A New Year of Adventures

Helen, Me and John

Wednesday, or was it Tuesday or Thursday? Where does the time go? I guess I have to recall some of the events of the past few days. My old coworker, John MacDougall, spent some time with us exploring Key West. Lunch at Pepe’s (the oldest restaurant in KW est.1909) was the spot we picked for lunch. John’s dog Pappy came with us to the restaurant. Yes, most dogs are allowed in restaurants in Key West! Pappy is well behaved and was very quiet until the chickens started to come into the restaurant. Yes, chickens in Key West roam into restaurant at will. Pappy became the bouncer near the front door. One bark and a quick jump and the chickens retreated to the street in a hurry. The restaurant was crowded and we had a good half hour wait for a table. I had a pull pork sandwich with coleslaw…delicious! The wait gave us a chance to reminisce about our old working days for Brennan Inc. back in Berlin, NH. We talked about our coworkers who have passed on and the ones who are still kicking around.

Aqua Aerobics

Lori (Our Instructor) on the far side

The following day John spent some time on the beach and we went to our aqua aerobic class here on base. Our instructor, Lori, is one fit gal! She does this boxing routine with us, who are in the water and she on the deck. She’s got the jab, punch, hook and upper cut down to a science. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was into kick boxing. She can catapult herself with both feet in the air. I feel healthier just watching her do those moves. We have an hour of aerobics with her and after 45 minutes, we keep checking the clock thinking that time must be up. It is a real good workout! When we come out of the water, we feel like astronauts coming back to earth’s gravity. This is a MWR (Moral Welfare Recreation) activity and is free. A military ID card is all that is necessary to enroll in the class. The class varies, but on this day 34 was the enrollment. Eleven were men.

Pre-New Year’s Eve Party

Like the Christmas Eve party at the Pavilion, everyone brought a dish and our fellow camper DJ was on hand with the Karaoke for entertainment. This gathering was even larger than the Christmas gathering. Some old friends had just come into Trumbo campground and came to the party. Wow, we had a good time remembering last years’ gatherings. Many of the ladies were up dancing the night away. The party was a pre-New Years Eve party because KW is a wild place downtown on the actual eve event.

New Year’s Eve

The End of 2015 &
A New 2016!

On Thursday morning, aerobics class was our time to workout again. The afternoon was spent doing chores around the camper. John wanted to spend the day hanging around the beach and soaking in sun and the breeze. We had made plans to join other couples and have a picnic dinner over at Truman Annex (The Navy Side) and watch the last sunset of 2015. We had the beach to ourselves. The girls setup the food at one of the shelters and we all had chairs to line up on the beach and watch the sailboats sailing around in front of the setting sun. I feel we are so blessed to be able to share this type of moment not only with ourselves, but also with new found friends from all over our country.

Downtown Key West

Yes, someone drives that van
in Key West!

As expected, Key West has some pretty wild New Years’ Eve parties. Thousands and thousands of revelers crowd the streets in front of bars and along the docks to see many things drop at the stroke of midnight. It is very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. All of this, I’m told from people who have braved the crowds and were there. We didn’t attend! After our sunset dinner with friends, on a private beach, we elected to stay away from the crazy crowds and head back to the ranch. Are we getting old? You bet, we are and not scarred to admit it. I just didn’t need to get into the pushing of the throngs. The fireworks were appreciated from the secure comfort of Naval Air Station Trumbo Point campground.

That is what we saw and did!

Unschedule Adventure ~ Sailling!

25 foot Catalina

Leaving the Marina

Sailing, Sailing!!

On Tuesday, Dan our neighbor needed a ride up to Boca Chica Marina. He needed to exercise is sailboat. I said I’d be glad to give him a ride considering that I was expecting a package at the Boca Chica Post Office. My package didn’t arrive and I drove Dan over to the Marina. Dan said, “Do you want to go for a sailboat ride”, I said, “sure why not”. I got on board and the first thing Dan says to me, “Take you wallet and phone and put into the cabin”. I’m thinking, “What I’m I getting into now?” It was incredibly hot sitting there while Dan untied about a hundred ropes holding the sails and rigging. He next started the engine and checked the gauges. We backed out of the slip and turned around towards the channel. He said to me, “Do you want to steer the boat?” I answered “Ha”, what do I do”? He said, Steer between the red and green buoys”. An alarm sounds and the depth finder warns of shallow water. He said we need at least four feet of water before we hit bottom, steer more into the middle of the channel. Like a helicopter, if you move the rudder to the right you’ll go left. It sort of like rubbing you stomach and the top of your head at the same time. got the hang of things pretty quickly. 
He had now raised one sail, but because of the islands to our left, we were shielded from the wind. The Boca Chica Channel is about two miles long. Once we cleared the islands and the channel, things changed quickly. Now that the wind caught the sail, the boat leaned over to the right. Dan trimmed the sail and it felt better. The next amazing thing happened all of a sudden He shut off the engine and I felt like we were in outer space! Quietly, gently sailing along Stock Island and further unto the Key West coast. He said, "It's even better when sailing at night with the stars above." 

Juan Valdez heading North

Now, he was teaching me how to really sail. He pointed to little strands of rope five inches long sewed into the sail. When they are tight and horizontal, you are sailing at its best. He then pointed to a feathered triangle, high on the mast. Above the triangle was an arrow, also with a feather. When the arrow feather is to the left you are sailing at top efficiency, at about five and a half knots. 
Now comes another encounter. When you want to head for a, let's say, buoy, you can’t always just point and sail to it. Wow, there is more to sailing than walking the plank! He said, “Head for those shrimp boats, several miles away”. I gently turned the rudder to the right and headed left towards the shrimp boats. All of this time, Dan is explaining rules of sailing, shrimp boat, no, no’s (they have authority if their nets are out). He said they feel that they are working and careless about sailboats. "Hence stay clear to be safe".

