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Dundee Scotland

I have heard about Dundee since I was a little kid but I can’t remember exactly why I know the city. There is a lot of history here but I didn’t find it all that fascinating. It is a quiet and beautiful place on an ocean Inlet.

The facilities were OK but the sign indicates just how much attention this place pays to Reception. Only one time, when I checked in, did I meet who I thought was the owner. No one appeared over the next two days to greet me or anyone else.
My hotel room was very much like many of them I occupied so far in Scotland. They tend to be old houses refurbished, keeping the same small room characteristics of old houses, building separate bathroom facilities for each room and then renting them out. I found it interesting and comfortable
Looking at Dundee from the other side of the bridge
After this breakfast, scrambled eggs with cheese on top and the only sauces of ketchup and “brown sauce”, I decided to go out and buy my own sauces and bring to breakfasts. Soy sauce and sriracha sauce are necessity for me.
This photo reminds me of San Francisco
Actually, I found the breakfast choices kind of amazing and the chef who I was thinking probably is also the owner, the husband of the lady who checked me in, was really extremely helpful and flexible in how the food was prepared.
On the second morning I got smarter and just decided on Scottish smoked salmon with these eggs. I found some soy sauce
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Rome Vatican

I guess I don’t need to explain what this monument is. But I will give a hint, “entertainment”.
The arch of Constantine
The arch of Titus
I hope the game pieces don’t come alive
The former government buildings
Castel saint’Angelo
It’s amazingly small, I guess for small thoughts
Trajan’s market
The motorcycle rental shops love to rent Vespas, the stereotypical style is still in fashion
St. Peter’s Basilica
Inside the Vatican museum
The Sistine Chapel, accessed through the museum
you can see the Hebrew with the Latin. My understanding is that Hebrew was used only in the religious arena and the intelligence spoke Greek since this was formally a Greek influenced area of the Mediterranean. The local people probably spoke Aramaic
I don’t know the significance of the pinecone
Vatican City area
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Scottish Highlands – Castletown & Thurso

Up until about 1400 years ago the Picts were living here pretty much alone. Here is one of their famous stones.
the breakfast was fairly plain but the salted ham was tasty and the black pudding was also very nice. You can see I needed to add some soy sauce which I carry with me to give the necessary flavors. On the left is a small bowl of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries with some yogurt on top
Local old town people called this restaurant “the Indian”
You can see Castletown is a very small place with one gas station
I suspect these people were getting on the small boat to go to the neighboring island, not serviced by ferries
I don’t yet know what kind of “bowling” is going on but there is a huge grass area in the back so it might be something like bocce
Several markets like this had an unbelievably high percentage of rosé type wines I guess that is in demand in Scotland
Look at what all the Shop needs to do I hope this is keeping them busy enough
In the distance you could see the small island of stroma
Thurso has a small railway station with a train once a day that takes you all the way to Inverness
The local church of Scotland
They must’ve had trouble with kids playing with a ball in this area?
This old central government building is now a library
How “wee” can you get?
The town’s World War I memorial
I guess they are famous for their Flagstone
The water is cold like it is in Monterey but outside it is very cold as well, like the coldest day in Monterey. I can’t imagine going swimming here, not after living in Thailand for so many years
The new houses in town. Well, relatively new
This is the post office, newsstand and the general store, another multipurpose business
This is not a roll-on, roll off ferry. The cars have to turn around to get off
I was told this is one of the old ferries. The “more modern” one is on loan to the Hebrides since their new fleet is still on order..
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nuremberg – The court and the city

This is the room where the criminal court for war crimes against the second world war government was held. It was built specifically for the trials
Is there any other good name for a hotdog stand?
Above the door you can see the individual panels of the different districts defined by the Lords or the church. This isSt. Lawrence  basilica
An ancient artwork
Again the coat of arms of the different fiefdoms
A campari spritz which so many people seem to be drinking in the afternoon and the evening
Different from a Campari spritz but you get to know how they are made
The Hauptmarkt|
Schöner Brunnen
Iconic fountain with Gothic church spire
A very tasty spaghetti Bolognese
This just strikes me as funny. It’s a Vietnamese restaurant advertising Japanese Ramen and avocados which are so popular, plentiful and cheap in Laos. Most of the Asian food restaurants we have seen in Europe are run either by Vietnamese or Chinese immigrants
Albrecht Dürer, sometimes spelled in English as Durer, was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints.
You see these extended rooms with windows and I was not able to ask anybody why they’re built this way but I suspect it’s for watching what’s going on
This one has a night in shining armor watching out for everyone
The castle
The view from the castle and the photo below explains the different sites
This was a very delicious orange sherbet with some fruit and …. just so delicious
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Verona – AIDA at the Arena

these opera productions in the arena in Verona seem to be very popular. There must’ve been 8000 people there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida

