Sunday, May 19, 2013

Islay

Over Easter, we visited Islay in the Scottish Hebrides. It was a lovely trip, including the drive, ferry, and a Glasgow visit. We had fabulous weather, apparently it's always like that. Here are a few impressions.

Loch Lomond

Inveraray

Our ferry

Kelsey and the Saltire

Reminder of a trip long ago

The paps of Jura, Islay is behind them

The sun is setting, but there is still a long way to sail...

Our B&B in the morning sun

Cycling trip

Kelsey was unstoppable

Maybe the Bruichladdich bar explains it

The gates at Bruichladdich and the majestic Alfa, a match made under Hebridean sky

At Laphroaig

Still there

This is not your corner-shop kind of distillery

Ardbeg, home of Ardbeg

The kiln towers

A beach with seals (trust me)

Decisions, decisions

Beach, but no seals this time

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Norway trip

After Christmas in Freiburg, we took a trip to Norway, for a taste of cross-country skiing and lefse. It was an exciting trip, if not quite as cold as we wished for. The documentation was created with a single-use camera, regular cameras can't be used there, obviously because of the reindeer.
Harbour in Oslo.
New Year's Eve by the city hall (trust me).
The Vigelandspark (I)

The Vigelandspark (II)

Ski-jumping in Lillehammer (this is a great mid-air shot).
Lillehammer's shopping district. Still bustling before the 2pm end.
Central cemetery in Oslo. You can see the grave of Ibsen, or someone else. What you don't see is the layer of ice under that soft snow, which, when you land on it, isn't nearly as soft as it seems.
Waiting for bus at Nordseter village.

Things exposed to air tend to freeze. I really don't know about those vikings and their beards.

Our first tour.

The Flåm Line, connecting Myrdal with the Sognefjord.

More cc-skiing.

Still more...

On a ferry in the Sognefjord.






This was our cottage at Nordseter. It was marvellous, but difficult to photograph.


Our ferry approaching.




Lake scene in Voss.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Budapest

Highlights from a quick trip to Budapest. Now that I officially have my UK residence card I can leave and enter the country without any hassle. Let the travels begin!

Jesse, Michelle, Joey, Kim, Melinda and Ryan on the banks of the Danube
Holocaust memorial

Chain bridge over the Danube - connecting "Buda" to "Pest"

Hungarian goulash was served in red metal pots

Hortobágyi palacsinta pancake filled with chicken and
served with a sour cream and paprika sauce.

St Istvan's Basilica

Hungarian sausage stands

The Great Market Hall- where you can find hundreds of different Hungarian sausages and paprika for sale

Hungarian street food- stuffed cabbage with paprika sauerkraut

Eating "langos"

Langos on display at the Great Market Hall


Heroes Square on our way to the Turkish baths


Budapest has the second oldest underground metro in the world (after London's Underground)

On the Metro. I found it striking that the handles were made of leather.

Matthias Church on Castle Hill

View from Castle Hill

Funny looking communist-era cars (this one is a Lada)

Pretty colors on Castle Hill

View of Parliament from Castle Hill


Battle scars on Castle Hill at the site where the Nazis
had their last stand against the Soviets