St. Canice Kilkenny, Ireland: Is President Obama Irish?

St. Canice is a  cathedral in Kilkenny Ireland. It has a old safety tower and is surrounded by a cemetery. It is historic and the church balances the budget by having tours. I is high on a hill, but not a bad walk  for the center of the city.

NOW, the other reason to visit. There is lots of talk about President Obama being a child of an African father, but little mention of his Irish mother, Ann Dunham. 

Family members of his are buried at Canice and they are pointed out on the tour. 

 

The Chobe River Delta, Botswana

Everyone seems to like a photo of the sun going down. We were in a tent camp (read glamping) in Botswana and looking over the Chobe River and National Park. We were having wine and cheese in the back of a safari rover (read glamping) and I took this photo. What struck me was the lone tree out in the savannah. This is not unique as there many single trees dotting the land.  

 

Outline of a Road Trip: Italy plus four other countries

         Taking a Road Scholar tour helps you with some language and customs. We started in Rome and took the train to Florence and Venice. That was nearly ten days. Then we were on our own. I had reserved a car in Verona so we took a milk train from Venice and got in a new Mercedes at Verona and stayed a couple of days. Verona was one of the best visits of the trip. We got an early start and traveled along Lake Garda to Bolzano. From there we drove east to the heart of the dolomites. We stayed three days at La Villa a town focused on hiking and skiing the strange sandstone mountains. From there we traveled to Innsbruck, Austria for a short visit. Across Austria we took a side trip into Bavaria. We returned there some years later for an extended visit. We stayed in the lovely city of Feldkirch, Austria and then it was Liechtenstein where I got lost. I did not know there are two cities in the small country. The cities look beautiful even in the rain.  Next it was down nearly the whole of Switzerland. (There is a rumor that there are mountains there, but mostly we saw fog .) We emerged at Lake Como for a wonderful stay. It gave us a chance to see what all the hype is about. Como lives up to it. On the road back to Verona we stopped at Sirmione a fortress on Lake Garda. Back to Verona and a good night sleep, we flew to Paris and returned to San Francisco. The Dolomites will stay with me forever as it has long been a goal. I know most folks don't have a month to travel, but we have them and as we age we don't want to waste them.

Photo by Marietta McLellan

Between Islands Western Norway

This is an example of why someone would take a small ship through the fjords and islands along the west coast of Norway. Center is a very narrow bridge linking two islands that were long cut off from one another. This photo was taken toward evening (during the nearly 24-hour daylight ). Besides getting to know some of the people from Norway (and around the world) this was the primary entertainment board the ship.

 

Getting to be Fall along the Danube

October is a good month to either drive long side or take a riverboat down the Danube. The weather is still mild and the leaves are turning. 

Winter has not yet come.

We found that the castles and fortresses were better seen due to the contrast in colors. This is an old toll fortress on a hill above the river.

 

Buskers in Munich

 I have a good friend who paid for things by being a busker on the violin. She tells stories about her travels and about the places she played. I think it takes believing in yourself, your abilities, and your safety.

We have seen buskers all over the United States and Europe. They add life to the cities and add to the experience. In the same way I like flash mobs.

On a negative note: we were in the Ghetto in Venice having a relaxed and romantic dinner when this man came into the area playing "Lady of Spain" on the accordion.

An exception.

 

Looking back at the Winter Olympics

If you watched this year's Winter Olympics you know they were primarily located in Cortina in the Dolomites and in the fashion city of Milan.

The closing ceremony was held in the ancient colosseum of Verona.

It is very large and during opera or other events bring along a pad as the cement seat are hard. But the venue is wonderful.

This photo shows the modern stage and the modern seats in the foreground.

Look through the stage and you will see the old seats.