You can see this giant mesh behind the stage is really a hand with fingers which move. It was a very interesting set and very lavishly Done

here is the link to the famous triumphal March.

https://youtu.be/l3w4I-KElxQ?si=R-gLhPIsZfiPNzGq

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Porsche town

near Saltzberg, about an hour by bus, is a Porsche museum and a little town called Mattsee. The museum was closed on the day I went there but I found the town to be very interesting and beautiful with a nice nice lake and area for people to go boating and to go in the water. I don’t know a direct link to Porsche but I would recommend looking up information if you’re interested in the history of that car manufacturer. If you want to go to the museum I would recommend checking the day and times it’s open before you go.v

https://www.salzburgerland.com/en/mattsee/events

The castle is just a very large house and I couldn’t go inside. I’m not sure it would be all that interesting.

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verona – Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore

just go visit this place. It’s so beautiful and has such an amazing history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Zeno,_Verona

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Zeno,_Verona

The original bronze doors
St Zeno is here.

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Salzburg – walking around

it’s all about salt.

The walkway to the castle
Inside the castle
The model of the city
This is how I would have dressed at that time long ago
He was so surprised to become a night
The shows the different bishops (initially) and later emperors and kings. Remember from your history that a bishop was very much a political appointment.
Next to the castle and built right into the side of the hill
This is an old mill and the wheel is still working
This is a really big game
I went to talk to one of the horses and meet one of the apprentice trainers/keepers
Did you know that Mozart was a chocolatier? Some tourist shops would have you believe that
I was surprised to find Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart
This interesting restaurant had a waiter that spoke no English,. No menu and somehow was unable to serve the beer they were advertising
I would never have guessed
I did not know that this was the home of the von Trapp family of the open “sound of music” fame
An amateur orchestra giving us a very relaxed atmosphere at the botanical garden
Somebody obviously has an opinion
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verona – around town

if you have ever heard of Shakespeare and his play called “Romeo and Juliet” then you have heard of the city of Verona in northern Italy not far from Venezia.

This is supposedly the home and the balcony of Juliet. I say “supposedly” because this house is not where she lived. At least this house, if you believe she ever existed, was not owned by the family at the time. And it is questionable the Shakespeare ever saw this house . I have been told by Verona residence, good friends of mine, that the house owned by the family was actually downtown and is now a shop.
You’re supposed to touch the boob. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s an Italian thing.
This is just a neighborhood bar and coffee shop where some Verona friends and a friend from Lake Garda gathered for a spritz and a glass of wine.
https://www.visitverona.it/en/poi/statue-of-camillo-benso-count-of-cavour

MUSEO CIVICO DI STORIA NATURALE below

It look of waking up early in the morning
This is a huge mosquito

MUSEO DI CASTELVECCHIO below

This is the tower which you can climb for the view
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Salzburg Austria – the city of salt

now from the title you know how the name of the city came about. You can visit these ancient salt mines the Celtic people used to grow their influence throughout this part of Europe before the Romans ever thought about kids being raised by wolves (Roman history). At the time, salt was more valuable than gold since it was the main preservative for food. This is one way these Celtic people expanded their influence throughout this part of the world.

We had to get our proper gear on before we could go down in the mine
We sat on a large wood piling which speeds down inside the mine
Our guide gave very good presentations along the way
Even though we were not going much downhill we were entering the mountain from the side so we wound up in a deep area
This was mostly for fun. We sat in groups of two and we speed down to the bottom on a small wooden piling. It’s great fun. The kids loved it, adults also.
He gives us an explanation how to ride down into the deep area
This is used to dig holes so water could be pumped in and then drained out after it had absorbed the salt. The salt is then extracted from the water..
Images of the past. These minds have been used for thousands of years.
Underground we are passing into Bavaria and then back again into Austria.
Rails were also used in ancient times to bring the salt out of the mine as well as the rubble from digging
The simulates what they found in the mind, the remains of people who died down here more than 1500 years ago
These rocks are filled with salt