Beyond the Northwest Archives - Pacific Northwest Explorer

Wachau Gorge, Austria

by Alan K. Lee

In 2022, my wife and I had the pleasure of taking a river cruise on the Danube, beginning in Budapest, Hungary and ending in Passau, Germany. Along the way, we toured Bratislava, Slovakia, spent a day exploring Vienna, Austria, and visited several other smaller cities and towns on the Danube. Most of the actual sailing took place at night, but we spent one beautiful afternoon cruising through the fabulous Wachau Gorge between the towns of Krems and Melk in northern Austria.

The Wachau Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (listed as the Wachau Cultural Landscape), known for its medieval history and architecture, but also for its modern-day vineyards and wineries and its riverine landscape. The Wachau Gorge is bookended by the town of Krems and the hilltop Gottweig Abbey and the town of Melk and the spectacular Melk Abbey on the south bank of the Danube.

Our day started with an early morning arrival in Krems and a morning tour of Gottweig Abbey a few miles south of the town.

Gottweig Abbey was founded in 1083 and has been continuously occupied for more than 900 years. The current structure was built in the 18^th century. (Viking River Cruises is the only cruise line that tours Gottweig Abbey, but also the only one that does not tour the larger Melk Abbey at the upstream end of the gorge).

Upstream of Krems, the valley narrows and the roughly 25 miles between Krems and Melk feature steeper slopes bordering both sides of the river with the occasional castle looming above the riverside towns. The town of Dunstein, seen in the featured photo at the top of this post, is particularly beautiful.

Most of the north shore of this stretch of the Danube is part of a nature park (Naturpark Jauerling Wachau) and is largely wild, managed to protect wildlife habitat and the natural environment. It’s also spectacularly beautiful.

Late that afternoon, we sailed past the town of Melk and the huge, and hugely popular, Melk Abbey. Like Gottweig Abbey, the original Melk Abbey was founded nearly a thousand years ago (in 1089) and has been continuously occupied ever since. The current structure dates from 1702. I would have loved to tour the abbey, but with several river cruise ships already docked there, I understand why Viking skips it.

Upstream of Melk, we spent the evening hours cruising the Wachau Valley, an agricultural area with many small riverside towns and vineyards.

The following morning found us in Linz, Austria. We didn’t see much of Linz because we took an all-day trip to the beautiful and well-preserved medieval village of Cesky Krumlov, Czechia. Then it was on to our final destination on the cruise, Passau, Germany.

After the cruise, we extended our trip to Salzburg, Austria and Munich, Germany. One of the advantages of river cruising is that you get to see a lot of places in a short amount of time. But one of the disadvantages is that you don’t spend much time in any one place. We were able to spend several days in Salzburg, though, and several more in Munich and the Bavarian Alps, through a relatively inexpensive addition to our cruise offered by Viking. Several of the friends we made on the cruise took a different extension (also booked through Viking) to Prague.

The two river cruises that my wife and I have taken (the other was on the Rhine) were both very enjoyable, hassle-free experiences (except for all of the Covid-19 tests that we had to take during our Danube cruise, but that is now in the past tense). Both featured an immersion into medieval history, beautiful riverside cities and villages, and beautiful stretches of natural habitat that is rare in Europe. I can personally recommend both cruises, and river cruising in general. If you’re interested in river cruises or are just curious, check out my European River Cruises post for more information and advice.

Posted April 15, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria is a city steeped in history going back to at least 500 BCE when the Celts first settled in the area. It was later occupied by the Romans, was the capital of the Habsburg Empire, and then the de facto capital (according to Wikipedia) of the Holy Roman Empire. Vienna is also the spiritual home of classical music. Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, Mahler, and many others lived and worked in Vienna, and many of the most acclaimed classical music works were composed and first performed there.

There’s so much to take in that Vienna cannot be fully appreciated on only a short visit. And my wife and I had only one full day to absorb as much of the city as we could on our 2022 Danube River cruise. But it was a memorable day.

Unlike Budapest and Bratislava, the historical center of the city does not lie directly on the Danube. We had to take Vienna’s subway system from the riverfront to the medieval center, which lessened the sense of going back-in-time that we have felt in exploring some of the other ancient European cities that we’ve visited. But the old city is truly magnificent. It is home to some of the most spectacular medieval architecture that can be found anywhere in Europe.

St. Steven’s Cathedral, Hofburg Palace, the Vienna State Opera House, the Albertina art museum, Maria Theresa Plaza, the Kunst Historical Museum, Mozart’s residence, and many other museums and places of interest are all within a half mile radius of each other in the historic center.

Belvedere Palace and Schonbrunn Palace, two of the more spectacular examples of Vienna’s medieval architecture, are a little farther afield and weren’t on our walking tour but are must-see attractions if you have more time than we did.

On our walking tour we chanced upon students of the Spanish Riding School exercising some of the famous Lipizzaner Stallions in the Burggarten park adjacent to the Hofburg Palace.

Besides being the cultural and historic center of Austria, Vienna is a modern city of two million people that has been ranked several times as the world’s most livable city, so there is much more to explore than just the medieval center.

Vienna is also a city of many beautiful parks and natural areas. After our walking tour of the medieval center, we crossed the Danube and spend some time in a beautiful park on a long, narrow, tree lined island between the main channel of the Danube and the Neue Donau side channel.

We likely will never return to Vienna – too many places we haven’t seen, and too little time left in our lives – but it’s one of the places that I would to return to if I ever check off all of my bucket list destinations. I left Vienna feeling like I didn’t get more than a tiny taste of what it has to offer. If you have a desire to visit Vienna, check out Visiting Vienna’s Guide To Vienna webpage to begin your planning. And plan to spend at least three or four days there. There is just too much there to see in a day or two.

And if you do go to Vienna, visit Budapest, too. And include Salzburg on your itinerary, as well. You won’t regret adding either of those cities to your trip.

Posted April 4, 2024 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Zion Canyon

The southwestern United States is a wonderland of deserts, mountains, and canyons. Zion Canyon is among the most spectacular of the Southwest’s many canyons, maybe second only to the Grand Canyon. And while the vast majority of visitors to the Grand Canyon never venture below the canyon rim, Zion is much more accessible.

At Zion, you’re in the canyon, surrounded by the red and white Navajo sandstone walls of the canyon that tower as much as 2600 feet above you. Being immersed within Zion Canyon is a much more intimate experience than just looking down into the Grand Canyon. Everyone should visit the Grand Canyon at least once, but if I had to choose between visiting the Grand Canyon or Zion Canyon, I’d take Zion.

Getting There

By car, Zion Canyon is 165 miles from Las Vegas and 305 miles from Salt Lake City. If you’re flying, Delta flies to the nearby Cedar City and St. George regional airports from their Salt Lake City hub. United flies to St. George through it’s Denver hub, and American also flies to St. George through its Phoenix hub. There does not appear to be any commercial service from Las Vegas to either Cedar City or St. George. Check the airline websites or your travel agent for details.

Springdale

The small town of Springdale, Utah is the gateway to Zion Canyon. There are a variety of lodging and dining choices in Springdale, along with services such as gas stations and grocery stores, making it a good base for your exploration of the canyon. Springdale is a pretty town with a number of attractions itself, so budget some time to explore the town. If you’re an art lover like my wife and I, DeZion Gallery, Sorrelia Gallery, Worthington Gallery, David J. West Gallery, and Tribal Arts Zion are all worth a visit. One of David West’s photographs hangs on my living room wall.

Getting Around

Private vehicles are not allowed in Zion Canyon beyond Canyon Junction (unless you are staying at Zion Lodge). The National Park Service operates two free shuttle bus routes. The Springdale Shuttle makes nine stops in Springdale and at the park’s pedestrian and bicycle entrance near the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. The Zion Canyon Shuttle runs from the visitor center to the Temple of Sinawava, with numerous stops along the way. The shuttles are wheelchair accessible, strollers can be taken on board, and they have bicycle racks (electric bikes do not fit on the racks, though). Check the park’s website for current information and shuttle schedules.

Bicycling is permitted on all park roadways and on the Pa’rus Trail. All other park trails, off-trail routes, and the Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel are closed to bikes. There are a number of places in Springdale where you can rent bikes and there are also numerous companies offering bicycle tours of Zion. Biking the canyon is a good alternative to riding the shuttle. From the Zion Canyon Visitor Center to the Temple of Sinawava at the end of the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is about eight miles, with a few moderate hills along the way.

If you drive an electric vehicle, two charging stations are located within Zion National Park, one at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and the other at the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center in the north end of the park. You can purchase a $5 pass code at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center that is valid for three days at either of the park’s charging stations. In Springdale, there are three Tesla charging stations (as well as others in nearby communities). Electrify America stations are located in St. George and Cedar City. ChargePoint and SemaConnect stations can be found in St. George.

Where to Stay

Dozens of hotels, motels, B&Bs, and vacation rentals can be found in Springdale and the neighboring community of Rockville. Check the Zion Canyon Visitors Bureau website or Utah.com for lodging information. Cedar City and St. George offer even more choices. Rates run from under $100 per night to over $500. One option worth considering is Zion National Park Lodge , located within Zion Canyon (not to be confused with Zion Canyon Lodge, which is in Springdale, not in the canyon itself). Summer rates for 2024 start at $257 (plus tax) per night at Zion Lodge. Plan ahead, though. Reservations often need to be made several months in advance.

If you’re camping, Zion Canyon Campground in Springdale has 133 RV sites and 47 tent sites. Zion River Resort in nearby Virgin, Utah also has RV sites and cabins. There are two campgrounds within the national park near Springdale, South Campground and Watchman Campground. South Campground has 117 sites, but no hookups. Watchman has about 120 RV sites with full hookups and about 70 tent sites. South and Watchman both require advance reservations, except in winter. The small Lava Point Campground in the north end of the park is first come, first served, but has only six primitive sites. Check the park website for more detailed information. Reservations for the South and Watchman campgrounds can be made through Recreation.gov.

Where to Eat

Probably no one comes to Zion for the food, but Springdale offers a number of dining options. Oscar’s Cafe, Spotted Dog Cafe, Kings Landing Bistro, and Bit and Spur Restaurant and Saloon all get good reviews. Zion National Park Lodge in the canyon has two restaurants, as well. The Red Rock Grill in the main lodge is a full service restaurant open for lunch and dinner. The seasonal Castle Dome Cafe adjacent to the lodge offers burgers, hot dogs, and snack food. And, Zion Canyon Brew Pub in Springdale offers a full food menu in addition to a variety of craft brews.

Hiking in Zion Canyon

Zion National Park offers more hiking options than I can list here, from the 0.4 mile Archaeology Trail in Zion Canyon to the 47 mile (one way) Trans-Zion Trek from the East Entrance to Lee’s Pass in the Kolob Canyons section of the park. Popular hikes in Zion Canyon include the 3.5 mile round trip Watchman Trail and Pa’Rus Trail hikes near the South (Springdale) Entrance, the Emerald Pools Trail, the West Rim Trail, and the strenuous (five miles roundtrip with 1520 feet of elevation gain) Angel’s Landing Trail. Hiking the Angel’s Landing Trail now requires a permit. Permits are limited and are awarded via a lottery system. Check the park’s website for information on applying for a permit.

One of the most spectacular hikes in the canyon is The Narrows. There is no trail through The Narrows – you’re hiking the bed of the Virgin River through a narrow canyon no more than 40 feet wide in places. If you’re interested in hiking The Narrows, be sure to check with the park rangers at the Zion Canyon Visitor Center. No permit is required, but The Narrows may be closed to hiking due to the possibility of flash floods. Thunderstorms many miles north of the park may lead to sudden and potentially life threatening rises in the river level with no warning, even when the park is sunny and cloudless. But if it’s doable safely, it’s a fantastic and unique hiking experience.

Trails outside of Zion Canyon (and all canyoneering routes) require a wilderness pass. Most are available online through the park’s website, but permits for some trails are only available in person.

Other Things to do in and near Zion Canyon

If you’re young and adventurous, canyoneering may interest you. Canyoneering involves traversing canyons, primarily slot canyons, that do not have established trails. Some, but not all, routes require technical rock climbing or rappelling skills. Since canyoneering permits within Zion National Park go quickly, advance planning is required. If you’re new to the sport, a guided canyoneering trip is probably the best way to go. There are a number of canyoneering guides, including ZionGuru, Zion Rock and Mountain Guides, and Zion Adventure Company, that offer a variety of trips for all skill levels, including family tours.

One hour and three hour horseback rides within the park can be booked through Canyon Trail Rides.

Mountain biking tours are available from a number of tour companies in Springdale. Note that these tours are outside of the park. I have no personal experience here, but from their websites they look to be pretty scenic and more than a little adventurous. Check the tour company websites for pricing and other information. Some offer discounts if you bring your own bike.

Off road vehicle tours are also available from a variety of providers. Like mountain bike tours, these are outside of the park. Again, I have no personal experience, so can’t make any recommendations, but the tours are popular.

