The Olympic Venue 1988 Winter: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

 The ski-jump run for the Calgary Olympics was very similar to the one for the Innsbruck, Austria games.  We have been to a dozen Olympic sites.

Along the Danube River

Photo by Mike McLellan

 

Statue of Dr. avid Livingstone, Victoria Fall

 

One of two statues of Livingstone near Victoria Falls

Zambia/ Zimbabwe

Photo by Marietta McLellan

Caldron for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics

 Every Olympics has a caldron that burns throughout the event. It is lighted by the flame traveling around world sites and brought into the main stadium. Some of the caldrons are elaborate and some simple such as this one in Barcelona.  We have been to two Olympics and have seen a dozen, or more, sites to check them out.

A Tree Grows in Botswana

Photo by Mike McLellan 

 

Tower on the Danube

 

White water along the Icefields Parkway, Alberta Canada

 

Trim Castle, Trim, Ireland

 Trim Castle is not far from Dublin to the northwest. It is a center piece in the truly nice town of Trim. We stayed at a hotel which was new or newly remodeled and located just across the road from the Castle. The city center is what one expects from an Irish town. Even more, the folks are proud of their home. It is clean and tidy. 

Ceiling: Galleries Lafayette, Paris

 

Rampart of Mt. Saint Michele

Photo by Mike McLellan from Causeway

 

Along the Danube River, Austria

 

Royal Jewels and treasures: The Bavarian State Museum, Munich

 

Street musician near Park Guell, Barcelona Spain

 

The park is well worth the walk - mostly uphill from the central city of

Barcelona - and full of surprises. This young musician was busking 

for Euros just outside the walls.

The Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Photo taken with a long lens from the second tier of the Eiffel  Tower

Mike McLellan

 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Dublin Pubs

 

Ready for Saint Patrick's Day II

 Stone Circle and tree tied with prayers - Kenmare, Ireland

Kenmare is one of my favorite places in the Republic.

Ready for Saint Patrick's Day I

 

The View From The Rock Of Cashel

The Old Abbey

In The Haufbrau House. Munich Germany - Beer and Pretzels

 

One Pretzel goes a long way.

Christmas lights in park at Lake Oswego, Oregon USA

 

The Bay Near Dingle, Ireland

 We watched the famous dolphin, "Fergie", for a long while. It is now said that he is not seen anymore in the bay.

Road Sign near the American Cemetery, Normandy Beaches, France

 Man on railroad track? Man dancing on piano keys? Man on flat stairs? Man running through vineyard? Man crossing road in crosswalk......

The Alhambra, Granada Spain

 This photo of the Alhambra was taken from across the footbridge into the gardens and summer palace. The Alhambra sits atop a hill over looking the city of Granada. You need reservations and a ticket for your visit to The Alhambra and the easier way to do this is to arrange for a guided tour with everything included. The tour will end in the gardens and thus you will be able revisit places in the Alhambra as  you have not gone outside the gate. Do not park on top of the hill. Take a shuttle from center city.

Flat Rentals: Paris

 The photo above is taken from the window of our flat which we rented 1/2 block from the Louvre in Paris. We have also rented a flat near the Eiffel Tower. The former one was rented through GlamAParis and the latter through Air Band B.  The former was, in every way, better than the latter. 

This small grocery store was where we went for food to stock our kitchen. Bread is purchased at the bakery and fruit from the fruit market and meat from the meat market -- but everything else from these small markets.

The eggs were fresh free range and hard to crack compared to our local eggs. Most everything else was the same. Well, just one thing more. Most rentals have things like salt and sugar and a few other things left in the kitchen. But, both flats were out of pepper. I need pepper on my eggs. We could not find black pepper, so we purchased white pepper at both locations. We brought it home to California as it seemed like something different. Ran out of black pepper at home and hit the French White just the other day. Reminds me of Paris.

Street Market in Prague CZ

 

Altarpiece in the church where we heard a concert in Prague

 

Lots of music in Prague CZ

Whale Bone in Verona Italy

 Just off the main plaza, on the way to access the main tower and the statue of Dante, a whale bone is hung over the street  It is unclear how the bone got this far inland, but the myth is that it will fall if a person who has never lied walks under. Odd that it would fall and hurt a truth teller, but when I walked under it, it stayed right where it is.

Park Guell in Barcelona Spain

 Worth a walk up the hill to the Park. Reservations are required to get in.

Lighthouse near Tillamook Oregon

Gas burner at bottom, red and clear glass from inside looking out of lighthouse above.

Photo by Marietta McLellan

 

Yard ornament in castle grounds, Scotland

Seemed simple enough to stroll through the castle grounds.

Around every corner, however, was an interesting surprise. 

 

Brussels, Belgium

 Indoor mall in Brussels. To the right is a Belgian Chocolate Shop.

Ascari Reserve, South Africa

 We stayed in two bedroom cottages that were surrounded by animals and local sounds. Each day we took a drive in a safari wagon to view and photograph the fauna. Very private and very secure.