Monday, June 30, 2014
College World Series 2014
For the first time ever I went to see some of the NCAA College World Series in Omaha, NE. Traveled with a group of friends, pictured above. I think it was everyone's first time going to the CWS.
It was also my first time in Omaha and Nebraska, so add a new state to my list. Our hotel was in the center of the city, where there are tons of bars and restaurants within a short walking distance, such as the Upstream Brewery.
We had tickets for a total of three games, but saw only parts of all three, as we showed up later and left early the first day, partly because of how hot it was, and our seats were in the sun. I forget what teams we saw, but I really don't care about teams unless my college team was playing, and there weren't.
The second game we had tickets to was canceled due to thunderstorms near by as soon as we walked in. So we went to the bar across the and had some beers before it started pouring rain. Being from Southern California, I had never seen so much rain. People were probably wondering why I was taking so many photos of the rain. There was also lots of lightening, and we probably should not have been outside under a tent, but it was dry and everyone was having a good time waiting out the storm, which only got stronger, so we ran to another bar and got soaking wet.
Nearby the hotel was a park next to the Missouri River. On the second morning I took a walk by myself for 90 minutes and explored the area. It is so green there and they had lakes and fountains like the one in the picture above.
I wandered around until I reached the pedestrian bridge that crosses the river, so I was in both states at once. It was also my first time in Iowa, where we went to a casino the previous day.
This was the big storm, luckily no tornadoes. We arrived Thursday evening and left Sunday morning. Both flights had a stop with a aircraft change, and all the flights were delayed for various reasons, making it lucky we made our connections. We all brought carry-ons so no one lost their luggage. I had a great time and may even go back some day.
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
2014 NCAA Tournament
Back in 2006 I attended the NCAA tournament games at what was then called Cox Arena on the San Diego State campus. We had fun, so when it was announced that they would be having the tournament again at what is not called Vejas Arena on the San Diego State campus I was all in. There were to be four games on Friday for the round 2 of the top 64, and then four games on Sunday for the top 32.
On Friday the first game was at 11:30, so we had to to meet up and have breakfast at the same restaurant as we did in 2006 - The Original Pancake House. Funny thing is, it was the people who did not go with us in 2006 that made that decision. So the tradition was kept alive, except now that we are older we did pound a few beer before going out to breakfast.
The person driving worked at SDSU so he had a free parking pass and knew where to park that was close and not crowded. We got parked quickly and set up our tailgating. We weren't sure if tailgating was allowed, but no on stopped. Since there is no alcohol sales at these NCAA events, we had a few drinks before heading in.
The day had two session of two games each. Between each session everyone had to leave the arena and then re-enter, at least for those who had tickets to both sessions, which we did. Our seats were way better than last time when we were stuck in bench seating. Also, ticket prices had at least doubled. The first game was Arizona at Weber St. I had never heard of Weber St. It is somewhere in Utah. Arizona was expected to win, and they did, but it took them five minutes into the game to score their first points.
The second game was Gonzaga at Oklahoma State. This was probably the most boring of the games, mostly because the officials called so many fouls in the second half. Gonzaga ended up winning.
After we cleared out, we gathered up two more friends who were there for the second session and went back to the car for some more drinks.
The third game was VCU and Stephen F.Austin, another unknown college, and this ended up being the best game of the day. VCU was winning most of the game, but SFA somehow made some big shots at the end of the game, and with four seconds remaining and down by four points, they made a three point basket AND were fouled. The player made the free throw and the game was tied! The crowd, not really caring about either team, suddenly became SFA fans and were cheering them on. They ended up winning and got a standing ovation. Also, sitting near us, was a young man who was the biggest SFA fan there. Near the end of the game he ran down the stairs, and sure enough he tried to run onto the court, where he was bear hugged and stopped by a large man. We all thought he was going to get kicked out, but somehow he, and his friend, got back to their seats. Later during the last game this kid was able to get the team to sign his shirt, so he was happy.
The final game of the night, and it had already been a long day, was Tulsa at UCLA. I had my UCLA shirt on since I go to their football games. There was a lot of blue in the arena and UCLA defiantly had a home field court advantage. They won, but the game wasn't too exciting. By the time we left we had been there for almost 12 hours. It was so late we opted to skip dinner and just go home.
So I had Saturday to rest - except I didn't I had a BBQ to attend, where I had more beer and lots of good food with friends. After getting home I stayed up until past midnight and slept in to almost noon. Luckily our meeting time was 1:30 since the first game on Sunday was 4:00 PM. My friend and I rode down with another friend had his daughter. We directed them to the same parking garage, but had to pay to park this time.
We walked to the 4.0 Deli on campus and got some food and beer before heading into the arena. The deli was packed, as there only a few places near the campus that sell beer and food.
My friend and his daughter were Arizona fans, and this time I wore my Aztecs shirt and was happy that they had won on Saturday. The first game was Stephen F. Austin at UCLA, and SFA didn't do so good this time, and UCLA won, but the crowd still have the player of SFA a loud cheer as they walked off the court.
