When in Rome

(To my right -your left-is the street called Borgo Vittorio. Photo by Marietta McLellan. 

By the way, that is a gate to the Vatican right behind me.)

      The Borgo Vittorio is a narrow and not very noteworthy street in Rome. It runs north and south with the north end dead ending into the wall of the Vatican.
      Walking along the wall people were stopping to take photos or to look over the souvenir shops or get a snack at places with English names like -- well, "Snack Bar".
      Certainly, the Vatican is an ideal place for church groupies. I am one. No matter where I go I seem to be drawn to churches and religious sites. It must be like a mechanic on holiday stopping by auto shops.
      On Borgo Vittorio, beyond the busy souvenir shop was a store that stopped me in my tracks. I did not wish to go much further. It was a large place loaded with religious equipment. To some this is Jesus Junk, to me it is the tools of my trade. There were chalices of every size, and nativity scenes, and statues (I know, we don't use  lots of statues),  and vestments. They had pectoral crosses and most people have no idea what that is. I do.
       My wife nearly had to drag me back to the Vatican.
      If you are ever in Rome near the Vatican, skip the pictures of St. Jerome painted on velvet and head on over to Borgo Vittorio.

"Why can't we just get along?" - Rodney King

The 1996 Atlantic Olympics - from the cheap seats. Photo by Mike McLellan

   We have been to two Olympics.  One was in Los Angeles and the other Atlanta, Georgia.
One thing stood out. Even with its politics and national pride, the games depend on three groups and affirm them all.
The first are the athletes.  Each one is a representative of their country, but also a citizen of the world. To watch them is to be struck by mutual respect they have for one another.
The second are those who officiate. They too have spent years learning both the sport and the rules.  They come with a pledge of national impartiality.  It is a difficult job.
Then, there is that third group.  It is comprised of people from all over the world.  They gather to mingle, share meals and to marvel at the events they come to watch.  At most sports, the onlookers are only that.  At the Olympics the spectators are part of the event.
People like me with two bum knees can feel as if our presence is important, needed and valued.  Your significance exceeds the fact you bought a ticket.  You give meaning to the competition.
Everyone there was a participant, joining to share a common experience.
At the games in Atlanta, my trick knee had played a trick on me and I was forced to wear a leg brace and use a cane.  Hobbling became my way of transportation.
Not being able to bend my knee meant that we had to have our seats changed to handicapped ones. Now, to be fair, they were not being used by others although they were great seats in every venue.
At the Olympic stadium we had – you understand had – to accept seats in the Coca-Cola sponsor’s box watching Bud Greenspan interview the coaches sitting around us.
I was in pain, but the greatest pain came when the knee swelling went down and I could remove the brace and had to return to the cheap seats.  But, the people were just as kind and caring there.
It is amazing that so many people, from so many backgrounds, can get along so well despite not being able to speak a common language.
The United Nations General Assembly, and our own Congress, should consider only being held every four years.

In Europe the old becomes new

Photos by Mike McLellan

     In Kilkenny, Ireland - near the castle - there is a building which has been converted to an apartment. It is a nice series of homes in a very pretty neighborhood across from the beautifully maintained park. At the entrance to the parking lot is an old stone gate. A close look and you can see what it was before.
     Much of the U.K. and the rest of Europe is recycled. Factories become homes, homes become offices, and castles become hotels. This is real recycling.

