Category: Foreign Lands

Train Views-Morocco

Posted in Foreign Lands, Morocco, Uncategorized, Using Local TransportationTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

My first impression of Morocco was not a good one. It was 1998 and we had taken the boat over from Spain to Algiers. Our 7 year old daughter was with us along with my cousin, Katy.

After exiting the ship we were greeted by men who insisted that we needed their help to get to the train station. After being repeatedly harassed we were determined to either:

A: re-board the ship due to the harassment

B: Somehow get to the station ourselves.

We opted for the latter. It is the only time that I have traveled that I felt scared and as we were leaving the ship yard sounds of “They are going to kill you out there!” trailed along behind us. But finally we made it to the station, where without much of a wait, we boarded a train to Casablanca.

What an experience. Men who refused to wear deodorant surrounded us along with a few caged chickens here and there. We saw shepards herding camels and sheep dressed in traditional garb. We watched as hard boiled eggs were purchased by the riders at almost every stop. We saw community wells where women washed their clothes together and farmers with machetes harvesting sugar. Donkey carts trotted alongside the train as we crossed the countryside.  Slices of Moroccan life flew by as we made our way along the shore and then inland.

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In the fields

The train was a comfortable place to view a little bit of this exotic country if you discount the bathrooms on it. Standing over an open pit while using the facilities with a train swaying to and fro was a testament to good balance…or not.

 

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nomads huts

One of these days I would like to return to Morocco. I would like to experience Fez and the surrounding area. Until then I remember with fondness our ride on the slow train through the countryside of Morocco.

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Dragon’s Breath Zip Line-Labadee, Haiti

Posted in Beaches, Haiti, Incredible Vistas, SportsTagged , , , , , Leave a comment

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Okay, I am cheating here because I am not following the idea of blogging about all the wonderful places I have been. Instead this post is about a place I have never been to but desperately want to experience.  It is the Dragons Breath Zip Line in Labadee, Haiti. I guess this is what happens when you challenge your fears as I did last week in the skydiving incident. It makes you want to test those fears again in the different way.

As you know I am desperately afraid of heights but when I saw this I immediately thought, “Now that it something I want to do!” So I researched it. And I found out I have to take a cruise to partake. A Royal Caribbean cruise in particular. This definitely is a problem. I get severely sea sick.

Once we took a three day cruise from LA – Catalina Island, Ca – Ensenada, Mexico. I literally couldn’t walk straight for two days and could not climb at ladder for a week. This on some of the smoothest seas known to man. SIGH. I swore then that I would never go on another cruise. And I haven’t.

But if you are planning on cruising around the Caribbean anytime soon you might want to put this adventure on your list. After all, if zipping over the seas surrounded by beautiful scenery doesn’t make your heart go BOOM then probably nothing ever will.

 

 

Best Place For A Joust-Linlithgow Palace, Scotland

Posted in Architecture, Foreign Lands, Great Fun For The Kids, Historical, Scotland, Sports, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

When we were in Scotland one of the things our kids loved the best was the jousting tournament that was held at Linlithgow Palace in West Lothian. While the Palace is a place to remember in of itself, it is the jousting event that captured our imagination.

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The first thing that takes your breath away is the castle itself and the cobblestone walkway leading up to it.  Huge stone gates greet you and inside them you will find people dressed and acting as if they were locals of the area living in the 1400 and 1500’s. Once in the courtyard you will meet beggars and huntsmen, ladies in waiting and squires. Set against the backdrop of this magnificent 15th century palace in which Mary Queen of Scots was born; all the action that surrounds you makes you feel as though you have stepped back in time.

Exiting to the tournament grounds one of the first things you will notice is the enormous and sparkling Linlithgow Loch. Deeper into the venue you will see tents of the horsemen and find the living history camps. It was here on the grounds that we met this archer who shared with us his handmade arrows. Did you know that the feathers on an arrow must be from the same bird in order to fly properly? Neither did we.