Finally it was the sixth and last game, Gonzaga and Arizona. Arizona dominated the game and the fans started to leave before the game ended, including us, as we all had to work the next day.
I have to say, I and my fill of college basketball for a few years. Six games in one weekend is a lot, but I had fun and would do it again.
On Friday the first game was at 11:30, so we had to to meet up and have breakfast at the same restaurant as we did in 2006 - The Original Pancake House. Funny thing is, it was the people who did not go with us in 2006 that made that decision. So the tradition was kept alive, except now that we are older we did pound a few beer before going out to breakfast.
The person driving worked at SDSU so he had a free parking pass and knew where to park that was close and not crowded. We got parked quickly and set up our tailgating. We weren't sure if tailgating was allowed, but no on stopped. Since there is no alcohol sales at these NCAA events, we had a few drinks before heading in.
The day had two session of two games each. Between each session everyone had to leave the arena and then re-enter, at least for those who had tickets to both sessions, which we did. Our seats were way better than last time when we were stuck in bench seating. Also, ticket prices had at least doubled. The first game was Arizona at Weber St. I had never heard of Weber St. It is somewhere in Utah. Arizona was expected to win, and they did, but it took them five minutes into the game to score their first points.
The second game was Gonzaga at Oklahoma State. This was probably the most boring of the games, mostly because the officials called so many fouls in the second half. Gonzaga ended up winning.
After we cleared out, we gathered up two more friends who were there for the second session and went back to the car for some more drinks.
The third game was VCU and Stephen F.Austin, another unknown college, and this ended up being the best game of the day. VCU was winning most of the game, but SFA somehow made some big shots at the end of the game, and with four seconds remaining and down by four points, they made a three point basket AND were fouled. The player made the free throw and the game was tied! The crowd, not really caring about either team, suddenly became SFA fans and were cheering them on. They ended up winning and got a standing ovation. Also, sitting near us, was a young man who was the biggest SFA fan there. Near the end of the game he ran down the stairs, and sure enough he tried to run onto the court, where he was bear hugged and stopped by a large man. We all thought he was going to get kicked out, but somehow he, and his friend, got back to their seats. Later during the last game this kid was able to get the team to sign his shirt, so he was happy.
The final game of the night, and it had already been a long day, was Tulsa at UCLA. I had my UCLA shirt on since I go to their football games. There was a lot of blue in the arena and UCLA defiantly had a home field court advantage. They won, but the game wasn't too exciting. By the time we left we had been there for almost 12 hours. It was so late we opted to skip dinner and just go home.
So I had Saturday to rest - except I didn't I had a BBQ to attend, where I had more beer and lots of good food with friends. After getting home I stayed up until past midnight and slept in to almost noon. Luckily our meeting time was 1:30 since the first game on Sunday was 4:00 PM. My friend and I rode down with another friend had his daughter. We directed them to the same parking garage, but had to pay to park this time.
We walked to the 4.0 Deli on campus and got some food and beer before heading into the arena. The deli was packed, as there only a few places near the campus that sell beer and food.
My friend and his daughter were Arizona fans, and this time I wore my Aztecs shirt and was happy that they had won on Saturday. The first game was Stephen F. Austin at UCLA, and SFA didn't do so good this time, and UCLA won, but the crowd still have the player of SFA a loud cheer as they walked off the court.
Finally it was the sixth and last game, Gonzaga and Arizona. Arizona dominated the game and the fans started to leave before the game ended, including us, as we all had to work the next day.
I have to say, I and my fill of college basketball for a few years. Six games in one weekend is a lot, but I had fun and would do it again.
Monday, March 17, 2014
Spring Training Trip 2014
Almost every year for 20 years I've been going to watch Spring training baseball in Arizona (once in Florida) and once again I made it this year. At first my friend who organizes the trip said he wasn't going to plan a group trip, just one for this family. But then he ended up buying 20 tickets for two games and so I bought my airline ticket to fly out.
I got there late Friday night. Usually we all fly together, but this year everyone drove except me. I got to the hotel in time to get some food and beer at the bar. I was soon joined by a few more from the group and we ended up talking until past closing time. They were nice enough to not kick us out.
Above is my lunch and a view of the outside of the park. Right after the game was over a freak storm hit with a little rain and strong wind blowing more dust than rain.
On Friday night after eating pizza in the hotel banquet room, we went to the bowling alley across the street where after two games of just breaking 100 I was done. My yearly bowling.
On Saturday we went to see the Giants in Scotsdale. These tickets are hard to get as the games always sell out. We thought we had good seats in the shade, but they ended up being in the sun on bleachers. It wasn't too hot and the bleachers weren't too crowded or uncomfortable. The Giants lost to the A's so the fans weren't happy.
Then on Saturday night after happy hour at the hotel bar we went out for our usual dress-up dinner. Instead of a nice steak place we went to a popular Mexican restaurant that we had never been to before. We sat outside, where it was also very windy, and had a nice meal with some beer and Patron.
