by John Foltin
Todd spent a typical night alone in his room. Work on his novel hit a standstill. Ever since Spain, all he could think about was Marisol. No one had ever treated him as special as she did.
He needed to get past her. He was never going to see her again, although he would very much like to. His interest in Kristen was gone.
He spent the night trying to catch up his novel, but without an inspiration, it was difficult to put the emotion in it.
Mei-Xing and Douglas took in the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. At the start of the trip, he wasn’t big on classical music. Mei-Xing was turning him into a fan.
Chadwick did his thing. He went to Watergate to find someone to fill his needs. He came upon Lena. He asked her to have sex with him for fifty dollars. She accepted, and they returned to her apartment.
The next morning, they checked out and left Berlin.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Five and a half hours later, they arrived in Warsaw. They checked into the Kyriad Prestige.
They left to tour the Wilanów Palace. They also toured the Royal Castle, and the Copper-Roof Palace.
That night, Todd wanted to sample some of the cuisine of his ancestors. His grandparents from his mother’s side came from Poland. He ate at Pierrogeria.
Christopher and Leigh enjoyed dinner at Delicja Polska. They continued discussions about their wedding. They decided who and how many to include in their wedding party. His roommate Kyle Beck would be the best man. Her roommate Jodi Ferguson would be the maid of honor.
Richard and Patricia enjoyed a night out at Foksal 19.
The next morning, they checked out. They boarded a train for Krakow. Three hours later, they arrived.
After they checked into the Sheraton Krakow, they were given a choice, the first such on this trip. There was a bus waiting to take them to the concentration camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau. Due to the graphic and sensitive nature, some people may be offended or repulsed by the sights. Those who chose to stay behind could.
Patricia’s mother was Jewish, so she chose to stay behind. Richard chose to keep her company. Ten other women and Justin stayed behind as well.
The bus carrying the rest left for a fifty mile trip to Auschwitz.
They toured the grounds, including the gas chambers where many Jews were killed. The smell of death still remained sixty plus year later. They saw Block 11, the "prison within the prison" where repeat offenders were placed. They saw some cells that were only sixteen square feet and made to hold four prisoners at a time.
As scary as Auschwitz was, Birkenau was worse. Almost a million Jews were killed at this camp. They could tell it would be by the sign on the gate, “Gate of Death”. They saw "The Little Red House" and "The Little White House", two brick cottages converted into gassing facilities. They saw four crematoria, larger gassing chambers.
The sight of the remains still in the chambers caused some, like Leigh and Todd, to run back to the bus. Others, like Daniel, lost their lunch.
This tour had to be cut short. No one enjoyed this stop, but some were intrigued by the historical significance.
When they returned to Krakow, they did what they could to forget the sight of death.
Some of them went to Ministerstwo for a night of dancing. Others went to Nostalgia for an authentic Polish meal.
Chadwick chose to go to Szambelan for a bottle of Polish vodka.
Kristen was still an island unto herself. She didn’t want to go out with any of the men, and none of the women wanted to go anywhere with her. So, she drowned herself in room service.
Todd went shopping at Sukiennice for some Polish souvenirs for his family. Afterward, he went back to working on his story for Kristen.
They couldn’t stay out too late. They had an early flight in the morning. After a few weeks of traveling by train, a flight was a pleasant change of pace.
After checking out of the Sheraton Krakow, they boarded a plane. Three hours later, they landed in Prague in the Czech Republic. They checked into the Hotel Josef.
After time to clean up, they left for Karlštejn Castle. The castle was built in the fourteenth century and contained artifacts dating back to then.
As they toured the castle, they passed through the Imperial Palace, the Marian Tower, the Big Tower, the Well Tower, and the Chapel of the Holy Cross.
As Todd walked the grounds, he noticed how sad Kristen was. He knew exactly what she was going through. He wanted friends, yet no one would talk to him. Likewise, Kristen wanted someone to talk to, not someone to hit on her or snipe at her.
As much as he wanted to talk to her and satisfy both of their needs, he just wasn’t brave enough to take that step.
He was brave enough to go out that night to sample the cuisine of his paternal ancestors at Pivovarský dum.
Christopher and Leigh planned more of their wedding at Vinárna V zátisí. He went online to view which city on the tour was the best option for their wedding in Japan. He suggested Rokuonji Temple in Kyoto. She needed to research it to see if it was appropriate.
Mei-Xing and Douglas went to Smetana Hall to see the Prague Symphony Orchestra. While she enjoyed the music, Douglas started getting a little frustrated. To him, it seemed that they were only doing what she wanted to do and ignored his interests.
The next morning, they checked out and left for the airport. Two and a half hours later, they arrived in Moscow, Russia.
After checking into the Hotel Metropol and cleaning up, they left for Red Square. One of the first things they saw there was Lenin’s Mausoleum, containing the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin. They also saw headstones of other Soviet icons, such as Joseph Stalin and Yuri Gagarin along the Kremlin Wall.
Next was a tour of Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat, otherwise known as St. Basil’s Cathedral. Todd was able to get his picture taken with the cathedral in the background.
