DRKester

Installing the engine and more
Scottsdale, United States
In early 2004, I installed the engine and transmission.
I also installed custom-made brake lines and tailpipes.
... and mufflers, fuel pump, trans cooler, and horns.
written by  DRKester on November 23, 2005 from Scottsdale, United States
from the travel blog: Ford Roadster

We're on our way
Bilbao, Spain
We're heading out today on our way to Spain via London. Should be fun.
Touring the old city
written by  DRKester on September 16, 2007 from Bilbao, Spain
from the travel blog: Spain 2007

Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
First stop Istanbul and our hotel in Sultanahmet. The Kybele Hotel had over 4000 lamps in the ceilings of the lobby and rooms. This is our room
Our room at the Kybele Hotel
and the stairs to get to our room.
Marble stairs
And the lobby of the hotel
Kybele Hotel
We were dealing with jet lag, and decided just to walk down to the square between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque and do some people watching.
Blue Mosque
We also went into the Four Seasons Hotel which was beautifully restored from a former prison.
We ate the first night at a sidewalk restaurant recommended by the hotel. The owner also had a rug shop next door. In fact I think everyone in Turkey had at least one rug shop, and they all wanted to be our new best friends.
Sidewalk dining
It turns out that we arrived on the first day of Ramadan. So after our dinner we walked back down to the square, where there was a line for the traditional first meal.
We did most of our touring on our second day in town with a trip to the Suleymaniye Mosque
Suleymaniye Mosque
and the Grand Bazaar. Note the convoluted wiring on the outside of buildings.
Grand Bazaar
Grand Bazaar wiring
After lunch, we went inside the Blue Mosque.
and went down to the Basicilica Cistern.
Basilica Cistern
Our hotel was built on top of the Cistern, so it had limited head room in the basement restaurant.
Our hotel was an easy walk to the square near the Blue Mosque, that turned out to be the hub of the celebration.
Ramadan Celebration
There was entertainment in the square with a juggler, magician and other acts. We snapped a picture of this cutie with his face painted for the occasion.
Ramadan
The third day we went to Topkapi Palace.
Topkapi Palace
There are wild cats all around the city, but this mother and her kittens lived on the Palace grounds.
Cats
After checking into the ship, we took a boat ride up the Bosphorus.
Bosphorus Cruise
On our last morning in Istanbul, we walked to the Galata Tower and rode to the top.
Galata Tower
We also passed a restaurant with an apt name, so Rick posed for a photo.
Enginar
written by  DRKester on August 24, 2009 from Istanbul, Turkey
from the travel blog: Turkey and Greece 2009

Ephesus
Kusadasi, Turkey
Our first stop on our cruise was Kusadasi Turkey. Oceania offered several organized tours to Ephesus, but we prefer independent touring. The ship provided a local representative each morning to answer questions about the city. We discovered that we could get a taxi to take us to the site, drop us at the top, and pick us back up at the bottom for no more than $100. We connected with another couple to share a cab, and the guys haggled the price down to $80 for the four of us.
Ephesus is amazing. We took tons of pictures, and here are just a few.
written by  DRKester on August 25, 2009 from Kusadasi, Turkey
from the travel blog: Turkey and Greece 2009

