Switzerland - colors

Switzerland is a county of many colors. I took this picture with a long lens as I liked the steeple, but then realized how green the grass was. The white of the snow is bright, the browns of the rocks deep brown, and the flag bright red and white. A painter's paradise.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Looking south from the North Visitors' Center

after sundown.

Looking west from mid-span at sundown.

The Golden Gate bridge is as iconic as the Eiffel Tower or the Pantheon. It is a must visit when on the west coast of California. Many people come to San Francisco in the summer and are disappointed because it is often cold and foggy. When the central valley of California heats up the air rises and draws the fog into the city. The best time to visit San Francisco is actually in the fall and winter. It is usually mild and often clear. The photos above were taken on the day after Thanksgiving and while it was a little windy on the bridge, there was not much need for a coat in the city until the sun went down. Please note: people in and around San Francisco do not call it "Frisco" or "San Fran". "Cali" is a city in central America. San Francisco is "San Francisco" or "The City" and it is in "California".

The Canadian Rockies

This last year we traveled to Calgary then on to Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper before making a circle to include Waterton and Glacier National Parks. In former times, with film cameras, one had to think long and hard about taking a photo. There were only 36 chances on a roll of film and you did not want to waste any. Since the advent of the digital camera I have taken nearly one thousand pictures in Ireland, another thousand in Italy and who-knows how many in the Canadian Rockies. In Canada there was a great photo opportunity around every corner. All of these photos are neatly stored on my hard-drive, back-up drive and the cloud. When I want to post photos from Scotland, England or any of the other dozens of places visited with film camera in hand, I have to scan them from the prints. My old Nikon with all of its lenses sits collecting dust today as we both have good point and shoot Canons with a photo program on my laptop. I now shoot first and ask questions later. 

Marietta McLellan in Venice

This is one of the obligatory photos on a bridge in Venice.

Of interest, besides my bride, is to the right. To the right is

the passage way leading to The Ghetto and a great meal.

The Chateau at Lake Louise

The Chateau at Lake Louise is a beautiful place for a wedding. Everyone gathered at the view even though it was sprinkling a bit. We watched the wedding from the bar and sipped proscecco. We were warmed by the fire and welcomed by the staff, and had a very enjoyable time at the wedding without having to buy a gift.

Blending in with the locals

Dark clothes, Mercedes-Benz, parked near Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy. 

Stained Glass, Village Church, Feldkirch Austria

Sunday is Church Day (so are all the others...)
Yes, when I travel I spend lots of time in churches.

La Villa, Italy

Evening view from our room at Casa Montera, La Villa, Dolomites, Italy

When a statue is not a statue

Seen near Temple Bar in Dublin, a man makes a living on contributions as he stands absolutely still as a breathing statue. When I saw him I remembered that Buddy Ebsen was supposed to be the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz and was poisoned by the silver paint. I wondered if copper color did the same. There I go, thinking of something instead of enjoying the instant!

Chinatown, London, England

Gong Hei Fat Choy..

Happy Lunar New Year.

Rome, Italy - a brief study

Okay. You went all of the way to Rome. There you are, just a block from the Spanish Steps and you are taking pictures. Alas, you are taking pictures, not of Romans, but of  people from Iowa, Nebraska, England and Japan. Where are all the Romans? Probably at work or on vacation taking pictures of people from Iowa, Nebraska, England and Japan - in Paris.  Tourists!

Lent begins tomorrow.

 

The baptistery of the central church of Cortina d'ampezzo, Italy.

More Austrian/German than Italian.

Photo by Mike 

Travels measured by what you didn't do: Trevi Fountain.

     We have lived in the Bay Area near San Francisco for most of our lives. A couple of years ago we visited Coit Tower, a popular tourist spot. We have seen most of the city, run in the Bay to Breakers, seen many plays. We just had not been to Coit Tower.

     When we were in Ireland we made it a point of not going to Blarney Castle and not kissing the Blarney Stone. One reason is that we did not want to take the time and another was that it is something everyone else seems to have done. We hiked to the top of Conner Pass instead and placed a rock on the cairn there.

     In Rome (pictured above) is Trevi Fountain and tourists are want to throw coins over their shoulders into the water to guarantee their return to the city. We didn't. Not because we don't want to go back to Rome, but because ... well, just because. 

     At the Vatican we did not fight the crowds in the Sistine Chapel. Maybe some day, but we took a cab ride across Rome instead (not as pretty, but more thrilling).

     We are not against being tourists, but we pick and choose and our choices are often the less crowded ways.  There are a whole lot of things we have not done. 

Sunday: Church Day

Cathedral in Valduz, Liechtenstein. It was raining (see my ear under umbrella).
The church steeple was being repaired. It is about 200 yards from the major government building and very pretty inside.

Jasper, Albert Canada

 Maligne Lake, Alberta Canada near Jasper

My Valentine and traveling companion for 49 years at Jasper eatery.

No sculptures by Michelangelo in Tracy, California

I have been taking elementary school kids through a community art show here in Tracy. We will have about 3000 students go through in two weeks. Lots of them want to know if we have anything by Michelangelo. I tell them that everything in the show has to have been done in the last two years and Michelangelo retired before that. Here is his work called "Moses" before he retired. It is in Rome.

When Egypt looks for it treasures...

