR5Vjw3bvlK81ePr2IallpC6EckjC0N6OkNJyAi7OC5mt9g7fyBwn7BKVka2bTzO3oXHVo3HB9JX8vf7iGbJM9CO8UGjWXRVWnfeU04I22jjk3RC9Oh-I6QrRjl7Z3REpi4NI480pI/s400/IMG_3754.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we were told by several people about the strawberry pie- and it was superb</td></tr>
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The sourdough bread and cookies from Serenity Farm Bread bakery, a wood-fired brick oven was delicious!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7-BV3qb_JUTBS0U5EnoxfmG05Zea4EVR2EfoyqkoJzf6lTTc5_OWWJgoAXrqSUqHILoWDjc6a8WLyoNnwO-cM8gW0ctn0fZ1OYtODDRxQlb-AP6qnzGX3QPAEVZj485-IdKalcMu8T4/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7-BV3qb_JUTBS0U5EnoxfmG05Zea4EVR2EfoyqkoJzf6lTTc5_OWWJgoAXrqSUqHILoWDjc6a8WLyoNnwO-cM8gW0ctn0fZ1OYtODDRxQlb-AP6qnzGX3QPAEVZj485-IdKalcMu8T4/s400/IMG_3738.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This business has been there for nearly 15 years making artisan breads</td></tr>
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In the early 20's Leslie had two banks, two drug stores, a bakery, three barber shops, two backsmith shops, several eating places and a roller mill to crush corn and wheat into flour, meal or chops. Farming was the chief occupation and the people were almost self-supporting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo-yjmUiYFmw5feN-ZQRx7hK9qu8sV9jOItfDGirM26mLAnrO3xmzEApQSMrez1Ht_LCEkaUIM8PrvsZu9R0ze_TNbUWM-D75JF4BbwIiDCUHBl8QLg5lR3Hz_8kRdjc5BkNnS-xX0NY/s1600/IMG_3746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRo-yjmUiYFmw5feN-ZQRx7hK9qu8sV9jOItfDGirM26mLAnrO3xmzEApQSMrez1Ht_LCEkaUIM8PrvsZu9R0ze_TNbUWM-D75JF4BbwIiDCUHBl8QLg5lR3Hz_8kRdjc5BkNnS-xX0NY/s400/IMG_3746.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found some historical information about Dr. J.O. Cotton but no other Cottons-Jack's dad was one of 10 boys and most all left Leslie and joined the Navy</td></tr>
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Early in 1900's, Leslie was noted as producing 4,500 oak whiskey barrels a day, being the largest barrel producer in the world (or at least west of the Mississippi River). The Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad built a stone depot in Leslie and the boom era was strong. But these years were short-lived when the railroad relocated, fires destroyed the lumber company, decreased demand for barrels during prohibition and the Great Depression all contributed to a huge decline in population. Jack's father left Leslie in 1928 at age 15 to join the Navy. He must have seen the dismal future for his town.<br />
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The Buffalo River was the first National River to be designated in the United States. The stream is 152 miles long and managed by the National Park Service. We rented canoes at the Gilbert General Store, in the tiny berg of 28 people, one of the smallest municipalities in the nation.<br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-5797902352518074242019-09-02T21:57:00.000-07:002019-09-02T22:04:15.887-07:00Two More States-KY and TN<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch along the Mississippi River</td></tr>
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Just before cossing the border from Illinois into Kentucky we drove through the town of Cairo-(pronounced CARE-o). This was the most strange town as it is an eerie "ghost town in the making". <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cairo-illinois">Cairo</a>, once a booming transportation crossroads of railroads and steamboat at the confluence of the Mississippi River and the Ohio River, is almost abandoned. Block after block of crumbling buildings, boarded up windows or tumbling down residentail and commerical streets are evidence of a town that was heavily effected by economic downturns and racial tensions. We were looking for diesel but we couldn't find a gas station or any other open business. Very uncomfortable and no pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX91q5SZn_RP5HMgZm_EdXXlz6viZJjTVtjr4jL9ztf-VxllMdR6b6HhLklP1anNOonOp52b0JeKnMQKJQ4sDq9n1s1Qu9UkteYlrYYpL0xk5gJrX9ucxvYQH7el8YLKfRgs47Zf0g0og/s1600/IMG_3558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1264" data-original-width="622" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX91q5SZn_RP5HMgZm_EdXXlz6viZJjTVtjr4jL9ztf-VxllMdR6b6HhLklP1anNOonOp52b0JeKnMQKJQ4sDq9n1s1Qu9UkteYlrYYpL0xk5gJrX9ucxvYQH7el8YLKfRgs47Zf0g0og/s400/IMG_3558.JPG" width="196" /></a><br />
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The River Road goes briefly through Tennessee and even less through Kentucky. We camped at the Columbus-Belmont State Park again right on the Mississippi River and seeped in Civil War history. Kentucky is one of the states that bordered both the Union and the Confederacy and both sides knew this area was a strategic stronghold. The Confederates oddly used a huge chain across the Mississippi to bar war ships from traveling on the River.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in Columbus-Belmont State Park-we had popular fried bologna sandwich at the snack bar</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCyAA-AcSdfbwhSTgTUFJC6URFfCpVsxYa6Ml28VqNc4AFMCcGfIrYVC1YPQUAa3j4FVJZBaNGODPaxoD8i194oF4t3_jlrAV_iJoy-4KwBRnPyKG0UZi-qOmzpnKjYvFrHv8EqUPK4I/s1600/IMG_3573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1249" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCyAA-AcSdfbwhSTgTUFJC6URFfCpVsxYa6Ml28VqNc4AFMCcGfIrYVC1YPQUAa3j4FVJZBaNGODPaxoD8i194oF4t3_jlrAV_iJoy-4KwBRnPyKG0UZi-qOmzpnKjYvFrHv8EqUPK4I/s400/IMG_3573.JPG" width="311" /></a></div>
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We added a little more sightseeing in Kentucky and spent a day in Paducah, 40 miles from Columbus at the confluence of the Tennessee and the Ohio rivers. Here the Union and Ulysses S. Grant occupied the city in 1861.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF370Rwjif3y3m4GSYthFVpa0_fmzZJweWrr9ljNMR5evxroPgIMcDe2JR3rCslkSBHGSVx9Jqt63MDdZv2M4UBOK3wIBC3oSI3AV9ieAanDyDAhm6tr8H6txUgrch8MTmhCV23EKgsc/s1600/IMG_3580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrF370Rwjif3y3m4GSYthFVpa0_fmzZJweWrr9ljNMR5evxroPgIMcDe2JR3rCslkSBHGSVx9Jqt63MDdZv2M4UBOK3wIBC3oSI3AV9ieAanDyDAhm6tr8H6txUgrch8MTmhCV23EKgsc/s400/IMG_3580.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long cement floodwalls are built the length of the city</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYaV_AETMvAvGPQJFxkd5IDbFuKsxjsib4eIGeUlbEhOCPA6qr-SwXGnL8O84QJFBY0V9RJ5BM0jUjmbsX4mkbWCH6Zq_5Nwd0lZm7Zgfg4QWnf_rhaXqOw1M3MAuC5Sd9LPBF6PKWqg/s1600/IMG_3584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYaV_AETMvAvGPQJFxkd5IDbFuKsxjsib4eIGeUlbEhOCPA6qr-SwXGnL8O84QJFBY0V9RJ5BM0jUjmbsX4mkbWCH6Zq_5Nwd0lZm7Zgfg4QWnf_rhaXqOw1M3MAuC5Sd9LPBF6PKWqg/s400/IMG_3584.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">many cities paint beautiful murals on the floodwalls. This shows the commerce along the Ohio River</td></tr>
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We had a great visit to the <a href="http://www.quiltmusem.org/">National Quilt Museum</a> an art museum that exhibits fiber art and quilting from around the world. It's one of the world's top quilt displays.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBUcG3bwJBdMeuCS0a8NjpexQ0H8Mk3cWEL53RHkr2HjSJbBd3yZtAIyutB3JJZOOLea6XHsr3KR0_SwO7XsvYRh4fa9wKJcmF8rDQGurib6_IBbUpOTtSsSUi0U3DvVqbtpY1QQbYbQ/s1600/IMG_3586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBUcG3bwJBdMeuCS0a8NjpexQ0H8Mk3cWEL53RHkr2HjSJbBd3yZtAIyutB3JJZOOLea6XHsr3KR0_SwO7XsvYRh4fa9wKJcmF8rDQGurib6_IBbUpOTtSsSUi0U3DvVqbtpY1QQbYbQ/s400/IMG_3586.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paducah is a UNESCO Creative City - in addition to the 27,000 sq ft Quilt Museum the city is noted for musicians, film, pottery even the ingredients used in the 1873 Kirchhoff's bakery (yes, of course we had pastries there!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqCShQXC1viT80TeZdbKmITkZKbiakvM1i1DDzO_moG5MrA6sBS3lMl0B4c-yU9VZE9z8CGfAwz1nZX37RNaXGsrNS2jk1crF9xPUz2gwWbGPdKsaweV9wdG4bLBnhpWOYKgGYFmPvhA/s1600/IMG_3596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiqCShQXC1viT80TeZdbKmITkZKbiakvM1i1DDzO_moG5MrA6sBS3lMl0B4c-yU9VZE9z8CGfAwz1nZX37RNaXGsrNS2jk1crF9xPUz2gwWbGPdKsaweV9wdG4bLBnhpWOYKgGYFmPvhA/s400/IMG_3596.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
"Sedona Rose" by Sharon Schaber, Payson AZ---A fabulous "Best of Show" winning quilt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PnwTyU2ykjvOgEps4SwCTYHbVUXb7WZDfzY0es3mL7sZyM2P-_v0WaoUUvw5qPGePx_0gTeKF46ecc7LtEilcT7_KqSANTNntcniGJZ37UyF-KyxW1fiWBqSy_s5acoS-dlcrcCvX34/s400/IMG_3595.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the backside of the quilt is embossed with 130,000 Swarovski crystals. This quilt apparently sold for $10,000</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PnwTyU2ykjvOgEps4SwCTYHbVUXb7WZDfzY0es3mL7sZyM2P-_v0WaoUUvw5qPGePx_0gTeKF46ecc7LtEilcT7_KqSANTNntcniGJZ37UyF-KyxW1fiWBqSy_s5acoS-dlcrcCvX34/s1600/IMG_3595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyir1wvLDDWcfo3T7eWODzWofNat7jK0Iu_XLcKcJmvILqqr4PPEdXprOJGD_UXKYOMTe5ADvUGsDzBbzMx9iYZTog2BssXb5lScEVfF36xYbFqn3Rpv75L1xfRDv0fNDitQNL6tlQ_g0/s1600/IMG_3600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyir1wvLDDWcfo3T7eWODzWofNat7jK0Iu_XLcKcJmvILqqr4PPEdXprOJGD_UXKYOMTe5ADvUGsDzBbzMx9iYZTog2BssXb5lScEVfF36xYbFqn3Rpv75L1xfRDv0fNDitQNL6tlQ_g0/s400/IMG_3600.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three galleries-permanent exhibit and two unique & diverse traveling exhibits</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIhnq18vWWWxQDTJ8aLhmqo3-tZKr7OkutHH32U_y1LVim9roE6BhAZLIsZ-XzjDdLiU01wMAk7OpjqXZOwXZsonfTIiZkWU8cbM-KxqLQ0mN4DQVMoHc2BOjzF5GSqwSMmzf5GcME1M/s1600/IMG_3602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIhnq18vWWWxQDTJ8aLhmqo3-tZKr7OkutHH32U_y1LVim9roE6BhAZLIsZ-XzjDdLiU01wMAk7OpjqXZOwXZsonfTIiZkWU8cbM-KxqLQ0mN4DQVMoHc2BOjzF5GSqwSMmzf5GcME1M/s400/IMG_3602.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danny Amazonas creates free-form fiber art using an unorthodox technique that is like painting with colorful fabric. He uses just a rotary cutter, overlapping layers of fused fabric and exposing the raw edges.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljWlRcsN0iBiVZ2aAsBXmnalA4kSjXiw2owZBnpHL6cBbXejk4tYQrxsA7uD21g6XYqzh1raP8ml2XFn2CqfyCpGquJDzuah-vMkZVbclzDOS2G6QmFAgaC9nMaoBIXqpgpYHhLGsba0/s1600/IMG_3604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiljWlRcsN0iBiVZ2aAsBXmnalA4kSjXiw2owZBnpHL6cBbXejk4tYQrxsA7uD21g6XYqzh1raP8ml2XFn2CqfyCpGquJDzuah-vMkZVbclzDOS2G6QmFAgaC9nMaoBIXqpgpYHhLGsba0/s400/IMG_3604.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">this is a very close-up just of the eye of one of the fish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvJ-TUjEN2PucbpIorD8ygilzHpwH43GSTb0LdFExRbm9b0uncsgqHpFOmD5QUMZgHCu_-eDn9_fUF1mm4tRAbVxIqlh9rVm0d3xTrYK7f6a8Uvx_0wb2kZJVU4MfYIMdqd8TTkS69vw/s400/IMG_3610.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More of Danny Amazonas' freehand patchwork fiber art</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKWVdS8zcRYKsBZqLWBrx-8yo0mwwd-6AGNFewvO1ONfT9AdWPYwSZzn9lgeXI23hdIUcuvaIHO0_ChJ21dWfxkMig1zh76St2vbJoQsjQJ1AjCRaHECwma1gr4hEJxY7rKusGhxLsLw/s1600/IMG_3614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdKWVdS8zcRYKsBZqLWBrx-8yo0mwwd-6AGNFewvO1ONfT9AdWPYwSZzn9lgeXI23hdIUcuvaIHO0_ChJ21dWfxkMig1zh76St2vbJoQsjQJ1AjCRaHECwma1gr4hEJxY7rKusGhxLsLw/s400/IMG_3614.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful fabric quilt?? Nope it is carved from several large pieces of basswood or American Linden tree, glued together to form a large block. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQNjy2gngkmp5yeRCXVUSVzvL6uk5xcFhrMTBOCHIAaq1bity9o6JQ7ufksZQu5-ga7pbqA1MfIGAjmRUlmw6X-zet8lhBC6UZwI6y5bJqd2Yup4rR83D28_0dQ_lKxFZQSuRtCqxCZQ/s400/IMG_3615.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="387" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a piece of the basswood, a fairly soft wood with straight grain that makes it easy to carve.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoUIBUmal59bFji6Qj3_OzBKciOLOZe856LOpEjc764jsJfEulDMzkZ07_8x95Kg_WRFs71KJuLbI4xt14zcth12ozwPj1AJ1p-ZePq11ugtc7BncfZ3I1vDCrCBtcVbpX_PU2SrkFCk/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1135" data-original-width="1600" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghoUIBUmal59bFji6Qj3_OzBKciOLOZe856LOpEjc764jsJfEulDMzkZ07_8x95Kg_WRFs71KJuLbI4xt14zcth12ozwPj1AJ1p-ZePq11ugtc7BncfZ3I1vDCrCBtcVbpX_PU2SrkFCk/s400/IMG_3617.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We always try to find a local favorite spot for lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YNJu8OLz_pvpZdxVtf7K13vPUFQ4vnTnqKnKUQozeaIIlXnKrIGpJ1FQCDt6SvHf_VLF6BtBgzeJutsZb_PiJksxO5vrQpWHNOjZrrOtLgBas3Dw7pAdmma8MJzMUL1ukm4TU3Fn_pQ/s1600/IMG_3619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_YNJu8OLz_pvpZdxVtf7K13vPUFQ4vnTnqKnKUQozeaIIlXnKrIGpJ1FQCDt6SvHf_VLF6BtBgzeJutsZb_PiJksxO5vrQpWHNOjZrrOtLgBas3Dw7pAdmma8MJzMUL1ukm4TU3Fn_pQ/s400/IMG_3619.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ ribs, BBQ pulled pork (traditionally without sauce), beans, potato salad and white bread!</td></tr>
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A quick drive through Kentucky we crossed over into Tennesse and made the drive to Memphis. We started with breakfast at the Arcade Restaurant, Memphis' oldest cafe and on the National Register of Historic Places.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen's birthday! sweet-potato pancakes, grits & eggs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elvis "the King"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another King - B.B. King</td></tr>
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The National Civil Rights Museum covers five centuries of history-from the beginning of the resistance during slavery, through the Civil War and Reconstruction, the rise of Jim Crow, and the seminal events of the late 20th century. The museum is attached to the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King in spent his last few hours in room 306. The room has a glass wall to see in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toured the wonderfully moving <a href="http://civilrightsmuseum.org/">National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Hotel</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course Memphis isn't complete without at least a drive-by of Graceland (we really weren't up to the $60.00 ticket to tour the house, see his clothes and airplanes....)</td></tr>
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It's so easy to cross the Mississippi River on the big bridges that connect states and cities. We camped at the Tom Sawyer Campground in West Memphis-it's in Arkansas and drove back and forth to Memphis, Tennessee.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are trying all the local food, but need to be selective with southern food - it's a lot of fried foods!!</td></tr>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-32493462687162199862019-08-30T20:14:00.001-07:002019-08-30T20:28:48.120-07:00The River Gets Wide<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Traveling on down the Mississippi River we entered Wisconsin where the river road moved more inland. The scenery changed from the forests to large farms miles and miles of corn. It was interesting to see how the scenery could change just moving off of the river a few miles.<br />
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The River begins to widen now and there is more river traffic with towboats pulling or pushing up to 15 barges at a time. The main cargo is grain but they also transport iron, coal petroleum, fetilizer and sugar. A single barge can hold 1500 tons of freight, the same as 15 train cars or 58 semi-truck trailers! Some of the towboats even look like old padde-wheel boats which somehow look just right on the River.<br />
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We enjoyed our campsites that are right on the Mississippi-some city-owned others part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) the federal agency that operates the locks and dams on the river. They often manage nice small campgrounds near the dams. The mosquitos and bugs and irritating and Karen had her first experience being bitten by chiggers on the bottom of her foot!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">about 12 chigger bites-unbelievably itchy and painful!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small <a href="http://www.stockholmwisconsin.com/">village of Stockholm</a> (pop.66) owns this campground on Lake Pepin<br />
The Stockholm Pie & General Store has received national accolades for their pies and we had our share!</td></tr>
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We stopped in Nelson (pop. 374) at the Nelson Cheese Factory where they made cheese for over 100 years. The factory is now closed but they have a nice store with cheese, wine & ice cream. We tried two kinds of Cheese Curds--yummy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRlJ6goG6HzW9DsGgFDREmnts0_EfdHEAfskygeXKQjCyPhBB1rPfbBznkL477ygNGtmpH3zcQkDcfz1wioqTyFrRRcGbJkME7TkvZPWwZAfj4AgMc52UD6geHF17_PdnoNdplcNr1E0/s1600/IMG_3395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgRlJ6goG6HzW9DsGgFDREmnts0_EfdHEAfskygeXKQjCyPhBB1rPfbBznkL477ygNGtmpH3zcQkDcfz1wioqTyFrRRcGbJkME7TkvZPWwZAfj4AgMc52UD6geHF17_PdnoNdplcNr1E0/s400/IMG_3395.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the factory is closed but they still sell delicious cheeses</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-e6v1bcBQe0pGKyJFcCbDOt0ToDsd2mUzy2Y82ZZXxEkIl-jgOgZTZqKkTwqEufdohGZul7f6eQVKMzLbFvSP5P5UvJy28XIBF6ZC1JeCIAs2glY8CcAnKLlKYnydWnS3fiw_6yEBx0/s1600/IMG_3396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-e6v1bcBQe0pGKyJFcCbDOt0ToDsd2mUzy2Y82ZZXxEkIl-jgOgZTZqKkTwqEufdohGZul7f6eQVKMzLbFvSP5P5UvJy28XIBF6ZC1JeCIAs2glY8CcAnKLlKYnydWnS3fiw_6yEBx0/s400/IMG_3396.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguELt6uktuZMNeuZFl5u-rf73L-E0oIlQH0fFQ6dxAKJgVzElnBFLsj-BDsTxsxS_tNuyKwfAgosj-aqjryhw_JO6MXk92HRnPaQUu9S5XKm3l97sYkbErIzqw_EsbAUhC-2JYvS3-b0Y/s1600/IMG_3397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguELt6uktuZMNeuZFl5u-rf73L-E0oIlQH0fFQ6dxAKJgVzElnBFLsj-BDsTxsxS_tNuyKwfAgosj-aqjryhw_JO6MXk92HRnPaQUu9S5XKm3l97sYkbErIzqw_EsbAUhC-2JYvS3-b0Y/s400/IMG_3397.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic flavored cheese curds</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6e4Ke-feUAii2zZP45Rfej9C3e2KMfcz6p2dC9cCefhFYCt21kt4z6FOPZAkhYANlWHKa-TO4zV8_lSvAQDUwQxbX154cJUVtGSQt_j3TC_QG-sIlwed4gFzFtJ7yrac9B2ayZwGrPc/s1600/IMG_3405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6e4Ke-feUAii2zZP45Rfej9C3e2KMfcz6p2dC9cCefhFYCt21kt4z6FOPZAkhYANlWHKa-TO4zV8_lSvAQDUwQxbX154cJUVtGSQt_j3TC_QG-sIlwed4gFzFtJ7yrac9B2ayZwGrPc/s400/IMG_3405.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">local beer-Spotted Cow was delicious</td></tr>
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And of course we had to stop in Pepin, home of the <a href="http://www.lauraingallspepin.com/">Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum</a> and Laura's 1867 birthplace. While the museum was small and actully didn't have any original "Laura" stuff, they made a good attempt with "<i>many items Laura and her family would have reognized and recalls the era in which she lived." </i>The book, "Little House in the Big Woods" is a charming look at where she was born. There are a total of 9 books in the Little House series.<br />
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We camped at another beautiful COE spot along the Mississippi near De Soto, WI called Blackhawk Park. This is in an area of Wisconsin within the Driftless area along the upper Mississippi River. The Driftless Area was not covered by glaciers during the last ice age and consequesntly has different geology. There are high limestone bluffs, deep river valleys and sand plains.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmJ7Itm7SvNWlXkHjeDRDFkarYg09fp8E01FSwy9puC6WucsJnTpSIQwOBeQhzDcI451u6eDkH8RXYMVd56LVqIhMYAFUY3M_B1W4N6d0Wh0xN3iZy04SrjIHvXEM32kPgpoUahXlaLg/s1600/IMG_3410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmJ7Itm7SvNWlXkHjeDRDFkarYg09fp8E01FSwy9puC6WucsJnTpSIQwOBeQhzDcI451u6eDkH8RXYMVd56LVqIhMYAFUY3M_B1W4N6d0Wh0xN3iZy04SrjIHvXEM32kPgpoUahXlaLg/s400/IMG_3410.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiod5L7JV2OJtIZgFuB3zNP1Oq1gbGePsCW72gdoz9XrNyJEp45uBiEAd8tPZv0eW_uaFaChNf4IwR4STTwgpcW9qTFE7lDkO4cVCDOGnOT17WieaOf46T6TTWDMIqKV0NPePpnyVnvy9Q/s1600/IMG_3416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiod5L7JV2OJtIZgFuB3zNP1Oq1gbGePsCW72gdoz9XrNyJEp45uBiEAd8tPZv0eW_uaFaChNf4IwR4STTwgpcW9qTFE7lDkO4cVCDOGnOT17WieaOf46T6TTWDMIqKV0NPePpnyVnvy9Q/s400/IMG_3416.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sunset on the Mississippi from our campsite<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpIUryR_MDuhABPErrX_5mMv837N2cQnjm44srcpQ2KNrJHuHOgLj0YtVuAHaFwM_SrUVwIbxM-J5uDIgyPky2G4Gg2htPyJBSLIOZVm4LN4jtCBzV8_js6C6cDFKuqISD-dyOAOiy5U/s1600/IMG_3460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIpIUryR_MDuhABPErrX_5mMv837N2cQnjm44srcpQ2KNrJHuHOgLj0YtVuAHaFwM_SrUVwIbxM-J5uDIgyPky2G4Gg2htPyJBSLIOZVm4LN4jtCBzV8_js6C6cDFKuqISD-dyOAOiy5U/s400/IMG_3460.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Davenport was heaviy affected by the flooding earlier in the spring/summer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizols8IWABTokkVOtGDlmQUKBCuzkmgXZEKbLNXg83hTODWxHzDf1-xN1JAL8tV10xsvlM1I-8lx2aqpJyaxIgsjaX9_H6s5UXlhIsMHZZvx5oqow67xwPn17vNcOwqMwk3Ul_WK6s9cM/s1600/IMG_3485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizols8IWABTokkVOtGDlmQUKBCuzkmgXZEKbLNXg83hTODWxHzDf1-xN1JAL8tV10xsvlM1I-8lx2aqpJyaxIgsjaX9_H6s5UXlhIsMHZZvx5oqow67xwPn17vNcOwqMwk3Ul_WK6s9cM/s400/IMG_3485.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">farm that was flooded when a river levee broke</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2jIDJAnuKpes2H8PQUYdkgRJbqBIYmyasoQWI5_395xt1NrYoR6DWYr1V4SkKq7tjQViFBUuf_iHj2NlYqB4J-9YdWXClYcN5gj0KhxNvmhdeZ7QgcK2669eZqYeNH254GrNaXPvH98/s1600/IMG_3484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1490" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2jIDJAnuKpes2H8PQUYdkgRJbqBIYmyasoQWI5_395xt1NrYoR6DWYr1V4SkKq7tjQViFBUuf_iHj2NlYqB4J-9YdWXClYcN5gj0KhxNvmhdeZ7QgcK2669eZqYeNH254GrNaXPvH98/s400/IMG_3484.JPG" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a small church that was completely destroyed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAN2EFFBpv7vfgHPXKPd-U_OBGHfEW5khnf3CUZZWj-dQlpovb2Rh3kDu60HdSN55rY-0dBHr-A6z8QSkgJSafi0A6w6jNhSMPS1R3ApCqwaoxG7BVSbM6IUurxr_M3J8bJsVhQmaAxQ/s1600/IMG_3545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAN2EFFBpv7vfgHPXKPd-U_OBGHfEW5khnf3CUZZWj-dQlpovb2Rh3kDu60HdSN55rY-0dBHr-A6z8QSkgJSafi0A6w6jNhSMPS1R3ApCqwaoxG7BVSbM6IUurxr_M3J8bJsVhQmaAxQ/s400/IMG_3545.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chester, Illinois, home of E. C Segar who wrote the Popeye cartoon comic</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfRxjF9RTv3qIMH0xOczAyInZujlFz88UbqEozc7JC_u3NkIOd9nLrrizf5wYiasRRXz-ObfqDICAOt6adik_gDDJvrp5d94ekLUjhN42wFekFYna105eXZZcafaWDO_cJs9U1QT-cMg/s1600/IMG_3789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1321" data-original-width="749" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfRxjF9RTv3qIMH0xOczAyInZujlFz88UbqEozc7JC_u3NkIOd9nLrrizf5wYiasRRXz-ObfqDICAOt6adik_gDDJvrp5d94ekLUjhN42wFekFYna105eXZZcafaWDO_cJs9U1QT-cMg/s400/IMG_3789.JPG" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are about 15 statues throughout the town</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihOenQPIFfGfhwQ8QagQDUKPHrJ5l6vtUCGCPOiFoNW_Ie6e9q9uf8uAF0cLtZBX1PkkfFbOE7aeB6ePEZ-3zZ__btzUMmGiqvaIEcXS0VN7iqBqfqjb_aCSqJZ4wvpe6zheIaZ5cIQo/s1600/IMG_3546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihOenQPIFfGfhwQ8QagQDUKPHrJ5l6vtUCGCPOiFoNW_Ie6e9q9uf8uAF0cLtZBX1PkkfFbOE7aeB6ePEZ-3zZ__btzUMmGiqvaIEcXS0VN7iqBqfqjb_aCSqJZ4wvpe6zheIaZ5cIQo/s400/IMG_3546.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Home of Popeye</td></tr>
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We have been criss-crossing the Mississippi River several times to visit something in each state. On the Missouri side we went to Hannibal, the birthplace of Samuel Clements-Mark Twain. Many of the buildings, settings and even his friends became inspiration for Mark Twain's stories of Tom Sawyer and Huckeberry Finn.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLB2EAiqPnV8gZAXBFJG0ciE1pGvAMuehzR5V7hyphenhyphenRVKBDczGObRGqPdqpKUxyogPXEbI3AspBYbz1PoNXDdXbi6SrhCf5cQxF8VzvN0V_hsuXDsQ-yq_BU99g7u3yiEtxxYzUJJkyBVc/s1600/IMG_3474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1545" data-original-width="1600" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLB2EAiqPnV8gZAXBFJG0ciE1pGvAMuehzR5V7hyphenhyphenRVKBDczGObRGqPdqpKUxyogPXEbI3AspBYbz1PoNXDdXbi6SrhCf5cQxF8VzvN0V_hsuXDsQ-yq_BU99g7u3yiEtxxYzUJJkyBVc/s400/IMG_3474.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the actual fence in front of Mark Twain's home</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7QVHbZci5zZ5VMi2UVp2eAxQOnlN69aJKGsRNg1VAGbacVDVFvP7Rb3jy7xPgXf8XTWQPFrpMMV04H9uaiSuwYvfq1ryC-BQ1S83gLVPyJctUXcqbVuvrxcej5e3TmzZfJXzojz0Q2A/s1600/IMG_3472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv7QVHbZci5zZ5VMi2UVp2eAxQOnlN69aJKGsRNg1VAGbacVDVFvP7Rb3jy7xPgXf8XTWQPFrpMMV04H9uaiSuwYvfq1ryC-BQ1S83gLVPyJctUXcqbVuvrxcej5e3TmzZfJXzojz0Q2A/s400/IMG_3472.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Becky Thatcher was based on Laura Hawkins a friend of Samuel Clemens who really lived across the street</td></tr>
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Before we left the upper Mississippi River, we hit some strong thunder storms. So what do we do when it rains?<br />
