Investigating ancestors is best done with somebody who knows what they’re doing. Bob Nellis arranged in advance to meet with Jean Pierre Petre and Michel Henry, respectively an historian and Michel who lived in the area and was not only a language assistant but also knew a lot about the goings on in this area. With them Bob was able to fill in a lot of blank spots in his information needed to complete some of his sleuthing. Of course it was a very educational day but also encouraged us to appreciate what these beautiful towns represent and how they might have provided a life, good or bad, for the previous inhabitants. After all, many of them left other countries.
A memorial There was of course massive destruction during the war Finally Jeff enters the photo The house of a very prominent family in the area One of the major houses with large farming concernsQuite an impressive entrance A chalk making furnaceThis is how it was made and that used for fertilizer and possibly some other things Working on a roof on an old house
I took the train to Wavre, Belgium to meet and support a Cornell classmate, Bob Nellis, in his search for ancestors and the history of the area and the people for a book he is writing. The subject is not only his family but of many Belgians who immigrated to the US in the 1800s. He was brought up in a town of Belgian immigrant families possibly from the same general timeframe as his ancestors and even possibly from the same general area in Belgium. He kept repeating the term “Walloons“. It seems that is a term of community, identity and endearment used in reference to the French speaking Belgians. I think reading his book after it is published will give you a much better frame of reference. I will put a reference to his book and where you can buy it after it’s published.
visiting graveyards is a good way to understand the families of the local population. He found many variations of his family name in the graveyards which sparked a lot of enthusiasm which I can understand having done that myself.A local church his family may have attended A memorial to the great war, the war to end all wars Jeff and Bob grew up together and Jeff ventured here from Minnesota (departing from his home in Michigan) with Bob. Jeff was the chauffeur, photographer and bodyguard.Memorializing an industrialist. The grill in the car looks very much like an old RenaultMemorial for the war deadYou have to point at something to show it has value. I can imagine his emotions as he walks through the church and absorbs his ancestors attending a service. A very solemn occasionAgain, it’s important to point These churches were very small so you can imagine the populations were not large and getting smaller as people left for other countries Europeans tend to take their dogs pretty much everywhere they go so the sign is indicating the sacredness of the graveyard and not to bring animals that may not understand the significance of the place. My dog, Mon, was very sensitive to spiritual things so I think he would’ve stayed out on his ownIt was very foggy in the mornings. It reminded me very much of the old movies of World War I and World War II were battles were being fought in the fogWhat was very disheartening was most of the businesses closed permanentlydue to lack of customers. It seems the big box stores have taken away business and hollowed out the old communities. That was very sad to see. So while this is very much a walking town I don’t know how you can commune with people if their meeting place is some giant store where you just greet people in passing if you happen to know them.Our timing was very close to Halloween A very nice mushroom sauce for an elegant dinner Bob treated us to a very elegant dinner at an extremely nice restaurant, a great topping for the day of ancestor searchings.And of course you have to have ice cream and a grappaAnother delicious dessert At the end of the day we celebrate our adventure by admitting we have similar taste in hats, except for Jeff’s Borsalino styleA beer, a glass of wine, a gin tonic or a glass of water; whatever you desireJeff has done the hard work today as the chauffeur in a foreign country so he very much deserves the beerBut it was very tiring for everybody. Let the ancestors come to visit in our dreams
the basilica cistern Istanbul is one of the main attractions which is not inexpensive to enter, something like €27, but they have fixed it up so it does create an interesting tourist attraction that you might be interested in seeing. I didn’t find any more fish here so I guess they cleaned them out.
Just to prove I was here There are quite a few groups entering. From the exit you can see them getting an orientation With the series of lights and reinforcements the government has really created something interesting out of a long forgotten underground structure for providing water to various large structures such as the main Christian Church turned mosque and the Topkapi palace.They added a sculpture in the center Turkey is subject to earthquakes so this reinforcement and preservation is necessary Some of the columns have inscriptions The ceiling is a very interesting structure and design More of the ceiling from farther away There was a lot of repair necessaryHere you see one type of lighting which will change And see how it changes to another light and an interesting shadow This kind of looks like Medusa’s skeletonThis is all over the cistern so I wonder if they clean out all this cash. I suspect many of these coins are donated by visitors who don’t want to take coins back to their countryMore proof I was thereInteresting lighting This was the end so time to leave
Istanbul in the afternoon should start off in the Egyptian bazaar which really doesn’t have anything to do with Egypt, it is the spice market but of course it has other things in there like Turkish delights and other stuff. You get there by going to Eminönü station and wandering around behind the mosque.