Made it to Pamplona
Pamplona, Spain
We made it with minor delays along the way. We were sitting in the departure area for MaxJet, when my name was called. When I went up to the desk, I found out that my assigned seat had a footrest that didn't work, and they needed to reseat us. First they offered 2 seats together in the middle (with 2,2,2 seating that's 2 aisles), but they kept looking for a way to give us a window. They came back with row 8, seats J and K. Great. Well maybe not. When we got on, there was only one seat on the side with the bathrooms in the middle. So we gave them back our ticket stubs to handle, and reseated ourselves in the 2 seats they originally offered us. After a late takeoff, the rest of the flight was as we expected, with comfy seats and good food.
Our late arrival meant that we missed our scheduled bus from Stansted to Heathrow airport. So we paid 3 pounds to get a guaranteed ride on the next bus. Glad we did, because the folks that stood there standby didn't get on. At Heathrow, we didn't have time or energy to get a meal. Of course, after we got to our gate, we were told there was a delay. On board was awful. More delay and no AC. The seats might fit a 5' person, but even they would be cramped if the guy if front leaned back.
The arrival in Bilbao went well, and Jason and Helen picked us up for the drive back to their apartment in Pamplona. They brought sandwich fixings and other goodies for the ride. They park their car about a 10 minute walk from their apartment, so we dropped Helen off with our bags, and continued on to park the car. It was nice to walk after so much time in airplane, bus and car seats.
Not so straight hallway
Our builder would love the quirky construction around here. This is the main hall in Jason's apartment, which curves for no particular reason.
View of Plaza Del Castillo from Jason and Helen's balcony
The best part of his apartment is the view to the Plaza del Castillo. Today, we walked around the Citidel and stopped at one of their favorite restaurants for the fixed price meal. It threatened to rain, but the sun won out. Beautiful town. I can see why they decided to stay here.
written by  DRKester on September 18, 2007 from Pamplona, Spain
from the travel blog: Spain 2007

Body on
Scottsdale, United States
Almost ready for the body.
We had a party to put the body on the frame.
Then I put in the gas tank and battery tray.
New instruments.
New wiring, dash and package tray..
written by  DRKester on November 23, 2005 from Scottsdale, United States
from the travel blog: Ford Roadster

Radiator and grill
Scottsdale, United States
Installed the fan and alternator.
and the radiator.
and channeled the grill.
Looking pretty good.
written by  DRKester on November 23, 2005 from Scottsdale, United States
from the travel blog: Ford Roadster

Venice
Venice, Italy
We took the water ferry to our hotel.
Looking across at our hotel
Bridge with shops.
Gondola.
Gondolas
Dali museum.
Dali museum
St Marks Square.
St Marks Square
If we had to do it over, we'd start in Venice. Lots to see, and you need to do most on foot. Better to do it before Rome.
written by  DRKester on May 10, 1996 from Venice, Italy
from the travel blog: Italy 1996

Enjoying Pamplona
Pamplona, Spain
la panaderia
We started our day by visiting the local bakery for some breakfast goodies.
Touring the old city
After breakfast, Rick and I wandered the town. Note the exposed wiring on the side of the building just above the ground floor.
Plaza de Toros
We walked around the bullring.
City model
After more walking, we came to the Royal Palace, where they had this incredible model of the old part of Pamplona. Jason's apartment is on the big open square in the middle of the model.
Town Hall
We worked our way back to Town Hall. We got there around 1:30, and it was full of people. After a short rest on a bench, all the locals had gone home for their mid-day meal with their families.
We continued our walk to the Plaza San Francisco, then back to Jason's apartment for some lunch.
written by  DRKester on September 19, 2007 from Pamplona, Spain
from the travel blog: Spain 2007

Delos and Mykonos
Mykonos, Greece
Our next port of call was Delos Greece.
Delos Lions
Delos Ruins
We also were supposed to stop at Mykonos, but it was too windy to safely tender to shore. So the best we got was a shot from the ship.
View from the ship
written by  DRKester on August 26, 2009 from Mykonos, Greece
from the travel blog: Turkey and Greece 2009

Rhodes Greece
Rodos, Greece
Rhodes
One of our favorite stops was Rhodes Greece. Well preserved old town with an interesting walk between the walls.
Old town
Inside walls of old town
Rhodes from the ship
written by  DRKester on August 27, 2009 from Rodos, Greece

A drive in the country
Ujue, Spain
We started our day with a walk to a store to buy a travel guide. Along the way we passed the post office with its unique postage slots.
Mail slot
Jason and Helen drove us out of town to Hoz de Lumbier, a really cool canyon with a trail along an abandoned rail line.
Trail at Hoz de Lumbier
We stopped by the river to skip stones
Skipping stones in cove by river
At the end of the second railroad tunnel, was a remaining support for the trestle.
Old train trestle at Hoz de Lumbier
Below us were some Roman ruins and this abandoned house.
Old stone house along the Hoz de Lumbier trail
Another view of this incredible canyon.
Hoz de Lumbier
After our hike, we went into the town center, then on to Sanguesa where we went into a beautiful church by the river.
Sanguesa church altar
We walked around the town and found these gargoyles holding human heads over a church entrance.
Ornamentation over church door
We drove on to Ujue, and incredible small town on top of a hill. Beautiful scenery and wonderful view of the countryside. Unfortunately, our camera battery died in Ujue.
We drove back to Pamplona, and Rick tried to revive/recharge the camera battery. No luck. We may have to borrow Helen's camera, since this is only the first week of our trip.
A band is playing outside in the square, and a group of people are dancing. Evidently these are folk songs with a dance to go with them that the locals know. Anyway lots of fun. Sort of like line dancing with history.
written by  DRKester on September 20, 2007 from Ujue, Spain

