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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Apr 28, 2012 04:00 PM In the Great Smoky Mountains
It is only half an hour drive from Knoxville, where we spent the night. Green mountains are up to 2000 m high. Entry is free. We started from Sugarland Visitors Center where they have little nature museum where you can get the map and excellent info from the rangers.
Then we started the walk (medium, half an hour walk each way to the Laurel waterfall. Nice! It has two drops 40 feet each. One more waterfall to my collection!
Then we moved to the other area again to take half an hour walk to Grotto Fall - different, but also interesting... Can you imagine - we saw on the wat young bleak bear sleeping on the branches, up on the tree?
It a windy road to the Mountain pass and then on the ridge to the parking lot at the bottom of Clingmans Dome - the most high mountain of the Smokies. There you have 20 minutes to climb to the observation tower. The view is great - you will see that Great Smoky Mts are smoky...
Cherokee village in North Carolina State...
A long ant tiring to drive Skyway Scenic Road took us first to the clouds then down to the valleys. It was already dark, whan we reached Chattanooga...
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Apr 27, 2012 04:00 PM Cincinnati and Kentucky - but without chicken...
The speed limit on the Indiana highways is 70 mph so we are driving faster here. In the late morning we crossed the border of Ohio State and reached Cincinnati.
Is is different. Located on the hills Cincinatti had a pleasant quareter of 19th century houses aroun Findlay Market. Some of them are run down, but this area still has the athmosphere from the past. It is worth to climb the streets of Mt Adams quarter for the nice view of the downtown and the river. I liked it!
On the other side of the river is already Kentucky State.
We went there, going south. In the mid-day we reached the capital of Kentucky State - little and cozy Frankfort. They have a railway track going in the middle of their Broadway, the state capitol on the hill and many old buildings in the Main Street. Frankfort was worth a 22-miles detour from the interstate 75. I did not see any KFC in Kentucky, is this possible?
Then we passed by Paris and London... (they like here the names of the European cities! It was late afternoon when in the grat landcape of the fresh-green forested hills we crossed the border to Tennessee state.
We stay in the Motel6 in Knoxville. Three, even four US states in one day? Yes, it is possible due to the excellent free highways system!
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Apr 26, 2012 04:00 PM Indiana - do you know the place?
We are driving east! At 11 am we crossed the border of Indiana state. Landscape changed: from flat fields of Illinois to the green hills covered by forests. Spring is around! Sunny day.
Just after the state border we stoped at rest area to get free map of the state. It is also nice that the facilities here are free and clean!
Indianapolis - the capital of Indiana in the central point has a Monument Circle - a huge and ornate monument of the war heroes with the statue of Indian girl on the top. They call her Miss Indiana. On the outskirts of the town is the nice park they have the Art Museum (free) with the nice collection of the old European paint masters. Interesting and free!
And there is of course famous Speedway - the racing course for formula1 cars, but I did see it only from outside.
Too much homeless people on the streets of Indianapolis. Is this rich America?
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Apr 25, 2012 04:00 PM Saint Louis on Mississippi River
In the morning in all Motel 6 they offer free coffee to the guests. But this is an American coffee - rather weak so you have to drink say 3 cups to feel what you expect.
Then we drove our first 500 kms to Saint Louis on Mississipi River - all through the flat terrain of the Big Plains. No traffic congestions on the I55 highway - everybody drive politely with the allowed speed of 65 mph!
We reached our motel6 at 1 pm, left the stuff in the room and went to see St Louis City. I like it! Especially the main city landmark - St Louis Arch. They call it The Eiffel Tower of America. Can you imagine 210 m - high steel structure in the blue sky? You can get up to the top by tram for 10 USD but all tickets for today were sold out. There are steamboats on the Mississippi. The St Louis Cathedral, nice Forest Park - enough things to see till the evening. It is better to buy the fuel in the big cities then on the highway - we paid in SL only 3,69 USD per gallon.
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Apr 24, 2012 04:00 PM US immigrations - why they are so suspicious?
Bus 110 took me to the Gdansk airport. We have new, elegant departure hall! Then I recognized that Lufthansa flight to Munich will be 40 minutes delayed.
I had only 50 minutes in Munich for the connection. And now I have only 10 minutes.... Uuuu...
In Munich special minibus was waiting for 4 passengers flying onward to Chicago. They took us quickly to the separate check-in desk and we boarded big airbus 340! But how about my backpack?
9 hours later we landed in Chicago airport. And my backpack was also there! Bravo Lufthansa, bravo Munich airport - it seems that Munich is much better organized then Frankfurt! Fly via Munich, if you have a choice!
US immigration officer studied my passport. My US visa was OK. But it seems that he did not see before so many exotic stamps in one passport... They took me to the separate hall keeping my passport. (-We have to check something!) They were checking about 40 minutes.
Then - thanks God I got my passport back and I was free to go...
Avis rent a car prepared for me new chrysler 200. 702 USD for 15-days rental, unlimited mileage... OK! It was already dark when I tried to find the way to the booked motel in interstate 55. It was not easy - they have the real labirynth of highways.
I was already tired due to the 7 hours time difference.
