A 4 Star Rant

So, maybe it's the weather or maybe just my U.M.S. (Ugly Mood Swings aka male P.M.S.) kicking in but I am fired up. But Sean you are on a permanent vacation how could you have anything to rant about? Well I will rant about deception, the 4 star kind.

I am staying in the Killarney Plaza Hotel, rated 4 stars. They have them right next to the name outside the place. They are very proud of that and make sure it is known how swanky and upscale the place is. Everyone is wowed by the lobby and the fresh flowers and for most they never look any deeper than that. But take a closer look and I think you begin to see the real place. Let me first tell you what I think 4 star means to me. I have had the privilege to stay in some very nice hotels before so I feel I have a good idea what 4 star service should be. I have also stayed in at least 2 places I consider 5 star so I feel I have a good base for comparison. I stayed in Singapore at the Intercontinental for $98.00 per night and it makes this place look like a Days Inn.

Let me start by telling you that a standard room goes for 350.00 euros ($495.00) per night. (Keep in mind, in Slovakia my rent, food, bus fare, cable, internet and smokes only cost me about 350 euros per month. It is one of the reasons I love it so. The fact that the best looking women in the world live there also helps. Don't believe me, come visit and see, its like a supermodel factory.) And no I am not paying the full rate, Jason worked out a deal for me. If I was I would have checked out and gone across the street to the Killarney Park Hotel. (That's 4 stars for sure)

I will tell you all the things I like about this place, my view. And it is only because I got lucky and got the top floor (4th) and I have a great view of the main shopping street and a nice church. That's it, that is the only thing I like. What I don't like will take some time but I will try and keep this somewhat coherent.

Parking at reception, there is no parking for reception, you have to hope that there is not a bus blocking the entrance like I had and just drive up onto the sidewalk to unload your luggage. Really if you don't want to block traffic, you have to park on the sidewalk. No one to come out and help you unload, no valet service to take your car. Instead I had to park illegally down the street run in and get a room key so I could then drive my car around the back and park underground. Why didn't I just park underground first and then check in? Simple, you can't get into the garage without a room key. Again just keep reminding yourself, 350.00 euros per night.

I then park the car and try and make my way to the lobby to get to my room, not an easy task. This place was designed by a crack smoking fool. I would only confuse you if I explained the layout of the first two floors of this place. I have yet to walk around and not find someone confused by the layout of the place. Instead of having a ground floor and then a mezzanine level they refer to them as LG and UG for lower ground and upper ground, this is not some hilly battlefield you are trying to gain position on your enemy, it's a hotel.

I walked into my room and was extremely happy with the view, it helped me not notice the fact that this hotel is now 7 years old and in need of some updating. Some of the carpets are in need of repair in the common areas, they looked tattered and the seams are starting to separate and fray. The furniture in the room is nothing special, the same stuff you would find at any decent hotel. It's not cheap but it is mass produced crap really, just not what I would expect at these prices. The room size is fine and it does have a nice flat screen TV but with only a few channels. No movie channels or Pay per View, which on a crappy day like today, it would be nice to watch a new movie on TV. The bathroom is fine and the towels are soft, which even I admit is a rare thing these days in any hotel. The bed linens are nice but the bed, well if you like marshmallow soft then you are in luck, because it is one giant marshmallow. I am sure 7 years ago it was wonderful, soft, supportive yet just firm enough, now it's all soft, Viagra couldn't help it.