Kolob Arch (National Park Service photo)

When you’ve finished exploring Zion Canyon, take a drive to the Kolob Canyons area in the north end of the park. This is an area that many visitors to Zion skip, but shouldn’t. Stop at the visitor center just off I-15 at Exit 40, then drive to the Kolob Canyons Viewpoint at the end of the road and hike the short Timber Creek Overlook Trail. If you’re up for more of an adventure, take the 14 mile out and back hike to Kolob Arch. This is a strenuous hike and should only be done by experienced hikers in good condition, but the reward is a view of the second largest free standing arch in the world (second only to Landscape Arch in Arches National Park). The trail to Kolob Arch starts at Lee’s Pass on the Kolob Canyons Road.

Outside of Zion

Often overlooked, Cedar Breaks National Monument, about 60 miles north of Zion Canyon, is an easy day trip and well worth a visit. Bryce Canyon National Park is only about 80 miles from Springdale, so it’s another easy day trip (but is spectacular enough you’ll want to spend a few days there). Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is a short ways off the road to Bryce and is also worth a stop, as is Kodachrome Basin State Park, just east of Bryce. And if you’ve got another few days (or weeks), the sprawling, nearly one million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument stretches from Bryce Canyon east to Capitol Reef National Park.

I can pretty much guarantee that no matter who you are or where your interests lie, a trip to Zion National Park will be an adventure you will not soon forget.

Originally posted June 14, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted March 15, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Everglades National Park

A few years ago my wife and I had the privilege of exploring Key West, the rest of the Keys, and Everglades National Park on a winter getaway.

The Florida Everglades are about as far from our home in the Pacific Northwest as you can get without leaving the continent. I always envisioned the Everglades as swamp and marshland and nothing else, but it’s actually a quite diverse ecosystem. Wetlands make up much of the park, to be sure, but grassland covers a lot of it, too, with islands (called “hammocks”) of hardwoods scattered throughout. Pines dominate the higher ridges. Cypress swamps are found mainly in the northern part of the park and the adjacent Big Cypress National Preserve. And the coastal areas have both mangrove swamps and coastal prairie ecosystems.

The park was created in 1947 to preserve what remained of the Everglades after nearly half of century of damming, diverting, and draining the waters of the “river of grass” that had once flowed unimpeded from Lake Okeechobee to Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the Ten thousand Islands area on the Gulf Coast.

Today, the Everglades are still one of the most endangered ecosystems in the country. Diversion of water upstream of the park for use by the agricultural industry and the ever growing population of southern Florida has greatly reduced the volume of water flowing through the park, which in turn has had a significant impact on the flora and fauna of the park. Nutrient pollution and residual pesticides from agricultural runoff have also had a significant impact on the park’s ecosystem. Introduced species, such as the Burmese python, have also put stress on the system. And, since much of the Everglades is less than three feet above sea level, global warming and sea level rise threaten the very existence of the Everglades.

There are two main accesses to Everglades National Park. The Tamiami Trail (US Hwy 41) cuts across the northern part of park and southern part of the Big Cypress National Preserve, and gives access to the Shark Valley Visitor Center in the northern part of the park and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City. The southern part of the park is accessed from the Homestead and Florida City area via Florida Hwy 9336, which crosses the park and ends at the town of Flamingo on Florida Bay.

The Shark Valley and Gulf Coast parts of the park are well worth visiting, but if you only have a day to spend at the park, the southern section is more diverse and has more things to see and do than the other areas. Stop at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, just inside the park boundary, to get maps and information on the park and park activities, but don’t spend a lot of time there. Instead, head to the Royal Palm Visitor Center.

The guide books didn’t even come close to preparing us for what we found at Royal Palm. The first thing we noticed was that blue tarps covered many of the cars in the parking lot. It seems that the local Black Vultures, for some unexplained reason, are known to eat the weather stripping around car windshields. We dutifully covered our rental car with one of the park-provided tarps, though there were none of the car-eating vultures present. The visitor center is pretty much a standard issue national park center, but what’s outside will amaze you. Just outside the back door of the center is a large pond. The first thing we saw there was a large alligator, apparently asleep, only a few feet from the walkway. Yikes!

Sitting on a railing post next to the pond, a Double-crested Cormorant ignored the people walking within feet of it. Four or five Black Vultures stood a few feet off the trail looking more bored than threatening. Along the Anhinga Trail more alligators lounged within feet of the trail. One was actually laying part way onto the paved trail. We got close up views and photos of Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Little Blue Herons, Anhingas, White Ibis, Purple Gallinules, and many other birds along the trail. And in one water hole next to the trail, twenty or more alligators lazed together, maybe waiting for warmer weather (this was in February and it was unusually cold for south Florida). For a wildlife photographer, this place is paradise.

The other trail from the visitor center, the Gumbo Limbo Trail, takes you into a hardwood hammock. It’s less peopled and has fewer birds and other wildlife, but it is a nice, quiet walk and only takes a few minutes to do.

The sheer volume of birds and other wildlife at Royal Palm was astonishing, as was their total disregard for the people in their midst. No need for a long telephoto lens here.

Farther along the road to Flamingo, the Long Pine Key, Pahayokey Overlook, and Mahogany Hammock stops offer short hiking trails. Canoeing and kayaking opportunities are found at Nine Mile Pond and West Lake. You’ll also find a nice picnic area at Nine Mile Pond, and another at Paroutis Pond.

At Flamingo, get information on local area bird watching opportunities and check for ranger-led activities at the Flamingo Visitor Center. The center also has a small cafe where you can get sandwiches or a pizza. You can stock up on supplies at the Flamingo Marina Store next door. Manatees can often be found hanging out in the marina. A pair of Ospreys had built a nest on top of a pole at the marina when we were there, also. And you might catch a glimpse of the rare American Crocodile there. Ask at the visitor center if there have been an recent sightings and how to tell a crocodile from an alligator. The marina offers boat, canoe, and kayak rentals, and a 50 minute tour of the coastal area aboard a 30 passenger boat.

We had planned to take an air boat tour the next day in the Shark Valley area along the Tamiami Trail, but there was rain in the forecast for that day, and the air boats apparently don’t run in the rain. So, it was on to Plan B. That took us to the Shark Valley Visitor Center and a naturalist led tram ride to an observation tower about seven miles to the south. You can also rent bicycles at the visitor center, and we probably would have done that if the weather had been less threatening. But the two hour tram tour was informative and entertaining, and the ranger stopped at every available photo op.

Alligators at the Shark Valley observatory

We saw many more alligators at Shark Valley, specially around the observation tower, and many, many birds, including Wood Storks, Roseate Spoonbills, and Red-shouldered Hawks. No sharks, though. The name Shark Valley comes from the Shark River Slough that flows through the valley. Some sharks do come upstream to give birth in the slough, but not in the area of the visitor center.

We continued west from Shark Valley to Everglades City and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. This is the jumping off point for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands section of the gulf coast, and for paddling the 99 mile long Wilderness Waterway Trail. Naturalist-led boat tours can be arranged at the visitor center, and rangers lead bike and canoe tours between Christmas and Easter.

Anyone who has read Peter Matthiessen’s historical novel Killing Mister Watson will probably want to continue on past Everglades City to Chokoloskee. The book tells the story of Edgar J. Watson, a notorious, and probably murderous, real life character. Watson had never been convicted, but was suspected in many disappearances, and greatly feared. In 1910, on the beach next to the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee, more than twenty men from the local area gunned him down, claiming self defense. None of the men involved were ever charged with his killing. The Smallwood Store still stands, though it is a museum now.

If you’re a birder, wildlife photographer, nature lover, or just someone that likes to see places that are different from where you live, the Everglades will thrill you.

For more information about the park and the Everglades, go to the park website. And if you plan to visit Everglades National Park, no visit to south Florida is complete without paying the Florida Keys and Key West a visit.

Originally posted December 4, 2018 by Alan K. Lee. Most recently updated February 27, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Bern and Basel, Switzerland

When travelers think of Swiss cities, Bern and Basel probably don’t come immediately to mind. In fact, Rick Steves’ Switzerland guide book doesn’t even mention Basel. And even though Bern is the capital of Switzerland, it is not nearly as well known as Geneva, Zurich, and Lucerne. But both Bern and Basel have charming and interesting medieval city centers and are well worth exploring.

Basel is located on the Rhine River where the borders of Switzerland, Germany, and France meet. The city center straddles the river, and the city’s suburbs spill into both Germany and France. Bern is located on the Aare River midway between Geneva and Zurich, about 40 miles as the crow flies south of Basel .

BASEL

When my wife and I did a Rhine River cruise a number of years ago, Basel wasn’t really on our agenda. It was just the place where the cruise ended, where we would spend the night before extending our trip to the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Berner Oberland section of Switzerland.

Since our guide book didn’t cover Basel at all, we didn’t know quite what to expect. But, after disembarking the ship in the morning and taking a taxi to our hotel, we took advantage of having the rest of the day to explore the city.

We first headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art, part of the Kunstmuseum. On the way there we discovered an old section of the city (the St. Alban District) that is as picturesque and has all of the charm of the other medieval city centers we’ve visited, but with few tourists and no crowds.

After touring the museum, we spent the rest of the day sampling Swiss cuisine and exploring more of the city center, including Basel Cathedral (Basel Minster) and the Basel Town Hall (Rathaus), which has been the seat of government for 500 years. All in all, Basel was a delightful surprise, and a fitting end to our Rhine River cruise.

I later learned that Basel is considered by many to be the cultural heart of Switzerland. The Kunstmuseum (linked above), which opened in 1661, is the oldest public art museum in the world. The Museum of Contemprary Art is also the oldest contemporary art museum in Europe. And the and the University of Basel, founded in 1460, is the oldest university in Switzerland. Clearly, there is a lot of history here.

BERN

Bern also wasn’t really on our radar before the trip. After our stay in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, it was an overnight stop on our way back to Amsterdam and our flight home. But we had booked a hotel room in the old medieval city center, and had the afternoon and evening to explore the old town.

We wandered our way through the medieval center and down to the Aare River at the point of the peninsula that the old city is located on. The Aare is strikingly beautiful, colored turquoise blue by the glacial silt it carries. We lingered along river for a while before crossing the relatively new (built in 1840) high bridge (Nydeggbrucke) on our way to a couple of cold beers at the Altes Tramsdepot, a restaurant and pub housed in what was once a transit center.

The restaurant and the viewpoint next to it provide a good view of the river and the old city. And below, along the river, you can sometimes see brown bears, which are the symbol of Bern, in the Bear Park (Barenpark). The bears were not out and about when we were there, though.

Just downstream of the Nydeggbrucke, the older Untertorbrucke is a good vantage point to photograph the river and the high bridge. The current Untertorbrucke was constructed in 1489 to replace a wooden bridge built in 1256.

Back in the medieval city center (all of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), we visited the Bern Cathedral (Bern Minster) and the Swiss Assembly building (the Bundeshaus). On the grounds of the Bundeshaus we found a rock garden with rocks from places around the world that have Switzerland in their name or are somehow associated with Switzerland. The Wallowa Mountains in Oregon are often referred to as the “Switzerland of America,” and, sure enough, one of the rocks in the rock garden came from Joseph, Oregon.

The following morning we boarded a train for an all day journey back to Amsterdam, where we spent a few more days before flying back to Portland. The Rhine River cruise, our foray into Switzerland, and our exploration of Amsterdam were all quite incredible experiences. I just wish that we had been able to spend more time in Switzerland, including Bern and Basel. They are both very interesting cities and we barely scratched the surface of what is there for the visitor. I hope to return someday, and I think that most travelers will find even a brief visit to Bern or Basel as worthwhile as we did.

Originally posted February 27, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and reposted February 9, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland

It’s been almost a decade since my wife and I visited Switzerland, but the memories haven’t faded. One of the highlights of our visit was the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Berner Oberland section of central Switzerland. It is by any measure one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in the world.

We came to Switzerland after a Rhine River cruise that ended in Basel, Switzerland. From there we continued on to the small village of Murren, perched on the edge of the glacier carved Lauterbrunnen Valley, some 2300 feet above the valley floor.

Looking down on Murren from the Birg cable car station

To get there, we took a Swiss Rail train from Basel to Interlaken, then transferred to a local train that took us to the village of Lauterbrunnen where we boarded a cable-car lift that took us up the side of the valley. From the upper cable-car station it was a short 15 minute ride on a narrow gauge railway to Murren. If that all sounds a little complicated, it wasn’t. The train to Interlachen was direct with no stops. There was almost no layover in Interlachen. The cable car station in Lauterbrunnen is a short walk through a tunnel under the main street. The gondola was waiting for us in the station. The narrow gauge train at the top was there waiting for us to arrive. It all ran like the proverbial Swiss watch. It couldn’t have been easier.

You can also reach Murren by taking a local bus up the valley from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg. From there you can ride the lift that takes you first to the little village of Gimmelwald, then to Murren. From Murren it continues to the top of Schilthorn at an elevation 9744 feet. Gimmelwald is Rick Steves’ favorite village in the area, and it is certainly a picturesque and charming little village, but it’s tiny and accommodations are limited. Murren has many more lodging options and tourist services, but it is more crowded and very much a tourist town.

