matt and nat,

i have been enjoying your travels through your words and pictures. i am here at donna's house and she and diane go to your site and we read all about your around the world adventure. we really want to hear more!! especially about italy!! diane wants to hear all about your africa safari, and wants you to take lots of pictures. i imagine you are in africa now and will be coming home soon. are you excited to come home or do you want to do it all over again!! well enjoy be safe and i will keep reading. love aunt marian

September 11, 2006 -- Luxor, Egypt -- Short on time today so this one will be short. Nat and I are finishing a 4-day Nile cruise aboard the MS Sherry Boat where we've visited most of ancient Egyptian sites including: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Valley of Kings, Valley of Queens, Aswan Sakarrah and many others. Its 100+ degrees each day with little shade which makes the excursions almost unbearable; then, we realize that the locals are forced to do this daily so we wipe our brows and grind it out. If you can look beyond the poverty, dead horses in the Nile (2 and counting) and nearly constant begging from local salespersons (makes Mexico and Peru look easy), you will find an incredibly proud and welcoming people with unmatched history (7,000 years) and staggering ruins (some are in such great shape you would swear they were built in recent years). A few highlights: riding a camel at the Giza Pyramids -- much taller than expected; Nile sunset while watching a desert soccermatch in a small village; market in Cairo and playing soccer with salesmen and young boys in a back alley(this is our top highlight in Egypt --we will elaborate in another story later); Egyptian shisha -- water pipe -- yes, we had to try it; in-depth discussions on the Muslim religion -- did you know that Muslim men can have 4 wives? Much more to follow. We fly to London tomorrow morning. Cheers! M & N

September 2, 2006 -- Ubrique, Spain -- Nat and I are stuck in a quaint mountain town inside a national park in southern Spain, a few hundred kilometers from Gibraltar. We have a 4-hour wait until the next bus to the coast so we figured we would post another message on our website. Just spent the night in a ranch/hostel where we were the only guests. As you may know, Spain is famous for unhealthy, fried foods and last night´s dinner was no exception; as pennance, Nat forced us to run a 10K this AM to the next mountain town before breakfast, which turned out to be incredible as the trail meandered along a tree-lined, mountain stream, and we had the entire trail to ourselves.

We wish we could post new stories each day, as it seems we are hit with the most random and funny moments almost as often as we run out of money (or available ATMs). Yet, of all the stories which we hope to put to words at some point, our trip to Castelleno Grotte, Italy to visit Nat´s Great Aunt Elda was one of our best. Here goes . . .

We knew the language barrier with Aunt Elda would present a problem -- our Italian was limited to manga, bellissimo and fresha peppa -- and her English wasn´t much better. After the standard Italian family greeting -- a kiss on each cheek while locked in a bearhug -- we sat down for some keep-your-ass-awake-for-4-days espresso and a spread of sweet Italian pastries that took us 1.5 hours to find in town. Despite the bloodlines and the best of intentions, the language barrier quickly sapped our mutual enthusiasm. "Bueno cafe, muy fuerte", I muttered twice as I choked on a coffee bean. Not even our electronic pocket translator helped . . . it actually made things worse -- there´s nothing more annoying than an inanimate robot-voice announcing, "Que bella", a reference to Aunt Elda looking 15 years younger than her age. Poor Elda -- what had we gotten her into? While admiring the kitchen (read avoiding eye contact), we heard the doorbell ring -- saved by the bell. Before we knew it an older Italian man was groping Elda in the doorway (read normal Italian greeting) and quickly sat at the kitchen table. "So whera you comma from?" he asked, in a heavy Italian accent. Mama Mia he speaks English! Elda was one step ahead of us and invited the only English-speaking paisano for miles to join us. As it turns out, Peter was a close friend of the family who actually emmigrated to the States with Natalie´s Great Uncle Ben & Vito for 30 years before heading back to his homeland a few years back. Peter is your classic Italian movie character-- short and wirey, dark glasses hiding dark, witty eyes, with a wider-than-needed gait and obvious strength that defied his 74 years. You got the feeling that he could still bring the hurt if he needed to. "Los Angeles? I love LA . . . lived there for 25 years.", he exclaimed. I responded with the standard, "What did you do for work?". Little did we know that he would answer that one question over the course of the next 10 hours. And you´re not going to believe the stories . . .

