Last year I visited the US. I was lucky to be able to catch up with some of my good friends who I knew from Japan, Thailand and my college in Iowa. I attended my 50th college graduation event which was really a great chance to gather with people and learn what they are up to and what they have done to build an interesting life. Cornell really gave them a great opportunity to see the world from different perspectives. That’s the benefit of a liberal arts education.
Minnesota
Minnesota has been in the news a lot recently. I went up there to stay with my buddy Bob and to see the local sites before driving down to Iowa.
This is the exclusive, award-winning barbershop available only by reservation. Bob is a well-known contributor to the local community. The downtown area of red wingThis is an old red wing shoe factory, a major long-term contributor to this town Even in my generation there was a tradition that a boy should carry a knife around for various purposes, most of all whittling if not cutting twigs or other things to get through the countryside. so they made this boot which carried a small knife for utility purposesa clock in the park near the train station a train actually stops hereHandmade guitars are still a craft in this area And of course you all know one of the great developers of this area from the European world where the ScandinaviansMinnesota humor This is a good not for profit business which you should visit if you have a chance to be in this town
New York
every time I visit New York I stay with a friend who I’ve known for 50 years and as a well-known illustrator and artist. We go looking for art deco buildings and Attend a Broadway show. This time it was MICHAEL.
Katz Deli still serves great picklesIt seems to be always crowded but it’s the best place I found to get a pastrami sandwichan old style soda shop I did not try this spicy pickle sour beer. Maybe I should have a great hero of the American revolution Walking around Prospect Park a pretty old Shop we had to visit here to get some good gelato I think it was lemon on top of mango Interesting name for a store an old garage a good place to buy clothes. It’s better than sending them to Africa since they have an overflow of used clothing from the US This art deco exterior was very dramatic The inside had been modernized so we didn’t get a chance to see what it looked like in the pastTime for the show of course you have to stop by radio city when you visit New York Maybe next time I’ll visit this pubThis is an interesting movement communityLocal New York neighborhood Saying goodbye to New York City
San Francisco
the amount of tourism has reshaped my hometown tremendously. It’s nice to see many of the old things still there like the means of transportation but some things of course are disappearing.
as the local fishing industry decreases these guys have taken over the docs You can see our old house on the hill from the city if you’re rich you can afford this parking. It is most likely more expensive than your Car Rental.It feels good to be back in my city The local diner at the union Square area is kind of nice so I went there for breakfast every morning but I always ate too much. They make great Mexican style food combinationsWhen the avocado and the remnants left it was very enjoyable This was another day but it was very good. It is Lori’s diner you should visit Is this really the kind of image you want to give for a special margarita? The nuance is……
Boulder and Longmont
At the airport they have a train going to BoulderThis is one of the art deco inspired buildings in LongmontIn the morning I had a bagel with cream cheese of course I seem to always have Mexican food when I’m in the western part of the US. I just can’t get enough
to be honest I used ChatGPT to tell me what the interesting and beautiful little towns are in the Piemonte Area of Italy. When I saw the name Barolo I knew I had to come and visit. For any of you who like Italian wine you will know this name. So I located the town of Alba and saw that it was probably an easy commute to these small towns so I could come back to Alba in the evening. Another reason for being an Alba Is indirect. I know that the company Alba in Japan is the low end Watch manufacturing facility of Seiko And that group was a very good customer of mine years ago. So here we go to Alba. neive Is slightly north on a bus that doesn’t run very often but it’s a very short ride, only about 25 minutes. The town is very small but it is very charming, on top of a hill with many wine tasting rooms.
