Click here to see where I am now.

Sunday, June 8th, Budapest, Hungary. I took a 9:45 p.m. train from Prague to Budapest last night. It was a sleeper compartment, and although I paid for a 4-person compartment, I was lucky and no one joined me. Even though, it was pretty darn uncomfortable. But, I considered it part of the adventure of this trip and enjoyed the journey anyway. I arrived in Budapest at 7 a.m. and found my way to the hostel, left my bags and was able to arrange a 3 hour tour of the city with a tour-bus company. One of the most impressive aspects of the tour was Melinda, a 23-year-old young woman who could speak 5 languages! She gave the descriptions of the city in all languages, and was most impressive. There were about 15 of us on the tour, with English, Spanish, Italian and German. She also spoke Hungarian.

As I arrived in Budapest at 7 a.m., it was raining, and the city looked old and foreboding. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As I toured the city, it became clear that Budapest is an absolutely beautiful city, on a par with Paris or any other cosmopolitan center of the world. The sun come out at around 10:30, and it warmed up nicely. The tour made its way to 4 or 5 important parts of the city, two of which were in the hills overlooking Budapest. The views from on-high were amazing, and I fell in love with the city almost immediately.

Budapest was actually two cities, Buda and Pest, but was unified into one city in 1873. The city is separated by the Duna River. It was only a bit later that I learned that the Duna is the Danube River. This is a river we know as a river of song, poetry and beauty. It is a marvelous sight to see the river wind itself through the city, surrounded on both sides by majestic buildings, parks and people. It is crossed by 4 bridges, one of which (the Liberty Bridge) dating back to 1894.

The river itself is beautiful, and there is a wide variety of activity on the water. Boats for cruising, gambling, industry and sightseeing were in evidence. It was a beautiful day, and many people were out and about enjoying the themselves. It seemed like tourists and residents alike were everywhere. So, more adventures in this beautiful city tomorrow.

Viszontlatasra for now......

June 6, 2008, Prague, Czech Republic. Today I plan to leave Prague, and I've arranged for a late sleeper-train to Budapest. Since I had some time, I thought a day trip would be in order. A stop by the tourist information center led to me an interesting city called Kutna Hora (pronounced cut-nah hore-a). The city is about an hour away from Prague by train, so it was easy to get there. Once I disembarked I was interested in finding the "center of attraction", the Ossuary and Church of Kutna Hora. An ossuary is a facility for the storage of human bones.

According to accounts I read in the brochures I received while visiting there, an Abbot was sent to the Holy Land by the king 1278. Upon his return he sprinkled the cemetary near the church with some of earth he had removed from Golgotha. Golgotha was the site where Jesus was said to have been buried by the Romans. The cemetery soon became a desirable burial site throughout Central Europe. During the Black Death in the mid 14th century, and after some wars in the early 15th century, thousands of people were buried there.

Around 1400 a Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery with a lower chapel to be used as an ossuary. After 1511 the task of exhuming skeletons and stacking their bones in the chapel was given to a monk of the order. So, in 1870, a wood carver by the name of Frantisek Rint was hired to put the bones in order. He used the thousands of bones to adorn the church, made a central chandelier and built huge bell-shaped mounds of human bones! So, to make this long story short, I went to see the city and Ossuary.

OK, so I've seen some interesting and different sights in Europe. But, I must admit this one caught me right between the eyes. It's difficult to see so many human bones displayed in such a casual manner. I do see how "just another church-like building" has now been transformed into a tourist attraction. There were lots of people there. In such a small town, it must be a boon to their economy! It wasn't expensive to get into the church, but around the church were cute little bistros, curio shops and a tourist van or two. All of these added to the town's prosperity, I'm sure.

So, ciao for now. My next report will be from Budapest, Hungary! Wow, whata ride.

June 5th, Prague. The weather continues to cooperate and it's been warm, but not very humid. A nice change from just a couple of days ago. I went into the downtown area for a bit, and I decided to visit the Jewish section during the morning. While waiting for a tram, there was a enjoyable and colorful parade coming down one of the main streets. I wasn't able to determine the purpose of the parade, but one of the people I spoke to said it represents an early historical period of the city.