The next thing I expect is a staff that will go out of there way to make sure that you have everything you could want. When we were in Lahinch the staff there was great, even if the bar was closed you could go to the desk and the night porter would get you what ever you wanted, even just a glass of ice water. It was not a problem. This is what I expect but am not getting here, not even close to what I expect at 350.00 euros per night. I will give you an example of what I am talking about . Last night I went out and had a nice Chinese dinner but as usual I was hungry a few hours later. (why is that?) So it was 9:50 pm and room service is finished at 10 pm. So I called down to find out what desserts they had available. I am not stupid enough to order real food 10 minutes before the kitchen is closed, have you not seen the movie "Waiting". So I figured a dessert is quick and easy for them to do and I had a good shot no one would mess with it. (watch the movie) The guy who answered the phone seemed somewhat confused by the idea that I just wanted a dessert, I was confused by his lack of English language skills. He said he would check what was available. He came back to the phone to tell me the kitchen was closed. Now I could understand if someone ordered up a full dinner, drinks and dessert but I was looking for a bowl of ice cream, a simple order. The kitchen didn't feel like working, this I can understand, if I was paying 75.00 - 100.00 euros per night for a room but not 350.00. At those rates I expect service above and beyond. The other thing is because the only Irish people working here are at the front counter the rest of the staff does not have the internal hospitality, that is part of the Irish genetic code. Most of them are from Poland, India or Paskistan and while they are nice, this is just a job to them, nothing more nothing less, it just pays better than at home. Maybe I was spoiled in Lahinch because it is such a small little village almost everyone was Irish. Now I don't want you to think I am disparaging the non Irish, I am not, I am just pointing out they don't have the same mindset as the Irish when it comes to taking care of guests.

But the kicker and the one thing that has pissed me off to no end is Internet access. They have it in the hotel, wireless in every room, and the speed is OK and it is free. (free Internet is not a big thing in Ireland, most cheaper places charge for it or don't have it.) The thing that kills me is I have to call down to the front desk every 2 hours to get a new code to login into the wireless system. Because each code works only for two hours. You could be in the middle of a download or on a skype call or video conference, whatever, after 2 hours the connection drops. You have to call downstairs and get a new code. Again it is frustrating that you to have to do anything when you are paying 350.00 per night.

So I would not recommend anyone stay here, if you are visiting Killarney, stay at the Killarney Park or for a wonderful experience, stay at the Adair Manor, they are both true 4 star places. I even felt the hotel in Lahinch was better than this even thought it is not a 4 star resort. Also Killarney has lost some of it charm it had when I was here 7 years ago. While it is a great jumping off point for may sights in the area, it has grown past a small little quite town into a tourist only kind of place. I don't see or hear the locals like I did in 2001, just loud, fat Americans. (some say there is nothing worse than a reformed smoker, but a reformed American is worse. Yes I once was a loud, fat American but not anymore) It is life and things change, it just sucks when they change for the worse. I am sure this will be my last visit to this part of Ireland. In the future I will stay in the small towns that make up most of this country and avoid the more populated areas. You can still find the Irish charm and hospitality out there but is it slowly fading away. Skoda (it's a pity)

Ireland Day 4

The view from my room.
Click for more.

Ireland Day 3

Click Pic for More

I had about 3 hours today when the sun was out some so I was able to get some good shots today. The panoramas should come out nicely but I need my Mac for doing those so you will have to wait until Sunday for me to get them online.

The Words I Promised

So, Ireland for the third time is just as good as the first two. For those who don't know, my friend Jason is a travel agent who specializes in European Golf Tours asked me if wanted to to join the trip with about 30 other people. I jumped at the chance to return to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If you have never been here I highly recommend an 8 day trip. For my US readers, If you have never left the country, this should be the firs place you get a passport for. Trust me the, the food is great, the locals are very friendly, but sometimes hard to understand, and the landscape is second only to New Zealand (which should be your next trip) in my opinion. (For my Slovak friends, your lack of a coast line puts you in third, it's not your fault I need an ocean close by.)

The weather yesterday was better than today, with more sun and scattered clouds then the mainly overcast weather I had today. I was able to get some OK shots today but I wished I had better light. I also has a few tiny bits of dust on my cameras CCD (the image chip) which I can edit out but it is a pain so I will head up to Galway to a photo shop and get a brush to really clean it. The weather forecast for the next 2 days is poor as what is left of Tropical Storm Hannah are due here Monday afternoon. So I hope the drive north will be dry in the morning, I will continue west from Galway along a coastal road, if the weather holds. I have never been to Galway so I will enjoy seeing new places as long as it is not raining. As soon as the rain starts I will then head back to Lahince.

