France 2009 - Hot Liqiud Chocolate Bar!

Woke up around 9ish and decided to go to Angelina’s for Hot Chocolate. We arrived at the Louvre stop, I used the GPS to locate the restaurant. The unit was acting a bit weird. It sent us walking in the wrong direction. I eventual turned it off and we walked to the place unassisted. The place was fancy looking inside. We were seated toward the back in a cozy corner. We ordered the 17€ plate which included the hot chocolate, and three pastries and a roll. The hot chocolate was totally amazing! It was literally drinking a melted chocolate bar. After we got our chocolate fix for the year, we jumped on the Metro and headed to the Green Hop-on Hop-off tour bus. We got on at the Bastille stop. We had to sit on the open top because no seats were available in the bus. It was very cold and I did not dress for outside weather. The tour was the Blue line, which runs mostly by the water. The tour was over in about 90 minutes. Tracy and I saw the Mexican restaurant that we saw a few days ago. We walked over to it but in was closed due to a New Years Eve party tonight. We went next door to a restaurant called Chez Papa. It was not Mexican but the food was very good. I had the beef casserole and Tracy had the steak and blue cheese. They severed a wine and cognac drink, it was real good. We headed home and rested for the afternoon, still had not decided what to do for tonight. We watched a movie in the room, State of Play, a good movie. I had put out the good bottle of Champaign (yellow label Mumm) on the windowsill to chill. Around 11PM, Tracy wanted to pop the Champaign pop! It was excellent. What a way to ring in the New Year.

France 2009 - Basilique de Sacre’ Coeur

Got up around 9AM. Tracy was still a bit sick from a head cold but started felling better as the day went on. We took the Metro to the Basilique de Sacre’ Coeur. We found a small café and had breakfast. We went to one of the many souvenir shops and purchased a new hat for me and Tracy bought a Metro station umbrella. When we arrived at the base of the hill there were many Africans hustling people with a simple string and finger trick. I would have nothing to do with it. We took the tram up the hill. Once there we took pictures of the Paris scenery. We went inside the basilica, no pictures allowed. We scrolled trough the village on the hill, stopped, and had a drink. There were many artist drawing portraits of people, we declined several times to have ours done. We visited a small artist area in the middle of the village. We found the Dali museum and spent time there. Afterwards we walk down the Montmartre steps. We found a nice restaurant and had pizza and a salad. We started looking for the Moulin Rouge. We found it in the middle of the sex shop district. Took a picture, not impressed, should go back at night. We went back to the hotel for a break. We slept for a few hours. I called Troy but he was still in Tripoli, he will be in Paris on the 1st. We got motivated around 6PM to go out. The elevators are working again. We went back to the Galleries Lafayette to shop around. I took pictures inside with the small camera. We went looking for the Fondue restaurant. We had the delicatessen fondue. It was pretty good. Got back to the hotel and updated the journal and had Champagne.

France 2009 - Tracy’s birthday! Day trip to the Champagne region

I went downstairs for breakfast while Tracy took a shower. The driver was late but we got off before 8AM. The drivers name was Chris. There was a couple from Brazil and Italy. The young woman in the front seat was from Jordan. Just the five of us plus the driver. The driver was talking most of the way there, he had a particular way of driving. We were surging back and forth from him playing with the gas pedal to modulate his speed control. It was hard to take a nap on the way because he was talking so much. We arrived at the Don Perignon monastery for a quick visit. Then, we went to a small independent owner, William Saintot. This is located in Avanay, near Reims. We got there and had to wait for at least 30 minutes. We met up with five other vans, 38 people plus guides all together. We eventually started the tour, it was not run very well. The owner was not prepared for a large group of people. They can handle smaller groups well but not the size of ours. We ran into the cute driver from our trip the other day. She got lost with her group as well. In the tasting room we were severed one glass, I sampled several others at 2€ each. I ended up purchasing a bottle of their Millennium Champagne. Afterwards we went to Epernay for lunch via driving through the wine vineyards. We were told that the appetizer would be fish and the main course would be poultry (coq au vin and chicken in red wine sauce). When the appetizer was severed, I tried it and it was pretty good. I was very surprised, I liked it! The people from our van sat together. At the end of the meal, our table was the only one that ordered coffee so we were the last to leave. We then headed for Reims. There were many Champagne companies, we ended up going to G.H. Mumm, one of the few German companies in the area. A famous company. They were able to handle a very large group like ours. The tasting room was much bigger and nicer. I ended up buying a bottle of the yellow label, the sweet stuff. We left for the Notre Dame monastery in Reims. Took pics then we headed home. The driver could not find an entrance to the expressway, it took him 30 minutes to leave Reims. Tracy was feeling sick so she cuddled and slept most of the way home. For dinner, we decided to get Chinese take-out. We ended up getting Thai take-out. It was very good. I had a red curry based beef dish Tracy had a green curry based shrimp. Tracy called her mom on Skype and I updated my journals.

France 2009 - Airport Visit for Luggage

Slept in, got up around 9AM. Went to the airport to try to track down Tracy’s luggage. We took the line 4 Metro to the Paris Nord Train station. We took the Rer B line express train to the airport. It took a few moments to get acquainted with the station. We arrived at the airport and took the people mover to the terminal. We got on the wrong direction and had to take the people mover back to the other terminal. We found the US Air counter. At first the manager said she could not help us but after she thought about it she gave us a pass to go into the baggage claim area so we could talk to the folks at that counter. We went to the US Air counter and talked to them, they searched their system and asked us to go to the Lufthansa counter. We talked to the three ladies at the Lufthansa counter, they were sympathetic with Tracy’s citation. They said they would search through the luggage down in the basement. We left and had lunch in the waiting area then headed back to the hotel. We took a nap, afterwards we decided to go see Avatar. We found the theater but could not tell if it was the English version so we ended up walking through the neighborhood, looking for clothes for Tracy and a place for dinner. We ended up at Galleries Lafayette. She bought a few items. We found a good Italian restaurant, I ordered Lasagnas and Tracy got the Spaghetti Cabrera. Went back to the hotel for the night.

France 2009 - Walking Day in Paris

Alarm went off at 7AM but we stated in bed until 8. Tracy called the airline and pleaded with them to check LHR for her luggage. We took the Metro to the Louvre and had breakfast near that location at a small café. The Louvre was crowed as expected. It took about 10 minutes to get in the ticket line and another 10 minutes to get tickets. We went to the Sully wing and up to the French paintings. We then walked around and found the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. After we came out of the museum, I wanted to take pictures of the Louvre pyramids so Tracy sat and rested. We then walked towards the Notre Dame area. We walked along the river and stopped at a small café for a pepperoni and mushroom pizza. The line was long again at the cathedral so we just took pictures from the outside. The sun was out so the outdoor pictures came out great. We took the Metro to the Latin Quarter to find the chocolatier shops. The first shop was closed but the next one was just down the street, Gerard Mulot. We bought croissants, raisin muffins and a 250g box of chocolates. The place was awesome. We went looking for a place to quench our thrust and ran into a pharmacy. Tracy needed aspirin and mouthwash. We doubled back and went into a bar we saw called the Horse Bar. We walked back to the bar area, it was empty so we sat at the bar. They had a great selection of beer so I had a few pints while Tracy had tea. It was a good break, we then returned to the hotel for much needed rest. We showered then went back to the Champs Elysees Christmas villages. This time we took night shots of the Place de la Concorde. We then walked down the other side of the Champs Elysees. I was looking for something to drink while taking pictures. We then hopped on the Metro, went to the Trocadero stop, and headed to the Eiffel Tower for night pictures. There were tons of people out, we could not figure why until the top of the hour when the light show started on the tower. We walked down to the Christmas huts and looked for food and drink. After walking through the place, we doubled back and got sausage baguettes, which were delicious. The huts started to close so we got a beer, Orangeian and fries at a hut that had a closed-in eating area. Headed back to the hotel, it was a long train ride, 10 stops.

