Earth Day Magic 2025 + 50501

Two Trillion, yes I said 2 Trillion and that is not the budget deficit. On a recent trip to New Zealand we visited Mt. Cook, which is regarded as a Dark Sky (UNESCO) site. This means there is no artificial light sources nearby yielding a glare, otherwise the stars pop like flaming lights.  At Mt. Cook we went to a planetarium show at the Hermitage hotel and had a very knowledgeable narrator, who made some very interesting comments. He said: "since the Hubble telescope was launched in 1990, the latest estimate for the number of galaxies in the universe is somewhere around 2 Trillion galaxies" 

"We are in the Milky Way galaxy and it contains an estimated 100 billion stars." Ok, feeling a little small now. And the chance of life out there seems quite plausible, so why has there been no contact you ask.  To begin with the universe is an incredibly vast. Light  travels at the speed of 186,000 miles per second, (if I snapped my fingers a light ray would travel 7 times around the planet earth). And the nearest star Proxima Centauri, is 4.25 light years away, otherwise a loooong ways. So unless there are wormholes of some sort, or string theories, or parallel universes, travel as we know it (a spacecraft can travel up to @ 430,000 mph=Parker Solar Probe on 12/24, and a spacecraft carrying humans can only go 17,500 mph) would take many, many lifetimes for any contact even to the nearest star. Of course on the other side of the coin, who knows maybe there is the Prime Directive (Star Trek stuff) with a no interference clause. So the point I'm trying to make is, The EARTH is a very special place--we shouldn't be forced to go to Mars to settle in the future. How about we just take care of our home, Gaia in a sustainable fashion. 

* Tidbit 1: Did you know: For every 1°C rise in temperature, the atmosphere holds 7% more water. (Phys.org). The majority of the earth's warming has occurred since 1975 at a rate roughly .15°C to .20°C per decade.Earth observatory- NASA  Hmm maybe that's why in October 2024, 35 countries experienced major floods. 

Braided Sweetgrass: Braided Sweetgrass on Amazon This book will open your eyes to importance of plants and our roles as humans in this world. The author: Robin Wall Kimmerer is a decorated professor at SUNY State University, and a member of Citizen Potawatomi Nation. This book has changed the way I look at the natural world. She has this innate ability to make a connection between indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge.                    

AI computing: Who doesn't like the speed of AI for answering any question we have. Of course with speed comes a tremendous amount of Energy and Water use.  This helps to explain the locations for recent investments by Microsoft, Oracle, Nvidia, Open AI. They are involved in an eye popping 500 billion dollar data center project, code name "Stargate," approved by Trump. In 2022 AI accounted for 4.5% of the energy demand in the US. By 2030 that figure is predicted to be 17%, due in large part to generative AI. (Bloomberg analysis) So where are they going to get the energy to run these magnanimous data centers? What is being suggested in the various articles I have read, indicates the building of more Nuclear Power Plants (including the old Three Mile island-site of the worst nuclear accident in US history), and more fossil fuel (clean coal--ha) plants, near areas with a large body of accessible water. One such center is being built in Abilene, Texas and interesting enough the city of Abilene has struck a deal to pump water out of the Edwards- Trinity aquifer which provide a water source to many cities during times of drought.  I know some of the energy will be derived from renewable energy such as solar and wind, but the bottom line is that providing this much energy, in a short time frame, will take us in the opposite direction of a sustainable future. So we need to support organizations which will be the watchdogs for these projects: the Sierra Club, Nature Conservancy etc. On the positive side AI will be used to save lives in medicine, predict weather etc.. and a process called machine learning is now being used to solve climate change problems.... the definition of machine learning is when AI applies algorithms to learn from data and make predictions without specific programming...maybe it will figure out what birds are singing about someday. 

*Tidbit 2: A 100 word email using ChatGPT takes .14 kilowatt hours (kWh). which is the equivalent of running 14 LED bulbs for 1 hour. That same email uses 519 millimeters of water (1/2 a standard bottle of water) to cool the machines. Wowzer, not good!

30 by 30 project (30 x 30) : Is a worldwide initiative adopted by 190 countries at the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD-COP 15) in Montreal  2022 (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework). The goal is to have governments set aside and protect 30% of their land and 30% of their bordering oceans by the year 2030. These refuge areas will help prevent mass extinction and ensure biodiversity for future generations-- we have great examples to pull from, like: Yosemite, San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge (San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge), and Swamis Marine Reserve. Globally there is @ 8% of the ocean in protective reserves and @17% of the land is protected according to the United Nations. This framework was supported under the Biden administration and unfortunately scraped by Trump- another step backwards. 

Local Swamis Beach
in Encinitas,CA

Tidbit 3: Decarbonizing is a big buzzword these days, otherwise eliminating pollutants like Carbon from the atmosphere. A really cool article featured in Sierra Magazine Fall 2024 was on how diesel engines, which power our trucking industry, are changing. The WattEv company, has built a solar powered plant in Bakersfield, with the first megawatt charger in the country. Their goal is to outfit diesel trucks with battery packs with a 300 mile range. This is a tremendous leap, since heavy duty diesel trucks are responsible for 1/4 of 400 metric tons of carbon emissions from the US. There is still no truck that can currently use it, but it is on the horizon. 

Politics, not as usual: Which brings me to my next point, with the obvious shift in political climate, we are now in the role of playing watchdog so things don't tilt out of balance too far.