Rome
Rome, Italy
We turned in the car, and spent 3 days in Rome. We had to see the Colliseum.
Colliseum
And Trivoli Fountain.
Trivoli Fountain
And the Vatican.
Vatican
And the Spanish Steps.
Spanish steps
We then hopped on a train bound for Venice.
On the Train
written by  DRKester on May 6, 1996 from Rome, Italy
from the travel blog: Italy 1996

In the beginning
Redmond, United States
Okay, so this isn't really a trip report. However, it definitely is an adventure.
Bought the Roadster in Sept of 2003. Pretty straight. Just frame and body.
Needed to get it to our Winter home in Scottsdale, so loaded it into a rental truck.
I first worked on the body a bit. I chopped the windshield and leaned it back.
written by  DRKester on September 1, 2003 from Redmond, United States

Florence
Florence, Italy
We stayed outside Florence in a small town on the hill called Fiesole.
Fiesole overlooking Florence
Our plan was to take the bus into Florence. Alas, they were having a one day bus strike, so we drove in and parked illegally in the town.
We climbed the doma in the church.
Pretty tight as you get to the top.
Climbing to top Inside church dome
But, the view is worth the effort.
We also went to several museums. The most interesting was the Museum of Science.
Museum of Science
One room is filled with a giant model of the galaxy, with all the orbs rotating around the earth.
written by  DRKester on May 3, 1996 from Florence, Italy
from the travel blog: Italy 1996

Rest day
Pamplona, Spain
We decided to have an easy day, just relaxing and figuring out our next few days. Last night we went out for an amazing meal at a nearby restaurant. We had the fixed price menu of the day, which has a choice of first course of salad, pasta, soup, beans, etc., and then a second meat or fish course, and dessert. We also had some local wine. Really great!
This morning we went out to see if we could get a replacement battery for our camera, but unfortunately we couldn't. So we'll borrow Helen's camera for the rest of the trip.
We also went to the local supermercado to get a couple of items. Interesting experience. Each day they have one choice of the fresh milk of the day in either a litre carton or plastic bag. We needed peppers, but had to have the vegetable person weigh, bag and price our selections.
This afternoon, they set up some portable tables and chairs in the center of the plaza, and now a group are playing some sort of game. At about 8:30 a group from a Karate school, all dressed in white set up in the square and put on demo fights in a circle accompanied by drums. We watched for a while, then went and had wine in a bar next to a bronze statue of Hemingway.
Tomorrow we are renting a car and setting out towards Bilbao, San Sebastian, and possibly into France. Likely won't be on the Internet until we get back to Jason and Helen's apartment.
written by  DRKester on September 21, 2007 from Pamplona, Spain

Starting it up and driving it
I started the engine for the first time.
Still had a few touches before I could drive it. I found a middle seat from a van at a junkyard. Diane and I recovered it with an Indian blanket.
I finished the body work on the hood and put it in place. Also, I ordered a windshield and put it in just in time to take it to its first car show.
Roadster at 1st car show
Looking good.
written by  DRKester on April 27, 2006 from Scottsdale, United States

Santorini
Thira, Greece
Santorini was next. After tendering to shore, Rick decided to ride a donkey to the top. Ask Rick what it's like to ride the Alpha Donkey.
Donkey ride to the top
I took the easier cable car.
View from the top
Very picturesque place with a walk/climb along the edge of the hill.
Church
Santorini city view
We both took the cable car down. The donkeys are limited by gravity on the way up, but on the way down they run to get to food at the bottom. Possibly life threatening.
written by  DRKester on August 28, 2009 from Thira, Greece

