David S. Demarest

Recently I received a posting from a friend, peer, and past Windermere manager.  His message reminded me that I had failed to update my story as presented on this blog, and that it was time to do so as much has changed since my last posting.
As you may recall, I returned to work as manager [...]

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My break from work of three months - one might call it a sabbatical - is about to end.  Today I return to work.
In late May, after returning home from overseas, I promised to write some closing words on my travels.  To facilitate doing so, I would like to start first with some specific comments [...]

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More than a few days have passed since my last post, and many more miles have been covered!  Those miles include, of course, the flight home on Monday from Vienna (12 hours in the air and a nine hour time change).  But those miles also include travel by train from Ljubljana in Slovenia to Salzburg [...]

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Go ahead, try saying the name of this capital city of Slovenia five times fast!
Flew to Zagreb yesterday with no problem, took the bus from the airport to the bus station, walked to the train station, got a ticket to the capital of Slovenia - and somehow missed the train even though I was sitting [...]

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Today I leave for Zagreb, after a very pleasant stay in the Old Town of Dubrovnik.   Comfortable lodging, good food, some wine and beer, history, people watching, music in the evenings, and the ocean.  What more could one ask for in a place to visit?
Took a passenger ferry south to Cavtat for the day yesterday.  [...]

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I have covered a lot of ground since my last posting in Sarajevo.  I took the bus from Sarajevo to Mostar, about a three hour trip.  The countryside was beautiful - high mountain, rivers, lakes, and sadly - lots of bombed out structures and cemetaries.  In looking at the gravestones anywhere I have stopped, there [...]

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Spent yesterday wandering around Sarajevo, enjoying the old town with its expansive pedestrian walkways surrounded by shops and cafes,  and visiting the Museum of History which includes a compelling exhibit on the siege of Sarajevo back in the early 1990’s.
In his guide book on Croatia and Slovenia, Rick Steves includes quite a comprehensive summary of [...]

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Left Istanbul this morning and am currently waiting for a connection in Belgrade. 
Istanbul is a city I will very much enjoy returning to.  Spent yesterday visiting some more of the historic sites, and later in the afternoon took the tram along the waterfront and then the funicular “underground tram” that very successfully moves people from [...]

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First, and as promised, a couple more Darjeeling photos:
     Mt. Kangchenjunga (28169 ft), world’s third tallest mountain, at sunrise from Darjeeling
   Typical Darjeeling street scene     and a quiet Darjeeling lane
   The famous Darjeeling (toy) train.  It runs on a 24″ track
Before Istanbul, a bit more on getting out of Delhi.  In my last post [...]

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This afternoon I felt the overwhelming urge to comment on a most enjoyable afternoon. 
After wandering around Connaught Circle and surrounds for a couple of hours, I finally decided to go to the Hotel Rak International, a suggestion in my Lonely Planet guide book.  Walked up and got a room for 650 rupees - with air [...]

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