The city has a wine producers cooperative where they do wine tasting and provide glasses of wine and some antipasti. You can also buy wines here. Of course they are from this area and members of the cooperative but the selection is pretty amazing. I had a Barbera. The wine tasting and purchasing room in the cooperative This chapel is at one entrance to the hilltop villageA very old painting I was amazed in such a small village there are so many churches The food here was excellent.I ordered the pork shank. They told me it would take about 20 minutes so I would have to wait and asked if it was OK. Of course it was. I have all of the time in the world. Proof I was here at my restaurantThe view of the vineyards from the top. When you come to this area everywhere you look are grape vinesThis church is extremely ordinate. At first I didn’t understand why there was a decorative wall which you face coming into the church. When I looked around all of the artwork seemed to portray Greek orthodox artwork. I cannot imagine that this is a Roman Catholic church. One thing interesting about the Greek orthodox art is that it tends to be two dimensional rather than what you see in the Roman Catholic churches, a more three-dimensional presentation of imagesYou know you were in Italy when the theme is “Amore”This is peach on top of coconut. But something interesting. Fish in Italian is PESCE. Peach in Italian is PESCE. I ordered it according to the standard pronunciation which also means fish. The people behind me were having fun pronouncing it two different ways so I’m not quite sure if the peach pronunciation is an exception to the rules. I guess I have to ask somebody
there is something interesting about this castle beyond the fact that it was a target of the revolution and that it was the seat of power of the English colonialists in Ireland. It was one large seat of occupation that was not destroyed during the Civil War or after. It’s good to walk through to get an idea what it meant to be an English overlord.
This is proof I was there Typical large central staircase taking up a lot of room but great for presenting people as they come down the stairsat one of the entrances it’s nice they put the symbol of Ireland at the topThe 1916 declaration of the Republic is very prominently displayed This room was used as a hospital for World War I wounded soldiers and was later named after the great Irish patriotPatrick PearseJames Connolly portrait This is the Irish version of the dedication above to James Connelly. As you will notice, the name Seamus in Irish is equivalent to James in English. Down the elaborate hallway The great revolutionary who was also a US citizen so was spared execution after the 1916 Easter rising. He became the president of Ireland several times.The throne room On the mirror the symbol of the monarchA view towards the gate from the castle The Wedgewood roomThe main entertainment room Beautiful Murals on the ceilingThe Royal Banner depicting the lion of Scotland, the three Lions of the Plantagenets and the heart of Ireland The entrance
since I’ve been to Genova, Torino, Milano and some other big cities in the north of Italy I decided to take some time in the smaller cities. They aren’t crowded, everything is much cheaper and people are extremely friendly and they are very safe and fun to walk around.
this is the first major stop on the train from France and it’s a cute little town. There’s not too much to do here but it’s by the ocean and the beaches are very nice and so it’s just a relaxing place to be for a couple days.
You can see the churches on the hill which I didn’t venture out to see but look like they would provide some interesting views I stayed above this restaurant owned by the same family and with the same name. It was very adequate for what I needed and well managed. The food in this restaurant was very nice. Pasta with pesto sauce. It was very filling and had a very rich flavorHawaiians are imperial the world even here with their Poké bowl The beaches are very inviting though I did not go in Beautiful flowers in the small park Some of the buildings are showing signs of wear and tear. But as you can see there is a tower among these which is kind of interesting
Cuneo
This is the center of the province with the same name. They seem to have quite a few interesting things going on especially the fair which was set up well I was there to promote local agriculture
This must’ve been a famous guy This might be a statue of Dario Fo The director of this opera Or musical created in 1966
This was a little event for kids. The video below shows some of the fun they were having For several hours the streets were lined with vendors of all sorts of dry goods At the cinnamon café, a Chinese restaurantThe food was very good The local church has some very interesting art This church has its own tower for the bells In France I order coffee cream and I get coffee mixed with some cream. So without knowing what that is in Italy I ordered it here and I got coffee ice cream.Beautiful countryside on the way up to the city This is the agricultural groups getting together to promote local farmers and their wonderful farming goods They were even promoting McCormick tractorsThis was an educational experience for the kids Interesting rooster I didn’t know that California had its own kind of bunnies These are strange looking chickens These birds were very noisy A demonstration of certain kinds of crops and a group of kids learning about them I think almost all the schools were here with the children
I didn’t look into this fellow but he seems to be famous These are some views climbing up the mountains going to CuenoJust a small train station
there’s not much to see in Heysham. It just happened to be where the ferry from the Manx Isle of Man comes in on certain days. But Liverpool is well known for a number of things, not only the Beatles but also for the port where many people left to go to Canada, the US Australia and New Zealand. Many of those people were from Ireland and Scotland. Scotland had the clearance and Ireland had the attempt to eliminate The Catholic population. But of all the three cities I found Shrewsbury to be the most intricate and interesting because of the buildings, the history and the beauty. You might spend a day or two in Liverpool but in Shrewsbury it would be nice to stay for three days and just wander around and enjoy the environment. It’s a good walking city and very charming.
