I think I have the hang of getting the photos to publish. Three yesterday! When I complete the blog this morning, one more. The volcano photos!
This photo/pic thing is a constant education for me. I was unhappy that the pics were so small. Detail is important and did not show effectively. Yesterday, I clicked on a pic. Lo and bhold…..it enlarged! Clicked on it again. Got even bigger!
The message is that if you want a larger and clearer photo, merely click once for larger and twice for largest.
Today the volcano! It was hell for me that day. I realized my age. I also became aware that I was definitely out of shape. You will recall I could not complete the climb to the top of the volcano.
There are 10 volcano photos.
The volcano sits out in the bay off Santorini. The first photo is off the volcano. It was taken from the walkway on Santorini. The volcano is the black island in the distance.
The next pic is of me walking up the volcano. There were about sixty of us. Every one made it but me. I started at the head of the pack. Soon I was at the end. Then I was with the stragglers. Finally, I was the last straggler. This photo is of me at a time that I was third from the rear. Only two ladies behind me. The stress of the climb was upon me.
Fifteen minutes later, I was dead last! No one any where near me. All way ahead. Photo 3. I suggest you click once and then again a second time. I would like you to experience the line of people ahead of me and how far behind I was.
Photo 4 is where I said…..NO MORE! I could go no further. I gave up. Happily.
I stopped several times on the way up. To rest and drink some water. such is photo 5.
Photo 6 is of me walking down the volcano all alone. I was not ashamed!
A boat took me to the volcano and then took me away from it. Photo 7 is of me sitting on the boat as it left the volcano. I was dead! I did not care what happened to me! If I did die, dump me overboard was my thought.
On the return trip, the boat stopped at the island of Thirassis. A small nnothing. Two restaurants and a gift shop. The gift shop was operated by a tall bearded Greek dressed in monk’s robes and a hat. Photo 8 is me sitting alone enjoying lunch.
Photo 9 is one of the best. Double click this one. View it at its largest. It is a pic of the reataurant owner grilling lunch. Note the stove. Look especially at the octopus he was grilling. Octopus was a dish served at every restauant. A tentacle was chopped off. Generally, 10 inches. About 2 inches in diameter. Grilled before and after. Rubbed with oil occasionally. Served thusly done. Tender and delicious! Sweet. No sauce required. Fish suvlaki is the other item being grilled.
The last photo is me dead on the bed when I returned. I had never been so tired!
Good night last night.
Started at Don’s Place. Chatted with Don, Herschel, and Frankie. All team mates. Discussed and analyzed our bocce team.
Then the Chart Room. A crowd. Emily bartending. Che and Captain Peter talking. Jean Thornton her usual lovely self. My Jasper friend Jack Kelly and his wife Sabina. Met a criminakl lawyer from long Island. Michael.
I chatted with Jack and Sabina a while. Then with Jean and Che. Che is a Congress of Vienna expert. Which means he is a Napoleon expert as well. We talked about Napoleon. I made mention of the bridges I observed in Northern Italy on my recent trip. Many were built by Napoleon. The northern Italians did not speak ill of Napoleon. They were proud of what he had done for them.
Decided I would walk Duval a while. A lot of people.
I stopped into Sloppy Joe’s. Planned on grabbing a sandwich. No room at the inn. Not a seat in the place.
Walked by Coyote Ugly. About 20 young guys at the bar. Two young ladies dancing and singing on the bar. The Bull was empty. I thought Yankee Jack might be playing. I ended up at Kelley’s. Enjoyed the wings!
Nothing was accomplished by the Merkel visit to Greece. Why then did Merkel even make the trip? The British press reports this morning that Merkel went to Greece to show the British she was not afraid to face the Greeks. It was show time. Her purpose was to insist face to face that Greece pay every penny owed. Plus interest and penalties.