What can we do: If you haven't already joined an environmental organization or belong to a group  involved in these recent protests, this is the time to do so. Here are a few ideas:

1. Join the Sierra Club and help block Trump's agenda: stop Trump

2. Join 50501 Movement. 50 protest, 50 states, 1 message. I don't know if you saw this on the news coverage, but there were massive protests all over the country on April 19th representing this movement. It is a grassroots campaign that organizes peaceful protests in all 50 states on specific dates, to oppose anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump organization. It's free, just your time to make your voice heard and it is important. 50501 movement I recently joined this movement. 

3. Keep buying alternative energy merchandise: starting with electric cars, let's keep this positive change going. On the horizon there are a multitude of new technology batteries which will replace the Lithium car batteries. This will change any problems with battery degradation and disposal that we have now. New battery technology

4. Read the Braided Sweetgrass book it will reconnect you to the natural world. 

5. For me personally, I have eliminated my Facebook and Instagram accounts which are both associated with Meta, owned by Zuckerberg who just recently made a 1 million dollar contribution to Trump's campaign and these sites will more than likely be used by our government to monitor freedom of speech as we know it. By the way What's App is owned by Meta too. 

6. Keep on the path, I have to tell myself not to be lazy, keep on recycling, shop with my own bags, use refillable drinking bottles, ride bikes, buses, and trains etc. Pick your news channels carefully, yes Fox News is as far to the right as you can get, with no fact checking to speak of. Speaking of which, if you question a story you hear, take the time and run a quick fact check: FactCheck.org  a project of the Annenberg Public policy Center. 

7. Everything we do makes a difference and a statement. If you have children they will follow your example, if you see some trash on the ground and pick it up this is setting the tone, we love our special home.   

So let's Bring back the magic in our lives: 

There was wonderful article in the Encinitas Advocate on 4/4/25 called Bringing back the magic to our lives. In this article by Marsha Sutton, she states, "Awe... for awesome has been denigrated". Oh my kid kicked a goal in soccer...awesome. Her idea is to remind us to re-ignite the "awe" in our lives. 

Flannel Plant Sweetwater
Reserve

The kind of thing which lights you up inside and out... like a roar of a lion near your campsite, or riding a 6' wave deep in the pocket. Or an amazing moment like seeing the total eclipse from a special place. So let us try to recapture the "awe-ful" moments in our lives. Maybe it's as simple as going to the desert or mountains on a clear night and gazing at the Milky Way and pondering its vastness (along with the other 2,000,000,000 000 galaxies) or really listening to the birds when they are singing. Being in Nature will remind us there is no individual self, but a oneness of all living things. We just have to slow down and take the time to observe. Otherwise, stop once in-awhile, sit on a rock or under a tree, and enjoy the peace.  May you find Wabi Sabi and Happy Earth Day 2025. Jerry

Tidbit #4: If you listen to a humpback whale song sped up 4x times or more, it sounds like a bird call. You'll find these songs on Youtube-pretty amazing when you think about it. 

Adventure in the Southern Alps

White knuckling along the precarious canyon edge, my hands were shaking, and I remember saying to myself... what was I thinking trying to do this? I was just out of surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome only one month ago- and then the situation got worse. It did sound like a good idea at the time, and it was our first day in New Zealand and we started it off with a bang. I said to Loraine (my adventure girl),  "let's try Canyoning," having no clue what that meant. All I knew is that it was a chance to create a new experience.  Before I knew it  I was hanging off the edge of a 25 foot cliff! With one misstep on the tiny, slippery footholds; I would be slammed into the jagged side of the rock wall below.

 I thought this was going to be easy, you know, zip lining through waterfalls etc. Turns out, Canyoning is something to be reckoned with. I was doing reasonably fine until the lady above me on the wall climb said, "I can't do this, I need to get down," say what? This means one of us has to unclip from the carabiner and pray. She was on the outside and so being the gentleman, I said, "I think you have to unbuckle and crawl around me, I will hold us both if you slip." Luckily, she inched around me with no problem, and then I looked up to see the daunting terrace with my name on it. All I had to do is jump into the tiny turquoise pool 25 feet below. It didn't seem like much, but it's almost a 3 story drop down! With craggy boulder rocks jutting out everywhere, I looked across the pool and could see the bright red emergency tote board strapped to the cliff 's edge intended to carry injured canyoners out of the canyon.  Hmm.. here goes nothing. I remembered, the guides told me to bend my knees, lean back, and hit the water evenly with each foot. No such luck, as I managed to do 2 out 3 as instructed. One foot landed first and it felt like a giant splinter pierced through it. Otherwise ok, and now... I was fully awake. The rest of the canyoning was easier, sliding, and repelling down waterfalls, even a zip line ride was thrown in across the canyons. 

Queenstown New Zealand: Definitely on the list for adventure playgrounds in the world and a bus ride away from the famous Milford Sound. We were here to meet our good friends Jay and Judith, two Kiwis friends that I have known for 44 years. We had met boomnetting off a sailboat on the way to Great Keppel Island,  Australia in 1981.

Boomnetting off a 
sailboat

Jay and Judith

We have been friends ever since, and along the way have done some incredible adventures together. This time, they were going to introduce us to e -bike cycling. New Zealand has an incredible cycling network in the North and South Islands. Basically, it all started when the former Prime Minister, Key, in 2009 proposed the New Zealand Cycleway with a 50 million dollar investment including,  local funding. These pathways usually go for 40 to 80 km (25-50 miles) on hard packed decomposed granite for the off-road scenic areas, and are also connected by on-road asphalt roadways.

