history Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Pacific Northwest Explorer

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

Astoria, Oregon

In 1811, barely five years after the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition had become the first Americans to explore the area, John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company established Fort Astoria near the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was sold to the North West Company only two years later and renamed Fort George, but the establishment of Fort Astoria (along with the earlier presence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) gave the fledgling United States claim to the territory. In 1846 the Oregon Treaty gave possession of the area to the United States and the following year the first U.S. Post Office west of the Rocky Mountains was established in the growing community of Astoria.

Astoria is rich with history and filled with interesting places to explore. It’s also close enough to the Portland area to be an easy day trip. On my last visit, my first stop was the Astoria Column, atop Coxcomb Hill. The 125-foot-tall tower was built in 1926 to commemorate the history of the area, specifically the discovery of the Columbia River by Captain John Gray in 1792, the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806, and the establishment of Fort Astoria in 1811.

Construction of the monument was first proposed by Ralph Budd, president of the Great Northern Railroad. It was designed by architect Electus Litchfield, and funding was provided, at least in part, by descendants of John Jacob Astor. The exterior of the Column is decorated with a spiral frieze painted by sgraffito artist and Italian immigrant Attilio Pusterla depicting fourteen events in the history of the area. The Column was listed in the National Register of Historical Places in 1974.

After my stop at the Astoria Column, I had lunch at Fort George Brewery, then spent an hour or two along the waterfront. The Astoria River Walk, an asphalt and boardwalk bike path and walking trail, runs for three miles along the riverfront. In the summer months, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, a1913 heritage streetcar originally from San Antonio, Texas, runs along the river next to the River Walk. Cost to ride is $1.00, or $2.00 for an all-day hop on, hop off pass.

Replica of Chief Concomly’s burial canoe

Astoria was the first American settlement on the Pacific coast, but of course the real history of the area goes back much farther. The people of the Clatsop Tribe have lived in the area for at least a thousand years, and the area may have been first settled by early Native American peoples as long as 10,000 years ago.

For most the city’s history, the fishing and shipping industries were central to Astoria’s economy. Below the soaring arch of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, Martime Memorial Park honors the many men and women that had been involved in the fishing and seafaring trades during their lives.

Columbia Lightship, Columbia River Maritime Museum

Maritime Memorial and Astoria-Megler Bridge

About a mile east of the Maritime Memorial, the Columbia River Maritime Museum is one of Astoria’s premier attractions. The museum houses a 30,000-item collection related to the history of fishing, shipping, and naval activities of the area. At the CRMM you can also tour the lightship Columbia. Other historical attractions in the area include the Flavel House Museum, a Queen Anne style Victorian mansion built by sea captain George Flavel in 1885, and a replica of the blockhouse of Fort Astoria, the first structure erected in Astoria.

Present day Astoria’s economy is more centered on tourism than fishing or logging. There is a thriving arts community, the weekly street market (Astoria Sunday Market) draws people to the area in the summer, and there is a growing food and drink scene.

For beer lovers, Astoria Brewing, Fort George Brewery, Rogue Pier 39 Public House, and Buoy Beer Company, and Breakside Brewery all offer topflight craft beers and pub food. Reach Break Brewing and Hondo’s Brew Pub are smaller brewers that get high marks, as well. The Pacific Northwest Brew Cup Festival, held in late August at Heritage Square in downtown Astoria, offers craft beers from more than two dozen brewers, as well as food from an assortment of food trucks. Admission is free.

As for cafes and restaurants, Bridgewater Bistro serves up New American cuisine in an old cannery building on the waterfront. Street 14 Cafe serves locally sourced foods for breakfast and lunch. For seafood, try Bowpicker (fish and chips served from a converted fishing boat on Duane Street), or the Silver Salmon Grille on Commercial Street (occupying the space that housed the Thiel Brothers Restaurant for fifty years). Ethnic foods can be found at Drina Daisy’s Bosnian Restaurant, Fulio’s (Italian), Tora Sushi Lounge, Himani Indian Cuisine, and Plaza Jalisco Mexican Restaurant.

Gull and old pilings along the riverfront

Quality coffee houses include Journey’s End Espresso and Kick Ass Koffee, both located near the bridge in the Uniontown District, Coffee Girl, next to Rogue Pier 39 Public House, and The Rusty Cup on Commercial Street in the historic downtown section.

If you’re planning an overnight stay, luxury accommodations can be found at the Cannery Pier Hotel, in an old cannery building on pilings over the water, and the Elliot Hotel (both $300+ per night). Lloyd Hotel and Astoria Riverwalk Inn both get good reviews and are priced mid-range. For bargain accommodations, try the Astoria Crest Motel or the Astoria Rivershore Motel. (The historic John Jacob Astor Hotel, pictured above, is now an apartment building).

A couple of interesting historical notes. The world’s first cable TV system was established in Astoria in 1946 by Ed Parsons, owner of radio station KAST. And one of Clark Gable’s earliest acting gigs was at the Astoria Theater, where he met his first wife, Joan Didion, in the early 1920s. Astoria has also been the filming location for a number of movies in recent decades, including The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, Free Willy, Short Circuit, and Come See the Paradise.

On my way out of town that afternoon, I stopped at Fort Clatsop, part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. In November 1805 the Lewis and Clark Expedition (the Corps of Discovery) reached the mouth of the Columbia River after an 18-month journey from St. Louis. In December they constructed Fort Clatsop, southeast of Astoria, near the shore of what is now the Lewis and Clark River (formerly called the Netul River). The thirty-three members of the expedition wintered there from December 7, 1805 until March 22, 1806. The fort was abandoned when they left to return east, and nothing remains of it today. Its exact location is unknown, but historians are confident that it was in the immediate vicinity of the replica of the fort that is part of the historic park. From the fort there is a short trail to the bank of the river, and a 6.5-mile trail that leads to the ocean at Sunset Beach.

Other attractions in the area include Fort Stevens State Park at the mouth of the Columbia on the Oregon side, and Cape Disappointment State Park on the Washington side.

Originally posted 11/22/18 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted 4/6/21 and 7/3/23.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Mount St. Helens

The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was one of the most significant natural disasters in U.S. history. Everyone knows about the eruption, but a little history is in order here, I think.

Mount St. Helens had been dormant for 123 years until it awoke in March 1980. On March 15th a series of small, shallow earthquakes were recorded, centered below the summit of the mountain. In the days that followed, more quakes occurred, the largest a magnitude 4.2 quake on March 20th.

Mount St. Helens, May 17, 1980. Photo by Harry Glicken, USGS/CVO. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

Between March 25th and 27th 174 earthquakes greater than magnitude 2.6 were recorded, the largest a magnitude 5.1 quake on the 27th. The first eruption, also on the 27th, opened a new summit crater. The north flank of the mountain also began bulging outward, with the bulge growing 5-6 feet per day. More eruptions occurred over the next week few weeks. By April 7th the new crater measured 1700 by 2300 feet and was 500 feet deep. By mid-May the north side of the mountain had moved outward by 400 feet and the summit area had begun to collapse.

Mount St. Helens, May 18, 1980. Photo credited to U.S. Geological Survey. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.

At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980 a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused the north flank of the mountain to collapse in the largest landslide ever recorded. A few seconds later the mountain erupted in a lateral blast that devastated an area as far as 20 miles from the summit and felled 230 square miles of forest. The blast superheated the waters of Spirit Lake instantly, causing a huge secondary steam explosion. This secondary explosion was heard as far away as San Francisco (but, interestingly, was not heard in the Portland area).

Mount St. Helens from Johnston Ridge, August 2018

The eruption sent an ash cloud 12 miles into the sky. In the Yakima Valley, northeast of the mountain, the ash cloud completely blocked the sun and noon was as dark as midnight. Ash fell as far away as Minnesota. The energy released by the eruption was estimated to be equivalent to 24 megatons of TNT, more than 1400 times the energy released by the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.

Pumice Plain between Johnston Ridge and the crater

At least 55 people were killed in the eruption. The official total is listed as 57, but two people on the list who were reported missing after the eruption may not have been in the blast zone that day, and three others who are not on the official list may have been. Two of the most prominent people that died that day were Harry R. Truman and David A. Johnston.