Got it! Motel 6 is the last expensive motel chain in the USA.
41 USD per room - 20 USD per person. 3 towels per person, free coffee in the morning. Shower. Good night!
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Apr 23, 2012 04:00 PM Back to America!
Only two weeks left since my return from Sahara Desert but my backpack is ready again.
I know from my previous expeditions the east, west and the south of the USA. But I haven't been to the Great Plains. Initially I wanted to visit them by the cheap Megabus. But I soon recognized that they are not going to the all places I want to see, they are not present at all in the couple of states. Then I was lucky to find the partner and we decided to rent a car. We plan to make a huge loop: from Great Smoky Mts in the east to Mt Rushmore in the west.
At the end of the voyage we will flyfrom Chicago to Boston to spend there few days in the little-known north-east states. I hope that we will not meet tornadoes on our trail. :) Please keep your fingers crossed!
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Apr 09, 2012 04:00 PM Back in Poland: minus 4 deg Celsius.
Transit in the Cairo airport... It is worth to know that you can easily change back the remaining EGP to the western currencies in the departure hall of Terminal 3. You do not need to present any receipts and the commision they charge is very small... Look for Thomas Cook kiosk...
The LOT plane to Warsaw was crowded, but they served the best Polish "Zywiec" beer...
It was minus 4 when we landed in Warsaw... Just after 38 in Luxor!
Another great trip is over! I was really happy to see the fascinating landscapes of the Egyptian Sahara. And to meet lovely, smailing people in the oases! There were adventures too but I like them - as long as they are not dangerous. Thank you, my friends for keeping your fingers crossed! :) I promise to publish my photo report soon...
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Apr 08, 2012 04:00 PM Stay away from Luxor!...
After a week or more on the oases trail, in the heat, dust and strong sun I was dreaming: oh, when I will finally reach the big, civilized city I will drink a big glass of ice-cold beer... Mniam, mniam... :)
Happy Land Hotel has a nice roof terrace so after taking a shower I climbed the stairs hoping to make my dream true. First I saw the romantic full moon but then - a plaque in English on the wall: Consumption of alcoholic beverages including beer on the terrace is forbiden! If you bring it from the shop drink it in your room!
I call this hotel Holly Land Hotel (Moslem Holly Land) - yes, it is clean but it is hard to say that it is friendly. I came in the evening and announced, that want to stay here 22 hours - till my evening flight on the next day. The hotel was empty. They wanted me to pay for two nights anyway... Friendly...
I have been in Luxor in 1976 and I must say it is now the different town. Now the tourist in the street is non-stop bothered by sellers, drivers, horse-carriages, feluca captains, beggars... In Asyut I paid for the taxi ride 3 EGP, here they want from the locals 10 EGP and from the foreigner - 20 EGP!
I was walking to the famous Karnak temple... At the gate they wanted 100 entry fee. When I found the ticket office hidden between shops I recognized that it cost only 65.
Karnak is still great - I was happy to be again in the shade of the famous Hypostyle Hall. Can you imagine 134 columns having 10 m in circumference and beeing 24 m high?
It was extremely hot day with a thick haze over the Nile - the visibility of the West Bank was poor - so I did not go there. Night flight to Cairo, and onward to Warsaw...
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Apr 07, 2012 04:00 PM Revolution on the railway track...
Instead of going from Kharga Oasis by the direct road heading to Luxor I was forced to take the desert road north eaast to Asyut. Shared taxi - junk peugeot full of locals brought me in 3,5 hours to "the terminal" located close to the dirty bazaar. Then I went to the railway station.
What time is the next train to Luxor? At 1 pm! One ticket please! - No tickets... I explained my situation: closed direct road Kharga - Luxor. My limited time...
-Please come at 12, maybe I will find a ticket for you!
At 12 the clark said that he has one ticket but not to Luxor. He has just one ticket to Aswan via Luxor - another 300 kms south.
No other choice, no discussion - I bought this ticket and went to the platform 3. At 1 pm train did not arrive, at 1.30 we were still waiting. Somebody came with the bad message: 60 kms before Asyut the crowd of people blocked the railway track. They want to talk with the officials to explain their opinions about the Egyptian Revolution... I was waiting more then 3 hours until I saw this train. We reached Luxor at 9 pm. I was walking through the crowded streets to Happy Land Hotel. Very tired after the hot day, but happy: I reached the final destination of my Oases Trail... :)
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Apr 06, 2012 04:00 PM 300-kms road out of control!
Kharga Oasis - Egyptian Sahara. From my al-Bejda hotel I see the nicest mosque I saw on this trip.
But I have the problem: I must go to Luxor. Policeman said yesterday that the 300-kms long new road is closed due to the security... No more datails - his English was very poor.
In the morning I went with my backpack to the bus station. Drivers said: you can go by this road only by private car - they call it "special service". I said: Yes, I want to if there is no other way!
They made the calls to the different drivers. And...
They said: -Sorry, this road is closed also for private cars!
Can you imagine? 300-kms new road is out of control of the state!!!
Do the foreign tourists in Luxor know, that just west of this city Egyptian government cannot coltrol the situation on the paved road?
I am looking for the other solution to get to Luxor...
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