June 30, 1969 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

Another day on the beach?  Are you kidding me?  I remember enjoying this city, but for someone who is not a beach person I sure spent a lot of time in the sun.
In the evening we attended a performance of folklore dancing in an outdoor venue.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.

I did record that we watched the moon rise as this was going on, so doubt that the venue is the same one.

My expenses were $4.00

June 29, 1969 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

I am guessing that there was a really good reason why we were spending so much time here.  My diary makes no mention of it.  Maybe it was due to when we could fly out?

Anyway, the diary says we spent the day on the beach.  Hah!  That is using the term 'beach' very loosely.  They had rock beaches, not sand.  And not small rocks.  Very uncomfortable for lying down.

People watching is a whole 'nother story.  Wow.  I never knew that made skimpy bathing suits in such large sizes.  Quite a lot of flesh on display.

That's the beach.

I finally find a mention of Shar coloring my hair.  Apparently this is the first time it has been touched up.

And that it all the news for the day that I recorded.  Maybe I was suffering from writer's block, lol.

On one of these days we did go walking around the city, but not sure when we did it.  We did some shopping and I purchased this carved leather box.

Expenses today total $6.35.

June 28, 1969 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

My diary says that I slept most of the day.  Well, I do remember enjoying just walking around this city.  Here is a nice photo of the harbor:

By Bizutage [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

I am guessing that we originally thought of this as a rest stop.  And the opportunity to visit a communist country.  This was the time of the President-for-Life, Josip Tito.  I recently had a workman in my home who was from Macedonia.  He said that his parents lived in Yugoslavia under Tito and they said that it was better than than it is now after the break-up of the country.

Dubrovnik serves as the setting for the city of Canto Bight in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.  Fans of HBO's Game of Thrones may recognize the walls of the city.

By Chensiyuan [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

My pictures of the harbor leave a lot to be desired.

I spent $42.50 today including a plane ticket for our departure.

June 27, 1969 Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia

Good guesses on where we were stopping.  I wish we had included Turkey on our itinerary, but never considered it at the time.  We did consider Morocco as a side trip from Spain and wish we had done that also.

My younger readers may be wondering where Yugoslavia is.  It is now Croatia, at least this part is.  I blogged about this in 2013.

Shar and I and the two men we met on the ship disembarked  and the two gentlemen walked us to our hotel, the Grand Hotel Imperial.    The hotel opened in 1897 and is now owned by Hilton.  It will cost you about $350 a night now.  The men then walked back to the ship.

Shar is convinced she is in love with George.   George is going to London to live with his sister and we decide to change our return home so that we go through London instead of Paris. 

I have no information on what time we arrived or what we did that day.  I think I was just glad to be on something that wasn't moving.

Here at least is a picture of me in the city harbor wearing the dress and belt that I bought in Athens. Alas, it is not a full-shot so you cannot tell how short it is.

Expenses today are $5.93.

June 26, 1968 Ionian sea

I am seasick.  But so are a lot of people.  It is so bad in the morning that they give us an orange and tell us to stay in our room.  When you look out of the porthole, you see the sky and then the water, and then the sky and then....  Ugh!  More fruit for lunch as the crew is not feeling too well either.

Later that day, we finally are able to go to dinner.  There are two men at our table from Cyprus.  George, who is Greek, and Joseph, who is Turkish.  Neither of them knew each other before boarding the ship.  After dinner we all went to the bar for coffee.  I got seasick again.  I do not do well on boats on rolling seas.

I went back to the room, but eventually Shar came to get me to go to the Masquerade Ball.  I remember little of it.

We have tonight on the boat before disembarking tomorrow for our next stop.

No expenses today.

June 25, 1969 Athens, Greece

Today was another busy day seeing old ruins.   The Arch of Hadrian in central Athens spans the road leading to the Acropolis.  Use your imagination and remove the cars and modern buildings in the photo.

By Joanbanjo [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Another stop is the Temple of  Olympian Zeus.

Below is what the Temple would have looked like in 129 A.D.  Construction had begun in the 6th Century B.C. but was completed during the reign of Hadrian.

By Valentin Fiumefreddo [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
I am sure my diary recorded my day out of order, so I will do the same here.  At some point we visited the Hill of Muses, southwest of the Acropolis.
And speaking of the Acropolis, of course we visited the Parthenon.  Here it is in 1969.

Here it is nine years later somehow looking in better shape, lol.

By Steve Swayne [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
They are still busy working on restoring the building.  Construction began in 447 B.C.  Below is a view of the Acropolis.

By Adam L. Clevenger [CC BY-SA 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons
Also included today was a trip to the National Archaeological Museum.  Guess what they have there.
Another stop was the Royal Palace which now serves to house Parliament.  To be perfectly honest, I have no recollection of this.  Maybe it was the heat.

Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de [CC BY-SA 3.0 de], from Wikimedia Commons

Our touring day over, it is onto the port of Piraeus to board another ship, the Epirotiki T.S.S. Hermes. 

Expenses are $18.41 with a question mark.  I am not sure if I did not remember what I bought or could not remember what I spent, but it stands to reason we would have paid our hotel bill that day and arranged for transportation to the docks.

See you tomorrow at sea.  Can you guess the destination?

June 24, 1969 Delphi, Greece

It is what is called 'miserably hot'.  We are on our way to visit the Oracle at Delphi on the slope of Mount Parnassus.  I was intrigued with Greek mythology in high school and this is something I have long looked forward to.  This is a view of the Tholos of Delphi, east of the main ruins.   The city dates to the 4th century B.C.

tamara semina [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The ruins of the Temple of Apollo are seen below.

By Skyring [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

By Vesna Vujicic-Lugassy [CC BY-SA 3.0-igo], via Wikimedia Commons
Above is the reconstructed Treasury. 

Yes, we spent the entire day in the ruins.  I spent $2.00.

June 23, 1969 Athens, Greece

We went shopping.  I am assuming we walked around the city, but my diary only talks about shopping.  So, I will tell you that I bought a cotton dress, slit up the side and ten inches above the knees.  It was blue with gold trim.  I bought another dress too, though I do not remember that one and I bought a belt which I had until a few years ago.  And that is all I wrote about the day.

I do remember having wonderful meals up on the roof at the restaurant.  Having spent two years working in the Greektown area of Detroit, I was enthused to be eating Greek food in Greece. 

My expenses to day were high because I also purchased a ticket for another boat ride.  Total today is $99.23.

Reasoning with a Four-year-old

We all know how hard it is to reason with some folks.  They are truly delusional in their beliefs and ideas.  And I find that I avoid those who do not agree with me cause I am just too old to spend my life trying to reason with idiots.  So, I spend three days a week with my four-year-old grandson Charlie.  I mean, I should have a good edge in the discussion, right?  Well, maybe not.  Here is a transcript of Monday.

Nana:  Charlie, your ear is red, your face is red and you are hot.  You need to take some Tylenol.

Charlie:  I don't need no Tylenol.

Nana:  The Tylenol will make you feel better.

Charlie:  I not sick.  French toast will make me feel better.

Nana:  Okay.  I'll make you French toast, but you still need to take some Tylenol.  You have a bug in your tummy.

Charlie:  (looking at Nana like she has lost her mind)  I not eat any bugs!

Nana goes off to the kitchen trying to contain her laughter and makes the French toast.  She comes back with French toast and some Tylenol liquid in the syringe.

Nana:  I made your French toast.  Open your mouth.  (Nana squirts the medicine into his mouth and tells him to swallow.)

Charlie:  (laughing)  You tricked me.

Nana:  (smiling)  You'll thank me for it.  Eat your French toast.

Fever was gone in about 30 minutes.

Charlie and his hero, Chewbacca

June 22, 1969 Adriatic Sea

We spent most of the day on the Adriatic Sea.  The crossing was uneventful.  We arrived in Patras at 4:10 P.M.  Athens is four hours away by car.  A gentleman and his wife invited us to share a taxi with them.

Arriving late at the hotel we have chosen, we discover that there are no rooms available.  The owner calls a friend and sends us to his hotel, Hotel Adrian.  The Adrian has no rooms, but he does have a sort of closet area where we can sleep until a room is available the next day.  We take it!  It is no wonder I did not write a lot about this day.

The hotel, which is still there, has a rooftop garden and fabulous views of the Parthenon at night.

Thermos assumed (based on copyright claims). [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons

Expenses are $10.14.

June 21, 1969 Travel Day in Italy

On the train this morning to Brindisi, Italy on the east coast.  There we buy our boat tickets and board the boat to Patras, Greece.  We spend the night on the boat, which I well remember.  But from what I can tell in my diary, we must not have sailed until quite late.  Current travel time online says about 16 hours, but I do not remember any fast ferry service back in 1969, so perhaps it took longer than that.  More tomorrow.

My hotel bill for Naples and my boat ticket sets me back $36.28.

June 20, 1969 Pompeii, Amalfi Drive, Sorrento

A busy touring day today as we board a bus to see the sights.  Our first stop was Pompeii to see 'more rubble'.  Actually I found it very interesting.  The city was buried by Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

By ElfQrin [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Attribution  License

After our visit and history lesson, we drove to Amalfi for lunch.  I do not remember our lunch or anything about Amalfi, but I do remember the drive on the Amalfi Coast road.  Aiye-yi-yi. 

We took the road to Sorrento, which I also don't remember and then back to Naples.  Maybe it is because I had my eyes closed most of the way?  We are worn out and just want to sleep.

Expenses are only $2.40.

