The very top of The Mont Saint-Michel

Photo by Marietta McLellan

The long climb to the abbey at the top of Le Mont Saint-Michel is worth it. 

Then looking up you see what is mounted atop the abbey. The saint overlooks the island.

Winged Victory - The Louvre

     At the top of one of the stairways in the Louvre is the famous "Winged Victory".  It is particularly well set as it can be seen from below and then as you climb the steps you close in on the detail.  It is one of those pieces of art that you have seen in books and wonder what it is like in person - or, at least, I did. I am not sure how long we spent seeing works like this in the Louvre, but I know that you could spend a week and not see it all.

Phoenix Arizona from the south

     High on the mountain south of Phoenix, there is a lookout point. The road up is steep, but worth driving when the viewing is clear. The photo above was taken in May on a very nice day. Marietta is taking a picture of the valley while I am inside the lookout taking her picture. She often takes candid photos of me while I am deep in thought. I can only catch her when she is off ahead of me...thus lots of pictures of her back. Sometimes, when lucky, we find someone to photograph us together. I guess we should get a selfie stick.

So, you missed your turn off...

     One of the basic themes of this blog is that screw-ups or getting lost are important and valuable ways of making a trip interesting.  The photo above is a case in point. We had visited Gibraltar and had even gone to the top of the Rock, but we hadn't really gotten a good picture of the whole thing. 

     Leaving the "country" I missed a turn off and ended up driving out along the Spanish coast -passed a traveling circus - and had to make a U-turn. It was at the roundabout that Marietta took this final photo. Note the apartments in the lower left for scale. 

     

Home on the Seine

While traveling down the Seine in France, I noticed a number of nice places

where I would not mind living.

Like this one, west of Paris.

Preparing for a new year of travel

Photo by Mike McLellan

     The photo above was taken with camera capturing the image on the screen on the back of the seat in front of me on an A380 Airbus. The A380 has cameras on the tail (like this one), on the nose and one pointing down. About all you see from this one is the changing sunlight. Still cool. We often find ourselves on an A380 because of flying Air France and because of travel to Europe. 

     We have set the dates for our next adventures. One is to take us to three nations in southern Africa not to Europe. However, this means having to either fly direct (or almost direct) for 25 to 30 hours, or to flight half way and stay a few days and then move on. So, maybe we can work in Europe or even somewhere else. How about SFO to CDG to South Africa? Or, how about flying through Amsterdam? London? Dubai? Athens? Or, how about stopping on the way and on the way back so no flight is over 11 hours? Lots of decisions to be made.

Christmas, Union Square, San Francisco, CA, USA

Each year we attempt to time a trip into the city to experience the Christmas decorations, the ice skaters, and the crowds of shoppers near Union Square. Macy's is all decked out as is Neiman Marcus. You will note from the photo that people are not bundled up as San Francisco is not usually that cold in Winter. Summertime is when the cold sneaks up on you. This is a great way to get ready for the holidays. Today is Christmas Eve and the first day of Hanukkah. Let us all pray for peace on earth, good will to everyone (a blessing we have in common). 

The Bull

Just outside the bullring in Ronda Spain - Photo by Mike McLellan

     Lots of testosterone in Spain. Everywhere you go you see bulls prominently depicted or displayed. Th picture above is of a bronze outside of the bullring in Ronda. Almost every town and city has a bullring near its center. While the rings are used for other things beside bull flights, the matador is their answer to the USA's NFL quarterback.

     There are huge metal bulls along the roadways and the bull is a symbol for many other things. It is part of the heritage. 

     There are cows in Spain, but they seem to get second billing. 

Winter Solace at Newgrange

Newgrange, north of Dublin, is a celestial observatory designed by the ancients to mark the date of December 21 and those close before and after it. December 21 is the longest day of the year and after that the days grow longer. It is celebrated as the rebirth of the sun. These folks built this mound to determine the day. To imagine how large this is - those are people in the bright colors to the right of the entrance. We walked into the center of the mound to study the way the light plays on the rocks. The way in is very narrow and I (Mike) am 6' 2", 184 lbs., and have a 44 inch chest and just made it. The large woman behind me had to turn back. So today is New Year's Day. Hope you have a happy one. (Photo by Mike McLellan)

Sirmione, Lake Garda, Italy

Photo by Marietta McLellan 2012

     Off of the main road between Milan and Verona, at Lake Garda, is Sirmione. It is a fort, ancient village and community that juts out into the lake. It  is very touristy, but the reason for that is its "Coolness". It is well worth the extra time. Of special interest was the chapel plus some very good places to dine. It means a good deal of walking from the parking area to the main places of interest.