I am so glad I got up this morning at 5:15 to go with Jason on the hired bus (coach) to the airport to pickup the main group of golfers who flew in at 6:00. (About 10 of them came in yesterday with Jason and his father to get a jump start on the jet lag for better golfing.) I had decided that instead of taking the coach with ll the golfers and being locked into where they are going, I would rent a car for the week. It is so nice to be able to set my own agenda to go find some good shots. I will sometimes follow the bus or ride on for some of the trips just because they are places I want to see. The other advantage is on Tuesday the whole group has to be on the bus at 5:45 am so they can make the ferry so the don't miss there tee times at a very popular golf course. (If I cared about golf I would be able to tell you the name) I will get to wake up when I like and drive to Killarney to meet them later in the day. The weather forecast right now for Tuesday is heavy rain but should be clearing out that night, I hope. Thursday is my best chance for sun. And if that happens I will drive all day taking photos. The plan is to be able to send all the clients on the trip a nice slide show DVD showing them places they saw but also places they didn't have time to see because they are playing golf most days. There are a few wifes who aren't playing golf so Jason's dad will stay with them and Tim the coach driver will take them on day trips. One of th places I would like to visit is Waterford, I really want to see the Waterford Crystal factory, I have always been a huge fan of hand blown glass. Watching them you understand the true artistry involved with working with really, really, really hot sand. (2000 Deg. Celsius (FUNFACT: Glass is not solid, it is in fact a super cooled liquid. Over many years (100+), glass window panes will become thicker at the bottom as the top thins.) ) But I digress. I have not planned past Tuesday because there are way too many factors out of my control which makes planning futile. As I have said before , “I know what I am doing today, I have a good idea about tomorrow but after that who knows.” The people on the trip are all nice and there s a core group who I will most likely hangout with at night. That's about all I have left in me for the night. I will hope to be able to give you some nice shoots tomorrow but I can't promise much. Some people tell me I set the bar too low sometimes but what they don't understand is I am not doing a high jump, I'm doing the limbo, so the higher I set the bar the easier it is or me so I keep the bar low to keep it challenging. If you can really understand that last statement, then you really understand me. Enjoy.

Ireland Day 2

Click Pic for more.

It was cloudy all day so I'm not real happy with most of my shots. I did decide to rent a car for the week to make it easier for me to travel so I am not tied to the golfers schdule and riding the bus with them. I am tired and will try and write some later. Enjoy the pics.

Ireland Day 1

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Words to follow.

Greetings from The UK

(Click Photo for More Pic's)
Bexhill on Sea

This was the most blue sky I saw in the two days I have been here. But it is typical UK weather so what can I do. I am hoping that the weather will clear and I get a few nice days in Ireland.

It has been fun to visit with Milos and Zuzka. They have a tiny flat but yet made room for me to stay so I didn't have to get a hotel. It is about 250 to 300 sq. feet (9-10 sq. meters) and it is enough for the two of them. I love it because I love small spaces and how much space do you really need? We went to the local Pub the first night and I had some of the best Guinness I have had since I was in Ireland 7 years ago. Clean taps make the difference. Yesterday Zuzka and I drove the tank out to Brighton Beach to check the place out. To me it was exactly what I was expecting, it reminds me of Coney Island with better architecture. As you can see in the photos the weather was crappy and not worth taking many photos. We headed back to the flat for awhile then we went to pick up Milos at work before going to dinner. We went to a small hotel right on the beach and had dinner overlooking the English Channel. The food was fine but typical English fare, it's hard to cook a steak rare when the steak is only 1 cm thick. I guess no one has told them steaks need to be thick not thin like a veal cutlet.

I leave today for Ireland and will spend the next 8 night there, before returning to Bratislava for 1 night to get ready for my trip to Istanbul for 3 days. I am looking forward to getting some great photos in Ireland. I can't believe it has been 7 years since I was last there. In some ways it feels like yesterday. For those who have never traveled outside the US, I would put Ireland as your top choice to visit first. The people are great, the landscape is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen and the food is good as is the Guinness.

So more updates to follow. Thanks again to my loyal readers, I am getting my grove back and hope to be able to top some of my New Zealand posts, we will see. Raul Duke, patron saint of writers, protect me.