France 2009 - Day trip, Mont Saint Michel

Got up at 5:30AM, neither one of us wanted to get up but we had to be downstairs by 6:30AM. The pickup van was late, it arrived at 6:40. The girl driver was running late because she was having a hard time finding hotels. She let Tracy and I sit up front. She had a hard time finding the last pick up which was near the tour bus. We got there at 7:10. It was a two level bus. Tracy and I end up staying on the lower level and everyone else went upstairs except the tour guides. It was as if we were on a private tour, very cool! The area we sat in was setup for four people with a table in the middle. Therefore, we had plenty of room for storage and the table for other things. Our bus was full of Asians, actually, there were two buses, and the other one was for Japanese only. It took 4.5 hours to reach our destination including a 30-minute rest stop two hours into the trip. Before we went to Mont Saint Michel, we had lunch at a hotel (Relais Saint Michel Hotel) a mile from the island. The starter was a local favorite omelet, the main course was fish which I skipped then cheese cake for desert. They severed a locally brewed apple cider that was very good. We made it to our destination. We walked up the side steps, not sure how many stories high we walked but it was a lot. The tour started at the top, I was a renegade and jumped ahead, and took some great shots from the open-air deck that use to be part of the church which was destroyed many years in the past. After a while, we got sick of the slow pace our guide was going so we left the group and went forward at our own speed. This worked out great because it gave us plenty of time at the end to sit down at a café and have a beer and a sweet crepe. Tracy had tea and a crepe. We also had time to shop at the souvenir shops. We headed back to Paris at the same schedule, 4.5 hours with a 30-minute stop. We were dropped off at the hotel and went to the Pizza Hut near the hotel for dinner. We tried to sit at a table for four but were kicked out and placed at a table for two. It’s the Paris way. Back at the hotel.

France 2009 - Christmas Day '09

Woke up and went down for breakfast. The hotel restaurant will be closed the rest of the day so we grabbed baguettes, lunchmeat and cheese to make sandwiches. We took the Metro to the Trocadero and headed to the Eiffel Tower. The lines were so long we just took pictures around the complex. The line to walk up the one pillar was short but Tracy did not want to climb that high. The sun came out and made for great pictures. We walked back to the bridge and decided to take a Seine river ride. We bought tickets and had 45 minutes to kill so we walked through the village huts and shopped, I tried two different Mulled wines, the second one was better. We purchased earmuffs for ourselves. We got on the boat and headed to the top, which was open air. The ride was an hour and a half. It started raining on the way back. After the boat ride, we started looking for a Metro stop near the Eiffel Tower. Surprisingly there was no station in sight. We walked along the river until we found one, it dead-ended at the Arc de Triumph, perfect that's were we wanted to go. We took pictures but the top was closed this day so we could not get great shots of the roundabout. I was surprised by the number of people out and by the number of shops and restaurant that were open. We started walking down the Champs Elysees and got to the Xmas hunt village. Tracy bought Christmas teas and a tea ball, we both got ham and cheese crepes and sat down at a park bench behind the huts. We decide to head back to the hotel, but continued our tour of the huts to the Place de la Concorde. When we got to the square it was a challenge finding a Metro, I got lucky and found one within five minutes. We got back to the hotel around 5PM and called our parents to wish them Merry Christmas. Mom and Dad were not home but they called back in 30 minutes. Check the status of the bags, still no news. We laid down for a bit. Afterwards went to dinner at Julien’s which we made Christmas dinner reservations at a few days before. The whole night was very nice, the dinner was very good, the atmosphere was very cool. After dinner, we walked around the hood for a bit then back to the hotel.

France 2009 - Day trip, Loire Valley castles.

Got up around 5AM and left the hotel at 6AM. We took the Metro to the meeting place. We got there 45 minutes ahead of schedule. It took a while to find the exact rendezvous point. We walked around the block to kill time and found a café that had just opened. We went in and ordered coffee and hot chocolate. The tour office was opened by the time we went back. We checked in and waited for the tour to start. We were escorted to the bus, which was a block away. We board and started our journey. It took three hour to reach our first destination, Chateau de Chambord. It was about 11:30AM, we got off the bus and proceeded to the castle. It was foggy and misty. The road to the castle was muddy. We had to walk around to the back to enter the facility. The tour took us around the main floor and part of the second. The castle was chilly, but the staff started lighting fire in some of the fireplaces. Tracy and I went on the top deck for pictures of the scenery. We left the castle and went hunting for something warm to drink. We went to the shops near the entrance of the property. We found a shop that sold coffee and hot chocolate. We walk further down and found a shop that specialized in homemade cookies. They had samples out for the 20 or so varieties they sold. They were so good I purchased two boxes. We left for our second castle but stopped for lunch first. We had a wonderful turkey meal with the best green beans I have had in awhile. However, the appetizer was fish, Tracy said it was pretty good. The desert was some apple thing that was very good. There was a woman on our bus that was using a walker, we sat by her at lunch and discovered that she had level 4 breast cancer. She was in very good spirits. Our second castle stop was at Château de Cheverny, we arrived at 1:45PM. This is a chateau not a castle thou the French word chateau means castle. Took plenty of pictures inside and a few of the grounds. Tracy took pictures of the hunting dogs. We spent some time in the souvenir shop. We arrived at the last stop around 5PM, Chenonceau Castle. It was a long walk to the castle and it started raining so I didn’t get many pictures outside. I was surprised that we were able to take pictures inside the castles. Not like Austria or Germany where no pictures were allowed. When we arrived back in Paris, it was raining. We took the Metro back to the hotel. We went walking through the neighborhood looking for a place to buy food and drinks for Christmas day thinking that nothing will be opened. We went to several shops and grocery stores and picked up a lot of stuff. We ended up having dinner at a brasserie called The Gymnasium. The place was empty so we grabbed a table with four seats. The server waited us to sit at a table for two, which at the time we did not understand. We said we would move if it was an issue but he let us stay. We ordered steak, Tracy said she had not had steak in 20 years or so. The steak was mediocre at best. Too bad it was not better for her first steak in so long. Back at the hotel, we had a good time today.

France 2009 - Our first full day in Paris

Got up around 9AM. We went downstairs for breakfast. No one asked for our room number so it was free this morning. Tracy check on her bags, no information. We time tested the Metro for tomorrow mornings run to the tour rendezvous point. We went to the Metro station and could not figure out the ticket system. We ended up going back to the hotel, they told us it was one of the other stops that had ticket kiosk. We purchased 10 tickets each, which is a preferred way to go since its pay as you go not based on time. Then we took the Metro to the Tulleries stop, route 8 to Concorde then route 1. After our test run we decided to check out the hood. We went to a Starbucks, I got a Chocolate Cheery Late and Tracy went across the street for a soda at McDonald's. We located the Red Hop-on-Hop-off tour stop and jumped on for a trip around Paris. Though it is winter, the bus was an open top. The weather was not bad, though Tracy had to head down to the closed cab toward the end of the ride. We got off at the Trocadero stop, which is across from the Eiffel Tower. We found a nice Café on the roundabout. I had a large quiche lauran. Tracy had onion soup and a cheese plate. We proceeded to the Eiffel Tower but the lines were too long so we just took pictures. We decided to go back to the hotel. It was hard trying to find a Metro station. We ended up finding one near the Champs E’lysses, FDR stop. We had a drink in the hotel bar and told a break in the room. That evening we asked the hotel where we could arrange for Christmas dinner. They suggested Julien’s, we went down and made reservations. We went to the pharmacy next to the restaurant. We picked up a few items that we needed. We swung into a corner café for a baguette sandwich and wine.

