You bloody world travelers have my interest severely piqued. You and
Wolfy
both. I'm beginning to regret being a lazy Yank all these years.
I saw that, John, in the 'Israel' thread.
Just returned from a few days in France where, you will be amused to
discover that Danielle has another daughter now! Born a month early,
it's doing fine. I'm a 'double Grandfather' now...Does that mean I can
scream louder still?
It was nice being back (other than the family thing) though. I drove
across the Pyrenees and down to Spain (Barcelona) from Toulouse. Bought
millions of cigarettes, saw a few dozen 'ghosts' in my favourite places
in the mountains, and enjoyed good coffee and croissants as well as the
undeniably more cultured company of French people.
Careful with any burgeoning 'desire to travel' though. It becomes
obsessive very quickly. Like a drug, once you start, stopping is hard
indeed! I only last about a month before become dis-satisfied and
restless.
That quick flight and drive around has settled me for now though. The
Pyrenees were at their most magnificent. It was warm, cloudless and the
mountain outcrops are majestic. Now, back in England, the weather is
cold and damp..and the people are still fat and ugly!
Werewolfy
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| User: "John Lemke" |
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| Title: Re: Travel and life..John Lemke. |
13 Nov 2006 03:21:14 PM |
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"Werewolfy" <Werewolfy1@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1163201317.137777.86230@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
You bloody world travelers have my interest severely piqued. You and
Wolfy
both. I'm beginning to regret being a lazy Yank all these years.
I saw that, John, in the 'Israel' thread.
Just returned from a few days in France where, you will be amused to
discover that Danielle has another daughter now! Born a month early,
it's doing fine. I'm a 'double Grandfather' now...Does that mean I can
scream louder still?
Congratulations. Danielle has her hands full. I'm guessing it's going to
be awhile before you're a triple Grandfather. It's tough that for quite
awhile the only way children can communicate is by crying. They start
getting fun for the adult males around 5 or 6 months. They're a little more
active, more aware, better motor skills. My boy calls his boy a little
bobblehead which is better than the term "blob" that I had for him at that
age.
It was nice being back (other than the family thing) though.
Kids go thru rough and crazy times but they tend to come around. Teen years
are rough years. It's pretty gratifying to see them wake up and grow up.
Eventually you'll get hooked by those little girls, Ricky.
I drove
across the Pyrenees and down to Spain (Barcelona) from Toulouse. Bought
millions of cigarettes, saw a few dozen 'ghosts' in my favourite places
in the mountains,
Sounds like one of those "old world" peculiarities.
and enjoyed good coffee and croissants as well as the
undeniably more cultured company of French people.
There's something to be admired about their resistence to commercialization
and their determination to preserve their culture. Here they're wanting to
put advertising on school buses.
Careful with any burgeoning 'desire to travel' though. It becomes
obsessive very quickly. Like a drug, once you start, stopping is hard
indeed! I only last about a month before become dis-satisfied and
restless.
I can imagine. There are places in this country with their own flavor and
mystique. Took a family trip thru Virginia in my mid-teens and felt like I
was home. Something strange about being south of the Mason-Dixon line here
for me............. But I love where I live even tho it's very rural, very
quiet. Chicago is less than two hours away and many people I know go there
twice a month or more. I've been there once in the last 16 years. :-)
That quick flight and drive around has settled me for now though. The
Pyrenees were at their most magnificent. It was warm, cloudless and the
mountain outcrops are majestic.
I can relate to that a little bit. Colorado is a spectacular place but 1200
miles or so away. I get the impression that Europe gives you a much more
varied and intense taste both in terms of nature and culture in a more
compressed situation.
Now, back in England, the weather is
cold and damp..and the people are still fat and ugly!
It takes more than a weekend to make things like that change, Ricky. :-)
I do envy your wanderlust and the variety you have access to.
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| User: "WH" |
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| Title: Re: Travel and life..John Lemke. |
12 Nov 2006 02:08:42 PM |
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Werewolfy wrote:
You bloody world travelers have my interest severely piqued. You and
Wolfy
both. I'm beginning to regret being a lazy Yank all these years.
I saw that, John, in the 'Israel' thread.
Just returned from a few days in France where, you will be amused to
discover that Danielle has another daughter now! Born a month early,
it's doing fine. I'm a 'double Grandfather' now...Does that mean I can
scream louder still?
It was nice being back (other than the family thing) though. I drove
across the Pyrenees and down to Spain (Barcelona) from Toulouse. Bought
millions of cigarettes, saw a few dozen 'ghosts' in my favourite places
in the mountains, and enjoyed good coffee and croissants as well as the
undeniably more cultured company of French people.