I'm in the UK

So Ryanair, what can I say about a bus that flies. Really this just like a bus. They have ads on the overhead bins, really like the kind you would see above your head on a bus or subway. It was interesting how they load these planes, no one has an assigned seat. If you pay an extra 10 Euro you can board the plane first and get one of the choice seats, if not it's cattle car time. So I skipped the extra fee and just got near the departure door at the gate. The fun thing about the airport in Bratislava is it's old school, you have to walk outside get to the plane. So they open the door and it becomes a bit of a mad scramble as a few people start to run to the plane. I just stepped up my pace and was on the plane before most of the people and was able to snag an exit row seat, which on the 737-800, has a ton of legroom. The next thing about discount airlines is they charge you for everything. I got a tiny can (.25L) of 7-up for 1.50 Euro and a ham and cheese on Sub roll for 5 Euro. It is a nice racket they have going with this airline. The sandwich was good but not 5 Euro good. I am waiting to see if there is a charge to exit the aircraft when we land. They allow you only 33lbs per checked piece of luggage, which of course they charge you for. My bag is about 50lbs. You can bring on one item for free as long as it is under 22lbs. They also charge you 10 Euro if you want to check in at the airport instead of doing it online. They charge you 10 Euro if you want to pay for your flight with any credit card other than the Ryanair Visa.When I was booking the ticket it said it was going to be about $100 round trip but after taxes and and a new fee every time I clicked next. The total came to $250 only about $60 cheaper than flying a moor carrier. The guy at check in let me slide on my bag being overweight, which was nice because I am sure it would have cost me 25 Euro extra. They also sell scratch off lotto tickets to try and win free flights and other stuff. Plus duty free that most airlines sell. I will give them this, they are efficient and seem to be one of the only discount airline that makes money. Oh yeah none of the seats recline, so I am really glad I got an exit row. Plus they have the best on time arrival average of 90%.

So I got into Stanstead and it took about 30 minutes to clear passport control. I had a rental car waiting for me but upgraded because they were out of Portable Sat Navs (gps for my American friends.) so I upgraded to a car with it built in. It is a Nissan Extera or something like that. It is diesel and has tons of torque, it is also a 6 speed. I'm not sure if it is a turbo or not but it feels like it. I will find out more about the “tank” as I am calling it and let you know. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the ride. It is huge compared to most European cars and on the narrow back roads it is a bit wide and I would rather brush up against the hedges on the left then the big truck on the right. As for driving on the other side of the road, as I have said to people before, as soon as I get to my first circle, my brain goes, OK now I got this. Right turns are a bit tricky sometimes as you are crossing over traffic to do so, the trick is to remember that cars will not be where you normally look for them, just look to the other lane. Plus it is always better to wait until it is all clear then to risk jumping out in front. A little bit or patience goes a long way. Traffic around London was what I expected, with a few slow downs and a five minute stop for a broken down car. The cool thing about the Sat Nav is it gets traffic updates and told me the M25 was packed because of an accident so it asked me if I wanted to reroute. I have to say, it is a cool feature and I want to know when it is going to be in the US, maybe it is now but not in my Honda. It was about 2:45 minutes of driving to get to Bexhill on Sea to visit with Kate's sister Zuzka and her boyfriend Milos. I was on the motorway about half the time and then on back roads for the rest. I could have stayed on the highway, if not for the traffic, and gotten here maybe 30 minutes sooner I think. I really enjoyed driving on the back roads, sure it is slower but you get to drive through some nice little towns along the way.

I will stay here for just two night and I leave for Ireland on Friday. I will spend tomorrow walking around the area and taking photos. And since I am in the UK, there is a really good possibility I will be able to rant about how bad the food is here. I understand now why the French hate the English so much, it' because they don't understand what good food really is.

Kremnicke Gagy

Photos from Kremnicke Gagy
Kremnica Comedy Festival.

Thanks to Joey and Martina and all there friends for a great weekend.

Hey Guys, I Finally Found It!!!!!!

Who knew it was in Amsterdam this whole time.

All My Photos from Amsterdam

Well at least the ones I like enough to show you.
Click photo to see the rest.

