#42 Shopping at Waitrose - Colchester, England

"We won't charge you a penny for delivery, not a sausage." With typical British humor, the ad for Waitrose sets the tone for a delightful shopping experience. What better way to see how the British live than to accompany Jen on a trip to her local grocer/market. Don enjoyed pushing the "trolley" for her.
Pictured left is the dessert case. Some of the choices were Tarte Au Citron, Strawberry and Raspberry Cheesecake and Black Currant Delice.








Waitrose is environmentally conscious and supports local producers. The store was sparkling clean and the staff was friendly (chatty), knowledgeable, and helpful. Don especially had fun interacting with them.










The meat and fish cases were beautifully stocked with New Zealand squid, fresh Anglesey Sea Bass Fillets, Breaded Icelandic Prime Cod Filet - Line Caught, and West Country lamb loin chops.

The Waitrose Weekend touts itself as the essential guide on what to do, watch, eat, cook, read, buy, and visit. That should cover it.

One of Don's summer jobs in high school was bagging groceries for Safeway in Sherman. He hasn't lost his touch.

#41 Carriage Roads - Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor ME

 Along with lighthouses and covered bridges, the carriage roads make up the trifecta of ultimate romance in Maine's history. The carriage roads and stone bridges in Acadia National Park were financed and directed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. between 1913 and 1940. Their use was limited to hikers, bikers, horseback riders and carriages. He owned a summer home there and did not like the intrusion of the motorcars.

Upon entering Acadia Park we had our choice of going toward Witch Hole or Bubble Pond. We walked north toward Witch Hole.

We began our walk at Eagle Lake Bridge, now being shored up for vehicular traffic above. It was built in 1928 and widened in 1974. This was an engineering feat where the north wall was separated, placed on ball bearings and moved 13 feet. The space created was then filled using the same type of granite as in the original Eagle Lake Bridge. It was referred to as "the tunnel" by the park superintendent, as it is 118 feet long and 24 feet wide.

It was a perfect time of day as the fading light cast wonderful shadows upon the roads and forest.

Lacking bread crumbs to find our way back, we walked a mile or two, then backtracked. It was just as peaceful and beautiful with the opposite lighting.

The forest consists mainly of birch, beech, aspen and oak. "Beaver activity may slow the succession of plant communities, but in time the cycle of life will come full circle, the the pine will once again reign as kings of Acadia's forest." (Robert A. Thayer).

At every turn we were met with a surprise, often color or a small body of water or creek.

Pictured left are some of the beautiful pines. Granite blocks mark the boundaries of the roads.

An inlet of Eagle Lake.

Don must be lost in thought.

Fallen leaves turn the carriage road into a colorful mosaic.

#40 Lion Monument - Lucerne, Switzerland

The Lion Monument in Lucerne is a giant dying lion carved out of a wall of sandstone rock above a pond at the east end of the town. It was designed as a memorial for the mercenary soldiers from central Switzerland who lost their lives while serving the French king Louis XVI during the French Revolution.  Swiss mercenary soldiers had a long tradition of military success, but in 1848 the Swiss constitution declared such services to foreign powers a criminal offense, with the sole exception of the Swiss guard at the Vatican.

The monument was designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen, a Danish sculptor, in 1819. Lucas Ahorn, a stone-mason from southern Germany, actually carved it in 1820-21. The giant sculpture is 20 ft high and 33 ft long. The upright wall of rock is the remains of a quarry used over centuries to build the town.  The Latin inscription HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI means "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss." The monument was inaugurated on August 10, 1821 and purchased by the city of Lucerne in 1882.

We took a walking tour of Lowenplatz (Lion Square) and enjoyed window shopping. We made purchases at a chocolate shop and a kitchen shop. It was a short walk to the entrance to the English Garden with the monument.

#39 Dam Square - Amsterdam

Most cities of interest to tourists have split personalities, the public one that puts its best attractions forward and the private one where reality is a bit seedy and raw. It is my opinion that Amsterdam doesn't bother with this pretense. To wit, promoted without apology are tourist attractions such as its infamous redlight district and of course, Dam Square.

For the courtesy of a tip, Don had his photo taken with Darth Vader...

and with Batman.

Here I am listening to a musician entertain the crowd.

The National Monument is central to Dam Square and it is there that celebrations, protests and the like are held. The gathering of people that we observed was a mix of the old and young, the prosperous and the struggling artists of varied talents.  

This was a busy side street filled with shops and places to eat, some walk-ups, some with outside tables. I especially enjoyed the wonderful chocolates at The Truffel Bar. On our walk of several blocks, we encountered a bit of the seedy side referred to earlier, but I will leave the details to your imagination. 

I am standing in front of the double doors of Ouide Kerk. We toured the church which was consecrated in 1306. The floor is entirely of gravestones because it is built on a cemetery. Local citizens continued to be buried in the confines of the church until 1865. There are 2500 gravestones including the one of Saskia van Uylenburgh who became Rembrandt's wife. The church is known for its accoustics and is a popular concert venue.

 Don couldn't resist posing with the ad for Salt-N-Pepa. To our grandchildren Don is known as Pepa.

#38 A Bit of Serendipity - Sandy Hill, Pembrokeshire, Wales

As we were traveling with our cousins in the Sandy Hill region of Pembrokeshire, Don and I were pleasantly surprised at coming upon the Aenon Baptist Church. In one painting that I found, it is referred to by the artist as the Chapel at Sandy Hill.

