Cruising with Gary & Annie

April 27, 2024
Getting back across the border from Montenegro into Croatia was much easier than we expected…it took less than 5 minutes (compared with over 1.5 hours two days ago). It was a beautiful, sunny day and we got to see way more scenery this time. It took about 2.5 hours to drive from Kotor beyond Debrovnik to the small town of Ston for lunch. The roads are really nice and I actually did some of the driving. (Gary was grateful to have a break.)  Ston had the longest wall outside of China, zigzagging up the steep mountains. It was originally built in the 14^th & 15^th centuries and was 5 kilometers long (3.1 miles). The wall, its fortresses and bastions were built to protect the saltworks, the shellfish farm and the city itself and to keep enemies from coming onto the Petjasek Peninsula. Earthquakes destroyed much of the wall, but the 1200 meters (.74 miles) remaining and restored are pretty amazing. It was hard to photograph, but at least you can see parts of it going straight up the hill and then over to the right. Some people come here to walk the wall…we chose to admire it from a distance!

From Ston, we drove about an hour through dozens of vineyards, followed winding roads along the Adriatic Sea and caught a car ferry from Orebic (in the northern part of the Petjasek Peninsula) to Korcula (pronounced KOHR-chew-la). For the first time, the GPS on our phones didn’t work, so it was a bit of a challenge to find our hotel, but we were very pleased with where we stayed—the Aminess Liburna Hotel—looking across the water at Korcula’s Old Town. Here are some views from our balcony!

Touring Old Town Korcula was very fun. It was founded by ancient Greeks, later was part of the Roman Empire and eventually became a key southern outpost of the Venetian Republic, so there are many influences in building materials and architecture. It is very small, with narrow streets and even narrower alleyways. Shops and restaurants are tucked in beneath apartments. As usual, we are often drawn to the churches and cathedrals, and Korcula was no exception. The tiny St. Michael’s was very simple and inspiring (below, left), even more so than the larger landmark St. Mark’s, which felt like it had been added onto several times. Its paintings were quite remarkable, but its shape and the placement of its many altars was a bit confusing, distracting us a bit from the sacredness of this space.  

We also enjoyed the small Korcula Town Museum where many artifacts were displayed. I was especially intrigued with the large stone-lidded pot used to store olive oil in ancient times, and have a whole new appreciation for the craft of stonecutters who created so many of the embellishments on ancient buildings.

We enjoyed walking around the outside of the Old Town as well and of course took time to smell some of the beautiful roses that we’ve found blooming in every town we’ve visited.

The whole vibe of Korcula (the town and the long, skinny island by the same name) felt very laid-back. It was only an hour drive from our hotel to the other end of the island (Vela Luca) where we caught the ferry to Split, so we took a few detours along the way (thank you, travel guide Rick Steves) to two small coastal towns (shown below). The first was Brna, a favorite harbor for super-wealthy yachters, and the second was nearby Prizba where we passed several miles of “parking pads” for cantilevered rental villas (seen on the hillside, right), popular with many Central Europeans to enjoy an Adriatic Sea vacation. The waters and views were stunning.

Taking the ferry from Vela Luka, Korcula to Split was quite enjoyable. It took a little over 3 hours and we passed some of the other islands that are popular—including Hvar (below left) and Brac. They are both supposed to be quite beautiful (and more touristy), but we were happy to go on to Split (below right) and beyond. On the ferry, we sat with a man who spends winters in Split and summers on the small island of Lastovo, which we’ve since learned is quite exclusive and peaceful. He said he was “in construction—restaurants and such,” but we later found out he actually owns several restaurants, including one of the best in Croatia on Lastovo!

Split was much larger than we expected—over 200,000 people, second only to the Croatian capitol of Zagreb. It’s spread across a wide swath of land with very large mountains behind, protecting it from high winds that come from the east. There were a surprising number of tall, newer buildings that some locals call the Yugoslav-era “concrete blight,” so different from the older parts that include charming, tree-lined residential areas and the sprawling forested Park Marjan—a green oasis the size of NYC’s Central Park that is only for pedestrians and cyclists. Cherished by the citizens of Split, it covers the entire headland to the west of the port.
Our Lastovo friend recommended a tour guide who told us lots about the City and its history as he drove us throughout the older sections and alongside Park Marjan. The highlights included the ruins of the 2^nd century Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace built as his retirement home. At the north “Golden Gate” there is a magnificent sculpture of St. Gregory the Great, the 64^th Bishop of Rome from 590 to his death. Legend has it that if you rub his toes, you will have good luck.

This sculpture was the work of Croatia’s greatest sculptor, Ivan Mestrovic, who lived from 1883 to 1962 (having fled Communist suppression to South Bend, Indiana, where he died). There are two large galleries of his work in Split, but they were a bit out of the way and we didn’t take the time to visit them. We did enjoy seeing what was once the summer home of Marshall Tito—a large villa built in the 1930’s overlooking the sea. This is now the meeting place of the current presidents of countries belonging to the European Union (EU). Another intriguing site was the Renaissance Hermitage Monastery where monks built caves into the cliffs and have lived and practiced their faith inside for over four centuries.

We also drove along the large marina and harbor and its “Riva,” a relatively new promenade with beautiful landscaping, restaurants and shopping, catering to tourists as well as those who charter yachts or have their own. Embedded in the sidewalks here are metal plaques—one for each of the 150 Split residents who have won Olympic medals. Locals are very proud of their success in sports and are a bit fanatical about their “football”/soccer team (the HNK Hajduk Split) whose logos are found all over the city. We drove around to the south gate (Bronze Gate) of the Palace ruins and then had our tour guide drop us off at a wonderful little “Restaurant Sug” near our Splendida Palace hotel. They served a delicious Split specialty dessert there called “Paradizot”—a cup of vanilla custard with a bit of yellow cake on the bottom and marshmallow whip on the top. Yum!

This was a great way to end our touring of Split. We chilled the rest of the day, slept in, had a perfect breakfast at the hotel and then drove about 70 miles on a wonderful “A-1” divided highway to the seaside town of Zadar, which is at the north end of the Dalmation Coast. We’ll spend two nights there before heading inland to the waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes National Park and beyond.

We LOVE Croatia and now we see why so many people have raved about it. It’s a beautiful place with warm, friendly people and stunning scenery all along the deep blue Adriatic Sea and its many islands. The climate is quite mild—“Mediterranean”—and there is lots to see and do. If you are looking for a delightful place to vacation, the Dalmatian Coast is a definite a winner!

April 21, 2024
It is only 337 miles from Budapest, Hungary to Dubrovnik, Croatia. We had
hoped to take a train, but it’s an 18-hour train/bus ride. Instead, we chose to fly.
There is no direct flight so we flew to Dubrovnik on a 7am flight with a 3-hour
layover in Vienna, finally arriving at our hotel (via taxi) on the outskirts of Old
Town Dubrovnik mid-afternoon. We stayed at the Dubrovnik President Hotel and
our room overlooked the deep blue, crystal-clear Asiatic Sea and some of the
nearby Elaphiti Islands. It is beautiful! We had a bit of rain and then super-sunny
skies but it was quite cool and breezy (6o’s), in contrast to the 80-85 degree
weather we had in Budapest. We like the cooler weather, so it’s all good!

We’re still doing a good job of pacing ourselves, so we took it easy the first day
(easy to hunker down in the rain!) and, once the sun came out, we walked along
the sea wall, enjoying the huge waves that poured over parts of it in late
afternoon (above). This was the only time we saw anything but a placid Asiatic
Sea and we loved it! (Apparently the waves cause lots of damage to beachside
properties in the winter.) We also enjoyed the sunset! (How do you like my new palm hairdo?!?)
The next day we took another Tuk Tuk tour, this time in a larger, electric car with a couple from Ireland and another great guide. We learned a lot about the history of Croatia as we drove past the marinas and up to Mount Srd (and the top of a cable car run) to see Old Town from a different
perspective. All of Dubrovnik revolves around this unique center. It is contained within large walls built not only for defense, but also to keep the water out.