There is such a wide range of spices and every shop seems to have the same products available so you can browse and find a good price and exactly what you want. Why don’t you pick something you’ve never tried, take it home and see how it works.This is one shop I visited which had fairly reasonable prices just in front of the main bazaarThe shops are very interesting to visit. Talk to the proprietors and see what they have. It’s a very nice beautiful place This area is just behind the main bazaar building where they have a lot more variety of things and definitely worth walking around. It is not just for tourists. Many local people are shopping here. The building itself is very This is where I had my first Turkish coffee sitting outside in the cold my coffeeYou will see these corn sellers all over Istanbul After the bazaar I visited the banking museum which was free to enter and kind of interestingThis set up really takes me back to my grandmother’s house and my father’s typewriterThese are old piggy banks that are meant to be opened only by the bank An old calculator One account managers desk Yeni mosque The bank Museum The signage is pretty good. Here you know where to get on the tram This was actually next day at a coffee shop and it was very delicious fruit with cake below You can see the tip box at the checkout counter. I asked a Turkish friend if tipping was customary and he said, “you can give a tip if you like”. Meat and vegetables inside the roll of dough which was very delicious. The green cucumber pickles were nice and the yellow peppers are the very spicy, salty vinegar flavored ones which I really enjoy. One downstairs shopping mall was almost exclusively fancy male and female dress up clothing. This is right near the station at the spice bazaarThis laundry near my hotel didn’t seem to be getting very much businessIt’s very often you see people feeding the pigeons in these squares An interesting display An older building with some artwork The hors d’oeuvre dips which is a very famous Turkish offering. This was enough for three or four people so I took a lot of of it back to the hotelI didn’t check to see if this obelisk is really one that was stolen from Egypt A New York greeting This was just a walking area with a few shops at the end There was no dressing on the salad. And that seems to be very common but a little bit disappointingThe old Fortress wall
The beautiful Topkapi calligraphy area of the museum at the Topkapi palace is something not to be missed. I have never seen words used in such beautiful ways to create amazing works of art. All of these photos you have here are calligraphy, they are words shaped into things that are of course imagined. Take your time when you go there to imagine how carefully they must’ve created these to present to the sultans in the Topkapi palace in Istanbul. Enjoy these photos with Bill Smale Adventures.
The words on these pieces of clothing are to bless and protect the wearer of course you can see the word more clearly
A lot of what you find in the Shetlands is Picts, Vikings and horses. Well, that’s not exactly true because most of what you see are sheep and quite a few cows but not many horses. But the Shetlands is well known for the Shetland ponies which are nasty little horses actually, speaking from experience. The Picts were Celtic people who were called “Picts”” because they tattooed themselves and the Roman people who came across them named them for the “pictures” they had on their bodies. In these islands you will find a lot of nice people but mostly sheep and beautiful countryside which has such an ancient geology, igneous and metamorphic structures with a lot of limestone as well. There are many standing stone configurations where you might want to time warp into the past. But you will also find many Viking structures and references to horses.Anyway here are some Pictures with Bill Smale Adventures.
The map of the Shetland and the interesting things you can seeThese horses are being favored now and there is a comeback in the population in various parts of the world
The Sutherlands’ Dunrobin Castle is representative of the wealth, status and power of that family. It was these people who took over alot of the Highland areas for sheep farming and displaced the population to either working for them or moving outside of the sheep herding areas often to the seasides where they had no skills and where the farming was often impossible. Many of those people got on boats and left for the US, Australia and Canada and never looked back. It was a very sad time in the history for Scotland but it was a great time for the countries they went to since they brought their traditions and especially their music which became an important and integral part of what we now call “American music”. This castle is one of the nicest ones I’ve ever seen and it is extremely well-maintained. If you are in this area it’s one of the places you really must visit.
