Concord Hotel

... w*tching *n FC B*rcelon* futbol g*me while LEGALLY drinking un* cervez* con un* t*p*, w*lking p*st L* S*gr*d* F*mili*, *nd t*king * stroll down L* R*mbl* just bec*use I h*ve the option. Are you serious?! Typing th*t out just m*de it even more re*l th*t THAT is *bout to be MY life. Not someone elses. MINE! Oh, *nd since I mentioned my Christm*s list, I prob*bly should mention my mom bought me * new Kod*k ...

The journey home began at 6AM Venice time and even with only a one hour layover in Munich we arrived in Charlotte at 6PM est time (midnight Venice time!) a very long day. We had a trendous trip and Aunt Sue and Guido were the perfect hosts and tour guides. I almost feel like going right back but that will have to wait for now probably June 2011. The weather was cold and at times rainy so some of the things you would routinely do were just not possible.

Excited and ready to leave. The forecast does not seem very promising but it will be great to see Sue & Guido again. We leave Charlotte at 5:30 PM and should be in Venice at Noon (Italian time) Wednesday. I will try to send photo's as we take them as well as update this blog. I loved this when Chris and Liana used it .

... our driving extravaganza and finally arrived in the first city we would be performing in, Concord, NC. This is apparently the home to Lowe's Motor Speedway. That's right NASCAR fans, we were right next to this place. I never realized just how big those tracks are. It was huge! Now, I am not a racing fan, so I had no clue where we were until I literally ended up driving next to it. I kept thinking "wow, there are a ton of hotels for some random NC city I ...

I thought that I would post this picture of me and La Poderosa just before I left for the west coast a couple month's ago. She had to be sold in LA:( What an amazing bike for 700 bucks. She got me through one of the most amazing adventures that I've had to date. As soon as I can get my computer that has all the pics on it online I will have a boat load of stuff to post from this trip.

So I just set up this blog thingy. Computers and stuff like this are not my forte. I will try to update with some images of my travels as I get a chance. I am leaving for Istanbul, Turkey in a couple days. So i am practice packing to get things down to as little as possible. I am hoping to hitchhike ...

... spots is very puzzling to my mind. You think "I KNOW you! I really KNOW you. And here you are. And here we are... and we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!"

We have about a 2 hour wait before our evening flight across the pond. So, let's have a beer!

WW and I drove across western NC. Got to a town called Statesville and went into J&R Cigars, billed as the World's largest cigar store. They ain't lying. BIg ol' CHurchills for $3 (or less).

We camped at Lake Norman, land donated to the State of NC by the Duke Power company as long as the state let them leave their nuke there. No pics. Suprisingly nice campground.

On the whole this brief weekend getaway was just the antidote to the grief I had been feeling over my grandmother's passing. The bright colors of stucco exteriors, as well as the palm leaves rustling in the summer breeze lifted my spirits, if only for a little while. The low country flavors and historic sites warmed me, and enticed me with an invitation to return as soon as I possibly can.

... there would be some damaged vehicles. I found it funny watching the mini vans and SUVs racing around the track. There were a few corvettes and other sports cars that took the drive. You could also hear which vehicles were not stock. Their exhaust system tuned a little louder. I was about to leave when we heard a car lining up. When the car revved it's engine, if you closed your eyes you could picture being at the track just prior to a race. We finally see which vehicle is ...