I then went into the Jewish section of Prague for a few hours. This area of town is what is left after World War II. Now, there are 1600 Jews living here, where as before the war, upwards of 60,000 lived here. This amazing area exhibits the traditions, customs and legends of the Jewish people in Prague from their early settlements in the 10th century. The remains of the community include what were 5 synagogues. These are now museums with artifacts dating back to the inception of the community in the 1300's. The Jewish community in Prague is considered one of the oldest in Europe. I spent around 3 hours going through the various museums, had a bit of lunch found my back to the tram.

I had a 3 p.m. appointment at the observatory in Prague with a Mr. Martin Fuchs. I found my way to the cable car that takes tourists and residents up the steep hill into a beautiful park area. The park has a variety of activities, including a "hall of mirrors", rose garden, a replica of the Eiffel Tower (about 1/3 size) and the observatory.

I met Martin Fuchs and he was gracious enough to spend around 1 1/2 hours with me. We toured the observatory, talked about telescopes and discussed the instruments. Afterwards, we went to Martin's office where I showed him my website and we talked about telescope making. All in all, it was a very enjoyable visit, and one that I will not soon forget.

Tomorrow I'll be "on the road" a bit, heading for Budapest. I've also decided to add Auschwitz to my iternary, so I'll be going to Krakow before heading to Berlin and Then Amsterdam.

Oh yes, andJennifer will be joining me in Amsterdam? What a great way to end this adventure!. Don't ya think?

Later

June 5, 2008. Prague, Czech Republic. Today I was out a bit early and began by walking across the Charles Bridge into an older part of Prague. The bridge is beautifully constructed and was built in 1357 by Charles IV and was completed at the beginning of the 15th century. I continued into the city and wandered into Old Town, a part of the city that dates back to the 12th century! Now that's some history, I thought. I had an opportunity to board a small sightseeing "train" and thought I'd take in a bit of the city. As the train made it's way through the city, it touched on the Jewish Quarter, and I decided it'd look into that part of town tomorrow. Finally, half way through the sightseeing trip, we stopped at Prague Castle and is disembarked and stayed for awhile.

Prague Castle is 1000 years old on its own. This is an amazing complex of buildings, churches, basilicas, residences and royal residences dating back to 970 C.E. I found my way to the entry and was able to join a tour that had just started a few minutes before. Our guide was very knowledgeable and had good English skills. There were about 8 of us on the tour, so it was a small enough group to be able to ask questions. The tour took about an hour and was worth the time. Afterwards, I wandered the castle grounds a bit and decided to walk down the hill to the city. The castle overlooks the city from high atop a hill with the city of Prague displayed beautifully below it.

As I walked down the hill, I noticed in some literature that the Prague Planetarium was on a tram stop I had used a couple of times. I decided to head there and see if I could make a contact with someone and see the planetarium. I found the planetarium easily and as I entered the front door, I asked if I could speak with the director or lecturer. A bit of a language problem ensued, but shortly a young man joined me who introduced himself as Jan Sifner. Jan is the Head of the Technical Department and was delighted to meet someone interested in his craft.

I enjoyed a delightful hour or two with Jan. He was good enough to show me through the entire planetarium. I was the only visitor there at the time even though it was open for business. In that respect I was lucky! We talked about the three planetarium projectors in the building, including a small Zeiss Projector from the 1950's, a variety I didn't know existed. After a bit, Jan asked if I'd be interested in seeing an English language planetarium show, and I said yes. I spent the next 50 minute in the plentarium theater, by myself, watching a fascinating show about alchemy and the early interpretations of astrology. It was a wonderful presentation and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Jan and I had a chance to talk about telescopes, and I told him I was a telescope builder. We looked my website and discussed a variety of different issues on the subject. He then told me of the Prague Observatory in the nearby hills and asked if I'd like him to fix up a private tour for me. Of course I said I would, and he made a call and gave me the name of an individual I'll be seeing tomorrow at 3 p.m. I'm looking forward to that outing very much.

