The 126th Anniversary of the opening...

Google says that today is the the 126th Anniversary of the opening of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The picture to the left is a stock photo. I will soon be posting my own photos of the tower and of Paris along with photos of traveling down the Seine on the Seine Princess .

Verona, Italy

A close up of a painting in the Castle Vecchio (Old Castle) Verona, Italy

Sunday is Church Day: St Canice’s Cathedral, Kilkenny, Ireland

St Canice’s Cathedral in the medieval city of Kilkenny, Ireland.

An elder of the church took us on a tour and taught us about the church, the town, and farming.

Tale of Two Cities

We are fortunate to leave near San Francisco and also to have a small home in Portland, Oregon.

In many ways the cities are alike. They are both built on hills, are urbane, and progressive. They each have unique identities and cultures. Both sitting on the west coast of the United States, have relatively short histories when compared to the east coast or to Europe. Both are places that are true melting pots where a variety of people have come to exercise creativity. Both cities are great places to visit. The picture above is one I took from a boat in the Willamette River of a portion of Portland's downtown. 

Favorite Photos: Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada

Moraine Lake is a glacier-fed lake in the Banff National Park not far from Lake Louise. The rain clouds were coming in and the canoes were turned over to keep them dry. I liked the colors of the canoes against the blue green of the water. It did rain, but not enough to keep us from hiking along the lake. It did rain enough to drive some tourists back to their buses.

Austria seems like home

Did you ever find a place that just felt so right that you wish you were back there from time to time? We found that in Feldkirch, Austria in the center of the old town. Just a pleasant surprise. I put Austria back on my "to go" list,

Italian Sunsets

St. Peter's in the distance from the roof top of the Hotel Dianna,
Rome, Italy




Sunset over Rome from the Hotel Dianna.

Venice in the twilight.




Sun going down, Florence.




Photos by M&M McLellan

The pleasant power of downtime

     I know that many people try to fit as much into a trip as they can. We often do that so we can check off another site or country or tourist experience. We also try to fit in as much downtime as possible. While people were waiting in line and filing through the Vatican Museums, we sat on some steps in St. Peter's square and watched people from all over the world marvel at where they were. They quickly moved on, but we stayed.
     We take picnics. It is fun to try all of the new foods of a region and we enjoy that, however it is also fun to sit in the back of a rented Mercedes at a pull-out in the Alps and listen to the birds and watch the small animals scampering around. The bag of food - including Diet Coke - purchased at a very interesting grocery in Cortina, Italy provides some familiar and unfamiliar food for lunch.
      The stop lasted - I am not sure how long - but it gave us a chance to savor the fact that we were in the Dolomites - in Italy - miles from our home - and feeling very much at home where we were.

Air France -CDG

We have been to plenty of airports, but the nicest is Terminal 2E/F at Paris CDG.  The photo above is of a wall of grass and plants. The restrooms are a benchmark. When one of us goes to the restroom somewhere and the other asks how they were, the response is often, "Nice, but no Charles de Gaulle." The shops are top of the line, the food is excellent, the seating is comfortable... it is just a pleasure. There is free charging and WiFi. Almost better than home.

Airbus 380

Church Day Reflections

St. Martin in the Fields, London (photo taken from Trafalgar) is a favorite for us.Each time we were in London we stopped in for worship, for the music, and for lunch in The Crypt.

      We have traveled widely most of  our lives together and that as been nearly fifty years. It was not until our daughters were out of college  (and both had been overseas) that we began our foreign travel. It was not long until we were hooked. Then it became a mission. I am now old. No kidding. I have trouble getting around  even more than in former times. My list of places that I want to go is still long and I really do want to get to as many as possible. I am aware that many of my friends have had to stop the kind of travel adventure we prefer. I still have life left and plan on returning to some of our favorite places and new favorites.

Blog top viewers this week: of the twenty plus countries, the top three are the United States, Germany and Ukraine.  

It is Spring

Traveling Interstate 5 from the California central valley to Portland, Oregon it is obvious that the first day of Spring was not yesterday but several weeks ago. Everything is in bloom. The fruit trees and flowering trees are out. The red bud is bright. The wildflowers dot the landscape. Except for the heavy rains in Oregon, it was a beautiful drive.  There is not a great deal of water behind the dams, and it is going to be a tough year for the farmers. Right now, it is tough for the allergy sufferers. Not to complain - it is a glorious Spring. (Photo of our apricot tree in our backyard.)

Mousetrap is the longest running play ever. We went to a matinee and found it to be well done but not well attended. It could have been the day. I can't tell you "who did it" as we promised not to tell, but I will say that the wine served at intermission was excellent and it was lots of fun. Nearing its 60th anniversary at St. Martin's, London UK.

Crazy tourist in Roman Baths taking one of around 1,000 photos...

     Today, let's talk about how much it costs to go to Europe. The Euro today is $1.07 so it is just about equal to the dollar. We have been in Europe when the Euro was $1.57 and $1.34 and the pound was worse.

     How much did we spend for three weeks in Ireland or two weeks in London or a month in Italy? I don't know. We are conservative at home and away. We do not buy what we do not need. We are willing to splurge on some things and not others. The truth is that counting the cost is meaningless to us. The cost of staying home and missing an adventure is greater. Tallying every cent takes too much time, but the truth is that the free things are better. It is free to talk to a bed and breakfast owner about Scotch Whisky while in Scotland. It is free to sit on the Spanish Steps and watch the people. Sure there is airfare and lodging expense, but what is it worth to spend five hours in the British Museum (entrance fee is $0.00)? For us it is priceless.

