"My travels 2003-2005" Personal Page by matcrazy1

22-23 February:
Sopotnia Wielka, Poland

12 March:
Krakow, Poland

4-6 April:
I had great pleasure to host my VT-firends Mischka (Sympathisant - on the left) from Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany and Fernando (darthmilmo - on the right) from San Antonio, Texas who stayed in Tychy. We also visited:
- Walbrzych, Poland
- Zloty Stok, Poland
- Pszczyna, Poland

April-May 2003:
I was crazy driving around the West and the Southwest of the USA (38 unforgettable days :-) and I put up my first American pages including: San Diego, Saguaro National Park and Oceanside (VT meeting there).

USA:

CALIFORNIA:
Los Angeles,
Chula Vista,
Coronado,
Imperial Beach,
Del Mar,
Carlsbad.

MEXICO:
Tijuana.

USA:

CALIFORNIA:
Campo;

ARIZONA:
Yuma,
Tacna,
Stansfield,
Marana,
Saguaro National Park,
Tucson,
Nogales,
Tubac,
Tombstone,
Bisbee;

NEW MEXICO:
Las Cruces;

TEXAS:
El Paso,
Guadalupe Mountains National Park;

NEW MEXICO:
Carlsbad Caverns National Park;

TEXAS:
Van Horn,
Marfa,
Big Bend National Park;

NEW MEXICO:
White Sands,
White Sands National Monument,
Alamogordo,
Three Rivers,
Albuquerque,
Santa Fe,
Pojoauque,
San Juan Pueblo,
Taos,
Angel Fire,
Eagle Nest,
Red River,
Espanola,
Los Alamos,
Bandelier National Monument,

JANET (Pawtuxet) AND ME

Gallup;

ARIZONA:
Lupton,
Petrified Forest National Park,
Chinle,
Canyon de Chelly National Monument,
Teec Nos Pos;

COLORADO:
Mesa Verde National Park,
Cortez;

18 June:
Krakow, Poland:
Rudy (diamonddog) and his 3 very funny friends from Belgium were driving around Poland and stopped in Krakow. So, we could meet: first in Jewish district then in a restaurant Pod Aniolami (Under Angels) in old historic Krakow downtown.

Participant of our meeting:
1. Rudy from Antwerp, Belgium
2. Frans, friend of Rudy
3. Philip, friend of Rudy
4. Paul, friend of Rudy
5. Marisha (marishabandb) from Krakow
6. Friend of Marisha from Dallas, Texas, USA
7. Urszula - my wife,
8. me.

19-22 June:
A car trip to northern Poland. We visited:
1. Marlbork,
2. Rybina,
3. Jantar,
4. Stegny,
5. Piaski,
6. Krynica Morska,
7. Katy Rybackie,
8. Sztutowo,
9. Sztum,
10. Kwidzyn.

11 and 13 August:
Katowice, Poland

19-20 September:
Torun, Poland

I AM LT 01476205 NOW MOOOOOOOOOO :-)

7-12 October:
I was great pleasure to host my VT-friend Kathy (Kodi01) from Dallas, Texas, USA in Tychy. We also visited:
- Krakow, Poland
- Pszczyna, Poland
- Sopotnia Wielka, Poland
- Jelesnia, Poland
- Oravska Polhora, Slovakia
- Oravsky Podzamok, Slovakia
- Parnica, Slovakia
- Vysny Kubin, Slovakia
- Mosty u Jablunkova, Czech Republic
- Jablunkov, Czech Republic

23 October:
Krakow, Poland: we (I + my wife Urszula) were lucky to meet Janet (Pawtuxet) from Rhode Island, USA and Gosia (GosiaPL) from Warsaw in Krakow on 23 October 2003. We went to famous Wierzynek restaurant for a dinner.

1 November:
Trzebinia, Chelmek, Bielsko-Biala, Poland

3 and 5 November:
Pszczyna, Poland

31 December 2003 - 1 January 2004:
Sopotnia Wielka, Poland

ALIGATOR ON SWAMPS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA

February 2004:
Berlin, Germany

May 2004:
Fantastic trip to Helsinki, Finland. On the way I visited:
- Lithuania (Kedainiai and Vilnius),
- Latvia (Riga and Saulkrasti),
- Estonia (Tallin).

June 2004
Lithuania again: Kaunas, Vilnius again, Trakai, Druskininkai, Grutas, Baltic coast, off the beaten paths like: Lazdijai, Veisiejai, Rudamina and Kalvarija.

12 Oct. to 13 Nov. 2004
USA South, roundtrip: Washington, DC and 12 southern states.

WOW! OVER 60 VT-ERS AND NOT ALL!

Skemiai; June 12, 2004.