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.....pull over in the rain and give the Airstream a bath.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shiny-at least for a while</span></td></tr>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-21576036222034627632019-08-22T19:32:00.000-07:002019-08-22T20:42:58.507-07:00The Great River Route<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The source of the Mississippi River was hotly controversial with explorers offering several different theories. While we often think of the “source” as percolating out of the ground or a tiny stream from no where, the source of the Mississippi River actually flows out of a glacial lake that a few tributaries feed all year round. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The river's channel appears much as it did when Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, in 1832, was guided by Ojibwe chief Ozawindib to the beginnings of “Gichizibbi,” an Ojibwe word meaning “great water.” Mississippi derives from the Algonquin word “Misiziibi.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> (Source: GARY GARTH | SPECIAL FOR USA TODAY 11/4/16)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">The mighty Mississippi River begins its winding journey to the Gulf of Mexico as a mere 18-foot wide knee-deep river that flows out of Itasca Lake in northern Minnesota. We found this source and even walked on a short boardwalk following its beginning. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From here the river flows north to Bemidji, where it turns east, and then south near Grand Rapids. It will flow a total of 694 miles before working its way out of Minnesota. We will drive the entire length down to the Gulf of Mexico over the next 6 weeks on two-lane "national scenic byways" back roads. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Great River Route skirts the Mississippi River ducking in and out around the bends occasionally giving us a glimpse of the meandering river that is still rather narrow. For miles along this two-lane road we were the only vehile. We passed signs pointing the way to fishing lodges through the dense forest of maple, river birch, bur oak, green ash, hackberry, cottonwood and swamp white oak. Apparently what these lodges lack in comfort they gain in location!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A quick stop in Bemidji the home of the "original??" Paul Bunyan statue from 1937. Seems that old time lumberjacks in Bemidji claim that Paul Bunyan was born here. 'Course so does Bangor, Maine and even several other states! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGkH7WVEUOBnsFRo-PhSk1IG3-UgfQ8Q1RLZyrA2G-HQow3jAHdt0CnN9o9Hn_0auW7GyfSxcDS7c3szG_plNjhqpypPct7VYetO8mTdKr2oO1xZb2wIJXMdVfernAGK0BZhP8EPX_1Q/s1600/IMG_3362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGkH7WVEUOBnsFRo-PhSk1IG3-UgfQ8Q1RLZyrA2G-HQow3jAHdt0CnN9o9Hn_0auW7GyfSxcDS7c3szG_plNjhqpypPct7VYetO8mTdKr2oO1xZb2wIJXMdVfernAGK0BZhP8EPX_1Q/s400/IMG_3362.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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Lumberjacks sitting around their camps told a story that Paul Bunyan and Babe wandered throughout Minnesota and their large footprints caused deep holes in the earth. Rainwater filled them which created Minnesota's 10,000 lakes. Another story told that a huge water cart that Babe was hauling sprung a leak and dribbled all the way to New Orleans, causing-you guessed it- the mighty Mississippi River!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are having fun stopping to see the largest this-largest that roadside attraction. Amazing what the little communities come up with!</span><br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-25219013780236410542019-08-03T13:05:00.000-07:002019-08-03T13:05:26.875-07:00Where The Dinosaurs Roam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciIPJ2qQPfXzmtJynpx4VbrGFoN3sGjBnAcDSxHn9hyphenhyphenSdrJ_wg59dOp41zXowyUrfyzGfuQwZLFU3rGyH_bRaWfQKSCNum4mwvgyYY0U-OKMNC-8qGIrxFCTS4fo1OUew-2hHNjqABvc/s1600/IMG_2888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiciIPJ2qQPfXzmtJynpx4VbrGFoN3sGjBnAcDSxHn9hyphenhyphenSdrJ_wg59dOp41zXowyUrfyzGfuQwZLFU3rGyH_bRaWfQKSCNum4mwvgyYY0U-OKMNC-8qGIrxFCTS4fo1OUew-2hHNjqABvc/s400/IMG_2888.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">After returning from Europe on June 5, we picked up our trailer & truck that we had left stored in Desert Hot Springs, CA and made a bee-line north to visit family in California, Idaho & Oregon.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xRUpjk0g5pa8MZ7LWqCcfrTMVUKQ09wNEEQ3e5QeAL2G6Z0NgoSnfw9QWwE-z3A7VWuEnMdDJ5e_CnYZEFBN59OkYw7_1ehzE_QqfTJ3fwMFxQLTvHDsZgH79bAdp-Y9UJUXSak7AzE/s1600/IMG_2431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xRUpjk0g5pa8MZ7LWqCcfrTMVUKQ09wNEEQ3e5QeAL2G6Z0NgoSnfw9QWwE-z3A7VWuEnMdDJ5e_CnYZEFBN59OkYw7_1ehzE_QqfTJ3fwMFxQLTvHDsZgH79bAdp-Y9UJUXSak7AzE/s400/IMG_2431.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam & Ethan with German pretzels Karen made</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam's birthday party at a Lego store!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A first for all of us-we took Liam & Ethan to a Monster Truck & racing show-they were so excited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gXzGgt0aVao4mV8TKnSQdxLP-iTltfdKZsfm13yrnOsiKv9gX1k_ARzg6cCZMFTYaZRHT-xxInhVDoQQ1RXA-SppY4YFzCmQO2jrS5BtW4yYX_X9ES7nFVmvsRHgDfjWCFPMUi2Nikc/s1600/IMG_2848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1015" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gXzGgt0aVao4mV8TKnSQdxLP-iTltfdKZsfm13yrnOsiKv9gX1k_ARzg6cCZMFTYaZRHT-xxInhVDoQQ1RXA-SppY4YFzCmQO2jrS5BtW4yYX_X9ES7nFVmvsRHgDfjWCFPMUi2Nikc/s400/IMG_2848.JPG" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Billy, Melissa & the boys-we took the ferry across the bay to San Francisco for a day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a movie, ice cream & cookies at a bakery for Isaac & Owen-spoiling our grandkids???</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Coast-West Coast cousins meet for the first time!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bert (in the driver's seat) Jack & Billy cruisin' in Bert's rental</td></tr>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">It was</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> great to spend several weeks with each of our childen but we after 6 weeks we needed to “hit the road” in our trailer while summer still lingered. The only commitment is an RV Rally in August in North Dakota so we are free to wander for several months. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a16afcdb-7fff-bec4-fcb6-3a9cafed137a"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Our first stop was one of our favorite “hidden gems” at Lake Tahoe, a COE (Corps of Engineers) campground near Truckee. But we were surprised that they started requiring reservations rather than “walk-ins”. We lucked out and were able to reserved two nights as we sat at the entrance of the campground.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bear up the tree<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When we came back from a hike to the campground we had some excitement. A bear visited our campground I</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">n The Middle Of The Day.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> We heard a couple of guys shouting and they were chasing the bear away because the man found the bear INSIDE his trailer! The bear somehow opened the screen door and rummaged around while the man was gone. Boy was he surprised when he went to open the door and the bear jumped out with a bag of marshmellows in his mouth. The bear was pretty calm and really wasn’t too interested in leaving so climbed a tree for a bit. Eventually he ran off. Unfortunately this bear has become way too comfortable around people and will need to be captured to be moved deeper into the forest where hopefully he’ll stay.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01GQgVu22tQRRywEF6YMr27THGw2AoA9sQ6vvto7CjVJ4kgBl9TiRSdS97uIzoTQQnFd9SjfEuYVvKuzZer7pVs6XpkMgFy19PWnt5ZfOjTBEX7cBHX9RLGqIYzg0HBUQFKlJxTsIHPE/s1600/IMG_2879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; white-space: normal;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1306" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh01GQgVu22tQRRywEF6YMr27THGw2AoA9sQ6vvto7CjVJ4kgBl9TiRSdS97uIzoTQQnFd9SjfEuYVvKuzZer7pVs6XpkMgFy19PWnt5ZfOjTBEX7cBHX9RLGqIYzg0HBUQFKlJxTsIHPE/s400/IMG_2879.JPG" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">another wild animal?? chipmunk checking his reflection in our solar panel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2zWFSoM5GSuvVS3EEu1dylAT4Tn7AHRAkovI1Fre6riGOQ6sFzt1G2mN4pt9NTSiWtyH0S3DRYTWhFeUBJLr2yxljsKi4bS5z98z86qOkVnJEiZloi8v-6UBlAc8ghDzuVb-6HTYOn8/s1600/IMG_2897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2zWFSoM5GSuvVS3EEu1dylAT4Tn7AHRAkovI1Fre6riGOQ6sFzt1G2mN4pt9NTSiWtyH0S3DRYTWhFeUBJLr2yxljsKi4bS5z98z86qOkVnJEiZloi8v-6UBlAc8ghDzuVb-6HTYOn8/s400/IMG_2897.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boardwalk in the Tahoe Meadows</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHu0I1mlU2p9joT9aw2XBqTgxuqPAIQmpQVM9_ITIBZvONVGyDvjlx-X1D-t-ELn-lncoWETWKT5XjfStTz3xekF6nRj6rRGa7Dy424lxTGNI_RSlZDp_0f8zt2UO-gh3TmC9xq-mzgZQ/s1600/IMG_2884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHu0I1mlU2p9joT9aw2XBqTgxuqPAIQmpQVM9_ITIBZvONVGyDvjlx-X1D-t-ELn-lncoWETWKT5XjfStTz3xekF6nRj6rRGa7Dy424lxTGNI_RSlZDp_0f8zt2UO-gh3TmC9xq-mzgZQ/s400/IMG_2884.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ad8c5a04-7fff-9284-13c0-46780eaf63f8"></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Heading east we spent several days in Utah at the Dinosaur National Monument and the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. We had never visited either of these areas and they were absolutely spectacular. While it was in the high 90’s and very hot to walk around, we camped at Steinaker State Park with electricity where we could use our air conditioner. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQedVSBWN7yYxZ_GWequZAB-i7GFe-4p9qStZcIwUcT1kfts2dBTd8uEf5a8QRD1gQvF2JIwtX0lOfi22FlD206sRYDeGxFAH5WxW4LDkbPNIrDT93eiagplixRxo82FMNyIR7psipsY/s1600/IMG_2912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="722" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQedVSBWN7yYxZ_GWequZAB-i7GFe-4p9qStZcIwUcT1kfts2dBTd8uEf5a8QRD1gQvF2JIwtX0lOfi22FlD206sRYDeGxFAH5WxW4LDkbPNIrDT93eiagplixRxo82FMNyIR7psipsY/s320/IMG_2912.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Definately one of the "little known" national monuments</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRrMZJecFvqQsLabN2Pxm0mX7ua70ULhfoAIyeYYkHgaH8W5YtthwsbfHMZO1BffwH0-6TSGPqxhqVUHxwbvMUJWoG1MwKcWo2Cs-xU2nE0lDbqojE-7i-XkKNM3K31xSrCDTx0fX-3o/s1600/IMG_2913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1109" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRrMZJecFvqQsLabN2Pxm0mX7ua70ULhfoAIyeYYkHgaH8W5YtthwsbfHMZO1BffwH0-6TSGPqxhqVUHxwbvMUJWoG1MwKcWo2Cs-xU2nE0lDbqojE-7i-XkKNM3K31xSrCDTx0fX-3o/s400/IMG_2913.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcHZLgzwMZe3z0fRWWc1MXXcN8EE6CxtGTp3QLpTTB8zQBq36MAD8OybHnPGKbJKCexOH_t4iCXLgC5fyVTUZNPs40APaY62tgEObDjSctEhWJGTfIhCHSytpJiLsOxiS9nnDE1FtANQ/s1600/IMG_2915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcHZLgzwMZe3z0fRWWc1MXXcN8EE6CxtGTp3QLpTTB8zQBq36MAD8OybHnPGKbJKCexOH_t4iCXLgC5fyVTUZNPs40APaY62tgEObDjSctEhWJGTfIhCHSytpJiLsOxiS9nnDE1FtANQ/s400/IMG_2915.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we went on a Ranger-Led hike & saw bones & fossils just in the rock/dirt cliff next to the path</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2q_L2UisZCa9-H7TISCwNvaJJ8tAdagWZlRUrnz-HXpubsNXkcMvgaitdIoGS3D8UuwY-SRii7j15VG403VSpVI8TlMUhmPAQqhNFrYul1KhkqzS6y_aG1RrS2yBvz0owfw-FackLzo/s1600/IMG_2921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV2q_L2UisZCa9-H7TISCwNvaJJ8tAdagWZlRUrnz-HXpubsNXkcMvgaitdIoGS3D8UuwY-SRii7j15VG403VSpVI8TlMUhmPAQqhNFrYul1KhkqzS6y_aG1RrS2yBvz0owfw-FackLzo/s400/IMG_2921.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Quarry Site in Dinosauer N.M. was where the work began in 1910 and by 1926 there were 150 dinosauer species discovered. The side of the hill is now enclosed and available for visitors to view the 1,500 fossils still embedded in the rock.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdoNjJXqGbgKx_Coh5d7t6jSpfN6oU_Miz7SKEwFUVwOsrvIMCxocY7BD1ETbrSNTq-LfiFgQ6WWSdFqF8rZeQmO2AO94EqD3JiBVZss6QFpDjq9XXLLy3HlPoA0LjEr1Snxcesl0bbo/s1600/IMG_3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1195" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdoNjJXqGbgKx_Coh5d7t6jSpfN6oU_Miz7SKEwFUVwOsrvIMCxocY7BD1ETbrSNTq-LfiFgQ6WWSdFqF8rZeQmO2AO94EqD3JiBVZss6QFpDjq9XXLLy3HlPoA0LjEr1Snxcesl0bbo/s400/IMG_3007.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just had to learn more! Great Book</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuU1Supp1XfKchDhGlndPJJyBXI6JAxrVQoItVAkugJEq8-gut01lSbqXQiTrh0lNZvYGYjGDkVVcxPh0kJlw_ClbUli3CcVcKQJEc7gczgVabdXCiVfOSd7Gx_wICDUfFg_ezkQJsVs/s1600/IMG_2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuU1Supp1XfKchDhGlndPJJyBXI6JAxrVQoItVAkugJEq8-gut01lSbqXQiTrh0lNZvYGYjGDkVVcxPh0kJlw_ClbUli3CcVcKQJEc7gczgVabdXCiVfOSd7Gx_wICDUfFg_ezkQJsVs/s400/IMG_2934.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep! Jack is sitting on a dinosaur bone bench!!<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFl82V3qHfYgwG79k6DGprQeB-4O4_B8_-IitjDiPE_lH1N3y4HKjaDrhZLKxTFAXwyYd_cA_yskMtSuEqlRgrM9B4WTRRE0l4tgLCRElbJJyBN1wqHDSSTH1Dpi_9QYPMMZP0VelTWI/s1600/IMG_2950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZFl82V3qHfYgwG79k6DGprQeB-4O4_B8_-IitjDiPE_lH1N3y4HKjaDrhZLKxTFAXwyYd_cA_yskMtSuEqlRgrM9B4WTRRE0l4tgLCRElbJJyBN1wqHDSSTH1Dpi_9QYPMMZP0VelTWI/s400/IMG_2950.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The historic Green River flows in the Colorado River</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGKVbiXyyWViPS5PTX5v6zz8jUkrHMLbO5_SrzbK60IDHsY-b9f0E7fwpRzKzq2Grxihube8WopBawARrsGo7Yue-eS9w4AucXvkt7-U1EogXgQoryOn9Ubfu2bKSL1A24QtaIXw9r3A/s1600/IMG_2965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGKVbiXyyWViPS5PTX5v6zz8jUkrHMLbO5_SrzbK60IDHsY-b9f0E7fwpRzKzq2Grxihube8WopBawARrsGo7Yue-eS9w4AucXvkt7-U1EogXgQoryOn9Ubfu2bKSL1A24QtaIXw9r3A/s320/IMG_2965.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Flaming Gorge National Recreation Site<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG92HZME4Y-QcfXZsZzEMJN4_rsGKvid3xkls4L9LN_xDzOGlZGiGAnSiUBM0NZJpvelHNGiDb8lRFdQ5RNuuA92wWIoboMbsAgQY0dwfUc9rApETBeuqzBY9XbZpjR0ZQSRXsgEshlKc/s1600/IMG_2963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG92HZME4Y-QcfXZsZzEMJN4_rsGKvid3xkls4L9LN_xDzOGlZGiGAnSiUBM0NZJpvelHNGiDb8lRFdQ5RNuuA92wWIoboMbsAgQY0dwfUc9rApETBeuqzBY9XbZpjR0ZQSRXsgEshlKc/s400/IMG_2963.JPG" width="400" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>
We camped one more night on the Wyoming side of the Flaming Gorge at a campsite with stunning geography and views of the River</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM8O5K4dLfsbHbev-iY8wN9ubvErhIQXeHG4RlUXROinpoONa3X53Op57sMqszQtHyBt125KnviNgJWQzGDlI-qT8z96kDPYPsibGOJtfm9Z1lWCAOrCQv6PP4qeNZKbNhIgmdrMmL2c/s1600/IMG_3004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpM8O5K4dLfsbHbev-iY8wN9ubvErhIQXeHG4RlUXROinpoONa3X53Op57sMqszQtHyBt125KnviNgJWQzGDlI-qT8z96kDPYPsibGOJtfm9Z1lWCAOrCQv6PP4qeNZKbNhIgmdrMmL2c/s400/IMG_3004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> there are a few other campers but the spaces are very wide apart</td></tr>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-34276347413299383722019-06-10T20:17:00.000-07:002019-06-10T20:17:04.382-07:00Munchin' in München,<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Our last stop on our River Cruise was Regensburg, a small city that is both a UNESCO historical site and one of the oldest cities in Germany, being founded by Romans in the first century. The city did not sustain much damage during WWII and the center of the town retains many of its medieval buildings. They have a very old stone bridge, 1137-1145, that is so low that the cruise ships <i>stop here</i> so Regensburg is usually the start or end of cruises on the Danube<i>.</i> <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">many of the wealthy had towers built adjacent to their homes. These were not used for anything other to to show their wealth.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Goliath Haus mural is about 5 stories high, painted in the 12th century (retouched many times since) on one of the largest city mansions in Regensburg.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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We next took a train and spent our last few days in Munich, sampling the many breweries & biergartens, touring the great Marienplatz with the famous glockenspiel clock that have moving figures during the chimes. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">the Hofbrau Haus brewery. I was here 50 years ago!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the famous liter mugs, or <span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">Maßkrug </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">holds a </span>Maß (Mass)-most biergartens serve the beer in these and you have to ask specifically for a smaller amount. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">this is the "new town hall" built in the 19th century!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We took a day long bike tour through the city with <a href="http://mikesbiketours.com/">Mike's Bike Tours</a>. They describe this tour as the best balance between fun, edutainment and history, covering a lot of history from the period of the Nationalsozialismus. Hitler's rise actually started in Munich. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Our group learning about the historical events that formed Hitler's Third Reich in the Odeonsplatz square</span></div>
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slack line walking over the Isar River. The Globetrotter World Slackline Masters takes place in Munich<br />
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Surfing on the small channel of the Isar River that runs through Munich's large park. Since the 1970's people line up to try their skill on the continuous, ice-cold ONE wave that rolls through the channel. <br />
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The Chinese Tower- or Chinesischer Turm- is the second largest beer garden in Munich in the English Garden. We stopped for beer and sausages here<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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We finally have true veal schnitzel at yet another outdoor beer garden<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Well our travels have come to an end for this trip. After 2 months it's time to head back. This has been a great trip that took us to some countries where we were exposed to different religions, cultures, wars, languages and peoples. I think what we learned was that the people who live in these central European countries are very proud of their ethnicity and cultural traditions. Borders and countries change but the people remain strong to their culture. </span></div>
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guess it was time to end our travels with a hold in my walking shoes!<br />
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Good-bye - heading back to the USA on three different airlines.....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYAhQQbTTnkvHEK_VzdKz6JiVzW_EtzASyV8R7RiGuxAN5QsdK8NLURF9fwR2ctyKEMIu6E7jdrnINXmN_I5wqQGs-kNjaytTwBa-MbxATNpiMoo_XJzEk5qOxjw0P_9jSe7c3YUTSLE/s1600/IMG_2389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYAhQQbTTnkvHEK_VzdKz6JiVzW_EtzASyV8R7RiGuxAN5QsdK8NLURF9fwR2ctyKEMIu6E7jdrnINXmN_I5wqQGs-kNjaytTwBa-MbxATNpiMoo_XJzEk5qOxjw0P_9jSe7c3YUTSLE/s640/IMG_2389.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-36642917395400365092019-06-07T16:00:00.003-07:002019-06-07T16:00:49.861-07:00U cruisin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Leopold I depicted on the Vienna Plague Column, a mercy to ending the 1679 plague</td></tr>
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Leaving Budapest, we boarded the Danube River Cruise, <u>"U" by Uniworld</u> headed to Regensburg, Germany. We found this cruise online and it looked intriguing because it is new, lower price and marketed to the younger (<i>or young-at-heart</i>) traveler. At our first peak at the all-black sleek ship to the lack of classical piano music, we knew it would be different!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"U" ready for us to leave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sail-away party on the upper deck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen joined one of the bike rides in Budapest</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ship carried 50 bicycles that had to be carried on and off for the bike rides</td></tr>
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The ship is mid-sized (120 capacity) but we only had about 80 people and while the youngest person we met was 21 and the oldest was 85, I think the average age was around 35. The schedule & activities reflected this demographic-only 2 meals a day (brunch- for sleeping late and dinner-early enough to still go off ship), late night DJ and Silent Disco (each person moves to the sounds of their individual headphones), daily bicycle and hiking excursions and late-night walks and clubbing at our port stops. The crew, including the two captains, were casual, engaged and really seemed to enjoy customers closer to their age.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our good-natured Dutch Captains were extremely experienced with 35 years each<br />
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We sailed through 14 locks, sometimes at night, but many during the day. Usually the locks were big enough for two ships at once. Each lock took about 20 minutes with an average of 10-12 meters difference and some of the "gates" rather than swing open slid down into a cement bottom under the water. We also went under many, many bridges and the wheelhouse and the "ice bar" on the upper decks had to be lowered to fit under.<br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WrIPaEcDKlQ" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(videos compliments of Mike on board with his drone)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4LnPyUhg_5tYdMsYmFnAmjWqRHwP4_Rfgh3xCfVFEf6ZptY6_j7zNChyphenhyphenjGN3sqGDU0MsJF_f1yce3rjE4m2ckwFEYDdpU5RUZxmVtxylMW85emZRZxO9jUQbpIQ9dSb4j6o8eUSDUsE/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4LnPyUhg_5tYdMsYmFnAmjWqRHwP4_Rfgh3xCfVFEf6ZptY6_j7zNChyphenhyphenjGN3sqGDU0MsJF_f1yce3rjE4m2ckwFEYDdpU5RUZxmVtxylMW85emZRZxO9jUQbpIQ9dSb4j6o8eUSDUsE/s640/IMG_1971.JPG" width="480" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag poles and anything high was also folded down</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collaping or folding down the "ice bar" to fit under the bridges</td></tr>
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We visited three capital cities in three countries on the Danube-Budapest, Hungary; Blatislava, Slovenia; and Vienna, Austria. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Danube Rive</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hungarian Parliment in Budapest is right on the river's edge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bratislava is the only national capital that borders two sovereign states-Hungary and Austria (the borders run down the middle of the Danube River) - In 1993, Slovakia separated from Czechoslovakia. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Executioner's House- apparently at one time Brastislava had the only executioner in the region, so he needed to identify his house for anyone needing his services!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnobG0jK2Ii3o5Q8SJEkxqqUJJS1RaJLbxAmrS2DaTPAvr-yYmvmLrBj3gbwCfREMeioLXu47He_jCe-r_IvaepDyo5iAVDdqUlV20P2qAf6nOlVzpkxCoIiLmnVHB1YX_sYoJN-HJOM/s1600/IMG_1651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZnobG0jK2Ii3o5Q8SJEkxqqUJJS1RaJLbxAmrS2DaTPAvr-yYmvmLrBj3gbwCfREMeioLXu47He_jCe-r_IvaepDyo5iAVDdqUlV20P2qAf6nOlVzpkxCoIiLmnVHB1YX_sYoJN-HJOM/s320/IMG_1651.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridge of the Slovak National Uprising in Brastislava-or locally known as the UFO Bridge because of its observation deck<br /> - we were stumped at first when when our guide called it "the oo-foo bridge"<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna-completed in 1160<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4FScSkYXsT9ij4vXHZTWp9_CXe1c8jNsIENlTufI5vgE8-4boJJ0-AOaSeCBVtghhfWJThKYrEuKNm0VKhh9GOkM-XYil-hOH7Xzq4qcPGXDT8G2AOl9sdo1dkTBcRxLb_BKBNwNW5M/s1600/IMG_1681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1245" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM4FScSkYXsT9ij4vXHZTWp9_CXe1c8jNsIENlTufI5vgE8-4boJJ0-AOaSeCBVtghhfWJThKYrEuKNm0VKhh9GOkM-XYil-hOH7Xzq4qcPGXDT8G2AOl9sdo1dkTBcRxLb_BKBNwNW5M/s640/IMG_1681.JPG" width="498" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">this Byzantine style icon of St. Mary came from a Hungarian church when the Ottoman Turks invaded Hungary. After claims of two miraculous incidents in 1696 when the mother in the picture shed real tears, Emperor Leopold I ordered it brought to St. Stephen's Cathedral to protect it. <br /><br /></td></tr>
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Each day we had several activities to choose from. We mostly did the hikes to more castles, abbys and vineyards. A few evenings we went on the "pub crawl" but we usually came back early...ha ha.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why are castle always up on hills?? In a small charming town of Durnstein, Austria that is known as the "Pearl of the Wachau" which is the valley around Durnstein. The town is famous as the place where Richard I of England (Richard the Lionheart) was imprisoned by Leopold V. Duke of Austria</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkf66Sl_5u_gMQEYMTMApa6EIKjLDHLWozFF3ceiJrz9ro-eUvY0pkCSFVxJlMB7EN2VCx8FGcdsbjHivIZ4uhQgV-ATtDR8Am7Vzfho1cSv1fz1bdKfiXPOT1Ftq5eB36e16r-rp3FW4/s1600/IMG_2395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkf66Sl_5u_gMQEYMTMApa6EIKjLDHLWozFF3ceiJrz9ro-eUvY0pkCSFVxJlMB7EN2VCx8FGcdsbjHivIZ4uhQgV-ATtDR8Am7Vzfho1cSv1fz1bdKfiXPOT1Ftq5eB36e16r-rp3FW4/s640/IMG_2395.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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All along the Danube, the Bavarian towns had a May Pole in their town squares, a tradition going back to the 16th century. The poles often have real trees attached to the top with ribbons decorating wreaths. Some poles have carved figures that identify the various craftspeople in that town. In some more rural towns, the tradition of single men placing a small may pole in front of their sweatheart's front door still occurs around May 1st.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the pole is often stripped of the bark so agile young men can climb in a contest.</td></tr>