Ronda, Spain

Photo by Mike McLellan

This is the "New Bridge" in Ronda, Spain. Something on my "bucket list"

to see. We arrived in Ronda on our way through Andalusia going from Granada

to Gibraltar. It is at altitude with some winding roads to get there.

Ronda is divided by a deep gorge and this bridge links the two sides of town.

As you can see, it was raining. Just at the bridge we walked to the

bullring, the park and had lunch. It was well worth the extra time.

Don Quixote de La Mancha

Photo by Mike McLellan

In the Alcazar, Segovia, Spain

      I am currently reading Cervantes' Don Quixote. Don Quixote wants to be a knight and wear armor like that above. In his travels with Sancho Panza (the smarter of the two) his adventures allow him to meet a variety of characters. This is one of the very first novels and is, in many ways, satire about the state of Spain. However, as I read it, it is very much to the point of our present day situation. I hope that Mr. Pence can play Panza well.

The Prince of Wales, Waterton Lakes, Canada

Photo by Mike McLellan

Flashback: Waterton Lakes, Alberta, Canada is a beautiful National Park. The center piece is the Prince of Wales Hotel overlooking the lake (and toward the United States - you need your passport on a boat ride across the lake). As I have suggested before, go to the hotel for afternoon tea or  drink in the bar, but there are better places to stay. The hotel, like all of its kind, is old with thin walls. It was designed as a really big upgrade from a tent in the early days.

Erotic Museum

     On La Rambla in Barcelona there is the Erotic Museum (note the sign is in English). They had a living sign blowing kisses to the crowd. Certainly "Marilyn" (at least from a distance) was present. This whole thing is reflective of Barcelona's attitude about sex. Prostitution is not a crime there, although "trafficking" or "pimping" is. We saw two prostitutes working a busy exit to the Metro while we were having a late lunch in a plaza. My assessment was that they were both young and very pretty. There was obviously a large male watching over them from  nearby doorway. 

     The "Museum" above is directly across from the entrance to the large food market. 

Going where the brave dare not go...

     We are a couple and have been for over fifty years. Not old, by any means, we are wearing out a little. One of us has a balance problem and the other needs three joints replaced. Most everyone might choose not to travel like we do. This year, for example, we hiked outside of Sedona to cliff dwellings. It was not a easy trek. Indeed, there is some commenting (some might say complaining) but we did it.

      In Spain, we chose to take walks longer than others. We would cover around five miles a day. It makes you sleep soundly after the Advil kicks in.  

      Even locally we take walks or walk some 7 to 10 miles a day at work (or volunteering). We do not put ourselves or others at risk, but find that moving makes moving possible.

      Thinking about this today as we are snowed in and yet feel the need to get out and go somewhere.

Unexpected Road Race

We were in the Dolomites of Northern Italy. We had rented a Mercedes B Class from Auto Europe (Auto Europe is our go to rental car) and were traveling to Val Gardena. I passed a crossroads and turned a corner and was suddenly behind around eight or ten Porsches. There were another dozen or so that fell in behind me. I realized that I was in the middle of a road rally. Even though the Mercedes was black - the same color as the Porsches - I was no match on those twisting mountain roads. I made it a mile or so before I realized I was not only out of my league but I was also starting to wonder if I would fly off a cliff. Then I saw it. A turn out lay ahead and I took it. Zoom. The Porsches went by in a flash.  Marietta McLellan, co-pilot, took the above photo through the windshield. Next time I will rent a Ferrari in Italy.

Cider distillery behind a chateau, Normandy

This is one of my favorite photos. It may mean little to you, but for  me it is a detail

that brings a flood of memories. We were out along the Normandy countryside coming

back from visiting the World War II beaches. There was an old chateau being restored

by a family. One way of making money for them was to manufacture

a liqueur that could be used as a weapon. In the United States we call it "Applejack".

I did not buy a bottle, but a did buy a book on the Normandy Invasion written by a local scholar who autographed it for my Son-in-law.

I was enamored with the old building. 