More funding was added in 2016 and 2022, which increased the routeway up to 2,755 km (1,712 miles). The trails are very well marked along the way (no need for guides), but it's a good idea to have a company transport your luggage from one hotel to the other. Many of the trails pass by wineries, and end up in old historic towns. Our first ride (about 40 km), was along the newly created Dunstan Trail. It's a spectacular ride along rivers, over mini mountains, along lakesides, passing over bridges, watching bungee jumping and then ending up smack dab in the middle of a vineyard where we stayed overnight. We enjoyed a wine tasting event. The sommelier informed us about the influence of the cold climate around Dunstan, along with the stone and sandy loam topsoil which makes a perfect place to grow the Pinot Noir grape.

Along the Dunstan Trail

crossing bridges

Mount Cook: On the way to Mount Cook we rented a car and stopped at the old gold rush town of Cardrona, known for its quaint vintage hotel. After some wine, beer and of course martinis, we did some hiking along Wanaka lake, where Jay and I once again, contemplated the meaning of life. 

After hiking we all drove back to Queenstown where Loraine and I caught a bus to the famous Mount Cook, while Jay and Judith jumped on a plane back home. The 6 hour bus ride along winding roads was an experience in itself, because our driver was jacked to beat the bus-land speed record. He barely gave us time to use the toilets, rushing us at every stop we had. Well, what can I say we did arrive 2 hours early to the spectacular Hermitage Hotel that is tucked in a valley at the base of the mountains.  First day, was rainy and cloudy, and we couldn't see Mt. Cook, but, that was ok because they had a great museum created in                                                                honor of Sir Edmund Hillary. 

Hermitage hotel

The next day the sun came out, and wow... there it was- the tallest mountain of the southern Alps. Mt. Cook (Aoraki), standing at 12,218' (3724 m).

View out the bar to Mt. Cook

 Doesn't seem very tall, kind of like Mount Shasta, but it's a treacherous climb, no paths up and you need to be a full on mountaineering expert with climbing ropes, ice axe and crampons. At the hotel there is a Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine center, 

where I bumped into him and asked what he thought of Mt. Cook. He said, "climbing Mt. Cook in 1948 was his training ground for Mt. Everest,  and one of my true loves." 

Sir Edmund 
Hillary

Trail to the base of Mt. Cook

valley up to the base

We took a well laid out 3 mile hike with platforms and bridges up to the lake at the base of Mt. Cook. It was a stunning view, and I could see there was no apparent route to the top,  just straight up to the peak from all sides.

Of course you can't go somewhere like this and not see the effects of climate change. So, I decided to do some research in the local visitors book center, and found some telltale pictures. Besides this, I found a recent article from "The Conversation," published on 3/9/2025 from the  academic authors at the Victoria University. They pointed out that New Zealand ranks 3rd globally in the proportion of ice lost from glaciers. Almost 30% of ice volume has melted in the past 24 years, global glacier assessment  (Nature -scientific journal). Almost 300 glaciers have now completely vanished from New Zealand's mountains. This is scary stuff, if all the glaciers and ice sheets melted sea level would rise 195 feet (60 meters)!

We walked out towards the remnants of the Mueller glacier to the viewpoint where we could match the pictures from the bookstore to approximately where we were. The stocking leg shape, Tewaewae Glacier, in the left picture in 1915 is in full view, and the picture on the right is in 2018.  You can see the stocking leg shape glacier is almost gone. Behind our picture below, although it is hard to tell (it's by the cloud on the right) there doesn't look like much of the glacier is there nowadays. 

Tewaewae glacier in 1915 left
and then 2018 on the right

Probably shouldn't be smiling

A20 ride

Alps to Ocean Bike Ride: A 315 km, the 8 stage ride throws you all the facets of what I

189 miles- 8 stage ride

call.. an adventure. It started off exciting enough with a helicopter ride over the Tasman River with Mt. Cook in the rear view mirror. Loraine settled in as copilot, as we took off on our 8.6 km flight to start our 80 km ride. We found out there was a surprise in store, we now know what "a rough start means" from the brochure...loose cobbles, ruts, washboard, and several creek crossings. 

Copilot Loraine

Right off the bat...Kaboom, down went copilot Loraine fell on some loose cobbles, luckily she had a very graceful fall, but still managed to tweak her tailbone.

Co pilot down

 I did a rut jump, at least that's what I called it. Riding along the trail my bike's front tire was suddenly stuck in a 3 inch rut, and I couldn't pull out of it. Luckily, there was some soft grass at the end of the rut where I managed somehow to leap off the bike with a two-point landing on both of my feet. Quite the start, and after a couple more miles, we finally reached the edge of the glistening, aquamarine Lake Pukaki, that

Lake pukaki

wraps around the valley for 33 km. Things were going well, when all of the sudden my chain started slipping and jamming. Next thing I know, I almost did an endo into the lake. Finally, I had to stop pedaling, the problem was, we were out in the middle of nowhere, with no cell reception! So, I decided to continue to walk up the hills and then coast down them.  After several miles, we came upon a house and decided to knock on the door and ask for                                                   help. Out popped the farmer's wife, who called Dave, her fixer husband.