Eighty-three year old Harry Truman owned Mount St. Helens Lodge on the shore of Spirit Lake. He had lived there for more than 50 years and refused to leave when the area was evacuated. He was a colorful, locally well known character who had lived an eventful life and had become something of a celebrity in the months leading up to the eruption. He was buried by the initial landslide.

David Johnston was a highly respected geologist and volcanologist. He was camping near where the Johnston Ridge Observatory is now located. He was the first to report the eruption. “Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!” he radioed the USGS office in Vancouver, Washington just before he was hit by the blast.

Also killed in the eruption were photographers Reid Blackburn and Robert Landsburg. Blackburn’s body was found in his car at Coldwater Camp four days after the eruption. His camera was found later, but the film was not salvageable. Landsburg’s body was found seventeen days after the eruption. His camera was found inside his backpack under his body. The film in his camera survived and the photos he took before the ash cloud engulfed him provided some of the most dramatic and scientifically valuable photos of the eruption.

Thirty-eight years after the eruption, when these photos were taken, the area between the new crater and Johnston Ridge still looked much like it did when I first visited the area some 25 years before. Trees were beginning to regrow on the north side of the ridge, though, and shrubs and wildflowers were abundant. The land is recovering, but it will be generations, perhaps centuries, before the forest returns to anything like it was before the eruption.

The Johnston Ridge Observatory is a good place to begin an exploration of Mount St. Helens. At the observatory you can view interpretive displays and videos, and get information about the mountain, the eruption, and area hiking trails. The observatory is located at the end of the Spirit Lake Highway (WA 504). To get there from the Seattle area, travel south on I-5 and take WA 505 (Exit 63) through the town of Toledo to the junction with WA 504. From Portland, take Exit 49 off I-5 at Castle Rock. Johnston Ridge is approximately 50 miles east of I-5. There is an $8 parking/entry fee, payable at the observatory.

Wildflowers along the Boundary Trail on Johnston Ridge

One of the best hikes on the mountain is the trail to Harry’s Ridge, which begins at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. Total out and back mileage is about eight miles and total elevation gain is about 1000 feet. Check out my Harry’s Ridge Hike post for a more detailed description of the hike. You can also hike into the heart of the blast zone between Johnston Ridge and the crater. Check the Johnston Ridge Observatory website, linked above, for current information.

Another one of my favorite Mount St. Helens hikes is the Lava Canyon Trail on the southeast side of the mountain. Distances and elevation gains vary depending on how far down (or up) the canyon you go. You don’t have to go far down the trail from the upper trailhead to see some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest, though. The initial section of the trail is ADA accessible and everyone can view some of the best waterfalls. Again, check my blog post on Lava Canyon for more details.

Both the Harry’s Ridge and Lava Canyon hikes are among the best in the Northwest. They are very different, but both are incredibly beautiful and relatively easy hikes, and both can be done in a single weekend. But even if you’re not a hiker, visiting the Johnston Ridge Observatory and taking the short ADA accessible trail at Lava Canyon are more than worthwhile for everyone. And anyone who has not explored the mountain should do so at some point. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Originally posted March 27, 2021 by Alan K. Lee. Updated and re-posted June 19, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

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

All photos © Alan K. Lee

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Bayocean Peninsula Hike

By Alan K. Lee

Bayocean Peninsula Hike

Where: Tillamook County, Northern Oregon Coast

Type: Out and back beach walk or loop hike

Distance: 3.6- or 7.7-mile loop hikes or out and back hikes up to 8.2 miles

Elevation gain: Minimal

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (depending on length)

Map: Google Maps

Guidebooks:

100 Hikes: Oregon Coast by William L. Sullivan

120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson

Oregon’s Best Coastal Beaches by Dick Trout

Oregon Coast Hikes by Paul M. Williams

Overview:

Bayocean Peninsula separates Tillamook Bay from the Pacific Ocean. The peninsula runs from the mouth of the bay south for five miles to Cape Meares. I’ll describe two loop hikes that include a beach walk and a return on the bay side, but out and back hikes on the beach or the bay side of the peninsula are also options here.

Bayocean Peninsula was once home to the resort community of Bay Ocean Park. A century ago the town had a large hotel, what was billed as the largest natatorium (indoor swimming pool) on the west coast and 2000 residents. But the ocean reclaimed all of it. Today, nothing is left of the town. See my Bayocean Peninsula post for more information.

The peninsula is now an undeveloped county park. There has never been a campground, but in the past backcountry camping was permitted. That has changed, however, and overnight camping is no longer allowed.

Getting there:

From the town of Tillamook, drive west on Third Street (Ore Hwy 131). After crossing the Tillamook River bridge, turn right onto Bayocean Road toward Cape Meares. At milepost five, turn right onto the old south jetty haul road (sometimes called the Dike Road) and proceed to the trailhead parking area.

Trailhead:

The trailhead parking area has space for about 25 vehicles. There are chemical toilets but no water available. There is a $10 Tillamook County day use fee, payable at the trailhead. An alternative trailhead is the beach access in the town of Cape Meares about a mile west of the Dike Road turnoff. There is no parking fee, but also no facilities. Add about 1.8 miles to the distances listed above.

The hike:

From the northwest corner of the Dike Road parking area, follow the trail through the dunes to the beach and turn north. In a little over a mile, look for a sandy draw between forested bluffs. Here you have a choice. If you follow the draw inland, a trail will take you through the spruce and pine forest to the bay side of the peninsula. From there you can return to the trailhead on the old jetty haul road for a 3.6-mile loop hike.

Or, continue along the beach until you reach the south jetty at the mouth of Tillamook Bay. You’ll be rewarded with one of the least crowded beaches on the entire coast. You might have the beach to yourself even on summer weekends.

From the jetty you can return the way you came for 7.2 mile out and back beach walk or complete the 7.7-mile loop hike by following the jetty inland to the old jetty haul road and following it back to the trailhead. The road is rock and gravel with some sandy stretches. It runs along the bayshore, with good views of the shore and bay, with a couple of stretches in the pine and spruce forest of the peninsula interior.

Note: At the time of this update (April 2024), the north end of the haul road is closed to the public due to jetty construction work, so the longer loop is not possible. The construction work does not affect the beach or the Bay Ocean Park townsite.

Look for ducks and geese on the water and shorebirds along the water’s edge. This is one of the best birding areas for waterfowl on the coast.

Near the end of the hike look for a sign labeled Bayocean Townsite. Here a trail leads toward the beach to the old townsite. The trail loops south through what was then the bayfront (the whole peninsula has shifted a couple of hundred yards to the east and much of the old townsite is now under the waves), then returns to the haul road, where there is an interpretive display that tells the tale of the town and its demise. From there, return to the parking area. (If you started at the town of Cape Meares, hike from the Dike Road parking area through the dunes and return to Cape Meares on the beach.)

Other area attractions and activities:

The beach walk south to the base of the Cape Meares headland provides an up-close view of the ocean waves crashing against the rocky headland, and Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, on top of the headland, provides spectacular ocean views both north and south, one of the best whale watching spots on the coast, a lighthouse dating to 1890, and the spectacular Octopus Tree, a many trunked Sitka Spruce.

Farther south, Cape Lookout offers more hiking options, including a unique hike to the tip of the cape, which extends two miles into the Pacific.

If you want to quench your thirst after your hike, stop at the Pelican Brewing pub on First Street in Tillamook or de Garde Brewing a block south at the corner of Second and Ivy. Tillamook is also home, of course, to the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory, one of the most visited tourist destinations in Oregon. And Tillamook is also home to Blue Heron French Cheese Company.

Originally posted April 26, 2023. Most recently updated April 18, 2024.

All photos © Alan K. Lee, except as noted

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

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.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Sunriver Resort

by Alan K. Lee

Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon has become a favorite destination for my wife and I over the years. Even during the first year of the corona virus pandemic we spent the 4th of July holiday at Sunriver with my step-daughter and her family. That year was a little different – we cooked all of our meals at the house we rented instead of dining out as we usually do, for example. But the nature center was open (with restrictions), as was the marina and the stables. And there are miles of bike paths winding through the resort and residential areas, which we took full advantage of.

