Sunday: Church Day

The Baptistery at the Duomo, Florence, Italy 

 

 

Inside the Baptistery, from third level before

ascending into dome. Not a public area.

 

Planning the next European trip: Paris/Normandy 2015

   

Photo from Google

    We are getting ready to take a trip to Paris, down the Seine and to tour Normandy. We are taking our almost teen-aged granddaughter (and will be taking another grandchildren each year after her on the trip of their choices). It is fun reading, planning and hearing her excitement. It is good fun teaching her some of what we have learned by traveling. We do not know what the food will be like - will we like escargot? Will we enjoy goose liver? Lots of fun thinking about four free days in Paris and what to do. We each have our "must do's". I am looking forward to filling this blog with photos and information. Most of all, twenty-years from now, I want my grandchildren to remember these adventures and feel at ease taking their own.

Not everything is old in London

     People often think only of the old things in London like The Tower or Westminster Abbey. There is a good deal of new especially east of the Tower Bridge (which is not the London Bridge and is not that old either*.) The picture above is across the Thames and the building at the far right is "The Pickle Building" - easy to spot and not its real name, but it sure looks like a pickle.  

*The Tower Bridge, so named because the end on the left of this photo

 is next to The Tower of London.

Sculptures I like

Calgary

Banff

Rome

The Victoria and Albert

Florence

 

So the guy didn't like the seat in front of him reclining...

The news was that the man put in a set of blocks that kept the airline seat in front of him from reclining. The woman in the seat ahead took it into her own hands to set him straight. The plane made an emergency stop to get rid of both passengers. Who was right and who was wrong?
     Well, put me (6'2", 185 pounds) in an economy seat and you have pain at 600 miles to Portland and agony after 7,000 miles to Europe. I can see why the guy doesn't want the person in front to recline the seat. I can understand why she wanted to recline the seat. Besides, she paid to recline it and the seat is designed to do it.
     I'd say the airlines are at fault. They want to squeeze as many as they can into the limited space of the aircraft. It costs extra to get an exit row seat. It costs extra for Premium and a big extra for Business. You figure you can take it, even sleep for the 11 hours from San Francisco to Paris and it is worth it when you get there. Well, as long as the kid behind you doesn't kick your seat, the woman in front doesn't completely recline her seat, and the guy next to you stops coughing.
     Still, I love it.

Crater Lake, Oregon from Alaska Airlines flight.

Change celebrated

This is the floor of a Basilica St. Maria degu Angeli e de Martri in Rome that was designed by Michelangelo. It is a celebration of Galileo - who, before his death, was condemned as a heretic by the Catholic Church. Odd how things change. Religion catches up to science; science catches up to religion.

For real

The dermatologist that I go to has an office filled with his photography. He has a similar picture of this one of Peyto Lake, Albert, Canada. I thought his was Photoshopped until I went there. This is glacial water on the Ice Fields Parkway.

Sunday: Church Day

 

 

The village church, La Villa, Sud Tyrol, Northern Italy

My Twenty-five memorable places

Here is a list of 25 memorable places and events for me. Each could take pages to explain. What is YOUR list like? What makes traveling memorable to YOU?

1. Watching fireflies from the porch of an Amish farmhouse in Lampeter, PA.
2. Watching the sunset from the rooftop garden of the Hotel Diana in Rome.
3. Attending worship at St. Martin In The Field, London.
4. Taking a small car ferry across the James River toward Jamestown, Virginia.
5. Standing in the pulpit of St. Giles Church in Edinburgh, Scotland.
6. Returning from a nearly endless hike, without water, at Smith Rock, Oregon.
7. Going to the top of the Peach Tree Tower in Atlanta, GA.
8. Seeing the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum.
9. Seeing the art we had only seen in books at the Uffizi in Florence and The Victoria and Albert in London.
10. Spending a whole day in the Tower of London.
11. Working for a week on the Navajo Nation at Leupp, Arizona.
12. The color of the water at Lake Peyto, Alberta, Canada.
13. Talking politics to a young man in Scotland who knew more about American government than I did.
14. Killer whale watching in a small boat off of Roche Harbor, British Colombia, Canada.
15. Hiking to the entrance to Dingle Harbor in Ireland.
16. Having a drink at the top of the Space Needle in Seattle.
17. Having our picture taken at the top of Passo Giau in the Dolomites.
18. Getting lost in Liechtenstein.
19. Boarding the train for California at Poughkeepsie, New York.
20. "Crashing" a wedding at Basilica St. Maria degu Angeli e de Martri, Rome.
21. Dinner at the Shasta Royal Inn, July 24, 1967.
22. Afternoon tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton Lakes, Canada
23. Parasailing on Lake Tahoe, CA/NV.
24. Having a real English meat pie at the shop on Rathburn Street near University of London.
25. Watching my daughters fishing off a pier in the Mississippi near Burlington, Iowa.