Next, they toured the Kremlin. Included in the tour were Cathedral Square, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower, Terem Palace, the Arsenal, and Ivan III's Palace of Facets. They saw the Tsar Bell, the largest bell in the world. There were twenty towers with the Kremlin walls, but due to time restrictions, they were not able to tour them all. They did go into two, the Blagoveschenskaya Tower and the Konstantino-Eleninskaya Tower.
That night, Douglas wanted to sample the Russian cuisine. He took Mei-Xing to Kitezh. He took one sip of borsch and spit it out. Otherwise, he loved the food. After dinner, he took her to the Bolshoi Theater to see the ballet.
Christopher and Leigh took a moonlit walk through Gorky Park. After doing her research, she said that the wedding was a go at Rokuonji Temple.
Kristen felt lonely. The men left her alone at her request, and the women left her alone to spite her.
She went shopping by herself in an effort to forget about her solitude. She went to Bvlgari for some jewelry. She found a nice necklace that matched her ensemble she purchased in Rome.
Patricia and Richard went out dancing at Discoteque. The way they danced out there, you would never have known they had broken up three years ago. They looked like two people in love.
Todd went with a group to the Moscow Circus. He was going through a bit of writer’s block and needed a breather to clear his head.
Chadwick was tiring of the whole paying for sex thing, but he tried one more time. He met a call girl named Raisa. Like always, he didn’t care about her name.
She went to work on him after the money was exchanged, but his heart just wasn’t into it.
The next morning, they checked out and left for the airport. An hour and a half later, they landed in Minsk, Belarus.
Instead of checking into a hotel, they loaded their suitcases onto a bus and left for a two hour trip to Mir Castle, a castle built in the fifteenth century. It was unique in that it featured Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture and overlooked a man-made lake.
After the tour, the bus took the
m straight to the airport. From there, they flew through the night.
When they woke up, they were landing at Kayseri, Turkey. They were given two hours to clean up after checking into the Ibis Kayseri.
When ready, they left by bus for an hour-long trip to Cappadocia. There they toured several of the underground cities. The biggest and deepest of these was Derinkuyu. It was eleven floors and about eighty-five meters deep, though most of it was inaccessible to them. They were also able to tour the underground city of Kaymakli.
Between cities, they saw a number of hot air balloons overhead. Christopher wanted to do that, but he didn’t know their starting point.
After the trip back, they crashed at the hotel for a while. Since there was little to do in Kayseri, everyone stayed in for the night.
CHAPTER EIGHT
In the morning, they checked out of the hotel and left for the airport. Five and a half hours later, they landed in Tel Aviv, Israel. From there, they drove to Jerusalem.
They checked into the Mamilla Hotel. As they left to tour the Old City, Richard decided that he didn’t want to leave the hotel. When asked why, he said that as an atheist, visiting such a religious city was against his beliefs. Patricia tried to talk him into coming on the tour, but he refused to budge.
As she walked away, she knew the man she loved in high school was dead to her, and this replacement was not him.
The rest of them went to the Old City. The tour started at the Jaffa Gate. It was named after the port of Jaffa, from which the Prophet Jonah embarked on his sea journey. From the gate, they could see the Tower of David.
Next, they went to the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall. This was the most sacred Jewish site in the world and the last remains of the Second Temple, commissioned by King Solomon.
They also visited the Temple Mount, the site where Isaac was bound by Abraham, the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock.
To close out their tour of the Old City, they traveled the Via Dolorosa, or the Way of the Cross. This was the path believed to have been traveled by Jesus as he walked to Calvary, where he was crucified. Some were offered large wooden crosses to reenact the Stations of the Cross. Todd, Douglas and Christopher were among those who chose this option.
The walk began where Jesus was scourged and judged.
For those that don’t know, these are the Stations of the Cross:
Station 1: Jesus was condemned to death by Pontius Pilate.
Station 2: Jesus received the cross.
Station 3: Jesus fell for the first time.
Station 4: Jesus met his mother.
Station 5: Simon the Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross.
Station 6: Veronica wiped Jesus' face.
Station 7: Jesus fell the second time.
Station 8: Jesus consoled the pious women of Jerusalem.
Station 9: Jesus fell the third time.
Station 10: Jesus was stripped of his garments.
Station 11: Jesus was nailed to the cross.
Station 12: Jesus died on the cross.
Station 13: Jesus was taken down from the cross and given to Mary.
Station 14: Jesus was laid in the chamber of the sepulcher and from there was resurrected.
The last five Stations on the tour took place inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
That night, Christopher and Leigh went to Kan Zeman. They continued discussing plans for their wedding. After dinner, they went dancing at The Lab.
Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Dagim BaChatzer, known for their seafood.
Richard, as he had done all day, never left the hotel. He ordered room service for lunch and ate at the King’s Garden Restaurant inside the hotel.
Patricia didn’t want to join him. She wanted to explore the city. She ate at Eucalyptus. As she was ordering, she saw Todd sitting alone as well. She asked to join him for dinner.
Patricia talked about how insensitive Richard was. Todd talked about how he wanted to ask out Kristen, but she had yet to notice him.