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We ended the cruise in Regensburg where we found a local beer fest and tried some local brews. Beer is always plentiful along the Danube and we visited many beer gardens!</div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-86447797169615545952019-05-31T15:00:00.000-07:002019-05-31T15:00:02.604-07:00Budapest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Budapest is a huge city that takes a lot of effort to navigate the public transportation, especially with the Hungarian language. But once figured out we could jump on and off the tram or bus to save a lot of walking.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we had a 72 hr pass for all the public transportation but no one ever checked tickets!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Anyone who has been to Budapest will rave about the magnificent architecture and nighttime lighting along the Danube River.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">locals love to gather on the bridges for social times. The bring picnics and sit on the flat railings </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Parliment at night is the highlight</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Parliament was built from 1885 to 1902 - <b>1896 was the millennium year </b>for Hungary and it's huge!!! When it was built Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire which was triple the size of today and they needed to make a statement of how powerful they were. Today they only use about one-eight of all the space for their legislature. The spire on the dome, and also the St. Istvan's Basilica spire, are 96 meters high and there are 96 steps on the magnificent main staircase. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzBpq-MDRj0b4wwoUtqBYalW_jEtTgEC_Tzrnk9d9tNAWluF3oXfyKqTTN5zdqilpbwKedlrbq-WcC_jvt_pq4Yhf6A_Rdb1FsZZ4_iRxdNKvTFgNQf4eTWJH5C8e1JjISfdAGTkXxXc/s1600/IMG_0994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzBpq-MDRj0b4wwoUtqBYalW_jEtTgEC_Tzrnk9d9tNAWluF3oXfyKqTTN5zdqilpbwKedlrbq-WcC_jvt_pq4Yhf6A_Rdb1FsZZ4_iRxdNKvTFgNQf4eTWJH5C8e1JjISfdAGTkXxXc/s400/IMG_0994.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the 96 steps</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Why</b>? Because the year 996 is significant in the history of the country when the Magyars, who were a nomadic Central Asian barbaris tribe, started to settle the area. Many of the greatest monuments and buildings in Budapest were actually built to celebrate the 1896 date. Even the national anthem takes 96 seconds to sing! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parliament interior is decorated with 84 pounds of gold & it's where the jeweled Hungarian crown is displayed</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Museum of Ethnography - this beautiful building was the "runner up" in the design for the Parliament and is across the square</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihad4yELx2MYVMgwR-2lCi8fZUlkOsbF3UhaE3o-xB2bp1VGFCUwQR3EojFntRd2IncrqImkHsQilXqWT8iibwlEGc388UgYCgBTB-Oaxckut7cPXPvQXykqxxp2ZvDGXGBucDmc9h2Vw/s1600/IMG_0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihad4yELx2MYVMgwR-2lCi8fZUlkOsbF3UhaE3o-xB2bp1VGFCUwQR3EojFntRd2IncrqImkHsQilXqWT8iibwlEGc388UgYCgBTB-Oaxckut7cPXPvQXykqxxp2ZvDGXGBucDmc9h2Vw/s400/IMG_0992.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Ministry of Agriculture building was the 2nd runner-up in the design and sight of the 1956 Uprising against Soviet rule where some 200,000 protestors gathered calling for the demands against the communist regime. There are little "pegs" in the columns depicting the machine gun fire that erupted and killed more than 2,500 Hungarians and 700 Soviets. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFlbUwm-y13AvH56F-eP8_c5CKPTqN05AAnar-dDyI_nWQv1OuTpuCynH0-oMZjk6UmjUajdBeqGGKcRNaCpbGttgfoE9G1_B2SoBErxtpDkZ329CL4Nv8CjGQa12qj2ZI-HqbNuqzm0/s1600/IMG_0885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFlbUwm-y13AvH56F-eP8_c5CKPTqN05AAnar-dDyI_nWQv1OuTpuCynH0-oMZjk6UmjUajdBeqGGKcRNaCpbGttgfoE9G1_B2SoBErxtpDkZ329CL4Nv8CjGQa12qj2ZI-HqbNuqzm0/s400/IMG_0885.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During the 1956 Uprising, protestors cut out the Soviet-style insignia out of the Hungarian flag</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Castle that really isn't a castle<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We have gone to several of the Thermal Baths that are so popular in Hungary. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTO_oiwuCu7g-wCqv5WZC19dzzL1w4gucb9jw3a_VXzUceSUBhcPmvZfzJRmatCWr_rrRIiOtnvwUZNu134PuLG3vKyCsAfcOhhdMWGjWepkkaRT_gCGU8yC5fG_FY8u90ccMBu2rs_I/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTO_oiwuCu7g-wCqv5WZC19dzzL1w4gucb9jw3a_VXzUceSUBhcPmvZfzJRmatCWr_rrRIiOtnvwUZNu134PuLG3vKyCsAfcOhhdMWGjWepkkaRT_gCGU8yC5fG_FY8u90ccMBu2rs_I/s400/IMG_1184.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lukacs Thermal Bath-a historic 12th century indoor/outdoor heated naturally by hotsprings that was transformed in the 19th century into what today's spa . Mid-day it's mostly retired people enjoying "taking the waters" and enjoying the underwater effervescence, geyers, neck shower and other medically prescribed treatments</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lap swimming pools are separate from the "leisure" pools</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnb5PFX3gUt0HJg_r88LQa6npMYO-g9TTn5Zct1bECyzyhYu295DNstILDG7c_7YVvOwzxNbCDy5F18SSVFQNY60EhD22-ywCFdFD9fIT2SbgmazNcETxRDC_rp9xVSZIccb6dYN8IdKg/s1600/IMG_1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnb5PFX3gUt0HJg_r88LQa6npMYO-g9TTn5Zct1bECyzyhYu295DNstILDG7c_7YVvOwzxNbCDy5F18SSVFQNY60EhD22-ywCFdFD9fIT2SbgmazNcETxRDC_rp9xVSZIccb6dYN8IdKg/s400/IMG_1177.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot pools and ice pools-I don't know how you use this ice but there was a lot of it</td></tr>
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There was a little ice water foot pool to walk through that had pebbles on the bottom. I guess it was a foot massage-type pool. There were many rooms with signage that we didn't understand but people could stay for several hours in and out of the various pools.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqEiv70qVFtlC_6gd_rJjjgvzY4rbi86yeKmESx81gQyXOGpeAw9QG88wYmKvIFaKIzmnHvkNzQtuZeqZktiklNcmgOx7Lr3R9XfH8dFQltuzTNLqkLSPPMaEmXAS3ejL6i1rOsZ27EY/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHqEiv70qVFtlC_6gd_rJjjgvzY4rbi86yeKmESx81gQyXOGpeAw9QG88wYmKvIFaKIzmnHvkNzQtuZeqZktiklNcmgOx7Lr3R9XfH8dFQltuzTNLqkLSPPMaEmXAS3ejL6i1rOsZ27EY/s400/IMG_1187.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You are given a water-proof "watch" that is used to lock the lockers and cabins (dressing rooms) - great system!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous Chain Bridge connects the Buda and Pest sides of the city over the Danube River. We walked and biked over several of the bridges</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP15VxsrnCugZ_m7hMkxvdRYN5eWK0ZZJ5Ft-3pZruiJJIWFpPq2q8lHr9NjUvIqPaP9wy6W-za6EyZtCpLVECwu2of-pmA8UYdzSoGEPcDLh4q4I_D9-duPVzI9HeCFS-vPyiJmEIXwA/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP15VxsrnCugZ_m7hMkxvdRYN5eWK0ZZJ5Ft-3pZruiJJIWFpPq2q8lHr9NjUvIqPaP9wy6W-za6EyZtCpLVECwu2of-pmA8UYdzSoGEPcDLh4q4I_D9-duPVzI9HeCFS-vPyiJmEIXwA/s400/IMG_1018.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what our AirBnB room would look like when this was the main door to enter off the street</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fortunately it had a lift (elevator) because we were on the third floor-rather old and small</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had 4 locked doors (each with a different key or code) to enter our room. Is the city that dangerous?? Don't think so...</td></tr>
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We took a 2 hour bus to a nearby town of Eger for a few days<br />
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We walked all over the town and enjoyed the Market Hall some of the largest tomatoes and peppers!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paprika!! The quintessential ingredient in Hungarian dishes. I bought some here at the Open Market</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The many kinds of fresh mushrooms</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fresh milk poured into your own bottle </td></tr>
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We stayed in the Hotel Senator-Haz, a unique small hotel in a 300 year old building (the hotel is "newer"-35 years after the fall of the Soviet Union)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eger Castle is revered by Hungarians as the site of the great defeat of the Ottoman Turks by Istvan Dobo in 1552. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eger is a one of the best wine regions in Hungary and is known for the Bull's Blood (Egri Bikaver) a hearty red wine. We went on a tour of the Bishop's cellars which is a huge 4 km long network of undergrown tunnels and caves that was used to store the wine that the Hungarian farmers were required to provide as a tithe or tax to the church.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6EPMWpEl3Hz8i6Yu1fLBNFBX0gBoN1A9ktDUXbx9BH2JVxvV4ccmdWnt_XXZYYWuHMmgy09-UfBA0sY8bh4sItcEzAOwzKE2hKXUmDq53w-NtlByIt-0PT5jNhVDNJe2eLpNMX5Ia_w/s1600/IMG_1389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6EPMWpEl3Hz8i6Yu1fLBNFBX0gBoN1A9ktDUXbx9BH2JVxvV4ccmdWnt_XXZYYWuHMmgy09-UfBA0sY8bh4sItcEzAOwzKE2hKXUmDq53w-NtlByIt-0PT5jNhVDNJe2eLpNMX5Ia_w/s400/IMG_1389.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cellars that were under the Bishop's Palace</td></tr>
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Now back to Budapest to start our 8 day River Cruise on the Danube</div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-77904521604520740522019-05-19T14:25:00.000-07:002019-05-19T14:25:33.247-07:00Bosnia and Herzegovina-one country with two names<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Bdaum7jrKCBmIw3z98SgHWDgkLx4cRtWn_GHx61wehISHR79xk5kVsnbB7WkwnXoYv-6HPFDABVb7mQA5HMp6IohUKQ8HiFXbTh0DsVp4Gn4HoURHOXbLLnF4OgsJA5_vxA2MTxT5to/s1600/IMG_0424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Bdaum7jrKCBmIw3z98SgHWDgkLx4cRtWn_GHx61wehISHR79xk5kVsnbB7WkwnXoYv-6HPFDABVb7mQA5HMp6IohUKQ8HiFXbTh0DsVp4Gn4HoURHOXbLLnF4OgsJA5_vxA2MTxT5to/s400/IMG_0424.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Old Bridge in Mostar</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;">We had an 88 mile bus trip from Dubrovnik to Mostar that took over 3 hours! Some of the slow travel was due to coastal roads but most delays were from going back and forth across the Croatian and Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH) borders three times which meant 6 passport checkpoints. The last one to enter BiH took 45 minutes! If they had computers they must have been pretty slow! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't blink or you'll miss the coast of Bosnia & Herzegovina at only 12 miles-Neun is their only city on the Adriatic Sea</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lengthly check point upon entering Bosnia & Herzegovina. The bus attendant collected all the passports and gave them to the border officer through the little window<br /><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
We spent 3 days in Mostar which is a small city in the Herzegovina part with a wonderful old town straddling two banks of the Neretva River. BiH, or sometimes just called Bosnia, has some of the most complex and fascinating history. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">A fairly new hotel but the decor was traditional Ottoman red woven carpets & old copper utensils<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: start;">We took a private walking tour given by local resident Alma </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">Elezović who is a highly educated, licensed tour guide with international relationships. She give us a condensed history of Bosnia, the former Yugoslavia and current BiH. Her family was intimately involved with the war and subsequent recovery and redevelopment. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Tinos; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UHAji0RfCxTqUV__7a6KxF2svD4t9G6AXAc2AZHS5QvGq4Cgs5cX5Kvpyqx0ES2Zov50tnVxDqG60wAsObZvy4xFcMO9JWB6nlfvPXLYvYexypfV9RwsmHavO4UCprGmm0Zo4uI6aBs/s1600/IMG_0454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4UHAji0RfCxTqUV__7a6KxF2svD4t9G6AXAc2AZHS5QvGq4Cgs5cX5Kvpyqx0ES2Zov50tnVxDqG60wAsObZvy4xFcMO9JWB6nlfvPXLYvYexypfV9RwsmHavO4UCprGmm0Zo4uI6aBs/s400/IMG_0454.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Old Bridge" in Mostar dates back to 1459 and "connected" the Roman Catholic Croats on one side to the Bosniak Muslims on the other. For four centuries, Croats, Bosniaks along with Eastern Orthodox Serbs and Sephardic Jews existed side-by-side. But the 1990 conflict destroyed much of the Old Town and virtually all of the bridges. Workers who rebuilt this bridge researched and learned the traditional methods and used the same tools and stone from the old quarries<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhTi04ngCh152HkgFJgfmO-JuMcs2rLpgSqveouqYaJ8VETGFzjCAVietv1J50f1ERrwMwurSJIgPfxXJDD1Av2UwxDdNUBdUPjMP04JgkWv6eqK7LDFZuvJVkqEUA2u3lMMxa2WN7Y8/s1600/IMG_0378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhTi04ngCh152HkgFJgfmO-JuMcs2rLpgSqveouqYaJ8VETGFzjCAVietv1J50f1ERrwMwurSJIgPfxXJDD1Av2UwxDdNUBdUPjMP04JgkWv6eqK7LDFZuvJVkqEUA2u3lMMxa2WN7Y8/s400/IMG_0378.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHxGgbJhsJzTmAAdpMSS1aFkKEeQ1PBMclLLlOfYbYS8fIH2zReLxwIxdU9Oa3u81Hm_kBajEkO8UGY2iOurUKEQlBYky8gPUgp7vPS57H8y1Gw4uqnrTw86CDmPK8Sbi9_AOQpILoeI/s1600/IMG_0456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHxGgbJhsJzTmAAdpMSS1aFkKEeQ1PBMclLLlOfYbYS8fIH2zReLxwIxdU9Oa3u81Hm_kBajEkO8UGY2iOurUKEQlBYky8gPUgp7vPS57H8y1Gw4uqnrTw86CDmPK8Sbi9_AOQpILoeI/s400/IMG_0456.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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The old Turkish Bazaar streets where copper smiths, leather and other trades worked. There are still a few coppersmiths but mostly souveniers. Alma remembers as a child going to some of the same artists that are there today.<br />
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Alma's son, Jaz, operates a successful coffee house roasting and grinding coffee for the best Bosnian coffee we have had. Interestingly, his coffee roaster was used by his parents prior to the war and survived to again offer Bosnian coffee to the world. Jaz gave us a personal "lesson" in how to savor the Bosnian coffee.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBjwYZ1M_O3Y8g-e8UVXK1fdECfZlTZuAmOJRhZczAKkYYPV8lbRAxH8sx126q6_qSS2fVOyjn9DEFmnHlQFDb0QYIQHW1OZ-ZrOP92QuNajnOqfWricGKxPfBTE4Y9cw0H99TjTkKCw/s1600/IMG_0384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBjwYZ1M_O3Y8g-e8UVXK1fdECfZlTZuAmOJRhZczAKkYYPV8lbRAxH8sx126q6_qSS2fVOyjn9DEFmnHlQFDb0QYIQHW1OZ-ZrOP92QuNajnOqfWricGKxPfBTE4Y9cw0H99TjTkKCw/s400/IMG_0384.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">40 year old coffee roaster<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWl3_dD0gG42HgWSvh9M3JGLRlWwQ0IDqhW_-BtTTaPzMgBd_N8KkULBr7t8vBWEtcxEM2Ft1eauq4VAdyfyvKgFejk_c9NzQ83Ba5Gz9aZ79nEZ9tFiuq_apOaSvnpvHrvQnCmL5PJg/s1600/IMG_0386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoWl3_dD0gG42HgWSvh9M3JGLRlWwQ0IDqhW_-BtTTaPzMgBd_N8KkULBr7t8vBWEtcxEM2Ft1eauq4VAdyfyvKgFejk_c9NzQ83Ba5Gz9aZ79nEZ9tFiuq_apOaSvnpvHrvQnCmL5PJg/s400/IMG_0386.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Very similar to Turkish coffee but Bosnians will tell you it is very different!</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI57S5H-KQjUkY50Sy5_2L1PKA5zv4d9XzxravcM5BBvIQxr2ce_xLaP4t_0AETlYcTxw8yslpAr6hHgjSEoagUKUDK7k3Tl4gvQcKlTY-_mlenHIdhDfp2iEWE2wS2b8L6JsxHNxaZs/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJI57S5H-KQjUkY50Sy5_2L1PKA5zv4d9XzxravcM5BBvIQxr2ce_xLaP4t_0AETlYcTxw8yslpAr6hHgjSEoagUKUDK7k3Tl4gvQcKlTY-_mlenHIdhDfp2iEWE2wS2b8L6JsxHNxaZs/s400/IMG_0489.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Destroyed buildings from the 1990 war are abandoned</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFPlEE2PQUtVkXGh7bPCh6WD7qNQXcWvWOKP7toCo7o5rJAf60-wFRxxtDQlHwmdIfbB91C0rnDzvz5b2VtAIibE4hqviUfBMo6ue9DyuB3wSqL3acvBCW1HC8XWWKPXPWs2cu_QOp0g/s1600/IMG_0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFPlEE2PQUtVkXGh7bPCh6WD7qNQXcWvWOKP7toCo7o5rJAf60-wFRxxtDQlHwmdIfbB91C0rnDzvz5b2VtAIibE4hqviUfBMo6ue9DyuB3wSqL3acvBCW1HC8XWWKPXPWs2cu_QOp0g/s400/IMG_0478.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">There was scaffolding but we never saw anyone working<br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6rVkxoiZLXgn3hyphenhypheniUSbGW4aEgml0r32zmkFRXWtDvZZR42-5iXDZvnXnNc_ZDDojK-M09tZhYZC8Nb3eoJ89oGVEbsZvxbkYMZMm6x4o4ltBwTiWo-fWQGJ9_sDNs661XofE6tjk7ic/s1600/IMG_0482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6rVkxoiZLXgn3hyphenhypheniUSbGW4aEgml0r32zmkFRXWtDvZZR42-5iXDZvnXnNc_ZDDojK-M09tZhYZC8Nb3eoJ89oGVEbsZvxbkYMZMm6x4o4ltBwTiWo-fWQGJ9_sDNs661XofE6tjk7ic/s400/IMG_0482.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Tinos; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC3_7wusNWqvwwDMMpsJx5z83j3YWA_fKTBLRupo4MooWIwtG8k89my3y_ywu_qhEVqJseq0p7UnTaFJZrsi4iAZV0D-hi6-kYuRt2J2no7sBKgbq4rZiyf7RHj40seL56x2RRMKx4a8/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC3_7wusNWqvwwDMMpsJx5z83j3YWA_fKTBLRupo4MooWIwtG8k89my3y_ywu_qhEVqJseq0p7UnTaFJZrsi4iAZV0D-hi6-kYuRt2J2no7sBKgbq4rZiyf7RHj40seL56x2RRMKx4a8/s400/IMG_0481.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The hundeds of people buried in this Bosniak cemetary all have the same dates of 1993 or 1994 of their deaths<br /></td></tr>
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</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">Before coming here we knew virtually nothing about these countries. Our knowledge about Yugoslavia and its leader <b>Tito</b> was limited to what we learned from within the US. There are always more sides to a story and we’ve discovered that Tito was praised, honored and loved as he successfully unified these national groups into a modern Yugoslavia and people felt they had a good life.</span></div>
<br /><br /><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In a nutshell, this small country </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: justify;">was ruled by and influenced by four empires: Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian, two kingdoms: Bosnian and Yugoslav, three world monotheistic religions: Christianity (Orthodoxy and Catholicism), Islam and Judaism, and different architectural styles.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkllOTSKdmu7RcDZBHISYTUEvWZG9FQITNy2RU021grIoTDvNW0pQ33XsFePAx3ZuymXUleM4026PmfWF28IXx_rFva-VY1HWX4I721aH2-dGLw06W5DKRXdFFyUdXLrkPdl34tASVm3I/s1600/IMG_0499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Tinos; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1503" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkllOTSKdmu7RcDZBHISYTUEvWZG9FQITNy2RU021grIoTDvNW0pQ33XsFePAx3ZuymXUleM4026PmfWF28IXx_rFva-VY1HWX4I721aH2-dGLw06W5DKRXdFFyUdXLrkPdl34tASVm3I/s400/IMG_0499.JPG" width="375" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Tinos; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">The old Mostar train station still looked from the communist-era and clearly didn't get a lot of post-war funds to upgrade </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Tinos; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-tHVw_QTo368hdWKP2mzX8hta3DCTIqdzf0T-NfufQnsi9_VsBk3lDm9nzMMPa4SQ9qdUk6WLYGyL-WCgQ_LkXPoz9ZUskURGmwiXEyFD3G9qvGXOZsIKuOq60TOt71R86_klAm1fyY/s1600/IMG_0500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-tHVw_QTo368hdWKP2mzX8hta3DCTIqdzf0T-NfufQnsi9_VsBk3lDm9nzMMPa4SQ9qdUk6WLYGyL-WCgQ_LkXPoz9ZUskURGmwiXEyFD3G9qvGXOZsIKuOq60TOt71R86_klAm1fyY/s400/IMG_0500.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoJaxLZXtOO7MwF-P4TjjTcQg3g8kUw-Qluu5uxLCEE1vdpeIqvoOW9cXYyUo2e7tqejJ89m3fSMBsmYblZhWyBWUTaHUqoIFaArMHCfT6FqiO1tx_DJFncw8Dsl8n7314kp9tU3u2n0/s1600/IMG_0496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoJaxLZXtOO7MwF-P4TjjTcQg3g8kUw-Qluu5uxLCEE1vdpeIqvoOW9cXYyUo2e7tqejJ89m3fSMBsmYblZhWyBWUTaHUqoIFaArMHCfT6FqiO1tx_DJFncw8Dsl8n7314kp9tU3u2n0/s400/IMG_0496.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The train station still had these old "stand-up or/ squat-down" toilets and I even had to pay to use them. I hate these! If anyone knows how to use them successfully please let me know!<br /></td></tr>
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<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">We next took a two-hour train following the river, through some beautiful mountains, and into Sarajevo, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">the capital of BiH. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEMvEOcM2BV-ROsWmDoXGl7XCch86EMzPl1S-CabnWkPQ6ZQaepny4wA2ERSbRHfMAq9uBWQSO6bnTsCkBubhmTjAOZFYIKUKoM15yW_2EqCFYu2F_La7JsYSA9nI9YHUiifnBvruD-E/s1600/IMG_20190516_160039450_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSEMvEOcM2BV-ROsWmDoXGl7XCch86EMzPl1S-CabnWkPQ6ZQaepny4wA2ERSbRHfMAq9uBWQSO6bnTsCkBubhmTjAOZFYIKUKoM15yW_2EqCFYu2F_La7JsYSA9nI9YHUiifnBvruD-E/s320/IMG_20190516_160039450_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Tinos; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIw64ZTtPqcuJb3xU9gcNh8Jb9jD4HrQ_Qw7-CdD7q_53IQYvjPG6vOlpYck4PjWT_xqL9A3Krky1a55FOh02edX550SSBk9217voD1EJrKhlBsHZHYt4ukC3VDi7BG5nq44MbQVhWxV0/s1600/IMG_0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIw64ZTtPqcuJb3xU9gcNh8Jb9jD4HrQ_Qw7-CdD7q_53IQYvjPG6vOlpYck4PjWT_xqL9A3Krky1a55FOh02edX550SSBk9217voD1EJrKhlBsHZHYt4ukC3VDi7BG5nq44MbQVhWxV0/s400/IMG_0544.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Pigeon Square" Main Marketsplace. This is the last remaining Sebilj, a fountain available to all<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Three times during the 20th century Sarajevo was the center of the world. </span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">1st-in the year 1914 when the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand took place in Sarajevo (leading to the start of WWI).</span></div>
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<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">2nd-the Bosnian capital reached the world’s headlines in the year 1984 by hosting the 14th Winter Olympic Games, and</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">3rd-just eight years later Sarajevo became a city under the longest siege in the modern history of Europe, and for the third time was the center of the whole world. The aggressors used force and weapons to destroy everything in the city, even the Olympic sites.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sarajevo is a city the blends and merges buildings, cultures and religions. In a two mile stretch, h</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">istoric Ottoman-era Old Town </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">smashes right into the grand Austro-Hungarian 19th century palaces and buildings and in another mile becomes high-rise glass urban centers.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Here are some random pictures of Sarajevo.</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #323130; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web (West European)", "Segoe UI", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG3NhOXJ13iD6mSApqCj_dg7liJbQPjJR0lem7REv-HydiV1lTs_I-YEU-dG1snor4ZTQwOxkKXqLA8roq3xHxyeTav9H9-dhwVDGIYlsvU3cb6Hn4dqeFZFA_p7XI5nHOLhOznpdw1k/s1600/IMG_0545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG3NhOXJ13iD6mSApqCj_dg7liJbQPjJR0lem7REv-HydiV1lTs_I-YEU-dG1snor4ZTQwOxkKXqLA8roq3xHxyeTav9H9-dhwVDGIYlsvU3cb6Hn4dqeFZFA_p7XI5nHOLhOznpdw1k/s400/IMG_0545.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">the Old Bazaar still selling their wares<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzC_c1xDI0hftE-I8hRFysIPgEzuQGT65aTapEL6wTQTpDldcWqcR7YEPUBCkJ0qk3yhKIiqrKYR0cKZgJPjEGIUewVhusrOK_p9giXnHnlNdH6tyyyOQWKUbybDq3yxP67turGOg9so/s1600/IMG_0615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzC_c1xDI0hftE-I8hRFysIPgEzuQGT65aTapEL6wTQTpDldcWqcR7YEPUBCkJ0qk3yhKIiqrKYR0cKZgJPjEGIUewVhusrOK_p9giXnHnlNdH6tyyyOQWKUbybDq3yxP67turGOg9so/s400/IMG_0615.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The traditional "fast food" called Cevapcici-cheap, spicey, minced meat "sausage" & pita<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWjg7b3CsJDcdyWIZsLkWS4_8AKYDeGVp5dydAQ_LZR1LyDqGlji5S9MTtxuZ-YMLHPW01q3ecdBdPHB7Ld586evelb4kytMw4ew7W28klMo1b6cMYMvVndlmMCeY30f_0E0EcjIU4cY/s1600/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1183" data-original-width="1059" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWjg7b3CsJDcdyWIZsLkWS4_8AKYDeGVp5dydAQ_LZR1LyDqGlji5S9MTtxuZ-YMLHPW01q3ecdBdPHB7Ld586evelb4kytMw4ew7W28klMo1b6cMYMvVndlmMCeY30f_0E0EcjIU4cY/s400/IMG_0764.JPG" width="357" /></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OgdaK2MLBPKajMYAwYVu3nGZC3RoB7aMMDZBQdRpyECvg6oY0QWBuWbYA_OnY6g4IEpruu9NaFIVU8FM4U-S7dVzUGL1fnXYzahYfFG_nkPKfSem4E-WjVPFcLNE1eEAKzvm5mnhkiw/s1600/IMG_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OgdaK2MLBPKajMYAwYVu3nGZC3RoB7aMMDZBQdRpyECvg6oY0QWBuWbYA_OnY6g4IEpruu9NaFIVU8FM4U-S7dVzUGL1fnXYzahYfFG_nkPKfSem4E-WjVPFcLNE1eEAKzvm5mnhkiw/s400/IMG_0754.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">the "bell" or lid that the burek is baked in</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqky-0bEYQz8fCYmopfN9zIeR259yLqZikJBJ1M_BtaCdOqZGVaMLftbtTGh-iubYTlllUbKqHmpaFse5Ta4TJn0N67RUh_xhT1Y_2zUQ548hhL0wtfqhNN-P0wpfJUDO0fkEyJ2Mk8cs/s1600/IMG_0749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqky-0bEYQz8fCYmopfN9zIeR259yLqZikJBJ1M_BtaCdOqZGVaMLftbtTGh-iubYTlllUbKqHmpaFse5Ta4TJn0N67RUh_xhT1Y_2zUQ548hhL0wtfqhNN-P0wpfJUDO0fkEyJ2Mk8cs/s400/IMG_0749.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">delicious Burek a Bosnian pie made from flaky filo dough with meat, cheese or potato filling. This restaurant baked them in the old way under a metal lid over hot coals.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG29oYwtDTG0yhw9wAUtw1rNaoU6Jlwc5V1dlTnb_t36x-T7qJ7Ce95Dunfy8OLscypO68ySXJS6E-3MUo91204Qj4I7XB395m8c5nrJiGOnsNJ2o1T9F3WyuKQmJdwwtdBHOkgxg-_w/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1197" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrG29oYwtDTG0yhw9wAUtw1rNaoU6Jlwc5V1dlTnb_t36x-T7qJ7Ce95Dunfy8OLscypO68ySXJS6E-3MUo91204Qj4I7XB395m8c5nrJiGOnsNJ2o1T9F3WyuKQmJdwwtdBHOkgxg-_w/s400/IMG_0543.JPG" width="298" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIy0_YS52Px2O-I4hK_UtcIwfvTdjD_sM55uhfm-gRWRdaIlM0lmB4zAQqKQW_54Du6OoFjaqacK9updpop5wFn3wteB11KSdZop3DHt2N5KEByWW63kOZTdaug-hL3f_kFocjCMyON0w/s1600/IMG_0558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIy0_YS52Px2O-I4hK_UtcIwfvTdjD_sM55uhfm-gRWRdaIlM0lmB4zAQqKQW_54Du6OoFjaqacK9updpop5wFn3wteB11KSdZop3DHt2N5KEByWW63kOZTdaug-hL3f_kFocjCMyON0w/s400/IMG_0558.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugBNydTPUP9AS_JoLsSFnBCQTNdicbo0q0puI-PXiSg8q15EycIRKiM09vh99AeOsaS5a2wcp3GtdQCvSqSdsYZW82GHT16CfEIdfwBQN0-XdF70OXwa3EvkkywrpePCxHbkibVGlvb4/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugBNydTPUP9AS_JoLsSFnBCQTNdicbo0q0puI-PXiSg8q15EycIRKiM09vh99AeOsaS5a2wcp3GtdQCvSqSdsYZW82GHT16CfEIdfwBQN0-XdF70OXwa3EvkkywrpePCxHbkibVGlvb4/s400/IMG_0588.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY6lrfGdaE4CpdJ4Yr-fVjfFWRS4ugW8XySNJ5q87YFHzNilN1VS12XTE4H5woxKbPhM6mW6Yx54ty0H7GYm3J1Iyy4uP_cjBCugaJHp7YkKxyCZozCbb6aA1uFbjb9bauDZC9QdlQjw/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY6lrfGdaE4CpdJ4Yr-fVjfFWRS4ugW8XySNJ5q87YFHzNilN1VS12XTE4H5woxKbPhM6mW6Yx54ty0H7GYm3J1Iyy4uP_cjBCugaJHp7YkKxyCZozCbb6aA1uFbjb9bauDZC9QdlQjw/s400/IMG_0735.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgOMIsQbJUqqHdZHY0Hr4yMy9I-ZaL1NWx34FEjdchukHrorRCK7Yio3K6BnVK5zwhHJqq6hyRyQBDR45FPpkGg_-Us_zFcGxUSMjZGZ-fg-5dCfjd7O0jFHt06pVfkd4jb6T0EEThiI/s1600/IMG_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgOMIsQbJUqqHdZHY0Hr4yMy9I-ZaL1NWx34FEjdchukHrorRCK7Yio3K6BnVK5zwhHJqq6hyRyQBDR45FPpkGg_-Us_zFcGxUSMjZGZ-fg-5dCfjd7O0jFHt06pVfkd4jb6T0EEThiI/s400/IMG_0612.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">18th-19th century Hapsburg quarter when the Austro-Hungarian Empire brought Sarajevo into the modern world<br /></td></tr>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrPlrAySBnyGIDSZ0CS6v9s-ZWsMHpOkUQdmxyjWLAB_SOns6jhbomQQ6kajPn14TQTG-9eThRoGqOBqsLypQulf7G66U6BkopWKhXgMWlA4pjTboEjehxSmCM09My88ZJv-Y0X4ldf8/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrPlrAySBnyGIDSZ0CS6v9s-ZWsMHpOkUQdmxyjWLAB_SOns6jhbomQQ6kajPn14TQTG-9eThRoGqOBqsLypQulf7G66U6BkopWKhXgMWlA4pjTboEjehxSmCM09My88ZJv-Y0X4ldf8/s400/IMG_0636.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91rfv2-TBRYiI2IhvTwxDDerDDEvfeSf6-4CyhfrCXdEVTClmme8Ip1_OyNEBh7X-Cuk_JyVkl08DMwVOFRQOk4Uf_3VppNm3k-ip_8fhYnMEb8lXMSq9rX1DYS1mvVxPOtNcPOrluNc/s1600/IMG_20190518_140950852_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg91rfv2-TBRYiI2IhvTwxDDerDDEvfeSf6-4CyhfrCXdEVTClmme8Ip1_OyNEBh7X-Cuk_JyVkl08DMwVOFRQOk4Uf_3VppNm3k-ip_8fhYnMEb8lXMSq9rX1DYS1mvVxPOtNcPOrluNc/s400/IMG_20190518_140950852_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">outside cafes line this pedestrian street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YOo4DH2rl-Dhxp_VDzsNeUW7LSF_pw6QuOfjMHqZk5jm9ZfIh0e6L6rrDzcEmg3cVPd6k1-rFylo5xJIYGy4d3PciNg-66FGqKr96JSK0kBYzVNrlBKFhjDx0MtWpSDZ_d963jdU8Ro/s1600/IMG_0731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1244" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YOo4DH2rl-Dhxp_VDzsNeUW7LSF_pw6QuOfjMHqZk5jm9ZfIh0e6L6rrDzcEmg3cVPd6k1-rFylo5xJIYGy4d3PciNg-66FGqKr96JSK0kBYzVNrlBKFhjDx0MtWpSDZ_d963jdU8Ro/s400/IMG_0731.JPG" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Game Day for the Sarajevo Football (Soccer) team-they won 4-0 in the Premier League game</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLZaj0R3etPzr9b-SKqKvd-15-XE7uDPyCtAJZy-5amJLMmSL4NLQxhqzYvtCDVHqksvQRB_MPDbSkAQmh3oNX4tieEM6Qf4opwbDO76Q-cq5Ra66GNqGnafhwm9ZtEDpO062D2NsIL8/s1600/IMG_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLZaj0R3etPzr9b-SKqKvd-15-XE7uDPyCtAJZy-5amJLMmSL4NLQxhqzYvtCDVHqksvQRB_MPDbSkAQmh3oNX4tieEM6Qf4opwbDO76Q-cq5Ra66GNqGnafhwm9ZtEDpO062D2NsIL8/s400/IMG_0791.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this was called "Sniper Alley" during the 1990s war where much of the relentless shelling and grenades occured</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqPrj98pYF4J1C0EnbUeLLSL6A01GpuatZg_bi1jZs9Jy1lHFuz7PX7B5bbpGiqhp1MjGsYAB8Nkagi1eI-EM-d0AMTHPWeDcgHcAyu4do0WSs2rpTduDIFC9hL8soNI72EB7JKwx_gc/s400/IMG_0794.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of these high rise buildings were already there before the Siege but were badly damaged-now repaired and beautiful</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqPrj98pYF4J1C0EnbUeLLSL6A01GpuatZg_bi1jZs9Jy1lHFuz7PX7B5bbpGiqhp1MjGsYAB8Nkagi1eI-EM-d0AMTHPWeDcgHcAyu4do0WSs2rpTduDIFC9hL8soNI72EB7JKwx_gc/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqPrj98pYF4J1C0EnbUeLLSL6A01GpuatZg_bi1jZs9Jy1lHFuz7PX7B5bbpGiqhp1MjGsYAB8Nkagi1eI-EM-d0AMTHPWeDcgHcAyu4do0WSs2rpTduDIFC9hL8soNI72EB7JKwx_gc/s1600/IMG_0794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9Yo30HQSnv9mnyN3mOarIa2K0TWLHyqmCGjIlv6Eq-BOICNk0g1uEewxErcARU-CJEDbN8AcvyL2hDMypKAj3j4pmyUmH2HQMsbocfOnXX9CxLOH0bwlsbEraGPXsRPq0f2XF044s-c/s1600/IMG_0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1208" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9Yo30HQSnv9mnyN3mOarIa2K0TWLHyqmCGjIlv6Eq-BOICNk0g1uEewxErcARU-CJEDbN8AcvyL2hDMypKAj3j4pmyUmH2HQMsbocfOnXX9CxLOH0bwlsbEraGPXsRPq0f2XF044s-c/s400/IMG_0781.JPG" width="301" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of several large multi-level shopping malls we saw</td></tr>
