Monday, December 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Budapest
Every year on August 20th, Hungary celebrates St. Stephen's Day with a parade and a small yet much loved relic. Clutching precious jewels, the hand is still defiant, albeit shrunken and yellowed. The withered mummified right hand of St. Stephen resides in an ornate golden reliquary shaped like Matthias Church in the Basilica of St. Stephen. It is known as "The Holy Right".
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
More photos from Africa (Tanzania)
Finally... Greenland, how I love snow!!
Я люблю снег!
As I always say, "I love cold weather." Where else would one go to escape the warm tropical winter of Belarus? I was living and working there at the time... It was early February and I could not decide where to go on vacation. It was a toss up between Jamacia, renting a villa on the ocean or somewhere cold. I picked someplace cold. I have always wanted to go to Iceland thinking it would be a cold place. So I got on the internet and started my research. Someone mentioned these new age ice hotels. That sounded cool. (sorry, bad pun intended) I stumbled accross the web site of a hotel in some far off place called Disco Bay. Where in the heck was that? Well it was Greenland and the rest is history!
After some research on the Greenland Tourist Board site I sent of a few inquiries. Not really knowing what I was getting my self into I was only going to do a one night dog sled trip with other sightseeing activities added on. I had what sounded like a great trip worked out with a travel agency out of Denmark. (All flights to Greenland originated in Denmark at that time) Everything was a go until the requested a bank transfer to pay for the trip. I prefer to use my credit card. That way if something goes wrong you have some recourse. So it was on to travel agency number two...
Agency number two was connected with work so I knew I'b be safe. They allowed me to use my credit card to book the trip. The Greenland Travel company changed as did the intinerary and the cities. Now, I was in for three and a half day Arctic Ice adventure. 200 kilometers over three days with no promise of a roof over my head at night. (what had I gotten myself into?)
As it turned out it was the best trip I had ever taken. Wow, what an experience. 4 tourists, 4 guides and about 64 Greenland hounds pulling our sleds arcoss the Arctic ice. I can't wait to go again in a year or two. I'm already planning it.
As I always say, "I love cold weather." Where else would one go to escape the warm tropical winter of Belarus? I was living and working there at the time... It was early February and I could not decide where to go on vacation. It was a toss up between Jamacia, renting a villa on the ocean or somewhere cold. I picked someplace cold. I have always wanted to go to Iceland thinking it would be a cold place. So I got on the internet and started my research. Someone mentioned these new age ice hotels. That sounded cool. (sorry, bad pun intended) I stumbled accross the web site of a hotel in some far off place called Disco Bay. Where in the heck was that? Well it was Greenland and the rest is history!
After some research on the Greenland Tourist Board site I sent of a few inquiries. Not really knowing what I was getting my self into I was only going to do a one night dog sled trip with other sightseeing activities added on. I had what sounded like a great trip worked out with a travel agency out of Denmark. (All flights to Greenland originated in Denmark at that time) Everything was a go until the requested a bank transfer to pay for the trip. I prefer to use my credit card. That way if something goes wrong you have some recourse. So it was on to travel agency number two...
Agency number two was connected with work so I knew I'b be safe. They allowed me to use my credit card to book the trip. The Greenland Travel company changed as did the intinerary and the cities. Now, I was in for three and a half day Arctic Ice adventure. 200 kilometers over three days with no promise of a roof over my head at night. (what had I gotten myself into?)
As it turned out it was the best trip I had ever taken. Wow, what an experience. 4 tourists, 4 guides and about 64 Greenland hounds pulling our sleds arcoss the Arctic ice. I can't wait to go again in a year or two. I'm already planning it.
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