We’ve been every where.
(OK not even close)
With apologies to Johnny Cash and others.
Idea stolen from our friends at the Bar J Chuck-wagon In Jackson Hole Wyoming.
Some stats from our trip. We left the US on 4-17-13 and returned on 4-17-14. We travelled aproximently 76,000 miles in total. 38 countries and six continents. Somewhere between 220 to 250 individual cities, towns and villages. We slept in 73 different beds and spent almost 60 days at sea. We flew 42 times on scheduled air flights, from a six seat Cessna to a Boeing 777. We flew on nineteen different airlines and rode with nine different European rail companies.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
We’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I’ve had my share, man.
We’ve been everywhere.
We’ve, in order, been to:
Spain, France, Netherlands, Belgium,
Denmark, Estonia, Russia, Finland,
Sweden, Germany, Norway, Luxembourg, Czech Rep,
Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Greece,
Israel, Turkey, Italy, China,
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
We’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I’ve had my share, man.
We’ve been everywhere.
We’ve been to:
Borneo (Malaysia), Singapore, Indonesia, Australia,
New Zealand, Fiji, Argentina, Uruguay,
UK (Falklands), Antarctica, Chile, Peru,
Ecuador, Mexico, and the good old USA,
We’ve been everywhere, man.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
We’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I’ve had my share, man.
We’ve been everywhere.
We’ve traveled on:
American, Iberia, Euro Rail, Transavia, Holland America
SAS, Aegean, Olympic, Alitalia, China Southern
China Eastern, Vietnam, Bangkok Airlines, Asia (agony) Air,
Malaysian (dodged a bullet), Silver Seas Virgin Australia, The Naked Bus, Air New Zealand, Fiji Air, LAN, Cruz del Sur Bus Lines, Tame, Aeromexico, home on American,
We’ve been everywhere, man.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
We’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I’ve had my share, man.
We’ve been everywhere.
We’ve been on:
Jets, Props, Cars, Ferries, Cruise Ships,
Canoes, Kayaks, Ox Carts, Donkeys,
Elephants, Reed boats, Pedacabs, Gondolas,
Tuk Tuks, Dune Buggies, Sand Boards, Cable Cars,
Bungy Platform, Four Wheel Drives, Trams,
Buses, Children’s Railroad, Canopy Walks, Funiculars.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
We’ve been everywhere, man.
Crossed the desert’s bare, man.
We’ve breathed the mountain air, man.
Of travel I’ve had my share, man.
We’ve been everywhere.
This is our last update from the road. Where did the time go? Day 365 of our trip around the world. Tomorrow we fly home.
After a couple of days of flopping around, like beached whales, at our hotel we got back with the program. Time to finish strong. Put on our big boy/girl travel pants and got back in exploration mode.
Mexico City has proved to be a pleasant surprise. We are staying in the Centro district with a lot of fun bars and places to eat.
We took a trip to the pyramids at Teotihuacan. They were amazing. This is the pyramid of the Sun. We climbed to the top. This was a temple unlike the Egyptians’ pyramids that were tombs. During the summer solstice this pyramid is in perfect alignment with the great pyramid of Giza.
The next is from the wonderful temple of the “Feathered Serpent.” The Spanish missed this so it wasn’t destroyed. These people vanished around 750 ad. We don’t know who built all of this. The Toltecs and the Aztec’s saw this as a sacred place but never lived here.
I like this guy, may be my next profile picture. The complex is something. We really enjoyed our visit.
In Mexico city at Chapultepec castle. Events here in 1847 led to one of the most memorable lines in American musical history. “From the halls of Montezuma…………. “
Interesting way to sell healthcare in Mexico City.
A couple of pieces of Aztec art. The Spanish missed these otherwise they would have been destroyed like most everything else.
It is time to wrap this up. Traveling for a year has been more than we ever thought it would be. We worked hard as well as being blessed and lucky to able to do this journey. Lucky to have friends like all of you. People who supported us, like Julie’s dad, even though I’m sure he thought we are crazy.
Friends like Ann Gutierrez DePinto who suggested we find the clock tower in Rouen France. What a great day. Ray Ford and Pat Ford, who suggested La Boca in Praha (fabulous Sangria). Gerrie Jakobs and Michael Tobin for sharing their home and introducing us to their friends in Rome. Anna-Lisa Kanner for setting us up with great cruises and a fascinating tour in China. Julie A. Rudd and Patrick Ennis who joined us in Santorini, and took care of our cat for the year. And too many others to mention!
You have seen a lot of pictures of us in shorts, tee shirts, travel pants and the like. Here are a couple in resort wear. If you want to know what a year of walking three and half hours a day does for you, check out Julie’s legs.
Just in case you forgot, or don’t know here is us.