June 19, 1969 Capri and Naples, Italy

Today we are heading off to the Isle of Capri.  Except that we are not the only ones.  The place is crawling with US servicemen.  It seems the 6th Fleet is in town and sailors from the USS John F Kennedy are everywhere!

It is cold and windy aboard ship, quite a change from the heat wave we just experienced.  On Capri we got into the little boats to visit the Blue Grotto, which seemed to take forever.   I was rather disappointed according to my diary.

We went  up to Anacapri for lunch.  I still remember that drive.  The van driver was crazy.  I thought for sure we were going to crash.  Or go over the side.  Take a look.

Back down the mountain we went shopping in Capri and bought purses.  I have no recollection of this and have no idea what the purse looked like.

On the boat ride back to Naples we met two sailors who invited us out to dinner.  We accepted, had dinner, and then spent the evening at an amusement park in Naples.  Not something that was on to 'to do ' list for sure.  But we did have a great time.  They invited us to a tour of the John F. Kennedy on the next day, but we already had plans.  I wrote down the name and address of the sailors with a promise to write, but alas, as with every other name and address I wrote in my diary, I never did write. 

All in all, an interesting day.  Expenses were $5.72.  Cheap purse.

June 18, 1969 Naples, Italy

We arrived in Naples by train at 11:30 in the morning.  We signed up for two tours and then checked into the Hotel Garden.  I remember this hotel very well because we had a terrace room and spent the afternoon on it.  I made the comment that the city was not safe to walk around in alone, but have no idea why I said that.  In the evening I colored Shar's hair again.  There must have been some point where she did mine, but I never mentioned it in the diary.

We are both tired, but if all we did was ride the train and lay around on the terrace, I can't imagine what tired us out.  Maybe just left over from the hectic pace in Rome?

Here is a map of Italy where I tried to show our route through the country.  It is missing one little blip for tomorrow's trip, but then I do not want to spoil the surprise (If you look closely you can figure it out).

Paying for our hotel in Rome for six nights and the two tours we booked this morning, today's expenses totalled $69.90.  Yowza.

June 17, 1969 Vatican City

Today we went to see the Sistine Chapel.  I commented in the diary that there were so many people there and they were making so much noise that it sounded like a zoo.


We also visited the Vatican Museums.  I love this photo of the spiral staircase.  I really don't remember much about the art there.

© User:Colin / Wikimedia Commons

It is interesting that I keep seeing photos online and articles about long lines and how to avoid them.  I do not remember any lines back in 1969.

The rest of the day was spent seeing Castel Sant'Angelo, built in the second century.  I remember having a picture that looked just like this, but with fewer people.

By Berlinuno [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Here is a lovely view from the castel.  The picture of the Tiber and the bridges that I posted on the 14th likely was taken from the bridge above.

Trumpkinius at English Wikipedia [CC BY 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons

This is our last day in Rome.  My expenses for the day were $26.22.  A good part of that was for this rosary that I purchased for my father.  When he passed away, my mother gave it back to me.  It is not something I or my sons would ever use so it sits in the safe.  The beads are granite or something similar.

June 16, 1969 Rome, Italy

It is just too hot to do much of anything on the schedule so we are having a 'goof off' day.  Walking around and visiting places we have already seen.


By Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza Navonna

It has also occurred to me that I should have kept the index cards that were in the boxes of slides.  Had I done that, I would have had a list of every picture I took.  If I didn't mention it in the diary, I still would have had a picture list of what we saw.  Did you ever wish you could give yourself a good kick for being so stupid?

Total expenses are $6.64.  Must have been spent on gelato.

June 15, 1969 Rome, Italy

Well, I must be getting tired because my diary recorded this day as 1967.  This morning we rode the bus to Tivoli to visit Villa d'Este.


The fountains are something I will never forget.

By MarkusMark [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Returning to Rome we visited the Colosseum, dating to the first century.

By Alessandroferri [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Have you ever wondered what Europe would look like if it were settled by modern day Americans?  There would be nothing left of its treasures.

The next stop was the Roman Forum and we went 'Roman through the rubble'.

By Rennett Stowe from USA (Roman Forum) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Some of you may remember my trip to Trier, Germany when I visited the old Roman town.  I love these old ruins.

Unfortunately, Rome is in the midst of a heat wave and we are dying in the heat.  It's back to the hotel for some rest.  Total spent today was $4.65.

June 14, 1969 Rome, Italy

We spent the morning in the Vatican City at St. Peter's Basilica.

By Alvesgaspar [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
We climbed to the roof and I took this picture of Vatican Square.

 Here is another slide I saved of Rome.  I actually like the pics better in black and white as you can see how badly the slides faded in this picture.

We toured the basilica and saw the Pieta .

