Colburn's Travels

We just passed mile 2000 in Hungary. The kids have been amazing. We are all fighting a cold so we are 'resting' today as we drive from Poland through Slovakia to the Hungarian/Romanian border. The road improved in each country. We are now enjoying a smooth 4 lane divided expressway for a change. They are full of rest areas which have become a luxury.

# posted by Roger @ 2:53 PM 0 Comments

Watching a DVD and eating potato chips.

We changed our plans last night.  and decided to head to Transylvania, Romania.  Probably will spend the night in Slovakia...but we do not have hotel reservations. 

What better place to spend halloween than Count Dracula's castle?

We will start heading to Spain after that. :)

# posted by Roger @ 10:10 AM 0 Comments

This is both the warehouse where Oskar Schindler employed 1100 Jews saving them from Auschwitz, and the location where many scenes were filmed for the movie.

# posted by Roger @ 7:49 AM 0 Comments

Labels: Krakow at Night

# posted by Roger @ 4:51 PM 0 Comments

At dinner in krakow.  Everyone with their gameboys.

# posted by Roger @ 2:10 PM 0 Comments

Auschwitz concentration camp.

# posted by Roger @ 10:14 AM 0 Comments

We made it out without contact. But it was so close that the parking attendant ran out of his booth to help spot us out. The car top carrier has future school books and we haven't had to bring in those suitcases except night before last we had to take it off to park it in. We just out it inside the car. It wasn't too bad and we put on a show for the people.

# posted by Roger @ 4:25 AM 0 Comments

Warsaw at night. Tonight is our first "non-travel agent night" and so far so good.  We had a long drive today and squeezed the car with carrier into the parking garage (an event that took one driver and one "spotter").  We are eating in Old Town, which is a part of town completly dustroted by the Germans in World War II. The rebuilt it brick by brick by photos and memories.

# posted by Roger @ 2:27 PM 0 Comments

We learned that the current president of lithuania is an American from Chicago (of lithuanian decent). He is 80 and on second term and well liked.

We took a 3 hour tour where we learned how hard it was for them during the Soviet era and how much they have progressed in the last 15 years. 

The architecture is beautiful until we pass a gray ugly building and they explain that it is a Soviet building.

# posted by Roger @ 11:05 AM 0 Comments

Walking through old town kaunas, Lithuania. Another beautiful old town full of people. We are impressed with the crosswalks: when people step cars stop.

Misc quotes from Alex:
I want a headset that translates whatever I hear into English

Why don't we ever get to use the lifejackets in airplanes.

I want you to wrap me in bubble wrap so I can jump from a cliff.

# posted by Roger @ 12:12 PM 2 Comments

A beach resort, but obviously we are in the off season.  Lots of nice hotels, restaurants and bars. The only thing more difficult than we expected is laundry, but we were able to get it done yesterday. The hotel knew nothing about it, but we asked at an information booth in a train station and found one. It isn't coin operated. Instead a lady tells you what machine and what time to be back. We are set until Spain now.

# posted by Roger @ 5:20 AM 1 Comments

Waiting for our laundry to dry by the only 'self' laundry in the city. Apparently everyone sends their clothes to full service stations that take 24 hours.

Cathy and the kids went to the (Russian) Occupation museum while we waited.

# posted by Roger @ 5:59 AM 0 Comments

A lot of tourism here. The historic town is beautiful and is full of shops and shoppers. We arrived in town with only a name of a hotel. No address and the city is rather large. But w ith Roger's luck, he popped out of the car and asked a guy who spoke English and happened to write travel booklets for Riva. We found our hotel.

# posted by Roger @ 10:30 AM 0 Comments

Tartu, Estonia. Very pretty clean modern city.

# posted by Roger @ 10:45 AM 0 Comments

Narva (Estonia) castle with Russia in the background. This will be the furthest north and east we will go. Tomorrow we begin our 3500+ km drive south east. Hope it warms up!

# posted by Roger @ 8:16 AM 0 Comments

After our ferry from Stockholm to Tallin we walked around the city.

# posted by Roger @ 8:14 AM 0 Comments

After a boring and long wait in the car at the dock, we drove onto the ferry from Stockholm to Estonia. It is 6pm and we arrive at 10am. It looks like a cruise ship inside. We are off to eat dinner.

# posted by Roger @ 11:59 AM 0 Comments

Before we take the ferry to Estonia we had 2 hours in Stockholm.

# posted by Roger @ 8:08 AM 0 Comments

We stayed at Yxtaholm castle on Friday night.

# posted by Roger @ 12:05 PM 0 Comments

At the volvo factory getting delivery of our new car.

# posted by Roger @ 5:46 AM 0 Comments

After long flights and connections we arrived in Sweden and met up with Roger's parents in Gotenburg.

# posted by Roger @ 11:10 AM 0 Comments

Most people do not know the Chicago airport has a large childens playground between the United and AA terminals.

# posted by Roger @ 2:37 PM 0 Comments

Decided to get flu shots at the Chicago airport on the way to Brussels.

# posted by Roger @ 2:16 PM 0 Comments

Home for early Halloween. We took advantage of our friends and neighbors to celebrate halloween early since we would be on the road later on.

# posted by Roger @ 8:20 PM 1 Comments

You have to choose your spot very carefully, because the temperature differential from one spot to the next is extreme. In just inches is goes from cool to scalding.

# posted by Roger @ 7:54 PM 0 Comments

At hot water beach you dig a hole in the sand at low tide and it becomes your hot tub. We put the kids to work at the right spot.

# posted by Roger @ 7:48 PM 0 Comments

Hopefully they don't fall.

# posted by Roger @ 11:16 PM 0 Comments

This part of NZ has a lot of geothermic activity. This is an unmarked area known by the locals. Our fellow helicopter passenger told us about it yesterday. The temperature changed at different spots. It went from warm to hot to 'I dare you' to 'ouch!'

# posted by Roger @ 9:27 PM 0 Comments

We flew by helicopter to white island. It is an active volcano which erupts and vents hot gasses. We actually had to wear the gas masks. The soil is so acidic that we had to remove our shoes for the flight back so not to carrode the helicopter. It counted for science class today.

http://www.gns.cri.nz/what/earthact/volcanoes/nzvolcanoes/newwhitei.html

# posted by Roger @ 11:45 PM 0 Comments

Largest tree in nz. 350 years old.  80 ft diameter.

# posted by Roger @ 9:16 PM 0 Comments

NZ longest wharf. A very beautiful day near where Capt Cook had his second landing in NZ.

# posted by Roger @ 6:12 PM 0 Comments

After a very bumpy flights we arrived is Gisborne in the north island today. 

# posted by Roger @ 2:20 AM 0 Comments

The antartic center has a real winter storm room with real snow, 60 knot winds, and minus 10 temps.

# posted by Roger @ 11:01 PM 0 Comments

All USA antartic flights leave from Christchurch.

# posted by Roger @ 10:30 PM 0 Comments