more pictures continued....

hi again everyone out there...hope u all are all enjoying the month and having a good week...It's hard to believe this year is nearly over, but that only gets me even more excited since that means our time is nearly up here.... (just 2 more years I think I've been counting down ever since I stepped off the plane here!!!) I guess everyone looks and feels different about being here or anywhere else, but this clearly isn't for me being stuck on an island being the restless travel type that I am and can do absolutely nothing about that...I'm just glad to not be in a small town since I am not from one, and don't really know what to do with myself being miles and miles from everything around...I really miss our state fair that is going on back home now sooo soooo much that I went to last year with my friends whenever I visited back home for awhile...I hadn't been to this in quite awhile, and I specifically went home so I could go to the fair since that was all I could talk about, and how I couldn't wait to see everything again.....I guess it's not as big as some others that go on, but being stuck living in a very small town in Italy with dirt roads and corn fields where people got excited if they found a gas station opened, was not my idea of a good time. I had never been around small town life ever ever, so moving from a big city to somewhere like that was a total nightmare for me at least...Since I'm one who can't seem to pass up a fair, I of course wanted to know what Oktoberfest was whenever we were living in Italy...I had no idea what it was, but had heard of it plenty of times...These top 4 pictures are of our state fair back home and the bottom ones with the ferris wheel and huge crowds are the ones at Oktoberfest up in Munich, Germany. Also the one with the horse and carriage...I wasn't sure what Oktoberfest even was, but it turned out just to be a huge fair/celebration...It started out as a wedding celebration, and ended up lasting a week in October. Now it is held the last week of September until the first week of October and has about 6 million people going to this every year with it being the largest fair. I loved going to this, seeing how huge it was, and it was all mostly rides, countless beer halls with lines and lines of people waiting to get in, and they also had locals in traditional costumes and it's mostly just eating different foods they have there and drinking different types of German beer...It also has people from all over the world, and Germans tend to be exceptionally friendly to those who are visiting. I'm not a drinker, and didn't care much for the food, maybe the cookies, but they insisted on making everything gingerbread, and I won't go into all my likes and dislikes when it comes to food things... but it was so much fun getting to meet and talk to locals that lived there and got to go to Oktoberfest every year there. I only got to go one time to this but loved it of course and would definately go back. It is a lot more fun to go at night when everything is lit up like it is, and it's not quite as crowded as the daytime. I"ll try to arrange these pictures better, I didn't know it was going to keep stacking them on top of each other.... hope u all are doing ok where ever u are now, and that we get to talk soon on here...take care all...catch up with u all soon.... =)http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=unCaUN05i9I&feature=related (parades etc) http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=5u4f6gRtO2Y (rides at night)

Greetings again friends far and wide....Many thanks for everyone who stops by regularly to follow my blog week by week... I hope you all are doing fine and everything is going along well in your lives where ever you may reside in the world. Everything is fine here where I am in Japan...we managed to escape yet another typhoon the end of last week and the weekend. This is like the 3rd time this year it has done that... I am sooo sooo happy that summer here is FINALLY over with. It has finally cooled off and isn't so miserable going outdoors, and has finally become somewhat enjoyable again. I can't help thinking that I am missing our state fair back home this month and part of next month... I got to go last year after several years of being away and it was soo soo much fun getting to see it again and go with my friends there... We have nothing like that here in Japan and we didn't have it in Italy either...They moved things like rides and food booths to a parking lot that they cleared out and called it a "bazaar" and expected everyone to get excited about it... Yeah I guess you would if you never saw things like that really, but it wasn't anything that made me blink twice about it...I went last year to ours back home about 3 different times while visiting home and loved it...It was also our 100 year State Cenntennial so there were celebrations going on all the time and every hour it was open there...I'm not sure when I'll get to go back since we are overseas and only get to visit home every few years....Anyways, not to confuse anyone, but everytime this time of year comes around that's mostly of what I'm reminded of...I finally decided to try another color of text on here besides purple or turquiose...so hope it turns out looking ok since that is my main concern... These pics were of course in Pisa, Italy which I'm sure everyone recognizes The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I went to this place twice I loved it so much, and had heard so much about it...The first time I went with a group about 2004, then again by train in 2005... I went to the top of this both times...it was so much fun but so much walking and climbing to get to the top...You are completely out of breath when you get there because you have other people behind you and have to keep moving...Or you can step off to the side and practically hug the wall to let others by while you catch your breath and are able to keep going...You can feel this leaning as you are climbing the steps inside which are worn down in the middle from so many visiting throughout the years...This is considered to be a famous bell tower there, and also one of the seven wonders of the world... The tower is built up entirely of marble, and the very top of this houses the bells and also has more detailed architecture around them and on surfaces going completely around this, and even on the very upper floor with the 2nd rail. These are my personal pictures I took of whenever I was there...it shows it from a distance, and also a view from one of the sides looking down....it's a very nice view from whenever you go up, and you can see all over whenever you finally reach the top of this...there really isn't anything else there but this attraction, and then you can look out and see the overly crowded very over-populated town of Pisa, Italy there. I loved it going here, but I of course don't have one complaint about anything there in Italy...It was very hot both times I went to here, but I tried my hardest not to let that bother me...I would most definately go back here if ever given that chance again someday, and of course go all the way to the top again...here are a couple of videos that I found you all can watch if you want and have the time to...hope u all enjoyed...take care everyone and I look forward to talking to you all again soon on here...=) http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=yiikHFSOC-4&feature=related

