In October of 2009, I was able to accompany my friends Bill and Gloria on a trip to India.

 

Below are some shots from my second excursion to Asia.

 

 

Hobart at the Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site of Buddhist temples carved from the side of a mountain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajanta_Caves.

 

 

Hobart with his long lost kin near Ajanta.

 

 

Hobart at the Bibi ka Maqbara in Aurangabad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibi_Ka_Maqbara.  We were told this is a near replica of the Taj Mahal, though the minarets are taller and out of proportion.

 

 

Bibi ka Maqbara again.

 

 

Hobart at the Gateway of India monument at Mumbai harbor

 

 

Hobart with his travel companion, Bill, outside the 5-star Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel in Mumbai: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal_Palace_&_Tower .  The "heritage" wing was largely destroyed by fire during the Nov. 26, 2008 terrorist attack and is being restored to its former glory.

This next collection of photos from Rome are all at or near the Forum Romanum.  Some attractions include the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum and the Capitoline Museum.

 

 

The Vatican
 
 
 

The Vatican
 
 
 

The Vatican
 
 

Trevi Fountain with Susan
 
 

Making a wish
 
 

Pondering the magnificent fountain
 
 

Group shot
 

Part 2 of the Rome leg of our Italy Trip

 

Here are shots from my trip to Italy in 2009 with Brendan and Susan.

 

This is the first part of the trip in Rome.

 

 

Fountain near the Spanish Steps

 

 

 

With Brendan at the Spanish Steps

 

 

 

Mmmmm, Chianti!

 

 

 

Hobart may like Chianti too much.

 

 

 

Gelato is even better!

 

 

 

An excellent first dinner in Rome.

 

 

 

A romantic dinner...

 

 

 

...with just the three of us.

My friend Traci took me on a trip back to her home state of Georgia.

 

We got to see the tree that owns itself- the sign in the photo will explain that one.

 

I also chowed down at "The Varsity,"  and got a chance to do a little ATV riding!

 

We also explored an art museum there in Atlanta.

My friends Heidi and Jon got married in 2006 in California.  We spent some time in San Francisco before going to the wedding, and I got a few nice shots from Chinatown, the Golden Gate, the Transamerica Building, and in front of Alcatraz.

 

I also got to have some of the best Dim Sum I've ever had in Chinatown, which is to be expected.

 

I really wasn't prepared for how hilly it was there.  You see pictures and watch movies set there and see the hills, but you really don't get an accurate picture without experiencing them, especially from the backseat of a cab driven by an overzealous driver.

 

 

When Mat and Amali went to visit Clark and Ana in DC, I managed to tag along.

 

One of our first stops was the FDR Memorial, which was really wonderful.  It seems to be a fitting tribute to the man.

 

We also went to the Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Capitol.  As you can see from the photos, we also visited the memorial to George Mason and the Smithsonian.

 

 

 

In 2004, I also got to take a trip with Brendan and Susan to Belize in Central America.

 

Not only did I get to do some more water activities on this trip, but we got to visit some ruins as well.  Good Times!!

 

On a visit through Seattle, WA on the way to Victoria, British Columbia, we stayed one night. 

There is a quick shot of me and Mat at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle, WA.

We also visited Fulton Fish Market, and got to stay at the Four Seasons. 

I didn't realize it, but there is a FAO Schwartz toy store there, so I had to give it a gander.

There really are way too many Starbucks in that town, some even across the street from each other or one or two blocks down the street.  Crazy!

Around the time of the 2004 US elections, I got to travel with my friend Bill to see Washington, DC and Colonial Williamsburg. 

 

In DC, we visited the Native American Museum as well as the Smithsonian Museum's castle.    There is also the obligatory photo in front of the Capitol, and a couple of shots at the new WWII Memorial, which was a long time coming!

 

Williamsburg was a lot of fun.  It is a wonderful place to go if you are interested in our colonial past.  It really is a beautiful place as well.  Some of the shots are of the church there, the governor's residence, and the House of Burgesses.

 

We also made a quick stop at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum in North Carolina.

In May of 2004, I went on a wonderful cruise to the eastern Caribbean Sea.  We were gone for roughly 10 days.

 

We started out of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and visited St. Thomas, VI as well as St. Martin/St. Maarten, and a private island in the Bahamas owned by Princess Cruiseline.  We were on the Caribbean Princess, and this was its first year of operation.  Brand spanking new!  I went with my good friends Mat and Amali.

 

The ship had it all!  A huge theatre for movies and shows, several lounges for smaller shows, a night club, and many, MANY bars.  There was also a spa, but I didn't partake in that. 

 

On the back of the smoke stack (I'm sure it isn't used for that anymore, but that's what it looks like) there was an enormous movie screen where you can watch movies "under the stars."  It was great!

 

I have to say, between the incredible food, the gorgeous blue Caribbean water, and the shows and other entertainment, we had a blast and had more fun on the boat than on our excursions on the islands!

 

There was also a casino on board, but I much more of a Vegas ape, so I avoided it.

 

It was really a fantastic time, and the following photos show a few of the aspects of the ship and our trip. 

I was fortunate enough to hitch a ride with Marita and Chuck when they went to visit Marita's relatives in The Netherlands. 

 

I visited Bosbaan with Marita's cousins Bastiaan and Erik, saw the Museum Plein in Amsterdam, posed in front of the obligatory windmill, saw some canals, drank, went to the red-light district, drank, and only looked at ads for the hash museum.  We weren't able to actually tour it.

 

The photo showing an entrance gate type of structure is part of an old folks' home.  Even their more mundane places look fancy!

 

 

 

We arrived in Frankfurt, Germany for our last part of the trip.  Chani's uncle Tom picked us up at the airport and drove us to Freundenberg where he lives.  He acted as our guide for the rest of the trip, which was nice since we don't speak any German.

 

We spent time in Freundenberg with him, but he also drove us to Menden to check out the castle there.  With the exception of the street scene in Freundenberg, the rest of the photos are from the castle.

 

We had such an amazing time with Tom.  He took us to the pub he frequents, which is owned by a Brit and a Germany and has primarily a British clientele.  They were so excited to have Americans there that they bought us beer after beer, and many were in liter mugs!  I'd never had so much Warsteiner in my life!  We ended up getting back very late and Fred and Tom were in deep trouble from their wives.  Luckily, I wasn't attached! 

 

The trip was really a great 2 weeks, and, other than the looks we got from folks that found out we were from Texas (George W. Bush had recently pulled us out fo the Kyoto Treaty, so he was pretty unpopular in Europe) we had a fantastic time.

 

But it wouldn't be my last trip to Europe.  More on those trips in later posts.

When we got to London, we stopped off at our hotel.  It was a pretty old place and kind of rundown.  An older couple ran it.  There was a portapotty style shower in the room itself!  Well, we just needed a place to stay, not a luxury hotel room.

 

We then took a tour of London.  One of the things I wanted to get a shot of was one of the telephone boxes.  Man, it was plastered with Adult ads inside!

 

We also visited the plaza in front of the American Embassy, where I posed with the statues of Eisenhower and FDR.

 

The original Hard Rock Cafe is in London, and you can see Fred holding me up in front of it.  It's close to Buckingham Palace, where I am posing with Mat.

 

The last photos are of me with Chani in front of Big Ben and a shot of me in front of the London Eye.

 

From London, we flew to Germany for the last leg of our trip.