Machu Picchu in the Rainy Season

Machu Picchu in the rainy season

Machu Picchu in January

Machu Picchu is a well known and all-too-well traveled Inca destination high above the Urubamba River Valley in Peru.  During the 90 minute train ride from our base in Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu, the Urubamba River was in view most of the time.  It is the most turbulent, violent river with non-stop rapids I ever have seen.  So this deep valley is still being carved out by nature at a steady pace. Continue reading

Barcelona Music Hall

Barcelona Music Hall Panorama

Barcelona Music Hall Panorama the Palau de la Música Catalana

This magnificent music hall is known to Barcelonians as Palau de la Música Catalana.  I walked here late one afternoon in search of tour tickets, only to find the ticket office had closed hours earlier.  The walk here took me down some of the many narrow streets which are common in the older sections of the city.
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9-11 Memorial, NYC

9-11 School Children's Poster

9-11 School Children’s Poster

It is a sad situation, but it seems that in the US we do memorials very well.  From the Oklahoma bombing to the Vietnam Memorial our memorials seem to be very fitting tributes to the heroes who lost their lives.  The 9-11 Memorial in New York is no exception.
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Sedona, Arizona

Schnebly Pools

Sedona was our first extended stay since returning from six months in Europe.  Driving across the country from the ship’s port in Fort Lauderdale to Northern California can wear a person down.  Clearly it is better than sitting in a cubical struggling with a company budget on a cold, windy Chicago day, but the travel can get a bit old.  We do our best to find fun places to visit along the way such as Graceland, but three weeks in Sedona, not having to move suitcases or learn new appliances and shower workings, was a welcome relief. Continue reading