#billsmale Archives • Page 14 of 52 • Folksy Travel by Bill Smale

September 23, 2024September 23, 2024

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

They must’ve had trouble with kids playing with a ball in this area?

This old central government building is now a library

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..

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024

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

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

Schöner Brunnen
Iconic fountain with Gothic church spire

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 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

September 16, 2024September 16, 2024

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

September 15, 2024September 15, 2024

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.

September 15, 2024September 15, 2024

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

September 8, 2024September 8, 2024

Salzburg – walking around

it’s all about salt.

This is how I would have dressed at that time long ago

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

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 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

August 29, 2024August 29, 2024

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

MUSEO DI CASTELVECCHIO below

This is the tower which you can climb for the view

August 10, 2024August 10, 2024

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

August 8, 2024August 8, 2024

Salzburg – the sound of music

before arriving in Salzburg there were a number of things I didn’t know about the city. This is where the von trapp family lived and were some of the movie for the musical “the sound of music “was made. The story played out here and we were lucky the famous UNESCO recognized marionette Playhouse in the third generation was giving a performance, “the sound of music”. Being one of my favorite musicals I had to go.