Our Photo Album - By Country
- Preparation
(and More Preparation) - Fixing the House,
Packing the House, and Packing and Packing and Packing the House
- Getting
Closer - Boxes, more boxes, and good-byes
- Nearing
the End and Approaching the Beginning - Vaccinations,
good-byes, and cleaning
- Ready,
Set, Go - Pack, Say Good-bye, Get In The Car!
- Maggie's
First Communion - Maggie wears a dress!
- Communion
Party and Slideshow - Heard at the traditional
Avis Family slideshow: "What was Becca doing in the beer cooler?","Mom,
who was that man who is hugging you?","Timmy, what's that on your lip?",
"Is that Drew Carey?"
- A
Day At The Jersey Shore - with Grandpa, Aunt
Jo, Ellie, Baby Mary Jo, Great Aunt Alida, and Uncle Greg
- Friends
and Family - Visiting with Peace Corps friends
and family
- From
Ft. William to Killarney, Ireland - Trains,
buses, and boats land us with Grandma and Granpa Avis, Uncle Danny,
and Uncle Dave in a house in Beaufort, Ireland
- Beaufort
Ireland - Meeting the family and hiking over
the big hill to Katie Kearney's Pub
- Beaufort,
Carrauntuohill, and Dave's Dinner - A scary
hike, a very good dinner, and a very, very windy day
- Dunquin,
Ireland - An incredibly beautiful place at
the very end of Europe
- Dublin,
Ireland - Wonderful place to hang out and think
about things (maybe next time)
- London
- British Museum, London Sights, and a Visit with
Kevin Hawken
- More
London - Sightseeing and dinner with Kevin
Hawken
- London
and on to Calais - London bus, Tower Bridge,
Globe, Tate Modern, and a rough crossing
- First
Day in Paris - The Rue Cler Market, Champs
du Mar, the Eiffel Tower, and games in the hotel
- Paris
and Notre Dame - Moving into our apartment,
dejeuner at home, Notre Dame, and painting along the Seine
- Paris:
The Market, Les Invalides, and Rodin - Incredible
variety at the market and incredible sculpture at the Rodin Museum
- Paris:
Cluny and Musee D'Orsay - Deciphering tapestries
and what may be the very best museum on the planet
- Notre
Dame, Sacre Coeur, and the Seine - A tour,
a trip, and a traipse
- An
Arch, Sparrows, & Fleas - The Arc de Triumph
and the world's biggest flea market
- Paris:
The Louvre - The sublime and the silly (that's
a good description of us and the Louvre)
- Paris:
Musee d'Orsay and The Eiffel Tower - Cool museum,
cool buskers, cool tower
- Versailles
& St. Chapelle - Incredible gardens and fountains
(as if we needed more water), Marie Antoinette's hamlet, and Louis IX's
home for the crown of thorns and couple other bits
- Parc
des Buttes Chaumont - A very fun (and strange)
park in Paris
- Paris
to Madrid - Last trip to the Eiffel Tower,
dinner at Bistro de Papa, train to Madrid, and the Prado
- Asilah
to Sevilla - Back on the ferry, orange trees,
the cathedral, the bull ring, and strolling
- Sevilla
- Maria Louisa Park, Plaza Del Salvador, the Cathedral,
Place De Espana
- More
Sevilla - Around town, the Alcazar, and flamenco
- Hiking
in Cazorla - Hike up to a monastery and the
ruins of a Moorish tower
- More
Cazorla - Hanging out and hiking
- Cazorla
Sketching - Drawing from a hill above town
- To
Piles (By Way of Benidorm) - It took four bus
rides, and a night at an undeclared British colony, to get us to a beautiful
beach and a great hostel
- Valencia
and Barcelona - A walk around Valencia and
an introduction to Gaudi
- Around
Barcelona - The bird market and more Spanish
wackiness
- Gaudi's
Sagrada Familia In Barcelona - Under construction,
modernist cathedral (following an essentially gothic pattern) was the
coolest and most thought-provoking church we've seen.
- Barcelona
to Monaco - More Gaudi and a warm welcome to
Monte Carlo
- Monaco
- Visiting the palace and the Oceanographic Museum
- More
Monaco - Japanese garden, party at Uncle Marc's,
and haircut
- Monaco
to Venice - A good train ride and then . .
wow! . . we're on another planet
- Venice!