It was fun to see it from above before taking a walking tour through its squares,
narrow streets and alleyways, past many cafes, bars & souvenir shops. (It seems
like there are more places selling jewelry than anywhere else we’ve been…not
sure why.) We learned that there are 40 churches within Old Town’s walls—one
is Greek Orthodox and all the others are Catholic. Dubrovnik has had many
earthquakes, so, for safety, no balconies are allowed on the main streets. All the
streets are paved with limestone, which has become quite smooth over many
centuries. There was a bit of a connection to ancient times as we walked along,
imagining all who have walked here before us over such a long period of time.

The town’s architecture displays very little evidence from the “Siege of
Dubrovnik” beginning in 1992, during which more than 2,000 bombs were dropped on the
town. The only hint of this is the presence of all the newly-tiled terra cotta roofs.
There were lots of people in town and quite a bit of traffic as we drove inside. We
can’t imagine how chaotic it would be in high season (June-July-August), so we
would recommend May or September as the best time to come…warm enough
to enjoy all the beautiful beaches but easier to get around and enjoy all
Dubrovnik has to offer. We most always prefer quiet, so we’re glad we didn’t stay
where all the tourists are. AND, we can certainly see why this is called “The pearl
of the Adriatic.” The deep blue waters are stunning!

As you may know, Croatia is one of 6 republics that used to be called
Yugoslavia. The others are Bosnia & Herzegovina (including the city of Sarajevo),
Montenegro, Serbia (including the regions of Kosovo & Vojvodina), Slovenia &
Macedonia. All but the latter share borders with Croatia. As we were driving up to
the top of Mount Srd, I got a notice from Verizon welcoming me to Bosnia, and
found out the road briefly entered that country and everything to the east of us
was indeed Bosnia! That was a surprise! And so were the abundance of motor
scooters dodging in and out of traffic, often passing on both sides of the cars.

After a delightful 4 nights in Dubrovnik, we rented a car at the airport and headed
south over the Croatian border to Kotor, Montenegro (neighbors who’ve traveled
this area several times said it is “a must”). The roads were easy to drive (and
there weren’t any daredevil motor scooters this direction…yay). We’re glad we
weren’t in a hurry because the line of cars was very long at the border—it took us
over 1.5 hours to get through; they stamped our passports without question as
we left Croatia and again (1 mile later) as we entered Montenegro. We followed
the main road that wends its way through a variety of small seaside towns along
the coastline of a very steep-walled bay on a fjord-like inlet from the Adriatic Sea.
We stopped for a late lunch at a special restaurant in Morinj highly recommended
by my nephew Frank (Kanoba Catovica Mlini). The food was delicious and the
setting was especially memorable as we wandered along wooden pathways and
bridges enjoying its “magical ambiance” of small creeks, ponds and landscaping
as well as pairs of mallard ducks and geese.

We finally got to our hotel late in the afternoon, having driven through several
more small seaside towns plus the heart of Kotor and its walled Old Town
complex overlooking the very calm and peaceful Bay of Kotor. Some call this
“little Dubrovnik,” but it feels much different. Yes, it overlooks the water, and yes,
there is a walled-in Old Town and yes, there are many red-tiled roofs, but the
whole town butts up against huge mountains filled with a maze of fortifications
that climb zigzag right up the sheer cliffs. We got a better look of it from across
the Bay as we were leaving (below)…you can barely see Kotor (in the middle)
tucked between the calm waters and the sheer mountains.
There are lots of trees and lots of churches (mostly Orthodox, a few Catholic).
One of the things we’ll always remember about Kotor is the ringing of old-fashioned church bells every hour from 7am to 9pm (and more often Sunday morning). It got very cold and rainy the day we’d planned to do some touring, we chose to stay in and relax (Gary’s been a bit under the weather & had some eye troubles, which we now think was a reaction to down pillows in Dubrovnik.)
We did go out for a wonderful late lunch at a nearby steak house and that was
quite the experience: steaks were individually wrapped and aging in a refrigerator
right in the dining room and we picked out the steak they then cooked and served
us. They were huge, so we split one. It was delicious!

SIDE NOTE: A friend wrote and suggested we “enjoy The Balkans,” and I must
confess I wasn’t sure what that meant. Hooray for Google! The Balkans takes its
name from the Balkan mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria. It
is a geographical area in southeastern Europe, corresponding partially with the
Balkan Peninsula, bordered by the Adriatic Sea (NW), the Ionian Sea (SW),
the Aegean Sea (S), the Turkish Straits (E) and the Black Sea (NE). By most
definitions the Balkans encompass Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro North Macedonia, European Turkey, most of
Serbia and large parts of Croatia. Sometimes the term also includes Romania
and southern parts of Slovenia and perhaps the Province of Trieste in Italy. It’s
fun to research and find out about things I’m not sure of as we travel along!
We plan to spend the next ten days exploring lots more of Croatia. Stay tuned!

April 15, 2024
There were many sights to see during Days 12 & 13 in the very large city of Vienna, Austria (2 million people). We were able to take in many of them on our favorite HopOn/HopOff Bus (called “The Big Bus” here), including the famed Hapsburg Schonbrunn Palace, plus remarkable museums and opera houses. What struck us most of all (other than the very slow-moving traffic) was the juxtaposition of so many ancient buildings with those that are quite modern. We especially enjoyed spending time in St. Stephens Basillica (note very modern building next to it, left).

           

Vienna, “The City of Music,” is an important cultural center, famous for its many musicians and composers (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss) and the Vienna Boys Choir. AND, it is also famous for its Spanish Riding School, “Home of the Dancing Horses,” also known as the world-famous white Lipizzaner stallions. The facility was commissioned in 1729 by Emperor Charles VI and is the oldest of its kind in the world. A portrait of Charles VI is displayed in the opulent baroque hall—the riding school’s performance venue. Every time a rider on horseback enters this hall, for trainings and performances, s/he stops, turns toward the portrait and tips his/her hat—forever grateful for this amazing program and the Emperor who made it all possible. We also got to take another horse carriage ride around the town as part of our tour! So much fun!

We had two opportunities to experience these magnificent Lipizzaners—first on a special “shore excursion” where we got to see the horses up close in their stalls, visit the tack room and performance venue (above) and learn about the training of both horses (8-10 years, starting at age 4) and riders (about the same, starting at age 16+). We also learned that performing classical dressage horsemanship comes naturally to these specially-bred horses—they are strong, agile, highly intelligent, gentle, and adored by the Hapsburg family. The Lipizzaners only perform on weekends at the School, and this excursion didn’t include seeing any of them in action. However, we went back the next day to witness a one-hour training and that was awesome. We weren’t allowed to take photographs here, and we didn’t get to see any fancy jumps, but we were spellbound as we watched 2 sets of riders and horses go through relaxation exercises, “the refining and perfecting of lessons and the targeted strengthening of muscles” (including the advanced long-rein training) and the cool down, all accompanied by classical Viennese music. If you ever have an opportunity to see a Lipizzaner performance, I highly recommend it. I saw them with my two daughters many years ago in Washington, DC and have always been in awe of them. There was a video playing during our excursion tour that I caught with my iPhone to share with you, but after many attempts to import it here, we can’t seem to figure out how to do it. Apologies! Maybe you could get one on Google! 🙂

Day 14 we docked in Budapest and took our final shore excursion—a panoramic tour of this beautiful city, with hilly Buda and its awesome castle on one side and the flatter, more populated Pest (pronounced Pesh) on the other side of the Danube River. This gave us a wonderful overview not only of the history of the city, but also about its highlights, including the massive Parliament building and Buda Castle, St. Stephen’s Basilica, the Jewish Quarter and its Great Synagogue, together with its many statues and tree-lined avenues and parks. We also learned a lot about the Hungarian people and their language—one of the most complicated in the world, most closely related to but unlike Finnish and Esthonian. Hungarians are quite proud of their culture, their creativity and “thinking differently.” It was here that Vitamin C was discovered and the ballpoint pen and Rubik’s Cube were invented. They also have 16 Nobel Prize winners.