The Alhambra, Granada Spain

     The American author, Washington Irving, came to the Alhambra and stayed there for some time. He made friends with the caretakers and those who gave tours - before the Alhambra became a major tourist attraction. He listen for the stories and wrote a few of his own, and it was all published in his book, The Tales of the Alhambra.  Some forty years ago I was given a nice leather bound copy and I was fascinated by it. Thus, this year when we were going to Spain to take classes in the art and architecture of the country, we added on a road trip that include four days in Granada with a tour of the Alhambra. It was well worth it. An added bonus is the lovely town of Granada. The central city is very easy to walk, and the food and beverages cannot be beat. It takes a very short time and you can get around like a native.

San Francisco Art does not have to make sense.

On the Embarcadero - on the other hand no art has to make sense.

Normandy In The Rain

 The American Cemetery, Normandy, France

The Ferris Wheel, Honfleur, Normandy, France

Some places are better in the rain. It seemed to me that Normandy and especially the Normandy Beaches felt best in the rain. Disney World is best on a sunny day. 

     I bought a tweed sport coat for a trip to Ireland so I would be warm in the rain (and look more like my stereotype of an Irishman) and it was sunny every day. We got very sunburned as we were not prepared for it. Ireland seemed to me to need more rain to be Ireland. The locals did not agree. But, there is a reason Ireland is green. 

     I am think of this today (in "sunny" California) because it is raining and probably will for several more days. That is a good thing. 

Picasso's Goat

In the field of modern art I had a short list of famous works I wanted to see. One was Picasso's Goat -made out of junk - and the second was his "Guernica" Guernica is in the Prado in Madrid and the Goat is in the Picasso Museum in Paris.

One thing not on my list was his glass work. I did not know he worked in glass

until we were in the Glass Museum in Murano, Italy.

The Goat, by the way, is more of  goat than a goat is.

Cemetery, La Villa, Italy

We visit cemeteries all over. They tell the stories of the locals and the people who both died and are mourned. Certainly Arlington, the American Cemetery in Normandy and the large one in central Paris are impressive, but so are the small ones tucked away here and there.

The Rock Hotel, Gibraltar

     I do not get paid for plugging The Rock Hotel in Gibraltar (although I will take it, if offered) but it is a great place with updated rooms and a very large lobby.  From the rooms you can see three countries: Gibraltar, Spain and Morocco. You can also see the bay, the Straits of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean  and the Atlantic Ocean. My photo above is of a rainbow over the bay looking toward Spain. The harbor is busy. The ship in the center is a British Naval ship as Gibraltar is part of The United Kingdom. We stayed three days and could have stayed far longer. We took a whole day private tour of The Rock with Carl which was wonderful too.  I drive all over Europe and, coming from Spain, I had expected to drive on the left there, but Gibraltar is one of the only British colonies where you drive on the right.

Verona, Italy

Marietta McLellan took this closeup photo of an ancient lock on a tomb in central

Verona, Italy.  A bike lock was added for more security maybe in 2010.

Why does someone want to get into a tomb? 

Maybe, it is to keep someone in.

Hyatt Regency, San Francisco - Christmas

San Francisco Waterfront December 5, 2016

A little overcast.

It takes us between 1 and 2.5 hours to get here from our house

depending on the time of day.

Paris Views

One of the most disheartening things I saw in Paris was people in the Louvre looking at their guidebooks and not the art. Then I realized too that in every wonderful building, like the Royal Palace in Madrid, or The Victoria and Albert in London, people miss a great deal by moving too fast. It seems like a footrace to see as many things as possible, and in the process see very little. I suggest looking up and looking down. The top photo is a finial on (I think) the Petite Palace and the bottom photo (I know) is of the floor in the Paris Opera House. 

Chateau Lake Louise

The Chateau Lake Louise is a nice, although expensive, place to stay. But, one can get the feel of it all on a budget by staying elsewhere (like The Deer Lodge) and walking over for afternoon tea or a glass of champagne at the bar. The bottom photo was taken from the bar area. A wedding is in progress. Unfortunately for the wedding couple it was raining a little - although custom says that rain on your wedding day brings great good fortune. All-in-all, this is a excellent stop in Canada.   

The Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ

Statue in the courtyard of the Heard Museum.

Worth a visit when in Phoenix.

La Boqueria, St. Josep, La Rambla, Barcelona

      For those who like to know - in general terms - where
their food comes from, there is a wonderful place just off
La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain.  It is La Boqueria, a huge
market of all sorts of food imaginable. Everything from candy
to fresh fish to tripe to meats to spices to fruit. You name it.
Even if you are not a foodie, this is a great visit.
     There are even items that are cooked or fresh to take
away and eat. Not to be missed.