Old Olympia
Katakalion, Greece
We took the train to old Olympia.
Olympia Train Station
We only had 2 hours to tour before catching the train back to port.
Olympia
Olympia entrance to arena
Ancient Olympia
We ran out of time, but took a quick look at the museum.
Ancient Olympia Museum
written by  DRKester on August 29, 2009 from Katakalion, Greece

Ferrari Museum
Verona, Italy
We flew into Madrid and rented a car. After a quick tour of the city, we headed to Verona.
After that we went to the Ferrari Museum.
written by  DRKester on May 1, 1996 from Verona, Italy

Driving out of town
Onate, Spain
When we got up this morning, there were hundreds of people with bicycles in the square. Around 9:00, they all took off. Later we rented a car and drove to Onati, a small town north of Vitoria. We walked around the town and had lunch with Jason and Helen. There also was some sort of bicycle ride or race, with cops directing traffic and lots of serious looking bikers. We continued up the hill to Arantzazu. It has the coolest church, with a façade made of stone that looked like the bottom of egg cartons. We stayed at the hotel up the hill from the church. Next morning the parking lot and along the road was filled with cars. It was foggy, so we couldn't get good pictures.
We drove on to Bilbao, and Jason and Helen headed back to their apartment. We went to the Guggenheim museum, which architecturally was very impressive.
Guggenheim museum
Inside however, was really disappointing. The whole 2nd floor was closed, and the "art" in the rest was underwhelming. One room was devoted to a grouping of picture frame parts, scattered about the floor as if left by children.
Guggenheim Museum
We walked into town and had Tapas at a local bar.
After lunch, we drove along the coast to Laredo. We checked into a hotel, and then walked the beach to the old town.
Port at Laredo
They were having a medieval festival, and had lots of food and arts vendors.
Street fair
Harris Hawk
Later, we walked back into town for dinner, and were treated to hundreds of people dressed up in medieval costumes, parading through the street. Around 10, they set off fireworks in the street. Lots of fun.
written by  DRKester on September 23, 2007 from Onate, Spain

Picos de Europa
Cangas de Onis, Spain
We drove through Santander and up the coast towards the Picos de Europa. First stop was an outlook high on a hill overlooking both the ocean and the Picos de Europa.
View of Atlantic Ocean from Mirador del Fito
View of Picos de Europa from Mirador Del Fito
Then we drove on south into the Picos. One of the small towns on the way, Cano, was having a Festival that blocked the only road through town. Traffic cops were directing cars and buses through one way at a time. The drive into the canyon was amazing.
Road in Picos de Europa
Somewhat like Zion canyon, only your drive 100 feet above the water, with the sides of the canyon less than 20' apart at points.
Road up the canyon
On top is a small town Oseja de Sajambre.
Town on top of mountains
On the way back drove through Congas de Onis, where they have an old "hump back" Roman bridge. Then we had lunch in Arriondas - 3 sandwiches and 2 glasses for 4.5 Euro total.
written by  DRKester on September 24, 2007 from Cangas de Onis, Spain

Atlantic coast
Mundaka, Spain
We drove to Bilbao, and then went out along the Atlantic coast through many fishing villages and surf towns. We had lunch in Bakio along the water. We stayed in a beautiful hotel on top of the hill overlooking the inlet between Mundaka and Laido beach. This is a great surfing area, although it was a bit cold.
View from our hotel
View of Mundaka from our hotel
written by  DRKester on September 25, 2007 from Mundaka, Spain

Pisa and Cinque Terre
Pisa, Italy
We drove to Pisa, and did all the usual tourist activities.
Rick saves the Leaning Tower of Pisa
We also climbed to the top of the Domo. We weren't allowed to climb the Leaning Tower.
Then we went to the coast and drove along the hillside of Cinque Terre to Vernazza.
Cinque Terre
We'd intended to ride the train between cities, but unfortunately, they had a one-day train strike. So we took a boat instead.
written by  DRKester on May 2, 1996 from Pisa, Italy