Merkel has an election coming up. Her opponent has been attacking her regarding the Greece pay back problem. He claims Merkel has been too easy on Greece. Ergo, the trip. The Greeks still have to pay, suffer austerity. Merkel was in and out in six hours. Nothing accomplished to assist the Greeks.
No Internet show tomorrow. The Key West Lou Legal Hour will miss another weak. KONK Broadcasting owner Guy de Boer will be in Miami for heart surgery. Good luck, Guy!
Bocce tonight. Bocce tomorrow night. A make up game.
Enjoy your day!
My patience is being tried!
I continue to be inept at posting the trip photos. Sloan just left. I think we have it down to a science now. I am doing tomorrow’s post (Wednesday’s) Tuesday evening. I want to make sure I have it all correct.
You will first read this blog. Then three sets of photos should appear. Novara, Athens and Santorini. In that order. Athens should be after Santorini. However, it printed out in that order and I could not change it.
My grandchildren Robert and Ally could probably do what I have not been able to do here.
Let me share with you some background re the Athens photos.
I loved Athens! Santorini was best for the view. Athens for the lifestyle. There was a constant electricity in the air. Athens reminded me of New York City. Its old town Plaka the Village of yesteryear.
I spent several days in Athens near the beginning of my trip. Three days near the end.
Athens is civilization. First, a today civilization. After my time on the islands, I could not wait to return to Athens for a few days of civilization. A fancy hotel, an ok bathroom, a huge shower and tub. Amenities that were not available while I was island hopping.
Athens is also the home of civilization. The Acropolis, the Parthenon, Hadrian’s Library, etc. All before even Christ. The quality of the construction amazed me. Stone buildings as good as any that could be built today. Perfection in every detail. The homes and buildings also had a water supply and sewage disposal.
Plaka is an adult playground. It is the old part of Athens. Restauants and shops galore. Day and night. Bustling all the time.
There are 9 photos in the Athens grouping.
The first is me standing below Acropolis and Parthenon. To my right in the picture is a long road I had just walked up. Almost 2 miles at a 30 degree angle. My ass was dragging when this picture was taken.
The next photo is me higher up. I am almost to the end of the steps leading into Acropolis and Parthenon.
The finest (and most expensive) restauant in Athens is Dionysos. In this photo, I am seated at the dinner table. Outside.
The next photo explains one of the reasons why Dionysos was so expensive. I am standing in front of the restaurant. It is evening and dark. Behind me high on a hill lit up is Acropolis and Parthenon. From where I sat in the previous photo, I had a clear and unobstructed view of the buildings some two miles away high on a hill. Thrilling!
Welcome to Plaka. The next pic.
I was frequnetly tired. The next photo is me enjoying an afternoon drink in the Plaka. I was there for the chair more than the booze.
The next photo is me enjoying a night time drink in the Plaka. Plaka was the fun part of Athens.
The next photo represents a part of today’s news. I am standing across the street from Parliamwent. Thousands today demonstrated in front of that building and on the street where I stood. Tens of thousands. The news has already reported today that tear gas, stun grenades and molotov cocktails played a part in the protests. All because of German Chancellor Merkel’s visit. I said in this morning’s blog she would not be welcomed. I anticipated disturbances. They occurred.
Greeks frequently protest. They are an emotional people. A couple of years ago, they demonstrated for some reason I cannot recall. The hotel step my foot is on and all the steps going into the hotel were ripped out by the demonstrators.
The last photo is a view of Parliament from my hotel balcony. Visualize the thousands of people surrounding the building today.
During the last few days of the Athens portion of my trip, I stayed at the Gran Britagne Hotel. I never took a pic of it. All I can provide you is the balcony railing in the last photo. I mention the hotel specifically because of its history. The building is absolutely elegant. The service outstanding. I even had my own butler! During World war II, the Germans threw the hotel operation out and used the Gran Britagne Hotel as their general headquarters.
Enough. I need a drink. I am on my way out.
Enjoy your day!
