The Normandy Beaches, France

After sailing down the Seine, we took a small antique military vehicle to the beaches at Normandy. It was quiet during the ride. Each of us knew what was up ahead. It was a gray day and we were all gray inside.

While we toured the various cemeteries laying a wreath at the American one, we came to the beach. Those of us that had seen "The Lonest Day" or "Saving Private Ryan" were taken by the silence. Those movies full of noise as it must have been that day, were drawn toward introspection. The beach was bathed in stillness...

 

Waterfall amongst the fjords

 

Many of the the fjords are long and narrow. They are impossible for large cruise ships. The photo shows a sister ship to ours 

along side a common sight of a waterfall.

Uninhabited lighthouse in fjord, Arctic Circle, Norway

There are hundreds of lighthouses and signal lights

all along the path.

There to guide the ships and boats, the only connection for some.

 

The Spanish Windmills

I often say that the surprises are the best events from any trip. We went to the major cities in Spain and when done we rented a car in Madrid. Away we went on a circle of the country seeing the sites (sights). Almost done, the navigator was reading Lonely Planet and looked off to the west and saw something of interest. We had an encounter for lunch with people who spoke no English and we having spoken little Spanish and then it was up the hill to these windmills. What a great visit looking over the Spanish valley.

 

Bergen Norway is a great visit - don't listen to those who say it always rains

View of the famous shops of Bergen. They seem to pride themselves on the amount of rain they get. When we were there it rained one out of five days and it did not rain much. Do take an umbrella.

 

Tail camera: SAS A350 from SFO to BGO - lots of numbers and letters

I have taken planes of all sizes for the last 60 years. I do not relish the lines, the waiting, the possibility of a hijacking. I do like the fact that I can get to New York in five hours as opposed to five days by car.

I cannot remember all the airplanes like 707, 737, MD80, A380, DC10...

Yet, in recent years I have learn to enjoy two airplane types: A380 and A350:

In the early days I flew Pacific Southwest near and Jet Blue far. They were economy airlines and paid for by the church.

Today I fly Alaska several times a year and Air France overseas.

This last trip, however, I was booked on SAS. The photo above is a tail photo on the A350. While I like the two decked A380 it has been discontinued by most airlines and replaced with jumbos like A350. I like it. SAS does a good job with it.

Some note: I once flew coach because I was young and now fly business class.

 

How to get there

This is a photo of Bergen Norway from the tram to the mountain look out. The wires are those of the tram. At the top, after views, the lunch was fish soup and cinnamon rolls. (Fish soup is a acquired taste.)

We got there by having a friend tell us a story about a short trip made to Norway and taking a ship along the fjords. After doing research we decided on a 12 day voyage from Bergen to the Russian Border and back. In the process we would need the right clothes for the season (the shoulder season). We made reservations directly with the ship's main office and reservations for a round trip business class ticket for each of us at or bank's travel department. We had a connection flight through Copenhagen. We arrived in Bergen, had a one day rest and boarded the ship right after the tram ride. That is how things began.

The Fjords of Norway: I am back

Over twelve days we spent traveling northward from Bergen, Norway to the border of Russia. We visited some 60 small to large fjords. On a new ship set up to carry cargo to remote places that also was a Class-A hybrid vessel,  We saw what can not be seen from larger ships. Also, there was a dozen or more venues we were able to visit locals and see special properties. We went to the top of mountains by tram and small places by bus. We walked some as well. We stood at the border of the Soviet Union and waved to their employees. Before and after the voyage we stayed in Bergen for four days. It is the first stop on the way north. The fjords of Norway can be compared to my happy place of the Dolomites of Northern Italy. The following will be a view of both the fjords and other places in Europe.

