Category: Trips

When you think of Provence, does lavender come to mind?  It’s mythic here.  Although it was only introduced to the region in the 1920s, it’s become synonymous with Provence.  When it’s in bloom, it is an impressive site.  Although there are fields near our house, the best we’ve found are in the hill towns of the Luberon.  Sault in particular has huge fields in an idyllic setting.  Here are the images from our trip to the village this summer with our friend Nicolas (who you may remember from earlier posts).  Thanks to him for this image.

 

 

Alexander liked playing with the rocks and lavender.

 

We also had the opportunity to meet Nicolas’ parents whose house is in the area.  They have also trained their Jack Russel Terrier to hunt for truffles (AKA black gold and very tasty).  In the span of only a few minutes, the dog had found this HUGE truffle meters from their house.  Although it looks black, it’s apparently a white truffle.

 

Nicolas and the truffle for size reference.

 

Nicolas’ parents had outfitted their house for Amandine.  Alexander enjoyed the house too.

 

The little man with his sun hat.

 

 

Nicolas, Amandine, Alexander and Anna.  Alexander is wondering … what’s over there?  I want to go there.

 

The region around Sault … lavender fields strike a strong contrast with the rest of the fields.

 

Sault from a distance.

 

 

Did I mention Alex likes to play with rocks??

 

 

 

More lavender fields around Sault…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essential to the health of the flowers, bees are a big part of the eco-system.  As a result, there are lots of beekeepers or apiarists in the area.  They offer tours and tastings like many wineries in the area.  The lavender honey is like ambrosia.

 

From the village of Sault.

 

The view from the village square.

 

 

The Nesques Gorge.

 

Anna enjoyed the spectacular gorge.

 

That finishes our short escapade in the lavender fields.

 

Until the next adventure.

 

–Jim

Back in June (where does the time GO???), we took a short trip to another great wine region … with lots of interesting history and architecture to boot.  It was of course to the iconic Tuscan region.

In fact, the trip location was somewhat inspired by a book we read:  “Too Much Tuscan Sun” by Dario Castagno.  Although it’s not for everyone, I found his book a humorous, easy read.  Dario’s a tour guide in Chianti and ardent supporter of his section of Sienna. The book gives a mix of local history, culture and customs with Dario’s experiences with anglophone tourists.  It’s the ugly American, (Brit or one of several other nationalities) as seen by an Italian.  Anyway, he spoke so passionately for Chianti and the regions wine (which I already knew I liked … Thanks, Kevin), we decided to base ourselves there for a few days.

 

But, on the way in, we had to stop by the (in)famous tower in Pisa.  Pisa also happens to be a city Dario detests.  Although we loved the green square with the tower, we didn’t find much else compelling about the city either.

 

Here’s the ultra-touristy shot we HAD to make.  Anna is so strong.

 

The Cathedral and Tower.

 

 

Alexander playing in the grass of the field in front of the tower.  The Tower was begun in the 12th century and completed in the 14th.  It looks beautiful today due to the ongoing cleaning and strengthening of the base.

 

He was coming to get me … or rather the camera I was holding.

 

The grass lawn in front was a definite plus.  We loved lounging in the shadow of such a historic monument.  It felt a little like the National Mall in Washington D.C. or the Champs de Mars by the Eiffel Tower.

 

Hey, what’s all that glass for??

 

A rare pause in his non-stop motion.

 

We happened to be there on Republic Day (the birth of the Italian Republic in 1946), so there was a military display, including parachutists.

 

 

 

The baptistry.

 

Anna and a very bald looking Alexander in Chianti.

 

 

The pool of the B&B where we stayed in Tuscany.

 

A sunset walk in the countryside.

 

A classic Tuscan farm house that’s being turned into a luxury property.

 

 

 

The Piazza del Campo in Siena.

 

It’s certainly one of the most impressive city squares we’ve visited in Europe.

 

 

The 13th century Duomo di Siena

 

The façade of the Siena Cathedral.

 

As you can see, we were not alone to see the beautiful interior.

 

The Duomo’s dome.

 

A very intricately decorated library whose frescoes tell the story of one of Siena’s favorite sons, Pope Pius II.

