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12/15  Amsterdam, Netherlands
10/27  Matala, Crete Greece
11/20  Marmaris, Turkey
08/16 Train Rails, Spain
10/24  Athens, Greece
09/20 Paris, France
09/01 Valencia, Spain
07/12 Helsinki, Finland
09/22 St. Malo, France
11/30  Ushisar, Turkey
06/08 Northern Scotland
08/02 Salzburg, Austria
09/24 Countryside, France
07/17 Archipelago Stockholm, Sweden
07/08 Northern Sweden

12/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands

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

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10/27 Matala, Crete Greece

With the birth of a new day we began to head back to fetch our bags from the hotel.  Beyond all odds we managed to fit all of us and all the baggage into one cab.  Two of us had to lie across laps in the back seat.  Our taxi driver slid in an eight-track and we were off to the airport.  I found it odd that the stewardess confiscated only the US passports and then forced us to sit in specific seats, “the American” section.  I guess in case of hijacking that would better protect the locals.  I believed my eyes closed for just a second but when they opened we were landing in Crete.

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11/20 Marmaris, Turkey

Kate joined us on the walk into town that morning.  She needed to stop off at the post office while the two of us procured tickets for today’s journey.  Kate was a very sweet lady and this was a pleasurable visit.  We said our goodbyes over lunch and she saw us off at the dock.  We met up with the same American gentleman we originally asked directions from when we first arrived. 

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08/16 Train Rails, Spain

We came to an unplanned stop at the border between France and Spain where it appeared the French weren’t about to share their trains with Spanish rails.  We had come to a complete stop and it was obvious they were ushering us through customs.  Well there was no way I would attempt carrying our hash through customs.  It just wasn’t worth the risk. 

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10/24 Athens, Greece

On the trip into Athens we were joined by another young lady and young man who had been pursuing her.  She wasn’t interested in him but tolerated him because she liked the attention.  At least that’s what she told us.  We discussed renting a van and exploring Greece’s mainland.  I wanted to visit Delos and then each extension of the Maurice Cross but Athens was first on our agenda and we decided to postpone making a decision until later.  

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09/20 Paris, France

I attached myself to the rear of a group touring Notre Dame.  After I came down from the tower I found myself sitting among delinquents in the square just outside the church.  After I finished a cigarette I proceeded down to the Louve.  It took me all day to wander its halls, a maze of inconveniences.  I planned on coming back in a day or two to catch up on what I missed.  I always wanted to learn how to paint, so  I enjoyed watching the students copy the masters.  

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09/01 Valencia, Spain

I woke early to the jingling and jangling of the vendors setting up the local market and was up and out in minutes following the caravan of wagons and carts down through the streets to the market.  The strategy was the same, I looked for food and if I could obtain it for free, all the better.  As long as we both got what we wanted out of the conversation, I could play the game.  “You picked them all by hand did ya? Your fingers are too big.  I think this one has been bruised. 

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07/12 Helsinki, Finland

I woke from a dream, fixing my eyes on the unseen shadows of the dark room and began tracing the steps of the dream that had just left my grasp.  I got up, sat at a table in the corner of the room and stared out at the moon.

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09/22 St. Malo, France

Along side the rising sun and took the early train toward St. Malo.  On that train I caught up on filling out stories on post cards and when I finally reached St. Malo the post office was my first destination.  I was still disappointed that I had lost my address book back in Scotland, but on the other hand I had fewer cards to fill out.  After I got situated in my room, I took a walk along the shore.  The ocean was crashing against the wall with an authority that made me feel alive.  

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11/30 Ushisar, Turkey

We had planned on seeing Urgup and the Goreme Valley and headed out into the streets in search for the tourist office.  It was still very cold but it was like a reversed microwave, my bones were colder than my skin.  We located what we believed was the tourist office but there were no brochures or posters to confirm that we had found the right place.  Everybody inside was huddled around a small stove trying to keep warm.  They explained there were no buses or organized tours this late in the year and suggested we find ourselves a taxi driver. 

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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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08/02 Salzburg, Austria

As we approached Salzburg the clouds parted and the sun came peaking through, signaling that a good day was ahead of us.  In one of the travel guides there was an interesting youth hostel alongside a casino.  I knew from my last visit to Salzburg, that the hostel had to be on the cliff overlooking the old city.  Once our train arrived we headed straight toward a phone and contacted the hostel to see if rooms were available.  Good news but we had to be quick because they did not take reservations. 

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09/24 Countryside, France

I wandered about the northern coast of France skipping from hostel to hostel and enjoying their fine cuisine.  Finding excellent food was easy but locating a smile or a friendly gesture from the locals was sometimes impossible.  I felt that the rudeness the Northern French dished out actually provided the glue that bonded us tourists closer together.  I came across a nice room in Blois and utilized it as home base to visit the chateaus in the area. 

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07/17 Archipelago Stockholm, Sweden

Behind us we towed a small motor boat.  Being an inexperienced sailor, I first thought we brought it along in case the boat began to sink.  But no, when strawberries were needed to complete a meal, we suited up and headed in the small motor boat toward a local port.  I liked to imagine that it was my blue eyes, or my healthy build, rather than just the curiosity of “Who is he?”

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07/08 Northern Sweden

As I reached the Arctic Circle, I got off the train in what seemed to be a ghost town.  I would assume it was at least three in the morning and everything in sight was closed.  Although early in the morning the sun was still up creating an odd feeling, like being on a set of a twilight zone episode.  You could tell something was off.  I was carrying an address of a good place to stay that was given to me somewhere along the road.  At that point I really didn’t care how nice it was as long as it had a working shower.  

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