Edinburgh, Scotland - The Royal Mile

     The Royal Mile is a main street in the old town area of Edinburgh. It runs from the Castle down to Holy Rood Palace. It is sort of Disneyland for Scot Presbyterians. In about the middle is St. Giles church pictured above. St. Giles is where John Knox preached during the Reformation. We went to the church twice while in the city and on one visit I took to the pulpit to see what it was like. The house of John Knox is just down the street. The Royal Mile is a place where you can get history, religion, trinkets and Scotch Whisky. (This photo is from an unknown source posted on Google and better than any I took.)

Ice Fields Parkway, Alberta, Canada

     There are many places to pull off along the beautiful road between Banff and Jasper in Alberta, Canada.  A simple picnic spot is not so simple to those of us who live outside the area.  The photo above was taken from an overlook of a river. The path crosses the water and follows along the bank. You can look back at the bridge. What may look like snow is a whitewater rapids and waterfall. The loud noise of the cascade cannot be reproduced in a photo.

House in Kilkenny, Ireland

     If you are a person who takes tours that cover three countries in a week, you likely would have missed this house in Kilkenny, Ireland. For one thing, it is on a side street and secondly you would need to have walked by, stopped, and noticed the two kinds of ivy (?) growing on the walls. It is very well kept and tidy. It appears to me that they bought a car to match the color of their home. I like the red door.  I found it very interesting.

     We recommend moving less and seeing more. It is true that we have the luxury of spending three weeks in a smaller country and can move slower, but in three weeks or a month some folks would cover the whole of Europe and not know what they have seen.

     Kilkenny is a town where you could easily stay a week or two and get to know it.  We spent a whole afternoon in a wine bar eating small "bites" and watching a parade go by. We do not have the folks we met there on our Christmas card list, but we bonded for four hours getting to know them and their community. A suggestion: stick with Irish beer. Their selection of wine - mostly South African - is limited. 

Seville (Sevilla) Spain - great city

     The above photo is one of the many horse drawn carriages that zip around the central city of Seville. Like taxis on an errand they travel around or take you for a tour. We hoofed it ourselves as it is a very easy city to walk - although in the oldest parts it is easy to get lost; but lost is not a bad thing. There are some wonderful places to visit not the least of which are the Alcazar and the cathedral where  Columbus is buried. Many good places to eat along the street bearing the light rail train. Be sure and visit the central area both in the day and in the evening; two different places. Along the side streets are some lovely courtyards in which to sit. Seville is a place to experience rather than to just visit.

Just a building in Granada Spain

A building entrance in Granada, Spain. The points of interest are the

plantings in the form of trees on both sides of the entrance.

Flooding possible in Calfornia

     This year the rains caused the reservoirs to fill up and for water to be let out into the rivers at a larger than average rate. With the rain also came a huge snow pack. California's central valley is a watershed for the Sierras, the Siskiyous and the southern Cascades. The warm weather is causing snow melt which is enlarging the rivers and forcing more water releases from the reservoirs. The river flow had dropped after the rains stopped and is now going back up with the melt. Those of us in California need to stay out of the cold and fast moving waters right now. It is dangerous.  Soon it will be steady and warmer.  Photo above is of Mount Shasta taken looking East from my brother-in-law's house. That snow is melting.

Foodies in Barcelona

La Rambla is not just a place to make human contact. It is also the location of  a grand

food court where the colors alone will leave you filled.

This is worth every moment. Sample a little. Take some back. 

This is Disneyland for foodies.