If you visit Dublin take a day trip to Newgrange.

Photo by Mike McLellan

Newgrange is a man-made mound that contains an opening that allows sunlight in on December 21st of each year. December 21 has long been understood as the re-birth of the sun, as it marks that the days begin to grow longer.  Newgrange is believed to be older than Stonehenge. It is a remarkable site with other mounds  and circles.  The visitor's center is excellent. We travelled there on Mary Gibbon's Tour and also visited the Hill of Tara. Well worth the time. Warning: the tunnel going in is not scary, but it is narrow. Big chested or plump people have trouble entering. To judge size, look to the right of the mound to see a large group of people.

Sailboats in Luxembourg Garden

Photos by Madison Boehringer

In front of the Palace in Luxembourg Garden there is a large pond. The king used it as the center of his lands, but today it has small sailboats darting back and forth. A woman rents the boats from her booth. Those not "sailing" sit around the pool reading, talking or just doing nothing. A very pleasant place to be sure.

Discovered Concerts

In Dingle(town), on the western coast of Ireland, we scheduled four or five days to take in the sights. That is a privilege we have due to retirement. As we were walking the streets we saw several signs for a celtic music concert to be held in the local church. We decided that we would go after dinner. I do not remember the cost, although it seemed inexpensive. That night several people were playing. One was on a violin and another on a guitar.  The one that fascinated me was a man who played what is essentially electric bagpipes. There is a small compressor rather than a bag and the pipe is held in the hand rather than blown. In my photo above, this is the instrument on the left. It does not have the continual moan of the bagpipe and instead has a flute like quality. Never heard one before, but really enjoyed the concert. (You will note that while it was past eight in the evening, the light is still coming in the window. This is due to the fact that Ireland's  latitude is much higher than we have come to expect.)

Picasso Museum reopens

Photos by Madison Boehringer

In the old hotel frequented by Picasso, the newly renovated museum dedicated to his work reopened in the Marais, Paris.  The two pictures here are from Picasso's transitional period from realism to cubism. This is not an easy place to get to in Paris, but it is well worth it. That, and the fact that, it  is in the lovely Marais District of the city. As we decided to go there while across the river at the Musee d'Orsay, we took a cab - which is another story by itself. We then took a cab back to the Louvre  (we were staying a half a block from there). The city has many galleries and museums. Because we were traveling with a teenager we let her decide on the itinerary as we know that kids can get on art overload. Alas, besides some major shopping, she loved the museums and was open for more.

Exploration teaches you lots of things --- about yourself.

Marietta McLellan having breakfast at a B&B in Florence, Italy. A stop on a month in Northern Italy. Florence is a lovely place. It is ranked by many as the best place to travel in the world. I am not sure about that as I have not been everywhere in the world, but it is a good stop.  We travel to explore new places and sometimes those places are inside ourselves. Our trips begin with "What if?" and "Can we?". The stop in Florence was part of "What if we rent a car and drive the Alps?"  It included, "Can we do Rome, Florence and Venice first?" The answer lies inside us. Do we risk going where we don't speak the language? Can we be honest and open enough to allow others to help us? Do we trust them? Do we trust ourselves? What if sometime negative happens, can we rise to the occasion?

We do not start with the answers to those questions. We start by lots of planning and a leap of faith.

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

This is a picture I took from the window of the Calgary, Canada airport. You can see the city in the distance. Calgary is a wonderful town. It has excellent public transportation, a delightful downtown, and some very nice green spaces. It is sophisticated and urbane community. Certainly it is known for the annual Stampede and the Stampede Grounds are fun to walk through. This airport is where one might arrive when visiting the many National Parks of Alberta and Montana (USA).

Window in the Tower of London

The Tower is a place of romance, violence, intrigue, politics, pageantry and history.  If you only have time to visit one place in London, the Tower would be it - unless it is sitting all day in the Beckingham Arms Pub near Kings Cross which has much the same things.