Sunday morning I had time to sleep in, get my free breakfast and get to the hotel in plenty of time for my flight home. Even though I was there for just two full days instead of the usual four, I felt like I was there for a week. Guess I'm getting old(er). Can't wait until next year, or actually this June in Omaha for the College World Series!
I got there late Friday night. Usually we all fly together, but this year everyone drove except me. I got to the hotel in time to get some food and beer at the bar. I was soon joined by a few more from the group and we ended up talking until past closing time. They were nice enough to not kick us out.
The first game was at the new Cubs park in Mesa. We had a little trouble finding it because the GPS took us to the old location. Well, we still had time to get to the correct park, do some tailgating and get in before first pitch. It wasn't hot, but it was nice that we had seats in the shade the whole game. For food and drink I had an Old Style and a bratwurst.
Above is my lunch and a view of the outside of the park. Right after the game was over a freak storm hit with a little rain and strong wind blowing more dust than rain.
On Friday night after eating pizza in the hotel banquet room, we went to the bowling alley across the street where after two games of just breaking 100 I was done. My yearly bowling.
On Saturday we went to see the Giants in Scotsdale. These tickets are hard to get as the games always sell out. We thought we had good seats in the shade, but they ended up being in the sun on bleachers. It wasn't too hot and the bleachers weren't too crowded or uncomfortable. The Giants lost to the A's so the fans weren't happy.
Then on Saturday night after happy hour at the hotel bar we went out for our usual dress-up dinner. Instead of a nice steak place we went to a popular Mexican restaurant that we had never been to before. We sat outside, where it was also very windy, and had a nice meal with some beer and Patron.
Sunday morning I had time to sleep in, get my free breakfast and get to the hotel in plenty of time for my flight home. Even though I was there for just two full days instead of the usual four, I felt like I was there for a week. Guess I'm getting old(er). Can't wait until next year, or actually this June in Omaha for the College World Series!
Monday, December 09, 2013
Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Last Day in Venice and Bologna
Rialto Bridge |
Grand Canal, Venice |
We found seats in the first class car, and the train slowly left the station. I could have spent another day in Venice, but as usual, our trips are quick and we had to see as much as we can in limited time. As the train got to each train station, more people got on. By the time we got to Bologna, the cabin was almost full and most everyone got off with us. We thought about going to our hotel first to drop off our bags and then coming back to the city, but with limited time, we opted to leave our bags at the train station where you can store your luggage - for a price.
View from the twin tower in Bologna |
Our main reason for going back to the city center was to walk to the top of the hopefully now open tower. After a quick cab ride to the plaza, we found the tower open and after buying our tickets we started walking up the 500 stairs to the top. Many of the steps were narrow and small, not made for someone with big feet. Luckily it wasn't to busy, but there were a few places where we had to stop and let the people heading down pass us, as there was only one set of stairs. Once at the top you realize how high you are when you look down on the other other tower and buildings. I took many pictures through the iron gated windows and it was pretty clear, as you can see from the photo of the city. Just some smog along the horizon. It was cold and breezy at the top, so once we saw all of the 360 degrees view, we headed down, which was almost more difficult than walking up because of the small steps
Looking down at Bologna |
After walking around some more we were ready for dinner. We knew that there were places to eat, but once again, they were all the small bars with no sit-down seats. We eventually did find a place that had seats and they squeezed the three of us into a small table, but we were happy to sit down, warm up and get some food. We all enjoyed our meal and dessert. We almost had a small emergency when they said cash only, but we had just enough Euros to pay for the meal.
Me at the top of the Tower |
Christmas Music |
Christmas Tree in Bologna |
Saturday, December 07, 2013
Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Trip to Slovenia
Up until a few days before we left for Italy, we had no real plan on how we were going to get to Slovenia. We knew we wanted to see the Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle. We also wanted go to Slovenia because it was a new country for all of us and only a two hour drive from Venice. If you search the Internet on how to get there, you'll find that there is no train or bus. Most people suggested driving, saying that once you get out of the city driving in Italy isn't that bad. But none of us really wanted to rent a car and drive. So luckily, my brother found a company that provided tours of Slovenia called Slovenia Explorer. A trip from Venice was not one of their standard trips, but they do have custom trips for a higher price, which was well worth it.
The tour guide was going to pick us up in Venice at the bus station near our hotel at 8:30. So we were up earlier to get our free breakfast at the hotel. This hotel had less of a selection than the one in Bologna, but there was enough food selection to fill me up, plus they also made fresh Cappuccinos. After the usual trip back to the room to gather our stuff for the day, we headed outside where it was sunny but very cold. We were told to meet by the information center near the bus station, and we found it and then waited in the cold. The tour guide called and said she'd be there soon and she would be driving a van with brightly colored decorations on the side. Sure enough, we saw the decorated van pull up and we quickly got in out of the cold. Our driver and guide, who's name was Ivana I think, was very nice and spoke perfect English, with a bit of an Australian accent. Once we paid her in cash, we were on our way.