Then it was time for the action to begin as magnificent and regal steeds flew across the valley their hoofs shaking the ground as they thundered across. The children were invited into the Children’s Army before the action began.Then men wearing armour and using weapons of the era battled it out on horseback and on foot using the chants of the crowd to spur them on.

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All in all a great fun-filled and educational day.

 

This year’s tournament will be held July 2 and 3, 2016. Admission is£6.30 for kids up to£10 for adults.

The Best Graveyard-Stirling, Scotland

Posted in Architecture, Free Site, Gardens, Historical, Religious Shrines, Scotland, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

If you are like me and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE genealogy than you will understand this post. Otherwise, you just might not.

Sometimes the perfect place to visit is the cemetery. Some people talk to loved ones and some take along picnic lunches. I love to look at the stones. Especially the ancient ones. Usually they are a piece of artwork and often the artists behind them have their own story to tell. I take pictures of these headstones and put the pictures of them up on http://www.findagrave.com so people can connect to the relatives in their past. To date, I have contributed over 5,000.

My favorite graveyards happen to be in Scotland. I am going to introduce you to the one in Stirling known as Old Town Cemetery. It’s a great place to go. Sitting atop a hill between the huge Stirling Castle and the Church of the Holy Rude it is the only cemetery in the UK that was laid out to celebrate the establishment of Presbyterianism. It is a vast place containing graves from the 1600’s up until the present. Because it encompasses so many eras you can really see how headstones change with the times.

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There are many Key Stones contained within the cemetery including Martyr’s Monument which recognizes those who suffered martyrdom in pursuit of religious and civic freedom in Scotland. The Reformer Statues stand in honor of those ministers who fought King Charles who was attempting to establish Episcopal teachings throughout the country. Here you will also find the ornate monuments of local businessmen who carved enormous headstones to honor their families.

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But my favorite monuments are the small unique ancient ones. Often devoid of names it is the unusual carvings that capture my fancy. Skulls, ancient symbols…they are all there.

So next time you are visiting a city take a trip to the local cemetery. It usually has a great view and you just might “meet” some interesting people too!

Ross Errilly Friary-Headford, County Galway, Ireland

Posted in Architecture, Foreign Lands, Historical, Incredible Vistas, Ireland, Magical Places, Religious Shrines, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

This is one of those stories that show the importance of being spontaneous when traveling. We had never even heard of Ross Errilly Friary when we first saw it in the distance as we were traveling to our next hotel in Ireland. It certainly was not on our agenda.

I said to Dave, “Quick. We have got to go there. Turn us around!” Now he wanted to keep going to our hotel but he indulged my whimsical nature and he turned us around: past a few homey looking come-on-in sort of bars, past a dozen or so Irish cows ripping shoots of new green grass from the earth, and eventually following a small narrow road through the outskirts of Headford. As we came closer the enormity of the place became exceedingly apparent. This place is HUGE.

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As we parked and left the car walking towards the Friary we became engaged in a conversation with a gentleman who was removing out-of-place looking fence posts from the place.  Seems a movie had just been shot using the location less than a week ago. Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember the name.

Ross Errilly is a medieval Franciscan friary and is considered to be one of the best preserved monastic relics in the entire country of Ireland. It is believed that the friary was begun somewhere between the mid 1300’s to the mid 1400’s but when the first stone was laid is a mystery to this day.

The sheer size of the bell tower is the first thing that captures your attention as you walk through a small courtyard-like area.

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A small well preserved central cloister with recent burials contained within its walls. The sun reflecting and resulting shadows make this area magical and mysterious. There is also a second cloister located on the grounds.

At the north area of the complex you will find a huge kitchen complete with a water tank which once held live fish for the evening’s supper and enormous ovens. A massive dining room is nearby.

Huge altars dot the inside of the yard and many gravestones can be found littering the walkways, on walls and covering those altars. One can just imagine those movie actors brandishing swords and jumping from stone to stone as they dueled to the end.

Due to political and religious upheaval the Franciscans were forced to abandon the abbey many times during its history but by the end of the 18th century the friary was all but a neglected ruin. By 1866 it has become a well-known site where locals left the remains of the dead without proper burial and mounds of skulls and bones were could be found littered throughout the place.

