Anchored In Home port again, Conclusions

So its been about a month since i returned from Italy and Europe and it was an exciting trip. I learned a lot about myself and about traveling. I met interesting people and was introduced to some very interesting cultures. All in All the trip to europe was well worth it but there are only two places in the world i think i could live. America and probably Germany. So this will be my last posting for a while unless there are any suprise trips in my future which is possible. Until such time as my anchors are raised again Peace out. Signal the Fleet. all men to home....



-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

To Vienna by night train

Berlin has been amazing but i feel the homesickness setting in, so tonight i take an overnight train to vienna and then tuesday morning a plane to milan then a train to florence and then home. Yesterday i went to potsdam and saw the new palace which was cool. then i came back and pretty much packed up and hit the hay. Today i went to the Reichstag and got to go in, it was free which made it awsome. hope all is well at home


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Through the Brandenburg Gates

Well I am now flyin solo here in Europe for a few days and i got to Berlin today at 730 in the morning after a little searching i found my hostel and a computer that has the y and z switched on the keyboard. ick... i paid but could not get into the room till 2 in the afternoon, so i went on the free walking tour and saw the Berlin Wall and a few other things like the lutwaffa headquarters and the best chocolate shop in berlin. Then i went to sleep, got up, got some supper, went to the Riechstag since you can go up for free but the line was too long so i will go back another day. Instead i went down the Unter Den Linden and saw the soviet war memorial and a monumnet to german composers. Tomorrow all museums on the main museum street are open for free at night, so i will go to the Riechstag early then go to the german history museum then all the free ones! we also saw a t.v. tower called the Pope's revenge because it was built after all the crosses were removed from east german churches and the metal on the sphere refelcts a cross of light no matter what the East German Gov. tired. Haha God- 1 Communism- 0 peace


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Dear Ike Today i Spat in the Siene

Ahh Paris the city of Love and Moluin Rouge (which i saw didn't go in though) I have been doing well. Me and Betsy saw Katie in Ireland and that was the best! And then we went to Giant's Causeway which was amazing. We had an interesting time gettin to Ireland. We took a train and ferry to dublin and got in too late to make derry. Then we got to find a hostel but visited a bar. The next day we took a 7am bus to derry and found our hostel, I got a hair cut and walked aroudn the walls. Then we met Katie and cooked supper for her!! The next night we went out then talked a while. Earlier that day we went to Giant's Causeway and boy was it windy. We left derry t 1245 at night after i helped a bleeding guy who had fallen stop bleeding. Then we got to dublin at 4am, no hostel and the bus station didnt open till 6 we sat out in the little wind break for 2 hours. then took a ferry and train back to london where i went for a walk afterwards and betsy went to bed. The next day we went to Buckingham Palace and caught a eurostar (barely caught) to paris. We met up with nikki and went to the Effil Tower which is beautiful at night. We then came back and went to bed. Today we got up and went to mass at Notre Dame which was simply amazing although crowded. We then had a picnic in the park up the street from the hostel. Afterwards we went to Moliun Rouge (Just to take a pic ofthe buiding) then we went to a cemetary and the highest hill in paris!! Tomorrow we take the free walking tour and then betsy and probably nikki if everything works out for her head out to paris. I am berlin bound on tuesday night. here i will mention the breakfast in england. We had eggs and sausage and it was the greatest i have had since veince where i had a ham and cheese omlete. Yumm Yumm Yumm. I will be home a week from this friday i hope everyone is well and i will see you all soon. But for now. Prepare the Fleet. All units FULL SPEED AHEAD!



-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Across the North sea Down the Channel and Across to Erie

Ahh Munich was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved the city and there was soo much to see. We went to the Glockenspiel and that was well free so it means decent...(okay not the best but hey) then we went on a walking tour of Munich which was amazing! We saw the opera house the Fraunkircke the beer glass tour and then we went to where hitler did the beer hall putsch. damn hitler. Betsy has been amazing she puts up with my jokes and my sometimes anxious manner. haha this is safe to say since she does not read my blog and wont comment. We then took the next day to go to Dachau which was a sombering experience. Its hard to fathom how humans can be so cruel o their fellow man. More important it stands as a reminder we must never forget what happened. That night we went to the Hauhbronhaus which is the world's most famous beer hall. I had pork with a bread dumpling and a potatoe dumpling, (both the size of my head...well not quite but) and a liter of the Dark beer it was tasty. The next day we went to Nmyphenburg castle and they had three different houses beside the castle and all of them with silver up to your eyes (even the hunting lodge for the misses). Then we went to the english gardens where i had 2 brats and a beer. then we had kareoke at the hostel!!! I sang three songs and even Betsy got up to sing! ( I thought she sounded amazing but she diagrees). The next day we climbed the beer cup church (which had a beer mug thrown from the clock tower and it did not break thus causing a miracle. Then we went to the airport and headed to London, we stayed overnight and today we arrived in dublin. We took a ferry which was fun but we could not make Derry :'( tomorrow we will see Katie. To the folks at hoe i hope all is well. Peace out!