As I was leaving the planetarium, I then saw a notice for a light show and concert in the adjoining fair grounds. Why not? I went over there, had a snack and enjoyed an hour of recorded music and "dancing lights" from 8 until 9 p.m. As it got a bit later, and darker, it started to cool down and I decided to call it a day. I've found an interesting "Chinese Restaurant" with an internet cafe in the rear. So for now, I'll catch up on my blog, check out an email or two, get a cuppa tea and look forward to tomorrow's adventures.

Bye..

June 4, 2008, Prague, Czech Republic. Today I decided to go to the city of Terezin, about an hour away by bus. Terezin is a fortress city, builty at the end of the 18th century by the Emperor Joseph II to protect Bohemia from the northwest.. Terezin was completed in the 1890's, but was never used as a military base. Rather it was used as a prisoner of war camp during World War I, and ultimately became a prison for some soldiers and poltical prisoners.

In the 1940's, the Nazi's determined that Terezin would be a relocation center for the Jews who fell under their domination. The Jews were promised relocation to a new place to live in peace and security. In reality, for many of the Jews who were relocated there, it was a way-station to the extermination camps to the east. During WWII, the Gestapo used Terezín, better known by the German name Theresienstadt, as a ghetto,concentrating Jews from Czechoslovakia, as well as many from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark. Terezin was not used as an extermination camp, but of the over 150,000 Jews who arrived there, about 33,000 died in the ghetto itself, mostly because of the extreme population density. About 88,000 inhabitants were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps At the end of the war there were 17,247 survivors.

I boarded the bus at 10 a.m. and arrived in Terezin at 10:55. A bit of a change came in the weather, with rain threatening a good part of the morning. It drizzled a bit and rained only a little during my stay there. I found a tourist information center in the city, got a map and some directions, and set out to look around the city and visit the museums. I visited the Jewish museum just around the corner from the bus stop. Since Terezin had a "semblence" of society, the Jews who populated the city tried to build a sense normalcy. The arts florished and as a testament to life there, the museum was full of artworks by the children and adults alike.

I wandered the city and noticed it isn't a very busy place. There are a small number of businesses, some kids came and went from school and there were a few cars. But it didn't seem to be very populated. The library was closed, so maybe there was something going on -- a holiday perhaps. I don't know. One of the things I wanted to see was the crematorium. Just to the right of the crematorium building is a graveyard along with a black marble monument to their deaths. There is a second graveyard at the entrance to the Small Fortress also. There are Christian and Soviet memorials at the site as well. Except for another 2 people just leaving as I arrived, I was the only visitor. It doesn't seem that this part of Terezin gets many visitors.

I decided that no visit would be complete without visting the Small Fortress -- the prison. It's about a 15 minute walk from the town, and as I looked back toward the main part of the city, I could clearly see the "fortress" aspect of Terezin. It is surrounded by walls and gates that can be used to control traffic if needed. Ofcourse, today, it is much more open, but I could see how the entire complex was indeed a fortress. I could see the Small Fortress in the distance, and as I got closer, the graveyard became a dominent feature. The front entrace is forboding, with black and white painted stones at the entrance that outline a sense of hughness and mass. The gates seems to say "you will not leave here -- unless I let you leave!".

Oddly, and as opposed to the feelings I had at Dachau, I didn't feel a sense of "misery" here. Yet, clearly, the people who were imprisoned here were starved to death, punished for minor violations or executed in the public square. Maybe it was because I walked on my own and didn't have a guide telling me what happened along the way. It didn't seem as though the museums added to the realities of life in Terezin. Only that Jews had been imprisoned here, had lived here, had died here and very few survived.

As I returned to Prague by bus, it was raining fairly hard. I was glad I carried my umbrella. The rain cooled the humidity and temperature a bit. It seemed a fitting end to the experiences I had in Terezin/Theresienstadt.

Here is where Prague is located.

I was able to get the early train from Munich to Prague today. And it was a lucky thing I did. The rail system enroute to Prague required maintenance and we were about 2 hours late. Arriving in the daytime allowed me to find where my lodgings were without having to deal with getting around the city at night.

