Car Buying in Europe ... Ka Chowwww

When we first arrived in Italy back in March of 2004, we saw a VW Transporter as a vehicle that would be big enough for us and still have a bit more room to carry extra personnel should the need arise. It would be our European version of the Freedombus which was originally acquired for the ALCAN but also served us well in the lower States. We were in a rush back then and along came a deal on a VW Cabriolet owned by Pipo and Francesca.

Now with three little boys, the Cabrio just ain't gonna cut it. To make matters worse, the Cabrio version of the Golf seats only two in back as the roof mechanism takes up additional space. My first inclination was a Passat... too small... a Touran... wait...a Transporter!! Need to research!!!! Yahoo... auto.... Ebay... Google Reviews hummm. One in Modena. Gotta change fan belts every 70k miles... How about a Vito? Humm... A benz... huge repair bills. Reviews in UK. They love them, but they don't run well... MaDE IN sPAIN

So I was ordered by some Italian friends who are a bit technologically challenged to get the local Cerco&Trovo. This is the Italian version of the old Classified Flea Market ... a blast from the past. Fortunately, I also did a diligent search on the internet so I was well armed with market information much to the dismay of THIS would be car salesmen.

I saw an ad for a 2001 Mercedes Vito with air conditioning and was described as metallic... okay. No price.... no color... no mileage or in this case kilometrage. So I give him a call...


Q: what is the price?
A: oh later after you look.
Q: How many Kilometers?
A:150,000km. oh.
Q: Do you smoke?
A: No

We arrange to meet at the McDonald's at 10 am. At 10:40 he arrives. The car itself is in pretty good shape.

Q: Where is the car made?
A: Germany... I went to Düsseldorf to buy it.
Q: Why are you selling it?
A: My 4 Children are grown. I don't need such a big car anymore.
Q: How much?
A: Later

After I get in for a test drive, I notice that we have 160,000 km on the odometer ... not enough of a discrepancy to throw down the gauntlet so I shrug it off. There is a slight smell of smoke, but it is obvious from the cigarette butts in the back that someone had been puffing away.

We drive to Remo's garage in Passagio Di Bettona where his gives it a whirl. He asks me how much? I say I don't know. He warns me to make sure there are no liens, but gives the okay on the car mechanically.

Back at McDonald's we have a quiet lunch, but still no price. Okay

Q: How much?
A: Well back in March I bought it for 15,500 Euros. I can let you have it for 15,500.

Back in March? I thought to myself how much could your children have grown in 8 months? I show him my research from the internet an have the price triangulated to about 10- 11k Euros (about 15 grand plus another 20 percent in taxes). A waste of time... perhaps, but a great story. I don't mind someone going up to Germany and trying to make a quick Euro, but I do not like liars. If he can't keep his story straight, how am I to believe anything he says.

So we find a 9 seat Vito up in Rauenberg near Stuttgart in Southwest Germany. Only 34,000 km. or about 22,000 miles for a 6 year old car and they want 10.990 Euros. I call and ask the requisite questions. I am thinking it is up in Germany so it should be a German made car. Ilkay the salesman says it was made in Stuttgart. (Confirmed by MB) There is another buyer, but his financing falls through. My wire transfer to my Italian bank is complete so with pockets stuffed full of 50 Euro bills I am off on the train to Florence, Milan, Mannheim and Waldorf. Let's see I will leave at 1:51 pm and get to Mannheim at 5 am. But wait! Helen asks what time does my train leave. She cannot resist. She and the kids... including three week old Suby... are coming too.

It turns out that this Vito was owned by a man which according to the paperwork was born in 1939... hmmm.. so he was 60 when he bought it. It was his alternate vehicle.. not a blemish on it. Except it has this stripe!!! Turns out the owner had paid 1100 DM to PUT IT ON!!! I have the receipt to prove it. Ka Chowwwwwww!! 30 plus MPG Ka Chuggaaa!!!
We show up 800 miles from home... whole family... not much bargaining leverage left. Luckily the Vito is exactly as represented. The dealer throws in a new battery (Important for a diesel) and an oil change. We'll take it. Out comes the wad of cash and off to the German DMV to get an export license (a special plate) for two weeks which includes insurance. EFFICIENT.