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

To the Fatherland via the Eternal City

hey my friends, and also hi to any of my enemies reading this. We have been on the move and now we are on summer vacation. We spent some time in Follonica on the sea which was amazing and then we went to Orvieto which has some amazing white wine. We saw a symphony conducted by one of hte worlds most famous conductors, and then we left for Rome the Eternal city where we had our last final enroute. The first day we spent wandering the Vatican, me betsy and nikki. Then me betsy and joey went to the spanish steps. That was amazing. The next day i had to do laundry then me adamo courtney and michelle walked to the Coloseumm to join Betsy, Joey Adair, and Lorenzo. We walked around the Ampitheater then got a guide and went in. it was interesing. If i could do it again i would probably go without the guide. then we went to palentine hill and had the second part of the tour. We saw the palace of the emperors and then went to the formum. That was awsome. The next day we went to the papal audience and heard benedict speak that was interesting. the music they played for his entrance was more circusy than regal. That day we went to the Pantheon and then to the trevi fountain and st. peter's in chains. Me and some of the guys went to the pub that night for one last hurrah and on thursday me betsy adamo and courtney went to the Sistene chapel and saw all the stuff there. Then me, ashley and nikki went on the scavi tour and Peter's tomb was amazing, the prince of the apostles was buried in a humble hole but that was a powerful statement. Then me and betsy headed out to munich after stopping by the church of the skulls which was awsome. We boarded our night train and now i am sitting in a hotel lobby in Munich with little sleep and a walking tour ahead since we can not get into the room until 1pm. But until next time All units put to sea!


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

oh were am i going i dont know when will i get there I ain't certian

Today is the last day in fiesole, tonight we sleep at by 11 am tomorrow its down to Santa Maria NOvella (Trains Station) and off to Follonica and Orvieto and Rome and then Europe. My feet are gettin that old itch that says its time to be headin out. So i am today listening to songs about headin out. (wanderin star, I'm on my way ect.) I am sure things will be picking up after this. but to the folks at home i hope today is nice and i will see you in about a month. Peace out!



-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

And we can see them now, 28 castles of steel steaming north under darkness with no lights the Fleet was at sea...

Three nights, Four days and it is off to Rome and beyond. We have been having a great time here in florence but as it snows (yeah i knew snow woudl find us) I am gettin the travel itch its time to saddle up board the flagship run up the colors and put to sea. I need to travel and feel the waves beneath my bows. Today is Lorenzo's birthday and we will celebrate in grand style. I hope the folks at home are doing well and i will soon be in closer contact. But for now, All hands to your stations, prepare the fleet. Soon we will begin Exercise Rhine....


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Kingdom Come or 10 Day's Leave.....

We went to cinque terra for betsy's birthday this past weekend and it was awsome!! Betsy did a good job planning and Lorenzo cooked steaks which tasted delicious. We went down to the beach and lorenzo got soaked i waded in a bit and then a few of us went to a big rock like in little mermaid and just chitty chatted on it. It was a fun time. The next day we went on a hike between two of the towns and that night was Betsy's b-day party and we had a blast. The ride back was long but when we got back we had bad news the internet was down, long week until today when it came back up! so i am able to blog and check my mail myself and all. hope all is well at home peace!



-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

T-minus Two weeks and counting....Prepare the fleet for extended operations...

So In two weeks time we are off to Rome via Veronica and Orvieto. I am excited to see the seat of roman power and the seat of papal power. yesterday was good, we went to La Lance for supper and had real pepperoni pizza. Today we were going to the Medici Palace but it was closed alas! So we went to the Chapel of the Princes and the New Sacristy in San Lorenzo. You can see the difference between the Duke's tombs which are monuments to the power of the Medici and then the simplicity of the old generation under Lorenzo the Magnificent. Then we went to see how they made stone constructed tables where they interlocked small pieces of semi precious and other stones to form seamless pictures. it was amazing!!