Kristen went shopping at Ophir for some jewelry. As Chadwick was walking the city, he passed by the store and saw her through the window. Part of him considered walking in and trying to patch things up with her. Instead, he decided to give her some space. She needed a bit more time to cool off.
The next morning, they traveled to East Jerusalem. Everyone but Richard. He still refused to leave the hotel.
The first sight they saw was the Mount of Olives. Next, they saw the Mosque of the Ascension, which marked the spot where Jesus ascended to Heaven.
From there, they went to the Church of the Pater Noster, built on the spot where Jesus instructed his disciples in the Lord's Prayer. Then, they saw the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus supposedly prayed the night before his arrest.
The last thing they saw on the tour was the Tomb of the Virgin, which was a deep underground chamber housing the tombs of Mary and Joseph.
That afternoon, they checked out of the hotel and traveled to Tel Aviv to board a plane. Four hours later, they landed in Aqaba, Jordan. Two and a half hours later, they arrived in Petra. They checked into the Mövenpick Resort for the night.
The next morning, they left for the Siq, a canyon from ten to thirteen feet wide. As they walked, they next saw Al Khazneh, a royal tomb carved out of sandstone.
Christopher recognized the structure. “Are we going to see the Holy Grail?” using a reference to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Next was the High Place of Sacrifice, the Tombs of Wadi Farasa, and the Roman Theater.
After that was a series of royal tombs. They saw the Urn Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, the Palace Tomb, and the Tomb of Sextius Florentinus.
Finally, they saw the Temple of the Winged Lions and the Qasr al Bint Temple.
When they returned to the hotel, they checked out. They had a long flight ahead of them, one that would take them through the night.
After the two and a half hour drive to Aqaba, they boarded a plane. The next morning, they were landing in Delhi, India.
They checked into The Oberoi. Shortly after they checked in, they boarded a bus for a four hour trip to Agra.
They arrived at the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built by Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. It combined elements of Persian, Turkish, and Indian architecture.
The first sight they came upon as they approached the epic landmark was the Taj Gateway, standing thirty meters high. Past the Gateway was the Taj Garden, spanning three hundred meters by three hundred meters. There were pathways that divided each quarter of the garden into sixteen flowerbeds.
As they approached the tomb, they could see the elaborate detail in the carvings of the exterior. But that paled in comparison to the detail of the interior. Among the sights they saw on the interior was a replica of the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The actual tombs were off limits to the public.
After leaving the Taj Mahal, they visited Fatehpur Sikri, a ghost town made out of sandstone and only inhabited for fourteen years. Among the buildings they saw there were the Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience, Panch Mahal, a five-storied palatial structure, and the Tomb of Salim Chishti
They also visited Agra Fort. They entered through the Amar Singh Gate. They saw the Musamman Burj, a large, octagonal tower with a balcony facing the Taj Mahal, the Shish Mahal or “Mirror Palace”, and the Anguri Bagh or “Grape Garden”.
There was a part of Chadwick that still wanted to be with Kristen, but he knew she wouldn’t take him back in her present state. He knew he had to make her want him again.
He thought if he dated another person within the group that she may get jealous and want him back. While they toured the Taj Mahal, he surveyed the possibilities.
He eventually set his sights on Brianna Fox, a graduate of Bluejacket High School who got her degree in Advertising from the University of Oklahoma. At the end of the tour, he asked her out that evening. She said yes.
Christopher and Leigh had dinner at Punjabi by Nature. After a week of planning their marriage, they took tonight to just relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Douglas and Mei-Xing had dinner at Chor Bizarre.
Todd had dinner at threesixty. Patricia saw him sitting there and asked to join him again. He started talking about Kristen again. He told her about her soliloquy onboard the cruise ship. After a while, Patricia discovered she had completely misunderstood Kristen. She wasn’t stuck up; she just wanted to be like everyone else.
Richard wanted to patch things up with Patricia. He knew they would never be what they were in high school, but he still wanted to be friends. Her roommate told him she was out.
He walked past threesixty and saw her talking with Todd. He felt it best not to interrupt and make things worse.
Kristen didn’t want to go out. She felt like a pariah ever since the train ride to Füssen. She had gone out a few times by herself, but she really wanted some company, male or female. She had wanted to be left alone. She got her wish. Now, she regretted her wish.
They had to meet back at the hotel by eleven o’clock. They had to check out and be at the airport for a midnight flight.
CHAPTER NINE
At midnight, the plane left Delhi. It landed eleven hours later at Siem Reap in Cambodia.
They had little time to waste. They quickly checked into the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, cleaned and changed.
Buses were waiting to take them to Angkor Wat, a temple built for King Suryavarman II in the early twelfth century. The outer wall was surrounded by a moat one hundred meters wide and formed a rectangle 1500 meters by 1300 meters.
As they entered by the south tower, they noticed a statue of Vishnu, which they called Ta Reach. Inside the walls, the structure was made up of three galleries.
The walls of the outer gallery were sculpted with images of epic scenes during the reign of Suryavarman II. Connecting the outer gallery to the inner galleries was a cruciform gallery called Preah Poan, or “Hall of a Thousand Gods”. The second and innermost galleries were also connected by a cruciform terrace.