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Showing posts from May 8, 2016

100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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Interesting plant. Some years ago I found myself in Charles DeGaulle Airport in Paris around Midnight waiting for Angie to arrive. I was unable to buy any flowers in my travels during the day and it was too late at the airport. The airport shops were all closed. Hmmm.. what to do? In pacing around the airport I found some large potted plants and I snipped a small cutting from one. I presented the cutting (flower) to Angie when she arrived. (BTW, I did end up getting some nice flowers in Rouen the next day.) The cutting made its way to Moscow after we had parted ways. Given to her Friend Anna, it was rooted, transplanted and is doing quite well in Moscow. I like the picture. It shows the cutting all grown up with a Soviet style building in the background.