In July 2003 my sister (Janet) and I took a jaunt to visit the homeland. For my sister it was the first time she had been back home in about 20 years. Each time I go I find it harder and harder to want to come back. My mom doesn't understand why I feel that way but my sister now does.

I can't tell people enough how beautiful the place is once you get away from the cities and the touristy area's and get out to the country.

We spent almost 3 weeks there and we covered almost 600 miles going cross country by train and boat. These photos are a fraction of what we saw and did.

Each image links to a bigger view of the photo. Please understand that they will take a few moments to download due to their size.