After touring the Basilica we went to lunch.  My diary has no details about the afternoon, except that we visited the catacombs.  I am not sure why I did not record events but it went something like this:

Having had lunch we were talking to the son of the owner of the restaurant.  They were getting ready to close for the afternoon and he and his friend offered to take us on a tour of the surrounding area.  They seemed nice enough and we agreed.  DUH!

Anyway, I remember being in the traffic circle in front of the Victor Emmanuel Monument when the two cars in front of us hit each other.

By Alvesgaspar [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
There is just nothing like Italian drivers and accidents.  All the cars came to a halt, everyone got out and started waving their hands and shouting, then everyone got back in their cars and took off. 
As I said, our first stop was the catacombs.  From their we went to Ostia, a port city with a beach, though we did not go swimming.  On the drive they pointed out a large estate that supposedly belonged to Sophia Loren, but who knows. 

They dropped us back at our hotel and offered to take us out after dinner to see Rome by night.  Well, I decided not to go, but Shar did.  She got back late and was upset with me for not going, but I had told her I did not feel comfortable about it.  Not sure if I didn't write about it out of guilt or embarrassment.  I did see somethings that afternoon like the beach and catacombs that we would have missed otherwise. 

Expenses for the day were $1.00.  I am thinking they must not have charged us for the lunch.

June 13, 1969 Rome, Italy

We have a busy day as we are trying to make up for lost time.  Since it is close by we visit the Trevi Fountain.  I had a photo that looked much like this one.

By Hernán Piñera ([1]) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
I like this view of the area.

By Giorgio Galeotti from Reggio Emilia, Italia (Fontana di Trevi - Rome, Italy - November 6, 2010) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Then of course, the Spanish Steps.

By Arnaud 25 [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
We visited the Pantheon, completed in 126 A.D.

By Roberta Dragan [CC BY-SA 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons
Here is a view of the famous dome:

By Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Panini's painting of the interior:

Panoramic view:

By Stefan Bauer, http://www.ferras.at [CC BY-SA 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons
When you consider when it was built, it is just incredible.
Next up is the Piazza Navona and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.

By Bengt Nyman (Flickr: DSC_0956-S) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

van Lint, c. 1740
And that was just the morning.  In the afternoon we went to the Villa Borghese and saw the gardens.

Then we visited the zoo which is on the northern part of the estate.

A long day and dinner with wine at the hotel.  We are beat.  Expenses $6.64.

June 12, 1969 Rome, Italy

We arrived here at noon and checked into the Hotel Pensione Elite, Via Francesco Crispi, 49.  Between the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain we are well-located.

Our first stop is the American Express office to pick up mail.  We are behind on our schedule - again.  Went back to the room to answer letters and then back to AE to cash some checks.  Other than what we saw from the train and our walking around, there is no sightseeing today.
 
Meals are included so we are just sitting in hotel room 'starving' until our 7:00 dinner.

I never realized until I started writing this up how much time was spent riding on the train.

Expenses today are $7.35.

The Last of the Great American Reads

Let's start with the books I have not even heard of before:

The Outsiders, The Shack, The Sirens of Titan, The Eye of the World ( a series), Their Eyes Were Watching God, Things Fall Apart, This Present Darkness, Watchers, Where the Red Fern Grows, and White Teeth.

Then there are the remaining books that I have heard of but not read:

The Lovely Bones, The Martian (I saw the movie), The Notebook (this movie too), The Pilgrim's Progress, The Stand (though I tried.  I just do not like Stephen King), Twilight Saga, and War and Peace.

Needless to say, when I watched the PBS special on these 100 novels I felt like I had not read anything at all.

Finally, those that I have read:
To Kill a Mockingbird - Released in 1960, I read it soon after while I was in high school.  It is a powerful story and one I will never forget. 

Wuthering Heights - I saw this movie long before I read the book.  But the copy I have on my shelf is one I took from my mother's bookshelf.  It was printed in 1941.  BTW, when I went to check out the date of this book, I found that I had a copy of Little Women dated 1929.  It has my name in the front but I am sure I never read it.  Just kept it for some reason.

And last, but certainly my number one choice, The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I've been voting every day.

So, if you were to pick your top 100 books, would some of these be included?  I did find that some of the books on the list I have not read for various reasons.  There are certain topics I just avoid.  And some of them found their way onto the list.

But I am glad to see some of my favorites here.  I should go check out my bookshelves and see what was missed that I would have included.  Happy reading to you.

June 11, 1969 Florence, Italy

We spent the best part of the day in the Uffizi Galleries.  The museum is a 16th century building adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria.   Here is the gallery as seen from the Palazzo Vecchio.

By Samuli Lintula (Wiki Commons) [CC BY 3.0 or CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

[CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

By Paolo Villa [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Wikipedia has lots of pictures of additional art works found in the museum.
We also found time to go shopping and I bought more gloves.  They must have been gifts as I only remember having one pair for myself.

With five days in the hotel and gloves I spent $37.37.