We had to change trains in Plsen in the Czech Republic. The train station was right out of the 1900's. Although it was old and dirty from soot and other elements in the air, it was none-the-less charing enough. Very "European". Simple wooden benches were provided for travelers waiting for their train. We waited around 20 minutes and were back on-board an old looking train heading, again, for Prague. During the train trip, I felt a bit cold and put on the sweat shirt I bought at the Greenwich Observation in London. After we arrived in Prague, I took off the shirt and wrapped it around the handle of my suitcase. As I left the train and walked toward the main station, I was pushed and shoved a bit. I didn't think too much of it, until I realized my sweat shirt was gone!! I suppose someone needed it more than I!! Oh well, lesson learned.

I'm not very concerned about the theft, but it does remind me that there are dishonest people around, and one must watch out at all times. I keep my important valuables close at hand, and continually check to ensure they are secure. As is usually the case when getting to a new city, it's time to sit back with the maps and the tour-guide. Prague is an old city and deserves careful consideration. So, more on that later.

Bye for now...

Monday, June 2. Today I decided to "get outa town". I asked the helpful clerk at tourist information what a good day trip would be for me. I thought that Innsbruck would be a good bet, and he told me that along the way there is a beauitful Bavarian town called Mittenwald. So, with Eurail pass in hand, I checked the departure schedule and boarded a train at 9:32 this morning. I chose a first class seat and settled in with some Sudoku. As luck would have it, Axel Lehmann joined me in the compartment. He was going from Munich to some other cities along the way for business and, as it turns out, spoke perfect English. We had a nice discussion about sky diving, and Axel gave me some pointers about this part of the country. The trip to Mittenwald took around 2 hours, and I arrived 10:30 or so.

is everything I was told it was. A charming Bavarian town with beautiful artwork painted onto the sides of its buildings. The church is dated 1741, so it's been around a few years. As I strolled along the Obermarkt I noticed a market and stopped in to see what was inside. A few minutes later, I had the ingredients for a picnic lunch. I found a park nearby with a delightful fountain in the center. The green grass, shady trees and people sitting and strolling made for a perfect place for lunch.

I wandered off the main street into the neighborhood a bit. Colorful homes lined the streets. The lawns were perfectly sculptured and the mountains were close and in the background. Although it is easily 75 or 80 degrees on the floor of the valley , and a bit humid, the mountains are snow covered and tower over the city. I'm told the peaks of the mountains are 2,244 meters high (close to 7,000 feet or so). I also found that a cable car will go to the top of the mountain for a spectacular look at the city and surrounding area. So, I made my waz to the Karwendelbahn and paid for a round trip ticket. It need not be said that the views from 2244 meters were breathtaking. It was considerably cooler as well, a welcome break from the heat and humidity.

To round out the day, I returned to the station and boarded a train for Innsbruck. The trip took around 1 1\2 hours, so I relaxed and reflected on the day. You will recall that Innsbruck hosted the Olympic Games in 1976. It is a picture-book city, surrounded by majestic mountains with snowcaps and icefloes. I decided to spend about 2 hours here, so I found the tourist information center, got a map and started wandering around the city. The city is completely charming, with the Tyrol Trams carrying passengers up and down the streets. The Rudolfsbrunnen is a magnificient fountain and statue build in 1877 to commemorate the Tyrol's 500 years as a part of the Austrian federation.

An interesting part of the "old city" is the Golden Dachl, a house witha golden roof. The house where the roof is situated was built in around 1420 by Archduke Fredrick IV. By the end of the 15th century the house was in the hands of the Emperor Maximilian I. In 1500 he ordered that the balcony, complete with golden roof, be built in honor of his second marriage. This area is surrounded by restaurants, curio shops and more. Hundreds of people were in and around the attraction. There is a museum here as well, although I didn't go inside.

All in all, my day trip away from the big cities was a worthwhile distraction. Although, I must say that Innsbruck must be considered a bigger city. Yet, the time I spend in Mittenwald was very pleasant, and I'm glad I took the time to get into the countryside for a slower paced look at Germany and part of Austria.

Tomorrow I'm off to Prague.

More later....

Click HERE to see where Munich is located.

