From Rick Steves

 I was out taking a walk, turned a corner, and nearly ran into a scarecrow. We were both startled, and I remarked at how much fear there is in our society these days — even apart from Halloween.
The scarecrow said, "Let me buy you a cup of coffee with a nice plate of cornpone," and proceeded to give me an earful. He said that the most fearful people he sees are those who don’t travel and dig themselves deeper into America. Then he said, “That’s ironic...it seems to me t...hat if we just stay here on the farm and hunker down, we’ll never understand the rest of the world — and eventually we’ll all be as scared as my friend the cowardly lion.”

My scarecrow friend then proved he had more than hay for brains. He said that the flip side of fear is understanding. And we gain understanding by venturing away from our homes. He said, “When we get out of our comfort zones and engage with the other 96% of humanity, we gain empathy for people who may seem scary, but really aren’t.”
Fear-mongering politicians and ratings-crazed news is giving us Halloween 24/7 these days. Don’t let that rewire your outlook and sway your vote. Stakes are high. Take it from the scarecrow: If you care about a strong and free America, vote with wisdom rather than fear.
Here’s to a really scary Halloween (and a less frightened electorate next week)!

In honor of All-Hallows Eve.

The cemetery at Clonmacnoise, Ireland. A rainy day along the Shannon River.

 I did nothing to touch up this color photo. - Mike McLellan

Clonmacnoise was founded in 546 by St. Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon.

Airline Reviews



Aircraft over London

As you ordinarily need to fly to get to somewhere at a distance, I feel we need to share our rating of the various airlines we have flown. Here are a few of mine:

Alaska Airlines - our go to airline on the west coast. What  can we say: free wine and cheese. A-

Delta - Atlanta Hub. I'd say a C

Aer Lingus - To Ireland they never turned off the lights because they wanted you to buy duty free.           This leaves them with a C-

Alitalia - Sorry to say the worst flight I have ever had. D

Air France - Two flights on this class act. Beats most: B+

Virgin Atlantic - Like this airline. I doesn't take itself too seriously: B+

United - I am never impressed: C-

Continental - Not the only way to fly, thank goodness: C-

Jet Blue - To JFK. It is a real bargain. Good seats and service: Solid B

Ryanair - Europe on the cheap - C

Southwest - Actually they are less expensive and not bad: B

Ready to try Swissair and Icelandair - hear good things.



Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake as seen from an Alaska Airline Flight from Oakland to Seattle. 

Lots of great shots from 30,000 feet.

Planning for Paris 2015

Sunday: Church Day - Rock of Cashel, Ireland

No door and no roof.

About life, about love, about a new found location

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
 - A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh.

Preparing for Paris

 

This picture is from the internet and is average for a daylight photo of Paris. The night photos are truly wonderful of the "City of Light". I am sure we will have plenty of new photos to share of Paris. Our current ones focus on the Air France terminal at CDG. But, I will note that my habit is to photograph the small things, the people sitting near a fountain, the narrow street, the tended window box. I do find the big sites interesting. Our apartment is one block from the Louvre and three blocks from Norte Dame. We will enjoy them. But, for me the essence of a place is only seen close up.

London, UK - We are drawn back

Once was not enough for us to be in London. I have wondered what it is that draws us back. Certainly it is so large that you cannot cover it even in a lifetime, but we really only spend our days in a small area near long the Thames in Bloomsbury, Soho, Westminster and adjourning areas. It may be that it is a city made up of so many different people, or the great history, or the fact that they speak English. We have not narrowed it down. It is a walk-able city and also has a great public transportation system, as does Paris and New York. London also has a sense of humor (or humour) which seems to come through. France has its knowing nod, Rome has its passionate laughter, London has a dry chuckle. We feel welcome there and at home. Maybe it is our Anglo-Saxon roots. We will ponder this and get back to you.

Florence, Italy

"Paradise of Exiles. This phrase, which the poet Shelley coined, sums up an idea of Florence that has been floating around for at least 200 years: the idea of a city where the outcast foreigner, merely by virtue of living in proximity to glorious works of Renaissance art, can experience a renaissance of his own." -  Novelist David Leavitt

You are not allowed to take pictures of the David at the Academia in Florence.