Crete
Aghios Nikolaos, Greece, Greece
We spent a day at sea and played some ship games. Rick won his Ping Pong game.
Games at Sea
Then we went to Crete.
After a bit of walking around town, we walked towards a swimming beach. Rick went back later for a swim.
Crete beach
written by  DRKester on September 2, 2009 from Aghios Nikolaos, Greece, Greece

Athens
Athens, Greece
The final stop on our trip was Athens. We'd been there before, but still had to see the sights. We went to the Parliament Gardens and old Olympic stadium.
Ancient Olympic Stadium
Then walked to Hadrian's Arch
Hadrians Arch
and the Temple of Zeus.
Zeus
Near the Temple of Zeus was the remains of old houses.
Old homes
Lastly we went to the New Acropolis Museum,
New Acropolis Museum
which is across the street from the Acropolis
Acropolis
Lots of walking.
We finished our day with a great dinner on the ship.
Last dinner on the ship
written by  DRKester on September 3, 2009 from Athens, Greece

Small towns
Orvieto, Italy
We drove to several small towns as we wandered south from Florence to Rome. One of the more interesting was Orvieto, which is a really small town crowded on the top of a hill.
Orvieto narrow street
One of the streets was so narrow that Rick could reach both buildings out the car windows.
Orvieto Cathedral
The town cathedral was amazing.
Orvieto
The grapes and other crops were at the foot of the hill.
written by  DRKester on May 4, 1996 from Orvieto, Italy

San Juan de Gaztelugho
Faro de Machichaco, Spain
We drove to San Juan de Gaztelugach and to the Faro de Machichaco. This is a church built on a rock island offshore, with a stone walkway across the water.
San Juan de Gaztelugache
View to mainland from San Juan de Gaztelugache
We found a huge parking area and walked down, only to discover that there was a road all the way down. So, we asked a local for a ride up the hill to our car. We drove back down, and then hiked across the wall and up the stairs to the church. The courtyard had a basic toilet, that just was a tube to outside the wall.
Basic toilet in Machichaco
We continued driving along the coast, until the road went inland. Then we took the freeway to San Sebastian. We drove around a bit trying to find the coastal road, and places mentioned in our Michelin guide. We never found the road, so just got back on the bigger road to Hondarribia. From there we easily found the small road up the hill call the Jaizkibel Road, with an overlook back to town and across the river to France.
Overlook of Hondarribia and France from Jaizkibel Road
We found a nice hotel in Hondarribia, checked in, then walked into the walled old city. Inside the walled area is a huge castle turned into the Parador Hotel. We walked in and took a picture.
Hotel Parador in Hondarribia
written by  DRKester on September 26, 2007 from Faro de Machichaco, Spain

Drive back to Pamplona
Berrobi, Spain
We bought pastries and coffee from a small bakery, and took them back to our hotel room to have a smoke-free meal.
View from our hotel room
We drove to Irun, and up a road along the river. At one point we drove into France, just to do it, and because our car rental place said we couldn't.
Side trip to France
The drive up the valley was beautiful. At one point we took a small winding road through small towns, ending at Berrobi.
Looking for rocks
A sign showed a rock formation up a small rural road called Elorregi. We decided to try to find it.
Road to Eloreggi
Well, the road started out rocks, then became two-rut rocks, then started getting muddy as we went up the hill. We finally decided to turn back, before we got stuck. The only other vehicle was a tractor at the bottom of the hill just out of town.
2 rut road up the hill towards Elorregi
We continued on the road to Pamplona, and Jason's apartment.
written by  DRKester on September 27, 2007 from Berrobi, Spain

Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik, Croatia
One of the more interesting stops was Dubrovnik Croatia. We took a local bus to the old town.
Dubrovnik Old City Walls
Dubrovnik Church
Dubrovnik old port
written by  DRKester on August 31, 2009 from Dubrovnik, Croatia

Corfu
Kerkyra, Greece
We took a bus to town, and then walked around a bit.
written by  DRKester on August 30, 2009 from Kerkyra, Greece