- San Marco and some of what we have seen wandering
about the place
- We
Love Venice! - We find a great apartment, visit
the Doge's Palace, take a run in the rain to Piazza San Marco, and then
get lost
- Venice
- The regatta of the witches, a walk around town,
and a flood
- A
Flood In Venice - Seeing St. Mark's with no
pigeons
- Venice
in the Rain - Down the Grand Canal by vaporetto
- Venice
Flood and Saxophone - During the second flood
we waded around and listened to a saxophone player playing amidst the
rising water
- Venice
and the Fish Market - Walking around Venice
and buying seafood
- Trip
to Murano - St. Donato, who slew a dragon,
and a long vaporetto ride
- Venice
Drawing, Eating, and Visiting - Drawing at
the piazzetta, eating eel, the top and bottom of St. Mark's, and eating
fish and ray
- Florence
- Youth Hostel and Piazza della Signoria
- Doing
the Tourist Thing in Florence - Piazza del
Duomo and Santa Maria del Fiore
- Wandering
around Florence - We really like "the dome"
and the statues
- The
Kids Visit the Great Dome - And take pictures
to tell about it
- Perugia
to Casacastalda - Heading for a stay at a house
in a small town in Umbria
- Hiking
around Casacastalda - Out for a long stroll
on the little roads around town
- Art
Picnic - Short stroll out of town for a picnic
- Hiking
Around Casacastalda - Heading over to Castello
di Giomici and the big town of Collemincio
- Snowy
Days in Casacastalda - A hike on a grey day
turns into a white hike (to the delight of the kids!)
- Gubbio
- Traipsing around a very old city
- Grandma
Hughes is Here! - Picking her up at the airport,
a tour of Florence, and then fun in Casacastalda
- Assisi,
Cards, and Heading for Rome - The Assisi cathedrals
were fascinating, Grandma taught us a few things about cards, and then
we headed to Perugia to catch the early train, return our car, and catch
the early train to Rome
- Rome
- We caught the early train from Perugia and, when
we arrived in Rome, it was sunny!
- Palatine
Hill Ruins - The ruins of the palaces of Roman
emperors and a great place for a picnic
- St.
Peter's - Visiting the basilica and the Pope
- The
Forum - Touring and picnicking in the Roman
Forum
- Walking
About Rome - Imperial Forum, Vitorio Emmanuel
Monument, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo De Firori, and Home Again
- Pompeii:
Part I - The kids go to Naples and Pompeii
- Pompeii
Part 2 - The kids visit Pompeii
- Papal
Blessing and More Walking Around - The Pope,
Mouth of Truth, a pretty church, and the Tiber
- The
Vatican (again) - The Vatican Museum and a
climb up St. Peter's Dome
- The
Colosseo - Maggie's favorite place
- Rome
to Athens - Good-byes, a subway ride, a train,
a ferry, a bus, a city bus, and then Athens
- The
Acropolis - A beautiful place (and a beautiful
place for a picnic)
- Athens
- Changing of the guard and folk dancing
- Athens
to Siphnos - Ferry to a little island in the
Cyclades
- Siphnos
- Climbing to St. Andreas (and a Mycenaean town)
and around our "house."
- Hike
To Profit Elias Monastery - The place is now
deserted but clean and curiously homey. (Profit Elias is Prophet Elijah,
we think.)
- Hiking
to Kamares - A short hike to the island's port
- Our
"Worst" Day On Siphnos - The coldest and windiest
day we spent on Siphnos, a day on which people apologized for the weather,
was a spectacular day for hiking along one of the coasts
- Around
Siphnos - We have yet to find a place that
wasn't fun to get to and wonderful to be at
- Swimming
at the Chrisopigi Monastery and Farewells - We
had fun jumping in the water (and racing out); we were sorry to say
good-bye to our friends
- Acropolis
and Athens Museums - War Museum, Music Museum,
and National Archeological Museum
- First
Day in Cairo - Walking and sailing around
- Egyptian
Museum - Even the museum is ancient (and cool)
- The
Pyramids at Giza - Pyramids and Pizza Hut
- The Market,
Mosque, and Mataba - Visiting Cairo places,
including the world's oldest surviving university
- Karnak
Temple, Part 1 - The enormous temple of the
state god, Amon-Re
- Karnak
Temple, Part 2
- Valley
of the Kings - The Theban necropolis on the
west bank of the Nile in a wonderful, hot, parched desert
- Luxor
and Luxor Temple - Walking around Luxor Temple
at night
- El
Koom - A marvelous day at a West Bank village
with a friend, Rageb Ahmed Sallam
- The
Luxor Museum - Beautiful things dramatically
displayed
- Back
in Cairo; Back at the Museum - Egyptian takeout
food; the mummies and the museum; the market (and Fishawi's) at night
- Coptic
Cairo - Several churches and a synagogue tucked
away behind walls in an area called Babylon
- City
of the Dead - The living have took up residence
in the mausolems and now there's utilities, shops, and apartments
- Sufi
Dancing - A boat ride and then the dervishes
- Saqqarah
- On our last day in Cairo we visited part of the
necropolis of the ancient city of Memphis and to our delight found a
place reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Bombay,
now known officially as Mumbai - A much more
interesting and easy city than we expected
- Kochi
- Boating around a lake and the "backwaters" in
Kerala, a state in southwestern India. (The backwaters are a network
of lagoons, lakes, rivers, and canals fringing the coast of Kerala.)