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=dX7aVTn-AQc&feature=related

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=uwK2dN11lf0&feature=related

this is exactly how I remember it there....the 2nd one of these is my favorite...

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=gOEybWPVpGg&feature=related ~~~~not sure if that other link would work right so I copied and pasted this one to put on here to make sure it was correct...or just go to youtube.com and type in Mozart's birth house, and then take your pick on whichever one you'd like to watch....~~~~

Hey there everyone, hope you all are doing well, and having a fabulous week so far.... I managed to put on more pics this time and sorry for the tops of people's heads being in the way on a few... It is already falltime here and has cooled off tremendously which is a huge huge relief.... Just can't wait for it to rain and keep raining after the dreadful hot summer we had over here in Japan...There is a lizard running free now somewhere loose in my house and I have no idea where it is now...it ran in front of me last night in the dark here and nearly gave me a heart attack ....lol.... I just saw something long and with a tail then it disappeared...I guess it stays hid most of the time, and even if I did see it, I definately wouldn't try and catch it...I may wake up one morning with it beside me in the bed for all I know...I really hope that doesn't happen!!! About these pics....This is when I went up to Salzburg, Austria both in 2004 and in 2006...yes I loved it sooo much there that I went back twice...first time with a group, and second time, took the train from Italy, which I loved since we didn't have a train system back home in the states, and got to see so much along the way....This is Mozart's birth house...there is more to it then just these 3 pics of course, but this shows how some of it looks, and the piano that he used during their time period...colors are reversed, and it's a lot smaller than the ones in modern times....It is more like a museum now, showing pictures, and has the actual furniture that was there, and you mostly just walk through getting to see how everything was set up then....It is difficult to describe since some of the hallways are outdoors, and aren't even covered, the stairways are very narrow, and extremely small, and the doorways are very tiny and some people have to bend down to walk through them. People come here year round, from all over the world to see this, and go through it...I loved it so much and saw it twice, and got the dvd to always remember how it is being there, and how it looks in each and every room there. If you would like to see a full video on it, please go and visit this website to view a 12 min. video....www.youtube.com/watch?=vgoEyBwPvpGg...take care all...talk to u all soon hope u enjoy.....=)

hi again all....hope everyone had a good and safe Labor Day weekend for those of us who recognize this holiday...(Happy Birthday to my friends over in UK and anyone else out there who celebrates their special day this month=)....I was especially happy beyond anything to welcome this because it is the very last holiday of the summertime, and that only means for here that the days will soon start cooling off tremendously since it has been unbelievably hot here for 3-4 months now... I still want to take a break from this place here in Okinawa and continue to share my other experiences back in Italy...I was much more interested in things whenever I was over there than I am where I'm at now...These are a few pictures from Florence, Italy when I went to go and visit the Statue David... I loved the fact that I was actually getting to finally see this distinguished, well-known statue that is known the world over... Anyone who goes to see this of course, has to first of all be interested in these types of things or anything else relating to the Renaissance period or it will mean very little or nothing at all really... The David Statue is in museum and it is a fairly long walk to get to it down a long decorated corridor there...When you finally do approach this, you can't help but to draw your breath in it is so capitivating and beautiful to see... This stands at 17 feet and seems enormous to anyone standing below it, since it is raised...You can go all the way around it, and there are several monitors around where u can zoom in on certain areas of the statue to view it better since it is difficult to see towards the top and the sculpting that is done there... This of course is solid marble and portrays everlasting youthful human beauty to all of those fortunate enough to visit this structure... I loved being able to see this statue finally and how captivating it is.... It is under a dome roof kind of if you can notice from any of the pictures, and not another thing is in this room since the emphasis is on David to give this more meaning...There were also books to sign and put your thoughts about it once you thought you had had enough time admiring this, and also all around Florence there are replicas of this David Statue, but of course this is the most extravagant... hope you all enjoyed hearing about this experience of mine while I was there, it was definately worth it and I of course would go back if ever given that opportunity....