After getting settled in our hotel in Murren, we went for a hike above the village. Even though it was cloudy and none of the surrounding mountains were in view, the slopes of the valley are dotted with meadows and patches of forest, and are spectacularly beautiful. We hiked to Allmendhubel, where there is a children’s playground and a small cafe. Murren and Allmendhubel are connected by a funicular, but it was not running at the time. The trail to Allmendhubel passes a restaurant and inn called Sonnenberg. And not far from there is the Pension Suppenlap, another inn and restaurant. Both are high above Murren. There is a service road to them, but it is not open to the public. The only way to get to them is to walk. (Murren also has no public vehicular access.)

The meadows above Murren are grazed by cattle in the summer. Local farmers have huts (called alps) at various heights above the valley floor. The alps are manned by a team that tends the cattle and turns the milk produced into the local cheese. Each alp also has a herd of pigs that are fed the leftovers from the cheese making process. In the fall the farmers move their livestock down to the valley floor, sometimes in bad weather by the same gondola that transports the summer tourists.

Jungfrau Massive viewed from near Murren

Across the valley from Murren are the peaks of the Jungfrau Massive – the famous Eiger, Monch in the center, and the highest, Jungfrau. They were in the clouds the day we arrived, but the following morning the sun was shining and the three mountains were there in all their glory. Quite a sight, to say the least.

Schilthorn cable-car approaching the Birg station

We rode the cable-car from Murren up to the top of Schilthorn that morning. The first leg of the ride takes you to the Birg station where you transfer to another gondola that takes you to the top of Schilthorn. At Birg there is a walkway out over the edge of the cliff where you can look straight down through the grated floor hundreds of feet to the rocks below.

At the Schilthorn summit there is a revolving restaurant and viewing platform with panoramic views east across the valley to Jungrau, Monch, and Eiger, south and west to a seemingly endless expanse of mountain peaks, and to Lake Thun and the town of Thun to the north. Part of the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed at the top of Schilthorn and the there is a Bond World 007 exhibit and theater there that’s at least worth a quick visit.

That afternoon we took the cable-car down to the valley floor. A short bus ride took us to Trummelbach Falls. It’s hard to describe just how amazing this waterfall is. It’s actually a series of ten cascades, or chutes, inside the cliff face. The top and bottom of the falls are narrow slot canyons only a few feet wide, and the central part is completely within the mountain. From the bottom an elevator takes you up inside the mountain to a series of walkways, tunnels, and stairs that follow the cascades through the caves and slot canyons. Even in mid-summer when we were there the volume of water blasting through the mountain was awe inspiring. There just isn’t anything like this anywhere else in the world, as far as I know. It’s certainly the most incredible waterfall I’ve ever seen. You simply can’t capture the magic of this place with a camera. You have to see it to understand how truly mind boggling it really is.

Lauterbrunnen is a short bus ride from Trummelbach. It’s bisected by a busy road and crowded with tourists, but has a few good pubs and restaurants. It would be just another tourist town if it weren’t located where it is. The town is crowded up against the thousand foot high vertical wall of the valley. On the other side of the Weisse Lutschine River the eastern wall of the valley rises to the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau peaks. A half mile from the town, and visible from almost everywhere in the valley, Staubbach Falls cascades 974 feet down the canyon wall. And there are many other waterfalls lining both sides of the valley. Did I say this place is spectacularly beautiful?

The next morning we rode the train and lift down to Lauterbrunnen, then took the electric powered cog railway through Wengen and on up (way up) to Jungfraujoch, between the Jungfrau and Monch peaks, via a tunnel through the interior of the Eiger and Monch. Jungfraujoch, at an elevation of about 11,300 feet, is the highest train station in Europe. Mountain climbing by train! It’s hard to believe that the rail line was built more than a hundred years ago. It was cold, windy, and blindingly bright at the top, but magnificent. I probably took 150 photos that morning. Very, very cool place.

On the way down from Jungfraujoch we stopped at the Kleine Scheidegg station for lunch, then got on the wrong train. We wound up going to Grindelwald instead of Lauterbrunnen, but it was a very scenic wrong turn. From Grindelwald the train took us back to Interlaken. We then took another train back to Lauterbrunnen.

We left the next morning, but reluctantly. We could easily have spent a week or more there and not run out of things to do and see. For one thing, it is an absolute hikers paradise, and we did only that one relatively short hike to Allmenhubel. I hope to return someday when I can more fully explore this incredible area. It’s truly one of the most beautiful places in the world.

From Lautenbrunnen we travelled to Bern and then to Basel before returning home. Both are well worth visiting. Click here to view my post on Bern and Basel.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, June 8, 2019

Updated and re-posted March 6, 2021 and January 31, 2024

All photos © Alan K. Lee

New Orleans

New Orleans. NOLA. The Big Easy. No matter what you call it, and no matter where your interests lie, the city has something for you. Food, drink, music, art, history, architecture, parks, festivals, cemeteries, voodoo, river boats, streetcars, endless parties, you name it. New Orleans has it all. In abundance.

The city’s identity has been forged from many roots – French, American, African American, Native American, Haitian, and more. And those roots have produced many branches and have blossomed into something truly unique.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to New Orleans, but the ten days or so that my wife and I spent there left an indelible imprint on my psyche. The food, the music, the arts, the people. There is simply no place else like it in the U.S. Probably no place in the world.

We spent our first day in New Orleans just wandering around the French Quarter with no agenda. We almost always allow ourselves time in a new city just to explore at random. We’ve had many memorable experiences that we would never have had if we had stuck to the guide book recommendations. But don’t throw away the guide books, either. Their recommendations are there for a reason.

That first night, we wandered over to Bourbon Street to see what that is all about. We had a great time and we came back again another night. And, by all means, if you’re visiting New Orleans for the first time, venture into the French Quarter after dark and take in that giant street party. Get your Hurricane in a go cup and wander the street. Take in some of the live music, mingle with the other tourists, have another Hurricane, dance the night away. Get it all out of your system. But don’t think that’s the real New Orleans. Bourbon Street is the Disneyland version of the Big Easy.

So, how to experience the real New Orleans? Well, you probably have to spend a year or two there to really get to know the city. It’s a complex place. But if you don’t have that kind of time, my first recommendation would be to find a place to stay in the French Quarter. It’s the historic center of the city and the city’s cultural heart. Most of what you’ll probably want to see and do you’ll find either in French Quarter itself or close by.

My wife and I stayed at a boutique hotel (I’ve forgotten its name) near the river, across the street from the House of Blues, for the first part of our stay. As I recall, it was a very nice and quite affordable place. But after a few days there, the hotel had some sort of plumbing system problem, necessitating our move to the Hotel Monteleone on Royal Street for the second part of our visit. The Monteleone turned out to be one of the better hotels we’ve stayed in, but there are plenty of other places to stay in the French Quarter. Check the French Quarter website for recommendations.

Since my wife and I are both art lovers, another thing that we always do in a new city is spend at least some time exploring the local arts scene. Sometimes that just entails visiting local museums and art galleries. But we also seek out local artists and art related events when we can. The New Orleans Museum of Art , located in City Park, and the adjacent Besthoff Sculpture Garden were two of our first stops, along with a number of galleries in the French Quarter. But we also took in an arts and crafts fair in Mickey Markey Park in the Bywater neighborhood, about a mile east of the French Quarter, where we met several local artists.

I won’t spend much time here trying to give you a guide to the French Quarter. There are plenty of guide books and online guides that will do a better job than I can. But there are tons of things to see and do in the Vieux Carre and you could spend your entire visit there and not get bored. Plan to spend at least a full day, and preferably a couple of days, exploring the French Quarter on your visit.

But if you really want to sample what New Orleans has to offer, and have the time, I recommend that you also go beyond the French Quarter. Visit City Park and Audubon Park. Take a walk through the Garden District. Take the ferry across the river to the Algiers neighborhood. Visit one of the city’s famous cemeteries. Take a cruise on the Mississippi in a paddle wheeler. Check out the Treme and Marigny neighborhoods. Even go beyond the city itself and take a swamp tour or a plantation tour.

We spent one afternoon exploring the Algiers neighborhood across the river from the French Quarter. Take the ferry from the terminal at the foot of Canal Street. It’s a short but scenic ride and Algiers is an interesting place. Check out the Jazz Walk of Fame next to the ferry terminal. Take a walk along the levy on the Mississippi River Trail. Stop in at one of Algiers many restaurants and bars, such as the Dry Dock Cafe, the Old Point Bar, Tout de Suite Cafe, or the Crown and Anchor English Pub. And just walk around the neighborhood. As I said, it’s an interesting place, full of beautiful old houses and impressive buildings.

Touring one of the city’s many cemeteries turned out to be one of the more interesting things we did on our visit. Because the land New Orleans is built on was originally a swamp, and much of it is below sea level, the dead are not buried in the ground, but are interred in above ground crypts or tombs.

When we were there, we were warned that some of the cemeteries were dangerous places to visit and should be avoided. That may have changed, but check before you venture into any of the city’s cemeteries. There are organized cemetery tours that you can take, but we preferred to go on our own. One of the cemeteries that was said to be safe, and the one we visited, was St. Patrick Cemetery No. 1, on Canal Street near the end of the streetcar line.

Many of the tombs there are large, elaborate, and impressive, holding the remains of many generations of the same family. The larger and more ornate ones are generally well kept up, but many of the others have not been maintained and are crumbling. Many are just ruins, empty and abandoned. One has to wonder what became of the bodies.

Visiting some of the city’s parks also turned out to be one of the more worthwhile ways we found to spend our time. There are a number of parks in the city that are worth a visit. Jackson Square in the French Quarter, and Louis Armstrong Park, on Rampart Street in the Treme neighborhood adjacent to the Quarter, should be on everyone’s agenda.

City Park , about two miles north of the French Quarter, and Audubon Park, a couple of miles west of the Quarter, both have attractions for the whole family. Besides being home to the New Orleans Museum of Art, City Park is also home to the Louisiana Children’s Museum, a short walk from NOMA, and the New Orleans Botanical Garden. And Audubon Park is home to both a zoo and an aquarium. Both parks also feature nature trails, beautiful ponds, magnificent live oaks draped in Spanish moss, and many other attractions. Both City Park and Audubon Park are easily reached from the French Quarter by the city’s streetcar lines.

Think of New Orleans and Mardi Gras is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in Louisiana since at least 1699, before the founding of New Orleans. It is celebrated in many other communities, but the New Orleans festivities are the quintessential Mardi Gras celebrations. We were there a week or two after the end of Mardi Gras, so I can’t give you an eye witness account of what Mardi Gras is actually like. But it is a festival that I would like to experience some day.

The other New Orleans festival that I would dearly love to take in is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, held each year in late April and early May. This may actually be a bigger tourist draw than Mardi Gras. As many as 650,000 people have attended in past years.

Music is an essential component of the spirit of the Big Easy. Whether it’s traditional Cajun fiddle tunes, blues, jazz, swamp rock, zydeco, country, or a fusion of some or all of those genres, music permeates the city. Street performers are a common sight in the French Quarter any time of the day or night. And there are probably hundreds of clubs throughout the city offering live performances late into the night, every night. Take in as much of the music as you can while you’re there because it’s such a vital component of the city’s spirit.

There’s plenty of music to be heard on Bourbon Street, but there are more authentic venues elsewhere. Preservation Hall, in the French Quarter, is probably the most famous. Tipitina’s, on Napolean Avenue about a mile and a half west of the French Quarter, might be the most highly regarded club. The Spotted Cat Music Club, the Blue Nile, and d.b.a., all on Frenchmen Street in the Marigny, are three of the most highly regarded clubs. Le Bon Temps Roule, near Tipitina’s, and Chickie Wah Wah, on Canal Street in Mid-city, are a couple of other well regarded venues. In the French Quarter, check out One Eyed Jack’s.

Like music, the cuisine of New Orleans is one the city’s defining features. I fell in love with the food when we were there, and gumbo and jambalaya have become mainstays in my home kitchen. The Foodies Guide to New Orleans website will give you a good overview of the city’s culinary offerings. The people of New Orleans are passionate about their food and anyone you talk to will probably be happy to steer you to some great places to eat. Or you can book one of the many food tours that are available.

The food scene has probably changed a lot since we were there, but there are some iconic New Orleans eateries that you might want to check out. The Cafe du Monde in the French Market is one of those. It’s been a New Orleans institution since 1862. Go for the beignets and the coffee with chicory because that’s about all they serve. And go early. You’ll probably still have to wait in line to get in, but it’s an iconic New Orleans experience that shouldn’t be missed. And dinner at Antoine’s was a highlight of our stay. Antoine’s has been in existence even longer than the Cafe du Monde. They’ve been serving French Creole food in the same location since 1840. There’s no place in New Orleans more steeped in history than Antoine’s.

And then there’s voodoo. Personally, I have no interest in voodoo, but it’s another unique component of the culture and you can’t ignore it completely if you want to get the full New Orleans experience. You might just want to stop in at one of the many shops in the French Quarter selling voodoo related trinkets. Or maybe delve deeper into the history and practice of voodoo by visiting the Voodoo Museum or taking a voodoo tour.

New Orleans can’t be adequately described in words or pictures by any means. It really has to be experienced. It blends the Old South charm of places like Charleston and Savannah with the party atmosphere of places like Key West, and mixes in a whole lot more to boot. You should make the pilgrimage to the Big Easy at least once in your life. You won’t regret it.