NOW, I went directly to the ACI (Auto Club Italia) to start the Italian registration. I only have 14 days on the German license. ACI lady says oh it takes a month.... Not bad I think... Slow, but not bad. In fact, if I come back with all my paperwork, they can get started immediately. She says they will call me at the end of two weeks. No call comes and I go back to the ACI. The lady tells me she is friends with some people I know and that we in fact had dinner together a few months back. Her associate Luca tells me that the cost of registration will be 900 Euros as if I would say no. I thought it would be more like 2000. So I crack open the wallet and he says NO... I don't need to pay now.

Well, it is now three months later... Luca never calls and tells me that the engineers in Perugia that approve the registration are on strike. I only half believe him. Time to go back to the ACI and pimp them. I tell Luca ( we are now on a first name basis ) that I am going to Vietnam from Feb 21 though Mar 21 so that there is plenty of time for him to get the registration done. A few days later Luca calls and tell me all is done and to go to the Notaio to sign some papers. I go to the Notaio and she says that Luca will do the rest.

After returning from Vietnam I stop by the ACI where Luca tells me that he needs one more day... two at the most. Hummm The Chins are coming in two weeks! One and a half weeks later and four days before The Chins arrive, I get a call from ACI... actually Luca's mom that the registration is complete. Instead of the 900 Euro registration fee I was quoted, it was 1150 Euros. But I had budgeted 20 percent of 11,000-

I call up good old Geico here in Italy and two hours later, I have all my insurance....

Subasio Scott Yuen

Subasio is pronounced Su - Ba - See - Oh. It sounds like a real Italian name, but it is not. It is a name that is unique to him. The name was met with mixed reactions by the Italians. Some thought we were joking. Word spread quickly around town. At the local supermarket, the Iper Sidis, a shop woman walked up and asked to see Subasio by name.

Subasio was born on October 25, 2006. He shares the same birthdate as his brother Matteo who was born exactly 2 years earlier.


It is the name of the mountain upon which Assisi sits. According to the local authorities, Subasio is the first person to have this name as normally children are named Francesco after the patron saint. We think Subasio is a wonderful name and one that will always have special meaning for him.

Travel Outline (1999 to Present)

July 2006 France and Spain with Pippo and Francesca

• Assisi -
  
• Florence -
  
• Ville Franche -
  
• Carcasonne -
  
• Getariano -
  
• Bilbao -
  
• Pamplona -
  
• Tossa Del Mare -
  
• Barcelona -
• Nice -
  
• Assisi
  

June 2006 Grottamare

May 2006 USA

February 2006 THAILAND TO MEET GRANDPA ( GEORGE YUEN) , EVA AND RAYMOND KING

• Bangkok -
  
• Pattaya -
  
• Siem Reap / Angkor Wat Cambodia -
• Chiangmai -King Cobra.. the most poisonous snake in the world
  
• Bangkok

August 2005 Grosetto

May - July 2005 USA

• Assisi -
  
• Rome -
  
• SFO -
  
• Reno
• Salt Lake
• Utah -
  
• Iowa -
  
• Chicago -
  
• Minnessota -
  
• July 2005 SF -
  
• Redwood National Park -
  
• Oregon Caves -
  
• Shasta -
  
• Rome -
  
• Assisi

March 2005 STRATFORD, ENGLAND TO MEET THEO AND IMOGEN

• Assisi -
  
• Ancona -
  
• Stanstead -
  
• Stratford -
  
• London

Post Matteo October 5, 2004
March 2004 BUDAPEST & PRAGUE

• Assisi -
  
• Udine -
  
• Ptuj, Slovenia -
  
• Budapest -
  
• Prague -
  
• Santandre -
  
• Karlovy Vary -
  
• Munich -
  
• Innsbruch -
  
• Assisi

September 2003 USA

• San Francisco -
  
• Vacaville Jelly Belly -
  
• Napa Valley

June 2003 TO MEET ELTON AND SHERRIE

• Assisi -
  
• Rome -
  
• Tivoli -
  
• Assisi -
  
• Florence -
  
• Pisa -
  
• Sorrento -
  
• Capri -
  
• Positano -
  
• Amalfi - '
• Tivoli

May 2003 POSITANO TO MEET RICHARD BURNLEY AND LOUISE SPINELLI ( Jack Yuen - Helen Yu - Jax )

• Assisi -
  
• Positano -
  
• Sorrento -
  
• Amalfi - Assisi

March 2003 MOVING TO ITALY ( Jack Yuen - Helen Yu - Jax - Audrey Yu )

• Milan
  
• Assisi -
  
• Rome -
  
• Tivoli -
  
• Trani -
  
• Assisi -
  
• Florence -
  
• Milan -
  
• Assisi

May 2002 KANSAS TO KEN, MARY BONITA AND MEGAN ( Jack Yuen - Helen Yu - Jax - George Yuen ) -

