How about Moscow?

Moscow Subway Station- 1989 -photo taken by Abbie
Moscow. When I was there it was the end of October and sooo cold. Well below freezing. I have these wierd, almost distorted memories of the city. Huge, expansive roads, empty. No people or cars. Cold, grey, dark and very lonely. I finally figured it out. When we flew in it was almost midnight. From the airport, instead of going to our hotel, we went to Red Square. (had to squeeze in as much as possible in our limited time) Now that is a sight to see at 1 o'clock in the morning. It was lit up and very huge and very empty. I ran out of film in my camera and unfortunately don't have pictures. I have but one taken that night when we arrived. The Moscow subway. All underground (too cold to be above ground) and absolutely magnificent. It goes to show. Communism is a strange creature. People live very meager lives, but everyone shares in the chandeliers, frescoes, and guilding of the subway. Marble was everywhere and it simply sparkled. It was out of a museum or palace. Very surprising and surreal in the middle of the night. Not what I expected.

It is alittle different during the day.. I searched Moscow Subway images on Yahoo and found this one taken by John Straube during the day. Almost the exact same view.

Photo by John Straube found on Yahoo

How strange is that? We were standing in almost the same spot only 15 years apart. Not much has changed..

More to come..

There is more to come. I promise.. things have been alittle too crazy in reality for me to travel to other places in cyberspace. Tomorrow I hope to post... perhaps somewhere tropical...

Ciao dall'Italia! (Hello from Italy!)

Viaggiamo a Napoli. (We are traveling to Naples.) My father said if you could drive in Naples, you could drive anywhere in the world. We lived there when I was a very young girl. The city itself is not one of the more exciting Italian places to visit (or live) but it is very close to several impressive, and 'must-not-miss' hot spots. (No pun intended.) Naples rests in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, the only active volcano to still exist in Western Europe. It's eruption in 79 A.D. buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and today, both are definitely worth exploring. You can take a peek at Archaeology's Interctive Dig.

Vesuvius can be seen in the distance beyond Naples

I guess I should start from the begining..

The brat thing.. well I grew up in the military. My father was an USAF fighter pilot. We moved ALOT. I think my mother says she had moved 27 times in 29 years. Something like that, anyway. Needless to say, we traveled. My parents were bound and determined to leave the military bases whenever possible. We where in Europe and we were gonna see it!! Well, that sounds fab and glam to most, but to a preteen, not so nice. I wanted to stay with my friends. Hang out. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Now, I appreciate it. I have seen almost all of the European countries and had the fortunate opportunity to travel to the USSR. (That's what it was when I was there.. now its Russia) We traveled often and as I recollect the journeys I really do have wonderful memories. I would like to get them written out. I will be including photos where possible, most of them taken by myself or my parents. I'll do alot of jumping around, as that is how my life was and my memories still are.

We will be traveling to places such as Italy (multiple times), Germany (a LOT), Holland, France, Spain, Belgium, Great Britian, Denmark, the Alps, Switzerland, Austria, Russia, the Ukraine, and more. I will also take a few journeys to places I have not yet been. (Mind you, I said 'yet'.) Egypt, Greece, Japan, China, etc.. You get the point. This blog is gonna travel and I'd love it of you checked in, and came along occasionally.

A big jump to Yalta..

click for larger view
Now, we travel to Yalta (in the Ukraine), on the Black Sea. I traveled here with my eighth grade class. Whoa. That was a long time ago. Then, Yalta was part of the Soviet Union and had not become a it's own entity.I can remember it was the first time I got to pet a camel. There was one on the boardwalk near the sea. There were palm trees too. It was absolutely gorgeous and a far fetch from Moscow(where my class had been to last). The water was blue. Not black. (when your 13, that is something you notice)

click for larger view
I plan on staying at the Yalta Intourist Hotel Complex again. It was the neatest, most outdated convention center I have ever had the pleasure to stay at! The images of it give you the false impression of luxury. The furniture and light fixtures are the same that were there in 1989 and even then, they seemed out of style and ridiculous. (If I looked hard enough I could find my trip pics to prove it!) If memory serves me right, we slept with the lights on, because, otherwise, the cockroaches would have carried us away! This is also the first (and only) time I had Tongue to eat. YEAACCGGHH.. NOT good. In fact, I had a hard time adjusting to the food on that entire trip. Even the potatoes didn't taste good.

