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Tags: travel memoirs pictures
Europe
humor
life
Holland
Military
stories
Netherlands


Can you believe I found myself in Amsterdam, Holland at the age of 20 years old in 1982? Who would have ever thought that the girl from Richmond, California would find herself in Holland?

This was a big time party place. At times, Holland was a little frightening. Thank goodness we always were in a group of six or more people whenever we traveled abroad.

We went to a place called the Flora Palace and danced like we had lost our minds. This is one place we had to be very careful. Drugs were legal and used in public places.

Can you imagine dancing in a night club and finding yourself around drugs? This wasn't cool. We ran out of a night club when we discovered that there were drugs around us. You won't believe what type of club we ended up in that evening.

For the first time in Europe, we heard Reggae music coming out of this spectacular night club. We walked in and discovered that it was a Rastafarian Night Club. Would you believe that this was the one club where we didn't see or smell drugs? The people were extremely friendly and gave us free drinks when they found out we were Americans. We danced to Reggae music until almost daylight. We had a ball.

The next day, we took the traditional trip on our tour bus to downtown Amsterdam. We saw the Red Light District and visited every shop we could find.

We stopped by one store and everything in it was red and black. Black pants, red pants, black tops, red tops, you get the message. The store next door only had black and white clothes. We so much fun and we all left looking like the bopsie twins. Madonna was really big during this time (1982) and everything we bought was made out of lace.

Holland was a beautiful place. The canals and tulips is what I enjoyed the most. For some reason, I can't remember all of the attractions I saw there. Too much time has passed and we were only there for a short period of time. The below pictures will give you an idea of the type of sights I saw while I was there. Just remember, we had a great time and the Dutch really knew how to party.








Illuminated Canal And Houses., Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

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Canal At Night, Amsterdam, Holland

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Exterior Of Royal Palace, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Tulips, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Isn't this a beautiful picture of Germany? I couldn't resist.

Neuschwanstein Castle
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Drifter's Memoirs

Travel Banter Blog
@----->----------

Tags: travel memoirs veterans
Europe
humor
life
Germany
Military
stories


Wow!

Talking about running across a great website that brought back memories of living in Germany! A very long time ago, I was stationed at Bitburg Air Base Germany where I had the ball of my life. Check my previous posts regarding Germany.

Here is a link to a website I ran across. There's going to be a reunion for the people who were stationed at Bitburg in September 2005. Take a look:

http://bitteeinbit.net/


The website even has a Roll Call for the Air Force service members who were stationed at Bitburg! Take a look:

http://bitteeinbit.org/BT/btrollcall.html

As some of you may know, there is a Military Transition Blog and website attached to this blog. See below:

http://www.veteransinmotion.com/

http://www.veteransinmotion.blogspot.com/

The two above sites are in honor of the servicemen and women who desire a Military Transition Coach. The Military Transition Blog was just added to the Veterans of America web ring.



Travel Banter Blog
@----->---------

Drifter's Memoirs

Tags: travel memoirs veterans
Europe
humor
life
Germany
Military
stories



It's been a while since I've been able to post to this great blog of memoirs. When I first saw the web site for Bitburb Air Base Germany (previous post), I realized how much I used to really love Germany.

Being stationed in Germany was like living in a fairy tale. There was so much to do and see. I've never played so much spades, dominoes, backgammon, or shot pool in my life. Can you believe there was beer in the vending machines in the dormitory?? For $1 you could by a can of Heineken!!

Living in the dormitories over there was a blast. My first week there I think I went to a Toga Party in the Security Police Dorm lol. I made sure I was fully clothed under the Toga because I had heard so many rumors about Toga Parties lol.

Dormitory life was really fun. I remember being introduced to Milk and Apple Schnapps. Milk Schnapps was an unsual drink and I remember it looked like watered down milk and it was really good.

Well, hope I can run across the great people I knew at Bitburg. We had a really great time.

On the previous post, one of the sites has pictures of how Bitburg looks now. The whole base has been transformed. The church is now a club if my memory serves me right. The gate is gone yet, many of the buildings are still there. Oh how I wish the base didn't close. Great Place. Great Times.


Ein Bit Bitte!


Travel Banter Blog
@----->----------

Drifter's Memoirs

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

I have to admit that it's been a while since I've posted on this blog. Tonight, I was thinking about being grateful about my current surroundings and where I grew up at.

It's nice to talk about the many different countries where I've lived and traveled to, yet I have failed to show my appreciation for California.

Below are a few pictures of places in California that caught my eye. California is by far a beautiful place and the beach and ocean are hypnotizing. Take a look at this beautiful picture of the ocean. This is a picture of the California coast.








