across the bridge from Topkapi in Istanbul is a very busy area and series of streets called Taksim. It seems this area is extremely popular with everybody looking for something different from the “imperial“ area on the other side of the river with most of the main tourist attractions. But they’re very narrow streets here with some very nice restaurants and coffee shops that make this area feel like a major tourist shopping street but also a very “local“ area. When visiting Istanbul, this is an area you really have to visit and just spend a day or two walking around. There are a couple very fun cable cars which go up steep hills and a street car which goes down the main shopping street with all the famous and expensive brands of imported goods.
You can wash here before going into the mosqueThis is a Turkish style ice cream cart with an interesting and fun activity for the customersThe main streets get very crowded around Taksim at night timeTurkish coffee parlors are much cheaper than the western style café and I highly recommend visiting a couple and sitting around local people enjoying some chat, local information and conversation conversations. You can go up inside this famous tower for a big price Proof, I was thereIt’s a little expensive to go up this towerAile restaurant on a backstreet provides very delicious Arabic foodThis is their menu and it’s very highly ratedThe vegetarian style food with a lot of olives was just delicious
Purple seems to be the color here for some reason which I didn’t bother to ask about. Purple and white are Cornell colorsA few cars travel to Main Street along with the street car, which is ancientThere are some very steep streets, reminding me of San FranciscoEven though the Backstreets can be pretty crowded This is the entrance to the very inexpensive cable car This is the cable car, leaving the platform going down the hill This gives you a history of the cable car Some beautiful old buildings And of course, there needs to be a Guinness Everybody loves and feeds the cats and they seem to behave and probably do their job catching the mice. These cats are very busy standing guard, but most likely waiting for food.An old entrance to the grand bazaarYou can find all kinds of Turkish delights which are dried fruit, fruits, nuts, and sweets, rolled up and ready to eat for snack, snacks or dessert. There are so many varieties. Some streets are not that popular This is a very interesting building A shopping area outside the mosque I forgot to take the photo before eating the tasty food. Tea is usually served for free unless it’s a very touristy place and then they want to charge money for it.
After Ishigaki Jima I flew to Naha on the main Okinawa Island and contacted one of the people I met drinking one night in a small drinkery in Ishigaki town. They brought the whole family for a fun night f food and drinks at a local place they frequent.
Here we are gathered together. It was a fun evening.Tourists like driving go cartsIt was “close”, I was standing right in front of it. This spelling replacement for “closed” is a misunderstanding of the word usage and is prevalent throughout Japan an Thailand.The convenient overhead monorail going to the airport.Spam is an influence from the post war US occupation.
Searching for ancestors records in Luxembourg is easy. It is done in the main city and there are people there to help. You even get an archive library card after doing some searches. However, finding gravestones and other physical proof of ancestry proved to be much harder. It seems almost all the gravestones in the churches are not older than 150 years or less. The old ones left are put leaning against walls indicating some major disruptions at the churches, something I need to investigate further. But renting a car and driving through the countryside proved to be the best part of my visit to Luxembourg. It s very beautiful and organized and clean country though fairly expensive. I started searching Ell where my great great grandfather was born. In the end I found no traces of the either of my great great grandparents, the Strotzs. I highly recommend the village of Larochette. You will enjoy the myriad of cafés, restaurants, walking and hiking areas as well as old castles. I want to stay in this town on my next visit.
Beautiful countrysideMost likely the Strotz churchInsdie the small churchA larger church nearbyNice pipe organThis looks like a soft cheese but is actually an interesting favored cream cheeseA school separating girls and boys. The ranching word for young female horse definately comes from the French word for girlThat’s a pretty old OpelThe district office. This is where Japanese got the English translation (prefecture) from the Japanese word for something like a state, a KEN (県）。The car I rented. My cheap small one was not available so Europecar upgraded me to a Mercedes.Larochette where my great great grandmother was bornBeautiful windowsMost likely where my family went to church in LarochetteEnjoying the beautiful weather outside the churchThe Grand Duchy palaceThe road to ELLLeaving EllVery well kept churchesI had nothing to confess except that my search in the hometowns turned up nothing on this trip
As I was traveling around Japan I decided to go to my old school area on Mt. Fuji, Fujinomiya, and also to a place I love to visit. The Kiso trail goes from near Matsumoto area to Nagoya and still has old villages with places to stay and a walking trail along the centuries old walking trail. These two areas are close to Tokyo so easy for day or several day trips. The Chuo line goes from Tokyo along the Kiso trail and is one way to see this beautiful area.