 

The effect is quite overwhelming.  They were painted at the end of the 15th century and early 16th century.  This was done about the same time as another Italian (from Genoa) was sailing to try and find a sea passage to Asia…

 

A pack of Vespas.

 

The Tuscan countryside with vines and rolling hills after a summer rain.

 

The view from my (current) favorite Italian wine town, Montalcino.  It is where the Brunello di Montalcino is grown, aged and bottled.  This wine is simply delicious.  Although we couldn’t try wine from every producer, similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, we didn’t find a single one that wasn’t tasty.  That may be due to the fact that the wine is required to be aged in oak barrels for 24 months and in bottle 4 months before being released.  Highly recommended and worth the higher price.

 

More Sangiovese vines… all Brunellos are made with 100% of this varietal.

 

 

After Siena, we went north to visit the arch-rival city of Florence.  Although Florence is much larger and prosperous today, it was a one-time equal of Siena.  Dario’s books offer interesting commentary on the modern and historical implications of this rivalry.  This is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or the Duomo di Florence, built over 140 years between 1296 and 1436.

 

The Palazzo Vecchio, which is currently the City Hall of Florence.

 

The Ponte Vecchio, or Old Bridge.  Looks like a great place to have a table, don’t you agree?

 

A view of the Arno River from the Ponte Vecchio.

 

Another view of the Ponte Vecchio.  After having been destroyed a couple times, it was rebuilt in 1345.  There have always been merchants selling their wares on the bridge.  During the 16th century, in order to pass above the fray, Cosimo I de’Medici had architect Vasari build a corridorto cross over unencumbered by the throngs below.  Cosimo I de’Medici was also the creator of the office building Uffizi, which is today one of the best art museums in the world.

 

The Duomo Dome from the roof of the Uffizi.

 

City Hall’s bell tower.

 

No, this is not multiple images stitched together.  There are really three roads this close.

 

David stands in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.  When Michelangelo sculpted David, he stood here from 1504 until 1873.  This is an exact replica that was erected in 1910.  The original David is in the Galleria dell’Accademia.  He is much bigger in person … standing over 5 meters tall.  Note that the giant killer’s right is exceptionally large … presumably a trait to better sling the stone.

 

That concludes our little trip to Tuscany.  Lots of art, history, beautiful countryside and of course, delicious wine.

 

Until the next adventure … hopefully coming very soon.

 

–Jim

 

The French Air Force decided to send a group of us to Colorado to watch the graduation ceremony.  Since there is an annual semester exchange between our schools (in addition to a number of short term visits), we also used the visit as a chance to meet counterparts, set up and maintain relationships.  Overall, it was an effective (and enjoyable trip).  I am going to start out with posting some of the images from our trip to Pike’s Peak, Manitou Springs and Dallas (I’ll explain more later).

 

After spending the better part of 5 years in Colorado, I came to appreciate the landscape … and consequently miss it now.  So, it was great to be back.

 

The clouds were fascinating as we were in between snow showers…

 

 

Colonel Maïni and Manu.  We were scheduled to take the Cog Railway to the top of Pike’s Peak, but unfortunately, one of the trains derailed (no one was hurt), so our train was canceled.  Instead, we hopped back in the car and took the toll road as far as we could go.  Unfortunately, the very top was still snowed in, but as you can see, we were able to make it above tree line.

 

 

Yep, there was still plenty of snow on the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

After the mountain, we headed back into the always colorful Manitou Springs.

 

I introduced them to the wonderful world of Ski-Ball and the magic of Pixie Stix.  It was turning out to be quite an American experience for them.  Although they had both been to the US numerous times, I enjoyed finding more quintessential (at least in my opinion) things to do and try.  We also sampled caramel corn and salt water taffy.

 

They both proved quite adept at Ski Ball.