"I was the chiefa Ferrari mechanic for the #1 Ferrari dealer in da country -- knew all da stars. Letsa go, I´ll tella you about it in the car -- I´m givin´you the tour of Castellano Grotte." On our way to our first stop, the Ferrari Club of CG which he founded, he starts with this one. "Miles Davis, you know Miles Davis, right? Good friend o´mine. One day -- this was in NYC, I started there before moving to LA -- I got a call from the Black b******, he called me White b****** and I called him Black b******, we were great friends. Anyway, he calls me and says his Ferrari won´t start, its pouring rain and he´s stranded. So, I come right over. While under the hood, he says, that´s a nice-looking raincoat, give it to me. Hell no, I says. This is a real Italian raincoat -- you can´t find these in the States. BB replies, man, I need to get me one of those. So, I told him I would call my dad in Italy and have him send one for you. Deal, he said. Well, Miles hit the road and I moved to LA and here I was stuck with that raincoat. Cost me a pretty penny too. 6 years go by and I still have the coat. One day I get a call from Bill Cosby, good friend o´mine, he tells me his Ferrari won´t start and he needs me to come right over. So, I hop in the car and pay him a visit. I get to his house and step into the foyer. I turn to my left and see a man leaning over a billiards table, stick in hand. "Where´s my raincoat you White b******?", Miles said with a smirk. You see, Miles and Bill were close friends. Bill had no idea. Miles loved that raincoat, he really did."

Our next stop on the tour was the old monastery. "This monastery is 500-years-old -- it contains a Madonna that was found a few centuries ago. She performs many miracles for the people of Castellano Grotte." He stated with a matter-of-fact confidence that led you to believe that miracles were so common you could pick up a 6-pack of them at the local market. "You know any other celebrities in Hollywood?", I probed, knowing there were plenty of other stories where the first one came from. This was fun. "Paul Newman, you know Paul Newman, good friend o´mine. Paul is a big racer -- we worked together for years and years on the Ferrari circuit. I was his chief mechanic. This one time we were out to lunch and Paul, he always made this salad dressing which people told him he should sell in the stores. Well, he wanted to test it on some of his friends, you know, to see if people liked it as much as they say. So he gave some to the waiter who was supposed to put it on my salad. Well, I know the waiter see, and he let´s me in on the secret and we decide to have some fun with Paulie. When the salad comes I take my first bite and spit it out right there on the table. What is this s*** your servin´us? This dressing is God awful. Paul turned white. Is it really that bad, Paul asked, embarrassed. Nah, its good. Just pulling your leg -- that there waiter, he´s a good friend o´mine."

Peter told us dozens of similar stories that afternoon/evening: Ronald Reagan, Bill Cosby, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Donald Sutherland, LA Mayor Bill Bradley, Clint Eastwood, Jane Mansfield and some band that he couldn´t recall, Fleetwood Something- . . .all day we thought to ourselves, man, this guy is great but he´s Italian -- and you know how Italians like to tell stories. They can´t all be true. Before dropping us off he pulled out a scrapbook containing polaroids of himselkf with all his good friends. Every word was true. Peter tells us he´s writing a book on his life. Nat and I will be the first in line.