Thanks for coming along with us. We’ve appreciated all of your comments / feedback here and on the website. You made the trip complete. We will always be in your debt. — with Julie
We are a little behind. Have some good stuff from Ecuador. In the rain forrest and head waters of the Amazon. For some reason pictures load really slow at our hotel in Mexico City.
We go back to Chicago on 4-17. I may not be able to post any until we get there.
30 days to go until we head back to Chicago. Where did the last 11 months go?
Peru
We were scheduled to go to Machu Picchu. The day before it rained and it was supposed to rain on our day as well. We did the only thing we could think of to appease the Inca sun god. We made a sacrifice – not that kind I have no interest to spend the rest of my life in a Peruvian jail. A fine glass of vino tinto was offered up.
We took the train over. Rain and clouds.
A couple of hours later the rain stopped and sun came out. The vino tinto did not die in vain.
The classic Machu Picchu shot. What a magnificent place. It is just stunning. One of our top ten days of the trip.
One of the lawn mowers taking a nap.
Speaking of naps, this tired, tiny trekker made me smile. Mom gave ok.
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Julie in her best, “buy me a drink Inca?”, pose. After three hours the rain came back. I guess we need a whole bottle for the entire day.
There is a lot of disagreement as to what Machu Picchu was. The Spanish never found it, so it wasn’t destroyed. The current view is it was a center of intelligence and learning. This photo has the religious portion on the left, science and technology on the right and an assembly/athletic field in the middle.
The Inca’s loved their terraces. They built them for three reasons. Agriculture, aesthetics and religious. Look at the left for some good ones.
The temple of the Sun god. Can’t leave him out after he delivered:).
The now closed Inca Bridge.
The last four are just general views and I tossed in a B/W from when before the sun came out.
What a great place. Glad we went and it is highly recommended. Very well run, they only allow 2,500 visitors a day. It is low season right now and we never felt crowded. If all of Peru was run like M/P the country would be like Singapore.
Greetings from Cusco Peru. Here is part of our journey on the “Gringo trail.”
This male Sea Lion has eight females. Slacker, most have around 16 females. The ladies get the last laugh. During mating season, Jan-Mar he can’t leave to eat otherwise the females take off and look for a better mate. At Islas Ballestas.
We went sand boarding and dune buggy riding in Huacachina. Anyone remember the 1960s TV show Rat Patrol? We bounced around the dunes like they did in search of Field Marshal Rommel. I took about a 50 yard tumble, while sand boarding, down a dune. Still picking sand out of my ears.
Our next stop was Nazca and flight over the famous Nazca lines.
Like Julie, this Cessna was made in Wichita.
The lines are a mystery. Thought to be 1,000 to 1,500 years old. Can’t see them from the ground. It wasn’t until air flights in the 1920’s that people realized they were there. Most likely a religious meaning to the Nazca people.
The ancient aliens crowd thinks this one is an airfield. A hummingbird is next to the “runway.” The second picture is the hands.
We will finish up with a visit to Colca Canyon. Twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and the home of the magnificent Andean Condor.
The first is an adult, you can tell by the black feathers and white circle. The second is a youth, his coloring hasn’t changed. The youth was kind enough fly right by me.
Closing with a canyon shot. What a wonderful place. Tomorrow we go to the Sacred Valley and after an overnight we go to Machu Picchu on Thursday. —
We have had amazing luck with the weather during our journey. In all we have lost about 10 days to it since we left in April.
Nancy was a leader in the Beaux Arts movement in the late 1890s and it shows. The magficanit St Stanislaus Place and square are amazing. These people have it pretty well living in such a beautiful city.
We had a great time at Ft. Hackenberg which was the largest fortress on the Maginot line. Julie had been starting to to suffer fortress fatigue but enjoyed this. Unlike most museums, things still function here.
We also took a trip to Luxembourg. To be correct Luxembourg is not a country. It is the only Grand Duchy that remains. They are, per capita, the richest people on the planet. – Perhaps a Grand Duchy is a good thing.
The turret still works. The video is to large for the website. The guide told us it was unfortunate that we visited on Wednesday. They don’t fire the guns on Wednesdays. – Don’t quit your day job. She did say the German Nuclear plant was within range.
From this site we could see Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. If you look carefully at the middle top, you will see the next fort in the line. The forts were to provide cross fire on the open ground, with tanks and troops to provide support. None of the trees were around when the forts were in use.
If you look at the bottom right of the gun, you will see a small opening. That was for the gun crew to use to drop grenades on enemy soldiers who might be near the gun.
We got to ride the 1934 train to the guns. The fort has 10 KM’s of tunnels or about 6 miles. We rode for three miles.
The only time the fort saw combat was the Germans using some of the back guns against the Americans in 1944. It took a direct attack, from the right on battery 8 to drive the Germans back. You can see the damage the American guns put on the fortress.