Tangled chain

 Dave came rolling in on his quad wearing a full length grubby brown jumpsuit. He was probably 80 something years old, and says "what's the problem?" Then, off he went  zooming on his quad to find a wrench in his other shed? When he returns, Dave and Loraine wrestled the kinked chain back on. We bid our thankful farewell, only to have it fall off in another mile. Luckily, we had cell reception by now and was able to call the bike company for help. They said they could be there in 90 minutes. So we coasted down hills and walked up them for another 3 miles or so and finally settled  under a lone tree to eat some lunch and wait for a new bike. The driver came and we switched out bikes and his final words before departing was "the next section is pretty bumpy." Quite the understatement... the first part we glided along some great single track next to the lake, and then ended up back on the main dirt road which was eroded with riddling washboard rivets, the kind which can jar any loose teeth out. Luckily for me, I had my anti-vibration gloves on, but it still, brought us to a stop every few miles. Once we reached the end of the lake everything was starting to get better. We were back on the exciting single tracts and they lead us all the way to our first day's destination - Twizel. 

But, before we left the lake, I saw Loraine standing there transfixed staring at the water. I asked her what she was thinking, and she said, "my eyes are mesmerized by the shimmering milky aquamarine lake and it is giving me such a peaceful and cooling sensation as the sun is warming my back, and I'm loving watching the ducks gliding on the water. This is the perfect bike ride and scenery that will be forever imprinted in my memories of New Zealand." Wow!

Stage 5 route

The next day, Lakeland bike company picked us up at our hotel and took us to the start of the stage 5 and 6 routes, from Omarama to Kurow. Loraine decided to sit this one out, so I took off on my own for this exhilarating ride around a chain of reservoirs and dams. My favorite ride so far. It started out by crossing a sheep farm, and then climbed along the side of several canyons with sidewinding narrow paths, no rails and  some 300 foot drops. 

Single tract along the lakes

The lakes were full of low lying clouds, where scenic helicopter rides were slipping in for a thrill. At one point, the single tract weaved its way through a pine forest and dropped into a impressive view of the reservoirs--doesn't get much better. 

A series of reservoirs

Having completed 4 of the 8 stage routes, Lakeland bike company picked us up and drove us to the end of stage 8 to a city called Oamaru. Oamaru is rich in history dating back to the Maori settlements in the 1100 AD, and then became a bustling southern port for the settlement of New Zealand in the 1850s. Awash with white city center buildings from the famous Oamaru whitestone, it is now famous for the tiniest penguins on earth, the 10-12 inches (25-30cm) Blue Penguins. 

Oamaru Whitestone 

You can only see the Blue Penguins on the return trip from the ocean just after sunset. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the area they return is in a major tourist trap with grandstands, but the colony is now well protected. There are about 700 Blue Penguins in this colony and about 40-50 go out to sea each day this time of year and return at night for the show.  

Blue Penguins returning to 
the colony

Dens for the penguins

With spotlights on the shore the penguins launch themselves on the beach with a well timed jump from the waves and then scramble up a predetermined path to find their nests. After seeing a few landings, Loraine and I had enough and started back walking back to our hotel, only to find out the real show was along the planks up to the entrance building. 

Snuggled in their holes, the "cute as a bug's ear" tiny penguins were calling out to each other. They were all around us, and nobody was else there to disrupt the moment. It sounded like a symphony of coos and calls that made your hair stand up on your arm. 

Jay and Judith's our last stop in New Zealand:

We jumped on a bus heading to Christchurch, where caught a plane up to the north island to see our friends new home. Several years ago Jay and Judith had finally come back home to their family roots in New Zealand. They had been spending most of their lives hanging out in Australia and traveling the world. 

When they did settle back in, they found a gorgeous house on the edge of a rainforest-like setting. Their deck drifts out over the backyard and into the grasp of the forest. The forest is loaded with hiking trails, but the best part is the whistle, clicks and bell-like sounds of the Tui bird. The male Tui birds have a sound to attract mates and also warn others of their territory. The males have a striking white tuft known as the "poi," which flutters during the vocal performances.

Lots of hiking trails

Tui Bird

We spent a lot of time enjoying Judith's gourmet dishes, she is quite the cook, and along with Jay, are quite the sightseeing guides.  

Judith on beach trai.

The region is known for its wineries, and so we had to try one at least one.  Jay and Judith took us to one of the local wineries that specializes in Syrah grapes. The waiter also brought a sample of the Kidnappers Reserve (I think it was a cab) which filled our mouths with exquisite bouquets. 

Clearwater Estate Winery

Judith and I took one last bike ride to to one of the beach restaurants. The

Hawkes Bay area has more than 200 km of off-road paths with vineyards, and orchards along the way. I can't explain how wonderful it was to see our lifelong friends again.  Through the years, they have always been there for me through all the ups and downs of life. And, even though we don't see each other much, it only takes a split second to connect our friendship . I just keep counting my lucky stars for bumping into them while boomnetting on the way to Great Keppel Island. 

Kauai, here we come. On our way home we planned to stop in Kauai to see our next grandchild be born. Max and Shannon, Loraine's daughter, had a surprise for us. They had asked the owner of the local estate, where they help manage, if we could stay in the main house overlooking the ocean. 

Leif (7) with Lanie-notice 
the cool haircut.

Well, needless to say it had a view to die for. Max and Shannon decided to join us in the house and have a natural birth in a birthing tub in the north wing. The little guy was now 4 days late, and homeopathic Doctor Charski finally suggested using castor oil to move things along. Then wham, right after dinner, I had noticed Shannon was particularly chatty. Moments later she said, "it's time, call the Doc," and 47 minutes later, out popped little blue eyes, 7 lbs and 12 oz. - Lucien Koa Gardenier. Welcome to the world little guy.  The brothers, Leif and Leo, who we were anxiously waiting on the other side of the house, could barely contain themselves, bouncing all over the place, who looking forward to welcome the new addition of their family. 

