Eastern Europe
The first part of our trip was in Bulgaria James Pardew, the US ambassador to Bulgaria at the time, and his wife and our friend, Kathy Pardew.
 The ambassador's office: James Pardew is behind his desk with Carolyn in his chair |  Me sitting at Ambassador Pardew's desk |
 Kathy Pardew sitting in the residence living room |  Spela, Carolyn, and Tamas in front of the restaurant in Slovakia where we had lunch |
Sofia, Bulgaria
 The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is believed to be one of the 50 largest Christian church building. |  Saint Sofia |
Icon paintings depicting the image of Christ, the Holy Trinity, the saints or any other religious theme, usually on a board of wood or other material, particularly worshiped in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Bulgarian icon has a history of over 1000 years.
 Gueni Zaimof, Bulgarian poet, at our poetry reading at the embassy |  Bulgarian poet, Lyobomir Levchev, in his home |
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Zkoprovshtitsa, Bulgaria
Koprivshtitsa is one of the most characteristic Bulgarian towns, huddled in the mountain-folds just 111 km east of Sofia. The town is a cultural and historic reserve encapsulating the atmosphere of the Bulgarian National Revival period of the 19th century.
 A horse-drawn cart in the restored village |  A small street in the village |
One of the beautifully preserved houses
Prague, Czech Republic
 The Astronomical Clock |  The Dancing House, or Fred and Ginger, is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building, designed by the Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić in cooperation with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. |
 The Charles Bridge |  The Spanish Synagogue, built in the Morrish style, is the newest of the synagogues in Jewish Prague, built in 1868. |
Ljubljana, Slovenia
The Ljubljana River as it flows through the city
The dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana and has pride of place on the city coat of arms and on the Dragon Bridge.
Nova Gorica, Slovenia to Gorizia and Venice, Italy
 After a visit with Spela's family in Nova Gorica, we crossed the border to Gorizia, Italy: the border is in her childhood backyard. We took a train to Venice. |  |
Venice, Italy
 The Peggy Guggenheim Museum |  The Bridge of Sighs |
Bled, Slovenia
Bled is one of the most beautiful cities I have visited.
 We took a boat out to the island. |  St. Mary's Church on Bled Island is also known as Church of our Dear Lady. It is said if you ring the bell in the church you will return. I rang the bell and hope to return some day. |
Predjama, Slovenia
Predjama Castle, built into the mountain
A view of Predjama from inside the castle
Budapest, Hungary
 The Statue of the Anonymous Poet |  The Holocaust Memorial in the yard of the Dohaney Synagogue |
 Castle Church |  Fisherman's Bastion |
Esztergom, Hungary to Sturovo, Slovakia
 We crossed the border from Hungary to Slovakia for a quick visit and a very inexpensive lunch. To the right is the Esztergom Cathedral across the border bridge. |  |
Niagara Falls, Canada
International Baccalaureate Americas Conference
The view of the falls from my hotel room
 The walk behind the falls where Marilyn Monroe escapes death in the film "Niagara" |  The Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory |
New Orleans, Louisiana
 Elliot is front of our B&B |  I spent most of the time in New Orleans inebriated. |
St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square
  Interior of a grave: since the water level gets high, bodies are buried above ground. |   Jazz brunch at The Court of Three Sisters |
