Waterfalls

Banff

Marble Canyon, B.C,

Near Muckross House, Killarney, Ireland

Camping Vacations

     The scene was as incongruous as Shaquille O’Neal in a wedding dress. Individually both are perfectly fine. Together there appears to be something wrong.
     We were walking through a campground not long ago and were amazed about the changes in what is called "roughing it." Values and definitions have changed over the years. At the height of our camping experiences, some thirty years ago, we would borrow a tent and drive toward the beach. We were armed with such luxuries as a propane stove and lantern. We had a sleeping bag for each person and mosquito repellent. An ice chest held most of the food. That was about it.
     On our recent stroll, we discovered that life may have changed in the camping department. What it means to be primitive has changed
     First, on our recent tour we did not see a tent except for one or two for the kids to play in during the day. Replacing the tent is more than a tent trailer. There were motor homes, long trailers or fifth wheels. The majority had bump outs to increase their square footage to that of a middle class home.
     Second, each one was self-contained, which means no staggering to the outhouse in the middle of the night with flashlight in hand. There nothing like the sense of adventure of cutting across a campground in the middle of the night, in your shorts, with a need to use the toilet. It also means that a generator groaned at each site providing energy for the refrigerators, stoves, and audio-visual equipment.
     Third, at a large percentage of campsites there were televisions going. One group was watching football, and another cartoons for the kids. On top or anchored nearby were satellite dishes to bring in the signals. One camper, however, had not succumbed. He only had an antenna on a twelve foot mast.
     This seemed to be the modern way to "get away from it all." A cell phone could be heard in the distance. Rush Limbaugh waxed over a radio. 
      In pondering this, my companions and I talked about how we have moved so many things that were luxuries into our category of necessities. There seem to be new things that we cannot do without even when camping.
      Not long ago I was talking to someone and mentioned that we need a new television set. He began to tell me which plasma TV was the best and why. He explained that the three thousand dollar set with surround sound was really worth it. Inside, I was attempting to reconcile this with my choice of a 20 inch flat screen that lists for $129. You do not need a screen that is four feet wide to watch Home and Garden Television. Although, I probably could use one that big when I watch the surgeries on Lifetime, I suspect my family would not.
      But, when you rough it, do you need even a 20 inch television? How about a book?
      What is it that we really need as a minimum? If need be, for fun or necessity, what could we get along without?
      When my daughters were preteens, they could hike into the back country as far as their hairdryer cords allowed. My wife, the truly adventurous of the bunch, can tolerate everything except, maybe, going without a good cup of coffee in the morning. I am not Lady Macbeth, but I like to be clean. So lack of a shower facility is a draw back.
      At the campground I saw very little "roughing it". I suppose that is not what these folks want. They would like to get away from the ordinary, hectic world without separating themselves from convenience.  It might be helpful to your own self-understanding to think about what you cannot do without. It tells you a good deal about yourself. You will reflect on what you value and what you can leave behind. You may understand victims of Katrina better.
     Rounding the bend of the trail through the campground, over head we heard the call of the herons while the teen who was fishing listened contently to his I-pod.

1000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE

     About three years ago a copy of Patricia Schultz’ "1000 Places to See Before You Die" came as a gift. The book was the number one best seller on the New York Times’ list for months. It is an amazing catalog of wonderful and interesting places.
     It is nice to have a future.
     One thousand places seemed like a large number, so I started first by checking off all those locales that I have already seen. Next I marked those places like Iraq and Afghanistan which are not primo places right now.
     Even avoiding the places that I cannot afford because of the weak dollar, I am left with around four hundred stops.
     Considering my life expectancy I think I can do it. Because I know that only the good die young that leaves me to grow old. I am prioritizing my list.
     I’m not sure that I really want to go to the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, Thailand. I put that near the bottom, but the U Fleku Beer Experience in Prague, Czech Republic does not look either strenuous or hard to get to. It is put closer to the top.
     Just imagining a journey can make you feel better. You do not even have to go some place to enjoy it.It is exciting to think about possible adventures. Planning for the future is nearly as fun as the future itself.

St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

Not as busy when we were there as it was yesterday for the

celebration of two new saints by two popes.