Skater boys Leif (7) on the
left with his Ripsurf Razor
skateboard and Leo (31/2) right 

Finally, Max came out to let us know Lucien had arrived, and they charged in to greet their new little brother with hugs and smiles.

Shannon and mom
having a moment,
watching the
Humpbacks breach

Lucien, 7lbs 12oz

 It turned out to be quite the 2 week stay. Loraine and I did some maintenance, washing the outside windows, and lots of yard work in this paradise setting. I learned how to drive a sit down lawn mower, and it was so much fun I ended up doing the whole 4 hilly acres. 

Proud Dad- Max

Mow man

60 white egrets jumping 
out of the way on every turn
of the mower

This has been a great 6 week adventure, even though it started out sadly losing Loraine's mom, Bon Bon who passed at 91. The trip ended with a breath of new life with the birth of our grandkid, Lucien (# 6), and the  commencing of the full circle of life. 

Bon Bon

Appenzell to Kea- September 2024

Panorama hotel deck

Look out for that rock, Loraine yelled, I glanced quickly to the 500 foot drop to the right, we were picking our way down a precarious dirt road on a greek island to an isolated beach, driving in first gear, with full breaks, negotiating haripin switchbacks with no side rails.... We were off on our 5 year wedding anniversary trip to Switzerland, Zermatt, and along the way discovered a hiker's paradise...called Appenzell. In story book fashion this place has it all, spectacular scenery, great trails, free train and tram rides with your Appenzell pass and lots of history. We had booked the Panorama hotel, deciding the name signified something special. Upon arriving in the town from Zurich by rail, we had to amber our way out of the city up some winding roads and paths, carrying our backpacks to get there. We had decided before this trip to go the bare minimum of clothes and keep the packs under 18 pounds. Living in 2 shirts the whole trip was quite the challenge, let alone the undies! The hotel lived up to its name with an encompassing view of the valley below, surrounded by trails. 

View out the balcony

Aescher Hut and restaurant

Robert our excellent host gave us a rundown on what to do and see, he said, " tomorrow you should go see Aescher, it's good weather, and according to the NY Times, one of the top 10 places to see in the world." I knew there was a reason we came here. So the next morning we took the train and then a tram up to Mt. Ebenalp to discover some history. 

The journey starts about 100 meters down the path where you enter into the Wildkirchli caves. These prehistoric caves harbored human remains including sabertooth tigers, hyenas and cave bears over 30,000 years old. Discovered in 1906, and later verified as stone age tools by archeologist Elisabeth Schmid in 1959. It was evidence that prehistoric man lived above the valley region.

prehistoric cave
animals-cave bear

Elisabeth Schmid

900 different
animals + humans

Around the corner from the caves dangling on the edge of the cliff is the Aescher hut.  Wedged on the side of a 2,000 foot granite rock face there is a full palate of beers and food to enjoy while gazing over the edge to the valley. Originally built as a stopping point to see the caves in the 1800s, it is now one of the most visited tourist sites in Switzerland.  

Great path to hut

Appenzell's myraid of trails 

Aescher Hut 

So the first part of the trail was a gentle decline to the caves and hut, but get ready, the next part was a rugged 1,500'  zig zag drop down to Seealpsee lake. After reaching the lake we stopped for a delicious alpine lunch overlooking the lake valley, and took a picture with our friend Bob before we headed back. 

The path to Seealpsee lake

Cruiser Bob

The hikes in Appenzell are multifaceted and diverse for day hiking. There are 3 valleys, each with its own distinctive flavor.. and with a characteristic hut for lunch at the top or along the trail. Each valley is accessible by the the local train, bus, or tram. In Kronberg valley they had an Adventure park for kids and crazy adults, so we decided to take a toboggan ride down the side of the mountain.

Mt. Hober Kasten is the local
favorite for hiking

Follow the "Yellow sign trail"

Trail to Kronberg region

Even the cows like the view

Darn thing was fast!

1 minute video-give it time it should load-press play

ZERMATT: Arriving by train to Zermatt always seems like an entry way into the magic-like feeling of Disney. There are no cars on main street, carriages taking some people to their 5 star hotels, and eventually you see the iconic view of the omnipresent Matterhorn. This time we had rented an Airb&b on the outside of town, with a patio view to die for. Once settled in we were off on a tour of the historic slate supported houses, a few beers and the mouth watering pizza at Grampi's restaurant. 

Carriages down Main street

MATTERHORN VIEW

Breithorn Peak at 13,661'
people look like ants

A storm was moving in two days, so the next day we decided to go to the top of the Zermatt valley via 2 trams, only cost $130 each -wow-no free passes here! Turns out it is was worth it, and the top tram is a launching point for serious mountaineers going to the summit of Breithorn peak, 4,164 meters (13,661'). You can do Breithorn peak with a guide and no prior mountaineering experience, but you will more than likely be tied to together at some point if there is questionable weather. The wind was swirling when we arrived to the top of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise tram. They warned us they may have to shut down the tram at any moment. Loraine went into the restaurant to grab a seat and hot chocolate, smart move by the way. In the meantime I decided to go walk the snow covered basin to the summit area... wrong! The 30-50 mph gusts went piercing through my clothes like little knives, I didn't bring the right outfit for this little adventure. Chilled to my bones, I went back inside and climbed the interior of the complex to an outside viewpoint of the Breithorn peak, with its stunning view, one can see the ant-like people scaling the peak up the backside (kind of reminded me of Half Dome in Yosemite). Once back inside the complex the hot chocolate never tasted so good. At the top of the tram you will find summer skiers on the glacier, and even some runs down to Italy. Just a quick climate change note... In 2023 the glacier lost in this region was 4% of the volume, the second biggest loss ever after the record loss of 6% in 2022, enough to make Switzerland and Italy renegotiate their country boundaries and to redraw them, so they can each be responsible to maintain the region.

