Tag: #retirementtravel

Posted on

Prague the unbelievable

Prague has a fun place to visit if you believe in the unbelievable

I’m only half the man I used to be
The giant has finally captured me
The great escape
OK well this is weird
They gave me all the cash I could handle, and more
Many friends have commented this is too much of me. Because maybe it’s too many of me.
I was invited for dinner
Now I know how Dracula feels
Everyone knows you shrink as you get older but this was a little bit too much.
This was a lot of fun. Floating is almost as much fun as drinking a bottle bottle of wine
Dang! Now the wizard caught me
Oops. I certainly didn’t know this would happen
That made me frustrated so I just had to let it all out
I got some help with a little bit longer arm
I asked to be knighted not skewered
This is what happens when you get too old and shrink beyond normal
In the octopuses garden
I actually rescued her
Just pencil me in
Ready to be blown back to reality
Posted on

Shetlands, Scotland day three. UNST

on this island which is almost the north most of the Shetlands group you have a chance to see what people 6000 years ago before the pyramids.

Just for fun I checked my compass with the stone and I found the stone points exactly north but I have no idea what that means and nobody else knows. The other stone is the Clivocast. This stone is 3m high and leans slightly north. It was used as a sailing mark between Strandburgh Ness on Fetlar and the entrance of Skuda Sound (between Uyea and Haaf Gruney).
It is said to mark the spot where the son of Viking Harold Harfager was killed around 900AD. Human remains and armour were allegedly found in a cairn to the south west.
There are some very beautiful beaches here which would be nice in the summer
You can see some old ruins in many places on these islands
The grazing areas are often open range so you have to drive carefully
this is a reconstruction of probably what the inside of a long house would look like. Some excavations show extensive remains but of course the wooden parts including the roofs have deteriorated completely
After World War II one family put in extensive efforts to promote and grow the Shetland pony breed worldwide. here are some of the colorations
This is a typical northern Scotland breakfast. I needed to add my soy sauce

Posted on

Exploring Italy Verona: A Culinary Journey

The cooking this restaurant is Japanese. The food was just like eating in Japan, good flavors.
We met a retired Plantology professor in Freising. He was born in Ireland but moved to Germany more than 30 years ago. He enjoyed drinking wine at the lunch. He was also very good Guide around this old and historical city
At a dinner with friends from Garda and Verona
Our dinner friends included to sommelier and this is the wine they chose. Very delicious.
A little overcooked around the edges but delicious 4 cheese
Just something for breakfast. The one on the right had pistachios on top
This restaurants FAGIOLI
This was at a restaurant out-of-the-way, newly opened and really delicious food . Bar Fuoricorso. Go here and try the food.
We had the second and fourth one from the top
Posted on

Fraser (Frisel) Castle Scotland

if you have been watching “outlander” you are familiar with the Fraser family. What I learned is that more than 1000 years ago in France someone offered the king strawberries, maybe which they grew. The king gave them the name open “strawberry” in French which became Frisel when the family moved to Normandy. And 1000 years ago they went to Scotland to fight the Danes and were duly knighted given land by the local Lord near Aberdeen. They change the name to Fraser and started this castle with just the main tower. It is now kept with its Fraser family contents exactly as they were since the last owner decided to give the castle to the national trust. It is one of the best examples of Scottish history in its original place.

This is the entrance and the original tower
We were told the sword on the left was used at the battle of Collin
Posted on

Shetland Islands, Scotland day 2

the main island in the Shetlands was referred to a couple people as “the mainland” even though we had a 10 hour ferry ride from the mainline of Scotland. It’s cold and very windy here with occasional rain, just the reason I came here, for the weather. It’s a great place to get away from the tropical heat.

I looked at the menu and it seems there are a lot of sweet things like cakes and stuff like that on the menu. I’ve never seen a Chinese restaurant with that kind of food but with a name like this I guess you can do anything.
More white sheep here than black sheep. I would like to talk to a farmer and find out something about sheepherding. I know something about it since when I was a kid my father gave me sheep shears to trim the edge of the lawn. They belonged to my grandfather
Of course it’s a one lane bridge
They were curious about me as I was curious about them. But then again I was whistling a Dean Martin song which they probably never heard before.
Read the black one
A lot of the old farmhouses just fell down from neglect. When large landowners took over the land and changed the rules for the tenant farmers here many of them couldn’t make a living so they left for Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Posted on

Regensburg & Göttingen Germany

Regensburg

there are some really interesting and beautiful cities in Germany. These are just two of them.