-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

And From Whitehall, at the Admiralty, a message flashed, Commence Hostilites against Germany...

So today marks a few things. A new week, daylight savings for the folks at home, ours wont hit till march 29th. And there was a baptism today. and also violence in northern ireland and more lies from the italian government.As the economy goes to shit GM says its having problems, like over paid executives and a higher unemployment rate in america we need to look on the brighter side. It was beautiful out today and i wandered up to Monte Cheri and saw where davinic tried his flying machine out which was cool then i walked back down to fiesole and watched starwars on youtube. HOpe al all is well at home


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Pray that its Rainin on sunday

So the last few days have been rainy. and not just a little, we had a thunderstorm and it just poured. We started eating at Etrusca all nights now because of the cigarette butt and response at la reggia. That is good and bad hopefully etrusca will serve some new types of pasta. Today we went to a palace of the 13th century and got to see the upper levels that was cool. I even saw the papal crest, there are a lot of those around. hmmmm, We are going to have most of our finals before we even hit rome which is new. Hope all is well at home




-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Off we go into the Wild Blue Yonder....If you'd LIve to be a grey haired wonder keep your nose out of the blue.

We left for interlaken switzerland Thursday. The bus ride was 8 hours which while long was alright It was no DC ride but sleep was hard to come by, We arrived at the Funny Farm hostel, (always knew i was destined for the funny farm. We were up at 7 30 on friday morning to go skydiving, I was 30 euro short but a friend helped out and i will pay them back soon. We got out to the field and they made us sign our life away. I already have sold my soul to the Nursing home so this was not a new thing we got our own skydiving instructions, and the comferting thought that if we fail we would be dead and would not have to worry about long hospital stays, just a dirt nap. Ashley and I went with strangers since there were two singles and when it came time for my turn i suited up in a blue jump suit and headed out to the bus to take us to the launch pad. We went by helicopter. I was on the video with this girl and she had some nice words for her family. my final words if i were to have died: SAM you are skydiving with me!!!!! Hahahahaha sam will be most unnerved, but i ended up jumping first. we got into the chopper and i had the Mash theme playing in my head the whole time, for those who do not know the lyrics:

Through early morning fog I see
visions of the things to be
the pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see...
[REFRAIN]:
that suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.
I try to find a way to make
all our little joys relate
without that ever-present hate
but now I know that it's too late, and...
[REFRAIN]
The game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
so this is all I have to say.
[REFRAIN]
The only way to win is cheat
And lay it down before I'm beat
and to another give my seat
for that's the only painless feat.
[REFRAIN]
The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn't hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...
[REFRAIN]
A brave man once requested me
to answer questions that are key
is it to be or not to be
and I replied 'oh why ask me?'
[REFRAIN]
'Cause suicide is painless
it brings on many changes
and I can take or leave it if I please.
...and you can do the same thing if you please

We had a red chopper which had aclosable door, my tandem jumper was Mike who is apparenllty a police man in his spare time. I was first out of the helicopter so we moved foward and opened the door, The most nerve wracking part was waiting for the jump into open space. Mike asks: Are you ready? I said not really but lets do it anyway and then we were in free fall. We went from 0-180mph in 45 seconds. Mike pulled the chute and the parachute opened up then we fell down to the ground spinning and enjoying the scenery. We landed on our butts and it was the most amazing experience of my life. That night we went to hooters, i had a chicken sandwich, it was pretty good, could have been spiceyer. Then thenext day we wanderd the city for a while and tried some beer pong, ( i was not very good) And sunday me and betsy went to mass in German then we left for a walk and saw a castle and a cemetary aroudn the lakes. We returned in time for some chocolate and then boarding the bus. We returned to florence at 2330 and then back to fiesole by 0100. Awsome.
-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Waters soaked in oil...

Feburary 24th, 2009
We headed out to Marti Gras which was amazing!!! We saw floats that towered over us and had singing and dancing, me betsy and ania each had a beer. which was another nice addition. I saw darth vader wandering around, but since my lightsaber was at home i could not destroy him... Me and Ashley ended up heading home before Ania Allyson and Betsy since we were tired and such. The train ride was nice. Me and Betsy, Later joined by Ania ran into the Mediterranian Sea cold but refreshing.