It was time to turn around. He said, "When I tell you turn the rudder hard to the right and keep it there". I knew enough that the one and only sail would be shifting to the other side. We had enough wind that he didn't even have the main sail up. He hollered and I moved the rudder. In a flawless moment, we came about 180 degrees. Wow, I’m thinking how does he do all of this when he’s all alone? He did give me all the details, but he’s been sailing for a long time and he didn't go around the world to get back to the slip at the dock!

Boca Chica Channel

It was hard to take pictures, but Dan did use my iPhone to document me at the helm. I hadn’t brought my wide bream hat because it doesn’t have a string to keep it on my head. Dan loaned me one from the sailboat. I look like Juan Valdez bringing coffee up from Columbia!
I can now see how one can have the love of the sea! I had a feeling like being in outer space on the space station. Quiet, peaceful, all alone and I was still insight of land! Thank You “Captain Dan”.

That is what I saw and did.

Things have changed...The New Security

Sunday Dec. 27, 2015

The security situation has changed since our last year’s visit to say the least. Number one on the list is a directive from the Pentagon. If a gate isn’t manned 24/7 with armed guards, it is to be locked and secured. (This directive is military wide) So how does this effect us? Well, first of all the man gate down on the West end of Trumbo Point was manned by the Coast Guard from 6 or 7am to 10pm with unarmed Coasties. Hence this gate is closed permanently. We now can’t walk to KW tourist districts as quick. It is about a 15 minute walk or 5 minutes by bike. We’re here for sun and exercise hence, thank you the extra security and health benefits. Up at Sigsbees, the other campground the Navy now mans their gate 24/7 with armed guards. The Navy hospital even has locked gates. For the life of me I can’t figure how they operate! It is still open, but the main gates are locked shut.

Another major step in our campground is the elimination of one huge overflow field. What this means is that many, many campers who head down here after the holidays will be turned back. Last year, at one point there were 750 camping units here. Only around 400 units will make the cut this year. I really feel good that we came down early in mid December! This last down sizing of the campground area is in part from, as the gossip goes, a retired Admiral who was parked in motor coach over in the 700 area, refused to move when sites became available in the 500 and 600 block areas. The base commander took care of that this year.

Another issue came up concerning campers walking along the former seaplane landing zone. They said that helicopter operations would be happening and this might be a safety issue. So, Helen and Carol won’t be walking the shore and looking for Conch Shells at least in this restricted zone.

We’ve also noticed more vehicle patrols around the fence lines. That makes us feel safe. Of course, there is three tanks filled with three million gals of aviation fuel just feet away from the campground. We wouldn’t feel a thing if that went off.

A Good Biking Day!

Enough on security, this morning we set out early for a round, around the island. This gave us ten miles with another mile of cruising around the Bohemian back street just below Duval and Thomas Streets. Things were pretty quiet in the neighborhood. At a corner stood two women and a man, nothing unusual, as the man took a swig from a giant bottle of Budweiser protruding from a brown paper bag. Moving along, we pedaled toward the community swimming pool and the first class public park. The city has put a large chunck of money in this section of town. With the new there is always the old. Here the old stands out with Bohemian art that adorns a home here and there. Of course there is a fine line between art and just plain junk.

 Cruise Ship leaving just after sunset!

How the other half lives!

This afternoon we went up to the Navy Gateway Lodge to watch the Patriots and Jets, but a few southern boys were already watching some sun belt teams playing. No problem, we plugged in our computers and did stuff online. This evening, it cooled down a few degrees to the low 80’s and we were due for a night ride with the bikes. This year we decided to wear some reflective vest for extra safety. Our lights, front and rear were flashing, our helmets on, and we set out for our first ride down to Mallory Square. The sunset was history, but we did manage to see a cruise ship pulling away from the dock. I snapped a couple of photos for the blog. The ride continued past the waterfront to where the super rich yachts are moored. A stop for another picture of how the other side lives. Our attention quickly turned to the street just beyond the Westin Hotel. A fire truck, ambulance, police were gathering around an injured pedal biker. We never did find out if he got bumped or took a flop. He was holding his left shoulder. One has to be careful in KW both in the day time and especially at night. Soon our illuminated bikes, vests were heading north towards the campground.




That is what we saw and did.

Christmas Day 2015

December 25, 2015

Christmas Eve at NAS (Naval Air Station) Trumbo Campground!

Dancing the night away!

Our little 5th wheel! (neighbors decorations)

This is our first Christmas away from family, up in New Hampshire, since we’ve been married (1970). Christmas Eve turned out to be a pleasant surprise for us and I think many of our fellow Trumbo campers. About a week ago, we had a community meeting and it was decided to try and do something at our pavilion. We would all bring appetizers and byob or drinks. No one knew how this would all turnout. I think the key to the evening success was a fellow retired military camper who does karaoke down in several places here in Key West. His music and his excellent voice got everyone in the groove. A few brave Trumbonians got up and did karaoke. Great time was had by all, not to mention tons of food and merriment all night. It was mentioned that we should do this again for New Years! It was a marvelous evening with a full moon! The temperature was 76 degrees with a gentle breeze from the East. We sat at a table with now, new found friends. One couple had lived in Alaska and we had plenty to talk about. Another couple was in our aerobic class and Chila (spelled correctly) recognized us. They sounded interested in trying Bocce. We’ll see if they show on Mondays and Fridays. Our schedule is starting to fill-up. Bocce on Mondays and Fridays, Aerobic classes Wednesday, Thursday and could be also on Friday, but we will stick with Bocce on that day. We haven’t checked in to the Soup Kitchen to see if they need volunteers for Sunday. We did see a couple of volunteers, who no longer work there for one reason or another. Things never stay the same and life goes on with or without us. We are grateful that we can live this vagabond lifestyle and meet interesting people.