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Now for a nice picture of where I currently live. Long Beach is known for the beautiful Queen Mary and it's a sight to see. Below is a picture of the Long Beach Coast.







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Now below is my old stomping ground. San Francisco is where I used to spend most of my time as a teenager. Below is a captivating picture of the Transamerica Pyramid.







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Last but now least I'd like to share a common scene we used to see in San Francisco:







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Travel Banter Blog
Drifter's Memoirs
@------>----------



Tags: travel memoirs veterans
California
pictures
life
posters
stories

We apologize for our blog format. We're not sure what's going on but it's affecting all of our blogs. Blogger has been notified.


Johnetta Matthews

Flight to Germany? Summer Vacation? Corporate Travel?


Go Corporate! In Style!


We've scrubbed the web for stretch limousines and limousines are plentiful. There is an airport shuttle and limousines' service available nationwide. It could be Nashville, Chicago, Las Vegas, or San Francisco. Stretch limousines or shuttles can be a company's rental policy and can be economical. Check below for limousine and shuttle services.


Discounted Transportation and Airline Tickets:
(They Give You The Airport Code)

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Deals and Last Minute Arrangement Links:
(They give you the Airport Code)

CheapTickets: Air Fare Search

No Booking Fees when you buy online! Visit Cheap Tickets today.

CheapTickets: Discount Hotel Rooms

Ship Out Soon: Last-minute Cruise Deals

Find great rates on San Francisco hotels.

Find great rates on Las Vegas hotels.

Find great rates on Chicago hotels.

Las Vegas Deals

Great Travel Deals!


Travel With Class:






We love to travel and wanted to share the great cheap travel list we came up with online.


Enjoy.



Travel Banter Blog
Drifter's Memoirs


Stay tuned for more original ideas!




Original Gift Ideas:









Tags: travel memoirs corporate travel
cheap flight list
summer vacations

Well,

It's been a while since we've posted on Drifters. We're drifting
as usual :o). In a good way this time.


We added another blog to our blog group. I've always had a
fascination with cocktail dresses and heels. My fascination
started while singing in bands and competing in talent shows
in the military.

There was one thing all of us ladies would shop for prior to
a talent contest, "Cocktail Dresses". We here always
discouraged from wearing short dresses and always had a
hard time finding dresses. Especially when we were in
Germany. Well, I started a Cocktail Dress and Heels Blog
in memory of playing the dress up game.

Check out our latest post: Here

Our most recent post is on Red and Black Short Tight Cocktail
Dresses (Blush). What can I say? I love fashion and travel.
Let me know your thoughts.

Most of the dresses can be used as cruise dresses, New Years,
and dresses for the upcoming College Spring Break! Once again
check out our site. Hope you like it:

Glamour and Cocktail Dresses


Drifters Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
@-------->-------

New York, New York - Brooklyn Bridge

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Wow, let me tell you about my adventures in New York City.
I wouldn't advise anyone to go to New York like I did. Yet,
I can say I had a bonified blast.

I had been online for a short period of time and had spent a
great deal of time in several AOL Chat Rooms. I lucked
across this one chat room where everyone would chat for
hours. We laughed so much in this chat room that
we all became like family.

After several months talking in this chat room, someone
decided to get together and go clubbing. At the time,
I was living in Delaware. The plan was to meet in
Manhattan at a night club.

There were several men in the group and the women
were really close. So it was on! I was going to ride the
train from Delaware to New York City.

I rode a four hour train ride and as I arrived at the
Penn Station, my palms became really sweaty. I realized
I was going on a blind date. I was going to meet at least
50 people that I had spoken to online and didn't have a
clue about New York City (Manhattan).

Needless to say, I arrived at the hotel and stood in the
middle of the room and asked myself, "What the heck
are you doing?" I got dressed and rode the cab to this
booming night club that had an upstairs and downstairs.
It had at least four rooms with different types of music.

I wish I could remember the name of the this off the
hook club. It was awesome.

I remember walking downstairs to meet everyone. The
music was jammin and there were a lot of people dancing
and talking everywhere in the room.

The first thing I did was walk to the bar and order a
drink. When I turned around, someone asked, "Is that
you *&)*&(%?" I said, "Yes". And that's basically how the
whole night went. We all would walk up to each other
and ask if the other person was a certain screen name.
We danced, partied, laughed, and had an awesome time.

We went out to breakfast and eventually said good night.
I really miss the people from the chat room. We had such
a great time. This all occurred in 1998.

The next morning, I figured out how to ride the train
to Times Square. I went to a restaurant on Times Square
and had the best Chili I have ever had. I think it was called
the Chili Factory. I'm really not sure.