Barcelona touring day 1
Barcelona, Spain
We took the train to Barcelona on Sunday, then checked into a very modern 4-star hotel. We started our touring on Monday with a walk to the Sagrada Familia, where we had breakfast at a cafe across the street.
Sagrada Familia
After breakfast, we took the Metro to the old city, and toured the cathedral and the old Roman city. We walked over the the Ramblas, and walked down to the waterfront. We started at a section of street performers.
Ramblas street performer
The next section had artists showing their work and offering to do portraits. We went down to the waterfront, then to the Drassanes Maritime Museum. Outside they had a wooden submarine.
Submarine at Maritime Museum
The building had amazing stone arches with bays that would hold a full size ship.
Drassanes Maritime Museum
After the museum we walked across a cool pedestrian bridge to a shopping center.
View from top of Columbus Monument of harbor
We were planning to take the cable car to Montjuic, but read in our guide book that it closed for lunch in 15 minutes and we were at least a half hour away. So we had lunch at a waterfront cafe. While eating we read that there was a tram that went up to Montjuic. So we decided to take it instead. Big mistake. It went up through a tunnel, and at the top, the view was hidden by a bunch of restaurants.
So back down the tram, and on to Parc Guell. The guide maps are less than helpful in figuring out which metro stop is closest to an attraction. We guessed, and found ourselves at the closest one, but it was still a 600m walk. We can do this! Unfortunately, after 2 blocks we were directed left and up steep hill. It was so steep that it had steps on the sidewalk, and several sections had escalators. We pressed on, and found ourselves at the back entrance. Nice view, but not what we were looking for. So we walked around and down to the main entrance. The Gaudi designed courtyard and buildings made it worth the walk.
Parc Guell
Parc Guell entrance
We walked another 1200m to the other Metro stop. This was longer, but easier, since it was just a slight downhill slope.
written by  DRKester on October 1, 2007 from Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona touring day 2
Barcelona, Spain
We started our second day with a tour of Casa Mila, a strangely designed apartment building designed by Gaudi.
Casa Mila
We took an elevator up to the attic room, where there were displays of Gaudi's works. The room had multiple arches of varying sizes. His inspiration was an upside-down version of the hanging chains in the picture below.
Attic room inside Casa Mila
Then we walked up to the rooftop. It stepped up and down to match the arches below. Each chimney and vent were decorated. The smokestacks were twisted to look like smoke.
Rooftop of Casa Mila
Interior courtyard of Casa Mila
We also toured one of the apartments, which was decorated with period furniture.
We took the Metro to the Museum of Contemporary Art, but unfortunately it was closed on Tuesdays. Back on the Metro to the Picasso Museum. Interesting display of his work, but no pictures were allowed.
Street by Picasso Museum
We walked towards the waterfront and had a great lunch along the way. We walked some more to the Columbus statue at the base of Las Ramblas. We took a very small elevator to the top, where the was a very small observation platform.
Tiny elevator to top of Columbus monument
We had to get a picture at the botton on one of the lions.
Columbus Monument
Our observation of Barcelona: Worth a trip for the amazing and unusual architecture. But expect to walk a lot, since the Metro doesn't stop anywhere near the stuff you'll want to see.
Consulate door
written by  DRKester on October 2, 2007 from Barcelona, Spain

Drive to France
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
We started our last day in Spain by taking pictures of a couple of our favorite places. Rick joined the running of the bulls.
Running with the bulls
We had to have a picture of the neat underground garbage and recycling bins in the plaza.
Garbage and recycling in Plaza Del Castillo
We took a picture of some interesting buildings near Town Square.
Multi-colored houses
We decided to take a drive in the mountains towards France. We stopped in St Jean Pied-de-Port and walked around the walled town.
Gate at St Jean Pied-de-Port
We were between meal times, so we had a beer at a restaurant by the river.
View of river from restaurant in St Jean Pied-de-Port
Helen and Jason in St Jean Pied-de-Port
Afterwards we walked around some more, and Rick checked out a pig store.
Sausage and Pork shop
Back into Spain, we stopped at a viewpoint on top of a hill.
Back into Spain
We start our trip home tomorrow with a flight from Vitoria to London Stansted.
written by  DRKester on October 5, 2007 from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France

