Housesitting in New Jersey: Highlights of My USA Visit

Eglington Cemetery, Clarksboro, New Jersey, among the primary destinations on my current visit to this Eastern part of the United States where I was born and grew up. Buried beside my grandmother are her parents, my great-grandparents, Carrie K. Hunter, 1883-1975, and William G. Hunter, 1882-1937.

Many readers will know that I enjoy visiting cemeteries and have seen quite a few along my journey. I’ve been to two cemeteries in my current destination and each has had special meaning for me.

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Au Revoir France, Hello New Jersey!

a window on an old village house in Evecquemont, France
Worn shutters and dead vines cover the window across the narrow street from my apartment in Evequemont, France, where I spent the past month enjoying the mild weather, quiet surroundings, and lovely people.

It’s been some time since I updated my whereabouts and doings on this site.

Yesterday I spent flying from Paris to Philadelphia, with a stop in Dublin. Today I’m in my life-long friend Maria’s home in Collingswood, N.J., USA, where I will spend a couple of weeks, then to another friend’s house when Maria fills hers with family members arriving to attend a memorial service for her late husband, Craig A. Tahamont, who died of the complications of Alzheimer’s disease in July.

Craig was among my longest and best friends, and I’m honored to be giving one of the eulogies in his memory at the service here on September 23.

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Lost My Hat On the Way Back To Balat

The colorfully decorated street that I am living on now, again in the Balat neighborhood of Fatih, Istanbul, my third visit to Turkey

I’m back in Balat, my favorite neighborhood in Istanbul, biding time and getting some work done in advance of the Rolf Potts Travel Writing Workshop I’m attending July 30-Aug. 4 in Paris.

The Flixbus trip from Sofia, Bulgaria, to here was eventful.

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Bulgaria: A Pleasant Surprise

Starting month three of a delightful stay in Sofia

Enjoying a recent event in the center of Sofia, my friends and I toast Bierra Moretti, an Italian beer promoting its recent introduction to the city. I’m here with friends, from left, Liubo, an author of several books in Bulgaria, Nick, president of the local Taxpayers Association, Nick’s wife Alexandra, and my fellow retiree and good friend Chris, an Australian living in Bulgaria.

As the warmth of Spring arrives in this Baltic country of Bulgaria, where I’ve been a guest since April in the capital city, Sofia, I’m captivated by the easy-going, comfortable way of life and the warmth and friendliness of the many friends I’ve made here.

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A Touch of New Jersey In Tirana, Albania

I couldn’t resist visiting the New Jersey Snack Bar Coffee before I left Tirana, Albania.

What good New Jersey native could pass up an opportunity to visit a genuine “New Jersey Snack Bar Coffee” in Tirana, Albania?

Well, I couldn’t, but I have to confess, I walked out thinking there was more going on there than met the eye.

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Enroute To Sofia, A Night In A Skopje Bus Station

The Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria, could fit a small city inside!

My friend Peggy, whom I met in a cafe in the White Mountains of Crete, sent me advice in a cautionary email after reading a brief post I wrote mentioning my night in the Skopje bus station.

Skopje is the capital city of Northern Macedonia, one of the Balkan states in southeastern Europe. It was formerly part of Yugoslavia until it gained its independence by referendum in 1992 following the Yugoslav wars.

I was just passing through on my way to Sofia, Bulgaria.

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Bunk’Art: Shining Light On A Dark Era in Albania

Bunk’Art 2 is located in the Tirana city center and was primarily for protection of the Ministry of the Interior. It is much smaller than Bunk’Art 1 on the outskirts of Tirana, where there were facilities for protection of the highest levels of government.

The pair of Bunk’Art exhibits in Albania’s capital city of Tirana, each combine history and contemporary art in expansive underground bunkers left over from the Cold War period of 1978-91.

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