WithThe outer Hebrides of Scotland like the Shetland and Orkney Islands you can be amazed at the remnants of ancient people’s activities in thisvery cold and windy environment. Another interesting thing I found is that the driving is in very rural areas and sometimes very isolated. This seems a little unusual for such a small series of islands. One problem they have here is the decreasing population. It’s a difficult place to live and to make a life. But for visiting I highly recommend it. It’s just so different from the Scottish mainland. So enjoy the photos by Bill Smale Adventures.
of course there are quite a few ancient stone circles. If you’ve watched the TV series “outlander” you will recognize the significance in ancient times of placing stones in some configuration.This is just a recent memorial You can see how rural a lot of the land is an old bridge There are many beautiful small beaches around. This would be a great place to come in the summer. And the water is so clean. of course you need lighthouses around the islands Another small beach area a very rural Scottish road Replicas of 6000 year-old houses I can’t remember what this is but I think it was a fire pitAnd of course you need a milla milling stone it was raining off and on so the terrain was pretty soggy. I decided that since I didn’t have waterproof boots it was best to take photos from the distance. Thank Buddha for my Zoom lensan explanation of this ancient circle This was a standing stone alone by itself pointing exactly north More standing stones I’m sure this was a replica or rebuilta World War I memorial
When you arrive in the city you will find the Intriguing Fethiye Tombs. The largest one is the Tomb of Amyntas. You go to the busy center of the city which is very touristy but also interesting and then walk to the very back streets up the hill and that’s where you will find the tombs. You can get an inexpensive hotel down in the city center and just walk around. It’s kind of a fun place to stay.
This is the Tomb of Amyntas. They charge €3 to walk up the steps and then over the rocks for the next 5 m. The two obviously has been emptied but you get a great view of the city and the port from up here.
The empty tomb It’s a great view of the city you could see there is snow on the mountains in the distanceI guess these also are tunes but I did not walk up here of course.
In town, like with the other ports along the Aegean/Mediterranean seas, you will find tour boats for day trips or longer, fishing trips and feasting adventures. Some of them have phone numbers posted outside so you can call and make arrangements. Some other ancient structure on the hillA castle on the hillI’m not sure what these are. I have to ask somebody The inside of the tomb. It seems like quite a large endeavor for such a small space. But I guess the people they were building these for were considered respected. I wonder what this mark on the wall indicates I took this photo just because I wanted to show you this gas station attendant is washing the car windshield. I haven’t seen that level of service since Japan. The process at the gas station is to get the attention of the attendant so he can fill the tank. And normally he will give you a printout with a QR code which you take into the shop to have it scanned and they will print out two receipts, one which they stamp and then is to be handed to the attendant to allow you to leave.
The Batmobile in Turkey is quite an interesting surprise. Of course this one is an exact replica but I think if you visit the museum you will enjoy not only how they display the Batmobile but also the Batcycle which is the original. In addition, of course, as you can see from my previous phlog there are many olden antique cars as well as motorcycles to enjoy viewing. If you’re a car enthusiast I really encourage you to stop by here if you have the means to get here kinda out in the countryside.
Key Automobile museum near Selçuk, Turkey is kind of an interesting presentation of fairly recent antique and very interesting automobiles and motorcycles. I think it’s worth you visiting if you have an interest in cars. There was some extensive displays of BMW motorcycles and cars. When I saw the attraction on Google maps I thought it might be interesting but then it showed the Batmobile and that meant I had to visit. I backtracked on my journey for about 40 minutes since it was closed the day before. I’m very glad I got to see it. Enjoy the photos.
