28 August Monday in Amsterdam - Afra's Party

Last night ruled. We have a friend named Afra van der Markt who lives here, and we met her a few years ago. We decided to have a birthday party for her at the hotel. So we had a party with 12 people, it was 6 Dutch and 6 Americans, so it was great. Our hotel provided the venue - it was Gerzoni's pub in the hotel and we had drinks (byob and beer on tap) and a bunch of Dutch appetizers and also a big birthday cake, actually two of them. It was awesome. After a few hours in the pub, we moved the party to the roof of the hotel (our room #559 has a patio on the roof) and really had a chance to hang out with our Dutch friends, who are really cool.
OK, here's some photos!

chuck

Sunday in Amsterdam

Another great day in Amsterdam! The weather is OK, clouds, then sun, then a shower, then sun......
We have a small problem with the blog. We can't find a computer with a USB port that works. So, no pix. We'll keep looking.
Just biking around the city, eating, drinking, biking around the city...
I'm sitting in a coffee shop right now, having a drink,... :D and doing the blog.
It's hard to concentrate, many people, very loud, etc.....
Anyway, we'll really, really, try to keep up the blog...
Steve,
Chuck and dave

25 August, 26 August, now in Amsterdam

Friday, 25 August We flew today from Bratislava to Amsterdam and met our friend Mike Duda From Germany at Schiphol, and took the train into the city. We are finally here, and soon we have been joined by Nicole and Gina, and also two Dutch friends, Anne Speijer and her friend Mark. We also connected with Afra van der Markt and Thomas van Hout who are pictured here. So , we have been going to the big outdoor music concerts called the Uitmarkt Festival which is held in the city squares, primarily Nieumarkt. We are having a blast here. We saw this awesome African band (photo shown). The picture of me is with Anne Speijer of Leende.

chuck , in Amsterdam 26 August 11:42pm local time.

24 August We visit Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia. Slovakia is the country that was half of Czechoslovakia before they split in 1/2 a round 1993. They are right on the Danube River and they have this massive new bridge over the river that we visited. It was a really cool one-night visit. We are on our way to Amsterdam! chuck

23 August Performances by Chuck in Dubrovnik

Had a blast playing and singing in Dubrovnik's city squares on Wed Night . The first show was on Piano, accompanied by a stand-up bass and a drummer. I did Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock,and all the Croats were singing along !

At a nightclub later in the evening, i joined another band and sang Chuck Berry's Johnny B Goode and again all of the Croats were singing along - it was awesome and the band was really good. It was a great last night in Dubrovnik! chuck

23 August Wednesday in Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic Sea

Today we walked all around the top of the walls of this medieval city. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to walk the entire circumference of the city, but all on top of the walls. i'll show a few photos, so you can get the idea. We also went to the beach and went for a swim today. It was about 95 degrees F. and gorgeous. i spent most of the time hiding under my hat and sunglasses and sunblock (spf30 was the highest i could find). we also visited a 15th century Franciscan Abbey and Convent. Dubrovnik is a place that you definitely want to visit. It's inconceivable to me that it was shelled during the 1991 war when Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia. They have fixed all the damage, but there are still some missle holes through some of the buildings. Tonight we went out for seafood. I had the squid, dave had mussels, and tails had some pasta and mussels. The Croats are very civilized. At the end of dinner, i had only finished 1/2 of my bottle of white wine. so they take a knife and whittle the cork down to re-fit easily into the bottle, put the bottle into a plastic bag, and hand it to me to take away. I love this country !

Chuck 23 August, 2006 in Dubrovnik, Croatia 8:24pm

22 August Korcula to Dubrovnik Croatia

omg. It's really amazing how much Croatia rules. Yesterday we took a ferry from Split, Croatia to an island called Korcula, Croatia. It's a medieval town, walled in to protect them from the Turks. Korcula is an unbelievable, fairy-tale city, something out of Lord of the Rings or something. We went for a swim yesterday in the Adriatic and, thankfully, the water is cold. Clear as glass, too. Blue as blue.

