Recently flipping through photographs and trying to put together a slide show I realized that what I was doing would take several hours just to see. While the photographs are good, who in their right mind wants to sit through hours of viewing slides? Welcome back to the sixties and speed seeing…
Take a peek at our world…
I lost count at 75 countries, hundreds of cities and places but I also decided our trips aren’t over yet. Plans for the next year include India, Sri Lanka(?), Israel, Malta, Paris, Dubai, Singapore…
Lisbon Portugal is an interesting city full of contradictions. It seems to be stuck deeply in the last century while having a spirit that is forward looking.
Throughout the city are a number of neighborhoods with incredibly good street art many with the blight of ugly graffiti right along side or unfortunately inside.
The graffiti artist to the right was seen in a few locations and was obviously created with a stencil. He’s unusual in that it is graffiti commenting on the ugliness of graffiti.
Above is one of several scenic parks overlooking the city, with many defaced by ugly graffiti.
People, places and captured moments selected from The Intentional Travelers photo collection. Marksburg Castle on the Rhine River Marksburg Castle, a majestic fortress located above the town of Braubach in Rhineland, Germany. This castle holds the unique distinction of being the only hilltop fortress on the Rhine that has never been captured or destroyed. Originally…
The History Behind The Celebration Of Easter Without question the holiest site in all of Christendom is located in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem. It represents the location where Jesus was crucified and where his body was laid to rest. Today there is a high level of certainty that the location has been actually identified.…
Photographic impressions from our travels near and far…
“Paris is always a good idea.” – Audrey Hepburn, especially at night.
If you’ve seen movies like An American in Paris and Midnight in Paris you’ve gotten a glimpse of the magic of Paris after the Sun goes down. From cabarets and cafes to enchanting walks along the Seine or strolls down Parisian streets, la nuit tombée, Paris leaves an indelible mark on your soul.
Top right: The Sun sets on the Seine.
Middle right: The Moulin Rouge at night near Montmartre in the district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy.
Bottom: Evenings on the “Rive Gauche” which literally means“left bank” offers great cafes and bistros and interesting night life.
with From Cartagena, Columbia to Ushuaia, Argentina the South American continent is an amazing land of natural wonders and human accomplishments. Explore the islands of the Galapagos or hike around Iguazu Falls, climb up to Machu Picchu or cruise through the Panama Canal. You can even cast off for a trip to Antarctica or walk…
As part of a recent cruise we spent two days in Bermuda and struck out from the pier in Royal Naval Dockyard early to see all we could. The first day we made it by ferry to Hamilton, where we spent the morning, took a bus out to St. George for lunch and a ferry back to the dockyards. After traveling from one end of Bermuda to the other our next goal was a visit to the village of Somerset and with an hour and a half till sunset we decided to check off Somerset and the Somerset drawbridge. The bridge was described in a guide as the world’s smallest drawbridge with an opening of only 18 inches (actually it was less than 12 inches) and seemed to make it an interesting goal.
Not sure what to expect and with our bus day-pass in hand we climbed aboard the next bus toward Hamilton and asked the driver if he could let us off at Somerset bridge. I have to mention that everywhere we went in Bermuda everyone was very friendly and extremely helpful (another story about that later). The bus stops along the way are either stone and mortar shelters or are only marked by a six foot pole in the color of the route. Bermuda’s roads are very narrow and they are often cut thru notches in the coral and limestone rock with barely room for traffic going in both directions.
Our driver pointed out the bus stop poles and let us off just before the famous bridge. Once off the bus we weren’t sure we hadn’t made a mistake. Standing on the side of the road there wasn’t anything to see in either direction except the narrow road and bushes grown to the edge of the road. Looking in the supposed direction of the bridge the road cut thru a rock formation with no pedestrian path at all. Without much of a choice we march off toward the rock cut. The good news was that the speed limit sign approaching the cut was 15 Km. The bad news was that nobody paid any attention to it as cars just roared by. We commented to each other about if it was better to get hit from behind and not see it coming or to be facing the oncoming assault as we walked the narrow road?
The 2 lane road cut through the rock near Somerset bridge
Needless to say we made it to the bridge and I’m not sure what I expected but that surely wasn’t it. The bridge is again a narrow two-lane stone and wooden bridge over a channel thru the island next to a protected anchorage. The center section of the bridge is a wooden structure with a strip in the middle less than eighteen inches wide and on hinges. It is obviously intended for the mast of a sailboat to thread that gap to cross the island and there are a number of signs with the phone number to call to have the tender come over and open the drawbridge. I could be wrong, but I doubt the drawbridge is opened often. It also probably requires a good sailor to keep from gouging his mast. Later in talking to locals, they were amazed that we traveled to see the bridge and said that the small drawbridge is almost never opened any more except for publicity.
We took some pictures and trekked back along the road to the bus stop, living to sightsee another day and getting back in time for sunset in the dockyards.
Photographic impressions from our travels near and far…
A beautiful slice of the Netherlands just off the North coast of South America.
This island is part of the Netherland’s Antilles and is the shining jewel of this group of islands and the one that is the most typically Dutch. Often when walking the streets of the main city the feel of being in Amsterdam is everywhere.
Curaçao is a piece of Holland transplanted to paradise. Warm, clear tropical waters, palm trees, white sandy beaches and beautiful resorts.
Above is the Queen Emma Bridge surrounded by the city of Willemstad. The bridge is a floating pedestrian bridge connecting two sides of the city over Saint Anna Bay.
A walking street in Wind Alley, a historic district of restored shops, restaurants hotels and homes very near downtown Willemstad.
It seems so other worldly, like Mars or the Moon but it’s right here on Earth. It’s so alien that the NASA space program uses it to test rovers and other equipment. Find the answer HERE. Here Are A Few Of Our More Recent Postings You might Find Interesting…
Photographic impressions from our travels near and far…
Watch towers still keep a sharp eye on the enemy across the Rhône River in Vienne, France
In Southeastern France the Rhône River flows past ancient cities and through famous wine regions on its way to the Mediterranean.
Originating in Austria the river flows west into France where at Lyon it takes a turn to the south flowing through a number of ancient Roman cities like Arles one of Europe’s best preserved Roman cities, Nîmes with its splendid Les Arènes, a 1st-century amphitheater. On toward Avignon, the city of the Popes, and the small town of Orange originally founded as a Roman city in 45 BC featuring a fantastic Roman theater .
The Romans didn’t just build cities on the Rhône River, they are credited with bringing viticulture to Gaul, encouraging the planting of grape vines in areas that would become the well known wine regions of the Rhône River valley.
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