Our Sister City

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Our sister city, Almogía By Woody and Rebecca Fridae (Note, for those who are following our Vietnam series, it will be posting soon. We're doing some deep dive research on it while we travel, so keep tuned!) “Sister cities,” “twin cities,” call it what you like, but Winters, California and Almogía, Spain have had a … Continue reading Our Sister City

Bangkok Part 3

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As our week drew on, Rebecca and I got more comfortable venturing out on train, subway and bus. We met Big when he was free to see places wth us, and explored on our own when he had to go to a meeting or just wanted to meet with his buddies somewhere and have a … Continue reading Bangkok Part 3

Bangkok

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Our Stay in Bangkok Part 1 I did not start writing about our stay in Bangkok until we were ready to leave. Looking back now, as we prepare to go to the airport, a flood of thoughts rush in as we parepare to get on the plane to Vietnam. These thoughts were somewhat of an … Continue reading Bangkok

Circle of Friends-Part 7: Sighisoara and the Citadel

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We left Bran, Fundata Valley and Braşov knowing that nothing could ever match the magic of that experience, but... When we entered the Citadel of Siguişoara (pronounced Sigi-show-rra) it seemed like they had given us a special E Ticket to Disneyland. Not just the Matterhorn, but to the to The Magic Kingdom itself. Maria had … Continue reading Circle of Friends-Part 7: Sighisoara and the Citadel

Circle of Friends–Part 5: Halloween at Bran’s Castle

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Bran and Fundata Valley This was supposed to be a whimsical stop-off at the supposed setting of Dracula's castle, (based on the real more-gruesome-than-fiction warrior, Vlad "The Impaler" Tepeş) which just happened to be on Halloween. We were headed up from the flatlands of Bucharest, through the gates of the Carpathians, into Transylvania.  Then we … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 5: Halloween at Bran’s Castle

Circle of Friends–Part 4: The Capital

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On the road, we headed west and south from Toulcea. After a bit of GPS only guidance, I tried to find our place on the map book and eventually found it. The countryside had gently rolling hills and flat farmlands that stretched to the horizon. Farms were bigger here with fewer houses--there were times you … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 4: The Capital

Circle of Friends–Part 3: Tulchea and the Danube Delta

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We arrived near dusk, partly due to the fact that Romania had  just changed to daylight saving time here, but I doubt that's what they call it.  As the sky was turning grey and the winds picked up, Rebecca and I found a small restaurant on the second floor of a row of businesses near … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 3: Tulchea and the Danube Delta

Circle of Friends–Part 2: The North East

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(Click on photos to see captions) In this post, we stayed at an inn and at a hotel, not writing ahead, not asking our hosts to engage or talk to us or tell us their story.  It was a bit of a break from interviewing people, a bit of a diversion from our theme of … Continue reading Circle of Friends–Part 2: The North East