P and I Agree About Osaka

It is election day back home. When we planned this trip, we noticed that it would fall during the election, and shrugged at it. In retrospect this was a brilliant decision, as things have been ugly, and now I think I’ll do it every four years. There is a lot to see in Kyoto, but […]

Time for Temples!

The jet lag this trip is killing me, much more so than usual. In the past a 12 hour flip hasn’t been this difficult. I need to take melatonin tonight – hopefully that will help realign my schedule This morning we tried the breakfast buffet at the hotel. In addition to western offerings, such as […]

The Bullet Train Needs a Prettier Face

Arrival in Japan was easy. We passed quickly through customs and immigration, where we were fingerprinted and photographed, and found an ATM. Money is potentially a concern here. All of the guidebooks state that credit cards aren’t widely accepted, and most Japanese ATM’s don’t accept foreign cards. The exceptions are Seven Eleven, the post office, […]

I Don’t Speak Japanese. I’m Going Anyway

At precisely 5:25 PM, the Boeing 777-300 woke with a beastly rumble and backed away from the gate at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. As we taxied toward the runway, the setting sun hung low on the horizon, searing my retinas through the starboard window adjacent to my seat in row 10. The massive jet eventually […]

Another Day Not To Go To Naples

The press of the buildings around me is isolating as the darkness of the Neapolitan night envelops my thoughts. The buildings reach up, seeming to blot out the tiny stretch of sky that can be seen. The crowds do nothing to abate my isolation as I comtemplate what a trip this has been. From Rome, […]

The Post In Which We Spend A Night as Troglodytes

I stood at the top of the hill, perched on the side of a gorge, and held my breath musing on the town below me. I have an affection for historic places, and the city around me is one such place. Actually it isn’t just one such place. It is perhaps the place. I am […]