There are arguments around the Maginot line. In some ways it did it’s job. The Germans never breached it, did not attack directly just went around. It was also an ungodly expense that may have weakened the entire French defense strategy. Our guide, a French woman had an interesting point, ” In 1870 the Germans broke through at Sedan. In 1914 the Germans broke through at Sedan. In 1940 the Germans broke through at Sedan. You would think we could have figured this one out.”
Fun place. Hard to find but a great tour for 2.5 hours for a very reasonable 9E each.
Nancy was a leader in the Beaux Arts movement in the late 1890s and it shows. The second picture is the magnificent Palace Stanislas square. The third picture is an old aquarium from that time period. These people have it pretty well living in such a beautiful city.
We also took a trip to Luxembourg. To be correct Luxembourg is not a country. It is the only Grand Duchy that remains. They are, per capita, the richest people on the planet. – Perhaps a Grand Duchy is a good thing.
Both of these places would be stunning in the fall. If you like to bicycle or motorcycle this area would be great. Interesting places to stop and winding uncrowded roads to be on.
The last photo is a couple from Finland, we talked to, on a six week tour of Europe. Julie looked at the saddle bags and backpack and is now thankful for what she thought was a small suitcase. Bye for now.
While walking Metz we came upon this monument. Julie thought it looked like a Jayhawk and we read about the U.S. liberation of Metz.
Some of the “Iron Men” rest here at the Lorraine American Cemetery and Monument. We found a Kansan and thanked him for his sacrifice. This is the largest American WWII Cemetery in Europe
I’m not Jewish but I think it is ok to leave a couple of stones for this gentlemen. I would guess its been a long time, if ever, he had a visitor.
The Cemetery is a tranquil place for reflection. It is off the beaten path and does not get a lot of visitors. It is unfortunate but understandable. An American had not signed the guest book for several days. There was not another visitor during the hour or so we were there.
The last photo is of the L’Ossuaire at the French Cemetery in Verdun. In it are the remains of an estimated 130,000 unknown French and German soldiers from the battle. Insanity from a previous war.
The American Battle Monuments Commission does a great maintaining the American sites.
A special treat today. Some of the most fun we have had on our trip is when we meet or see interesting or unique people. The conversation may only last a minute or two, but the memory is priceless. Plus we have pictures.
Today we went to the French city of Verdun. It was the site of one of the most horrific battles of WW I. At a battle site we saw this today.
I took a quick picture and walked to the other side of the road for another. The driver, with a wonderful Australian accent, “asked me if I spoke English,” and we had a brief conversation. He and his wife had been driving across Europe for about 700 kilometers. I asked about the car he said it was a 1921 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost. I mentioned that we are traveling around the world and he said, ” I did the same thing during 73/74.”
He asked me if I knew where the L’Ossuaire was. I told him to follow the road and it was around the bend. He was kind enough to take a photo with Julie and he was off. Everyone once in a while you meet someone who for a moment makes you feel like the most important person in the world.
He made a good day great. Many thanks whoever you are.
The period clothing, driving gloves, his gracious personality, hats and his lovely wife were the perfect compliment for such a unique Automobile.
Back in February Ann Gutierrez DePinto, posted a picture of the Clock Tower of Rouen France. She mentioned she would like to have her morning coffee here. I told Ann we would try to find it. Ann the first one is me saluting you with a morning coffee from that exact spot. David and Julie’s trip around the world believes in providing good customer service.
The second picture is the clock tower with better light.
Rouen was the longtime capital of Normandy. During the Normandy invasion in 1944 the U.S. Eighth Air force had a bad night. While trying to hit some legit targets they missed and creamed the ancient Cathedral of the Kings and the palace now the Hall of Justice. Both of which continue under repair for the last 68 years and counting. I took this one of the outside in B/W because color didn’t do the fire damage justice after 68 years. I’m sure the locals prefer freedom and a crunched Cathedral to what they had before.
One other special thing in Rouen. We were sitting in the Cathedral when the organist started to practice. It was a wonderful treat to hear baroque organ music, while sitting in a gothic Cathedral.
The day before we took a trip to Fontainebleau palace outside of Paris. We have been suffering from palace fatigue, strange place to go right, but we had one of the great days of the trip. The palace has 1,900 rooms but we didn’t go into a single one.
We picked up a picnic lunch and sat down on the grounds and enjoyed the day. Very few people nearby , so we played some music from my Ipad, started with U2’s,”It’s a beautiful day” and spent time reading our e-books. Great fun on an amazing day.
Most of our updates from Europe have been fun and light hearted. Europe has had it’s times when darkness and evil have taken center stage. Todays post is along those lines.
