Well we are off again. our plans as of right now are:$40 rental car from Wilmington NC to Newark Airport. A $361 one-way ticket to London each. One night lodging in a fleabag hotel called the "Vegas Hotel". Next day over to Calais, France to pick up a rental car for 31 days. From there we are planning for Germany/Poland/Hungary and south.

8-23. We are in Berlin. We landed in London early Wednesday morning, August 18. We headed to our hotel and took a nap. Walked around London checking things out and discovered it is VERY EXPENSIVE. A plain hamburger and coke from Burger King is $5 US. We each had a kabob and coke at a local 'hole in the wall' and it cost $22 US. We went to a classical concert at Albert Hall and were able to get $12 tickets. It was cheaper to be entertained than to eat. Our hotel was $85 US and the size of a cabin on a ship (very, very small).

We took a bus to Dover and the ferry to Calais, France on August 19. Cost was $90 US for both of us. We picked up the car at the ferry terminal and headed out. Stopped at a French supermarket and bought cheese and bread and sodas. Stayed in a cheap hotel that night ($45). We have been driving through Germany for several days and enjoying it. Drinking good German beer and eating good German food. In Berlin, we went to the premiere department store in the center of town and had lunch at the cafeteria. Lots of interesting dishes to choose from and a chance to eat some good vegetables. The prices in Germany and France are more reasonable than England, but not cheap. We expect Poland and Hungary and Romania to be much cheaper. In Belgium, we did buy some fine Belgium chocolates for $7, a good deal. Also, saw some men logging in the woods in Belgium using big horses to pull the timber out. Very interesting. We stayed in Weimar, Germany which used to be the capital. And, we visited Buchenwald, a concentration camp from WWII, which was very sad. Also, went to Leipzig and Koblanz, Germany.In Berlin, we went the big department store, KaDeWe, real nice, but prices were high. Went to Potsdam and retreat where the treaty was signed after WWII to divide up Europe. Also, went to Sansoucci Palace.

August 29. We are in Hungary in the Lake Balaton area, town of Keszthely. The lake is the largest in Europe. We rented an apartment for a week. Plan to travel to capital of Croatia and other surrounding areas.We left Berlin and drove to Warsaw, Poland, a real experience. The road was two lane with wide berms, and the cars and trucks in both directions used the berm so they made a two lane road into a 4 lane road, kind of scary, but we made it. Warsaw was not that exciting, but we went to the National Museum and headed to Krakow, which was beautiful and vibrant.

Visited Wahwel Castle and enjoyed perrogis for dinner. Drove to Auschwitz and Birkenau, where thousands were murdered by the SS during WWII. It is outside Krakow and very moving and sad. We stayed in a nice local hotel in Krakow for 63US. Poland uses their own money, the Zloty. Polish eat breakfast in the a.m., then a large lunch midday, then a light supper, different than other parts of Europe. We stayed one night near the Tyskie Beer Brewery in Poland, a good local beer. We went to an organ recital in Krakow at the large cathedral in the square, center of town where everything happens. We left Krakow on Friday and drove through the mountains of Slovakia, so beautiful, to Hungary. It took all day and we went on to Budapest which is spectacular and beautiful. Huge statutes and columns and arches everywhere.

We stayed in a nice local hotel and spent Saturday in Budapest. They were having a parade, like a sex parade where all the radio stations had big trucks with music and half nude dancing babes going through the main streets of Budapest. Both Hungary and Poland have beautiful women and it is interesting how they dress in tight clothes. Needless to say, Doug is enjoying the scenery. At our apartment-hotel here in the Lake Balaton area I asked if they had laundry facilities and it turns out they can wash our clothes, but not dry them. We got detergent and washed them oursevles. They are drying all over the room. This area is a resort area, like Lake Tahoe in the US. Lots of Germans and Hungarians vacation here. It is nice to stay in one place after traveling town to town for so many days. We will leave here and go to Romania and Transylvania, land of Dracula.

August 31. We went to Zagreb, Croatia ysterday for lunch, about 2 hours away from our apartment in Hungary. It is a nice city and people are very friendly. We ate at a fancy hotel and tried some local dishes. Went to the circus a few nights ago in a nearby town. So nice with elephants, camels, horses and dogs and trapeze act. Headed to mountains today. It has been challenging navigating in different languages. We get lost, but it is an adventure and Doug is a fantastic navigator. Also, these countries do not use the Euro so we have had to change money several times. Got caught in a parking garage yesterday with no local money to get out. They finally took 5 US dollar bill and we escaped.