Photo problem resolved. Lost Novara pics found. Thanks to Sloan. Today, Novara and Santorini.
The photos will appear following each day’s blog. Just scroll down and up will come Novara first and then Santorini.
Santorini was spectacular! No other way top describe it. God’s gift to man! I was taken with the beauty of the island.
Santorini is located in the southern Aegean sea. The remnant of a volvanic explosion.
Santorini was one island. 3,600 years ago a volcano on the island erupted. To better place the explosion in time, 1,500 years before the birth of Christ.
It was a volcanic explosion to beat all explosions. The eruption broke the island into several smaller islands.
The volcano still exists. I will be showing pics of it when the volcano photos are published. The volcano is still hot. A devastating explosion occurred as recently as 1956.
A recent scientific article suggested that another eruption is imminent. The chamber below the top is building up with lava. It is ready to go. When I visited the volcano, I could see steam coming up through the rocks. Sometimes as close as ten feet from the path I was walking. The article said that in addition to the steam, carbon dioxide was being emitted. Apparently an additional bad sign.
The split off island I stayed on is still referred to as Santorini. There are several towns located on the island. I stayed in Elia. The best place to stay. I traveled all over the island during the ten days I was there. The island towns were typical beach towns found anywhere. Except for Elia. Elia was old Greece in every way from the cave apartments to the buildings to the people.
I have posted nine photos of Santorini.
The first is me sitting in front of my cave apartment. A good shot of the view, also.
The next is me again sitting looking out over the ocean. A magnificent view! The volcano is the black island to the left.
The third photo is of me sitting on the same terrace with my back to the sea.
You will recall that steps were horrible from my perspective. Steps and hills everywhere. Killers. The next pic is of me climbing the stairs from my cave. Followed by another pic showing the end of the steps at the walkway.
Night times were cool. The next photo is of me at night on the walkway wearing a rain jacket. It never rained on the trip. The jacket was the only covering besides shirts and one sweat shirt I brought with me.
Donkeys all over the Greek islands. Not just Santorini. Some people either do not wish or cannot walk up and down the steps. Donkeys are provided to carry them. The next photo is of the donkey steps. The brown spots are donkey dung. Sorry. I failed to take any pics of the donkeys on Santorini.
My favorite restaurant. The Katina! Ate there four nights. The photo is of me and Igor. He waited on me every evening. Not Greek. A Russian. Igor and I became friends. The food absolutely outstanding!
The last photo is of Santorini at sunset. Whether Key West, Santorini or where ever, islands world wide have their special sunsets.
My yesterday consisted of a walk. Then lunch at Blossoms. Cuban cheese toast with tomato, plus a large Cuban coffee. I stopped at Walgreens and the dentist. The dentist for a minor mechanical change to my implants. Visted Lisa.
Cooked a steak for myself in the evening. Then settled in bed to watch the Jets game. At least they scored a couple of touchdowns! The Jets should play Tebow more. They payed a hell of a lot of money to use him only minimally. Tebow is a winner!
The woes of each country are different. Each nation is suffering financial problems. The problems did not arise in similar ways. The road to almost bankruptcy has been different for each.
I am motivated to make the preceding observation because of Romney’s comments regarding Spain yesterday. Now Spain is pissed at him. As are the Brits. Fortunately for Romney, the people of Spain and Great Britan are not voters in the U.S. election.
My recent two month European trip has made me a half assed international expert of sorts. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in Athens today. She is meeting with the Greek governement. Probably as I am writing this blog. The purpose of her trip is to show the Greek people that she and Germany are their friends, want to help the Geeks resolve their financial difficulties, etc.
A bad idea. A bad trip. You will recall as I wrote in my blogs when I was in Athens and attended two demonstations, the Greeks hate the Germans. The Greeks spit every time Merkel’s name was mentioned.
Merkel’s primary purpose is to show German support for the austerity efforts the Greek government is imposing on its citizens. So Greece can pay the money it owes to Germany. She is not going to be a popular lady!
