Selective fear of heights

Greenland from 35,000 feet

Verona from the Old Tower

Gondola tram in Italian Alps

     I have a selective fear of heights and I am not sure why. I can easily look out of a plane - and love to do it. I can take a gondola or tram and enjoy the ride, I cannot climb a tower (Eiffel, Verona,  Venice or the dome of St Peter's) without major anxiety. I am okay on most bridges. Is it that I do not trust engineers? Old buildings? Static things? I am not sure, But, I do know that I still go up to find out if it will terrify me.

Lake Como as seen from Bellagio

     Having arrived early near Lecco, Italy we found an interesting, old, family run hotel right on Lake Como. It was wonderful and everything we had hoped for. With some time and gas in the rental car, we looked at the map and saw we were not far from Bellagio. 

     The road out to Bellagio (on a point between two arms of the lake) is so narrow that I considered turning the mirrors in so we did not hit on-coming cars. Water on one side and a shear cliff on the other, this road is perfect for drivers like me, but it is not for everyone.

     Arriving  Bellagio we stopped in a park to look across. This picture was taken there. We chatted with a couple from Sweden. Took one another's photo. We then drove around and up and over the hills of Bellagio before heading back for dinner.

     We did not expect to discover the great hotel or to have time to see Bellagio or to get to sit and look across Como. The lack of expectations made them possible.

     My point? We try very hard to leave time in our itinerary for the unexpected.

The Arena, Verona, Italy: "On being Alice in Wonderland"

     Marietta McLellan took this photo from the square in Verona, Italy. We went inside the Arena and watched them preparing for an opera performance. I found Verona to be one of my favorite places to visit. It is truly Italian, but easier to get around than say, Rome.

     I want to encourage people to travel outside of their comfort zones. We got on a train in Venice and headed toward Verona with our guidebook and suitcases. We then rented a car in Verona and drove the Alps of Italy and into Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and back around to Verona. We have a very limited ability to speak any language of those countries, but we did not have any problems. Everyone was kind and as accepting as we are to foreign folks who come to the USA. Actually, maybe they were even friendlier.   There are times when we travel that we are uncomfortable, but not afraid.

     When driving, I am careful not to break the laws. I have to read up on them before we go. We also carry international driver's licences. But, I am not afraid of the police. In fact, they have gone out of their way in France and Great Britain to help us - not sure we asked in any other places.

     We believe that we are better Americans for having met and traveled among others in other nations. 

Street signs - which way from here?

Ireland (Lismore)

Austria (Near Innsbruck)

Paris

Driving in Europe is not necessarily made easier by road/street signs.

(Photos by Mike McLellan)

The Abbey at the Isle of Iona: bucket list

This is a favorite photo as Iona and its Abbey were tops on my

list and we timed it to stay the night on Iona and

go to vespers at the Abbey. Iona is where St. Columba brought

Christianity to Scotland. Tough to get to, but worth it.

Florence Italy Garbage Truck

More in my garbage truck series.

I saw these small garage receptacles on the street in Florence.

They sorted recycles and garbage. At first glace, the seemed undersized.

Then, the garbage truck came along to empty them... 

100 Years - Birthday of the National Park System in the U.S.A.

Yosemite, California

Glacier, Montana

Creek beside Bed and Breakfast in Sedona, Arizona

At the aptly named Creekside Inn in Sedona, one can walk down through a shaded area 

to rest beside the creek. Great place to stay.

Dramatic photo of garbage in central Paris

OK it is not dramatic. It is average. It goes on every day. That is what traveling is at its best. It is getting to experience the every day with ordinary people. When people come to the United States let us hope that they don't think we are just Disneyland or Pier 39. We are BBQ's and wedding showers and reading our children bedtime stories.  (In the photo above, the exciting thing is that this is taken from our apartment window and that is the grocery store we went to almost every day. To the right is a very nice men's store.)

Multnomah Day at Multnomah Village, Portland, Oregon

A Neighborhood Celebration near our place.

The Baptistery in Florence Italy

Very cool and a privileged to enter the hidden stairway and climb into the dome.

Hiking near Sedona, Arizona

There are many great hikes around Sedona. There are some lovely creeks and oak woods. But, the ones that we feel were most worth it were those out along the red rocks where the native Americans had built their homes and left their art. The picture above is of a pictograph site to the west of town. It is a warm, dry hike and, in places, a little scary. You need a walking stick for balance and good shoes. Take some water too. It is worth it.

Chief of Police parks on wrong side of road?

The photo above was taken on the Dingle Peninsula in the Republic of Ireland.

The former Chief of Police is the local history buff and tour guide and he took us on a tour.

The photo below is of some islands just off the coast which were the backdrop for several movies. The Chief said that one rarely sees them as it is not often this clear. He was excited about it and pulled over to let us out. The van is not on the wrong side of the road. It is Ireland.

Do you see the man lying off shore? The Irish do.

We cannot let them win...

     I took these two photos with my own small point-and-shoot camera. Some would have kept me from it.

     There have been many cases of terrorism in our world since 9-11. A few people in our world and even some people in our own country have tried to make us less trusting of other individuals and nations. If we listened only to them, my camera would only hold photos of family birthday cakes. 

     We belong to the Human Race which includes only a small percentage of bad folks and a whole lot of great new friends just waiting for us to meet them. I refuse to limit my understanding of good people to guys who look and speak just like me. If I had or will, I would miss out on so much. 

Mt. St. Michele, Normandy, France

The Dolomites, Sud Tyrolean Alps, Italy

European Ceilings

The streets and walkways are often rough and made from cobblestones so it is easy to keep looking down as you travel Europe. Don't. The ceilings are often as amazing as the other pieces of art.

It is against the rules to photograph Michelangelo's David

Rules say that you cannot take a photo like the one above.