The first hour of the ride was just getting out of the city and traveling along a very busy highway where every car and truck was speeding. As we got closer to Slovenia, Ivana started talking about Slovenia. She had a microphone that was piped to the speakers so we could hear her better. The van wasn't that big, but could hold six people, and with just four of us there was plenty of room. As we got closer to Slovenia the landscape was more mountainous and green, and there was less smog or smoke. One interesting fact we learned is that Slovenia has the most bears per area of any country, as well as caves I think she said there are 10,000 caves with like 50 open for tours.
Crossing the border into Slovenia was easy, as there was no border checkpoint, just the old buildings from the days when it was part of Yugoslavia. Once in the country, it took less than 30 minutes to get to the caves in the small, quiet city of Postojna. When we parked, there were almost no cars and no buses. Our tour started in 45 minutes, so we had time for a snack. When we got our tickets, we headed to the entrance of the caves. During peak tourist season, they can have groups of up to 500 people at a time. There were about 50 people in our group, which was nice.
This cave was like no other I had been in. It started with a three mile ride in on a small Disneyland type train. I was surprised how fast the train traveled, or at least it seemed fast because some of the tunnels didn't have much head clearance and I felt like I had to duck. The caves were well lit in places so you could see the formations. Also, because it was winter, it was actually warmer in the caves than outside. Then the train stopped and it was time for the one mile walking tour. Here is where they break you up into language groups, and the English group was the biggest. The group leader was Slovenian, I assume, and spoke pretty good English. As we followed him, he would stop and explain the features of the cave. He pointed out the usual formations that all caves have, such as stalagmites and stalactites. These caves had no stairs, but some of the walkways were steep, but luckily had some kind of anti-slip coating as they were wet from dripping water. No photos were allowed in the caves because the flashes would kill the plant life inside, algae, I think.
Near the end of the walking tour, they had a tank with a very unique salamander that only exits in this cave. The salamander has no eyes, and can live up to 100 years, and more amazingly, can go years without eating. The ones in this tank get feel three times a year, so they are happy. And yes, they get released back into the caves after a few years and replaced by new salamanders.
So before boarding the train to go back out, they have conveniently build a gift shop inside the cave. Also, this area of the cave is the one place where they kind of let you take photos. The room was huge so most of the photos I took didn't turn out that well. The one posted above is the best one. So then they ring a bell and everyone heads back to the train where you once again are whisked away back out, and once again I kept ducking thinking my head was going to hit the caves.
Back outside our guide was waiting for us. We had time to do some shopping in the gift shop outside the cave where I bought my traditional magnet for the city or country I was visiting. Then she drove us to a restaurant for lunch. It wasn't very busy, but with only one waitress they were a little slow, especially when it came time to pay and leave. The food was good and we had time to talk to Ivana. I asked her how many languages she spoke, and was surprised that Italian wasn't one of them, but I'm always impressed with people who can speak three or four languages.
Once we finally paid, and yes, we bought her lunch, we got back in the van for a the 15 minute ride to the castle. She told us the history of the castle, including a story about one of its "rulers" that may or may not have been true. I enjoyed the ride there just looking at the small houses along the green hills. Upon arrival, once again the parking lot was almost empty, which meant no crowds in the caves. In fact, we only saw four other people inside. This castle had no guided tour, you are free to wander around. But like the reviews said, you don't need more than one hour to see everything. There were stairs and walkways everywhere, and it would be easy to miss a room or passage way if you didn't look at the map, which we almost forgot we had.
One of the passageways led up to the inside of the cave that the castle was built in. We almost missed this part of the castle. Each room was decorated with furniture, artifacts and mannequins like the one being hung by chains in a torture room. After we saw all the room and took many photos we headed out just to find the entrance gate closed. Apparently we were the last visitors of the day. Ivana was waiting for us once again. It was already starting to get dark, so we finished the tour just in time.
The ride back was uneventful, and I briefly fell asleep along the way. Luckily there was no traffic most the way, expect as we entered Venice, and we arrived there around seven. We thanked our guide and said goodby, and then walked back to the hotel for rest before dinner. Since we had a late lunch we weren't all hungry, but I was. So we walked around looking for restaurant and finally found one that had a good menu and at least some people eating inside. I ordered a Calzone, which was just enough food, along with an Italian beer. They got us our food very quickly once we ordered. After we finished, we walked around the city a little more and bought some Gelato for dessert.
We still had a half day in Venice the next day, plus a half-day in Bologna. So we went to our rooms where I used their free WiFi to upload all my wonderful pictures I'd had taken. This day was the best part of the trip. Nothing wrong with Bologna, Venice or Italy, but I never thought that I would be spending a Thanksgiving exploring caves and a castle in the country of Slovenia! In fact I knew nothing about Slovenia before this trip. I'd encourage anyone to take the time to see Slovenia if they have a chance. Someday I'd like to go to the capital as it looks interesting as well.