94 year old Col. Bill signing WWII songs

Speaking of meeting interesting people, our neighbors Pat and Dan are retired FedEx pilots. He flew 30 years and she 25 years for FedEx. They flew together for 8 years (pilot and co-pilot) It’s neat to hear them talk about their travels. They flew all over the world. She would shop, say in Dubai and he loved to shop in Hong Kong. She also had her own flight school in New Jersey. They have a brand new Bentley Motor Home along with a Yacht moored at Boca Chica Mariner. Just another amazing couple that we have met here in Key West!
That is what we saw and did!

In The Groove...Workout

Wednesday, December 23th 2015
Today was a good start to actively keeping fit down here in the Keys. It was time for the shake down cruise on the mountain bikes. Oddly enough, there are no mountains in Key West, but that doesn’t stop us from getting a workout on the bikes. One only has to keep in the higher gears and the pedaling gets harder and the exercise get beneficial. So, for our first ride, we went across down over to Truman Annex, another Navy base. It’s only about three miles, but for a shakedown cruise it was enough to see if anything needed adjustment, after a long dormant time up in New Hampshire.

Christmas Cards filling the top rail of the slide in the camper!

The ride over was uneventful, I did need to adjust the kickstand from rubbing off of the pedal. A minor repositioning of the bike padlock was also needed. At Truman Annex, we explored the deserted beach. Things have changed since last year. There is a large petrified log that we used to sit on last year. To our surprise, the log is buried, nearly invisible. About two feet of coral rocks have been pushed ashore. This part of the beach isn’t really good for swimming, but mostly used for sitting under one of the shelters, looking at the ocean, reading a good book and relaxing the day away. It was early and we were on a mission of making sure the bikes were road worthy for our roundabout of the Kew West Island. On the way back, we detoured into Truman Annex, the civilian high-end housing district. This hasn’t changed, everything is prim and proper and also with a hefty price tag to live, rent or buy property. Vehicle traffic here is restricted to occupants, bicycles are allowed, but the gates are locked, I believe around 6 or 7 in the evening. It is a wonderful evening walk or bike ride, if you don’t mind walking or biking to a one and only access point.

Santa's helper down on the docks!

Once back at NAS Trumbo campground, Helen kept reminding me that we should be going over to the Olympic size swimming pool and join the aqua aerobic class. First, I was concerned that the water would be to cold, yes, that’s what I’ve been hearing. Secondly, I wasn’t sure if there would be any  guys in the class. Well, moving right along, I agreed to go. Helen said it was free so what did I have to lose!
It was free, except, we had to walk back to the camper and bring our military ID’s. I was surprised to see how many people showed up both from Trumbo and Sigbee campground. Ok, the water temperature was 78 degrees, it was cool to get into, but in three minutes, the athletic looking female instructor was moving us around and the temperature was a none issue. It was the first time that I have tried this type of exercise. With five bulging disks, (no back pain, just numbness in my left leg), I was surprised to see how this aerobic exercise seemed to work for me. The water resistance is the key. Look at me, talking like an expert! Will see how this activity will workout for my chubby waste line numbers. Oh, yes, there were enough males in the class for me to blend in!

That is what we saw and did!

Its the Sun and Not the Temperature

Busy unpacking

A funny thing happened over the weekend. Saturday and Sunday it was cloudy, and extremely windy. We stayed indoors and kept busy. The temperature inside felt cool, not cold. Here is what I think was funny. When going outside to run errands, it was warm and breezy, a lot warmer than inside. So, to conclude, our bodies are psychology tuned into thinking when its grey and windy it must be a cold dreary day. Ah, it wasn’t cold at all, hence my synopsis is…when the sun doesn’t shine, we assume its cold and miserable outside.
Enough of Psychology 101! Today, the sun beamed on my balding head until it did its twilight disappearance.
I spent the early morning hours working outside, first cleaning the truck with a shammy and a little water. I didn’t have too much road grime, but it sure needed a good cleaning. Next, I spent time looking for lost stuff, you know, “I’m sure I packed it, but where did I put it?” Still looking for that Kindle Fire?
Around 9:30am, we drove over to the Bocce field across town. Now, normally we would bike over, but that was just another chore that I had just completed this morning. Ya, installing, a front basket, on Helen’s bike, mounting the headlights, taillights and checking batteries. Adjusting, Helen’s mirror that came loose from the trip down. I’ll have everything tuned up in a day or so. We arrived at the field and drew cards to see who would be our partners. Helen and I have never been partners, as far as I can recall. The temperature was getting hot around noon when we wrapped up the second set. My team won the first and lost the second set. I think Helen lost the first set and won the second. In any event, we had a real good time playing and chatting with new and old friends.
After lunch, I did more unpacking and worked on my ten dollar home made Tondo truck bed cover. We are starting to get into the groove of Key West, Florida life. A bunch of campers rolled in to Trumbo Campground this afternoon.

That’s what we did and saw!

The Wind Down

Saturday morning December 19th, 2015
It is amazing how jet lag can hit you after driving 2003 miles nearly nonstop. We’ve been here two full days and still not fully recovered. Yesterday, we got most of our groceries and filled the refrigerator with goodies. We also found time to go to our Bocce game. We played one game of the two scheduled, but skipped the second to finish awaiting chores back at the ranch.

Even at Trumbo Campground the Spirit Shines

Now most of you will think I am bragging about the weather. Its been very, very hot! 86 degrees with high humidity. This is part of the same unusual weather in the Northeast. Fortunately, a cold front came last night and cooled us down considerably. It was definitely way too hot and humid. (don’t laugh)

Lobster Trap Decoration

Last night, we wanted to get tickets on the “Polar Express”. This is a rubber tire train with several trolley styled cars that drive around Key West looking at the Christmas lights among the residential neighborhoods. Of course, we couldn’t get tickets as several hundred military families were already booked weeks in advance. This was a special military event with tickets costing only $5 a person. The downtown tour was $25 a head. We said to ourselves, why don’t we just follow one of the five trains leaving the Sigbee campground area. That’s what we did until we came to the first traffic light. The lights are very long and by the time the 125’ train went through the intersection, naturally the light was red again. So much for that idea! We drove around and did our own sightseeing. Christmas in Key West is not like up north in New Hampshire, but it’s not say that they don’t celebrate the birth of Christ!
The evening before we did a little walking around and stopped in at the Minor Basilica Mary Star of the Sea. The choir was rehearsing, the doors were open and the church was decorated for Christmas. Walking in, I took a couple of pictures. It was a special little private welcome back to KW to us!

