After a day touring it is time for food

Dinner in Tuscany

        One of the most important part of travel is the taste of the foods. Beer and a pretzel are a must in Munich. Snails are fine in France, but do not force yourself. Street food is usually very good; try a sausage sandwich in Prague. French food is legionary, but try something with a name you cannot pronounce. Spain is not Mexico, stay away from rice and beans. Haggis is for the brave, but in Scotland it is one of my favorite foods along with black pudding. Just don't think about what you are eating.

        Irish Shepherd's pie or pasties are both wonderful. We enjoy English High Tea. The very best meal that I can remember was boiled beef in a cafe on the plaza in Feldkirch Austria.

        My grandson was not easy to convince so he lived on strawberry ice cream in southern Africa and waffles in Brussels. You actually have to try Belgian Waffles and French Fires in Brussels.

        You will find McDonalds and even more Subway Sandwiches' around... but why would you go to one unless you crave ice in your Coke?

 

What makes your favorite place or favorite trip?

Photo from a ski area in the Italian Alps (Dolomites).

    There are many experience or events that make a place a favorite. It can be a place you always wanted to go and it lived up to your expectations. It could be the beauty or history of the place. There are many considerations.

    One thing that makes me label a place a "favorite" is the people I meet. When you have spent months traveling, you remember the sites and you have the photographs. The one thing that sticks in your mind is the kindness and welcome of strangers.  I don't speak Spanish or Italian or German - at least not well -but I can tell when someone is honestly glad that you visited. 

    I met people like this at Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands - I we both speak English (sort of). I have fond memories of the biker who helped me pump gas in the alps.  There was the young woman who tended us on a ship on the Danube, the policeman that helped us in traffic in Italy. There have been people in nearly every place we have visited. I remember them even if they do not remember me. We can recall a kindness received longer than one given. 

 

An Italian visit is not just Rome, Florence, and Venice

    I will grant you that Rome, Florence and Venice are great places to go. There is lots of history and Italian culture there. It is fun to pet the pig or visit some Roman icons. It is wonderful to sit along a canal in Venice watching the lights after all the tourists have gone back to their ship. Here it comes: However, Verona is a compact lower key Italian city which much to say for itself. The photo above is of the Colosseum in Verona. It is still in use. The Italian Alps rise to the north and are amazing. Then there are Milan and Pisa. You can also head to the coast with its cities hanging on hillsides.  If you want your breath take away, visit the lakes between Lecco and Bergamo.  There is also southern Italian with a whole different vibe. Indeed you cannot cover this unless you have a free month. But, work one of these "extras" in and you will not be sorry.

 

A lot of bull: Granada Spain

This stuffed bull resides outside a shop in Granada Spain.

At the same time that it is intimidating, it is also surprisingly small.

Bullfighting is so much a part of Spain's culture it was nice to get this close safely. 

 

Airbnb in Paris

    All Airbnbs are not created equal. Let's talk about about Paris. We have booked three of them for a stay of over a week. Two of them were one bedroom with a hide-a-bed in the main room. Both of these were in killer locations. One was a half block from the Louvre and the second a couple of blocks from the Eiffel Tower. They were not fancy. The third one was near Napoleon's  Tomb and it was two bedrooms. 

    All of them were above ground level and had lifts. A word about lifts. Most of the buildings are old and the lifts were added. There is hardly room for a person and luggage. You will get used to it.

    We like to make our own breakfast and all the places had coffeemakers. All of them were close to grocery stores (read tiny mom and pop shops). The eggs in France are free-range and tough to crack. I got good at it within days. Two of the places had everything but pepper. I do not know about this pepper thing, but we bought it twice and now have souvenirs.  The third place was complete. SEE THE PHOTO ABOVE. All of them had laundry facilities. We were welcomed by each one by the owner or rental agent. 

    Hint: make sure you see photos of the unit and email the agent before committing and communicate with references, if possible.

    Interesting was that two had no personal items and the third had shelves' of books, statues, and lots of items that could be stolen. 

    You will not be in them long, but A/C is a plus in the middle of summer. It is also  rare.

    This is ten-times better than a hotel for three people as most hotels' rooms are for two. While we have stayed at hotels, the Airbnb seems like a more authentic experience. 

 

Big Truck, Little Bridge in Amsterdam

There are certainly a good many bridges in Amsterdam.

Lots of canals a people going here and there.

I liked this photo of the truck on one of the older bridges.

The truck is being watched by folks using the #1 form  of transport: The Bike.

Footbridge over the Zambezi River, Zambia

 

Walk in the spray of the Victoria Falls. In Zambia or Zimbabwe you will need to bring a poncho.

Bridge over the Danube at Bratislava Slovakia

Bratislava is an interesting, if not little visited, capitol of Slovakia.

On our trip down the Danube we stopped there. It was foggy which made for some spookiness.

The Slovakia Republic borders on Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Austria.

The Fog made their famous castle look infamous.

This is the modern bridge over the Danube.

The Forth Bridge (Rail)

Small portion of the Forth Bridge a railroad bridge over the Firth of Forth

Near Edinburgh Scotland.

 

The Chain Bridge Budapest

The great old bridge that unites Buda to Pest.

It was a dark and stormy night.