Lake Como, Italy

 Window of our room, Bella Vista Hotel

View of Lecco, Italy across the eastern arm of Lake Como from our patio. Photo by Mike

You can see why it is so popular.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day - Temple Bar - Dublin, Ireland

Photos by Mike McLellan

Nearing St. Patrick's Day

Statue of St. Patrick at the Hill of Tara north of Dublin, Ireland -  Photo by Mike

St. Patrick was probably born in what is now England, Scotland or Wales around A.D. 390. Opinions differ. Most agree that St. Patrick’s parents were Roman citizens living in the British Isles which made Patrick a Roman citizen.
At the age of 16 he was taken captive by Irish raiders and held for six years. He fled to England, where he received religious instruction before returning to Ireland to serve as a missionary.
Green has been used by supporters of Irish independence who used the color to represent their cause in the 18th century and later. Indeed, green is often used to denote Ireland today but that has nothing to do with St. Patrick.
I am a Scot-Irish and therefore ought to wear Orange on St. Patrick's Day, but it takes too much explaining.

Countdown to St. Patrick's Day: Sunday is Church Day

Celtic Cross at the Abbey at the Rock of Cashel, Ireland

Closing in on St. Patrick's Day: Kenmare Stone Circle

An ancient stone circle is a interesting discovery in Kenmare, Ireland on the western coast. It is a short walk from the center of the town (read village) and features not only the stones but a tree tied up with messages. There is an honor system pay box for entry. Of all the places in Ireland, Kenmare is one of my top ten favorites. Again, it really is that color green.

Closer to St. Patrick's Day: Muckross House

 View from the front steps

 Gardens of Muckross House

Nearly St. Patrick's Day: St. Stephen's Green, Dublin

Two photos from St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, a large and beautiful urban park.

Nearly St. Patrick's Day: Newgrange

Pre-dates many of the oldest sites in the world like the Pyramids and Stonehenge it is used to mark the rebirth of the sun in December. People on right are at the entrance tunnel. We went in, but it was built by smaller people than I. Tight fit.

Nearly St.Patrick's Day: Road signs

People in Ireland are speed-readers.

Nearly St. Patrick's Day: Charles' Fort

Charles' Fort, near Kinsale, Ireland

Church Day/Nearly St. Patrick's Day

Black Friars, Kilkenny, Ireland

In an attempt to "blend in" and not look like a tourist, I purchased a tweed jacket before traveling to Ireland. When I got there, it turns out that I was just about the only one I saw wearing a tweed jacket. It was at this point I decided that looking like a tourist is OK - because I am a tourist. Who am I kidding?

Nearing St. Patrick's Day

A couple of views taken along a ridge in the Knockmedown Range in Southern Ireland. We blazed our own trail off the motorway and were rewarded.

McLellan Galleries, Edinburgh. Scotland

This photo (similar to but much better than the one I took) is of the McLellan Galleries entrance. Near there I photographed a delivery truck with "McLellan" on the side. We also had tons of photos of McLellan castle. In the day before digital cameras, I always bought my film in Europe and had them developed at some place before traveling home. This was to prevent them from being harmed by the x-rays at the airport. (Actually I don't think many pictures were harmed.) In any case, when the tech at the photo lab saw all of the pictures I took he easily guessed my name and kidded us about the fact. Indeed, there are lots of McLellans (MacLellans) in Scotland. I have no pictures of all of the McDonald's.

Whale sightings off the California Coast

Whale sightings - the gray puff at top right is what is left of a spout.

Yosemite, Half Dome

Yosemite is a day trip from our home in California. We often travel to the "Gold Country" and then - especially when we have house guests - we travel into the Yosemite Valley. In this picture, Half Dome is just kissed by the snow. There is not much this year. Still, summer or winter, Yosemite is as awe inspiring as any place you will ever go.  It is a not-to-miss on the West coast. In the summer there probably more Japanese speaking folks there than in most small cities in Japan. We recommend coming before school gets out in the spring or after school resumes in the fall as the best times to visit and miss the large crowds.

Statues

Peter Pan - Kensington Gardens, London

Kenmare. Ireland

Rome, Italy





 Some of the most delightful pieces of public art are the statues. In Dublin there is "Molly Malone", in Florence there is Donatello's "David", in Rome there are examples everywhere. In Washington, D.C. is one of my favorites and that is the figure of "Albert Einstein". I was surprised to see one of George Washington outside of the National Gallery in London. Certainly many of these are of famous people or literary figures and some are just objects to admire:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

This it the view from the top of the Heavenly Valley tram at Lake Tahoe. This picture was taken a while back. The snow level and lake are not this high today. We have gone to Tahoe with a group every year and the lake level rises and falls around as much as 20 feet depending on the snow pack. Without a miracle, it is going to be very low this year.

Basilica Santa Maria De Gu Angeli E Dei Martiri - Sunday is Church Day

Our favorite church in Rome, it is near the Termini and designed by Michelangelo in the old Roman Bathes. We went for an organ concert and stayed for a wedding, but left before the reception.