St Mary Star of the Sea "Nativity"

This is what we did and saw!

Its a Key West Landing

We are in Key West! Our arrival was at 8:39 this morning. The camp host drove us around and we selected one of three available sites in the 500 block area. This is what I wanted. Water tap is available within 30 feet. The orientation is facing in the right direction for afternoon shade. We have a concrete pad which is good most of the time, except when it rains heavily and it takes a little more time to evaporate the runoff.

Busy unpacking and setting up!

We spent most of the rest of the day setting up the 5th wheel, leveling, filling up the fresh water tank, sterilizing the water system and getting everything, well not everything, unpacked. We paid the rent for the winter and put our name in for long term storage here on the Navy Base. We are on a waiting list for a spot and may or may not get one. This is for keeping our 5th wheel here during the summer.

Richard & Monique will appreciate this selfie as much
as we did! Thanks 

That is what we did and saw!

Nearly There! 129 Miles Left

Day 4 ~ Long and Tiring!
Before sunrise, we were on the road. Just a few miles to the Florida border. A quick stop for our annual Florida Visitor Center selfie photo. I can’t remember how many times I filled the truck up with gas. Today’s mileage was 423.2 miles, but the kicker was it took us 11 hours 39 mins of actual driving time. Problem was Miami! We were stuck in slow moving traffic. I had gotten off I-95 long before it got busy, but somehow we got stuck in the afternoon/dinner rush. Hence we are parked at the last Cracker Barrel restaurant before the beginning of the overseas highway. Tomorrow, our journey will end with another 129 miles to Key West.
This afternoon in Miami, I recorded a high of 90 degrees for about an hour. The humidity is high, but down in the Keys the ocean breeze will take care of that.

The Sunshine State...but not at 6am!!

That’s what we saw and did!

Day Three of the Marathon

3rd Day is a Charm!
Wow, these three travel days have been literally been flying. Today, we drove 500.3 miles, yesterday 485 and the first day 460 for a total of 1445 miles. We are 24 miles from the Florida border in Brunswick, GA. Yes, we are parked at another Cracker Barrel restaurant. I could have risked going to the Navy Submarine base at Kings Bay, but it was getting late with no guarantee of an available site. Here we are at our favorite “on the road eatery” for the night. No hassles about getting kicked out of the lot. I had an excellent shrimp dinner and now winding down for a good night sleep in the camper.
The weather is already incredible with a high of 77 degrees and we’re not even in Florida! Oh, one more thing I took care of this evening. Because we were afraid of getting our mountain bikes full of salt and brine, we had put them in the camper. With the slide closed, we were climbing over the sofa to get to things. Well, the bikes are now parked on the bike rack in the front of the truck. The weather will not be a factor.

Here we are at our RV Cracker Barrel Campsite 

Selfie At The Visitor Center!

The shades are part of the culture down here!

That is what we saw and did!

Day Two "Of the Marathon"!

This evening, I must say that I’m tired. Not because I drove another 450 plus miles again today. No because the day started out at my usual 5am roll call and we were driving on I-81 by 6am, but because a dense fog filled the mountainous region of Pennsylvania. It was like that for a couple of hours. The white knuckles keep me on edge! Finally, the sun came out for a few hours which gave us a break. The afternoon, turned out to be not so great as the rain came in for the rest of the day. Tonight, we are parked at another Cracker Barrel Restaurant for the night. We are located south of Richmond, VA close to the North Carolina border. I’d say we are about half way to Key West, Fl.
On the positive side… The temperature today was in the low seventies! The evenings are acceptable in the mid 50’s. Our furnace is surprisingly quiet and keeps us comfy in the camper.
The other good news is the cost of gas! I’ve seen it as low as $1.75 a gal here in Virginia. We’ve been paying around $2.03. This helps defray the decrease (miles per gal) mileage from pulling the 5th wheel. I’m a “Happy Camper” but also a tired one. I must be getting older, I’ll have to check the calendar!
Well that’s the scoop for today. No time for pictures and a longer blog, but I ‘ll do better when we arrive in Key West.

That’s what we saw and did!

On the Road Again!

Here we are sitting in the fifth wheel at a Cracker Barrel in Wilkes-Barre PA. Its 7pm and I’m here writing my days events. We left Berlin, NH around 5am this morning. I drove 10 1/2 hrs of actual driving time, although it was a 12 hour day. My goal was 450 miles a day, but we bettered that and did 462.3 miles.
The fifth wheel pulled just marvelously. The new brakes assemblies that I installed also exceeded my expectation! The F-250 kept up with the traffic. I, on the Interstate, traveled at 60mph. Now this is not a diesel and going up those mountains in Vermont brought the Ford nearly to its knee’s. Some hills I was down to 40 miles per hour, but that’s ok. I just turned on the four way flashers and stayed in the right truck lane.
This is a short blog, I am tired and going to bed. Oh,no motel tonight, its 63 degrees and the “what little chill” in the camper was soon gone with the furnace.
That is what we saw and did!

Post Travel Blog..."Space A" A way to explore!

A month has elapsed since our return from our month long stay in Northern Italy. I have had a chance to think about military “Space A” travel. The conclusion reached is that Space A travel is a very acceptable means of covering large traveling distances at a relatively inexpensive way. Granted, our flight going and coming was delayed a day in each direction. This added a little inconvenience, but also a “plus” unexpected adventure…Baltimore waterfront and an extra evening in Germany.

Inside the Monster!