We have traveled from London to Dover to Calais, France to Belgium through Germany to Berlin to Warsaw, Poland to Krakow, Poland, through Slovakia to Budapest, Hungary to the Balaton region and yesterday through Slovenia to Zegreb, Croatia. Next week is Romania, Transylvania, Greece, Croatian coast, Italy and on to France. The Slavic languages, as well as Polish have been most difficult to read and pronounce. English is not spoken that much in Eastern Europe. Feels like we are in Western Europe like it was 20 years ago. We are getting good value for our money in Poland, Hungary and Croatia, but it is not cheap.

September 3. We are taking day trips from our apartment in the Lake Balaton area. We had lunch at a nice restaurant earlier this week and had drunken fish soup, so good. Attended a concert in the Eszterhazy Castle in Fenrod, near the Austrian border. Itwas a small string quartet playing classical music, Josef Hayden. It was near Sopron, a walled medieval old town. Went to the nearby thermal lakes and went swimming, felt so good. We both got a massage afterwards for US12 each. We went to a castle in Sumeg overrun bz Turks in 1647. We took a jeep ride up and walked down, very steep.

We have been shopping at Carrfour, Tesco and Auchen, big stores like Walmart super centers. There are 3D billboards here that advertise beer and other things. About 20 ft. apart, one behind the first one creating a 3D effect. We went to Budapest yesterday, which sits on the Danube River. Buda is on one side and Pest on the other side. Had lunch on the Danube and ate a huge salad. The pastry shops are to die for, lots of chocolate which tests our willpower. Lots of tractors and horse drawn carts on the roads. The tractors actually have turn signals. Went the pharmacy this morning to buy hydrogen peroxide which Doug uses for a mouthwash. They had to mix it up behind the counter and Doug thought it was awful when he tried it. The pharmacy was so crowded, they have to buy vitamins and aspirin from behind the pharmacy counter.

September 7. We are in Bulgaria. Left Hungary last Saturday and traveled across the border to Rumania. Took two hours to get across-a real zoo. The last night in Hungary we ate at a wonderful restaurant that had tradional Hungarian folk music and dancing and a man who stood on his horse and cracked the whip, a Hungarian cowboy or CSIKOS. One of the desserts was scones with crackling which tasted like a southern biscuit with bacon. Had a Hunters Platter-duck, boar, deer-very good. Doug got a speeding ticket in Hungary, but the equipment used was not accurate. We could not argue in Hungarian and the ticket is in the glovebox. Don't think it will get paid anytime soon. It was a speed trap of which there are lots of them here. He also was pulled over in Bulgaria, but talked his way out of the ticket. It was a trick in that you thought you were in the country, not the city. The cops were at the city/county line waiting for people who had speeded up at the city marker. Speed in the city was 45 km and in the country, 80 km.

We see lots of prostitutes along side the road in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria-for the truckers. They are dressed provocatively and sure can stop traffic. Romania is a beautiful country. We crossed at Nagylak. Romania feels like the 1940's, lots of horse and carts on the road, people walking and bicycling. Very mountainous and lots of trees.

We visited the Dracula castle in Bran-Bran Castle. Vlad Tepes was a real prince in the 1500's Romania and the story of Count Dracula was based on him because he killed people who did not follow his ruling by stabbing them with a stake. We drove to Sibiu and stayed there Saturday night. On Sunday night we stayed in the old town of Sighisoara in an old fancy hotel. They have a restaurat in the house where Vlad Dracul was born and serve Dracula tomato soup. Food and hotels are so inexpensive here. A good meal for both of us is $15 US total, including tax and tip. Very nice hotel rooms are $40-50 US and include breakfast. The Carpathian Mountains run throughout Rumania and are beautiful.

