We arrived in Budapest yesterday late morning...

September 29, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

We arrived in Budapest yesterday late morning, and it has definitely been a quick trip. Yesterdays walking tour was so fast, and our local guide, a university professor, was so ironic, that I was completely unclear about what was going on and where we were. However, we spent this morning
at a grand and lovely public bath, followed by coffee and dessert. I then came to the National Museum, with rooms and rooms of artifacts from about 400000 bc to Roman times. I was in hog heaven. I am now aware of the amazing number of foods, words, and customs maintained by the Stallsmith-Jones
clan for which I can see the source in these countries.



Im in an internet cafe in a building which is...

September 27, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

Im in an internet cafe in a building which is probably about four or five hundred years old. Hungary is a lovelyy country, butlike all the Central European Countries, steeped in the sadness of conquest. We visited a Soviet Gulag today, fortunately followed by wine tasting. Our guide explained that in Hungary, when things were good, people sang, danced, and drank, and when things were bad,
people sang, danced and drank. Wise people, they. I am missing you all so much. At least a hundred love, Mom



Hi, sweeties

September 23, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

Hi, sweeties. We're now in Kracow, staying in a really fancy hotel with bathtubs about seven feet long. It is easy to see why Dick enjoyed Poland so much.
The tour spent yesterday in Auschwitz with the predictable
physical reaction, tears, on the part of many members in the group. The only place I had to fight back nausea was in the room with human hair and the material made from the hair. I had brought two stones from Oregon on the trip. I left one in the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, and one at Birkenau. It's easy to say Never Again, but we have to remember subsequent atrocities such as Rawanda.



I§m still having a terrible time with Czech k...

September 21, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

I§m still having a terrible time with Czech keyboards, and haven§t been able to open mz e=mail because I can§t tzpe in a dash. We have left Prague and hacve come to the mountains. I have never walked so far so frequentlz. I have lots to share. Jamie, I did pick up something in Paris for your birthday. Many years, and many hugs. PS Rick Steves sucks.
Love, Mom



Travel is so broadening

September 17, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

Travel is so broadening. But Adam, computer keyboards need to be internationalized. This internet cafe has its local
keyboard section and its English section. And as you can tell from yesterday's contribution, the A and W are reversed on French keyboards, and God only knows that the M has floated off. The format of typewriter keyboards was originally to make typing hard. Muy dummo idea. How about a phoenetic keyboard, like a court reporter's machine.
Anyhow, I'm now a Paris fan. The city must have, like London, taken a huge leap in population at about the same time that builders figured out how to make non-wood apartment buildings several stories high and there was a particularly graceful building style in vogue. I took the
train from Paris to Frankfort, just south of the area where
the Stallsmith family stomping grounds were. Great farm land! At Frankfort, I switched to a night train, envisioning a romantic Greta Garbo experience; the romance
must come with first class reservations, because I shared a
sleeping car with five college kids, including two American boys who played cards until 1:00 am. The Japanese
girl in the bunk above them dropped (literally) a note explaining that she and her two buddies were really tired
and asking the boys to stop playing cards. A good lesson about ethical tourism.
Prague is lovely, but cold, and I'm glad I brought my coat.
I love you all, and miss you.



Generic Heading

September 16, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

In paris and alls well



sitting hre in dallas-fort orth

September 14, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

sitting hre
in dallas-fort orth. The flight ws unremarkable exceptfor a thunderstorm. eeing the cluds lit from undernath by the lightening was amazing.Only we and the gods have seen this sight.
Seraaph, I forgoy yhr gray skirt, stupidly, but thank you, thank you. Love to all, mom



Bob is driving me to the airport, and I am re...

September 14, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

Bob is driving me to the airport, and I am relatively organized, thanks to a kindly staff of secretaries, helpful teenagers, sweet kids, etc.
So, as the poem goes,
Here I am, off to Europe,
Home of the "Du" and the "Oui"
I am ready for Europe,
But is Europe ready for me?
Love to all, Mom



I got to go along to take Sam to his first da...

September 08, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

I got to go along to take Sam to his first day of school.
Emma sat right down and started chatting with the other first graders at her table. I called Dez, who said that he
liked his teacher but he and his friends are in different rooms .
I leave next Tuesday - thanks to everyone for help, advice, etc.



Random thoughts for this week

September 02, 2005 by Sue in Wielesek

Random thoughts for this week...when I came home, the cat food Aric and Anna left for Mischa was gone, the water in the cat bowl was filthy,and my kitchen floor was really dirty. I couldn't figure out why. I was sitting on the deck patting Mischa, with the kitchen door open. I heard a funny noise in the kitchen, and discovered a momma raccoon and three fat little babies scarfing down Mischa's food. She looked at me disdainfully, until I finally jumped up and down and hollered.



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