Liverpool
here you can see in the distance the famous towerThe street where the Beatles often played at the cavern when they were just starting out The old main entrance when the Beatles were playingI ordered some mini pizza type food with something like Jamon On it. The waiter forgot to put the cured ham on so I took it back, microwaved the cured ham and put it on top. It was OKInside the cavern an old favorite playsThey have guitars donated by many famous musicians In another part of the cavern this guy was doing some Beatles songs and people were joining in Just some local houses
Heysham
This is funny if you know the term for those who supported Bonnie Prince Charlie and his father James who claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne of England. They were called Jacobites Since the name James is a derivative of Jacob Which I guess is what they use in France.So for the past 80 years they didn’t feel the name to change this post boxThe most interesting scenery in this town Kind of a nice sunset A nice old station
Shrewsbury
this is a very cute and interesting town where you should spend a couple days, maybe three. It’s very walkable, very pretty and quiet and it’s a great place to just calm down and enjoy the river and scenery and hopefully a Guinness
Many old tutor style buildings The severn RiverThese old buildings are still standing Three fishes is an interesting name for a pub. I didn’t check to see if they serve fish but I’m sure it is deep-fried There is a lot of work going on to prepare for the tourist season Beautiful Stained glass windows In the cathedralI wanted to eat some more Thai food. Unfortunately there wasn’t much flavor to the LAABThe old castle is still there. It is filled with military items which I was not really interested in seeing since I have seen many places with the same kind of uniforms and armoryI couldn’t go in since it was being restored but it’s a very beautiful old building It seems everybody from China, Vietnam and Taiwan want to prepare Japanese food. If you have been to Japan for an extended period of time then you won’t find very much interesting Japanese food in Europe. Of course, if you’re just interested in having good food whether it takes you back to Japan or not then these places I guess are OKIt seems everybody who comes from a country east of India wants to open a sushi restaurant in Europe. There is only one restaurant in Europe that I saw which was “Japanese“ and was actually managed by someone from Japan. I’m sure there are more but they are most likely very upscale and not for the average daily mealThis building is really leaning. But it is very oldShrewsbury Station is very beautiful An old house near the station This is an interesting combination of design designs St chad’s. I still don’t know who this guy wasI don’t recall ever saying a church in this semi circular LayoutThis is where I stayed and it was kind of a nice place, right above the pub restaurantMaybe you can figure this out Do you get the joke? I’ll give you a hint. It’s a song This is where Charles Darwin lived and studied so they have a statue devoted to him At the town councilInteresting flowers This is a very beautiful train and not for boarding here. It’s a first class train to go into the Scottish Highlands. It might be nice to ride this sometime
this is a good place in the west of Wales to stay and visit very touristy places not far from Bangor. Don’t below you will see the hotel, pub, restaurant I stayed in. The great thing as the owner is Thai, she is a very accomplished artist and a good cook. If you ask her to make the food as she would for Thai people she will do it. Otherwise she tends to adapt the food to local flavors which means almost no red Peppers.