We went to Brasov, another city that is somewhat large and the Rasov Castle-so beautiful. Romania seems unspoiled, yet the people are very poor. We drove to Bucharest on Monday and drove by the People's Palace built by Ceausescu, a very bad leader of Romania who was executed in 1989. Sarah Brightman, a famous English singer was rehearsing an outdoor concert across from the palace and we watched her perform with front row seats. We stayed in Eforie Nord on the Black Sea in Romania last night. There are several resort towns on the Black Sea, but not as nice as what we have in the US. We did get a nice room with a balcony for $23 US. A guy on a bicycle was riding around trying to find people who wanted a room and took us to it. The hotels hire folks to drum up business for hotels by standing on the corner with room keys. The guy on the bicycle even opened a restaurant for us for a late meal. Such good food, especially the mussels in marinara sauce with pickles.

Today, we crossed the Romanian border into Bulgaria, another very mountainous country. We took a couple from Finland to the nearest town from the border, about 40 KM as they were hitchiking and taking buses around. It was interesting to hear about their travels and learn about Finland. Like it is dark for a whole month in the winter there. No light except the reflection off the snow. We stopped in Varna and had a nice lunch today-Bulgarian food which is very Mediterranean. We are headed to Pldvdiv tomorrow. In Bulgaria, the words are written in Cyrillic, like Greek, a letter like N is backwards and S is a C. Talk about confusing and impossible to read or understand. Navigating has it's challenges.

We are headed to Greece after a few days in Bulgaria. People have been friendly everywhere and speak broken English or no English. TV in Romania is English with subtitles and there are many German stations as the Germans once lived in Romania.Sept. 14. We are in Croatia on the Dalmation Coast, the most beautiful place we have ever been. Big, rocky mountains, the Dinaric Alps, crashing into the blue, majestic Adriatic Sea. Seaside villages that are wonderful. We went swimming in the Adriatic Sea and it was wonderful. While in Bulgaria, we drove to Sofia and spent the night. It is the highest capitol in Europe, nestled in the mountains. Walked all over, went to the National Museum of Art. Stayed in a hotel built in 1935 in city centre. Very old historical and European city. Had dinner at a local Bulgarian restaurant and indulged in some good Bulgarian red wine-merlot. Hotel cost 63US, including breakfast, a deal. Visited several beautiful churches and headed on to Greece to catch ferry to Brindisi, Italy. We cannot travel in Albania so we will then have to take a ferry from Italy to Croatia (Hrvatska).

Crossed border into Greece at Kulata, Bulgaria. Drove toward Thessalonki. Drove all day on winding, steep mountain roads through Greece. We thought there was an interstate, but no such luck. It takes 2-3 more hours than you think it will take to drive anywhere. Spent the night in Igoumenitsa and took all day ferry next day. Doug went to buy ferry tickets that morning and told me to sleep in. He came back and said we leave in 5 minutes (thought the ferry was later in the day). I took a shower on the ferry as we were very rushed to get on, but made it. Stopped at a neat street fair in Greece the night before and had grilled pork which was cooked on a spit.

Drove from Brindisi to Leece, Italy, a beautiful town with Roman ruins. Stayed in a wonderful B&B above a restaurant. Our room had huge cathedral ceilings and a balcony overlooking a narrow street. It was an apartment of our own with kitchen. Spent $80 US, but it was worth it. Next day, drove to San Maria De Leuca at the point of the heel, southern point, below Naples. The harbor is beautiful.

Then drove to Bari and took the all night ferry to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Since we cannot travel in Albania (no car insurance there), we had to ferry to Italy, then back to Croatia. A note, Doug has been admiring the Eastern European women and in Italy it was my turn to admire the handsome men. Italians are so stylish and contemporary.

Arrived in Dubrovnik after a long night in a small cabin on the ferry trying to sleep. The beauty of the Dalmation Coast is unbelievable. We have been on the coast for three days and everywhere you look it is a picture postcard. Dubrovnik, old town is a walled city. Hard to believe Croatia was bombed by the Serbs only 13 years ago. We stayed in a small town called Omis, near Split. Ate at local restaurant, Kastle Slanica, outside Omis and tried dish called brodet-it was frogs and eels in a delicious red sauce. Split is a nice city ad also a town called Primosten on the coast is attactive. There are all kinds of islands off the coast and diving, sailing, boating is very popular. We stayed near Rejeka last night on the Dalmation Coast.