Exotic, Beautiful, Sad

Stock Photo

The Wright Brothers started it all

Alaska Airlines Disney plane getting ready in Seattle - Photo by Mike

      Not even time for summer vacations and we already have a gaggle of seasoned world travelers around here who have recently returned from trips here and there this winter. Some of them just got back from Patagonia, Chile, Australia, Costa Rica, or other distant places. All of them received an education. Travel broadens our understanding. 
      As you may be traveling soon, and it may be by air, here are some fascinating facts and some hints to make us all less likely to be "Ugly Americans." Yes, another list.
     - First, no matter how you time it, you will be either too early or too late for your flight. One yields boredom and the other panic. The airport is a place of great emotion and Tums are very expensive in the gift shop.
     - Aboard the aircraft you will find that peanuts taste terrible at 30,000 feet. Actually, most things taste worse on an airplane, although on JetBlue "beverages" are only two dollars whereas on other airlines they are five dollars. Two dollar beverages are easier to swallow.
     - You will discover that the seat next to yours is usually occupied by a seasoned traveler who has no trouble sleeping, uses a large laptop and has an uncanny ability to hog the armrest.
     - Always ask for the emergency exit row as you will receive additional leg room and the admiration of fellow passengers. On the down side these seats often  do not recline and you will be called upon to be heroic in case of an emergency. However, you will be able to get out of the burning plane first.
     - Listen to the flight attendant’s directives. Sure you have heard them before, but humor us all. In case of a disaster your life and mine may depend on following the instructions. As they go through the choreographed information about what to do if the unspeakable happens, resist denial. 
     - You can also help by not glaring at the parents of a crying baby. Honest, parents know how annoying the noise is. Your suggestions for quieting the child only point out how obnoxious the screaming has become.
     - If you have a cold or sore throat we all wish you would stay home. If this is not possible please do not snort all the way to Miami or click your throat in the hope that the pain will go away. Ask the overworked flight attendant for something. They have remedies on the plane. If you whisper the request the rest of us will not know that we are about to fall victim to ill health on our expensive vacation.
      - Be as nice in the air as you are on the ground. Yes, artichokes are less tightly packed in their jars than passengers on a 737, but relax. People are generally nice to one another on airplanes. Slowly, the same stress as too many mice in a maze takes over and congeniality usually only breaks down when leaving the plane. Everyone wishes to be the first off, which is counter productive as the doors to airplanes only allow for the exit of one person at a time. Upon landing, you are going to wait for your luggage, so there really is no hurry to get off. This is a fact lost on most of us.
     - When the plane’s staff thank you for flying their airline accept it graciously. The skies are filled with updrafts and air pockets. Pilots try to avoid them, but the ride is sometimes rough. It is not the fault of the flight attendants.
     - The luggage carousel is like playing a slot machine. Will your bag be first, last or gone forever? Bags usually are not really lost; they just end up somewhere where you aren’t. If you see yours arrive, try not to trample the little lady standing where the luggage mysteriously appears from who-knows-where.
      - Remember that the pilot wants to get home as safely as you do. He or she also depends on your help. Being cordial is the least we all can do. Traveling is stress producing, please do not add to the stress. Just sit back and relax and try not to think how far 35,000 feet is to fall.

Slow Travel: Seeing more by seeing less

   

  Common picture of the central court of the British Museum. It is common because there 

is a window on one of the upper floors that demands use as a photo frame. Photo by Mike

        Ted, a friend, covered the Holy Land and Mediterranean in five days.  His photos were all blurred because they were taken out of a moving bus.
Unlike Ted, my wife and I like to travel, but even more, we like to stay and visit.
A trip is to go somewhere and use it as headquarters for getting to know an area.
We went on six day-hikes in the rain forest near Sooke on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  Another year we stayed five days in a house on a bay overlooking the world’s largest oyster bed on San Juan Island, Washington.
We spent four days with Jacki, the owner of a bed and breakfast in Kirkcudbright, a small village in Scotland.  Upon returning a person told us on their tour of Scotland they met a couple from Iowa with whom they became good friends.  I had to admit most of the Iowans I've met were in Iowa.
Four evenings of watching fireflies from the porch of a two hundred year old house on an Amish farm outside Lancaster, PA may seem boring to some who count adventures in miles.
You can spend a week in the Smithsonian and not see it all.  It is like the British Museum where you can spend a whole day looking at ancient Egyptian artifacts. The best thing, however, about the British Museum is sitting in the central court having a beer while reading the guide book before visiting another corner of the building.  The British Museum is free and free is good too.
As a kid, before auto air conditioning, we would start at five o’clock in the morning by two lane highway.  Timing it right we could cross four states before it got hot and we would stop.  I saw little.
With this same model one can cover the Eastern Seaboard in a week and not remember anything.  Was that Old Ironsides or the restored Mayflower or the Merrimack?
My wife and I spent a week looking at rocks around a conference center in northern New Mexico.  All rocks are not alike. Oh, and while we were there, we did meet a nice couple from New Mexico.

San Francisco Bay

The San Francisco Bay as seen from the Golden Gate Bridge -Photo by Mike McLellan

     We have driven around it, sailed on it, taken a ferries across it, gone over all its bridges and never gotten tired of it in the over forty years we have lived near it. We love to share these sights with our friends and out-of-town visitors.

