At the age of 20 I enlisted in the Air Force. It was the beginning of a lifetime of travels and involved flying, taking the bus, and riding the train.

In August 1961 I flew from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Lackland AFB, Texas. After completing basic training at Lackland AFB, I took a Greyhound bus to Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. Following my training at Keesler AFB, I journeyed by train from Biloxi to Cincinnati and then to Plattsburgh AFB, New York by train.

During my time stationed in Biloxi, I attended Mardi Gras in New Orleans with some friends. The festivities were incredible, with floats parading through the streets day and night. I also learned that Bourbon was not only a well-known drink but also the most famous street in the French Quarter. And Mardi Gras 1962 marked the first and last time I ever consumed Old Grand Dad bourbon.

By the time night fell, we were too exhausted, and likely too inebriated, to return to Biloxi, Mississippi. All the hotels were fully booked, but Frank Lupul, a New Yorker, impressed me with his pride in the fact that his last name reads the same forwards and backwards, and that his parents were mink farmers. With no available hotel rooms, Frank entered the Jung Hotel, pretended to be an airline pilot whose flight had been canceled, and secured us a room.

One weekend, four of us chose to drive to Mobile, Alabama. To our disappointment, all the nightclubs were "members only." We were too naïve to realise that "private clubs" could stay open until 3 AM and that a small fee for membership would likely have granted us a night of enjoyment. Instead, we rented a room and deemed the trip a waste of time.

The following morning, things began to improve. While having breakfast at a drive-in restaurant in Alabama, a car with four girls parked next to us. We inquired about where to have a good time, likely hoping to join them. They suggested we head to Biloxi.

Feigning ignorance, we asked about the "Army" base in Biloxi. They corrected us, saying, "It's an Air Force base, but go there for a good time. It's the week before payday, and all the Airmen will be broke." We were surprised that they knew so much about our military life just 60 miles away. In hindsight, they probably recognised who we were and were simply brushing us off.

My next journey wouldn't occur until I was assigned to Plattsburgh, New York. I travelled back home by train only to find that there was nothing left for me in Cincinnati. In New York, I met Arlene. We drove back and forth between her home in Massena, NY, and Plattsburgh every weekend until we got married.

As my enlistment came to an end, we moved to Lansdale, Pennsylvania where I was employed by American Electronic Labs as an ECM systems technician. AEL designed and manufactured countermeasures and radar-warning receiver systems as well as state-of-the-art antenna, microwave, and integrated circuit components. My first trip abroad came as a business trip for AEL.

Rome, Italy

My initial journey abroad took place in 1966. At that time, I was employed by American Electronic Labs, which had government contracts for electronic countermeasures systems. NATO countries organised a conference to showcase their top electronic warfare equipment, and the US Army opted to present its new ECM system developed and manufactured by AEL.

This system was a compact, cutting-edge ECM setup mounted on Jeeps for enhanced mobility. It looked particularly impressive with its trailer, which housed a "jet engine generator" powering the entire system. The Army was very proud of their new technology.

As the lead system technician for AEL, I was selected to attend the conference at the Army base in Anzio, Italy, to assist with the demonstration. I had to fly directly to Washington, DC, to obtain my passport, as there was no time to wait for it to be mailed. The system was intricate, and I needed to bring sufficient testing equipment to address any potential failures.

I flew to Rome, Italy, where I was to remain for a few days until the system arrived in Florence. Each day, I checked at the American Embassy to see if the equipment had reached Florence. Days turned into weeks without any news regarding the equipment's whereabouts.

During my time in Rome, I had the opportunity to visit many major attractions, including the Colosseum, Fountaina di Trevi, the Spanish Steps, the Forum, Castel San Angelo, and Il Vittoriano. However, what I enjoyed the most was purchasing a loaf of delicious bread from street vendors and enjoying it with a glass or two of wine, priced at 10 cents each, in one of the many wine cellars around the city.

As the days turned into a month, the trip became quite an exercise in patience and travel. I had picked up some basic Italian to express my needs, but understanding responses was a challenge. It is difficult to grasp how hard it is to get by without a common language.

