We Found'em!!

We are back home now and have taken some time to look through the pics on our digital memory cards. Mayhaps some uv these are JohnK's lions.

1P's Last Post from Yurp.

I am currently in Rome near the Colloseo. I came here to buy gifts for my grandkids. I bought them some things in Florence but left them in an internet place and they were gone when I got back there 30 minutes later.

I fly out of Rome 10-22-08 Wednesday morning at 0615 Rome time. I have not found an internet spot close to my hotel so this may be my last post till I get home. I have had a fantastic time but will be ready to go home when the time comes. Thanks to all of you that we met along the way. We enjoyed sharing with you.

And we enjoyed sharing our trip with all of you at home. We hope you enjoyed it.

1P (PatK) signing off. May the Lord bless you.

Last Night's pasta

Pasta with sausage and broccoli. It looks like a picture posted earlier but it aint. It was very good. I am going to have to readjust to american food and meal times when I get home. Pizza and Panini are the only fast foods that I have noticed. The restaurants don't open for dinner till 8:00 pm and most Italians don't start filtering in till nearly 9:00.......but the food has been very good in central and southern Italy. Northern Italy food was not up to my expectations except for one meal in Como.

Sad

This lion looks like his is very sad.....probably because he has never been picked. NEVER! Not even as the last player on the baseball team. They woodnt evun let him play. JohnK?

Spoleto to Rome

Yesterday, I drove from Spoleto to Fuiminco close to the airport on the outskirts of Rome. The drive was very good. There are hilltop towns and valley views at almost every turn.

San Gimignano

Two days ago I left Florence bound for the hill towns of San Gimignano, Perugia and Assisi. San Gimignano proved to be one too many old towns spruced up for tourists. They are still amazing to me but there seems to be a point where they start to look the same......so only overall pics of San Gimignano. As luck would have it I arrived late in the evening at Perugia and learned that they were in the middle of their annual chocolate festival. They are apparently famous for chcolate. Any other time I would have been happy to be at a chocolate festival but you must book rooms ahead for a festival. No rooms available after driving to the center of another of these old towns with streets sized for one vehicle, no room to turn corners, pedestrians everywhere and dead end streets which require 28 point turns.

Then I drove to Assissi with the same result. Finaly found a room in Spoleto, Italy. My no reservations philosophy almost failed but finally turned out alright.

This got to be the lion

sorry to bother, but daniela and me nearly fell over this one in portici today. hope it helps, he looks big and calm. guarding a church, sorry, no bridges here.how is your trip going,take caregod bless youdaniela and oliver

Back in Florence

I am back in Florence today. I like the architecture here. Maybe I shooda bin an architect and built buildings instead of trying to keep them from burnin down.

LION

Ok JohnK. Time iz gittin short. Take yore pik. You shore are finicky and picky bout yore lionz.

Portovenere

If you like old towns and boats, you should go to Portovenere. It is beautiful....even in bad weather like this.

Apatment in Portovenere Italy

I rented an apartment in Portovenere Italy last night. It is the door on the right side of this pic.

Cow bells in Switzerland

This video is just a cow, but the sound that goes through the mountainside is GREAT. Turn it up.

PatC made it home.

After leaving Rome at 2100 Monday. Getting to Amsterdam at 2300 Monday. Having an 11 hour layover, then leaving Amsterdam 1000 Tuesday. Getting to DFW at 1300 on Tuesday, keep in mind there is a 7 hour difference, and by the way I could not sleep on the 10 hour plane ride. I got a bus to the Remote parking at the airport. Then got a bus to the TRE train station, which did not cost anything. The TRE from Centerport to Richland Hills was $3.00. Then the grueling 1/2 mile walk to my house with my pack. I made it home at 1600 Wednesday. Home Sweet Home.

Enroute to Portovenere, Italy

I don't have a pic to post yet kawze eye ain't arrived at my end of day spot yet.......headed for Portovenere. Still taking it a day at a time and looking for a place to stay at the end of the day. May possibly go back to Florence....or maybe not. Some small towns don't have internet spots so I may be silent for a day or two at a time depending upon where I am.

Y'all please try to a little harder to keep the US from falling apart until I git bak. I dont git much news but seems lak yall aint tryin very hard.

Now there is only 1P

Yesterday, I carried PatC to the airport to catch his flight back home. We have experienced and seen a great deal together in the last 30 days and I am glad that he came. Now there is only 1P in Yurp. Y'all please keep praying for Pat Marshall, the third P's, complete recovery from his heart attack.

A Miracle

For the past 30 days in Germay, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, we have repeatedly used every word known to man in attempting order an everyday glass of tap water. We always got bottled water of one variety or another.....either "gassed" or 'ungassed". Yesterday, Pat C and I stopped in a small shop and and ordered coffee and pastry by making signs and motions to a waiter who spoke very limited english. This is the tray that he brought to us. Note that it contains a glass of plain tap water....two of them unexpectedly brought by a waiter who knew so little english that we could not ask him to tell us how to order the water. @#$#@$%$

Food at Martino Club Hotel

One night's second course at Martino Club Hotel was pasta with octopus. The third was swordfish but I forgot to photograph it. Dessert was pineapple and ?

Lion Search has expanded

JohnK, one of our friends from the 6 Small Rooms Hostel has apparently found your lion. Actually he once lived in Wurzburg and is familiar with your lions....so he decided to help. See copy of his email below. His lion picture contribution is displayed above.

hello and good day,thank you very much for your entry on easy backpacking. daniela and me feel blessed having met you.i was telling my brother in south africa about your ongoing lions quest ;-) and we remembered taking a photo some years ago while touring the bush. sending you a copy, so feel free to use it on documenting your hard search on your blog.god bless you,Daniela & Oliver-- Certain things catch your eye. But pursue only those that capture your heart. http://www.easy-backpacking.co.nr/http://www.writingtravellers.com/http://www.photographersdirect.com/http://www.tripi.co.il/

JohnK, we are getting desperate. Is this it

Friends from 6 Small Rooms Hostel

These are friends that we met at the 6 Small Rooms hostel in Naples, Italy. We enjoyed meeting you an sharing travel stories with you.

Lido di Fondi, Italy

Our practice of finding a place to stay at the end of the day rather than making reservations continues to work well for us. We stumbled into Martino Club Hotel on the west coast of Italy between Naples and Rome. Because of the off season rates for half board, it actually cost us less than a hostel and it is beautiful. Our room opens onto the beach. See views attached.