Entrance to Dingle Harbor, Ireland

(...more lists to come.)

Mt. Shasta from the Golf Club

 

This has been a very dry year. Usually you can see large glaciers and a snow pack on the north side of Mount Shasta. Standing on the golf course last week, it was a sad view because if the mountain has no snow, the rivers have no water and neither do the folks down stream. The Mountain here is seen from the west.

Flowers on Capitol Avenue, Multnomah Village Oregon

Summer in the village

The Heavenly Valley, Lake Tahoe, CA Tram

 

Well worth it ...

A hearty welcome

...we were on the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scotland at the abbey. A wonderful place where we felt at home. We stayed overnight near the abbey and went to vespers there and the worship leader spoke on the gift of hospitality and everyone gave it to us.

Posted by Mike McLellan

Planning a trip means compromise

 

Clonmacnoise, Ireland

 

Italy is the same size as Arizona and Ireland is even smaller. Looking at a map, an American may think that a week is enough to cover either country. We go to places and spend a minimum of three weeks and barely touch the places we wish to see. Thus, we have to decide what we are going to miss.

     As an example, when traveling to Ireland, you need to first choose what things are most interesting to you. We like to meet people in their own contexts and we like to spend time getting to know a place. This means, for us, having ample time to just sit and chat.

     In Ireland a chat can last half a day.

     We set out our "must-sees" and rough out a schedule. Along the way we may talk to someone at a bed and breakfast and they wax on about someplace we had not heard of. We will then need to choose. Which shall we do? Which is more interesting?

      Clonmacnoise was not in our plans. We were going to stay some time in Galway. But, we chose to include Clonmacnoise and then Trim in our plans and leave Galway to just an over night and brief visit. Did we miss much. Absolutely, but in our minds it became worth it. We did not kiss the Blarney Stone, but did meet a really fun and interesting couple from Shannon at a B&B in Castlegregory.

 

 



Sunday: Church Day: Saint Paul's, London

The dome of Saint Paul's in London can be seen from a long way off. Designed by Christopher Wren, the church is huge and used for big religious events including the coronation of a new king or queen.

Reflections on eating - the third best thing to do while traveling

     Food. We need it. We enjoy some and not other meals. Various nations are known for their special foods, dishes, or tastes.
      I confess that I enjoyed the food in Italy but was not overwhelmed. Of all of the countries I have been in, I have enjoyed the food in Austria and Ireland the best. People often comment on English and Irish food as bland. Not so. London has some excellent (meat) pie shops and local food. If you run out of local options, there is food there from around the world.
     There are some things for you to miss. The Dome Café in Granton on Spey in Scotland serves hamburgers. You can skip one. Try their fish and chips instead.
     There is a small but busy café near the Ponte Pietra in Verona that serves a wide variety of dishes. You do not have to try the donkey meat ragu. Trust me on that one.
     In La Villa, Italy they serve local Laden food. Don't miss the opportunity to have one of the soups.
     Bison in Canada is great, but the salmon is better. The best up there is afternoon tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park. It is as good as the Empress in Victoria B.C.  We have afternoon tea many places and it is a great idea. Everyone should stop around three in the afternoon and sit for an hour or so drinking tea and eating a little something.
     Finally, the best sea food I have ever had was somewhere in the bijou north of New Orleans. It was recommended by a hotel desk clerk. It is way out, looks like a dive (it is one) and I never could find it again, but wow - the shrimp and catfish!

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GLASS

Egyptian glass bowl, British Museum

Greek glass flagon, British Museum

"Glass Eyes" - Mike McLellan, Expressions '14

Stained glass copy of detail, Radio City Music Hall, New York - Mike McLellan

 

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Capitol Buildings

 

We have visited a variety of capitol building from many of the United States. California's was my yardstick as I grew up there. The Illinois capitol was one of the first I saw. Along with the U.S. capitol in D.C. they all had domes. Not in Oregon. Oregon is very different as is the one above in Louisiana in Baton Rouge. We took a side trip there while in New Orleans and were very surprised. It is, however, pretty inside and full of history. 

You can tell when I miss my dog

In Murano, Italy

In Bantry, Ireland

 

On long trips I am so busy that I do not think of home often. I do call or text from time to time to check on things. But, I know when I start missing my dog when I start taking pictures of other dogs that I meet along the way. 

Murano Glass Museum

 

While, for me as a glass artist, it is fun to visit the workshops where glass is being blown, molded and cast, it was more impressive to visit the Glass Museum on Murano. There are several floors and various exhibits. The history of glass making, starting with the Egyptians, is featured. As well, I have long studied Pablo Picasso's works but somehow did not remember he had worked in glass. Although, some of the objects were simply designed by him and created by a local artisan.