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Although Sarajevo is an upbeat, active city that promotes tolerance and diversity, there is rememberance of the terrible, unconventional medieval-style seige that cut off the city from food, water, electricity, telephone, medicine and other critical supplies. This was in 1992-1995 and was the longest siege in modern European history. There are many museums, memorials, evidence of motor and bullets and still many damaged and destroyed buildings.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2anh8LLGiweIFTSFs3mKOP2P8wjj9tfYzeWu0bAymkdzC-4pEuWFqAR7CTKmlhCglPHlpVs62W_d5Ihbuzhrxj3vFgfuAhfdu51Gr6quQwN6xTYVXe3Lk7dk5Uoewis6fEa7WXDy0-LA/s1600/IMG_0653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2anh8LLGiweIFTSFs3mKOP2P8wjj9tfYzeWu0bAymkdzC-4pEuWFqAR7CTKmlhCglPHlpVs62W_d5Ihbuzhrxj3vFgfuAhfdu51Gr6quQwN6xTYVXe3Lk7dk5Uoewis6fEa7WXDy0-LA/s400/IMG_0653.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As a reminder: "Sarajevo Rose" the impact of a grenade or blast that has been filled in with red resin and often framed. These are all over the area and lots of smaller impacts too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUkT13ehaSArypO6foLFAZvWuBB3RkUN9cTnWUHg1M1n3OBZa0NvoC-Bx5LYr-tVZP6ZWq5tlwvfOnVYzZq-KN5FymhTLfVr6Tew88Qjj5VzJ72X4lBh5UawnngJX4SbYdPc3T8__lV4/s1600/IMG_0607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUkT13ehaSArypO6foLFAZvWuBB3RkUN9cTnWUHg1M1n3OBZa0NvoC-Bx5LYr-tVZP6ZWq5tlwvfOnVYzZq-KN5FymhTLfVr6Tew88Qjj5VzJ72X4lBh5UawnngJX4SbYdPc3T8__lV4/s400/IMG_0607.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this one is in front of a church</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFF7BgsYob-rut8WkOOKVCTasuGjkmYPq6ZlMCqZ_ZUWZ_D28mcUAgK5Sf2JZpBQMDOK62VoBHWF57aXchZHaFbPhKrqkPS3GJpMbDG6WXXBrTyg-qRd3yT1p0zjL2hoOHgiudaCNK-w/s1600/IMG_0650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFF7BgsYob-rut8WkOOKVCTasuGjkmYPq6ZlMCqZ_ZUWZ_D28mcUAgK5Sf2JZpBQMDOK62VoBHWF57aXchZHaFbPhKrqkPS3GJpMbDG6WXXBrTyg-qRd3yT1p0zjL2hoOHgiudaCNK-w/s400/IMG_0650.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5ac_ixYYpYXx3UypIJR5U8CO-I9YJot5e9N6N4WNW8key1Sm_mq-7tZLMOWcLC6JuY-aoYpKWyxU0lwovO5z3-5YiTs2AmaUo8Hm0tQVyaQpslzfae-sdF9LL4EkEXmHLl0BNqryiB0/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5ac_ixYYpYXx3UypIJR5U8CO-I9YJot5e9N6N4WNW8key1Sm_mq-7tZLMOWcLC6JuY-aoYpKWyxU0lwovO5z3-5YiTs2AmaUo8Hm0tQVyaQpslzfae-sdF9LL4EkEXmHLl0BNqryiB0/s400/IMG_0676.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bombed out skeletons of buildings and damaged exteriors with scattered blasts still there</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eoeum_2I2yR2Nn7uIA1dBCZ20Z-m-CWDcYbJaqlNS0cdalLDPjTySublY8VmVHnLTGX4itRdvk5E6t7P90wdlFR_eVQCTO-13QLsFe88EnP_wzMuZQKw5RFXXhZuzCfyob6wjaz0crU/s1600/IMG_0679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eoeum_2I2yR2Nn7uIA1dBCZ20Z-m-CWDcYbJaqlNS0cdalLDPjTySublY8VmVHnLTGX4itRdvk5E6t7P90wdlFR_eVQCTO-13QLsFe88EnP_wzMuZQKw5RFXXhZuzCfyob6wjaz0crU/s400/IMG_0679.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memorial on the bridge where the first victims of the Siege died- 2 young women-Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sucic<br /> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFanCLyB7OC9beIN2CvQKvdpKDdOQh9YtyVzHWwbtmRX1NvBKRPZVSNwXiAuQR45eskXUZyO55ZX4AU_zWp_8Ha1cxb5IDtLo-AEw78ZiLE1dJoDxVM5eaecAoMRdPdjIsdtKbHUUXCM/s400/IMG_0660.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /><br />Memorial to the Children of Sarajevo-silver pillars than can be spun to see the names of the nearly 1,600 young victims of the fighting<br /><br /><u>Today people are hopeful about peace and trust that the younger generations will understand each other and learn to live together again.</u></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GaynG1id0wyH-NkyTxPOi7j4IfPQQMlELqvrkNFv7yR2LNwq4E4rf8FemSLCq7xLizxTBrzd6ywsGhuz0AP-Djagbg3bxWa1DGRb2AWQKBvR-VhpVo-qYSNNF8ZamG5DxQltB00D_FI/s1600/IMG_0610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GaynG1id0wyH-NkyTxPOi7j4IfPQQMlELqvrkNFv7yR2LNwq4E4rf8FemSLCq7xLizxTBrzd6ywsGhuz0AP-Djagbg3bxWa1DGRb2AWQKBvR-VhpVo-qYSNNF8ZamG5DxQltB00D_FI/s400/IMG_0610.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastern Orthodox Cathedral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had an extra day in Sarajevo after our flight to Budapest was cancelled and rescheduled 2 days later. We ended our stay in BiH staying in another historical hotel. The bright yellow Holiday Hotel was originally built for the ‘84 Olympics and later was the “ground zero” hotel housing journalists covering the 3-1/2 year long 1990’s Bosnian war. Today it’s a beautiful, modern hotel once again hosting tourists and business meetings-and it’s still bright yellow.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpfTodFEFf3C_7fUWXkwT8nF8Qm00XA2gC-lOG5AKTGaib1RCvKQUUiVWNYD9mxRLo9PhMqzJle8j7g11gZdR8pIMm1EPMaVF34NUxVCxgcxzDcBmX5fp6fT3YExDotQzFOa0qeMUPQQ/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpfTodFEFf3C_7fUWXkwT8nF8Qm00XA2gC-lOG5AKTGaib1RCvKQUUiVWNYD9mxRLo9PhMqzJle8j7g11gZdR8pIMm1EPMaVF34NUxVCxgcxzDcBmX5fp6fT3YExDotQzFOa0qeMUPQQ/s320/IMG_0796.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-64953188874171715922019-05-14T09:48:00.000-07:002019-05-14T09:48:32.820-07:00Dubrovnik-the Pearl of the Adriatic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Dubrovnik-a historical, touristic, restored old walled town. This a great place to visit but certainly difficult for local Croatians to live in. </div>
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The old town is one of the best preserved walled cities in Europe and there are actually 3 gates to enter. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1Box48q5-psaeGZczFhFXN1uwrRox5d6jAmnLkUVt39a-McHznAkAJbR9h2m0CS7wT22xHIVghGvfbd8Lg8E4lle9fcvhVh10OZJnW7-vb-yeMc46WeWzW3X-ZR307xw62PARWHFLv8/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1Box48q5-psaeGZczFhFXN1uwrRox5d6jAmnLkUVt39a-McHznAkAJbR9h2m0CS7wT22xHIVghGvfbd8Lg8E4lle9fcvhVh10OZJnW7-vb-yeMc46WeWzW3X-ZR307xw62PARWHFLv8/s400/IMG_0132.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">Ploče Gate, 14th century, </span>entering the walled city from the old harbor</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clock tower with Roman Numerals for the time (changes in 5 minute increments)</td></tr>
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We met several people who live here and told us their opinions of the overwhelming crowds that come into Dubrovnik off cruise ships and day trippers. One woman told us “it all changed after the war”. Prior to the Yugoslav War, tourists came from Europe in manageable numbers. During the war tourism dropped off but afterwards, and especially with cruise ships, Dubrovnik is really experiencing “over tourism “. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Stradum, or main street is full of tour groups and day trippers-and this is just the beginning of the tourist season</td></tr>
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It’s a wonderful town full of sea faring history with wealth and Venetian influences around every corner. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">present-day Church of St. Blaise was damaged & destroyed by earthquakes and fires, the statue was save by some miracle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Blaise usually holds a model of the city of Dubrovnik</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Blaise, died c.316, is the Protector of Dubrovnik because he warned of the 10th century attact by Venetians. He is the also the Patron Saint of sufferers from throat diseases (because he miraculously cured a young boy from fatal choking on a fish bone) and of wool combers (after he was tortured and killed with wool combers' irons)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today there are still 27 statues on administrative and merchant buildings</td></tr>
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However, the city is struggling with how to handle the volume of Renaissance loving people and fans of “Game of Thrones” (filmed here). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">late in the evening after most tourists have left-Jesuit Staircase just around the corner from our apartment</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">walking the walls with the Lovrijenac Fort in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the wall of the city was built right into the stone cliff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrVnoTFsQnzgYMe2dzBiwP7MsBBFu7gmTO-d9RY-fBdnaimlH2_03B-0WIZ8Gji9n-MAZ4bs8i654jBuKKiPpmXYpaedzY-rxWTUOY0D58nUUIugbsN__Xo3H51KDBVcEyDZ50n_Q2n4/s1600/IMG_9736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrVnoTFsQnzgYMe2dzBiwP7MsBBFu7gmTO-d9RY-fBdnaimlH2_03B-0WIZ8Gji9n-MAZ4bs8i654jBuKKiPpmXYpaedzY-rxWTUOY0D58nUUIugbsN__Xo3H51KDBVcEyDZ50n_Q2n4/s400/IMG_9736.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortunately we had a few sunny days in Dubrovnik and walked the walls in the morning before the crowds!</td></tr>
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Today only<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> a little over 1,500 residents live within the city's historic centre down from 5,000 twenty years ago. Most people have moved out and turned their homes into AirBnB rentals!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tourism in Dubrovnik on Croatia’s southern coast is up a massive 53% so far this year</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Sustainable tourism is a new focus and we discovered this checklist for f</b></span><b>oreign travelers to consider the following where ever we go:</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b><u>Is the place you are staying at owned by locals?</u></b></em></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">YES! Our host, Zvonko, works and lives with his family in Dubrovnik and has only this one apartment which he personally manages. </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">We are staying in his AirBnB apartment that is convenient for a week. This is a hilly area and we specifically chose a place on the flat part of the town but we still have 31 stairs to our 3rd floor home.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgNMTxL4ufbfPYFQrpKLrPVehmZ5o7KRykjMHGR38QG7cBCOPwcjyV7kK7PD6DLclrhkup9w17iMRFAEzhRDsXY1caBLZgnLbxa0k_W1NYcQuWRG0v8zKAww4i7sM-PeeuGpw52W0pJI/s1600/IMG_9975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgNMTxL4ufbfPYFQrpKLrPVehmZ5o7KRykjMHGR38QG7cBCOPwcjyV7kK7PD6DLclrhkup9w17iMRFAEzhRDsXY1caBLZgnLbxa0k_W1NYcQuWRG0v8zKAww4i7sM-PeeuGpw52W0pJI/s400/IMG_9975.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restaurants in Dubrovnik are expensive so we have breakfast and occasional dinner "at home"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out our 3rd floor window into the street (which is very narrow) at the workers hand delivering restaurant & bar supplies- there are no cars in the old town and hundreds of steps!! We also hung out laundry out the window to dry!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b><u>Are you supporting local businesses and contributing to the economy versus buying items at manufactured souvenir shops? </u></b></em></span></div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box;">YES! We purchased from two farmer-producers in the “green market” and I bought a silver handmade traditional jewelry piece. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Sp4t23HqHezSDW8_Pqkqu5KGznXRiTj70s9I3tMa75UN79xf2hCR_bYdiRfO6GzV1VrQotm9Wg5mLRbp86bndVmbDb5z6POemHGxkjREMwpcG1AXv3MU-ZCt_uj-sLBvENHgHoX8TJs/s1600/IMG_0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Sp4t23HqHezSDW8_Pqkqu5KGznXRiTj70s9I3tMa75UN79xf2hCR_bYdiRfO6GzV1VrQotm9Wg5mLRbp86bndVmbDb5z6POemHGxkjREMwpcG1AXv3MU-ZCt_uj-sLBvENHgHoX8TJs/s400/IMG_0314.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I bought a hand-made Silver traditional 19th century filigree "button" pendant</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacFMxF3oBFwcJCwtxtjCLoumlnCfEutaGpk8SMzT6Lc-tTjLMw4CMa2ZcgS2in2LP_up6JRffPrmvcZXnwCYyULZVhARhEQSplSKQumfdzqtTzAaleNzGALhjxVniLZh5gPmlcg3zTjs/s1600/IMG_0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacFMxF3oBFwcJCwtxtjCLoumlnCfEutaGpk8SMzT6Lc-tTjLMw4CMa2ZcgS2in2LP_up6JRffPrmvcZXnwCYyULZVhARhEQSplSKQumfdzqtTzAaleNzGALhjxVniLZh5gPmlcg3zTjs/s400/IMG_0287.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toma, the 4th generation jeweler, showing me his creations</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b><u>Are you respecting the locals’ culture?</u></b></em></span></div>
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YES! We attended a concert of the Dubrovnik Symphony, a performance of the Lindo Folklore Ensemble and visited most of the museums in the city. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeEz3LHKmw8WC9XXLQfAkfND7mxZeXuGbnFRkbtG1M87y9SjfB4PRnpuTpm6kkr51m17iFMqHNqomEfSI9B5n5FZPY3dBlr0Tp8EdHpbujf9w4PS7eRn0BKl4uHvK-LT0omFfa5GdNCA/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1186" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeEz3LHKmw8WC9XXLQfAkfND7mxZeXuGbnFRkbtG1M87y9SjfB4PRnpuTpm6kkr51m17iFMqHNqomEfSI9B5n5FZPY3dBlr0Tp8EdHpbujf9w4PS7eRn0BKl4uHvK-LT0omFfa5GdNCA/s400/IMG_0080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Easter eggs decorated using was painting and natural dye (my Ukranian grandmother used to make these but never so detailed)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The concert is held in the Rector's Palace that has amazing accoustics for a big old stone building! We met the Concert Mistress with the Dubrovnik Symphony (she is from San Francisco) and met her for ice cream later</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">beautiful authentic costumes from about 50 dancers and musicians</td></tr>
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Is Dubrovnik worth visiting even with the crowds? Absolutely YES!</div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-91398744506200868792019-05-11T10:02:00.001-07:002019-05-11T10:02:15.581-07:00Traveling the Coast of Croatia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black granite Egyptian Sphinx dates back to 1450 BC, one of 12 that were brought to the Palace</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Along the western Balkan Peninsula, Slovenia has 29 miles of coastline, Bosnia-Hertzogovina has just 12 miles but Croatia dominates with 3,600 miles! The Croatian Dalmatian Coast has been one of top tourist destinations for nearly 200 years and we just discovered it this year! We have spent the last week in some of the most spectacular and glamorous towns.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romans, present-day tourists and YES! The Dalmatian dog came from Croatia</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Split, our first stop, had a long histoy of ship building. The old town is another walled city but more unique is that it originally was a walled palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian from the 4th Century A.D. When Diocletian "retired" he returned to his homeland and had a massive palace built for himself and about 600 bodyguards, servants and soldiers. It was both a luxurious imperial residence and fortified structure surrounded by walls and towers covering nearly 8 acreas. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">good travel website: www.split.gg</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reconstruction of Diocletian's palace, 1912</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Palace is so facinating because it has been lived in and "remodeled" for 2,000 years. When the palace became abandoned during the Medevial times, people began building "over" and "around" the palace destroying the building and using the stone to rebuild houses and other structures. Four hundred years after Diocletian's death and his brutal persecution of Christians, his mausoleum became a Cathedral dedicated to the martyred St. Domnius.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral of St. Domnius (formerly Diocletians's elaborate mausoleum)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peristyle, or courtyard, leading into the vestibule which was the entry into the residence </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Diocletian's orders, St. Domnius was drownd in A.D. 302 with a millstone tied to his neck</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Everywhere we walked signage indicated a 12th, 15th, 17th or 18th century plaza, house or monument. It was difficult to follow the Roman, medieval, and Renaissance architecture, not to mention the modern Split Promenade (Riva). </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15th century tower</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tiny St. Martin's Chapel was built inside the palace walls at the Golden Gate in the 5th century for the soldiers who guarded the gate and is now a Dominican monastery<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We "stumbled upon" the opening of a floral show in the basement halls (cellars) of the Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vast cellars were rediscovered in the last century and archaeologists are able to determine the entire floor plan of the palace above. Now the huge underground rooms are used for a variety of events and displays.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUHvSm7k2UcL86YmUxw_LWJuFa1lh8NaeSDn9cGowynFKdzLAkWqCbwQ4f6I9oCTnKO_vMxyfOqOFksSH3tkrEiAWPhGDQdkarzee0AEuNRE7_HlbaQpbna_ZDsVe8YdHWMTgy9MH0ZQ/s1600/IMG_9449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUHvSm7k2UcL86YmUxw_LWJuFa1lh8NaeSDn9cGowynFKdzLAkWqCbwQ4f6I9oCTnKO_vMxyfOqOFksSH3tkrEiAWPhGDQdkarzee0AEuNRE7_HlbaQpbna_ZDsVe8YdHWMTgy9MH0ZQ/s400/IMG_9449.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">there were hundreds of floral arrangements on display apparently in this annual Florist Show<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Our apartment, inside the walls, was several hundred years old and repurposed from stones and bricks from the Palace! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqMdF6r_Fs53LE0JWrqu6ncqfA4zsjn937R3Yy-27BmDxDL9aqFcm21h3KTosFGV_b2CLKV9CKV0fTQIfqcf7TKLVDFkI2aTrcQ1n7WfDlbxUhFcBj6zkdY2vYQyC915uJYgSLBnhXG4/s400/IMG_9344.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our 3rd floor room was over several cafes and "alleyway" streets</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqMdF6r_Fs53LE0JWrqu6ncqfA4zsjn937R3Yy-27BmDxDL9aqFcm21h3KTosFGV_b2CLKV9CKV0fTQIfqcf7TKLVDFkI2aTrcQ1n7WfDlbxUhFcBj6zkdY2vYQyC915uJYgSLBnhXG4/s1600/IMG_9344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKqMdF6r_Fs53LE0JWrqu6ncqfA4zsjn937R3Yy-27BmDxDL9aqFcm21h3KTosFGV_b2CLKV9CKV0fTQIfqcf7TKLVDFkI2aTrcQ1n7WfDlbxUhFcBj6zkdY2vYQyC915uJYgSLBnhXG4/s1600/IMG_9344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FUz8UERwEuFifa_sg-pkSSUcO6Tx5XhgAHQJFfGGVvvsE12ID8A_LSJIEeuYYji5w9bWAbs5JE8Z9G1DzU4xJdB_bd4NftmjoRE4gXsyy27QzP9gK4JrlleaafeFUEqng8zVJ3pjwN4/s1600/IMG_9343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FUz8UERwEuFifa_sg-pkSSUcO6Tx5XhgAHQJFfGGVvvsE12ID8A_LSJIEeuYYji5w9bWAbs5JE8Z9G1DzU4xJdB_bd4NftmjoRE4gXsyy27QzP9gK4JrlleaafeFUEqng8zVJ3pjwN4/s400/IMG_9343.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our perfect little "walk up" apartment all in one room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrojuNJmK6AIbZ10nmo1xTsO_FHR4UiuUEtr-YPoNHagZICzDCUe9og1FP7isefDrgxJlJvvSK9gTQCslcoOQhvqiiv2GWxT4OW9KPXLpZLIm-9kBEhUgH0BH60Lcf8HfM0eO40ErkTs8/s1600/IMG_9476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrojuNJmK6AIbZ10nmo1xTsO_FHR4UiuUEtr-YPoNHagZICzDCUe9og1FP7isefDrgxJlJvvSK9gTQCslcoOQhvqiiv2GWxT4OW9KPXLpZLIm-9kBEhUgH0BH60Lcf8HfM0eO40ErkTs8/s400/IMG_9476.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">grilled seabass - delicious!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-oYnhcdJiyA50fAKWeuE9gqVWIiZHH31RPOrKfo3OrzY23vthNkErE99bZfpwHXMzAmlGb-AgWkwe7oADjwFlsXglQYQ_HRSjMpdvr-Q2sTafsf-AH9-zkeHrTh2hF1U1Fy8ZVZLMjQ/s1600/IMG_9481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-oYnhcdJiyA50fAKWeuE9gqVWIiZHH31RPOrKfo3OrzY23vthNkErE99bZfpwHXMzAmlGb-AgWkwe7oADjwFlsXglQYQ_HRSjMpdvr-Q2sTafsf-AH9-zkeHrTh2hF1U1Fy8ZVZLMjQ/s400/IMG_9481.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daily menu handwritten according to what they have (100 Croatia Kuna is about $15 US)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn6hQTB3nPlyCCwvVdAB403dQM7OvUv7xhzVnpDJ3TS4uk0TdPo9u8rgheTJVTEbTYxD-bqvxWhEDzs_sEck6P7Qg_wFtuBMmNc395awqaCKVZBQmz6ztKEuHpXql7wVKAVrxTp4Zptg/s1600/IMG_9567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjn6hQTB3nPlyCCwvVdAB403dQM7OvUv7xhzVnpDJ3TS4uk0TdPo9u8rgheTJVTEbTYxD-bqvxWhEDzs_sEck6P7Qg_wFtuBMmNc395awqaCKVZBQmz6ztKEuHpXql7wVKAVrxTp4Zptg/s400/IMG_9567.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took a ferry to the island of Hvar<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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The day we left it was raining and the wind was strong so our catamaran ferry was cancelled and we had to figure out, with the help of a friendly Croatian, how to get an alternate ferry to another town & then take a bus to Hvar city.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWewoN1xFIarNv4V_AHWJGgWoo8Ebao88G0qkzggHkc4A54JN8ExbSVNvrHF1taa7pNNR43Q_KtrZ5nEhpX-gg4qW94T0eNv8XiN8jE2Dfi17Wd2yvUtPrjXkcefzKuvTohrfwj7MOJ4/s1600/IMG_9625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWewoN1xFIarNv4V_AHWJGgWoo8Ebao88G0qkzggHkc4A54JN8ExbSVNvrHF1taa7pNNR43Q_KtrZ5nEhpX-gg4qW94T0eNv8XiN8jE2Dfi17Wd2yvUtPrjXkcefzKuvTohrfwj7MOJ4/s400/IMG_9625.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1703 St. Stephen Cathedral in Hvar (don't pronounce the "H")</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX5c2PVK8QAEyPIOYtBsFtkkkdkCMLOE4MgAkv18heYyj0JWtMofkSlL-9GFsH0TzCW3XvcuHTsoY59iUx2NjiRp8dQl95XdAwaIyeBidVJD2TuoAQHOUA7tKvwpJBLbJkVe_J9-ksiw/s1600/IMG_9667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaX5c2PVK8QAEyPIOYtBsFtkkkdkCMLOE4MgAkv18heYyj0JWtMofkSlL-9GFsH0TzCW3XvcuHTsoY59iUx2NjiRp8dQl95XdAwaIyeBidVJD2TuoAQHOUA7tKvwpJBLbJkVe_J9-ksiw/s400/IMG_9667.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hvarska pjaca (Hvar's square) is the largest square in Dalmatia and we thought it was quite small....kids were playing soccer </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeuWthL-ezOSgiE7bkQJgTRQFVA0Z7sdfJLBSCviM-bD4z5xCJdTIkXz4f1X0PgF8_0eeZoB_5s7mXMZCUxB7f5QeswMIIIwa649-0aEFEkr6lf9uXrL9d5_eM7zX85YC3LbfTnDtBvw/s1600/IMG_9640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMeuWthL-ezOSgiE7bkQJgTRQFVA0Z7sdfJLBSCviM-bD4z5xCJdTIkXz4f1X0PgF8_0eeZoB_5s7mXMZCUxB7f5QeswMIIIwa649-0aEFEkr6lf9uXrL9d5_eM7zX85YC3LbfTnDtBvw/s400/IMG_9640.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our apt. was in this very old traditional stone house right next to the Cathedral with the bells starting at 6:00 am</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QVT5c9_pAtfQyQsK9M-JvvKNHY6_tH9TgopDq_V9Z9RUZv0Qvl2pTYLUGxwVwz6Fe7whdFM0Byiy4di7rV3nuh4xSk9cbUtC7VsYw4Ri1EHVusjNSkzVCrQ3vLLAJGoEdjf4smnbIzY/s1600/IMG_9586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QVT5c9_pAtfQyQsK9M-JvvKNHY6_tH9TgopDq_V9Z9RUZv0Qvl2pTYLUGxwVwz6Fe7whdFM0Byiy4di7rV3nuh4xSk9cbUtC7VsYw4Ri1EHVusjNSkzVCrQ3vLLAJGoEdjf4smnbIzY/s320/IMG_9586.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> very modern!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_1tkDtKX-NDSuXkvwWhfCTJWCQ5W4KlkCHFfEx14sK47hyphenhyphenQxbLyTIoEx41J4IOL75wLMNw6NBeY1Jom5cB-BuITAzGSf5m8qJ2POg9P2GCJrcnA1iJ_raOER7o6vJU8O2eufbCbFe8A/s1600/IMG_9641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb_1tkDtKX-NDSuXkvwWhfCTJWCQ5W4KlkCHFfEx14sK47hyphenhyphenQxbLyTIoEx41J4IOL75wLMNw6NBeY1Jom5cB-BuITAzGSf5m8qJ2POg9P2GCJrcnA1iJ_raOER7o6vJU8O2eufbCbFe8A/s400/IMG_9641.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our hike up to the fortress above the city<br /><br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