Hello dear VT-ers :-)

I am from Skemiai, central Lithuania. My new name is LT 01476205 and I have a passport since May 1, 2004, when they forced me to join something what was called European Union (EU). Look at my poor ears :-(. Why, to hell, they made holes in my BOTH ears? It hurted. Hmm... I can't travel (alive) with my new EU passport as I am chained to the ground all the time. And they keep me far from any males now.

To be continued on my Skemiai, Lithuania page. Welcome :-).

Thanks to my friend Nat from Mechanicsville (b1bob) I decided to visit the South during my second trip to the USA. I was crazy to drive 30 days around the South, but it was fantastic trip! We visited Washington DC and 12 southern states: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

We had two great VT-meetings. At the beginning of our trip, we met Kathy (kodi01 from Dallas), Kristi (Dabs from Chicago), Tania (skye820 from Philadelphia), Chris (balfor from Atlanta), Kent (Kentbein from Fairfax), Nat (b1bob from Mechanicsville). It was very moving that these friends came from so far and wide to meet us... I'm speechless... Many other VT-ers helped us a lot planning this trip, too... Thank you very, very much. You are great!

We survived a tropical storm (and localised flooding) in southern Louisiana, saw the Mississippi delta (swamps and alligators), visited many beautiful historical houses, old plantations, amazing capital buildings, and impressive museums. We saw towns destroyed by hurricanes along the Gulf and Atlantic Coast, met very nice locals, tasted very good southern food (including Creole and Cajun food) and heard a lot of music (country, blues, jazz...). There are too many great impressions for just one trip...haha.

Well, we liked Virginia (surprisingly the landscape there was similar to that in Poland), New Orleans, St. Augustine, Florida and Charleston in South Carolina and many, many other places. We liked Texas a lot although we were told that Texas was rather boring. Fortunatelly it was not true - we liked Dallas as well although generally I didn't like large cities. Simply the South was great for many reasons: local hospitality, history, food, landscapes, plantlife, architecture, museums, even weather was mostly great... (except for our last day)!

I am going to start to put up many new pages soon. It will no doubt take awhile... but I had so great time there... And I do hope to come back there sooner or later...

Greetings and hugs,
Matt.

21 - 24 April, 2005
Driving through Slovakia to Wysowa - hidden resort village in Polish Beskidy Mountains very close to Slovakia. Discovering a few unique, old, wooden orthodox churches and castles surely off the beaten path.

02 - 10 May
Driving through Czech Republic and Austria to northern Italy for the first official European VT meeting or better to say series of VT-meetings which took place in Verona, Valeggio sul Mincio and Sommacampagna. It was a blast to meet so wonderful, hospitable and interesting bunch of VT-ers, my real friends now. Add a lot of sigthseeing in northeastern Italy plus some in Austria and Slovenia (on the way back home). Hmm... I took exactly 4,483! pictures during 9 days and nights, am I crazy? :-). I will put some of them on the above and other pages soon.

25 - 29 May
Driving across Poland to its northeastern corner close to Lithuania. I stayed at a house called Dom z Wieza (House with Tower) by Lake Biale (White Lake) = nowhere :-) Look here, please. I took day trips around, among numerous lakes and to Lithuania (again) :-))).

25 - 28 August
I joined the concert Space of Freedom, Jean Michele Jarre in Gdansk, Poland. The concert for 120,000 folks took place at the 25th anniversary of worker's strikes which ended on 31st August 1980 with a deal between Lech Walesa and communist "Polish - Soviet" government followed by creation of the Solidarity Movement and 15 months of limited freedom that ended with the martial law, tanks on streeets, thousands of imprisoned etc.

I remember very well first my young joy of that very limited freedom and then sad despair and lack of any hope when it suddenly ended.... But first of all I remember great support from the behind the Iron Wall, from all over the world for us, in Poland, that time... it was very, very important for us and it's never to forget. Thank you very, very much. I remember my family hearing (illegally) Radio Free Europe and Voice of America each evening and tears of hope when Jean Michel Jarre sang a song Mury (Walls) by Kaczmarski, the song which became unofficial anthem of those fighting for freedom... I heard it again at the concert... I hope to see it in other European countries east of Poland soon.

3 September
Warsaw, Poland.

9 September
Wloclawek, Inowroclaw and Kruszwica, Poland.

11 September
Krakow, Poland.

23-24 September
Katowice, Poland.

8-9 October
Krakow, Niepolomice, Pszczyna, Poland - we had great meeting with VT-friend Mark (acemj) from Philadelhia, Pennsylvania, USA

21-23 October
Sopotnia Wielka, Poland.

29-30 October
Ustron, Poland.

31 October
Chrzanow, Trzebinia, Poland.

13 November
Krakow, Poland - we had great time with our VT-friend Dave (shdw100) and his lovely wife from Kansas City, Missouri, USA.