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venezia (venice)

this is my second time here and if it weren’t so crowded with tourists it would be cast me back in history. But it’s a very beautiful place to visit. Everything is Art.

This was the end of the celebration we missed
A group of Indian tourists chartering a gondola
This is the entrance to the ghetto which is where the Jews were allowed to conduct business freely. The word “ghetto” refers to the garbage dump which was moved to allow the Jews to live here. Now it’s mostly deserted with just a hotel and one shop open Since the young people don’t want to manage a shop. It was somewhat bustling in 2010 but now now only two places were open. The people who live here want to revive it so they will have a festival in a month or so. I wish them luck.
The kosher restaurant next to the hotel
This was the first time I was in San Marco Square when it wasn’t flooded
Black noodles I think we’re colored with squid ink along with the squid rings
A simple breakfast provided by the hotel but sufficient for the morning
A Limoncello spritz
This is Egyptian
They even decorate the inside
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Shetland Islands, Scotland day 2

the main island in the Shetlands was referred to a couple people as “the mainland” even though we had a 10 hour ferry ride from the mainline of Scotland. It’s cold and very windy here with occasional rain, just the reason I came here, for the weather. It’s a great place to get away from the tropical heat.

I looked at the menu and it seems there are a lot of sweet things like cakes and stuff like that on the menu. I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant with that kind of food but with a name like this I guess you can do anything.
More white sheep here than black sheep. I would like to talk to a farmer and find out something about sheepherding. I know something about it since when I was a kid my father gave me sheep shears to trim the edge of the lawn. They belonged to my grandfather
Of course it’s a one lane bridge
They were curious about me as I was curious about them. But then again I was whistling a Dean Martin song which they probably never heard before.
Read the black one
A lot of the old farmhouses just fell down from neglect. When large landowners took over the land and changed the rules for the tenant farmers here many of them couldn’t make a living so they left for Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
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Regensburg & Göttingen Germany

Regensburg

there are some really interesting and beautiful cities in Germany. These are just two of them.

I was waiting months to try this pork specialty at a good restaurant. This was very nice
On the way back down the street we had coffee here on the second floor. Very nice view and relaxing

Gottingen

something for everyone
I have to have a Campari spritz sometimes with a Toscanello
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shetlands – Scotland Day 1

the Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of Scotland and therefore the northernmost part of the UK. For 50 years I wanted to have the time to make it up there. So now I do it. Frankly, I am looking for windy, cloudy bad weather to fulfill my image of the islands.

No cabins were available and I really didn’t want to spend money on one so I reserved a “pod”. This large chair reclines back inside its casing and is fairly comfortable, sufficient for the 14 hour trip from Aberdeen to Lerwick. My car was also on the ferry since a car is really necessary to enjoy a small number of days in the Shetlands or the Orkneys.
Someone told me these windmills were just off the coast of the Trump international golf club
I think “Dunna” means “don’t” and I think “Chuck” means “throw” but I don’t know what”Bruck” means. if you know then please leave a comment.
They look like black Angus
The Shetlands wouldn’t be complete without Shetland ponies. I hope they are not quite as mean tempered as Welsh ponies. That’s a whole different story.
These ruins Are built on origins that are thousands of years old. The Picts first inhabited these islands
Some more ancient buildings sites
There are quite a few beautiful beaches on the islands. The water is very cold, about the same temperature as the water in Monterey California
He just kept watching me and I kept my distance just to leave him alone
The fish was not bad, the onion rings were terrible and the only sauce was vinegar while salt was also available. It reminded me of the old H Salt Esquire fish and chips franchise
You can see the inexpensive lawn mowers doing their job
I didn’t dare go close to this house. They could be descendants of the Vikings, which they probably are anyway.
most of the roads here are the width of one-way roads with little side bubbles where people can allow others to pass. Many of the bridges allow only one way at a time.
My walkway to the pub
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lubeck – Germany

On the left is the old city entrance gate
St. Petri
I was fascinated by the skeleton
This was one of the most interesting pipe organs I ever saw.
Maybe this is why. It was originally built in 1504
Special people were buried in the floor which you can also see in churches in England also where many of the royalty are buried underneath the floors of cathedrals
A building memorializing Willy Brandt
Some of the local cocktails
What would an afternoon be without a Campari spritz
A very old building by the river
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Inverness – Scotland

this is a very beautiful city with the very famous attractions of Loch Ness and Culloden’s Moor more where are they Scots loyalty Prince Charlie and the Catholic Church tried to claim the throne of the union and failed. Toward the bottom or the photos of Culloden.

