Europe Here we come!!

Over the past three and a half years we have been talking about a trip to Europe putting away money and buying Euros to make it all affordable.  The goal is to have it totally paid for prior to the first trip down the runway.   Scheduled for May 2013 but then postponed,  I was not sure it would happen at all but as August approached I realized this trip of a life time would actually be coming true. Hotels are researched and deposits are paid as transportation to get us from place to place is booked and an itinerary begins to form.  Thanks to Ricardo who is our most seasoned Europe traveler,  he spent several hours preparing all of the major plans for us.  For me this is a treat as I am normally the planner in the group and I have to keep reminding myself to let go and let Ricardo.  The date is set for August 2013 with everyone arriving on the 29^th.  I will be traveling by myself from the United States and meeting up with the rest of my traveling companions.  Since I have friend s in Wales, I decide to look for a flight a few days earlier to visit them and check out the Welch countryside.   June soon arrives and with the final hotels reserved it is time to find my ticket across the pond.  I hold off seeing if there are any deals but they seem far and few in between.
It is July and I finally decide I must just go ahead and use sky miles to get my ticket finalized.  August twenty second is my date of departure with an October 2 return date.  38 days – who does that? Although I keep thinking this is too much time away, I continue to learn from my Brazilian friends how to relax a little and be ok with taking the time to enjoy.  I move forward with plans and the final purchase of Euro’s is made as the details fall into place.   The 22^nd seems to come quickly and the only obstacle now is packing.  We are all attempting to travel with just a backpack and one carry on.  Wow – how much can I fit into a carry on for a month away and what do I need to bring?  What will the weather be like?  At least there will be Laundromats and some of our stays will be in apartments surely allowing us to wash some clothes on our way. 

I reach out to my friends in Wales and they seem excited to host me.  My first stop is Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, for 6 days.  The 22^nd of August arrive,  I catch a ride to the airport and settle in as my flight to Boston and then across the pond to London are both first class.  I will try and enjoy this as I figure out the rules to my new traveling surroundings.  The flight to Boston is quick and first class is not terribly different then coach.  Once I arrive I have a few hours to kill on my layover so I seek out the sky lounge and enjoy a snack and some free internet.   Since it was a several hour lay over, the sky lounge was a nice perk of first class.  The hours with the help of internet pass quickly and soon my flight to London begins boarding.  I find my seat "4B" at the front of the plane and store my things in the overhead compartment.  A Tumi travel kit awaits me on the seat along with a lovely pillow, a blanket that will probably be too warm for me and plenty of leg room in front.  I settle in and soon the stewardess hands me a glass of champagne and a menu for my dinner selection. I could get used to this service but really don’t want to get spoiled.  The doors are closed and all passengers are on board.  The plane takes off for our five hour flight.  The time difference between London and Boston is five hours so soon it is early morning London time and I hope to get some sleep.  I want to make the time adjustment as soon as possible as there is a lot of sightseeing to do.   … more to come..
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Democracy in Brazil Update

Well it has been a few days since I posted about Democracy in Brazil and the demonstrations that filled the city streets this past last month.  Well,  in response to that posting I have had friends in the USA ask questions and some Brazilians wanted me to share more details.  I figured I would use this format as well as many others may have the same questions and information to share.

1) What is the current status of the protests?
Well since winning the Confederation Cup,  the mood of the country has changed a little again.  You see Brazilian flags pop up all over on cars,  hanging from balconies and at the top of residential flag poles.  I think this win has taken the edge off the demonstrations and a lot of people have gone back to everyday life.  Don't get me wrong,  the people are still watching and the frustrations are still there,  it has just taken a back seat for now.  There are, however, large demonstrations going on daily in cities

throughout the country.  They are not as big as the ones during the Confederation Cup but people are still taking to the streets.  For example, many doctors and health care employees are protesting the governments decision to bring doctors from other countries (mainly Cuba)  to help improve medical conditions.  Seems like a reasonable response to the desired better medical care presented by the original demonstrations.  However, the medical staff say it is not the lack of doctors in the country but the facilities they are working in that is the issue.  They are also saying that the doctors brought here from other countries will not have to pass the boards to practice in Brazil which undermines their current system and is even unconstitutional.  They want FIFA stadium standard hospitals and feel there are plenty of doctors already in the country,  just need to improve their working environment.   This is just one of the issues that continues to bring citizens to the streets in hopes that the government will listen to their demands.

2)  What is going on there as news reports tell of a soccer official being decapitated.   Well,  I don't know much about this story,  just what I read and to be honest I have not even heard it mentioned in conversation among Brazilians.  I do believe it shows some of the battles the country has had in its struggle with leaving its third world status behind.  Then again,  if you look in the papers in the USA there is always a story about some sports fan killing another one over the game.  I don't know the details of this particular occurrence so I don't have much more to add.

3) If you remember my last post talked about the Brazilian President's promise for oil moneys to be used for education.   This promise has sparked some debate as the complications of accessing this oil means there will be no money for several years.  To many Brazilians this seems like an empty promise,  one they have heard before.

4)  Many of my Brazilian friends have continued to express the frustration that Brazil as a country pays a high taxation rate and they feel like they see little benefit of this.  Roads are becoming privatized as companies move in and replace non toll roads with tolls.  These changes would seem to reduce the tax burden on the people but it has no affect on the amount of money they pay in taxes.  This is just one example of how government works in the country.

5)  There are still a rumblings about the amount of money spent on the upcoming international sporting events, but I recently read about the Winter Olympics in Russia and the escalating costs because of corruption there.  I personally think these large sporting organizations need to figure out a way to curb this corruption in order to maintain a good image in the public.   It will be interesting to see how the people of Brazil look at the World Cup over the next eleven months.    Clinching their fifth world cup could put all this turmoil aside, but then again loosing could erupt into massive unrest.