The drive up to the castle The castle from the garden This French motto means “fearless”. In fact the Sutherland family came from France and is most likely of Viking descent, as I was told by the historian in the castleThis is about the largest pool table I have ever seen Autographed photographs with the Duke of Windsor, Edward VIII, in the centerThe bathroomThe center courtyard The children’s bedroom The display of the various robes and outfits A view of the garden from the castle Giant rhubarb plant growingThis looks like an alien ship. It was an amazing cloud Ancient pictish stoneAncient standing stones
When you travel to Scotland try to make time to visit the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. When you’re out and about in the Orkneys you will find some really beautiful landscapes and you will also I think be surprised by how many ancient people travel to this windy and cold series of Islands. The weather is very difficult but it is a very fertile, geologically ancient with bountiful seas. But when you visit you should have a car since local transport is not really adequate for short intensive visits.
potential dangers everywhereThe wonderful clean waters and vegetation The reason it’s so beautifully green and lush is because there is so much rain There are many old ruins and castles here Your potential next buddyThe way to get to the Orkneys in comfortThe ferry’s main desk In case you bring your dogThe bar and one of the lounge areasThe restaurant area The amazing geology It was cold and windy on the boat Offloading the carsJust a beautiful craggy beach sideA small inlet. Maybe there was buried treasure hereSome lady and her dog had a very nice CitroenOne of the very nice beaches An ancient Viking marker This was the actual old stone
Prague is the most beautiful city so if you were looking for a city in Europe with history, beautiful streets, beautiful buildings, ancient history told through what you see and a place you can get around easily and not get tired of looking around for at least a week then Prague is your city. So look through these photos with Bill Smale Adventures.
It’s nice to know there was one aroundIt was permanently displayed on a light pole A main cathedral in the city The bridge entry gate A beautiful night view The wildest building there Sculpture and art is everywhere Elevated sculpture A great borcht and a very tasty cabbage salad Highly acclaimed and really excellent There are trams and buses everywhere The ancient alchemy labThe famous ice cream on a rolled a pancake which is a fairly new idea in the Czech Republic This is how they make the dough for the ice cream cone An old universal clock Everywhere you go you see beautiful architecture and designs These old cars are fixed up to take touristS slowly around the cityThis is the synagogue and the Jewish center with pictures of the people who were taking hostage and killed in Israel
Walking the beautiful beach side of Budva you will find a place that is growing to become a mini Riviera in Montenegro. This town and the area around it has tourist attractions including some ancient Roman ruins, some churches and beautiful ocean views. I found it to be one of the two places in Montenegro I really enjoyed and decided to extend my stay partly because the accommodations had this beautiful view you can see below and it was just very relaxing. Enjoy the photos with Bill Smale Adventures.
The view from the apartment which was also very nice inside with everything I needed to clean cook and just relax.There was quite a bit of rain in December but still it was nice being here. You can see the rain over by the hills. I should’ve checked to see if, in English, this hotel was named “Hotel Garibaldi”. That would be interesting since it is just across the Adriatic from Italy add 2000 years ago this area was controlled by the Romans.There was a cigar shop on the first floor of this apartment complex so I took advantage and found a ChurchillThis is a very nice smooth smoke There are cats everywhere which seems to be a thing in the Balkans, maybe a really good effort to keep the mice in check. The beach is not really beautiful sand filled areas but the water is so clear and beautiful. While you are eating at the restaurants looking over the water you can see the fish. Taking a walk along the beach side There is a lot of building going on but there are not enough hotel rooms for touristS so you will find most of the accommodations are through booking companies as private apartmentsPeople enjoying the break from the rain on a beautiful day outsideIt’s a rather small bay so you can see from one end to the other and do the walk-in about 25 minutes a former Roman administrative buildingThere is a very old church here Newly uncovered ruins Walking in the old part of BudvaDefinitely not a military submarine This was the first Camacho cigar I ever had and it was very nice. It went well with the Campari spritzThe city fortifications Grave of Stefan Mitrov LjubisaThe square of poets The south side of the Riviera Ruins of Roman-era NecropolisRuins of Roman-era NecropolisI think there was a pot of gold buried in this marbleA very nice stew with beef and vegetablesMy apartment looking out I think you can figure out what this means It was interesting to find whirlpool here