France 2009 - Where is Tracy?

Got up at 6AM a little tired but refreshed. I had a great sleeping night; the bed is more comfortable than I thought. Went down and had breakfast around 6:30. Nice restaurant the buffet is well stocked.
Tracy was scheduled to arrive at 1:10PM this afternoon. She sent a text message saying that her flight was delayed by 15 hours. In a panic, I checked the websites and found out the flight was only delayed by 3 hours. She gets in around 10:30AM, her flight to Paris leaves at noon according to the Frankfurt Airport website, the Lufthansa website says it leaves at 1:30PM. Either way she should make the connection and be at the hotel by 3PM……. Now that I think about it, she said a few days ago that her rescheduled flight puts her in Frankfurt at 10:30.
Tracy landed in Frankfurt and made it to the next gate. Her flight to Paris was delayed by an hour, but she’s in the air. I went out several times today, checking out the hood. Sooo many restaurants. I timed the trip to the Metro that we need to take for the attractions near the Seine. 10 minutes. Tracy landed at 2PM, she needs to find her luggage, and she said the airport couldn’t find it. I met her in the lobby, we went to the room and she unpacked her carry-on. I said I was going to need to purchase better gloves, she gave me the only xmas gift in her bag, a pair of gloves and a scarf. After she got settled we went out walking through the neighborhood. We found a place that sold hairbrushes since both of us forgot ours. We were looking for a place to eat, we ended up at the HRC. After dinner, I bought HRC gear in the shop. On the way back to the hotel, we swung by a shop for a bottle of wine, then another place for pastries. In the room we had our snacks and got reacquainted.

France 2009 - 35 Hour Commute

continued from the previous post....The plane reached Paris in 3.5 hours. We came in for a landing but had two missed approaches because of low heavy fog. However, the city was clear. We diverted to Brussels and landed around 3AM. There were many other planes on the tarmac presumably from other diverted flights. We were instructed to go through passport control then to baggage claim. We waited and hour and a half for the luggage to arrive. We were then escorted to the Afriqiyah info desk. We were handed vouchers for breakfast, 6€. Enough for a croissant and juice. The empty check in counters already had passengers lined up to check-in to their flights. Must be the diverted passengers from last night. Easily a 1,000 passengers were in the ticketing area waiting for the check-in counters to open. We waited for 4 hours and then were told that we might be on a flight or a bus to Paris. I thought of taking TGV on my own dime. At around 7AM we headed to the trains on the bottom floor were our Afriqiyah guide handed out train tickets to the main station in Brussels. We all eventually met up at the info desk by the TGV and TGH trains. It was very cold, my new winter leather coat will need help to keep me warm. Good thing I packed a jumper. We kept looking for or guide, around 9AM someone located him at the ticket counter buying tickets for everyone. I went over and there was a line of passengers clambering for tickets. I got mine, it was for the 10:15AM TGH to Paris Nord station, which is only a kilometer from the hotel. I checked the departure board and the train was 45 minutes late. We hung around the waiting room, tickets were spread over different trains and destinations. Some people got TGV tickets to the CDG airport. I lucked out getting the Paris train. The train finally arrived at 11:15. It took a minute to remember how the trains work, no conductor to help out. Boarded and someone was in my seat. They explained in broken English that there are on assigned seats before 6PM. They must have thought typical American. I found an empty seat a settled in. The train sat at the platform for an hour. I was thinking, what else could go wrong? The train ride was 1.5 hours. I took a few catnaps, we arrived at the Paris Nord station about 2PM. I went to the taxi station and got a ride to the hotel, only 10€ with tip. Checked in, sent updated emails, ate a few snacks from the room, took a shower and went to bed. After four hours of sleep, I woke up at 9PM. I updated my food dairy enters and update the journal. Back to bed. I was up for 35 hours with a total of about 4 hours worth of catnaps. The funny thing is I’m not that tiered but can still sleep.

France 2009 - Delays

I got up and went to check on Tracy’s progress. I had several text messages from her. Her flight was canceled. She was up and wanted to Skype. She was very upset and needed to talk. Not only did she miss the flight but plan B, the LHR flight was canceled too. They said the next flights were not until the 24th. That sucks! However, she was working on a plan for a flight tonight; she would have to bump up to Envoy class.
I had issues as well, I arrived at TIP around 7:30AM. No sign for the Paris flight, just Amsterdam. I found out that there was a delay until 1PM. Not only that, there were delays on three other Afriqiyah flights, that’s strange. I heard it was caused by the bad weather in Europe. The flight out of Europe had long delays, though the pilots exceeded their allowed time in the cockpit and needed to rest for eight hours or so. The first flight to leave was at 1PM, the flight to Rome. The next flight was at 3:30PM to London. I’m waiting my turn……
Though Tracy’s cell phone battery is running low, we have been able to texted each other. She is booked to arrive at 10PM Tuesday. That means I’ll have all day Monday and most of the day Tuesday to myself. She called the hotel to let them know I will be late. She is on the phone with Lufthansa about her final leg into Paris.
The ticket counters are finally open for our flight. I'm now ticketed! The news was that the plane had just left Paris on its way to TIP. That was at 4:30PM, three-hour flight and hour to turn it around and three hours back to Paris and an hour to get through the airport and to the hotel. That should put me in the hotel by 11:30PM. Tracy’s cell phone died and her charger is in her luggage at the airport. Bummer, we cannot chat while we both wait.
I paid 20LYD to get into the business lounge. The waiting room was full and I wanted to relax a bit, free drink and food. Internet too but I need a key. Finally have a departure time of 10:15PM. We started boarding at 9:15. We sat in the plane at the gate for an hour or so, took off at 11PM. They severed a nice beef dinner. I slept for about an hour.  see next post.....

Big Philly Snowstorm

What a day, I chatted with Tracy all day. We were monitoring the big storm hitting the East coast. At first it looked like everything would work out. The plane she was scheduled to take had left Paris and in route to PHL. It was scheduled to land around 4PM. I checked it and the flight was diverted to Pittsburgh. She had left for her parent’s house to drop off the dog and have dinner. I went to bed.

December, 2009 - Day before Paris

Woke up and found out that the Internet had been down since around 2AM. I installed the new WiMax and it worked. Had breakfast with Gareth and Troy. We took a van to Gharyan to purchase ceramic pots. We got back just before 1PM. The Internet was still down, I went to the server room to see if I could reboot the system. I called Haitham to see if he could come over and look at it. He had just waked up so Troy and I headed to Chinese. Got back and Haitham had just arrived. We fiddled with the system for an hour. Just as we gave up the system came back on. Three hours later, I received a call and the system was down again. This time we told the vendor to come out and fix it. I made coffee with the French press I receive last year. It tastes a bit better than through the coffee maker. The vendor showed up just as I finished dinner. The system it still up. I checked the weather, Philly will be hit with a snowstorm tomorrow-just when Tracy is leaving for Paris. She should be able to leave close to on-time in my opinion.