There were a couple interesting things about this car. The front is very unusual and the doors don’t open out, they slide forward to let you out. We used to see these fairly often on the roads in California. A friend of ours even had this vintage triumph which they never drove due to some problems with getting the right parts to fix it. If this was completely white it would be the same color as my sixth grade teacher’s Austin Healy, Ms.. Dicarlo”s car she drove from San Francisco which was quite a ways.This MGA was one year earlier than the one my dad bought. He arranged to have the wall between the seats and the trunk taken out and two seat seats put in facing backwards for us kids which was great fun because we could see where we had been. The story was, my dad wanted a sports car and my mom said it was OK if the whole family could ride in it. You will notice there are no door handles. You had to reach inside the car and pull a cable to open the door. This meant you couldn’t really lock the door which was an interesting idea?The coffee shop (Coca-Cola) inside the museum A replica of a 1965 Ford Mustang as a pool table I love this design and it kind of reminds me of the TV show “the avengers” but I think that John Steed’s car was a Bentley. This Thunderbird was definitely worth buying. After that series Ford decided to make it less sporty looking and not very interestingI had a matchbox version of this car and thought it was so cool. You could drive it on lakesThis car started quite a revolution for Chevrolet and for kids as well. Just after this car came out bicycle manufacturers started making the stingray bicycle which had very high handlebars and was very sporty looking.This was the style Corvette used for the TV show “Route 66”This was an interesting Mercedes hood ornamentThis old Renault has the typical sloping front and that’s how you tell the old RenaultBeautiful design and typically RenaultThis was an interesting design for BMW This is kind of a funny looking bakery truck. Remember in those days they used to deliver bread and milkThis is such a typical 1930s gangster car. Look at the running boardsI found this fascinating. On the pump above you can see this price per gallon and then a chart for what the price is for how many gallons. If the price changed it would be quite a job to switch all of these outAn old barbershop. On the very right you can see a display stand and inside they have collars with collar buttons which you could buyThe one car that I totally loved when I was a kid and was not on display in real size, only in miniature, was this EdselThis is probably a limousine for a liter of a country and it looks like somebody has already taken out one of the bodyguardsThe reason we call these things at gas stations “gas pumps” is because they actually had to pump the gas up into the cylinder above to fill the cylinder with the amount of gas the customer wanted. Then gravity would pour the gas into the gas tank.This visible measure concept was introduced to avoid suspected scamming by the gas station. You could see exactly how much gas was going to be put into your car through the glass measuring container above.The blue ring octopus is deadly and this looks like the markings of a blue ring octopus. I decided not to touch theJeep.Tire pressure gauge and air pump
Sailing to the outer Hebrides in Scotland you’re going to find some very interesting things besides just sheep. The roads are narrow, the wind is strong, the weather can be tough but you can find a lot of tranquility as well. Located here is the famous Harris Tweed and some other things you would not expect. The towns are small but you can enjoy the big hearted hospitality of the people here.
Foggy day on the boatLuxury seats on the ferry, very comfortable People are leaving the islands so now they want to recruit people to come and live there so the areas do not just die out. You will find quite a few abandoned homes which is not a good sign but don’t let that spoil the beauty of the Hebrides. How to build a new homeGood idea to learn some Gaelic Boat information priority is in Gaelic Beautiful view of land in the distanceBehind us is the mainland The famous brand of the islands. There are hundreds of people, companies and private individuals, creating tweets for resale and shipment all over the world. A lot of the material is used to produce something in another country and then shipped for export. There is very strict certification processes for Harris Tweed so when you get Some with the label you know it’s original Thousand year-old housing style You can see the same GPS governance provided the captain of the ship as you walk towards the restaurantNow you know surfing is quite a sport here but I’m not sure I recommend it in the winter, it’s pretty cold. Time to arrive
Walking in Podgorica, Montenegro you might find some interesting things here and there. It’s the large city in Montenegro so you can expect a lot of traffic and everything that goes with a big city. After a couple nights here I recommend you go out into the countryside and also the beachside areas. There you will find much more relaxing atmospheres, beauty and historical treasures. Enjoy these photos with Bill Smale Adventures.
I saw this after getting out of the taxi and so I went here before going to the hotel. How could I miss going back to my hometown.Somebody knew about this famous 60s songThey even had a football game playing on the TV live in most every town in Montenegro they have these casinos. I didn’t go into one but I think I know what to expect. Las Vegas is a distant memory. I regret not going to see Dean Martin at the Sands casino and hotelThis of course is the real Budweiser beer, not the fake one they made in the US which is pretty much just flavored water, not that I have an opinion. Graffiti is very popular The famous tower in the center of town Walking around you will see these towers in the mosquesWalking down a small street in Podgorica I did not expect to see a US real estate companyin the old part of town you can see the addressing system and street names in CyrillicMaradona is so revered The river in the center of townArtwork here and there in the old part of town Not sure what it says but it is very decorative and a lot better than just having a plain gray wallPinoko, whatever that isI found my toscanellosTeaching the kids to drive at an early age of course they have a Hard Rock Cafe, not sure if it’s a real onea memorial of some sort Typical residential area Walking around you can see another famous soccer player. This artwork was done near the high school And this was the name of the high school soccer team
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
