Succulents and More™

We're visiting daughter #1 in Victoria, British Columbia and are spending Remembrance Day weekend on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This remote and sparsely populated area is as beautiful as it is low key—perfect to unwind. We're staying in Ucluelet  (population 1717) on the edge of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve . This wild and undeveloped park is perfect for hiking, sea kayaking and surfing for those so inclined. We're far less motivated in that department; we're happy to let the day take us where it wants and simply enjoy the sights. Every now and then there's nothing better than going with the flow instead of making plans. This is the view (literally) from our hotel room in Ucluelet:

On day 3 of our recent visit to Iceland we did the classic Golden Circle. This 200+ mile loop connects Reykjavík to three of Iceland's biggest attractions:  Þingvellir National Park , the geysirs at Haukadalur , and the impressive waterfalls at Gullfoss . Everybody says you must do the Golden Circle. Usually when I hear that, I want to do the opposite. But after looking at photos, I couldn't help but agree. The scenery really is stunning, and I didn't want to miss it. Driving the Golden Circle As you can see from my photos below, some spots were virtually deserted while others were a madhouse. But that seems to be the way it is in Iceland in July. Our landlord said to come back in September; the weather is still nice but there are far fewer tourists. And in the winter, when the northern lights are at their best, there's hardly anybody. Of course there's no daylight either—the opposite of what we experienced. Our first stop was on the shores of Lake Þingva...

Day 2 of our four-day stopover in Iceland started out sunny. I woked up early—in late July it starts to get light at 3 a.m. after just three hours of dusk-level darkness—and I was excited because we were going to drive southeast from  Reykjavík  to Vík, the southernmost town in Iceland. This relatively short stretch of less than 150 miles is home to many of Iceland's most beautiful scenic attractions. When we started to make plans for our visit to Iceland, I was trying to accommodate a drive around the entire island. I quickly realized, though, that even though Iceland looks small on a world map, it's actually quite large. With a land area of more than 100,000 km² (40,000 sq mi), it's bigger than Korea, Portugal, Austria, Ireland and 150 other countries in the world. In U.S. terms, it's about the size of Virgina, Kentucky or Ohio. In light of that, we decided to focus on the southwestern corner of Iceland. After leaving Reykjavík at 9 a.m., the sun stayed with us fo...

After two weeks in Germany, we've arrived in Iceland for a 4-day stay. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, and it's finally happening (Icelandair allows you to make a free stopover of up to 7 days on any transatlantic flight). On our first day (Sunday), we explored Reykjavík , Iceland's capital and biggest population center (two thirds of Iceland's 332,000 people live there). Reykjavík means "Smoky Bay" in Icelandic, alluding to the mist often rising over the ocean. It was the first settlement in Iceland (874 CE) but there was no urban development here until the 19th century. Today, Reykjavík is a modern city with a relaxed, easy-going vibe with all the conveniences you could ask for--and surprisingly little traffic. After all the crazy driving we'd encountered in Germany, that in itself was a huge boon. Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavík We started out at Reykjavík's best-known landmark:  Hallgrímskirkja , the Church of Hall...

The final stop on our 4-day jaunt to the Bavarian Alps was a quick side trip to Salzburg , Austria, the birthplace of Mozart and the original home of the Sound of Music 's von Trapp family. I had never been to Salzburg but based on what others had told me, I had high expectations. But before we do Salzburg, I want to take you to Hallein , Austria, a town about 10 miles southwest of Salzburg and an equal distance northeast of Berchtesgaden, Germany. We spent the first night of our trip at the Kolpinghaus in Hallein. It is run by the Kolpingwerk Foundation, one of the largest social organizations of the Catholic church, and provides hostel-type accommodations for students. In the summer (July and August) it operates as a reasonably priced hotel (and no, you don't have to be Catholic or religious to stay there). The Kolpinghaus in Hallein consists of seven multi-story patrician houses originally built in the 1600s. Completely renovated about 10 years ago, the accommodations wer...

Day 2 of our stay in the Bavarian Alps was all about the Königssee . This fjord-like lake in Berchtesgaden National Park is surrounded by mountains rising steeply to 2,700 m (8,900 ft), including the Watzmann , Germany's third highest peak. The setting is drop-dead gorgeous. St Bartholomew's Church on the Hirschau peninsula of the Königssee The easiest way to see the lake is by boat. A fleet of electric boats provide service to St Bartholomew's Church about half way up the lake and to Salet, the terminus at the far end. The trip takes about two hours, there and back. 

We spent the last four days in the Bavarian Alps , mostly in the Berchtesgaden  area. On our last day, we made a quick side trip to Salzburg , Austria. I took a lot of photos and will show you my favorites over the next four days. Day 1 started out relatively cool, with often dramatic clouds and an occasional drizzle. Our first stop was the village of Ramsau , best known for its beautiful church: Church in the village of Ramsau

With a population of 510,000,  Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is Germany's 14th largest city . It's about 20 miles from my hometown, a quick-and-easy 16 minutes by train. It's always been my favorite "big city" in Germany, not only because it's the one I know best, but because the historic city center is so picturesque. View from Nuremberg Castle As the site of the Nazi Party's Nuremberg Rallies , the city was a major target for Allied forces in WWII and sustained extensive damage. Many structures were rebuilt, including the main churches in the city center. Today, Nuremberg is an important economic powerhouse, both in industrial production and advanced technologies. In addition, Nuremberg has always been a center of the arts and sciences and is home to major museums such as the Germanisches Nationalmuseum , Germany's largest museum of cultural history, and the Spielzeugmuseum , one of the best-known toy museums in the world. My favorite thing ...

This index contains all the posts from our 2017 European vacation: Nürnberg, Germany Sanspareil Rock Garden, Bayreuth, Germany Picture postcards from Nuremberg, Germany Europe 2017: German Alps, day 1 Europe 2017: German Alps, day 2 Europe 2017: German Alps, day 3 Europe 2017: Salzburg, Austria Europe 2017: Reykjavík, Iceland Europe 2017: South Iceland highlights Europe 2017: Iceland's Golden Circle Þingvellir National Park, Iceland

My previous post  showed you the sights in the historic center of Hersbruck , my hometown in northern Bavaria. This post ventures outside the town center and covers areas a little farther afield.  The best panoramic view of Hersbruck is from the Michelsberg, the 388 m (1278 ft) hill north of downtown. I will never get tired of this sight: Town center, with Hersbruck Castle in the back and City Hall and the Stadtkirche on the right

I'm in Germany for my mother's 80th birthday and have been collecting photos to show you. This post contains about 60 photos, tomorrow's another 40, of my hometown, Hersbruck . It is located in Franconia (northern Bavaria), about 18 miles from Nuremberg , and has about 12,000 residents. The first mention of Hersbruck in official documents was in 976 but the town may even be older than that. My mother still lives in the house where she grew up, and where I grew up. I've been gone for many years now, and while a lot of things have changed, some dramatically, others have remained the same. The houses in the town center are mostly unchanged due to laws protecting historical buildings. This corner on the edge of the town center, for example, looks the way it did when I was little--and probably long before:

Day 4 of our summer trip was spent in Seattle. Even before we left our hotel by the airport we heard about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision ruling in favor of marriage equality . The rainbow flag was flying over the headquarters of Starbuck’s as we drove (or rather crept) by on the freeway. It was a great day for America, and a great day for us, filled with dazzling visuals and indelible impressions. EMP Museum in Seattle Center I’d been to Seattle before, but only very briefly, so I consider this my first real visit. The weather was perfect, albeit a bit on the warm side for Seattle, and the Seattle Center where we spent most of the day, was thronged with people.