We are now near Trieste, Italy and the Italian influence can be felt. We are in the Istria Region of Croatia where olive oil is supposed to be very good. We are in the town of Rovinj, very picturesque and headed to Slovenia where we will spend the night in a city in that country. Then we will cross the border back into Italy near Venice and spend some time there. Our Eastern European experiences are almost over and it will be back to places we have already visited in the past.

September 17. We are in France, the French Alpes-De-Haute-Provence, headed to Paris. We extended the use of the car for 3 days and plan to turn it in on Monday in Paris, then stay in Paris a few weeks. We spent the night in Ljubljana, Slovenia a few nights ago, a very nice city. It is the capitol of Slovenia. We drove through Trieste, Italy on the way there. Had a local meal that included delicious vegetables cooked in a variety of ways. Stayed in the Hotel Park-not a lot of choices. Note-all major gas stations have caffe/bars and shops with whatever you might need. One place; a cute, young woman worked there and washed our car windows. We went to a huge shopping center in Slovenia-430 stores. Have not yet found a laundromat since being here. Washing clothes in the sink at night. There should be some in Paris. Yesterday, we drove along the Cote D Azur-French Mediterranin.

Drove to Menton, Monoco, Monte Carlo and Nice, France. Beautiful cities cared into the steep mountains along the sea. We stayed in Ventimiglia at Hotel Calipso two nights ago. Doug had stayed there years ago when going when we met up in Italy on holiday. Not fancy, but reasonable. Stay tuned as we head to Paris and hope to find a reasonably priced apartment.
France is definitely more expensive than Eastern Europe. We average 75US for hotels and 40US for meals. We expect to buy food at the market and eat in most of the time in Paris so we can enjoy the cultural activities available to us.

Sept. 20. We are in Paris and found a charming one bedroom apartment for 420 US dollars for a week. Plan to go to the opera tonight. Turned the rental car in this morning. Not sure how long we will be in Paris. May stay longer than a week if we can find another rental-it is such a beautiful city. Stay tuned for updates.

Sept. 21. Check out our Paris apartment at www.MYCOOLAPARTMENTINPARIS.com. It is a 4th floor walk-up and we are getting plenty of exercise. Doug says he is on the European diet and losing weight-we will see. Going to the ballet And to the opera the next two nights. Enjoying the food markets and cooking good stuff in the evenings in the apartment. Eating out for lunch most days.Sept. 27. Flew home from Paris yesterday.

While in Paris we went to the ballet, opera and symphony. Also, went to the Paris Auto Show. It was huge with over 30 car vendors from all over the world. Lots of sexy ladies standing by cars to entice Doug. Loved looking at the Ferraris and Lambroghinis. Some nice little cars, but they don't sell them in the US-one called the Smart Car would be so if you didn't get run over by an SUV! Doug did lose about 8 pounds on the trip and I stayed even and didn't gain weight-yahoo! We walked all over Paris everyday, all day which helped because we indulged in some good food.This trip was a little more expensive than most.

On our 39-day trip, the daily cost for the two of us was $252. The exchange rate is $1.23 for one euro. At the time of our trip to Europe three years ago, the value of our currency was more than 30% higher-VOTE KERRY! We spent $1,500 on planes and $300 on transports to planes. The car lease was $35 p/day and the gas was $31 p/day. We drove about 8,500 km so the cost per mile was about $.12. It was a small manual shift Peugeot. We spent an extra $400 taking the ferry to and from Italy to avoid Albania where we had no car insurance coverage. Lodging averaged $55 per night. It varied from one night in a fleabag in London for $85 to a weekly rental of a nice 4th floor walk-up in a geographically undesirable area of Paris for $60 per night. Weekly rental for an OK apartment in Lake Ballaton, Hungary was $36 per night. One night in a good room on the Black Sea in Bulgaria we spent $24. For everything else, museums, entertainment, groceries, food, etc. the daily cost for the two of us was $84. We ate anything we wanted in Eastern Europe. In London, 2 Kebabs and 2 cokes were more than $20! In France, we could afford the countryside lunch with wine, but not in the cities. A wonderful countryside lunch with wine could be had for $15 each. My advice for the cities is to buy prepared food, particularly at the street markets. The cheap tickets to cultural events in London and Paris were cheaper than NYC. The museum admissions were higher. All in all, a VERY GOOD TRIP.