Anniversary of the first sighting of the Loch Ness Monster

• 
• Urquit Castle (Photo by www.worldalldetail.com)

Great insights often sneak up on you.
We suspect that major discoveries take a good deal of thought and research, but this is not always true. Wisdom may come just from posing an idle question or from reading two separate documents side by side.
I have made a major discovery and expect it to be highlighted on Public Broadcasting any day.  It came to me while looking at Swiss cheese at a delicatessen.
I’ll back up a little so you can see how this is done.
Having spent a couple of days exploring the area of Loch Ness in Scotland, we became familiar with local lore. The loch (lake) is known for its monster.
We watched for it from the Nineteenth Century abbey in Fort Augustus, and from atop Urquirt Castle. We saw some wonderful scenery, but the question remained: “Is the Loch Ness Monster real?”
Recently, the monster has been back in the news as has Champ from Lake Champlain in upper New York.  Champ is described as looking exactly like the Loch Ness Monster. The truth came to me while having lunch.
There must be holes through the center of the earth.  Loch Ness is a direct shot to Lake Champlain where the famous monster “Champ” hangs out.  They are actually one and the same. First the animal is seen on one side of the earth and then the other.
Never are reported sightings made on the same day, in fact there is substantial travel time needed to go through the earth.
Another hole runs between Northern California and the Himalayas.  Yeti, or Big Foot, meanders back and forth. First seen on one side and then the other, it makes it difficult to find consistent evidence.
Just how, or why, Big Foot changes color into the Abominable Snowman is unknown.  In fact, most Big Foot sightings conclude that she is a female.  Does she stop off somewhere for rinse?  We cannot be sure.
Magma aside, the earth is similar to Swiss cheese or a giant sponge.
Those of us growing up in an age before NASA showed us the whole earth knew that you could dig a hole from anywhere in the United States and end up in China. My sainted mother told me so, but I had my doubts.
She also talked about hell being at the center of the earth but with the Swiss cheese theory, it could actually be anywhere. Take Cleveland, Ohio as an example.
This Swiss cheese model may account for the wide spread locations of volcanoes, not springs, and sulfur springs. Further research may turn up Jimmy Hoffa.
And to think all it took was a Ruben on rye.

The Joys of Airport Security

We would like to thank Orville and Wilbur Wright for the joys of flying, but note that the shoe bomber spoiled it a little.

Airport security can be fun, if you make it so. We have experienced the TSA first hand. The pun is intended.

At San Francisco Airport I chose to admit my issues and not cover them. You see, I wear a leg brace and have for years. Some people just think I shun shorts for other reasons like the way my legs look. This is also true.

At SFO I just announced to the officer that, while I had put all of my earthly belongings in the gray tray, I was still wearing metal on my leg.

“Male officer!” she shouted. While this disappointed me a little, the young man only took about five minutes to touch most of my person. I will take any fondling I can get.

I say “only” five minutes because it can be longer depending on how late we are to catch a plane. The later we are the longer it takes. 

Next it was at Los Angeles and the security process for Alitalia took longer as they swabbed my brace for explosives and had to wait for the test results. In full sight of all and with my pant leg rolled up to my thigh, the man in blue took what looked like a baby-wipe and rubbed my brace. He then put the wipe into a machine. After a minute or so he read a screen and allowed me to pull down my pant leg and put on the rest of my clothes.

I try not to forget my shoes, belt, sport coat, pen, coins and carry-on bag which have been x-rayed.

Getting on a flight in Verona, Italy was easier as we did not have to take off our shoes. Still I got gently caressed as I stood with arms outstretched like a whopping crane.

I realize that I could remove the brace briefly for the security procedure, but I believe that it will help things to tell folks straight out, submit and move on. Besides, when it is separate in the tub it looks far more mysterious even ominous.

I was not ready for Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. Nothing happened.

They escorted us from one plane and delivered us to the Air France Terminal without stopping. Security counted my experience in Verona as enough and we never officially went through another screening. It was second-rate, as I was prepared for a Parisian pat-down..

My spouse, who breezes through and has to wait for me to be wanded, patted and interviewed, seems to think this is amusing. She does, however, have the responsibility to watch over my clothes and bags while I am being searched.

Now, this inconvenience is not great and it does make me feel a little more secure on the planes. If they are careful with me then they will be careful about others.

However, a couple of years ago Heathrow security missed the Swiss Army knife inadvertently left in my carry on. It bothered me after I found out. Just think, someone with an exploding leg brace could have been on that flight.

