Good-by to the Winter Olympics 2026

All around this blog you will see photos of locations for the Winter Olympics. The photo below is of the location of the closing ceremony on Verona, The picture above is of the Dolomites that hosted so may events. I took this from atop a mountain pass near Cortina.

 

Reserves in Africa

If you are looking for a safari in Africa and put it off for some reason. And that reason is safety.The reason is not likely valid. When having a good guide and keeping to reserves, you see the best with confidence. This photo is of a road leading up to a lodge in Botswana.

The animals pictured are bronze sculpted by locals.

 

Amsterdam on two wheels

We took a tour of the canals in a small boat run by Them Dam Boat Guys.

It was much better than riding a tourist boat with canned comments.

We also went where larger boats could not go.

This photo is of a bridge over a canal and shows that almost

everyone in Amsterdam has at least one bike.

The total is estimated at 800,000 bikes; more than one for everyone.

 

Verona Italy: Colosseum

There are many posts on Facebook right now on Verona.

I have long said that with its walkability and interesting places, it should not be missed. This photo is one of the Colosseum. Which is still in use today for plays and opera. This theatre is in the middle of own.

 

Inchcolm Abbey in the Firth of Forth, Scotland

Ever surprised by places I knew nothing about. We took a powerboat trip in the Firth of Forth in Scotland near Edinburgh. Leaving from under the old railroad bridge we went passed the sailboats and the many harbor seals. In the middle of the firth is the ancient abbey. The boat can dock and you can take a walk around the tiny island. Beautiful.

 

Cortina, Italy - - Site of the Winter Olympics

In the summerr of 2012 we spent a long time in the Dolomites.

It was on my bucket list and was everything I had hope for.

Several years before Cortinia had been the Winter Olympics

and there were still signs that it had been there.

I took this photo of a hotel in the heart of the city,

but the star wass the mountain behind.

 

Folks in the Vatican are just like us.

A good thing about traveling is not just seeing how different people are from you.

It is good to realize that they are pretty much the same.

If you wish to romanticize the people in the Vatican

remember this photo of their garbage truck.

 

David

I know most everyone has seen Michealangelo’s David in photo or for real. but my favorite is Donotello's. (About six feet tall.) Both in Florence.

 

The Tower Bridge, London

People have heard of The London Bridge, and many confuse it with the Tower Bridge. The Tower Bridge is at the Tower of London. It is obviously easier to spot. The old London Bridge is now in Arizona - go figur

Florence Italy Swordfight

This is the giant light fixture at a tourist center in Florence. After the meal an entertainer come out and chose two men to dress as knights and find the prize among the ladies present. One knight was a physicist from New Mexico and the other was me.

I did well, but he won. He and I, with our wives, 

visited various sites together after that.

Nothing like battle to bond you.

 

Florence Italy

There are reasons that Florence is a center of activity in Tuscany.

Art and beauty.

This photo was taken from the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River.

 

European Riverboats

 

This is a longboat on the Danube River.

We have also been on one in the Seine.

You likely have seen advertisements for very big boats.

The reason why we have enjoyed the smaller ones is that there are fewer

people traveling and thus we also get to know the staff better.

This particular "Select" boat only had two groups touring on it.

Note: Our boat in this photo is docked in Slovakia.

Motorcycles in European Cities

    The streets are often narrow in European cities. And even if you can navigate the oneway traffic you are stuck with finding a place to park. I have seen whole streets packed with motorcycles as it is a popular mode of travel. This photo shows a few parked, but look closely, there is a car at the end - middle frame.

Close up and far away

From far away these looked like giant musrooms.

With a longer lens it turns out to be hippos in South African Reserve.

 

Hiking in the Dolomites: WInter Olympics

 

Photo of my wife taking a photo of me along a path in the Dolomites.

The building is a warming hut and we were in one of the passes.

Note the mountain in back.

Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

On our way from Lecco to Verona our guidebook suggested a stop at Sirmione which is north and east of Milan.

Lake Garda is the largest of the three major lakes in northern Italy.

Sirmione is a fortress and community on spit out in the lake.

I had never heard of it, but that is what guidebooks are for.

This is a worthwhile stop.

 

Winter Olympics: Lake Como

If you are going to the Winter Olympics in Milan you are not far from one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe. I might say the world but I have not seen them all and I have spent lots of time at Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border in the United States. Yet Como is a great visit as you see Bellagio and all of the small villages clinging to the mountains around it.

 

 

Winter Olympics

You can also get into the Dolomites via Innsbruck.

Photo here is of the Ski Jump left from the Olympics there.

 

Winter Olympics: Cortina

A side benefit to the Winter Olympics in Cortina is that it is in the Dolomites.

The mountains of Northern Italy include the Alps and these wild

mountains that are rocky and amazing.

I imagine that there will be buses out of Trento or Bolzano as the

roads are narrow and drivers must focus on them.

This photo is of a windsurfer near Cortina taken in 2012.

We drove a Mercedes B Class outof Verona.

 

It's a small world after all

I remember when we flew into Atlanta, drove up to New England and then took a train across country back to California. It was an adventure. It was about that time that I embarrassed air travel. I am not sure how many miles we have spent in the air. We are not professional travelers, but we have been on the go. During Covid we cancelled trips to China, Costs Rica and Panama. Since then, we have gone back to the airport  willingly. If you like this, you too can make a map of your travels. This one is several years old, but every line brings back memories.

The Alhambra, Granada Spain

Granada is a great place to visit with the Alhambra or not. If you are planning on the Alhambra you need to research tickets before you go. On site, you will find that most tickets have been purchased by tour guides. To visit you may have to let them take you around. It is actually helpful to have an organized tour.