Thinking with his ass, Gene was going to travel until the money from the house run out and then do hobbies for the rest of his life. Gene did use the money from the house for traveling, and also research on his family tree in London. On these trips, is the way he met Svetla, Daniela and Yura, more about this later.
Gene’s second ex-wife Valerie has a son named Chris, Chris was having a lot of problems for life. Chris’s mother wanted him to spend all of his spare time with her, except when he was in school. Valerie at this period of time felt that her life was slipping by, and she would be left alone with nothing in her life, for emotions. Valerie could not work anymore as she had too many health problems, and so further education was not going to help her. Now her very good mind was going to waste. It is the emotion that mess us up every time. At age 16 years old, Chris wanted to go out with girls, which is only normal. Chris was sure that his mother would never let him grow up. Gene talked to Chris to try to make him understand that in the near future, he would get his life back and would have all the things that he needed and wanted. Gene also talked to Chris about education and how important it was for his future. Gene got Chris to start school, to get him away from his mother influence. Chris started school for mechanics. It was a good school and now Chris was very happy. After going to school for some time, Chris tried to get a part time job, to help pay for the school and a car that Chris wanted. Chris had no luck trying to find a job and was told that unless he knew someone or had a relative who was working as a mechanic, he had almost no chance of getting a job as a mechanic. So Chris quit and started school for electronics as Gene had suggested to him in the first place. Now Chris was able to find a job with a electronics firm and was happy. Chris had a 1990 car and because he had started the second school, he could not afford the car anymore. So Chris asked Gene to take over the payments on the new car, and Gene and Chris exchanged cars.
Gene was happy to get Chris’s car, as Gene had two different trips that he wanted to take and his car was not good enough for the trips. The first trip was to Florida and back to Kenosha. He would also go through Georgia, North and South Carolina on the same trip. Gene did this trip in June of 1991. After that Gene got ready for a trip to Newfoundland and back to Kenosha in Sept. of 1991. He wanted to visit So. Gardener, Maine where his mother was born and to visit Millers Creek Nova Scotia, Canada where Gene’s father was born. He would also go through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Gene had been to, Ontario and Quebec, Canada on a trip in 1977. So this trip would complete the provinces in this area of Canada. When Gene got to Millers Creek, he was able to talk the current owners of the house where his father was born, to let him go inside to see what it looked like now. From photos of the old house, he could still recognize the house, from the outside. Inside the upstairs was still one big room. Gene felt like he could feel his fathers, presents inside the home. He could imagine dad and all his (8-9 children.) bothers and sisters sleeping in this one big room. After visiting the owners of the house, he continued on to the east end, of Nova Scotia to catch a ferry to Newfoundland and back to Nova Scotia. All together, a very good trip.
Not too much later, Chris could afford his car back, as he had married, so Gene and Chris exchanged cars again. It was good for both Gene and Chris as Gene didn’t need the car anymore., as his next trip was to be to Ireland. If Gene had used the car, he might of gotten wet. Funny how things work out!!!!!
The England, Wales, and Ireland trip. Gene wanted to walk in the same places in England that his father had been stationed at in 1917. Also he wanted to visit Ireland, as this would complete the countries in this area for visits. Gene took this trip in January of 1992. Visiting the places that Gene’s father had been to, it didn’t workout very well, as from the information that he had, the areas had changed quite a lot, since Gene’s dad had been there. When he did get to England, he didn’t feel anything special. But still Gene was glad that he had done this, as he would of always wondered as the years passed by, that he didn’t try to go see any of the places that his dad had been to. It was during this trip that he did some of the research on the family tree. Getting back to the trip, Gene took a ferry from Wales to Ireland and back.
The twelve country trip. The next trip was to Europe to see twelve different countries. Because this was to be an extended trip, Gene took a little more time, to plan what he wanted to see. He had enough money for the trip. While Gene was planning this next trip, he built a lot of model HO and N gage trains. Also, model airplanes, tanks and war boats. Getting back to the trip, it was to last from February through March of 1993. Gene wanted to visit England, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and France. Again he did some research on family tree things.