Taking some time off -more to write about here

This is a small cruise ship and ferry. It visits Norwegian fjords from Bergen in the south to the Russian border beyond the Arctic Circle. It makes voyages into 38 fjords to visit 38 towns in 12 days.  The ship holds a maximum of 300 while a regular cruise ship carries around 3000. Over the years we haven't taken any trips but we have had a large number of adventures instead. We are traveling between the "Midnight Sun" and "The Northern Lights". The ship is three years old joining four others to travel the coast. It is basically all electric. Quiet. It even has a heated closet in the cabin to dry and warm clothing. The bathroom floors are heated. The cabins all have a view and are fairly large for a ship. We like our adventures with hot water and ice buckets. The entertainment is the view and there is not a buffet. Meals are served with Norwegian inspired food served at table. And they promise that we will forget French wines. We will be going ashore for a variety of sites and local concerts. Just what we like. It is the Havila Voyages. We are flying Scandinavian Airlines with moderately long layovers in Copenhagen. A full report will be forthcoming (we are spending four days in Bergen as well).

Signs of the times

Top  is an exit sign in the Colosseum in Verona. I am guessing

that the arrow means "this way" rather something else.

The bottom one in from Paris. This is sophisticated graffiti. 

This sign near Dingle Ireland's coast means just what you think it means.

 

Up a lazy river: Northern Oregon

The Willamette river flows through small towns and large cities. It is a place to fish or just sit in the sun. They have lighted boats for Christmas and Dragon Boat races when the weather is warmer. North of Portland, Oregon USA the river joins the Columbia. While the larger Columbia skirts the city, the Willamette unites it.

This is the back yard of an Airbnb. You can see a neighbor across the water.

This is near where the Jetboats turn around to go back down the river. 

Lovely.

 

Prague

A question came up regarding Prague. "Is it worth a visit?"

I can only say that it is one of my favorite large cities in Europe.

Amazing in every regard, especially in history.

It is called the "City of Spires" for a a good reason.

Photo taken from Prague  Castle.

 

Central European Bronze

There is public art everywhere in European cities. You walk down a street and there is art. It is surprising and inspiring. These two were in Slovakia. 

Top one was in a plaza and bottom one just in the street. 

Getting ready for flight: partial list

So, your plans are set and reservations made. Don't forget:

Your passport and a copy for your suitcase.

A copy of the front and back of credit cards in suitcase.

(Back of card has #to call if lost or stolen).

Call your bank and tell them where you will be.

Cell phone and charger (call carrier for international calling.)

A copy of your driver's license (needed ID if passport not around).

All of your medications, a list of them and in bottles  preferred.

About your list of meds. Not just name but also doctor.

Medical insurance card.

Extra Ziplock bags.

Eye glass prescription or extra pair.

Copy of itinerary also send to family and trusted friend.

List of computer passwords unless you know them by heart.

Add different things for different places (You need malaria pills but not to London)

 sense of humor and adventure.

Portugal's Southern Beaches

Monte Gordo (Big Mountain) is a city without a mountain or at least I never saw it. It is on the Southern coast of Portugal not far from Spain and an easy trip from Seville. The breaches are wide and deep composed of white sand. We were there during the week and almost had it all to ourselves. We had lunch in a traditional "Beach shack" which was not a snack at all.  Good food. Of note about the beach: it is handicapped accessible as they have wooden walkways for wheelchairs laying on the sand.

GUERNICA ( Picasso)

     In a college art class and again in grad-school I was exposed to the painting "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso. It is a depiction of the Spanish Civil War and is an anti-war piece. I only saw it in books in college and grad-school. We were in Madrid Spain and I came upon the painting. I was surprised by its size having only seen it in books. In the Prado it takes a whole room. I guessed it to be 30 feet wide and 12 feet tall (it is 25 x 11 feet). I was awe struck. The group I was with continued on to other rooms. Art can do things to you, and Guernica represents the awfulness and futility of war. If the Prado had not closed for the day, I might still be there

 

Kenmare Harbor

 

We made a road trip around the Republic of Ireland. We started by flying into Dublin and headed south over several days to Cobh. We had some good BNB's but the surprise was Kenmare. We had a great visit with some former strangers and explored the harbor, the stone circle and a wonderful small town. Never heard of it before. We planned nothing except the route and we were fortunate all the way back to Dublin.   (Then we flew to London for a week.)

