I spent a long weekend in the Orlando area as a chaperone to the National Academic Games tournament - a lot of the time was spent at the hotel supervising the games, but I had some time to visit some area attractions.

Under Construction…photos first, then blogs…cities included: Lucerne, Verona, Venice, Orvieto, Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Nice, Eze, Monaco..

On a blustery Sunday afternoon in December, I ventured to our nation's capital for a Christmas concert by the Navy Band and to see the National Christmas tree.

Thoughts and impressions from sporting venues in the area...For now, it's baseball and college football...

My best friend and I teamed up with two other friends and decided to check out Barcelona and its environs over the Thanksgiving holiday. We spent 2 days in Barcelona, then went on a day trip to Bourg Madame, France and Andorra la Vella, Andorra.

I just returned from a fantastic yet brief trip to Turku, Finland. I was an exchange student there in 1994-1995, so in a sense, it was just like returning home. We went to visit my host family and to go to my host sister's wedding. We also got to spend some time in downtown Turku.

I accompanied my brother to the Dallas-Forth Worth area for 10 days while he was on a business trip. We were able to see Dimebag Darrell's grave and the Simpson's themed Kwik-E-Mart. We also visted the Dallas World Aquarium.

Over Memorial Day weekend 2007, I visited Lisbon, Portugal and the surrounding areas. It was a spur of the moment trip, but well worth it. I got to hang out with an old friend and see an amazing European capital city.

A work in progress...For spring break 2007, I ventured to the ever popular "Munich, Prague, Vienna and Budapest tour of Central Europe." Naturally the trip included a trip to Dachau and Neuschwanstein Castle as well as other points of interest along this popular track. Slightly off the beaten path was a surprise trip to Passau, Germany, home of the world's largest pipe organ. It was quite amazing to hear it play on Easter Sunday!

In the spring of 2006, I accompanied several students on a school field trip to Seneca Rocks and Blackwater Falls. The weather was perfect for viewing the falls and for hiking the trails of Seneca Rocks. This area is truly one reason why people say "Wild and Wonderful West Virginia."