"Vader's House" lordvader's Profile

I spent 12 days in Italy, including Rome, Florence and Siena. I have to say that I like Florence the best, because it is a smaller city and has more character than Roma. The Duoma has to be one of the most beautiful churches that I have ever seen. The food is spectacular, and has a richer variety than I saw in Rome, which wasn't much. We even go tto see the Firenze marathon while we were there.
I was sad not to get to Venice or Sicily, but maybe next time.

Hola
I am getting ready to finish off my adventure in Iraq, which amazingly enough has stretched into two years. It has been a wonderful experience working here, and I am really glad I did it. My homeward journey will be through South east Asia, with stops in Angkor Wat, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Malacca, and Singapore. I actually could make a few more stops, but I have to get home and get my life in order.

2006
I spent four days in Amsterdam in Nov 06. I pent a couple hours looking at Rembrant's 'Night Watch', and also the Trader's Syndicate, more commonly know in America as the Dutch Masters. Also went to see the Red Light district, Van Gogh museum, and the Anne Frank house. Spent a little time in the coffee shop and the casino too.

I spent four days in Prague this summer, and snuck in a day trip to Dresden, Germany. Spent a lot of time on the St Charles bridge, and just walking around checking out the sights and looking for food to eat. The big shopping avenue ws cool also, though I do not remember the street.

My January holiday was 15 days back in the US, a week in St Lucia, and 4 days in London. Hadn't been home for 10 months, so that had to be the very best part of it. I didn't realize how much I missed my friends and family. The beach was very relaxing in St Lucia- no pressure, no problem. I did all the big sights in London, and my favorites were the British Museum and the Cirque de Soleil at Royal Albert Hall.

I took three weeks off from my job in Iraq. I spent ten days in Ireland, four days in Paris, and another four days in Jordan. I must say that Paris was the highlight of the trip. The food is outstanding, as is the coffee. I spent a couple hours at the Louvre, and had some quality time with Mona Lisa. Not as much as I would have liked though

I am working in Iraq right now, splitting my time between Baghdad and a town about 15 miles west of there . I expect to be here for at last a year, perhaps longer. I don't get to do a whole lot of sightseeing, just basically whatever I can see from the highway and around town in Baghdad. I will say that it is interesting to live in the Arab world. I kind of like hearing the call to prayer from the mosque, which usually isn't too far away. I will post some pictures in the future.

Grand Canyon

This was taken on a day hike on the Kaibab trail in the Grand Canyon. It took me about an hour to get down to this point, and you see O Neill butte directly behind me. The trail is pretty good, especially compared to some 3d world ones that I have been on. Lots of red rock and constantly changing shadows on the other parts of the canyon. June 04

pollo frito

This pic was taken in a little fried chicken shop in Alajuela, Costa Rica in March 04. My high school Spanish teacher used to call me don miguel. I have recently started using it on the Internet and while traveling in Central America.
I was very excited to come across this place, and luckily had my camera along.
The other don miguel has a chain of restaurantes de pollo in and around San Jose, CR. I tried the chicken, and it wasn't too bad. It did take me a while to get the cashier to take my pic with the sign, though. The girl didn't understand English, but I got the photo I wanted.