The photo above is one of my favorites.

Gablergasse in the fall

 

Fall in the south of Germany.

Great little village.

The Shoulder Seasons

            If you don't have children in school and would like to have a special experience choose travel in a shoulder season. These are March through May and September through November. The summer tourist season has not started or is over. Often the airline and hotels are less expensive. The places you wish to see are not as crowded and the lines are shorter. Often these months are the ones seniors choose. There are some things you  can't do like play in the surf  many places. Oh well. The time to go to Southern Africa is the early summer as it is winter there and the dry season, but if you don't mind a little rain go in September.   The weather app on your phone is a real help as are many travel sites. For us, the best is the end of September in Europe with the Fall colors.

The Temple Bar: Dublin

The "Temple Bar" is the name of a bar and also the name of the

area where you will find it. Across the river from central Dublin

you will find a rip-roar'n place that you will not wish to miss.

I good walk from the center city on O'Conner Street along the River Liffey and over the Ha'penny Bridge. It is fun even if yo don't like beer.

 

Bikes in Amsterdam

I was in a conversation with a friend and he was telling me how he got his medical degree in Amsterdam. We talked about why a car is a liability there. When I was there I was taken by the number of bicycles. The figure is two-for-every-person. They have crews that go in the canals and pull out those bikes that have fallen in.

Busy Town Center in Vaduz

On a rainy Sunday we visited Liechtenstein.

I got lost. 

 

In a small African village: Botswana

            It was not clear how many people lived in the village. It was mid-day and many  of the people were working outside. It was interesting and I made a friend, Peter who was interested in much the same things I am.

            People will say that they visited Africa. It is a silly statement. Africa is a continent. It is huge. It has many different countries and pollical systems. It like visiting Italy and believing  you know all about Europe. There are dozens of languages spoken in Africa. The southern most countries were British colonies at one time and there are many English speakers.

            We visited four countries taking planes as the distances are vast. We had a good learning experience which wiped away a good portion of any belief that those folks are different. When in Zimbabwe we were considered --I guess --different although we never felt it.  

A dinner in Florence Italy

Well, it doesn't look like Olive Garden or In and Out Burger.

It is opulent and grand. Dining as it ought to be.

After dinner I got to be part of the entertainment along with a nuclear scientist from New Mexico. 

 

No need to go to the Alps to see pretty views

This is a photo of a waterfall in Alberta Canada.

While we love Europe we realize that the Canada Rockies and

the whole of the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. has just bout  everything

places in Europe have  with the exception of very  old buildings. 

 

George Washington in Trafalgar Square, London

In Trafalgar Square you can look around a see many indications of English History.  Somewhat surprising outside of the Portrait Gallery is a statue of George Washington.  He is a hero. He helped over throw a bad king. 

 

Uffizi Galleries

I have shared before that we like to go for walks later in the evening when there are fewer tourists. This photo is of the courtyard of the Uffizi Galleries in Florence. We walked through the arch to stroll along the river.

The Uffizi is a gem. Paintings you only saw before in books are hanging on the walls for you to see. "The Birth of Venus" for example is just there with hardly anyone around. Florence is a wonderful city.

 

Barcelona, Spain

Park Guell  

There are many reasons to like Barcelona. The weather is great, the buildings interesting, the tapas excellent, and the beach is not only beautiful but bathing suits are not necessarily as complete as in the U.S.

But, you will soon find that people from all over are visiting too.

I do not mind crowds, but we make a special point of visiting smaller yet interesting locations.  Get a guide book like Lonely Planet and set out a plan.

 

The Charles Bridge, Prague CZ

The Charles Bridge is an ancient access to the city. It links the castle area to old town. We walked it both in the daytime and at night. The views are very different. The photo above is one of the many sculptures along the bridge that tell of Prague's history. They are wonderful. If you want to know who took this photo, note the man at lower right. It was not him.