• Las Vegas -
  
• Grand Canyon -
  
• Bryce -
  
• Monument -
  
• Arches -
• Santa Fe -
• Jackson Hole -
  
• Yellowstone -
• Devils Tower -
  
• Kansas -
  
• Saint Louis

October 2001 Cross Country USA

• Las Vegas -
  
• Grand Canyon -
  
• Albequerque -
  
• Santa Fe -
  
• Abeline -
  
• Dallas -
  
• New Orleans -
  
• Nashville -
  
• Knoxville - Midnight hunt for real moonshine
  
• Washington DC -
  
• Atlantic City -
  
• New York -
  
• South Dakota -
  
• Reno

August 2001 COSTA RICA

• San Jose
• Arenal

June - July 2001 ALASKA

• Crater Lake
• Everett Boeing Facrory Tour
  
• British Columbia
• Prince George - Cow
• Whitehorse= the world's most aggressive mosquitoes
  
• Anchorage
• Fairbanks
• Denali
• Artic Circle
• Homer
• Soldotna
• Seward
  

May 2001 Shake Down Cruise For Laidlaw Bus

• Las Vegas
• Grand Canyon

March 2001 EGYPT GREECE AND TURKEY

• Cairo - the 140 meter pyramid
  
• Alexandria -
  
• Athens -
  
• Iraklio -
  
• Agios Nicolas -
  
• Istanbul -
  
• Cappadocia -
  
• Ankara

May 2000 SPAIN AND MOROCCO

• Barcelona -
  
• Valencia -
  
• Granada - ah the Alhambra
  
• Gibralter -
  
• Seville -
  
• Cadiz -
  
• Tangier -
  
• Essaouira -
  
• Marrakesh -
  
• High Atlas -
• Efes -
• Tangier -
  
• Madrid -
  
• Bilbao
• Barcelona
  

JUNE 2000 CANADA

• Lake Shasta - Hot, but good bass fishing
  
• Crater Lake - Hike down to some beautiful clear water
  
• Diamond Lake
• Everett Washington
  
• Vancouver Island
• Campbell River - Dolphins, seals and a big salmon
  
• Seattle - EMP, anothet Gehry
  
• Yellowstone National Park - Bear invasion
  
• South Dakota - Rushmore and Crazy Horse
  
• Salt Lake City
• Reno
  

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2000 CHINA AND TIBET

• Beijing -
  
• Shanghai -
  
• Xian -
  
• Shaolin -
  
• Silk Road -
  
• Urumqi -
  
• Kashgar -
  
• Xining -
  
• Golmud - 33 hour bus ride to
  
• Lhasa -
  
• Everest -
  
• Chongqing -
  
• Three Gorges -
  
• Canton -
  
• Shanghai

August 1999 EUROPE

• Rome - Helen's first time
• Tivoli - To the fountains
  
• Sorrento - Buy a gelato and I'll tell you where to stay
  
• Capri - Blue Grotto with the Pastaman
  
• Pompei
  
• Rome - To pick up Joanne and Brandon
  
• Florence - WE GOT MARRIED
  
• Pisa - faulty construction = tourist attraction
  
• Venice - boy did it rain
  
• Maranello - Ferrari test track
  
• Como -
• Lucerne - the Swiss have a weird sense of humor
  
• Neushwanstein - Staying with Frau Schmoltz
  
• Munich - Not a room for miles
  
• Amsterdam -
• Paris

July 1999 Grand Canyon

• Las Vegas
• Grand Canyon
  

ROAD TRIP! SPAIN 2006

That's what I just said to Helen about 30 minutes earlier. Croatia? Hook a right at Venice and there you are.

Last year in April we went on a road trip to meet Richard Burnley and Louise Spinelli in Budapest and Prague who were on a corporate junket in Barcelona. On our way, we passed through Venice and Trieste which is just a few miles from Croatia. We have little evidence of this Eastern European trip as Jax had an "accident" with the camera in Slovenia in the town of Ptuj (When pronounced sounds like the the spitting sound).
We stopped by in the old spa town Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad (King Charles Baths) for the beauty and medicinal waters along Comrade Yuri Gagarin Boulevard (named after Russia's favorite son and first man in space).
Louise Spinelli works for Pfizer so she was very busy collecting additional product for Pfizer's stage 3 clinical testing and eventual product launch.