Originally posted January 9, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted January 10, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Rocky Mountain National Park

Overview

Rocky Mountain National Park in northern Colorado is without question one of the most scenic places I have ever been. Its mountains, lakes, meadows, waterfalls, rivers, and forests rival those of Glacier National Park, the Canadian Rockies, and the Teton Range. And its vast tracks of alpine tundra above the timberline and its 14,000-foot peaks make it unique. All of that, and its proximity to the Denver metropolitan area, make it one of the most visited national parks in the country.

I had the pleasure of visiting the park last August (2023) with my wife at the beginning of our tour of the Colorado Rockies that also took us to Breckenridge, Leadville, Aspen, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa, Royal Gorge, Pueblo, and Colorado Springs. We ended our tour at the Garden of the Gods, an incredibly beautiful collection of rock spires that is another of the most scenic spots I’ve ever visited.

The popularity of Rocky Mountain National Park has led to overcrowding in the past. To limit the number of visitors, the park has instituted timed entry permits, which are needed to visit both the Bear Lake area of the park and to access Trail Ridge Road, which takes you through the high-altitude country along the continental divide. The permits can be obtained through the park website but go quickly.

View from Alpine Visitor Center, Trail Ridge Road

On the first day of each month during the summer tourist season, the park opens the sale of permits for the following month. We had already made reservations for lodging in Estes Park, as well as our flight to Denver and our car rental before the entry permits for the days in August that we planned to visit were available. So, my wife got on the web early on July 1 to ensure that we got permits for our desired days, which she was able to obtain. Otherwise, we would have been scrambling to change our plans.

Estes Park

The town of Estes Park, located just outside the eastern boundary of the park, is the gateway to the park and an ideal base for exploring the park. It is a tourist town, to be sure, with at least some of the negatives that being one brings. But it also has enough appeal to make spending a whole day there an enjoyable start to your trip. We had fun exploring the compact downtown area with its many cafes, bars, art galleries, and shops. The Riverwalk along the Big Thompson River and Estes Lake is pretty, and many of the downtown businesses can be accessed from both the main street and the Riverwalk.

At an elevation of 7500 feet, Estes Park is also a good place to spend a couple of days acclimating to the altitude. If, like us, you live near sea level, giving yourself a few days to get used to the lesser oxygen content of the atmosphere is definitely something that you should consider doing. We didn’t, but we paid a bit of a price for not doing so, too.

Bear Lake Area

Our first full day in the Rockies was spent in the Bear Lake area of Rocky Mountain National Park. Having a timed entry permit doesn’t mean you’ll find a parking spot at Bear Lake, so we opted to park in the park-and-ride lot a few miles past the entry station and ride the shuttle up to the lake. The shuttles run frequently and the trip is short – 15 minutes, maybe. So, if you don’t get on the first shuttle, another will be along soon.

We did three hikes that day. The first, a short, almost flat 0.8-mile loop around Bear Lake, was a good start. Bear Lake is at almost 9500 feet, so the air was noticeably thinner than even at Estes Park. But we took it slow, soaking up the scenery and taking lots of photos.

Our second hike was longer, about two miles, and took us to Alberta Falls. The trail descends about 300 feet from Bear Lake to Tyndall Creek, then climbs to the falls on Glacier Creek. We took a shortcut on the return trip by hiking down to the Glacier Gorge trailhead and riding the shuttle back to up Bear Lake rather than hiking back up the hill.

Our third hike was the 2.5-mile out and back hike up to the aptly named Dream Lake at just under 10,000 feet. We were feeling the altitude by the time we got to the lake. We spent quite a bit of time at the lake resting and taking in the absolutely gorgeous setting. Emerald Lake is only about a third of a mile from Dream Lake, and possibly even more beautiful, but I was gassed by then, so we turned around at the head of the lake and returned to Bear Lake and picked up a shuttle ride back to our SUV.

On our way back to Estes Park we took a side trip to Moraine Park, a glacier-carved valley on the Big Thompson Reservoir lined by steep ridges to the north and south. Moraine Park was once home to a resort and golf course but has been restored to its natural state of meadow and marshland. Moraine Park is known for its elk and other wildlife, but the elk were nowhere to be seen when we were there.

Trail Ridge Road

The next morning, we packed up and headed for the high country of Trail Ridge Road. Much of the drive is above timberline. The high point of the drive is at almost 12,200 feet.

We first stopped at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. From there, the road climbs steadily to Many Parks Curve Overlook, where you look down almost 1500 feet to Beaver Meadows and Moraine Park in the distance. At Rainbow Curve Overlook you look down on Fall River Valley, 2200 feet below you.

We stopped at Rock Cut and did a short hike at an elevation of 12,150 feet. It had to be short because just walking around at that elevation was enough to make both of us lightheaded. But, my God, what incredible scenery.

I can say with confidence that Trail Ridge Road is one of the most beautiful drives on the planet. Just awesome.

Coming down off Trail Ridge we stopped on the continental divide at Milner Pass (at 10,759 feet you actually come down in elevation from Trail Ridge to the divide). We did a short walk there along the shore of Poudre Lake and, of course, took a photo of the continental divide sign before heading south.

Upper Colorado River

The headwaters of the Colorado River lay just northwest of Milner Pass. We stopped in Coyote Valley, where we did another short hike (about 1¼ miles) along the upper reaches of the river, which at that point is just an easily wadable creek.

Conclusion

We exited the park that afternoon at Grand Lake, with some regrets that we didn’t plan for more time in the park. Two days weren’t enough. It was a pretty grand two days, but we missed a lot of what the park has to offer. I’m hopeful that we will be back someday, maybe as part of a longer Rocky Mountain adventure. I’m up for a return trip Rocky Mountain National Park, and to the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier, too. I don’t know if that will happen, there are so many places that we’ve never been to, but the dream is there, and why wouldn’t it be?

Posted November 16, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos ©Alan K. Lee

Garden of the Gods, Colorado

Garden of the Gods

Introduction

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs on our trip to Colorado last summer (2023). The park is an unbelievably beautiful collection of soaring rock formations that, in my opinion, is truly worthy of national park status. But in fact, it is a Colorado Springs city park, not a national park. But it’s one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring city parks you’ll find anywhere in the world. And to top it off, admission is free.

Geology

What is now the Garden of the Gods was a shallow inland sea 250 million years ago. When the sea evaporated, it left behind sand that formed dunes, which were in turn buried and compacted, forming layers of red sandstone. The uplift of the Rocky Mountains tilted the sandstone layers nearly vertically. Glacial erosion during the Pleistocene Ice Age sculpted the soaring spires of the present-day.

History

There is archaeological evidence of indigenous people’s use of the area dating to at least 1330 BCE. But native people’s presence in the area almost certainly predates that by centuries if not millennia. European presence dates to early Spanish explorers in the 16^th century, followed later by French and American fur trappers in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The area became part of the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1859, Colorado City was founded and later became the capital of the Colorado Territory before the capital was moved first to Golden, then Denver. Colorado Springs was founded in 1871 just east of what became known as Old Colorado City. Colorado Springs grew rapidly and eventually Old Colorado City became incorporated into the growing city, and is now a neighborhood west of downtown Colorado Springs.

The Park

In 1879 Charles Perkins purchased 480 acres of what is now the Garden of the Gods. After his death in 1907, his family donated the land to the City of Colorado Springs with the provision that it be a free public park. Garden of the Gods Park was created in 1909 and more than 110 years later the park remains open to the public free of admission.

Today the park spans 1341 acres of the Garden of the Gods and the adjacent Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site. In 1971, 862 acres of the park was designated a National Natural Landmark.

The Visitor and Nature Center, located on W. 30th Street across from the park entrance road, is a great place to begin your visit. It includes an information center staffed by park employees, 30 educational exhibits, and a theater that shows a film about the park every twenty minutes.

The park is very popular and parking can be a problem, but there is also a large overflow parking area just west of 30^th Street if the visitor center parking lot is full. There is a pedestrian tunnel under 30^th Street to get from the overflow lot to the visitor center. The park also operates a free shuttle bus in the summer that runs from the visitor center to the center of the park with stops at the overflow parking area and the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.

The twenty-one miles of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails that wind through the spires, the numerous rock-climbing routes, and the abundant wildlife, not to mention the incredible rock formations, make the Garden of the Gods an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. More than 130 species of birds can be seen in the park. Mule deer, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and red foxes also inhabit the park.

For more information on the park, go to the Garden of the Gods website.

Conclusion

Garden of the Gods is one of the highlights, and truly a must see, of any visit to Colorado. I had seen photos of the Garden’s rock formations, but those didn’t convey just how spectacular and how awesome the rock formations are (nor do the photos here). You have to see them in person to fully appreciate what a magnificent place Garden of the Gods really is.

Look for an upcoming post featuring Rocky Mountain National Park for more on our Colorado trip.

Posted November 8, 2023 by Alan K. Lee

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Key West and the Florida Keys

We all need to get away from home on occasion, sometimes far away, and the Florida Keys are about as far from the Pacific Northwest as you can get and still be in one of the fifty U.S. states – Honolulu is closer to Seattle than Key West is. And the Keys make for a great winter getaway. My wife and I had a great time in Key West on our only visit and I would love to return to someday.

The following was originally posted on this site a couple of years ago. I checked all of the links, but things can change, so check the Keys News website for current information if you’re contemplating a visit in the near future.

If you are thinking about a visit to Key West, the first thing you should do is track down a copy of Jon Breakfield’s book “Key West: Tequila, a Pinch of Salt and a Quirky Slice of America.” Breakfield and his wife were living in Scotland and took a winter vacation to Key West one year. Two days into their visit they decided not to go back to Scotland. Breakfield’s book is an absolutely hilarious account of their first year in Key West. It’s also a good introduction to the Key West culture and works as a weird sort of travel guide. After reading the book, you’ll probably want to visit The Bull, a bar on Duval Street, and the Whistle Bar, which occupies the floor above. The Whistle Bar has a wrap around veranda that is one of the best people watching perches in Key West. Both figure prominently in the book. And if you’re really adventurous, you might even want to venture up one more flight to the clothing optional rooftop bar called The Garden of Eden.

Key West is a quirky place, and nothing exemplifies that better than the city’s tongue in check secession from the United States in 1982. After the Border Patrol set up a roadblock on the highway between Key Largo and Miami (to stem the flow of drugs into the country via the Keys), creating huge traffic backups and inhibiting island residents from commuting to jobs on the mainland, the mayor and city council of Key West decided that if the Border Patrol was going to treat them like they were a foreign country by setting up a de facto border crossing station, they would become one. Thus was born the Conch Republic. The move was pure political theater (the mayor “surrendered” to the commander of the naval air station at Key West the day after declaring the Conch Republic’s independence), but it resonated with the anti-establishment sentiment common among island residents, and the spirit of the Conch Republic persists to this day.

Duval Street is the main drag in Key West. It’s lined with bars and restaurants, galleries, gift shops, and much more. You can eat your way down one side of the street and drink your way back up the other, if you’re so inclined. You’ll probably meet fifty other tourists for every local, but everyone will be having a good time and you won’t care that it’s not the real Key West.

Besides Duval Street, another major tourist draw is Mallory Square and the daily Sunset Celebration. Key West is known for its sunsets and didn’t disappoint on our visit. And every evening about two hours before sunset dozens of artists, crafters, food vendors, and street performers of every stripe congregate at Mallory Square to hawk whatever it is they’re selling to the tourists gathered there to watch the sunset. It’s weird, wild, and enormously entertaining. And then there’s a beautiful sunset to cap it all off.

Key West has plenty of places of interest beyond Duval Street and Mallory Square, too. The Hemingway House is another major tourist draw. Get there early if you’re going or buy your tickets online. The line was around the block both times we thought about taking a look. The Audubon House, Key West Lighthouse Museum, Eco-Discovery Center , Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park , the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, and the Key West Aquarium are all worth a visit.

If you just want to hang out at the beach, Fort Zach Park has a nice swimming beach (with an adjacent bar). South Beach at the end of Duval Street also has a beach bar and grill. Higgs Beach is four or five blocks east and has a nice beach for sunbathing and swimming. And across the street, Astro City Playground is a fun place for kids to play. To the east of Higgs Beach are C.B. Harvey Memorial Rest Beach (no bar or other amenities) and Smathers Beach. Dog Beach, a couple of blocks east of South Beach, is literally for the dogs – a dog friendly, off leash park.

Key West has dozens of fine restaurants. All of the places we dined at were excellent. We had a couple of great breakfasts at a place called Camille’s Cafe, but it appears to be closed. Blue Heaven, Cafe Sole, and a Cuban restaurant called El Siboney all had excellent food. We also lunched at a couple of Duval Street eateries (whose names I’ve forgotten) that were very good. The Lobster Shack, The Flaming Bouy, Louie’s Backyard, Sarabeth’s Kitchen, Santiago’s Bodega (tapas), Cafe Marquesa, The Cafe (vegetarian), Ambrosia (Japanese), and B.O.’s Fish Wagon (fresh and very affordable seafood) are all highly rated, also.

Nature lovers will want to check out Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservancy, Indigenous Park, Key West Nature Preserve, and Key West Wildlife Center.

If you’re interested in fishing, Trip Advisor lists more than two dozen fishing charters and tours. If scuba diving is your thing, Finz Dive Center, Captain’s Corner Dive Center, and Lost Reef Adventures all offer diving tours and are highly rated.