Certainly Egypt still has many treasures, but much of the world has plundered things. If you want to see many of their wonders you need to go to England (especially the British Museum) or Paris or even Rome. The photo above is one I took of Cleopatra' s Needle from a small boat on the Thames in London. I'll guess that it was not a gift from the Egyptians, but I'll do some research.

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy at night with reflections. (2012) Photo by Marietta McLellan

The Bow River near Banff, Alberta Canada

This is the Bow River near Banff and is every pretty. My impulse was to think it was named after the shape of its curves. Alas, the bow river was named for the weapons that the native Indian population made out of the trees by its banks. They made arrows too.

The moat under the castle bridge at Sirmione Italy.

Being way ahead of schedule to get to Verona from Lake Como, the navigator saw Sirmione on the map and checked it out in the guide book. Looked like a cool place to stop for lunch. It is located on a long and narrow spit that jets out into Lake Garda. The castle is surrounded by a moat with lots of waterfowl. It is well worth seeing. Great town, but a big tourist draw.

Sunday is church day: St. Peter's in the Vatican

Photo by Mike McLellan

When we were there they were fixing up the right front. One can imagine that there is always some repair and cleaning being done. I notice that often people title their photos of this as St. Peter's in Rome. It is not in Rome. It is in the Nation State of The Vatican. I was standing in a country, less than one square mile, in the middle of Rome. The square where I was standing was once an arena.

Happy Valentine's Week

It is said that if you kiss under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice you will have an everlasting love. To the right in the Doge's Palace and to the left is the prison. The Bridge of Sighs is called that because of the sound prisoners made as they were led to their just rewards. I am not sure about everlasting love, but the whole thing is very romantic - Venice is romantic by itself. Photo by Mike McLellan

MacLellan Castle. Kirkcudbright, UK

It is great to have your own family castle. While you see me write my name "McLellan", the "c" always has a line under it making it the abbreviation for "Mac" meaning "The son of or family of". MacLellan Castle is actually a guarded manor near the riverfront in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. Kirkcudbright (pronounced sort of like "Coo-coo-brie") is a nice fishing and market town in the southwestern part of the country. It is between Castle Douglas and Castle Kennedy. We traveled there and stayed at a b&b near the castle (the castle has no roof). I attended a Rotary Club meeting and had a long visit with the pastor of the local Church of Scotland.  Our extended time there gave us opportunity to see the neighboring towns and meet the people. They were welcoming to the point of asking me to arrange to exchange pulpits with the local parson for six months which, of course, I did not do.

Mark Twain's House, Hartford, Connecticut

Tiffany helped design and furnish Mark Twain's House in Hartford. Really pretty and

for those of us who Lionize Twain, a real treat.

The Dolomites

I just got an email from Auto Europe (the rental car company we prefer in Europe) featuring a picture of the Dolomites and asking "can you guess where this is taken?". I certainly could! I spent a week there. It was first on my bucket list. Second on my bucket list is to go back! This is the wildly beautiful formations of the South Tyrolean Alps in northern Italy. Photo by Mike.

One of my favorite stays was to New Orleans. It was part of our trip to the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. We enjoyed the whole time, but it was capped by staying for nearly a week in the French Quarter and taking side trips around the city, across Lake Pontchartrain and around some of the back roads of the Mississippi Delta. The night life in New Orleans was fun for us. Even though we partake of similar experiences in San Francisco, New Orleans was different, a little crazier, a little wilder and fun.

Photo by Mike

Always carry an International Driving Permit.

            When I was young, our family was big on road trips. By the time I was fourteen we had driven from Illinois to Philadelphia and New York a couple of times. We had taken multiple trips down along the Mississippi and into the Ozarks. With my father driving and my mother navigating we had been to Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin,  New England and Canada.
            As a family we had ridden through a good third of the United States by Plymouth, Chevrolet, Studebaker and Ford.
            My dad liked to drive and we had a good many adventures. I was just about the only one in my grade that had been all over the East Coast and Mid-west.
            I like to drive, as well, but you cannot drive to Austria or Scotland, so I embraced the fly-drive vacation. Many of the trips for my wife and I have been long flights followed by rental car explorations. Certainly, we do a good many day trips as well as thrice yearly taking month or more vacations along the West Coast.  There are only a few states we have not visited, and we have driven in twelve different countries. Right hand drive or left hand drive it doesn't matter.
            My favorite drives have been the islands of Washington and British Columbia (aided by ferry), the Alps, and the western coasts of both Ireland and Scotland.
            Also enjoyable have been some leisurely back road travels through the Amish county of Pennsylvania and the bayou of Louisiana. I was wowed by driving along the coast of Lake Como to Bellagio.
           Why do I think these are better than a cruise or a stay at an all-inclusive resort? I don't judge people who prefer these, but I like not knowing what happens next. Honestly, a road trip is risky. It is you, your car, your map, and a general direction.
            As I have said before, we do not mind getting lost, or being surprised. Both are received as gifts.  



Sunday: Church Day: The Rock of Cashel

The Rock of Cashel rises out of the Irish farmland and one can see why people thought it a holy place from the beginning. Atop the rock is a high tower and church along with a ancient graveyard marked with Celtic crosses. It is very much at the center of Ireland in many ways. Photo by Mike McLellan