The country Baptist church where I grew up and was baptized was not much larger than this one. When Don and I married we attended his family's church for 20 years or more. In 1982 we, along with our son, joined a large local Baptist church where we still worship and serve.

A Baptist church was built at Sandy Haven on the St. Ishmael's side of the water in 1814. It also served the people of Herbandston who, when the tide was low enough, crossed by the stepping stones. In 1877 this more accessible chapel was opened at Sandy Hill and is still in regular use.

The plaque set in the stones: "Aenon Baptist Chapel 1877." Aenon is a Greek word coming from a Hebrew term ay-yin and meaning 'spring' or 'natural fountain' and is found only once in the bible. John 3:23 reads, "Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized."

Adjacent to the chapel and up a steep hill is the perfect spot for a small cemetery. Several headstones were quite weathered and difficult to read. As we left, we reflected upon our disappointment that we could not go inside the chapel. It was closed up tightly with no sign of anyone around.

#37 Old Swiss House - Lucerne

The Old Swiss House, built in 1859, is truly a landmark of Lucerne. Hanny Buholzer took over the Old Swiss House from her parents-in-law in 1961 and made it into one of the top five star restaurants in Switzerland. The Wienerschnitzel is prepared tableside and served on white tablecloths in grand style. The second floor of the Old Swiss House served as living quarters for the Buholzer family until 1967. Since then, the upstairs has been turned into traditional banquet rooms for private parties and family gatherings. After our meal we inquired about the beautiful tile stove featured in the brochure. Hanny was gracious enough to take us up to her private quarters to see the banquet room (above) and stove (below). Both photos are from postcards that we purchased in the restaurant.

 

The handmade porcelain tiled stove, dated 1636, is initialled by Daniel Pfau. The stove belonged to Hanny's family and she recalled seeing her father read his newspaper situated on the seat located to the right side of the stove. It brings to mind a very luxurious throne that even few royalty have enjoyed. She told us that there are only 3 or 4 such stoves in the world.

The stained glass windows with heraldic panes date back to 1575. Because of its handsome, wood partitioned exterior facade, it is one of the most photographed attractions of the area. We made no exception as I had to pose in front of it.

 The washroom took my breath away with its vibrant colors and exquisite fixtures.

Hanny's son, Philipp Buholzer, is now running the Old Swiss House as the 4th generation of the Buholzer family. Thus, the family tradition of excellence will continue for another generation.

#36 A Palace, A Museum, A Schnitzel - Munich

We were caught in a downpour as we stepped off the bus. Don, in his short sleeves, was soon drenched. I didn't fare much better with my light jacket. We stood under shelter as long as we could, then made a dash for the Nymphenburg Palace. Some fathers give flowers, but to celebrate the birth of his son and heir in 1662, Elector Ferdinand Maria and his consort Henriette Adelaide of Savoy appointed architect Agostiono Barelli to build them a summer residence west of Munich. (left, the Baroque Park and Pavillions)

This is the view from the front entrance looking across the lengthy approach to the palace. (Still raining). 

The honest approach to art is to leave the critical reviews to the experts and just enjoy what one sees. We wanted to follow up on a recommendation that we visit the renowned Old Pinakothek Museum. Established between 1826-1836 it owns 800 paintings dating from the 14th to the 18th century. We had a wonderful time. Later we sat on a bench to admire this sculpture. A man with some connection to the artist joined us and began to talk about the horse, (there went the first bus), politics, (we missed the next one), and subjects of interest to mostly him.

Don said that no visit to Germany would be complete without an authentic Wienerschnitzel. The Hacker-Pschorr Brauhaus was just a short walk from our hotel, and boasted a great menu. As you can see, the schnitzel covers the plate and I think he consumed most of it. I had pizza from the wood-fired oven and the most expensive dessert I've ever eaten ($10US). It was a pancake with powdered sugar, several kinds of fruit and syrups, and I think I ate all of it as well.

#35 Penobscot Narrows Observatory & Bridge - Prospect, ME

At 43 stories high and 437' above the Penobscot River, the Observatory is the highest structure in Maine. Located on the west bank of the Penobscot River, access is through historic Fort Knox which it adjoins. It is the only bridge observatory in the Western hemisphere. The others are in Thailand, China, and Slovakia. Our friends who live in Maine point to this with great pride and we came to admire the engineering skill and artistic beauty of the structure.

The old Waldo-Hancock suspension bridge (on the left in the photo) was replaced by the new bridge in 2006.  

After a fifty second ride on the fastest elevator in Maine, (and they say Texans boast), we reached the observatory in the west tower near the top at 420'. We could see in all four directions for about 15 miles.

These are the same two bridges, and a view of the east tower. 

At left are the shimmery waters of the Penobscot River. The very thick glass was quite clean and didn't obstruct our photo shoots. Such attention to pristine details was not uncommon everywhere we visited.  

When I caught my first glimpse of the quaint town of Bucksport, I knew that I had to see it up close. I could make out several church spires in the distance and "tiny" boats in the water. The new bridge is almost a half mile long and affords easy access to the town. Later, while Don strolled along the shoreline, I stretched out on a park bench to enjoy the sun and sea breeze.

The population of Bucksport is just 3,000. It is halfway between Bar Harbor to the north and Camden to the south and bills itself as the "center of the known universe." It was all that and more for me that day. Bucksport holds a special place in my heart and memory.

We explored the grounds of Fort Knox, built in 1844. It was named for Major General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War. As a war history buff, Don was in his element here.