Some restaurants had English-speaking waiters, but most did not. Growing tired of the same food, I decided to try a cafeteria. However, cafeterias in Rome were quite different. The food was attractively displayed, but you ordered and paid for what you wanted by its number on the menu board. I struggled to connect the menu items to the food in the display cases, leaving me hungry.

When the system finally arrived in Florence, it was collected by US military personnel and transported to Anzio, Italy, over a distance of more than 200 miles. However, I had to make my own way to Anzio, which turned out to be a nightmare.

I told the taxi driver "Roma Termini," but I couldn't understand his response. Eventually, I realised he had dropped me off at the airport section of the Rome Terminal when I wanted the train section. The terminal is one of the largest in Europe, and I had to drag my luggage and test equipment from one end to the other.

I wasn't sure what to expect at the train terminal, but there were 29 tracks. The departures board did not list any trains to "Anzio," and my Italian was insufficient for starting a conversation. However, there were trains heading to Naples, and I figured one of those might pass through Anzio.

I approached a ticket booth to purchase my ticket to Anzio and handed the agent enough Lira. He asked for more money, which I didn't understand until I counted my change. He was requesting change to return even cash to me. I suppose he was as frustrated as I was.

Once I had the ticket, I needed to find the train. In my best Italian, I began asking passengers leaning out of train windows if this was the train to Anzio. One passenger finally realised I was mispronouncing Anzio and responded, "Oh! Ahn'-she-o, Ahn'-she-o, Si. Si." I boarded the train.

At that time, I smoked, and the "smoking cars" were located at the rear of the train. I found a seat, lit a cigarette, and relaxed. However, my relaxation was short-lived as the train stopped at the first station. Suddenly, I realised I wouldn't know when we arrived at Anzio. Panic set in, and using my Berlitz Handbook, I memorised a request in Italian for the conductor to inform me when we reached Ahn'-she-o.

Unfortunately, I fell asleep before the conductor arrived. When he woke me, I was startled but managed to ask him my question. He replied, "Due ore," which I had learned meant 2 o'clock. I asked again, but he only repeated, "Due ore." I checked my watch; it was 12:00. I wasn't sure what he meant.

I was still anxious about missing my stop when two Italian Army officers boarded the train. I asked them if they were going to Ahn'-she-o. One of them spoke English and told me to get off when he did.

Anzio, Italy

At the Anzio train station, no one was there to greet me. I looked at my watch; it was two o'clock, due ore! Yes, the conductor had instructed me to disembark the train at 2 o'clock. I managed to catch a taxi to the Anzio Army Base, and after settling in, I decided to take a stroll along the beach.

The beach was stunning and empty, and I was busy taking photographs. Suddenly, a police officer seized my arm and pulled me towards a sign that read No Photographica. He reprimanded me and tore the film from my camera. I later found out that since WWII, photography has been prohibited on "The Beaches of Anzio."

At the Base, I was assigned a room in the officers' quarters and dined in the officers' mess hall. I discovered that when apples and bananas were served for dessert, Italians used a knife and fork to eat them. After embarrassing myself by eating a banana like a monkey, I waited before eating the cherries the night they were served as dessert. However, picking a cherry up, biting it off the stem and spitting out the pit was exactly how they consumed cherries!

A U.S. Army officer was designated as my attaché. He was stationed in Anzio, drove a black Mustang convertible, and had an Italian girlfriend. In the evenings, we drove into town. The Mustang was always a hit with the young men out for the night. The shops remained open in the evening, and many people came out to shop.

The men wore jackets and ties, the women donned dresses, and families pushed their little ones in strollers. The fish markets were bustling with the day's catch. As the sun set, the fish markets closed, and they were hosed down from ceiling to floor before the steel gates were shut.

When the Jeep and trailer, equipped with its jet engine generator, arrived at the Base, an immediate issue arose. The jet generator required "jet fuel," and the only source was the Rome airport, an hour away.