The tour guide was going to pick us up in Venice at the bus station near our hotel at 8:30. So we were up earlier to get our free breakfast at the hotel. This hotel had less of a selection than the one in Bologna, but there was enough food selection to fill me up, plus they also made fresh Cappuccinos. After the usual trip back to the room to gather our stuff for the day, we headed outside where it was sunny but very cold. We were told to meet by the information center near the bus station, and we found it and then waited in the cold. The tour guide called and said she'd be there soon and she would be driving a van with brightly colored decorations on the side. Sure enough, we saw the decorated van pull up and we quickly got in out of the cold. Our driver and guide, who's name was Ivana I think, was very nice and spoke perfect English, with a bit of an Australian accent. Once we paid her in cash, we were on our way.
The first hour of the ride was just getting out of the city and traveling along a very busy highway where every car and truck was speeding. As we got closer to Slovenia, Ivana started talking about Slovenia. She had a microphone that was piped to the speakers so we could hear her better. The van wasn't that big, but could hold six people, and with just four of us there was plenty of room. As we got closer to Slovenia the landscape was more mountainous and green, and there was less smog or smoke. One interesting fact we learned is that Slovenia has the most bears per area of any country, as well as caves I think she said there are 10,000 caves with like 50 open for tours.
Crossing the border into Slovenia was easy, as there was no border checkpoint, just the old buildings from the days when it was part of Yugoslavia. Once in the country, it took less than 30 minutes to get to the caves in the small, quiet city of Postojna. When we parked, there were almost no cars and no buses. Our tour started in 45 minutes, so we had time for a snack. When we got our tickets, we headed to the entrance of the caves. During peak tourist season, they can have groups of up to 500 people at a time. There were about 50 people in our group, which was nice.
This cave was like no other I had been in. It started with a three mile ride in on a small Disneyland type train. I was surprised how fast the train traveled, or at least it seemed fast because some of the tunnels didn't have much head clearance and I felt like I had to duck. The caves were well lit in places so you could see the formations. Also, because it was winter, it was actually warmer in the caves than outside. Then the train stopped and it was time for the one mile walking tour. Here is where they break you up into language groups, and the English group was the biggest. The group leader was Slovenian, I assume, and spoke pretty good English. As we followed him, he would stop and explain the features of the cave. He pointed out the usual formations that all caves have, such as stalagmites and stalactites. These caves had no stairs, but some of the walkways were steep, but luckily had some kind of anti-slip coating as they were wet from dripping water. No photos were allowed in the caves because the flashes would kill the plant life inside, algae, I think.
Near the end of the walking tour, they had a tank with a very unique salamander that only exits in this cave. The salamander has no eyes, and can live up to 100 years, and more amazingly, can go years without eating. The ones in this tank get feel three times a year, so they are happy. And yes, they get released back into the caves after a few years and replaced by new salamanders.
So before boarding the train to go back out, they have conveniently build a gift shop inside the cave. Also, this area of the cave is the one place where they kind of let you take photos. The room was huge so most of the photos I took didn't turn out that well. The one posted above is the best one. So then they ring a bell and everyone heads back to the train where you once again are whisked away back out, and once again I kept ducking thinking my head was going to hit the caves.
Back outside our guide was waiting for us. We had time to do some shopping in the gift shop outside the cave where I bought my traditional magnet for the city or country I was visiting. Then she drove us to a restaurant for lunch. It wasn't very busy, but with only one waitress they were a little slow, especially when it came time to pay and leave. The food was good and we had time to talk to Ivana. I asked her how many languages she spoke, and was surprised that Italian wasn't one of them, but I'm always impressed with people who can speak three or four languages.
Once we finally paid, and yes, we bought her lunch, we got back in the van for a the 15 minute ride to the castle. She told us the history of the castle, including a story about one of its "rulers" that may or may not have been true. I enjoyed the ride there just looking at the small houses along the green hills. Upon arrival, once again the parking lot was almost empty, which meant no crowds in the caves. In fact, we only saw four other people inside. This castle had no guided tour, you are free to wander around. But like the reviews said, you don't need more than one hour to see everything. There were stairs and walkways everywhere, and it would be easy to miss a room or passage way if you didn't look at the map, which we almost forgot we had.
One of the passageways led up to the inside of the cave that the castle was built in. We almost missed this part of the castle. Each room was decorated with furniture, artifacts and mannequins like the one being hung by chains in a torture room. After we saw all the room and took many photos we headed out just to find the entrance gate closed. Apparently we were the last visitors of the day. Ivana was waiting for us once again. It was already starting to get dark, so we finished the tour just in time.
The ride back was uneventful, and I briefly fell asleep along the way. Luckily there was no traffic most the way, expect as we entered Venice, and we arrived there around seven. We thanked our guide and said goodby, and then walked back to the hotel for rest before dinner. Since we had a late lunch we weren't all hungry, but I was. So we walked around looking for restaurant and finally found one that had a good menu and at least some people eating inside. I ordered a Calzone, which was just enough food, along with an Italian beer. They got us our food very quickly once we ordered. After we finished, we walked around the city a little more and bought some Gelato for dessert.