 

Of course since they are French, and we all love wine, we headed to a great little wine bar, Swirl.  We had a great zinfindel and the owner/sommelier Sharon and I had a long conversation about the relative merits of Provençal Rosé.  Let’s just say we agree it’s very tasty.  🙂

 

Dallas, Texas

I’m skipping ahead on our trip a little, but after Colorado, Manu and I headed down to Texas.  Since I don’t have many images from that part of the trip, I’m including them here.  We also had a long layover on the way in and we used the time to go to the 6th Floor Museum.  If you haven’t been, it’s the former warehouse from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy in 1961.  It’s definitely worth seeing if you’re in the area. This is President Kennedy’s memorial (about 2 block from the site of his assassination), the Big Red Museum which has the history of Dallas and Reunion Tower in the background.

 

Since the Dallas Mavericks were in the midst of the NBA playoffs and Manu had never been to an arena, we decided to stop in and check it out.  They were kind enough to let us in to have a peak around.  Even though there was no one, it was still impressive.

 

Finally, this is the image of the inside of a sculpture.  I liked the contrast in color.  The wide angle lens (10mm) provides plenty of both sky and painted metal.

 

That sums up this part of the trip.  Next up will be the US Air Force Academy graduation and USAFA’s grounds.

 

Until then…

–Jim

We were able to spend an amazing day in Sicily with our guide … Paolo Piana. However, before we arrived, we woke up to a beautiful view of Mt Etna.  In fact, this was the best view we had of the most active volcano in Europe.

 

We started out in the Catania’s UNESCO-worthy Piazza del Duomo.

 

The 18th century Fontana dell Elephante (or u Liotru) is the symbol of Catania.  Apparently, at some point in the ancient history of Sicily, the fauna included dwarf elephants.  However, we didn’t see any and I’m pretty sure only the stone ones are left on the island.

 

The Duomo.

 

This is the Fontana dell’Amenano with the same name as the river that runs underneath the city.  The fountain was cleverly built to use the river’s water.

 

La Pescheria — The Fish Market.  This place was a great mass of meat, colors, sounds and of course smell.

 

Cleaving a tuna.

 

Yep, it’s a yellow fin.

 

Looks yummy, don’t you think?  Puts me in the mood for sushi.

 

A fisherman’s job is not a clean one.

 

Just so we know what the fish originally looked like.  It’s a handy visual reminder… ok, it’s more of a heady reminder.

 

This market was both by and for those who spent their lives on the sea.

 

I have to admit, I was a bit reticent to try anchovies.  My only memory of them were overly salty on pizza and Caesar salads.  However, by themselves or lightly fried, this little guys are quite tasty.

 

There were plenty of interesting looking fish.

 

This butcher was preparing his lambs.  As you can see, it wasn’t just fish at La Pescheria.

 

Another new discovery (for me) has been sea urchins.  Although they are a lot of work to access (like a lot of seafood), they are delicious.

 

More lambs for sale.  These are truly half a lamb.

 

A few more heady reminders.

 

 

 

 

 

Come on guys, follow me!  This way out…  (of course, he didn’t get very far).

 

 

Hmm, what’s up there?

 

 

This gives you a little idea of the process to get sea urchins ready to consume.  Gloves and a strong scissors are a must.

 

The finished product.  They also have a black bile inside that needs to be removed or eaten around.

 

 

 

 

This is the imposing and beautiful Aci Castello built on volcanic rock.

 

The view from Aci Castello yielded this view across the bay to Belvedere di Acitrezza.  According to Paolo, these are the stones that the cyclops from Homer’s Oddessy threw after Odysseus blinded him.  Since this is a part of the Ionian Sea (the commonly accepted location for the epic), it seemed a plausible fable with some basis in fact.  But then, aren’t all fables similarly based?

 

This statue (predictably) reminded me of Anna and X.

 

A closer look at the impressive stones the cyclops apparently heaved.

 

Wind and water carvings.

 

A look back at the Aci Castello.

 

Both the Aci Castello and Belvedere di Acitrezza.

 

This is the main walking thoroughfare in the hugely popular tourist town of Taormina.  It’s perched over the sea and the buildings are fittingly beautiful.  It’s also been featured in pop culture by people like Truman Capote and D.H. Lawrence and films like “Le Grand Bleu”

 

After Taormina, we drove further up the hill to Castelmola where we found amazing views of the sea and surrounding landscape.

 

 

This is from Castelmola looking back down on Taormina.