I was assigned to accompany a group of soldiers tasked with going to Rome for the fuel. We took a military truck, and I rode in the back with a few soldiers. The truck bed was covered with a tarp, limiting my view to only where we had been, but I knew the driver took some dirt roads and even drove through fields to reach Rome.

At one point, we stopped for coffee. That’s when I discovered that Italians serve and drink coffee in small cups, about the size of a shot glass. There were no Starbucks or "espressos" in the USA back then, but the coffee they served was what I would now refer to as espresso. The soldiers cautioned me about drinking their coffee, but as a coffee enthusiast, I was quite pleased with it.

The demonstration proceeded smoothly, but my attaché, who was in charge of the USA demonstration, thought it would be amusing to grill a hot dog or roast a marshmallow in the jet blast of our generator. That idea fell flat when I could only find large sausages instead of hot dogs. I also learned that it's impossible to describe a marshmallow.

Mesa, Arizona

The journey to Anzio marked the beginning of my travels for AEL and their advanced ECM system. They had secured a new Army contract to equip airplanes with their "Jeep systems." Each of two DC-6 airplanes would have five systems installed.

The installations took place in San Diego, California, while testing and training were conducted at Boeing in Mesa, Arizona. Following this, the planes were to be dispatched to Vietnam to disrupt Vietnamese CW communications.

I made multiple trips to San Diego for testing the installations and several more to Phoenix. The training and airborne testing occurred at Falcon Field, located near the Boeing facility in Mesa, AZ. This airfield had served as a training site for British airmen during WWII.

During the testing and training in Mesa, several issues emerged. Initially, many operators experienced motion sickness during the flights. Another significant problem that posed a risk of delaying the Army's acceptance of the systems was the transmitters shutting down when the airplanes executed a sharp turn.

My investigation revealed that the transmitters were overheating, but the Boeing engineers contended that the overheat sensors were malfunctioning and unnecessarily shutting down the transmitters. However, upon further examination, the aeronautical engineers eventually identified the root cause of the issue.

The five ECM systems, particularly the transmitters, produced considerable heat. The engineers had incorporated a fan-driven exhaust positioned behind the system to dissipate the heat. However, when the airplane banked to the left, a vacuum formed outside the exhaust, preventing the heat from escaping.

Fortunately, the transmitter sensors operated correctly; otherwise, the transmitters could have been irreparably damaged. The Boeing engineers needed to redesign their exhaust system, but we were able to make the systems operational and secure approval from the Army.

The Army proposed to pay me any salary I desired, without taxes, to travel to Vietnam with the airplanes. When I asked for three times my salary, their response was, "Money is no object." I would oversee system maintenance and training while holding a civilian rank of GS-13, which is equivalent to a Lieutenant Colonel. Unfortunately, my wife threatened to leave me if I accepted the offer. In the end, she left regardless!

During these business trips, I consistently flew First Class and had an expense account with no limits. On one occasion when I traveled to Phoenix, the car rental company provided me with a shiny, yellow 1967 Plymouth Fury convertible. Although its black interior wasn't the best choice for the scorching desert heat, everyone admired my stylish vehicle.

One day, we made the decision to drive to Mexico. We chose to take the convertible but left the car parked in Nogales, AZ, opting for a cab to get into Nogales, Mexico. While in the shopping area of Nogales, we were frequently approached by young boys showing us pictures they kept in in cigar boxes of girls they called "their sisters."

Although we weren't planning to make such purchases, someone in our group suggested taking a taxi to a Mexican "red-light" district. The taxi fare was quite low, so we agreed to go. Once we arrived, we found the area so unpleasant that we hesitated to enter any place, even just to grab a beer. The taxi drivers had a system in place, and the cost to return to Nogales was quite high. I was taken aback by how easily we fell for it.

After leaving AEL, I worked for JCPenney. With them we moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio and back to New Jersey. The only traveling was for business meetings in Pittsburgh or New York City. Over the next twenty-five years there would be vacations that included Rhode Island, Las Vegas, Florida and an annial vacation to Cape May, NJ. I would experience my first ocean cruise and find it extremely boring and uncomfortabe.