We ran into little Francesca (almost everyone in Assisi is named Francesca or Francesco) and her mom down at Pizzone and she invited us to her birthday party on Tuesday.

But as luck would have it we ran into Pippo and his wife, also Francesca. They had planned to go with us to Thailand last February but ran into a little medical problem. They tried to take off on a road trip to Spain on last Sunday and got about 4 miles away when boom... a tire. Ah the spare... compressor... snap... the valve. So the new compressor comes Wednesday and we will join them. Off to Bilbao on Wednesday. Maybe we can drive there and take the ferry back to Rome... (Not to be).

So we were off to Carcasonne to see the Castle and eat cassolette (a hearty duck and bean dish).

A few days on the beach in the Basque country and then to Bilbao to picture op the kids in front of the flower dog at the Guggenheim.











Will exposing the kids to different cultures, food, architecture and ideas influence them? Will it hardwire into their lives? We will see.





The running of the bulls in Pamplona for the Festa of Saint Fermin starts at 8 am and ends in about 2.5 minutes... hardly enough time for Matteo to get on his shoes.








Tossa Sur Mare at Costa Brava is about a hour from Barcelona.






Ah Barcelona. Pippo and Francesca had failed to see the Sagrada Familia on their last visit. They were warned last time in Barcelona to be very wary of thieves.

This time would prove to be no different. We made a bee line to Sagrada Familia and within an hour Francesca had her purse stolen and the day was spent dealing with the Barcelona Police.

Vietnam Is A Crowded Place

The population is currently over 83 Million. Traffic in Hanoi and Saigon is horrific. I have been eyeing the weather in Danang and learning about relative humidity. Education is reportedly poor due to a lack of facilties... hummm, but can be compensated with private tutors and home schooling. Can we make this our new home?

There is some question as to whether a farang like me can own property here. This issue is being researched by Henry Che who I met through craigslist.com which now has a list area in Vietnam. Henry has just finished building two houses in Danang for his in-laws so he is familiar with the process.

I would like to build a teak house similar to the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok. This does not require the precision and knowledge of new materials that are the rage in western building. I want to keep it simple by using mostly native materials.

Building a western style home here with western materials does not appeal to me. That does not mean that I don't want a satellite dish, broadband, modern kitchen or multi media but I don't think I will want any sheet rock or wall to wall carpet. I found a picture of Ho Chi Mihn's house on the net. Apparently the talent to build out of teak is not a barrier. I understand they have teak farms too. Hummm... teak farming? The other day I looked at Danang via Google Earth. Lots of facilities... Hopefully I can get to some competent Vietnamese lawyer who can structure some deal for me. We will see.

So Where Is My Book Deal?

We just spent the long beach weekend in Le Marche. The Adriatic side of Italy is unvisited by Americans but is teaming with Italians and some Germans on the hotter days of summer.

The weekend was spent with Fabio and his family in a little town named Grottamare just next to San Benedetto. It is a nice enough town and the beach was just a few hundred yards away from the centre of town. It turns out that Fabio, who is originally from Naples and now lives near Perugia, has many family members who have made their way to Grottamare so we spent many evenings bumping into Grandparents, Uncles, Cousins and the like.

Fabio is married to LoAn, a nice Vietnamese woman, who he met while studying in Perugia. They have a daughter Alice pronounced Alee-Che) who is the same age as Matteo, but almost as tall as Giacomo. We met Fabio through Santhu Nguyen and his wife Virginia who live in Santa Maria just below Assisi... which brings me to my point.

Several months ago, I was toying with the concept of buying a spot of beach near Hue, Vietnam. Hue is the ancient Capitol of Vietnam and Santhu's birthplace. I was inspired by seeing the Jim Thompson house in Bangkok on our recent Southeast Asia trip.

A place on the beach? Giacomo LOVES the beach. Our own beach? Why not? A more RIGID and DEMANDING educational structure? ABSOLUTELY. Warm weather? Average 27 centigrade ALL YEAR ROUND. Less restrictive building codes? Probably. Can the kids learn Mandarin? Probably. LoAn thinks that Danang, 70 miles South of Hue and 700 hundred miles South of Hanoi and 700 miles North of Saigon aka Ho Chi Min City is the the place we ought to be. Can we still get the kids trained at Shaolin? Why not? Can this be done?? A new challenge.

I have just finished Thomas Friedman's book The World Is Flat. Perhaps its just me, but his observations of the very recent and rapid changes in our world do impact my choices in where we can live and how we raise our children for the 21st Century.

