Auf Wiedersehen to Salzburg and on to Venice!

I'm back to my trip planning... I guess there is a yeah for 1 of the 2 of my blog followers!  This blog will be covering our 3rd stop on our Europe tour, which is in Venice Italy! 

Venice is a city that says adventure and sailing to distant lands. Marco Polo was 17 years old when he left Venice to sail to Asia. From the 13th - 15th centuries, it was one of the most luxurious cities in Europe, and a great trading empire with the Orient. Today, Venice is still a city like no other, and we will have a great time exploring the labyrinth of streets and campos, shimmering canals and endless bridges.

Here is a list of things I'm am hoping to see in Venice.  Fell free to send your suggestions, and yes, I know I don't have a gondola ride on my list!

Venice
1. The Guggenheim
2. Basilica di San Marco
3. Ca' Rezzonico - Museo del Settecento Veneziano
4. Archeaological Muesum of Venice
5. Riva dei Sette Martiri / Shore of Seven Martyrs
6. Ponte delle Maravegie / Bridge of the wonders
7. Sotoportego del Casin dei Nobili/Underpass of the Nobleman's Casino


As always thanks for reading and Keep it Weird!
Weird Texas

One more BP post and I'm back to the Travel Plans... I promise!!!

I read a great article this morning that I wanted to share with all of you. It's titled "A GOP chorus of Joe Bartons on the BP oil spill". If you read my previous post about Rep. Joe Barton than you know where I stand on this oil-supported idiot. But after reading this post I found that Barton's remarks were no spontaneous gaffe. They came in a prepared statement and represent his genuine view of the situation: that the rights of a private company are absolute even when weighed against the clear interests of the public.

I think that BP's reponse to the entire issue is about as useful as a "steak at a Vegan conference"... (inside joke) if you've been watching!  CLICK HERE to view a video spoof that I think closer resembles the truth than what we're seeing and listening too in these BP hearings... but, let me know what you think?

As always keep it fun and keep it Weird!!!

Weird Texas

Texas Rep Joe Barton... What the hell man?!!!

Gotta take a quick break from the Travel log to discuss Politics... Ugh... I know!

Yesterday, Congressman Joe Barton from Texas' 6th district opened his mouth and made Texans look dumber than Milli Vanilli fans of the early nineties!  Thanks alot Congressman Barton for making us Texans look like idiots!  For those of you who dont know who Joe Barton is, he is the Congressman from Texas 6th district which is East Texas, click here to learn more about this idiot. 

Barely 10 minutes into Thursday's landmark congressional testimony — where BP CEO Tony Hayward and other leading company executives are revisiting the Gulf Coast oil spill before a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee — the first controversial statement has entered the record. 

GOP Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the ranking member on the House Energy Committee, made a decisive splash in his opening remarks.A staunch conservative who has a long record of backing oil industry interests, Barton apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the "shakedown" the Obama White House pulled on the company. (Barton has received more than $1.5 million in campaign donations from the oil industry, according to Open Secrets, a nonpartisan watchdog group.)
 
GOP leaders have already began to quickly disclaim 'shakedown' apology
 
I think Jon Stewart's reaction from last nights The Daily Show best sums up my feeling on Mr. Barton.  Let me know what you think?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Day 59 - Judgment Day - The Strife Aquatic
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

As always keep it light and keep it Weird!
                                          
Weird Texas!

Forget Paris! It's off to Salzburg for the Second stop of our Euro-tour!

The Hills are alive with the sound of Music! Ok so Maybe I'm not Julie Andrews but at least I'm also not Lost in Space! (Look it up!  Penny Robinson!)

So this Blog is going to be a "Fun Facts" about the Sound of Music since I have never actually been to Salzburg! Followed by my Salzburg sites and tours to see list, remember, feel free to send your ideas and suggestions.... Here we go with the Fun Facts!

The Sound of Music:

• Nicholas Hammond is the American actor who played the role of Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound of Music, but did you know he also spent 2 season's as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970's TV show The Amazing Spider-Man.
• Darryl and Richard D. Zanuck first asked Robert Wise to direct the film, but he turned originally it down because it was "too saccharine".  Wise later decided to helm the film after a few months of director hunting by the producers.
• Did you Know? The Sound of Music was an interim film for the director Robert Wise, produced to mollify the studio while he developed the difficult film The Sand Pebbles, starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough and Candice Bergen. Wise would later speak of The Sand Pebbles as the film he most wanted to direct, though he had earlier explored such anti-war themes in The Day the Earth Stood Still.
• Originally, Maria had been hired only to be a governess to young Maria who had come down with scarlet fever and needed her lessons at home. 
• Unlike in the film, Georg had considered a position in the Kriegsmarine but ultimately did decide to emigrate with his family to Italy to go on yet another singing tour. (*) 
• While the film shows the von Trapp family hiking over the Alps from Austria to Switzerland, from Salzburg this is impossible. Salzburg is only a few kilometres away from the Austrian–German border and is much too far from either the Swiss or Italian borders for a family to escape by walking. Had the von Trapps hiked over the mountains they would have in all likelihood ended up in Germany near the Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler's mountain retreat in Berchtesgaden.

Now that I've got you in the Austrian state of mind here is my Salzburg, Austria sightseeing list:

Salzburg Austria:

1. Salzburger Dom Catherdral
2. Salzburg Castle & Hohensalzburg Fortress
3. Mozart’s birthplace & living space
4. Mirabelli Palace & Gardens
5. Hot-Air Balloning through the Alps
6. Sound of Music Tour

Remember... I'm looking for any suggestions on things to do or see in any of these locations so feel free to chime in with any suggestions!

As always keep it light & keep it Weird!

Weird Texas

The first leg of our European Vacation!

"Hey look kids, there's Big Ben, and there's Parliament."  - Clark Griswold from

National lampoons European Vacation

That's the quote I keep thinking about as we get closer to taking off on our European adventure!  But the next few blogs will be my pre-Europe destinations sites for each city I'm visiting.  I got no suggestions yesterday for places to visit so maybe this will motivate some of you to Chime in!

Anyhoo, here is my destination list for our first stop... Paris!

PARIS SITES TO VISIT:
1. Eiffel Tower
2. Arc de Triomphe
3. Chateau de Versailles
4. Louvre Museum
5. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris
6. Les Catacombes
7. Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (This is where Jim Morrison is buried)








Thanks for reading and as always, Keep it light and keep it Weird!
                                             Weird Texas

20 Days and Counting until I takeoff for Europe!

So here we are on the final countdown until the little lady and our good friend teach are heading out to Euro-Itchy & Scratchy Land.

We are not really going to Euro-Itchy & Scratchy Land but I love the Simpson's reference.  We are actually traveling to several cities including, Paris, Salzburg, Venice, Rome, Amsterdam and finishing in London.  We wanna make this trip as fun as possible so send us some ideas if you've ever been to any of the previously mentioned cities!

Keeep it Fun and Keep it Weird!

Weird Texas!