Day 3 into Day 4

So Day 3, I started my day the same way, milkshake at Barney's. I know what you are thinking. “You start your day with a milkshake?” Sure, why not it is a great way to wake up, it has vitamins and calcium, with the added bonus of quick sugar rush to help get moving for the day. I talked with the two German guys, the normal stuff, my life, my journey, my philosophy, etc. Again the Universe keeps doing it's job, I don't question it anymore. I then started walking towards the center of town and Dam Square. I was not all that impressed, I prefer the places that are near my hotel, much more character and a lot less touristy. I left the main road off Dam Square and just started walking a few blocks, not really going anywhere in particular, just wandering and looking for things to shot. The next thing I know I turn left for no reason walk a block and end up in the Red Light District. I was not looking for it and I thought it was in another part of town. It was what I imagined it would be. The daytime talent was weak at best, and down right scary at worst. I then headed back to the hotel and grab some takeout. I went to a place called Wok and Walk. You go in, tell them what kind of rice or noodles you want, then what meat you want then what sauce you want, three minutes later you have a to-go container and are out the door. For fast Chinese food it was very good. After dinner I went back out for a walk to see if anything was going on. Without my tripod it's not worth shotting some stuff I would like to and I am not a huge fan of the flash. I walked about 10km today and I really felt it when I got back for the night. The room has a great bathtub for soaking so of course. (no jake, i didn't make a move) I chilled out the rest of the evening watching some news and a few TV shows.

Day 4, Checked out and enjoying a milkshake, as usual, at Barney's trying to meet my deadlines so the 6 of you who read this will get your fix today. As I was sitting here 5 Irish kids (19 – 26) can in to start there 3 day holiday. I talked with them for about 30 minutes about everything Irish, I am glad I got to speak with them as it will make it easier for me to understand them when I get there sometime next week. The plan for the rest of the day is as follows, get some lunch, walk around a new part of town I have not seen that is NW of my hotel. I am hoping for some good shots. I will be back to the hotel to get my bag from storage and take the tram to Central Station at 5pm to catch a train to the airport for my fight out at 8pm to Vienna. I have a car service that will return me to Bratislava, as the bus stops running at 10 pm from the airport back to Bratislava. I will also pot more of my photo once I get back home, I am still looking for a few apps for this eeepc that work like my Mac.

I am now having lunch at a small Italian place on my favorite street for places to eat. And Wijacking someone's net signal. Enjoy, I know I will.

Amsterdam Day 3

More words to follow.
Carsten and Steffen, my new German friends
Thanks for everything. (Great Guys)

Day 2 - Night Time Fun

So off to a late meal, I took advantage of the hotels location and walked past about 30 different places before settling on a Mexican place off the main square I am near.

It turns out to be a good choice the service was fast and the food was very good. My plan now is to head back to the square and see if the two guys I saw playing last night are back. If so I will try and get some video for you. They had a funky blues sound and I picked up some cd's from them last night. The only problem is the Asus has no cd drive so I will have to wait to get home to listen to them.

No offense to my English friends but, your brothers and sisters are the loudest, drunkest, rudest tourist I have ever come across. If you are walking down the street and hear a bunch of loud drunk people there is a 95% chance they are English, the other 5% are Scots, sorry but it's true.

So I am in the square listening to the “The Famous Unknowns” I hope the video comes out.

Day 2 in Amsterdam

So I am still not over the jet lag, it was 3 am before I was able to get to sleep. Of course it could have been the espresso at 9:15 last night, not a wise choice for someone who rarely has caffeine. I spend the most of that time working on photos.

Today is overcast with a small chance of rain, so the light is very flat for photos, I will see if I can work it to my favor. I have found this trip that Front Doors and Iron Work is catching my eye more than anything. I plan on walking into new areas near my hotel which is really turning out to be perfect for my needs, it is close to great restaurants and is right on the tram line so getting back to the airport is not going to be an $75.00 cab ride. Stopped by Barneys to talk with Andy and get some locals advice on spots to visit and I am now heading out.

I spent the next 3 hours just walking the streets taking photos. I stopped for lunch near the hotel and had a great pizza. It started to rain lightly so I packed it in for the day and came back to the hotel to give you an update. It is now still cloudy but dry so I will head out later for dinner.