Our final dinner on the boat was delightful and a bit emotional. Once again we sat with our “adopted family” from Colorado (below). Everyone we know had such a good time and we loved the people who served us so brilliantly and joyfully the entire cruise. There were lots of photos and lots of hugs and farewells, as many people were taking very early flights the next morning. This would be a good place to mention the food we had onboard. 85% of it was scrumptious. For some, all of it was, but frankly I’m not too keen on meats that have been cooking for a very long time and featured in each country’s variation of stew or goulash. I much preferred the consistently delicious caesar salad, rib eye steak, roasted chicken, soups and pasta dishes. AND, the desserts were all superb! Below are some examples of what was offered. Note the famous Hungarian paprika on one side of the pickle!

As we conclude this amazing 15-day Viking River Cruise (we LOVE Viking!), we will always remember the people and the high level of service (and food!), as well as the beautiful scenery and how much we learned about this part of the world. We continue to LOVE river cruising…it is very soothing and peaceful and relaxing.

One more thing that was also very relaxing was doing a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle I discovered in the boat library on the 3^rd day. Over a dozen people worked on it for over a week—a fun way to get better acquainted with fellow puzzlers! It was a lot harder than we’d expected so we’d cheer each other on when we’d finally find a piece. Below is a buddy from Ohio who probably found the most pieces.

Even though Gary and I weren’t disembarking until 1pm on the last day (Day 15), we had to put our luggage in the hallway and be out of our room by 9am. We made ourselves at home in the lounge and had both breakfast and lunch on the boat since we couldn’t check into our hotel until 2. We are very glad we chose to spend 5 more days in Budapest, a city of 1.7 million yet feeling much smaller than Vienna. We stayed at the Casati Hotel, a small boutique hotel right off of Andrassy Avenue, the “Budapest Champs-Elysees.” We were fascinated with its modern, creative décor, inside an 18^th century building.

One of the most fun things we did the next day was to take a 2.5 hour “Tuk Tuk” tour around the city (named for the sound of its original motor). As you can see, it’s like a motorized rickshaw, just right for the two of us and a very entertaining driver who drove us to lesser-known places. He also zipped up and down the hills of the Buda side to show us the Lady Liberty statue (to celebrate democracy) and panoramic views of the City. I was particularly intrigued with the amazing Matthias Church in front of the Fisherman’s Bastion at the heart of Buda’s Castle District. I loved its exquisite “Majolika”-style roof with its 150,000 colorful tiles. It opened in 1255!

Another highlight was an audio tour of the new House of Music, which we’d heard about from a Korean couple we dined with in Salzburg. (We find a lot of treasures from suggestions we hear as we travel.) Its modern mushroom shape was designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto and presents the history of music since its beginning in multi-faceted, interactive ways, beginning with the sounds of nature and the drum. We heard everything from 6^th century Gregorian chants, church hymns, folk music, opera and symphonies to jazz, rock and pop. The exhibit also traced the development of instruments, written music and the recording of sound and other technologies. We now have a greater appreciation of how music has affected everyone in the world, from cradle to grave, and can create a common language among all people, often transcending everyday realities into a realm far more enlightening and often mystical. This permanent exhibit is called “Dimensions of Sound – Musical Journey Through Space.” It was quite the experience and we highly recommend it. Afterward we had lunch at TGI Fridays, which used to be a favorite restaurant in San Jose. It was good to have some “American” food, including their famous loaded potato skin

We purposely planned two quieter days before heading to Croatia—the next chapter of our journey (that we are VERY excited about!). On Sunday we slept in, had a late breakfast and then both had 90-minute massages in the hotel’s spa. Ahhhhh, was that wonnnnnderful! After short naps, we showered and headed for our last scheduled Budapest tour—an evening cruise along the Danube. The boat was a bit “tired” so that was disappointing, but the views of all the magnificent buildings and bridges lit up were quite beautiful. Below is the Parliament Building and Chain Bridge.

We slept in again on our final day in Budapest, very, very grateful for all of the experiences we’ve had and the wonderful people we’ve met along the way. Thanks again for cruising along with us. Hopefully you are enjoying it too!

As we continue cruising on the rivers—first the Rhine, then the Main, through the Main-Danube Canal and now down the mighty Danube—it’s hard to remember the details of all that we’ve seen and experienced since our last blog. Thank goodness we have the Viking printed itineraries and Daily News to remind us what is scheduled and what we have done. I’ve also learned to jot down information in the “Notes” on my iPhone to capture more as we go along, but it’s taking time to get it all organized in my mind to share with you.

After leaving Miltenburg, we spent a glorious day. First of all, it was Gary’s 81st birthday (April 2) and we had lots to celebrate. All 190 passengers plus all the wonderful servers sang to him at dinner and our table shared a delicious mango custard birthday cake.

We spent Day 6 in Wurzburg, a town neither of us had ever heard of. The primary focus of this guided walking tour was going through parts of the 360-room “Residenz” of the Wurzburg prince-bishop, one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe. It took 60 years to complete (from 1720-1780) using the same architect who built Versailles (Louis Le Vau) and many superior craftsmen (many from Italy). The palace was badly damaged in WWII bombings, but its meticulous restoration was completed in 1987, once again using superior craftsmen. We’ve never seen such lavish and ornate décor, with its rich (over-the-top!) array of furniture, tapestries, paintings and other 18^th century treasures. The overhead ceiling frescoes were stunning, including the 6400 square foot “Four Continents” fresco by Venetian artist Giovanni Tiepolo (below)—the four continents at the time being Africa, America, Europe and Asia. The details and symbolism in this amazing painting were quite remarkable.

The gold ornamentation, rococo-like wall décor and crystal chandeliers were everywhere as were huge pillars painted to match the real marble flooring. We only saw about 15 rooms and each one seemed more lavish than the next. Frankly, it was a bit overwhelming, but certainly worth the visit. We also have come to realize that the restoration of palaces was partially the result of the reformation—the Catholic church (and the Hapsburgs) wanting to show off its creations of paradise and tributes to the Most High and not lose its members to other religions emerging.

As part of our self-care, Day 7 became a day of rest for both of us. We missed a walking tour of Bamberg, known for its “smoky beer” (rauchbeir). It is one of the few cities not destroyed during WWII, so we missed many medieval structures remarkably preserved.

After a leisurely morning, the highlight of Day 8 was a fascinating walking tour called, “Surviving the War—Art in Nuremberg.” We thought it was about paintings, but it was far more than that. We actually went underground to one of the many heavily-insulated bunkers (ceiling, below, middle) that had been converted from a medieval beer cellar. This is where many treasures from centuries-old churches were hidden, together with the Holy Roman Emperor’s Crown Jewels (which are now in Vienna–long story). We also saw a video showing how many of the church statues & tombs too large to move were encased in wood then surrounded by sand to protect them from damage.
We then visited the Gothic church of St. Sebald (below left) where saved works of art have been returned to their original home and where larger wood-encased statues survived roof collapses and bombings. It was also fascinating to learn about all the tunnels, secret passages and subterranean shelters that helped many survive the WWII bombings. Nuremberg is the 2^nd largest city in Bavaria, filled with half-timbered houses and Gothic churches with intricate spires. It is most famous as the site of the Nazi war crimes trials. Most of it was destroyed by Allied bombers in WWII, but later painstakingly reconstructed using the original stone.

SIDE NOTE: We’ve discovered why some German cities end with “-burg” and others end with “-berg.” Burg means castle so any city ending in -burg has a castle; -berg means on a hill (no castle) so that’s why the spelling is different.   

We chose to rest again on Day 9 (in Regensburg). We missed “the oldest city on the Danube,” but I injured my knee late last fall and it’s not yet completely healed, so pacing is an even more important part of self-care. It’s been frustrating at times to be one of the slower walkers (since I’m usually at the head of the pack), but I’ve done a pretty good job of adjusting (most of the time!). Besides, I wanted to make sure I was ready for our special shore excursion on Day 10, a trip to Salzburg, Austria, the City of Mozart and “The Sound of Music.”