Sunriver Resort is located about 15 miles south of Bend on the site of the former Camp Abbot, a WWII era Army training facility for combat engineers. After the end of WWII, Camp Abbot was abandoned. Most of the buildings were demolished and the land was sold to private developers. The only remaining Camp Abbot structure is the former officer’s club, now the resort’s Great Hall. Of Camp Abbot’s 5500 acres, 2200 were added to the Deschutes National Forest and the remaining 3300 acres eventually became what is now Sunriver.

Sunriver is more than just a destination resort. It is also a planned community of more than 4000 homes and condominium units. Most of the residences are second homes, many of them available as short-term rentals. Sunriver also has about 1500 full time residents, a fire department, several parks, community water and wastewater treatment systems, a public works facility that maintains the roads, bike paths and parks, and an airport.

Recreational facilities at the resort include two public golf courses, two private courses open to resort guests, tennis and pickleball courts, several swimming pools, parks, and the large Sunriver Homeowners Aquatic and Recreation Center (SHARC). Sunriver Marina offers canoe and kayak rentals and guided rafting trips. And the Sunriver Stables offer horseback and pony rides.

In the winter, snow sports take center stage. Snowshoe and cross country ski trails are close by. Alpine skiers and snowboarders make up a large portion of Sunriver’s winter visitors, as Mount Bachelor, one of the Northwest’s premier ski areas, is only about a 30 minute drive from the resort. Mount Bachelor also has a Nordic center with more than 30 miles of cross country ski trails.

With 300 days of sunshine a year, Sunriver has much to offer the outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, biking, fishing, and river rafting and paddling are all popular summer activities. The Deschutes River forms the western boundary of the resort, and the river is wide and placid in that stretch, perfect for a leisurely float. And floating the river is a very popular activity in the summer. The river is often crowded with people enjoying the river in canoes, kayaks, rafts, and inner tubes.

Downstream of the resort, the river changes drastically, becoming narrow and raging as it cuts through an ancient lava flow. Scenic Benham Falls is only a few miles from the resort. A relatively flat paved bike path makes cycling from Sunriver to Benham Falls quick and easy. You can also drive there, but the bike path is shorter and probably faster. And there is a somewhat longer and more challenging mountain bike trail from Sunriver to the falls for the more adventurous.

The bike path continues on to Lava Butte and the Lava Lands Visitor Center, part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Also part of the National Monument, Newberry Crater (actually a caldera) contains two lakes, East and Paulina, and a large and fascinating obsidian flow. You can also drive to the summit of Paulina Peak on the caldera rim where you’ll look down into the caldera and take in the panoramic views of the Cascade Range peaks to the west, the ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests surrounding the caldera, and the sage and juniper lands of the high desert to the east. Newberry Crater is about 25 miles by road from Sunriver. (Look for a future post on this site with more information and photos of Newberry Crater).

Sunriver Resort makes an ideal base for exploring all that Central Oregon offers. Besides Newberry Crater and Lava Butte, other attractions in Newberry National Volcanic Monument include the Lava Cast Forest , and Lava River Cave.

West of Sunriver, the Cascade Lakes Highway runs parallel to the crest of the Cascade Range and passes close to Todd, Sparks, and Elk Lakes. Hosmer Lake, just off the highway, is a fly fishing only lake where motor boats are prohibited, making it ideal for paddlers. The highway also passes close by Big and Little Lava Lakes, Davis Lake, Cultus Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, and Wickiup Reservoir. For those seeking to get deeper into nature, numerous hiking trails lead from the highway into the adjacent Three Sisters Wilderness Area to the west.

While you’re in the area, I highly recommend that you visit the High Desert Museum, on Hwy 97 about ten miles north of Sunriver. The museum offers visitors a chance to see native wildlife up close, and to learn about both the pioneering history of the area and the culture and lifestyles of the Native American tribes that lived in the area for thousands of years prior to the arrival of white settlers. The High Desert Museum consistently rates as one of the top attractions in Central Oregon.

For those wanting a more urban experience, Bend is only about a 20 minute drive north of Sunriver. Once a small lumber town, Bend is now a fast growing city with a population of about 90,000. Besides being one of the West’s premier outdoor recreation centers, Bend also has many fine dining establishments, brew pubs, wine bars, boutique hotels, art galleries, and numerous specialty shops. I’ll cover Bend in more detail in a future post.

Sunriver itself has a variety of restaurants, a nice brew pub (Sunriver Brewing), a number of small shops, and many fun things for kids to do (think bumper cars and climbing walls). Most of that is concentrated in The Village, located near the main entry to the resort. The Lodge also has several restaurants, and there is a Mexican restaurant (Hola!) on the river next to Sunriver Marina.

Sunriver Resort offers a variety of rooms and suites in the Lodge and adjacent Lodge Village and River Lodges. More than 300 homes and condos in Sunriver can also be booked through the resort. Check the resort website for more information. Many other vacation rentals are available through VRBO, Vacasa, Airbnb, and Sunriver Vacation Rentals.

We’ve visited Sunriver Resort many times, and we will return again many more times, I’m sure. It’s a great place for the whole family, and Central Oregon is a paradise for people who love the outdoors.

Originally posted December 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted January 21, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Port Townsend

by Alan K. Lee

Port Townsend has long been one of my favorite towns in the Pacific Northwest. Port Townsend has it all – a beautiful setting on Puget Sound, some of the best preserved Victorian homes and buildings in the Northwest, an active maritime and boat building industry, a thriving arts community, fine food and drink, and a friendly populace.

Port Townsend bills itself as a “Victorian Seaport and Arts Community.” The town never became the major seaport that its early promoters envisioned it becoming, but the Victorian character of the town has been well preserved, and the arts community is thriving.

Although Port Townsend is no longer a player in the shipping industry, sailing and the marine trades, and maritime life are ingrained in the town’s culture. The hugely popular Wooden Boat Festival grew out of the revival of interest in wooden boats that began in the 1970s. The festival led to the creation of the Northwest Maritime Center, located in Port Townsend’s historic downtown. Today, the center conducts classes in sailing, maritime skills, and the traditions of maritime life.

Wooden sailing ships were key to the town’s early economy and history, and the boatbuilding and woodworking crafts live on in Port Townsend. The Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building in nearby Port Hadlock and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking help preserve and promote the skills that were so vital to the early history of Port Townsend.

While its history is important to understanding Port Townsend, the town is anything but stuck in the past. Modern Port Townsend’s vibrant artists community is a reflection of the town’s modern aesthetic. You’ll find outdoor sculptures scattered throughout the town, and more than a dozen fine art and craft galleries can be found in the historic waterfront section of town.

A variety of festivals throughout the year feature the performing arts. Music festivals include jazz and blues, ukulele and fiddle music, a classical concert series, and others, many presented by the Centrum Foundation. The annual Port Townsend Film Festival features more than 100 films presented in eight venues. The Key City Public Theatre puts on a Shakespeare In the Park series every August. The plays are presented on a “pay-what-you-wish” basis at Chetzemoka Park, on the waterfront a few blocks north of the historic district. And then there’s the steampunk lunacy of the more or less impossible to describe Brass Screw Consortium (aka Brass Screw Confederacy).

If you want to really understand what Port Townsend is all about, you need to delve into the town’s history, explore the town’s maritime heritage, and sample the town’s artistic leanings. A good place to start is the Jefferson Museum of Art and History in the 1892 City Hall building in the historic downtown area along the waterfront.

Take a walk along Water Street. It’s not hard to imagine what the town was like 130 years ago because most of the buildings you see today date from that period. Venture up to the bluff above the waterfront and you’ll find many Victorian era homes, most of which have been well preserved or restored. If you visit in the summer months you can tour the Rothschild House, which was built in 1868 and has been preserved intact for more than a hundred years.

Visit Fort Worden State Park. Most of the fort’s original buildings have been preserved, some as museum pieces, such as the Commanding Officer’s Quarters Museum, and some repurposed to meet today’s changed lifestyle, like the Taps at the Guardhouse pub. Visit Point Hudson Lighthouse and the aquarium at the Marine Science Center on the waterfront at Fort Worden.

The history of the area predates European settlement, of course, and you can learn a little of that through the 18 interpretive signs that describe aspects of the S’Klallam tribe’s history and culture along the číčməhán trail. číčməhán (pronounced cheech-ma-han) was a S’Klallam chief known to the European settlers as Chetzemoka. The trail consists of walking, cycling, and driving routes around the town connecting the 18 signs.

