MEXICAN FBI
This is my first trip outside the USA since the end of WWII and I am visiting Guadalajara, Mexico. I am holding my friend's son. Now he is a handsome OFICIAL JUDICIAL FEDERAL which, in Mexico is the same as our FBI.
COOL BLOKES
These palace guards always amuse me and I have great respect for them. They are always so stern without an expression of any kind. I have stood beside one and joked or told a dirty one or two, get in front and look them in the eye. Never a change of expression not the slightest sign of smile or frown.
On the train headed for Berne Switzerland, passengers would find out where you were headed and without exception would say, you must go to the zoo, it is fantastic. At he hotel, the employees would remind you that the zoo was a must. At that time I knew the Brookfield zoo & if this one was better, I had to go.First thing in the morning off to the zoo. On the overhead crossing on the way to where I thought the zoo was, I noticed people staring down below. I walked over and saw four black bears playing around, standing on two legs, or doing things that bears do. Asked one of the natives what was going on and he said, "come on over and watch, this is the zoo.
COLISEUM
Rome's largest and best known landmark more than 1,900 years old.
INSIDE THE COLISEUM
The coliseum was built of porous travistine blocks, marble & metal much of which has been carted off to build temples and churches.
CITY OF CANALS
Venice, probably the most beautiful city in the world and when the wind isn't blowing the sweetest smelling in Europe. One city, more than anywhere else where the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. An independent republic for more than one thousand years, born and brought up as Greek. The only city in Italy never to have been invaded, ravaged or destroyed. My kinda town.
VERSAILLES
The garden in back of Versailles is so spectacular. It is even more beautiful on Sundays when all the sprinklers are on.
LADY PEDDLER
Another thing you would not see in W. Berlin is street peddlers, even if she was first class with the luxury of a donkey cart.
OSLO
The people in Oslo are very friendly, the food is great and a very special thing is Vigeland park. There are 192 sculptures with more than 800 figures all modeled in full size. It has a great fountain that probably makes the ladies blush, it is fantastic and a must, even for the ladies.
STREET BAND
Have spent a lot of time in Germany, but never before in Berlin. When I started this trip many weeks earlier, my plan was to see the wall dividing east & west Berlin. While still in Hong Kong the news came out that the wall was coming down. It made me happy & sad at the same time for obvious reasons. When I finally made it to east Berlin, I found it clean and quite nice but with distinct differences, one example is that you never saw a street band in W. Berlin even if it was as entertaining as this one. Very enjoyable. Another interesting point is that on the way from west to east Berlin some pillars of the wall were still standing. We started on an elevated trolly but when we arrived at the place where the wall had divided the two berlin's we walked quite a distance & through a tunnel to catch a bus going to the center of E. Berlin.