I was waiting months to try this pork specialty at a good restaurant. This was very nice
On the way back down the street we had coffee here on the second floor. Very nice view and relaxing

Gottingen

something for everyone
I have to have a Campari spritz sometimes with a Toscanello
Posted on

shetlands – Scotland Day 1

the Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of Scotland and therefore the northernmost part of the UK. For 50 years I wanted to have the time to make it up there. So now I do it. Frankly, I am looking for windy, cloudy bad weather to fulfill my image of the islands.

No cabins were available and I really didn’t want to spend money on one so I reserved a “pod”. This large chair reclines back inside its casing and is fairly comfortable, sufficient for the 14 hour trip from Aberdeen to Lerwick. My car was also on the ferry since a car is really necessary to enjoy a small number of days in the Shetlands or the Orkneys.
Someone told me these windmills were just off the coast of the Trump international golf club
I think “Dunna” means “don’t” and I think “Chuck” means “throw” but I don’t know what”Bruck” means. if you know then please leave a comment.
They look like black Angus
The Shetlands wouldn’t be complete without Shetland ponies. I hope they are not quite as mean tempered as Welsh ponies. That’s a whole different story.
These ruins Are built on origins that are thousands of years old. The Picts first inhabited these islands
Some more ancient buildings sites
There are quite a few beautiful beaches on the islands. The water is very cold, about the same temperature as the water in Monterey California
He just kept watching me and I kept my distance just to leave him alone
The fish was not bad, the onion rings were terrible and the only sauce was vinegar while salt was also available. It reminded me of the old H Salt Esquire fish and chips franchise
You can see the inexpensive lawn mowers doing their job
I didn’t dare go close to this house. They could be descendants of the Vikings, which they probably are anyway.
most of the roads here are the width of one-way roads with little side bubbles where people can allow others to pass. Many of the bridges allow only one way at a time.
My walkway to the pub
Posted on

Denmark – visiting friends

Denmark is always a place I need to visit from time to time since I have an adopted family there.

In the Royal retreat, a very beautiful garden with a few buildings, this is where the royal family stays.
A storage facility for food before refrigeration
This is the original building on the property and down below you will see an explanation of this royal retreat
We picked and ate a lot of of the ripe ones
This is a traditional danish building with the attached roof
This hook on the back of the car is on most cars, not only in Denmark. Many people have a small, mini trailer that they just drop onto this hook when they go shopping for bulky items that won’t fit in the car
We found some of these on our walk in the woods as well
It’s always good to visit an old brewery
Here is the product
This is the house owned by a private family that runs the brewery
Inside is the sales office for the organic apples and apple juice
Organic apple juice
Almost ready to pick
An interesting danish design
A World War II memorial
A very old village popular with tourists
Some buildings have plaques noting memorable occupants
You can see the mirrors outside the windows. These help elderly people who mostly stay inside see what is going on outside the house
I think these are blueberries but I’m not sure
You can see the birds perched on top. This is a nature sanctuary
Of course we have Thai food from the chef of the house
And I get to have the traditional dish breakfast I love so much
This is waiting for the ferry from Germany to Denmark. It’s only a short distance
This ferry has a rotary sail.
Posted on

Japan in August

With an old friend I haven’t seen for many years. Good reminiscence and memories
Dinner with a former employee
Why not use this name for a restaurant?
Very nice reclining train seats
A nice building in Osaka
This is the place to practice archery
At breakfast in my hotel people can watch the televisions above showing cameras in each of the elevators. I found it a little strange
The smoking room in the train station was very crowded which is good for cheap smokers who don’t want to pay for cigarettes. They could just go in and breathe the fumes
Up above, the sign in pink letters advertises a “soap land” where you can get soapy with a girl and do a variety of things
Cautions on the escalator
Whatever you do, don’t get caught
In Sapporo grilled lamb is called “Genghis Khan”.
This is how politicians campaign
A beautiful day in the park in Sapporo
The black one looks angry and threatening
A type of fashion
Crazy dancing at the Thai nightclub
This is an interesting twist on names
With Kiyo.
This is a coffee shop where you can rent a cat to keep you company