Doesn't everyone visit ........... Is there anyone who has visited Paris as a tourist and not visited the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe? I cannot imagine the reaction we would have gotten at some time in the future if we answered that question with, "No, we didn't." Well, perhaps I can imagine the reaction and it probably would not have been printable in a public travelblog. So to reassure you, "Yes we visited both and then took a long walk down the Champs de Elysee". Thank Goodness for Subways Subway systems have helped us greatly in various cities during our travels and Paris has a great subway and bus system. This day it was the subway that made our day possible. Once we had plotted the route by subway from our hotel to the ... read more

Paris Luck? I suppose so. We had planned to stay in Paris two nights en route to Spain. But trains were either full or not traveling on Christmas Eve and Day so we got 'stuck' in Paris for 5 nights. That sounded bad BEFORE we arrived. We had been told that Parisians were rude and unfriendly. Also we imagined a city difficult to get around in and bad weather as a side dish. Our eyes were on warmer weather in Spain and being able to get around more easily on my little Spanish rather than my now almost non-existent high school French from 1956. If we had wished for two more days in Nurnberg, Germany, I can now imagine how much we would have regretted being in Paris for only two nights instead of five. We ... read more

Since some viewers of our blog have asked about the photo Nancy put up earlier today, I will post it again along with it's story. In the literature our room at the Hotel Michalská Brána there was a description of the life of the man in the photo whose real name was Ignác Lamar, nicknamed Schöner Naci. The receptionist was kind enough to make a copy of the short article about him. I have changed a few words for clarity. Here is his story: He was called Schöner Naci or Handsome Naci During a stroll through Bratislava, visitors like to take photographs of the statue of Schöner Naci tilting his hat in greeting. On our first visit to Bratislava we saw the statue and did not realize that it was of a real man who lived ... read more

The Scottish Highlands Do you keep a bucket list? We do not keep a formal one, that is one written on paper, but the Scottish Highlands is a region that has been on our mental bucket list for many years. In actuality we did not believe we would ever have the opportunity to see this beautiful part of the world. We had read that people over 70 could not rent a car there and had pretty well given up the idea of exploring the countryside without a car. We had no idea of the wonderful thing that would happen to us this fall. Happily our disappointment about that dream changed when our friends Jim and Jennifer invited us to stay with them in Glasgow for nine days which gave us the opportunity to visit a number ... read more

The Witch I love the witch. What a wonderful witch. She has the look that any self-respecting witch should have. "Hee, hee, come into my house little one." Can't you just hear her cackle, "Come into my house, dear child"? The Man I can't figure out if this is a woodman, a dunce, a peasant or just what he represents. Perhaps in different stories he can be any one of these characters and more. I looked at him and wondered, "Hmmmmmmmmm, is this the way I look when I am feeling green? The King and ........ The king seems pretty obvious, at least to me Why is it the king is almost never the hero? The prince and the princess are always young, beautiful and smart. What happens so that by the time a prince becomes ... read more