Basaic's VirtualTourist Home Page

First of all I am a teacher and former soldier (now retired!!). I taught a number of college level classes and loved working with my students. I am still a student. I really believe the saying "no day is truly wasted when you learn something". That is also one of the reasons I love travel and VT. You can learn so much from both. I will always consider Florida my home, even though sometimes (like now) I am living somewhere else. I am currently living in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

I started this entry with my newest great nephew, so now I will put my first niece on here. This is my niece Kristi. She works as a receptionist for a company near Jacksonville, Florida and is a great mother to two kids. I'm not sure but looking at the picture, I think she is fond of her uncle.

These are my friends Justin and Athena. We were celebrating her birthday at Outback Steakhouse. As you can see, they are still like newlyweds, and I hope they stay that way for many years to come. They are both great people and I am very fond of them. Justin is a former soldier and has traveled overseas. I am trying to get him to join VT.

So far, I have lived/worked/traveled in many countries (I count one extra because I went to West and East Germany while they were separate countries) and 46 US States. It would take too much room for me to list all the highlights. Maybe I will list one and change periodically.

One place I really enjoyed is San Marino. San Marino is the third smallest state in Europe, after the Holy See and Monaco, consisting of only 61.2 square kilometers about .3 times he size of New York City. It is located in Southern Europe an is surrounded by Italy, and is one of the European Microstates. San Marino is the oldest constitutional republic n the world still in existence. It was founded in 301 A.D. by Marinus of Rab, a Christian Stonemason fleeing religious persecution. According to the July 2006 estimate the population of San Marino was about 29,251 almost all San Marinese. The 2001 estimate of the per capita income was $34,600. The people of San Marino are predominantly Roman Catholic.
Legends state that Marinus left the Adriatic Island of Rab and went to the town of Rimini as a stone worker. After being persecuted for his Christian sermons, he escaped to the nearby Mount Titano, where he built a small church and founded the state of San Marino (officially on 3 September 301 A.D.).
During the early part of the Italian unification process in he 19th Century, San Marino was a haven for numerous persons who did not support the unification. As a result of this support, San Marino was not forced into incorporation into the Italian state.
During World War 2 San Marino remained officially neutral. Axis troops retreated through San Marino, pursued by Allied Forces; but Allied Forces did not remain in the country.

Places I Want to See: (In no particular order)

The Great Wall and the Forbidden City
Beijing
Shanghai
Prague
Budapest
Lake Balaton
Ayers Rock
Sydney
Rio
Machu Picchu
Angkor Wat
the Pyramids
(I'll add more soon)

One of my other passions is movies. I have a fairly extensive collection of movies from around the world. I'll highlight one movie and change periodically.

Across the Universe is a love story set against the backdrop of the turbulent 60s. The story is told partly through the singing of Beatles songs. A great movie for people like me who love their music. The singers are talented and the visuals inventive. They also have a character called Sexy Sadie who is modeled after Janis Joplin and one named Jojo modeled after Jimi Hendrix.

February: Tucson, Arizona.

March: Peoria, Wickenburg and Prescott, Arizona. City of Rocks State Park, Rock Hound State Park, Spring Canyon State Park and Pancho Villa State Park, New Mexico. Lordsburg, Deming, Columbus, Bayard, Silver City, Hurley, and Pinos Altos, New Mexico. Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark.

May: Caballo Lake, Percha Dam, Elephant Butte Lake, and Mesilla Valley Bopsque State Parks; White Sands and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monuments; Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Truth or Consequences, Cloudcroft, Hillsboro, Kingston, Arrey, and Mimbres; all in New Mexico.

June: Davis Mountains, Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery, and Washington on the Brazos State Parks; Fort Davis National Historic Site; the towns of Fort Davis, Balmorhea, Brenham, Seguin, and Onalaska all in Texas. Jean Lafitte National Historic Park; Vermillionville; and the towns of Kinder and Lafayette in Louisiana. Shepard State Park and the town of Ocean Springs in Mississippi. Gold Head Branch State Park and the towns of Crestview, Melrose and Middleburg in Florida.

I hope to start a collection of postcards from VTers (I'll send you some too if you ask). So far:

1 Malta (from Cliff Claven)
2 Penang, Malysia (from SL Liew)
3 Phnom Penh (from Cliff Claven)
4 Tamorindo, Costa Rica (from Ed (Kaspian))
5 North Bay, Canada (from Ed (Kaspian))
6 Rotterdam (Margaretvn)