byrdmanva'sTravel Journalshttp://gvi.goabroad.net/journal.phpSat, 25 May 2013 12:29:46 PSTen-usIf you haven't been to Versailles ... - [In the City of Lights]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1793Thu, 6 Dec 2007 19:51:47 PSTParis, France, Thu, 6 Dec 2007
you haven't really been to Paris. On our final full day in the City of Lights, Cornelia and I braved the RER line and la grève sociale to get to Versailles. The trip was well worth it. Built when Louis XIV moved the royal palace to a former hunting lodge of one of his predecessors, Versailles palace is stunning....

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]]> Montmartre: crêpes, mosaics and stairs - [In the City of Lights]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1789Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:40:55 PSTParis, France, Wed, 31 Oct 2007
Saturday we did make it to breakfast and decided to go to on one of the river cruises - the Batobus - down the Seine. Several people had told us to really see Paris, you have to see it from the river. The half had not been told us. Again the weather was breathtaking. The skies were almost cobalt blue,...

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]]> To the top of the world - [In the City of Lights]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1787Mon, 29 Oct 2007 09:43:05 PSTParis, France, Mon, 29 Oct 2007
On Friday, we visited Notre Dame, St. Severin and the Louvre. Notre Dame was every bit as special as we had hoped. We were able to take the 4 line from Mouton Duvernet near our hotel to St. Michel-Notre Dame. Once we climbed the stairs - there IT was, the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Victor Hugo and the 1939 movie...

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]]> Making Lemonade - [In the City of Lights]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1763Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:52:56 PSTParis, France, Thu, 25 Oct 2007
We had planned to go to Versailles on Thursday, but the train drivers in Paris had other plans. After breakfast (croissant, french bread, jellies, cheese, coffee with milk) we went to the front desk to ask which train to catch. "Oh, you cannot take the train today," the desk clerk said. "There is a strike and there is no metro,...

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]]> Museum hopping - [In the City of Lights]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1757Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:48:54 PSTParis, France, Wed, 24 Oct 2007
After some necessary rest - which meant that we slept through the continental breakfast the first day - Cornelia and I started our sight-seeing excursion. We decided to take the metro to St. Michel and see the Museé D'Orsay. It was time well spent. The museum itself is a converted train station. It used to be the terminus of the Paris-Orleans...

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]]> A dream come true - [In the City of Lights]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1741Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:04:54 PSTParis, France, Mon, 22 Oct 2007
Whatever you do in this life - whether you discover the cure for cancer or walk on the moon or star in a Broadway musical, or win the Nobel Peace Prize - you MUST go to Paris. I had seen the City of Lights in movies, in animation, in postcards. I had heard friends speak of its beauty and infinite richness....

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]]> Pay that thang! - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1219Sat, 28 Jul 2007 15:47:32 PSTDistrict of Columbia, United States, Sat, 28 Jul 2007
I finished my voucher for the Rio trip today. It came in about $900 more than I had planned, but some things - like the driver to get me around Rio - were not in the original budget. Once you check "this is my final voucher" in the little radio button, that's it. You have to file an amended...

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]]> The green, green grass . . . - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1149Sat, 21 Jul 2007 12:38:30 PSTDistrict of Columbia, United States, Sat, 21 Jul 2007
of home is actually brown from a lack of rain. But that aside, it's HOME! My flight home was not much better than my flight to Brazil, but I did get some sleep. Several of the US medal winners - including rowers and the baseball team - were on the plane home. I was sitting next...

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]]> All good things . .. - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1133Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:31:05 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Fri, 20 Jul 2007
I went to a smoking hot Brazilian club last night called Carioca da Gema to hear some authentic Brazilian Music. I closed the place down. It was GREAT!. Yesterday and today were beautiful in Rio and that kind of sucks because I have to leave now. But it has been a good trip. I really...