During our last full day in Amsterdam we visited the Dutch resistance museum and the Anne Frank house. It was a moving experience. In the Frank house you see how people hid from a terrible evil in a couple of rooms no larger than a 1970s US college dorm room. Unable to make any noise during the day time for fear of being discovered by the workers two floors down. It didn’t matter as they were all betrayed and only her father survived the camps.
The Frank house doesn’t allow pictures but the first two from the Dutch resistance speak volumes.
While in Berlin we saw the memorial to the Holocaust. I struggle to put into words the feelings I had.
The next photo combines the darkness of the Berlin wall with the evil remnants of the Nazi Gestapo (secret police) Headquarters. The red bricks are what remains of the basement areas. The building was considered “fixable” after the war, but the U.S., knowing what it stood for, tore it down and left the site vacant. There is a small museum on the site now.
The last picture renews my hope in mankind. A piece of the Berlin wall turned into art, in front of the general area where Adolf Hitler met his maker. It wasn’t worth the time to find the parking lot where his bunker was.
A lot of us here had fathers or grandfathers who fought this evil. They climbed into B-17s, B-24s, fought on the land/sea or they tended to and healed the wounds that many suffered. As we come up on U.S. Independence day take a moment to reflect on those whose actions maintain our freedoms.
Light and breezy comes back next update.
First of all I would like to thank Julie for 28 wonderful years today. It’s fun to celebrate our anniversary in the most beautiful city in the world, Paris. I out kicked my coverage on this one.
Today was an interesting one. The sun finally came out and it was a fabulous day. On the metro we saw great street theatre. A female pickpocket got caught with her hand in another’s woman’s purse. There was yelling and shouting. At the next stop the pick pocket and her male partner went flying through the air as the pissed off woman pushed them off the train.
We followed that with a visit to the grave site of our favorite deceased French actress, Valeire Quenessenn. Julie and Pat you know her as Lina.
Heading back home we came upon a French Army celebration of what we think was graduation from the military academy.
Finished up with a wonderful dinner of Seabass and are now sharing a fine bottle of wine. The last photo is from one of our two terraces.
Some highlights from our White nights cruise of the Baltic
1. Tallinn Estonia, could be a setting for a fairy tale.
2. St. Petersburg Russia, Catherine the Great’s summer palace.
3. Typical nice Russia housing. I will stay in the USA.
4. Interior of the Yusopov Palace in St, Petersburg. They were richer than the Czar. Had to hit the road because of the revolution. Their only grand-daughter lives a simple middle class life in Greece.
5. Suomenlinna island fortress in Helsinki. UNESCO world heritage site that is a park, great places to eat and drink and look at 300 years of forts.
6. Changing of the guard outside the Royal palace in Stockholm. We saw it on a Sunday and they added a 35 minute concert from the regimental band. Good fun
7/8 David and Julie at the former Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin. Campy but a good time. US customs will enjoy the 1950s Soviet stamp they put in my passport.
8. Thank goodness this is just an historical footnote today. Will add some albums.
Well we really enjoyed Amsterdam. Note: This post is rated pg-13. If you are easily offended you may not want to continue. Amsterdam was a change of pace. While they have fine museums they never really went in for monuments and palaces. As the canal boat guide said, “they just like to make money.” Note things were noticeably more expensive than Spain.
We stayed in the Pipj, know as the Pipe, area. Urban and a little gritty. If you know Chicago it is like the Wicker Park area. Fun area great bars and restaurants. Property values have tripled over the last 10 years. It also has some temptations.
The Heineken Experience was fun. The “be the beer” ride was cheesy but a good time. They threw in a couple of cold ones.
Next is the Atlantis Coffee shop. Amsterdam coffee shops only serve green leafy stuff. They fly a Bob Marley flag. If you haven’t figured it out yet I can’t help you.
The next was a surprise. We had heard about the infamous Red Light District but had no idea a smaller version was around the corner. I went for a run around 11 am, turned the corner and it was red lights and lots of waving. It seemed like a lot of commerce was going on. We will let you wonder if we visited the last two.
Temptations aside Amsterdam is great. If you like to ride a bike you would be in hog heaven. They are every where. Lots of bike lanes and they seem to rule the roost. Will follow with more before we go quiet for 10 days or so on a cruise.
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the—— David and Julie lol. After 7 perfect days and nights in Madrid we travelled on to Cordoba Spain. The weather went down hill quickly, turned cold and wet. We still are having a good time. The is the land of good $2 bottles of wine and outstanding topas. The good news is with the smaller Spanish portions and all the walking we have done, the winter(okMexico) pounds are starting to go way.
In closing enjoy these three who realize it is always good to have friends who look out for you and help keep you warm. In the dry moat outside the walls of Cordoba.
We left Chicago on April 17th 2013. Off for a year of travel.