General Travel that may or may not be associated with cruising. things like Yellowstone, or Williamsburg, or even Barcelona can be found here.
One of our favorite pass times when traveling in the American southwest is visiting the various cliff dwelling houses. Places like Mesa Verde come immediately to mind, but the area is scattered with many more out of the way places that can really make an adventure to the southwest something special. Continue reading →
One of the California Gold Country must see places is Columbia State Park. Located in the foothills along Highway 49, just north of Sonora, this state park is rich in Gold Country Lore.
When the American Colonies were still young, when the United State of America was still just an idea in the minds of a very few, Colonial Williamsburg was a thriving city. It’s easy to walk among the streets, look through the buildings and talk with the volunteers who bring this place to life and imagine that this was a vibrant and energetic community. The artisans and craftsmen who lived and worked here were some of the most highly skilled anywhere, and helped to bring true civilization to the American continent.
Important history played out here too, and the people who work every day to bring that story to everyone do a great job of portraying the events and times of the American Revolution.
Capitol Reef National Park is one of the most interesting places in the southwest. The Waterpocket Fold opens up several hundred million years worth of geology in breathtaking sandstone layers. The wind sand, and rain have sculpted the landscape into a place worth seeing.
Bodie State Park is located along California Highway 395, south of Reno near the town of Bridgeport. It’s an easy day trip from Yosemite over Tioga Pass. Bodie is almost unique in that it is one ghost town that, even though only a small percentage of the original buildings are still standing, it looks like it was a vibrant town only yesterday. Well worth the time to visit.
When we arrived in Cochem, there were probably 1,000 bikers in town, plus a compliment of other tourists from tour companies, boat excursions, and folks like us, who just drove in for the day or weekend. It apparently was a German holiday, and the Germans were out in full force.
There were bikes, boats, old cars, new cars, just about every kind of recreational vehicle you would expect to see in the US, but in German style. Bikes, for example, are overwhelmingly Harley Davidson at a typical US motorcycle rally. In Cochem, there were a few Harleys, but the bikes were a mixture of other brands. Many European brands including BMW and Triumph, but many Japanese bikes too. Continue reading →
Not long ago, we had the pleasure of taking a British Isles cruise aboard Princess Cruise line’s Caribbean Princess. One of its many stops was the Northern Ireland city of Londonderry, or simply, “Derry,” as it’s called by many of the locals. The plan for our day’s adventure was a tour of the Walls of Derry.
The city as we see it today dates back to the early 1600s’, when the walls were constructed by a consortium of livery companies from London called The Honourable The Irish Society (nope, not a typo here. That’s what it’s called), or more simply, the Irish Society. The purpose of the walls was to protect Scottish and English settlers during what was a turbulent time for northern Ireland. Londonderry actually dates back much further than the construction of the walls, to the 6th century when a monastery was established by St. Columba. He is credited for spreading Christianity throughout much of Ireland and Scotland.
Today, you can walk the city’s wall and get a great overview on much of the rich history this town has to offer. Clearly, in a European city that has been continuously inhabited since the early 7th century, there’s a lot to see and do here.
Our ship docked in Belfast which is about an hour and twenty minutes by bus away from Derry. It took much of the day to see this city because of the travel times, but we were treated with some great views of the countryside of Northern Ireland along the way. Since we had only a day, a walk along the wall and a knowledgeable tour guide was just what we needed.
Here are a few images of our day at the Derry Wall.
In between our many adventures into the Disney Parks and other theme parks around central Florida, we like to spend time looking for wildlife to photograph. As a result, we often go to zoos or other places where we’re likely to see animals up close. Recently, we paid a visit to the Saint Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. Continue reading →