Today it is operated by the Office of Public Works and is open to the public free of charge.

This one was of the best ruins in Ireland and for some reason it really spoke to my heart. When we arrived it was raining but as soon as we exited the car it stopped and didn’t begin again until we arrived back and hour later. Obviously,  history was kind to us that day and so were the Gods. I am thankful for the discovery it all.

 

World’s Biggest Truck At Sparwood, British Columbia-Canada

Posted in Canada, Free Site, Great Fun For The Kids, Trucks, Cars and Big MachinesTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Two years ago, Dave and Kullen were traveling through British Columbia, Canada, on their way to Waterton. Along the way, they came across the world’s largest truck…the Terex Titan 33-19 … which was once used in mining operations on the west coast of California and at the Kaiser Steel Mine located in Sparwood, B.C., Canada. Today it sits as a roadside tourist stop after being decommissioned in 1991. Sadly, it no longer holds the title of the World’s Biggest Truck which was been passed on to some other behemoth steel creature but who cares! This is one big fella in its own right and the engineer in you will love to go inspect it and kick a tire or two.

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The Titan 33-19 was built by a division of General Motors who expected the Titan to become “THE” mining truck used by the top operators in the world. Yet, the Titan never did enter into regular production because shortly after it was introduced at the 1974 World Mining Congress in Las Vegas; prices for coal decreased dramatically resulting in mine closures or significantly decreased outputs. Thus the truck with a $1.5 million dollar price tag in 1976 was just too expensive for companies to invest in and plans for it to become “The Top Model” serving the industry were scrapped.

Some of the more impressive facts concerning the Titan33-19 are:

It has a wheelbase of 29 ft 11 in with an overall length of 66ft. 9 inches. It stands 22ft. 7 inches tall, her width is 25ft. 7 in  and she weighs in at  over 548 tons.

The truck has served as a tourist attraction since 1993 after being decommissioned in 1991.

According to Kullen, “The truck was bigger than I expected it to be and one tire is bigger than the length of your entire body. I would love to visit it again sometime.”

The Titan is located off HWY 3 in Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada.

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Valkenburg Caves-Valkenburg, Netherlands

Posted in Art, Caves, Festivals, Foreign Lands, Fossils, Dinosaurs, Etc., Historical, Netherlands, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

What brought us to the charming town of Valkenburg was my 13th G-Grandfather, Jan Van Valkenburg (1515-1575). It was his home town and I wanted to see it. And we did. It was fabulous. But what touched us more were the caves (Cauberg Cavern-Gemeentegrot/Fluweelengrot ) radiating out beneath the center of the city and did they ever have a story to tell. So we listened.DSC05816

You can enjoy the caves either by guided walking tour or by “train.” I would advise walking. The walk is easy not steep and you will be given plenty of time to ask any and all questions that your heart desires.

As for the history of the caves, the Romans began excavating them 2,000 years ago for use as building material in and around the area and significant buildings still stand today as a testament of its worth. The caves have also been used for centuries as a sanctuary for refugees during the French Revolution and more recent wars.

Be sure to step up close to the walls and you will see limestone littered with fossils and shells proof of an underwater world that existed here 100 million years ago. It is fascinating to see all the “fossil gold” left behind.

Yet,  the real treasure in the caves is the art work left by miners and residents of the town  since  before the 1700’s. Drawn in charcoal and created by the dim light thrown off by candles and later, lanterns, these works of art depict a living history of what was known or imagined by these dedicated artisans.  In addition to the paintings there are also huge statues carved into the walls throughout the entire labyrinth of corridors that run under the city.

But perhaps the most compelling picture is the Liberation of the City by the Americans in on September 17, 1944. It is a tribute to those brave men who worked to reclaim this city from the Germans and deed her once again to its citizens. And below the painting you will find the signatures of some of the soldiers who participated in the liberation.