Even if you’re not interested in the town’s history, its maritime traditions, or the arts, Port Townsend is still worth visiting, if only to take in its beautiful setting and indulge in its food and drink scene.

Explore the waterfront, but venture inland as well. Take a walk around the Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park, about a mile west of the historic district. And visit the Chinese Gardens west of Fort Worden. The trail along the lake there, and the connecting trails through the hills of Fort Worden State Park are very much worth hiking. (When we first visited, I was thinking the Chinese Gardens would be like the formal Lan Su Garden in Portland. But in this case the name refers to the 19th Century Chinese immigrants’ vegetable gardens, which, of course, no longer exist).

When you’re done with your hike, check to see if Taps at the Guardhouse in Fort Worden is open (it was closed in 2022) to quench your thirst with a good craft brew. Back in the historic district, I highly recommend that you visit Sirens. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, and they have a good selection of craft beers, cocktails, specialty drinks, and wines. But the surprise for me was the food. The jambalaya that I had may not have been authentic Cajun fare, but it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a recent memory. Not your typical pub food by a long ways.

Other places to get a good beer include Quench Waterfront Kitchen and Bar, where you can get Hawaiian food as well as craft brews and cocktails. They also have a decent wine list. Also check out The Old Whiskey Mill in the historic district, and Propolis Brewing and the Pourhouse, both about a mile to the west. If you’re more interested in wine than beer, Vintage by Port Townsend Vineyards is a tasting room with an outdoor courtyard and some of the best wines around. Also try Alchemy Wine Bar. They have an extensive wine list and a bistro kitchen.

On the food side, Owl Spirit Cafe is a good place to grab a sandwich or burrito for lunch. If you have pizza in mind, try Waterfront Pizza. My go to spot for breakfast and lunch is Courtyard Cafe, on Quincy Street a block north of Water Street. A more upscale dining experience can be had at Silverwater Cafe at Taylor and Washington. There are many other places to eat and drink, too, of course. Check the Enjoy Port Townsend website for a more complete listing.

My wife and I stayed at the Water Street Hotel on our most recent visit, recently renamed the Monarch Hotel. Located in the ornate Victorian era N.D. Hill Building in the heart of the historic downtown area, the hotel features comfortable and nicely appointed rooms for a reasonable price. The N.D. Hill Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. There are a myriad of other places to stay in Port Townsend, of course, so check the Enjoy Port Townsend website (linked above) for more options. One note, though. If you’re planning to visit during the Wooden Boat Festival in September, book early. I wound up staying in Poulsbo after I made a late decision to attend the 40th annual festival in 2018 because there were no rooms available anywhere near Port Townsend. Poulsbo is a delightful town in its own right, though, so I was not unhappy about having to make the 30-mile drive to Port Townsend each day.

I’ve just scratched the surface of what Port Townsend has to offer. If you’ve never visited, I highly recommend that you go. I’m guessing that it won’t be your only visit.

Originally posted November 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted January 12, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West

By Alan K. Lee

Many of us that live in the Pacific Northwest have a connection of one kind or another to the state of Arizona. Many Northwest retirees, like my parents, become snowbirds, escaping the Northwest winters by spending the colder months in the sunnier and warmer climes of the desert Southwest. Others, like my brother, escape at an earlier age. Most of the rest of us have vacationed at least once in Arizona, or at least have dreamed of doing so. My wife and I have both lived in the Pacific Northwest all our lives, but we’ve made many trips to Arizona over the years. One of our favorite places is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.

Taliesin West is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most iconic creations. Begun in the same year that Falling Water, arguably his greatest creation, was built, Taliesin West was Wright’s winter home for the last two decades of his life.

Taliesin West was founded as the winter home for the Frank Lloyd Wright Fellowship, Wright’s school of architecture. It was always a school of architecture as well as Wright’s winter home. The Fellowship evolved into the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, which conducted classes at Taliesin West until 2020, when it separted from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, changed its name to The School of Architecture, and moved its campus to Cosanti and Arcosanti, Arizona.

Wright’s designs and his design philosophy had a profound impact on American architecture. He is without question the most famous American architect, by a wide margin. Ask anyone to name an architect and almost all, if they can name any, will name Wright.

Wright first achieved fame shortly after the turn of the 20th century for his Prairie House residential designs, and he was always more interested in designing homes for people than structures for businesses or government agencies. During the Great Depression he designed a planned community that featured simple, affordable residences that he called Usonian homes. Although his planned community was never built, many Usonian homes were. One of those, the Gordon House, is now located at the Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon, not far from my home.

Over his long career, Wright designed more than 1100 structures, 532 of which were built. But as famous and influential as he was, for much of his career he received few commissions. In the 1920s he made most of his income from writing and lecturing, rather than from his designs.

In 1932 Wright formed the Taliesin Fellowship, an apprenticeship program that taught not just architectural design, but also construction and “farming, gardening, and cooking, and the study of nature, music, art, and dance” according to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation website.

The original Taliesin, in Spring Green, Wisconsin, was Wright’s primary residence for most of his life and also served as the campus of the Taliesin Fellowship. In 1934, to escape the often brutal weather in Wisconsin, Wright began taking his students to Arizona each winter.

Taliesin West began as the winter camp for Wright and his students. And it was an actual camp in the beginning. The students lived in tents for their first few winters in Arizona, and Taliesin West was an ongoing project for many years. Even after most of the structures were completed, for example, all of the windows were simply openings in the walls, without glass, for almost a decade.

Wright’s design philosophy was holistic, and humanistic. He saw houses as organic structures that should be built in harmony with their environment and in tune with their inhabitants. “It is quite impossible to consider the building as one thing, its furnishings another and its setting and environment still another,” he wrote. He believed that all had to work “as one thing.” There is a story, whether true or not I don’t know, that the purchasers of one of his early residential designs invited him to their home after they moved in and he was so appalled by the way they had furnished the home that from that point on he not only designed the structures, he designed all of the furniture (much of it built in), the lighting, the rugs, the artwork, and even the dinnerware that went into them.

The structures at Taliesin West reflect Wright’s belief that architecture must reflect the natural setting of the site. To that end, they were built using native stone and other materials harvested from the site. That, and the long, horizontal orientation and flat roofed construction help them blend almost seamlessly into the environment. Taliesin West would still be a beautiful and striking piece of architecture even if it was located elsewhere, but it would not be as in harmony with its setting as it is, and it would be a lesser work.

The grounds of Taliesin West are beautifully landscaped and feature many outdoor works of art by various artists. Wright saw architecture as the “mother” of all the arts, and art was an important component of his designs, as was the landscaping.

Wright’s work ensures his place in history as one of the architectural greats. Today, Taliesin West lives on as testament to that greatness, and as home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

Taliesin West is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, about 20 miles northeast of downtown Phoenix.

Originally posted November 26, 2019. Updated and re-posted January 7, 2022.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Kona and the Big Island

by Alan K. Lee

Kona, on the Big Island, was where I first set foot in Hawai’i, back in the year 2000. I will never forget stepping out of the plane and immediately being bathed in sunshine and enveloped in the warmth that is so ever present in Hawai’i. It wasn’t just that it was warm. The air felt different, not the suffocating humidity of summers in the much of the country or the oppressive furnace-like heat of the Southwest. Here it just felt welcoming. Two steps out of the plane I knew I was in paradise.

My first view of the Big Island was also memorable. Looking out the window of the plane at the Kohala Coast as we descended toward Kona, I expected to see lush green jungle, but instead I saw black lava fields and brown grassland. There wasn’t a tree in sight. The land looked more the high desert of eastern Oregon than what I envisioned Hawai’i should look like.

Saffron Finch, photographed in downtown Kailua-Kona

Kailua-Kona isn’t a desert by any means, but the average annual rainfall is a bit under 30 inches, less than Portland or Seattle. Parts of the Kohala Coast to the north of Kona get less than 10 inches of rain per year. In contrast, Hilo on the east side of the island averages more than 10 feet (127″) per year.