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]]> In the midst of joy, sadness - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1117Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:38:03 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wed, 18 Jul 2007
I got to play real reporter today. Unfortunately when I get to do that kind of thing, it usually involves stuff blowing up, burning, collapsing or crumbling and people are usually dead. That was the case today, in the aftermath of Brazil's worst air disaster in Sao Paolo in which as many as 195 to 200 people died. The plane...

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]]> You say you do what? - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1099Tue, 17 Jul 2007 18:07:28 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tue, 17 Jul 2007
I got to interview Natalie Woolfolk of the US Weightlifting team today at the Pan American Games. She is 5'3' and 135 and it's all a bundle of energy. She won a bronze medal in the women's 63 kilogram class with a combined total of 213 kilograms (that's almost 470 pounds). She was a great interview. She is small...

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]]> It's all in the racket - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1093Thu, 6 Dec 2007 19:40:48 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thu, 6 Dec 2007
I was privileged to get an interview with several members of the USA badminton team and their coach today at the Main Press Center. Howard Bach and Bob Malaythong are the top US men's doubles team. They are the guys featured in the ad with Brain Urlacher of the Chicago Bears and David Ortiz of the Boston Red...

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]]> Brazil Sunset - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1073Sun, 15 Jul 2007 14:37:29 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sun, 15 Jul 2007
Sunset Sunday July 15 Rio de Janeiro Brazil.I Shot this photo before going to watch badminton at the Pan American Games. Badminton at this level is not for the back yard any more. I did watch a couple of matches, one of which was over quickly. Turns out the whole USA Badminton team was on my flight coming down here....

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]]> Rio day seven - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1061Sun, 15 Jul 2007 10:52:04 PSTBrazil, Brazil, Sun, 15 Jul 2007
I tried - successfully - to establish and use my voipdiscount.com account today to call home. It's basically a voice-over-internet provider (voip) phone service that allows me to call home or anywhere using my internet provider. I used it to call my wife Cornelia and we talked for about an hour - supposedly the call was free, but...

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]]> Favor part 2 - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1057Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:10:22 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sat, 14 Jul 2007
Since I don't have the broadcast rights to the Pan Am Games, I had to find a way around. I refuse to steal in the name of the United States, so taking my recorder/ camera into the venue without permission is out of the question. But I talked to the USOC, and they are very accomodating as far as getting...

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]]> You want to play, you got to pay - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1049Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:15:10 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sat, 14 Jul 2007
I found out about the rights issue. I can't take my equipment into the venue. Nothing. I have to leave all recording equipment behind. Which sucks. I can go into the venue, I can watch the competition, I can even talk to the athletes. I just can't record anything. So I have to be basically a newspaper reporter. ...

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]]> Let the Games begin! - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1047Sat, 14 Jul 2007 07:34:03 PSTBrazil, Brazil, Sat, 14 Jul 2007
The 15th Pan Am Games got underway Friday with a glittering ceremony called "share the energy." It was typical Olympic- style stuff with lots of people in costume, lots of music, and lots of dancing. A couple of boring speeches by dignitaries and that was about it. Today the competition is in full swing and I have five more...

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]]> The Favor of God - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1009Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:40:05 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thu, 12 Jul 2007
Today I was wondering if I would get the last video I needed for my television piece for the Pan American Games. There was a rumor that the head of the Organizing Committee - Carlos Arthur Nuzman - was going to be in the Main Press Center today. I called all the contacts I could muster last night...

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]]> Rio Ranger - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=907Wed, 11 Jul 2007 13:49:19 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wed, 11 Jul 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Today I was the galloping photographer in Rio. The only way I could get to the sites I needed to video was to take a car, so I hired one. The driver was Local and charged me R$200 which works out to about $100. I also tipped him R$20, which was...

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]]> Favela photos - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=903Tue, 10 Jul 2007 19:57:10 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tue, 10 Jul 2007
I was riding past some of the favelas in Rio on my way between Copcabana and Barra. I was safe in my bus, but there are millions of people living in these slums. The authorities here say that it is a haven for drug dealers and criminals. One of the flightattendants on my flight down said some...