Our 2-hour bus ride from Passau to Salzburg was well worth it, especially when, beyond the rolling and beautiful countryside and charming villages, we first saw the snow-covered Alps up ahead of us. What a glorious site! (These were the mountains the Von Trapp family fled to from the city, and we saw several places here where filming took place, as well as the cemetery that inspired the movie scenes that took place in a cemetery.) What fun! For the third time (first in Edinburgh, then in Cologne), we came across hundreds of padlocks fastened to fences, often on bridges (also below). Lovers write their names on a padlock, lock it on a public fixture and throw away the key. During our free time, we toured part of this sweet town in a horse & carriage—something we always enjoy. What made it even more delightful was having lunch at Austria’s oldest restaurant while four very talented, classically-trained musicians sang many songs from The Sound of Music. It was wonderful as we all sang along!

One more photo from Salzburg. In the middle of a large square, there is a beautiful statue of the Virgin Mary. If you stand back far enough (as photographer Gary did), you can make it look as if the angels holding a gold crown (on a wall over 50′ behind the statue!), are placing that crown upon the head of the Virgin Mary! Pretty awesome, huh?!? (The advantage of having a good tour guide!)

On Day 11 we felt good enough to take a guided tour of the charming city of Melk (midway between Strasburg & Vienna) that lies at the confluence of the Danube and Melk Rivers. It’s at the base of the Wachau Valley (famous for its wines, and beautiful to cruise through). We spent most of our time at the 900-year old Benedictine Melk Abbey, another stunning example of baroque architecture, with its 365 windows, expansive balconies and extensive library still used by scholars from all over the world for its rare manuscripts, diaries and more than 125,000 volumes. We also learned about the extensive Rules of St. Benedict including the Four Cardinal Virtues (Wisdom, Justice, Fortitude & Temperance), and The Basic Rule: Pray, Work & Read. It was here that we saw the most extraordinary example of visual illusion art called “trompe l’oeil,” (pronounced “tromp loy”). The fresco on the ceiling (below) was painted to look very high, but it was actually flat! The French term literally means, “deceives the eye,” which is a perfect description. We were definitely deceived, in a most wondrous way!

Having completed our 100-mile journey through the Rhine and the Main-Danube Canal, we are now on the beautiful Danube River, “the river of superlatives,” because of its power and beauty—in its earliest times a symbol of genius and the vital, creative force of progress. It is also known to be more treacherous, with fast currents. There is less barge traffic and it is harder to navigate, but quite delightful for passengers to enjoy, and we’ve seen many other Viking long ships specifically designed to cruise all of these waters. The Canal itself was originally conceived by Charlemagne in 793AD, but many attempts over many centuries were made and failed. The construction of this Canal took place from 1960-1992. Its importance to river traffic is enormous because it permits traffic to flow between the North Sea and the Black Sea, allowing both people and freight to move across the continent by water, traversing 11 countries, 2 time zones, past ancient capitals, modern dams & locks and broad agricultural valleys.

Since leaving Amsterdam, we have gone through 67 locks—some quite small (with only inches to spare between our ship and the concrete walls) and others large enough to fit 4 Viking ships (463’ long and 36’ wide). In some, we only went up or down a few feet, in others, up to 90’. We LOVED going through the locks—it brings back lots of memories of our earlier America’s Great Loop Adventure where we went through 153 locks (mostly quite small)—50 in the eastern United States and 103 in Canada. Seeing the variety of “bollards” (used to tie up a boat) brought back even more memories. The photo above, right, includes part of our Viking Vali long boat.

We’re about two-thirds of the way through our Viking River Cruise, with final stops to come in Vienna (2 nights) and Budapest, so we’ll close for now.

Thank you again for cruising along with us. This has been quite the journey, through beautiful country sides, amazing cities and where a lot of history has taken place. Stay tuned for our final report on this phenomenal River Cruise…and beyond!

What a treat to be on a Viking River Cruise! It’s been quite wonderful from the first moment we boarded. Our stateroom is quite spacious (for a boat), with a king bed, desk, 2 chairs and plenty of storage for our clothes, plus our own veranda with 2 more chairs & a small table. The boat is 463’ long with 3 decks plus a sundeck (we’re on Deck 3). There’s a large lounge where we meet for briefings and entertainment, and a dining room that easily accommodates all 190 passengers.
We were surprised to learn that almost everyone is from the United States, with a few others from Canada, Australia and New Zealand. That’s it. There’s a staff of 53 from 13 countries and everyone is very friendly. The very first night we had dinner with a couple and her mother, from Monument, CO (just north of Colorado Springs, where I went to Colorado College), and we’ve already “adopted” each other, often dining together…lots of good conversations and much laughter. We’re enjoying many others as well.
Below is the route of our Cruise. It’s about 1200 miles from Amsterdam to Budapest and in the catalogs it is called “The Grand European Tour.”

We didn’t leave Amsterdam until 11pm (Day 1), and it was a delight to see this city at night from the canal. AND, we were so excited to be back on a boat again that we found ourselves out on our veranda off and on for several hours, watching the landscape and lights go by. We didn’t get our usual 8-10 hours of sleep, but happily went on our first “shore excursion” early the next morning (Day 2). We walked to a vintage barge in the small town of Kinderdijk and, as we cruised past the iconic windmills, we learned how important “water management systems” are to the Netherlands, where more than half the country is at or below sea level. Most of the windmills we saw were built in 1738-1740 and were used exclusively to pump water. We also got to take a guided tour of the oldest one (below, built in 1640), with the “miller” who lives there and maintains it.

To manage the levels of the water, powerful pump stations have taken the place of windmills, but these windmills have been preserved through the years for all of us to enjoy. When not in use, the “wings” on the windmills were used as signals. For example, a wing positioned to the right of the center door meant there was cause for celebration—a birthday, an anniversary, an accomplishment; positioned to the left meant there was a death. And the mourning period was always 1 year + 1 month + 1 week + 1 day. It’s fun to learn these tidbits!

Day 3 we did a walking tour of Cologne, the 4^th largest city in Germany. The highlight was the magnificent gothic Cologne Cathedral, which took seven centuries (yes, centuries!) to build. With its towering twin towers (550’ high) and 1700 spires, the foundation stone was laid in 1248 and it was finally completed in 1880. This renowned monument is quite plain inside, but there are 11,000 square feet of stained glass windows that are very moving. One is quite modern, using small squares of all 73 colors that appear in the other more traditional windows (below, right). A large and magical gold box was on display, supposedly containing the bones of the Three Wise Men—the Magi. We also enjoyed the sidewalk art in front of the Cathedral reminding us that we are One Human Race. As we left Cologne that evening, we were able to capture the Cathedral at night, and that’s an image we’ll remember for a long time.

Day 4 was a day of rest for Gary, but I had a wonderful time touring the mighty fortress of Ehrenbreistein (below), an excellent example of Prussian military fortifications built in the early 19^th century to protect against the French. Our tour guide was a delightful costumed actor who took us back 200 years to describe the walls, buildings, tunnels and moats of this fascinating citadel, with its strategic doorways and windows for canons and rifles. Set high on a hill, we also enjoyed the magnificent views of Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhine & Moselle Rivers and a fun “sky glide” (gondola) back down to river’s edge. Two gondolas can be seen on the lower right of the river view.

In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly and we spent a wondrous 3 hours lounging on the sundeck as we cruised down the famous Rhine River Valley. We were in awe not only of the variety of castles and beautiful river towns, but of the hundreds of vineyards scattered on the very steep, rocky hillsides. How in the world they tend to and harvest these vines is a mystery, but they certainly are beautiful. The Rhine Valley is known best for its Reissling wines. That evening we found out the sundeck would be closed for the next 5 days (to go under many low bridges and through many locks), so it made this sundeck experience all the more appreciated. Not only are all the deck railings and canopy posts hinged so they can be flattened, but even the wheelhouse has a hydraulic lift that allows it to be lowered as well. There has been quite a bit of barge traffic, and we’ve been a bit surprised by the number of campers parked alongside the rivers.