An old car museum display of one of my favorite type cars.Near my hotel in Kashiwa all these people are standing around playing Pokemon GoI am guessing this musical is based on “the ghost and Mrs. Muir”Actually this is near Wakayama in the mountains and has been a favorite motorcyclist stop for over 50 yearsThe river view which is superb during the cherry tree blossoming seasonThe old sign for the “bagdad cafe”, evidently a hint from the movieA nice river/city viewAt a local restaurant a map with pins of were customers liveMeasuring the CO2 level in the restaurantThe Nagoya side of the Kiso trailOld house with water wheelMany shops were not open due to dwindling tourist arrivals A typical shopI had delicious noodles hereA view from the top in MarchProof I was thereA small private garden. There are millions of these in JapanCity view from the hotelLater in the evening he snow dusted hills change colorAn old station rebuiltA view from my grad school campusShiraitonotaki (white thread water fall) near my school has become quite a developed tourist destination
When I first came to the outskirts of Palermo in 2010 all the cars I saw were badly scratched or dented and parked on the road and sidewalk in every kind of configuration. I didn’t want to subject my rental car to this fate so I turned around and went to another place to stay and visit. However, this time I found it to be a safe place to drive and park a rental car, though I didn’t rent one, and things were generally better organized. Palermo is a nice city with many sights and inexpensive street restaurants to enjoy. I highly recommend Palermo.
Wonderful spaghetti with musselsStreet art can be a goal of your walk around the citySomething sweet with coffeeDefinitely not run by Japaese, jMaybe by vietamese or chinese Getting dressed up for a wedding reception at the wharf restaurant The portProcessing a big fishAn increasingly popular opinionTypical graffiti Linguine with a nice sauceA very healthy salad with a campari spritzFollowing the band to the celebrationThe celebration posterThe religious celebratin
Some people still park anywhereA view at Termini ImereseBike shop fixing the. Young boy’s bikeThis spaghetti sauce was not too richThe young boy was spidermanJapanese characters are popular
when you’re traveling to Germany Heidelberg it’s definitely one of the cities you should visit at the castle is very interesting. So remember when you get in this area make sure you get high on Heidelberg Castle.
The RoyalcrestMain entrance gate Beautiful views of the city below and the river One of the best views when you are high on Heidelberg Castle a good detailed map Very iconic and important symbolism for the times when they were set on the entrance gate here Lions, orbs and the ShieldThis is the old clock in the city center The main city Plaza The giant Heidelberg beer keg This is where they dispensed the beer You have to have a chapel in a castle Church pipe Oregon A very old desk and chairAnd extremely ordinate hallway The ceiling of the hallway. Look at the detail And ordinate room entranceIt was interesting to see Hebrew here. Obviously there was a lot of respect for the people who helped build and manage the castleThe great beer pump The banquet hall. Builders’ marks in the stoneThis shows the old Castle wall on the outside which was built many hundreds of years ago The model of the castle as it is todayAnother model of the castle when it was completeThis guy brought the castle to its peak architecture There was a pharmacy inside the castleWere they concocted the medicines This is a very old brand
Reims is a pretty interesting ciy to visit, the place where French kings were crowned for many centuries .
The roman wreath for crowning kings in Reims is what the lady is carrying The old city centerMany train stations in France have pianos for people to play some music, a very interesting and enjoyable idea.
not Steven Colbert!A typical streetNice architecture. The roof identifies it as FrenchAn ancient carouselThe church where the king were crownedA main plazaLouis XVStill carrying my Lao garment bagNice coffee but not my best cigarJohn Wick’s Continental Hotel?Didn’t ask if he stayed here
I made an emergency trip to the US landing on July 4. After taking care of necessary issues I traveled to see some friends in bad health and stop by my old hometown to check out how things changed.
Near Phoenix airport there is this Arizona style pizza place with a South of The Border flavor selection. It was delicious. Try out Mama’s.My favorite kind of breakfast, a quesadilla with guacamole and crema. A good way to start out the day.A meeting place near the EmbarcaderoOld style archtectureSome old buildings remainNot an announcement but some very interesting information about he past came to light. I got this cookie at my favorite chinese restaurant. Did you know this fortune cookie tradition was started by a Japanese restaurant owner in San Francisco for kids many decades ago Mispelled but an interesting way to present ONIGIRIChinese style noodles near my hotelUS style TARDISThey have new owners but a pretty nice diner in the city, retro styleIn the diner my favorite carThis is THE famous Marylin photoOur doctor’s office, Dr. Cook who became the county coroner The former Corner Market where I worked as a delivery and bag boy for the ManteganisThe house my parents built in Tiburon in 1967Part of the view from out house bay windows. We could see the fog rolling in over the Golden Gate bridge and over SausalitoThe bakery was Mr. Taylor’s barber shop where I had one of my first jobs at 9 years old sweeping the floor an shining customers’ shoes.Belvedere where we used to go clamming St. Steven’s where I was an acolyte and was confirmed so I could drink the wine on Sundays Behind the tree is the rest room for he Belvedere park where I almost fell from the roof to a disastrous fate. I grabbed the gutter on the way downOur former house on Bayview Avenue. I talked to the new owners who didn’t even know they had an extended garden area in the back. The plum tree in front has been replaced.Strange offerings near SacramentoCheap alcoholic drinks in round containers. Interesting MarketingLemon juice from sicilyLook at all the bagelsSelf driving taxiNot so much taffic on Market streetFamous clam chowder in Boudin’s sour dough french breadThis is everything I own. Yes, it is all carry on.A Mexican style pizza with lots of jalapeñosMon’s grave.A huge lunchThey look delicious An even huger mealMy preferred breakfast in Maricopa
Taiwan is becoming quite a tourist attraction for Asian populations. The one group I saw and heard the most of is from the Philippines. Of course there is somewhat a language barrier for non Taiwanese (one Chinese dialect plus some original indigenous people’s words) but most people I met spoke enough English to assist me or were just kind enough to use gestures and simple words in Chinese to get the message across. My Chinese is limited to food and a few phrases I learned long ago. Looking around town I understand most of the signage with the similarities with Japanese Kanji. This page on Taiwan (link here) will give you more information that might be helpful for visiting.
