What the Scots # 1 Newspaper thinks of President Trump

This was published two years ago in The Scotsman in Edinburgh. 

Amazing how right on it was.

I took photos of front pages on several days.

Zebras gathering to begin migration on the Chobe River Plain in South-Central Africa  (Botswana). The great migration is a major life event in the area. Soon this whole area will be filled by Zebras and then they will be gone on their trek. This photo was taken by Marietta McLellan in July, which is "winter" of the "dry season".

Mountain view of the Dolomites

Looking at the Dolomites from near La Villa Italy.

Favorite Photo: Jewish Cemetery, Prague Czech Republic

Did an enlargement to be placed in our condo.

I like the shapes.

Munich Church

Amazing churches in Germany. This one at the Market in Munich.

Pigeon Point, California Coast USA

Beyond the rocks you often see whales at certain times of the year.  This is 1.5 hours from our house.

Budapest

Photo taken across the Danube from Pest with a long lens on my point-and-shoot.

Budapest is gorgeous. 

Mass at Notre Dame a few weeks before the fire

No Christmas Mass due to construction

Christmas and food market in Munich Germany

Thing were just opening up in October when we were there.

Beef-eater at the Tower of London

The Tower of London is a prime visit. Get in line when it opens... 10 a.m. and go directly to the Crown Jewels before anyone else gets there. Then, work your way toward the front gate, having lunch at the cafe. worth every minute of it.

Newgrange, Ireland, December 21

I have a number of good pictures of Newgrange the center of the Solace in Ireland, but this is a man cutting the grass on top of the mound. Not your average photo.

Guard Tower at Dachau, Germany

We have photos of the crematory, but these are tough to see. 

Bratislava, Slovenia

A city of statuary, this piece sits by a fountain between a shopping mall

and the State Opera House, in Bratislava.

"Stones"

Part of the 200,000 graves in the Jewish Cemetery in Prague. Visitors leave small stones on the gravestones rather than flowers, for stones remain and flower wilt and blow away.

Danube Scenes

 Walkers and fishermen on Austria bank of Danube  by Marietta McLellan

Standing on the bluff near Nelson's Column, Edinburgh

What a great view from this bluff above the city.

I Assume They Are Advertising To Take Home

    Going through my desk, I happened upon some items that brought back good memories: The Staunton Hotel on Gower Street London is a wonderfully updated Georgian Building about a block from the British Museum. Lovely. The Hotel Bellavisita sits on Lake Como across from Lecco. Italy. Great owners and close to wonderful scenery.

     The pens, starting at top: The Courtyard Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. Everything first class.  Then K+K Hotel in Prague. Beautiful Building with a super staff. Very close to the Old Town. Next, The Hotel Principe in Venice. Right on the Grand Canal and steps from the train station. Excellent location. At the bottom the pen is from the Hotel Diana Roma in Rome. It is noted from its roof-top view of the City during cocktails and breakfast.  Finally, the one under others is from the Maritim Hotel in Munich, Germany. We used it as a point of departure for a variety of places in Bavaria. It is close to the train station and buses. It has all the amenities. 

     I am sure there are other objects hanging around. I will find them. What I bring back most is the paper coasters served under drinks in pubs and cafes.

Worker on Budapest Bridge

Took this with a long lens after taking a photo of the bridge and wondering about the yellow speck.

Chapel in Prague Castle

Today, December 13th, it is showing there. This photo take in October.

Mini Europe, Brussels, Belgium

Travel all over the capitals of Europe by walking through the well-done models of important buildings in each. They have done a wonderful job and this was on the list of go-tos for my grandson. Fun and informative (and for me, as I had seen much of the places in real life, a reminder of good times. Highly recommended.

Vienna Concert: Orchestra, Ballet and Opera: lovely night

The people were getting ready for the first set of the concert in Vienna which included a 13 piece orchestra, several ballet performers and two opera singers.