 

Court of the Lions. The Alhambra, Granada Spain

A number of years ago, when I was in Grad School, my in-laws returned from Spain and brought me a book by Washington Irving titled "Tales of  the Alhambra". Irving had spent a good block of time there. When you are done with the book you have learned a great deal about the Alhambra, its history, and the lovely gardens. It became part of the bucket list and we went out of our way on a road trip of Spain to make a visit. It was worth it. But having read the book made it feel like it was a second visit. If you read Dan Brown's "The Di Vinci Code" and go to Paris or read his "Secret of Secrets" and go to Prague it makes a difference. Even if you read them when home it puts flesh on the bones. I remember reading "City of Falling Angels" and it made a priority for me to visit the opera house in Venice. I would not otherwise seen La Fenice, and was glad I read it the book.

 

Neuschwanstein - just a little cabin in the woods

If you find yourself in Munich you will be fairly close to Neuschwanstein the famous castle that some say was the model for the castle in Disneyland. If it were in Disneyland people would only visit once. In the heart of Bavaria it is the project of a man with too much money. It is worth the trip. It is the destination of a bus which leaves from the Munich Train Terminal. Once there you realize that it on top of a very high hill (I'd say mountain but not one compared to the Alps).  You can ride in a horse drawn cart, ride an overstuffed bus, or walk to get to the top. The bus is the better of the three. Now, you get to the top and you want to take a tour of the castle. Fine. There  are hundreds of steps inside. Because I am lucky to walk, I waited while my wife went in. We have had a long marriage where she climbed things or went somewhere and I waited at the bottom.

        When done you can take the bus which goes better down hill or you can do what we did and that is hike down. Remarkably it is as far down as up.
 

Angels in hiking bootd

 

 I have often talked about the fact that we do not worry about getting lost. We do get lost often, but our experiences have been good. We were on a walk in Seville. There are wonderful parks and interesting places. But as it was getting late we wanted to get back to the center of the tourist area so we might take the tram back to or hotel. First off we came to this (we think) beautiful structure. We found amazing. While looking  around we saw a likely helper and asked how to get where we wanted to go using mostly our hands to communicate. Surprisingly he was an American Expat living in Spain. He said  follow me. Around corners through narrow passages and streets away we went to our desired destination. Very grateful to our guide.

Venice Italy

 

This was taken from our hotel window. It shows some of what Venice looks like.

We enjoyed long walks after the tourists went back to their ships.

It is quiet even romantic. The thing that strikes you is the vast number of visitors in Venice and the burden it places on space. They have issued day passes to help but when we were there the crowds during the day were large.

Hint: great little cafe in the Ghetto.

Cheetah Reserve, South Africa

The Cheetah is related to the Leopard. It is smaller but one of the fastest land animals. It is built for speed and for capturing its prey.

Beautiful, they're not something I would try to outrun.

Then again, I cannot outrun most animals. 

 

Union Square San Francisco

            We live within the Great California Valley, but we are close to Yosemite and San Francisco. SF is known as "The City" around here and we go in several times a year. We volunteered in China Town, ran the Bay to Breakers, gone shopping, walked the Goldengate Bridge, visited many world-class museums and so much more there. Due to the high cost of housing, it is great to visit taking rapid transit and living in the valley.
 

Choosing an Airline

Air France at SFO

            We are frequent flyers on Air France and Alaska Airlines. We have flown many others. One outstanding airline that we only flew once was South African.

            The flight may not be the deciding factor for you, but a good flight helps make it a good trip. We have flown long haul from San Francisco on several  carriers and Air France stands out for us.  Some of the others were fine, one or two made a 12 hour flight seem  like a 12 day flight. Because of where you are going, sometimes you do not get a choice. We are fortunate in that we often choose carrier over price.  One surprise was flying Jet Blue across the U.S. It was both lower cost and an excellent flight. Ask your friends.  Look at reviews. Study their website. Choose your carrier.   For example, I did not expect much from Virgin to London and was pleasantly surprised. I also have been disappointed in Delta. Maybe one flight is not enough to judge, but it is for me.

 

Let's say that you wish to "Pop-in" for a wee bit of Scotch

You will have the choice of thousands of bottles in Edinburgh.

