Waterton Lake, Alberta, Canada

Waterton Lake as seen from the Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton National Park, Canada

Photo: Mike McLellan

Escargot

This is how one restaurant does snails. The escargot is often placed back in the shells and you use a small fork to get it out. Here in this place in Caen, they put the snails (cooked in garlic and butter) in a half cherry tomato. The photo shows the last two of a dish of a dozen. The part I like about this escargot is that it neither tastes like nor looks like you are getting snails. 

The Dolomites, Italy

 

No grand vistas of the Dolomite peaks here. This is a photo I took of the clutter behind the caretakers' shed for the town cemetery in La Villa, Italy.  (Across from the church.) I do not know why Franceco Pescosta's tombstone is there. Perhaps a error in the date, perhaps a resurrection, perhaps non-payment? R.I.P.? Maybe just a repair is needed. Not as pretty as those mountains, but almost as much a mystery.

Chateau and Cider Mill outside Caen, France

Looking back at the entrance to a chateau and cider mill in Normandy.  Apples and cider are main products of Normandy. This old chateau is being brought back to life by a family there. We had a enjoyable time - even in the rain. 



Gargoyles of Notre Dame, Paris and ...

Great gargoyles at Notre Dame. The ones at Rouen are super too.

Rouen,  France

(Photos by Mike and Marietta McLellan)

The Mona Lisa

This photo was taken with a zoom lens over the heads of people. Of course, it is in the Louvre, Paris and the smallesh picture that everyone is crowding around is Leonardo's Mona Lisa. She is behind bullet-proof glass because people have tried to ruin the painting or steal it. A personal opinion is that there are lots of works of art that I'd rather have in my home that are worth a good deal less money.

The Bellagio Ferry

This is a closer view of the ferry, if you could not see it in the last post.

-Mike McLellan

The Sud Tyrol as seen from Bellagio Italy

The Sud (South) Tyrolian Alps as seen from the top of the hill in Bellagio Italy. The foreground - actually fore-water - is Lake Como. Look at about 7 o'clock and you can see the Bellagio Ferry. (Photo by Mike McLellan) 

Cahir Castle - County Tipperary, Ireland

     Photos by Mike McLellan



One of the "must-do" things is visiting European Castles. There are many in Continental Europe such as in Northern Italy, Austria, and Germany. People have an idea about those in English and Scotland.  Certainly popular ones in the UK are Edinburgh, Windsor, Kirkcudbright (MacLellan Castle) and Sterling.   In The Republic of Ireland too there are plenty to visit. Some are just manor houses that people called castles. (Such as Kilkenny) Then there are places like the Rock of Cashel and, of course, Blarney.

          On the way from the Rock of Cashel south, there stands, what is for me, a favorite. It is not over run by tourists and it has been maintained well.  It is Cahir Castle in the village a Cahir (a nice place in its own right.)

     Surrounded by water it is a great visit.  If you want to know more about it, Google it. There are lot of pictures and a complete history.

     Finally, another castle that is worth a visit (and off the beaten path, as well) is Trimm.

Paris as seen from the Eiffel Tower

 The Seine, The Louvre, and the d'Orsay

 Looking west

 Sacre Coeur Basilica, Montmarte

Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile
Photos by Marietta McLellan

The Seine near Rouen, France

These kinds of shots are all along the Seine.

Notre Dame, Paris

 M. Utrillo

Which is the "real" Notre Dame?

M. McLellan

On the veranda - Lecco, Italy

     Sometimes I think that just posting a picture will communicate the total feeling of a place and time, but I know that is not true. The above photo was taken on the veranda of a bed and breakfast between Lecco and Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy. It is a simple candid shot of me. The true story behind it is how amazed I was to be there and see the lake. We were getting ready to go out to dinner. As an American it was just about time to eat - maybe 6:30 pm - which is about an hour and a half before the Italians go to dinner. The picture for me reflects a different place, a foreign land, different habits, strange but interesting culture. And, I know it says very little to anyone else.

Monet's Waterlilies

 Giverny

 Giverny

Paris

Honfleur Harbor, Normandy, France - The Old Custom House

Photo by Mike McLellan

Notre Dame, Paris

 Rose Window, West Transept

 Behind the altar

The Nave, during worship

We went to two Sunday services at Notre Dame.

Favorite Places

     There are some truly beautiful buildings in Paris. There are also beautiful stores. One of the prettiest places was the gourmet food court of Galleries LaFayette. It reminded me the the food court in Harrod's, London. 

      The photo above was taken from our apartment window in Paris, This is the neighborhood market. There is one in most blocks. They sell fresh fruit or cheese or baked goods. This one is a grocery store. It sells bread, eggs, butter, cheese, wine and most everything you might want in a hurry. The owner did not speak English nor do I excel at French, which meant I was pretty much on my own when shopping. We got some of our provisions for breakfast and snacks here.