The temperature yesterday was 104 degrees F , but today was a little cooler, maybe 92 degrees or something. After one night in Korcula, we took another boat today to Dubrovnik, which is even more unreal than Korcula. If you feel like it, Google image Dubrovnik,to see a picture of this place. It's a huge walled-in city, once again to protect from Turks.

Tomorrow, 23 August, i'm planning to upload a few images from here, but i'm at an internet cafe at the moment without my USB Cable. We're going to spend a few days here. You know what's cool? The Croats. The people here are a joy to chill with, really welcoming, speaking as much English as possible, and serving ice cold beer with a smile. We're staying in a private home here. Some guy named Evo Gugic was at the ferry landing this afternoon when we arrived, and we cut a deal with him to stay at his house, with his wife (Resna)and little girl (Maria). We're paying $37 per person per night. In local currency, that's 200 Croatian Kuna per person, per night. Air conditioning is the only real requirement. We couldn't care less about the antiques, and bed linens, and doors, and other details.

All in all, Dubrovnik is where you want to be. It's Italy at less than 1/2 price.
Tomorrow, we will go to the beach, and walk the top of the walls of the city. Check back tomorrow for updated images from our Adriatic adventure.

dave, steve, and chuck tuesday, 22 august, 11pm (5pm in America)

Sunday, 20 August Split, Croatia: Hot.....and cool !

Hello Everybody, it's Sunday, and a beach day here in Croatia. It's a very hot town, and a really cool one. Yesterday, Tails mentioned this place that we have been staying at. It's really cool living in this old palace of a Roman Emperor. We have been hanging around with this really cool woman from the UK Joanna who is tolerating our puerile behavior quite well, and actually looking after us. I'll put a picture of her here so you can see her. Truly, this brings our travel program to a new high, although she now drinks way too much beer than she should.
This morning we went to the beach and Dave and Tails (known locally as Uncle Buck and McGyver) went in , but I didn't. But now, it's after lunch and Joanna has joined us, so we're going back to the beach. Everybody here likes us, and the Croats are truly nice to us and are welcoming, so I'd recommend you all come here !! If you click on this link, perhaps you can find Split on the coast and that's where we are:

http://www.travel-2-croatia.com/images/croatia-map.gif

Ok, here's a few pics, i've got to go jump in the Adriatic ! hahahahahaha chuck

the boys are in Croatia

We left Budapest today, and after a short flight on Wizz Air, we are now in Split, Croatia. We are on the Adriatic Sea, what is call the Dalmatian Coast. If you headed due west from here, you would hit Italy. It's very, very, warm here, about 95 degrees F
When we got off the bus from the airport, and a woman offered us rooms in her house for a very cheap rate, much lower than at local hotels. I understand that's very common here, so we figured we'd try it. Our rooms are in the oldest part of the city, the buildings date back over 1000 years. In fact, there are Roman ruins everywhere, dating back more than 2000 years. It's the very best location, right in the heart of the action. Our rooms have air conditioning, otherwise we would just melt. We just had dinner, and will probably go for a swim soon.
Even though we've only been here a few hours, we like this place. We'll keep you posted.
Steve, for Chuck and Dave also...

Budapest day 5, from Steve

Today is our last full day in Budapest. We leave in the AM for Split, Croatia, on Wizz Air, flight 271 @ 12:05 pm.
Another beautiful day. The weather has been perfect here in Hungary. We took our bikes out and headed around the city. There's a Redbull airplane race going on over the Danube this weekend. We saw a demo this morning, planes doing aerobatics, and even flying under the bridges. Very impresive. We then took the bikes out to Margaret Island, a huge Island in the middle of the Danube. We expected more people there, but it was actually quite quiet. Hungary still suffers from years of neglect from the Soviet rule. They have made great progress, but still have a long way to go. Some places on the Island, and in the city, are very rundown. However, there is construction going on everywhere. They are cleaning the buildings, and updating the roads and services.
Budapest just ropes you in. It's so large, and so old, and so full of history. The people are warm and friendly, and more than helpful, even if you don't ask. The other day, as we where trying to figure out the Metro, a young girl came up and explained how to buy and use a ticket. Most people here, speak at least some English, and many signs and posters are in English too.
All and all, we love this place, and hope to return someday. The food is great, the beer is cold and strong, and a dollar goes a long way.
Posted by Tails, for Chuck and Dave

