Long Lost Relatives

        This is the loch at Fort Augustus Scotland. It is the last control on the Caledonian Canal before it meets Loch Ness. We have been there more than once as it is worth revisiting. Our first road trip brought us to the town and, as most always, we headed for the Visitor's Center to get a suggestion for a place to stay.

            The person at the center looked at our name on the registration and seemed to go sky high. She said, "You must go to the Caledonian Hotel up the hill. It  is own my the McLellans."  Actually, both the owners and I spell our names MacLellan, but in America the "a" gets lost.

           Chris MacLellan owns the hotel and it is fairly large and well kept. The family took us under their wing and got out all of their genealogy and we had a lesson on our heritage.  We were treated like visiting cousins and we are.

            If you are ever in central Scotland stay the night at the Caledonian and tell them I recommended them.

 

The Statue of David by M... Donatello

There are a variety of statues of David in Italy.

There is one in Rome and two in Florence (not counting the copies).

This is my favorite. About six feet tall by Donatello.

David the young boy with Goliath. 

 

Just another Scottish Castle

To those who wish to be a knight, king or queen, it is easy to pretend in Scotland. There are castles (and manor houses) everywhere. Many are open for tours as the owners need the extra money to keep the places up. Just imagine living with history all around you.

 

Memorial Post At The Beach At Normandy

Memorial Day embraces all of those lost to battle for America's freedom.

This photo is of the point that was central to D-Day.

The holiday began as Decoration Day and the tending of the graves of those who died during the Civil War. As a child we were still calling it Decoration Day and most cemeteries were not perpetual care. Our family would pack up gardening tools and some plants and drive to Mount Pleasant Iowa to tend the graves of my grandparents. I did not know them as they had all died before I was born. Having said that, they were still part of my history that needed tending. 

For us it was not only the war dead, but those who went before us.

 

Memorial Day Weekend

Normandy France is a beautiful place with the ocean and small forests around.

Something else should strike you.

If you watch "Saving Private Ryan" or "The Longest Day"

you will remember the terrible sounds of bombs and rifle fire,

What will strike you in Normandy is the quiet.

As you walk though the headstones of various faiths there is silence.

Out of respect or emotion, there are no words.

 

Tell me what it is like at the top

In Canada it was Marble Canyon. It Scotland it was a memorial high atop a hill. In Vienna it was a tour of the palace. They were all met with my saying, "Tell me what it is like at the top". I don't walk well and never did. Seems like a lot of cool things mean we have to climb. I don't climb. The Eiffel Tower has a lift and early entry for folks with disabilities. I take the lift. Travelling means choosing what you wish to do with the limits you have. Fortunately the folks I travel with don't feel guilt leaving me at the bottom looking up. You see a lot from the ground.

 

Pulpit in cathedral: Gablergasse, Austria

You have been warned before that I like taking photos of pulpits.

In Protestant churches they are center of attention during reading and sermons.

I have some favorite ones. They are, as we say,

all ten feet above contradiction.