Torc Waterfall, Ireland

The Torc Waterfall is a leisurely 5 minute walk off the N71 Killarney Kenmare road in Western Ireland. It is near the Muckross House and is a lovely stop.  The photo above is of the lovely creek that creates the waterfall. The path makes one expect fairies and imps. Certainly it is a cool glen with a feeling of being back in time.

Montjuic Castle, Barcelona

       I took a bunch of photos from the castle, but my ones OF the castle are not great. Look it up on the Internet. It is high on a hill overlooking the city on one side and the sea on the other. It is not far from the Olympic site and very worthwhile. The best part may be the view of the port and of the city. The two photos of the city above were taken with a telephoto lens. The famous Sagrada Familia is the cathedral in the bottom picture.

Kensington Garden - gathering

     The population of London grew and surrounded and took in many smaller communities. The names of the smaller communities live on in the areas of the city. But, the growth was smart. They left large areas of green in major parks like Kensington and Hyde. They left smaller squares like Regency and Trafalgar for open space.  Many people do not take the opportunity to stroll through Kensington or Hyde Parks which is well worth the time. These were the old hunting grounds of the Kings and Queens, but they are nicely kept. I took the photo above on one of our walks through Kensington and found these birds all lined up on the posts that keep small boats from passing.  It was overcast as it is much of the time.

The best of Paris

      Paris is a pretty city with galleries and museums and great cathedrals. But the best of Paris to me are the parks and places to stroll and the sidewalk cafes where you can sit and drink and have dinner. The top picture is the open courtyard of a palace with its trees and gardens. The bottom photo is a small cafe about 50 feet from our apartment and just across the street from the Louvre. 

Dingle, Ireland

     One of my favorite travel memories happened in Dingle Ireland.  We had stayed several days in Dublin and had rented a car to do a full loop of the Republic. In Dingle, my wife saw a poster for a concert of Irish music at the local church. We ambled up there after dinner and heard wonderful Celtic instrumentals while sitting in the church which was packed to the walls. It was one of those things that you do not plan.

Scottish Highland Games

Various cities round the United States hold Scottish Highland Games

along with massed bagpipe bands. The one pictured here is the annual one held at Pleasanton, California on Labor Day Weekend of each year. People from all over the Bay Area attend.

Indeed, the games, the music, the vendors, the people in costume, all make for  good visit.

The Rialto Bridge, Venice Italy

Back story: Why is the picture so common?

I took this photo from a gondola. A place to rent a gondola is just inside one of the minor canals to the right of this picture. The boats come out into the Grand Canal and turn around where this was taken and then re-enter the smaller canal to get another group of passengers.

Thus, many tourists take this photo from the exact same location.

Nice place.

Picasso's Goat

I waited for many years after having an Art Class in College to see Picasso's Goat in Paris at the Picasso Museum. There it was. WOW. The junk had become more of a goat than a goat is a goat.

Calgary, Canada

 Downtown city park

Calgary as seen from the Stampede Grounds

     Calgary is a large and pretty community. It is a good visit by itself or as the gateway to the National Parks of Alberta. The center city is filled with public art and the light rail system makes it easy to get around without a car. Famous for the Calgary Stampede, the grounds are interesting even when not much is going on. They are free to explore. Home to higher education, Calgary also hosted a Winter Olympics and the site is just outside of town on the way to Banff.  

Replica Room, Victoria and Albert London

Photo by Mike McLellan

     If you are an art fan and do not have time to go all over the world to view the finest then the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is a great bet. We took the above photos from a walkway above the room full of replicas. The museum sent people out to all corners to make copies of these great sculptures and they line this room. In the top photo you can see "David", the original of which, is in the Academia in  Florence. In the bottom photo you can see the bottom part of Tragedian's Column from Rome and replicas of various coffin cases from Spain, France and other locations. 

     Having been in many of the top museums in Europe (and the United States), I am especially fond of the Victoria and Albert. It is a "friendly" place with an excellent cafe.