Tourism drives Key West’s economy and there is no shortage of available accommodations , from luxury resorts to whole house rentals to budget motels and inexpensive Airbnb rentals. We went the Airbnb route and found a reasonably affordable room in Old Town. But the closer to the historic district and Duval Street, the more expensive the accommodations become, and the longer ahead that you will need to make reservations. It’s an advantage to stay within walking distance of Old Town, as parking is limited, but if you have a car and don’t mind spending some time looking for a place to park, staying in the New Town section or on Stock Island can save you some money. Key West is bicycle friendly, has a public transit system, and taxis are readily available (some with bicycle racks), so driving into Old Town is not strictly necessary, even if you are not staying close by. Uber and Lyft are also options.

The bottom line is there are as many reasons to visit Key West as there are tourists visiting. It’s a great party town and a great place to lounge on the beach and soak up the sunshine, but it’s much more than just that. Key West is soaked in history, has a great food scene, has great fishing and diving, and is located in an incredibly beautiful natural setting.

The other Florida Keys have their own attractions, too, and the drive from Miami to Key West is an attraction on its own.

Key Largo is the closest of the keys to the mainland and many of the residents commute to the mainland, but it has many attractions that draw travelers, too. It’s the self-proclaimed “dive capital of the world” and home to the world’s largest artificial reef, among other attractions. If fishing is your thing, Islamorada bills itself as the “sport-fishing capital of the world.”

There were a number of other interesting places in the Keys that we stopped at on our way to and from Key West. One of those was the National Key Deer Refuge on Sugarloaf Key. Key deer are tiny – not much bigger than a German shepherd. Another stop we made was Bahia Honda State Park, which has a nice swimming beach and clear waters in multiple hues of blue.

The Overseas Highway through the Keys is an engineering marvel and driving it is an amazing journey, even if you don’t stop at any of the Keys along the way. The Seven Mile Bridge itself is one of the main attractions in the Keys.

If you’re contemplating a visit, flying to Key West is an option, but I’d do as we did – fly to Miami or Fort Lauderdale, rent a car, and drive the Overseas Highway. Visit the other Keys and go diving, snorkeling, fishing, or just find an uncrowded beach and soak up the sunshine away from the crowds. And, of course, take in Key West and all it has to offer. You won’t regret it. And while you’re in Florida, the Everglades are only a short drive from Miami.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee on August 10, 2018. Updated with Covid-19 info December 14, 2020. Updated and expanded September 15, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Isle of Man

Even though my only visit to the Isle of Man came almost twenty years ago, at the end of an almost month-long vacation to Scotland and England’s Lake District, the three days we spent on the Isle of man were memorable.

The Isle of Man lies in the Irish Sea, halfway between Liverpool and Belfast. My sister in law had visited the island previously and thought we would like it, so my wife and I added it to the itinerary for our 2006 trip to England and Scotland. And I’m glad we did. The Isle of Man is a very interesting and charming place, and certainly one of the most unique places that we have visited in our travels.

Not quite an independent country, the Isle of Man is officially a Protectorate of the United Kingdom. The UK is responsible for the island’s defense and representing the island in international affairs. But the Isle of Man is not actually a part of the United Kingdom. The island’s parliament, which has been in existence since the 10th century, governs all domestic matters, and the island has its own legal and political systems and its own currency. (The British Pound is also legal tender on the Isle of Man, but the reverse is not true, as I found out when I accidentally tried to pay a bar tab back in England with an Isle of Man £20 note. The barkeep was not amused, to say the least.)

Getting to the island is relatively easy. It is no more than a 30 minute flight from any major city in the UK or Ireland. We, however, traveled to the island by passenger ferry from Heysham, England, which takes about two and a half hours. Ferries from Heysham and Liverpool run year round. In the summer months, there are also ferries from Belfast and Dublin to Douglas, the capital and largest city on the island.

Getting around on the Isle of Man is also easy. There is a government run bus system that covers the entire island. And since it is a small island, only roughly 300 square miles in size, all of the towns on the island are within about twenty miles of each other. There is also steam powered railroad running between Douglas and Port Erin in the south, and an electric railway running between Douglas and Ramsey in the north. And there is even an electric railway running to the summit of Snaefel, the highest peak on the island.

We stayed in Douglas and spent most of our time on the island exploring the city, but we also ventured to Peele, on the west coast, by double-decker bus, and to Port Erin by the steam train. Neither of us had ever ridden in a double-decker, and the train was one of a kind. I’m not sure which was more fun, riding in the front seat of the upper deck on the bus, or riding the little steam train on its leisurely journey to Port Erin.

On our train ride we met a local gentleman who was happy to pass on some of his knowledge of the island and its history. We found the Manx people to be friendly and welcoming.

The Isle of Man has an interesting history. It has been ruled by the Celts and the Vikings, and it has, at various times, been part of Norway, Scotland, and England. But the Manx people have a strong sense of their own identity and have managed to maintain that identity for more than a millennia, regardless of who ruled the island. Tynwald, the Isle of Man parliament, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the world. And human occupation of the island goes back to at least 6500 BC.

The Isle of Man is known for the short-tailed Manx breed of cats. The island is also the home of a four- and sometimes six-horned breed of sheep, and a population of red-necked wallaby, which have become established on the island after escaping from a wildlife park. We saw many of the odd looking sheep, but no cats or wallabies, sorry to say.

Motor sports fans know the island for the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy motorcycle races. For two weeks in May or June, the island becomes one giant racetrack. The TT, as it’s known, was first held in 1907, and is probably the most famous motorcycle race in the world today.

The Isle of Man was a popular tourist destination for a good part of the 20th century. But the advent of cheap flights from Great Britain to southern Europe led to a significant decline in the tourist industry. Today, the economy of the island revolves around banking, insurance, online gaming, and information technology.

While the Isle of Man might not be a tourist destination in its own right, at least for those of us from North America, we thoroughly enjoyed our time there, and I would like to go back someday. It has been some time since we visited, but given the island’s long history, I doubt that its essential character has changed much over the past seventeen years. I’m sure it remains a worthy addition to any trip to Great Britain or Ireland.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, December 4, 2020. Updated and re-posted August 28, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Isle of Skye is often described as magical or mystical, and having been there I understand why. It’s beautiful, wild, and unforgettable.

The Isle of Skye was one of the highlights of the trip my wife and I took to Scotland back in 2006, and even though it has been more than fifteen years since our visit, the memory of our visit hasn’t faded. (One of the other highlights of that trip was our visit to Edinburgh.)

The Isle of Skye is both remote and at the same time the most accessible of the Hebrides Islands thanks to the Skye Bridge connecting the island to mainland Scotland. Getting to and getting around the Isle of Skye is relatively easy even if you don’t rent a car. There’s no rail service to the island, but buses run daily from both Glasgow and Inverness, and there is a local bus serving the island villages.

The local bus won’t get you to the more remote parts of the island, but if you want to explore the island’s outer reaches, there are bus tours available from a variety of operators. And there are many boat trips that will give you a different perspective on the island, take you to other nearby islands, and possibly give you an up close look at some of the marine mammals and birds that inhabit the islands.

Dunvegan Castle (sourced from Wikimedia Commons and credited to bea y frida)

We had a rental car, and driving on Skye’s many one lane (single track) roads was something of an adventure at times, but we had no misadventures. We spent most of our time on the island exploring the north and west coasts. Highlights of our tour include Kilt Rock, Neist Point, and Dunvegan Castle , the oldest continuously occupied castle in Scotland and the ancestral home of Clan MacLeod.

Another highlight for me was the many sweeping vistas of the open fields and farmhouses, and the rocky shores of the island. I tried to capture some of the magnificence of those views, but no photo can do justice to the breadth and scope of the scenery to be had there. It has to be experienced in person.

While on the island, we stayed at the White Heather Hotel on the harbor in the town of Kyleakin, just across the Skye Bridge from the mainland. The hotel markets itself as a small hotel with the hominess and personal service of a bed and breakfast. We found the staff to be friendly and helpful, and our room was clean, nicely furnished, and more than adequate for our needs

Ruins of Castle Maol silhouetted against the setting sun

We found the White Heather to be a great base for our exploration of the island, but there are many other hotels and guest houses on the island. Check the Isle of Skye Visitor Guide for a full listing of available accommodations.

Portree, on the east coast of the island, would also make a good base your explorations. It is the island’s largest village (population 2500) and there are numerous hotels and other accommodations to choose from. It’s also more centrally located than Kyleakin. The town of Dunvegan, in the northwest part of the island, is another popular base of operations.

I have no hesitation in recommending the Isle of Skye as a destination that should be on your bucket list. It’s a wonderful place and Scotland as a whole was a great place to start our explorations in Europe. Scotland is both different enough from the U.S. to be interesting and a bit exotic and alike enough to be comfortable and inviting.

We didn’t get to see all Skye has to offer in our short stay, and I would love to go back and explore the island further. But a big part of the allure of travel, for us at least, is exploring new places and new cultures, and there are so many other places that we have not yet visited that we may never make it back to Skye. But I will always treasure our visit and will never forget either the island or its people.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, October 3, 2020. Updated and re-posted August 1, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh

The City

When my wife and I were planning our first trip to Europe, Scotland was the destination we settled on, and we were not disappointed. Beautiful wild lands, castles everywhere, friendly people, 1500 years (or more) of history – that trip had everything. And Edinburgh was where we spent the most time. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and the historic heart of the country. It’s a beautiful and fascinating city, and no visit to Scotland is complete without spending at least a day or two in Edinburgh.

That trip was more than 15 years ago and some things may have changed greatly since then, so I won’t go into much detail as to what to do, where to stay, where to eat, what things cost, and so forth. But there’s much to Edinburgh that is timeless, and undoubtedly has not changed in the years since our visit.

Central Edinburgh is divided into the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town includes Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Royal Mile connecting the two, and the area to the south. The New Town stretches from Princes Street Gardens, directly below the Castle, to Queen Street Gardens and the adjacent area to the north. The Old Town is the historic center of Edinburgh, and also the site of the present-day Parliament. As far as the New Town goes, new is a relative term since construction of the New Town began in the 1760s.

Both the Old Town and the New Town have their charms, and both deserve at least some of your attention. We spent most of our four days in Edinburgh exploring the Old Town, so I’ll focus on that part of the city.

Edinburgh Castle

Built atop a volcanic outcropping called, appropriately enough, Castle Rock, Edinburgh Castle dominates the skyline of the city. The first castle on Castle Rock is thought to have been built in the 12th century, but none of that structure remains. The oldest remaining structure in the Castle is St. Margaret’s Chapel, dating to the mid 13th century. Most of the other remaining structure dates to the 16th century or later.

At the Castle, history and legend abound. You can visit the Great Hall, where the Scottish Parliament once convened, and Queen Mary’s Bedroom, where Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI. You can see the Scottish Crown Jewels in the Crown Chamber, tour the French Prisons, and see the huge five-ton cannon known as Mons Meg. Plan to spend several hours at a minimum exploring the Castle.

The Royal Mile

The Royal Mile begins at Edinburgh Castle and runs downhill to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. I was surprised by how much there was to see and do in that mile long stretch. We spent most of two full days exploring it.

Just below the Castle, the Overlook Tower and the Camera Obscura are worth a visit. The camera obscura casts a fascinating real-time revolving image of the surrounding area onto a circular table. Nearby is the Scotch Whisky Heritage Center where you can learn about the making of Scotch Whisky and sample a variety of different whiskies.

Although we didn’t go inside, St. Giles Cathedral, also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a magnificent structure that predates most of the structures in Edinburgh Castle. The cathedral was built between the late 14th and early 16th centuries. Entrance to the cathedral is free, but a small donation is requested.

One of the attractions of the Royal Mile are the “closes,” underground passageways that were once narrow streets or walkways between houses. The upper floors of some the houses were demolished and the lower stories used as foundation for the Royal Exchange, built in the mid 18th century, leaving the closes below ground. Some of the closes remain as passages between the Royal Mile and the streets to the south, and organized tours of some of the more subterranean closes, such as the Real Mary King’s Close, are available.

Other attractions of the Royal Mile include the John Knox House, the Writers’ Museum, the Huntly House, and The People’s Story, a museum housed in the historic Canongate Tolbooth, built in 1591.

You will also find the Scottish Parliament buildings at the lower end of the Royal Mile near Holyroodhouse. Their contemporary, modernist design stands in stark contrast to the traditional and historical structures around them. And while I in fact like the design, to me they look out of place in their setting.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse

At the bottom of the Royal Mile lies the Palace of Holyroodhouse. All that remains of the original palace, built by James IV in the 16th century, is the North Tower. Most of the existing structure was built by Charles II about a century later. Adjacent to the palace are the ruins of the nave of an Augustinian abbey built in the 12th century.

The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the Monarchy in Scotland, but the palace is open to the public when King Charles III is not in residence. We did not tour the interior, but it comes highly rated. You can visit the Throne Room, the Picture Gallery, and the King’s Bedchamber, and Tour the King James Tower, where Mary Queen of Scots lived. For more information, check the Royal Collection Trust website.

