From Castles To Crofts

We've seen some pretty grand castles on this trip. We've walked where the Scottish elite walked, where battles were fought, and exquisite gardens were planted. It is time we mixed things up a bit and saw how the peasant folk lived. 

Coast To Coast

 

Today we are traveling from Wick, which is one of the most northeastern points on mainland Scotland, all the way to the magical Isle of Skye, off the western coast. I guess you could call it a cross-country trip. Google tells me it is a five-hour journey but with a few photo stops and a lunch break in Ullapool, it turned into a full day trip.

The Orkneys

 

We are in far north Scotland about to go even further north to the Orkney Islands. The Islands of Scotland have always called to me. I must say, though, they are not quite as high on the fascination meter as the Scottish Highlands where my people come from. The Orkneys are a little different from mainland Scotland as they have astonishing prehistoric sites, Old Norse heritage, recent history as WWI/WWII naval bases and a POW Camp housing Italian prisoners. 

What Does A Person Need With 189 Rooms?

 

It's a castle day today! Fun Fact: Some of the castles we toured all started with the word Dun. Dun (pronounced doon) means fort. Dunrobin (translates to Robin's Fort) is on the schedule for today.

Believe It Or Not

 

We are on an epic adventure. We are going hunting after one of the most notorious monsters in the world. A monster which has often been scoffed at and many times called a hoax even though there have been documented sightings since the 6^th century.  

The Many Uses of Grass

 

When you travel on a bus tour, one of the most important things on the tour is where do you sit on the bus. Everybody has their favorite place, their favorite side. Heaven forbid that anybody encroaches on your spot. Gate 1 came up with an equitable solution – assigned seats. After we found our seat on the first day, we were told that every day, they would move your seat three seats forward. Eventually, during the tour, you would sit on each side and also toward the front, toward the back. Some days my seat was wonderful, some days not so much but it was fair. 

A Slow Start

Following my long travel day and my running around town, I was exhausted and decided that I needed to take a very, very short nap. Two hours later, I woke up at 6:15, realizing I was late for the very first Gate 1 Tour Group Orientation at 6pm. Rushing down to the orientation, I found everybody sitting down, listening with rapt attention to our tour guide, Phil. I must admit, it was not quite the introduction that I wanted to make with my fellow travelers. Ok, I was a tad bit embarrassed. All I could say was sorry and, in my head, oh well. 

Adventure Before Dementia!

 

A life-long bucket list item for me has been to travel first class overseas, on a plane where the first class seats recline into a bed. My children told me to go for it and when I said, but yes, that would be spending your inheritance, they just laughed. So... I'm going for it.  Adventure Before Dementia – my new motto. 

The Grand Finale

 

Today is a big day – we are heading to Denali National Park, home to Denali – the highest mountain in all of North America and the third tallest mountain in the world. Denali was formally known as Mt. McKinley but the name was changed to Denali, not too long ago in 2015. Spoiler alert: We never saw the mountain, it was an overcast day, but there is so much more to Denali than the mountain.

Blue Is My Favorite Color

It's back on the train and heading out for today's adventure. Up to this point, whenever we boarded the train, we were in Gold Star class with those big, beautiful windows and the open bar. For today, we are in Adventure Class, more of the budget variety. The reason is that we were on a different set of trains that were taking us off in a different direction than the Gold Star trains go. We are going out into the wild to animals (caged) and the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop.

Day Two - Dogs and Glaciers

 The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as the plain old Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome and is about 938 miles long. Mushers and a team of between 12 and 16 dogs, of which at least 5 must be on the towline at the finish line, cover the distance in 8-15 days or more. The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today's highly competitive race. Wiki

We are going to go dog sledding or perhaps the better term would be dog carting since there is no snow.

Sea Lions, Whales and Puffins - Oh My!