The start of my jaunt

Stunning views in every 
direction

VENICE: Some things don't change and the enchanting, romantic city of Venice is one of those places. Stepping off the train we wondered the passages with our backpacks, of course Google Maps tried, but we lost connection several times, only to make it more interesting. As we strolled over the bridges, we watched the gondoliers adeptly guiding their gondolas through the narrow canals. The multi-color tapestry of the buildings bring life to the area like no other city. Once we found our hotel we went down to the Grand Canal to have a drink and watch the action. Loraine, having never been here before, was fascinated to see how well the boats, ferries and gondolas could negotiate the myriad of water traffic without hitting each other. 

Now that's a beer

Dinner on the Grand canal 

Rialto bridge

As sunset approached I decided to get a picture from the Rialto bridge only to comeback and find Loraine, who was strolling along the canal, getting groped by a local Italian man. I heard, "oh, is that is your husband? let's make him jealous," gee I was only gone a few minutes. Come to find out, Loraine thought he was a restaurant recruiter as he was pointing to his mouth... you need food, and proceeded in his Italian ways to grab her hair, kiss her on the neck while trying to rub her tummy. I laughed, Loraine didn't think it was funny and was ready to take him down. But he finally released his hold and she ran into my arms... well, that's the way I remember it :). 

The only problem with Venice is it is loved to death by the masses of tourists, even the water bus ride was like being stuffed in a can of sardines. And forget San Marcos Square, you couldn't even go into the main area with the deluge of tours. So we found a side street with a cute little boutique hotel where the gondolas would float down one by one along a narrow canal, sometimes being serenaded with music. So how do the Gondoliers get under that bridge you ask? He tilts the whole boat sideways, and then slides under it by an inch or two... fun to watch.

Gondoliers negotiating
a bridge

Boutique hotel by
 San Marcos square -with canal

Slovenia: 6 train rides, 1 bus ride and a taxi, and just like that you are in Slovenia. We decided to take the back entrance to Lake Bled, one of the countries top tourist spots. Unfortunately, we didn't realize this was a throwback train ride to the past. The first thing that happened as soon as we entered Slovenia, all the Italian train crew had to get off. We were sort of escorted to the next train. The train itself, looked like it had been used in WWII, but had been painted giving it some character. 

We befriended a starving
med student-Ana

The doors didn't quite shut between cars...and then along the way they stopped at a station and ordered us off and onto a bus, we said what? I was little concerned as I was thinking back when this area was called Yugoslavia and part of the eastern bloc. Later we find out it was for some rail construction along the tract. We met Ana, a bright young German med student on the train, who was quite pleasant to chat with. She had just won a lottery for a Eurail pass to travel Europe free for one month at her school, and was on her last leg to Bled to meet some friends. So we looked out after each other trying to figure out what was happening and made sure we all got on the rights trains, etc.. As we hugged the ravenous canyons I sort of wondered where we were going... no overhead signs in the train or diagrams to get your bearings. The last time I had been in Slovenia was on the way to Russia to climb Mount Elbrus. I remember seeing from the train a sickle carved on the hillside, and being searched by the police in the middle of the night. But that was in 2017, and even though it has been awhile since Slovenia had its freedom, it still ranks in the bottom 25% in the world in cost of living. Finally reaching Lake Bled after 7 1/2 hours of travel we found a taxi, bought Ana some snacks and ice cream, then gave her a ride to her hotel, she was very thankful. 

Lake Bled is a top tourist destination for a reason... it's gorgeous! Settled in a mountain valley with a picturesque lake, a church in the middle on an island, and a Castle (another old church) up on the edge of a cliff. 

Lake Bled with Castle in
background

View of Lake Bled from
the Bled Castle

Lake Bled area with the 
Julian Alps behind it

Vintgar gorge

Dinner spot overlooking lake

Lake bled is another hikers paradise, the problem is the difficulty to get where you want to go to hike. 

In hindsight it would have been better to rent a car in Ljubljana, the capital. This way one can drive to the surrounding Julian Alps, for which the area is known. And the Alps are an easy drive about 20-45 minutes by car. The public transportation is minimal to get to the hiking areas, and buses would take many hours to get there. Bicycling is an option if you like danger. The dirt path ride around the lake is safe, otherwise you are on winding on 2 lane roads with the fast drivers zooming around the curves. The next day we headed out by taxi on a 20 minute ride to see a major tourist site:Vintgar Gorge waterfall canyon, with suspended bridges along its side and dark blue water. Putting on our helmets we followed the path on a 45 minute walk to the end.  Thunderous cascading water flows underneath the bridges, as you inch your way along the ravine.  At the end of the path we saw walking signs back to Bled.. and said  to each other, "what the heck let's give it try." Going through forests and villages we wandered for miles until we found the path to climb up to the famous medieval Bled Castle. With its stunning view of the lake below, it harbors a pretty cool museum with lots of history of the ancient people who lived in the region, and had a whole exhibit by an artisan on how to make classic bows for archery. On the last part of the hike we met up with the path that leads around the lake and tried to decide whether we should rent a bike or not. We walked...

