Looking forward to seeing a acquaintance

Italian Women, Italian Men

     Going through my files I came across this photo from a couple of years back. I was standing on the Spanish Steps in Rome and decided to take a picture the opposite way most people do. I photographed the fountain. As I often do, I looked for a way to crop the picture. I enlarged part of  the background and this is what I got.

      Some beautiful Italian women being checked out by, what I suppose are, Italian men. It looks like the one guy is not looking at where he is going. He might have been a tourist. But, it makes for an average summer street scene in Rome. I do think it is a romantic place. 

Downtown Calgary Alberta Canada

Calgary is well worth a visit. There is the Stampede grounds, the college campus, a lovely and lively downtown.  It is close to many natural wonders and served by several airlines.

It is a city of art with a great museum and civic art everywhere. Plus, it has a superior rapid transit system. And, you can go up a see it all from the tower pictured here.

Mohonk, New York

A number of years ago we were visiting my sister in Connecticut. We took  day trip with her family to Mohonk.  I had never heard of it on the West Coast. The building and the lake were a wonderful surprise. It is simply amazing. I did not take this photo. It is a stock photo from the Internet, but wonderful in itself.

Same Clock tower...

Two views of the Tower of the 'City Hall" in Florence, Italy.

Photos taken just about 12 hours apart. The top photo taken from the plaza and the second taken from the roof of the Uffizi Gallery. If you could also hear the city you would encounter a near silence at night after the hucksters and tourists go to bed. During the day it is busy and alive with sound.

We suggest folks go out before breakfast and in the evening to encounter other cultures.

Packing List

I have developed a packing list over the last 20 years that is very comprehensive and reminds me of what to bring and what NOT to bring. For example, if the country I am visiting is not a Third World Country, I remind myself that they have toothpaste and mouthwash and everything else in the modern medicine cabinet. I do not have to pack it all in my case.

I also remind myself that most modern nations have laundry service and I can pack for a week and if need be I can get my clothes clean for another week and another. I do carry quick drying underwear and socks so I can wash things out at night.

My list is very complete and includes such items as baby wipes to clean around my airline seat. but most important is the note at the bottom of the list that requires that I remember to pack - in my carry on - a sense of humor.

Enough requests and I will post a copy here.

Now, today's picture:

The little fisherman from a museum in Florence Italy - photo by me,

Remember your camera and extra chips.

MacLellan's Castle, Kirkcudbright, Scotland

Stock Photo

We stayed in Kirkcudbright near "our" family home.

Lovely town. Castle needs work.

Door at the Vatican

      I take and post a good many photos of doors and windows. I like them. They are real and symbolic. I see other people who post these same sort of photos.  The one above is a picture of a very well fortified entry to the Vatican. Around the corner there is an opening with Swiss Guards controlling entry. I wonder where this door leads? Is this  special place? Is it  storeroom? I shall never know, but it is a cool looking door.

When is the best time to go to San Francisco?

     We love San Francisco. We live very near it and often go into "The City". The photo above was taken the day after Thanksgiving last year. We were about to walk across the Golden Gate. The weather was lovely and almost always is in the Fall.

     Most people visiting San Francisco arrive in the Summer. Often it is very hot in the internal valley of California. This means the hot air rises and draws in the cool air (and fog) from the ocean. People are often surprised at how cold it is in California in the summer. The merchants who sell sweatshirts love it. You will need shorts in Sacramento or Los Angeles, but usually a jacket in San Francisco in August. That is why we go int the city for day trips in the summer.

     When is the best time to go to San Francisco? Truth is, any time. 

Americans who travel...

Americans who travel may believe their country is the best in the world,

but they acknowledge that there are other countries

and other people who love their own country as much as they do.

Every photo has a story

     Each photo has a story behind it. Some are more interesting than others and some stories are "I just took this because it was a petty sunset". The one above is obviously of the two of us in Venice. I personally was against going in a gondola. It seems cheesy. But, we had paid for the ride as part of paying for something else and cheesy or not I am cheap. We were in the gondola with another couple and had just come back from the Grand Canal. They made an offer to take our photo and so my wife handed them her camera. I had sun glasses on for the first photo and it was not good. I put my regular glasses on just as we came to a 90 degree turn into a side canal. The gondola was swinging around and about to hit the wall when the gondolier used his foot to stop the gondola and kick off from the wall. Snap. And, there you have it. I am squinting from taking off my sunglasses and do not look as happy as I felt. You can see that the gondolier was feeling a sense of pride in the moment. He is nearly posing. I liked the picture so much that I have used it here on this blog.