HENRY YU (1958-2005)

HENRY was my favorite brother-in-law. I had just met Fabrizia Renzini down at our favorite tavola calda, Il Pizzone,and exchanged email and phone numbers. I came home at about 4pm to find a Skype message... something very bad had happened to Henry. At 47 (My age), Henry had a massive stroke. I looked at Helen and asked her to call British Air to see if they could get us on flight back to California. I called Fabrizia to tell her we were leaving and did not know when we would be back.

The flight was at 8 am the next morning from Fuimicino near Rome. We drafted Rafael Guiterrez (now in Minnessota) to pull an all nighter and drive us to the airport.After arriving at SFO, we were met by Joanne, Brandon and Nikki and made it straight to see Henry.

It was a sad sight. Henry was in a deep coma with very little hope of surviving. A loving wife and three great kids were there in disbelief.Henry was just one of those guys who was there for you.

Before we moved to Italy, Henry offered to do stuff for us like take care of my father's tech support needs. I knew Henry had helped my dad a lot. The day Henry had his stroke, my dad had left messages on Henry's machine... messages Henry could not respond to.Henry was under a lot of self inflicted stress. In addition to being an exceptional 24/7 dad, he was organizing an exhibition at Piedmont High School to encourage Asians into the field of entertainment with actor James Hong and his daughter April Hong.

I admire Henry for putting his family first. I will miss him.

JACKSON MICHAEL YUEN

JACKSON "JAX" MICHAEL YUEN aka Giacomo is seen here at Bayun in Angkor (Feb 2006).

Jax attends asilo in Assisi, Italy where he claims he wants to marry Chiara, the little sister of Enrico.

His current past times include photography, music, paper airplanes and seeing grandpa via internet.

MATTEO REAGAN YUEN

Matteo was born on October 25, 2004 in the town of Assisi.

Potty trained in July 2006.

He is "the Quiet One".

FREEDOMBUS October 2001

The FREEDOMBUS had its first incarnation as a Laidlaw Schoolbus down in Southern California. After serving as our Safari vehicle to the ALCAN, its fate was to change after 9/11 when I was informed by the authorities that I could no longer keep the bus schoolbus yellow.

A little thinking, two gallons of paint from San Leandro Color, a few strips of self adhesive vinyl from TAP Plastics, two days of work and the Freedombus was born.

A week later we were off filming "Jack & George Ride The Freedombus" with the multi talented Michael Struthers. Ultimately this 50 minute film following us through the US immediately after 9/11 landed us at the Wine Country Film Festival in Napa Valley that year.

During this fast paced cross country trip we explored the US stopping to visit American Icons like Elvis, John f Kennedy and Martin Luther King.







In Philidelphia we answered the age old question... who makes a better Philly Cheese steak is better Pat or Geno?

THE CONTAINER HOUSE 2002

CONTAINER HOUSE
was built in just 90 days by my father and I in the hot summer of 2002. Three 45 ft aluminum containers on the second floor provided approximately 1000 sf ft in a 2bd 2ba configuration along with a 400 sq ft deck facing the river on one side and a large commercial vineyard on the the other.


This provided plenty of room for the Spiderman Pinball Machine.


The 9.5 ft high containers allowed 8 ft 10 in high ceilings and big openings for oversized windows and oversized 3 panel commercial french doors.





Heating became a pressing issue with Jax joining us on November 5, 2002.





Alas, my dreams of using radiant heat from plastic tubing PEX strapped on the bottom of the container was abandoned soon after the inside temperature reached 40 degrees.





One major issue was how to seal the roof after the three top containers were bolted together. I decided on ordering an oversized vinyl tarp which covered the top in one solid membrane and protected glued down rigid insulating foam.








Had I the call to do this again, I would still use the tarp, but I would have planted a lawn and sprinkler on top to deaden the sound from the occasional heavy rain and provide cooling and better insulation.

GETTING MARRIED IN ITALY 1999

This was Helen's first trip to Europe. We had spent three months making arrangements through the Italian Consulate in San Francisco to get married in Italy and finally were successful on September 29, 1999 in the Sala Rossa of the Palazzo Vecchio in little town called Florence.

The Italian marriage vows deal with more practical things such as housing and child rearing rather the the death do us part stuff. Overall, it was a terrific experience as is being married to Helen and raising our little travel warriors. Today we live about 100 miles South of Florence in Assisi.