Look ma, no hands

Our last major train ride for our Eurail Pass was to the city of Zagreb, Croatia to see the famous waterfall lake region call Plitvice. 

Plitvice lake region

The Plitvice National Park is Croatia most famous tourist trap. There is an impressive array of waterfalls that seem to be falling out of the sky, dancing on the precipitous cliffs and floating on the lakes. Through the park is an intricate network of pathways between the lakes, many are on elevated planks, which makes you feel like you are walking on emerald water with trout swimming below. One could easily wander this region for 4-6 hours. This is important to know if you are taking a 2 hour bus ride to get there and back. On top of that you need to get your tickets ahead of time through an agent, I recommend Viator on the internet, this way you don't have to wait in the long lines. 

Floating paths on the lakes

Go the opposite way  

Coming from Zagreb, the trick is to get off on bus stop #2 at the other end of the lake and go backwards on the trails. Why you ask? The crowds are horrendous, guided tour after tour of elderly people making their way down to the falls. It's like Yosemite on steroids! Going the opposite way, takes care of that, since the boat ride across the lake goes both ways, and there is a small crowd for the opposite direction. 

Off to Greece. We decided it was easier to fly to Greece rather than take a 12 hour train ride to Athens. Over the years I have heard a lot of bad things said about Athens, such as: too crowded, dirty and a major prejudice against Americans.  Not so, crowded yes of course, there is one the greatest historical monuments there. But the minute you walk off the subway from the airport the streets are full of life, with beautiful Jacaranda trees, lots of shopping, and colorful buildings and people. We were lucky our hotel, the Attalos, was only a few walking blocks away and had a cool rooftop bar (with lots of Ouzo) on the 7th floor, with a breathtaking view of the Parthenon.

Rooftop bar and
the Parthenon

Socrates meets 
Confucius, what would 
they say today?

City center of Athens

Where else can you 
find Penis bottle 
openers?

I find these days when I travel that history is just as interesting as the landscape.

So I decided to go back in time and try to see what the ancients were thinking. I ordered the book, "Gang of Three"The Gang of 3 for my phone. I found it fascinating to learn about the early stages of critical thinking by our forefathers; Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in 400-300 BC. This is where democracy had its base, which was later picked up by the Romans and later adopted by the U.S. and the Europeans. This is where the concepts of virtue, honor and honesty were discussed at length by Socrates on city platforms. 

This is where people would listen to the great orators and major philosophies transpired (of course this is western civilization, all this was addressed by the eastern civilizations at various times). During these times it seems Greece was always at war with various groups, mostly the Persians, but luckily they had an alliance with the fierce warriors of Sparta. Socrates was even a warrior, and respected by many as he fought in battle after battle. This was time when observational science started, and deductions were made, and Aristotle was documenting over 500 species of animals while tutoring the young Alexander the Great. So visiting the Acropolis (ancient city) where the Parthenon exists today, was a transcending experience for me. I even tried to redefine our modern day take on some of these major concepts. I did come to one conclusion: when social media ie. Facebook came into the game (2004), everything changed; no accountability, no face to face interactions, and you can say pretty much what you want with a no FACT CHECK system in place. So I say shame on Facebook (Meta) and Tik Tok, for not setting up strategies to deal with these issues.  On a recent episode of 60 minutes, election officials said you should stay off both of these sites during the election this week, since they will be full of  misinformation. 

The Parthenon dedicated to the goddess Athena

The Acropolis, represents a city in ancient Greece. In Athens it refers to a fortress on a hill above the city protecting it, and houses the famous Parthenon, dedicated to the goddess of wisdom- Athena. It was built in the 5th century celebrating a victory over the Persians. Over the years it has been a christian church, and later a Mosque after the Ottoman empire invaded and took over Athens. The Ottoman's used it as a munitions dump and in 1687 as fate would have it, there was an explosion which severely damaged the structure. Luckily, since 1975 various  restorations projects (the white marble portions) have returned some of its splendor.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus
concert hall in Athens

  

On our tour up to the Acropolis, we passed remnants of hospitals, and a famous concert hall-the Odeon. Nowadays, the restored Odeon Of Herodes is where famous musicians come to perform everything from operas to rock and roll. Athens was quite the joy to visit and walk around, especially at night when it had cooled down. There was a plethora of fine dining, and as you walked down the inviting alleys greek music filled the air. In Athens there are many types of dessert speciality shops. No not Baklava, a gelato type ice cream. The ice cream shops have various themes and exquisite choices of the best ice cream ever! 

Yummy!

Hans and Gretel ice cream shop

So many Choices....hmmm

Island of Santorini: The foreigners favorite stop, along with party island Mykonos. But nowadays it is overrun with busloads of tourists on tours, once again loved to death. We still managed to find some quiet spots on the beaches and take a wild ride on a Catamaran for a sunset cruise. The beach down from our hotel is called the black sand (really rocks) beach. No problem, Loraine would rather have rocks anyway and she spent the morning finding her very special rocks she could connect too. 

I found it!