The Grotto, Portland, Oregon

Central feature of the Grotto. First level also contains trails, a lovely sanctuary, and a bookstore. Second level (take the elevator) has a chapel, great city views, and paths dotted with sculpture.

Lake of the Woods, Oregon, USA

Spent a weekend at Lake of the Woods in southern Oregon. It is a great place to kayak. Rental cabins make it easy to "camp" as does the cafe by the lake.

(Photo by Mike McLellan)

Stairway in Bantry, Ireland

Interesting patterns everywhere

I like the Alps - no...

I love the alps

St. Martin in the Fields: a favorite stop

We got to church early this day. We try to visit St. Martin in the Fields when we are in London. It is at Trafalgar by the National Gallery.  It is home to the famous music program. One thing we enjoy is the great organ and organist. This is a church where at the end of the service no one leaves. They listen to the postlude. Often they stand and clap for the organist. Amazing. The other thing is that after church you can go down into the crypt and have lunch!

Ceiling detail, The Abbey Mount St. Michelle, France

Dancing ceiling.

Bush vs. Obama: political note

     It must be obvious from this blog that we travel out of the United States at least once every year. Wherever we go, we experience people who know as much about our country as most Americans know. Time and time again, we meet people who want to talk about our government. I will admit that I almost never know much about their politics although I watch local English newscasts in foreign lands.  I may know the head of their government but little more.

     Especially the Canadians and Central Europeans know all about us. It may be that our nation effects theirs so much.

     We have been overseas in election years and people want to know who we are voting for and why. When George W. Bush was President (and Richard Cheney was Vice President) we were called upon to defend them and their actions. Needless to say, we could not. It was clear that many people did not like them or, because of them, our nation. We have never felt this about President Obama. Nearly everyone we meet seems to admire him and appreciate his term. They may not agree with him, but they seem to like him. This was very clear in the last election.

      I suppose that a few people think that what other nations think about us doesn't matter. Those are the same folks that give us the "Ugly American" reputation. It does matter. This world is very small and getting smaller through better communication and transportation. We may wish to believe that isolationism will work, but it will not. 

     When we get back from our four nation trip this fall. I will report on how Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump are perceived. I think it is important.

Wild bronze mountain goat between Banff and Jasper

There were sculptures of various local animals at the Visitors Center. 

We did see some of the animals but at a distance.

So we were talking stained glass - Galeries Lafayette, Paris France

As we were looking at stained glass windows in the post below, I thought I might post a photo I took in Gal(l)eries Lafayette department store in Paris. This is the ceiling four or five stories up. I nearly had to lay down on the sales floor - between Gucci and Pravda - to take this.

The Stained Glass Windows in Paris

Lots of photos around of the Rose Windows in Notre Dame. As an artist that has worked in stained glass I often spend considerable time looking at church windows. These are in another church in Paris. Almost every church has some. I do not know the name of the man whose head that is, but he is moving too fast. He should slow down and really look at those windows.

Screen Photo: Peyto Lake

The photo above is one I took of Peyto Lake in the Banff National Forest in Alberta Canada. The lake is a glacier fed one on the way to Jasper. I use this photo as the background on my computer screen. It is one of my favorites. It helps me center my mind before looking at the news or social media.

Hint about next trip

We are packing again. Followers will see lots of this new place.

(This is not my photo. Would like to credit it. Please contact me)

Dorm doorway at Trinity College, Dublin

I collect photos of doors and windows

The best and worst things about travel

Photo of the screen on the back of the seat - on one of our trips to Europe.

Out of SFO all non-stop flights go over Canada and Hudson Bay.

     There are many best things about travel. That is what this blog is about. New experiences, new friends, new foods, and new sights make up much of the best.

     For me, the worst is the rush and stress of checking in and going through security at the airport; the rudeness of some Americans that I feel I have too compensate for; and finally, jet-lag. Some of this gets better with the newer planes and TSA Pre-check. The rude Americans often cannot be fixed.