Malta, December 2009 - Visa pickup - back to Tripoli

Got up around 8AM and had breakfast. Met Juan in the lobby, we went out to do some grocery shopping. Picked up bacon, cheese, butter and chocolate. I went back out to find a ATM machine to pull money out for Paris. I also went into the health food store and bought some dried fruit. Got back and packed. Then I went to another store to by deodorant, hot sauce and Colman’s mustard. I went down to collect my Visa, Laura, Micheal and Juan was already down there. Laura and Micheal had their bags, they were leaving early to hang out in the business lounge. I thought that was a great idea so I check out. We went to the bar to wait for the Visa. We received them then waited on the driver. Made it to the airport, checked in and preceded to the lounge. Got back home by 9PM and had a cheese croissant.

Malta, December 2009 - Busy Day

Got up around 7AM and had breakfast. The place was empty. I went back to the room and checked emails then upgraded my US Air flight from LHR to PHL. The PHL to LHR leg had no available upgrades yet. They charged me the full 30,000 miles. I need to verify what the rules are. The agent said that I had to upgrade at the time I purchase the tickets. That’s a bunch of baloney. I went downstairs to get my bi-monthly haircut. Called Juan around 11AM, he was outside walking around. Therefore, I met him downstairs and we went to the harbor in Sliema. We found a shoe shop where he bought shoes for his wife. We got to the ferry and we were 45 minutes early so we walked back to the hotel. I decided to take a 45-minute break to check emails. I swung by the concierge to get stamps for the post cards. When I got to the room the internet connection was down and would not connect. I met back up with Juan after I dropped off the post cards. We took the bus to Valletta. Then walked down to the Hard Rock Bar. As we sat down it starting raining and got a bit chilly, good thing, I had my new coat. After we ate I wanted to buy some HRC gear, when we got in we noticed a few AECOMers. Small world. While we were at the HRC we both received calls that our Visas were ready and they will be dropped off tomorrow at the hotel. Walked through Valletta and took the ferry back to Selma then walked back to the hotel. I went downstairs to check up on emails then back to the room for a small nap. When I woke up the internet connect was working again. Micheal called about dinner at the Indian restaurant, I said that Juan was not up for that and we would do our own thing. After that call I phoned Juan inquiring about dinner, he said that he was skipping dinner. I started to go out on my own then decided to call Micheal back, they had not left and said to join them at 8PM. We went to the Indian restaurant over by the Bay Street Shops. It was awesome, the food was excellent and the wine was great. We headed back and it started raining so we ducked into an Irish bar for a few drinks. When it stopped raining, we headed back to the hotel. We went to the bar, had a few more drinks, and chatted until 2AM.

Malta, December 2009 - Visa trip to Malta - FREE

Seven of us were on the flight, we stayed in the business lounge at TIP. It was better than I thought. At the Malta airport, the FMC folks were waiting for us. We got or phones and handed over our passports and documentation. Juan and I were the only two staying at the Le Meridien. The front desk girl was there again as usual, I forgot her name. She welcomed me and remembered my name, that’s a plus. Juan and I met up around 3PM, I gave him a brief tour of the area. We ate at one of the outdoor café on the bay. Then we went into the small outlet mall on the hill. I ended up buying more presents for Tracy, Medina glass. In addition, I noticed a men’s clothing store and that everything was 50% off. I saw a leather jacket marked at 99€. I tried on a few and the XL fit like a glove. A bit snug but comfortable. We got back to the hotel around 6ish or so, with plans to meet downstairs around 8PM. In the room, Tom called and wanted to know the dinner plans so we decided on 7PM at Buffalo Bills. We met and had great steaks. During dinner, Micheal called and said that him and Laura were eating at Zest and would meet up around 9PM in the hotel bar. They arrived and chose to stay in the bar and chat. I got to my hotel room around 1:30AM.

Austria, November 2009 - Last day in Vienna, back to Tripoli

Tracy and I got up around 5:30AM went to the lobby around 6:30 to wait on our cab which the hotel arranged for us the night before. The fare was only 33€ for the two of us vs the 60€ for one car using the online system. We got to the airport in plenty of time, checked in with no hassles. We walked to her gate, had tea at a café. Said our goodbyes when her gate opened. I walked down to my gate and popped into a quiet area to work on the journal. Arrived back at Tripoli on time.  Less than 30 days before we meet again in Paris for the holidays.

Hungary 2009 - Day Trip in Budapest

Got up at 5:30AM to get ready for the 6:30 pickup. The weather forecast was cold a rainy. On the bus ride, it looked like it might start to clear up. We drove through Budapest then stopped for a small photo break at the Millennium Monument then went to lunch at a hotel. Lunch was pretty good, Wiener Schnitzel. I had a good local lager with the meal. Next, we drove across the river and up to the hill to "Buda" for a walking tour in Watertown. It started raining so picture taking was minimal. Ironically, it stopped raining when we got back to the city "Pest". We were giving almost three hours to walk around on our own. The sun came out and was a beautiful sunset. Tracy and I went to the recommended café for coffee and cake. We walked around took pictures and went shopping. We ended up at the Le Merieden in the nice bar for a drink before heading to the bus. It was a long ride back to Vienna but we had a good time together. When we got back to the hotel we freshen up and went out to find an Italian restaurant for a pasta dinner. We found one close by, Tracy got her seafood pasta and I ordered a steak.

Austria, November 2009 - Chai Latte & Pater Ferris Wheel

Started with a big breakfast at the hotel again. The weather was cold a cloudy. We went walking through the city, started at Starbucks for a Chai Latte. Proceeded on to the Anker Clock to watch it at Noon. Not worth the wait. We went to the camera shop we found on the late night walk last night. We started walking to the Pater Ferris Wheel. Both of us were starting to get trusty so we popped into an Italian restaurant. I ordered a beer or two and Tracy had wine and a tea. After we wet our whistle, we continued our walk to the Pater Ferris Wheel and took a ride After we got off the weather started to clear. We took two U trains back to the hotel. We went back to the 1516 for dinner so Tracy can have her Wiener Schnitzel. This time we ordered the apple strudel for desert. Afterwards we went chocolate shopping and discovered that the remaining xmas light were finally on. I took a wrong turn somewhere and got lost for a few minutes until I got my bearings. We went back to the hotel had chocolate and Champagne. We played French-speaking games from my computer.

Austria, November 2009 - Thanksgiven 1516

Weather started cloudy but the sun came out for the rest of the day. Started with a big breakfast at the hotel. Went to the Albertina Art Museum as soon as they opened. After a tour of the museum, we walked over to the Butterfly house building and had a nice break in the café before we went into the Butterfly House. Then we went to the xmas village across the street for awhile before heading back to the hotel. Skyped the family in Florida, everyone was able to speak to Tracy. We then Skyped Tracy’s parents. After our calls it was time for our late lunch, we went to 1516 for the Thanksgiving meal.  It was just like being at home, the turkey was cooked perfect and we had all of the traditional sides.  I thought I was back home.  After the meal, we went back to the hotel. In the evening, we went on a walk through the city. Also, we went to the Bellevue Palace for night photos. As soon as we arrived, we only had time for a few pictures before they closed down the place.

Austria, November 2009 - Happy Birthday to me! - Danube Valley day trip

Birthday! Weather started cloudy but the sun came out for the rest of the day. Tracy was not felling well in the morning because she had too much wine last night. Danube Valley Tour took us North West to a nice hilly area (Kerms An Der Donau in the Wachau Valley) where we were able to walk around a small village and take pictures. We stopped at an outdoor cafe for some tea. Tracy started to feel better. We then headed further out to Melk, Austria where we had lunch. Tracy and I sat at our own table and finished before everyone else so we walked up the hill and took in the scenery. Next stop was the Benedictine Abbey for a tour of the place. Then back home and discovered that the hotel had brought a birthday cake and Champagne to the room..