Careful with any burgeoning 'desire to travel' though. It becomes
obsessive very quickly. Like a drug, once you start, stopping is hard
indeed! I only last about a month before become dis-satisfied and
restless.
That quick flight and drive around has settled me for now though. The
Pyrenees were at their most magnificent. It was warm, cloudless and the
mountain outcrops are majestic. Now, back in England, the weather is
cold and damp..and the people are still fat and ugly!
Werewolfy
Had the travel bug since 1980 Wolfy...I know how it is. I was eighteen
when I first fucked off...having kids myself now, my daughter is the
eldest at sixteen, I realise how my dear old mum must have felt. She's
dead now but it must have been really hard for her to see her eighteen
year old kid ***** off into the unknown. Funny thing is that I'de
thought of going to yankieland but she said "promise me you wont" it
was so dangerous. It was ok to travel to the middle east and do that
part of the world...but not America. Anyway I'm glad I went that way
rather than the other way.
As a matter of fact I wanted to ask you Wolfy, a question. Good that
this thread is still going on 'cos I'de have felt like a real ***** just
bringing it up. But...Wolfy...have you landed in Bangkok in the
day...i.e. when it's bright out? These long haul flights usually end up
in the dark so I just wonder. Coming into Bangkok airport I noticed, I
was looking out the window, that we were landing in the middle of a
golf course. Have you noticed that. That was a flight from Hongkong to
Bangkok, (***** it maybe it was from Taipei), and so wasn't a "long
haul" flight...couple of hours...maybe three. Another thing, when I was
just landing in Taipei the captain came on and said fasten your seat
belts and all the rest of that ***** but he also said something I
thought was weird..."if you're carrying narcotics or any other
contraband you can be sentenced to death". Kinda puts that joint into
perspective doesn't it? :-)
For John I reckon that we Euro's have it easier than you yanks because
we only have to move a few hundred km's and we're in another country.
You lot on the other hand live in a dump that is so big that you can't
get out of the place unless you move thousands of km's. Having said
that I know that percentage wise, only 13% of yanks have passports. But
the point is this, just moving those 200 or so km's means that you are
in a completely different culture...seriously we in Europe are so
different when it comes to culture that it's amazing...but it's also
wonderful. Southern Europe, along the mediterranian is completely
different than here up in the north. When I hear yanks saying "hey you
Euro's" then it occurs to me that they haven't a clue 'cos Europe is so
diverse you wouldn't believe it. We are all so different culturewise.
And as a last point Mr. Lemke. If ever you are on your way to Europe
let me know and I'm very sure that Wolfy feels the same, let us know
because we would like nothing better than to make you visit, along with
your family, a complete and utter wonderful experience!
WH
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| User: "John Lemke" |
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| Title: Re: Travel and life..John Lemke. |
13 Nov 2006 03:55:45 PM |
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"WH" <bollogs@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163362122.202173.232690@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Another thing, when I was
just landing in Taipei the captain came on and said fasten your seat
belts and all the rest of that ***** but he also said something I
thought was weird..."if you're carrying narcotics or any other
contraband you can be sentenced to death". Kinda puts that joint into
perspective doesn't it? :-)
Could put a lot of really bomb dope in the hands of the captain too.
For John I reckon that we Euro's have it easier than you yanks because
we only have to move a few hundred km's and we're in another country.
You lot on the other hand live in a dump that is so big that you can't
get out of the place unless you move thousands of km's. Having said
that I know that percentage wise, only 13% of yanks have passports. But
the point is this, just moving those 200 or so km's means that you are
in a completely different culture...seriously we in Europe are so
different when it comes to culture that it's amazing...but it's also
wonderful. Southern Europe, along the mediterranian is completely
different than here up in the north. When I hear yanks saying "hey you
Euro's" then it occurs to me that they haven't a clue 'cos Europe is so
diverse you wouldn't believe it. We are all so different culturewise.
I hope you never lose that. I remember traveling here as a kid, 40 years
ago or more, before the interstate highway system had been completed.
Traveling a lot of twisting rural roads. Going thru small town after small
town. This before the widespread advent of televesion and the develpment of
a national commercial culture. You could experience different flavors,
slight cultural differences.
I went to a convention in Dallas many years ago and decided to drive up to
Denver, CO afterwards. It's an eye opener to spend 8 hours driving before
you make it half-way and out of Texas. Commercialization and a few mass
migrations, Americans tend to move cross country a lot, have diluted things
culturally I think. There's nothing to running into a park ranger in
Florida with a heavy Wisconsin accent. But it's still cool to talk to a guy
in Pampa, Texas who speaks the same language and you can hardly make out
what he's saying.