M & N

nat. your cousins donna laird and diane dabulas are in manasquan with aunt marian this sunny sunday in new jersey. this is the first weekend that aunt marian is living with donna. things are going well. aunt marian can eat what she wants which is a big improvement. she is in a wheelchair. we are working on her standing up. she talks alot most of which is understandable. she is very excited about viewing your pictures. we are going to do that when i am done sending our best wishes to the two of you. how completely fabulous. this trip will follow you for the rest of your lives. an opportunity of a lifetime which you two created!! your uncle nick is here putting up a tv stand in grandmas room!! he has filled us in on your adventures but we decided to take a look ourselves. i guess you knew but your mom and dad were here last week visiting your brother and also at the beach. so glad your sister has a job and is all settled in san fran. hope she loves it there.... i will send you an email from my email as well. this is donnas... well enjoy and cant wait to view your pictures and journal... a great idea... more later.

Matt-you should have signed Peter to a management deal...that book will sell(:
Went to the Mermaid and played Foosball at the Poop Deck over the weekend...thought about you two...it's not the excitement you're experiencing but hey-it's the poop deck(:

Hi Matt and Nat! hope things are going well. we all miss you so much but absolutely love your stories; they have become a household ritual for kevin and I! this past weekend we had a labor day party at our house; first official party since the outdoor renovations have been completed. i couldn't stop thinking about natalie when all the kids broke out their costume box (6 boys under the age of five dressing up as super-heros, firemen, astronauts, pirates, vikings, etc.). I could just see natalie in there with them; after a few beers scott, as in meredith's scott, was darth vader (is that how spell it?). it didn't take long for him to trade in the darth vader mask once he realized he couldn't possibly drink through the non-existent mouth...wish you guys could have been there! hope to catch up soon - miss you - joy

I am so happy that you saw everything that was important to me during my childhood. You now know where I spent every waking moment during my summer vacations! If only I could have been there with you! You all would have gained about 10 lbs with all the food you would have eaten!!! I miss that place! Thanks for making my home in Heerlen a stop along your amazing adventure. We sure miss you guys over here and Jeremy is very excited to meet his Aunt Nat and Uncle Matt!