Budapest day4 from Steve

Budapest is a great city. We love it here, so much so we have extended our stay a few more days. Our first full day here, we went to the Sziget rock festival. It's held on an island in the Danube river. They claim there where about 250K people there. On the main stage, we saw Living Color, Iggy Pop, and Prodigy. Iggy was the best. The man is a real performer, to say the least. We saw many other bands, as there were about 20 stages around the island.
On Wednesday, we mastered the local underground, and took in some sights about the city. Budapest is a very big city, with a lot to see. We walked across the chain bridge over the Danube, and took the Funicular, a sort of train that goes up a cliff, at about a 45 degree angle. It brings you up to the old castle, with a stunning view of the river and city.
The food here is great, no problem. The menues are in English, and we haven't had a bad meal yet. The best part is that this city is a real bargain. You can live like a king for about 50 bucks a day. We're talking $10 meals, and $1.50 beers in very good resturants.
Lasr night, we met up with a Hungarian friend of Chuck and Dave that once lived in Nashua. Andras took us to a great resturant for real Hungarian food. We all agree that it was very good, except perhaps the Carp roe soop.
Today, realising that this city is just so big, we rented bikes. We rode all over, and went to the large park in the center of Budapest. Also there is the Turkish baths, very nice, but maybe for tomorrow.
It's 6:15pm now, and we're buying airplane tickets to fly to Croatia on Sat.
Perhaps I can post tomorrow, but you never know. The internet connections here are not very good. We are spoiled now, it takes forever to read and post mail.
Talk to you all soon! Steve, for Steve, Chuck, and Dave

London-Budapest

WHOAH On Sunday we took a train down to London, and then on Monday we flew over to Budapest, Hungary, and weve been here for two days now. Tuesday we went to a huge music festival calle d sziget festival and it totally ruled. Today we walked all over town. As soon as we can we'll upload some photos! were having a great time and wish you were here. will write more soon.

chuck, dave, and tails

saturday in the Cotswolds (England)

Today was awesome, we left Stratford and went bombing around The Cotswolds. This is an old area of England where all of the houses have thatched roofs and stuff like that. We went to Stow on the Wold , as well as Bourton on the Water. Nobody over here seems to know what a Wold is, but these towns have kind of cool names. Then we all went out to dinner in a nearby town called Kenilworth, a restaurant/pub named the Clarendon Arms.

Breakfast with the Kate, Bryn, and Andrew Spender

Wow - The Spenders made a fabulous breakfast for us this morning !

early, like really early day two in england

we're still up! even though chuck was dancing to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA and Stars are Crazy by Paris Hilton until all hours of the night, we're still up blogging, largely because, we're like, mental. in just a few hours, we will be heading off to the Cotswolds. Apparently that's a cool place, but stay tuned. .......come back here tomorrow to find out... !!! ':>) yeah baby ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !.....

Day One

omg !! i forgot how much i love l'anglais ENGLAND ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! dave, and tails and I have arrived in Stratford on Avon thanks to our buddy Spends , the spenderama. andrew spender. We survived the terrorist attack and besides spending 6 hours in cleveland (chuck and dave), we are alive and well and tails is fine as well. our first day consisted of drinking too much and discoing out in the chicago rock cafe here in stratford on avon in the midlands of england. this is the home of shakespeare, althogh the town has morphed this weekend into the home of the harley davidson's and other motorcycle people.
omg the bulldog bash, the motorcycle weekend is in town, but we just went out for some curry and went dancing. you are the dancing queen... blah blah blah blah blah blah you remember. ABBA oh yeah.. we decided to create a blog for the very pragmatic reason that it is 1 am and although tails and rock are beddy buggins, the spends and myself are alive and well.