Culloden’sMoor

What I did not quite understand is how anyone could think to fight a battle in a moor. Some description here indicates some of the advancing Scot’s got stuck in the mud. You can see from the landscape this is not a place to have a battle. Evidently many people advised Charlie to retreat and reform to fight in a different place but he refused. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know But if you visit this place I’m sure you will also be astonished at how difficult this place would’ve been to think of a victory especially with the high-tech weapons on the English side employed by the brother of the king of England, George II. There are a few links below that will help you understand the history.

The Jacobites are the Scots. The term Jacobite comes from the Latin version of James (Jacobus) the father and grandfather of Charles. They believed the true line of succession went through a second marriage and not to siblings of the first marriage of James II.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jacobite-British-history

https://www.wrongsideoftheblanket.com/stuart-family-tree

This is the original house where the wounded English soldiers were taken.
Here are some mixed gravestones marking mass graves of the Jacobites..
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Denmark – visiting friends

Denmark is always a place I need to visit from time to time since I have an adopted family there.

In the Royal retreat, a very beautiful garden with a few buildings, this is where the royal family stays.
A storage facility for food before refrigeration
This is the original building on the property and down below you will see an explanation of this royal retreat
We picked and ate a lot of of the ripe ones
This is a traditional danish building with the attached roof
This hook on the back of the car is on most cars, not only in Denmark. Many people have a small, mini trailer that they just drop onto this hook when they go shopping for bulky items that won’t fit in the car
We found some of these on our walk in the woods as well
It’s always good to visit an old brewery
Here is the product
This is the house owned by a private family that runs the brewery
Inside is the sales office for the organic apples and apple juice
Organic apple juice
Almost ready to pick
An interesting danish design
A World War II memorial
A very old village popular with tourists
Some buildings have plaques noting memorable occupants
You can see the mirrors outside the windows. These help elderly people who mostly stay inside see what is going on outside the house
I think these are blueberries but I’m not sure
You can see the birds perched on top. This is a nature sanctuary
Of course we have Thai food from the chef of the house
And I get to have the traditional dish breakfast I love so much
This is waiting for the ferry from Germany to Denmark. It’s only a short distance
This ferry has a rotary sail.
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Orkneys – try it out

the Orkneys are a group of islands between the mainland of Scotland and the northernmost islands, the Shetlands. If you decide to go there make sure you go by car on the ferry since local transport is probably not going to be satisfactory for a short visit. You really need a card to get around.

In Scotland it’s the way to start a day
There is a gap between the toilet and the walkway to the pier which I guess they are referring to as the “no swimming” area. I’m sure they are not talking about swimming in the toilet.
The Batmobile van
The skull and crossbones seem to be prevalent icon on many Graves
Sheep everywhere
And oil rig close by
Evidently there was no need to repair the roof
A very typical building on the island
This is the older ferry which was not on loan to the Hebrides
The island of stroma is not deserted
Of course it has a lighthouse
On this old ferry you just drive on and turn around to get off
Sheep, cattle and the fishing industry
I’m sure one of the popular magazines in Scotland. This land is filled with farmers
A great place to have a Guinness. Everybody was very friendly and even bought me another one
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Japan in August

With an old friend I haven’t seen for many years. Good reminiscence and memories
Dinner with a former employee
Why not use this name for a restaurant?
Very nice reclining train seats
A nice building in Osaka
This is the place to practice archery
At breakfast in my hotel people can watch the televisions above showing cameras in each of the elevators. I found it a little strange
The smoking room in the train station was very crowded which is good for cheap smokers who don’t want to pay for cigarettes. They could just go in and breathe the fumes
Up above, the sign in pink letters advertises a “soap land” where you can get soapy with a girl and do a variety of things
Cautions on the escalator
Whatever you do, don’t get caught
In Sapporo grilled lamb is called “Genghis Khan”.
This is how politicians campaign
A beautiful day in the park in Sapporo
The black one looks angry and threatening
A type of fashion
Crazy dancing at the Thai nightclub
This is an interesting twist on names
With Kiyo.
This is a coffee shop where you can rent a cat to keep you company