 Arriving in Seward, Alaska, at 11:20, we were safely ensconced on the mighty ship, the Callisto Voyager for the Kenai Fjords National Park tour at 11:30. I was glad to hear it was a six hour boat ride. I get a little nervous when it is a three hour tour (Gilligan's Island reference for you younger readers). We are off to see a tidewater glacier and maybe, just maybe, whales! 

The Last Frontier

 When my granddaughter, Anika, graduated from 8^th grade, I was rather shocked. Not that she had graduated (because she is brilliant, of course), but that she was already old enough to start high school. The proverbial “Where has the time gone?” hit hard. In an attempt to hold on to her a little longer, I decided to give her the gift of travel. Of course, it really was a selfish gift because she would have to travel with me and I would get to spend one-on-one time with her. Clever, I am.

Great Falls: True or False?

 Given my obsession with waterfalls, you do have to stop in a place in Montana called Great Falls. You need to check it out to see if this town has delusions of grandeur or if they actually do have Great Falls.

A Walk In The Park

 

First stop on any visit to a National Park should be to the Visitor's Center. They are a wealth of information making sure you see what you want to see and more importantly, that you are safe doing whatever you plan to do. This is true for any park, but particularly in Glacier National Park, where the fauna has the capability to injure you greatly. 

Buddhas And Smoke Jumpers

 I have moved on to Montana which is special in so many ways. Besides the usual, I have finally filled in large portions of my map. I put a sticker on the map every time I camp in a new state. I'm probably never going to camp in Alaska or Hawaii so those states will remain forever empty. The only states that are missing are those pesky little New England states :New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. They are hard states to bag. Aesthetically speaking, my map looks pretty good without them.  

Back In The Saddle Again

 

I come from Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I love lakes – they are where my roots are. Nobody has better lakes than Minnesota, well at least that is what I thought. What about if you add forested hills rising from the lake shore?

Reflector Art?

 

It was a one-nighter, just a quick stop on the way to someplace else. Doesn't that sound like the start of a bad novel?

Am I A Traveler Or A Tourist?

 Travel can be an enriching experience that helps people grow and discover their true selves. However, there is a supposedly a difference between being a tourist and a traveler. A definition that I found online is “Being a traveler means going beyond just visiting popular tourist destinations and instead immersing oneself in the local culture”. Being a tourist has a really bad rap – there is such a big deal that one should blend in and be a traveler, not a tourist.

Glass Art and Tree Art

 

Enough of this communing with nature. Don't get me wrong, I have loved all of this greenery. I've loved seeing the mountains (well except for you, Mt Rainier, if you actually exist). Along with mountains, many times there are waterfalls. I do love me the waterfalls. But... It's time to head to the big city.

I Rather Like Rain Forests

 I've made it to the most northwestern part of the continental United States – the Olympic Peninsula – which contains several different ecosystems – glacier-capped mountains, temperate rain forests and over 70 miles of coastline. But the best part of the Olympic Peninsula is that I got to meet up again with my caravan buddies Lou and Dave. Every year, when I'm on a road trip, we seem to run into each other and travel together for a few weeks. I love traveling by myself – the freedom, the adventure – but it is sometimes nice to be able to share these adventures with close friends. 

I Came To The Mountain...I Think

 Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in Washington state at 14,411 feet. It is a volcano and there is a high probability that it will erupt in the near future. Because it is so close to Seattle, Mount Rainier is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Let me repeat that – one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. So... guess where I'm going. 

Keeping It Weird!

 “Keep Portland Weird” is the unofficial motto of Portland Oregon. Portland definitely tries to live up to it's motto. A few examples: The World Naked Bike Race, Voodoo Doughnuts and the 24 Hour Church of Elvis - need I say more? I actually attended a service at the Church of Elvis the first time I was in Portland back in the nineties. The motto originated from the “Keep Austin Weird” motto. In 2014, there was a comparison between the two cities to find out which was weirder. Portland came out ahead winning nine of the twelve categories. 

