Hello from Warszawa (Warsaw)
Date: 8/9/99 9:26:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Please please do not send me multiple mail (jokes) while I
am traveling. I had cleared my box before I departed on
Aug. 5; today, 4 days later there were 55 email in my box.
Since I cannot dispatch these as expeditiously as when I am
in Miami, I would appreciate it if you would hold on all
but the most important email until I return. This way, my
mailbox will NOT get saturated if I cannot find an Internet
Cafe nearby. They do not seem to be as readily available as
in Australia.

Began my trip only a few days ago, but already every day is
turning out a treat. In Munich I walked the Pedestrian Mall
for 6 hours, a long stretch of several miles where the
original (recaptured after the destruction in 1945)
Medieval style is blended very well with modem shops,
cafes, taverns, pubs, etc. Munich is crowded with visitors
around this time. The real treat came as I was returning to
the hostel. A group a 3 gypsies, one playing a violin 2nd,
an accordion, and the 3rd a guitar put on such a wonderful
exhibition of gypsy music that it became a traffic stopper,
especially the violinist (Get the video of the King of
Gypsies, or something like that, to get a feel for their
music, very passionate and sadly melodic.)

As for Warsaw, the old town here is the most exquisite such
part I have seen in whole Europe, though I still have
Budapest, Prague, and Riga to go. This one is a beaut, a
huge section. It beats anything similar in Munich and
Frankfurt. Hell, I could easily retire here. Again I am
surrounded with women in sarongs, shorts, minis, longs,
etc. each always with a perfectly-placed slit, each girl on
high platform shoes. Very feminine and sexy. One feels
confronted by seemingly endless (long) sight of exquisite
legs. As with the Aussies, the European women know how to
look very attractive, but it is more than selective showing
of parts. It is the whole attitude, finesse.

I am back to 18-20-awake hour days but don't seem to mind.
The trip from Frankfurt to Warszawa was about 17 hours; it
will that long again when I return to Cologne and start
capturing my happy hunting grounds from High School days in
Germany, before I hit the Alps.


Hello from Heidelberg & Strasbourg (France)
Date: 8/16/99 8:01'.20 AM Eastern Daylight Time
===============================================

Paris, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, etc. are on everyone's list,
and if you have not yet seen them you should. But here is a
list a lesser known places that I rate as top notch, I will
add to this list of "Best of Europe" as I go along:

Warsaw, Heidelberg, Strasbourg

1. Heidelberg. Stay at the Jugendherberge (youth hostels)
near the zoo. Because Heidelberg is a famous university
city, the hostel caters to families and students from all
over, but with so many students, it is also a party hostel
and has a disco and all else on site. However, the
bathrooms are somewhat awkward. There is WC (restroom),
washroom, and a shower room, 3 separate ones, for males and
the same for females, and they are at odd locations. (Look
for them before you MUST go.)

If you go. Take bus 33 to the end of line to Kopfel, enjoy
the view, return to BergBahn (Mountain Tram = Funicular)
with the next bus. Take the tram all way up the mountain;
at the exit turn right down the little path (before the
vehicular) path and walk down to the castle, about an hour
thru the woods. Sit on a tree trunk and consider if one is
closer to God right there or in any one of the man-made
structures, however gorgeous, down below. I am not
religious; this is meant to be a philosophical
contemplation ...

The path will lead to Heidelberg Schloss (castle). Pay the
3 DM and enter the courtyard, peruse and exit from the
castle. The exit path will lead to the narrow main street.
Walk up on the left side and enter the charming square. Sit
down on the benches on the left and enjoy the view then
take the narrow (and crowded) pedestrian street next to the
cathedral and walk about a mile to Bismarck Square. The
street offers the best of what Europe is all about. Then
contemplate my complaints about American cities.

2. Strasbourg. May be the prettiest small city in
Europe--population less than 1/2 million. The hostel Cirius
there may be 2 or 3 best hostels I have seen anywhere; it
is like a nice hotel also with dorm facilities. If you go,
walk around the cathedral area. Each path and small street
leads to seemingly even more charming another street. You
can get lost there for a day. There is a ferry that circles
the old town in 1 .5 hours for 42 FF, or about 8 dollars.

I am off to the Alps from here, having a wonderful time.