We still had a half day in Venice the next day, plus a half-day in Bologna. So we went to our rooms where I used their free WiFi to upload all my wonderful pictures I'd had taken. This day was the best part of the trip. Nothing wrong with Bologna, Venice or Italy, but I never thought that I would be spending a Thanksgiving exploring caves and a castle in the country of Slovenia! In fact I knew nothing about Slovenia before this trip. I'd encourage anyone to take the time to see Slovenia if they have a chance. Someday I'd like to go to the capital as it looks interesting as well.
Thursday, December 05, 2013
Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Travel to Venice
So when I read my posts from the day before it sounds like I'm writing a police report or something. Like, "...and then I did this, and then we decided that." Where is the emotion? I'll try harder today, and maybe drinking a Stone Double Bastard Ale will help.
I think I woke up before my annoying watch alarm went off, and had plenty of time to pack up and get ready for breakfast and check out of the hotel. I had the same food for breakfast as the day before, and for some reason what I enjoyed the most was the fruit juices. I guess I don't drink fruit juice much, plus, this stuff had lots of sugar.
After a quick trip to the room, we all dragged our bags down to the lobby, checked-out and asked for a cab, which arrived within minutes. The ride to the train station was quicker than expected. Once at the station, we walked into the ticket office and saw a long line of people buying train tickets, but there were also kiosks that sold tickets. So after one opened up, and pressing a few wrong keys, we bought four tickets to Venice! The train was scheduled to leave in about 20 minutes, so we walked out to the platform to watch the sign that told us what platform the train was departing from. Platform 10 was announced, so we went down the stairs and back up on platform 10. There was a train there, but the number on the train did not match the number they were showing on the screen, so we assumed it wasn't our train. Meanwhile, we saw people getting on and off the train, looking confused. As the departing time neared, we began to realize that yes, this was our train. So one of us ran up to an employee and he said yes, we just needed to validate our ticket. So my sister-in-law ran around frantically until she found the validator, and we quickly boarded in first class and found four good seats for us and our luggage.
We opted for the regular train as opposed to the high speed train, so it was a two hour ride with some stops along the way. We were really in no hurry, as we had no specific plan for the day. I was the only one that had never been to Venice. So when asked what I wanted to do, my reply was "See the canals and bridges." Simple enough. The ride was quite relaxing, and I enjoyed just looking outside at the countryside. There were mostly farms between Bologna and Venice, and you could see the Italian Alps off in the distance covered with snow. At each stop, more people boarded first class, and soon we were moving our luggage out of the empty seats and into our seats or the overhead bins.
Once we got to Venice, we departed the train and headed to our hotel which was located right across the canal from the train station. We weren't sure if we could check in early, but the staff was very friendly and helpful. They got us checked into all three of our rooms. First they had someone take us to our rooms, and then deliver our luggage, because like many older hotels in Europe, the elevators, or lifts, can hold people and their bags. My room was very nice, and after unpacking what I needed for the day, I went back down to the lobby to begin my adventure in Venice.
The staff was extremely helpful. They gave us a map and showed us all the must-see sites. When asked if I wanted to walk or take a boat, or Vaporetto as they are called (I just had to Google that term because I couldn't remember it), I said boat! So off to the Grand Canal we went and purchases our tickets for a one way ride on the canal. The boats run often, so when the next one arrived, we boarded. Once on, I quickly found a seat up front with a good view of the city for taking photos. I didn't care how cold it was. As the boat went along the canal and stopped at each stop, I was just happy to be in Venice, even with the clouds in the sky, and I took photos of everything.
Eventually, we got to our last stop which was at Piazza San Marco. Now, I had not done my homework before coming here, so I was unfamiliar with all the famous bridges, buildings and plazas. Not any more. Now I know that St. Mark's Square is the main tourist destination in Venice. I took many photos of the buildings near and far, but before I knew what was happening, I was buying a ticket for entrance into the popular attractions. According to my ticket, which I still have, it includes: Paizzo Duncale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico and one other building. I'm not sure which one we went into first, but I know it had lots of rooms, some small and some VERY large.
I wasn't really interested in reading what every room was and what was displayed on the walls, but I guess the most interesting rooms were the ones where prisoners were held. This included walking across the Bridge of Sighs, which was a bridge across an canal that prisoners walked before being locked up, and apparently "sighed" at the site of the city, knowing that they'd never see it again.
After we left the building, I had to take a WC break, and when I came back, I found my brother taking a survey by a women who was entering his answers into a tablet. Well, after that we walked around the square some more, and eventually waked into another cathedral. After a quick walk around, we went back into the square, which I learned at one time encouraged people to feed the birds, but now discouraged that practice. Either way, there were lots of pigeons.
