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06/30 Trondheim, Norway
09/26  Frankfurt, Germany
06/28 Bodo, Norway
08/09 Burn, Switzerland
07/23 Arhus, Denmark
12/05  Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia
10/02  Venice, Italy
07/28 Brussels Belgium
06/24 Paris, France
10/03  Venice, Italy
09/17 Zermatt, Switzerland
12/15  Amsterdam, Netherlands
10/11  Pompeii, Italy
08/11 Innsbruck, Austria
06/08 Northern Scotland

06/30 Trondheim, Norway

With the morning sun we said our good-byes and headed south back toward Trondheim.  Jim turned into a broken record and kept repeating his exploits.  When he finally he fell asleep, I soon followed.  Somewhere in the middle of a dream the train came to a stop and a voice was broadcast over the intercom.  Everybody around us quickly got up out of their seat and ran toward the doors.  I didn’t need to understand Norwegian to know I should be doing the same. 

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09/26 Frankfurt, Germany

With all the time I’ve been spending on trains I started to find it difficult to sleep without the cluttering of wheel against rail.  I had an address of a hostel in Frankfurt that somebody had suggested along the way.  It was late and dark when I reached Frankfurt and I didn’t have the best luck making sense of the piece of paper I was carrying. 

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06/28 Bodo, Norway

I picked up a pair of apples and a few candy bars for the trek, while Jim checked the train schedules.  “Track four, ready to go” said Jim.  After a minute or two with no train, it dawned on me that Jim most likely misread the schedules and picked the wrong platform.  I retrieved the schedule from Jim’s bag, “I’ll hold the bags, you go check platform six” I bluntly stated.  In the tunnel between the platforms I could hear Jim’s echo, “Its going!!” 

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08/09 Burn, Switzerland

Jim joined the hostel attitude.  He didn’t want to go anywhere, see anything, he just wanted to stick around the hostel and wash his clothes, so I sought out on my own.  I checked out Albert Einstein’s home and then the modern art museum.  “One man’s treasure is another man’s trash”.  I love art but sometimes.  I wandered the market and the local stops searching for Christmas gifts, but ended up buying chocolates to satisfy my taste buds instead. 

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07/23 Arhus, Denmark

We entered a compartment that could be best described as humorous.  There was a young lady traveling by herself, who had spread her clothes from one end of the compartment to the other. This was orchestrated to persuade us to look elsewhere. We just laugh since this was a technique we often used to maintain our privacy.  We found it amusing to watch her reaction to our comfort.  She acted as if her mother unexpectedly allowed her new boyfriend into her unmade room. 

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12/05 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

Our train ended in Karajevo where we were left to wait for a bus.  There was nowhere to hide from the cold so we all had to move around a lot and it seemed like the bus was ever going to show.  We had scattered moments of sleep, moving here, moving there, trying to forget how cold it was.  That was one bad night.  The bus eventually showed up late and wasn’t scheduled to enter Dubrovnik until around breakfast.  I just dazed out looking past my reflection at blackness that was the sea passing by in a blur.  

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10/02 Venice, Italy

I finished last night’s joint out on the balcony and then spent about an hour watching the taxis jockey for position and transport the masses from place to place.  A unique perspective on canal life.  I passed a few dollars into the hands of a boat owner who showed me around the channels.  I figured that was a good first step to accustom myself to the island.  I traced the labyrinths of narrow streets and waterways and watched gargoyles pass under arches where the king of ghosts and shadows once danced.  

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07/28 Brussels Belgium

We headed into Gent to be part of its annual festival.  I, like a honeybee, danced from flower to flower collecting smiles, memorable fragrances.  The next day started off with the similar ritual of walking into Brugge’s main square for a cup of coffee, this time before we jumped a train into Brussels.  We trekked about the old section of the city and checked out the local sites.  Muscles in Brussels and beers, muscles in Brussels and beers. 

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06/24 Paris, France

It was a relief to be back on a dry train.  When we reached Paris we found it almost impossible to find ourselves a friendly word from the locals.  It was like the Parisians were trained at youth to be rude to foreigners.  Their rudeness came so easily it must have been a mandatory subject in their schools. 

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10/03 Venice, Italy

Took a morning boat to Giudecca to visit a glass shop and took advantage of the weather and the sand.  The hostel I went to check out was over crowded with mostly children running about, so spent the remains of the day back on the main island.  Before dark I had gathered up my things and boarded a train towards Padova.  Across from me sat a beautiful young lady with a twinkle in her eye and I caught a smile or two.  Sex was in the air so I broke the ice.

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09/17 Zermatt, Switzerland

I was up in the early hours staring out my window at the full moon and the Matterhorn bathing in its light.  I had awakened drained, partly hung over and in need of food.  But it was Sunday and on Sunday nothing was open.  I obtained just a cup of coffee and a bit of cheese, which was hardly enough to provide any additional strength.  Well here I go, one ski lift to another and the valley below disappeared in the distance.  I guess you could say I was kind of a novelty being a first time skier and the group was set on taking me to the top of the mountain. 

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12/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands

I HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THAT ………………we now come to know the nature of change through Cognition ………

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10/11 Pompeii, Italy

I rose early to get a head start on the tourists and encountered a thief with a taxi.  Once we reached Pompeii he tried to double then rate we agreed on.  I wouldn’t give him a dime more so the argument continued until I was imposing on his next victim.  A few impolite gestures and more than a few choice works as he sped off.  I looked around and noticed I was the only person wandering about the ruins but it was still early in the day, which was kind of a weird feeling.  After about an hour or so I saw another individual and then two young men wandered up to me and inquired if I had any hash to sell.

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08/11 Innsbruck, Austria

We were up early, followed advice we received during the last night socializing and joined the “Club Innsbruck” for a day hike.  A young Belgium woman had crossed our path searching for the same location.  It was early in the morning and we were the first to arrive, so there was nobody gathered outside to identify if we had found our destination.  She seemed very nice but didn’t say much.  It was apparent she was very shy.  They began handing out daypacks and boots if needed. 

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06/08 Northern Scotland

Tracking down each of the antiquities had the feeling of a treasure hunt and we never felt lost because we could always find signs of life behind the pub door.  One of these nights while wandering I discovered the pub door was locked, so I entered an old grave yard across the way seeking the unknown.  It was dark at eye level, even darker after gazing up at the million of stars looking down upon me.

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