Day 5 was the first day we didn’t have to set an alarm for a tour—a nice break. AND, we were very excited to watch a scheduled glass-blowing demonstration in the lounge at 10am. We were fortunate to have front-row seats because Gary got selected as the glass-blower’s apprentice and I was able to capture part of it on video (below). Gary was gifted with the beautiful glass ornament that he had blown into form (also below, together with some of the artist’s “masterpieces.”). This artist is a 6^th generation glass blower and he only works with the very durable pyrex glass, so hopefully it won’t ever break. What a treasure! (Excuse the extra space here–we’ve had some issues inserting photos.)

For the first time, our shore excursion was in the afternoon—a walking tour of the charming little town of Miltenburg, which is in the state of Bavaria. It was the day after Easter (a national holiday in Germany) so shops were closed, but we followed narrow, cobble-stoned streets past medieval houses, breweries and a variety of Easter decorations in windows and the town square. It had quite the fairy-tale atmosphere. Note the fountain below, decorated with eggs and flowers.

The scenery both day and night has been beautiful and much of it quite rural, which we love.. We especially enjoy the early morning reflections (above) and listening to a variety of birdsongs. The natural beauty (often seen from our veranda) is very soothing as we continue to wend our way on the Main River (pronounced “Mine”) toward the Main-Danube Canal.

As you can see, there is a lot to share about this cruise, so we’ve decided we’d better divide our blog posts into several parts. Next time we’ll tell you about our experiences in Wurzburg, Nuremberg and beyond. In the meantime, thank you again for cruising along with us. We hope you are enjoying it as much as we are. Blessings always!

Greetings from The Netherlands!
Have you ever been on a flight headed to the same airport as Air Force One? We were due to land in Dallas (DFW) at 6pm but around 4pm our plane slowed way down and started circling and circling and circling. The captain announced we were on hold until Air Force One landed (5:45, we later found out). When we finally landed (6:35), we could see AF1 on the far tarmac surrounded by floodlights and police cars, “under tight security.” We thought we would miss our connection to Boston, but luckily all of DFW was on hold and our flight didn’t leave until 8pm. (Biden was attending two private fundraisers in North Texas.) An interesting way to start our latest adventure!

We got a good sleep after getting to our hotel at 2am. It was very chilly so we chose to “chill” in our nice warm Marriott Copley Place hotel room and then had a very fun dinner with younger daughter Laurie and 3 of her 5 kidlets who drove in from Tolland, CT—about an hour southwest. We look forward to seeing them again when we return home through Boston in late May—we’re all going to Fenway Park for a Red Sox game and also do part of the Freedom Trail.

We flew through JFK on Jet Blue to Amsterdam where it was also very chilly (plus windy and rainy), but that didn’t stop us from touring. The first day we went to Keukenhof Botanical Gardens, one of the largest gardens in Europe covering 32 hectares (about 79 acres), where we saw thousands of tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocus and even a large pavilion of orchids. We’ve never seen so many varieties & colors. It was stunning!

After another day of rest (we’ve gotten really good at pacing ourselves), we took an evening canal cruise that was delightful. Then we totally enjoyed an all-day tour to The Hague, Delft and Rotterdam. As we entered The Hague, the median strips were filled with very tall, white flagpoles, with flags for each of the 193 members of the United Nations. We drove past many embassies and especially enjoyed visiting the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice. On nearby benches the word “peace” is cut into the stone in every language and there is a beautiful World Peace eternal flame (below). It was all very moving and inspirational.

           

We also loved going through the Royal Delft factory and seeing how their pottery is made. The most expensive pieces are hand painted. Less expensive versions use transfer patterns that are fired on, and all the designs are quite remarkable. Delft also makes amazing architectural tiles, and there was also an exhibit of Picasso creations. I had no idea he was into ceramics.

           

This tour also included a harbor cruise in Rotterdam. The harbor is 19 miles from the North Sea accessed through the “New Waterway.” It is the third largest port in the world (after Shanghai and Singapore), big enough and deep enough for the largest ships. It is about 25 miles long, 6 miles wide and 500 feet deep. Over 30,000 ocean-going ships and 130,000 smaller vessels visit each year. Most of the larger vessels are on very large mooring buoys rather than at a dock (below). All but 2 buildings in Rotterdam were destroyed by the Nazis in WWII (and occupied by the Nazis from 1940-1945 until the Canadian army liberated it—who knew?!), so there are mostly newer buildings.

We traveled with a lot of nice people from all over the world. Fortunately almost everyone speaks English. We especially enjoyed a mother and 2 sons originally from Cuba who now live in Austria (son Melvin is pictured above, who is studying hotel management), as well as a couple from South Africa. AND, it was nice to get back “home” to the Hotel Jakarta.

We’ve enjoyed staying at Hotel Jakarta, an architectural masterpiece honoring the historical maritime connection between Amsterdam and Indonesia. It is on Java Island, overlooking a large canal (which we saw from our room, where, from 1910 to 1970, large ocean liners transported goods and passengers to the Dutch East Indies. The hotel itself features Indonesian food (including lime leaf ice cream—yum!), subtropical gardens and is the “greenest hotel in the Netherlands,” constructed primarily of renewable and reusable resources such as wood and bamboo. It also has many clever and sustainable energy-saving features. Even the clothing worn by the Hotel Jakarta staff is recycled every three years and made into chairs used in the lobby (below)! AND, it was very easy to talk about “the elephant in the room,” one of many driftwood pieces on the property. Hotel Jakarta was a convenient, peaceful and friendly place to stay.

We took it easy again on our last day before boarding our cruise ship, but did take a Hop On/Hop Off bus around Amsterdam so we could learn more about its history. We visited the Gannon Diamond headquarters and had hoped to see the Van Gogh Museum, only to discover it was sold out. We’re spoiled in the USA where we can usually walk into any museum any time. Oh well!

Amsterdam is a vibrant city with an arts scene that has flourished since the Middle Ages. It is bursting with flowers, carved by canals, and everywhere we look there are bicycles, so we’ve had to stay very alert while walking about! Our first taxi driver said there are 22 million people in The Netherlands and 24 million bicycles! In Amsterdam there are almost 1 million people and 2 million bicycles, as nearly everyone owns two or more (they ride their older bikes into the city). Our favorites were the bicycles with small carriages on the front, often carrying young children.

There are also over 1500 bridges so the local boats are designed to be able to cruise under them.
We were surprised by the number of houseboats permanently tied up along the canals—2500 of them, many over 80’ long. They were first allowed because of a housing shortage, but no more permits will be granted.

We also learned there are 167 nationalities living in Amsterdam and there is great respect for each other. 44% are Muslim and are currently fasting during Ramadan, meaning they cannot eat between sunup and sundown. From another taxi driver, we learned that Ramadan is not only about fasting “to cleanse the body and the mind” and to be in better health, but it is also a time to dine and bond with family and to give to and pray for those who do not have enough food.

We’ve enjoyed our Netherlands experience a lot. It is very flat so no wonder there are a bajillion bicycles! And, by the way, is Holland the same as The Netherlands? The answer is, “No!” North Holland and South Holland are two of twelve provinces of the Netherlands, officially called the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Most of the areas we visited were in the two Holland provinces.

Once we board our “long boat” (463 feet!), we’ll have one more day in Holland, and then spend 2 weeks cruising down the Rhine, the Main and the Danube Rivers to Budapest (from March 28 through April 11). We’ve heard a lot of good things about Viking Cruises and we’re really excited about being on the water again and seeing a different part of the world. We’ve scheduled an excursion almost every day so there will be lots of mini-adventures along the way that we look forward to sharing with you. We paid extra for some, but most are included in our cruise tickets. Away we go!