It was now in the late afternoon, and we were all hungry. Luckily, we knew there was a Hard Rock Cafe near by. So we headed there for a late lunch, and what would be also our dinner for the day. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so we got seated quickly. I ordered a beer, and for food I can't seem to remember what I got, but I think we all agreed that it was our best meal of the trip. The waiter was very nice and spoke good English. I had dessert,which was a cheesecake, but the cheesecake was served in a dish. That didn't matter. It was just as good.
So now as the daylight was starting to fade, we knew it was going to take about an hour to walk back to our hotel. They told us to follow the signs, so we did. The walk took us along the main walking path through Venice, and it was lined with shops selling everything, including glass trinkets made of glass, which Venice is famous for, as I found out. My traditional souvenir is a magnet. And once I found a Venice magnet that was also a mini snow globe, I bought it.
So we continued to walk the path back to the hotel, crossing many bridges and taking more photos. Looking at the map now, it seems that there are many ways to make this journey. Sometimes your make a wrong turn and end up at a dead end and turn around. That's part of the adventure. We actually missed our turn to the hotel, and ended up by the bus station. But is was just a little backtracking to get to our hotel. So with the Sun setting and the clock near eight, we turned in for the night. Tomorrow was a big day for us. Not only was is Thanksgiving back home, but it was our big trip into the neighboring country of Slovenia! As this was the the third night in Europe, I was beginning to get adjusted to the local time. So going to bed at nine wasn't too difficult. The guide for the next day was going to pick us up at 8:30, so we needed to be out of the hotel by eight. Once in my room, I was quickly ready for sleep and the great adventure that awaited us the next day.
I think I woke up before my annoying watch alarm went off, and had plenty of time to pack up and get ready for breakfast and check out of the hotel. I had the same food for breakfast as the day before, and for some reason what I enjoyed the most was the fruit juices. I guess I don't drink fruit juice much, plus, this stuff had lots of sugar.
After a quick trip to the room, we all dragged our bags down to the lobby, checked-out and asked for a cab, which arrived within minutes. The ride to the train station was quicker than expected. Once at the station, we walked into the ticket office and saw a long line of people buying train tickets, but there were also kiosks that sold tickets. So after one opened up, and pressing a few wrong keys, we bought four tickets to Venice! The train was scheduled to leave in about 20 minutes, so we walked out to the platform to watch the sign that told us what platform the train was departing from. Platform 10 was announced, so we went down the stairs and back up on platform 10. There was a train there, but the number on the train did not match the number they were showing on the screen, so we assumed it wasn't our train. Meanwhile, we saw people getting on and off the train, looking confused. As the departing time neared, we began to realize that yes, this was our train. So one of us ran up to an employee and he said yes, we just needed to validate our ticket. So my sister-in-law ran around frantically until she found the validator, and we quickly boarded in first class and found four good seats for us and our luggage.
We opted for the regular train as opposed to the high speed train, so it was a two hour ride with some stops along the way. We were really in no hurry, as we had no specific plan for the day. I was the only one that had never been to Venice. So when asked what I wanted to do, my reply was "See the canals and bridges." Simple enough. The ride was quite relaxing, and I enjoyed just looking outside at the countryside. There were mostly farms between Bologna and Venice, and you could see the Italian Alps off in the distance covered with snow. At each stop, more people boarded first class, and soon we were moving our luggage out of the empty seats and into our seats or the overhead bins.
Once we got to Venice, we departed the train and headed to our hotel which was located right across the canal from the train station. We weren't sure if we could check in early, but the staff was very friendly and helpful. They got us checked into all three of our rooms. First they had someone take us to our rooms, and then deliver our luggage, because like many older hotels in Europe, the elevators, or lifts, can hold people and their bags. My room was very nice, and after unpacking what I needed for the day, I went back down to the lobby to begin my adventure in Venice.
The staff was extremely helpful. They gave us a map and showed us all the must-see sites. When asked if I wanted to walk or take a boat, or Vaporetto as they are called (I just had to Google that term because I couldn't remember it), I said boat! So off to the Grand Canal we went and purchases our tickets for a one way ride on the canal. The boats run often, so when the next one arrived, we boarded. Once on, I quickly found a seat up front with a good view of the city for taking photos. I didn't care how cold it was. As the boat went along the canal and stopped at each stop, I was just happy to be in Venice, even with the clouds in the sky, and I took photos of everything.
Eventually, we got to our last stop which was at Piazza San Marco. Now, I had not done my homework before coming here, so I was unfamiliar with all the famous bridges, buildings and plazas. Not any more. Now I know that St. Mark's Square is the main tourist destination in Venice. I took many photos of the buildings near and far, but before I knew what was happening, I was buying a ticket for entrance into the popular attractions. According to my ticket, which I still have, it includes: Paizzo Duncale, Museo Correr, Museo Archeologico and one other building. I'm not sure which one we went into first, but I know it had lots of rooms, some small and some VERY large.