 

Tower Bridge

Continuing with our bridge series is this photo of the Tower bridge.  It is not the London Bridge which is in Arizona (USA). The new London Bridge  is down the Thames a bit.

Tower Bridge is called that because it is by the Tower of London.

(Yes,  it has two towers, but trust me.)

The Castllevecchio , Verona Italy

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Although we stayed at St, Stephen's Monastery at Ponte Pietra  in Verona, we were

impressed by the old castle-like bridge and museum pictured here,

 

Hillside in Switzerland

As we drove down from Liechtenstein to the Lakes Region in Italy

we marveled at the mountains but enjoyed the green hills

in Switzerland. Americans might call this quant.

 

Church Door in Liechtenstein

Right near the city offices and the dog sculptures is what seems like the 'main' church.

Doors locked and it was raining. 

The Green Highlands of Scotland

            Surely everyone has known that Ireland is green. The Catholics wear green to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. But, this a plug for green of the Scottish Highlands. Taking a leisurely trip from Fort Augustus to Balmoral and then on to Edinburgh you will see lots of green. The highlands are lovely and there are lakes and rivers a plenty. The hills get a good deal of rain. Wherever you go you see the rolling  hills.  we have spent considerable time driving in both Ireland and Scotland. Both are beautiful.

Look closely to the center of the photo and you will see the railroad trestle featured in Harry Potter.

 

The fresh food market off Los Ramblas, Barcelona

FOOD MARKET LAS RAMBLAS

It is huge and filled with butchers, fruit venders, small cafes, and many booths selling spices.

We do not suggest most of the cafes, but the market can be overwhelming with fresh food.

Las Ramblas is one of the most famous streets in Europe.

Munich: A lovely church

This is the pulpit of a large church near the outdoor markets  in Munich.

As always I had to go in and look around.

None of the churches I served had a pulpit like this.

You don't need to be a good preacher in that box.

 

The sitting room on a Danube long boat river cruise

 

World Famous Hofbräuhaus, Munich Germany

This is only a small part of the Hofbräuhaus in Munich.

This is the traditional home of Oktoberfest.

In the spring it was not busy, but the waitresses still carried "too many" mugs. 

Stop off for a mug and a pretzel.

 

Hundred of thousands protest Mr. Trump - Scots were way ahead

On one of our trips to Scotland in 2018 and Mr. Trumps first term we encountered a good deal of interest and hostility for him. The Scotsman newspaper of Edinburgh contained an editorial mocking him and mocking us for having elected him. The Scots were interested in our politics and how we felt.

I was left with nothing to say.

 

With eyes to see

I have posted some 3,000 photos here. Some were good and some just a poor reminder of a wonderful experience. There are some that I have posted more than once to make a point. All of them remind me of another time and another place. We have traveled a good bit, but we always come home. There is nothing like walking in to the "brand new" house we have called home for 35 years. The place feels familiar and has the feel of belonging. When we have been gone for a month or three weeks we can organize our lives again around the every day. The every day has something going for it.

This photo is of the central valley of California (USA) were we live. We have both called it home for over 65 years. It can be foggy or terribly hot. It can also be just right. There are mountains on both sides and the Pacific Ocean is a hour or so away. This valley is the most productive in the world. It is not any of these things that makes us want to come back. Our reason is that it is home.

 

Evening in Wenceslas Square, Prague CZ

Lovely evening in the square where the Velvet Revolution occurred in 1989. 

 

Neuschwanstein and more

Top view is of the castle from a vantage that calls for a hike.

The bottom photo  is of the gift shop at the base of the hill where some folks get their view.

 

Bolzano Italy -Iceman

This is a street scene from Bolzano Italy.

 It was take a few yards from the museum which holds the body of Otzi.

A man of the Ice Age his body was frozen and then discovered in 1991.

The museum is very interesting as is the story.

However, the way Otzi is displayed does not allow for good photos.

I suggest you log on to iceman.it.

By the way, Bolzano is a lovely city.

 

There are many reasons not to travel

        This unsavory character on the train platform in Italy could be a criminal. No one wants to get mugged. That is just one reasons not to travel.

          We are about ready to leave on a trip to Costa Rica. Someone reminded us that just recently a boy had died of food poisoning there. We are going to risk it.

         Paris has pickpockets. I encountered one. Rome has fast drivers.  We rode with one. The mountain roads of Austria are dangerous. We spent ten days in a car driving there.  In London ...

        Okay. There are lots of risks. There are also risks to walking down the street in a small town in Central California. There are reasons not to walk there.

        You can find any number of reasons to stay home, but there is a big world out there. Elephants run wild in Africa and not in my neighborhood. I like to see animals in their native environment.  You can not talk to a Swiss Guard at the Vatican by visiting a neighbor.

        It is true that you only die once, but you only live once too.

        

 

Sick in London? No problem.

Speaking from experience, medical systems are good all over Europe.

The counties of the European Union are not third world countries.

I had  cough in London and found out that the pharmacy is the first place to go.

The Pharmacist took my blood pressure, checked my symptoms and gave me what I needed.

I went to Urgent Care in Munich. Often on a long air trip I get a sinus infection.

Doctor in English checked me out and gave me a prescription. Total cost: $8 US.

They have medicine for all.

I have needed other help in Florence and Verona -easy.

I do not suggest you will need medical help, but most European are state of the art.