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But perhaps even more astonishing is this fact: that during the 10-day battle the towns 10,000 residents all lived in the caves together while fierce fighting raged in the streets. It gives you pause as you wander with your guide thinking about what it must have been like underneath the city not knowing if you might live or die.

At the end of the tour you will be lead to another set of tunnels in which various eras of artwork are projected onto the walls of the cave creating a living-breathing art show that  surrounds you and disorientates you at some level.Very cool!

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While we did not visit during Christmas it is my understanding that a huge Christmas Market is held on weekends during the weeks prior to the holiday. Here you will find crafts and fine works of art offered for sale by local craftsmen.

Entrance fee about 5 Euros

Hint: Wear a jacket as it is chilly deep underground.

Yamdrok Lake In Tibet

Posted in Foreign Lands, Incredible Vistas, Magical Places, TibetTagged , , , , , , , Leave a comment

When we were in Tibet two months ago I was concerned by the lack of snow throughout the country. For a place that is SUPPOSE to be a land of snow capped mountains there was very little snow and the country looked as dry as Arizona. It makes me wonder how this will effect the many sacred lakes in the country. Yamdrok is one of these mystical/sacred places.

Yamdrok Lake is one of the three largest fresh water sacred lakes in Tibet. It is said that lake came about by the transformation of a goddess. Lakes and mountains in this nation are believed to be the dwelling places of deities that protect individuals and as such they are given spiritual powers too. People make pilgrimages to these holy lakes and mountains to pray and receive good karma from them and the gods that inhabit them. Tibetans believe that if this lake runs dry it Tibet will cease to exist because it will no longer be habitable. Given that the glacier above the lake has receded at such an alarming rate and that there is very little snow in the area it is likely that this may come about.

While we were there we walked down to the lake and on the way visited with this magnificent Tibetan Mastiff. He was regal and gentle as a lamb. Back in the day his job was to guard and protect the sheep from wolves, leopards and other large wold predators and in some places you can still find them roaming the Himalayans with their herds.

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Once we reached the lake Dave took his newly acquired necklace and immersed it in it’s sparkling cold sacred waters for good luck. I don’t know if it worked but I can tell you that no harm has befallen us since. You can make your own conclusions about that.DSC01621

A Sport Fit For Kings…School of Falconry

Posted in Foreign Lands, Historical, Ireland, Magical Places, Sports, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

After a short walk past perfectly manicured grounds of Ashford Castle we arrive at the Ireland’s School of Falconry where an elderly gentleman, looking like a character out of Harry Potter, is working with an owl who thinks he is a human. All hawks think this way too, “but they believe they are the superior one in the “relationship,” explains theowner of the school Deborah Knight. While Knight would not part with one of her birds the hawks would unceremoniously dump her for a half a plump chicken leg. For chicken legs are to the hawk like diamonds are to the gold digger and both can never get enough of them. And so this is the most important thing we discover about hawks; they have no sense of loyalty. They do not wish to please nor do they perform out of any sense of affection for the falconer. They only fly and return because they associate the falconer with food. It truly is an one-sided “affair”.

Deborah has been a falconer for over 25 years and is an expert on hawks. Her passion and enthusiasm about “her birds” and the sport of falconry is contagious. Throughout our stay Knight peppers us with tidbits of information. From Knight we learn:

Hawks see in iridescent colors meaning that the world is much more colorful for them than for us

Hawks are the fastest creatures on earth reaching speeds of 234 miles per hour

Hawks pupils are independent of one another which means that they can scope in on one an object while still scanning in the distance with the other eye

 Hawks don’t fly unless they are looking for something to eat

After being introduced all the birds it is time to go on our Hawk Walk. I put on the thick leather glove while Deborah fetches, Uisce, a magnificent Harris hawk. He is a young,handsome and commanding with stout talons and dark feathers which dance in the sunlight. His eyes are dark and twitch constantly as he scans the landscape in a hyper-vigilant sort-of-way .