SPAIN - MOROCCO 2000

Spain represents the finest in the world's contemporary architecture IMHO. Those Spaniards just have the daring that the rest of the world just is too afraid to venture into. Antonio Gaudi is the genius that the fearful or ignorant or both irresistably mock. Seriously... Casa Mila or some sheet rock and stucco monstrosity?



Even the great architects from American have to go there ply their trade. Bilbao was the site of the new Guggenheim which is simply breathtaking. This was our first Frank Gehry other than his home in Santa Monica. Even the EMP in Seattle is a mere Target store compared to this.

Morocco in the pre 9/11 world revealed some truths to us even then. Rather than build a fresh water system, this culture would rather spend their time praying that someone else will provide it. Some women are kept in absolute ignorance thinking that the United States is just miles away and is fully inhabited by criminals as seen only in Walker Texas Ranger reruns.

CHINA - TIBET - EVEREST 2000

Mt. Everest
aka Qomolangma basecamp which Helen and I reached in November of 2000 half way through our China trip remains the all time highlight of our travels. Perhaps to some this is merely a freak geological formation. To me it is a living breathing creature which to date has killed over 190 climbers trying to conquer its summit. This picture is from our window at the Rhongpu guest house.

Recently, there has been an explosion of climbers causing it to become congested and ironically more dangerous as climbers must now wait for slower climbers to get out of the way. Last week there was a report of a climber who had summitted, but on his way down less than 1,000 feet from the summit, he hit a snag and was in trouble. At least 40 climbers walked past him on their way up, but none would give up their climb to rescue him.

This has made me rethink any desire to summit myself. I knew that if I tried, I would probably die. Climbing within a pack of climbers would be like a sled dog who view never changes. However, this recent event proves that I would be seeing nothing but assholes both literally and figuratively.

On our way out, we stopped by in Tingri for a cup of tea. As we chatted, an old man reached into his bag a pulled out some old fossils of sea creatures. Having shown him only enough interest to appear courteous, he disappointingly put them away. Then it hit me like a lightning bolt... these fossils took millions of years to rise from sea level to this altitude.

The Potala Palace is generally the place most people recognize when they think of Lhasa, Tibet. We ran in to many a Tibetan pilgrim eager to push us out of they way so that they could be first to crawl under a table which would somehow enrichen them. Somehow we felt that the religion of Buddhism as practiced by these pilgrims has somewhat lost its original meaning.

As of July 1, 2006 a train runs from Shanghai to Lhasa. I love train travel. When I took the Golmud to Lhasa 33 hour bus ride with Helen back in 2000, I had heard that the track building over the Himalayas was technically impossible.

The Silk Road was a journey I had wanted to take since the early 1980's. Back then the journey was by bus to Kashgar just a few miles from the Afghanistan border. I had heard from an Austrailian girl named Mandy that they had the best ice cream in Kashgar. That was a good enough reason for me to go there.

The Chinese kept insisting that we fly. We kept on insisting we take the trains. Taking a train through the Gobi where we sleded on giant dunes, meeting the Uighers and walking into the local markets was something the a tour (AMEX Tour to Kashgar $10,000 plus per person) was not going to permit.

EGYPT - GREECE - TURKEY MAR/APRIL 2001

Giza is only a few miles from Cairo and in the warm March of 2001 this traveler was walking with a cane and complaining of knee problems. The dry heat of Egypt was agreeable.
But we did not push our luck and did not descend to Luxor below the Middle Nile. Since then there is no more cane and a lot more travel.



From Cairo, we ventured North by train to Alexandria to the town Alexander The Great ordered built and named after himself but never saw. As it turns out, several months later, the same train caught fire and killed hundreds of passengers. The cause of the fire was reportedly the use by a passenger of a propane stove to boil water for tea.

From Alexandria, we had the pleasure of waiting all night at the airport for an Olympic Airline jet to take us to Athens. We got to witness first hand as the Egyptians physically threatened the poor station agent after the jet never arrived.

OUR MIGRATION TO ASSISI

So we settled in Assisi in March of 2004. Within days of arriving in Italy, we learned that Matteo would soon be joining us in the following October so we had lots of preparation to do. As our international health insurance would not cover a pregnancy within the first 12 months, we were pretty much resigned to having to foot the bill ourselves... What can you do?

Housing in Italy was first priority and we soon found the perfect place on Via San Benedetto. Apparently somebody built a tower about 800 years ago and then between then and now some else built another tower next to it. In the 1900s, the Cardelli family bought the towers and in the 1970's the top portion was expanded and modernised.