            You just don't walk to  the Scotch Museum. You must prepare:

1) Are you sure that is where you want to go? 2) Have you researched it on the Web? 3) Have you found your passport with more than six-months until it expires? 4) Having decided on a date buy plane tickets. 5) Call your credit card and tell them that you are going. 6) Call your cell-phone provider and asked about your phone. You my need a different sim card. 7 How are you getting to the airport and back? 7) Plan on how much cash to get at the airport ATM in Pounds. 8) If there is any chance at all, Get travel insurance (Your credit card may do this for expenses charged on it. 9) You do not need a VISA or shots to get into Scotland. 10) Print your itinerary and give it to neighbors and relatives. 11) You will not need a car, but if you want to go someplace else you need to rent it. 12) Carry Wet Ones to clean your seat hands and seat belt. See you when you get home

Lighthouse on the Oregon USA coast

You may not make them out, but there are people in the light

getting a view of the Pacific Ocean.

 

CABS

        We often take cabs in Europe. It is an easy way for us. For example it costs 15 Euros per person to take a cab from CDG into Paris and the driver handles the luggage. The photo above is a gussied up Black Cab in London. We would probably not take it as it it not traditional.

        Let's look at two of the many cab rides I have had. In Rome we were late for a meeting at the Vatican. The trip alone would give you religion. It was like an uncontrolled Disneyland ride. Obviously we made it.  In Vienna I had hurt my back and my leg hurt too bad to walk so I left the group and took a cab. The driver was to take me back to the wharf but there are many one way streets. I knew he was lost as I saw most of Vienna. He slowed and alas there was the wharf. I should have more faith. In Paris we were on northside and needed to get toward the river. I asked the cabby if he could go over Montmartre to get a view of the city. He did not charge us for it and enjoyed the view and much as we did.

    I am sure some folks like Uber of Lyft. We will take cabs.

Vienna: Art and Music

        When you live in the Artic you may not feel the cold as much. When you are in Mississippi you may think everyone talks that way.

        In Vienna a visitor is struck by the art and music which the locals likely hardly notice any more. Certainly they must take pride in it.  This photo is of a street corner outside a public building. It is just an example of the art everywhere. We went to a concert and on the same night there were others to choose from. Art and music seem to be everywhere.

        Vienna is a beautiful city with warm people.

 

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain

The Pope came and declared the cathedral finished.

When we were there, it was awe inspiring.

But it will likely never be "done".

My photo here is looking through the nave to the chancel.

The gold round in the lower middle is Christ on the Cross over the altar. 

Granada Spain

This photo was taken in the Alhambra above Granada Spain.  It was a long-time goal. Later in the day we were visiting places in the city. Granada is a place visitors ought to go if they have time. We had three days.

While walking along I spied a shirt in the window of a man's shop.

I decided that I had to have it.

Inside the clerks let me try on various sizes. Something unlikely at home.

I was taking my time and realized that the clerks were pressuring me to hurry.

It seemed a little rude.

When I finally purchase the shirt they hurried us out and locked the door.

They were not being rude - I was.

It was Siesta and time for their break.

I ought to have remembered that I was in Spain.

 

Excuse Me Do You Know The Way To Zambia?

When the herd heard me they tuned to see who was taking their photo. Just me in a South African reserve. It is almost time for the great zebra migration.    
 

Not meant to be souvenirs

Photo has nothing to do with text. I just like it.

            We are not big shoppers on our trips. We do not come for objects to remember places by. It just sometimes happens. I put the paper coasters from drinks in my pocket and have a large number of them. They cost nothing and were just a part of a meal. In France each of our Airbnbs were furnished with everything but pepper. We have two small containers of it in the cupboard here at home. I have two boxes of OTC medicines I got in Slovakia but I cannot read the writing and I am not sure what they are for. We did buy a pretty wineglass in Murano but it is hardly used. As I walk around our house looking for things we brought back from overseas it appears that has been brought back is mostly great memories.

 

Ireland road sign

On a cliff near Dingle they express that they want you back.

Lying-man island in the rear.