My wife and I have been back to the Big Island a couple of times since our first visit. Our most recent visit came in February 2019. After visiting my wife’s cousin and her husband at their home on Maui, the four of us took the short hop over to Kona to explore the Big Island. It had been 15 years since our last trip to Kona, so I was interested to see how much it had changed. The answer turned out to be not all that much. A little bigger, more traffic, maybe a little more touristy, but essentially the same as I remembered it.

After settling into our condo rental near downtown Kailua-Kona, we walked into town. It was hotter and a little more humid than I remembered it being on our previous visits, so our first stop was a local pub to get a cold brew. After slaking our thirst and having a bite to eat, we walked around the town and harbor-front for awhile.

Kailua-Kona still has a small town feel and the downtown area is compact and easily walkable. Many of the businesses that were there 15 years ago are still there. The shave-ice place that we discovered on our first visit is still there, although with a different name now. The town is worth a look, but it is often crowded with tourists, especially when there’s a cruise ship in port. When there is, it’s probably best to avoid the area. Fortunately, the attractions of the Big Island are numerous and varied, and regardless of what your idea of the perfect tropical vacation is, you can probably find it on the Big Island.

View across Kealakekua Bay to the Captain Cook Monument

We spent one morning at Kealakekua Bay, about 20 miles south of Kailua-Kona. On our last trip, my wife and I took a day cruise to Kealakekua to snorkel. That was one of the best snorkelling experiences I’ve ever had. This time we drove to Manini Beach, a pretty cool little park with a small sand beach, frequented more by locals than tourists. We would never have found it on our own, but the owners of the condo we rented put together an information book that had photos and directions to the park. Across the bay is a monument marking the spot where Captain James Cook was killed in 1779.

We spent two or three hours lounging and swimming at Manini Beach, then drove to the Place of Refuge (Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park), on Honaunau Bay, a few miles south of Kealakekua, where we spent another couple of hours exploring. Pu’uhonua o Honaunau played a significant role in the lives of Hawai’ian people prior to contact with Europeans. If you have any interest in Hawai’ian history, this is a place you definitely should visit. Next door to the Place of Refuge there is also a very good (and popular) snorkelling access point called Two Steps. You are certain to find lots of colorful fish and sea turtles in the bay there.

Fish ponds at Kalahuipua’a Historic Park, Mauna Lani Resort

More native history can be found along the Kohala Coast to the north of Kailua-Kona. The Mauna Lani Resort has preserved a couple of features of native Hawai’ian life on their property. Kalahuipua’a Historic Park contains archaeological sites and preserves two ancient fish ponds. The ponds were originally shallow embayments that the native Hawai’ians walled off to raise fish for food. Over time the ground here has subsided, making the ponds deeper and larger than they once were.

Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Park, also on the Mauna Lani property, preserves an area of relatively flat, smooth lava, several acres in size, that is literally covered with petroglyphs. It’s about a 3/4 mile hike, but a quite incredible site, and well worth the hike, even on a hot afternoon. I’ve never seen another place with anything close to the number of petroglyphs that can be found at Puako. The entire Puako Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve covers 223-acres and boasts more than 3,000 ancient petroglyphs, some dating to 1200 AD.

Farther north, in the North Kohala District, Lapakahi State Historical Park preserves the ruins of an ancient settlement. Several of the structures have been recreated to give an inkling of what life was like in the village. The park also protects 1.5 miles of shoreline and off shore coral reefs.

Steam vent near the rim of Kilauea Caldera

We came to the Big Island not long after the end of 2018’s epic eruption of Kilauea. The volcano was quiet when we were there, but most of the rim road and almost all of the trails in the summit area were still closed. That was a big disappointment. I would have liked to get a close up look at how much the crater had changed since our last visit. From what we could see, the Halema’uma’u Crater within the Kilauea Caldera is now many times larger than it was in 2004, but we couldn’t get near enough to see down into the crater. The trails down into the Kilauea Iki Crater were also closed, as was the Thompson Lava Tube Trail. The Chain Of Craters Road was open, so we stopped and explored a couple of interesting areas of much older eruptions that we probably would have skipped if more of the summit area had been accessible.

Lava field off the Chain Of Craters Road

After leaving Volcanoes National Park, we drove to Hilo, looking for Rainbow Falls. Our navigation system led us astray, however, leading us down a private road that went nowhere. We backtracked to Hilo to reconnoiter. While there, we had a wonderful dinner at the Cafe Pesto. Our friends had eaten there before and their recommendation was definitely on target. After dinner we consulted a map of Hilo and found our way to Rainbow Falls with no trouble. Our previous visit to Hilo (in 2004) came in the middle of a months long drought on the Big Island, and Rainbow Falls was barely a trickle then. But this time the Wailuku River was flowing strongly and twin streams of water were pouring over the edge of the cliff. As impressive as it was, I couldn’t help but wonder how much more so it would be after a heavy rainstorm.

We made our way back to Kona via the Saddle Road that crosses over the divide between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. In 2004 this was such a bad road that rental car companies specifically prohibited taking their cars on it. But much work has been done on it recently, and it is now one of the better highways on the Big Island, and by far the quickest route between Kailua-Kona and Hilo.

Four days wasn’t close to enough time to do anything but scratch the surface of what the Big Island has to offer. There are beaches, of course, and snorkeling, golf, hiking trails, you name it. But even if you only have a few days, the Big Island is a great choice of places to visit. If you are thinking about visiting, a good starting point for your planning is the Big Island Guide website. It has tons of information on accommodations, dining, activities, sightseeing, the history and culture of the island, and much more.

No matter what your interests, I think it would be hard to have a truly bad experience on the Big Island, or any of the other islands, for that matter. Whether you choose to visit Kaua’i, Oahu, Maui, Moloka’i, the Big Island or Lana’i doesn’t matter. All of the islands of Hawai’i really are paradise.

Originally posted August 6, 2019. Updated and re-posted November 19, 2022.

Cesky Krumlov

by Alan K. Lee

Czesky Krumlov is a small city in the Czech Republic about 85 miles south of Prague on the Vltava River. The old town section of the city, with its well preserved Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architecture and a castle complex that towers over the city, is one of the top tourist destinations in the country, drawing more than a million visitors a year.

You’ll see a lot of superlatives in descriptions of Czesky Krumlov: romantic, charming, magical, fairytale-like, enchanted, and so forth. If that sounds a bit Disneyesque, the town does have a bit of a theme park vibe. But it’s undoubtedly beautiful and the old town is ancient and authentic. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.

You’ll also see Czesky Krumlov described as unbearably touristy. Many of the comments I read on tourist forums recommended spending the night in the city so that you can see the city in the evening after the tour buses have left and in the morning before they arrive. My wife and I were there in early June, a little before peak season. There certainly were many other tourists there, but I wouldn’t call it unbearably crowded. And the beauty of the city and its undeniable charms would have trumped the detrimental aspects of any crowds, anyway, in my opinion.

The Cesky Krumlov Castle complex , with its Baroque Theater (one of only two remaining in Europe that are open to the public), is probably the biggest tourist draw. There are four different tours of the castle that you can take, all lasting from 45 minutes to an hour with adult admission prices of 180 to 280 Czech Korunas ($7 to $12 at current exchange rates).

Another top attraction is the 15th century Church of St. Vitus in the historic old town area.

Floating the Vltava River through town is another popular activity.

For my money, the best part of our visit was simply wandering around the historic center, walking the cobblestone streets and taking in the wonderful architecture, the beauty of the Vltava River that meanders around and through the town, and finding some of the charming and quirky things that set Czesky Krumlov apart. The old town area is car free and pedestrian friendly.

We didn’t do any of the castle tours or tour the Castle Garden. But our tour guide gave us a good deal of information about the town and its history, and we had plenty of time to just wander around the old town on our own. And that was enough to make it well worth the long bus ride from Linz.

Guided walking tours are available for about $40-50 per person, but you don’t need a tour guide to enjoy the sights. We spent only one afternoon in Czesky Krumlov (we were among those hordes that arrived on tourist buses), so we hardly experienced all of its charms. The only regret we had about our visit was that we didn’t have more time to spend there.

Everyone visiting Prague and/or Vienna (or doing a Danube River cruise) should consider adding Cesky Krumlov to their itinerary. It is an absolutely beautiful city and a wonderful place to visit. The guide books and reviews were right, too – you should spend the night there, if you can, and give yourself plenty of time to fully explore this fascinating town. More information about Cesky Krumlov can be found here.