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Hvar is a small port and really just a lovely place to walk around the coast and the harbor. In the summer is swells as a playground resort for the wealthy but now it was a little quieter. While it is listed as one of the top 10 Best Islands in the world there are no sandy beaches! They have vast fields of lavender, ancient olive trees and vineyards. Lavender was introduced as a "cash crop" after the lost of the grapes due to disease and at one time Hvar was the 8th largest producer in the world.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ssIp-A-ZLuGxTUOqzo_UTPe5AI0_rL4NTDU1ADsQpuQhZ0mXYuM23o0eFGujMORzhDGcvlqvCDK3QVfhHDTfK-kNytr96WwjQ-nbMJayiTwutq03JNmePC4NY8X7wtzZkQaX9H_k5Oc/s1600/IMG_9647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ssIp-A-ZLuGxTUOqzo_UTPe5AI0_rL4NTDU1ADsQpuQhZ0mXYuM23o0eFGujMORzhDGcvlqvCDK3QVfhHDTfK-kNytr96WwjQ-nbMJayiTwutq03JNmePC4NY8X7wtzZkQaX9H_k5Oc/s400/IMG_9647.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lots of rocky coves, secluded beaches and pine forests. One day it poured rain and we ran between buildings, then the next day it was pretty and warm.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLH4UMdPMN9XVUfwdxrMiu_AI1ATRPuwis_TsCTkyrsD-4AwSbydPj5gXIwqgnxEgbKeXqkjMuQlJ-JthQ1yLUYq1lVNPoHD4w9CS5rOHXKXd5WNWwB3wNDtEXWBQyn5Ajw2xnh7wcuwc/s1600/IMG_9662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLH4UMdPMN9XVUfwdxrMiu_AI1ATRPuwis_TsCTkyrsD-4AwSbydPj5gXIwqgnxEgbKeXqkjMuQlJ-JthQ1yLUYq1lVNPoHD4w9CS5rOHXKXd5WNWwB3wNDtEXWBQyn5Ajw2xnh7wcuwc/s400/IMG_9662.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">fishing botas with nets</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7joUP-gLI524-6szaWkCOZZuQPpg0B97bTOemAqR5Ui3PIu8nbOJvVJgYU2l6qRsXBQsWj_PRRVHa8-WBDZ5FP852YqEchET2MMPiVVDbdEcBv5FB5wmyiuw1eyqIx38i0wPUaBKup8/s1600/IMG_9660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7joUP-gLI524-6szaWkCOZZuQPpg0B97bTOemAqR5Ui3PIu8nbOJvVJgYU2l6qRsXBQsWj_PRRVHa8-WBDZ5FP852YqEchET2MMPiVVDbdEcBv5FB5wmyiuw1eyqIx38i0wPUaBKup8/s400/IMG_9660.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Next we are off on another ferry for a week in Dubrovnik.<br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-32213397836850090252019-05-03T11:55:00.001-07:002019-05-03T12:10:18.850-07:00Croatia National Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9wXHlFxgUQEJHDwln0PY_1BA-j5Ml0bt0kX6V9XGIMBBYzBFqpk7m186X_oCx8PH_JIMYUR9EZJ9FfNEaXmhSliiGZxlQNdCakpTPM_wf2hCoME1Pqv0IZS16evMAgMsuZqfPmyn_eg/s1600/IMG_9553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="636" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9wXHlFxgUQEJHDwln0PY_1BA-j5Ml0bt0kX6V9XGIMBBYzBFqpk7m186X_oCx8PH_JIMYUR9EZJ9FfNEaXmhSliiGZxlQNdCakpTPM_wf2hCoME1Pqv0IZS16evMAgMsuZqfPmyn_eg/s400/IMG_9553.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Croatian traditional RED Šestine umbrella</td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><span style="font-size: large;">We have had two days of water-not rain but rather massive waterfalls, gushing cascades, plateau lakes, rapids and spilling water mills. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Leaving the capital of Zagreb, we drove on the back roads through the rural countryside of farms and small villages where we saw many abandoned and destroyed homes which may be leftover from the Yugoslav wars 1991-2001. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbCvUwfHOuJ03_THOY4Z9Q26iEpR2DLE58D5eiDZunCQsQ6z1NWzLt0ftxAeq8jH4rTI-NTPDEK7tQhzIZt1dPI4hY9IzrTb45y_SmFpXqdw6zZWN-dwqysrPNKqBMccm5VqoVdyYLr4/s1600/IMG_9283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbCvUwfHOuJ03_THOY4Z9Q26iEpR2DLE58D5eiDZunCQsQ6z1NWzLt0ftxAeq8jH4rTI-NTPDEK7tQhzIZt1dPI4hY9IzrTb45y_SmFpXqdw6zZWN-dwqysrPNKqBMccm5VqoVdyYLr4/s400/IMG_9283.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many newer homes are built adjacent to the old farm building</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2EkaLeDqcXfBvdgHb4dRrDsJe7X_Hlq4Gev0QGqYDB0k96BZSX-2XcrJzZRIpg-IkQqCfS43P2ukBls4lOe5W8dNcgiv_szyXEdvpmE5BTqt8BKSUbI2TQi1ifcb3Z_Q-3-7MMpHJds/s1600/IMG_9274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2EkaLeDqcXfBvdgHb4dRrDsJe7X_Hlq4Gev0QGqYDB0k96BZSX-2XcrJzZRIpg-IkQqCfS43P2ukBls4lOe5W8dNcgiv_szyXEdvpmE5BTqt8BKSUbI2TQi1ifcb3Z_Q-3-7MMpHJds/s400/IMG_9274.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx2vvUjFwwLCHqq-AjJvoLKrhcaSeGCi1WJ8ZAkhhuXPCBfJkqUmyRifcmKZSQKV-5_rUQtqNSAvYBduwuWAbATCuAqxTzR2BfkwO4XQBxD3X1A24IUK5PCTS07S_0xu8F7yvgEVtg18/s1600/IMG_9276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZx2vvUjFwwLCHqq-AjJvoLKrhcaSeGCi1WJ8ZAkhhuXPCBfJkqUmyRifcmKZSQKV-5_rUQtqNSAvYBduwuWAbATCuAqxTzR2BfkwO4XQBxD3X1A24IUK5PCTS07S_0xu8F7yvgEVtg18/s400/IMG_9276.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of roadside stalls selling cheese (Sir) and honey (Med)-we bought some delicious smoked cheese</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: right;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6WvHqTe5AX1-x9y0wMM6RZXx609FQgd096vKFLT_9dkJES0ER03smpCWGOxihF_YEjbArBB_SUUKHlzj8caPyDuU1vUnFcX0qSHqNGbwdYU90uN8r33_9SBv2QPbNHmhH2MhXwatMyc/s1600/IMG_9299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1543" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT6WvHqTe5AX1-x9y0wMM6RZXx609FQgd096vKFLT_9dkJES0ER03smpCWGOxihF_YEjbArBB_SUUKHlzj8caPyDuU1vUnFcX0qSHqNGbwdYU90uN8r33_9SBv2QPbNHmhH2MhXwatMyc/s400/IMG_9299.JPG" width="385" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">these look like old communist hold-over apartment buildings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgFfwvPIhSo_3qp8USRXInckDK4HnOPtdGGZl5dkwKB76EhMdSxKqACPvEDpGB_Q0cbBK8LKW7wEZU9cZYVknYf_GHF0AR2-HBkrla93IATP7s8Z7_N4qJEG_X5AcmSyslMaJSgS-pko/s1600/IMG_9049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgFfwvPIhSo_3qp8USRXInckDK4HnOPtdGGZl5dkwKB76EhMdSxKqACPvEDpGB_Q0cbBK8LKW7wEZU9cZYVknYf_GHF0AR2-HBkrla93IATP7s8Z7_N4qJEG_X5AcmSyslMaJSgS-pko/s400/IMG_9049.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV61XLc_KGq4pwj91DJgrDESxN_ZK_mep4RbMEk4z3tSyjPp0csVerNFvkdwF82haccY08SEQpXP72PLb3VnHxBVN6Rc6EpZIRH8J_6urDJ6jjNem8xA9ad6rCEKuVfVYUctVGOQvaacA/s1600/IMG_9065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1249" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV61XLc_KGq4pwj91DJgrDESxN_ZK_mep4RbMEk4z3tSyjPp0csVerNFvkdwF82haccY08SEQpXP72PLb3VnHxBVN6Rc6EpZIRH8J_6urDJ6jjNem8xA9ad6rCEKuVfVYUctVGOQvaacA/s400/IMG_9065.JPG" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we think wood or hay is stored in the skinny wooden structure</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilReY3ccQNXzlVamPKc-TPrnpnj1YgrSK58EEAFjGYoGou6J71lWctaCvXvwZHF6ir17WJ7YHB1F4-r-g8NWuTsCz6Xiu-NOYAO7j1d67v8qKz88Fw8eqI9dXR4q4OAW5Aqj3tE2qmaXY/s1600/IMG_9064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilReY3ccQNXzlVamPKc-TPrnpnj1YgrSK58EEAFjGYoGou6J71lWctaCvXvwZHF6ir17WJ7YHB1F4-r-g8NWuTsCz6Xiu-NOYAO7j1d67v8qKz88Fw8eqI9dXR4q4OAW5Aqj3tE2qmaXY/s400/IMG_9064.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this man was cutting the grass with a scythe</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3blO0jxD4cOb77YoH99QAE2MneScO855f4iGDyIX3l_u-X8LC2bo88ySv2fhpbfy23G1hkM3rGGMAnR58Y6qDlwe4Gtyy4UK84xN0tRp-eT-VT6wjkhaBK7CENvHdqDfE_LWIshta6K4/s1600/IMG_9055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1269" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3blO0jxD4cOb77YoH99QAE2MneScO855f4iGDyIX3l_u-X8LC2bo88ySv2fhpbfy23G1hkM3rGGMAnR58Y6qDlwe4Gtyy4UK84xN0tRp-eT-VT6wjkhaBK7CENvHdqDfE_LWIshta6K4/s400/IMG_9055.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QN1pZTUK10EX9cWb3pnFb7a7_PJl3nnc1maInX7kKo_uOe2Rsp1LUje6A2usHMHvpDj1XLK8mdNMPUpuME65OVIl38A5udNdzMxeofO8UKauizH6POQYeomHERfHnus95fNOsMXT56s/s1600/IMG_9062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QN1pZTUK10EX9cWb3pnFb7a7_PJl3nnc1maInX7kKo_uOe2Rsp1LUje6A2usHMHvpDj1XLK8mdNMPUpuME65OVIl38A5udNdzMxeofO8UKauizH6POQYeomHERfHnus95fNOsMXT56s/s400/IMG_9062.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we always stop for a coffee in a small town. They always serve a glass of water with the coffee which is great!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">We arrived at the historic village of Rastoke and stayed in one of the two "Rooms Bruneta" an old building that has been remodeled into a lovely little room over one of the cascading rivers. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C2hJ7yUVmaGDGuwaeKz62UF8Ny_aJ5qY6c3Ig52o8G0Fxn8pLcRlHqCgkEsTS-skhk55G4D5Ln4hZ7AfK73GJvjWbVSNsgS0swzVVyKpyZfyj4Ubhgxp2i97Rb-h23-Nr-yvpMIJFGY/s1600/IMG_9077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1C2hJ7yUVmaGDGuwaeKz62UF8Ny_aJ5qY6c3Ig52o8G0Fxn8pLcRlHqCgkEsTS-skhk55G4D5Ln4hZ7AfK73GJvjWbVSNsgS0swzVVyKpyZfyj4Ubhgxp2i97Rb-h23-Nr-yvpMIJFGY/s400/IMG_9077.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our room was on the right </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">Rastoke is an old watermill village situated where the blue-green water of river Slunjčica flows into the Korana river over 2,000 feet of travertine (a kind of limestone) barriers and falls. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDudJEoEd6R7o0Hiv8XYNcK28thBe-wweE4fehy1IidjpzL1DfLjD70ztZEIW27vyTGeyVR3pes_MK8CJ_OJZYdOuYuz-mPN8z6m6H2Ti22WfgfFc3L1Suyh8T7RR8Xult6FR8iQdeElM/s1600/IMG_9081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDudJEoEd6R7o0Hiv8XYNcK28thBe-wweE4fehy1IidjpzL1DfLjD70ztZEIW27vyTGeyVR3pes_MK8CJ_OJZYdOuYuz-mPN8z6m6H2Ti22WfgfFc3L1Suyh8T7RR8Xult6FR8iQdeElM/s400/IMG_9081.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_M6M4dHRDpAMP90S4mmSHeB35WJfknZZlEHxg4c8Fa6Rg3Myb2phv2aeX6VXBrmRBU9hoahtBTrduTfZUbTX17zfLmW5krzJj0bIlb1aTqdjQA_YKDSs79FQWCpGY2blspNw0y3UsLOk/s1600/IMG_9111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_M6M4dHRDpAMP90S4mmSHeB35WJfknZZlEHxg4c8Fa6Rg3Myb2phv2aeX6VXBrmRBU9hoahtBTrduTfZUbTX17zfLmW5krzJj0bIlb1aTqdjQA_YKDSs79FQWCpGY2blspNw0y3UsLOk/s400/IMG_9111.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;"></span><br style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">The first watermills were built in the 17th century, possibly even earlier. Most of the houses were built at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySoPy8FitSZWi787GStRkAb_TAoKJeUaePpBXVrqLwvRU57Leoso594XTz72Ct5e8ww5sE7H8kSO-FnjmZmbKCf56xXxQILd37nnkacY8YaWHHR0XYznkBI5KbxkXQjLuP10NpUSXtoU/s1600/IMG_20190430_154228061_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhySoPy8FitSZWi787GStRkAb_TAoKJeUaePpBXVrqLwvRU57Leoso594XTz72Ct5e8ww5sE7H8kSO-FnjmZmbKCf56xXxQILd37nnkacY8YaWHHR0XYznkBI5KbxkXQjLuP10NpUSXtoU/s400/IMG_20190430_154228061_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54p5HUqYZzZzG_t3c6bIppCZOZAvNjMPvcHKh8VRv_6eIvmow5hDDjDevAiOhjTiZZM8kn9vdn1v6ZTHNw7SljgnzkUtSQ_2CT5-MyWXSHN-cf-gK_JAHB-BTOPgQ1n6SuUS-JFI_Mw0/s1600/IMG_20190430_154435817_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54p5HUqYZzZzG_t3c6bIppCZOZAvNjMPvcHKh8VRv_6eIvmow5hDDjDevAiOhjTiZZM8kn9vdn1v6ZTHNw7SljgnzkUtSQ_2CT5-MyWXSHN-cf-gK_JAHB-BTOPgQ1n6SuUS-JFI_Mw0/s400/IMG_20190430_154435817_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">The ground parts of the houses are made out of travertine, while the higher parts consist of wood. The roofs are made by shingle or tiles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;"></span><br style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">The spoon mills that are typical here depend on the fall of the water which moves the vertical spindle and the milling stone connected to the spindle.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih04TPxkU7-ngQoXl05X-z2fw0cniafuVikYUW_l7T7j_IQNDMP_hJm3eSPryV3Gr6DG0GLk4KlVNCzeSli18jk3eWUC_KqJO9FzHT-v9vvAKyBjdXmXwXuoeeFoEYZUAwF7XntZ-7Ddw/s1600/IMG_9117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih04TPxkU7-ngQoXl05X-z2fw0cniafuVikYUW_l7T7j_IQNDMP_hJm3eSPryV3Gr6DG0GLk4KlVNCzeSli18jk3eWUC_KqJO9FzHT-v9vvAKyBjdXmXwXuoeeFoEYZUAwF7XntZ-7Ddw/s400/IMG_9117.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">laying on its side-spoons on the right, shaft and the stone mill on the left</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi4I6388YRm9LJT6KjhgPf5Qh2_KvVJ_3sVfE6_hNZfmEB7Al4H2j0jlYp8XmFNCVbQ9OUNm8piHKM_Lp757E2D79uAAi2UUXsQ8VvfE8Xe5Btu4kWpZYbDqOyk1TAoBCUPXspZzdHgs/s1600/IMG_9542.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="220" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi4I6388YRm9LJT6KjhgPf5Qh2_KvVJ_3sVfE6_hNZfmEB7Al4H2j0jlYp8XmFNCVbQ9OUNm8piHKM_Lp757E2D79uAAi2UUXsQ8VvfE8Xe5Btu4kWpZYbDqOyk1TAoBCUPXspZzdHgs/s400/IMG_9542.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">At its height in the 18th and 19th centuries, Rastoke had up to 22 mills for grinding grain and finishing woolen fibers. The milling profession was passed down through families for centuries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;"></span><br style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;" />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">Because of its extraordinary natural beauties and historic tradition the village of Rastoke has gained state protection. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCCGkwMEN3BeZNtIu0UuIvLCjttVNVA4Y4FNu9KSOPnn78NS3oH_lyE32nOceCL_PDX_2jTJFdcALhoISb2vZ3oZalu-Ba5kifVTQs0Yc4fNtvfYMdw7-YRUTvhErH3qo0TDL9gz8tKg/s1600/IMG_9124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCCGkwMEN3BeZNtIu0UuIvLCjttVNVA4Y4FNu9KSOPnn78NS3oH_lyE32nOceCL_PDX_2jTJFdcALhoISb2vZ3oZalu-Ba5kifVTQs0Yc4fNtvfYMdw7-YRUTvhErH3qo0TDL9gz8tKg/s400/IMG_9124.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We drove over this old bridge into the village. Our room was in the building behind the green table umbrella</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSVwrfn4yjvfmXpPpHhApV3JBgS8VK8MW2YsE1Atlc89YvrN0cMQrfmwJgLvPCESv2zOVex3FJiZs4MKN-GTlOy_xjXLVe6MTFElgXK6K0gnBed9E4EPJW-JuRmbPS9r55NQmffVhlhw/s1600/IMG_9543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAaN5iTy3swOClIzYHkDXZ1Ds4TL5pofife4f6CFX0CwHEaSfdRQwrtpCqXgDWL0cbXjCF68BRoGMIZykwHaqNyDkuf5_zmHhm5qGBplgn0L1PzyQoCrUGx6jA8XYjLOllUdsxvXeSJs/s1600/IMG_9551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="102" data-original-width="154" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhAaN5iTy3swOClIzYHkDXZ1Ds4TL5pofife4f6CFX0CwHEaSfdRQwrtpCqXgDWL0cbXjCF68BRoGMIZykwHaqNyDkuf5_zmHhm5qGBplgn0L1PzyQoCrUGx6jA8XYjLOllUdsxvXeSJs/s200/IMG_9551.JPG" width="200" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSVwrfn4yjvfmXpPpHhApV3JBgS8VK8MW2YsE1Atlc89YvrN0cMQrfmwJgLvPCESv2zOVex3FJiZs4MKN-GTlOy_xjXLVe6MTFElgXK6K0gnBed9E4EPJW-JuRmbPS9r55NQmffVhlhw/s200/IMG_9543.JPG" width="191" /><span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">The next morning we got an early start to visit UNESCO Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s first. We really didn’t know what to expect - except loads of tour groups and local Croatians because it was May 1-International Workers Day-a 3 day holiday just like in the U.S. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><span style="font-size: 23px;">As our favorite Travel Guru, Rick Steves describes, "Imagine Niagara Falls diced and sprinkled over a heavily forested Grand Canyon." I'd add a "miniture Iguasu Falls, too".</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREEMkSqfkaHsPujn2DAi0eP0Hc9030BszusjTXyWMaA-QNQM53Wh7KRSaMPwTfp7J0zLGD91kExQU45BIoh88NGpK6rDXuZtHh0KAB_v6zyHVQn0XIuES4Q3LzIa_qfXR8hhkv8DzG-s/s1600/IMG_9137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREEMkSqfkaHsPujn2DAi0eP0Hc9030BszusjTXyWMaA-QNQM53Wh7KRSaMPwTfp7J0zLGD91kExQU45BIoh88NGpK6rDXuZtHh0KAB_v6zyHVQn0XIuES4Q3LzIa_qfXR8hhkv8DzG-s/s400/IMG_9137.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7oG20PzA80ebco2cvYv3hJzidX8X1vu6etYgjlvcvX0vIEBzBpHQEjOtWiGPgdvIx0FAsXcRBePMj9dXtc13nqS_b0Oi-AoHe1qZOyhqnO8ZHQyMRyUHud6Zybt2wz175KTUuCxbB4/s1600/IMG_20190501_092016047_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAC7oG20PzA80ebco2cvYv3hJzidX8X1vu6etYgjlvcvX0vIEBzBpHQEjOtWiGPgdvIx0FAsXcRBePMj9dXtc13nqS_b0Oi-AoHe1qZOyhqnO8ZHQyMRyUHud6Zybt2wz175KTUuCxbB4/s400/IMG_20190501_092016047_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Waterfall--Veliki Slap 250 feet fall<br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><span style="font-size: 23px;">We started at the Lower Lakes and hiked on the boardwalks and paths uphill reaching yet another plataeu lake which formed waterfalls and cascades. In all, there are 16 named and numerous small, unnamed bodies of water all cascading into the next. The Lower Lakes are cut into deep canyons with high cliffs. The boardwalks at times skirted the lakes and other times crossed them. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY5TZ_035VWUVAKmZu1jZVMCEJd3L8-WNZCvehxrTUAq2zIrr0m3Os_E2d1gke8m3kK9s5kfz1YLhyphenhyphenuoGVM8_Att0eDKpOTyCJdjfHWj6e6oU4pUvdc2oOOqeauDitFrzxDFdjVeVI0Q/s1600/IMG_9179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiY5TZ_035VWUVAKmZu1jZVMCEJd3L8-WNZCvehxrTUAq2zIrr0m3Os_E2d1gke8m3kK9s5kfz1YLhyphenhyphenuoGVM8_Att0eDKpOTyCJdjfHWj6e6oU4pUvdc2oOOqeauDitFrzxDFdjVeVI0Q/s400/IMG_9179.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hSqba1SQnNmuj_zzFf5c0eYatPgHB-7Hg1e8oeSog5WgEIV8sPPJiutWHHK-0v2N49ZYBrRB50U4KzCxmczzStkrtXx0oDXwg-vj1duB-HDZyVGFLYTyB5Cdq3boxbAOxpPZtngQDbg/s1600/IMG_9197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hSqba1SQnNmuj_zzFf5c0eYatPgHB-7Hg1e8oeSog5WgEIV8sPPJiutWHHK-0v2N49ZYBrRB50U4KzCxmczzStkrtXx0oDXwg-vj1duB-HDZyVGFLYTyB5Cdq3boxbAOxpPZtngQDbg/s400/IMG_9197.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the water is unbelievably clear because the water calcifies everything it touches so there is no mud or algae</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmge4JTfMB7sWqDwAP4dIv1oBHq_Q9sRJVP_Jr1DH-lPr3htvzvs53VCUzGd7Jw2kunQT9u5OuNJSc1kDxL_tduB2FQ4M46hOg-m87tmgPi46WMb4sHGiRyVNcUsANciQFDbWmZtsqGA/s1600/IMG_9183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmge4JTfMB7sWqDwAP4dIv1oBHq_Q9sRJVP_Jr1DH-lPr3htvzvs53VCUzGd7Jw2kunQT9u5OuNJSc1kDxL_tduB2FQ4M46hOg-m87tmgPi46WMb4sHGiRyVNcUsANciQFDbWmZtsqGA/s400/IMG_9183.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><span style="font-size: 23px;">To go from the Lower to Upper Lakes we needed to take a 20 minute ride on a shuttle boat across Lake Kozjak</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><span style="font-size: 23px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody";"><span style="font-size: 23px;">Once in the Upper Lakes, we continued through the cascades and waterfulls. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5ZhPhE1sRUOmlX9ij8mwfqEtT90EFGJOqcCac2nig6w6DnsuRHGARIQl3QB1jNBeg8jhwgmkohB_zptlO8fc-mh9RqS15d0-G3JHX2oHdyV0_yA9klk8lxJ1rKiq5F9mexjlaPFNItU/s1600/IMG_9209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5ZhPhE1sRUOmlX9ij8mwfqEtT90EFGJOqcCac2nig6w6DnsuRHGARIQl3QB1jNBeg8jhwgmkohB_zptlO8fc-mh9RqS15d0-G3JHX2oHdyV0_yA9klk8lxJ1rKiq5F9mexjlaPFNItU/s400/IMG_9209.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">waterfall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjLaoINPyR0bLaZkeM6KfFz_7Tv9pgn0NKTMKS3MESCUCjRXcMpZp2v2TtqGQihm08KvL5OWeRo81cRVDBIgMb0zPApBEL7Y8l61h5gQIfUkOdNr7-WlQSwjiqBlk7PC2r_mUMwJtis0/s1600/IMG_9173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjLaoINPyR0bLaZkeM6KfFz_7Tv9pgn0NKTMKS3MESCUCjRXcMpZp2v2TtqGQihm08KvL5OWeRo81cRVDBIgMb0zPApBEL7Y8l61h5gQIfUkOdNr7-WlQSwjiqBlk7PC2r_mUMwJtis0/s400/IMG_9173.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cascade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: uictfonttextstylebody; font-size: 23px;">So what’s the difference between a waterfall and cascade? </span><span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">Key difference between the two: in a waterfall, water moves only downward and is not obstructed while in a cascade, it moves both downward and onward, like stairs, and is always in contact with the surface or bottom layer.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeF2gsoFadSVNeB9ABki_82JhHmPotOmoX4wv0yt1O_QXsVbPGDkt5MjzDmS6-ROl1rhtz_vuRZTXR8u8t1KrrHClJ7nObvsAaBbNiIyJoPXk3lAuXaAHua7kz_bflno1ykmEx7PqL9o/s1600/IMG_9212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqeF2gsoFadSVNeB9ABki_82JhHmPotOmoX4wv0yt1O_QXsVbPGDkt5MjzDmS6-ROl1rhtz_vuRZTXR8u8t1KrrHClJ7nObvsAaBbNiIyJoPXk3lAuXaAHua7kz_bflno1ykmEx7PqL9o/s320/IMG_9212.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not as bad as it looks-each are hewn logs secured to a steel frame-but the water did flow right underneath</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKUei2PKbhI2tPYcVaK9Lw_BhMbVqLBwqVCG_Feh3d2i-btG45JaHpUWZlyT9W6UslQnw8yPKjHgEWpJLPP9nRHTxWCs00PuWE63qBYRPxm7aleo8-Kr-wjKziP-Ooy-JYuSE_TNlT94/s1600/IMG_9260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHKUei2PKbhI2tPYcVaK9Lw_BhMbVqLBwqVCG_Feh3d2i-btG45JaHpUWZlyT9W6UslQnw8yPKjHgEWpJLPP9nRHTxWCs00PuWE63qBYRPxm7aleo8-Kr-wjKziP-Ooy-JYuSE_TNlT94/s400/IMG_9260.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View looking down of where we walked over 6 miles in 4 hours</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgBvWE3JPYhiMZoMsxE6rJBLJkqIltUlBgpdDmfh4ubUZ7N3GztgPCwd9ufduGN3PF8MAU_vzyq0S2SpAhb-BqY0qCotfV7olzjaNnciG_P2cpnKOlHFyUGNwViQzO980g09VqyJvc-I/s1600/IMG_9264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgBvWE3JPYhiMZoMsxE6rJBLJkqIltUlBgpdDmfh4ubUZ7N3GztgPCwd9ufduGN3PF8MAU_vzyq0S2SpAhb-BqY0qCotfV7olzjaNnciG_P2cpnKOlHFyUGNwViQzO980g09VqyJvc-I/s400/IMG_9264.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the boardwalks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">We were so tired after the day, we drove only 45 minutes to to our overnight spot in a very small town of Udbina. There was a great side stop that described the Ottaman Empire defeat of the Croatians back in 1493. Over 10,000 Croatian and 1,000 Turks were killed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEw-zu4pghnL3pinji2dVGyE9rzD8TNlP-bMy7CJa7zQOp8lLWsyWhQyVPc5xlcTPVPlEkW91dqkqey3SxeO-1_P2SNV_LUDQ3bLPnHq3y8tiY6asBc1W8HhpLyGA7tOmvkNFWoR59BU/s1600/IMG_9290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEw-zu4pghnL3pinji2dVGyE9rzD8TNlP-bMy7CJa7zQOp8lLWsyWhQyVPc5xlcTPVPlEkW91dqkqey3SxeO-1_P2SNV_LUDQ3bLPnHq3y8tiY6asBc1W8HhpLyGA7tOmvkNFWoR59BU/s400/IMG_9290.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with a vivid imagination you can hear the crys of the warriors and the clash of the armory</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeXPAWcz_auOPbUJZ6fSYKjP-GxqKuy3nTjxMozTxdwp1A4XLnoYte8I5bHr1a5FNUTafIme6ttU6P82C0GlT9899yN8CW0BH5aUaHFIAv0lFgTn3b0v8KrY272Al7zy0SCJyGyetgXs/s1600/IMG_9288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeXPAWcz_auOPbUJZ6fSYKjP-GxqKuy3nTjxMozTxdwp1A4XLnoYte8I5bHr1a5FNUTafIme6ttU6P82C0GlT9899yN8CW0BH5aUaHFIAv0lFgTn3b0v8KrY272Al7zy0SCJyGyetgXs/s640/IMG_9288.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battle of Krbava in 1493 when the Ottoman army defeated the Bosnian and Croatian aristocracy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LJZxNAUc1WqCTdA691OlA4i8PqAsKlV7guvA-0a5wUCJ2g7e7o3poI4K9hvXKIES3cfm70fIJKBxbDUZjUrpLNn9mfCh2epkTUGwlY0XxeCEyTDm9RNzoEXcyBGA2yXPVMMb_iuLgQs/s1600/IMG_9294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7LJZxNAUc1WqCTdA691OlA4i8PqAsKlV7guvA-0a5wUCJ2g7e7o3poI4K9hvXKIES3cfm70fIJKBxbDUZjUrpLNn9mfCh2epkTUGwlY0XxeCEyTDm9RNzoEXcyBGA2yXPVMMb_iuLgQs/s400/IMG_9294.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for sleep in our tiny twin-bed room</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNmzPMgTsFIQpz78Ly8XjRnWtJ567C3LiVtp2OdgM72e1KKxWTqwM0bCTuhvOrosd69iOUhGY5exxHTWovq9f2ZJYw7BiVlff9ocbLzq02AUHTccn5qcL5n_aH2CMj9ePh1x2Yo5FXPM/s1600/IMG_9292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNmzPMgTsFIQpz78Ly8XjRnWtJ567C3LiVtp2OdgM72e1KKxWTqwM0bCTuhvOrosd69iOUhGY5exxHTWovq9f2ZJYw7BiVlff9ocbLzq02AUHTccn5qcL5n_aH2CMj9ePh1x2Yo5FXPM/s320/IMG_9292.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-77661801367911525892019-04-30T13:42:00.001-07:002019-04-30T13:44:12.691-07:00Two Countries, Two Capitals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We were in two countries and two capitals in one day-Ljubljana, Sovenia and Zagreb, Croatia!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UwWzXWuTe6W7ITXzcq2kv3n2orX_W_u4KWQnX1deJfKmjBQ_QVs71o4OpY7hEpTc3dWsEvf1bQ0BdXG3w0hD-MyXj6gWuUmZxikGe2pxgdXV40p6IRIMnK2Wd0fZvQmOCL93xR4SbjA/s1600/IMG_9131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1282" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4UwWzXWuTe6W7ITXzcq2kv3n2orX_W_u4KWQnX1deJfKmjBQ_QVs71o4OpY7hEpTc3dWsEvf1bQ0BdXG3w0hD-MyXj6gWuUmZxikGe2pxgdXV40p6IRIMnK2Wd0fZvQmOCL93xR4SbjA/s400/IMG_9131.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passport stamps-in and out HR(Croatia), in and out SI (Slovenia)...they take up a lot of space in our passports and we don't have many pages left---time for new passports!</td></tr>
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We covered a lot of territory in our last few days in Slovenia even dipping down in Croatia to some hill towns in the Istria Peninsula. Two medieval towns, Motovun and Groznjan were way up on hills with cobbled streets and some of the best preserved walls anywhere.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFelt6StAi0ONAKbQPxxfIWsnhgO1O04_Rf-sFCvBUXGy9dBNXEDa8vfWmFd_uOx2UNltJKha6_n7FpDLKMvSSrWRbKdFoF6ouJuurKsc_1ted8JVV6Np_z-CgOup-jgj153N46jFblfE/s1600/IMG_8621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFelt6StAi0ONAKbQPxxfIWsnhgO1O04_Rf-sFCvBUXGy9dBNXEDa8vfWmFd_uOx2UNltJKha6_n7FpDLKMvSSrWRbKdFoF6ouJuurKsc_1ted8JVV6Np_z-CgOup-jgj153N46jFblfE/s400/IMG_8621.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L) Motovun shield with 5 castles & (R) Lion of Venice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeJk_dJM_MYVcIitPAVr43TZEE3GVzzj_A4N1-JNRFxaZRda35wc3uVY6nxEo4sQvpx3pqtjaaJkVe5BBipN1Qc3odqWJa-ItiOnoV4I6qHNdfOR5l0zJXkdhyo8g11JFqpLZqmUbbMQ/s1600/LND_9B0F6B27-3ACF-4484-96BB-9BBB707D36FC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXeJk_dJM_MYVcIitPAVr43TZEE3GVzzj_A4N1-JNRFxaZRda35wc3uVY6nxEo4sQvpx3pqtjaaJkVe5BBipN1Qc3odqWJa-ItiOnoV4I6qHNdfOR5l0zJXkdhyo8g11JFqpLZqmUbbMQ/s400/LND_9B0F6B27-3ACF-4484-96BB-9BBB707D36FC.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motovun-a medieval town just perfect for walking and exploring</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JFhv36sngh3ahRmamjGtmBGmKhPZ0TeZh_UuX7iBG1-T4DM9AP6jHXDz6YZwZb00ViCbLFfnabGGyLknTMaJU7vHBI3oNEe6_acRU46nQwH7ls0P3v0LfGPHTQ0z3ed7hmq2sZRceYc/s1600/IMG_8623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_JFhv36sngh3ahRmamjGtmBGmKhPZ0TeZh_UuX7iBG1-T4DM9AP6jHXDz6YZwZb00ViCbLFfnabGGyLknTMaJU7vHBI3oNEe6_acRU46nQwH7ls0P3v0LfGPHTQ0z3ed7hmq2sZRceYc/s400/IMG_8623.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motovun is also the birthplace of Mario Andetti!</td></tr>
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Truffles</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYb5rX5OF2AjmKkc-elx5QTjV5rcmuBx7qWD2hahyCgrr6EBMqSkxQYsailmSTOYu0sILoEj4UxRuNaJ1jLIhymC2-NhiWcMNMko25AYNT4GpmwEH20rlPDTZogiN7HzwW1W4fUESoMM/s1600/IMG_8619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="1600" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYb5rX5OF2AjmKkc-elx5QTjV5rcmuBx7qWD2hahyCgrr6EBMqSkxQYsailmSTOYu0sILoEj4UxRuNaJ1jLIhymC2-NhiWcMNMko25AYNT4GpmwEH20rlPDTZogiN7HzwW1W4fUESoMM/s400/IMG_8619.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is a very popular area for truffle hunting, but they use dogs rather than pigs like in France. There are two seasons for truffles-spring for black truffles and winter for the white truffle that are about 4x more expensive! We did try some pasta with truffles at a small remote restaurant that was delicious. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJ4Qb9e-SPHY_R4GhyJzfpvuaata5-MVg7ueKbi3MJYH1MCz_0clLF5SXGR3OUBjBN1YtOeIJMDcWiwtCUxplmjBv4DteMOLO7p1he_cuZ2egJrmMZY4e8RzyIIG_aRDsTa7R_H-RAK0/s1600/IMG_8694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJ4Qb9e-SPHY_R4GhyJzfpvuaata5-MVg7ueKbi3MJYH1MCz_0clLF5SXGR3OUBjBN1YtOeIJMDcWiwtCUxplmjBv4DteMOLO7p1he_cuZ2egJrmMZY4e8RzyIIG_aRDsTa7R_H-RAK0/s400/IMG_8694.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zito pasta and thinly sliced truffles </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOCyAa0eV04eo_3PVM99pNkSs6d5QsJpdwaZ_14yWaEXkyNVqRKwgMEfL5YbO8DGxic9dKv0VN_Qq_tY_se64Z9v8fjcpqOCK4ANgiwEBt41tAPg3niZAxT4FjJFqrYi6lpmY4c9Xh7o/s1600/IMG_8695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOCyAa0eV04eo_3PVM99pNkSs6d5QsJpdwaZ_14yWaEXkyNVqRKwgMEfL5YbO8DGxic9dKv0VN_Qq_tY_se64Z9v8fjcpqOCK4ANgiwEBt41tAPg3niZAxT4FjJFqrYi6lpmY4c9Xh7o/s400/IMG_8695.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Ljlubljana was a delightful city full of international visitors, university students and<b> bridges</b>! There are many bridges over the River but there are three that are picture perfect! </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dragon Bridge</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQccSlqwpvhkGvlQY_4JGPaRkwN7fA2wXzErAlBXYko5ytYdxJYSf0x1UUjpbKIlShVWDWvo9KYcCrep5JF4W3dZmdH2SoCVjCtoRRIUfEDxsZEp9iEIZoTwRD6AH2RRLXWJc9T_OnOk/s1600/IMG_8790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQccSlqwpvhkGvlQY_4JGPaRkwN7fA2wXzErAlBXYko5ytYdxJYSf0x1UUjpbKIlShVWDWvo9KYcCrep5JF4W3dZmdH2SoCVjCtoRRIUfEDxsZEp9iEIZoTwRD6AH2RRLXWJc9T_OnOk/s400/IMG_8790.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">if you haven't photographed one of the dragons on Dragon Bridge, you really haven't been to Ljubljana!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10WQNpWvE-Va-0nwVLLoCfdr0MdpF1A_5m2yTcfmvJtmkANJTze0mn-FDJQRzPsRYOsPjnkDNGyFSuZeo-lpTsc6a3mNqkQ3wHroOAIXMX_D0L_bcq8SXWh3r8EWbgS9IRGmwbP8n5Mk/s1600/IMG_8792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi10WQNpWvE-Va-0nwVLLoCfdr0MdpF1A_5m2yTcfmvJtmkANJTze0mn-FDJQRzPsRYOsPjnkDNGyFSuZeo-lpTsc6a3mNqkQ3wHroOAIXMX_D0L_bcq8SXWh3r8EWbgS9IRGmwbP8n5Mk/s400/IMG_8792.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragon Bridge 1901-largest spanning bridge in central Europe<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Butcher Bridge (new bridge on the site of the old one)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddMNbi_tsI45B1JniFKx-XnbAElpZaDZ1ExIDN54CMVg7ZwfXSsHORj6WSU-3Rm0K7rsGVBhsMzyLHBaE6Cu1GZY5eRcfkogIGwu5AWEFNQtfOOlhBmiAKmEHOk3qxt74pbMuU_wKfDY/s1600/IMG_7792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjddMNbi_tsI45B1JniFKx-XnbAElpZaDZ1ExIDN54CMVg7ZwfXSsHORj6WSU-3Rm0K7rsGVBhsMzyLHBaE6Cu1GZY5eRcfkogIGwu5AWEFNQtfOOlhBmiAKmEHOk3qxt74pbMuU_wKfDY/s400/IMG_7792.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More commonly called "Love Bridge"-symbolicly locking their love with padlocks</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxsg9aF98MCaHsZr5gBFDX3nB5dcTTthQ_greDCmmojhBmSOF0F8F81O3Oh5P-EoJHjJZO71T2GQHuQvkwEKtFIHSwdnoNn3iuU6oJREVVLwRZ_J43CFGsss9nKVNlvpYMQZHLK2utrg/s1600/IMG_8798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqxsg9aF98MCaHsZr5gBFDX3nB5dcTTthQ_greDCmmojhBmSOF0F8F81O3Oh5P-EoJHjJZO71T2GQHuQvkwEKtFIHSwdnoNn3iuU6oJREVVLwRZ_J43CFGsss9nKVNlvpYMQZHLK2utrg/s400/IMG_8798.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We searched by several minutes to find a geocache among hundreds of locks!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Triple Bridge</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELmQFRh67yLAyT-mrIM8BggDr3e6ob1bnlMBq_jtk65dn0Qn25wVB4DzTHS4GXX7X3YieUlDhdW9GR1lK6ecdmmdXyNkUcl0VONyblBvITjyrCFva1cPA2C_s_4b7oNb4W491GQL45yA/s1600/IMG_9130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELmQFRh67yLAyT-mrIM8BggDr3e6ob1bnlMBq_jtk65dn0Qn25wVB4DzTHS4GXX7X3YieUlDhdW9GR1lK6ecdmmdXyNkUcl0VONyblBvITjyrCFva1cPA2C_s_4b7oNb4W491GQL45yA/s400/IMG_9130.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The middle bridge was built in 1842 and the two side bridges in 1929-now all three are pedestrian-only</td></tr>