Let's make a deal

In many countries it is considered part of the purchasing process to haggle - to negotiate a price. It is actually part of the fun in many European and South American Countries. While less common, say, in Ireland, I got in a bargaining session with a shop owner in Kilkenny, Ireland, over a Celtic ring. We both enjoyed it. I know he probably "won", but I also had fun.

My wife caught on in Italy, and it was fun to watch. Amazing, actually. Did not buy much as we never do, but every purchase felt like a victory.

Piazza Erbe in Verona

Portabella Street Market, London

Fear of high places

My wife gets me to go with her to the top of things. We have been to the top of the Willis (Sears) Tower in Chicago, The Peachtree Tower in Atlanta, the John Hancock in Boston, the Washington Monument, The Coit and Westin St. Frances in S.F. and plenty more. I love looking out of airplane windows, but I am not keen on looking over the edge. Here are recent ones at the tower in midtown Verona, Italy.

Notice that I am standing back from the edge to take this photo.



Conde Nast Traveler Magazine Questionnaire

The Conde Nast Traveler Facebook site is one of many travel sites that I receive. Recently they had a series of questions about places we have been and airlines we had taken in the recent past. It got me thinking about air travel and future plans.

Certainly I always have a itch to go somewhere other than Costco. I like long flights and getting far away. We often take short trips of 600 miles or so, which I suppose are long for other folks. But, I like the big adventures. We are looking at trips to Spain, France and South Africa just now. Only time will tell how well we do at making our bucket list shorter.

In any case, we will have to fly. Boats are not for me and one cannot exactly drive to South Africa. I am becoming more and more critical of airlines because I believe service is dropping. I can understand that many people cannot afford huge fares which will yield large profits, but the answer is not maintaining profit at the cost of comfort and concern. Airlines like Ryanair are low cost up front but add on this and that until it is the same for an average passenger. (No, they do not charge to use the toilet.) Many other airlines do the same thing. Who do they think they are fooling?  Sure, if you have little luggage and bring bottled water and don't need a pillow, you can go cheaply.  However, flying any distance at all is stressful and tiring for me. I need more.

Air France just goes ahead and charges a reasonable rate and gives adequate services. That is true with most top carriers.

Just tell me a flat fee and I will decide whether I can afford it or not. If not, I'll stay home. Just don't think you are fooling me with a low fare plus luggage, food, boarding, seat selection, blankets, headsets, and on and on.

Whale Watching

Whale watching at Pigeon Point, California

Mist is spout...

Bolzano, Italy

September 9 - A beautiful day in a beautiful place.

The Altamount near Tracy,California

 

 From the front porch of the Connolly Ranch main house.

Looking northeast

Looking northwest

Looking West

Looking west

Photos by Marietta McLellan

Italian Food in Italy

     We have gone to London and had great Thai and Indian food. I have had a hamburger in Scotland (I'd pass next time). There are some excellent French restaurants in Dublin, however Irish food is one reason why you go. But when you go to Italy you expect Italian food. Interestingly enough there may not be such a thing.
     Nearly every region and major city has its own food. Much depends on what is fresh. Sure, there is pasta and pizza, but even they vary by region.
     A good example may be the Italy that lies north of Venice/Verona/ Milan. In the Dolomites you will get Austrian, German and Laden foods. (Laden is a language/culture that is still alive in remote parts of the Sud Tyrol.)
     Laden food is sort of German and sort of Italian, sort of. It is good, hearty fare.
     We did not find much "Italian" food north of Verona. Although, if it is local food cooked in Italy, it must be Italian; it may just not be what we are used to.   While I am not a huge fan of Wikipedia, have a look at this link and you will get an idea about this.                  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Italian_dishes      

Kilkenny Ireland Art - Not Easter egg Hunt

Ugly Americans and presentable ones.

“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.”
~ Clifton Fadiman ~ Quoted on Auto Europe Facebook page

This really strikes a cord with me. We have seen fewer "Ugly Americans" in the last years, but we still see them from time to time. We found ourselves embarrassed and wishing to apologize in an Edinburgh tearoom as an American - in a loud voice - complained to the waiter they did not have ranch dressing for his salad. What a jerk. It was afternoon tea. The salads were for tea-time and, well... They actually did their best to accommodate him, but I just wanted to... well, remind him that he was not in Texas, he was in Scotland. Maybe, he ought to hurry home.