Venice...Revisited

Our time in Aviano was nearing to a close. Joan and Sam said maybe we should revisit Venice. It is just an hour away by train and not expensive.  It would be a wonderful idea to concentrate on taking pictures of people instead of architecture. By now, we were very accustomed to getting to Sacile and the train station. Round trip train tickets in hand, validated and on the right train platform, we waited five minutes for the express, which was on time to minute. The ride seemed so short. I was starting to feel like all of the daily commuters, going to school or work!
Off of the train on track 4 in Venice/St Lucia. No change here, thousands of people lighting up cigarettes after their bout with nicotine withdrawal on the train. Quickly we walked out of the station to escape the smell and smoke!

Solvania and Croatia...Better Than Expected!

Saturday,  Oct 3, 2015

Time check 3am. No, the alarm hasn't gone off yet, but my biological clock certainly has and that is a normal occurrence for me. I didn't get up until a little after three thirty. We all did our bathroom thing and were ready and out the door by 4am. The bus pickup point is just three hundred feet around the corner. It was already there and we were first to board. A total of 12 people were signed up and all were early. Francesca, our tour guide, spoke Italian and oddly enough English with a pronounced British accent. Later we found out that her mother was Italian and father British!
The bus no soon started than it started to rain heavily with thunder and lighting. Francesca said that the boat Captain would cancelled the boat part of the tour if it was to choppy or visibility up to par. After dosing of for two and a half hours the bus descended into the town of Trieste. This is the last major city in Italy before we crossed into Slovenia. This is also a Euro National State and no border restriction or stops were encountered. 
From this sea level port our journey took us up into the mountains again. The road twisted and turn around many valleys and ridges. There were many farms with vineyards of grapes and orchards of olive trees. It had stopped raining and we now had a little hope that the tour would be a success or partial success and not a total washout.   
A little information here about the Croatia and the Istrian Coast. The length of the Istrian coast, along with islands and inlets is 324 miles. The west coast of Istria is more indented, and, together with islands, it is 202 miles long. East coast, together with inlets  is 131 miles long. The above information comes from the pamphlet  that Francesca gave us upon entering the bus.
Another interesting fact is on the Karst and the limestone grounds. The sinking of Karst recess created specific and branched bays, such as the Pula port, the Medulin bay, the Rovinj coast and the Porec coast that we visited. Lost in the spelling and pronunciation of the words above? So are we! (Above taken from tour literature)
The coast is well developed with lots of bays, deeper small bays and rivers mouth. 
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. During the 2nd century BC, Roman Castrum was built on a tiny peninsula. 
Ok, enough of history of the area! Upon arriving at Paranzo (Porec) we walked towards the boat that we would be taking on our land and sea tour. Being a small group, we were early and had an hour to spend exploring the old port town. 
Many of the villages and towns in Europe have small cobbled stone streets, but Porec was very unique in that the street, in the old section, were narrow, but the cobbled stones were above the rest as far as patina is concerned. They were still wet from earlier rain and just had that magical glow that a photographer is looking for. It was  early and just a few people were out and about. This added to the charm of the pictures that I took. Francesca, happened to be walking in our direction and guided us to an ancient church. Some of the original mosaic floor was discovered three feet below the existing and was left opened to view and photograph. 
It was good to have the extra time before the cruise. As we walked toward the boat Monvi, the locals were opening their shops, hand sweeping the cobble stone streets, some were hosing their street dining areas and a few little old ladies were heading off to the market. 
One of the first things we did on the boat was checkout the best spots for viewing. Here again, Francesca gave us help hints. She said that the open top deck might be to hot if the sun came out. Speaking of sun, once underway we stopped at two other pickup points for more passengers and by than the sun came through for us again! The temperature climbed into the high seventies by the middle of the afternoon 
In about an hour an a half we made our first stop. Has we pulled in port of Rovigno (Rovinj) the towering church steeple came into view. Wow, what a view! 
A little history about Rovinj. Rovinj was already a settlement of Illyrian tribes before being captured by the Romans. This makes it very, very old. The town certainly has a long history. We disembarked from  the boat and Francesca gave us a couple of options to get to the church on top of the hill. She said, basically take the low (long gradual road) or the high road (up a quick, but strenuous) road. The first thing that we encountered was the local market with vendors begging you to sample food items. We did managed to sample some, but weren't interested in carrying larger bags around for the rest of the time in Rovinj. Walking through the many side streets, actually no main street to go up to the church, we were overwhelmed with the artist, vendors and photographic opportunities on the way home. 
A wedding in the church was about to take place. A lot of people were mulling around and taking photos. Francesca had told us that we could climb the bell tower, 192 steps, for a small fee of 3 Euro. Up we started, the first three steps were a foot high. The next 189 steps were all little steps of three to four inches. We took our time and  Joan, Helen a I made it to the very top. Sam, who has had two hip replacements elected to wait in the shade in front of the church.
Wow, what a view! All four sides were simply spectacular! We were five or six people at the top. I just happened to look at my watch, 12 noon it read. I wonder if they ring the bells? Bong, Bong! The giant bell four feet above my head was rocking back and forth as a huge hammer, three foot high inside the bell, did its thing! This wasn't bad enough, a pigeon just above, on a beam, let go! I don't mean let go of the beam! The adventures I put myself through!
Going down the stairs was a little harry also. Because the steps were not constant in height, one had to step over one foot while holding on to the railing and slowly head down to meet Sam.
From the church we took a direct path, well as direct as possible down to the bay. When we arrived we got twisted around for a second and headed for the other side of town. We quickly turned around toward the boat. One final stop was to buy some Chestnuts roasting on a propane fire at the outskirts of the market. 

Croatia ~ The ITT tour ~ Home Bound Status

Today is Friday, Oct 3
Tomorrow morning we will be boarding a tour bus at 4:30 am for our guided journey into Croatia. I will detail the adventure later this weekend. 
It now looks like we will be ending our time in Italy a little sooner than originally anticipated. The events in the Middle East have a bearing on our decision to leave a little early. I'll detail this in a later blog.