Amsterdam - The Return - Day 1

So where did I last leave things. Oh yeah, departing from JFK.
Well the flight was uneventful other getting stuck in the bulkhead row
that does not recline because of the emergency exit behind me,
so I was forced to rest my head on my tray table, not my
preferred sleeping position. I did try and offset that by taking
three benadryls and two screwdrivers to get me to sleep,
which still did not work as well as I had hoped but I was
able to get about 3 1/2 to 4 hours of sleep. I then had a
car service take me to Bratislava.

So I am home, and yes I do feel like this my home,
I could try explain the reasons I feel this way about Slovakia but I
am not sure I could convey exactly what I feel since I don't seem
to understand it myself. The closest thing I can say I this, I know
that the Universe wants me here for some reason. It is the same
reason I return to Camp every summer, because this is where I
should be. For those of you who get to talk with me face to face
will understand the concept I am trying to get across because
I have said it before. The key now is for me to recognize why
So how is it living in the same flat as your ex-girlfriend. To be
honest it was rather strange right at first, both of us not quite sure
what to expect from the other. That passed as we both just sat
down and chatted about our summers, how they went etc.
It was then I think we both understood that while we were not right
for each other as a couple, we could in fact be OK with just being
friends. The lingering feelings we both are dealing with I think
will slowly fade in to the past and make it easier just to be friends
with each other. As with everything, time will tell. So the trip,
I as I write this I am 20000 feet above the Netherlands about to
land in Amsterdam. I am looking forward to spending a few
days walking around taking pictures and taking in the local culture
and attractions.

Landed in Amsterdam and took a cab to the hotel because I
was to lazy to figure out the train and bus lines in a town I cant
pronounce the names of the stops.

Andy from Barney's lounge was here again and remembered
me and all my stories. I was surprised how excited he got when
he saw me, I felt for sure that there was no way he remembered
one old American from 4 months go. It was my hat that I think
made him remember me.


(Props to my Pop for the vintage 1971 "Go Fast Hat")

So first impressions, First, I love having the Asus eeepc 900,
it is perfect for the mobile blogger like me. Second, Barney's
still makes one of the best milkshakes you wil ever have.
Third the cab drivers here would give the NYC crew a run for
there money, my only advice is close your eyes and pray.
Fourth The hotel I got this time is now my new favorite spot.
I will get some photos to show you this area of town in the morning.
I have no view but it's a smoking room and it is bigger than the
last place. But the down side is you can't smoke inside the
restaurants or bars or coffee shops, go figure. You can light up a
spliff in the coffee shop but the get mad at you if you fire up a
nicotine stick, what kind of sick twisted moronic bureaucrat
came up with that one, oh wait I think I answered my own question.

So what is my game plan for the next 72 hours?
Tonight if the rain holds off I am going to do some night shots,
which without my tripod, should produce some interesting results.
But to be honest some of my greatest shots have happened by accident.
Tomorrows weather looks like it should be nice so it will be a
day of walking and shooting.

So I have gone mobile and am now sitting down for dinner at a
small Italian place off one of the main streets. So the plan is for
me to stop every so often and just start to type. I have already
taken a few good shots and this way It will give you the up
close and personal view of the city, plus it's fun for me to do it.
It gives me a look I need as a single guy dinning alone. Doing this
makes me look important. ;-)

So I just finished one of the best dinners I have had in a long time.
The veal saltimbocca was amazing and the gravy on the spaghetti
would make grandma Lucarelli proud. I am going to finish it
off with some tiramisu. Then off for more photos before calling it a night.

I just got mistaken for a Frenchman, I couple sat down to me
and started to speak to me then I said I don't speak French the the
man thought I was French. Serge and Fabienne are from Aix province
and I have just been sitting here talking with them as they wait for there dinner.
They are both teachers who are on holiday. I told them about my
travels and we talked about my philosophy of life and that today is
the only day you get so you better enjoy it. Anyway, tomorrow is
just a future yesterday. Serge's english is very good and is able to
translate what his wife misses. They are both very pleasant to talk
with and disprove the old stereo types of what you might think of
the French. He has also given me the name of a French writer
Andre Gide to read. For those of you who don't believe me,
I will say it again. The Universe puts me where it wants me to
be when it wants me to be there.

