Travel Diary

Dusseldorf, Germany

I arrived in Dusseldorf, Germany, late in the afternoon. I'm not at all familiar with the city, having only passed through once on my way to Prague last year - so I arrived without any preconceived ideas of the city. I don't have any plans for this short visit, only to relax from the long flight from Los Angeles, then meeting up with a friend, before making the 2 hour train ride to Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, my final destination for this trip. This is more a purely personal trip, not one of my travel and photography excursions, although I do plan on photographing in the Altstadt area of Ahrweiler and the fall colors in the surrounding area. So far, the fall colors look like they are close to peak in some areas.

The day started out almost overcast, but by mid-morning had cleared up, with beautiful clouds bursting with sunlight. It's a cool 61 F.

Cave Creek, Arizona

Here it is!! Trip preparation time once again. My current plans are to return to Germany in October, as I've done in the past 4 years. Once again, I'll be visiting the town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler; located about 25km southwest of Bonn.

After the long, hot summer we have had here in Arizona, what I'm looking forward to most is the cool temperatures and fall colors. About a month ago, I had surgery on my left knee, and which I've mentioned a few times in past travel articles in my journal. I'm still recovering from the surgery, but glad it's over and looking forward to those long walks in the German forests during my upcoming trip in the fall season.

Cave Creek, Arizona

It seems like it's been forever since I last travelled anywhere, even though its only been a few months. This has been due to the need for some medical rehabilitation. However, I do have more trips, both locally in Arizona and internationaly in the planning stages for future trips. For now, I'd like to leave a sunset from my previous trip to Santorini:

Sunset over the Aegean Sea from the Ira Resort and Spa on the island of Santorini

Imerovigli, Santorini Greece

Today is my last full day in Greece. Tonight I fly to Athens, then back to Arizona tomorrow. During this trip I've tried to seek out the things and experiences that make Greece such a special place; the food, the culture and the historical. Along the way, I've tried to not only focus on the big picture, but also look at the little things that I see. I present a couple of photos below on what will be my last post before returning home.

Oia Town, pastel colored buildings line the caldera., Santorini, Greece.

Graffiti on the path to Fira town, Santorini, Greece.

Imerovigli, Santorini Greece

Today started with a walk into Fira town. The weather had cleared up, mostly cloudy with some wind, which was strong at times. I was able to get some last minute gift shopping done and explore the town.

Later in the day I decided to go into Oia town, and that turned out to be an minor adventure. First I went to the bus stop, and the first bus that came by, in the other direction (towards Fira). The driver told us we needed to go around the corner and down the hill in order to catch the correct bus. We (me and 6 other people) walk there, waited 10 minutes or so, and the Oia bus just passed us by without even trying to stop. I asked a nearby tour driver who told me that we needed to wave to the bus when it was at least 15 meters away or it wouldn't stop. Not sure, how all of us being tourists were supposed to know all that. We waited another 30 minutes, waved at the bus properly and boarded to a standing room only crowd. The road into Oia isn't for the faint of heart or anyone afraid of heights. The bus winds along a ridge with steep drops, and is a two lane road in name only.

I walked around and photographed in Oia town, but decided not to stay for the sunset. The crowds were already heavy at the sunset spot and with the wind, I wasn't keen on staying. Note: we now have sustained winds of 30+ mph in Imerovigli.

Oia Town, with crowds waiting for sunset, Santorini, Greece.