St. Canice Kilkenny, Ireland: Is President Obama Irish?

St. Canice is a  cathedral in Kilkenny Ireland. It has a old safety tower and is surrounded by a cemetery. It is historic and the church balances the budget by having tours. It is high on a hill, but not a bad walk from the center of the city.

NOW, the other reason to visit. There is lots of talk about President Obama being a child of an African father, but little mention of his Irish mother, Ann Dunham. 

Family members of his are buried at Canice and they are pointed out on the tour. 

 

The Chobe River Delta, Botswana

Everyone seems to like a photo of the sun going down. We were in a tent camp (read glamping) in Botswana and looking over the Chobe River and National Park. We were having wine and cheese in the back of a safari rover (read glamping) and I took this photo. What struck me was the lone tree out in the savannah. This is not unique as there many single trees dotting the land.  

 

Outline of a Road Trip: Italy plus four other countries

         Taking a Road Scholar tour helps you with some language and customs. We started in Rome and took the train to Florence and Venice. That was nearly ten days. Then we were on our own. I had reserved a car in Verona so we took a milk train from Venice and got in a new Mercedes at Verona and stayed a couple of days. Verona was one of the best visits of the trip. We got an early start and traveled along Lake Garda to Bolzano. From there we drove east to the heart of the dolomites. We stayed three days at La Villa a town focused on hiking and skiing the strange sandstone mountains. From there we traveled to Innsbruck, Austria for a short visit. Across Austria we took a side trip into Bavaria. We returned there some years later for an extended visit. We stayed in the lovely city of Feldkirch, Austria and then it was Liechtenstein where I got lost. I did not know there are two cities in the small country. The cities look beautiful even in the rain.  Next it was down nearly the whole of Switzerland. (There is a rumor that there are mountains there, but mostly we saw fog .) We emerged at Lake Como for a wonderful stay. It gave us a chance to see what all the hype is about. Como lives up to it. On the road back to Verona we stopped at Sirmione a fortress on Lake Garda. Back to Verona and a good night sleep, we flew to Paris and returned to San Francisco. The Dolomites will stay with me forever as it has long been a goal. I know most folks don't have a month to travel, but we have them and as we age we don't want to waste them.

Photo by Marietta McLellan

Between Islands Western Norway

This is an example of why someone would take a small ship through the fjords and islands along the west coast of Norway. Center is a very narrow bridge linking two islands that were long cut off from one another. This photo was taken toward evening (during the nearly 24-hour daylight ). Besides getting to know some of the people from Norway (and around the world) this was the primary entertainment board the ship.

 

Getting to be Fall along the Danube

October is a good month to either drive long side or take a riverboat down the Danube. The weather is still mild and the leaves are turning. 

Winter has not yet come.

We found that the castles and fortresses were better seen due to the contrast in colors. This is an old toll fortress on a hill above the river.

 

Buskers in Munich

 I have a good friend who paid for things by being a busker on the violin. She tells stories about her travels and about the places she played. I think it takes believing in yourself, your abilities, and your safety.

We have seen buskers all over the United States and Europe. They add life to the cities and add to the experience. In the same way I like flash mobs.

On a negative note: we were in the Ghetto in Venice having a relaxed and romantic dinner when this man came into the area playing "Lady of Spain" on the accordion.

An exception.

 

Looking back at the Winter Olympics

If you watched this year's Winter Olympics you know they were primarily located in Cortina in the Dolomites and in the fashion city of Milan.

The closing ceremony was held in the ancient colosseum of Verona.

It is very large and during opera or other events bring along a pad as the cement seat are hard. But the venue is wonderful.

This photo shows the modern stage and the modern seats in the foreground.

Look through the stage and you will see the old seats.

 

 

The Iceman of the Alps or of Bolzano is the remains of a hunter

 

Taking the road north from Venice you will arrive at Bolzano.

It has the remains of a hunter found frozen in the snow in a well done museum.

This has been featured on Nova and National Geographic.

But... Bolzano is more than that. It is a lovely town of the Italian Alps.

This is the creek you cross getting into town.

Church steeple outside Prague Castle

While Prague Castle is the home of the large and imposing St. Vitus Cathedral there is a pretty church with steeple clock just outside the walls.

I often wonder if tourists are so busy trying to see the sights from their guidebooks and miss other things of beauty,

 

Unmanned lighthouse in the islands of Norway

 

 

We were on the ship for 12 days going up the inland coast of Norway. The trip was to the Russian border at Kirkenes and back to Bergen. There were only a couple of places when we went into open sea. Most of the time it was in fjords and between islands. The channel sometimes became very narrow and with very little depth. The crew threaded a number of needles to get us to the small villages. Does this look close: it was.

Twilight over the Norway's Islands

It is the land of "the midnight sun" or the land that dwells in darkness in the Winter. We went on the shoulder season when we had lots of light and no snow.

The photo above is the last in a series of photos taken of the sunset.

The took a long while, but each drew something new out of the sky.

This shows the clouds and fog forming over the outer islands

along the coast of Norway. The are over 2,400 islands large and small.

 

Inside The Stave Church, Bergen Norway

Medial wooden churches in Scandinavia.

All wood made like a ship of the age.

 

 

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.