Mountain View Inn ~ Aviano Air Force Base

In the last couple of days, we've been taking it easy. Sam came down with a cold and we all needed to rest. It was a good time to catch up on the blog, emails and reading. On Wednesday evening, Helen prepared some soup and with Saltine crackers and all those different cheeses from the local market made a wonderful change from eating out every night! Mind you, we certainly enjoy eating out, but a change makes one appreciate those experiences a lot better. 
We walked over to the ITT office yesterday and canceled our "Cinque Terre" tour on the 24th of October. I really wanted to go to Cinque Terre as I have seen Rick Steve on Public Television explore. Cancellation was far enough in advance to get all of our money back except for a minor service charge. Some of you might be saying, "Why cancel?" I'll explain in future blog!

A Fig Tree nearly ready for harvest!

Helen and I have been trying to stay active as far as exercise. We make it a routine of walking a minimum of three miles around part of the base each day when we don't have anything planned. My Fitbit pedometer has been getting a workout! It keeps track of everything. Last week we had 31.05 miles, the week before 23.11 miles and 29.25 miles the week before. My goal is for 5 miles a day which I haven't been meeting, but at least we're moving. I really wanted to do some mountain hiking, but that isn't going to happen because we would have transportation issues to and from and I'm certainly OK with that! This Space "A" tour was and is a learning curve. We will be, hopefully, doing more of this type of trips. I really have to thank Sam and Joan for letting us tag along. It is not an easy thing to have four people travel together and for that matter live together. They have showed us, as they say, "The ropes". 

Tunnels galore here in the mountains!

I hope to share more tips and tricks in future blogs, when I can sit down and recall many experiences. 
While I'm thinking of one. On our road trip towards St Magdalena, in the town of Cortina, Sam had to find a restroom. We all got out of the car and walked toward the restaurant. As Sam entered, I noticed that we were parked in a "Pay to Park" lot. Low and behold, a meter maid was quickly checking for payment tickets in the windshields. Helen and I quickly walked towards our car with map in hand. She, the meter maid was starting to look down at the windshield when I asked, "which way to St Magdalena"? She said in broken English, "Is this your car? Where do you want to go?" I repeated the question and she gave me further directions and was on her way without checking the windshield and giving us a parking ticket. All of this diversion comes from an old magician friend Paul, who always said, "magic is nothing more than diversion". We were on our way, but in the wrong direction. It was a good thing that she left because Sam had the keys to the car and he was still at the restaurant restroom. This is just an example of little hurdles one can find on any trip in any place in the world. 

What do you do with old telephone booths?
Turn them into neighborhood library booth!

Life in Aviano, at the Air Force Base, is getting into a routine. First I must say, that I've never seen a military base so quiet! Sure jet fighters leave from the runway just a thousand feet away from our apartment, but the building is so well insulated we never hear them unless we're outside. When we go for our walks in the morning, there is no noticeable traffic or personnel around. When at the end of the work day, the traffic does increase at the south gate, but that is for a very short period of time. This is a NATO base and a few Nations are present including United States, Britain and of course the Italian Forces. It would be a good place to be stationed. Our apartment complex is adjacent to the Base Exchange, the Commissary and just about everything else we need. Our church needs could be here in the Italian section or over in Area One which is a few miles away. As I have mentioned previously, Area One is completely surrounded by the town of Aviano. This not to say that one can walk into the area without being questioned.

The Italian church on Aviano AFB

A barrier is present around the entire area. You feel safe when inside our area. This not to say that we don't feel secure on the outside. The Italian's are a very friendly people and we've had many good communications and experiences with them. In another Italian experience, up in the mountains, in a small village, I heard one Italian say a few words to another tourist in French. I said to him in French, "Parlez vous Francais", (SP) he answered me. We had a brief enjoyable conversation!   

That is what we did and saw!

     

USA ~ "Rocky Mountain High" Italy~ "Dolomite Higher"

Google image of Dolomite Mountains
in Magdalena, Italy

Yes, finally time to explore the interior Dolomite Mountains also known as the “Italian Alps” . The weather on this day, sunny with limited clouds. Our destination was a very small village of Magdalena, Italy way up near the Austrian border. Why this village? Because every time, you Google, “Images of the Dolomite Mountains” this little village appears. According to Google maps it was 185 kilometers from Aviano, that’s about 114 miles.

After extending our, “on base lodging” for another three days, Sam took the wheel and we were off. Of course, we had a regional map and written directions. Now you must understand Italian routes are a little different from US routes. When you come to a round about, which there are many, directions are

This is where we stopped for directions and lunch!

given by towns. Not all towns are on the map and written directions are overwhelming. I had highlighted the route most of the way and we were doing just fine until we reached Cortina D’Ampezzo, the town which held the Winter Olympics several years ago. This town is overgrown with hotels, restaurants, ski and hiking enthusiast. Sam and I are good navigators, but we got turned around a couple of times before heading out on route 51, (in the wrong direction). All is not lost! It turned out to be a beautiful “circle tour". We all agreed it was time to eat. A wonderful Alpine styled restaurant just happened to appear next to a lake with people fishing and sightseeing. We were in “Parco Naturale D

Gnocchi was our choice for lunch and Karla
took care of us for directions!

olomiti di Sesto” (a mouthful, but we were after food). Low and behold a waitress, who spoke very good English. Karla was her name. She put an X on the map, gave us a direction and of course a delicious lunch of “Gnocchi”. I will put in a good travel review in Travelocity. Oh, the restaurant’s name is “Restaurant Duerrensee”. So, back to the road issue. We made a large circle and never had to back track any of our route. Also I haven’t mentioned anything about the scenic views! I think, we’ve been driving the last couple of hours with our mouths wide open in aah! I’ve never seen such grander around every corner! I can’t post every picture here on the blog, but I can tell you I’ve got plenty of keepers!