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We have had a variety of overnight hotels, pensions, rooms and bed n' breakfasts. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzBmVZpt1f5hce9PeZIgtsmUIyH_JEs-bzBQtI7Xoi2t94bnq19REqNRNWdopkyVcuBL2dQwQQ1oieoWQNav-vDG3bdAln8OvQL43rspsxZquYMB9gLW-YM_7JAIp7W7pWL6w0Hdjynk/s1600/IMG_9041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzBmVZpt1f5hce9PeZIgtsmUIyH_JEs-bzBQtI7Xoi2t94bnq19REqNRNWdopkyVcuBL2dQwQQ1oieoWQNav-vDG3bdAln8OvQL43rspsxZquYMB9gLW-YM_7JAIp7W7pWL6w0Hdjynk/s320/IMG_9041.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the nicest, modern stays but sadly only for one night</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5JWCQlNZ7xHpcBpsj02HEDGKFMe5C-Lc4F8oahP4-DX3vxIDI1dzs66uOTqBPm56GgTmDjbamRIz_mUzdAMdUfDY8FDzKB7CnZwdqx4gBy5Jh5T-4w_xMDun4w5odHYCmrFIScLxJjI/s1600/IMG_8938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="745" data-original-width="1600" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5JWCQlNZ7xHpcBpsj02HEDGKFMe5C-Lc4F8oahP4-DX3vxIDI1dzs66uOTqBPm56GgTmDjbamRIz_mUzdAMdUfDY8FDzKB7CnZwdqx4gBy5Jh5T-4w_xMDun4w5odHYCmrFIScLxJjI/s320/IMG_8938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain in Zagreb so it was a good day to wash our clothes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Agrotourism Farm "Toni"-very rural overlooking vineyards</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toni"s funky older room but large and with a kitchen & good breakfast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwetYjFllg7f5KVIx71dGrkRTzpQWQEDDEndxIzijsk5gj67q_8CfQET5L5OV4HxMrOpPCGMsACnnTOGipvEQCUhFSAADFYwkaoT2zTymIL8kalHbrhyphenhyphengbUFFJBgKrsw2sG4oTbXf6K8/s1600/IMG_8775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwetYjFllg7f5KVIx71dGrkRTzpQWQEDDEndxIzijsk5gj67q_8CfQET5L5OV4HxMrOpPCGMsACnnTOGipvEQCUhFSAADFYwkaoT2zTymIL8kalHbrhyphenhyphengbUFFJBgKrsw2sG4oTbXf6K8/s320/IMG_8775.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one long room with two single beds & modern bathroom at the end</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBT55zxlGhU8SKVxHMk5Wz-GtpcuaOJ5wplY3RlaXQas6aCR8M2cgNFMKSw2kCcp7X3KgGLrbs2HmRZ3ayHoEEqqeKeKv5fDnY4rRZhODjcePd7Oj5NPlJcdnltd4Q4gbbdQGcrpoOCg/s1600/IMG_8769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmBT55zxlGhU8SKVxHMk5Wz-GtpcuaOJ5wplY3RlaXQas6aCR8M2cgNFMKSw2kCcp7X3KgGLrbs2HmRZ3ayHoEEqqeKeKv5fDnY4rRZhODjcePd7Oj5NPlJcdnltd4Q4gbbdQGcrpoOCg/s320/IMG_8769.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourist Farm Hudicevec<br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-13920365393726320552019-04-25T12:09:00.001-07:002019-04-25T12:16:27.626-07:00Mountains and horses-but not the Wild West<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Julian Alps</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The Julian Alps are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretch from northeastern Italy to northern Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m (9,396 ft) at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia and of the former Yugoslavia.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> We had read about the Vrsic Pass</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> over the Alps and really wanted to drive it but not sure if it was clear of snow. Most people said "maybe" so we took off. The route was clear and it was a gorgeous sunny day, just perfect to really enjoy the 50 hairpin turns! </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1917<br />
During WWI, 10,000 Russian POWs were put to work building this road. After an avalanche killed over 100 Russians, and some Austrian guards, the survivors built this chapel in memory of their fellow soldiers. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> The curves of the switchbacks are cobblestone apparently to give more traction although they were so sharp and often steep, I can't image anyone speeding around them...well we did see a lot of motorcycles who looked like they were really enjoying it! There was a hairpin turn about every 1/3 mile. It isn't necessarily dangerous, just steep and breathtakingly beautiful.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is recorded from our DashCam going around some of the curves-there were 50 turns</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3643; font-family: "benton sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 28px;">The Karst region is a huge limestone plateau in the southwest part of Slovenia. The word Karst is used around the world but was actually first used here in Slovenia. Rivers, ponds and lakes can disappear and then resurface in the Karst’s porous limestone through sinkholes and funnels, often resulting in underground caverns like the fabulous caves at Škocjan, a UNESCO site. We took a strenuous 2 mile tour that led us deep underground on steep trails and over 1,000 steps. What makes this cave so special and unique is the colossal underground canyon in the "Murmuring Water Cave" that the Reka River flows through. It is one of the largest caverns in the world. It looked like we were in Lord of the Rings or Star Wars! We crossed a bridge that was 150 feet above the raging water; the bridge was completely submerged just 3 months ago after extensive rain flooded the cave. No photos were allowed inside but I did take pictures of a poster.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">the bridge over the Reka River that we walked over<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">these were century old steps-now paths & steps all have railings, lights and are larger than this</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coming out of the end of the cave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the paths were all lit which gave a very eary feeling looking back into the cave</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2c3643; font-family: "benton sans" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 28px;">There are many other unique geographical and cultural features in the Karst region.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of the oldest and origian Karst farm homestead with a stone roof<br />
(there was a geocache here!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIkUrnEHNdmEVbnDg83cAIMto2u99Tq7sDVO5M3ROUVGhAxYOkL05hOWgX6lCr_CXaPqycAWk3Mfj8DQitWycqDoUCyA_XYVwYML33riNR-dgLpbGg_LftjhWwew0EFUVQI3y6VKhbSM/s1600/IMG_8431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyIkUrnEHNdmEVbnDg83cAIMto2u99Tq7sDVO5M3ROUVGhAxYOkL05hOWgX6lCr_CXaPqycAWk3Mfj8DQitWycqDoUCyA_XYVwYML33riNR-dgLpbGg_LftjhWwew0EFUVQI3y6VKhbSM/s320/IMG_8431.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">15th century Predjama Castle built into the cave of the mountain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDVb0PCo9ZZGrMUWV1PjlWz5KY-Nsp52YxAyYHLyDY0Miicrlurdg1d3dJH3VJXMWcOT5VtGUvWU2p6ZQyrS6740lxgy_gkcAAtLL4BIMHVyfBGWOVP7TIWlAjSB82X4PLddk6XY1Jkc/s1600/IMG_8346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDVb0PCo9ZZGrMUWV1PjlWz5KY-Nsp52YxAyYHLyDY0Miicrlurdg1d3dJH3VJXMWcOT5VtGUvWU2p6ZQyrS6740lxgy_gkcAAtLL4BIMHVyfBGWOVP7TIWlAjSB82X4PLddk6XY1Jkc/s320/IMG_8346.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we saw many abandoned homes from when the Italians who lived in the area fled to Italy after WWII</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the highlights for us was the Lipica Stud Farm where the magnificent white horses have been bred and trained since 1580. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The soil & climate of the Karst is very similar to Spain which is why the Archduke Charles chose to build the royal stud farm in 1578 in the Karst in the abandoned summer residence of the Bishop of Trieste. Here 30 Spanish Andalusian horses were imported and bred into the original Lipizzaner horses that were supplied to the Habsburg court in Vienna. We were fortunate to attend a special performance added for the Easter Monday holiday and have a tour of the farm.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqIqQP9rrzyjFLZ4gXNureDRXNAXWuhVgYFMeOO0cmqqIW-HoA16McSR_-mav7k4uW-GJZ4Hzt8i9WuyhNrNWn8zWJovIzMDyhZ9Bm8FGbsh9Kk1jlYb2RI7_UEJukQtBWBJywT7Nnlw/s1600/IMG_8366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqIqQP9rrzyjFLZ4gXNureDRXNAXWuhVgYFMeOO0cmqqIW-HoA16McSR_-mav7k4uW-GJZ4Hzt8i9WuyhNrNWn8zWJovIzMDyhZ9Bm8FGbsh9Kk1jlYb2RI7_UEJukQtBWBJywT7Nnlw/s400/IMG_8366.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the babies are born black and change to a gray/white as they age. They remain with the mother and frolicking in the fields until age 3-1/2 when they enter "school" for the traditional training.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsT4yIk-oXk2BbJeX5jV8WTnxoM7QAAj0Oc9VfeZt20NsQ1MKoYjgTb4FiW6syVqvRTsgsI5zbu2UccHMfjp21LtQRNte_hrDB1DUpryQN6VpWRA0jf-akhyjJk9007xtsy5BXdypcRQ/s1600/LND_A441BBE5-B759-453E-8B91-FB2CC7F86CB1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="691" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsT4yIk-oXk2BbJeX5jV8WTnxoM7QAAj0Oc9VfeZt20NsQ1MKoYjgTb4FiW6syVqvRTsgsI5zbu2UccHMfjp21LtQRNte_hrDB1DUpryQN6VpWRA0jf-akhyjJk9007xtsy5BXdypcRQ/s400/LND_A441BBE5-B759-453E-8B91-FB2CC7F86CB1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only the best "athletes" move on to perform dressage. The others, mostly the mares, are used for riding. Assuming you can prove your capability, you can actually "apply" to ride one of these great horses around the estate</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfQ-9QrYz-Lr0QiS16MadhSwySK0pILaYPRRg8lRCZQdd4AKqXAm1QllAzu9dv-mtKtwvV8H5s6pXmTpoJOvO7fJWAbi_9KT2dAmSK-63ztT2LREpTjcb4NWYHinyvNtVui3Cl-6NH7w/s1600/IMG_8371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfQ-9QrYz-Lr0QiS16MadhSwySK0pILaYPRRg8lRCZQdd4AKqXAm1QllAzu9dv-mtKtwvV8H5s6pXmTpoJOvO7fJWAbi_9KT2dAmSK-63ztT2LREpTjcb4NWYHinyvNtVui3Cl-6NH7w/s400/IMG_8371.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is one of the mares that are used for riding. They are very gentle and love the attention they receive for visitors</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy9DkEr2H_eqO33vyuATVsQYLZhzKt35Ds_zpMDGFDNUMQ_Rqmc7bqjy3SAEVK478NwUN6qhij7iFP0sGO3sen9YeyzItY-wqnmGsqJtbj9rBgAIHvOfDHJS5zyaRAuwi8epE0M4KfTc/s1600/IMG_8383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy9DkEr2H_eqO33vyuATVsQYLZhzKt35Ds_zpMDGFDNUMQ_Rqmc7bqjy3SAEVK478NwUN6qhij7iFP0sGO3sen9YeyzItY-wqnmGsqJtbj9rBgAIHvOfDHJS5zyaRAuwi8epE0M4KfTc/s400/IMG_8383.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the training is systematic and takes about 5 years and these horses have a longer than average lifespan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_J0ixBOgaXPpGnPsLk5l0-OkyePF7QPSnigowjVMe_b17qq-Imfb4j6T_wYeBtGyVNNLpKRPWKKOZw0afmrVObqWSBnmX1OHW1pMWniuB8CDbPUZIdIGzEJPkQi-tWpBin8GQESoC20/s1600/IMG_8389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_J0ixBOgaXPpGnPsLk5l0-OkyePF7QPSnigowjVMe_b17qq-Imfb4j6T_wYeBtGyVNNLpKRPWKKOZw0afmrVObqWSBnmX1OHW1pMWniuB8CDbPUZIdIGzEJPkQi-tWpBin8GQESoC20/s400/IMG_8389.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the "Pesade" is part of the airs-above-the-ground movemens where the horse "sits" and lifts both front legs off the ground in a high rear. They can take steps and even spring forward.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ppl5wUjqnLBxkB6whdb-iTVevseaW0ffnXG0Z_I9V63FL6AJhH6U09Hxn5TFz13WbbQaPNqgLTnaHeMiOJUwaa1rP6zbspkzvMv2HbX4lse2GHhReDhVWsECQKVER5pIWpNiwdHGdyw/s1600/IMG_8491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="296" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ppl5wUjqnLBxkB6whdb-iTVevseaW0ffnXG0Z_I9V63FL6AJhH6U09Hxn5TFz13WbbQaPNqgLTnaHeMiOJUwaa1rP6zbspkzvMv2HbX4lse2GHhReDhVWsECQKVER5pIWpNiwdHGdyw/s400/IMG_8491.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These horses make wonderful carraige horses because they are stong yet agile and regal-looking. <br />
I can just imagine them pulling royal carraiges!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have really enjoyed traveling in this part of Slovenia. We have discovered that it is one of the easiest "off-the-beaten-track" areas for us to explore because just about everyone we encounter speaks some English. While we have come across very few North Americans (maybe less than a dozen), English is the most common, universal language for multi-national travelers. For example, our tour into the Skocjan Caves was presented in English and of the 50 people in our group we were the only North American english speakers-all others were European, Australian or Asian -- but everyone understood English!! This is truely a super place to visit!</span></div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-90739963003221682322019-04-21T14:06:00.001-07:002019-04-24T09:16:39.038-07:00Slovenia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Slovenia! We are now into another "new" country for us, this time Republika Sovenija. Slovenia broke away from Yugoslavia and achieved independence for the first time in 1991. It's a small country about the size of New Jersey but one-fourth the population and borders Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Italy with only 29 miles of Mediterranean coastline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBR5ETmJEDpaTk-JMrHv88Z-ztOg5AAbt7PqbgI1zauY7viNNVcSvWl2rwGOBAM9QAu_UUw2ebe1zWxZcLwcJ3oZZ3v9A-56gE3aiHX5HLERu1dmTXUDbANSv9Of0db5SsC4sO1j7zO4/s1600/IMG_7983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipBR5ETmJEDpaTk-JMrHv88Z-ztOg5AAbt7PqbgI1zauY7viNNVcSvWl2rwGOBAM9QAu_UUw2ebe1zWxZcLwcJ3oZZ3v9A-56gE3aiHX5HLERu1dmTXUDbANSv9Of0db5SsC4sO1j7zO4/s320/IMG_7983.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Our first night was in Ljubljana ("lube-yana") at an old Coachmen Guesthouse with a restaurant where we had our first Slovenian traditional food. We enjoyed a quick walk around the town but we will be back for several days next week.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJz2wQRSVUabH7LyvC4y0LmXy4DS3p18mG83wfooiRb2JAjPNodXTlSBYzhD4Mv3Jr_yDRF6NLBjd92g2ir02otXQOZHCtfGac13ggxxDMrBCQdrJAth4sEAopELREP-WZLBBA3dWuOc/s1600/IMG_7803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJz2wQRSVUabH7LyvC4y0LmXy4DS3p18mG83wfooiRb2JAjPNodXTlSBYzhD4Mv3Jr_yDRF6NLBjd92g2ir02otXQOZHCtfGac13ggxxDMrBCQdrJAth4sEAopELREP-WZLBBA3dWuOc/s320/IMG_7803.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first night in Slovenia</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goulash with big dough balls served in the individual pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">third floor up without elevators are very common</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">twin wooden platform beds with the shared bathroom down the hall</td></tr>
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Picking up our car the next morning we headed out towards the resort town of Bled which lies on a small lake, 1.5 miles long, that is extremely popular with tourists from everywhere. We were there on Easter weekend so it was even busier with families and young people. Slovenians are very active sports people and Lake Bled is the training ground for Olympic rowers boasting several medalists.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq7euC8EX7E534wmozc5vAoDPWmi7btGJcsnwjOF2lNzutf7BbltgLPQjr6BZ6JMnXYFd6i7M2AvF4CNZbCP2F1pZcVEyIWsSIZr9X4gxZUf8u5XzZlqRP3aDnC00ehnL-7hRB_BbnU8/s1600/IMG_8027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbq7euC8EX7E534wmozc5vAoDPWmi7btGJcsnwjOF2lNzutf7BbltgLPQjr6BZ6JMnXYFd6i7M2AvF4CNZbCP2F1pZcVEyIWsSIZr9X4gxZUf8u5XzZlqRP3aDnC00ehnL-7hRB_BbnU8/s320/IMG_8027.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bled is famous for its Cream Cake-puff pastry, custard, whipped cream, puff pastry, and icing sugar</td></tr>
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Our bed and breakfast accommodations were about 1/2 mile uphill from the lake which we walked several times, easily getting in 15,000+ steps on our Fitbit pedometers - thank goodness!<br />
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We hiked one day to the Vintgar Gorge where the River Radovna has carved a mile-long gorge into the mountainside. Boardwalks hanging on the rock ledges and bridges crossing the rivers where really picturesque. We discovered the day we went was the seasonal opening day and was absolutely jammed with people on the way out but did thin out on our return. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">local Bled cheese and Slovenian beer</td></tr>
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A visit to the cliff-hanging Bled Castle (Blejski Grad) was a must although after the hike in the Gorge we chose to drive up rather than walk the steep hill trail. The castle perched 426 above the glacial Lake Bled is the oldest in Slovenia and has been occupied by several different rulers and bishops for over 1,000 years.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now the castle is over run by travelers in big bus tours!</td></tr>
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Finally we were treated to a free evening performance of tradional Slovenian music and folk dance in one of the bigger hotels.<br />
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And Jack even joined in on the last "dance"!!<br />
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We enjoyed all the traditional foods for Easter-hard boiled eggs that are colored red using natural dye of the red onion, potica sweet bread, ham baked in pastry with horseradish and delicious desserts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYLEF93XNaYJMMcEnrm26_oDcImktB7hJ_E2xbxvGGRPb1EznIBLyRH_rPVcOAAOnkxfXM72amY5xsE8y3qvQYQI__di81308rXcrpJ33SFivuDYp0Ey4XQTf_UFFHktJXfD43aWOCb8/s1600/IMG_8317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYLEF93XNaYJMMcEnrm26_oDcImktB7hJ_E2xbxvGGRPb1EznIBLyRH_rPVcOAAOnkxfXM72amY5xsE8y3qvQYQI__di81308rXcrpJ33SFivuDYp0Ey4XQTf_UFFHktJXfD43aWOCb8/s320/IMG_8317.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potica-delicious creamcheese filled bread</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUpQBgOJYmxokOSAD3zoczD_DApczgyYMxfO5g9A8vbQ_NhH_NkJvRzYQlduQgNaOgvF51uDVQSBTRzQ2sHJcehhtUWE9PxxAh8V-ZFyLu7e2yTxKU8rJvxIOYtO_guyXHigcAfGXf8w/s1600/IMG_8081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUpQBgOJYmxokOSAD3zoczD_DApczgyYMxfO5g9A8vbQ_NhH_NkJvRzYQlduQgNaOgvF51uDVQSBTRzQ2sHJcehhtUWE9PxxAh8V-ZFyLu7e2yTxKU8rJvxIOYtO_guyXHigcAfGXf8w/s320/IMG_8081.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">traditionally colored eggs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ham baked in bread loaf with cabbage & horseradish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokXqmCaZf4_3BZfs1KGEehAXHgerUTPx0fsbDYcp8VHmvMGIyGeYWfqQVxENaO278X-iHqRU0SFgsJv3aw8R08b1wDMi24CNUwZCoZQbPlAU7N5hTuimtirn7rPu9NhXxvPtdVbjLG18/s1600/IMG_8314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokXqmCaZf4_3BZfs1KGEehAXHgerUTPx0fsbDYcp8VHmvMGIyGeYWfqQVxENaO278X-iHqRU0SFgsJv3aw8R08b1wDMi24CNUwZCoZQbPlAU7N5hTuimtirn7rPu9NhXxvPtdVbjLG18/s320/IMG_8314.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bovski krafi-a boiled sweet dough stuffed with a Bosc pear mixture</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-W-WDGlu53tURyEC7YBm3XW49bCWYvq31fp3kinutgvnY_aNyptyTNWualEWAftq9yh-obsb9ypv8zbDrybbdNLtHCJzIrNwIGaczEOkXbHcjLQl7X0hd-hC2KbMzrJl1B2hE3DbxDEs/s1600/IMG_8310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-W-WDGlu53tURyEC7YBm3XW49bCWYvq31fp3kinutgvnY_aNyptyTNWualEWAftq9yh-obsb9ypv8zbDrybbdNLtHCJzIrNwIGaczEOkXbHcjLQl7X0hd-hC2KbMzrJl1B2hE3DbxDEs/s320/IMG_8310.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cockta is a herbal-based drink that is similar to Coke-it was made in the 1950's before Coca Cola could be imported into Yugoslavia</td></tr>
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Our next destination are the Julian Alps.<br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-79924446193183114882019-04-19T13:22:00.001-07:002019-04-19T13:25:07.458-07:00Lace and Glass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our ship docked in Venice overnight but since we arrived at 3 pm we really didn’t get much time. We had been to Venice for several days a couple of years ago so we chose to do something different than go into Venice. We took an excursion by boat to Murano and Burano Islands. We have wanted to visit Murano, the area of glasswork, but never got over there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Venetian Lagoon actually includes nearly 40 islands, however many are not inhabiited or have been abandoned. There are varing depths of the lagoon and boats travel in dredged channels marked by wooden pilings. We were amazed to see mudflats that our guide described as "the bottom of the lagoon". </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Burano Island, population 2,000, is known for the brightly painted fisherman houses, said to have been uniquely painted to help the wayward fisherman find his way home. It remains today to be a fishing village whose residents relay on the lagoon for substenance (squid, cuttlefish, shrimp) some keeping their closely guarded secrets for their fishing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Burano is also known for their beautiful handmade lace. We visited </span><a href="https://www.emiliaburano.it/?wix-vod-video-id=c11f3554e18a4214acd12da2bc147df3&wix-vod-comp-id=comp-jfei9y0e#" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Emilia Burano and watched an elderly women in her craft. </a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It is a dying art and thus makes the true lace very, very expensive. Even a small handkerchief will cost 45 euros and up (about $50.00). I bought a little bookmark for 5 euros so I know it isn't handmade!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the pattern is sewn onto layers of paper then stitch sidewides not through the paper so it can be cut off from underneath</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">women attended Lace Schools and made world-famous lace</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Centuries ago Venice decided to put any “dangerous” or “ unpleasant” businesses on the many smaller islands because they didn’t want them in Venice. Examples of industries located away from Venice included hospitals (fear of disease) and munition factories (fumes and explosions)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since glass works involved furnaces and fire, they were moved out of Venice in the 1300s to Murano, actually archipelago of 5 smaller islands. Another reason for relocating glassmakers was to sequester their trade secrets from leaking to other parts of Europe. Even today most of the people on the island, population 7,000, work either in glass or the tourism business. We visited the </span><a href="http://www.ferrolazzarini.it/" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Farro-Lazarrini factory </a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">and were given a demonstration of the glass blowing by a maestro. He was incredibly fast and precise. More than 100 people worked there in the 1960s but now only about half.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The glass pieces including stemware, vases, artistic glass and chandeliers are gorgeous and very expensive ranging from several hundred into the thousands of euros-- just a bit above our price range. Fortunately living in an Airstream trailer prohibited us from buying a chandelier or sculpture.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this building was originally a monestary</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the glass fish "float" in the blown glass </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our cruise on the Crystal Serenity has ended. It was a very special experience, definatly more luxuary than other cruise lines we have traveled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">And our special thank you to</span><a href="http://www.skymed.com/jackcotton" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> SkyMed </a><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">for providing the trip to us to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now on to Slovenia.</span></div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-33532658610333861782019-04-17T02:35:00.002-07:002019-04-17T02:35:39.810-07:00Our favorite...Kotor, Montenegro<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
T<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wo more stops before ending in Venice and we must say we enjoyed the stop at Kotor in Montenegro the most. Montenegro is a small Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beach along its Adriatic coastline. The Bay of Kotor, resembling a fjord, was highly defended as a strategic, deep-water port with a history of pirates maurading the coast. Getting up at 6 am to stand on the deck, we watched our entry through the narrow straight for 1 1/2 hours. Looking like we were at a "dead-end", our ship dwarfed the pier in the small town of Kotor. We walk the maze of lane past a church on every corner, tiny shops, cafes and hundreds of cats-the descendants of seafaring felines-lolling in marble laneways.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu0yNHnyLvog3QdRFRr4wYebp8AateVxdPxJmb56uaeiHm_3CZI43OGlq0ocKZHfQ53RPTl2G-5MuRs2ecrF6bJvPFOLhTUK7qFOOSrLPAVkI3fepzuxs2Auq_UV_bPGqyJ9tb4TrGlQ/s1600/IMG_7489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtu0yNHnyLvog3QdRFRr4wYebp8AateVxdPxJmb56uaeiHm_3CZI43OGlq0ocKZHfQ53RPTl2G-5MuRs2ecrF6bJvPFOLhTUK7qFOOSrLPAVkI3fepzuxs2Auq_UV_bPGqyJ9tb4TrGlQ/s320/IMG_7489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">entering the bay </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of the Rocks built on a "manmade" island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kotor, tucked in at the end of the bay</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">From Bembo Bastion in town, the Gurdic Bastion ramparts zig-zag high up on the St. John Mountain that backs the city. The ramparts were never breeched and served to protect the harbor. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBDOboRC6VSCXcDIXOkaMZ_IMopRe-ROVb-BnFoFmcXCFzoh1IsISgCwdks-P5ZiODQ6q_wl5t-deV9bPmoChbCnA0ZJVCemdtw15g0xSHgTjlOP1f5ZFaZmcKans4mRsNrhubKhmI34/s1600/IMG_7522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBDOboRC6VSCXcDIXOkaMZ_IMopRe-ROVb-BnFoFmcXCFzoh1IsISgCwdks-P5ZiODQ6q_wl5t-deV9bPmoChbCnA0ZJVCemdtw15g0xSHgTjlOP1f5ZFaZmcKans4mRsNrhubKhmI34/s320/IMG_7522.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We decided to accend the 1355 steps that climbed a 900 elevation. Halfway, the tiny </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_of_Remedy" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Church of Our Lady of Remedy">Church of Our Lady of Remedy</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> from 1518, provided a brief resting point and our first geocache in Montenegro! </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">just the half-way point....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our first geocache in Montenegro-and well worth the climb</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this was a Catholic chapel up on the mountain</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On top of the mountain are the ruins of the San Giovanni castel at a 280-meter height which dominates the eastern bay, the fortification system and the city. This had the most amazing view and we felt very relieved and proud to have accomplished this feat!! </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the flag at the top</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Karen & her two new "muggle (non geocachers) friends" just had to find the elusive geocache at the top. Following the ramparts, the secret window led down to yet another tiny ruins of a chapel and we found the geocache container. These are always fun when they are in such remote and hard-to-reach areas. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the window to climb down through</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">scrambling down to the find the cache</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Heading back down the mountain to the town, we followed the ancient "Ladder of Kotor" with more than 70 switchbacks which was originally was the only route the mules and people used to cross over the mountain. Thankfully we were going down!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to call for the "Uber" but I guess he was on a break</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What a delightful surprise our stop in Kotor was. We treated ourself with a Montenegro beer and cheese burek (like a calzone).</span></span><br />