My wife and I visited Cesky Krumlov as part of a Danube River cruise that we took earlier this year (2022) on Viking River Cruises. If you’re interested in more information about river cruising, check out the Viking website and our river cruising post.

Posted October 26, 2022

Bandon, Oregon

by Alan K. Lee

Bandon-by-the-sea

Bandon, Oregon, on the southern Oregon coast, happens to have been my home for the first seven years of my life. Although I did most of my growing up in Salem, I consider Bandon my home town as much or more than I do Salem. I go back to Bandon often, most recently in July this year (2024).

History

Bandon was founded almost 150 years ago by George Bennett (often referred to as Lord Bennett), an Irish peer from Bandon, Ireland. In its early days, the economy of Bandon, Oregon was primarily agricultural. Bandon has been known for both its cheese and cranberries since the 1880s. The first jetty was also constructed in the 1880s, and Bandon was soon home to a fishing fleet and a robust shipping industry.

One of the things Lord Bennett brought to Bandon from Ireland was gorse, a thorny, thick growing plant with bright yellow flowers. In Ireland it was used for privacy hedges and property boundaries because it is almost impenetrable. In Oregon it went wild and was one of the state’s first invasive plants. Besides being thick and thorny, it is also a very oily plant and burns readily. In 1936 a small forest fire started from a slash burn that got out of hand, spread to the gorse near the town, and then to the town itself, destroying all but 16 of the 500 structures in the town. The fire decimated the community and all but ended shipping to and from the harbor.

In my youth, Bandon was primarily a mill town, with fishing and agriculture secondary industries. Today, the lumber and plywood mills are long gone. There is still a small fishing fleet that operates out of the harbor, Bandon is still one of the leading cranberry producing areas of the country, and dairy farming is still an important component of the economy. But it is tourism that drives the economy today. The three main tourist draws are the beaches, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, and the old town section of Bandon.

The Beaches

The beaches on either side of the Coquille River are dramatically different. To the north, a wide flat beach stretches for ten miles to the Cape Arago headland, interrupted only by Fivemile Point. The north beach can be accessed from Bullards Beach State Park, Whisky Run, located just north of Bandon Dunes, and Seven Devils State Park, another mile or so to the north.

The beach to the south of the Coquille River is a spectacular collection of sea stacks and offshore islands, including Face Rock and Table Rock, that are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. This is rightly regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches on the Oregon Coast.

Access can be had from the south jetty area, from the wayside at the end of 11th Street, and from Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint on the Beach Loop Road. Farther south on the Beach Loop Road are other beach access points at Devils Kitchen and Bandon State Natural Area.

Coquille River Lighthouse

The Coquille River Lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Coquille River on the north jetty, across the river from the old town section of Bandon. It was constructed in 1895-96 and began operating on February 29, 1896. In addition to the lighthouse itself, there was a foghorn, a lighthouse keeper’s residence, and a barn. Various improvements were made in the following years, including a boathouse for the lighthouse tender. None of the other structures remain.

In 1939 the Coast Guard took over the lighthouse and deemed it unnecessary. The lighthouse was replaced by an automated light on the south jetty. The lighthouse sat abandoned for 24 years until it became part of the new Bullards Beach State Park in 1963. It was another 13 years before renovation of the lighthouse began, but it finally opened to the public in 1979. In 1991, during Bandon’s centennial celebration, a solar powered light was installed, ending the Coquille River Lighthouse’s 52 years of darkness. Further renovation of the lighthouse was done in 2007. The lighthouse closed to the public due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has yet to re-open, so you can’t go inside, but the road to it and the parking area are open.

Circles in the Sand

Denny Dyke began creating labyrinths on the Bandon beach in 2011 as part of his ministry, Sacred Journeys. The labyrinths are intended as a form of walking meditation. Over the next few years Dyke created hundreds of labyrinths, and he and a team of volunteers continue to create dozens of labyrinths every year, each unique and lasting only until the next high tide.

The Circles in the Sand labyrinths have become true works of art in the thirteen years that Dyke and his team have been creating them. They have also become very popular events, as have other walking labyrinths in other locations.

Golf

If you’re a golfer, you have likely heard a lot about Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. There are now five full length courses: Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old MacDonald, and Sheep Ranch.

All of the Bandon Dunes courses are consistently rated in the top 100 courses in the United States, and the 13 hole par three course, Bandon Preserve, is a challenge in itself. A few miles south of town, Bandon Crossings offers a lesser known, much less expensive, and equally challenging course that should be on every golfer’s radar.

Old Town

Bandon’s Old Town area is loaded with restaurants, galleries, gift shops, and outdoor art exhibits. Art lovers will want to visit Second Street Gallery, and everyone should take in the Washed Ashore exhibit, which displays sculptures and other artworks created entirely from marine debris picked up from the beach. Washed Ashore is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about plastic pollution of the oceans and waterways, and to making positive changes in consumer habits.

Good eats abound in Old Town. Start your day at Bandon Coffee Cafe, Jenn’s Joint Coffee Shop, Bandon Baking Company, or Shoestring Cafe. Stop at Face Rock Creamery to sample locally made cheeses and ice cream. Seafood lovers will want to sample the fare at Tony’s Crab Shack and Bandon Fish Market. Pub fare and quality draft beer are both to be had at Foley’s Irish Pub and Bandon Brewing Company. Decent and very affordable Mexican food can be had at La Fiesta. And if more upscale dining is what you’re looking for, try The Loft Restaurant and Bar or Alloro Wine Bar and Restaurant.

Accommodations

There are many hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and other accommodations in Bandon. Useful websites include: Visit the Oregon Coast, Bandon Chamber of Commerce, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Trip Advisor, Airbnb, and Vacasa.

There is a campground at Bullards Beach State Park with 103 full-hookup sites and 82 sites with water and electricity. And there are a number of commercial RV parks in the immediate area.

Getting There

Bandon isn’t exactly easy to get to. It’s about a 2½ hour drive from Eugene, three hours from Medford, and 4½-5 hours from Portland. There are no commercial flights to Bandon Airport. United Express does have daily flights from San Francisco and twice weekly flights from Denver to the Southwest Regional Airport in North Bend, but there are no direct flights between North Bend and Portland or other cities. There is no railroad serving Bandon, and there does not appear to be any bus service to Bandon. But Bandon’s remoteness means that it is less crowded than the northern or central Oregon coast, and the spectacularly beautiful beaches and interesting old town make it worth the trip. And, of course, there is Bandon Dunes, if you’re a golf fanatic.

Consider combining a visit to Bandon with a drive south along the spectacular Southern Oregon Coast and through the Redwoods of the northern California coast, one of the most beautiful and least visited sections of the Pacific coast. My wife and I did just that in 2022. Give yourself a week or more for that trip because there is just so much to see and do.

Best Times To Visit

For my money, September and October are the best months to visit Bandon and the rest of the Oregon coast. The summer crowds are gone, the high winds that frequently makes the beaches uncomfortable on summer afternoons are less frequent and the weather is often better in the fall than any other time of the year. But there is really no bad time to visit.

Originally posted July 24, 2018. Most recently updated August 4, 2024.

Bratislava

by Alan K. Lee

Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia, but it is less known and less visited than its neighboring country’s capitals, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. You won’t find many guide books devoted solely to Bratislava. Prague, Vienna, and Budapest are all great cities and there are a multitude of reasons to visit them. But Bratislava has its own charms, and anyone traveling to the region should consider adding it to their itinerary.

Bratislava lies on the Danube River, between Budapest and Vienna. It’s a mere 35 miles from Vienna, and about 100 from Budapest – a short hop by train or car (or in our case, by boat) from either. My wife and I were fortunate to have visited all three cities on a Danube River cruise last spring.

We spent less than 24 hours in Bratislava, so we didn’t get to know the city well, but saw enough of it to think that another day or two (or more) wouldn’t have been wasted.

Our day in Bratislava began with a bus tour that took us through parts of the city and up to Bratislava Castle, 290 feet above the river. The first castle on the site was built around 1000 AD and was remodeled, expanded, and rebuilt a number of times. In 1811 the castle burned and lay in ruins for 150 years. The present castle dates only to the 1960s, but looks and feels much older. The ruins of Devin Castle, another important historic site, lie about seven miles west of the city center..