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]]> Rio day 2 - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=893Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:46:41 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tue, 10 Jul 2007
This is a record of my trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the Pan American Games. July 8 2007 Dulles International Airport C Gates 7:25 pm. I made it through security okay, but there was one little glitch. The guy at the gate did not stamp my ticket to affirm that I had shown him my ID, so the TSA people stopped me...

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]]> Rio day one - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=873Mon, 9 Jul 2007 16:45:26 PSTRio de Janeiro, Brazil, Mon, 9 Jul 2007
Aftera 14 hour flight that took off late and after taking too long to get to my hotel room I am in Rio de Janeiro at Copacabana beach. I am stay at the Windsor Palace Hotel on Rua Domingos Fereirra, about a block off the beach. I didn~t get my credentiual yet because of a paperwork snafu. I have to...

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]]> Flights confirmed - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=845Tue, 3 Jul 2007 16:00:35 PSTDistrict of Columbia, United States, Tue, 3 Jul 2007
My flights are confirmed with United from Dulles to Sao Paolo and then to Rio. I stil have training to do with one of the telelvision techs from my agency before I go. That's not going to happen until Thursday - my last day in the office before the trip - because Wednesday is a holiday and people...

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]]> Prep time madness - [Rio 2007 Pan American Games]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=809Thu, 28 Jun 2007 12:03:15 PSTDistrict of Columbia, United States, Thu, 28 Jun 2007
I am in the final phase of preparation to cover the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro next month. I have never been to Brazil, so this is all new. I also don't speak Portuguese. But the last segments of the trip - visa, hotel, plane, assignments, etc. - are being sewn up as I write...

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]]> Super Highway, Coast to Coast .... - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1463Tue, 4 Sep 2007 04:48:38 PSTVirginia, United States, Tue, 4 Sep 2007
I arrived home in Virginia early. After a 12 hour flight from Osaka to Detroit, our connector from Detroit to Dulles was in DC earlier than expected. I was still disoriented from the long flight, but was able to get my bags and get a taxi and get home before the Labor Day rush started. Thank you God. My...

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]]> Up, up and Away! - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1455Sun, 2 Sep 2007 08:42:37 PSTOsaka, Japan, Sun, 2 Sep 2007
I have checked in my plane reservation. I have packed my bags, and tonight, now that the athletics is over, I am going to go to the section of town where they have this huge street where every sign seems to be made of neon. This has been a good trip, but a long one. Working straight through...

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]]> Stop the Insanity!!!!!! - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1447Sat, 1 Sep 2007 09:44:52 PSTJapan, Japan, Sat, 1 Sep 2007
Tonight at the World Athletics Championships was the wildest night I have seen in a while. The mixed zone had so many people in it at the same time I thought it would collapse in on itself. Imagine a room under the seats of a stadium. In this room there are two main entrances about 15 feet wide. ...

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]]> And down the stretch we go... - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1437Fri, 31 Aug 2007 19:07:46 PSTOsaka, Japan, Fri, 31 Aug 2007
Frequently on these business trips, particularly on trips where I am working every day, there is a point I reach where my body is on the job, but my heart is gone. For this trip, that point was yesterday. As I write this, it is a beautiful day in Osaka. The sky is clear, the sun is...

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]]> A Royal excursion - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1429Thu, 30 Aug 2007 00:27:48 PSTOsaka, Japan, Thu, 30 Aug 2007
Since the athletics did not have any heats this morning, I got the chance to play tourist. The ONE place I wanted to go here in Osaka was the castle. THE castle. I wasn't sure if today was the day or if I should wait until Sunday, but apparently today was the day. I saw several fellow journalists,...

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]]> A peaceful place in the midst of the city - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1393Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:44:04 PSTJapan, Japan, Tue, 28 Aug 2007
I ventured down the street from my hotel today to a Starbucks that was closer than my previous haunt. I must sound like such a homer - Starbucks. But the coffee in the dining room of my hotel is so unbearably weak, I had to find something. I'm glad I went. This particular coffee place is located in one of the...