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-70662261160913683812019-04-17T01:46:00.001-07:002019-04-17T01:46:11.814-07:00Our One Sea Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Amazingly we will have only one sea day on this Crystal Serenity Cruise! We are traveling on this cruise as part of the 30th Anniversary of SkyMed having earned this trip by meeting our sales goal! We have sailed on many cruises but Crystal Cruises is by far a luxury cruise like none we've experienced. The service is spot-on, food exciting and being all-inclusive-well just to say our "happy hours" are more than one hour...<br />
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On our sea day we met with about 45 SkyMed Ambassadors from the U.S., Mexico and Carribbean to share our "Best Practices" and our highlights of the cruise so far. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuklGtfuExSOixyd86WYbFU3weET0HuI5QtskDXWv7SMCKq0zp1dqaPcpqp6zZUn2_UENepryL5ZWMCeHBRR_zOyunKolXe0b7ET9nMICoFK4xrc97Wv-uysVO7zQPpeXwJEspGaAQWP4/s1600/IMG_7651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuklGtfuExSOixyd86WYbFU3weET0HuI5QtskDXWv7SMCKq0zp1dqaPcpqp6zZUn2_UENepryL5ZWMCeHBRR_zOyunKolXe0b7ET9nMICoFK4xrc97Wv-uysVO7zQPpeXwJEspGaAQWP4/s320/IMG_7651.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">afternoon ice cream break</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">While most people appreciated the top-notch staff and impeccable service, there were many comments about the comfy chairs, linens, free shuttles at every port and even the educational speakers. We also have another 35 "friends of SkyMed" sailing with us. We haven't been to bed before midnight every night.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">We rounded Italy and were next in Corfu, Greece. </span></div>
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We booked a private island tour, this time on Vespa Scooter - actually a 3-wheeled Mp3 scooter....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this would have really been fun.....</td></tr>
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...sadly it was raining when we arrived and the Nikolaos, owner of the company, advised us that it would be uncomfortably cold and wet and happily canceled with full refund.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">150 year old olive tree and still producing!</td></tr>
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He was able to find a cab driver, Spiros, who was available on Sunday, and provided a 3-hour tour to much of the same sites we would have visited. <span class="st">Corfu<em> </em>or <em>Kerkyra</em> is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea only about 2 miles off the coast of Albania. </span><br />
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<span class="st" style="text-align: left;">We started on the east side and stopped in Kanoni ("cannon") to view the </span><span class="st" style="text-align: left;"><span class="st">the 17th Century church of Panagia Vlacherna with fine wooden carvings, frescoes and a tall bell tower. This church overlooked "Mouse Island". According to mythology this rocky island is the ship of Ulysses that was stoned by the god Poseidon. In there center of the tiny island is a 13th century church.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greek Orthodox church</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoW_8D81ZSOW3g0iJJNzf3gvWFscbz8g0lGg9PLkaPyBW5Nde_O65_gxXCv84sTwgZ7mGYjYJCz0DYXHDSh9LLsPAsqSxWVnRWtVQ2guoz2red5i2GErZcr-bCeasH9OgUwTAgzpsYvAA/s1600/IMG_7389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoW_8D81ZSOW3g0iJJNzf3gvWFscbz8g0lGg9PLkaPyBW5Nde_O65_gxXCv84sTwgZ7mGYjYJCz0DYXHDSh9LLsPAsqSxWVnRWtVQ2guoz2red5i2GErZcr-bCeasH9OgUwTAgzpsYvAA/s320/IMG_7389.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm sure the used to walk up this narrow steps to ring the bells</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dG3JgkjPj3ZCzCr3ehGFAfuRHIlGj922ZhuDFmBJIAk39eGwd3PF86Ys5cCvurRBv2Do7844_7Fz4wXWTt3vIBUEOchm_IL5NLXLxZ7qlU708FrzwU9jJeMiiSxIXUtpFsSwy4sthlE/s1600/IMG_7407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1dG3JgkjPj3ZCzCr3ehGFAfuRHIlGj922ZhuDFmBJIAk39eGwd3PF86Ys5cCvurRBv2Do7844_7Fz4wXWTt3vIBUEOchm_IL5NLXLxZ7qlU708FrzwU9jJeMiiSxIXUtpFsSwy4sthlE/s320/IMG_7407.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17th century church</td></tr>
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<span class="st"><span class="st">Driving overland to the west side of the island to the traditional village of Lacones with one lane roads, we took in the magnificent views of the </span></span><span class="st"><span class="st"><span class="st">Moni Agias Paraskevis and the two naturally formed heart shaped bays. Here we sampled the local kumquat products including liquor and candy and of course locally produced olive oil. </span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMC4xt5WphzYMWtbDYi_UBgz7qNTLjJinnKLz9-3_gL5ji9a9fG1WzWFf3n7Kvzvt_v60iHWS4T1aCjSO2c4C6_dGjmi7XVfJVBHFDYsIw3s_KNjqU2JUF31kTxxB3oWWgWKPgo9CqYY/s1600/IMG_7659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVMC4xt5WphzYMWtbDYi_UBgz7qNTLjJinnKLz9-3_gL5ji9a9fG1WzWFf3n7Kvzvt_v60iHWS4T1aCjSO2c4C6_dGjmi7XVfJVBHFDYsIw3s_KNjqU2JUF31kTxxB3oWWgWKPgo9CqYY/s320/IMG_7659.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacones, Corfu</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR2nXqNF3bXMOgL9nf-k8zdMznSj7N4Jji7i5K2huaJQXIr3IXTuIq7SKsRNtU34mDO8EKY_B-j4uxllm_CBjqn1-S4nWNLo3-0BZoqsglMTL0oI9cDSsbdiaIkFgmEY3GxdNuqudQZM/s1600/IMG_7440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR2nXqNF3bXMOgL9nf-k8zdMznSj7N4Jji7i5K2huaJQXIr3IXTuIq7SKsRNtU34mDO8EKY_B-j4uxllm_CBjqn1-S4nWNLo3-0BZoqsglMTL0oI9cDSsbdiaIkFgmEY3GxdNuqudQZM/s320/IMG_7440.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We met 3 generations of "Georges" here & bought local olive oil & kumquat marmelade</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CKhrhw1HoXchis8ofS9YdtpVAzQvo4Aj0u5ZsO2CO3HrWwPTsQYx09cFDlCDJk4rf170fv5ST-WL1d4lN0OhqN7_0bM9jVpKe1ZtqOoEPs91geBAFu9PMtFVOM9U41x-5nZKNxliO7Y/s1600/IMG_7442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CKhrhw1HoXchis8ofS9YdtpVAzQvo4Aj0u5ZsO2CO3HrWwPTsQYx09cFDlCDJk4rf170fv5ST-WL1d4lN0OhqN7_0bM9jVpKe1ZtqOoEPs91geBAFu9PMtFVOM9U41x-5nZKNxliO7Y/s320/IMG_7442.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack had a Vespa just like this in 1970</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tRBbSKzh0UPCnJWtXhFjEVkODxIideTeL_huhRKGGXYO7ktDH7f_bF0w1PwYnUT-NfxsoW1ZkCXX71Uu42fXSLkzVa2aBFgGq0vLGRmTY3yBEwHQwbhI41Ilz2Zmz8ZpMGkOG6hpcpQ/s1600/IMG_7421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tRBbSKzh0UPCnJWtXhFjEVkODxIideTeL_huhRKGGXYO7ktDH7f_bF0w1PwYnUT-NfxsoW1ZkCXX71Uu42fXSLkzVa2aBFgGq0vLGRmTY3yBEwHQwbhI41Ilz2Zmz8ZpMGkOG6hpcpQ/s320/IMG_7421.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heart-shaped bays</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKra9RV4IoJZy3gKKbbkeNd5veUMKUfbJaZ1LR3k5bgOw5E6RWGNOvk9xCP__UTK-aF6FMh3gEgEFPIWTGmtq3VdY2oFM86Q_42sM4fF3tVzcYforJe3VhT3zLfzHroggKZ1CDwF_IryM/s1600/IMG_7386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKra9RV4IoJZy3gKKbbkeNd5veUMKUfbJaZ1LR3k5bgOw5E6RWGNOvk9xCP__UTK-aF6FMh3gEgEFPIWTGmtq3VdY2oFM86Q_42sM4fF3tVzcYforJe3VhT3zLfzHroggKZ1CDwF_IryM/s320/IMG_7386.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="st"><span class="st"><span class="st">We ended our day back in the Old Town of Corfu wandering the streets and searching for yet another geocache.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa6xpdFfR4LrVfSTUfTy7dVEZfMRz-bRWCEqw3B3oEuIzHOvzyn2TWml9iB_t8girVEL0-vG-d3haliMMOYLSA_Q1xEvh2myBJ6VaaT0AloSi16ezYOmEJAQeM2yQlnc8FDdAFjr6mj8/s1600/IMG_7459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQa6xpdFfR4LrVfSTUfTy7dVEZfMRz-bRWCEqw3B3oEuIzHOvzyn2TWml9iB_t8girVEL0-vG-d3haliMMOYLSA_Q1xEvh2myBJ6VaaT0AloSi16ezYOmEJAQeM2yQlnc8FDdAFjr6mj8/s320/IMG_7459.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hlorlL0CyB7BqvuCf2IcKPS-YmucAraRK1db3KYRLeEtiLfWWcXTFBrnGJb7dy_jq2Rg6Yi1YuZv3Zj8iFIMCadr2mLx2D8ugwnAeOXCF_erOkHeb44Sx6mc7Imcg_rHzYkUuqPFUmw/s1600/IMG_7460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hlorlL0CyB7BqvuCf2IcKPS-YmucAraRK1db3KYRLeEtiLfWWcXTFBrnGJb7dy_jq2Rg6Yi1YuZv3Zj8iFIMCadr2mLx2D8ugwnAeOXCF_erOkHeb44Sx6mc7Imcg_rHzYkUuqPFUmw/s320/IMG_7460.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
Ulysses Source: <a href="https://www.greeka.com/ionian/corfu/corfu-excursions/corfu-kanoni-mouse-island.htm">www.greeka.com</a>U</div>
<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
According to mythology,
this rocky island is the ship of Ulysses that was stoned by god
Poseidon. In the center of the Mouse Island, there is the 13th-century
church of Pantokrator. Source: <a href="https://www.greeka.com/ionian/corfu/corfu-excursions/corfu-kanoni-mouse-island.htm">www.greeka.com</a></div>
<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
According to mythology,
this rocky island is the ship of Ulysses that was stoned by god
Poseidon. In the center of the Mouse Island, there is the 13th-century
church of Pantokrator. Source: <a href="https://www.greeka.com/ionian/corfu/corfu-excursions/corfu-kanoni-mouse-island.htm">www.greeka.com</a></div>
<span class="st"><span class="st"></span></span><br />
<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
According to mythology,
this rocky island is the ship of Ulysses that was stoned by god
Poseidon. In the center of the Mouse Island, there is the 13th-century
church of Pantokrator. Source: <a href="https://www.greeka.com/ionian/corfu/corfu-excursions/corfu-kanoni-mouse-island.htm">www.greeka.com</a></div>
<span class="st"><span class="st"> <em></em></span></span></div>
JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-67915188303971652162019-04-15T14:17:00.001-07:002019-04-15T14:17:24.635-07:00Our first few days in Italy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have been onboard the Crystal Serenity for several days with ports every day! This is an exhausting cruise to say the least. We had our first few days in Genoa & Livorno, Italy where we just walked off the ship. We have been in this part of Italy before so we enjoyed exploring the towns of the ports. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukz5gm9JQRGAcG0i72iESuVJ4TTqUWFbAIf51CzY5S_3E0pZVpr1gXv-V6khFoodxZbdibQpOTRV5viUl-WtgKzNA1wN_6fURUG_Ma8IbPdlGb5Td7_sO5HMTn9HyAKN22rSFkrRnMD0/s1600/IMG_7166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukz5gm9JQRGAcG0i72iESuVJ4TTqUWFbAIf51CzY5S_3E0pZVpr1gXv-V6khFoodxZbdibQpOTRV5viUl-WtgKzNA1wN_6fURUG_Ma8IbPdlGb5Td7_sO5HMTn9HyAKN22rSFkrRnMD0/s320/IMG_7166.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><em>Trompe-l'œil</em>, a technique that creates the optical illusion that the window frames and arches look three dimensions. Only shutters in the upper windows are real!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92sRUBFIDnXJwEAlqdmYz_E_VBrwlPpJxjLq69kJEPk9qPFkfoNYuVIqZ8wViFxcJEIB5Bi0O4yvwci7NlQj9L-1g8SYM2ZTh7Atj5yFijQTSMzj5ZkuLzBUoR-d0MFVPc4ULfjYEeCU/s1600/IMG_7160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92sRUBFIDnXJwEAlqdmYz_E_VBrwlPpJxjLq69kJEPk9qPFkfoNYuVIqZ8wViFxcJEIB5Bi0O4yvwci7NlQj9L-1g8SYM2ZTh7Atj5yFijQTSMzj5ZkuLzBUoR-d0MFVPc4ULfjYEeCU/s320/IMG_7160.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home of Christopher Columbus in Genoa, Italy</td></tr>
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In Rome we decided to take the train in to Vatican City and prearranged a tour of the Vatican Museums. We have never seen this so crowed! Apparently because it is Holy Week and the local students are end of term everyone is here! We stood in line for an hour to get through security to enter St. Peter's Basilica and once inside it was a crush. On past visits we have been able to walk through easily but not today.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrdqTr3pu72tXNxcOnjtiyR28eR-4QO6NoAe4Mwo74_MHnTR96m20bS6zxoqSDQf-aBiFC8Zubr386T07ufiFBaKebUUqYm3i6-b49pFcyd-7ofN6ftr4zbj6kgZpEah2iFJV4IQaC9c/s1600/IMG_7190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyrdqTr3pu72tXNxcOnjtiyR28eR-4QO6NoAe4Mwo74_MHnTR96m20bS6zxoqSDQf-aBiFC8Zubr386T07ufiFBaKebUUqYm3i6-b49pFcyd-7ofN6ftr4zbj6kgZpEah2iFJV4IQaC9c/s320/IMG_7190.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exterior of the Sistine Chapel (photos are not allowed inside)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjofG4eRO-kHcrL_c_ytQAtAMsa_X_2dr0flATFqj4GjvWr-KzsOHKbxj7iyUEnR2DuKIzywoGqivI0FPHD-4WC_Cdgj4-apQoOW9Lcewg0mRBfoXpCpz4gRSGOOi9w3coZapyUM3Haac/s1600/IMG_7200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjofG4eRO-kHcrL_c_ytQAtAMsa_X_2dr0flATFqj4GjvWr-KzsOHKbxj7iyUEnR2DuKIzywoGqivI0FPHD-4WC_Cdgj4-apQoOW9Lcewg0mRBfoXpCpz4gRSGOOi9w3coZapyUM3Haac/s320/IMG_7200.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raphael's famous fresco <strong><em>The School of Athens</em></strong> has come to symbolize the marriage of art, philosophy, and science that was a hallmark of the Italian Renaissance. Plato and Aristotle are the main figures in the middle. Michelangelo's image is depicted in the seated figure on the steps in the front middle.</td></tr>
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The Vatican Museums were fabulous but without a Vatican guide with
earphones we probably would not have event been able to see any of the
paintings and sculptures due to the crowds. Once inside the Sistine Chapel it was "cheek
to jowl". But of course it is always inspiring and majestic. We
learned more about Michelangelo-primarily a sculpturer, he was reluctant
to accept the commission but did complete it at age 25 from 1508-1512.
The controversy over the figures painted in nudity in the Sistine Chapel
<strong>continued after Michelangelo’s death</strong>.
The artist Daniele da Volterra was hired to cover up some of the
genitals in The Last Judgement by adding fig leaves and cloth drapes,
which earned him the nickname <strong>“Il Braghettone”</strong> (“The
breeches maker”). There has been some attempts to restore the paintings
back to Michelangelo's masterpiece but it could only be done on some that had been painted over with oils (that could be
removed) but the fresco on others were scraped away removing the
original paint.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid89QmXIRoQiWCpXKDgInZWzsObaU46RIzDe3_JwYtse3fkxedxpqVKRiWgRha1RAU40NYlAElgsHxG3ivaTrrNTcQTNCjTDpK-LpidLAkntncz7LH1OHjY4O0gWJXZfNJ4Yi0z7Gaono/s1600/IMG_7366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid89QmXIRoQiWCpXKDgInZWzsObaU46RIzDe3_JwYtse3fkxedxpqVKRiWgRha1RAU40NYlAElgsHxG3ivaTrrNTcQTNCjTDpK-LpidLAkntncz7LH1OHjY4O0gWJXZfNJ4Yi0z7Gaono/s320/IMG_7366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxJJCKmWoMqz81qjzZUebIF2cgOFplIx_NW9FwRb7HCKbaBLQ0g0_IEa3IFsxsoE2L81OmvDQrrfPbFXtGwJjGrLetlrkpokSeSAbu2BFJLsK-yObRqlimE-lCw-W4mhgkRNrOi6ZHjk/s1600/IMG_7370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1600" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxJJCKmWoMqz81qjzZUebIF2cgOFplIx_NW9FwRb7HCKbaBLQ0g0_IEa3IFsxsoE2L81OmvDQrrfPbFXtGwJjGrLetlrkpokSeSAbu2BFJLsK-yObRqlimE-lCw-W4mhgkRNrOi6ZHjk/s320/IMG_7370.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our ship with Mt. Vesuvius volcano in the background</td></tr>
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Our next stop was Sorrento where we had booked a private small group tour of Pompeii. This was a wonderful architectural lesson while walking through a Roman city that was completely destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzIBm7v2aNBhheGKXT81aHWzPXSJnQTIQIjkqiQqQQgpi3kWaLnJYelNmETNs5zrX7X16901P20h3SG6CYpdjnPGkGBWBgts9gPqoES1OEhbQwW30GpJSud-9HN0OXO_7sF-ug-CVKa4/s1600/IMG_7209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzIBm7v2aNBhheGKXT81aHWzPXSJnQTIQIjkqiQqQQgpi3kWaLnJYelNmETNs5zrX7X16901P20h3SG6CYpdjnPGkGBWBgts9gPqoES1OEhbQwW30GpJSud-9HN0OXO_7sF-ug-CVKa4/s320/IMG_7209.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Vesuvius volcano</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOv3GVjlOkNeuNjg5RkKdAVy_fKmJhTCdy-SDzfssjjqew8nwD_CsYUfUgYhAUELlQyzFJPu0OETTIX4X2lqnxJNX1nLTqjUcNju-Vhav3HdmJXP-XBF4rThawhqzNY-bodoJOaw7mTYU/s1600/IMG_7206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOv3GVjlOkNeuNjg5RkKdAVy_fKmJhTCdy-SDzfssjjqew8nwD_CsYUfUgYhAUELlQyzFJPu0OETTIX4X2lqnxJNX1nLTqjUcNju-Vhav3HdmJXP-XBF4rThawhqzNY-bodoJOaw7mTYU/s320/IMG_7206.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original tile mosaic floors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8omvNvuNNrPFkMTXMvIoCyXNVH9uAfHWQW-wLCZxfujLIAlJKO4kzZ0wQlDVdmT1bQOydfjYuddiO8rjB7f3JTrfk2xWp5WEikfxGll0iP_mhcl8z-4KQTt2byYM_MPu_6yvCEz5oWcw/s1600/IMG_7226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8omvNvuNNrPFkMTXMvIoCyXNVH9uAfHWQW-wLCZxfujLIAlJKO4kzZ0wQlDVdmT1bQOydfjYuddiO8rjB7f3JTrfk2xWp5WEikfxGll0iP_mhcl8z-4KQTt2byYM_MPu_6yvCEz5oWcw/s320/IMG_7226.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The people died primarily of the poison gas and the city was buried under millions of tons of ash. The city was discovered in the mid 18th century where bodies were frozen right where they’d fallen. Everyday objects and household goods littered the streets and hundreds of clay wine jars were found. Later archaeologists even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyYxvNOYD-AdTj4NFdzu0ewscL6pw-GqfJ5JUBgI21N_VCmkhl-UDJGcSUbncLAF0CDKzIWDditXeLpiyw2XUIpRvZERRvKQ4cRmNW1Jvbh_IPXC2oF8n_MAtSOWf2UUQokQez3H-8EQ/s1600/IMG_7239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyYxvNOYD-AdTj4NFdzu0ewscL6pw-GqfJ5JUBgI21N_VCmkhl-UDJGcSUbncLAF0CDKzIWDditXeLpiyw2XUIpRvZERRvKQ4cRmNW1Jvbh_IPXC2oF8n_MAtSOWf2UUQokQez3H-8EQ/s320/IMG_7239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM-omsj11mdmPOLDygP394K7RbqiZ9TqZ2d6UZGRioIYY56HwJmD1g9vleLrmK0io3Bnzl7bCnj7lVMAcdfL590XAt-KaC6UTosWnf2hd_U2aIVjQx_D2UX-LXe1vGkCOr2Nf4gLU3-E/s1600/IMG_7248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM-omsj11mdmPOLDygP394K7RbqiZ9TqZ2d6UZGRioIYY56HwJmD1g9vleLrmK0io3Bnzl7bCnj7lVMAcdfL590XAt-KaC6UTosWnf2hd_U2aIVjQx_D2UX-LXe1vGkCOr2Nf4gLU3-E/s320/IMG_7248.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The narrow roads were built in a grid with a major north-south streets and east-west smaller side streets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe922VEl4o-5zFq9AlGnka6TLVqrMLguYXd-3yWa_pJp_scEaTPYfewskOVpqmCejn5evV_x7z_lbAP6JfSXAd4xXweKk3qEctcqGPaJkmY4WooUdos6NkCuH01VRisyetJHn5a_che4/s1600/IMG_7265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe922VEl4o-5zFq9AlGnka6TLVqrMLguYXd-3yWa_pJp_scEaTPYfewskOVpqmCejn5evV_x7z_lbAP6JfSXAd4xXweKk3qEctcqGPaJkmY4WooUdos6NkCuH01VRisyetJHn5a_che4/s320/IMG_7265.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a sewer system built into the roads with terracotta pipes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaHLuCdLFuHmMNuaZ6oU4-pq1XOKfj_ah3Coc7nK7PxKVh73oaT0czeG_s4634Io1ilPZ6ilWbjv-qm1LGBE6Cy6WHgk9XQxc8Bl6vFuZ6VIEXdbh4l4nZV1Lq3T_LyJGrhAmo91xlYs/s1600/IMG_7275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuaHLuCdLFuHmMNuaZ6oU4-pq1XOKfj_ah3Coc7nK7PxKVh73oaT0czeG_s4634Io1ilPZ6ilWbjv-qm1LGBE6Cy6WHgk9XQxc8Bl6vFuZ6VIEXdbh4l4nZV1Lq3T_LyJGrhAmo91xlYs/s320/IMG_7275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The people bodies that were found were encased in a solid ash. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQkYFEWrJR0wCu3dW0figAam3S8OGevDeOKV0uHPFbJ3bU-xD2DtvnH-0qlWkdNfACzboUNT-idh2o4x7mZrOyjXo5jC2I8ALF-ydMx_evT5WaA8TvsRhPk6WfOgAwZRX7y1sPEmvGf0/s1600/IMG_7291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQkYFEWrJR0wCu3dW0figAam3S8OGevDeOKV0uHPFbJ3bU-xD2DtvnH-0qlWkdNfACzboUNT-idh2o4x7mZrOyjXo5jC2I8ALF-ydMx_evT5WaA8TvsRhPk6WfOgAwZRX7y1sPEmvGf0/s320/IMG_7291.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the "Gymnasium" or school for the boys with the play field</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />This was a wonderful tour and thoughtful place. It was imazing to see the brilliant architecture and buildings that werre 2,000 years old!<br />
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<br /></div>
JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-29603390335545144932019-04-08T02:09:00.001-07:002019-04-08T02:09:09.172-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sjsm5C1EiklkOo0jheimT4TTUPezg7M17ixsNAnP7TYNshsl7ck1hscvr3PDt0zDazY-kTIrFgEaknUKF4Pf6q6Z_f7k5qI50ferVTkNdc24gVUpKLUgwzkezTOLWFLl__zjaGhRr_o/s1600/IMG_6987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sjsm5C1EiklkOo0jheimT4TTUPezg7M17ixsNAnP7TYNshsl7ck1hscvr3PDt0zDazY-kTIrFgEaknUKF4Pf6q6Z_f7k5qI50ferVTkNdc24gVUpKLUgwzkezTOLWFLl__zjaGhRr_o/s320/IMG_6987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;">So begins another journey for us to Europe spending 2 months exploring 13 countries. This sounds rather overwhelming but we are actually visiting several of those countries while on two cruises. We will embark on an Crystal Serenity cruise in Monoco ending 11 days later in Venice. This will be followed by 6 weeks exploring Slovenia, Croatia,Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary then a Danube River Cruise. Please follow us on our blog. Karen & Jack</span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;" /><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;" /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;"></span><br style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;" /></div>
JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-74246270687152273392018-01-01T19:52:00.000-08:002018-01-02T09:34:36.413-08:00A Year of Travel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifozD1uQMRiGIlT4J06DOTBQgbepRg5R_OQpOakApjrFypcgIFR1za5qaPDkoreZgjUI5EpO0De-aTz0Jrzn9qfdkvtWGjR_6ZJZnfMU39umgp7b6iKvSbd475Xj0Fv7e2ihxY1-WC3VE/s1600/IMG_1115.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifozD1uQMRiGIlT4J06DOTBQgbepRg5R_OQpOakApjrFypcgIFR1za5qaPDkoreZgjUI5EpO0De-aTz0Jrzn9qfdkvtWGjR_6ZJZnfMU39umgp7b6iKvSbd475Xj0Fv7e2ihxY1-WC3VE/s320/IMG_1115.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As we end 2017 and start a New Year, we reflect on a year of
“bucket-list” travel taking us to places we have wanted to explore for a long
time.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In a nutshell, we </span><span style="font-family: calibri;">drove over 14,000 miles in only 6 months (in the U.S. and </span><span style="font-family: calibri;">went to 16 other countries, traveling by truck, large cruise ship, train, foot, bus, cable car, rental car,
small boutique ship, ferry, tuk tuk, zodiac raft, small wooden “panga” canoes,
and of course airplane.</span><span style="font-family: calibri; margin: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH65Y4gjvek1IhqHfYYz_Y91CEWzw_uD2MqidPnN4b4d3xWr3gdSnLFQHcdnkbuQn3nt2-rrscWd92v-1-diZfQ0FS-31w8XIJJcBhADyQlF6f48vCGiDy5dq_5odMvEn8cw0oGc7guNQ/s1600/IMG_6238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH65Y4gjvek1IhqHfYYz_Y91CEWzw_uD2MqidPnN4b4d3xWr3gdSnLFQHcdnkbuQn3nt2-rrscWd92v-1-diZfQ0FS-31w8XIJJcBhADyQlF6f48vCGiDy5dq_5odMvEn8cw0oGc7guNQ/s320/IMG_6238.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"></span>Speaking of air
travel, we took 21 flights in 2017 averaging 2- 1/2 hours each!<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>That’s a whole lot of TSA security
lines.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Some highlights that we remember:</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Stayed in a 11<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century castle
village</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Experienced two healing ceremonies by Medicine
Men Shamans</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Drank Bordeaux wine in a French Chateau</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ate Basque pintxos with rioja wine</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Munched on Cornish pasties</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Stood at the Sun Temple of Machu Picchu</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Devoured Swiss Fondue</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Reluctantly tried “cuy”-Peruvian delicacy of
guinea pig</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Eagerly swigged Irish whiskey</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Savored Dutch, French, Swiss, Ecuadorian,
Belgian, Italian and Peruvian chocolate</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Had a conversation with a “street working woman”
in Quitos, Ecuador</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sipped champagne at the top of the Las Vegas
High Roller</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Hiked in the Swiss Alps and the Peruvian Andes</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Wrapped a 150 lb Anaconda snake around my neck</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Walked among the world’s largest tortoises in
the Galapagos</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Took our grandsons “camping” in our RV</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Had our picture taken in front of Doc Martin’s Surgery</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Survived left-handed driving with manual
transmission in Wales and Ireland</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Found the ancestrial home of Jack’s 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
great grandfather-Sir Richard Knightley</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Lived for a while in a 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century
Georgian home in Sulgrave, England</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Put one foot in the northern hemisphere and one
foot in the southern hemisphere </span></div>
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</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Spoke Swiss-French when we don’t speak French</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; margin: 0px;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Changed from our tandem bicycle to electric
bikes</span></div>
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</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; margin: 0px;">And the best</span></i><span style="font-family: "comic sans ms"; margin: 0px;">…..<i>spent
Christmas 2017 with our children & grandchildren-Bert, Kathy, Ethan &
Liam—Billy, Melissa, Owen & Isaac.</i></span></div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-41127588953986320062017-12-21T15:33:00.000-08:002019-03-24T16:13:43.978-07:00The Trilogy Trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We are back in Miami, Florida with better access to internet and so here’s a recap of the last two weeks in Peru & Ecuador.<br />
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=13J9Mjqk2xjxRuUe3DCRt0BlogIFR8Son&usp=sharing">The Overview of our travels</a><br />
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This trip has involved more air, water and land in a short span than we’ve ever done before-9 flights and multiple bus & boat trips. <br />