No trip to Venice is complete - at least for me - without a vaporetto  (water bus) trip out to Murano.

 

Kayaking in Lake Siskiyou

 

...Kayaking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. We have spent a good deal of time kayaking in the waters of the San Joaquin and Sacramento River Deltas, but it is so much nicer nearer the source, high in the mountains where the water is fresh and clear such as at Lake Siskiyou west of the town of Mount Shasta.

Mount Shasta from Lake Siskiyou

August 2014 and the glaciers are almost gone because of the California drought.

The Best Pub in London

The Pakenham Arms is a pub just across from the Postal Annex and near Kings Cross Station in London. We have visited a number of pubs in the U.K. and The Republic of Ireland, and this one remains our favorite.
     We spent a couple of evenings there on our first trip to London following which we took the train north to Newcastle and Carlyle where we rented a car for over two weeks of driving in Scotland.
     Upon returning to London, we stayed at the same hotel near Kings Cross and, of course, went over to the Pakenham. As we entered the barmaid shouted, "So, where'ya been?" It was like "Cheers" and I felt like Norm. We told her about our adventures up north and she seemed to be as excited as we were. The pub was filled with postal workers after their shifts (see Cliff of "Cheers") and everyone accepted us like old timers.
     A major travel site just ran a column on the best of the over 7,000 pubs in London. They listed lots of fancy ones -- even a couple we have been in -- but they missed the best in my book.

Undersea adventure

Close up of a tank at the Oregon Aquarium.

 

Good place to visit with grandchildren.

The McLellans in the White House

     I vividly remember walking with my daughters into the White House. They were about the ages of the Obama girls when their dad became president. With the oath of office you get to live in this big building that, with bars and fences and guards, is not unlike a county jail.

     (Jimmy Carter was President at the time.)

     The leaves were beginning to turn and as autumn was about to begin, the gardeners were getting ready the clean up those leaves. The whole place was well cared for showing that a large staff had been busy inside and out.

     It crossed my mind that it would be nice to have a staff like that. It would be fun to just get up from the table and not have to go do the dishes. It would feel great knowing that when I got back from the office the bed would have been made by someone else and the bills paid by someone else.

     As we walked out into the crisp D.C. air I was glad that I could just walk out. No Secret Service, no limits, no long list of world crises in my pocket.

     Whether it is the White House in our capital or the White House in Dublin or Buckingham Palace or Downing Street, there is a very high price to pay for occupancy.



"...and the rest of the story." - Paul Harvey

 

     So, here is the rest of the story. Above are pictures of us visiting the Basilica near the rail station in Rome. We could see it from the rooftop garden of our hotel and were told that it was designed by Michelangelo. The top picture shows a tribute to Galileo and his astrological work.

     Okay, so we really enjoyed it and heard that they were having an organ concert the following afternoon. The organ is wonderful to look at and we wanted to hear it. We came for the concert and the organ was, indeed,  a gem. However, it was not a concert, The organist was playing for a wedding.

     So, we figured that we'd join the party. We watched the wedding and went out of the church to see them throw rice and take pictures. We had to keep moving so we were not photographed. The traditions are all the same.

     In the end, everyone got into cars to head to the reception, but we felt that was stretching our involvement a bit, so we went across and nearby park and watched the fountains.

 

Sunday: Church Day

Basilica near the Rome rail station designed by Michelangelo upon the site of the old Roman baths.

We went to an organ concert and crashed a wedding there. It has a large tribute to Galileo.

Nice wedding. 

Renting cars in Europe

We have had wonderful luck renting with Auto Europe and recommend them. But, there are some problems that come along with renting a car in a foreign county.
     Ireland is one of the most expensive places to rent a car due to the high price of insurance and accident coverage. They do, however, speak English which is a help to Americans abroad.
     Italy is one of the less expensive places to rent a car, but chances are good that your rental agent will have limited English, especially if you rent in an out of the way community. We rented a nice Mercedes B class diesel in Verona Italy and used it to drive the alps in the Sud Tyrol, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and around the Italian Lakes. The young woman communicated clearly at the office in Verona, but we picked the car up a block away.
     Now, the Mercedes had bells and whistles that ring and whistled in German. The manual in the glove box was in Italian. The only way to learn was by trial and error.  It is not difficult, but the diesel is programed to shut off at idle to save gas. For the first miles I was unaware of this and felt the car died at each stoplight. The various controls were in different places. This not a European thing, it is different from to car. Turning on headlights and windshield wipers is a seek and ye shall find mode.
     My advice is to drive back to the agency and have someone orient you to the car. This is even true in the United States and Canada. Every car is different.
     That being said. That Mercedes was a sweet ride on those alpine roads as well as the autostrada.

Just stopped by...

Chancel of central church in Feldkirch Austria.

Just had a few minutes and the church was there.

It is lovely.