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]]> Plant a tree, eat the fruit, learn - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1389Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:49:50 PSTOsaka, Japan, Mon, 27 Aug 2007
I had some enlightening experiences about Osaka today. The first came when I wanted to get some fresh fruit to eat instead of junk food. I was at the local Starbucks in Umeda and asked the young woman if she knew where I could get some fruit. I had been eating things like sandwiches and stuff along with...

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]]> It's all in the Mix - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1385Thu, 6 Dec 2007 19:26:27 PSTOsaka, Japan, Thu, 6 Dec 2007
At world championships and other large sporting events like the IAAF track this week in Osaka, they have what is called a mixed zone. Tonight, the zone was a mixture of sweat, vomit, heat, spandex, flashbulbs, and whiny reporters all trying to get a quote or a photo or an interview. Don't I love this job. The mixed zone at...

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]]> Over the barriers into the adventure - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1379Sat, 25 Aug 2007 02:42:54 PSTJapan, Japan, Sat, 25 Aug 2007
As seems to invariably happen on these business trips, I had a challenge with my equipment today. Okay, you can stop snickering, not THAT equipment, I mean the stuff I use to do my job. My Agency gave us these minidisc recorders, which were all the rage in the late 90s and early 2000s, but now are pretty much obsolete....

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]]> A long flight and pleasant people - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1377Fri, 24 Aug 2007 07:07:39 PSTOsaka, Japan, Fri, 24 Aug 2007
I made it to Japan, thank God. As I write this I have had about one hours rest in the last 28 hours, but I am in Japan, at the main press center for the World Athletics Championships. The flight was longer than any flight I have ever taken, including last month in Brazil. After five and one half...

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]]> A Yen for money - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1363Tue, 21 Aug 2007 19:10:38 PSTVirginia, United States, Tue, 21 Aug 2007
I tried to get Japanese Yen at my local bank today - unsuccessfully! I originally tried at my local triple A office in Fairfax, VA, but they didn't have any. They said I should try a bank. So off to the local Wachovia I went, hoping that perhaps they had some yen that I could buy to try to...

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]]> Waiting is the hardest part .... - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1307Sat, 11 Aug 2007 07:17:50 PSTVirginia, United States, Sat, 11 Aug 2007
The World Athletics Championships start two weeks from today in Osaka. The trip is all approved through the federalies and now I just have to wait. Next week is my last week in the office before the trip and that's cool. I like being in the field - even though, God knows it has its challenges -...

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]]> Blow Winds .... - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1263Thu, 2 Aug 2007 12:34:50 PSTVirginia, United States, Thu, 2 Aug 2007
A typhoon struck Japan yesterday and today, with flooding and people wading through knee deep or deeper water. But I haven't seen any reports of it hitting Osaka. But the storm is supposed to move to the North and then be gone. Whee! Got to love that. Kyushu Electric Power said 8,000 houses were without power on Thursday. Thousands...

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]]> Time to Exhale - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1197Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:57:49 PSTVirginia, United States, Thu, 26 Jul 2007
I got a response from the Osaka organizers today and it looks like I will be able to take my audio recording equipment into the mixed zone for the World Athletics Championships. I also talked to my travel officer, and they are handling the plane reservations. In the Federal Government we have to use this system called E2...

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]]> The madness continues - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1189Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:09:06 PSTVirginia, United States, Wed, 25 Jul 2007
When I got back to the office today from my trip to Brazil, there was a form on my desk with the words "get stickers,” scrawled across it. It was from my boss. Apparently - as is usually the case, as was the case in Rio - in order to report on the World Athletics Championships in...

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]]> Across the Blue Pacific - [In the land of the Rising Sun]http://gvi.goabroad.net/travellog.php?action=view&travellogID=1167Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:46:14 PSTVirginia, United States, Mon, 23 Jul 2007
I got confirmation of my hotel in Osaka tonight. My editor has asked me to make sure that I start the travel approval process as soon as possible. I would be leaving one month from today. I looked at most of the available flights - all of them look miserable. The only ones that seem close...

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