Wedensday, Feburary 25th in the Year of our Lord 2009

Today was more of a relax day. I went to class, then when class was over i sat here messin around on the computer then we went to the ash wedensday procession which was a fun time, we marched with the bishop and then went into the cathedral. Afterwards instead of walking back to villa bonelli and or walking up to la reggia we decided to go to JJ's well, 4 of us and we had some beer played darts. then we went up to the resturant and while there the table i was at got a water bottle with a cigarette butt in it. I tasted some of it, ICKY tomorrow we are off to Switzerland.


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

For those on Eternal Patrol....

Today we talked about a lot in italian politics and global issues and after reading some articles i am reminded just how lucky i am to be here. And of all those who gave their lives that i might see a better world. The sun was beautiful out and after watching the kids from Vanderbilt who were loud and obnoxious, (which says alot since our group gets loud some times too) just how we behave in foreign countries reflects on everyone. Please be repectful. but anyway, this bolg is to those who have given their lives in the name of peace. We will remeber, We do not forget


-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Sunlit seas and 007

Hey y'all today was beautiful and i went walking around after church and a nap. I wanted to take pictures of the cemetary since it closed at 1pm, dang them. I did play harmonica for a bit and read a few different passages. Productive day. We watched Casino Royale and i got a chance to talk to my mother and my sister. Food was good. We have been enjoying italy and just hangin out. Talk to you later!



-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

What do you do with a drunken sailor

Today was a rest day for me, Joey and most of the people went to Bolognia and I took the day to clean and work on my laundry. It is beautiful out so i have my windows out and its wonderful, although i lost one of my address sheets so i will have to call mom and fix that. But its about 4 pm and i probably have laundry that needs work. I dont know what i am doing tonight, probably going out but i know i will hunt supper around 7pm. The door to villa bonelli is broken and i did not know so i was trying to open it for about 5 minutes, then we figured out the door was broken, silly me. Hope all is well at home.

-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

All hands before the mast

So today we were in San Giminiano, (I spelled that wrong i think :S) And it was a blast, i picked up some good white wine and the church had frescos that depicted the new and old testement. One of the churches had been converted to a wine store. and Afterwards we climbed to the fort and i met these very nice girls. We then went and bought our wine. And hopped on the bus. When we got back to fiesole we went up to our hotel then to la reggia for supper and after supper me, ashley, ania, bob and dr. fox went to another place and had wine and lemon chelo and dessert and talked for 2 hours. It was amazing. We will be in switzerland next weekend. Fun times, and a happy birthday early to my friend Ashley Pecholt!!!!!




-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

Take cover young soldier take cover for your life.

Hey everyone, so Today we went to the Old Palace which was the seat of Medici power. It was a venerable monument to Affluence. I looked at tickets for Marsielle and no luck too much travel for too little time. I got my JJ shirt this week. All hail to me yeah. We got to see the apartments of Pope Leo X and Clements VII both Medicis. Such power from such a small palace. There were secret rooms we got to see and those were amazing. I can see why people liked having them they are totally cool. I want some. Monday was snowy, and somewhat long but tuesday was a fun day. And today went well. Tomorrow we'll see how the test went in Art.....(omminous music plays). Hopefully all is well. Friday we are off to San Giminiano which is famous for white wine. I am going to be in heaven. Hope all is going well at home. Peace out

-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"

The Panama Canal.....and DOD

So I spent this weekend in venice where among other things i managed to spend 3 euro on a liter and a half bottle of white wine, this shoudl last for quite a while and is amazing wine. We went on a gondola ride which was amazing. Me and the guys all smoked cigars a rare occurance. We saw St. Mark's square took a ferry to this little camping area that was simply amazing and cheap. food was a bit spendy since i was tourist season with Carnivale and all that but we managed. The first day we wandered around kind of lost and when we got to the camp ground we were ready to eat and then hit the rack. We had little cabin type things and they were very nice. the next day we wandered around venice. picked up mask for carnivale and the wiine, along with just going around and looking at the city. we split into two groups and 7 of us went on the gondola and the other 3 went to wander around a bit more. Now we are back for midterms. the last one for me this week. Of course the last hour of DOD (Day of Depression a.k.a. Valentines day) was spent in the eldon tradition of being tired and just ready for the day to be done. With all the kissing and such at bridges it was needless to say, a dry night on the kissing side for Eldon and like all but one valentine's day spent waiting for the 15th no valentines this year but there is always net year ;) peace yall




-Eldon John Vaselaar

"Though all the world stand against you, let hope reign supreme!"