 

 

Anna and X enjoying the view.

 

This was Alexander’s first experience with a water fountain (or to use the Wisconsin vernacular:  a bubbler).

 

Although he doesn’t look too sure here, he seemed to enjoy the experience.

 

Looking back up at Castelmola.

 

There are lots of tunnels in Italy.  I decided to let the shutter stay open a while and this is the image that resulted.

There is a light…

 

If you’ve seen the move “The Godfather” you might recognize this Sicilian town.  In the film it was called Corleone (the Godfather’s hometown of the same name).  However, in reality, this is a town called Savoca.

 

Citrus fruit make up a huge part of Sicilian agriculture (lemons, oranges, grapes, etc).  I understand better why oranges were the symbol of death in “The Godfather.”  If there isn’t enough (monetary) incentive to harvest the fruit, it simply withers and falls off.  Logically that makes sense, even if it seems to be a waste.

 

The rugged canyon Paolo showed us.  Although you can’t see from this image, it was a bit of a hike to get here.

 

After, we went to a local winery on the slopes of Mt. Etna.  The rich volcanic soil produces some great wine.  Although I hadn’t had much before, I really enjoyed the simple elegance of the wine we tried.  Plus, as with other Italian wine, they use walnut barrels to age their wine which imparts a unique flavor.

The next series of images are from our trip up the volcano.  In fact, I’ll start with one from inside.  This is an old lava tube.  I saw similar ones in Hawai’i, but I never explored this far into one.

 

A closeup of the lava stalactites.

 

Paolo and another group bemusedly watching me clamor out of a lava tube with a big, unwieldy camera.

 

Anna and Alexander after his first successful foray into the world of spelunking.  We’ll see if that continues as he gets older.  Also, you can see the entrance to the cave on the right.

 

Unfortunately, as we got near the top of the mountain, the weather deteriorated.  We didn’t have much a view of the island, but the moving clouds added to the mystique.

 

A big rock that had been expelled from the volcano at some point.

 

The road we came up on.

 

Anna and X intently gazing into the distance.

 

Alexander loves the wind.  Since it was a bit windy, he was having a blast.  His mother on the other hand, was having less of a good time.

 

A resort that was barely spared from the last major eruption in 2002.  There has been a lot of activity this year (2011), but thus far no major eruptions.  We were hoping to see flowing lava, but it wasn’t meant to be … probably a little safer anyway.

 

A close up of a more recent lava flow.

 

Our way down.

 

This house was a little less fortunate it didn’t survive the 2002 eruption.

 

Well that completes our brief (but very enjoyable) time in Sicily.  If you think you’d like to visit and only have limited time, we can’t recommend Paolo highly enough.  His site is:  www.etnasicilytouring.com

 

Next up is Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona.

 

Until then…

 

–Jim

 

Although the weather wasn’t great, we had a nice time in Palma de Mallorca.

This is the Rambla dels Ducs de Palma.  Not quite as big as Barcelona’s, but still very interesting.

 

We stumbled on an art show while we were there.  I liked this white marble eyeball.

 

This is the view of the harbor from the castle, Castello de Bellver.

 

The most famous landmark in Palma, the cathedral known as La Seu. Its fame was increased when Gaudi worked on a restoration (it was begun in the 13th century and completed in 1601).  However, Gaudi’s work was not extensive and it retained most of it’s medieval origins.

 

The tower is part of Castello de Bellver, which was apparently the first circular castle in Europe.

 

Although built in the 13th century as a castle, it was used predominantly as a prison until the 20th century when it became a museum in 1932.

 

Alexander is at the stage where he LOVES touching everything… stones carved about 800 years earlier isn’t a bad tactile learning experience.

 

 

 

 

Our ship … which looks small in comparison to the MSC ship.  I think next cruise, we’ll try MSC.  Although we enjoy Costa, we’ve heard great things about MSC.

 

All three of us…

 

The cathedrale and a sailboat as seen from our room as we were leaving the port.

 

Not a bad weekend cruiser.  Plus, you can see Castello de Bellver on the hill in the background.

 

Another view of the castle.

 

A few mountains as we sailed toward the Iberian peninsula.