Leaving Spain
Vitoria, Spain
Our 3 weeks are up, and it's time to head home. We had one last breakfast at the Cafe Iruna, then Jason and Helen drove us to Vitoria to catch our RyanJet flight to London.
RyanJet is definitely a bare-bones airline. The seats are one step up from a city bus, in that they were separate seats. They didn't recline or have tray tables. Food is offered for sale during the flight, along with lottery tickets and duty free goods. Still, we managed to get exit row seats, so we had leg room. Good value for one British pence each plus taxes.
Our MaxJet flight on Sunday was delayed, but the food and booze in their lounge kept us happy. After an 11 hour flight to Las Vegas, we had a 5-hour drive home.
We really appreciate the hospitality from Jason and Helen. Not only did they house and feed us, they helped us plan our trip. Jason helped us find a train to Barcelona, and booked a rental car for our drive. He also told us about Maxjet and RyanAir. Helen's command of Spanish became very useful when we were trying to translate menus, or deal with local businesses. And she lent us her camera when ours died. We really can't thank them enough.
written by  DRKester on October 7, 2007 from Vitoria, Spain

Ancient Olympic Stadium

New Acropolis Museum

Games at Sea

Ancient Olympia Museum

Olympia Train Station

Rhodes from the ship

Rhodes

Ephesus

Topkapi Palace

Suleymaniye Mosque

Ramadan Celebration

Basilica Cistern

Blue Mosque

Acropolis

Bosphorus Cruise

Last dinner on the ship

Old homes

Hadrians Arch

Zeus

Crete

Crete beach

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik old port

Dubrovnik Church

Dubrovnik Old City Walls

Corfu

Ancient Olympia

Olympia entrance to arena

Olympia

Church

Santorini city view

View from the top

Donkey ride to the top

Inside walls of old town

Old town

View from the ship

Delos Ruins

Delos Lions

Enginar

Galata Tower

Cats

Ramadan

Grand Bazaar wiring

Grand Bazaar

Sidewalk dining

Kybele Hotel

Marble stairs

Our room at the Kybele Hotel

Leaving Spain

View of river from restaurant in St Jean Pied-de-Port

Helen and Jason in St Jean Pied-de-Port

Back into Spain

Gate at St Jean Pied-de-Port

Sausage and Pork shop

Multi-colored houses

Garbage and recycling in Plaza Del Castillo

Running with the bulls

Attic room inside Casa Mila

Columbus Monument

View from top of Columbus Monument of harbor

Tiny elevator to top of Columbus monument

Consulate door

Street by Picasso Museum

Interior courtyard of Casa Mila

Rooftop of Casa Mila

Casa Mila

Parc Guell

Parc Guell entrance

Drassanes Maritime Museum

Submarine at Maritime Museum

Ramblas street performer

Sagrada Familia

Basic toilet in Machichaco

Tunnels in city wall

Side trip to France

Road to Eloreggi

View from our hotel room

Looking for rocks

2 rut road up the hill towards Elorregi

Looking for Eloriegi

Hotel Parador in Hondarribia

View to mainland from San Juan de Gaztelugache

San Juan de Gaztelugache

Overlook of Hondarribia and France from Jaizkibel Road

Beach at Zarautz

Cool car and pedestrian bridge

Street blocking pedastals

Port and church

View of Mundaka from our hotel

Road up the canyon

Town on top of mountains

Road in Picos de Europa

Harris Hawk

View of Picos de Europa from Mirador Del Fito

View of Atlantic Ocean from Mirador del Fito

Port at Laredo

Guggenheim museum

Guggenheim Museum

Ornamentation over church door

Sanguesa church altar

Hoz de Lumbier

Resting in the town center

Old train trestle at Hoz de Lumbier

Skipping stones in cove by river

Trail at Hoz de Lumbier

Mail slot

Town Hall

City model

Touring the old city

Plaza de Toros

la panaderia

View of Plaza Del Castillo from Jason and Helen's balcony

Not so straight hallway

Looking across at our hotel

Dali museum

Gondolas

On the Train

Vatican

Trivoli Fountain

Spanish steps

Colliseum

Orvieto Cathedral

Florence

Climbing to top Inside church dome