Su has this cute dog who loves to have her back scratchedThis was a very delicious Thai foodThis hotel is not expensive and it’s right near the station so I recommend it for comfort and convenienceWhy not mix Turkish food with fish and chips ! After all, in Italy Turkish restaurants also make pizzaI think this was a memorial to World War I veterans This is a very tasty local beerThe purple moose beer. In the background you can see some ofSu’s ArtworkGood TOM KA GAI SOUPThese were some leftovers from the Thai buffet which is arranged every Thursday Not the perfect pourbut Guinness is always deliciousThe longest city name in the world is close to Bangor. I was told it means the white church on the hill
Hollyhead
The longest Shop sub nameIt’s pretty good Panini Of course you have to have a Doleck Protect protecting your store
Rhyl
The train station A beautiful old hotel
Llanberis
you must visit this place since it is an entrance to Snowden, the national park that has such extensive beauty, places to hike and scenery that is world famous.
They are not trying to hide. They are just looking for foodThe black swans were very aggressive and as I was feeding them some nuts they started chasing away everything and even came up to me begging
Rhuddlan
The purpose for visiting this place was to see the castle which has a very interesting history and I recommend if you are interested in ancient Welsh history
Denbigh
The castle is one of the main attractions in the city. It’s a nice place to walk around for the day
Jones and Griffith are 2 very common names in Wales
The areas of Wales which are close To these two towns are extremely beautiful, interesting and definitely worth visiting. Caernarfon to Aberystwyth Provides two cities which are fun to walk around and give you quite a bit to do.
Caernarfon
this castle is where the Investiture of the Prince of Wales happens. In 1969 Charles was invested in Carnarvon. It would be good to spend a couple days here. The city is a little bit expensive so you might want to stay outside in another little town and commute by bus which I did.
The front of the castle The dragon is the Welsh emblem Birds seem to find the darndest places to hang out This Prime Minister was Welsh and you can tell by the name LloydAll sorts of fun things are going on The moat around the castle The center of the castle. You can buy the Welsh Heritage card And use it if you’re going to spend a couple weeks in Wales. I think the cost is around 50 poundsView from the castle It’s fun to see the Welsh flags with the red dragon down the streets Ice cream tasteS Good anywhereIt’s interesting to see how churches are reinvented to attract people and keep them in good shape I’m guessing this is a famous soccer player Northeast of Carnarvon you will find the slate mining areas. Slate was a big export at one timeCarnarvon city map This is a list of the World War I war dead. When you look closely you will see that Jones is a very common Welsh family name The Joneses were a large percentage of the people in this area The castle was a Plantagenet creation
Betws-y-Coed
you really need to visit this Village and spend the day going up and coming back. The trip up is really very beautiful as well.
I guess this is a very funny company In this church you will see a lot of dedication to the people who mined And split slate for usage and exportOne of the slate mines
Betws-Y-Coed
Llanberis
this town provides a beautiful entrance to the Snowden areas, a great lake and interesting views of the slate mines
Slate mines In the backgroundLawn mowers for free I think this is now a resort The train which goes up to a summit Just an interesting building
Aberystwyth
Slate was used for roofingInteresting name for a companyThis restaurant has excellent Lao and Thai food It was good to have these Iisan Sausages again. They brought back good memories.This LAAB Was made with Lao Or Thai customers in mind so it was delicious, Some of the best Iisan Food I have had in Europe.I forgot which restaurant this was but they were labeled as “Mexican“. Normally I do eat Mexican food in Europe since, unless it’s in Spain, it definitely does not have any Mexican flavor. These nachos were not anything like I’ve had before but the food was very good and the taco chips were crispy. OK, interesting play on KFC Nice port cityA pretty good cigarNice old jaguar
It’s easy Touring Toulon. Unlike Marseille which is very spread out, Toulon is fairly compact and a nice little Port town to be walking around in. What you will see is not only a port for private yachts and boats but also for some smaller cruise ships, fairies which will take you to Corsica and some military ships as well. The seafood here was very good. In fact all of the food was very good so just spend time walking around and enjoying the southern France ambience. This town is not far from Marseille.