A fun evening of good music. At intermission we all took a champagne break on the terrace.

The concert venue, itself, was worth it.

This is very civilized. 

Photo by Marietta McLellan 

In Rembrandt's House, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Great visit and they let you take photos of the art.

Portobella Street, London UK

English Retail Humour

Tower of the Old City Wall, Brussels Begium

Almost hidden among the newer buildings is the ancient tower which remains

from the city wall in Brussels.

Rediscovered and photographed by Marietta McLellan

On the way to Prague Castle

This is a church tower as seen from walk toward the entrance to

the Prague Castle. A lovely tower and clock.

Rodin Museum, Paris

One of the sculptures in the Rodin Museum

In Barcelona

Gaudi

Street Lights (Gas) in Prague

Surprised to see gaslights in Prague.

Happy Places

View from ship along the Danube, wine in hand, Fall bursting.

Olympic Sites

      This is the Olympic Tower in Munich, Germany. It is not far from the Winter Olympic ski slope in Innsbruck Austria.  Close too to the Winter Olympic site in Cortina, Italy.
       We have visited Olympic sites from Barcelona to Calgary to Atlanta to London and more. We have been to the Olympics in Atlanta and Los Angeles and love the experience. We like to visit the sites we have not been and think about what it was like.

Budapest on the "Blue" Danube

Beautiful City - that's the Buda side

Hiking near the Danube

There are many pretty small villages with decaying castles or fortifications.

Lake Como at Bellagio

People often say that this is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I have traveled widely, but not seen the whole world,

but this place would be hard to beat.

Captured in South Africa with a Canon Camera

Photo by Mike McLellan

Photo softened digitally

Oregon Coast

Photo by Marietta McLellan

Dianna's Walk, London

           I confess that I am not always excited to go on long walks or hikes in the woods, but walking across Kensington Park is great fun. A nice urban park and it is populated by a variety of sea birds and sculptures. This one is Peter Pan.

Baking Classes for Children and Adults in Paris are great fun.

The classes are available in English and can be found via Google. I am not a cook, but usually do my part by opening the wine. We took cooking classes in Barcelona too. My wine pouring was excellent.

Took my granddaughter to Scotland to shear sheep

This sheep rancher is featured on Rick Steves and other shows. He provides education in working sheep with dogs and, if you are lucky, he will let you shear a sheep. Here my granddaughter, Sarah, is getting ready to pitch in. (She also fell in love with those wonderful dogs.) On this trip she also drove a research vessel on Loch Ness and stayed over night in a "haunted castle". Check out Road Scholar trips for Grandchildren and Grandparents.

Municipal House, Prague

We had lunch in the ornate restaurant on the ground floor and then

had dinner in the "American Bar" on the lower level.

Petty place. 

Fall Along the Danube

Morning fog on the Danube

Early morning on the deck of the Select Belvedere watching for the sunrise. Fog will burn off later disclosing the Fall colors.

Photos by Mike McLellan 2019

RFID Security

This is the airport at Prague with the information in English. Most people I met spoke English.

There is much concern about people at various airports and in cities using RFID equipment to read credit and debit cards in our wallets. When read, bad guys can use the information to steal. Now, I am not in a big worry about it, but many items for travelers include RFID blocking.

I carry in a front pocket a small wallet with all I need. It is hard to pickpocket a front pants pocket. It has RFID protection built it. That means it has some foil in the lining. If you are worried about RFID, use small pieces of foil with anything that has a magnet strip. The new chips likely cannot be read.

Some people are worried about RFID and lots of other things. I don't worry about much when traveling. Maybe it is because I have encountered only a few issues and even then could take care of them.

Ludwig may have been crazy, but he was also smart.

This is the view from Neuschswanstein Castle in Bavaria. King Ludwig set his castle high on the hill and his parent's castle below. What a great view! Not so crazy.

Fall comes to the trail to Neuschwanstein Castle

Photos by Mike McLellan 10-19