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To reach Machupicchu we took a train and various bus rides out of Cusco (better for us than the 4-day hike on the infamous Inca trail or the very cheap bus on a dusty winding dirt road to the electro power plant followed by a 3 hour hike).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLbV1tTpzAgcZRLug7bBjvEz4EcPiNBQrKewBMxCutRAiaFTjz1vnQ08H63BqQOD48jIOUFGLFVMb7Hz0LSEWYd6Uht_GUfSxCc5ezbFI0d4LAFltZdS_dx4xU6ntosHObkCdnUGUzpQ/s1600/IMG_1957.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLbV1tTpzAgcZRLug7bBjvEz4EcPiNBQrKewBMxCutRAiaFTjz1vnQ08H63BqQOD48jIOUFGLFVMb7Hz0LSEWYd6Uht_GUfSxCc5ezbFI0d4LAFltZdS_dx4xU6ntosHObkCdnUGUzpQ/s320/IMG_1957.HEIC" width="240" /></a>The altitude in the Sacred Valley (including Machupicchu) was quite a challenge. We were in towns from 8,000-11,000 feet for a week. “Altitude sickness” is common and while we chose not to take “western medicine”, we gummed coca leaves daily supplemented with coca tea or a sweet, hard candy with coca leaves in the center. The Andean people continuously suck on a wade of coca leaves and bowls of dried leaves were offered on all of our buffet lines. I was told this gives “energy”, but really I think it is more of a stimulant like caffeine. Too much, though, gave us a headache or nausea. Mostly water was the best remedy—lots and lots (so much we were up 3-4 times in the night!). It was humorous to watch us huffing and puffing as we walked slight hills or even just while getting dressed!<br />
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The people in both countries were extremely friendly and only a couple of words in Spanish from us prompted a rapid conversation. Most people asked us where we were from (we could understand that) and were absolutely fascinated when we explained that we lived in a “caravan” or house on wheels. Most had never heard of that.<br />
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Peru was definitely less expensive to travel in, as their currency is the Sol and Ecuador is the US$. We’ve never been in a foreign country that uses the US currency! They mint some Ecuadorian coins, equivalent to our quarters and dimes, but use them interchangeably with ours. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5pBZgfTCcx-llLzTwjyVYC4yZQrHDGuWLUj1vNXdIPXkgnZ0WTw6maaaqi3m3FkMQbmmOppctv3M_-8DL852TUtrb_fp5vyBsLok-SDftpirZapIUoQsu8iazHxNkSVdt681C3p_mtU/s1600/IMG_5538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Machu Picchu was magical and was less hiking than we expected. Of course there are other paths and Karen hiked out to the Inca Bridge which ended at a very spooky trail that skirted a 1,000 foot sheer cliff. Others in our group hiked further but this was just fine for us. We respected our limits.<br />
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We flew from Cusco back to Lima then ran to catch the flight to Quito,Ecuador. Every one of our internal flights were late- guess that’s just routine. Our group was certainly a “team” as we were constantly counting uno, dos to catorce (14) and looking out for one another. Great group of new friends!</div>
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Quito seems more modern and prosperous and we visited some great sights including the changing-of-guards at the Presidential Palace complete with political protest. We also heard a special performance of the <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sinamune Disabled Children's Orchestra. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyRiovfuVdwNxljD1i9d5ljpcX59cI8m9RabpXBq9lfC_GcdE7XvFr7inXxNYol4l0y_apLAhlX1FPu8dvgMtiVeEfbavkgR5-tVPV2sDhexwD0CPFo7Q1PGpEQIps_7n99ZARSWk2rg/s1600/IMG_1850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyRiovfuVdwNxljD1i9d5ljpcX59cI8m9RabpXBq9lfC_GcdE7XvFr7inXxNYol4l0y_apLAhlX1FPu8dvgMtiVeEfbavkgR5-tVPV2sDhexwD0CPFo7Q1PGpEQIps_7n99ZARSWk2rg/s320/IMG_1850.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Middle of the World-we are on both sides of the Equator at the same time</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">shopping for unusual food in the open market</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_qBF0lWxrPA0MZiyLZACAaCrkfdSArA7IvonsGVrNC0eov9O0Mu1axOdnzR4NAmoVMu-Q5GXtYVBkbmqOiw1EgmrBlSUYZLP2fEK2ffhr7TVWndREfiPmnxP0EUxgzD-6YJR3w8V4Hw/s1600/IMG_5362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_qBF0lWxrPA0MZiyLZACAaCrkfdSArA7IvonsGVrNC0eov9O0Mu1axOdnzR4NAmoVMu-Q5GXtYVBkbmqOiw1EgmrBlSUYZLP2fEK2ffhr7TVWndREfiPmnxP0EUxgzD-6YJR3w8V4Hw/s320/IMG_5362.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changing of the Guards (this happens every Monday)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">riot police on the ready</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack bought a handmade Panama Hat-these originated in Ecuador not Panama!</td></tr>
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The icing on the cake were touring the Galapagos Islands on the 95 foot boat, Carina. We were surprised at the population of people on the islands but thankful that there was no “high-rise” condos or resorts. We had a naturalist from the Galapagos National Park with us at all times which was awesome as there is so much to know beyond just what we could see. Ecuador is working hard to maintain, protect and bring back species of “endemic” animals, reptiles and plants. Endemic means those that evolved into a distinct species such as the swallow-tailed gull, world’s only nocturnal gull who evolved to hunt at night because of the competition from other sea birds. Many of the animals are only found in the Galapagos-penguin, hawk, dove, mockingbird, giant tortoise, and blue-footed booby. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR7gDOoXf7S79DI-NINHBsKnxQhSxVtBM9ntqC1-ZcecU6XFOOk3jNTE4YgEpQWMzn0HGwBtP3F2M56I6b-35kMHYYKHqAHe8OezRH9pfsa_G_R0Udckf3nUxGBwqRn8KtJFzTyWtm1Y/s1600/IMG_3168.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAR7gDOoXf7S79DI-NINHBsKnxQhSxVtBM9ntqC1-ZcecU6XFOOk3jNTE4YgEpQWMzn0HGwBtP3F2M56I6b-35kMHYYKHqAHe8OezRH9pfsa_G_R0Udckf3nUxGBwqRn8KtJFzTyWtm1Y/s320/IMG_3168.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Karen ready for snorkling<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtsmT1jtyUNF_kC1_dzjziw_Xa00G_3eVHtp17DI65D34iu1M81M2ewa4f53pU0WIsExhzQg-w0FHeKW5JKk1R76_74U0ZzY2NH2JDsVZ1CwPgOhmEsNHkaHu8K0VSUIhyphenhyphenEnIT-9Jn7o/s1600/PC150548.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAtsmT1jtyUNF_kC1_dzjziw_Xa00G_3eVHtp17DI65D34iu1M81M2ewa4f53pU0WIsExhzQg-w0FHeKW5JKk1R76_74U0ZzY2NH2JDsVZ1CwPgOhmEsNHkaHu8K0VSUIhyphenhyphenEnIT-9Jn7o/s320/PC150548.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we snorkeled with a white tip shark and a Galapagos shark!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VMBwGL-q7j8y05spnYfZke9cJSWrE-8bNNublgXJIR4Q2goV8yEAXREivLGPzg270JS0jUOISqF8A5JIjco4-W0ajZrg4cFF5PSJsOFAPlidayPXz9BwMrZmPenYQ5Xvb7CJkHwXHhs/s1600/IMG_5798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0VMBwGL-q7j8y05spnYfZke9cJSWrE-8bNNublgXJIR4Q2goV8yEAXREivLGPzg270JS0jUOISqF8A5JIjco4-W0ajZrg4cFF5PSJsOFAPlidayPXz9BwMrZmPenYQ5Xvb7CJkHwXHhs/s320/IMG_5798.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endemic uncommon Galapagos Penguin the only one found north of the Equator</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt87krptM8dH371kWvVi5JfskKQuRNdYLqkwf9X5GALONjjicX2MnyfQrqPvNFTGtFR18Ay7_riifkbiEAyV8t4o1H-hCvk6iDMYvU-4TT8ssNLhfRptJwgBf2czWtSH3vHrCksdIbKE/s1600/IMG_5638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt87krptM8dH371kWvVi5JfskKQuRNdYLqkwf9X5GALONjjicX2MnyfQrqPvNFTGtFR18Ay7_riifkbiEAyV8t4o1H-hCvk6iDMYvU-4TT8ssNLhfRptJwgBf2czWtSH3vHrCksdIbKE/s320/IMG_5638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapagos Hawk-the largest predator in the Islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5s5CiyBbfZvfxOuYtF5WysfsTDhPuDC__GeunqUoLXzliW_IFl3-skBtz74uVlA5_XAlf0vMbCjTeeUy7cW0XFuKCm4HA9uTIv2edWw4yxR6-YShx-mJpSRVIZnsOedvh0S6F07M2nk/s1600/IMG_5674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk5s5CiyBbfZvfxOuYtF5WysfsTDhPuDC__GeunqUoLXzliW_IFl3-skBtz74uVlA5_XAlf0vMbCjTeeUy7cW0XFuKCm4HA9uTIv2edWw4yxR6-YShx-mJpSRVIZnsOedvh0S6F07M2nk/s320/IMG_5674.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">endemic subspecies of Brown Pelican</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6sdP6YzeNW82JoYxJ7gm27ANhIoeG-w-Cw6RnHlgRP5id1uHPSlOFFwbL3AGpvM1UTIAtB1d5QElhEhE6ubhuj12LVJeirG2RxX4nb400iGQ-yalrNt9_bh_bxXfunMLn2s-Br-Duq0/s1600/IMG_3160.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6sdP6YzeNW82JoYxJ7gm27ANhIoeG-w-Cw6RnHlgRP5id1uHPSlOFFwbL3AGpvM1UTIAtB1d5QElhEhE6ubhuj12LVJeirG2RxX4nb400iGQ-yalrNt9_bh_bxXfunMLn2s-Br-Duq0/s320/IMG_3160.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">our boat in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapagos mockingbird-enedmic to the islands-these birds adapted to not actually<br />
mock" as other mockingbirds do because there were less birds around them</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDuCE-VYuNMpMFBD0fayieCis1qDM6xhlfPizgIJO1csDcUOMxmAYFrJCJg0D3GtvwNlBMKSNo1fEpch4YtVLDvsRy7detTtaVztMPzFLZxD1WT2qd7Fjaao_gFiqCNm12lZvbY4cV7E/s1600/IMG_5738.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDuCE-VYuNMpMFBD0fayieCis1qDM6xhlfPizgIJO1csDcUOMxmAYFrJCJg0D3GtvwNlBMKSNo1fEpch4YtVLDvsRy7detTtaVztMPzFLZxD1WT2qd7Fjaao_gFiqCNm12lZvbY4cV7E/s320/IMG_5738.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">baby sea lion</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AvfX6LDkM0kDuqTQEGyuVPLhTNrLKbgwwbt61zCL061L-MvW_81ppmX-Uh-fJZmieG0dEvfya7Jvu_SM9otL3EHvM1HAQdFOsv5HwQtDG74p1QufXxhabNHnqgBiH_yFWV1jXxu5sWU/s1600/IMG_3219.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6AvfX6LDkM0kDuqTQEGyuVPLhTNrLKbgwwbt61zCL061L-MvW_81ppmX-Uh-fJZmieG0dEvfya7Jvu_SM9otL3EHvM1HAQdFOsv5HwQtDG74p1QufXxhabNHnqgBiH_yFWV1jXxu5sWU/s320/IMG_3219.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is a "wet landing"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzz1z_Ohu3fMFb5sb_pKfnhUm-STDf8_T4KjECAv57JfOzP79fvOQ5bH3kZtY8br1dlAxf0wPQRvqPZ69fgJrJI1N2gMccKoou672t8kxxQWcKoOstMzTstFcn94FlFx6fKImzBlAqKw0/s1600/IMG_3034.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzz1z_Ohu3fMFb5sb_pKfnhUm-STDf8_T4KjECAv57JfOzP79fvOQ5bH3kZtY8br1dlAxf0wPQRvqPZ69fgJrJI1N2gMccKoou672t8kxxQWcKoOstMzTstFcn94FlFx6fKImzBlAqKw0/s320/IMG_3034.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">zodiac trips around the islands</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt87krptM8dH371kWvVi5JfskKQuRNdYLqkwf9X5GALONjjicX2MnyfQrqPvNFTGtFR18Ay7_riifkbiEAyV8t4o1H-hCvk6iDMYvU-4TT8ssNLhfRptJwgBf2czWtSH3vHrCksdIbKE/s1600/IMG_5638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbt87krptM8dH371kWvVi5JfskKQuRNdYLqkwf9X5GALONjjicX2MnyfQrqPvNFTGtFR18Ay7_riifkbiEAyV8t4o1H-hCvk6iDMYvU-4TT8ssNLhfRptJwgBf2czWtSH3vHrCksdIbKE/s320/IMG_5638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapago Hawk-(endemic) the largest predator in the Islands</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKHcN8N1TMVx5MVa85Di3NupTBvmvlE9MkWBApNSqRHoBV-4tmEMcNUYnaDVjtZMgCmO8YygrK-eBEvycepbxrkW0lKf9UWUPaT-hzGtRriAW8F7dDCdvzAVmieJmIpOqkJrJoHxjuYA/s1600/IMG_5640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1282" data-original-width="1600" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKHcN8N1TMVx5MVa85Di3NupTBvmvlE9MkWBApNSqRHoBV-4tmEMcNUYnaDVjtZMgCmO8YygrK-eBEvycepbxrkW0lKf9UWUPaT-hzGtRriAW8F7dDCdvzAVmieJmIpOqkJrJoHxjuYA/s320/IMG_5640.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Footed Booby-endemic subspecies found in the Galapagos</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8XoST5oVetFAWU-TrKh_iJGLW0rjbW56vtK81Y5dEcyx4MM2y7rwG_mpq3VXitEzT3QpdO5bbrArmIQbzni32R5KkOrarOdN10CWRYJAA6r32MsbGIqZp_g8Vt-X_hfospLMPa2qlos/s1600/IMG_5726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8XoST5oVetFAWU-TrKh_iJGLW0rjbW56vtK81Y5dEcyx4MM2y7rwG_mpq3VXitEzT3QpdO5bbrArmIQbzni32R5KkOrarOdN10CWRYJAA6r32MsbGIqZp_g8Vt-X_hfospLMPa2qlos/s320/IMG_5726.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the Boobys do a comical mating dance</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SRtVsa_JsRgtYhg47hrJe3aIdvel2hE5wlhuYGr7P-nZlQXsdLQ7d3Zxr8-MtzQsoJrawUR4_GSuzspBiOJHJNfr-mqihLMa6znzTAprpITKXEmMsKE4QMcVKNX55rdy4OthNaonczo/s1600/IMG_5601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SRtVsa_JsRgtYhg47hrJe3aIdvel2hE5wlhuYGr7P-nZlQXsdLQ7d3Zxr8-MtzQsoJrawUR4_GSuzspBiOJHJNfr-mqihLMa6znzTAprpITKXEmMsKE4QMcVKNX55rdy4OthNaonczo/s320/IMG_5601.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galapagos Sea Lions (they don't have seals in the Galapagos)</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4vAt5eVjpd0y2sKaG56EuiKOKliCvl3jU7CMLZYsgzjZHD0s1t5Iwp4i_Jax1AUpu7UHYaZUP4P6CKHidwqKxjkFBFBg1Rq4RtnuN47qHw16nNTLnHmsBz5XUwUMxysXPZvt3VF3Nbs/s1600/IMG_5786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4vAt5eVjpd0y2sKaG56EuiKOKliCvl3jU7CMLZYsgzjZHD0s1t5Iwp4i_Jax1AUpu7UHYaZUP4P6CKHidwqKxjkFBFBg1Rq4RtnuN47qHw16nNTLnHmsBz5XUwUMxysXPZvt3VF3Nbs/s320/IMG_5786.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The male sea lion came out of the water roaring as we got too close to the baby</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIRqQJiIYt_p38vvUcQ_xjVdzXLzIvm-m6EmTt-S-aGB5a2jkAg4ChOV-XVr-HQj5IXmXotMG1fTL8aMarQ-VbSiwfC7k5yplON8mP1ywByYTQJix2I0FbwGg8WEufVI4yHVuUqBNNHU/s1600/IMG_5593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIRqQJiIYt_p38vvUcQ_xjVdzXLzIvm-m6EmTt-S-aGB5a2jkAg4ChOV-XVr-HQj5IXmXotMG1fTL8aMarQ-VbSiwfC7k5yplON8mP1ywByYTQJix2I0FbwGg8WEufVI4yHVuUqBNNHU/s320/IMG_5593.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">we saw many animals and reptiles peacefully sunning together-here a Sally Lightfoot crab and a Marine iguana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBQrbeW7MEy-mHMyVnGagmj4YBOk5gmK2_zloHAEItdKi97tsWOaopD94cnf2_dK_KLbeFm5r_uAhG1ThERC6Q7jSlw9ksRd0awQq1Bcaazw4MdCEkIRyS07oQJDzNNQoBDvE-9NU7F4/s1600/IMG_5529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBQrbeW7MEy-mHMyVnGagmj4YBOk5gmK2_zloHAEItdKi97tsWOaopD94cnf2_dK_KLbeFm5r_uAhG1ThERC6Q7jSlw9ksRd0awQq1Bcaazw4MdCEkIRyS07oQJDzNNQoBDvE-9NU7F4/s320/IMG_5529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Neck Stilt one of the resident seabird</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjauRQ7gDeECGkDkl_z_0lsJcSAYvsbCxFW1lPw_SyNSfckpeLKFG9BjuvzLlRsIFOYWi-FMR6HY_rEcVFv3WjYKJwPKfO6jWZJEnVvNIPY1vxVj0RVFlbETvLKgauJ-yotkrM5mXkCnc/s1600/IMG_5525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjauRQ7gDeECGkDkl_z_0lsJcSAYvsbCxFW1lPw_SyNSfckpeLKFG9BjuvzLlRsIFOYWi-FMR6HY_rEcVFv3WjYKJwPKfO6jWZJEnVvNIPY1vxVj0RVFlbETvLKgauJ-yotkrM5mXkCnc/s320/IMG_5525.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncommon Galapagos Flamingo<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEm0y8JHwL72SPHIR3_f0fuZ7cJQJnFjye-Gar-bN52o1jmJUQuPJfRFcSsNX7H0nw6lHgP9txTe05eKYNr0Wl34-q5NO8TJdPtfXb3vVmUG2PrsmrSm55uudy6_1YZ6YZEjlqgAFhhw/s1600/IMG_5536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 23px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1600" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEm0y8JHwL72SPHIR3_f0fuZ7cJQJnFjye-Gar-bN52o1jmJUQuPJfRFcSsNX7H0nw6lHgP9txTe05eKYNr0Wl34-q5NO8TJdPtfXb3vVmUG2PrsmrSm55uudy6_1YZ6YZEjlqgAFhhw/s320/IMG_5536.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6ha0rYc7JBnoIj8JOzC9wp4HL6ivAAxgIAT6pjf0GGksCLlC2j-FL7Rf4CuyPgJnKpCZ-no7tSv-yMJGCGnaytkfmR6oa_qIpNUIdr8aeFTx_x-mM9OVB8YiLkoc-OiFR1OVrQU20hg/s1600/IMG_2866.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6ha0rYc7JBnoIj8JOzC9wp4HL6ivAAxgIAT6pjf0GGksCLlC2j-FL7Rf4CuyPgJnKpCZ-no7tSv-yMJGCGnaytkfmR6oa_qIpNUIdr8aeFTx_x-mM9OVB8YiLkoc-OiFR1OVrQU20hg/s320/IMG_2866.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow warbler (endemic Subspecies)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIQjcmT9MF8s25_IztCIs25ahSM3yPFVoxvyhgENSCWX1HQp1kigc3gSL517syXjdpUk8ia0-7Mw6SIwoP5TxcS9FYIeUWygewc5jGdqE70ltxkySxXz86TI7ryTaio5XywSEM2KoK7U/s1600/IMG_2396.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcIQjcmT9MF8s25_IztCIs25ahSM3yPFVoxvyhgENSCWX1HQp1kigc3gSL517syXjdpUk8ia0-7Mw6SIwoP5TxcS9FYIeUWygewc5jGdqE70ltxkySxXz86TI7ryTaio5XywSEM2KoK7U/s320/IMG_2396.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Tortoise reach 150 pounds-Endemic and found only in the Galapagos Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWceNilUhHajBCnaE-D7uwFeS6n6lMZVWuHbCdO46HpOo0jEzUQRLk1OY6KZqw9zsOab64xyrB8rxxTZyaYj-poxlSgmeITRQEQtJqSzzuJEjyD2mS0w-w_imtf90_uQnT-NybQZk77_w/s1600/IMG_2365.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWceNilUhHajBCnaE-D7uwFeS6n6lMZVWuHbCdO46HpOo0jEzUQRLk1OY6KZqw9zsOab64xyrB8rxxTZyaYj-poxlSgmeITRQEQtJqSzzuJEjyD2mS0w-w_imtf90_uQnT-NybQZk77_w/s320/IMG_2365.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what do you call a bunch of sleeping tortoise?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnXMbHSahcamSyiD8Emu6uvper04FYL-NdmF9D8mSnojpgIPYoTXJw-T75dZl9g6HKuqM12mIw4vLgeE2NshRao8cZwlBhYQdqZCgOC7xgwR5MG3HX-HWAnXhuLTa95iSm7RDsawqf0Y/s1600/IMG_2379.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnXMbHSahcamSyiD8Emu6uvper04FYL-NdmF9D8mSnojpgIPYoTXJw-T75dZl9g6HKuqM12mIw4vLgeE2NshRao8cZwlBhYQdqZCgOC7xgwR5MG3HX-HWAnXhuLTa95iSm7RDsawqf0Y/s320/IMG_2379.HEIC" width="320" /></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdNixTIR3SjzenjCbyDWFsBmWS7rDBdyylMJ6BPy74AZZ6FAyLoxbLnyTFuA0sgCnmJxTOd32dQvxAkCzTaSc_saQczDVKCvwl9dc9Mb0WHLlzb02PiyPLjmLG9LAODYGEkUIHfCm6uo/s1600/IMG_2368.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKdNixTIR3SjzenjCbyDWFsBmWS7rDBdyylMJ6BPy74AZZ6FAyLoxbLnyTFuA0sgCnmJxTOd32dQvxAkCzTaSc_saQczDVKCvwl9dc9Mb0WHLlzb02PiyPLjmLG9LAODYGEkUIHfCm6uo/s320/IMG_2368.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they are really BIG, and fortunately very slow</td></tr>
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This was definitely a super special trip and more challenging than expected. We’re exhausted! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7kThbksxJl1YSp6W7UHFeToTM7Ip45IkG9559oNQIDZDsv71E1gzTEZv4JR_Wswi4u7D4XqnpzzxoXmaacBHStbBxhb0IhprUuuiU5ozDnCVGXZ5dZAXAd0_zxYxM56V3A8lw-f1Vvo/s1600/IMG_3462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk7kThbksxJl1YSp6W7UHFeToTM7Ip45IkG9559oNQIDZDsv71E1gzTEZv4JR_Wswi4u7D4XqnpzzxoXmaacBHStbBxhb0IhprUuuiU5ozDnCVGXZ5dZAXAd0_zxYxM56V3A8lw-f1Vvo/s320/IMG_3462.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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https://drive.google.com/open?id=13J9Mjqk2xjxRuUe3DCRt0BlogIFR8Son&usp=sharing
JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-41092891203669425012017-12-03T15:13:00.001-08:002017-12-03T18:07:45.076-08:00Amazon River in Peru<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px; text-align: left;">We flew into Lima, Peru and promptly were dropped off at the wrong hotel in the Miraflores District. Oh, oh not good! But within 30 minutes the driver was back and we found the hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px; text-align: left;"><a href="https://people.uwec.edu/ivogeler/travel/peru/amazon.htm">Amazon people</a></span></div>
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We are on an adventure by OAT-<i>Outdoor Adventure Travels</i>. We have 3 segments, the first being 5 days in the Amazon. We flew from Lima to Iquitos, the largest city in the world (pop. about a million) that can’t be reached by road. </div>
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We came on a 2 hour flight then took a transfer boat 100 miles down the Amazon. The mighty river flows west to east through Peru to Brazil. Iquitos is 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean yet is Peru’s largest river port for cargo ships and barges. </div>
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Our naturalist guide and lodging are with <u>Explorama</u>, started in the 1960’s as a unique system of 3 lodges & a research center that houses students, researchers, environmentalists and <i>inquisitive travelers</i>, boats to move people and several foundations to help improve the lives of the indigenous people of the area with clean water and education. <br>
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Shaman , or healer, using plants of the jungle</div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;"><br>
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Canopy walk<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small motorized canoe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Used to move supplies and produce to market</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">We stayed 3 days at the fairly remote Explorama lodge and another 2 nights at the Ceiba Lodge that is much more of a resort (hot water, air conditioning and even a swimming pool). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "uictfonttextstylebody"; font-size: 23px;">The Explorama Lodge, built over 50 years ago is on the edge of small tributary of the Amazon in the middle of the huge rain forest. It’s very similar to a “summer camp”! A screened-in wooden main dining room, individual rooms with screen windows and paper-thin walls that made for hearing lots of laughter from the adjoining rooms! Showers were only cold water, beds were wooden cots with thin mattress and mosquito netting and lot of jungle sounds around. As rustic as it sounds, there was wi-fi (!), a well-stocked bar and individual bathrooms-which of course we appreciated and not necessarily in that order. </span><br>
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Mosquito netting over our bed</div>
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Our days were packed full of excitement always traveling by small open boat or on foot. Since the Amazon is very near the equator the temperature maintains a steady 85 degrees with stifling 90% humidity!! Our “safari-type” clothing was soaked with perspiration matter of minutes. The 13 of us figured we are all in the same boat, so to say. </div>
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Some highlights were:</div>
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•fishing for piranha (collectively we caught only 1);</div>
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•a tiny single person rum distillery that has a 200 year old sugarcane press powered by a horse;</div>
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•meeting two different healers-one in a micro sized medical clinic run by an American doctor and the other a skilled Shaman who studies and utilizes medicinal plants in the forest;</div>
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•the longest treetop canopy trek in the world-1/4 mile with 14 iiplatforms and cable walkways 120 feet above the forest floor; has </div>
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•visiting the Yagua people to learn about their culture and how the arrival of Europeans and time has affected them;</div>
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•demonstration of how the Yagua make and <i>still utilize</i> poison tipped darts in blow guns to hunt (and our opportunity to try it!);</div><div style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 23px;"><br>
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We were so fascinated by life along the Amazon and its tributary rivers. Between Iquitos and Brazil there are several large villages of 4-5,000 people, many tiny villages of a few hundred people and numerous solitary families “squatting “ out a living with what they can use from the forest for their homes. The Yagua homes generally don’t have electricity, toilets or even running water. They are large in space because of the extended families but very sparse inside often with little or no actual furniture. In very recent years the Peruvian government has been supplying individual homes with a 40 watt solar panel and battery. This provides a single light bulb in the main room and kitchen and electric plug for perhaps a radio. Kitchen stoves are often still open flame. While the benefit of the solar is immense the reasoning behind is less altruistic. The government really wanted to thwart the drug traffickers who were supplying the people with kerosene and lamps! So now there is no kerosene produced in Peru. </div>
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Most all of the small villages have at least a primary school and those with around 400 people also have a preschool and high school. Teachers, many from villages themselves, have 6 years of college in Iquito. The government pays their salaries, the village provides a house for them to board in during the school year and many books and supplies come from foundations such as Explorama. We got to interact with the school kids several who proudly showed us their pets (turtle, puppy or parrot) or a simple pinwheel made from a leaf. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen in a home in the Yaqua village</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huatzin bird-a prehistoric bird that can’t fly</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woolly monkey (baby)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Piranha ( our only catch of the day)<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Prehistoric Amazon Turtle about 2 feet in diameter<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Four month old sloth<br>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5554566038118152831.post-63794643140677954662017-11-25T19:51:00.000-08:002017-11-25T19:51:11.011-08:00Little Havana-National Treasure <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">We are off on our next adventure to Peru & Ecuador on an O.A.T.(<i>Overseas Adventure Travel)</i> tour—</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">“small groups on the Road Less Traveled”. For three weeks we’ll wander the rainforests, mighty river, and villages of the Peruvian Amazon; visit the Sacred Valley around Cuzco then take the train and hike to experience Machu Picchu; and finally we fly to Quito, Ecuador and explore the Galapagos Islands by small ship. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">But first we flew into Miami a couple of days early and today took a Food & Cultural walking tour of Little Havana. It was intriguing to learn the history of </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">Miami’s vibrant Cuban heart, with art galleries, restaurants and music venues. But the Cuban culture and food was most interesting. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">massive Ceiba tree which is important to the followers of Santeria (roots in the Cuban African slaves)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">We tried </span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">Guava Pastelito</b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: left;">-a puff pastry filled with guava paste</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Cafe Cubano</b> an extremely strong, sugary coffee </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Chicken croquetas-</b>which are “rationed” by mothers because they are so darn tasty </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Cuban sandwich</b>, a popular pressed pork hand food made popular by Cuban sugar mill workers</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Mojito</b>-which originated in Havana, Cuba (as far back as the 1500’s) and a favorite drunk of Ernest Hemingway</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Guarapo-</b>pressed sugarcane energy juice</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Picadillo Empanada</b>-Cuba’s version </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Abuela Maria ice cream</b> at the historic Azucar Ice Cream Co.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Domino Park</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">local seniors (must be over age 50) discuss politics over dominoes at Maximo Gomez Park, dubbed Domino Park by locals. </span></div>
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I highly recommend taking one of these kind of tours wherever you travel!</div>
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JacknKarensbloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00848689177804594754noreply@blogger.com0