I saw the Empire State Building, went to Tower Records
and fell in love with a group called Alabina, and basically
drifted along Times Square. Be sure to click on the Alabina link,
it's an awesome Flamenco, Arabic sound. The Megamix is off
the chart if you like this type of music.

When I was in Manhattan, I was captivated how it could
be peaceful in such a large city.

Manhattan, you will forever be the apple of my eye.

I highly recommend seeing Manhattan and Times Square.

Drifters Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
@-------->----------

The main thing we'd like to mention is the gift of flowers.
I'm sure every NYC florist, Manhattan Florists, San Francisco
Florists, and Los Angeles florists is buzzing away with
flower orders for the holidays.

You can catch many florists on line to deliver flowers
for you. Calling an 800 flowers number can even be a snap,
especially if you're in a crunch.

In many cases, you can order your flowers today and have
your flowers delivered within 24 to 48 hours.

For the last several years, I've sent my mother and father
meals for the holidays. It's not easy being far away from
them, especially while in the miltary. When you're in the
military, you realize how important it is to send a gift
basket or flowers to someone you love. No matter
how far I was from home, I made sure I sent flowers, gifts,
or food :o).

Just remember, if you're delivering flowers this holiday
season, be sure to place your order as soon as possible
for on time delivery.

Take care and send flowers to the one you love for the
holidays even if you're traveling abroad.

Drifter's Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
@------->--------- <----As you can see, I love flowers too. :o)

Hi Everyone,

Blogging is so much fun. At times we can run across very ruthless people on here. One of the blogs I had to be changed from a blogspot blog to a dot com blog. This was not because of Blogger. Blogger has supported us above reproach and I'm a true Blogger fan.

It's just when you have a good thing, you have to protect it. Our new web site address for Glamour and Cocktail Dresses is www.cocktaildressandheels.com . So if you want to continue looking for cocktail dresses and evening dresses with us, please go to the above address.

Someone may ask, how in the heck did I go from Travel Memoirs to Cocktail Dresses? It's very simple. When you travel, you want to look good. When people go on a cruise, there's normally parties and formal nights.

Men wear tuxes or suits and the women wear formals. It's really amazing how one travel experience can revamp a person's wardrobe.

I recall taking a trip to Hawaii (while stationed in Alaska). I wanted a few nice outfits, dresses and new high heels. What did I do? I went on a shopping spree and begged a girlfriend for a few of her outfits.

The next post, I'll tell you about my trip to Hawaii! Remember, I was stationed in Alaska and it was around 20 degrees and when I landed in Hawaii, it was 88 degrees lol. What a contrast.

Take care and have a great holiday season.


Drifters Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
Cocktail Dresses and Heels
@---------->-------------

Tags: travel memoirs
humor cocktail dresses

Hi Everyone,

Can you believe it's February? Well, I had to take a good look
at my surroundings and I have to say I'm blessed. Since I've
been in Southern California, I've see a few nice places.

One of the places I visited was the Queen Mary. If you're not
familiar with the Queen Mary, take a look at the poster below.
She's docked in Long Beach and a great tourist attraction.






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She's quite a beauty. She has served in wars and
was well known by the stars in her days. To learn
more about this famous ship, visit her website below.
If you're in the Long Beach area, be sure to see this
great travel attraction.

Visit the Queen Mary Here

It's unbelieveable to see what's happening on the Queen Mary.

Take care and happy travels.

Drifters Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
@---------->-----


Tags: travel memoirs

The next place I'm excited to see is Hsi Lai Temple. I've heard so
much about it. It's a Buddhist Temple that has quite a history.
It's suppose to be one of the largest temples in the area.

The Hsi Lai Temple will be a great historical place to see
this weekend. The hours are from 9 am to 5 pm. This will be a
definite treat. What I can't wait to see is it's layout. The temple
offers group tours up to 15 people. So this can be a treat for
even a nice small group of people.

Here are some insights to their philosophy.

I'll fill you in on the details real soon. Have a happy Easter.


Drifters Memoirs
Travel Banter Blog
@---------->-----


Tags: travel memoirs

Well, it's no mystery that Orange County has Disney as an
attraction.

From my travels, I would have to say that Orange County is
my pick for a place to live and work in Southern California.
The people appear to be more trusting and more professional
from what I see in Los Angeles County.

I may be wrong, yet if you want to relocate to Southern
California, Orange County is my pick.

I do various deliveries to Orange County Hospitals and I want
to be the first to say to say that the staff in the Orange County
hospitals is above reproach. Not only are the hospitals
professional, the businesses are too.