Nor is she expected to be. Police have been brought to Athens from every where. Seven thousand will be in Athens during her visit. Some of the police include roof top snipers.
The demonstrations will probably start or take place in front of Parliament. Tomorrow I will be sharing with you my Athens photos. Included are a couple of shots of Parliament.
A reminder again of the address changes for KONK Broadcasting. To watch my friday Internet show: www.konknet.com/tv/personalities. To read my weekly KONK Life column: www.konknet.com/konk-life/contributors.
Remember to scroll down for the Novara and Santorini photos.
Enjoy your day!
This is the day!
Trip pictures being published!
I have grouped the photos into 12 categories. From this point forward, a category a day will be provided. Today’s pics are of the Novara phase.
Novara was my first and last stops on the trip. I flew into Milan. A half hour drive away was Novara. Translated, Novara means new camp. Way back when, there was no Novara. The Roman legions camped there. For a long time. Ergo, the name Novara.
Remnants of the Roman stay can still be seen. The Romans constructed a stone wall around the camp. Portions of that wall remain today.
The City of Novara developed from what was once the Roman camp.
There is a Hemingway tie.
Novara and Milan are cities. Stresa is a town. They are located in the Province of Novara. Novara is both the name of the province and the city. Each community located relatively close to the other.
Hemingway was an ambulance driver during World War I. He was stationed in northern Italy. Received multiple shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was hospitalized in Milan. Fell in love with one of his nurses. Following his hospitalization, he went to the resort town of Stresa for a rest. Stresa is located on Lake Maggiore.
Hemingway years later wrote A Farewell To Arms. The background and characters for the book came from the time he spent in the Milan hospital, at Stresa, and involved Lake Maggiore.
The Novara photos are a set of six.
The first is a photo of the building I stayed in at the beginning and end of my trip. It is a medieval building. More than a 1,000 years old. The exterior has been reconstructed. I was in an apartment on the second floor. The center balcony is off the living room of the apartment. The gigantic wood doors are the entrance way to the building’s courtyard.
The next photo is the building’s internal entrance way into the courtyard. The entrance way has been redone also. Note the fine workmanship on the doors.
The next pic is my bedroom ceiling. Though the outside of the building has been updated, the interior remains as it was a 1,000 years ago. The apartments have cathedral ceilings. All rooms. Huge wide windows. The ceilings are hand painted.
The next photo is a ceiling one, also. Of the sitting room ceiling.
I made a Moroccon friend on the trip. Miriam. She is in the next photo on the far right. It was my 77th birthday. Miriam cooked for me and baked a cake. The picture is of me and her family.
The final photo is me and the cake.
Tomorrow Santorini.
I enjoyed a yesterday, also.
Spent most of the day finishing Bob Woodward’s The Price Of Politics. Excellent reading. Scared me. The novel clearly evidences the inepts governing us. From the President down. Without mentioning it, the book cries out for term limits. Lack of ability and serving self interests permeate the book.
Though not mentioned, the book cries out for term limits. I would do one 6 year term for a President, one 5 year term for a Senator, and one 3 year term for a Congressman. Get them in and get them out! Keep reelection out of the picutre.
Lisa did a Thanksgiving turkey dinner last night. Delicious! Robert and Ally a joy.
I come from the generation that is not mechanically inclined. Corey was trying to show me how to operate my cell phone camera to my blog. Simple to most of you. Not to me.
Those of you who watch my internet show on KONK Broadcasting and read my weekly column in KONK Life via the internet, be advised the sites have been renamed. Sorry. Not my doing.
To watch the friday internet show: www.konknet.com/tv/personalities.
To read the column via the internet: www.konknet.com/konk-life/contributors.
Remember to join me for Santorini tomorrow.
Enjoy your day!