Thanks for cruising along with us! It’s nice to know you are “there!”

A week or so after we returned from our remarkable trip to Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland last year, we posted our last blog about our final days in Scotland (Edinburgh), and closed it by saying, “Stay tuned for our afterthoughts on our whole trip. It’s fun to be able to share our adventures with you.”
Yes, it is VERY fun to share our adventures, and we so appreciate the comments we get as we cruise along…by auto, boat, plane or train. We also thank you for your patience since we never posted those afterthoughts, etc. I’m sure you’ve been biting your fingernails awaiting that final blog ….maybe not!  🙂
We are about to start another adventure (more in a few minutes), and we’ll continue to post blogs about it, but I thought I’d relay some excerpts from our 2023 that never got posted.

AFTERTHOUGHTS FROM IRELAND, WALES, ENGLAND & SCOTLAND
Rereading our unposted afterthoughts just now brought all those wondrous experiences back again, including the words we often used as we were driving around during this amazing and delightful adventure:
Beautiful! Stunning! Lush! Gorgeous! Fascinating! WOW! Such variety! Yum!  So green! Look at all the sheep, cows and Highland “coos!” Nourishing! Dramatic! Mystical! Astonishing! Sacred! Breathtaking! Spectacular! WOW! Such simple beauty! Astounding! Remarkable! There is beauty everywhere! More WOW’S!
It was also fun to put together the statistics:
Ireland & Northern Ireland – rental car 5213 miles
Wales to Devon – rental car                        644 miles
Devon/Cornwall – friends drove                 539 miles
Lake District to Edinburgh-rental car        1978 miles
Taxis (Dublin, Oban, Edinburgh)                116 miles
TOTAL DRIVING MILES:            8490 miles
Trains from Devon to Lake District             365 miles
Boat Trips – Ireland, England, Scotland        75 miles
Ferries: Dublin-Wales, Oban-Isle of Mull,
Mull-Iona, Mull-Lochalaine + Orkneys   175 miles
TOTAL TRIP:                                  9106 MILES!!
The hundreds of photographs we took (all with our iPhones!) captured the rolling countryside hills, mountains, rock formations, stone walls, bridges, buildings, magnificent churches, cathedrals, abbeys and castles (some in ruins yet often still in use, and all quite sacred).  And then there were the countless lakes, rivers, waterfalls & awesome views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea and the North Sea.
We learned a lot of history by visiting museums & going on walking tours and reading up on places before or during our touring. We also loved the art galleries, the variety of trees & flowers and the warm hospitality everywhere we went. It’s still hard to capture and describe how extraordinary it was, but we can still “feel it” in our bones, our hearts and our souls.
Feel free to scroll back through our blog posts, if even just to look at all the photos. It’s a wonderful reminder of how much beauty there is in the world!

NEW ADVENTURE STARTING VERY SOON!
On March 20, we fly to Boston and from there go to Amsterdam, where we’ll spend a few days before embarking on a 15-day Viking River Cruise down the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers to Budapest. After a few days there, we’ll fly to Dubrovnik and spend 2 weeks along the coast of Croatia, which we keep hearing more & more about. We’ll take a ferry to Venice, spend 4 days there and then fly (via Helsinki) to Iceland for another 2 weeks. I’ve started calling this part the “Grand Finale” and Gary has schedule two guided photo tours here–one featuring glaciers and the other featuring waterfalls. We’ll stop again in Boston for a few days before heading back to California on May 26.  We’re also grateful that our new neighbors next door will house-sit while overseeing the remodeling of their house. Perfect!
We feel unbelievably blessed to continue taking these “trips of a lifetime,” in keeping with our motto, “HAVE A BLAST WHILE YOU LAST!” So that’s what we’re doing!
We look forward to sharing our adventures with you once again.
Bless you for traveling along with us!

23 July 2023, Edinburgh and 29 July 2023, Los Osos, CA

We spent the last 4 nights of our Ireland/UK travels in Edinburgh, AND, as usual, we stopped on our way there (and went out of our way) in order to see two places. We had seen dozens of signs for deer (specifically red deer) along the roads of Scotland and a few for otters, and we never saw either species. However, we discovered that The Scottish Deer Centre was on the way to St. Andrews (in the “Kingdom of Fife”) so we stopped in and found exactly what we were looking for and then some. Not only did we find red deer (which were quite beautiful), but several other kinds of deer as well, together with those shy little otters, which look like a small version of our river otters but live primarily on land next to the water. They also had a moose that we could see off in the distance. In Scotland they are called Eurasian Elk. We also got a kick out of seeing a funny little “Wild Haggis” (center–native to the Scottish Highlands).

We then made our way east to the famous St. Andrew’s Old Course—the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world (established in 1552!). We ate in their club house (Gary posed outside) where I ordered a “Coronation Sandwich” that I’d seen on menus several times. It was originally created for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation—a chicken sandwich with a curried mayonnaise and currants. It was quite good! We then found our way to the 18^th hole where there was a fabulous Pro Shop. I had forgotten how many golf tournaments we’ve seen on TV filmed at the very spots we were standing, overlooking the 18^th green, its famous Swilcan Bridge and the North Sea. It was pretty impressive!

Finding our way to our hotel in Edinburgh took longer than expected and we were pretty weary by the time we finally found our convenient Motel One (below, top left, with the top of St. Giles Cathedral above it), right on the edge of Old Town and an easy walk to the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. It was hard to muster the energy to unload our rental car, get everything up to our room and return the car to the airport (half hour west with no direct roads), but we did it! Whew! We spent most of our time pretty close to our hotel, but also enjoyed another Hop-On/Hop-Off tour with a live guide who entertained us with stories about the history of the area. The architecture is quite unique, there are lots of statues and monuments and hundreds of churches and steeples. We also got a different view of the huge Edinburgh Castle, revealing that it sits on a massive rock formation making it even more formidable.  

We walked up the Royal Mile to the Castle and only then discovered that all the tickets were sold out, but we got to see the large stadium in front of it where lots of concerts are held as well as the renown annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo held each August. There were lots and lots of people everywhere we went, but we got used to it.

Our favorite “find” in Edinburgh was St. Giles Cathedral, founded in 1124, with its fascinating steeple and beautiful interior. While we were taking in the stunning stained glass windows, we heard some beautiful music coming from the front. It was a rehearsal for a concert that night by “The Piccadilly Sinfonietta” featuring Victoria Lyon on violin, a piano and other stringed instruments playing pieces from Mozart, Bach and Vivaldi. I’ve never been much of a fan of the violin, but this music was mesmerizing and we sat and happily listened for over an hour. It definitely enriched our experience of this sacred place. Only later did we discover that this is the same Cathedral where, on July 5, King Charles formally dedicated himself to the people of Scotland (his Scottish Coronation), using the crown, the sword and the scepter—known as The Honors—the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain. It is also the first place that Queen Elizabeth lay in state after her death last year before going to London. (She died at Balmoral Castle which has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since 1852.)

ST. GILES – IN AND OUT + STAINED GLASS

It was fun to take in the sights in this beautiful city before heading home. Knowing we were going to have a long day of travel the next day (and would be sitting on airplanes and shuttle buses for more than 15 hours total), we decided to take a long walk and ended up at one of Scotland’s National Galleries of Art. We found ourselves in an exhibition called “Grayson Perry: Smash Hits” covering pieces from his whole 40-year career. There was a warning posted: “Contains language and imagery of an adult nature and explores themes including sex, racism and politics.” It was one of the most “interesting” art exhibits we’ve ever seen, primarily featuring large ceramic pieces and huge tapestries originally generated on a computer, all with profound and varied messages conveyed in amazingly imaginative ways. I can’t say that we’ve become fans of Grayson Perry, but we’re both glad we chose to see this exhibit. It was pretty eye-opening and we certainly appreciate his creative talent.