These are different serving flavors of mussels, not the cheapest place but the quality was pretty good. The restaurant is Midi Moins Quart As you can see it’s a fairly large serving. And remember that what is called french fries in the US were actually invented in Belgium. They are just called fries in France. My timing was awful a little bit. I tried to get the photo of the first dog which she is leading holding the leash of the second dog in his mouth. So they were a chain of a dog leading another dog which I thought was kind of fun.I just liked this buildingThey serve good Italian food and also a lot of love, that’s AmoreCity center fountainIt was not an expensive cigar from Nicaragua and I don’t particularly recommended. It was a little bit bitterA good GelateriaCafé on the bottom and raspberry on topA port with yachts, fairies and naval ships This guy is pointing out to the ocean, probably to the pirates who stole his clothes A glimpse into the past of this town, painted on the wall walls Evening entertainment in France A meal would not be complete without ice cream, this time not gelatoAlmost all the tourists were French and so the tourist population seemed to be way down from what I saw last yearBeauty is in the eye of the beholder, so it is said. I don’t know why I found this interesting and a source of beauty but I just had to take a photo of it.Le Bateau SculptureA very delicious Middle Eastern style (almost like a curry) sauce with chicken (Tajine de Poulet) cooked very well. It was very delicious at Le Petit Prince de ToulonCathédrale de Notre-Dame-de-la-sedsJust an interesting old line of buildings This is a very old door still in use Look closely down the street here because where that little sign is you will find the municipal police station. It’s very well hiddenNice little grill restaurantThis is exactly the same kind of pot that my chicken was served in today. I find this design very interesting and also that it is somewhat popular in this part of FranceMy information indicates that the English language is about 25% of French origin. As you will know it is due to the Norman invasion of England in 1066 by the Viking descendants who occupied Normandy. They brought French in as the official language of England. And what I like is that I was able to understand 100% of what is written on this commemoration to the statue. I also find it interesting that English is classified as “low German“. But in Germany I understand almost nothing except for food menus. But once I cross into France all of a sudden I feel very able to get around just by reading. Speaking French is an entirely different issue. I only know a few words.This kiosk sells many different things You can’t see their line of products It was interesting seeing this manga shop. But I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised since French people are very un tuned to Art and especially to Japanese art and culture. This is how they park on the narrow streetsThis is the brasserie in front of the train station and I find a design very interesting and retro
The Isle of Man is a financial Haven, a tourist destination for the British or over 100 years and it shows. The infrastructure is very good, the promenade in the main town of Douglas is several kilometers long with giant buildings ( England resort style) and some interesting landmarks including the old theater which they still use. In a way it’s kept a lot of of its 1920s charms with the old Steam and electric trains supplemented on the promenade with a horse drawn tram. You can buy a ticket for a few days unlimited rides on those old forms of transport which I really recommend. It’s so much fun going on a steam train or an old electric on the old tracks.
Douglas to Snaefell
from Douglas you can start your trip to the summit with a horse drawn tram, Clydesdales included. You can continue on the Douglas electric train to Ramsey or you can get off halfway at Laxey and go up to the summit, snaefell.
The horse-drawn tram now only goes halfway along the promenade in Douglas to connect to the electric train. The other half of the Promenade which leads to the Steam train on the other end of the promenade is for walking and cars.
Get off the horse drawn tram at the north of Douglas and get on the electric train to Ramsey The Isle of Man logo Everything is very well maintained on these trains, Clean and seem to be original A view going out of DouglasThe summit trainHalfway to Ramsey you can get off at Laxey and take the electric train to the Summit which I highly recommend recommendedThis is the old water wheel which I think is the largest one in the world Beautiful farm land Going up to the summit you see some old mining areas The TT rally is held here every year and is purported to be the oldest rally race in the world for motorcyclesAlmost at the top of the summit You can see a river which at one time was large enough to create the valley contourA man-made lake on the way to the Summit
I had an interesting conversation with the Filipino fellow at the very delicious gelato shop in LaxeyAn interesting building at the edge of DouglasA car with a self commentary
Laxey to Ramsey
One small station on the way On the way to Ramsey trains going each way will stop and hand this baton to the other train engineer as a safety measure to confirm each train so they don’t meet head on somewhere There are at least 28 stations between Douglas and Ramsey but they only stop when somebody is waiting at the station or if somebody indicates they want to get off. This is very handy for those who want to walk around since there are so many walking trails on the island The trains have to share a track at some points and this is just one reason. They are taking out the old wooden ties and changing them with concrete ties for stability and longevity
Coming into LaxeyThe coins from the island are exactly the same dimensions as those in England but they have a different logo and are not legal tender in England. You can just dump your coins in here at the ferry terminal or you can take them to England, change them at a bank or you can use them in England and hope that people don’t notice they are from the Isle of Man.