      This is a favorite picture because it is very much about the average life of a local in Paris. It is the daily trip to buy fresh food - the refrigerators and kitchens are small - and to catch up on the community. The picture is not fancy nor is the market. Neither was supposed to be.

St. Andrews, Scotland UK

 

          St. Andrews, Scotland is a great place to visit. Certainly it is a mecca for golfers as it is the location of the Old Course. (It would be fun to say you played  The Old Course, but it is not very pretty.) There is also a famous university there where, by the way, Prince William and Kate Middleton met and dated. It is also the site of a castle overlooking the water and the above. The picture here is one I took of what is left of a cathedral surrounded by a cemetery and a tower which you can go up for 25 pence.  There is much to see in Saint Andrews and as a place to stay we recommend the short drive to the small beach village of Crail. Crail harbor is often photographed for calendars.

Copying famous pictures in Paris - Part Two

Musée d'Orsay

Musée de l'Orangerie



Villages and Towns along the Seine

Photos by Mike McLellan

     Taking a small ship down the Seine, for me, was a new experience. I like to drive a rental car and stop at every whim. On the small ship you see a different view than on the road. Most of these villages were started next to the river and thus the older sections are there. You see more ancient walls and old churches from the river. 

     I enjoyed the small ship experience because it was more comfortable and when I drive I do not have time to see much along the road unless I stop. Maybe the best of both worlds would be to take a ship down the Seine from Paris to Honfleur and rent a car and drive back to Paris - next time.

American Cemetery, Normandy, France

          The American Cemetery in Normandy was damp with the steady rain; rain like there was on D-day. As we walked among the graves - seeing crosses and Stars of David - and even unknown soldiers as in the bottom photo, it was quiet and solemn. Roses placed at many of the graves were fresh. This is a reminder than war is really about dead young men and women. It is about the heartbreak of parents, wives, lovers, and children. As we laid a wreath at the memorial, the representative of the French government thanked our American group for being part of a caring nation that helped liberate France.

           You would have thought we would have learned some lessons from 1066, 1918, 1945, and on and on.

Copying Art

The Louvre

d'Orsay

The rain on the Seine

 

The Left Bank - and what is that in the distance?



A Window In Paris

Looking out our apartment window on Rue de 'L Arbre sec

Our view looking toward Rue Saint Honore early in the morning

European Carousels

Some quick shots of carousels by our family in Europe. There are what we called "merry-go-rounds" in almost every city in Italy and France - and other countries over there, as well. They are not just for a circus or a carnival, they are permanent and well used. I kept wanting to ride one and others in my party keep telling me that I am too big.

The Eiffel Tower from a boat on the Seine: Common but cool photo

Photo by Mike McLellan

A common photo, because it is impressive, is a shot of the Eiffel towers light display which happens every hour on  the hour after sunset (for about five minutes).  My granddaughters photo is better than this as she has a newer camera, but I was surprised to do this well. The Eiffel Tower is a symbol of Paris -- along with people sipping wine in a café. It's cool.





Bayeux, France

Photo by Mike McLellan

As people hurry from the parking lot to the museum to see the Bayeux Tapestry they pass this old water wheel with hardly a notice. This is like the folks in the Louvre nearly running by a Botticelli on their way to see Venus. I often find the most interesting things to be "on the way to something else". By the way, were you just looking at the water wheel or did you see the pigeon?

Surprise Summer Downpour, Luxembourg Gardens, Paris - July 2015

Photo by Mike McLellan

We were watching the kids play and float sailboats in the pond in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, when the clouds darkened and the wind blew a little harder and suddenly the sky opened up in a delightful rain. Mary Ann Kaleno had been our guide and she joined us under a palm tree near the chateau. I started snapping photos of folks seeking shelter. This couple - he being more fearful of the rain - put a chair on top of their heads... note her trying to get a little bit of chair. 

   Then the rain went away as it had come and we went on over to the world famous puppet theater in the Gardens to watch a show.

End of World War Two

Photo by Marietta McLellan

 

This statue stands outside the Memorial to World War Two in Caen, France. It is a copy of the famous photograph of the sailor kissing the nurse at the end of World War Two. The memorial has sections about the rise of the war, the war itself and the Cold War following. It is great statement regarding peace. It centers not so much on battles, but on the people.

Window in Honfleur, France

Anyone reading this blog over the years knows I like to photograph windows. I think  they represent my seeing into the lives of other cultures and another culture's way of seeing the world. This one is from Honfleur, France where the Seine meets the English Channel.  It is an especially pretty  town.