Austria, November 2009 - Schonbrun Palace & Night tour of Vienna

Weather started cloudy but the sun came out for the rest of the day. Had breakfast at the Anker café near the hotel. Took the U4 to the Schonbrun Palace. Went on the tour of the palace. Went through the cast iron green house. Had lunch at the Glorietta on the hill of the palace grounds. We toured the xmas shops that were setup in the front of the palace. Bought a wine sample kit, which came with three local wines. I had a mulled wine with baileys. Afterwards took the U4 and headed back to the hotel. We had a trip planned for the Night Tour of Vienna that took us to the new city were we went up on the Danube Tower for evening pictures. My photos did not come out. I had no tripod so everything was bury. The wind was very strong. Then we went north of the city to the hills where we had a small dinner of potatoes and bread and sampled some wine. Tracy and I went across the street to a local bar for a private drink. We met up with the tour group and headed home. Had two bottles of wine before bed.

Austria, November 2009 - First full day in Vienna

Weather started cloudy but the sun came out for the rest of the day. We had breakfast at a café in the Best Western. Nice place but creepy waiter. Walked over to the Albertina Art Museum to see what time they opened and checked out prices. Went on the Red Tour Bus city tour. Screaming baby on board, you have to be kidding. Bought ice-wine at the only stop on the tour. It was an out-of-the-way alley with shops. The attraction was the way the houses were built. Very artsy with trees growing out of the walls. Beautiful day despite the weather forecast. Had lunch at the pizza place that Troy and I went to the first time I was in Vienna. Walked over to a xmas cabana across the street from where we had lunch. Tracy and I both had mulled wine and pastries. Walked back to hotel, stopped and picked up cheese and meat at a xmas hut near the Opera House. Then we went to a grocery store and bought Champagne. Had dinner in the hotel with the goodies we pick upped.

Austria, November 2009 - Back in Vienna with Tracy

Left work for the airport around 2PM. Arrived in Vienna around 6PM. When the plane landed I texted Tracy to let her know I arrived. Got to the Intercontinental around 7PM. I picked up the room key that Tracy had left at the desk and went up. We got reacquainted and I unpacked. We were both hungry so decided to walk around, and ended up at 1516, I had Wiener Schnitzel. We noticed that 1516 was offering Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday so Tracy and I book dinner for Thanksgiving 3PM. Walked around a bit then went back to the hotel.

Malta, October 2009 - Last day

Had breakfast at the hotel again this morning. Walked to Sliema and took the ferry over to Valletta looking for the HRC. I made it to the docks but went in the wrong direction. I’ll have to try again in December. Got to the hotel in time to Skype Tracy. Had lunch across the street at one of the outdoor café’s on the water. Went shopping but all of the shops were closed and the grocery store had just locked the door. Oh well! Went back to the hotel and packed. My driver arrived and headed to the airport. Check-in and went up to the business lounge. My flight was delayed by two hours but I did not realize it when I was in the Business class lounge. Oh well blew that one. The flight was originally to take off at 6PM, we left at 8PM. Landed around 10PM, got back to the GH and went to bed.

Malta, October 2009 - North Malta Tour

Had breakfast at the hotel again this morning. I did the hop-on hop-off north tour. Really great, I saw places I had never been, including the Mosta Dome, Mgarr and the Golden Bay. Got back in around 2PM. I started walking back to the hotel and decided to have lunch at the Tex-Mex restaurant. Back at the hotel, I Skyped Tracy from the business center because the Internet connection in the room did not work. The connection started working around 7PM and I was able to Skype Mon and Dad. Started working on the photos. Got a hold of Teresa, she and the kids will be leaving Tripoli on Wednesday. For dinner, I just had snacks and drinks.

Malta, October 2009 - Blue Grotto

Got up and had breakfast in the hotel. I had arranged for a half-day tour to the southwest part of the island, mostly to see the Blue Grotto. The tour included, Marsaxlokk, the temples and the Blue Grotto. It ended up being a full day tour. Lunch was included with the tour but we were at a fish restaurant, I ended up an omelet (that’s two in one day). I waited in the hotel bar to see if anyone would show up. I just had brochette in the hotel bar for dinner. James walked over and told me about Joe the night before. Apparently, he got rip roaring drunk and hopped on a plane back to Tripoli, somehow made it through passport control and back to his villa and destroyed it. TGS stop the police from throwing him in jail. Peggy and John decided to send him home and off the project. This happened about the time I ran into Teresa and the kids last night. She was shocked.

Malta, October 2009 - Leaving Libya behind

Left for Malta around 3PM. Lot of peeps on my flight, Tim, the Shanks, and one other. David and Micheal were already here. Tim made the contact for dinner. We were to met at 7:30 in the lobby. Well I waited but on one showed up. I remembered that David likes staying at the Intercontinental. Therefore, I walked over there thinking that Tim got the hotels wrong. In front of that hotel, I ran into Teresa and the kids. I headed back to my hotel and ate dinner at Bonichelles near the hotel. As I was getting ready to leave, I saw the guys across the street walking towards Paceville. I snuck up behind them and surprised them. We ended up going to a nightclub. Stayed for a few hours then Tim waited to go to a club we when and stayed for a short while I left him there and I got to the hotel around 3AM.

Poland 2009 - Back to Tripoli, goodbye Warsaw

Got up at 3:30AM, took a shower and met Troy in the lobby at 4AM. The driver never showed up so we took a cab. Arrived at Amsterdam on time. Arrived at Tripoli on time. I was stuck between two families with kids/babies. I hate that! Made it back in one piece.

Poland 2009 - Brew with Andrzej

Troy and I met in the lobby with Andrzej around 10AM. We went back to the Old Town with Andrzej as our tour guide.  He grow up here and loved showing us his city.  We had lunch and many beers while talking about Poland. He had to take off for a doctor appointment so Troy and I went to the War museum but it was closed today. We walked around the outside and took photos of the aircraft and tanks. We hung out for a while then went back to the hotel. Had dinner at the Mexican place and I was able to get my free glass. Back at the hotel, we were to meet backup with Claudia. She arrived a bit late. We hung out until midnight or so.

Poland 2009 - Krakow day trip

We met the transportation person in the lobby around 7AM, he took us to the train station and we waiting for the train to Krakow. There were several other people on tour. Our first class cabin was good and no one else was in there with us. We arrived on time in Krakow three hours later. The travel guide met us on the platform, Anita. We went to the van and had two other travels with us who had their own guide. The couple had lived in Philly. We took off for the Salt Mines. Our guide picked up the tickets and waited for the gates to open. We went on the tour with a larger group. It took almost three hours and we walked underground for nearly three kilometers. After the tour our guide met us outside, we all hopped on the van had headed to the Jewish Quarter. The three of us sat at an outdoor café and had lunch. Then we proceeded on our tour of the city. I took many pictures but ran out of steam at the end and did not take any of the town square. I told our guide I wanted to do some shopping she was into that. That’s the advantage of having a private guide. After buying presents at the Amber shop, we found a small café to have coffee and a brewsky. We ventured on to the town square were the HRC café is located. This wrapped up our tour, our guide walked us to the train station to see us off. We got back to Warsaw a bit late and our driver was there to pick us up. Back at the hotel just had a brew then to bed.

