May 11, 2010 Dear Friends, On Friday afternoons I would go to my grandparents’ flat in Jersey City while my parents had their night out. Grandpa Brew would tell me stories. He was raised in Ireland, ran away to sea … Continue reading Iron and Glass, Flowers and Trains
You can find the text for this post under Iron and Glass, Flowers and Trains. Continue reading Keukenhof Tulip Fields, Netherlands
Text for this post appears under Iron and Glass, Flowers and Trains. Continue reading Keukenhof Gardens, The Netherlands
Test for this post is under Iron and Glass, Flowers and Trains. Continue reading Royal Gardens, Laeken, Belgium
Text for this post is under Iron and Glass, Flowers and Trains. Continue reading Royal Congo Greenhouse, Laeken, Belgium
You can find text for this post under Iron and Glass, Flowers and Trains. Continue reading Bluebells of Belgium, Hallerbos
May 7. 2013 Dear Friends. The signs looked familiar, “Welcome to Jersey”, “Grand Jersey”. “Jersey Shores,” even some of the names clicked with recognition, Carteret for instance. But this Jersey is the real thing and an anomaly, as is nearby … Continue reading Jersey
The narrative for this post is posted under Jersey. Continue reading Guernsey
The first time I was in London my grandfather and I stayed at the YMCA. We have stayed at the “Y” with our kids and Suzi and I have, in the past, stayed in the BBC Hostel, but this time … Continue reading London 2013, St. Pancras
Dear Friends, In Greek and Roman mythology the Mediterranean was a closed sea. In a battle with another God Hercules struck the mountains closing off the Med from the Atlantic with his mace, opening a passage to the Atlantic creating the Straits of Gibraltar (although it did not get that name until much later, during the Arab conquest, when “the Rock” was named Tarik’s Mountain, “Jebel Tarik,” shortened to Gibraltar.) The straits are framed on each side by the “Pillars of Hercules.” Both pillars are geopolitical anomalies, The European pillar, Gibraltar, is physically attached to Spain but is ruled by … Continue reading Gibraltar, 2013
My office was on this street for three years, but who carries a camera to work? When I realized I was leaving I took my camera but the light was never right. On March 30 I had a camera and good light so I took these pictures. The buildings on the street are a mix of empire style, Austrian Secession, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and modern. I love the street. Continue reading Belgrade, Krajla Petra (King Peter) St, March 2013
A week ago we woke up on a Saturday morning in Warsaw. It was 2 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) with a minus 15 F wind chill. It was time to get ready for our Warsaw tour, which included a walking tour of the old town. It was cold but we went. We arrived on Friday on the Berlin-Warsaw express. Warsaw Central station does not have well marked exits, so instead of getting out onto the street we ended up exiting into a large and modern shopping mall with an undulating glass roof. I finally found my way out of the … Continue reading Warsaw, Poland, March, 2013
On Palm Sunday we ventured into the old town a second time. Poland is not the land of palm trees, although Charles De Gaulle square has a huge plastic palm tree. (It is a work of art. Before the war … Continue reading Warsaw, Palm Sunday, 2013
To visit the German Bundestag housed in the Reichstag building you need an invitation. We applied, sending our passport information and addresses, on line. I got our PDF invitation letter just before we left for Warsaw. Our appointment was 9:30 Monday evening. We got off our train grabbed a cab, dropped our stuff at the hotel and went on to the Reichstag. The building was burned as Hitler came to power. Hitler blamed it on the Communists. Others blame it on Hitler as an excuse to grab more power. The building was largely unused just on the western side of … Continue reading Reichstag, Berlin, 2013
Note, many of the photos for this post are contained in the posts “Shadows of the Wall,” “East Side Gallery.” and “Bernauer Str.” Pictures on this post are general Berlin tourism shots. March 22, 2013 Berlin, Germany Dear Friends, In … Continue reading Berlin, March, 2013
Text for these pictures is on the post “Berlin, March, 2013” These are pictures from the area of the old wall. Panels of the wall have been re-erected near “Checkpoint Charlie” and feature dictators still waiting for falling. The man … Continue reading Shadows of the Wall, Berlin 2013
The text for these pictures is in the post “Berlin, March 2013.” The East Side Gallery is the longest stretch of the wall still standing. One side has been painted by famous artists. The other side is a “free … Continue reading East Side Gallery, Berlin, 2013
This is Bernauer Str. The Wall used to run along this street, not it is a memorial to the wall and there is a park where Berlin has its Sunday flea market. The Text for this letter is in the … Continue reading Berlin 2013, Bernauer Str.
March, 21, 2013 This week Suzi and I attended Radio Days Europe and got to tour some different radio stations. A highlight of the sessions was the tour of Haus des Rundfunks, or Radio House. The Funkhaus was designed in 1929 in the Bauhaus style and went on-air in 1931. It claims to be the oldest purpose built radio station building in the world. The Funkhaus is the home of Radio Berlin and Brandenburg (RBB), which operates 6 radio services. While it was built as a national headquarters, right now it serves Berlin’s local public radio. The building is a … Continue reading Rundfunks Berlin
The last time I was in Tbilisi, in November, I watched the progression of autumn as trees turned, leaves fell and the winds grew cold. I am watching the reverse this March. I snowed on and off the first week I was here and I could see snow sticking on the hills above Tbilisi. The weather has turned, it is in the 60s, sunny and the green lace and blossoms are beginning to appear on those same trees. I had a cold much of the first week so I went to work went home and didn’t have many adventures. I’m … Continue reading Tbilisi, Georgia, March 16, 2013