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As we walk to the hawking grounds I remove Uisce’s jesses which are the leather straps attached to his talons. The bells attached to his leg jingle in anticipation of the hunt. I predict that when Uisce leaves the glove it will feel like a gun recoil. Instead, he pushes away gently, disappearing from sight almost immediately. I place a scrawny chicken leg between my fingers in the glove and wait. The bells give away Uisce’s position as he suddenly appears out of nowhere soaring straight towards me. But its not the way-high-up-in-the-sky kind of soaring but a very low to the ground glide which makes this hawk fly with little effort. Keeping my arm outstretched and steady, Uisce swings upward and alights heavily on my arm. In a split second he grabs his treat and wraps his wings around it (called mantling) to protect it from any creature who thinks they may want it…me included.

We repeat this flight pattern numerous times as we fly through the vast castle grounds learning more with each takeoff and return about how a hawk hunts and maneuvers.  How he does it is fascinating and it makes us somewhat jealous wishing that we too could skim the clouds.

We also barnstorm through the dense forest with Uisce appearing like a ghost out of nowhere, hidden by the trees, until swooping down upon us. Suddenly the bird refuses to return. He has spotted some bicycles nearby and they make him wary of leaving his perch. Finally with the cyclists gone Uisce returns to us feathers ruffled. It is time for him to rest and time for us to take our leave.

If you ever get a chance to participate in some aspect of falconry it is worth your time. You’ll learn so much about the sport and you will never look at these magnificent creatures without a sense of awe.

The School Of Falconry, Ashford Castle, Cong, County Mayo, Ireland

info@falconry.ie

Best Place To Go Near The Airport-Narita, Japan

Posted in Foreign Lands, Gardens, Good Food, Historical, Japan, Magical Places, Religious Shrines, Uncategorized, Using Local TransportationTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

If you have ever been stuck in an airport you know the importance of being stuck in the right airport meaning an airport near a great tourist destination. The town of Narita outside Tokyo Japan is just such a place.

We took a bus from the airport into Narita proper. Here you will find crooked winding streets that lead you to the showpiece of the city…Naritasan Shinshoji Temple. On your way to the temple stop to explore the wooden shops along Naritasan Omote Sando. Here you will find some of the most beautiful silk kimonos that you will ever see, traditional Japanese cooking utensils and lacquered bento boxes, and bins of souvenirs to suit the fancy of just about every tourist.  While in the area you must eat at the restaurants which feature the fake plastic food in their windows for easy ordering of traditional Japanese cuisine.

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We have been to Narita several times. On one trip we were walking down to the temple when we came upon a festival with large group of older women performing several traditional Japanese dances. Their slow graceful movements were mesmerizing as they moved in unison together like a swarm of butterflies.

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On another trip school children swarmed around us while handing us a card asking if they might practice their English with us. We spent a fun 10 minutes answering their questions until we moved on and stumbled upon the Narita Tourist Pavilion where we were snatched off the street by some very insistent older ladies. They lead us upstairs where we were treated to calligraphy lessons, traditional painting instruction and were dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. All this was followed by a tea ceremony. We had a fantastic time and it was one of the highlights of our trip.

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The Naritasan Shinshoji Temple is one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited.The temple was founded in 940 and has classic traditional buildings dotting its grounds. Incense fills the air as you enter through the gate. Intricate carvings adorn the buildings forcing you to slow down and take in all hidden artwork. With gardens that look like they are manicured by tweezers and beautiful statues it is a niche of tranquility in an otherwise bustling city. We have watched as hundreds of babies were blessed by the monks and have been in awe as people pay their respects to the dead. This is a special place in a city that has had its share of growth pangs thanks to the arrival of the Narita Airport in the late 1970’s.

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Narita also has an easy to navigate train station. We took the train into Tokyo to see a performance at the Kabuki Theater and arrived back in Narita worn-out but satisfied with our adventure.

Narita is the perfect place to spend some time outside of the airport and if you have a long layover I would urge you to check out this friendly city.

HINT: Narita is great place for a stopover. Check and see if United Airlines still offers a free stopover when traveling to various points in Asia.