Windows: Calgary Alberta Canada

The Calgary Airport - getting ready to leave 

Leaving Alberta - out the window of Alaska Airlines

London, England - first stop

 Tower of London

From tour boat on the Thames

     For the person going to Europe for the first time from the United States, I often suggest they make a visit to London. London is, perhaps, my favorite place I have ever visited (again and again).  But, for the first-timer, it has so much to offer: history, art, ease of getting around. Sites are close to one another, people are friendly, and - most importantly - they speak English. 

     This is a great place for an introduction to Europe. You can also easily take a train to Oxford or Edinburgh or to the Lake District. It is a hub for flights to Europe (although some Londoners deny they are even in Europe) and thus it is often less expensive to fly there. It is 10 hours from San Francisco so you know you are a long way from home.

     It is a great walking city as well as having wonderful public transportation. 

    I like English pub food and their pasties and pies are excellent. Need something else? There are places to eat run by people from every nation in the world.

     The pub is unique as a community center. 

     Finally, most American's know some things about English history and London is full of places to explore that history. If you have been to London, you have broken the travel ice and the rest of Europe is easy. 

International flights from San Francisco - Tips

     If you cannot get a friend to drop you at SFO and you live in an outlying area, taking BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) into SFO is great. BART goes directly into the International Terminal. You do have to change trains to do it, but it is simple. Parking at BART is expensive for a long period, so do get someone to drop you at a BART station. If parking near the airport, long term lots with a shuttle are the best bet.
     One of the good things about flying out of SFO to Europe is that non-stops usually are cheaper or the same as one or two stops,but they leave mid-afternoon. This allows you to sleep in and start your internal clock changing, get to the airport in good time and settle in for an over night. You will arrive in Europe around 10 or 11 a.m. plus one day.
     SFO has almost all the major carriers to Europe. I have suggested before that we like Virgin Atlantic and Air France the best (although we have heard good things about Swiss Air). Flying to Dublin, I would still fly British Airways or Virgin to London and take a short hop to Ireland over flying Aer Lingus. It would be hard to get me on an Alitalia flight ever again.
     There are plenty of charging stations and some okay places to eat at SFO in the International Terminal. So getting there early is not a bad experience.  SFO is as excellent as LAX is poor - and that is not just my Nor-cal pride showing.
   
     

Austrian Mail Truck

The mail delivery "vehicle" in Feldkirch, Austria. Very similar to those used in Liechtenstein.

Interesting locals

 Waiting for their human friend outside a store on Murano Island, Venice, Italy

Supervisor of the Bantry, Ireland flea market

     You meet loads of interesting people while traveling, but with luck you will meet some interesting non-humans as well. I have loads of photos of local dogs, sheep and cows I have met on our trips. The two here are certainly miles apart, but both are waiting patiently for the next life event. The little guy in Bantry looked to be very old, but still content sitting in the sun watch folks buy this and that at the Saturday flea market in the middle of town. About animals, when I stop to talk with them they seem to understand me better than their local human friends. I speak dog better than Italian, French, German or Spanish.

Travel mistakes: Southwestern Ireland

 Near Castlegregory

Overlooking Kinsale

We arrived in Dublin on a rainy day. Each day would be mostly clear and it then would rain a little. We got accustomed to that routine. Once we got along the Southwestern Coast of Ireland from Castlegregory to Kinsale ( and including Dingle ) the sun was out all day. Having been prepared for rain and having experienced it, we were not prepared for sun. One of the worst sunburns I have ever gotten was in Ireland. Even when overcast you need to protect your skin. It sneaks up on you.

Multnomah Village, Portland, Oregon

Multnomah Village is a popular area of  Portland, Oregon.

Photo taken last week, when sun popped out.

The Pantheon in Rome

Now the outside... photo by Mike

Sunday, Church Day: The Pantheon in Rome

There is a Pantheon in Paris -  and there are others - but our first encounter was in Rome. The place is a huge domed building with a hole in the ceiling and drains in the floor to let out rain water. The dome, itself, is wonderful. Even more fun are the wide variety of people walking around and looking up... you miss seeing the drains that way. The photo above is the sunlight coming through the circle in the ceiling. Below, a look up.

Just so you don't think I fooling - here are the drains.