I think it was the best they had and when you travel to the other side of the world, you take what you get! As children of American military personel traveling through communist USSR, (before the wall fell) it was a culture shock and a life changing trip for all of us. I will never forget it. I think it would be most facinating to return and see democracy trying to turn its wheels.

"Yalta is situated on a shallow bay facing south towards the Black Sea, on the site of an ancient Greek colony. It is said that Yalta was found by some Greek sailors many years ago who were looking for a safe shore to land on. Yalta is surrounded by many beautiful woody mountains. It enjoys a spectacular Mediterranean climate with many vineyards and orchards in its vicinity.

Yalta is a dramatically handsome resort on the southern tip of Crimea. It will always be a favored destination with its mild climate, lush green landscape and rugged beaches. Yalta attracts many tourists every year.

When going to Yalta you will learn a nice small legend of how the name Yalta emerged. You should be aware that there are two Yaltas, the Greater Yalta and Yalta City. Yalta City is Yalta itself, but Greater Yalta is several small towns which are situated between the Bear Mountain and the Cat Mountain.

There are many activities in Yalta, especially in the summer months. There are many restaurants, cafes, bars and night clubs that will be able to feed and entertain you for a few good hours.

The main promenade is always full of people walking back and forth listening and strolling through the works of the artists, singers and performers. There are many stalls selling souvenirs and all sorts of art works from clothing to beadworks to handmade jewelry. Yalta has a big hall, a theatre and cinema to entertain those who prefer staying indoors.

Yalta’s average prices are close to Western Standards and many shops, restaurants and hotels accept credit cards, however Yalta has an abundance of ATM machines. The people of Yalta incredibly hospitable and very proud of their city and they are usually excited to share it with you. "

a clipping from Ukraine.com

My first stop..

My first stop on my tour of Europe will be Memmingen, a small town of Bavaria, Germany. The town has a facinating history and is a treasure to see. The town's market place is the weekly site of fresh produce, baked goods and the best Bratwurst you can find. ( With spicy mustard and a crusty roll, of course) and Fries! (with curry ketchup!!) Yuummmmm. I have decided to stay at the Hotel Falken right near the downtown market place.

For a visual tour of the town click here. The site is in German, but just click on the images and they will give you a 'moving picture' image to see the Market Place, the River Iller and several of the old gates.

Here is a story about the town and its struggle to survive. When the town was under siege by the Swedes in the 17th century they had their garison of walls and towers to protect them. Through their town also runs the River Iller, so fresh water was pentiful and they brought in the livestock to provide them with food. The town's people could outlast any who tried to overtake them. Under one such attack, their food supplies were dwindling and they had eaten all of the sheep and their reserves. close to giving up, they tried one last trick in hopes that the invaders would give up and pass on. The town's folk had their children walk the tops of the city's walls covered in the sheep skins. The Swede's thought that the town was well stocked with food supplies and gave up. It was a clever and town-saving move!

homesick...

Sometimes I get so homesick for Germany I could cry. OK, bawl, actually. My most favorite of all the towns has to be Memmingen. It has an 'old town' that is surrounded by walls with four gates facing in each direction. (N,E,S,W) the river Iller runs through the downtown and canals flow everywhere. I can remember riding my bike (I had to have a German issued bike license) on the walkways and over the bridges.

I really want to go home.

I have started this blog to take a 'walking tour' of my old haunts in Europe. Come and travel with me down memory lane.