Arthur’s Seat. Photo by Claudel Rheault, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Adjacent to the palace is Holyrood Park. Here you can climb to the top of the 823-foot-high Arthur’s Seat where you can get a panoramic view of Edinburgh Castle and the city beyond.

Beyond the Old Town

The most striking features of the New Town are the Princes Street Gardens, pictured above, and the Scott Memorial, pictured below.

We didn’t make it to Queen Street and Queen Street Gardens, but the photos I’ve seen and the guidebook descriptions make me think we missed something there.

A little farther afield in the West End, though within easy walking distance of the New Town, is the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, one of Edinburgh’s many museums. After days of being immersed in ancient history and medieval art, it was nice to see something more contemporary.

On the walk back we discovered a path along the Water of Leith that took us to Dean Village, a charming little community that dates to the 12th century. (The Bald Hiker website just published a post on the Water of Leith walk – all 13 miles of it. Click here to view the post).

On our visit we stayed at an old hotel just east of Calton Hill. With its many monuments, including the Nelson Monument and the Lincoln Monument (which is in fact dedicated to Abraham Lincoln), Calton Hill is one of the more scenic and picturesque locations in Edinburgh. From the top of the hill you have a panoramic view over the city and to the Firth of Forth and the Port of Leith, where the Royal Yacht Britannia, once Queen Elizabeth II’s private yacht, is berthed. Since its decommissioning in 1997, the yacht has been open to the public.

Festivals

Edinburgh is not completely lost in its history. It has a modern, contemporary side as well, and it is a city of festivals. The biggest and most famous is the Edinburgh International Festival, held every August. Running simultaneously with it is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in which anyone and everyone is given free rein to put on whatever kind of performance they choose, wherever they can find a place to perform it. The Fringe bills itself as the largest artistic festival in the world. And if that were not enough, there is a film festival, a jazz festival, a television festival, and (some years) a book festival that also run simultaneously with the International Festival.

Conclusion

I don’t know if we’ll ever return to Edinburgh. I would love to, but traveling to Europe is not something we can do every year, and there are probably too many places that we have not yet visited for us to be retracing past steps. If you have not been to Edinburgh, though, I highly recommend that you visit at some point, if possible. It’s a wonderful place and visiting is a much richer experience than I can convey in words and images. And Edinburgh was just the beginning of our travels in Scotland. Look for an updated post on the Isle of Skye, and perhaps one or two others down the road.

Originally posted by Alan K. Lee, September 16, 2020. Updated and re-posted July 10, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

Florence, Italy

In 2018 my wife and I had the great pleasure of visiting Florence, Italy. It was the final leg of our 2018 trip that also included visits to Cinque Terre, Lucca, Pisa, and Siena.

There is probably no other city in the world where history, culture, and art intersect as strongly as they do in Florence. Walking the streets of the old city center, you are walking the same streets that Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, the Medicis, and Machiavelli walked. You are literally walking in their footprints. That’s a very powerful and pretty magical connection. Never mind that there are tens of thousands of other visitors walking those same streets.

If you an art aficionado, you have a problem here – you simply can’t see everything worth seeing unless you have an unlimited amount of time to spend in Florence. There are dozens of galleries, museums, and palaces, and hundreds, probably thousands, of statues and other significant pieces art scattered around the city. Many of Florence’s churches have impressive art collections, as well. We visited many, but by no means all, of the major galleries in our four days there.

The two most acclaimed art museums in Florence are the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell’ Accademia. The Uffizi has the most extensive collection of Italian renaissance art in existence, and the Accademia is home to Michelangelo’s David. Though very crowded, both are absolute must sees if this is your first visit to Florence.

Statue of Orpheus, Medici-Riccardi Palace

The Duomo Museum is also highly worth visiting, and the Bargello has the best collection of early Florentine sculpture. The Palazzo Medici-Riccardi and the Palazzo Vecchio both also house significant works of Florentine art. The Galileo Science Museum, the Museum of San Marco, and the museums in the Palazzo Pitti are also highly recommended by the guide books. We weren’t able to visit any of those, however.

The history and culture of Florence is intimately tied to the Catholic Church, and many of the city’s churches are among the major attractions of Florence, including the Church of Santa Maria Novella, the Santa Croce Church, the Brancacci Chapel, the Medici Chapels, the San Miniato Church, and, of course, the Duomo cathedral (officially the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) and the Baptistery (the oldest structure in Florence, built in the eleventh century).

Construction of the cathedral started in 1296, but the nave wasn’t finished until 1420, and the dome wasn’t completed until 1436. (The Lantern that tops the dome wasn’t added until 1472). The dome of the cathedral is by itself one of the wonders of Florence. When the cathedral was designed no one had any idea how to build a dome spanning 150 feet, especially one that began 180 feet off the ground. Nothing like it had been built before. No one knew if it could be built. Filippo Brunelleschi, who both designed and built the dome, had nothing to guide him. He literally had to invent the engineering techniques and much of the equipment needed to construct it as he went. It is still the largest masonry dome in the world. The Florence Inferno website has more information on construction of the dome. There is also a fascinating episode of the PBS series NOVA depicting the building of the dome that I highly recommend. There is a link to that at the end of this post.

Entrance to the Duomo cathedral is free. Because of that and because the cathedral is one of the most prominent attractions in Florence, the lines are long – many blocks long when we were there. The cathedral opens to the public at 10:00, except Sunday. Mass (which is open to the public) is held at 10:30 on Sunday, and the cathedral opens for public tours at 1:30. A €15 combo ticket gets you into all of the other Duomo attractions, including the Campanile, the Baptistery, the Duomo Museum, and the climb to the top of the dome (which also requires reserving a time in advance).

City view from the top of the Duomo dome

Since we were climbing the dome, we skipped the long line to get into the Duomo cathedral. Climbing the dome does not get you into the main floor of the cathedral (except for a small roped off area as you exit), but does give you a birds eye view looking down on the altar and the 500 foot long nave from halfway up, and gives you an up close view of Vasari’s magnificent painting that covers the dome’s ceiling. And the view of the city from the top of the dome is spectacular, especially if you’re there near sunset, and makes the 463 step climb definitely worth the effort.

After our dome climb, and a short rest, we climbed the Campanile (bell tower), also known as Giotto’s Tower. While the view of the city is essentially the same as from the cathedral dome, from the Campanile you have a great view of the dome itself. The 414 step climb to the top of the bell tower is slightly less taxing than the climb to the top of the dome (unless you climb them back to back like we did). If you just want a good view of the city, the more sensible option would be to just climb the Campanile and skip the dome, but climbing both is certainly doable for most people.

We stayed at an Airbnb rental near the city center, and walked everywhere we went. All of the major attractions of Florence are within easy walking distance of each other. The closer to the center of the city the more expensive hotels and other accommodations tend to be, of course, so staying outside of the center and taking a taxi or bus in makes some sense. (Even if you have a car, I would advise not driving into the city center). Our Airbnb was reasonably affordable and only a ten minute walk to the Duomo, though, so that is also a good option to consider if the cost of accommodations is a concern.

There is just too much to Florence to cover here. If you’re planning a trip, do your homework (Rick Steves’ guide to Florence and Tuscany is a good starting point), pick the sights you have to see, and plan accordingly. But also leave time to explore the city, especially areas away from the Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery and the Ponte Vecchio. Sample the local cuisine (the food was very good at every place we ate, so don’t be a slave to guide book recommendations), drink some wine, and get a feel for the city. Visit the Pitti Palace (closed on Mondays) and the Boboli Gardens in the Oltrarno area south of the river, take in the sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo (also in the Oltrarno), or just wander at random. You will find interesting, artistic, and historical attractions wherever you go.

There is simply no other place like Florence. If you are contemplating a trip to Tuscany, Florence has to be at the top of your list of places to visit. And you should spend enough time there to get a real feel for the city. There’s just too much history, too much art, and too much of the soul of Italy there to not experience as much of it as you can.

I don’t know if we will ever return to Tuscany, but there is still much to see if we do, in Siena, Lucca, and Pisa as well as Florence. And the hilltop villages in central Tuscany that we did not make it to on this trip beckon.

Click here to watch the NOVA episode on building the Duomo dome. To view other posts from our trip, click on the links below:

Cinque Terre Lucca Siena

Originally posted 11/4/18 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted 8/24/20 and 6/20/23.

Siena, Italy

Siena, Italy is a hilltop city in Tuscany, about 30 miles south of Florence. Siena was a medieval rival of Florence, on par with Rome, Genoa, and Venice. It ultimately lost out when Florentine forces captured the city in 1550. Florence became the political and cultural center of Tuscany, and Siena languished for centuries. But Siena’s loss is the visitor’s gain. While Florence flourished, Siena remained much as it had been in 1500, and the historical center (“centro storico”) retains much of its medieval character.

We traveled to Siena by train from Lucca. The train station in Siena lies at the base of the hill. Taxis are readily available to take you up to the main city, and there is a shuttle bus, also. The other option is a long series of indoor escalators (beginning in a shopping mall across from the station), which is what we took. From the top of the escalators it is a short walk to the Porta Camollia gate in the old city wall.

Our arrival happened by chance to coincide with the 2018 running of the Mille Miglia (“Thousand Mile”) classic car rally, which was passing through Siena that day. The city was full of old, and some not so old, exotic cars. Being a bit of a car guy, that was an unexpected bonus for me.

We found our Airbnb rental without a problem, but actually getting in took a couple of hours. The building door code that we were given didn’t work, but a resident let us in. The key was supposed to be in the door to our unit, and it was, but our unit was off a hallway that was behind a locked door. Calling the management company got us nowhere. Eventually, my wife made an international call to Airbnb back in the States, and they contacted the local people, who sent someone out to let us in. How they expected us to get past that locked door is beyond me. Another example of “this is Italy,” I guess. But once settled in, the rest of our visit was thoroughly enjoyable.

Piazza del Campo viewed from part way up the City Tower

The cultural hearts of Siena are the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo di Siena. Both are within a few blocks of each other, making it easy to get at least a taste of Siena, even if you have only part of a day to spend there. Siena, at least the centro storico, is easily walkable. Vehicles are restricted to residents, taxis, and service vehicles. The hill top is roughly Y-shaped, with the three limbs radiating out from the Piazza del Campo (sometimes called Il Campo). The streets are narrow and winding, much like Lucca, and it isn’t difficult to get lost. But if you have a good map and are paying attention to where you’re going, it’s not difficult to find your way around.

Church of San Domenico (Chiesa di S. Domenico)

Climbing the City Tower (Torre del Mangia), adjacent to Il Campo, will give you a birdseye view of the city and help you orient yourself. The tower is 330 feet tall and the climb is about 400 steps, so you need to be in decent physical condition, but the exertion is worth the effort, if you can manage it.

The Piazza del Campo is the civic center of Siena, and has been since the 13th century. It’s a great place to just sit and people watch, drink a glass of wine or pint of beer, and relax between your explorations. City Hall (Palazzo Publico) faces the plaza and houses the Civic Museum and provides access to the City Tower.

Directly across the plaza from City Hall is the Fountain of Joy (Fonte Gaia). The original fountain was built in the early 1400s and was a source of clean drinking water for the residents of Siena. What you see in the plaza is a copy, but the original fountain can be seen at the Santa Maria della Scala museum next to the Duomo, where it was moved to preserve it.

The Piazza del Campo is also the site of the famous Palio horse races that are held every summer. Each horse represents one of the 17 contrades (neighborhoods) in Siena and competition between the contrades is fierce. Winning the Palio is a very big deal in Siena.

The Duomo di Siena, a few hundred yards west of Il Campo, is the religious heart of Siena. Built in the 1200s, the cathedral predates Florence’s grand Duomo. Plans to expand it to surpass Florence’s cathedral were scuttled by the Black Death that killed a third of the population in the 1350s. The expansion plan was never revived, but even as is, the Duomo is still plenty grand.

Original stained glass window from the Duomo, displayed in the Duomo Museum

A woman we met in Cinque Terre earlier in our trip told us that the Duomo in Siena is the second most beautiful church (after the Vatican) that she has ever seen. I don’t know if I would go that far, but it is definitely impressive and worth a few hours, or even a half a day, to see all that it offers. The Duomo Museum and the cathedral are absolute must sees if you’re visiting Siena.

We spent most of our two days in Siena wandering around with no set agenda. It’s just a magnificent city, and everywhere you go you will find something worthwhile to see or do. There are lots of interesting little shops and art galleries, scenic streets and alleys to explore, and of course, plenty of cafes and restaurants for you to sample the local cuisine. We largely ignored the guidebooks and just picked cafes that looked interesting to us, and we didn’t have a bad meal at any of them.

Chiesa di S. Maria di Provenzano (left) and Basilica di S. Francesco (right)

One of our wanders took us to the Basilica di San Francesco and the adjoining Oratoria di San Bernadino. Both the buildings and grounds are strikingly beautiful, and we lingered for what seemed like hours. And I’m sure there are many other churches in Siena that are just as beautiful. In fact, I don’t think there is anyplace in the centro storico that is not beautiful.

If you’re interested in the history of Siena, the Civic Museum, the Duomo Museum, and the Santa Maria dell Scala museum are must visits. And if you are interested in the art of Siena, be sure to check out the Pinocoteca Nazionale and the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana, both near the Duomo.