Poland 2009 - Old Town Journey

Went down to make a haircut appointment for 10AM. Got the cut. Around 11AM I went to the lobby to meet Troy after about 15 minutes I went looking for him, he was on the other side talking to a Mexican girl. Her name was Claudia and from Dallas. Troy invited her along for our Old Town journey. We decided to take public transportation. It work out pretty well, had a few “where are we moments” but my since of direction paid off. We saw the changing of the guards at the soldier memorial. Traced our path to where the foot tour started and then headed in the other direction. We found an outdoor café and had lunch. We then started walking down to the Old Town Square taking many pictures. We went in to a few shops and found a Mexican restaurant but they did not let us in. Therefore, we found another outdoor café for a beer. It was time to head back we decided to take the tram. The one we hopped on was going the wrong way so we hopped on another. This one was going the wrong way and we ended up right where we started. Three times a charm. This one took us to the main road and back to the hotel. We ate at the Mexican restaurant by the hotel again.

Poland 2009 - My Bag Arrived!

Met Troy for breakfast, afterward we went up stairs but I noticed my bag at the front desk. With joy I grab the bag and headed up stairs to change and unpack. Met Troy at the lobby for the Warsaw tour. Ran into one other person that was signed up, he was from China and very friendly. We ended up with four from the hotel. The dude from China was a professor with a PHD in Engineering; the other was a Physicist from Spain. (Wow, the type of people I admire surrounds me!) We arrived at the entrance to a large park and met up with a couple for a total of six people. I was blown away from the absolute beauty of the landscape! I had always picture Poland and all other Eastern Block Countries as gray and dark. I guess that’s the US propaganda against the former Soviet Union. I must bring Tracy here! At this time of year, it is very awesome. Chopin's monument was in this park we then visited other historical sites such as the Ghetto Memorial, the Monument of Warsaw Uprising, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Grand Theatre,
the Belvedere Palace and ended in Old Town were we started a walking tour passing by the Castle Square, King Sigismund's Column, St. John's Cathedral, the Old Town Market Square and the Barbican.  So far, I have taken 350 photos.

Poland 2009 - First day in Warsaw

Started the day at the breakfast buffet, Troy showed up 15 minutes later. After breakfast we headed out to scope out the neighborhood and walk up to the new city center. We finally found the HRC after completely walking around it. Disappointed though, they did not have any glassware. Moreover, they said the point system is not in place. I’ll need to check on that. We ended up sitting outside and drank a few brew, enjoyed the sunshine and the views. We took a tour of the huge mall then started walking back to the hotel, we stopped at a Tex-Mex place and had lunch. It was pretty good, had a few brews and a enchilada. Got back to the hotel and Troy’s luggage made it back but mine did not. I called KLM they said it did not make the 11AM plane but should be on the 5PM flight. Around 2PM we met up with Andrzej for a traditional Polish meal and drinks (I mean beer). That was great! However, very unhealthy. We went back to the hotel, I Skype Tracy and chatted for a while, then took a nap. At 8PM, I called KLM back and they said the bag did not make the flight. You have to be kidding! They said maybe tomorrow’s 11AM flight. Then met up with Troy at the hotel bar and had a light dinner then went for a walk about through the city. We ran into several groups of people that we have met during our stay. We then went to the other hotel bar for a nightcap.

Poland 2009 - Off to Warsaw!

The TIP airport was swamped but made it to the plane just fine. There was a van leaving the office every half hour from noon until 3PM. Our flight to Amsterdam had seven employees on it. The KLM business lounge was great, Troy is a gold member and was able to get me in as a guest. Getting to the lounge took forever. The airport in so big. The flight to Amsterdam was packed, the flight to Warsaw was only a quarter filled.   I wish I had my camera out for the beginning of the Warsaw flight, we had a beautify sunset, pink, orange and blue!  Made it to Warsaw in one piece. However, our baggage was lost somewhere in Amsterdam, which doesn’t make since. We had a 90-minute layover, if the bags were lost I would have thought it would have happened in Tripoli because of the mass departure out of the country for the Eid holiday.   Checked-in, no issues, had a few appetizers and drinks with Troy at the hotel bar before going to bed at 2AM.

Philly, September 2009 - Back in Libya via Roma

Arrived at Roma a bit early, which helped. I went through passport control, only took 15 minutes this time. It took awhile to find the check in counter, first time in the Roma airport. However, everything worked out. I was able to get to the gate with 45 minutes to spare. While waiting I decided to leave Tracy a voice mail, but she ended up answering the phone. It was 3:30AM her time, I apologized and told her I made it and was able to make my connection. The plane was only a quarter full. We landing at TIP on time got back to the GH with no issues.
I’m lost in time. All day today, I thought it was Friday. When I started to get caught up on my food diary and daily journal the days were not working out until I noticed my computer had Thursday on the status bar. Even going up for dinner I did not realize it was Thursday. In my daily email to Tracy, I mentioned that we need to sit down and come up with a plan to meet somewhere ever 60 days or so. I was thinking that since her business travels start in spring that I could met up with her during the Spring and Summer. That should work until I go home for good. It would work something like this. I would fly into Philly and stay for a day or two. Then fly to wherever she is working for the weekend, and then we both fly back to Philly together for so many days before I go back to Tripoli.

Philly, September 2009 - Going back to Africa, Sad but True

Tracy did not want to get out of bed, she hit the snooze button many times knowing that this was the last time she will see me until Vienna. She got ready for work, we said our goodbyes. I headed to the house for a final clean up. When I arrived, I realized that I did not bring the keys. Yes again, that’s the third time on this trip. I had too quickly come up with another plan. Therefore, I drove all the way back to Tracy’s picked up the key then headed to Joe’s. We went to the General Lafayette for lunch. After lunch we hung out for a hour or so. I went back to my house to mow the lawn and to lock up for who knows how long. Took a shower and headed back to Tracy’s to drop off the keys and pick up my bags. I left Tracy a nice note for her when she gets home. Off to the airport. I was able to get bumped to first class, yea! Tracy had called while I was checking in. I called her as soon as I got to the Envoy lounge. We had a nice little chat before I boarded the plane. Took off on time.

Philly, September 2009 - No House Sitter

Tracy’s first day at work this week. I got up with her we went to DD for my coffee before she left for work. I got ready to go out for the day, I couldn’t get Rygel to go to his cage so I called Tracy to make sure it was okay for me to leave him out. I had scheduled to meet Jodi today at 3PM. I went to lunch with Gret and Joe at Sqoogies and dropped off Cleo. Cleo took to the place very well. I headed back to my house, around 3:30PM Jodi called and bailed on me, she changed her mind about house sitting, boy that sucks. I went back to Tracy’s place. Her dad had been to the house and put Rygel into his cage. I took Rygel for a walk around the neighborhood. We ordered pizza and picked up a bottle of Champagne for our final night together. We dropped off Rygel at Tracy’s parent house. I met Tracy’s dad and showed them pictures of our week. He did remember me from 15 years ago.

Philly, September 2009 - The Broad Axe

Never heard from Jodi (Karen’s friend) so I will try again tomorrow. She is the one that offered to house sit for me.  Tracy and I went to Ikea to purchase a small dresser for the second bedroom. After the Ikea run, we headed to the house. Tracy put the dresser together while I worked on the back yard. We had Tracy’s homemade chili and cornbread for lunch. That was very good. And I had a Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale.  One of my favorite beers.  We cleaned up and went back over to Joe and Gret’s house. We made plans to go to The Broad Axe for dinner. We had a great time, Joe and I took advantage of the great beer selection. And yes, all of you beer connoisseurs, the bottle between Joe and I is a Blithering Idiot by Weyerbacher Brewing Co. The question is, which is the real blithering idiot? Went back to their place to hang out a bit. They agreed to keep Cleo (my 15 year old cat) for me. What a relief. Karina (Joe & Grets daughter) gave Tracy the third degree about me and her going out.