I think it was so artists like me cannot copy it and sell the knock-offs cheap.

When folks think of London...

When folks think of London, they usually think of Tower Bridge or Westminster Abbey. But, London is also a very modern city as the photo above reflects. 

Piazza Navona detail - Rome, Italy

Piazza Navona is a not-to-miss area in Rome. It has some wonderful fountains and is near so many famous places. But, if you are in a hurry and just focus on the big things you will miss something like that above. It is a detail in the railing in front of the cathedral that opens up on the piazza. When I have a camera - or even my iPhone - in my hand, I start seeing things better. This is a color photo taken on a overcast day. - Mike McLellan

Waterfall, Icefields Highway, Alberta, Canada -LOUD

Just a short walk off the road (photo by Mike McLellan)

Favorite photos

Cemetery along the Shannon River, Ireland (Color photo by Mike McLellan)

Behind the cemetery caretaker's shed in La Villa Italy

In the cemetery in La Villa, Italy (The Dolomites of the Sud Tyrolean  Alps in Italy) I found the caretaker's shed. I went around back and found this delightful collection. Did Mr. Pescosta not pay his bill? Is the cross to be added or taken away? Look at the amazing old chair. I could write a novel.

A day missed on the blog

     I hate to miss a day blogging, but yesterday was one of our travel days. We drive up to Portland Oregon and stay for several weeks and return to Central California three or four times a year. Yesterday was the usual 12 hour drive south. We leave around 8:30 am and arrive around 8:30 pm. It is a good deal of mountain driving with substantial time spent in the valleys of both Oregon and California. Then the next day it is a whole lot of time spent cleaning up for being away for three or four weeks.
      The same thing you must do when going to Europe: plan, pack, travel, enjoy, travel, unpack, and get back to normal. We do a minimum of five of these trips a year: four to Portland and one to Europe. Lots of practice. We are fortunate.

Bergamo, Italy

     Bergamo, Italy is just to the east of Lake Como and the city of Lecco.  Bergamo is the home of S. Pellegrino water. The picture here is of a bottle purchased in the United States.
     We know Bergamo very well, but for the wrong reasons. Our bed and breakfast was across from Lecco on Lake Como on the western side of the east arm. We had to get to Verona airport for flight out to Paris, but we had plenty of time. We took a side trip to a castle on Lake Garda. After a leisurely lunch by the water, I reached into my pocket to check on the keys to our rental car. They were there and so was the key to the safe in our room in Lecco. Worse yet, our passports were in that safe.
     Italian drivers are known for being both good and fast, but so am I. We had gotten to Garda via Bergamo, now we went through it again going east. Got the passports and went through Bergamo again and then on to Verona. Made it on time to turn in the rental car, have a much needed glass of wine, and get ready for our flight to Paris.
      I think of Bergamo with every bottle of S. Pellegrinio.

Zen Garden

A quiet garden of flowers in the middle of the Bellagio - not in Italy, but in Las Vegas - Casino.

Building Bucket List

     In European travel there have been our own personal bucket lists of things to see. For me one of them was the Dolomite Mountains in the Southern Tyrolean Alps. But, when I think of the list, most of it is comprised of buildings. Here it is (in no specific order): Elizabeth's Tower, The Tower of London, The British Museum, The Abbey at Iona, Balmoral Castle, St. Giles (Edinburgh), The Half Penny Bridge, Newgrange, The Eiffel Tower, Mount Saint Michele, The Louvre, The Pantheon, The Colosseum, The Vatican, The Academia (Florence - Michelangelo's David), The Doge's Palace (Venice), and The Innsbruck Olympic Site. Still to go: Amsterdam (any part of it), The Alhambra, The Bullring in Seville, The Vienna Opera House, Stonehenge,  Oxford University, The tram at Gibraltar, and more. YOUR QUESTION: What would you add to or list as a must see man-made object in Europe.

Souvenirs - what to bring home from Europe

     Souvenirs are  part of travelling. We seem to think we need something to remember a place by. The photo above is of a cheese knife by a famous maker that I bought in Paris. The French use them on picnics. It is very nice. I rarely use it.
     I do collect cardboard coasters given under beverages. Ireland has the best. They cost nothing. We also visit drugstores for supplies we do not want to carry on the plane. I floss with Italian dental floss. I groom my hair with a product picked up in France. I have some cough drops from London. My medicine cabinet reminds me of other places every morning.
     You may not need to bring anything more back than a memory. They last the longest, and your children will not have to wonder "what the heck is that" when they inherit it.

What about Paris?

This is a photo I took last year. We are going to Spain this year, but will stop over in Paris. A good many people are afraid to go to Paris right now. Tourism has dropped. I guess we have to be philosophical about it. We have flown in twice before. There have been incidents before and after the flights. There have also been no incidents before and after the flights. We watch what we do. But, we are not going to stop visiting other countries. We have had incidents in our own country too. 

A few of a thousand pipers

     This is a photo of just a part of the total group of pipers at the Highland Games in Pleasanton, California. The massed pipe band is definitely a loud experience. But, when there is a gathering of the clans, old hostilities are forgotten and the Scots are one. They all play the same tune, as it were.
     My wife and I have logged many thousands of miles visiting brothers and sisters in many lands. We did not realize we were family until we had a chat or shared a meal. You see we are all part of the human race and kin under it all. We meet new friends all over. The differences, if any, all fade when we realize that everyone, everywhere, marches to the same tune.

Hint: Take photo of your suitcase BEFORE flying ...

... in case you need to prove what was in your suitcase. Also take one of the outside to prove which one is yours. By the way, this is a 28 inch roller case packed for three weeks in France last year. The biggest objects are: extra pair of shoes and a hat. Note that also packed is an itinerary so if the bag is lost they know where we will be on certain days.