- Kathakali
Dancing - A form of classical Indian dance-drama
indigenous to Kerala
- Munnar
- A "hill station" surrounded by tea plantations
and spectacular views
- Bus
Ride to Thekkady - Another great bus ride.
This time from Munnar to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Periyar
Wildlife Sanctuary By Boat - A boat from which
we watched wildlife and a swimming pool from which we watched monkeys
- Devi
Temple Festival - Each year there's a festival
for each temple, and this was one for a small temple just inside the
gate of Periyar.
- Hiking
in Periyar - More wild boars, monkeys, elephant
poop, and, our favorite, leeches
- Madurai
and Its Sri Meenakshi Temple - A town filled
with pilgrims and rickshaws
- Kodaikanal
(Kodai) - A pretty little hill station town
awash in Indian tourists
- Chennai
(Madras) - The Government Museum and a festival
to commemorate the birthday of Thiagaraja (a venerated composer, but
you knew that!)
- Tirumala
- A most extraodinary day, walking with the pilgrims
to view Lord Ventkateshwara
- Tirupathi
to New Delhi - We end up in the suburbs of
New Delhi but manage to catch an incredible dance concert
- The
Red Fort and Old Delhi - We are back in a real
city after three days in sterile New Delhi
- Jama
Masjid - Old Delhi's great mosque is India's
largest and Shah Jahan's last great building project
- Walking
Around Old Delhi - The living, breathing, full-blooded
part of Delhi
- Touring
New Delhi - Around Delhi and India Gate and
Humayun's Tomb
- Visiting
More of New Delhi - The Bah'i Temple and President's
House
- The
Taj Mahal Part 1 - Dreamlike
- Taj
Mahal 2 - Unbelievable.
- Around
Khajuraho - On the bus and around this tiny
town famous for its temples
- Khajuraho's
Jain Temples - The Jain Temples (and the Southern
Temples) are free and very peaceful. We wandered around, discussed temple
architecture and sculpture styles, and watched kids swim in the river
- Khajuraho's
West Temples - Now surrounded by a park, these
temples were lovely - probably more peaceful today than when they were
being used.
- Khajuraho's
West Temple Group Continued - Though known
for some sexually explicit sculptures that have shocked and titillated
generations of tourists, the setting and other sculptures are wonderful
- On
the Train to Varanasi - One of the things we
enjoy most is just looking out the windows of the bus or train. No monuments
or temples or historic sites but perhaps a more representative view
of India
- Varanasi,
Holy City on a Sacred River - Rest, math, journals,
and a walk to the sacred Ganges River
- On
The Banks Of The Ganges - Shrines, fiery worship,
laundry, cremations, tea stands, ritual bathing, death, and swimming
all in the same spot
- The
Old City - Disposable dishes, cremation accessories,
and dentures
- Good-bye
Varanasi; Hello Nepal - A walk around Old Varanasi
and a car trip into Nepal
- Starting
Our Trek - Five interesting hours by bus from
Pokhara to Beni and then a short walk to Galeswor
- Galeshor
to Tatopani - Mule trains, bridges, and green
hills
- Hanging
Out In Tatopani - We spent a day in Tatopani
goofing around by the river, sleeping, and celebrating a birthday
- Tatopani
to Ghasa - Up the Kali Gandaki gorge on a path
barely hanging (and occasionally falling off) the cliff face
- Ghasa
to Lete - Some photos of what a nice guest
house looks like. Ghasa is the first Thakali village we come to - prayer
wheels and Buddhism - and we stop for lunch in Lete
- Lete
to Kalopani - A tiny inn surrounded by huge
mountains
- Kalopani
to Marpha - We wade the river, stop for lunch
in Tukuche, and watch as the landscape becomes harsher. We also see
many more Buddhist shrines
- Marpha
- A cool Buddhist village
- More
Marpha - Up the hill behind the town and back
to the monastery
- Marpha
to Kagbeni - Up the river to a medieval-looking
oasis
- Rest
Day in Kagbeni - Playing in the river, walking
around town, watching the wheat harvest, and a visit to the monastery
- Kagbeni
to Multinath - Up the pilgrimage route to a
sacred place for Buddhists and Hindus
- Muktinath
- Muktinath is a pilgrimage center for Buddhists
and Hindus. We've seen sadhus headed here for the last few days. Beautiful