We were able to explore only a small fraction of the city, but Siena is so beautiful and so charming that we would love to return some day and spend more than just two days there. While Lucca has a very interesting and largely authentic centro storico, Siena’s is equally interesting and authentic, and it’s burnt sienna colored brick buildings and dramatic hilltop location make it more beautiful and give it more charm than Lucca. And while it doesn’t have Florence’s art and cultural heritage, I would pick Siena over Florence if I could only revisit one.

Our trip to Italy began with five days in Cinque Terre, followed by two in Lucca. Following our visit to Siena, we spent another five days in Florence, soaking up the history, art, and culture of the city, and literally walking in the footsteps of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Trip of a lifetime.

Originally posted October 10, 2018 by Alan K. Lee

Updated and re-posted April 18, 2021 and June 11, 2023

Sitka, Alaska

by Alan K. Lee

Sitka, Alaska is located on a protected harbor on the western shore of stunningly beautiful Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska. To the west of the city many small islands dot Sitka Sound, and Mt. Edgecumbe, a dormant volcanic cone, rises 3200′ above the sound on Kruzof Island. To the north and east, Harbor Mountain and Mount Verstovia tower over the city, forming a dramatic backdrop.

My most recent visit to Sitka came in 2018 when my wife and I flew there to visit a friend of hers who had recently moved back to Sitka after having lived in Portland for many years. It had been more than twenty years since we had last visited, but not a lot had changed in those two decades. The town was a little bigger, maybe a little more touristy, but still a low key, relaxed place where people don’t lock their car, and usually leave the keys in it without fear of it being stolen.

Southeast Alaska is not traditionally considered part of the Pacific Northwest, but they are close geographically, are similar ecologically, and have closely linked cultures and histories, so I’m going to stretch the definition of the Pacific Northwest a little and include Sitka in the Northwest Destinations category here.

The weather in Southeast Alaska is always chancy. On our first visit, there were low clouds blocking views of the surrounding mountains the whole time we were in Sitka, and the only sunshine we saw on our two week trip was in Ketchikan on the day we flew in and again on the day we flew out. But this time we had sunshine and blue skies for most of our four days in Sitka.

Sitka is an interesting and unique blend of Native American, Russian, and American cultures. The Tlingit people have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The name Sitka derives from the Tlingit name for the area, Shee Atika. In the 1740s Russians began exploring the area, and in 1799 Fort St. Michael was established at the present site of Sitka. The Tlingits burned down the fort in 1802, but the Russians returned two years later and forced the Tlingits out of the area. The Russian community of New Archangel, which became Sitka when the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, was founded in 1804 on the site of the destroyed Fort St. Michael. In the early 1820s some of the Tlingit people returned to the area, and there is still a Tlingit community in Sitka today. The Russian influence is also still present in modern Sitka. St. Michael’s Cathedral is an active Russian Orthodox church.

In town, the Sitka National Historical Park (locally known as Totem Park) is a must see, as are the Alaska Raptor Center, St. Michael’s Cathedral (built between 1844 and 1848), the Russian Bishop’s House (1842), and the Sitka Historic Museum. The Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Sitka Sound Science Center, the Lutheran Cemetery, and the Russian Cemetery are also definitely worth visiting. Sitka is a very walkable city, and all of the above are within easy walking distance of the city center. It’s also a very bike friendly city, and renting a bicycle is a good way to get around town. A few miles outside of town, the Fortress of the Bear, a non-profit refuge for orphaned cubs, offers close up views of brown bears, if you are so inclined.

If you’re a fisherman, Sitka offers world class salmon and halibut fishing in the offshore waters. The Sitka Salmon Derby is held every May and June. The inland streams and lakes also offer quality fly fishing opportunities. For hikers, there are several trails that begin in Sitka, from the relatively flat Indian River Trail to the much steeper Verstovia Mountain Trail and Gavin Hill/Harbor Mountain Trail. Other hiking trails begin north and south of the city. Kayaks and boats can be rented in the city, and Sitka Sound looks to be a kayaker’s paradise.

Flightseeing, ATV tours, hiking tours, city walking tours, car tours, kayak tours, and wildlife boat tours are all available in Sitka. On our trip, we took a sightseeing tour of Sitka Sound that was nothing short of incredible. I would highly encourage anyone who is planning a visit to find the time to do the same. We saw dozens of sea otters up close, probably fifty or more bald eagles, many other seabirds, seals, dolphins, humpback whales, and a pod of orcas, all within the space of about three hours.

Sitka is also a very arts oriented town. In addition to numerous galleries in the city, the Sitka Jazz Festival is held every February, the Sitka Summer Music Festival is held in June or July, and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp and Arts & Science Festival for young artists is also held every summer. Other festivals include the Sitka Seafood Festival in August, The Alaska Day Festival (celebrating the transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States) in October and the Sitka Whalefest in November.

Sitka, despite its remote location, is relatively easy to get to. Alaska Air has non-stop flights daily from both Portland and Seattle, making it possible to visit Sitka on a long weekend. If you have more time, Sitka is a stop on most Alaska cruises. And Sitka can also be reached by ferry, which is how my wife and I traveled there on our first visit. Check the Alaska Marine Highway website for schedules, fares, and other information. Other useful websites include Visit Sitka , Travel Alaska , Welcome To Sitka , and Trip Advisor.

On our 2018 trip to Sitka we also visited Ketchikan and Juneau. The weather was so bad in Ketchikan that I took few photos and didn’t post anything from there. The weather was better in Juneau. Click here to view my post from Juneau.

Originally posted July 30, 2018. Most recently updated May 30, 2023.

Lucca, Italy

by Alan K. Lee

Lucca was the surprise of our trip to Italy in 2018. Our primary destinations were Cinque Terre, Florence, and Siena. I honestly had never heard of Lucca before we started planning that trip, but the guidebooks and online reviews made it sound interesting, so we added it to our itinerary, and I’m glad we did. The following is an updated and slightly edited version of a post on this site from 2018.

Lucca, Italy is a modern city of about 85,000 people, located about ten miles northeast of Pisa and 40 miles west of Florence. But the old walled city was what my wife and I came to see. Lucca has one of the most intact medieval city centers you will find anywhere in Europe. The historic center, or centro storico, is relatively compact, easily walkable, and almost unchanged from medieval times.

Lucca is an ancient city, founded by the Etruscans, probably on the site of an earlier Ligurian settlement. It became a Roman colony in 180 BC. Little remains of the Roman city, though. Most of the old city is of medieval origin, but some of the streets date to the Roman settlement, and a hint of the Roman amphitheater can be seen in the Piazza dell’ Anfiteatro. The popular Piazza San Michele occupies the site of the old Roman forum.

Lucca became an independent state in 1160 and retained its independence for 500 years. In the Middle Ages Lucca grew rich from the silk industry. Banking was also an important source of wealth for the city. More recently, the city was conquered by Napoleon and given to his sister Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi in 1805. It later became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, then the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, and finally the modern Italian State in 1861.

One of the attractions of Lucca is the medieval city wall. Lucca is one of the few ancient cities in Europe with an intact wall. The wall is a wide earthen structure faced with brick, constructed between 1550 and 1650. The top of the wall is now a tree-lined park with a wide pedestrian/bicycle path. The 2.5-mile-long path is a popular walking, jogging, and cycling path.

Bicycles can be rented for about €5/hour or €20/day at several shops in the old city. Riding or walking the wall is a good way to get a view of the city, and a good place to people watch, too. You will see many locals, as well as fellow tourists, walking and riding the walls or just relaxing on park benches. There are also several places where there are tunnels inside the structure of the wall that are surprisingly interesting and well worth seeking out.

Inside the walls, the old city has many fine old churches, plazas (piazzas), palaces (palazzos), and villas. Getting around can be confusing, as the streets are narrow and lined with tall (4-6 story) buildings, and some much taller towers that block out any visual reference points. On a cloudy day it can be difficult to orient yourself. You may come out onto the street and have no idea which way is north. A city map and a good guidebook are essential. Rick Steves’ guide to Florence and Tuscany has a chapter on Lucca and is a good reference. His walking tour is a good way to see the major sights.

We wandered around without a set itinerary and got lost on several occasions. Wandering aimlessly and getting lost has a certain appeal, but one time we couldn’t find the side street where we had left the bikes that we borrowed from the owner of the Airbnb we were staying in. Eventually we figured out that we were on the opposite side of the city than we thought we were. We retrieved the bikes and rode back to our rental, but only after walking almost all of the 2.5-mile wall.

Some of the major attractions in Lucca are the Piazza San Michele and the Church of San Michele (Chiesa di San Michele), the Cathedral Museum (Museo della Cattedrale), the Guingi Tower (Torre Guingi) and Villa Guingi, the Casa di Puccini (the birthplace of the opera composer Giacomo Pucccini), the San Martino Cathedral, the San Giovanni Church, the Church of San Fediano, the Pallazzo Mansi, and the Palazzo Pfanner. All of these are described in the Rick Steves guide, as well as other guidebooks.

Climbing the 220 steps of the Torre Guinigi gives you a good view of the city and you’ll find an interesting little grove of trees growing on the summit of the tower. This was the first of our tower climbs during our trip. More would come in Siena and Florence, culminating with our back-to-back climbs of the Duomo and Campanile (Giotto’s Tower) in Florence (both 400+ steps). Lucca once had 160 towers like the Torre Guingi, all private residences of wealthy merchant families. Only a few remain. A combination ticket that gets you into both the Torre Guinigi and the Clock Tower costs less than €10. Most of the other attractions in Lucca are similarly inexpensive, mostly between €5 and €10.

There are no shortages of places in Lucca to get a good meal, something we found true everywhere we went in Italy. There are some fine dining establishments that are recommended the guidebooks, but we found the sidewalk and piazza cafes that are so abundant all had very good food at surprisingly affordable prices. It’s hard to go wrong, wherever you choose to dine. Gelato is serious stuff in Lucca, too, as it is everywhere in Italy.

If you’re visiting Tuscany, Lucca should be on your itinerary, even if you only have an afternoon to explore it. Siena is prettier, and Lucca doesn’t have the history or art and culture of Florence, but it is more authentic and much less touristy, and has its own appeal. You won’t regret it.

For more on our 2018 trip, check out my posts on the wild beauty of Cinque Terre, the art, history, and culture of Florence, and the beauty and charm of Siena.

Originally posted September 17, 2018. Updated and re-posted April 14, 2021 and May 21, 2023.

Cinque Terre

by Alan K. Lee

The following is an expanded and updated version of an August 2018 post on this site.

After years of talking about visiting Italy someday, my wife and I packed our bags and headed across the Atlantic in May 2018, bound for Cinque Terre and Tuscany. We left Portland on a Wednesday afternoon and landed in Florence on Thursday afternoon (local time), sleep deprived and feeling very jet lagged.

It took a while for us to find our Airbnb rental. In addition to being sleep deprived, we discovered that the street addresses in Florence are not sequential – 50 daVinci, for example might be somewhere between 200 and 500, with 51 daVinci blocks away – something we found both nonsensical and frustrating. But the beauty, charm, history, food, and art of the country, and people we encountered, more than made up for the country’s shortcomings.

Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Once we finally found our rental and got checked in, we spent a little time exploring the center of the city, then crashed early and tried to make up for our sleepless night on the plane. In the morning we made our way to the train station in central Florence and, with a little help from a Trenitalia agent, boarded our train for Cinque Terre, where our next Airbnb was waiting for us in the town of Manarola.

We chose to stay in Cinque Terre because most of the tourists are day trippers and we thought we might get a more authentic and less crowded experience in the mornings and evenings. That turned out to be true to a certain extent. A lot of other visitors had the same idea that we did, though. But it didn’t matter. It’s just an incredibly beautiful place.

Cinque Terre coastline looking north toward Manarola (center) and Monterosso (far distance).

Cinque Terre consists of five small villages (cinque terre translates to “five lands”) perched on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea between Pisa and Genoa. All five of the villages are remarkably well preserved. The whole area is a national park, so development is very restricted. There are no big resorts or hotels, and cruise ships can’t dock anywhere in Cinque Terre. Vehicular access and parking are also very limited, making it more difficult to get to Cinque Terre than other parts of Italy, especially for tour buses. There were plenty of tourists even in May, to be sure, but the incredibly beautiful location and the charm of the villages themselves make the hordes of tourists less objectionable.

Riomaggiore is southernmost of the five villages and the first you come to if you’re coming from Pisa or Florence, as we were. We didn’t spend much time there, just enough to walk up the steep main street from the harbor where we could get a good view of the town and the surrounding area.

Manarola is the next village. We spent most of our time there, since we were staying there, but I think it is also the most beautiful of the five villages, so we would have spent a lot of time there regardless. You could make an argument for any of the five being the prettiest, though, and a lot of people would vote for Vernazza.

Corniglia is the middle village, and the only one not on the water. It’s also the least visited. Many visitors may skip Corniglia because of the 380-step climb from the railroad station to the town, but if you can manage it the climb is well worth it. Corniglia is the least touristy of the five villages, but there are still plenty of interesting sights to see and places to visit, and also plenty of good places to eat and drink.