the first thing you will see below is the money which is created for the Isle of Man. This money has the three legs of man on the front and the denomination. These pounds are equivalent to the pounds of England. You can use the England money in the Isle of Man but you cannot use the Isle of Man money in England so make sure you change it somewhere before you leave or use it all up. I have been told that you can take these notes to a bank in England and exchange them for England pounds. Scotland has their own notes as well and that is why I say “England“ pounds. This Scotland pound also is not usable in England. You will also notice some coins which have the emblem of the Isle of Man and people on the island have explained legally these are not usable in England but they are the exact same dimensions as the England coins so there’s a very good chance people in England will not notice if you use them.
again, traveling around it’s a good day deal if you get the pass that gives you unlimited travel on transport on the island if you’re going to be there for three or four days or if you plan to make three or more train trips.
something else to note is the north of Douglas is the departure of the electric train which goes to the junction for the Summit train and then ends up in Ramsey. That train is on the north of Douglas quite a distance from the Steam train which starts on the south end of Douglas going to the port of Erin. There used to be a horse drawn tram going from the north to the south of Douglas so along the promenade, connecting the two train systems. However, they redid the road to make it easier for pedestrians so the horse-drawn tram only goes halfway from the north, the electric train terminal to the south along the promenade. That promenade is a few kilometers long so get out your walking shoes.
Douglas to Peel
to get to peel from Douglas you take a bus
Noticed the Isle of Man three legs symbol on the face of the pound notes on the back of the 5 pound notes you see the castle at PeelBeautiful old house One of the churches in PeelI could make up a story about this shed but I don’t know what it’s used for so I’ll leave it to your imagination Peel castle from the beachThis is just a small cove where the shells of dead clams collect. They are not only here in the millions but also all over the beach so you have to be careful if you’re walking barefootThis is the beach area right by the clamshell collectionThe basic history of this island and its people goes back as far as the original inhabitants of Scotland and Ireland. Some of the names on the island are still the old Viking namesIt’s a rugged shore on which the castle was built Though the castle is very much a skeleton the preservation authority has done a lot of work in fixing up the castle and creating explanations of the different parts You have to watch for rabbit holes in the grassy areas. It’s nice that it was a beautiful day when I visited. In fact, the whole visit was filled with beautiful weather From the castle you can see the show beach in the foreground and the long beach in the background The water is really beautiful
The world renowned mascot that brought fame and notoriety to the Isle of Man is this cat, the one with no tailThese are small scallops called “Queenies” on the Isle of Man and maybe also in England. There is a little stand near the entrance to the castle and you have to try these because they are absolutely delicious and extremely well cooked. The nice thing for the lady who owns the stand, the dishes are shells which as I mentioned before are available in the millions. She could just rinse them off and use them again or she could throw them into the ocean and let them come back up nice and clean in a year or two.
I think this is a fantastic idea. If you offer free beer to come and learn about the voting system and maybe even about your own government I think you will have a lot of takersRelics of the Vikings who built the first castle which was built on top of some other building erected several thousand years before
Peel to Ramsey
take another bus from Peel to Ramsey, relax and take the sites
The newborns were everywhereA little village on the way
Ramsey
An old building right in front of the Ramsey train stationThis is a beautiful old building, now a hotel, or baby it was always a hotel This is very interesting history of the old ship in San Diego CaliforniaCORNELL COLLEGE colors with the Isle of Man emblem Information aboard the ferry from the north of Ireland to the Isle of ManThere are a lot of rabbits running around The blossoms at this time of year were really beautiful