Philly, September 2009 - Longwood Gardens Fireworks

Tracy and I decided to have brunch at Brodeur’s on State Street in Media. We went shopping then back to my house to pick up the camera stuff I left there. We got half way up on I-476 before I realized that I left my keys back at Tracy’s, not again! We headed to the airport so could pick up my rental car for the week. Then we headed to Longwood Gardens for fireworks. Stopped by a restaurant called Gable’s in Kenneth Square, had wine, and cheese, calamari appetizers, and the bread. The place was packed but managed to get good seats at the back middle section. LWG was packed. We totted our lawn chairs and my camera into the gardens. We were looking for a decent spot but all of the areas were full. An attendant spotted us and found a good spot right in the middle of everything. We setup shop and waited for the show to begin. The fireworks were wonderful. Had a long walk back to the car, and then had to wait to leave the property, lot of cars. They diverted our traffic a few miles out of the way in the wrong direction. Got home and had a few mimosas. We had another romantic night

Philly, September 2009 - Slappers

Got up and decided to make crab cake Omelet’s for the two of us, um! We headed back to my house for more cleaning. We went back to Tracy’s house and took a much deserved nap. We skipped lunch, and went over to the Slapper’s in the late afternoon. We had dinner and spent the evening over there hanging out in the back yard. We had a very nice night together. Moreover, she  was very happy that she was able to find me available after all these years.

Philly, September 2009 - Friday Night Flights

We headed up to my neck of woods, I want to see what the house looked like after kicking my previous house watcher out. First breakfast, we swung by the Dining Car Diner that Tracy saw on the food network. It was very good. I forgot the house keys so we had to head back to her house to pick them up. That was a bonehead move. We went to Lowes for cleaning supplies. Then we went to my house to start the clean up.  After a few hours of house cleaning we headed back to her place and got ready for dinner in old city. We took the train to Center City and the El to old city. We arrived at the “The Penn’s Hotel”. We went to the restaurant called “Il Bar” “Ristorante Panorama”. We were going to do the Friday night Flights but showed up an hour late so we sat at the bar and had three flights of wine. We also ordered a cheese flight and a pasta dish. Very romantic. We decided to skip the El and walked back to Center City. On the way back, Tracy took me up to the 33rd floor of the Lowes Hotel. A very nice view. We made it back to her place and settled in for a romantic night.

Philly, September 2009 - Heading back home for a week

Got up a 4AM, heading to the airport. No layover straight to FCO (Roma) via Alitalia, had 60 minutes to find the USAir counter then off to Philly. Business class, the only way to flight overseas. I do spoil myself. I arrived on time, picked up my bags made it through customs and to the Meet & Greet but no Tracy. I called her to see where she was at, she was on her way. She arrived 5 minutes later. She jumped out of car and gave me a big hung. Got home unpacked and relaxed a bit. We decided to have dinner at home, she made crab cakes and a veggie dish. Then we retire to upstairs to get reacquainted.

Philly, July 2009 - Heading back to Tripoli

Arrived in London around 11AM, went through customs, got my bag and headed to the buses. Waited forever for the right bus. Got to the hotel, checked in and had lunch. Checked emails then went to bed early. Received a message from Tracy, she made it back from her CA trip. She had started looking for things to do when we are in Paris.

Philly, July 2009 - Heading to the UK

Started to wrap up packing. Joe called and wanted to get together for lunch. I showed up around noon. I gave Gretchen one of my Malta glass globes. She was very pleased to receive it. Joe and I went to the Broad Axe Tavern. Then we went to a place at the Plymouth Meeting Mall. I headed home to finish packing and swung by CVS to get the last of my coffee and soap. When I got home, Tracy had replied to last night’s email. Tracy had sent a message saying she arrive in Anaheim with no issues and gave me an update on her day. In a second message she said, “That was a perfect night!” talking about Monday night. She ended the email with XOXO. Kindya makes me feel good. Her flight from CA leaves about the same time mine does. I left for the airport at 7:30PM, checked in with no issues. My bag weighed in at 43lbs. Nevertheless, there is no charge for envoy class. I headed to the Envoy club to relax until the plane started boarding. They called my flight and as soon as I reached the gate, they started the boarding process for Envoy class. We had clear skies and a full moon. The reflection off the water was beautiful.

Philly, July 2009 -

After getting home around 2:30AM this morning I ended up sleeping until 10:30AM. Started packing. I just watched TV and worked on the AECOM Email. I ended up paying for the DHL shipment it was $277. Apparently, I was over by $877 from the two previous shipments. I sent Tracy an email before going to bed

Philly, July 2009 - Dinner with Tracy

Did the DD thing, as usual. Washed cloths in the morning. Went to the Verizon Wireless dealer near the house. They did not have the small International cell phone I wanted. Therefore, I went to the store on Red Lion Rd. They did not have the small phone ether. I ended up getting a Crackberry with the $95/month charge. Got home and played around with the new BB. Got ready for my dinner date with Tracy. I headed to the Broad Axe Tavern around 5:15, I arrived at 5:45 and Tracy was already at the bar drinking a glass of wine. We had a few more then got a high top table for dinner (she likes the high top tables). Once again, we talked for about three hours. We decided to meet in Paris for her birthday and Christmas extending through New Years. We also decided to met somewhere in Europe in the November time frame. The tavern was dying down so we wanted to go somewhere else. I suggested the Valley Forge Park. She drove to the park as I navigated. We got twisted around inside the park mostly because it was dark and some of the roads were closed. We drove back around a found a parking spot. We walked over to the large monument, could not believe all of the deer we saw. We sat on a bench and she cuddled next to me. After a while (hours I think). I said lets go for a walk. We walked up the trails for a mile or so holding hands. We stopped at the GW statue and glazed at the moon, it was a full moon. She hugged me from behind and never let go. We walked back to car and drove back to the tavern so I could get my car. We hugged for a long time again, she said she did not want to let go. She was leaving on a trip tomorrow and we would not see each other until November

Philly, July 2009 - Lunch with Tracy

Got up had my DD and prepared for my trip to Media. Just before noon, I arrived at Brodeur’s in Media. I was a bit early and sat at the bar near the front door. Tracy came in I recognized her immediately, she had not changed much in 15 years. We sat at a table outside on the patio. We talked for over three hours. It was just as if we never drifted apart. She was married for number of years of which only a few were good. She had kept her married name,  but was thinking of changing it back to Blithe. Afterwards we went riding around in her convertible. She dropped me off at my car we hung out for a while and made plans for after work Monday. She gave me a big hug I did not think she was going to let go. She said that if I ever need a travel companion in Europe to give her a shout. I sent her an email tonight saying how much I enjoyed seeing her again and suggested a place for tomorrow night. I suggested that she open a Skype account so we could talk when I go back to Libya

Philly, July 2009 - 4th of July!

Made plans to hang out with the Slapinsky’s all day. After morning coffee I went over around 9ish. We picked treats at DD and went over to Mike & Carol’s. Once we gathered everyone, we walked a few blocks and pick a good spot for the parade. I took many photos and had a good time. It started to get warm so we headed back to the Slapper’s pad. We BBQ hung out a chilled the rest of the day.

