Kensington Garden - Princess Diana Walk

Peter Pan statue in Kensington Garden, London England. This statue is along the Princess Diana Walk which takes you along several statues and water features.

Favorite Places: A close (alley) in Lismore, Ireland

There have been many places that we have happened upon that we thought very memorable: a porch in Lampeter PA watching the fireflies, an evening in the Lincoln Memorial, a cafe in Paris, the top of a mountain pass in the Dolomites, a stadium in Atlanta ... and this courtyard in Lismore, Ireland.

Don't make assumptions and ask the B&B staff for advice.

     This is a photo taken from the bar at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise of a wedding in progress. Before we visited Lake Louise (Alberta, Canada) people told us how expensive and "inaccessible" the Chateau is. Our assumption was that we would just walk around it and not go in - we were not dressed for it. We had stayed two nights at the Deer Lodge and 200 yards from the Chateau.

     The assumptions were wrong. Casual dress and hiking clothes were the order of the day. We were told you cannot get a table in the bar or restaurant as it is busy. We asked and we got a place in the bar, next to the window and therefore took the photo above. We had, by the way, some munchies and some prosecco. The bartender was a charmer. Following this we went down and had a light lunch.

     The reason why we did not allow the assumptions to stop us was that the owner of the bed and breakfast in Banff had told us to just go ahead and do what we wanted to do. So we did. It made a fond memory.

Printemps, Paris, France - Lunch under the dome

Good company, good food, good place...

Picasso Museum, Paris --just a start

We were at the Picasso Museum in Paris after it reopened from its renovations. It is an excellent visit and highly recommended. We are now getting close to our next trip, this one to 

Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Seville, Gibraltar and Southern Portugal. 

While in Spain we hope to see more of Picasso and loads of the great Spanish artists.

I am sure my readers will get their fill of these places.

Sundial Bridge, Redding, CA

Photo by Mike McLellan

McLellan Galleries, Glasgow, Scotland

Went by on the bus and took a photo of this attraction in Glasgow. We also took photos of McLellan trucks and some other places with our name. In Edinburgh I took my photos into a shop to have a few printed. The technician, when I picked them up, said that he had looked through the photos and did not have to guess which order it was from. McLellan is a fairly common name - in Scotland - and we even met Chris McLellan the owner of the Caledonian Hotel in Fort Augustus when we stayed there.

It is Spring in Central California, U.S.A.

Here in Central California Spring is all around us. The daffodils are pretty well done in our yard and the fruit trees are blooming. It reminds me that the world has many micro-climates and even the United States is so big that one area can be in Winter while another is in the beginnings of Summer. I will note that it is allergy season here - big time.
Photos from our yard by Mike McLellan

Jet boat on the Willamette River, Portland Oregon USA

This is a picture of our jet boat coming to pick us up for a trip up the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon. We went fro OMSI - the museum - to Willamette Falls. The driver explains what you are seeing and does stunts that get everyone wet. This is probably not for everyone. 

My grand-kids and I enjoyed it.

The Walls at the Vatican

This is an American visitor in front of the "wall around the Vatican". There are secure areas just as there are around a billionaire's estate, the White House, or the home of a governor. But, it is pretty easy to get into most everything but the Vatican Museums -you have to pay for that.

The moon through our budding fruit tree, Tracy, California U.S.A.

Photo by Marietta McLellan

My Favorite City...

I have not been in every city in the world nor have I spent enough time in some places to know why they are beloved, but along with San Francisco, London just has to be my favorite for now. I find London has just about everything I look for in a great place. It has variety, diversity, history and great theater. It has a wonderful mass transit system and it easy to get around. The photo above was taken at Trafalgar Square. The church is Saint Martin In the Fields. The building to the left is the National Gallery. When in London we seem to always end up here. 

Europe ahead of U.S. in Merry-Go-Rounds

 Carousel in Florence, Piazza Republica

Paris

All over Europe there are a variety of carousels. In Paris, to mention only two, there is one at the foot of Montmartre and another near the Louvre. In almost every town in Austria or Italy there are one or two or more.  We have been known to stop and ride these - just because. 

Feldhirsch, Austria - Central mall

On our way from Innsbruck to Vaduz, we stayed over in Feldkirsch, Austria. It was a very welcoming place. The photo here is of the center of the old town and we had wine and dinner there. The restaurant is on the left with large umbrellas out for shade. A very manageable place with people that could understand my college German. 

A Kiss In Romantic Paris France

Pardon getting personal... This is a picture of me and my Valentine of 50 years 

(Yes, 50 years!) in Paris.

Favorite Photos: The Bay at Kenmare Ireland

The Bay at Kenmare, Ireland

I remember this as a very romantic place on this Valentine's Day weekend.