Business Photos

 

Vacation Travels

“Traveling leaves you speechless then turns you into a storyteller” --Ibn Battuta”

Savannah, Georgia

In 1998 I went to Savannah, Georgia for July 4th and met my sister and her husband there. Savannah is one of the most unique and interesting places I have ever visited. Many of the old warehouses, like the Savannah Cotton Xchange along River Street have been converted into hotels and restaurants. A steady stream of cargo ships run up and down the Savannah River.

The Historic District of Savannah is laid out in quadrants. In addition to Forsyth Park and the Colonial Park Cemetery there are twenty-two "Squares," known as the Jewels of the City.

The Pirates' House first opened in 1753 as an inn for seafarers and fast became a meeting point for blood-thirsty pirates & sailors. A portion of the structure was built in 1734, making it the oldest standing building in the state of Georgia. The modern restaurant was founded by Herb Traub and Jim Casey in 1953, and is one of Savannah's most popular tourist attractions. The Olde Pink House, is one of Savannah’s most popular restaurants. Guests have the unique opportunity to savor the restaurant’s sparkling Lowcountry cuisine in a sophisticated, yet casual setting of an 18th century mansion.

Other attractions in the historic district of are the Mercer Williams House, the Isaiah Davenport House and the Armstrong House. The Mercer Williams House was the scene of the 1981 shooting death of Danny Hansford by the home's owner, Jim Williams, a story that is retold in the 1994 John Berendt book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The house is also featured in the movie adaptation of the book. The Davenport House Museum, with its serpentine staircases, was built by master carpenter Isaiah Davenport for his household which included ten children. It provides a glimpse into 1820s domestic life in the urban port city of Savannah.

The Armstrong Kessler Mansion (formerly known as Armstrong House) is an example of Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style located across from Forsyth Park. The ten-bedroom home has nearly 26,000 square feet of living area. The main hall was designed with Italian limestone claddings with ornate plaster ceilings and cornices. Floor-length windows, cornices, panels, friezes, and details reflecting a range of styles are found throughout the interior. The Mansion was used as the school of the daughter of the protagonist in Cape Fear and appeared as the real-life law office of attorney Sonny Seiler in the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

In Savannah on July 4th was a special treat. The Tall Ships arrived in a spectacular fashion. The first to arrive was the US Coastguard Tallship Eagle. Eagle is a 295-foot barque used as a training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard. Next to arrive was Argentina's Tallship the ARA Libertad. This full-rigged sailing ship is one of the largest and fastest tall ships in the world. It serves as a school vessel in the Argentine Navy.

As the tall ships arrive in port, the sailors are standing on the masts. The Libertad even fired its cannon coming into port. Thousands of people were there to see this spectacular July 4th event

London, England

In August of 1999 I went to London. I had a lovely dance partner who was going there to visit her brother and his wife. She was very familiar with London having lived there before she immigrated to the USA and offered to set me up at a good hotel conveniently located for touring the city. I agreed and we made the trip together. At the London airport she went nd I headed for the hotel. I could not meet her brother. He was a strict Muslum and would not approve of her having a male dance partner.

The hotel Shanez had picked out was perfect. I spent ten days enjoying the city and its sites. I took taxis, "popped on and off" the buses and even took the underground. I saw Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. I walked the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly. I shopped at Harrods and Selfridges and bought a waistcoat suit (long jacket) at Topshop. To get the complete London experience, I ate fish and chips with malt vinegar and enjoyed many a pint of Guinness in the local pubs.

Londoners drive on the left side of the road. So, while we Westerners are used to looking left before stepping into a street, in London you must usually "Look Right." It's a habit to look left so at some London intersections the direction to look for the traffic is painted on the street. I was very impressed by the uniqueness of the taxis and busses of London. What I loved most about the English was their use of our language. Afterall, they did invent it. Our signs say "Entrance" and "Exit" while London signs say "Way In" and "Way Out." At the underground they warn you to "Mind the gap" as you step on and off the train. And of course, you "pop on" and "pop off" of a bus.