Vernazza has a pretty harbor and the view from the top of the Doria Tower is stunning. There are also a maze of narrow pedestrian alleyways lined with flowers in brightly colored pots that are a joy to explore. And Vernazza probably has more cafes and restaurants than any of the other villages.

Monterosso al Mare is the northernmost of the Cinque Terre villages and the only one with a beach. It is also the largest and most touristy of the five, but it still retains much of its original charm.

Because we would not be home on Mother’s Day, my two stepdaughters bought my wife (and me) tickets to a pesto making class and lunch at the Nessum Dorma Restaurant in Manarola, something I would not have done on my own, but which turned out to be both a good introduction to Italian cuisine and loads of fun. And the food was very good, including the pesto that we made ourselves.

Sea caves between Monterosso and Vernazza

The next day we made our way to Monterosso al Mare. There we took a guided kayaking trip along the coast to Vernazza. Along the way we were able to paddle into a couple of sea caves and to the base of a waterfall. Pretty cool stuff, and well worth the expense. Getting out on the water gives you a completely different perspective, and photo opportunities that can’t be had from shore. This was definitely one of highlights of the trip.

View south from Corniglia, looking toward Manarola

We found that the best way to get to Cinque Terre, and the best way to get from town to town, is by train. The train system in Italy is much better than some have portrayed it (at least when the employees are not on strike). Trains run on time (or close), run frequently, and the system is easy to use. It can be confusing at first, especially in large train stations like the Santa Maria Novello station in central Florence. But the Trenitalia agents were helpful, and after our first day we traveled around for the next two weeks without incident (except for the ticket machine that took our cash but didn’t give us the tickets).

Tickets for the local trains in Cinque Terre cost €5.00 each way regardless of your destination. If you’re in Riomaggiore, tickets to Manarola (which is a two-minute journey) cost the same €5.00 as tickets to Monterosso, so it can get expensive if you’re trying to see all five villages in a day. You can buy a Cinque Terre Train Card at any of the train stations that allows unlimited train travel between the villages and also north to Levanto and south to La Spezia, but unless you are making a lot of stops the savings are small (or non-existent).

Note: There are two types of Cinque Terre Cards. The Trekking Card gives you access to the Blue Trail from Corniglia to Monterosso. The cost is €7.50 for a one-day pass and €15.00 for a two-day pass, with discounts for seniors and children. The Train (Treno) Card also gives you access to the Blue Trail, plus unlimited access to the National Park shuttle busses, free use of public toilets, free wi-fi at train stations, and free entrance to some of the museums in La Spezia, in addition to unlimited train travel. A one-day Train card currently costs €18.20 for adults, €14.80 for seniors (70+), and €11.40 for children (4-11). One-day family (two adults and two children) cards are €47.00. Two- and three-day cards are also available. The Cinque Terre Travel website has a lot of good information on the train system.

Another way to get from village to village is by boat. There are large tour boats that make regularly scheduled trips from village to village (except Corniglia) at reasonable rates. They can be crowded and don’t run except in calm conditions. (Because they are too large for the small harbors they nose into the rocky shore and even a little chop can make getting on and off dangerous).

The tour boats weren’t operating on the day we had set aside for a tour, but we had already been out on the water kayaking, so it wasn’t a great loss. There are also private boats that can be hired. They are more expensive, but if you have a small group of people, hiring a private boat can be more affordable on a per passenger basis.

View from above Corniglia, looking south to Manarola

Hiking opportunities abound in Cinque Terre but be prepared for some serious elevation changes. The popular low elevation Blue Trail between Corniglia and Manarola and the Via dell’Amore between Manarola and Riomaggiore were both closed because of landslides when we were there. The Via dell’Amore’s reopening is scheduled for some time in 2024, but this being Italy, don’t hold your breath. When the Blue Trail between Manarola and Corniglia reopens is anybody’s guess. The Blue Trail between Corniglia and Monterosso was open we were there, and remains open as of May 2023, but again, this is Italy, so don’t count on it. Hiking the Blue Trail requires a Cinque Terre Trekking Card. All of the other trails in Cinque Terre are free.

View from Volastra, looking north to Corniglia (center) and Monterosso (far distance)

We did take the park shuttle from Manarola up to the village of Volastra, then hiked the high route from there to Corniglia. Most of that trail is relatively flat and has great vistas from Manarola all the way to Monterosso. The final portion to Corniglia is steeply downhill. After exploring Corniglia we returned to Manarola by train.

There are miles of other trails from Levanto north of Cinque Terre to Portovenere to the south. Definitely check out the Italian Fix website if you’re planning to do any hiking in Cinque Terre, as it has a lot of information on hiking in Cinque Terre and vicinity and is updated frequently.

Our five days in Cinque Terre passed quickly, then we were on to Lucca for a few days, then Siena, with a brief stop in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower, and finally back to Florence.

Would I go again? In a heartbeat. I could probably spend every evening for the rest of my life sitting at one of the cliffside tables at the Nessum Dorma restaurant in Manarola, looking across the little harbor to the colorful houses stacked one on top of another, sipping a local wine and munching on cheese and bruschetta or focaccia, and be perfectly happy.

Originally posted August 20, 2018. Updated and re-posted May 8, 2023.

Savannah, Georgia

by Alan K. Lee

Savannah, Georgia is one of those iconic Old South cities that are on many people’s bucket list, and for good reason. It’s a beautiful city, and would be worth a visit just to see Forsyth Park and the 22 park-like Squares in the Historic District, with their live oaks draped in Spanish moss. Throw in a lively riverfront, hundreds of antebellum brick buildings and Victorian homes, interesting museums and art galleries, and dozens of fine dining options, and you have a place worthy of more than the day and a half that we had to explore it.

Savannah was the final destination in a trip that also took my wife and I to Asheville, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Chimney Rock State Park, N.C., and Charleston, South Carolina.

Savannah is an old city, founded in 1733. It was the first European settlement in Georgia, and the city’s history is an important aspect of its spirit and culture. Walking around in the Historic District, it’s not hard to envision yourself in another, long past, era.

The entire Historic District was named a National Historic Landmark in 1966. The Savannah History Museum, itself a National Historic Landmark, is a good place to get a taste of Savannah’s long history. It’s located in the Savannah Visitor Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Other history museums of interest include the Davenport House Museum, the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters, and the Ralph Marks Gilbert Civil Rights Museum.

Savannah is a very walkable city. Guided walking tours of the Historic District are available for about $25 per person. There are also guided bike tours and public carriage tours available at similar rates. Private carriage tours run $100-125 for two people. Hop-on/hop-off trolley tours run $30-35 per person. Ghost tours are also a popular option for visitors.

We opted to wander around on our own (but probably missed out on a lot of interesting information about the city). A good place to start a walking tour of your own is Forsyth Park, a 30 acre park at the south end of the Historic District. Its most notable feature is the Forsyth Fountain, but there is a lot more there to see. Enjoy the park’s gardens, paths, monuments, and the fountain, then head north toward the river and take in some (or all) of the 22 Squares and innumerable historic buildings, churches, and Victorian houses.

Some of the more interesting structures in the Historic District include The Pirate’s House, mentioned in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, the city’s oldest building and now a popular restaurant, and The Olde Pink House, another of the city’s oldest structures and also a highly regarded restaurant. Not quite as old, but equally interesting, the Mercer House (officially the Mercer-Williams House Museum) was the site of the 1980s killing of a male prostitute that inspired the book (and movie) Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil.

Near the north end of the Historic District, City Market is a four block area of restaurants, galleries, shops, bars, and offices that is something of a destination in its own right. Get a frozen daiquiri to go (yes, it’s legal in Savannah) at Wet Willie’s and make your way to River Street.

The buildings along River Street were once cotton warehouses. Today they house shops, restaurants, bars, and art galleries. River Street has its share of tacky gift shops, but it also has some interesting boutiques, antique shops, and art galleries. Among the many restaurants are Vic’s On the River, Huey’s, The Shrimp Factory, and Joe’s Crab Shack. If you need a frozen daiquiri refill, there’s another Wet Willie’s on River Street.

There are no shortage of other places along the river to wet your whistle, including The Warehouse Bar and Grill, Dub’s Public House, The Cotton Exchange Tavern, and a couple of rooftop bars, Top Deck Bar and Rocks On the Roof. And there are more restaurants and bars on Bay Street on the top of the bluff.

Along the riverfront, check out the World War II Memorial, the Savannah Waving Girl statue, the Olympic Yachting Cauldron from the 1996 Olympic Games, and River Street Market Place. Take one of the Savannah Belle ferries across the river to Hutchison Island. There’s not much on the island of interest except the Westin Savannah Harbor Hotel and the Savannah Convention Center, but the ferry will give you a good view of the waterfront and the golden dome of City Hall on the bluff above River Street. And the ferry is free.

River cruises are a popular tourist activity in Savannah. Savannah Riverboat Cruises offers lunch and dinner cruises, a Monday night gospel cruise, and sunset and moonlight cruises on their two large sternwheeler-style river boats, the Georgia Queen and the Savannah River Queen. Dolphin Magic Tours guarantees that you will see bottlenose dolphins “or your next cruise is free,” which is not worth much if you’re from the west Coast and are only in town for a day. But their reviews are generally positive. We didn’t have time to take either of those tours, but I’m sure that both would be enjoyable

There’s much to see and do in Savannah that time didn’t allow. We had to skip many things. We checked out only a couple of the city’s art galleries, for example, and didn’t make it to other nearby destinations such as Fort Jackson and Tybee Island. Savannah would definitely worth another and longer visit if it were a little closer to home, but who knows, we may be back someday to take in what we missed on our first visit.

Originally posted January 24, 2020. Updated and re-posted April 15, 2023.

Charleston, South Carolina

by Alan K. Lee

Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia had been on my bucket list of travel destinations for a long time. So, when my wife and I decided to visit Asheville, North Carolina and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, taking a side trip to Charleston and Savannah seemed like a sensible addition to our itinerary. It wouldn’t add much expense and, being only 100 miles apart, we could get at least a taste of both cities in the limited amount of time we had. (To see my post on our visit to Asheville, click here).

We drove from Asheville to Charleston on a Sunday morning and spent the afternoon wandering around the historic center of the city. It’s older and more traditional, more Old South, than Asheville, but no less charming – lots of wonderful old houses and buildings, in all conditions from newly renovated to literally falling down, often the one adjacent to the other.

The oldest surviving structure in the city, the Middleburg Plantation House, was constructed in 1699. Spanning more than three centuries, the architecture of Charleston includes Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Charleston Single House, and Art Deco style buildings and houses.

We found a wonderful restaurant, the now closed Hominy Grill, not far from our Airbnb for dinner that evening. The menu featured fresh, home-style food taken wonderfully upscale. Winner of the 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, we found it to be just a great place to eat. Actually, the food was wonderful everywhere we ate in Charleston. It would take a long time to sample all of the many acclaimed restaurants in the city. The annual Charleston Food + Wine Festival brings thousands of tourists to Charleston each March, and food tours are popular year around.

While many people come to Charleston just for the food, there is much more to see and do in Charleston, of course. There are walking and carriage tours of the city, and plantation and garden tours. Fort Sumpter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, is a short distance outside of town. You can learn some of the history of the area and see the city from the water on a boat tour of the harbor. The city has a number of outstanding museums, including the Charleston Museum, the Nathaniel Russel House, and Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. And there is much more to see and do, more than we had time for in our three days in the city.

We spent most of our second day in Charleston exploring more of the historic center of the city, then ended the day with a trip to Folly Beach, about ten miles south of the city. Near the center of the small town of Folly Beach, Folly Beach Pier extends more than 1000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. Folly Beach County Park lies at the west end of the island. At the east end, Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve offers a more secluded beach about a quarter mile walk from the end of East Ashley Avenue with a view across the water to Morris Island Lighthouse, which is surrounded by water just offshore from the westernmost point of Morris Island.

The next day we made the short trip across the Ravenel Bridge to Shem Creek Park in Mount Pleasant. The park encompasses a large salt marsh where Shem Creek meets Charleston Harbor. There are extensive boardwalks that allow you to get out in the marsh, and nice views across the harbor to downtown Charleston. It’s a nice place to get away from the city for awhile and rest your feet. And after all the walking around Charleston that we did the previous days, my feet needed a rest.

Our final morning in Charleston we made a second stop at Hominy Grill for breakfast. On our way out of town we made a couple of stops not far outside of Charleston. The first was the Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island. This huge Southern live oak is estimated to be 400-500 years old. It’s trunk measures 28 feet in circumference, it’s 66 feet tall, and its canopy covers 17,200 square feet of ground.

After leaving Angel Tree, we made a second stop at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, another of Charleston County’s many parks. There are six miles of trails and boardwalks through a former rice plantation that is now marshland and swamp. The park is managed for wildlife, and is home to otters, alligators, deer, and other wildlife. Caw Caw is one of coastal Carolina’s birding hot spots. It’s also the site of the 1739 slave revolt known as the Stono Rebellion.

We had a great time exploring Charleston. It’s really a beautiful and charming place. But to really see all it has to offer, you need to plan for more than a three-day visit. For more information, check out the Charleston SC Visitors Guide and Discover South Carolina websites.

After our visit to Charleston, we made the two-hour drive to Savannah. To read about our visit to Savannah, click here.

Originally posted Jan. 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted April 9, 2023.