And as a last point Mr. Lemke. If ever you are on your way to Europe
let me know and I'm very sure that Wolfy feels the same, let us know
because we would like nothing better than to make you visit, along with
your family, a complete and utter wonderful experience!
Well, thanks, Mr. H., I appreciate that very much! Can't think of a better
way to experience the quality of a place than with some quality similarly
minded locals. No plans currently but you never know what time might bring
around.
My father's family was originally from Eastern Germany. That's probably
where the dominant personality traits in my family came from. Not all of
them good I guess. It's interesting to talk to other people of German
extraction and find similar personality traits, shared first and middle
names, etc.
My mother's family is of Irish/English descent by way of Arkansas. The
names being Hammond and Chestnut. It would be interesting tap into that
cultural background also.
Best regards.............
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| User: "Woodswun" |
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| Title: Re: Travel and life..John Lemke. |
12 Nov 2006 04:48:12 PM |
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On Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:08:42 -0800, WH wrote:
Had the travel bug since 1980 Wolfy...I know how it is. I was eighteen
when I first fucked off...having kids myself now, my daughter is the
eldest at sixteen, I realise how my dear old mum must have felt. She's
dead now but it must have been really hard for her to see her eighteen
year old kid ***** off into the unknown. Funny thing is that I'de
thought of going to yankieland but she said "promise me you wont" it
was so dangerous. It was ok to travel to the middle east and do that
part of the world...but not America. Anyway I'm glad I went that way
rather than the other way.
Sorry to hear about your mum :-(.
I'm interested in why she thought the U.S. was so dangerous.
Woods
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| User: "Werewolfy" |
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| Title: Re: Travel and life..John Lemke. |
12 Nov 2006 06:37:53 PM |
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WH wrote:
As a matter of fact I wanted to ask you Wolfy, a question. Good that
this thread is still going on 'cos I'de have felt like a real ***** just
bringing it up. But...Wolfy...have you landed in Bangkok in the
day...i.e. when it's bright out? These long haul flights usually end up
in the dark so I just wonder. Coming into Bangkok airport I noticed, I
was looking out the window, that we were landing in the middle of a
golf course.
Ha! You must have been one of the first into the new Subnaravarin
(spelling?) airport then! It had only been opened a few weeks when I
arrived. It's the world's newest airport! The old Don Muang terminals
on the other side of Bangkok have all but closed down.
They are building a monorail into the airport, and yes, there is a golf
course nearby! The whole thing is quite a structure, Chris, people
visit by the thousand daily. I've been there now a few times in the
day, the expressway leads into the new airport but you can't see the
golf course from the road.
Have you noticed that. That was a flight from Hongkong to
Bangkok, (***** it maybe it was from Taipei), and so wasn't a "long
haul" flight...couple of hours...maybe three. Another thing, when I was
just landing in Taipei the captain came on and said fasten your seat
belts and all the rest of that ***** but he also said something I
thought was weird..."if you're carrying narcotics or any other
contraband you can be sentenced to death". Kinda puts that joint into
perspective doesn't it? :-)
I know! Very strict..so to is Thailand..about drugs. I remember landing
at Cairo airport the first time, and seeing a sign that said, "Welcome
all visitors, we are pleased to see you all and we want you to have a
good stay. If you have drugs you will be executed" That made me realise
I was 'abroad'!
For John I reckon that we Euro's have it easier than you yanks because
we only have to move a few hundred km's and we're in another country.
You lot on the other hand live in a dump that is so big that you can't
get out of the place unless you move thousands of km's. Having said
that I know that percentage wise, only 13% of yanks have passports. But
the point is this, just moving those 200 or so km's means that you are
in a completely different culture...seriously we in Europe are so
different when it comes to culture that it's amazing...but it's also
wonderful. Southern Europe, along the mediterranian is completely
different than here up in the north. When I hear yanks saying "hey you
Euro's" then it occurs to me that they haven't a clue 'cos Europe is so
diverse you wouldn't believe it. We are all so different culturewise.
I couldn't have phrased that better, nor agree with it more Chris.
That's exactly the case. Take the French/Spanish border for
instance..and it's the same with all borders...step across the boundary
and the culture, the language is instantly different. No 50 or so miles
where the cultures merge..just instant transformation into another
land.
And as a last point Mr. Lemke. If ever you are on your way to Europe
let me know and I'm very sure that Wolfy feels the same, let us know
because we would like nothing better than to make you visit, along with
your family, a complete and utter wonderful experience!
WH
I second that. I'll even show you how to play cricket, John! It's the
adult form of that child's game, baseball, that you have over there.
Seriously..consider travel. It would be a pleasure to show you around
one day...
Werewolfy
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