Gene flew to England and on the way over, he had a nice, experience. The steward’s were serving drinks, and one was not watching where she was going. The one steward pushed the other off her feet, right into his lap. The only thing for Gene to say to the steward that landed in my lap, was. :Thank you!!!:
When in London, Gene bought a Euro Rail Pass, which is a very cheap way to travel. All one ticket for both train and ferry travel. Just show the pass and the conductors didn’t bother a person again. From London, to the coast by train. Then Gene took a ferry to Holland. In Holland he got back on the train and went to Denmark, The same train boarded a ferry that went to Sweden and Norway. With this Euro Pass, he could get on and off the train at any time he wanted and wherever he wanted. Gene didn’t need a reservation at all. This made things easy for traveling, as he didn’t have to worry about late trains or missed connections. Gene had never been in Norway before, so going through all the other countries was just his way of getting to Norway. Gene visited the railway station.
After going to Norway, Gene got back on the train and the same train went clear to Berlin, Germany. He had never been in, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Italy, or Switzerland, so again Gene traveled through the other countries to get to the other four countries. Gene didn’t want to take a airplane around Europe, as it is way too expensive to travel that way. While on the train from Berlin to Brno, Czechoslovakia., Gene met a woman named Svetla Russeva. After talking to her all night long on the train, she invited him to come to visit her family in Bulgaria. Gene had not thought of going to Bulgaria before, but he said to himself that because he never been to Bulgaria before, Why not!!!
Because Gene was still on the trip that he had planned, he told, Svetla that he would go home, and in about six months, he would start another trip, and this trip would be to Bulgaria. Anyway Gene went home and then took a short trip to see Reta Stewart from Springfield, Missouri. Gene went in April of 1993. Reta is just a very nice person and Gene is lucky to have met her.
The Bulgarian trip!!! Gene was to visit Svetla Russeva from Gorna Oriahovitza, Bulgaria. Gene went from Chicago to New York by TWA, to catch the Bulgarian Airlines as he wanted to take the Bulgarian national airlines for the flight into Sofia. At New York city airport, while waiting for the flight to Sofia, Gene met Daniela Ivanova who was going home, after a visit to her brother in America. Daniela was having trouble with her luggage and he wanted to help her out. That Daniela was a good looking girl had nothing to do with it. Ha!!!
While Gene and Daniela were waiting to board the flight, Daniela asked Gene to come and sit with her, once the airplane took off. He was more then happy to do this, as he was too excited to sleep on the flight anyway. Gene and Daniela talked all night long, and Daniela asked him to come to Vratza to visit her, after he was done with his visit with Svetla. So Daniela gave him her telephone number in Vratza.
Half way into the flight to Sofia, about one o’clock in the morning, Gene decided to go get Daniela a small present from the steward’s. He went to the back of the plane, where the steward’s were behind their curtain. When Gene pulled the curtain aside, one of the female steward’s had her panties and panty hose down around her ankles, while three other stewards, (One male and two females.) were looking on. Gene didn’t ask them what they were doing, but went back a little while later and everything was in order. It sure gave Daniela and Gene a good laugh.
Svetla met Gene as planed in Sofia. He and Svetla stayed in Sofia for five day and then went on to Gorna as planed by train. Gene met Svetla’s two boys (Age 12 and 8 years old.) and stayed at Svetla’s apartment for two weeks and then two more weeks in a very cheap hotel in Gorna, in fact the only hotel in town. Gene and Svetla married on Oct. 23, 1993 and because it was not a marriage for love, he went the same day to meet Daniela in Sofia as planed. Gene and Daniela stayed overnight in Sofia in the same hotel room. Just to sleep, only. The next day, he and Daniela went to Vratza by train. It was still early in the day, so Daniela took Gene up into the mountains, right outside Vratza, it is very pretty. That night he was going to take Daniela to a restaurant and Daniela suggested that we take Daniela’s friend, Yura Sivtcheva to the restaurant with us. This was just fine with Gene, as he wanted to meet as many Bulgarian girls as he could. At first Gene did not like Yura, as he though she was stuck-up. But later he found out that Yura was just unsure of herself. Yura was not sure of her English ability.
Gene had given up on Svetla, as right at the wedding meal, she asked Gene to take her ex-husband with us to America. Gene said, No way, Jose!!! He was sure that Svetla's ex was a alcoholic, and Gene would never have anything to do with an alcoholic. So he said to Svetla, See you later alligator, after a while crocodile!!! Gene left for America as soon as he had filed papers for a divorce. He wanted to do the divorce in Bulgaria as he though that would be neat. Svetla told Gene a year later that he was right about her ex’s being a alcoholic, but she could not see it at the time. But by then he was married to Yura. I want everyone to know that Svetla is not a bad person, just she thought that it would be good for her children to have the father close by. But as everyone knows, a alcoholic must help themselves before a person can also help them.
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