views and lots of prayer wheels
- Mulktinath
to Jomson to Pokhara - A quick walk down to
Jomson and then a flight to Pokhara
- Pokhara
to Kathmandu - Nice ride through green hills,
past the site of a fatal accident, and into the city
- Kathmandu
- Tourist shops, wood carvings, temples, and toothache
cures
- Walking
to Swayambhunath - Monks, monkeys, and monuments
- Swayambhunath
2 - More monks, monkeys, and monuments, this
time with music
- Durbar
Square - A walk around Kathmandu's main square
- Bhaktapur
Part 1 - Founded in 865, the town that was
for 200 years the most important settlement in the Kathmandu valley
- Bhaktapur
Part 2 -
- Overland
To Tibet - Waiting at the Friendship Bridge
and then an incredible truck ride to Nyalaam
- Nyalam
to Tingri - Through Nyalam Pass (3800 m) and
Lalung-La Pass (5050 m) to our first taste of tsampa
- Tingri
to Lhatse - Tibetan lunch and a barren landscape
- Lhatsa
to Shigatse - Beautiful stark landscapes, barren
places, and yaks
- Tashilumpo
Monastery - The Panchen Lama's monastery and
full of chanting monks
- To
Gyantse and Pelkor Chode Monastery - Founded
in 1418, Pelkor Chode has an amazing number of books and is home to
the Gyantse Kumbum
- Gyantse
Kumbum - A grand chorten at Pelkor Chode Monastery
- Gyantse
to Lhasa - Glaciers and swimming in Turquoise
Lake with the Himalayas as a backdrop
- Potala
Palace - The White Palace once served as the
seat of the Tibetan government and the main residence of the Dalai Lama;
the Red Palace houses several chapels, sacred statues, and the tombs
of eight Dalai Lamas.
- The
Jokhang Temple - In the center of old Lhasa,
considered the holiest temple in Tibet, the Jokhang was temporarily
converted into a guesthouse by the Chinese after 1951.
- Drepung
Monastery - Once the largest monastery in the
world, it's now home to abou 600 cheerful monks
- The
Norbulingka - Summer palace of Dalai Lamas
- Linghor
Kora - A traditional sacred circumambulation
of Lhasa. Tote helps paint Buddhas
- Around
Lhasa and a Visit to Sera Monastery - Prayer
wheel repairmen and debating monks
- Chengdu
- Interesting, comfortable, modern city that reminds
some of us of Denver -- it has about the same population
- Emei
Shan Part 1 - A bus ride that was an act of
faith and then, in the words of one of our party "the stairway to hell."
- Emei
Shan Part 2 - From the lovely (and, shall we
say, "rustic") Elephant Washing Pool Monastery to the Golden
Summit
- Chengdu
to Xian to Beijing - After we failed to get
train tickets, we flew to Xian where we resumed the quest for train
tickets. While tracking down tickets, we went to a water park (we were
so surprised to find one in China that we had to try it, though we've
never been to one in the U.S.!) and paid a visit to the famous terra-cotta
warriors
- Temple
of Heaven Park - A pretty but relatively incomprehensible
set of buildings used by the emperors to propitiate or worship or get
favors from heaven
- Beijing's
Yonghe Gong, Kong Miao, and Guozijian - (Or,
in other words, Lama Temple, Confucian Temple, & Imperial College)
- Beijing
Nights - Dinners (one of Peking Duck) and a
night at the Opera
- Forbidden
City - Where emperors once roamed, and as the
less than interesting signs repeatedly informed us, "attended to state
business and received officials," or sometimes vice versa
- The
Summer Palace - We were smuggled into one of
the most beautiful places we have visited. Unfortunately, by the time
we struck had negotiated the metro, the bus, and the smugglers' van,
it was evening.
- The
Great Wall - One of the most fantastic places
we have ever seen and one of the most frightening hikes we have ever
taken
- Beijing
to Hong Kong - Twenty eight hours on a wonderful
train
- Hong
Kong - Big, expensive, and it comes with dried
lizards
- Hong
Kong to Kuala Lumpur - We spend a day walking
and busing around Hong Kong. We have no problem with the typhoon and
our flight to Malaysia was marvelous - so is Kuala Lumpur!
- Manila
- A nice hotel and wonderful "jeepneys"
- Back
in the USA - Grandma's, dirt track racing,
the Ten Acres, and a county fair
- Back
Home - Greetings, reunions, and life slips
back to normal
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