Philly, July 2009 - Visiting the Slapinsky's

I took the trains down to the airport to pick up my car rental for the rest of my stay. I went to the General for a few brews. Then we swung by the store and pick up meat for BBQ. In addition, picked up a few cases of beer. Hung out at Joe & Gret’s the rest of the day.

DC, July 2009 - Full day of sightseeing then back to philly

Last day but a full one. I had to check out at noon so I had to plan accordingly. Started just walking around the city looking for interesting places to go next time I’m in town. Started the picture taking at the Holocaust Memorial, walked over to the Jefferson Memorial, which I have never visited. Next was the FDR Memorial, another place I have never been. Wrapped up with the Lincoln, Vietnam and WW II Memorials. The Vietnam and WW II Memorials were also first time visits. Back to Philly on the 7PM Amtrak. Made the R7 connection and got home around 10ish.

DC, July 2009 - First day back in DC

Going to DC for a few days. I took Amtrak, a short hour and a half commute. I checked in to the hotel, it was only a few subway stops from the Amtrak station. Headed over to the HRC for lunch, it was near the Ford Theater. I walk around the area to the monument mall. Went into the American History Museum. Went to the Capital Brewing Company for a few brews. I was actually carded, Ha! Don’t recall what I ate for dinner. I went back out at night to take photos of the area monuments lit up. There was a lot of security around because of the 4th party. A lone man with a camera at night walking around the Capital building is pretty suspicious.

Philly, June 2009 - Not much, made lunch plans with Tracy

Tracy sent a message suggesting to met at Brodeur’s in Media on the 5th. She sent me an old photo of me and Jessica Brown in the D&Z company box at the Vet, it was a Phillies game. See wanted to see if could remember the event. I sent her my Picasa site so she could see what I have been up to in Libya.

Philly, June 2009 - Contact made with Tracy - HRC Philly

I went grocery shopping in the morning. Received an email from Tracy. She was sending me her personal email so we did not have to use her work email. She wanted to met and get caught up on things since it’s over ten years since we talked. I contacted Tracy to let her know what my plans are for the rest of the week. She sent me her schedule so we can work out a time to meet. I dropped off the rental car so I’m without transportation until I get back from DC. On the way back from the airport, I got off the train at Center City and went to the HRC for lunch and souvenirs.

Jacksonville, June 2009 - Last day heading back to Philly

Left for JAX airport around 8:30AM. Got back to Philly around 1PM. Went over to the Slapper’s for dinner.

Jacksonville, June 2009 - Fort Caroline National Park

Upgraded my plane ticket back to Philly to first class. I had not been to Fort Caroline National Park since I was in elementary school. Since M&D live so close I decide to go for a visit. Mom wanted to tag along. I was hot and muggy even this early in the morning. That’s why I don’t live in Florida anymore. We drove to another part of the part that over looked the river. The Osprey were out flying, I took many pictures.

Jacksonville, June 2009 - Typical get togther with Scott

Had breakfast and worked on my financials. Went back to the store and bought more clothes. Can’t beat these prices. I met Stacey at the Ruby Tuesdays near the parent’s house. We ate and talked for a few hours. When I got back I called Scott, he thought I was coming in next week. We met up at Shula’s steak house in Deerwood. Mom and Dad went as well. Scott had just got out of back surgery a few weeks ago. Moreover, he announced that Gina is pregnant. After a second lunch (early dinner), Gina met up with us and we went to the beer store and bought a large amount of beer. I took the parents home then headed over to Scott’s. We drank and got caught up on things until 5AM in the morning. This is so typical us, every time I’m town we end up socializing and drinking beer into the early morning at least once per trip.

Jacksonville, June 2009 - Little bit of everything

Dad went golfing Mom and I went shopping, I picked up clothes at 50% off. We also went food shopping. I sent Gina a Skype message, no reply yet. When Dad got back from golfing, we started watching the Phillies World series DVD I had purchased online a few months ago and had it shipped to Florida. We went to a hotdog restaurant for a late lunch. For dinner, I grilled sausages while M&D went bowling. Took a few photos of the cats. I’ve been emailing Karen’s sister Stacey, trying to meet up tomorrow for lunch. I have also been emailing Tracy. She had emailed me today to verify that I was the Christopher that she is looking for. In addition, she had heard through the grapevine that I was in Libya, or some other Middle East country that begins with an “L”. (Actually it's North Africa) I will contact her when I get back to Philly. Worked on my journals then to bed.

Philly, June 2009 - On my way to Jacksonville to visit the family

Did the DD thing. Just hung around the house until it was time to head to the airport. I left at 1PM, my flight was at 3:40. Arrived on time in J-ville. We had dinner at a BBQ joint, as customary. Brian is working two or three jobs and works strange hours. Received a voice mail from Tracy Blithe, wow I have not heard from her I nearly 15 years. I do remember Joe asking me if I wanted to see her about six months ago or so. He had run into her somewhere and she was asking about me. Went to bed early

Philly, June 2009 - Office Visit

Booked my London hotel room for my trip back. Upgraded my plane ticket to first class. Weeded the back yard. Finished packing for the trip to Florida. Took the train to Center City and went into work around lunchtime, had lunch with the gang. Sent my passport out to Houston for the Visa renewal. Got back home and chilled again

Philly, June 2009 - Being a Tourist

Got up and went outside to take some photo of their yard. Had breakfast with John and Mary then headed back home. Got home around 10ish. I decided to go downtown and have lunch at Triumph Brewery. Therefore, I grab the camera and took the train to Center City. I got off at Suburban Station and started sightseeing like a tourist. Made it to Independence Malls for more photos. Then I went in to the brewpub. Triumph has not changed same good food and beer. I took the El back up town, then walked to the Art Museum and shot pictures for most of the day. Went back home and took it easy.

Philly, June 2009 - Back to John & Mary's, Dinner at Sly Fox Brewpub

Drove back home from Joe & Gret’s early this morning and washed up then headed for the camera shop at the Montgomery Mall. Bought the D90 with the 18-100 lens. Took some photo of the house and backyard to get use to the new camera. Headed back to John and Mary’s again, this time we went to the Sly Fox Brewpub. We started the evening at their house with a few bottles of barleywine I bought at the Broad Axe Tavern. I ended up spending the night this time.

Philly, June 2009 - A little of everything

Headed to the Mall and picked up clothes at a JCP outlet. Could not find the camera shop. Went to the Memphis Taproom for lunch. Talked to Spanky for a while. Went to the Slapper’s for the afternoon and evening. We went to the community pool. We ran into Luke with his girlfriend, he surprised to see me. We went back to Joe’s and hung out by the fire, I ended up sleeping over.

Philly, June 2009 - Canal Street in Reading

Drove to DD for my first cup-o-joe in many months. Contacted John and Mary to make sure we were on for tonight. I went out and pick up coffee at CVS and a case of beer. I paid the outstanding gas bill that the house sitter never paid, $480. Started shopping for a camera in town because I had to cancel my online order and so did Gareth. Both cameras were to arrive this week but typical for these online stores they wait two weeks to ship out the orders. I bought Lowepro camera bags and filters from Best Buy. I went to the General Lafayette for lunch, Steve was still bartending. We caught up on things then I headed to John and Mary’s. Arrived around 4ish. They decided to go to Canal Street in Reading for dinner. When we arrived, Mike and Jamie were there. We had a great time sampled many brews and took a few photo of the gang. I headed back home thou I was tried, long drive.