So, you never saw this.

Ponte Vecchio

Souvenirs

Souvenirs are those things we bring home from a trip. The easiest souvenir comes from a store specializing in them and may or may not be made locally. What do you collect to bring home? I like the trademarked coasters provided with drinks in most bars/pubs. We also collect flowers and press them in the pages of our guidebooks.  We have been known to bring home small rocks on which I put a dab of liquid paper and write the location "found" in pencil. I have gone to thrift/tag/junk stores in 11 countries picking up old beer can or bottle openers, known as "Church keys". We rarely buy anything. Maybe a wine glass from Murano or a knit sweater from Ireland or a silver ring from a local craftsman in Florence. Mainly, we bring back hundreds of photos and memories.

San Francisco Bay

The Fall and Winter are a great time to see the San Francisco Bay. Take the ferry before dark to see the great sunset views and then come back as it turns dark to see the light how on the Bay Bridge. It is great fun and not very expensive.

Sunday: Church Day - Village Cemetery - La Villa Village Church

Almost every church in the Alps has a cemetery surrounding it. This is the central icon in the Village Church at La Villa, Sud Tyrol, Northern Italy.

Favorite Photos: Val Gardena, Italian Alps

Photo by Mike McLellan

Robert Louis Stevenson

“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

 

 

Newgrange, County Meath, Ireland

Lismore, Ireland

On a trip south through Ireland, we decided to take a path that was very much an adventure. It is a narrow road through "The Vee", a sharp corner in the Knockmedown Mountains. It put us way behind schedule, but being as though we didn't have much of a schedule, when we got to Lismore we decided to stop for the night. I had already produced a list of bed and breakfasts in every town we were travelling through just for such an occasion.  As well, I had already driven the route on Google Earth so it was easy to find the b&b above. It was new, but the rooms were small. It was in a great setting. Of note: look at the tropical plants in the yard. The south of Ireland gets the Gulf Stream and is warmer than you would expect.

Banff, Alberta, Canada

We enjoy staying at bed and breakfasts. The Banff Avenue B&B was a great place to stay. The owners gave us hint about special non-tourist places like the top of the hill pictured. The breakfast was amazing and saved money because we could just have a snack at lunch. As a bonus, the other guests were from Scotland and we could share our experiences of their country with them. Good fun.

Lucca In Verona: San Stefano Bed and Breakfast

San Stefano Bed and Breakfast is beige building (former monastery) in front of Cathedral 

Marietta is ready for a night on the town. You need to cross the wonderful Ponte Pietra - a pedestrian bridge- into the oldest part of the city of Verona. Lucca and his wife own the bed and breakfast in this old converted monastery. He did not speak much English nor do I speak much Italian, but we got along well. He was a great host and even volunteered to do our laundry - when returned, it was on hangers or folded in brown paper! When it came time to pay, I expected to pay him 200 Euros for each night's lodging. "No" he explained, "200 Euros for the whole stay." First time I ever tipped an owner of a bed and breakfast. See my long review on TripAdvisor. 

Kenmare, Ireland: Mary and John

     Mary and John (honest) own a bed and breakfast in Kenmare, Ireland. It is called Whispering Pines. Mary is the hostess and John does the breakfast. They are not unlike many in their business. You do what you can or have to do.
     Drive up to the Whispering Pines and Mary, if she is at home, comes out to greet you. She tells you about her place, about the truly wonderful town, and insists that you look at the room to make sure you like it.
     The house is not new, but is very clean and well-kept. The rooms are decorated in something near 1975, but not worn. She points out features, the view of the garden, and then lets you decide if you want to stay.
     You cannot go away. She is lovely, kind and really cares. You say, "We'll take it." and she directs you to the parlor and puts out tea and biscuits, and tells you some of the secrets of the community. There is a hidden stone circle and Druid trees. There are better places to eat that may look like a hole in the wall but have the best food. There is a marvelous park with three huge statues from which to see the sunset.
    Then you leave - reluctantly - loving a town, having encountered true hospitality, and full of memories.

Sunday: Church Day: Chapel - Tower of London

Outside and In

Mount St. Michel, France

 

The plan: to be there July 19, 2015

Underground pool, Banff Hot Springs, Alberta, Canada

The native peoples used this for generations. It is just outside of Banff. Deep inside a hillside.