Yesterday, May 30 I took the train from Venice to Munich. It was a 6 hour trip and great fun. I was with 2 couples who all spoke English. One couple from Australia and the other from New Zealand. We joked alot, took some pictures along the way and generally discussed our trip throughout Europe. I arrived in Munich around 8:30 p.m. and made my way to the Hostel. It was a 20 minute walk or so, but it was warm and pleasant and I enjoyed the stroll through the city.

Today May 31, I decided to go to the Dauchau Concentration Camp. At first, I thought an organized tour was the way to go. I inquired about one at the Tourist Information Bureau and showed up at the appropriate time. I was told it would be 21 Euros and take 4 to 5 hours. I asked if there was a bus, and the tour guide said "no, we'll take the subway!" Whoa, hold on, I thought. If he can take the subway, so can I. So it was back to the main train station. As it turns out, my Eurail pass works on the buses and subways here in Munich, so I got directions and boarded the train for Dachau. It took around 20 minutes to get there.

Once in the town of Dachau, I used my Eurail pass again and took the bus to the memorial and museum. I then found that an English speaking tour was to leave in 20 minutes -- cost 3 Euros! Our guide had very good English skills and our tour took 2 1\2 hours. At the end of our tour, there was a 20 minute film about the evolution of the concentration system in general, and Dachau in particular. Later, I went back to a couple of the sights and exhibits and took some pictures on my own.

Essentially, some weeks after Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, he ordered that a concentration camp be established for poltical prisoners. This was, at the time, as a result of the Rechstag fire. Dachau was used as a model for the other camps to follow and was used, mainly, for slave labor. In all, Dachau existed for 12 years, imprisoned more than 206,000 people and more than 43,000 of them died. An untold number of people, and not counted in the 43,000 dead, were sent to Auschwitz to be murdered by gas and other means.

A most interesting artifact is the existance of a crematoria. Originally, 2 crematoria were used to dispose of the dead and another 4 were added over the first few years. There was also a "prototype" gas chamber, where (it is thought) testing Zyklon B gas had taken place, but it is not sure whether any mass killings took place here.

The city of Dachau is quite beautiful. On the bus trip to the memorial, and nearby the camp, there were children playing, it appeared a grammar school was nearby and people lived and enjoyed their lives as we all do. It was dificult for me to separate myself from the lives people are living today and the realities of 63 years ago. The camp itself is a sobering place.

All of the major religions of the world have established memorials there (since every religion was represented in the killing), and I was told that more than 800,000 visitors attend the memorial every year. I spent about 5 hours there, wandering the compound and thinking of those poor souls who had passed there before me. An inscription nearby reminds those who attend about what had happened there and reiterates the motto NEVER AGAIN. Amen to that.

Like Dachau, Munich is a beautiful city as well. Today is Sunday, so many stores are closed, but there is activity throughout the city. So as not to end this entry to the blog on a "down note", upon returning to Munich I was delightfully entertained by Leonid Khenkin and his Klesmer-jazz music. He and his fellow musician, the bass player, gathered quite a crowd and entertained us all for as long we applauded. As I left, there crowd was still sitting -- loudly and happily applauding.

Both of these men are Jews. In a way, it is testament to the resilience of the human soul. Here, at this time and in this place, they live, work and -- presumably -- enjoy their lives.

Auf Weidersehen.....

Friday, May 30, Verona Italy. I decided yesterday to take a day trip somewhere within 2 hours of Venice and focused on Verona. Verona is about 1 1/2 hours from Venice by train. I found that with my Global Eurail Pass, I can travel just about anywhere I want with no additional charge. Sometimes, there is a 5 or 10 Euro surcharge, but not every time. Last night, it was threatening rain, with thunder and lightening occuring off and on during the evening, but this moring it was clear with blue skies. The pavement was wet, so it rained when I was asleep. As it should be, right?

Once I arrived in Verona, it was clear this was another beautiful Italian city. Verona has been a city in one form or another since 550 BCE. The city exhibits many of these landmarks including a beautiful coliseum. The coliseum is over 2000 years old and is still in use today -- mainly for opera. I listened to one of the guides discussing the use of the coliseum today. She pointed out that, because the city needs the money, rock concerts are often given in this venue. But, she said, it should only be for the "voice of opera". The coliseum can hold upwards of 20,000 people.