After the castle tour, we did a guided walking tour of the old town area along the river. Among the highlights of the old town are St. Martin’s Cathedral, the old Slovak National Theater building, Michael’s Gate, and the historic Hlavne namestie (town square).

Roland Fountain (aka Maximilian’s Fountain)

The Bratislava area has a long and varied history, like many central European cities. The region was part of the Roman Empire from the first to the fourth century AD. After Roman rule ended, what is now Bratislava became part of the first Slavic nation. In the 10th century, it became part of the Hungarian Empire, then became part of the Hapsburg Empire in the 16th century. During the reign of Queen Maria Theresa in the 18th century Bratislava flourished, and was the capital and largest city in Hungary.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Bratislava’s influence waned, becoming a sleepy regional center of no great significance during the Soviet era. But Bratislava today is a vibrant, modern city with a diverse population and a surprisingly Western European vibe.

Neighboring Vienna is internationally recognized as a center of classical music and culture, but Bratislava has its own deeply rooted history of arts and culture. Mozart gave a concert in Bratislava at the age of six, and Franz Liszt’s career began (at nine years of age) with a concert in Bratislava. And Hayden, Beethoven, and many other prominent composers performed or conducted concerts in Bratislava in the 19th century. Today, there are a number of music festivals in Bratislava throughout the year, and the Slovak National Theater has been staging performances for more than a century. (The old Slovak National Theater building is the featured photo at the top of this article).

As with most ancient European cities, religion has played a central role in both Bratislava’s history and culture. Every major city that we’ve visited in Europe has a central cathedral and Bratislava is no different. St. Martin’s Cathedral may not be as large or grand as some others, but it has a significant place in the history of the region, politically and culturally as well as spiritually. The cathedral was completed in 1452, and from 1563 to 1830 it was the coronation site for the crowning of eleven kings of Hungary. It was also the site of the first performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in 1830 and Franz Liszt conducted his Coronation Mass in St. Martin’s in 1883.

There is much for the visitor to see and do in Bratislava, the vast majority of which we did not have time to take in. But I’m glad that we were able to see at least a portion of this small but interesting and historic city.

Posted September 14, 2022

Salzburg, Austria

by Alan K. Lee

Salzburg, Austria is a beautiful, charming, and historic city on the turquoise blue Salzach River. Salzburg’s old town (the Altstadt) is wonderfully preserved and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It would be easy to imagine yourself time traveling back to medieval days while walking its streets were it not for the hordes of (other) tourists who are drawn to Salzburg in all seasons.

Salzach River, Mulln Church (left), and Slazburg Christ Church tower (right)

Salzburg was Mozart’s birthplace and boyhood home, and that draws many classical music fans to the city. And much of The Sound of Music was filmed in and around Salzburg. That draws many of fans of the movie (and there are millions of them).

Many visitors come for the summer Salzburg Festival with its classical music concerts, opera, and theater performances. Others come in January for the Mozart Festival. And just the beauty and charm of the city draws many more. But despite the crowds, Salzburg was one of the highlights of our recent trip.

Even if you have only one day to explore Salzburg, the Altstadt is compact, easily walkable, and full of historic sites, wonderful baroque architecture, palaces, gardens, churches, museums, restaurants, and much more. You can pack a lot into one day. My wife and I did just that.

We arrived in Salzburg on a Sunday afternoon. Our first stop was the Hellbrunn Palace (Schloss Hellbrunn) on the south edge of the city. This was actually the last stop on a bus tour of Sound of Music filming locations in the rural area east of Salzburg. We didn’t tour the palace, but the large surrounding park provides plenty of shade on sunny days, and the palace’s garden is beautiful and renowned for its trick fountains (you might get wet) and whimsical sculptures. You’ll also find the pavillion where “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” in the The Sound of Music was filmed, although it has been moved from its original location.

Our only full day in Salzburg started with a guided walking tour of the Altstadt that took us first to the Mirabell Gardens where parts of The Sound of Music were filmed. Fans of the movie will recognize the Pegasus Fountain, the Dwarf Garden, and the Vine Tunnel. We didn’t tour Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell), but entrance is free, and you can attend evening chamber music performances in the Marble Hall, where some of the young Mozart’s earliest performances took place.

Our tour then took us to Mozart’s residence (Mozart-Wohnhaus) where he lived from age 17-25, and across the Salzach River to his birthplace (Mozarts Geburtshaus), now a museum. In the Altstadt you’ll also find the Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom), the Mozart Plaza (Mozartplatz) with its large statue of Mozart, the Residenzplatz, a large plaza with a 15 meter (50 foot) tall fountain, the Salzburg Museum, and many other historic and interesting sites. Guided walking tours of the Salzburg Altstadt are available for as little as $10 per person, and Lonely Planet has a guide to free things to do in Salzburg that includes a self-guided walking tour.

Although you can have a great time and see a lot of interesting sites without spending much (or any) money, purchasing a Salzburg Card can save you a good deal of money if you want to visit the Fortress, tour Mozart’s birthplace or residence, and visit any of the city’s many museums. A Salzburg Card also gives you free rides on the city’s public transit system. Cards can be purchased that are valid for 24, 48, or 72 hours. Twenty-four hour cards cost €30 for adults. Forty-eight hour cards are €39, and seventy-two hour cards are €45. Children 6-12 are half price. Cards are about 10% less in winter.

Model of the Altstadt and Fortress made entirely of salt, Fortress Museum

The Salzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) looms over the Altstadt and can be seen from most of the city. It’s one of Salzburg’s must see attractions. Our tour didn’t include the Fortress, but we had all afternoon on our own, and it was our first stop. We took the funicular, but you can also walk up. Either way, I’d recommend getting “all inclusive” tickets that get you into the museum, arsenal, princely chambers, and the Magic Theatre. The current price for an all inclusive funicular adult ticket is €16.60 (about $17). Walk-up all inclusive adult tickets are €12.60 (about $13).. Admission is free with a Salzburg Card. Even if you don’t have a Salzburg Card, the Fortress is well worth the price of admission, even if just for the amazing views of the city and surrounding mountains. Climb the observation tower for the best views.

View of Salzburg from the Salzburg Fortress

After touring the Fortress, we returned to the Cathedral and toured the interior. The exterior of the cathedral is not as grand as cathedrals in many European cities, but the interior is stunning.

There has been a cathedral on the site for more than 1200 years. The original cathedral was built in 774 AD and burned down in 842. The second was severely damaged in the 16th century and was demolished. The current cathedral dates to 1628. The cathedral was damaged in World War II by an Allied bombing raid, but was rebuilt after the war, and reopened in 1959. It is by any account spectacularly beautiful. Entrance to the cathedral is free.

Our final stop that afternoon was the Augustiner Braustubl beer garden. Most of the seating is outside, under a canopy of trees. It happened to be a holiday, though, and the place was packed (but maybe it always is). We had to settle for a table in the smoking section under a second story patio, but that was fine. It was open to the main garden area and only a couple of people were smoking. And the beer was good, and cheap. There are other beer gardens, of course, but the Augustiner Brewery is ancient and iconic. The Munich brewery dates to 1328. The Salzburg brewery is a little younger. It’s only been there for 400 years. It opened in 1621.

That evening, we dined at a local restaurant not far from our hotel. It wasn’t listed in our guide book, but the food and the service were both very good, the prices reasonable, and by the look of things, the locals vastly outnumbered our fellow tourists. The moral here is don’t be afraid to ignore the guide book recommendations. You can find good, authentic Austrian cuisine at a restaurant that doesn’t cater to tourists, and you can dine like a real Salzburger.

Residence Fountain and Salzburg Cathedral

The next morning we were off to Munich, but our brief time in Salzburg left a lasting impression on us. We definitely recommend visiting Salzburg at some point in your life, if you can. It certainly gets two thumbs up from us.

Our tour of Salzburg was an extension of our recent Danube River cruise. A river cruise can be a good way to get at least an introduction to European history and culture. And the cruises themselves have their own charm and have several advantages over both other types of organized tours and independent travel. Rhine and Danube River cruises, in particular, are popular with Americans making their first trip to Europe. But we also found that many of the passengers on our ship had done at least one prior river cruise or had made other visits to Europe, or both.