WHAT A JOKE! I JUST WENT TO PUBLISH THE NOVARA PHOTOS. I LOST THEM! SLOAN WORKS WITH ME TOMORROW NIGHT. SHE WILL HOPEFULLY FIND THEM. I CANNOT. WHICH MEANS…..NO TRIP PICS TILL WEDNESDAY. I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO PLAY WITH SANTORINI TOMORROW. I WOULD PROBABLY LOSE THOSE ALSO.
Tomorrow is the big day! I will start publishing the trip pictures! Finally!
Last night was strange. The best of the evening was the last part of it.
We start at the beginning, however.
I stopped by the Chart Room. It was late. About eight. No customers. Just me and JJ. Had one drink and passed the time away chatting with JJ.
My plan was to have dinner at Kelley’s. I desired wings. The rain changed my mind. It was pouring. I opted for the Wine Galley instead. For those of you who might not know, the Chart Room and Wine Galley are both part of the Pier House complex.
Larry Smith was playing. His audience included Rob and Lois from bocce night and Danville, Pennsylvania. Mary Deasy arrived a bit later and sat with them.
I ate at the bar and read the newspapers. Larry in my ear while my eyes scanned the news. It worked well.
Stayed a while. When I left, I had to pass the Chart Room to get to my car. Seated alone at the corner of the bar was Captain Peter.
The Captain is known as Captain Peter and Peter. I shall refer to him here as Peter.
I joined Peter. He was as glad to see me as I him. Everyone likes Peter. I cannot think of one person who does not. He is that type of person.
Peter was lamenting. He volunteered that in six days on September 12 he was going to be 70. It was bothering him. I laughed and said, “Hell, I’m 77! So what? Enjoy!”
We then got into a deep and profound discussion for about an hour. The type of discussion only men in their 70s can understand and appreciate. Peter seemed better at the end of our talk.
Let me share some Peter background with you. He is an unusual man.
Peter is a proud Brit. He was born in England. He came to the United States as a young man. Sometime back in the early 1960s, I suspect. He fought for his new country. He became a citizen of his new country.
Peter has traveled the world. Twice he sailed on a small boat alone around the world. A tough guy. His stories of fighting off pirates in the orient are dramatic.
Peter lives on his sail boat. I do not know if it is the same one that took him round world twice.
The sail boat he calls home is moored some two miles off Key West in the Gulf. A pretty far and pretty gutsy place to live. All alone out there. No boat neighbors. No land to be seen.
Peter has a small motorized rubber dinghy that he uses to get back and forth. Some evenings Peter lingers too long and it is dark when he leaves. Some nights the water is rough. Peter generally can handle conditions. But…..there are nights when Peter may have had a bit too much to drink. He putt putts out to his sail boat and cannot find it in the dark. There have been evenings when it has taken him two hours to find his sail boat. One night, he slipped going from the dinghy to the boat. It took him two hours again before he was able to get out of the water and into the sail boat.
With age comes wisdom. Peter recently bought a used van. On the nights he thinks it not safe to make the trip to the boat, he sleeps in the back of the van.
Peter looks the part of a British lord. Tall and thin. White hair surrounds his bald top. He has a well clipped white moustache. He speaks with a soft unquestionable British accent.
If you run into Peter between now the the 12th, wish him a Happy Birthday!
Read an interesting tidbit in yesterday’s Key West Citizen. It was part of an interesting op-ed by the owners of Schooner Wharf. Their rent is $46,811.86 a month. Wow! However consistent with commercial Key West rents. I suspect the new Coyote Ugly on Duval has to be paying $35,000 a month. Whether Schooner Wharf or Coyote Ugly, these places have to sell a hell of a lot of booze to survive!
Duval Street has received national recognition. It has been listed as one of the 10 Best Streets of 2012. The designation claims Duval is the soul of Key West. It is.
Fantasy Fest around the corner. Starts with Goombay on Octobedr 19 and runs through October 28. Fun time!
Enjoy your Sunday!