Acappulco, Mexico

Three years later she had planned a 10-day vacation to Acapulco, Mexico and invited me to join her. It sounded exciting so I went. What I discovered first about Acapulco were the cliffs and that the Pacific Ocean beaches were soft sand, not a mixture of sand and shells like the New Jersey shore on the east coast. With beautiful warm weather year-round, doors to public buildings were always open. Local eateries were open-air.

One day we went to see the famous La Quebrada Cliff Divers of Acapulco. Although the diving was daring, it was pretty much a show for tourists. There was a large ledge where the divers gathered. It had a blue grotto at which each diver appeared to say a prayer and cross themselves before climbing down to the diving point located about 100 feet above the water. The dive into the "gulch" is certainly daring and the depth of the gulch varies from 15 to 20 feet deep.

Another day we took a private tour to the interior of Mexico. We stopped in a small village to buy souvenirs when I decided to buy a banana. That day I learned about "plantains." Even though they say you can eat raw uncooked plantains, I would not recommend it.

I had been warned to avoid the water in Mexico and thought I was doing a great job, even brushing my teeth with bottled water. But near the end of our stay, I succumbed to "Montezuma's Revenge." I bought so much Pepto Bismol from the drug store, across the street from the hotel, that they ran out of it. After that I had no desire to go back to Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Joan's brother owned amagnificent villa in Conchas Chinas near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. When we were invited to visit them for a week, I was very reluctant. But Joan had been there many times and never suffered any illness. I decided to give it a try. Since then, we have made several trips to Mexico and I have never gotten sick.

When we visited Chuck and his lovely wife Judith in Mexico, they often took us to interesting towns throughout the states of Jalisco and Nayarit. All together we have been to 14 places of interest throughout Mexico from Sayulita to Guadalajara. However, I gave up drinking martinis in Mexico especially because they didn't know how to make a gin drink. Instead, I learned about Tequila and how to drink Tequila. I've always liked Corona beer so ordering "cerveza" was also a good idea.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas

The bridge story of St, Petersburgh



The night life of Acapulco is



I was in New Jersey, where I lived for 16 years. I was not much of a beach person but I loved "going to the shore" for its night life and fabulous restaurants. It was especially fun once Atlantic City opened as a casino resort.

Vacation Photos

 

Ocean Cruises

“Waves are not measured in feet or inches but are measured in increments of fear” - Buzzy Trent

Ocean cruising has given me the opportunity to see the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland to the Canary Islands, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. I've seen the Adriatic Sea from Venice to Greece and the Mediterranean from Sicily to Gibraltar. And I've seen the Baltic Sea from Denmark to Russia and the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to New Zealand.

My first cruise was a weekend cruise in April 1989. We sailed down the Delaware River, had two days cruising the Atlantic Ocean and then back up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. I don't recall the name of the ship or how many passengers were aboard but I remeber the experience very well.

It was actually a "gambling cruise" that was otherwise quite boring. The cabin was an "inside cabin" and the bathroom was, as I recall, a capsule in the corner of the room. The shower, sink and toilet were somehow molded into a single unit. It was Horrible! And, I will never forget the evening we headed up the stairs for dinner and someone remarked "Here come the basement people."

My next cruise was in 1994 aboard the Royal Caribbean ship Song of Norway. It was a small ship by today's standards with only about 700 passengers. There were no "veranda suites" but the cabin had a bathroom, a window and it was not in the "basement!" The food and service were excellent and each evening we enjoyed great entertainment and dancing.

This was a Mediterranean cruise that started in Venice, Italy and continued to Greece, Sicily, Naples, Rome, Florence, the French Riviera, Palma Mallorca and ended in Barcelona, Spain. The photos I took during this cruise are on my Photo Website.

