The Grotto near Portland, Oregon U.S.A.

Statue of St. Francis atop the cliff above the Grotto, Take the elevator.

Art Galleries

We hit most of the art museums in the places we visit, but we also search out the commercial galleries. The local art tells you a good deal about the people, their values, their vision. An artist can only exist when people buy what he/she creates and thus the art is a mirror to the community. As well, the media tell you about the area. Murano has its glass and Spain its leather and England its ceramics. The photo above is of a gallery in Prescott Arizona where some talented folks work in a variety of media; these being made of wood.

Sunsets - a reflection

       

      Folks have lots of photos of sunsets. The reason may be that they love the colors. But, the sunrise often has colors just as nice - but who sees many sunrises on a trip? The sunset also reminds us of all that has gone before whereas the sunrise is only a promise of things to come.

     The photo above was taken with my iPhone from the top of the Altamont range near our home in Central California. It is taken from the porch of a friend's ranch. They have sunsets like this almost every night and, I suppose, do not think much about them.

      We once lived on the edge of a deep canyon and we saw sunsets like this all the time. For the first year I took photos of just about every one. Then I took less and less.  

     As we now see few sunsets in our suburban setting, I have begun to appreciate them more.

     My camera roll from our many trips is filled with sunsets. I am only now beginning to understand why.

View from the hotel window: Caen, France

This is the view from my hotel window in Caen, France. It was early on a Sunday morning. There is a variety of architecture. Within a short while the streets were filled with people going about their day. As in most French cities, the cathedral is the most visible landmark. We stayed in Caen about a week using it as headquarters for a visit to Normandy.

Never say never... Cruise down the Seine

I said that I would never take a cruise. That is now changed to ocean cruise. We took a long boat down the Seine from Paris to The Normandy coast in France and it was very nice.

Maybe it was the fact that we sailed mostly in the evening and went ashore during the day to see the cities and sights along the banks and inland. I usually drive a rental car and I realize now how much my passengers see and I miss. And, we did not have to hunt for a great restaurant for each meal. I could drink wine with lunch and not worry about driving somewhere. 

The photo above is of some napkins on the bar of the ship.

Watching the world from the seat of an A-380

Cool little perk on the A-380 Airbus is a set of cameras that beam real time photos to the screen on the back of the seats. There are cameras facing front and down. Can you see that this one is on the tail? See the wings as the sun goes down over the Atlantic? Cool.

Central Innsbruck closed to cars on Sunday

Four years ago we stopped off on  Sunday afternoon to stroll in central Innsbruck.

Quiet and yet busy.

50 years ago the Sundial Bridge was not in Redding, California

...but on today's date in 1966 I was in Redding, California. I remember it well.

In the Picasso Museum, Paris, France 2015

In a month or so we will be on our way to the Picasso Museum in Madrid, Spain.

There are small gifts everywhere in Florence Italy

The ten best, most beautiful, happiest... Those lists travel writers make...

So here are three church towers - I photograph them everywhere. I have so many that I would be hard put to list the top ten. On many travel sites there are lists of the ten best... like the ten best cafes in the world. This is, in my humble opinion, baloney. No one has been everywhere and been able to see/test every site. Maybe the best thing to say is "Here are my favorites..." Makes more sense.

Back to church towers. From top to bottom: Italy, Austria, France.

Nice little boat on the Seine, France

Photo by Mike McLellan, 2015

The Plaza of Peace, Paris, France

Photo by Mike McLellan 2015

One Year Ago today: Normandy, Omaha Beach - celebrating peace

(Photo - Mike McLellan) We stand again with our friends the French

One year ago: July 14th

 One year ago we were watching the Ferris wheel at the wharf and seeing the fireworks in Honfleur France. It was Bastille Day - actually Fete Nationale - and we were helping celebrate independence. Already there had been one terrorist attack in Paris. Today, as then, we stand with France.

Watching whales at Pigeon Point Lighthouse

We saw about a half dozen humpbacks. Am processing the photos so you can see them.

Sedona, Arizona, USA

The picture one expects of Paris

I have met people who tell me that the folks who live in Paris are rude.

Maybe they met other tourists from other places.

I am not sure. All I know is that I found people in Paris very accepting.

I am not sure if those who complain have been to New York or Los Angeles.

Big cities are impersonal and often impatient with people who speak another language.

Paris is what you make it.

Granddaughter and Grandfather in apartment window 1/2 block from the Louvre, Paris France

photo: Marietta McLellan

Couple in the window Rouen, France

Photo: Mike McLellan

Man in the window, Rome, Italy

Photo: Mike McLellan

Woman in the window. Paris, France

Photo: Mike McLellan

Lake Moraine, Alberta, Canada

Lake Moraine, Canada, on an overcast and slightly rainy day. See the slide areas to the right-center of this photo. It shows that this area is a "U" shaped canyon rather than a "V" shaped one. "V" canyons are created by rivers cutting rock. "U" shaped canyons are created by glaciers cutting the path.

Regarding Airport Security

"I think it's most constructive to use the waiting time at airport security to meditate on the reasons we have so many enemies, and what we might do so that fewer people from far away become really angry at us."
-Rick Steves

Tulip Farm, Woodburn, Oregon USA

Fireworks -- Fete Nationale

Last year we were in Paris, France for the Fourth of July. 

It was just another day there. However, we were in Honfleur, France for Fete Nationale (Bastille Day) and took these photos of their fireworks then.

(I have a very long video taken by my granddaughter, but think I'll pass on it.)

Photos taken from a boat in the Seine River .

Rent a apartment in Paris

AirBNB suggests you live like a local when traveling. This is a photo of the living room of an apartment we rented in Paris. It was located 1/2 block from the Louvre and just a long block from the Seine in the 1st. It was not an AirBNB but it was a great way to spend a week living as the French do.

When your comfort zone makes you uncomfortable

Paris as viewed from the roof of Galleries La Fayette (Mike McLellan)

I do not speak French. I have a little fear of heights. They had just bombed a magazine's office in Paris. I have a good many reasons to stay home. But, bad things happen everywhere and there are all sort of reasons to be afraid. But, then you should not get out of bed.

I like to experience things outside my comfort zone. It is not because I am a daredevil. It is because I like to experience new things. 

I have been blessed at every turn.