The mountain cliff city of Oia

We headed off to the city of Oia for the sunset cruise, our pickup driver was telling us all the water on the island is filtered from the ocean and delivered to the various storage areas on the island, and that's why the hotel faucet water taste so bad. Upon entering Oia there were gobs and gobs of people in the center city, and the dock was so crowded with tourists you could barely find your way on the catamaran. On the cruise we stopped along the way to do some snorkeling in the crystal clear water, why is it so clear?.... no nutrients therefore, no reef, hardly any fish etc., devoid of most life. They have pretty much overfished the Mediterranean Sea. I was disappointed in the famous greek food which included fish. All the fish on the menus (and in Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia) is basically a fish called Breen, and it is farm raised in pens off the coast of Greece, and tastes.. you guessed it- bland and tasteless... so stick to the sea bass on the menu. We sailed back to Oia to see the sunset, but now there were gusts of winds up to 25 mph, with big swells, which tossed the catamaran around. The captain decided to crank up the rocknroll music as the waves splashed over the sides and soaked most of the tourists, made my day. 

Wild ride on the CAT

Sunset :)

Port below Fira

Fira: We took a bus ride up to the capital of Santorini called Fira.  I will have to say, even though loaded with tourists it is a pretty cool city with its white draping houses and hotels dangling off the cliff's edge to the port below.  A fun shopping venue with spectacular views at every turn on the mountain top. We took the tram down to the port below to do a little more shopping and then walked up the 858 steps to the top. Very cool except for one thing... DONKEY POO. For decades they have been hauling people back up to the top via donkeys, even though there is a tram. The steps were disgusting with excrement and the poor donkeys looked beat up and without being too anthropomorphic, had a sad look in their eyes. 

Fira, looking down to the port

Poor donkeys

So the last couple stops on our travels there were few foreign tourists.  Not very many people have heard of these places even though they are close to Athens. The first was Sounio beach, about an hour south of Athens, close to the monument of Poseidon. We rented an Airbnb overlooking the water with Panos as our host. Panos does everything for you. He set up our taxi pickup from Athens, met us at the entry, gave us a list of restaurants, quite the host... and lived right next door. Sounio is a quaint, quiet little beach near the port city of Lavrio. Isolated on the point you have to take a taxi 2-3 miles to town to buy food or eat out. Panos set that up too. One of the fun things to do besides drinking beer at the beach bar is watching the older Greeks floating in the water,  sometimes in big circles chatting to each other while treading water. What a fun way to spend time with your friends and get some exercise outdoors. 

Veranda on the Airb&b

Nice to wake up too

Sounio beach and bar

Kea Island: Only a 1 hour ferry boat ride from Lavrio you find a different kind of hiker's dream in the mountainous Island of Kea (pronounce Kia). Where 1000 year old "footpaths" lead the way to secluded beaches and ancient ruins. We decided early on to rent a car since there is minimal public transport.

Triton Ferries

We went to the local Lion rental company and rented our soon to be hero...Spartacus-- a white, Suzuki-fiat-like car with a manual shift. On our first day we drove Spartacus

Spartacus could go anywhere!

to the north part of the island and then decided we should go to the drop dead gorgeous beach of Spathi, only a 25 minute dirt road trip according to the brochures and the lady at the front desk. Well, that's only if you take the right road. So before you know it, Loraine is yelling, " watch out for this and that,"as we swerved around the hairpin curves on a treacherous backroad. It's been a long time since I have driven a stick shift, let alone dancing around curves in 1st gear, with the brakes pressed hard and of course no side rail if you make a mistake. After about 40 minutes of dodging rocks there it was! A crystal clear bay with warm water, out of the way of civilization. Once we played and snorkeled in the water for awhile we noticed none of the cars were coming in the way we did. So we watched as they left the beach and saw the normal easier dirt road to exit...kind of boring. :)

Spathi beach

The road out looking back

 crystal clear

On the way back to our hotel we decided to go through the mountain top capital city of Kea Island. Perched on a hillside, Loulida was built away from the water in the center of the island on the slopes of the hills of Kastro and Myloi. This location helped to protect its citizens from yet another invasion. Its colorful cobblestone streets and varied neoclassical architecture makes you feel like you have gone back in time. 

Colorful cobblestone
walkways

Capital of kea- Loulida

On the last day we took Spartacus on another little adventure, going south this time looking for a nice  little place to have lunch on the beach and then head off for what turns out to be one of the highlights of the trip. Once we found the trailhead entry we headed down the rocky footpaths to the ancient city of Karthea. The island is loaded with these dirt and cobblestone footpaths, built in 7th-6th centuries, many of them have walls and lead to ancient cities, or isolated beaches around the island.

Footpath map

Rock walls on the paths

Footpath network

Donkey bringing supplies
down the footpath.

Karthea existed from 530-288 B.C. and was of the four ancient cities on the island. The area contained an Acropolis with another parthenon-like building to the goddess of Athena, an amphitheater, many  public buildings, wells, and was walled off for protection. Right next to it is a stunning beach with 2 bays for the landings of ships. Unfortunately, we left on the hike down there at 4 pm, kind of late since it gets dark at 6:30. We made it down there by 5:30, took a quick look around and short dip in the ocean.. then hustled back up the rocky path to the top just before dark.  Whew!

Beach at Karthea

Parthenon at Karthea 
Well, it was time to say goodbye to our adventure, 30 days of carrying backpacks on trains, planes, ships, taxis, buses, and trolleys. The contrast from Switzerland to Greece was astonishing. The incredible people we met along the way, the history, the terrain, the friendly faces -for the most part, remind us we are all one species, on the same journey, finding our Karma and passing it on to others. 

Saying goodbye for now :)