And the tiramisu was great, of course the espresso at 9:15 might be a mistake.

I am now hanging out in a square listen to two guys jam on guitar,
the sound is amazing. I tried to get some video but it hosed up on me, I will try again tomorrow.















Bike repair with a brick, the Amsterdam way.

I Am Home

It was an easy flight and I am now back in Bratislava. It is so nice to be back.

Hanging Out In JFK

My flight leaves in just over an hour and I am so excited to be getting back to Bratislava.

Stay tuned for updates, remember I leave for Amsterdam this Monday so I should have new photos up on Tuesday.

So Camp Is At An End

I am having trouble believing that tomorrow I will return the kids to the airport to end camp. I always see the last camper off and get to make the call the John waits for all summer, "All the kids are away safely, now go have a beer." I am amazed every year how quickly it goes by. I really find it hard to believe that I have been here for over 2 1/2 months. I have to say that this summer has been one of the best summers I have spent here. We had a great group of campers and a near All-Star staff this year. I made two new great friends this summer and will visit them in Turkey this fall. ("If you make one good friend summer your doing well." - Tripper, Meatballs) I will end up with over 5500 miles driven this summer in 7 weeks with 2 of them really just hanging out, the first week and last week are easy but the middle 5 kick my butt.

I am looking forward to getting back to Europe and traveling. have only made plans for the first part of the trip and see how things go before planning the rest of the trip. I have also made a new purchase to help with my travels an Asus eeepc 900, which is a small laptop with a nine inch screen that weighs less than 2 pounds. google it. I am posting from it now and am really enjoying playing with it. It runs version of Linux that I have hacked to make it even more useful. I will let you know how it works out in the future.

I Have Made My Plans

I spent a good portion of yesterday booking flights, hotels, cars and everything else I need to plan for for the next part of the adventure. So what are my plans, you ask? I fly back to Vienna on the 21st of August, arriving on the 22nd. I will then spend the next 3 days in Bratislava just hanging out and seeing some friends. I fly out on the 25th for 3 days in Amsterdam to explore more of the city. I plan on posting my photos as I did before, when I get the chance. I then return to Bratislava for 5 days, but I may visit Prague that weekend instead and come home late Sunday. I will then fly out on the 3rd of September for London for a visit with friends in Bexhill By Sea (and no I didn't leave out the "The" in Bexhill by Sea, that's it's real name.) for two days. I then fly out Friday night for Ireland for an 8 day trip. I will also be posting photos as I go along. I then fly back to Bratislava for the night on the 14th of September and fly out the next day for Istanbul for a 3 night stay. This will get me back to Bratislava by the 18th of September. I have an plan in the works to drive to Vienna, then Salzburg then into Germany to go see "The Eagles Nest" (google it) in Berchtesgaden. Then to Stuttgart to try and see the Porsche factory, on to Prague then back to Bratislava. I have a return ticket for November 1st and since the Giants play the Cowboys that Sunday, I will be back in the country at least for the weekend. After that who knows, if I can find a job in Bratislava I would stay again for the winter but right now it is not my main focus so I will see what the universe has in store for me.

So I Am Heading Back to Slovakia

I have just booked the flight and I will stay over for about 70 days. I will use Bratislava as my base as I travel to the places in Europe I still want to see. I am leaving on the 21st of Aug. and returning the 1st of Nov. The added benefit for me is I get to miss silly season with the election but get home in time to vote and watch the returns. I will update you more as I finalize my plans.

