Fall along the Danube

A once grand castle along the river.

Prague in the Fall

Budapest Church Tile Roof

Famous for  tiles, Budapest has a number of buildings show casing this art.

Here is a church in close up and at a distance showing examples of this work.

A person taking us around said that these tiles are made in his hometown

not far from the city.

Lovely.

Someone monkeying around...

A visitor watching us go by in a boat along the Chobe River

in Botswana. We are on our way to the safari site

where we would spend some days tent glamping.

The tent had nice beds, a bathroom and plenty of staff to take care of us

as we monkeyed around.

Sign which sums up our little village

Multnomah Village

an area of Portland Oregon USA

Walking by the Lake at Muckross, Ireland

Looking toward the lake from Muckross House, Ireland

On the same path, a horse and carriage can be seem from time to time.

The Black Madonna, Prague

The Black Madonna, in a protective fence, high on the side the Cubist Museum, Prague

Snapshot: In a Hungarian Garden

In Europe, there are sculptures and other works of art everywhere.

It is far too easy to walk by and not stop.

Stopping is a radical and revolutionary act.

Not my favorite places, but well worth the visit.

 An unlikely looking building, this is the crematorium at Dachau .

This is a bronze memorial to the execution of Jews by the Nazis in Budapest.

The people (men, women, children) were lined up and told to take off their shoes.

Shoe leather was valuable.

The Jews were then shot and cast into the Danube.

Favorite Places

     I am standing on the top of a small mountain above La Villa, Italy. We took a ski lift to this point. It is in the heart of the Dolomites, the Southern Tyrolean Alps. The mountian behind me is just an example of the sandstone formations that make up the area. As you can see, this was eight years ago. Over these years I have become more amazed at the place. There is no place just like this. We drove it by car from Verona to Austria to Germany to Liechtenstein to Switzerland to the Italian Lakes and back to Verona. 

Favorite places remembered

 The steps to Sacré Coeur basilica atop Montmartre, the highest place in Paris.

Favorite Places

Inside Prague Castle

Sheltering in Place - thoughts for when it is over

     While our trip plans for this year are on hold (we cancelled China and are rethinking Panama  rainforest) our memories of past adventures are vivid. These photos are from a trip  three years ago to Southern Africa. We visited South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. To get there we also spent four days in Brussels and four days in Amsterdam (to cut up the 25 hour flight from San Francisco to Johannesburg and back).

   What we enjoyed most was having expert guides who took us to see the animals without diturbing them. Our only shots were fired by Canon Cameras. Nothing was injured. (Well, I got tackled and sucker punched by a baboon. It only hurt my pride.)

     We learned a good deal about how humankind can help preserve those animals at risk. We got close up to primates, elephants, lions, cheetahs, snakes and the larger grazing animals. In all, we remembered that wild animals can be dangerous, but not as dangerous as humans on the hunt.

      We discovered a good deal about ourselves and about one another. My grandson left the U.S. 12 years old and came back more mature. I left an old man and came back more youthful.

Favorite Bed and Breakfast Hotels

The Bellavista on Lake Como, Italy

The Caledonian Hotel overlooking the Calodian Canal at Fort Augustus, Scotland

The Rock Hotel overlooking the Straights of Gibraltar

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Foggy Day at the Cliffs of Moher, On the Atlantic. Ireland

Getting Ready for St. Patrick's Day

Looking up at the Rock of Cashel from the parking area.

Short walk up is worth it.

Getting Ready for St. Patrick's Day

 The "Vee" south of Lismore, Ireland

Pedestrian on the Road near the "Vee" south of Lismore, Ireland

Getting Ready for St. Patrick's Day

Rainbow over the Half Penny Bridge, Dublin Ireland. Temple Bar is to the Right.

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day

Looking skyward from inside the chapel on the top of the Rock of Cashel. 

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day

St Stephen's Green, Dublin

Getting ready for St. Patrick's Day

The side of Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland

Flag and Fish in Barcelona, Spain

Public Art everywhere in Prague

Beware of Rangers with high powered rifles

While watching this animal from a safe distance, I glanced up to see two figures in the bush, The figures were actually Rangers and each carried a major long gun. Not there to protect me from the rhino, but there to protect the rhino from me. Photo taken somewhere in Africa (not allowed to indicate location.)

Google Earth Pro

I enjoy mapping our trips on Google Earth. In fact, when possible, I "drive" the land portion of the trip if we are renting a car. Seems odd, I suspect, but it has come in handy several times

when I needed to find something not evident on a regular map.

Innsbruck Austria - study in humility

     Eight years ago we drove into Innsbruck on a lovely Sunday afternoon. We walked the local pedestrian mall and had lunch. I kept looking up. If I lived here. I pondered, how hard it must be to find an arrogant person. While the city is lovely, the mountains - so very close - remind you about who is in charge of the world.

Window in the Dolomites of Southern Tyrol, Italy

       I am struck by the details as well as the panoramas. 

Bell ringer in tower, Feldkirch Austria

Long lens view of the little bell ringer.

This town is one of our favorites. It sits in Austria near the border with Liechtenstein. 

Stateroom, Select Belvedere, Long boat on the Dinube

French Balcony room. Not huge, but we only sleep there. More important is the service and the service was very good. You can see the boat we were tethered to just outside the french door. Soon we would be in free water.

PYLONES. Prague

This store in Prague is a favorite with my grandchildren, only they like the one in the underground shopping mall at the Louvre. It is a cool store.

The Jewish Cemetery, Prague

      One of the mystical and meaningful places I have been is the Jewish Cemetery in Prague. In my line of work, I deal with death, memories and funerals. Spending time in a cemetery is actually fine with me. I was very taken by the tradition of the Jews who do not leave flowers because they wilt and die. They pick up pebbles and place them on the headstones as a long-term memorial springing from the earth. The top photo is a rather general one of  the cemetery. The next one down is a closer view of some headstones. The bottom one is an enlargement showing the rocks and pebbles left by loved ones at some time in history.