Cheese Glorious Cheese

 Moving up the coast, I headed for Tillamook. Why, you ask? Does Tillamook Ice Cream ring a bell? Or Tillamook Cheese? When visiting the Creamery, they had a factory tour - How could I not go? It was a fairly short drive up 101, maybe a couple of hours but it seemed like forever. Speed limit was mostly 55 mph, but with curves marked as 15 mph, there was no way I was going to go 55. I sort of felt bad for the cars that lined up behind me, but with a big honkin' trailer behind me, it seemed like 40 mpg was a sensible speed. The nice thing about Oregon is that they have a lot of turnoff areas where I can pull over and let people pass. Better for me...better for them. 

I Bought A Cat!

 I figure that if one is going to be going to the Northwest, one should maybe start on the West Coast with the Pacific Ocean. I don't know that much about the coast so I picked a spot in what they call the Central Coast of Oregon. That way, depending on how the wind blows, I could go either north or south and get a feel for all things coastal. 

Water, Water And More Water

 

I just have to say – driving through eastern Oregon is a long, long stretch and I had to stop halfway thru Oregon to rest up. I ended up at the Harney County Fairgrounds which was basically a big parking lot. As Miko and I are walking around the parking lot, I hear a lot of whooping and hollering coming from over at the grandstand area. We wander over there and found that they had a two day bronc riding clinic going on. Today was saddle bronc riding, tomorrow would be bareback. These guys, who looked like they were high school age would come shooting out of the shoot and everybody would yell “Lean Back, lean back” which none of them seemed to be able to do. As a consequence, most of them only lasted about half a second before they hit the dirt. I was entertained. 

Mr. Potato Head?

 After Salt Lake City, I scurried across Wyoming and landed up in eastern Idaho. While in Idaho, I had an epiphany of a sorts. I know this will come as a surprise to many, but I think I am going to give up on my Junior Ranger quest. It is sad and unfortunate, I know, but the thrill is no longer there. I used to swell with pride every time I repeated the Junior Ranger oath and I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Now, after becoming a Junior Ranger over 100 times, there is no glow, no buzz. I guess all good things eventually come to an end.

Birds, Copper, Bison

 After Denver, I was headed for Rocky Mountain National Park. On the day I was going to go there, they got three feet of snow. Nope, change of plans – too much snow for me. My next stop was going to be the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. It turns out that it was too early in the season for any RV parks to be open. Again – change of plans. I looked at a map, closed my eyes, pointed my little finger at the map and decided that Salt Lake City was where I was going. 

Pike's Peak Or Bust

 Anytime you take off in the camper and the camper has been stored away for a winter, there will always be issues. You come to expect it but you cross your fingers and hope that it is nothing major. Well my first issue, I came to discover, was bordering on the major. 

Port, Chocolate and Rose Wine

 Porto, like most other cities, has several museums. There were a few that caught my eye, actually there were a few that I felt that there was no way I was going to miss them. To get to them, I had to cross the Douro River on the double-decker Dom Luis I Bridge. This bridge is 600 feet high and one of the premier tourist attractions in Porto.

A New Country For Me

 Food Tour is over – Farewells have been said. 

 A friend had said to me – you are only a couple of hours away from Portugal – go!  So I went. I got up before the crack of dawn to catch a bus to Porto, the 2^nd largest city in Portugal. My hotel, the Porto A.S. 1829 is located right in the center of the historical district. I got a corner room, overlooking a square and right above where the street musicians would play. They played from about ten in the morning until about ten at night and they all had amplifiers. I think they were an organized group, each would play about an hour, leave and then the next musician would set up. Some of the musicians were fabulous, some were ok. Nobody was horrible. So, it was a treat.

The Epitome of Fine Dining

 

Today is a special day. It is our last day on our Galician food tour and we are going to commemorate it by dining at a Michelin two star restaurant. The restaurant has also been awarded a green star for sustainability. This is going to be a treat. 