I wasn't really interested in reading what every room was and what was displayed on the walls, but I guess the most interesting rooms were the ones where prisoners were held. This included walking across the Bridge of Sighs, which was a bridge across an canal that prisoners walked before being locked up, and apparently "sighed" at the site of the city, knowing that they'd never see it again.
After we left the building, I had to take a WC break, and when I came back, I found my brother taking a survey by a women who was entering his answers into a tablet. Well, after that we walked around the square some more, and eventually waked into another cathedral. After a quick walk around, we went back into the square, which I learned at one time encouraged people to feed the birds, but now discouraged that practice. Either way, there were lots of pigeons.
It was now in the late afternoon, and we were all hungry. Luckily, we knew there was a Hard Rock Cafe near by. So we headed there for a late lunch, and what would be also our dinner for the day. The restaurant wasn't too busy, so we got seated quickly. I ordered a beer, and for food I can't seem to remember what I got, but I think we all agreed that it was our best meal of the trip. The waiter was very nice and spoke good English. I had dessert,which was a cheesecake, but the cheesecake was served in a dish. That didn't matter. It was just as good.
So now as the daylight was starting to fade, we knew it was going to take about an hour to walk back to our hotel. They told us to follow the signs, so we did. The walk took us along the main walking path through Venice, and it was lined with shops selling everything, including glass trinkets made of glass, which Venice is famous for, as I found out. My traditional souvenir is a magnet. And once I found a Venice magnet that was also a mini snow globe, I bought it.
So we continued to walk the path back to the hotel, crossing many bridges and taking more photos. Looking at the map now, it seems that there are many ways to make this journey. Sometimes your make a wrong turn and end up at a dead end and turn around. That's part of the adventure. We actually missed our turn to the hotel, and ended up by the bus station. But is was just a little backtracking to get to our hotel. So with the Sun setting and the clock near eight, we turned in for the night. Tomorrow was a big day for us. Not only was is Thanksgiving back home, but it was our big trip into the neighboring country of Slovenia! As this was the the third night in Europe, I was beginning to get adjusted to the local time. So going to bed at nine wasn't too difficult. The guide for the next day was going to pick us up at 8:30, so we needed to be out of the hotel by eight. Once in my room, I was quickly ready for sleep and the great adventure that awaited us the next day.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Full day in Bologna
Drinking a beer with my sister |
We had no specific place to visit first, so we headed to the closest plaza. With the bright sunlight lighting up the buildings, it was time to start taking photos. So every building and statue was fair game for photographing. Near this square, whose name I can't remember, was an information center. Inside, where it was warm, my brother talked to the lady behind the desk who took out a map and circled the places to see in the city. So our day had now been planned. Follow the numbers on the map.
Old building |
After we saw all there was to see in the library, we continued our walking out in the city. I'm not going to bore you with every place we saw, and I don't remember all of them either. I do have the map we used sitting next to me, but even looking at the map I have trouble remembering where we went. There were the usual cathedrals and churches, but if you looked around, almost every building was decorated with paintings and other art.
Looking down in the library |
We did walk in circles some, passing by one place we wanted to see and having to come back. Because the tall tower was closed, when we saw that one of the buildings had a observation deck open, we opted to pay the three Euros and climb to the top. This building was under renovation, so the stairs were actually the scaffolding the workers would use to do there work. The building was only about four stories tall, but at the top you still had a good view of the city. More photo of more buildings were taken.
Inside the library |
One of the few parks with trees |
We found a good table near the bar and placed our food orders at the bar. It started to get busy, and suddenly a woman asked me if I spoke English and then inquired if we were there to see the match, meaning a soccer game. She was basically saying she wanted our table, but we were not moving. I had a very good double cheese burger and beer, and after we were done eating we left and our table was quickly taken even before the staff could clean it. The match had not yet started. Hopefully no riot took place and I hope the home team won.
Inside a cathedral |
Well, it was now late enough to turn in for the night. We were all very tired. Our plan the next day was to meet for breakfast once again, check out of the hotel and take the train to Venice. The trains to Venice left at least every hour, so we planned on catching one around 11. So back in my room, I downloaded the photos I had taken during the day, posted them online and crawled into bed. I tried to watch TV but all the channels were Italian. Not even CNN or any other news stations. So I tried to read but was too tired. Pretty soon I was sound asleep and had a dream that Tommy Shaw from Styx stole my camera for some reason. I have lot of strange dreams, so this wasn't unusual. Hopefully I'd wake up refreshed for another long day.
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
Thanksgiving Vacation 2013: Travel to Bologna
View from my room's balcony |
The two towers |
The flight to Bologna was only two hours, and we arrived at what I thought was a small airport. My one checked bag was on the baggage carrousel, but the other bags did not make it. So my brother had to go to the lost luggage counter and fill out a form. They said most likely the luggage would arrive later and be at the hotel in the morning. Turned out the luggage was delivered after noon the next day. Better late than never. We took a taxi to the hotel and got caught up in some traffic as we got closer to the hotel, which was in the historic downtown of Bologna.
Neptune |
Ruins under the library |
Me on the roof of a church |
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