Window Box, Florence Italy

OK. I am almost done posting my photos of window box and flowers.

Window Box, Venice, Italy

Photo by Mike McLellan

Sedona, Arizona

They say that Sedona is in the middle of

Red Rock Country.

True.

Dog poop

This is the sign in Kilkenny, Ireland. They don't tolerate dog poop.

People will say that Paris is full of folks that do not care and

honestly I have seen little of it.

It is not worse than my neighborhood in suburban United States.

Still, as Blue would say, "Let's be careful out there."

Roman Aqueduct in Segovia Spain

The Roman Aqueduct in Segovia Spain dominates one end of the city. 

You can park near it and walk up into the old town.

Segovia is a great place and not that crazy with tourists.

Apes on Gibraltar

Mom and Dad playing with baby.

Notice damaged guard rail and drop into the city of Gibraltar from the Rock. It is a long way down.

Yes, the apes are fun too.  

Rainbow over Prescott, Arizona

With Best Buy in the foreground, this is a rainbow

over Prescott, Arizona.  Prescott is a nice town with

a great central area around the old courthouse.

Worth your time.

Post 1301 - Marietta McLellan, Hill of Tara, Ireland

My travelling companion for 50 Years

in my thirteen hundred and first post on this blog.

Here is to many more.

Italian Monk

Italian monk outside the Pantheon, Rome, Italy. Bottle of San Pellegrino.

Photo by Mike McLellan

At the foot of the Spanish Steps, Rome

At the foot of the Spanish Steps is a fountain. Water in the fountains is fresh so you can refill your bottles from where the water comes out. Thus, I took the above photo to show the crowds and the fountain. Then I saw the "Dior" signs in the windows at upper left, so I zoomed in on them. Following that I zoomed in on the crowds and what did I find?

...some pretty Italian (I guess they were Italian) women talking and two men walking by - the guys nearly falling over or wrenching their necks to check the ladies out. This is a favorite photo because it seemed so "Italian" to me. No accordion music, no spaghetti, just Italians being Italian. Hey, the women even hugged me - a total stranger.

Street light in Barcelona

Odd, but when I walk around with my camera, I just shoot random photos and when I get back I take a look and find some that remind me of where I was. This one is in the Gothic area of Barcelona. That is also a pretty building in the background.

When in Seville Spain

You might not always rent a car in Europe, but we do and a great thing to

do while in Seville Spain is to take a few hours and drive over to

the lovely beaches of Portugal.

We took about five hours and drove over toward the Western point of southern

Portugal for lunch.

Window box: London, England

Photo by Mike McLellan

A window box on Gower St., near Regency Square and the British Museum, 

London, England.

Flower Boat: Dingle, Ireland

Center city, Dingle, Ireland - great use for an old boat.

A warning about your next trip

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

Man armed with a machete at The Louvre

Headline today: "Man armed with machete at the Louvre" really caught my imagination. I have not processed the whole account, but two visions came to mind. First, the Louvre is very busy. It is packed with visitors and most of them are either focused on the art or on the map in their hand. A man swinging a long knife could and would hurt many people. Second, the art in the Louvre is very vulnerable. Like the Prado or London's National Gallery, people need to get close to the art. It is not often behind glass or well protected. A man with a long knife could destroy history and beauty. The photo above is of the courtyard of the Louvre on an early afternoon. It was  warm day and folks were simply looking at this amazing place from the outside.

Peyto Lake, Alberta, Canada

The water is really that color due to the glacial flour held in suspension. The light reflects as a blue green that is amazing. This is also true with many of the other lakes. This photo is not unique, because it is taken from a turnout used my many folks. However, what a great day for clouds! Photo by Marietta McLellan.

Window boxes: Rheims, France

Reims (Rheims), France is a great place with a pretty town, the history of Joan Of Arc, 

and its famous Cathedral.