Mark Twain

”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain

 

Air France Terminal, CDG Airport, Paris

Some places we have thrown off our bowlines...  so to speak.

ATL, PDX, SFO, JFK, BOS, EWR, SMF, SEA, LAX, SNA, BFL, LHR, YYC,

DUB, FCO, VRN, SJC, OAK, DEN, ORD

 

 

Traveling with few plans

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving” ~ Lao Tzu

 

 

I'm not sure where we are, but I like what I see...

Maya Angelou

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” ~ Maya Angelou

Famous pulpits and not-so-famous ones

Verona

 

Florence

London

My father talked about "busman’s holidays" when a bus driver might take the bus to another town. There are not that many buses any more. My brother-in-law worked for the railroad for many years and can’t stay away from trains, but that is not unusual.

We all like to see how others do our job. I am drawn by occupation to churches.

Now, I have preached in some important places. I have read publicity before professional readers employed by such agencies as The Today Show and NBC news. It did not unnerve me.

Yet, I have stepped into some pulpits that have been awe inspiring because of those who would have sat in the pews.

The pulpit at St. Giles in Edinburgh is the place where John Know fired the reformed revolution. Standing there it seems like an historic place not unlike standing the chancel of the Queen’s nearly private chapel outside Ballmoral.

Sidling up to the same lectern as Martin Luther King used at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery one feels more awe at the fact that Rosa Parks used to sit right in front of it.

Of all the places and pulpits, the most impressive for me may be in the quansit hut chapel on the Navajoo Reservation at Leupp, Arizona. Plain and sparsely adored, the people are warm and vital.

Meeting strangers, leaving friends



Simply by traveling without reservations and by staying in Bed and Breakfasts in Ireland we met many very interesting people. To mention only a few, there was a young man walking on the quay in Dingle(town). He looked a little lonely and we gave him a greeting. He was in Dingle for a marathon and asked if we might take his picture with the harbor in the background so he might send it to his mother. Sure. The price for doing so was to hear his story. He told about where he went to university and what he was studying. The price for us was to tell our story and make sure that he understood that California, USA, was not all Disneyland and movie stars.

Then there was the retired police chief of Dingle who is recommended in Rick Steve’s guidebook. We did not know that until after we met him and took his a tour of the peninsula. He is the unofficial historian of the town. It was a beautiful, clear, sunny day and he admitted that there are few. He was so taken by the clear weather that it was fun to hear him. It was as if he had just discovered the place after living there is whole life.

In Galway we just wanted a place to stay and it turned out well. It was a great B & B and we are all alone except for a couple staying there from South Africa. Breakfast was a very long one as we learned about one another’s homelands.

Just one more now. We met a man in Castlegregory who, when we pulled into the parking area, was unloading his car. He came over and asked if we had a parking pass. Castlegregory is far from everything and the big lot had our car and his. My response was to grab a receipt from between the seats and declare that we had purchased an "All Ireland Parking Permit". This started a wonderfully good natured verbal evening and following morning. His long-suffering wife seemed to suffer more than mine, as mine got equally involved in it. It was like we had known them all of our lives. Funny. They were from Limerick on holiday at the beach. We likely will never see them again, but would love to have them to our place for dinner.

Castle Vecchio, Verona , Italy

Castle Vecchio means The Old Castle

The Castle Tower

Ponte Vecchio means The Old Bridge

It is also a superior gallery - here is a close up of a 15th Century Painting.

 

Not very well known and not very busy, this castle/bridge is a gem in Verona.

Skip the fake house or grave of Juliette (she is fictional!) and head here.

Lick Observatory, Mt. Hamilton, CA

Courtyward

Outside the refracting telescope

Inside

 

Full disclosure: this is a photo of a slide in their slide show.

The Lick Observatory, Mt. Hamilton CA

Today's drive for lunch.

Looking toward new observatories

Marietta looking toward San Jose

 

Still snow on the ground, but ate lunch outside

Original refracting telescope from 1886

Not just glass in Murano

Cathedral, Murano (Venice), Italy