Taichung is a fairly quiet city and it seems the busy city center has moved away from the train station, to the west, so you might want to concentrate time there.
The old train tracks are a fun place to sit, have a coffee or tea and think about old times, or whatever. You can buy all sorts of things on the old platformHere is one of the older trains for people to view. You can see this generation train still used in Thailand on the very slow route from Bangkok to the Malaysia border.This is the new statioThis restaurant has inexpensive but tasty food variety on a plate. It is a well known with localsA famous Japanese Anime made into a TV series recently. Taiwanese people are crazy about everything Japanese. You probably know Taiwan was a Japanese colony for decades until 1945. However both countries are really the closest of friends.
The old train stationDelicious noodles with some WAN TANThis Thai restaurant has some good food. The cabbage order should have been made with NAM PLA (fish sauce) but I asked and they made it the Thai way for me. I think the owners are Vietnamese.Good coffee and excelent Mango cake is in a very hard to find coffee shop which you can find with the reference below.Your seat here is an old elementary school desk. The entrance is through a hall that looks like one for a janitor, then up steps to a locked door you need to knock on for the young lady to let you in. I asked the owner why this kind of setup. She explained the rent was low. An old construction from a past Chinese imperialist occupation.Hot pot with an old friend. It was very popular, not expensive and very fresh and delicious ingredients.
One of my very favorites, a gyoza type fried dumplings with SUI GYOZA. This shop is very popular and very delicious.Sometimes it is a challenge not being deflected to the street to walk around due to the over abundance of motorcycles parked in the way on the walkway. This part was ok.Would you eat at this Sushi restaurant? I waited to get back to Japan.When I was a kid there were very foamy “Ding Dongs”. These are different . Motorcycle parking lot. Reminds me of Vietnam.Taiwan style Italian Pesto Spaghetti with broccoli which was delicious.
A mural at an old shopping streetOld Chuan has a sour attitude but his food is so delicious. This SUI GYOZA was so delicious.This duck restaurant was not with the highest recommendation in Kaoshiung but it was very good. It was 2 dinners and one breakfast in one duck. The rest they did Taiwan style with the rest quick chopped, thrown in a wok and cooked up with spices, pepper and some sauce. The whole duck cost NT$500 ($17). Kids dressed up for an event in the underground metroThe main eventThis night market was huge.Kid’s gamePin ball parlor with old fashioned Japanese PachinkoTaro and Apple pieDeep fried seafoodJapanese style squidMore deep fried seafoodGrilled food on a stickSweet potatoes were easy to grow in your yard and became the sweet delicacy in Japan at the end of WWII since rice was hard to get. It is popular throughout AsiaSUI GYOZA (boiled gyoza)Busy night marketTaiwan style ODEN (boiled food)Fried riceUnlike Thailand, in Taiwan the fresh fruit smoothies are not made with sugar, something I appreciatedLook at all the 7-11sOld style pachinkoAn old temple
When Walking Germany remember to look at everything and investigate interesting shops for some fascinating things for sale. But things to do are to watch and talk to people. You will meet some very interesting people wherever you go in Germany and they might be tourists or migrants.
Bill Maher talks about “Insel” a lot. Well I found this advertising for the Dino versionsThis is a very nice wheat beerThe volunteer Heidelberg wandering chorus groupHere they are cheering on some local business.Nice old signA beautiful church insideAn unusual cross displayHeidelberg castle from the plazaDressed like an ancient CeltOld bridgeRelaxing walking areaOld city entrancewaySingers having a beerA river cruiseThis is what kids call a toilet. My favorite cheeseThis could be very scary for a little child going to churchNot quite as scary from the frontAn interesting modern stained glass window Different districts represented with their ancient crestSChurch art unfolding Model of the cathedralThis is everything I gave away after pulling it out out of storage.Another wonderful spaghetti with pepper and oil with pine nutsThese are produced by the Vespaa very tasty pizza in downtown Landshut