Renting in Paris

When you arrange for a hotel you call their 800 number and give your credit card number and you are done. When you rent an apartment everyone has to check the other out. When it is in Paris, you have to remember that your emails get there in their time which is 9 hours ahead of PDT. So there is often a whole day lag because they are sleeping while you are awake. The picture here is of the living room of a unit we are trying to rent. It is near the Louvre and the Seine, across from Notre Dame. The rental agent speaks English which is better than my French. We are not leaving for 6 months and it may take all that time to finish the deal ... plus it is in Euros and I have to use a converter to figure out what we spending.

The Rose Garden, Washington Park, Portland, Oregon

A great place to visit - with a picnic lunch - when in Portland, Oregon

Where do you want to go?

Muckross House, Killarney, Ireland

 

     Many people do not travel because they lack the passion, the money, or time. Some people simply do not have a goal - or, possibly too many goals. One of the first things we have to do is to determine what we would like to see. What would you like to have experienced? What places have you heard about that interest you or excite you?

      For us, after traveling all around the United States we began to think of where we would like to go on our limited time and finances. Our list was rather long, but we knew that with our historical background (MacLellan, Williams, MacFarland) we ought to go to Scotland. The hardest part was just saying "yes" to our desire. We went and included a visit to London on the way.

      Then, it was easy to say "we drove all over Scotland, we can drive on the left...let's go to Ireland". So, we went to Ireland and while we were in Dublin it was only a short flight back to London. Flying to Europe is the expensive part, you must make the best of it.

     It started getting easier. Let's fly to Rome and see Italy. Well, we don't speak Italian. We went to three English speaking countries because we figured it would be easier. No guts, no glory. Off we went to Italy (but we took a tour for two weeks to make the transition). Then it was to our goal, The Dolomites. We then went off to Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. Now, we are heading back (we had stopped briefly in Paris) to France.

      It keeps getting easier. Next it will be Iceland, Kenya and... who knows where?







INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

Here is another pointed thing in a city's central square. This one is in the pedestrian mall in Innsbruck, Austria. We drove in passed the Winter Olympics site and directly to a parking garage. Coming out we discovered something that every city should have - a large open space for pedestrians with cafes, shops, and places to gather. A really pretty place.

SUNDAY: Church Day: San. Stephano, Verona

San. Stephano Chancel. We stayed in the church's converted monastery next day. This church is near the Ponte Pietra (Peter's Bridge) Verona, Italy

Favorite photos: Marble Canyon, Canada 2013

Taken last year at the base of Marble Canyon. The water is really that color.

Kids kicking your seat?

     Interesting that the topic of a kid kicking your seat during your flight is all over the internet. What do you do?
     Some people talked about slapping the kid or his/her parent. Others about taking off the child's shoes or posting a picture of Grandma - no one kicks grandma - on the seat back.
     While it does irritate me, adults also bother me. It is especially bad on long haul flights to Europe. There are adults who believe that the other 200 passengers want to hear their conversations at 35,000 feet. They talk loudly. Or, the guy behind you does not have lower body strength and has to grab your seatback in order to get up to go to the toilet. Or, the paid staff - see Aer Lingus - goes up and down the aisle with the duty free cart all night believing that someone will buy something.
     A crying baby - usually because of earache due to the pressure change - bothers me less than the guy behind or next to me coughing up phlegm for 5,000 miles.
     I refuse to let them spoil it for me and consider it part of the cost of getting where I want to go.

PLANNING FOR PARIS

Here are some of the books we bought or got at the library on France and Paris, in particular. So far we have read eight books in our planning a study. Will it be enough? No. There will still be surprises.

Hot Air Ballooning

This is a photo of a hot air balloon above the neighbors' houses and palm trees. The area around Tracy is a good place for hot air ballooning. Other places I have heard about from friends are the Napa Valley, the Irish county of Wicklow, and the Provence in Southern France. Whatever way or place you  do it, it is safe and fun. You do not know you are moving until you look down and suddenly see you have risen 50 feet in the air. The views are surprising and it is a great way to travel slowly and actually see things.