It's Been Awhile

So I after a long drought of posts it's time for me to bring everyone up to speed on the the bus ride I call life. So I'm single again, Kate and I have broken up. It was something we both came to in our own time and terms and I will always be friends with her. I learned more about myself in the last year than I ever have in the past and for that alone I will always be thankful to her and will always have a special place in my heart for her. And my life always works out for the best for me even if I don't understand the route the driver is taking me. Dealing with the break-up is my main excuse for not writing lately but we all know it's because I'm lazy. I just sat here for 3 minutes to try and convince myself it was some other reason (the break up only happened 2 weeks ago, what about the other missing 30 odd days Sean?) but it all comes back to me being lazy. It's not like I don't have the time. So this post many tend to wander as my thoughts come out and I remember things I wanted to post before but just decided to wait and let them chill for awhile and make sure I wanted to write about anything. Over the last 14 days I have driven over 3000 miles (4800km for my European readers) with one day off in the middle. I have over 1200 miles (2000km) to drive this week with this Tuesday being my first day off in 8 days. have a round trip to Montreal on Friday to drop two campers off. I would love to stay the night and spend Saturday and Sunday exploring the city but I am not sure if I can swing it as I have a pick up on Saturday that is a 5 hour round trip and those are my bread and butter runs but who knows.

Quick Side Note (I warned you):

Watch this video, then go buy the whole album, you will not be disappointed.
Camp has been fun the first session is now over and we start the last 3 week until the end of camp. While there is a small chance I will return to Slovakia for the fall I am looking into other options at this point. The one thing I am sure of is I will be in Ireland from the 6th until the 13th of September. What I am not sure of is since I am flying to Europe to begin with should I then just finish seeing the places in Europe I want to see? So I will most likely fly into and out of Amsterdam and use it a base to fly to other European cities. It has the advantages of been a great airport in a great city that I love taking pictures of. It is not out of the question for me to try and stay in Amsterdam for 2 months and visiting people I know in Europe. I would fly out for a 3 to 4 day visits and then return or fly to another city. I also have a known place to stay in Amsterdam that is not way overpriced and it is located in a great part of the city for me. The cities I would like to visit include, London, Belfast, Prague, Istanbul, and finish in Stuttgart Germany with a tour of the Porsche Factory. This would lead me back home where by this time I would have located the perfect 1973 to 1986 Porsche 911 for my needs. And what are my needs in a 911 you ask? Just one, that will get me across the southern part of the country to California then up to Vancouver and back to the Northeast Region all before Santa slips down the chimney. With the option of spending my winter in Savannah GA again. Can all of this happen? Why not, I'm just a passenger on this bus, the driver knows where I would like to go and if these stops our on his route I will see them, if not, such is life, karma is karma. In the 2 weeks that follow camp I will most likely be up and down the east coast dropping in on people and leaving just as quickly, what can I say, it's me, good or bad this is what you get. Same with this post, I'm tired and I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Thanks to my loyal readers, I see you chasing the dragon, hope this helps.

It Occurred To Me....

as I was crossing the border into Canada yesterday, I have been in 7 countries in the last 10 months. The United States, Canada, Great Britain, The Netherlands, France, Austria and Slovakia. I hope to add Denmark to the list next month when I fly home to Bratislava. (if I can get outside the airport for a smoke, it counts as a visit in my book)

Darwin Award Finalist

The camera mans reaction is what kills me.
I bet you can't watch it just once.

Camp Has Begun

I picked up 5 kids today from the airport to start my fourth season as "The Driver Guy" at camp. I am expecting a great summer this year, we have a great group of staff this summer. I have been in camp since the 9th and have enjoyed being here before the start of camp, it was nice and quite. The sound of kids is the natural sound of this place and it is nice to have it back. It means that the time will fly by now, it always does once camp starts. I will post any good photos I take in the next few weeks if I like them enough. That's all for now.

Thanks to all my loyal followers, I do see you stopping by, I am sorry I am so slack about updates.

Can't Sleep - Up All NIght

It's late,I can't sleep and I came across this on YouTube, I love the internet.

hey jake; I had not heard this since SPD, forgot how good it is.
hey clem; R.B. is fine, thanks for your concern.


Oh yeah, I am at camp now, more on that later.

Sunset in Washington DC

I am in Washington DC visiting my friend Kelly. She, her boyfriend Rob and I had a picnic dinner near the Washington Monument at sunset today.

Click the photo to see the album.

Alex & Sarah's Wedding Photos

Click on photo for full album.

My Tribute to Slovakia

This is my tribute to my adopted home. Music is by the Slovak band Desmod and the song is "Zober Ma Domov"

Spring In Bratislava

Click on photo to view album.