Our cruise began in Budapest and ended in Passau, Germany eight days later. In between we visited Bratislava, Slovakia, Vienna and Krems, Austria, and Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. And we spent an afternoon cruising the beautiful Wachau Gorge. If you think you might enjoy a European river cruise, check out our river cruising post here for more information and a few tips.

Posted August 6, 2022

Leavenworth, Washington

by Alan K. Lee

In the 1960s Leavenworth, Washington reinvented itself as a Bavarian-themed tourist town, modeled on the Danish-themed town of Solvang, California.

In the early part of the 20th century, Leavenworth was a thriving community, its economy fueled by the railroad and the timber industry. But by the 1950s the timber industry was in decline and the Great Northern Railroad regional office was long gone (to nearby Wenatchee). Even the railroad tracks had been relocated. By then Leavenworth had been losing jobs and population for decades. Leavenworth’s leaders looked for ways to revitalize the town, and tourism seemed to offer the best chance of boost the economy. So, they set about renovating the whole town.

The entire downtown area now resembles a Bavarian village, but the transition went beyond just the architecture of the town. Leavenworth has also adopted Bavarian culture in a variety of ways. Leavenworth’s Mai Fest and Oktoberfest were modeled on their Bavarian counterparts, German cuisine is featured at many of the town’s restaurants, such as Munchen Haus, and Bavarian-style pubs like Gustav’s are scattered throughout the town.

Even if not authentic and a bit kitschy, Leavenworth is still a beautiful, unique (at least in the Northwest), and charming small town that many people adore. Its mimicry of Bavarian culture has been very successful in attracting tourists, and today the town is again thriving. The town is crowded with tourists on summer and fall weekends, and accommodations are often booked up months in advance.

The immensely popular Oktoberfest has been tremendously successful in bringing tourists (and their money) to the town every fall. Its popularity, though, brought with it alcohol-related and other problems that led the town to consider making changes to the festival. The 2021 festival was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the town leaders rejected the proposal of the festival’s organizers (Projekt Bayern) for the 2022 festival. That led Projekt Bayern to move the official 2022 Leavenworth Oktoberfest to nearby Wenatchee. However, the City of Leavenworth decided to retain a smaller, more spread out and more family friendly celebration (called Oktoberfest 2022). The competing festivals led to more than a little confusion, but Projekt Bayern is not putting on an event in 2024, so (for now) we are back to having only one Leavenworth Oktoberfest. Go to the festival’s website for more information about this year’s festival.

There’s more to Leavenworth than Oktoberfest and all the faux Bavarian trappings, too. Leavenworth is located in a spectacular natural setting, and that by itself is reason enough to visit. Leavenworth has become a year round outdoor recreational mecca. Spring, summer, and fall offer abundant hiking, camping, fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and wildlife viewing opportunities. Winter brings Nordic and alpine skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sleigh riding, tubing and sledding, snowmobiling, dog sledding and even ice climbing opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast.

To really experience what Leavenworth is all about, you need to spend more than just a day there. Leavenworth is a little off the beaten path, about 130 miles east of Seattle on US Hwy 2, but it is worth an extended visit, at least once. Many people, though, find themselves returning again and again. And if you choose to visit Leavenworth, consider also visiting the fjord-like 50 mile long Lake Chelan about 50 miles north of Leavenworth.

For much more information on Leavenworth, Washington, the Two Wandering Soles Leavenworth blog post has a ton of info on the town and the area’s recreational opportunities.

Originally posted February 18, 2020. Most recently updated June 29, 2024.

Budapest, Hungary

by Alan K. Lee

Budapest, Hungary was one of the highlights of the Danube River cruise that my wife and I took in 2022. I knew very little about Budapest or any of that part of Europe before our visit, and it had never been very high on my bucket list of travel destinations. But some friends had visited Budapest a few years ago and liked the city, and for a variety of reasons my wife and I decided a river cruise would be a good way to ease back into international travel. So, we took the plunge and booked the cruise when Europe was reopening to foreign visitors and it looked like the pandemic was waning. (For more on river cruising in general, see the link at the end of this post).

Among the many things that I found out on our visit is that Budapest is a truly ancient city. The area was originally settled by Celtic tribes more than 2000 years ago. The Romans established the city of Aquincum near the site of present day Budapest around 100 AD, and the area has been home to many different peoples over the past two milleniums, including Bulgarians, Magyars, and Ottoman Turks, who ruled the area for 150 years. After the Turks were driven out of Budapest in 1686, it became part of the Hapsburg Empire.

What is now Budapest was originally three cities, Buda and Obuda (Old Buda) on the west side of the Danube River, and Pest (pronounced “pesht”) on the east side. In 1849 the first bridge (the Chain Bridge) across the Danube was completed linking Buda and Pest. The three cities merged in 1873, creating the city of Budapest as we know it today.

One of the other things that I discovered is that the city’s long history and the many, diverse cultures that have contributed to the city’s growth over the centuries gives Budapest a unique character, unlike any of the other European cities that we’ve visited. And while it has a long history rooted in Eastern Europe, Budapest today has as much of a modern Western European vibe as it does an ancient Eastern European one.

View of the Hungarian Parliament from Castle Hill

Another thing that I discovered is that Budapest is much bigger than I anticipated. The metropolitan area has a population of over three million, making it the second largest city on the Danube River. Only Vienna is larger. There is simply no way to experience all that Budapest has to offer in one short visit. We had only one evening and the following day to explore the city.

On our first evening there, we walked across the Liberty Bridge and did some exploring along the waterfront of the Buda side of the river. After crossing back to the Pest side, we briefly explored that side of the river before returning to the Viking “longship” that we would call home for the next week. We were pretty significantly jet lagged by that time, and called it a night after having dinner on the ship.

We were up early the next morning. Before breakfast we did some more exploring on the Pest side, including the huge Central Market. We were there early, though, and most of the market stalls were not yet open. That was followed by a guided tour that took us through Pest on a motor coach, then to Castle Hill on the Buda side of the river.

After a guided walking tour of Castle Hill we had some time to explore on our own. We didn’t have time to visit the Hungarian National Gallery, the Royal Palace, or the Castle Museum. But we were able to take in the magnificent architecture of the Matthias Church and the sweeping views of the city from the Fisherman’s Bastion, as well as the many splendid statues and other structures that adorn Castle Hill. It wouldn’t be hard to spend most or all of a day on Castle Hill. It is definitely one of the top attractions in Budapest.

That afternoon we crossed the Liberty Bridge again and climbed to the Citadella and Liberty Monument on the summit of Gellert Hill (Gellert-Hegy). Unfortunately, both the Citadella and the Liberty Monument were undergoing renovations and were fenced off. But there were good views of the city and climbing the hill was a nice workout. Afterwards we took a different trail down to the river and crossed the Elizabeth Bridge to Pest where we had a couple of very refreshing beers at a local pub. (The prices listed were in Hungary’s official currency, the Forint, so I had no idea what those beers cost until I got my credit card statement. The two pints came to about $3.50 each.)

One of the advantages of a river cruise is that you get to see a lot of places and get at least a taste of the local history and culture. But the down side is that you don’t stay long enough in any one place to even begin to see everything worth seeing. That was certainly the case with our time in Budapest. It’s a magnificent city and I would love to come back when we have more time to explore its sights and dive into the culture a little more.

Visiting one of the city’s famous thermal baths is one of the many things that we didn’t have time to do. There are over a hundred thermal and mineral springs in Budapest and dozens of bath houses. I also wish we could have visited the Roman ruins of Aquincum. And I’d like to have spent more time on Castle Hill and explored more of the Pest side – City Park, Parliament, the Basilica of St. Steven, the Great Synagogue, and more. The list goes on. Unfortunately, we had to move on.

Our ship departed after sunset. Many of the buildings along the river front, the bridges, the Royal Palace, the Parliament Buildings, and Castle Hill were all lit up. It was a striking and very beautiful sight. Quite a nice way to leave the city. Hopefully, we will be back some day.

Viking Longship “Kadlin” docked on the Pest side of the Danube

If you’ve never done a river cruise, but think you might like to, click here for more information on river cruising in general, and during the pandemic in particular. And look for future posts on this site about other places we visited on our cruise.

Posted July 15, 2022