That finishes our visit to Mallorca.

Next up was another trip back to Barcelona.

Until then…

–Jim

 

We visited the always vibrant city of Barcelona.  Unfortunately, the bad weather followed us and it rained most of the day.  Oh well, no matter, we just enjoyed indoor activities.  Notably, we spent most of the day with Juan and Sonja, our Spanish “family.”  Juan had spent a year on exchange with Anna’s family while he was in high school.  Although Anna and Grandma Chris had seen them a couple times, including a visit to our house in Germany, I had not had the opportunity to meet them.  So, as you might imagine, I was very much looking forward to this day.  They did not disappoint and we had a great day together.  Unfortunately perhaps because the weather was so bad, I failed to take a picture of us.  So, I have nothing to show you.  Next time we see them, I promise we’ll make better use of the camera.

 

This is the unforgettable La Sagrada Familia, still under construction.

 

However, they have made significant progress on the interior.  If you’d like to compare to our last time in 2007, here’s the link:  http://www.jimanna.com/archives/000142.html You can also see the same ship we were on this time.  The only difference was we opted for the balcony this time (definitely worth the extra money).

 

 

 

The ceilings are spectacular.

 

 

Although it’s a fairly hefty entrance fee, there was not a lack of tourists.

 

Apparently Gaudi saw the light too…

 

Not quite sure what’s up with the umbrella with a hole in the middle.  Perhaps someone who’s Catholic can help me out?

 

OK, that finishes our circuit of the Mediterranean. It was a great week and surprisingly relaxing, even though we were still taking care of the little guy.

Next up, I’ll have a few images of the blooming poppies and my trip to the US.

Until then…

–Jim

 

Next stop … the sprawling city of Naples.  Although we didn’t spend much time in the city, it felt a little like Marseille.

 

Our time was spent in a small ancient city sitting at the foot a mountain.  Mt Vesuvius.  That city is of course, Pompeii and infamous for it’s destruction in the year 79 CE when the ash from an eruption blanketed the entire city and left an eerie but accurate snapshot of life in the first century.

 

Here we are in the main square, the Forum.  Although the stones have mostly been looted for use in other buildings, it’s an impressive space.  The story we were told was that the mountain was a single peak before the eruption.  If you can imagine it, the space between is what was ejected by the force of the eruption.

 

These are the stairs for the main theater.

 

Although it looks more like lichen, this is original paint from the first century … or earlier.

 

The raised sidewalk of the Pompeii street.

 

These pots were used for storing wine.  Somehow I think if any survived in their blanket of ash and pumice they probably wouldn’t have been any good in the 18th century when they were uncovered.  Still, it’s an interesting thought.  How would wine from the first century taste??

 

This is our guide.  Although he was very knowledgeable (as a former History Professor), he was mostly retired and didn’t seem to like people very much.  Oh well, in spite of his attitude, we still enjoyed the tour.

 

The fresco inside a wealthy family’s house.

 

Somehow I think these people people who walked these streets 2,000 years ago looked a little different.  Of course, today, they are indicative of the 2.5 million tourists who come each year.

 

Steps to cross the road.

 

Ruts in the road … either from wear, or intentionally carved to help avoid the stones (and consequent traffic jams).

 

A bakers oven … complete with preserved loaf of bread (definitely not good still).

 

The Stabian Baths.

 

While it may not look terrible comfortable, nor inviting, this was a (small) bed.  It was used in a brothel.  Apparently, there were no shortages of carnal pleasures in ancient Pompeii.  They had a much more enlightened view of the physical world than many “modern” cultures.

 

This image is representative of the murals painted on the walls of the brothel.  There is some dispute on what their purpose was.  They could have been painted to heighten the pleasure of the occupants … or more simply to depict a sort of menu.  The latter idea was accepted by our guide.  It makes sense in a place which was the cross roads of a number of culture and languages.  If you didn’t speak the same language … the pictures would help immensely to avoid potential miscommunication.  Sadly, when many of the images of sensuality and sexuality were uncovered in the 19th century, they were dubbed too indecent and either mutilated or re-hidden.  Some took another 100 years to re-emerge.  I find that a very sad statement on  our hyper-sensitivity to sex.

