Balmoral Castle, Scotland

 The trip through the highlands of Scotland to Balmoral Castle is worthwhile by itself. With villages like Ballater and lovely bed and breakfasts and the narrow roads through pasturelands, it is rural UK at its best. We stopped for a tour of the neighborhood church as we got to Balmoral a tad early and then made it across the road to the castle grounds. There are stables and out buildings along with a well tended garden around the main building. Surprising to me were the excellent paintings by Prince Philip displayed in one wing.  This photo is not your usual one as it is a near shot of the side of the living quarters.

Photo by Mike McLellan

Nice spot for lunch, Alberta Canada

 

Looking Up In Barcelona, Spain

 I am amused when people talk about Barcelona being crowded with tourists and otherwise busy. It is. And, it should be. It is interesting, pretty, and vibrant. People are attracted by it.  If you prefer a less busy place, try one that is ugly and boring. I think you get the point. Being robust and alive draws a crowd. It is the common problem with all attractive places.

Pretty church upstream from Budapest

Along the Danube

 

Lake near New Preston, Connecticut

Hotel and winery overlooking the lake.

 

Fancy tile roof along the Danube

Budapest

 

The Museum of Modern Art, Prague CZ

 

Upon entering the museum's second floor, we see this piece, a life-sized model.

The museum is on the tram line and easy to visit. There is also a nice cafe inside.

Was not busy, but was a pleasant surprise.

Model of Trim Castle

On the lower level of Trim Castle (Ireland) is a model of what the castle was like

originally. A ruin today, it is still a good visit and not far from Dublin.

Photo by Mike McLellan

 

The Dolomites, Sud Tyrol, Italian Alps

 

The Dolomites are limestone mountains in the Northeastern part of Italy. Because they are limestone, they have weathered into interesting shapes. They have an otherworldly character to them. Following two weeks in Italy which included Rome, Florence and Venice we spent a week in the Dolomites before going to Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and the Italian lakes. 

This photo was taken with a long lens and depicts the back of the top station to a chairlift that runs from the other side of the cliff. These places are open all year long. They are a nice place to have lunch and see the world from. Often they are the top of a lift that opens to hiking trails.

McDonald Lake, Glacier Park USA

A view of the lake from our cottage window. Everything is quiet at dusk.

 

Flamenco In Madrid

 After dinner we went up toward the royal Palace to a nightclub. It was drinks and watching traditional flamenco dancing. It was very different from commercial modern dancing. Much more passion.

Rhododendron outside our patio

Yes sir, that is the rhododendron outside our patio in Portland, Oregon.

Portland is known for her mild climate and plenty of water.

Rhodies and roses.

 

Round the corner: The Statue of Liberty

 Round the corner from the flat we rented near the Eiffel Tower was one of the Statues of Liberty that serve as sisters and models to the one given by France to the New York Harbor. This one is much smaller, but fun to see. 

How many times have I been to France?

 

How do you count? I have rented a flat in Paris twice and spent a week each time. I also spent a week along the Seine. I fly Air France, so I land in France and then leave for somewhere else. Does landing count? What if I land in Paris and go off to South Africa or Madrid or Brussels or Amsterdam - can I count that. If I can, then I am not sure how many times I have been to  France.

Traveling down the Zambezi River, I felt I was being watched

Photo by Mike McLellan

 

Two Views of The Columbia River,

One photo through the "standing stones" of the Model of Stonehenge

and the other through the glass walls of the museum on the bluff near The Dalles.

 

Funny posts

In many cities, especially Amsterdam (although this one is from Brussels), the houses have these posts (some decorated, some not) jutting from their top stories. They are for block and tackle to lift furniture to upper floors as stairways and houses are narrow.

 

Passageway with wife and grandson looking for waffles

Actually, we knew where the waffles were as we had already had them once that day.

Brussels, Belgium

 

Back of the seat driver

 This is the screen on the back of a seat in Premium Economy in as A380 Airbus. The trip was from San Francisco to Paris and Paris to Johannesburg, South Africa and back.

While many folks watch movies or old television shows, I like to keep track of where I am. This photo shows our plane over Greenland.

Napoleon's Tomb, Paris - Photo from lower level

   Often the tomb is shown from above, but on the lower level things

look differently and  lead to other tombs.

The chapel behind the tomb is an important stop, as well.

 

Ultralight above the Danube

Photo by Mike McLellan

 

Fall along the Danube

photo by Mike McLellan

 

Disabled Parking

I have heard people wish they had one of these placards when parking is tight

or there was a long way to walk. 

No you don't.

While I have often had a struggle over the first seven decades of my life, I find now, in the eighth, that I am stuck with a real need for one.

Travel means going somewhere.

This placard is about the inability to choose.

 

The Moat, Alcazar, Segovia, Spain

Segovia is one of the best day trips out of Madrid.

 

 

Maligne Lake outside of Jasper, Canada

 

Largest wooden Structure: Seville, Spain

Transportation station

Cruising the Seine out of Paris

 Beautiful, casual, and relaxing, the cruise on a long boat out of Paris on the Seine down to the Normandy Beaches is a great trip. Pack a foldable rain jacket just in case.

Harbor Tower at Honfleur France

At nearly all of the large ports in Europe, there is a Harbor Tower that allows a 

view of the ships and cranes and business going on.

Because of the narrow harbors and tides, this oversight is necessary.

 

Canadian Glacier North of Banff

 

Glacier on the Icefields Parkway of the way to Japer Canada

Entry to the Charles Bridge on the way to the Palace in Prague CZ