After visiting the Tourist Center, and wondering around a bit, I discovered that one can purchase a Veronapass. This allows the visitor to gain entry into more than 14 museums and points of interest for a single fee of 8 Euros. I thought it was a good investment, and bought one. After visiting the coliseum and the Museo Lapidario M (a collection of stones and engravings), I found my made my way to Casa di Giulietta (Julliette's house). From the courtyard, it is said, you can see Juliett's balcony. There is a bronze statue of Juliette in the courtyard, and I had a fellow visitor snap my picture.

One highlight, which only cost 3 Euros, was to take a sightseeing "tram" around the city. It looked like a locomotive with 3 cars, but it was filled with people and took around 25 or 30 minutes to complete a circuit of the city. A pretty good investment, considering I didn't have to walk! A bit later, I found myself on the Piazza Erbe, a large plaza with a beautiful fountain and market in center of the square. I was people-watching and enjoying a sip of water when I looked up and saw the Piazetta XIV Novembre signage above the square. Whoa. For those of you who know me well enough, you'll know this is my birthday. How interesting to have a Piazzetta named after my birhday in Verona Italy!

Along the Corso Porta Nuova, one of the main streets, there are a whole variety of activities, stores and entertainment. Even though Verona is a small city, every high-end store is represented here. Street entertainers, such as Pinnocheo, entertain the visitors and, for a price of a donation, one can have his or her picture taken with them. Lots of fun, and the area is crowded with on-lookers.

All in all, so far, the visit to Verona was a great choice for the day, one that I won't quickly forget. I still have a bit to do, so -- with that -- I'll say ciao for now.......

8:30 p.m. Back in Venice. I finished up my trip to Verona with one more museum -- the Museo della radio d'Epoca. It is part of the Intituto Tecnico Industrial Statale de Verona and is an extensive collection of radios, components (such as tubes), antenna, microphones -- everything related to radios. There was some interesting military equipment there, including a radio receive from the United States (I had used one of these when I was in the Navy). Although they had some shortwave radios there, they didn't have any ham radio equipment. As I was leaving the museum, I asked one of the 3 people working there if they knew of an amateur radio club in the area. Interestingly, I chose to speak to a fellow who was, himself, a ham radio operator. He told me of a club in the area and some of their activities. We exchanged call signs and said "ciao". Lots of fun.

So, tomorrow I'm off to Munich for a couple of days. It should prove to be an interesting part of the trip. My train leave at 1:30 p.m. and arrives at around 8:30 in the evening. So, 'til I find an internet point in Munich, I'll say ciao for now......

Click HERE to see where Verona is located.

Click HERE to see my current location.

Thurday, May 29, Venice Italy. One of the first things I did this morning was to extend my stay in Venice by one day. So, I'll be leaving on Saturday rather than Friday. It will give me the time I need to do a couple of things -- including getting some laundry done!!

At around 9 a.m. or so, I bought a 24-hour ticket for the water-busses. The water-bus system in Venice is, as you can imagine, very extensive. I wanted to get two things done, the first of which was to go to Murano. My goal was to find a factory where the glass is actually made into art. The water-bus ride was around an hour, and in itself very enjoyable. The bus made many stops along the way, and I was able to see new and interesting parts of Venice.

After arriving in Murano, I walked for a bit and then asked directions. I was told to walk toward the light house, and sure enough there were two or three factories there, one of which was producing class.. One of the fornace work space was open and I was able to see the craftsmen work at their trade. One of the showrooms looked inviting, so I entered and looked around for quite some time. I found a piece I really liked and discussed a purchase with the sales person. I told him I was interested in buying something that was made there and not elsewhere. He took me through a door and into the fornace room where I was able to watch the craftsmen work on the very piece I was buying. So much for an authentic piece of Murano glass!! Since I had committed to buy someting, he treated me like a V.I.P and gave me a tour of the upstairs, which had been closed off to the public. The glass there was amazing. The colors, textures, shapes and sizes were truely beautiful. For those of you who have seen and enjoy Murano glass, you have an idea of I'm describing.