Balmoral Castle, Scotland

This is a photo of my wife walking down the path leading to the gardens of Balmoral.  This is Queen Elizabeth's retreat in Scotland. I'd say it is adequate. The gardens and grounds are truly beautiful. It lies next to a river. (The local church where they attend is right over the bridge.)  When Queen Victoria was alive, she would arrive by train from London at Ballator, a pretty little village not far away. We recommend staying in Ballator and visiting the castle early in the morning (it opens around ten and you can work a tour of the church in before opening.) Of interest is the gallery which contains many of Prince Philip's paintings. He is an excellent artist.

My photo of the Royal Palace Garden Paris makes "Lonely Planet"

The garden (Jardin) of The Royal Palace in Paris was divided into several parts. One of them contains radically modern pieces like large silver balls which reflect light.  The photo above shows the random length pillars which people look at or sit on (I stood on a few). A small creek runs under everything. You will note the girl in the background. It is a posed picture. That is my grand-daughter, Madison.

Monet's Garden at Giverny, France

Having seen Monet's waterlily paintings over the years, it is a nice experience to visit his home and see what he was painting. I have posted a comparison of paintings and reality before. This is a photo (by Maretta McLellan) of the pond. You can see the famous bridge - full of tourists -  in the middle background. The weather when we were there in July 2015 was warm and sunny, but there is plenty of shade in the gardens. There are loads of tourists and it is a commercial enterprise. After walking around the area for a couple of hours, I found a bench and had a long conversation with another tourist who was from Australia. There are many folks from Australia and England visiting France. While we talked about the garden, we talked more about where our own homes are and how different they are from Monet's place. I have no pond, nor did he.

Paris looks flat - at first glance

Looking toward Montmartre from Musee d'Orsay

Looking to the south from Montmartre

Paris seems to be flat at first glance. Maybe it is if you have been to Rome (and certainly San Francisco). But, Paris has low rolling hills. This is more obvious from a vantage point like the top of the Musee d'Orsay or when walking from Notre Dame to Luxembourg Gardens. By personal car or by taxi, one does not experience the hills as you do walking. Still, it is a city of walking just about everywhere. We took the tram up Montmartre, but our grand-daughter climbed the stairs. Ah, youth.

San Stefano - Saint Stephen

Travel should not about checking off a list of countries (or cities for that matter). It should be about getting outside your comfort zone. It ought to mean meeting new people in their own context and learning from them, not judging them.  I have seen what they mean by "ugly American" and have been embarrassed. I have also made my own blunders, but hopefully folks thought me ignorant and not stupid. To this end, here's to travel and one of my favorite places.

Ponte Pietra, Verona, Italy

The walking bridge to St. Stefano Bed and Breakfast

A great stroll: The Golden Gate Bridge

A wonderful 1.7 mile hike is across the Golden Gate Bridge between San Francisco and Marin County California. It is especially nice in the evening. (You can get to both ends of the bridge by bus or park your car at either end.) Always take a jacket. It is almost always cooler in summer than at other times although the fog goes through you in the winter. The photo here is one I took looking south toward the city. The green area is the Presidio.  You will note to the right that the bridge is not at the most westerly part of the city. Many people believe it is. There is more to enjoy out there. I read TripAdvisor and some people are disappointed in the bridge... maybe because they think it is going to be gold and it is really red. I commuted across the bridge when getting accredited at California Pacific Medical Center and when taking youth groups to plays in the city. (We lived in Marin.)  Personally, the bridge has never disappointed me.

McDonald Lake, Glacier Park U.S.A.

The sun going down on the wonderful lake McDonald in Glacier National Park (Montana). The evening was still. The boats and paddleboarders done for the day. We were having a glass of wine on the patio and I grabbed the camera. Here it is.