Just A Really Nice Day!

 We loaded up into our trusty bus which took us to a rocky area of coastline. We were going barnacle hunting. We were rather late getting there so the tide was starting to come in which made it a little more dangerous. Most of the professional barnacle hunters had already quit for the day, but we soldiered on. Some of us ventured down onto the rocks to collect the barnacles, while the rest of us perched up on the rocks watching. When we wandered back toward the bus, we found that they had laid out a picnic cloth. We sat down for some vermouth and another sea food pie. The highlight,though, was that the barnacle hunter guide cooked up, in a steamer in the back of his car, all of the barnacles that were harvested.

Conger Eels

 

Today was going to be a big activity day. We were off to the “Coast of Death” where stone crosses on the shore mark lost ships. First though, we visited an establishment in Muxo that was the last traditional Conger Eel dryer in the world. The European Union had decided, in their infinite wisdom, that the many centuries' way of drying eels was not healthy. 

Food And More Food

 

The Camino de Santiago is is a network of pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the apostle James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The scallop shell is a symbol of the Camino, it's lines representing the different routes that pilgrims travel from all over the world.  By the 1980's there were only about a couple of hundred registered pilgrims a year. Currently that number has swelled to about 200,000 pilgrims a year. The different routes are mostly through Spain, France and Portugal, all with varying distances. I think the longest distance is about 500 miles. I am rather excited because I am going to walk the Camino but alas, I shall only be a segment hiker. I think the segment that I will be walking will be about five blocks. 

Clams and Wine

 Today we walked from the hotel over to the other side of the harbor where we met with a local woman who was going to teach us the art of clam digging. I can't remember her name but she was the head of an all-woman cooperative. Well, they billed themselves all all-women but there are currently 240 women and 18 men in this cooperative. We went to her house where she had us put plastic bags over our socks and then put us in big rubber boots. Each of us received a rake and we were off to the harbor to search for clams. 

The Art Of Cooking

 

We checked out of our hotel in Vigo and drove two estuaries up the coast to Cambados where we were picked up by a small fishing boat. Perhaps I should say that it was a retired fishing boat because it is now used as an educational field trip type of boat. The Captain was very jovial and took us out to look at the mussel nurseries.

Net Menders, Castros and Bagpipes

 I think of this day as the official start of our tour. Maybe it was because right after breakfast, they loaded us up on a bus to start the day's adventures. Buses sort of make it official. It is interesting how on the first bus ride, everybody finds a seat and for the rest of the tour, that is pretty much your seat. I tried to change it up a bit, but found that the first seat I selected was actually the most perfect one. 

20,000 Leagues Under The Seas

 I am in Spain to do a food tour with Culinary Backstreets. Culinary Backstreets is a company that does food tours all around the world. This particular food tour is in Galicia (said Ga-lee-thee-a). Galicia is an area in northwest Spain and known for it's seafood, Albarino wine and bagpipes.

Barcelona Baby!!

 My hotel, the Petit Palace Boqueria Garden is a boutique hotel located only a couple of steps away from La Rambla, the most well-known street in Barcelona. La Rambla is a pedestrian street that is very popular with the tourists. There are restaurants, souvenir shops and those people who dress up as statues and do not move hoping for some Euros to be thrown their way. Turn your back on La Rambla and you are in the Gothic Quarter, with many small streets opening into squares. It is like a labyrinth, easy to get lost in. Ask me how I know!

And Finally Nuremberg

 **** Note: Usually my blogs are, at the most, only about a week or two behind. This one is probably my personal best(worst?) blog slacker record. I mean what is a measly three months among friends?

The time has come to leave our ship. We have landed in Nuremberg. We were not only leaving the ship, but we were also leaving our new friends. After gathering our belongings and saying our goodbyes, we were shuttled to our VRBO in a suburb of Nuremberg where we spent a few days.