We won’t bore you with the “adventures” of our travel home, including speed-walking from customs to our plane (going from Dublin to LAX) as we heard “Final Call, Gary Walker” over the P.A. system, but let’s just say we are VERY happy to now be sleeping in our own bed, using our own awesome shower and enjoying the peace, beauty and serenity of our Central Coast of California home. Whew! We’re gradually getting back into a non-travel rhythm of sorts, but it’s taking awhile, and that’s okay.

Before we tally all the statistics and reflect on our whole Ireland/UK trip in a final blog, we DO feel a need to share some afterthoughts about Scotland. What an amazing place! One of Gary’s photography guides probably sums it up best:

“Scotland is a landscape photographer’s paradise—vast highlands, countless lakes (and waterfalls), a rugged coastline and impregnable castles (thousands of them). Insanely picturesque, unbelievably gorgeous, amiable people, a unique culture and fantastic architecture.” (Italics mine.) To that we would add more about the wonderful Scottish people we met—so welcoming and friendly and willing to share local knowledge (the best kind there is). In Edinburgh we probably heard more languages spoken and more cultures represented than we have experienced anywhere we have traveled. And, of course, everywhere we went we saw beauty…sometimes dramatic, sometimes serene and always nourishing. Another thing we loved is that we saw thousands of sheep, hundreds of cows and more than a dozen Highland “coos”…and they all added to our joy and well-being.

We want to share one last photo with you here. It was late in the afternoon when we returned from our art gallery walk our last day in Edinburgh and the light was quite amazing. Photographer Gary recognized it immediately and went out seeking more opportunities for the perfect photograph. What he found was quite amazing and a perfect “ending” to our Scotland/Edinburgh stay:

We loved Scotland almost as much as we loved Ireland! We are filled to the brim with heart-warming memories and so many moments of astonishing beauty. Stay tuned for our afterthoughts on our whole trip. It’s fun to be able to share our adventures with you.

22 July 2023, Edinburgh

The intermittent rain and cold continued as we departed the Orkney Islands, but at least this time the fog lifted so we could see and photograph the iconic Old Man of Hoy rock formations as we left the harbor at Stromness.

We had originally planned to take the ferry from Kirkwall all the way to Aberdeen (7 hours), but the ferry was full for several days before and after our desired departure date (even though we inquired several weeks in advance) so we went with Plan B and drove to Inverness, about 2 hours south, allowing us to see more of the beautiful northern Scotland landscape. Do you see the low range of distant mountains in the middle photo below?

I was sure we were seeing east across the North Sea to Norway and thought that was way cool. Gary was pretty sure I was wrong. Well, it turned out that Norway is about 200 miles east of Scotland and the curvature of the earth doesn’t allow us to see that far. What we were looking at were the North Sea and hills to the south, on what I’ll call the Aberdeen Peninsula where we would be staying over the next week. If you look at a map of Scotland, there are lots of indentations along both the west and east coasts. Sigh! So I got an opportunity to use one of our favorite expressions and said to Gary, “You’re right, dear!”

It happened to be my birthday, July 13 (#83!), and Gary treated us to a stay at a very elegant, 5-star “boutique hotel” in Inverness called Ness Walk Hotel. It’s the first time ever that, as we walked in the door, we were asked to sit in a very comfortable chair in a very beautiful small living room and were offered a glass of champagne while they checked us in. As you can imagine, the service was impeccable, the food delicious and it was a wonderful way to celebrate. AND, their breakfast included many choices that were NOT part of the Irish/English/Scottish Breakfast! Thank you, sweetheart!

The next day we were delayed a bit with a flat tire again—love those single-track pot holes! But then we had a wonderful drive to the Speyside area—named for the Spey River that runs through most of it—(on the Aberdeen Peninsula). It is often referred to as The Whisky Capital of the world where there are dozens of distilleries. We stayed outside of Aberlour (home of Walker’s shortbread—closed over that weekend) at the Craigellachie Speyside Hotel—a charming old Victorian structure built in 1892. It was convenient to several side trips, and we enjoyed the warm hospitality.

With this now being “high season” for tourists, several whisky tours were already booked, but we were very pleased to join a factory tour of the Strathisla distillery—the oldest working distillery in Scotland (since 1786) producing 2.4 million liters per year of all their whiskys, including Chivas Regal. Together with nearby Glenlivet, it is now owned by a French ”drinks giant,” Pernod Ricard. Here are some quick facts: (1) whisky is made from barley, water & yeast; (2) The flavor is determined in the stills; and (3) 100% of its color comes from the cask(s) it is aged in. We had lunch in Dufftown at The Whisky Capital Inn. When we came back to our hotel later that day and ate in its Copper Dog pub, there was a sign on the blackboard that said, “Today’s rain is tomorrow’s whisky!” It’s been raining quite a bit so it looks like there’ll be lots of whisky made around these parts, along Speyside’s “Malt Whisky Trail” and beyond!

From Speyside, we headed toward our next stop in Nairn, but on the way we visited 2 other places on the Moray Firth, a triangular inlet of the North Sea. First was The Scottish Dolphin Center where resident bottlenose dolphins are often seen at the mouth of the Spey River, together with seals, occasional orcas and many species of birds. We didn’t see anything, but we love dolphins and it was nice to leave a donation there. We also discovered a cathedral and 2 castles along the way, each with its own unique history and architecture. The ruins of Elgin Cathedral were fascinating, as were those of both Ballindalloch & Dufus Castles.

We then went on to Findhorn, which I’d heard of for a long time. The Findhorn Foundation is “a center of transformational learning—shepherding individual and collective awakening.” I often read from the daily inspirations of Findhorn founders Peter & Eileen Caddy and was looking forward to seeing their facility. What we found was the small, rather funky seaside town of Findhorn and then the trailer park where it all started, with some unique condos and other housing. We never did find its headquarters and retreat facilities, but by then we were getting a bit weary and anxious to get to our next stop. I did find some gardens and a labyrinth, but things were pretty quiet. Oh well!

We were thrilled with our next stop, “one of the best boutique guest houses in The Highlands,” Invernairne Guest House. It is just west of the beautiful little village of Nairn, overlooking the sea. With panoramic views, beautiful gardens and impeccable hospitality, we fully enjoyed our 2-night stay and highly recommend this wondrous place.

On we went to Stirling—one of our longer drives (3.5 hours) –to get to our last stop before Edinburgh. On the way, we made two stops. The first at a special shopping village near Pitlochry recommended by the owner of Invernairne called The House of Bruar. Gary bought me 2 beautiful cashmere sweaters (birthday gifts) and bought himself an awesome, soft leather vest (called a waistcoat in the UK). These were the only things on our shopping list for this trip so we were very happy to find just what we wanted. We also stopped at the public library in Perth hoping to find out more about the McNear family whose roots were said to have started here (I am a McNear on my mother’s side). We didn’t find out much, but it felt good to simply be in this town and acknowledge that ancestors live(d) here. Along the way, we continued to enjoy the beautiful combination of fields and forests so common to this part of Scotland. And, when we made a “wrong” turn, we even found 2 beautiful old stone bridges and a pig farm complete with little metal huts for each adult (and baby piglets!!!).

       

We stayed at a nice Holiday Inn Express in Stirling for 2 nights and rested up for a busy couple of days.  The next day we first went to the famous Falkirk Wheel (which we hadn’t heard of until friends told us it was “a must”). We could have just had lunch overlooking the Wheel and watched how it worked, but we found out we could go on a boat that would take us up on the Wheel and then back down, so of course we chose that option! The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift in the world, installed in 2002 to connect renovated canals and waterways between Glasgow and Edinburgh, connecting the western waters to those in the east. As you can hopefully see from the photos below, the wheel is an amazing feat of precision engineering.

Our boat entered a “gondola” filled with water at our starting level, then, in perfect balance, our gondola was lifted up counter-clockwise to the next level of water 79 feet above, while the second gondola gradually rotated around and ended up where our boat had started. Our boat went up the channel a ways, turned around and entered the gondola at the top. The Wheel then rotated around and took us back to where we started. Hope that makes sense! Regardless, it was pretty amazing. It was also fun to watch the next boat go through the same process and get a better view of how it all worked. The Falkirk Wheel is practical but also revered for its aesthetics. It is quite something to see AND ride in! Fun facts: The wheel is 115 feet high, contains 1300 tons of steel work and 50,000 bolts, each of them tightened by hand!  

