The Million Puppet March in DC

Perhaps the imminent demise of Big Bird wasn't a major reason Obama was reelected, but in any case the Million Puppet March last Saturday was a colorful and cheerful event well worth attending.

Life in the District

Two weeks in Washington, DC ... Just starting to explore the numerous downtown museums, autumn street festivals, and abundant bluegrass music.

Farewell to Abu Dhabi

After 8 years of living in the capital of the UAE it's now time to move on ...

Parting Shots: Berlin

From Krakow, Poland, it is about a 10-hour train ride northwest to Berlin.

Security 4U

One night a few weeks ago in Krakow while doing the previous blog posting (Pope John Paul II & McDo's) somebody somehow slipped into my apartment (even though the door was locked) and stole some of my belongings. This included my passport, iPod, cash, etc. At the hostel where I recently stayed in Warsaw (2 photos above) the place felt a lot more secure than my apartment in Krakow. Not only is there someone working the front desk checking who comes & goes, there are bars on the windows even on the 3rd floor where my room was. This seems a bit over the top as far as security goes, but there you have it.

Pope John Paul II & McDo's

Other than being the "crown jewel of Poland" and the country's former capital, another claim to fame of Krakow is that Pope John Paul II is from there (or thereabouts anyway). During a free 3-hour walking tour of Krakow that I went on this morning John Paul's name was of course mentioned. The tour guide also mentioned the interesting fact that after Poland's 1989 transition into democracy, when the first McDonald's opened in Krakow, people waited in line for up to 6 hours for their "first taste of the West."

Land of the Praguers

Belgrade might be the most chic city in Eastern Europe and Ljubljana the hippest, but when it comes to awe-inspiring, mind blowing, jaw dropping architecture, Prague is King.