I'll write more about Orange County in the next few posts.

Take care and be safe.

Drifter's Memoirs
@-------------->-------------

Hi,

Wow has it been a while or what? I've been singing
karaoke and working on a new job. Haven't had much
time to travel.

On my next post, I want to share with you when I went
to the I Cugini Restaurant by the Santa Monica Pier.

I'll locate my cord so I can post pictures. If you've
never listened to The Wave, you may be unaware that
may Jazz listeners gather at the I Cugini and Spagatini
(spelling) restaurants to listen to live Jazz for a Sunday
Brunch.

Okay, I won't rattle on. Stay tuned for the pics.

The Drifter

Wow, it's been an amazing time since I've written on this blog.
Right now as I type, I'm in Kansas City, MO checking out
commercial property and visiting family.

There isn't enough time to go to all the places I want to go
here, but there is one place someone may want to check out.
Yesterday, I went somewhere I hadn't been since I was
around 10 years old.

My father and I stopped by the Liberty Memorial. It's a WWI
memorial. It's at the top of a hill that overlooks KCMO and it's
a place you'd want to stop and see. The statues and monument
are colossal.

Liberty Memorial is quite a sight to see. Take a look and see this
beautiful place.

Another place that is very popular in KCMO is Gates Barbeque.
My mother grew up with the owner, who name is Ollie Gates.
He's one of the leading entrepreneurs in KCMO. He owns all of
the Gates Barbeque restaurants and they are known for their
famous BBQ and BBQ sauce. He also owns many properties in
town. He's definitely a role model to emulate.

The other BBQ chain is Bryants BBQ. These are two places you'd
want to see if you travel to Kansas City. Kansas City is known for
their BBQ nationwide.

I'm here to check out the commercial property in the area. Many
homes and apartments are boarded up. It's so sad to see. Online
I checked the retail shopping centers that are for sale in the area.
Many of those are corporate owned for unknown reasons. Not
sure what has happened to the economy here, but looks like it's
taken it's toll.

Well today, I'm scouting a few residential properties to get a feel of
the real estate market. If I see something interesting or with
potential, I'll be sure to submit a letter of intent. We'll see what
happens. This evening I'm going to see if I can locate a Karaoke
spot to hang out at.

Well, until then, take care and thanks for stopping by.

Johnetta Matthews
Johnetta Matthews Corporation
President
Work For Yourself
New Search Engine Vulcoo
Commercial Real Estate Investing

You've seen the Expedia.com commercials with the couple
in the beachside bungalow with mosquito nets... and the thought
of going on vacation to stay in a tent gives you the creepy crawlies
already.

Not to worry, you won't need a sleeping bag and a bottle of Off! for
this exotic vacation. When was the last time you stayed in an
air-conditioned, 790 square-foot tent with wooden floors,
embroidered interior canopies, private gardens, outside deck for
sunbathing, king size four-poster bed, freestanding roll top bath
and separate shower? And just to make sure you don't feel like
you're "roughing it," your tent comes with a DVD player and minibar.

It's seems contradictory that the words "luxury" be used to
describe a tent but at the Oberoi Vanyavilas, located between
the Aravali and the Vindhya mountain ranges in South-Eastern
Rajasthan, India, the concept is far from novel.

Nestled among 20 acres of landscaped gardens, lemon and
mango trees, and lakes and fountains, are 25 tents, bordering
on one of the most extraordinary wildlife reserves in the world,
Ranthambore National Park and Tiger Reserve, which is home
to the majestic Indian tiger, as well as deer, leopard, and crocodile.

Now, before you think that this is an isolated retreat, consider
the fine dining options and extensive spa services available. In
the Dining Room and Inner Courtyard, Executive Chef Saurav
Banerjee and Indian Master Chef Arjun Singh Yadava present an
impressive spread of Western, Thai and Indian cuisine from a
revolving menu.

The exquisitely decorated restaurant features hand painted
frescoes of flowers and animals by the celebrated miniaturist
Mohan Singh Kumawat. Outside is the walled terrace of the
Inner Courtyard which is lit at night by a massive log fire
(camp fire songs optional).

As with any quality resort, there is a spa, where you'll find
steam rooms, showers and private therapy suites and a long
menu of spa treatments, massages, facials, manicures and
pedicures. Try the stimulating Indian Spice Wrap and a
delicious Orange Wrap. All the massage and aromatherapy
treatments are aimed at relieving stress and promoting a
deep sense of relaxation and well-being.

For fitness buffs who can't miss a workout, there is an
exercycle, rowing machine, steppers and a treadmill, as
well as an outdoor heated pool.