Sky

August 27th, Heerlen, Netherlands -- Its been 24 days since our last posting . . . and what an action-packed 3+ weeks it has been. A few highlights of the countries we've visited (in chronological order): Albania -- decades of Communist oppression certainly left its mark on this awkward, fledgling country; crooked houses, crooked roads (the worst in Europe) and crooked cops -- we couldn't leave quick enough; Serbia & Montenegro -- in stark contrast to its southern neighbor, Serbia & Montenegro was incredible; home to honey wine (among the best wines we've tasted) and mile after mile of untouched natural beauty; one night, after a long day of travel, we found ourselves in the middle of a national park with nowhere to stay . . . so, we stopped in a small village (the only village for miles) asking where the nearest B & B, hostel or campground was located. Since we were hours from the nearest one, they simply made space in their home for us -- we slept that night in one of their bedroom. After 10 months of homestays, campgrounds, hostels and a different bed every night, staying in a random Montenegran bedroom wasn't so strange . . . the family pictures on the bedroom mirror, the personal effects in the shared bathroom, the clothes and shoes scattered about the room . . . we felt right at home. That is, until we noticed the loaded shotgun on the dresser next to our bed. Croatia -- this jewel of eastern Europe makes our top 3 thus far -- ancient cobblestone cities and some of the most breathtaking coastline in the world; Dabrovnik, an ancient walled city surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, is beyond imagination and a must-see on everyone's "life list". Katie -- Natalie's sister -- flew into Split, Croatia for a week of camping, card-playing and randomness in Croatia and Slovenia. The island of Hvar -- recognized as one of the top 10 "most beautiful" islands in the world -- did not disappoint. Next time, we WILL stop and stay at that nude campground just to say we did it! Thank you, Katie, for an unforgettable trip and best of luck in San Francisco as you venture off into the "real world". And she managed to win 50 Euros at a Slovenian casino! Speaking of Slovenia, how many people can actually say they've been to Slovenia? That is a highlight in itself. Hungary -- remember National Lampoon's European Vacation where Clark and the family come across a random Bavarian festival? Well, we found the Hungarian equivalent while camping at a "wellness resort" -- a huge waterpark with thermal baths, waterslides, lazy river and a mentally-challenged Hungarian man who thought he was Rocky Balboa and fought 12 rounds with a trashcan while 300 Speedo-clad Hungarians watched from the nearby pool. Now that was random. Back to the Hungarian dancers -- imagine a medieval castle and the standard inner courtyard with a single ancient oak tree -- most of the village (150 people or so) had turned out for "Folkapolk" . . . or, as we called it, "Hungarapalooza". 15 young Hungarian teens spent the next 3 hours slapping their knees, heels, elbows, chests so rapidly it sounded like a stampede. Oh, one final highlight of Hungary . . . after spending considerable time in roadside summits with the best of Europe's law enforcement professionals (Spain, Italy, Albania, Czech Republic), I met my match in Hungary. 14,000 kilometers, 100 or so roadblocks and countless moving violations, I was handed a ticket for not having my lights on while driving. By the way, it was 2:00PM in the afternoon. Christy Fach, you owe me $20 Euros for your homeland's abuse of us poor tourists! Slovakia -- land of dense forests, incredible hiking and hidden mountain chalets. Our last night in Slovakia was spent high in the mountains at an old chalet only accessible after an hour-long hike through an old-growth forest. After checking the visitor's log we found that we were the first Americans to visit the chalet in years. . . probably ever. It'll be hard to find another place as quiet and peaceful as that Slovakian chalet. Almost forgot . . . I saved another dog from certain death at the chalet -- it had stuck its head through a hole in its wire cage and was choking. I had to rip the cage apart to free its head. We ended up playing with that dog in the field until well after sundown. Poland -- with only a few days we opted to visit the hallowed ground of Auschwitz and the concentration camps that claimed nearly 2 million Jews during WWII. That night, we camped at a Christian-founded "spiritual and healing" center within sight of the guard towers and electric fences of the camps. While recalling the day's events and the atrocities that occured 60 years ago on the same ground where we slept, we heard the unmistakable sound of a train whistle. It was the train arriving at Auschwitz . . .eery. After Poland we hightailed it across Germany to Holland to visit Selena (our travel bud from Guatemala) and her friends in Amersfoort, Netherlands for 2 nights of binge drinking and canal tours. Now we are in Skylar and Jacqui's motherland visiting their friends, Michiel & Sanne, and their bear-like dog, Guinness. Thank you for being great hosts!
In the next month, we plan to visit southern Spain, Cairo, and the UK before we finally head to Africa for our first safari. Wish we had that shotgun now!

Hey Matt and Nat,

I always enjoy reading the blog of your latest conquest. My rec. for when you return....Matt should become a writer/novelist and I will transform all your novels into screenplays then movies and you two can continue top travel and provide me with more material. Nat should become a comedic print model(it's meant to be a compliment)...everytime I see a pic of you your head is poking out of something random...turtle etc... truly makes me laugh!

Look forward to seeing you two soon.

Michael

So, Mike was reading your message board the other night and said that I got a shout out. I'm glad you went to visit my motherland. Besides getting a ticket, I hope you enjoyed your stay there. I wish I knew you would be there and I would have had you meet up with our family. Well, it sounds like you are having a great time. We miss you guys so much here, so hurry back!

August 3, 2006 -- Northern Greece (close to Albanian border) -- Writing from northern Greece, an area that's polar opposite of the Greece you might expect: white wash homes of Santorini, the ancient ruins of Athens or the white-sand parties on Crete. We're high in the mountains where there's still a chill in the air at night, and not much has changed in more than 600 years. Old women dressed in black -- appropriate dress to mourn the loss of their spouses -- sit in groups in the town's only square. The world's deepest rivine -- Vikos Gorge -- is just out of sight, a few metres from where we sip local wine, feta cheese and ripe olives. Its quiet, peaceful and full of tortoises -- yes, we've saved 4 of them that were crossing the road while driving to this magical town. . .