Musée de l'Orangerie

There are a good number of museums and galleries in Paris. Before our trip last July we made sure we studied up on various artists and art forms. I help run an annual program in art education for students and am motivated to always know more. This last summer my granddaughter joined my wife and I for a week in Paris just looking at its art and architecture. Besides the newly opened Picasso Museum, our favorite seemed to be the Musée de l'Orangerie which focuses on impressionist and post-impressionist painters. The picture above is of an estimated 12 foot section of a huge 360 degree painting of waterlilies by Claude Monet. There are two oval rooms given over to them. Many other artists are represented, as well. The l'Orangerie is human scale and not very crowded compared to other places. We highly recommend it. It is on the Left Bank across the bridge from the Tuileries.
 

Abbey of Saint Wandrille, Normandy, France

We poked around the Abbey of Saint Wandrille with the help of a monk. After listening to the community of brothers chant in the Abbey, I discovered this gate and building. You may not think it is much, but I found it a great way to remember the experience. 

The Duomo, Florence, Italy

This is a detail of the famed Duomo in Florence, Italy. The Duomo is the large cathedral in the center of the historic area. It can be seen from the Baptistery across the way, but a walk around is wonderful. The dome is famous. Now, if you find yourself there, go inside (it is free) and then go behind it to the Duomo Museum. The museum is one of the best in the city. Florence is not a day trip. Florence deserves several days. (Photo by Mike McLellan)

When the sun comes out in Ireland

Near Castle Gregory, the sun came out and suddenly the beach was full of people. A few were in the water. As I watched, I could think of nothing except how sunburnt those folks were going to be. The next day was overcast and we hiked out to the tip of Dingle Harbour and both returned very sunburned. Not sure any people with Scot/Irish skin could have gotten by without sunscreen.

 



Site of Winter Olymics in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

It looks a little cold and it was. Note it was August 14th!

Sunday is Church Day; The Cathedral at Caen, France

Every city has a cathedral and almost every cathedral has a rose window. Someday I will post photos of those windows all in one place. Our hotel in Caen was located just around the corner from this cathedral and we saw it every day for nearly a week. I do like visiting these churches, but I also use them as landmarks for knowing where I am as they rise high in the sky. They are easy to see and once I visit them, they become a beacon of my location. It seems fitting theologically as well as practically.

The Rock of Cashel, Ireland

South and west of the lovely town of Kilkenny is the famous Rock of Cashel. It is one of those places that for hundreds of years people have given a mystical and special religious meaning.  Like Mt. Saint Michel in France (on a small scale) it juts up from the surrounding landscape and was just the perfect spot for a fortified church or abbey. It is one of the don't miss places in Ireland. It is worth the visit and you will understand why it has long been a favorite place. There is nothing to kiss or a huge gift shop. There are locals who will give you a tour - or leave you alone. Walk the graveyard and sense the history of this amazing place.

Don't be in such a hurry...

We came in the gate close to our apartment and walked slowly toward the pyramid at the Louvre. People were passing us in a hurry to get in. The top photo is a detail on the outside of the East Wing courtyard of the palace. The bottom photo is a close up of the same statue. When you are in a hurry you miss it. "Who cares?" they say, "We are on our way to the Mona Lisa!" I care. 

Planning the next trip

     It begins as an itch, a maybe, a feeling of the need to get up and go. We have it big time. It has been six months since our last European trip and two months since an out of state trip and we are beginning to look at the map again. Should we take a long boat down the Danube? How about the Inca ruins in the Yucatan? I feel like Spain and Portugal with some days in the south of France. We are very lucky. We saved our money, flight costs are down, we have relatively good health. Our plan is to run out of savings and time at the same moment.

The screen on the back of seat 21 H, Air France.

Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France

This is a view of the Abbey at Mont Saint Michel taken from the rampart. This whole island is considered a holy place and it feels like it. Indeed, it is overrun by tourists, but there are places where you can sneak away (like the ramparts) and feel the temper of the place.  When people talk of bucket lists, I think of Mont Saint Michel as it was long on mine from the time I was a little boy and saw a photo of it in National Geographic. It did not disappoint.

The Dolomites, Italy

A flock of free range sheep along the road near a pass in the Dolomites of the Sud Tyrol, Italy.

Do not underestimate Liechtenstein

   
     The picture above is a quick snapshot out of our car window as we entered Liechtenstein from Austria. I was all ready to hand over my passport at the border and have it stamped. You cannot do that, you must go into Vaduz and have it stamped and they charge you for doing it. It isn't like this small country is broke. They have a very high per capita income.
     If you did not see this sign (there were some border guards in a small glass hut there) you would not know you were in a different country. It is pretty much like Austria and Switzerland. However, I did not get lost in Austria or Switzerland, but got all messed up in Liechtenstein. Did meet a couple of nice people who did not speak English so they could not help me find my way.  It was a Sunday and the country was pretty much closed.