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.
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…
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…
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.
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.
Visiting Kruger: The Ultimate Safari Experience For The Trip Of A Lifetime Rated as one of the world’s greatest wildlife experiences and reported to be the number one African safari destination, Kruger National Park is not to be overlooked when considering your travel plans. Larger than many countries and containing mostly undeveloped land, Kruger is…
Be prepared for cold*. Be prepared for rain, sleet, snow and wind. Be prepared to be blown away (figuratively). Be prepared to be awed.
Hallgrimskirkja Cathedral
Before we visited Iceland we were told several times that this place has a beautiful Summer but unfortunately nobody can be sure when that week will be. During our late May visit temperatures probably averaged in the high 20’s to low 40’s but with winds often gusting at 30 and 40 mph it really seemed much colder.
You have to ignore the weather and let this country just overwhelm you. Reykjavíkis a beautiful, clean and an easy city to walk around in. The centerpiece of the city is the Hallgrimskirkja (the Presbyterian Cathedral) standing almost 245 feet tall in the middle of town it towers over Reykjavik. The spire is open to the public with breathtaking vistas taking in the whole city and surrounding countryside.
The Harpa Opera House
The Opera House, Harpa, stands at the edge of the Reykjavik Harbor and is Iceland‘s biggest concert hall suitable for a broad range of concerts and cultural events. The city is also home to the Imagine Peace Tower dedicated to John Lennon. It is a work of art conceived as a beacon to world peace by Yoko Ono. The work is designed in the form of a wishing well from which a powerful tower of light beams into the night sky.
Central Reykjavik
Eating in Reykjavik can be an exotic experience considering some of the popular foods of this country (roasted puffin, sheep cheeks) but one stand out item is the famous Icelandic hot dogs. The most famous location is the Baejarins Beztu Pylsur (pylsur means hot dog) stand located downtown just two blocks toward the water from the park in front of the government building. Most people order them “all-the-way” which includes a crunchy onion based relish, ketchup, a remoulade sauce and sweet mustard on a steamed bun. We just followed the trail of people walking up the street eating hot dogs and found them worth searching for. It is worth noting that most hot dog stands have no seating indoor or out and the only option is to order at the window and eat while walking away. We were also told you can order your hot dog Bill Clinton style which is with just mustard.
Take the time to visit Reykjavik’s many museums which offer insight into this country’s fascinating Nordic History. Start with the Saga Museum for a look into how the Vikings fought and lived with displays of wax figures depicting scenes of the earliest settlers (circa 874 AD). The National Museum displays more than 2,000 artifacts from the ninth century to the present. For a different experience, live actors at the open-air Reykjavik City Museum -Arbaejarsafn offer scenes of how settlers lived in the old days in an open-air museum, and it traces the development of Reykjavik and Iceland from their beginnings to today.
Not far from Reykjavik there is a famous geothermal bathing lake known as the Blue Lagoon. The mineral-rich thermal waters are a perfect 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and the minerals and algae in the water are supposed to improve skin and even cure psoriasis. The Blue Lagoon is a great way to spend part of an Icelandic afternoon.
To get the real impact of this remarkable land you need to get out into the country where you can experience the real wonder of this unique place. Driving across Iceland you are immediately struck by the stark beauty of its landscapes. Snow covered tundra backed up by rugged snow-capped mountains.
Iceland is geologically a unique place. The island is an active geothermal area and the Icelanders have been very successful at making use of this geothermal activity to generate electricity, heat their cities and warm greenhouses to grow produce. The island of Iceland is also actually growing bigger as the North American tectonic plate is pulling away from the Eurasian plate causing a rift valley of new exposed land. What is exposed is an opening between the two plates featuring a walkway where you can stroll along Earths newest real estate. Iceland’s Þingvellir National Park is located on this exposed rift between the two plates where you can stroll along a walkway through the rift and Earths newest real estate.
Path thru the rift
One of the most popular trips you can take to see some of the countries most interesting sights is known as the Golden Circle tour. The three primary stops on this route are the Þingvellir National Park, the Gullfoss waterfall, and the geothermal area in Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur with Strokkur erupting every 5–10 minutes.
Haukadalur geothermal area
The Gullfoss waterfall
Gullfoss waterfall
The highlight of most tours is the Gullfoss waterfall. An amazing multi-tiered waterfall dropping from the river and halfway down makes a hard right angle turn before falling again into the deep gorge. The landscape surrounds you with that typical Icelandic starkness cut in half by the energy of this amazing waterfall.
Eyjafjörður fjord in North Iceland leading to Akureyri
A shopping street in Akureyri in northern Iceland
Two hundred miles northeast of Reykjavik is Akureyri, Icelands forth largest city and a popular home base for exploring Northern Iceland. Again the landscape is the major attraction with three more waterfalls within fifty miles of Akureyri. The incredible Dettifoss, Aldeyjarfoss and Goðafoss Waterfalls.
The Intentional Travelers 