The past month has been as entertaining and diverse as any part of our journey: we've watched an opera in a Roman amphitheatre, visited the balcony of Juliet (ironically, it was built centuries after the timeframe of the story), walked the canals of Venice, camped along the Amalfi Coast, visited Natalie's grandfather's birthplace and house in the hills of Southern Italy, took a 10 hour bus tour of the heel of Italy (all in Italian) and managed to find an overnight ferry to northern Greece; we've been pulled over in Prague, Barcelona and Lecce but have been lucky to avoid any serious run-ins with the policia or accidents -- that is, until we ventured into the auto-equivalent of hell -- Italy. The country famous for pasta and hand gestures has, without question, the worst drivers on the planet; traffic signals, lanes, right of ways, shoulders, parking -- all a means to employ a few road crews -- nobody, and I mean nobody, gives a damn about traffic laws. Its incredible the madness of Italian streets, and for the first time in our 11,000 kilometer Euroroad travels, we experienced our first "incident".

Leaving Napoli and the Amalfi Coast, we decided to drive south to visit Pesteum, a series of ancient Greek ruins that rival Athens' - yet without the smog, traffic and mayhem. Right? Wrong. Driving slowly, cautiously (anyone who has driven with me knows I drive like an old man) we heard a loud thump -- resembling that of a rock hitting the side door, or running over a small dog -- but with no such luck. Apparently, and I wish there was a video, an Italian "driver" had pulled off to the side of the road and decided to inch his way back into highway traffic with no regard for right of way or common sense --which, of course, is the norm on Italian roads. Normally, most Italians are an inch or two short, however, in this case, the man from Rome had one inch too many, and lost his sideview mirror as a result. The chase was on -- Nat and I in our used Mazda and he in his 1987 supercharged Alfa Romeo -- until I realized I couldn't escape an angry Roman, honking his horn, riding my ass and flashing his highs. I pulled off to the side of a busy road with him hot on our trail. In my still intact sideview mirror I saw the man leap from his car and run towards our car. I jumped out of the car to eliminate a cheap shot through my open window -- surely expecting a rematch of USA vs. Italy from a few weeks before. Nose to nose, I listened to his rambling -- to his dismay, he realized I didn't speak Italian or Hand-Gesture and the situation calmed to a slight boil. After a few minutes, his wife popped out of the car to help communicate -- and just my luck, she looked 10 months pregnant which only reignited his anger. Of course, I was to blame for his wife's decision to help. Expected a right cross at any moment, another local joined the foray -- apparently, we had pulled off into a "business zone" and a prostitute was clearly upset that we were occupying her clients only available parking. Imagine the scene: USA vs. Italy Round 2 on the side of a steamy, packed Italian freeway -- a very pregnant wife holding her bambino with both hands exchanging verbal blows with a pissed-off prostitute protecting her livelyhood -- one slightly-limp Alfa Romeo sidemirror. $30 Euros later, the Roman family sped off yelling obscentities to us and the prostitute. I blew a kiss and within minutes was enjoying the ruins.

Now we're off to the eastern block -- wish us luck.

M & N

Dude, where have you been? Oh wait, never mind.....

About a month left in the season.... one game ahead of the Pads after a crappy week of below-average ball. I have stuff to flash for the Monday morning meeting, so all is well in the world. Heading to the "Show Me" state Labor Day to check out new Busch (way too easy) and KC. Not as exciting as you guys, but on our drive from St Louis to KC, maybe Nance and I can cruise for hookers too. Didn't know you and Nat liked that kind of stuff, but hey, when in Rome.... you know how the rest goes.

NY was awesome with the girls. Empire State Building, Statue Of Liberty, Broadway, Yankee Stadium (I know, I know), FAO Schwartz, subways, shopping, Cooperstown, etc. Lauren asks about you all the time and we had a guide on our white water rafting trip on the Kern that looked a lot like you.

Drop an email off line when you get a chance. We'll catch up there. Stay well and leave the friggin Itties alone, would ya?

Ron