All I can do is sigh. What a beautiful way to spend a
summer vacation.

Drifter's Memoirs
Pondering Beautiful Vacations

In order to stay in business, companies are starting to actively look for cheap travel savings' opportunities. They find that the slow economy has affected their way of doing business and they can no longer afford to give their employees the best travel options when they have to leave the office on business.

Many business use their corporate credit card accounts to achieve deep discounts on their corporate travel charges. Their travel departments have negotiated travel contracts with major airlines, that guarantee them consistent, low-cost airfare if they are their only airline provider. These cheap travel saving are modest airfare accommodations that do not offer many frills, but will get their employee where they need to be to negotiate contracts for new industry.

Many people try to allow room in their schedules to be flexible with the dates that they depart on their travel adventures. Cheap travel savings can be realized when travel sites require departure on a specific date, for a specific time, that must be accomplished by a specific date. Being specific can afford people to be flexible on their travel departure days, if that flexibility will give them deep discounts on their airfare.

People that travel for pleasure have learned quickly that it pays to travel with airlines that offer miles points for choosing their airline for travel. These cheap travel savings can quickly add up into free flights, or deeply discounted air flights to luxurious locations throughout the world. Other cheap travel savings have been provided to family members that may fly for half of the original fare, if their travel was booked at the same time as another family member.

Retired military get really cheap travel savings, when they use military aircraft as their mode of transportation. These travel benefits are part of their military retirement benefits, and there are flights leaving daily at many major military bases for points all around the world. This type of cheap travel savings is not without risks, however, because at any point in their travels, they may be bumped off the flight by a military member with an emergency to get to.

Some people use Internet auction sites to find cheap travel savings. There are online travel agents that list hundreds of different types of vacations for a very ridiculously low price, and the bidding can be quite challenging at times. Some of these travel offers can be bought straight out for a stated price, but there are thousands of other vacation packages where pricing can be controlled through a bidding process.

There are other cheap travel savings to be found, in air-fare war sales, that pit one airline against another in an effort to take a larger share of the available travel market at any given time of the year. The offers for cheap travel savings can sometimes give the business and personal traveler the option of flying from a specific airport location, or through a certain carrier that is featuring low prices for all of their flights.

These are just a few travel savings' tips that people use. Take care and happy travels.

Dawn Travel, an innovative leader in the luxury travel and cruise industry, is proud to announce that CEO Cliff Hawk will be a featured speaker at the 2024 Phocuswright Conference in Fort Lauderdale. Hawk will participate in the highly anticipated “New Technology and Startup” panel, sharing insights on the cutting-edge advancements driving the future of travel planning and luxury experiences. Dawn Travel has [PR.com]

Signature Autohaus, a leader in automotive restyling, is excited to announce its expansion and relocation to a new, larger facility in Coral Springs, FL. This move marks a significant milestone in the company’s growth. It reflects its commitment to meeting the increasing demand for quality exotic and luxury auto restyling and performance within the community. The new location, situated at 3650 Coral Ridge Drive, [PR.com]

Andre Bramwell brings his innovative, customer-first approach to the auto transport industry with Bigfella Auto Express, offering flexibility and transparency in car shipping. [PR.com]

AAEON once again receives recognition in its mission to bring innovation to the embedded computing space. [PR.com]

This posting merely describes the tools I use to do software development.

• Keywords: software development;
• Source: This items is/was published as a part of Infomotions Musings.

I'm rather proud of a cool hack I created through the combined use of the venerable utilities wget and xmllint.

• Keywords: publishing;
• Source: This file was originally posted as a part of Infomotions Musings

By marking up documents in XML/TEI, you create sets of well-structured narrative data, and consequently, this enables you to "read" the documents in new and different ways.

• Keywords: reading; XML (eXtensible Mark-up Language);
• Source: This document was originally published as an Infomotions Musing.

There are two files attached to this blog posting, and together they outline and demonstrate how to write in a book.

• Keywords: reading;
• Source: This essay was originally posted to Infomotions Musings.

This posting outlines how I bound the (almost) complete works of Horace.

• Keywords: book binding; librarianship;
• Source: This posting was originally published as a part of Infomotions's Musings.

This blog posting describes how I have begun to use network graphs to illustrate ("read") texts.

• Keywords: network graphs; reading;
• Source: This posting was originally published as a part of Infomotions's Musings.

Alcuin, a librarian of the Carolingian Renaissance and advisor to Charlemenge, recently interviewed for a data librarian position, and below is a transcript of some of the interview with the search committee.

• Keywords: librarianship; fiction;
• Source: This is the initial publication of this item.

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