 

As further evidence that the images or symbols were used as direct language, these phalluses were used to point travels in the direction of carnal pleasure.  Apparently, prostitution (male and female) was a very popular profession and the subsequent ubiquity drove the price to around the cost of a meal.  Of course, we can assume there were variables that made price flexible.

 

A water spout on a local well.

 

Again in the forum with the sleeping giant Mt Vesuvius in the background.

 

Anna and X enjoying the square with lots of other tourists.

 

I made this image with the ND filters… I see it depicting the fleeting time we spend on Earth and the relative enduring qualities of the city.

 

Here is another immortal reminder of the deadly day(s) in the year 79.  People were buried alive.  So, when they were uncovered in the modern era, all that was left was an empty cavity where their body had been.  To show their bodily form, plaster was injected into the void and the ash & pumice removed.  This is one example of an unfortunate victim of the volcano.

 

It’s a little tough to see what this is.  It’s a dog and many believe it was chained up outside the House of Vesonius Primus when it was done in by the volcano.

 

This is a boy who was killed.  He appears to be holding his face and crying.

 

In the temple of Apollo.

 

Ancient Pompeii’s ruins with modern Pompeii in the background.

 

Although he probably won’t remember his visit to Pompeii, Alexander had a good time…

 

On the boat, we were able to watch a beautiful sunset descend on Naples.

 

We watched from our balcony.

 

 

Buh-bye!

 

 

 

 

 

Good night, Sun.

 

 

 

Well, that finishes our time in Naples.  Up next is Sicily, where we got to see up close Europe’s most active volcano, and a bunch of other really cool sites.

 

So, until then…

 

–Jim

 

For our Spring Break this year, we decided another cruise would be easy and the most relaxing for all of us.  Fortunately, there is a cruise ship port very close to us in Marseille.  So, we hopped on the same ship we took back in 2007.  The only difference was we had a third in our family.  So, a slightly larger room was needed.

The itinerary wasn’t exotic (France, Italy and Spain), but it turned out to be a great vacation.

 

So, our first stopping point was in the underwhelming city of Savona.  It’s rightly not known as a tourist town.  Nonetheless, with a little pre-planning, we were able to find enough fun things to do for the day.  We began with a walk over to this old castle.  The city is in the background and if you look close, you can see our ship… Alexander is checking out the water and rest of the castle to our right.

 

OK, it’s a little easier to see here. It’s the biggest building in the area … just on it’s side and floating in the water.

 

This cannon hasn’t seen use in a while.

 

Anna and X checking out the city.

 

Although I don’t normally like taking pictures of pigeons, this one whose home was in the wall seemed an acceptable exception.

 

This statue was in the art museum of the castle and I loved the presentation.

 

(Almost) another animal on the grounds.  I’m not sure what the symbolic significance was, but we thought he was pretty cool.

 

The entrance of the castle.

 

A wider angle showing most of the castle.

 

As it was Palm Sunday, some church goers apparently take it very literally.

 

If the weather is nice, there are a huge number of private beach clubs with equipment for rent lining the beach.  Unfortunately for us, it wasn’t very warm and not the best weather in general.  So, we didn’t go to the beach, but we did find one named after Anna.

 

We also found some very pretty flowers on the ~10km walk we took.

 

 

Perhaps the best experience of the day was one where we have no photos.  It was in typical Italian fashion a long, delicious meal highlighted by tasty wine.  The restaurant is called Luna and the couple who owns it make some of the most delicious food we’ve had in a long time (and sharp contrast to the plentiful, but mediocre cruise food).  We spent probably 3 hours on a traditional 6 course meal.  Without question, the fresh, fried anchovies were the best I’ve ever eaten.

 

So, with the meal complete and the day drawing to a close, we got back on the ship.

 

Onboard Costa Serena Pt 1

The following images are just a few from our balcony terrace as the sun was setting.  We were treated to a number of spectacular sunsets.  Not a whole lot to say about them … so, I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

Ok, I’ll finish here.  Up next we have a tour of Naples and Pompeii, plus more sunset images.  🙂

 

Until then…

 

–Jim