Maddie in Paris

Madison Boehringer, our grand-daughter who turns 13 years old today, took this photo from one of her favorite spots: the top of Galeries LaFayette in Paris, France. She was there just some 60 days ago. Just in front of the Eiffel Tower is the Grand Palace. Maddie has a good eye for photos.

Favorite Photos

The Val Gardena (or near it) of the Dolomites in the Sud Tyrol, Northern Italy. One of the prettiest places we have ever been. Not the same form of rock as Yosemite, but it reminds me of this National Park near our home. The major difference is that the Dolomites cover a very large territory, and there are fewer tour buses. This photo was taken from a turn out on top of one of the passes. I could have stayed there all day, but there were plenty more up the road.

Street Market Bayeux, France

Great street market in the center of Bayeux, France. Something for everyone.

Rodin -I knew I'd seen that before

Walking into the Museum d'Orsay in Paris I saw a Rodin sculpture that I knew I had seen before. Another casting of the sculpture is in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. You see enough museums and galleries and you may be surprised at how much you learn. One thing I notice about these two photos I took is that the scale of the sculpture is easier to see in the picture from the Victoria and Albert. You can walk around the figure there and see it in context. The one in Paris is in front of a red wall and does not show the size.

Mt. St. Michel, France - look up

Ceiling detail from the abbey at the top of Mt. St. Michael. Always - in Europe - look up.

Photo by Marietta McLellan

Paris Pigeons own the place

Even the lion in Luxembourg Garden is not scared.

I love Paris. Why oh why do I love Paris? Because, my love is there.

Romance in Paris--even after 50 years together.

Marietta and Mike McLellan

Monet's Waterlilies

 At his home in Giverny, France

On display in Paris

The trip to Giverny to visit Monet's home and garden is well worth the trip.  We went there by boat from Paris, but it is not a long drive by car. Before we went we  visited his paintings in the major galleries of Paris. 

The Deschutes River near Sunriver, Oregon

Taken a coupe of years ago. This photo shows what we hope the water levels will be back to soon.

A.T.&T. let me down

A.T.&T. has failed in the neighorhood so I  am on a Comcast freebie. As it is slow and pictures do not load, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the things I did not bring home from trips. A suitcase I bought long-long-ago in Lancaster PA on a trip to Amish Country finally failed due to all of the stuff I tend to bring back from trips. Things to remember my trips by. Then I started bringing home free things like receipts and business cards to be put together with my photos. Now, I am down to photos and memories. I don't have to shop for memories. Last trip, I did buy a classic French pocket knife just right for cheese and bread on picnics. Not sure why I bought it, but now I need to go on more picnics.

Kensington Gardens, London

It does not have to be a great picture to make it one of your favorites. What it takes is that the photo brings back pleasant and wonderful memories. The picture, itself, may mean little to someone else. This is a  glade near the end of the memorial walk to Princess Dianna in Kensington Gardens. It is of a bridge over the pond. The day was slightly overcast and yet warm. This spot was refreshingly cool. It was a place that one might have seen Dianna and her sons on a summer's day.

Courtyard in Kilkenny, Ireland

I like poking my camera into secret places - just because. This is a courtyard in Kilkenny, Ireland.

Lady in Paris: Crop and copy

I like to take photos of random things and then crop them and make them big enough to see the details. This lady was one of the details in Paris.

Alternative Views of the Eiffel Tower, Paris

So, we have all seen photos of the Eiffel Tower from blocks away or even miles away. It is striking, although there have been efforts to tear it down. These photos by Marietta McLellan are views from under and in the middle of the tower and capture its complexity.

Notre Dame Paris - at night

Notre Dame at night as taken from a boat in the Seine. In July it stays light until around 11 pm which is the reason for the lighted sky. This photo was taken around 10:30 pm. A night tour is a great way of seeing the City of Light(s).

Multnomah Falls, Oregon

To get a sense of scale, notice the size of the people on the bridge. Multnomah Falls is a real treasure.

Photo by Mike McLellan