Gnocchi

From Cortina the route would be more isolated, but not deserted. Nearly every village or town had multiple skiing facilities. I mean large chair lifts, gondolas and ariel tramways! I mean multiple in each town. There was no end to this skiing mecca. From route 48, we took a right onto route 244. From here it was extremely difficult! In St Martino in Badia, we took our last recognized turn on route 29. We were one turn away on route 163 to our destination. It was now mid to late afternoon and we had to make a decision. Turn around and head back or find a place to stay. We turned around! I had plugged a geocache at ground zero which was 22.9 miles away. The problem with the Garmin GPS (handheld) was that the road switchback so fast that I kept loosing the satellite fixes.

I was not disappointed! We all had one of the greatest road trip explorations! Sam had done a great job driving all the way up here, some seven hours of aggressive driving! It was time for me to take over the wheel and get us back to Aviano. Sam had looked at our map and set a more direct route. We would be driving most of the switchback roads in daylight. Around 7:30pm, in this part of the world it does get dark.

We didn't make it to Magdalena, but I did get some awesome
photos!

It is no wonder that Italians make excellent road race drivers. Mario Andretti comes to mind. The thing you have to remember about left, right curves is this…in slow out fast! I soon got the feel and I was very comfortable and awake! We did stop one more time to photograph a village 3000 feet below the edge of the road.

That my friends is what we saw and did

Warm Sun ~ Cool Breeze @ Colle Santa Lucia

Mountain Roads...Local Backcountry

Firewood Art!

Mountain Road near Maniago!

Northern Italy is dotted with little villages.
This is true for the flat land as well as the mountains. You can look at a forested mountain right in front of you and say there is nothing up there. Well, that is not the case! First you start to follow a narrow road up a slight incline. Then, there is a sharp 180 degree turn followed by a steep rise in elevation. These switch backs repeat over and over until you are a thousand plus feet above
the valley floor. Soon one spots a little farm house, with no one around, but you know it is inhabited by the cordwood neatly stacked and hand tools around the sheds. It is hard to describe homesteads to a tee. The inhabitants must live a barren life up in the hills and mountains. The one reason we don’t see people too often is because, we tend to tour in early afternoon. Remember, everything slows down to a crawl from 12 noon to 3pm. When, we do see people they are usually picking mushrooms, splitting fire wood or tending to their gardens.
Our little four person expedition group really enjoys doing these mountain road rides. Sometimes, the road gets down to a one lane road. Sometimes the unexpected happens. We spotted bicyclers pumping up the never ending road. The guys are nearly always dressed in their colorful biking clothes…This reassuring us that we’re not on an abandoned road and lost in the wilderness. At some point, we’ve even gotten to where the road nearly got covered over with fallen leaves.

Log Sled Stored for Winter Use!

The wildlife in the mountains is sparse. At least, we haven’t seen any wild animals. There are bears we’re told, but a small size resembling a grizzly, but actually being the size of a Saint Bernard dog. A foot note on bears…Our town in named Berlin, which I am told is derived from the word bear or at least for Berlin, Germany. There are deer signs on the highway, but we haven’t run across any yet. We’ve seen grouse and hawks and that is about it for wildlife. The domestic animals that we’ve seen locally, donkeys, horses, milk cows Lammas, chickens and high up in the uplands, sheep.

Ornamental Cemetery!

Plant life in the foothills… Many varieties of fruit trees are present. To name a few; olive, apple, fig, pears, chestnuts, grapes and most of all mushrooms. If we did spot a single vehicle stopped along the country side road, it was someone walking in the forest, close by, harvesting mushrooms by the five gallon pal size.

Foot Hills in the Aviano Region!

In our countryside road trips, we also notice cemeteries. They were all marked by these distinct, very tall conifers. They were all well cared for and up to date with flowers, candles and pictures. This part of Italy has many quarries and their were no shortages of beautiful stone markers.

That is what we saw and did!

Venice...The Corn Maze of Italy!

Kids going to school on the train!

Yesterday (Friday was our big day to travel by train to Venice. It is about a one hour train ride from Sacile to Venice. Getting to the train, well that’s another story! Let me explain. A couple of days ago, we did a dry run to the train station. We ran into a construction detour and finally made the dry run to the station. On the way back, we ran into another detour on the detour route, apparently there was an accident or fire as two firemen were blocking the turn off. On the day of our departure, we again ran into still another detour, but were successful in making it to the station on time. We got our tickets at the news stand and then had a slight problem getting them validated in the machine. You have insert to the left and, after screwing up, insert with the pale arrow, nearly invisible, pointing in. Now after all of that, we discovered from another English speaking passenger, that we could catch the 7:52 “Express” with only four stops!

Gondolas, Canals and Girls!

Saint Marco's Square

Another surprise was the number of school kids that ride the train to a couple of stops down the rail. This train is a high speed train! When another train is going in the other direction, at the moment the lead engine bisect, there’s a noticeable bang, much like a jet breaking the sound barrier. I must also point out that the train is extremely quiet with none of the clack, clack of the wheels rolling over the rails. The trains run on overhead electricity makes them even more quiet. The seats face each other making it easier to converse, if you’re sitting with another couple. We weren’t so fortunate as the train is jammed packed! We were lucky, at least to get seats! When arriving in Venice, at the station, one can’t help notice that there are 15 tracks that dead end into the station. These trains are several hundred feet long. That tells you that there’s a lot of people going and coming into this city.
The journey begins walking into the station and start noticing many, many Nationalities from all over the world! The next noticeable difference is the tobacco smell! Walking out the front of the station, one finds a new world staring at the “Grand Canal” much like looking at a busy main street, only with every kind of boat instead of cars and trucks! Did I mention people? Wow, much like New York with hundreds of people walking in many directions along the Grand Canal. Soon, we were swamped with vendors, from souvenirs to food. Our plan was to get away from the army of people and get a pastry and Cappuccino. It actually to some time walking before the crowds started to dissipate. Ah… finally, that pastry and the famous Cappuccino hit the spot!