My piece was packaged and I made my way back to the hostel for a rest. I wanted to put the package in my suitecase and spent some time re-organzing. After an hour, or so, I wanted to complete the second activity on my list. I went back to the water-bus and this time took it to the Piazza San Marcos. It is located on the other side the island. As was the case for the last day or two, the weather is still very warm and humid. I made sure to carry, and drink, lots of water. I decided to walk back to the hostel, from there, and visit the Ponte Rialto on the way. This is a bridge much like the Ponte Vecchio. It isn't very long, but raises high over the canal and is fairly wide. Along each side are shops selling all manner of souvenirs, Murano glass and more. The bridge was very crowded and everyone seemed to be enjoying his or her warm day in Venice.

After shooting some pictures and doing some window shopping, I continued walking back to the hostel. This took me across much of Venice I hadn't seen and along the Grand Canal -- a fairly long walk. At first I thought I may have lost my way, but by keeping the canal on my left, I felt sure I'd get where I wanted to go. Sure enough, I started to recognize some landmarks. I stopped in a cute little coffee shop, very small and empty except or 2 or 3 local residents. I figued that having local residents for customers was a good sign, and I was right. The coffee was the best I've had in Europe so far. All in all, it took me around an hour to get back to my part of town, give Jennifer a call and drop into my favoriate "internet point". As I sit here writing this, there is an accordian player outside the door playing for the guests of a restoranti. How delightful is that??

The last picture, the one directly above, is a picture of the hostel I'm staying. It is "on" the Grand Canal. If you look at the white building in the center with the peaked roof, and then to the right just a bit, you'll see a narrow white building with 4 windows. My window is on the top floor and on the left. There is a wonderful view of the Grand Canal and part of Venice from there.

So, tomorrow is another day. And until then, stay tuned. Ciao.....

May 28, Venice. I boarded the train at 8:38 a.m. and made my way to Venice. It's a 3 hour trip by high-speed train. The weather continues to be beautiful, with a warm sun and humidity. But, it's pretty comfortable, and the kind of weather I enjoy. As I left the train station in Venice, I was greeted with what appears to be a beautiful city. The train station is on the Grand Canal. My directions to the hostel were to take the “white bridge on the left, turn right on the Grand Canal and go to 555”. The directions were perfect and I arrived in 10 minutes or less. The hostel is “on” the Grand Canal, just a few seconds from a whole raft of activity. I immediately thought that coming here from Florence was a good decision.

I checked in at the front desk and was given a variety of directions about the city and a map. There are no limit to the sights to see here – including Morano (the famous glass is made there) and a Jewish section. After checking my bags, I left the hostel and started to roam around the area. I crossed back over the white bridge and, through no planning of my own, wound up at the border to the Jewish section. I took it as a sign, and continued to walked into that part of the city. I found the “Singagoge”. My timing was excellent, and I joined a tour of the area and the three remaining synagogues of Venice.

As is the case with the other parts of Italy, even though Venice was a Republic on its own at the time, there was a Jewish Ghetto from the 16^th to 10^th Centuries. Like Rome, the city was unified” and the Jews were liberated in the 1830's, more or less. The tour through the synagogues was very interesting. Our guide told us about the evolution of Jewish community in Venice and the building of the synagogues. It turns out that, at the time, Jews were excluded from being craftsmen, so the buildings (and interiors) were built by non-Jews. It is interesting, but not surprising, that the synagogues have no Jewish symbols, and one of them displays a prominent Christian symbol. No doubt this reflects the realities of the time.

As a lucky find, there is a delightful restoranti and bar in the Jewish section next door to a hotel with wireless internet!! So, for 5 euros an hour, I'm able to get on-line and take a breather from walking. Given that I have 2 or more days to enjoy the area, this will be a great place to setup an itinerary for a few days of activity. I'm using my little ASUS pc to get on-line and buy a beer or “cafe Americano” to justify my sitting at one of their tables. Great fun.

It's now around 3:30 p.m. or so. I'll wander a bit more and continue to discover the ins and outs of the city. So, as always --- more later!!