Glacier and Waterton National Parks

Waterton Lake taken from the Prince of Wales Lodge - photo by Mike

     Areas of Glacier National Park and Waterton National Park - together bridging the United States border with Canada as a symbol of peace between us - are beginning to open. On Waterton Lake (above) there is a boat that will take you to the United States. It goes straight south. As the snow recedes and the weather clears things are more accessible. It is rumored that the main road across Glacier is getting more and more clear.

A. Rodin - all over

Photo by Mike McLellan

      Rodin's studio in a former hotel in central Paris is now a museum with many of his sculptures in the garden as well as inside. It is recently reopened after renovation. (Renovation is common all over Europe in the summer months. You need to get accustomed to scaffolding.) But, Rodin's work is appreciated around the world. The piece above is in the sculpture area of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. There are other works there. The famous "The Thinker" was cast in multiple copies, one of which is in the courtyard of the Palace of the Legion of Honor near us in San Francisco. I will admit to being a fan of his work.

Google stock photo

Oregon tulips are in bloom

All around us ( and especially in Woodburn ) the tulips are out in force.

Italy: Old Is Good

    The photo above may look like an island in the South China Sea, but it is actually plaster loss on a building near the Piazza Navona in Rome. I'd bet if it was in the United States we would see it as a scar or just repair it. Rome - and most European cities - see this as history. These are wear marks. The plastering over it or repair of it would erase the past. Old is good. Old is wonderful. Every birthday I keep reminding myself of that. No need to hide it. We need to celebrate it.

I've never been to Katmandu

   

Goal: 686 - The Dolomites of Italy

     About six 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 did not come at a good time for me. Traveling then meant going to a doctor’s appointment. I was not even sure I was not going to die before another trip to the grocery store. The gift was confusing to me.

      Now days, the volume sits on the coffee table along with Rick Steve’s “Europe Though the Back Door” and two atlases. I look them over regularly as I make plans for several trips. You see, I made it to the grocery store and other places enough to give me the courage to develop a future. 

     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 prime places right now. I checked off those that don't interest me and it leaves 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.

     Just imagining a journey can make you feel better. You do not even have to go some place to enjoy it. I do not know if I will get to those places, but considering going to them is a healthy sign and a indicator of health. It is exciting to think about possible adventures.

      Planning for the future is nearly as fun as the future itself. 

Getting real in Florence Italy

Fake "ancient" statue in restaurant in Florence

Real statue of Mary Madeleine by Donatello in

Duomo Museum, Florence. 

One of my favorite pieces. You can see her love and anguish.

I think she is more beautiful than the fake above.

The Baptistery, Florence, Italy

Happy Easter

Castle in Liechtenstein

     This is the castle in Liechtenstein overlooking the kingdom near Vaduz. Liechtenstein was on my list of "must-sees", but I must admit that I was disappointed. I am not sure why. It may be that it was right after Austria or right before Switzerland. It might have been the rain. Most likely it was the fact that it just did not have a good deal of pizzazz.  I am not sure what I was expecting.
     I don't know if others have had this kind of experience; one where you find even an interesting and pretty place disappointing. It has happened to me rarely, but it happens. Maybe I had heard lots of hype and they did not live up. I am not sure.
     I do know that I have been wonderfully surprised by places that I have been reluctant to like. I suppose this is what makes travel an adventure.

Fused Glass

Ancient piece of fused glass shown at the British Museum, London

Glass museum Murano, Venice, Italy

Because I work in fused glass at home, when I am out and about I am drawn to art glass everywhere. When in any major city I will stop at galleries or in museums and check out the glass work. Certainly the most famous place is Murano, an island of Venice where they do amazing work. There is also a museum there that includes work by Picasso who I did not know worked in glass. The British Museum has the oldest glass I have seen, some from the Greeks and Egyptians.  It is fun for me to use glass as a way of tying my travels together.

Waterfalls in Yosemite

Just so we can remind ourselves of the waterfalls in Yosemite

 (a day trip from our California home)

because it is likely that they will be a trickle by July 

in this drought cycle.

The Blue Boat: Dingle, Ireland

 Boats in the harbor at Dingle, Ireland (notice the hillside across)

The most photographed boat in Dingle

There are many fancy and charming boats in the harbor at Dingle. There is lots to photograph. Yet, when I was walking along, the boat that caught my eye was one that had been turned into a planter. I thought it was interesting. As we hung out, I noticed others taking pictures of it. When I went on the web I found several more photos of it - in different years and seasons. Others too found it worth a photo even as there were so many other grand boats to photograph.