Just a few miles away, we then drove to “The Kelpies”–the largest equine sculptures in the world created in 90 days by sculptor Andy Scott as a dramatic entrance to the new Scottish Canal. It was hard to miss this amazing metal sculpture of two horse heads, paying homage to the working horses of Scotland. Each is 100 feet tall, made up of 18,000 pieces of metal including 484 steel plates. It was a bit of a walk to get up close to them, but they were even more impressive when we looked at these magnificent works of art from different angles. Amazing!

With only a few more days left to enjoy the wonderful country of Scotland before heading home, we’ll share more soon about our last stops and summarize our Scottish experiences. Thank you again for traveling along with us. Hope you’re having a good summer!

16 July 2023, Nairn

As we left the Inner Hebrides Islands and started north toward the top of Scotland, we first headed for the town of Ullapool, once again taking roads less travelled…often single-track. This meant that sometimes the GPS on our iPhones got a little confused (and sometimes so did the navigator—that would be me), but a “wrong turn” early on brought us to the marvelous Duncraig Castle and its sweeping lawns on 500 acres by the water. We got to meet its owner who turned it into his family’s personal home a year ago. Quite the lifestyle!

We drove through many forests and enjoyed beautiful ferns and waterfalls beside the road…and then a lake would appear…then more ferns and waterfalls. Yum!

We were delighted when we landed at the very elegant Harbour House B&B on the outskirts of the small village and port of Ullapool. It is only 45 miles west of Inverness (where we planned to stay after visiting the Orkneys—Scotland is quite skinny here), but it also broke up the long drive we were taking to reach Scotland’s northeast coast. We loved looking around in this sweet town and especially enjoyed the views from this lovely location.

The next day was our longest travel day of the whole trip—almost 200 miles —but, as usual, we broke it up with stops along the way, through forests and fields, more forests, more fields. Our first stop was a walk down to the Falls of Shin where salmon make their way up over these huge boulders to spawn (sometimes as high as 11 feet!). They find their way back here (where they were born) with their sense of smell! We didn’t see any salmon, but we loved the sound of the falls and enjoyed the thistles along the walkway—the official flower of Scotland.

We then made a few stops along the northeast coast of Scotland, especially if there was a harbor (we do love boats and Gary loves chatting with the local boaters). We especially liked the towns of Golspie, Helmsdale and Wick, and briefly saw Dunrobin Castle, but we were most excited when we finally reached the town of John O’Groates—the northeastern-most point of Scotland, some 876 miles away from its counter-point at Land’s End in Cornwall (where we were mid-June). It was fun to experience this and have our photo taken once again.

We finally got to our B&B outside of Thurso and chose to eat in that night. Being “the Girl Scout” (always prepared), I  make sure we have food with us—fresh fruit, protein bars, crackers, cheese (bless Laughing Cow that doesn’t have to be refrigerated), etc.  We were to meet the 1 p.m. ferry the next day, so we hoped to see the Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey (which she restored and resided in frequently for nearly 50 years before her death in 2002), but it was closed. However, that meant we had time to visit Dunnet Head and its lighthouse (the most northern point of mainland Britain). There were locals there with binoculars who encouraged us to watch for puffins—one bird we’d hoped to see on this trip. There were several species of birds flying around and landing on the cliff ledges near the viewing platform and we finally saw our first puffin. Gary was clicking his iPhone camera like crazy, having no idea what he had captured. Later we discovered he got a puffin in flight! We were VERY excited!!!

After a nice lunch at the Park Hotel in Thurso, we headed for the nearby ferry in Scrabster that would take us to the Orkney Islands, making sure we were there 30 minutes before its departure. However, when we got there we found out that the gates to the ferry close 30 minutes before departure. So we missed the ferry (even though it hadn’t left the dock yet). We were pretty upset, but recovered fairly quickly, grateful there was space on the next ferry at 7:00 p.m. This allowed us to explore some of the north coast of Scotland toward the east (and a quirky town called Tongue) that was also beautiful, filled with single-track roads and small villages, with sheep, cows and Shetland ponies grazing nearby. It turned out to be a fun way to spend the afternoon. We also noted that all the bus stops in Northern Scotland are purple!

We then made sure we were at the ferry landing in Scrabster 2 hours before our 7pm departure and were surprised that more than 50 cars were already lined up there. We were not going to miss this one! (The ferry can hold up to 178 vehicles at a time—even trucks and buses.) We were told that the waters here can be quite rough because this is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. Fortunately the waters were pretty smooth both going and coming back from the Orkneys. We also saw several lighthouses as we drove along the coast, as well as those at the Scabster ferry landing and on our way to the Stromness ferry dock.

We were very happy to finally land at the Lanadisfame B&B just a mile from the ferry dock. Knowing we now had only one full day to see everything we could, we were pleased to find out that nothing was more than 40 minutes away from where we were staying. That meant that what we’d hoped to see in 2 days (had we not missed the first ferry), we could see in one. Yay!

Our first adventure was to the northwest corner of the main island called Brough of Birsay where we were told there were lots of puffins. It was cold and windy with intermittent rain and it’s the only time on our whole trip that we had to wear lots of layers from head to toe. We hiked across a beach and a causeway (that is under water at high tide), climbed up a monster hill (that doesn’t look very steep in the photo on left) to the lighthouse and then hiked down to viewing points on the other side where the cliffs and nesting puffins might be visible (with no guard rails or fences). Gary and I chose different points and HE got the best photographs. Once I’d finished and looked up to see where he was (a tiny speck in photo at left), I must admit to being a bit nervous and then quite relieved when he stepped back and we started the hike back to the car. We were actually quite proud of ourselves for making it up the hill and back down. And so pleased that we got to see more puffins. It was quite the chilly and exciting adventure!

Our next stop was the Skara Brae, an amazing well-preserved Neolithic village where people lived over 5,000 years ago, between 3180 and 2500 BC (making it older than Stonehenge). It was covered for hundreds of years by a sand dune and exposed by a great storm in 1850. Archeological excavations began soon afterwards and now 10 rooms are visible and fascinating. Tools, furniture and artwork were left behind providing valuable clues about how they lived their lives. We could almost feel the excitement of those involved over the years in this amazing archeological dig.

After a nap, we headed for the other side of The Orkneys, to Kirkwall (its biggest city) to see the magnificent St. Magnus Cathedral, and then we drove another 20 minutes to see “The Italian Chapel.” The story of its construction is quite remarkable. It was built by Italian prisoners of war who were captured in North Africa and brought to the Orkneys by the British during WWII to build 4 rock barriers (to keep the German U-boats out of the North Sea). They transformed 2 Nissen metal huts (we would call them quonset huts) into a highly ornate Catholic chapel, with amazing art work and clever use of materials.

With all we learned about the Orkneys, one thing that surprised us was that they (and the Sheltand Islands farther north) originally belonged to Norway but were given to the Scottish Crown over failure to pay a dowry. The people there do not consider themselves Scottish, but they are a part of the UK and mostly of Viking and other Norse descent. Regardless, the Orkneys are amazing and beautiful in a very different way…there are very few trees…it is mostly flat fields and pastures…lots of cows and sheep…and from almost everywhere we could see the waters. Their “simple beauty” felt very relaxing and serene.

Gary suggested we close this blog with an “An Orkney Blessing” we found at St. Magnus Cathedral:
May the song of the birds fill your heart with joy and the vigorous Orkney winds energise your soul.
May all your days be filled with the vibrancy and colour of the wildflowers.
May the outpourings of the Holy Spirit in your life be as boundless as the tumbling waves upon the shore.
May the glorious Orkney sunsets bring you deep peace and the rainbow’s promise strengthen your faith and hope in God, now and always. Amen.