The Other Italy

Many tourists only see Rome, Florence and Venice. A few may go south to Napoli. Others may go to the Amalfi Coast. In between are the vineyards and farms like this field of Sun Flowers in Tuscany.

 

Horse Guards: Vienna Austria: Lipizzaners Stallions

In th ground floor of a rambling government building in central Vienna

the horses are kept and we were fortunate to see them being

taken outside for exercise. They were all white and beautiful.

Vienna is one of the world's great cities.

 

The Glockenspiel, Munich Germany

The Rathaus-Glockenspiel in Munich is part of the New Town Hall and dates from 1908. There  is, at 11 and 12 p.m., a reenactment of a 16th Century story.

It is very available during a walk in the central city. 

It has 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures.

 

Winter Olympics 2026: The Dolomites, Cortina, Milan

Northern Italy is one of my favorite places. We spent a good period of time there after visiting Rome/Florence/Venice. (Take the train out of Venice to Verona and rent a car. We have good luck with Auto Europe.) Driving north along Lake Garda toward Bolsano as an entry point to the Dolomites.

The Olympics will be held in Cortina and in Milan. I am not sure of the winter weather in the Dolomites because we have only been there in the Summer and Fall. I would guess with all of the visitors roads will be cleared. You could also stay in Bolsano or Trento and take a bus. There are many smaller cities with excellent places to stay. We like La Villa. It will be tough to get a reservation in Cortina. It you don't want to deal with snow, Milan is the best bet. But, please keep the Dolomites on your bucket list.

 

Garbage Truck...

A Paris garbage truck...

The photo was taken from our rented apartment a half block from the Louvre.

The why is important.

My young grandson, at the time, was very much into garbage trucks.

I took pictures of them in Ireland Scotland, Italy and France

to bring home to him.

Thus, I have dozens of pictures of garbage trucks. 

 

FAVORITE PHOTOS: Ferry on Lake Como Italy

Lake Como is famous for many things including movie stars.

It is lovely in itself.

I enjoyed watching this ferry make its way across.

If you zoom in, you will see a village at 11:00 hangiing on the hillside.

 

Saint Giles, Edinburgh

All around the world people gathered to worship last night and again this morning. It is Christmas or the Mass of the Nativity.

                    This is St. Giles in Edinburgh the mother church of Presbyterianism.                              Some folks did not have a chance to go to any church.

Here is thanks to the first responders.

 

On Christmas Eve

Countless Christians around the world gather each Christmas Eve in churches to

symbolically wait for the coming of Christ into the world.

They think of mangers and shepherds and two immigrant teens

gathered in waiting.

Stained glass in La Sagrada Familia Bascilica in Barcelona Spain.

 

Plane flying over Normandy Beach

While visiting the beach at Normandy a lone plane flew overhead.

The sound broke the silence.

I was reminded of the sounds in the movie "Saving Private Ryan".

The beach today does not just tell of D-day,

but reminds us of the peace that was ripped away by gunfire.

 

Going to the Winter Olympics?

Here is a view around Cortina Italy. We love the Dolomites.

You will enjoy Milan as well.

Lamposts -- while I am at it.

Barcelona, Seville and a poor shot of a lampost on Charles Bridge, Prague and Bolsano Italy.

 

Lamposts - bringing light in the dark

These are three of the estimated 40 or so photos that I have of lamposts

from around Europe. The top is in Slovakia, the middle in Munich, the bottom in Paris. There a many more.

I find them interesting and unique and a indication of history.

 

Errands in the Portland Oregon sun.

Two o'clock in the aftoon on a sunny day in Portland.

I just pulled in to a parking spot for the disabled and let my abled wife

run in for some shoppping.

 

I discovered a Banksy picture

I am reasonably sure this is a Banksy picture I discovered in Paris.

 

The Municipal Building, Prague CZ

Besides photos we rarely bring home souvenirs. On our visit to Prague (one of the great cities of the world in October as a California, I did not pack enough warm clothing. In a small shop in the city, I purchased a warm woolen scarf, and it turned out to be the one only purchase but now in Portland Oregon it is handy.

 

Neuschwanstein Castle

We visited Neuschwanstein Castle  in Bavaria south of Munich. I took many great photos as did my wife. When she saw the one on top she was really impressed. I had to admit that I took a photo of a place mat in the gift shop.   In the bottom photo you can see the wire rack. Cropping does wonders.

 

Favorite Photos: Venice Italy

We were in Venice and sharing a gondola with an engineer and his wife.We asked for a photo and as we came out of one narrow canal into another the boat swung hard to the left.

We were about to hit the wall when the gondolier stuck out his foot and pushed away. You can see he was proud of the move. The photo and the event came at the same time. Not set up, in seconds the moment was gone. But every time I see it, it brings back memories.

 

 

Dingle Bay, Ireland

Rick Stevens has a way of making certain places popular.

Sites, cafes, hotels and whole areas.

He did this with Dingle.

Yes, we took his words for it and even stayed in his favorite B&B.

He was right.

 

Police Car Plazza Navona, Rome

Crime is either not big or the criminals are not big in Rome.

 

Park Guell, Barcelona Spain

This man (a busker) welcomed people to the famous Park Guell

high atop a hill overlooking Barcelona.

 

Canals mean bridges: Amsterdam

   Pictured is one of the large tour boats going under a draw bridge and we will be there soon. Amsterdam's canals mean many interesting and necessary bridges some of which allow boat traffic from one place to the other. Now, this photo was taken from a tour boat too.  Our boat was about 18 feet long and had an electric motor. It was run by "Those Dam Boat Guys" some expats that do tours for small groups. Ours was for seven. The boys in the back enjoying Amsterdam weed. This is a very personal and good way of seeing the central city. 
 

Sky over Slovakia

 

Rain coming in too Slovakia as seen from the Danube.

Looking at and from the Eiffel Tower

One of the most iconic sights in the world, the Eiffel Tower allows you to 

see Paris.

We have been to Paris several times and we don't always go up,

but you cannot avoid seeing it.

The wait maybe long and we spend the time in other ways.

Although I was wearing a leg brace and carrying a cane and when to the

front of the line the first time. Get a cane.

 

Lake McDonald, Flathead County Montana

A photo of Lake McDonald from the hotel in Apgar.

You will find Glacier National Park a wonderland.

Going-to-the-Sun road is a great ride and can be made by Red Car out of Apgar.

We drove it two ways and also used the car (which is a bus).

 

While on the Zambizi we were closely watched

A somewhat dangerous river, but great for an evening cocktail hour.

 

Timing a flight

 

NewYork coming in to JFK

I generally like to fly during the day so I can see where we are.

I enjoy flying in general, and don't mind long-haul trips.

I am not sure how many flights we have taken back and forth to Europe

but most places are 12 hours from San Francisco.

Africa was 25 hours, but on that trip we divided it up with

stops in Belgium and The Netherlands of four days each.

Good planning sometimes does not work.

I plan a day flight from Verona to Paris just so I can see the Matterhorn

and see clouds.

Gibraltar as seen from the western point of Spain.

Gibraltar as seen from the western point of Spain. This is a totally different view and to get there you need a car (and driver). We did have a rental but chose to hire a local guide. From this place you will see a tidy lighthouse and a mosque. You must remember that you can see Morocco from there.

 

Monte Gordo, Portugal

My Portuguese is lacking, but if it were in Spanish this lovely place would mean"fat mountain". As far as I could tell there was no mountain there, just a beautiful beach.This photo was taken from a small cafe on the beach, and one can see how large the sand is. Great place for lunch.