The Song of Norway even had a Viking Crown Lounge located on its stack. Today, Royal Caribbean's mega-ships are famous for the Viking Crown Lounge that encircles their stacks. However, the tiny Viking Crown Lounge on the Song of Norway could only be reached by steps that lead up the outside of the stack. Even so, we had many great evenings enjoying cocktails in the lounge with its 270° view.

My next cruise was also on Royal Caribbean. The ship was the Splendor of the Seas. This ship was elegant beyond one's imagination. My cabin was roomy with a king size bed, a TV, a full bathroom, and an airy veranda. The year was 1997 and we sailed the Baltic Sea from Copenhagen, Denmark to Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Russia and back to Copenhagen.

Splendor of the Seas had an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool. The dining room had seating on the main floor and on a balcony. The atrium had two glass elevators that rose 12 decks up to the Viking Crown Lounge. But a ship with 1,800 passengers lost that personal attention, the friendliness of other passengers and the relaxation that I had enjoyed on the Song of Norway.

Then, in 2004 I had an opportunity to visit Russia again. Moscow, Russia. It was another cruise to the Baltic Countries, this time with a group of twelve friends aboard Holland America's ship the MS Noordam. Traveling in a group was not my preference and I had been to Russia before but I just had to see Moscow and Red Square. It stirred memories of the “Cold War” and parades of missiles in Red Square that I watched on TV when I was much younger. I took the cruise and I will never forget my one day in Moscow.

The Noordam was about 1,300 passengers and, as I recall, the food was excellent. Like the Song of Norway, there were no veranda cabins but we did have a normal size window. Today it was difficult to find out anything about the Noordam because Holland America has used the name "Noordam" for four newer, much larger ships. However, if you're interested, its new name is the MS Thomson Celebration of Marella Cruises. Overall, it was a fun cruise but best of all, I did get a picture of me in Red Square, even though it rained the entire day we were in Moscow

After this cruise I had decided that cruising was not for me. That is until my lovely life partner, Joan, introduced me to Crystal Cruises. Their two ships Serenity and Symphony are small, about 800 passengers. Crystal cruises are all inclusive. Many of our local friends shy away from this expense but I remembered the enormous "bills" I had received at the end of my previous cruises. The idea of not signing and tipping for every bottle of water, every snack, every beer, every glass of wine or every cocktail made cruising so much more enjoyable.

Joan loved cruising and had traveled on thirty-something cruises on Seaborn and Silverseas. Both lines are high-end cruise lines, all inclusive, veranda suites and small ships with about 200-300 passengers. Joan had also sailed on Crystal's ship the Harmony, no longer part of their fleet. It was a dance cruise with dance hosts and instructors. When she read about a trans-Atlantic dance cruise on Crystal, she suggested we might enjoy it together. We took the cruise and have enjoyed Crystal so much that in 2019 we embarked on our 12th Crystal Cruise.

We have sailed on both Crystal ships and, as they say, we have become “Crystalized!” The food is superb, the entertainment is outstanding, the lectures engrossing and the shore excursions are always exciting and educational. There are activities from dancing to golf to bridge. There is plenty of room to relax around the pool or jacuzzi without making "reservations." Crystal still has formal nights and, although they have relaxed the formal dress code to a jacket and tie, many men wear a tuxedo and the ladies are fashionably dressed in gowns.

We always take a Veranda Suite which is a cabin about 650 square feet. The Penthouse Suites are much larger with walk-in closets and butler service but they are way above our means. Furthermore, we enjoy the camaraderie of fellow passengers, the wide variety of eateries, lounging with a Bloody Mary and dressing up for cocktails in the evening. We use our cabin to change clothes, shower and sleep and only occasionally relax on the veranda.

Many of our cruises have been Atlantic crossings and we spend most of our time dancing. There are daily instructions and private lessons. Every evening there is dancing to a Big Band, the Crystal Quartet and of course the Disco late at night. We have also taken some golf lessons. We have visited many interesting ports, met many lovely people and have gotten to know several of the excellent Crystal staff.

Cruise Photos Next Chapter