Ambulances ready for emergency calls!

Joan had a city map and let me tell you, that Venice is much like a “Corn Maze” . No streets go into a straight line. Some go into a square, may be 100’ by 100’, others are even smaller. Some streets are marked, some are not! Some streets are 30 feet wide and some are literally 3 feet wide. When we were here several years ago, our tour guide said not to wonder too far and he was absolutely right. It is a wonderful experience to walk around Venice, but it is very, very easy to be disoriented going around three and four story old buildings that look similar. What an experience! I loved it!

Typical Canal scene in Venice!

Photography in Venice: There’s unlimited composition possibilities! A photographer is always looking for composition. Venice, a photographer’s paradise, has unlimited possibilities and so, I took hundreds of photos! From houses, to people, to gondolas, to everything else you can imagine. I’m not the only one who feels that way, as everywhere you turn someone has a camera. Locals in Venice are probably photographed more than anyone else in the world. It is such an unusual place, uncommon to most of the rest of the world. There are cobbled stone streets, but water canals bisect every section of the city. I’m told this ideology was to protect the city from invasion. In any event, it is a city that I love to keep my finger on the camera trigger constantly.

A selfie using a mirrored door!

With our Cappuccino break over, our plan was to head in the direction of the hospital, where Sam and Joan’s friends and former landlords live. Laura, is a traveling nurse and at the moment, has her hands full taking care of her elderly mother and father. She is also taking care of her mother in-law who is in hospice.

Kids and pigeons...St Marco's Square

Sam has a very good sense of direction and even with that and a map, we struggled to get into the neighborhood. Once we made it to the “Cannale delle Sacche”, Sam got his bearings and easily found the hospital, a marker close to Laura’s parents home. Speaking of usual Venice anomalies… How does a city of this size get to people who need emergency care? Of course, it is with an ambulance. The only difference is that they are boat ambulances. How does one pickup trash? Well, you guessed it, but the difference here is that men with small carts wheel around the streets and collect the trash and then meet the “trash boat” at a certain spots in the canal. Food deliveries are handled in the same reverse manner.
Back to our walk to Laura’s parents home. Walking down Fundament Nuove, Sam pointed out an island across the Cannale which was St Michele Cimitero (cemetery). Arriving at the hospital square, we gazed at all of the building architecture and people. Helen and I entered a large church to get a glimpse and as with most churches around here, it was spectacular!
From the square, it was just a few hundred feet to Lara’s parents home. While walking down the narrow street, Laura spotted us. She was expecting us as we had called her earlier. She had been to the market. All of the residential doors are always locked. We were buzzed in by here parents on the second floor. Ironically, no residential dwellings are on the first floor. This is due to an occasional high tide and water seepage. It was a nice reunion for Sam and Joan. We also felt glad to be able to meet and to talk to native Italians. Laura spoke very well in a broken English and was a good translator for her mom and dad (Angelina and Tony)

Laura and Sam

After our visit and goodbyes, it was time to hit the cobble stone again. A little corner deli caught our eye and lunch was in order. Our plan from here was to walk towards the famous Rialto bridge over the Grande Canal. You just can’t walk in a straight line! Someone had to put a building smack darn in the middle and you’d think you’d just could walk around and continue, but on the other side, the alleys or streets go into a totally different direction. You’ve got to “Love Adventure” and I do! So, after walking and walking, we wound up at “Plaza de Saint Marco” and never came close to the Rialto Bridge, but that’s ok… because, we’ve seen the bridge on a previous tour. At the plaza, which is huge, thousands of people were also gazing at the beauty and grander of the Basilica of St Marco and the very tall tower.

Always looking for the next shot!

We watched as kids were feeding pigeons. A big thing was to have the pigeons on your arms while some family member took a photo. Joan wanted to hear the bells ring at half pass the hour, but for some reason they didn’t. Leaving the square, Joan spotted the statue of “Punta de Salute” across the “Canale della Giudecca”. She wanted to have more of a quiet time and relax, which to all of us wasn’t a bad idea. To get to the point across the waterway, we walked along the canal until we found a bridge to cross. The canal here is very wide and we walked a long distance through a lot of back streets until we finally arrived at a bridge. By now, we had walked for several miles. A note here: Total walking miles for the day was 9 miles according to my FitBit pedometer!
From the bridge to the point was considerably short walking time, because of a more direct route available to us. I must say that walking wasn’t a bad thing. We got to see a lot of Venice that most people don’t even come close to seeing. Arriving at the “Punta d Salute”, Joan noted that a statue wasn’t there anymore. Sam and Joan sat on the steps of “Saint Maria della Salute” Basilica, while Helen and I walked into the basilica and admired the beautiful church. Some of these churches you have to pay to visit, but this one was free. There was actually a mass that was starting, but of course in Italian. Moving along the circular interior of the church, I took more photos, of course without a flash.
Walking towards the Stazione (Railroad Station), we had a little time to look up Lara’s husband’s business, who is a Dental Technician. He was still at work when we rang the door bell, Giorgio answered the door and we quickly had a chance to say hello. Next, on the agenda, was dinner. By Venice standards, it was too early to have dinner at most restaurants. This gave us little choices. The restaurant that we chose looked charming, but the food was not up to par. Sam and I had spaghetti which was the equivalent of “canned spaghetti” with a gourmet city price! This was the only not perfect experience in Venice.
All day long, I kept thinking off and on about our return train trip to Sacile. How would we find the right train? Thirteen tracks to choose from! How would we know when to get at the right station? Well, here is the answer: The train departure leader board didn’t show Sacile, problem solved by asking a cleanup worker. He said, “You have to read the fine print’, “track 13”. How to get off, answer; Talk to passengers and listen carefully to the on board train public address which does say it in English! It was a long day, but a satisfying journey. We may go to Venice again before our departure from Italy.

That is what we saw and did!