A Day In Ljubljana to Explore

05 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , ,

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Monday December 5, 2011

Today was a day for walking around Ljubljana’s Old Town and City Center.  It is truly  a beautiful area, with a bustling open air market, several picturesque churches, numerous museums,  lots of shopping and places to eat , all intertwined on both sides of the Ljubljana River with 4 bridges for  easy passage to both sides  of the river.  The  Art Nouveau architecture is wonderful,  largely due to the talents of Joze Plecnik, the architect who shaped the city after an earthquake destroyed much  of it in 1895 .    I  rode the funicular to the top of  Ljubljana Castle to get a city wide view and dessert. It was a  gray day with drizzles  off and on,  but  at only 50 degrees, other than wet, the day was comfortable.   The photos will speak for themselves in spite of the weather.

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Triple Bridge

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The Funicular

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Door on St Nicholas Church

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Cooperative Bank Building

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Secessionist Building

Ljubljana’s Christmas Markets 2011

04 Dec 2011 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

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December 4, 2011 Evening

 The Christmas lights and decorations  for Ljubljana’s Christmas Markets were so spectacular, I thought they deserved a posting all  their own.  The market stalls themselves consisted mostly of food and drink  but the  Christmas Lights which were well worth the visit.   Hope you enjoy the photos!

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Lake Bled, Slovenia

04 Dec 2011 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

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Small town in Slovenia

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Lake Bled is a beautiful  mountain resort area about an hour outside of Ljubljana. The local bus I took gave me a nice opportunity to see  the countryside and little villages along the way. Slovenia is a beautiful country with the Julian Alps in the back drop, the green fields, flowers still in bloom and the tidy looking towns. A beautiful church and  steeple  just tops off  the picture.  Lake Bled was wonderful with the Bled Castle high up on the rock mountain top, the swans and ducks all gracefully afloat in the water and the Church of the Assumption that sits on Otok Island in the middle of the Lake.  Tradition has it that the groom is to carry his bride up the 99 steps to the church before the wedding ceremony.  The boat driver who took us to the island was a very kind, friendly gentlemen who explained some history about the area  and  shared photos of his family and the boat he was building for himself. Very fun to get to know the locals, if even just for a bit.

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Church of the Assumption on the Island

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Bled Castle

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Summer Residence of Tito Before WWII

and a Pletna Boat

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The Julian Alps in the Background of the Island

All Day Train Ride and Graffiti

03 Dec 2011 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

 Hello ! My  train ride to Ljubljana, Slovenia, took most of the day today.  The scenery was foggy but making 2 connections forced me to keep alert , though the gentle rocking of the rails sure can lull  a person into nap time. The travels through the Alps in Austria were  enjoyable even though it was a gray day and the windows on the train were dirty.  Thus most of my photos of the Alps were pathetic.  But I will have another chance when we  are heading to Salzburg later in the week.

I have a pondering question though – what’s up with the graffiti ?  Has anyone an explanation?

Upon arrival at Ljubljana, it was raining, so, as much as I wanted to go to the Christmas Markets, instead I opted for  dinner three doors down from the hotel (which had great pasta and pizza) and the waiter even gave me a free desserts.  Sometimes it pays to be the tired, wet American in a different country…..

 

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Nutella Wanna Be

 

Second Day in Budapest – It Snowed!

02 Dec 2011 1 Comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

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Friday, December 2, 2011

A beautiful dusting of snow for my second day in Budapest!  Fun day today –  after searching down the Railway Office to have my rail pass validated, I walked downtown to take a closer look of the famous Chain Bridge, the Parliament Building  and to see a Memorial to Murdered Jews  where in WWII  many were shot by the Nazis on the  banks of the Danube River.  The next stop was the Great Market Hall where I had a lesson in Hungarian cusine. You see, they sell produce and meats – EVERY kind of meats imaginable and……. unimaginable.  I doubt I will ever get  the image out of my head of the pigs feet ( piles of them), chicken feet (piles of them) and chicken heads, with their eyes closed thank God, (piles of them). On a much cheerier note, the top floor of the Market was full of souvenirs.

Did I mention how foggy Budapest is ?  So all of those great look out points to see the city  landscapes – great spots to see a lot of nothing. I had a  ticket for a free boat ride but decided there wouldn’t be much to see since it is even foggier by the water. No wonder the tickets were free   .  But entertainment can be found anywhere and during  a stop  in the  grocery store, beside the foil wrapped chocolate Santas,  we found foil wrapped chocolate devils. Something for every child, or adult,  I presume…..

Tomorrow an all-day train ride  to Ljubljana, Slovenia…..

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Budapest’s Chain Bridge

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Memorial to Murdered Jews

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Hungarian Souveniers at the Market Hall

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Foil Covered Chocolate Devils for the Holidays

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It’s Easiest to Drink Coca Cola Light.

Hello From Budapest !

01 Dec 2011 3 Comments

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Thursday December 1, 2011

Hello from Budapest, Hungary! Abroad for 16 days in 5 countries with the Christmas Markets primarily in mind, but of course I also plan to do plenty of other sightseeing in the days and the cities to come.    Budapest is a beautiful and interesting city. It is a  large city, but also surprisingly easy to navigate – at least for the touristy areas.   I took a wonderful Hop On / Hop Off Bus Tour today – I always think that’s a great and affordable way to see a bigger city, especially since it allows you to get off  at the spots you are most interested in. The highlights of my day was  City Park with its castles, Hero’s Square, The Great Synagogue ( which is the second largest in the world), the beautiful Castle Hill area  and of course, tonight I went to the Christmas Markets. Enjoy the photos!!

 

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Castle Hill’s Fisherman’s Fortress

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Yes, flowers looking great on Dec 1 !

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Budapest Christmas Markets

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Tempting treats are everywhere…

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What I won’t be tempted to eat…..

 

In Memory of Roald Dahl

18 Nov 2011 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: , , ,

November 18, 2011

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In loving memory of Roald Dahl, who passed away November 23, 1990,  21 years ago this coming week .. A great author of children’s books – the  best author,  my daughter says,  now  at the age of 25,   and still  her favorite. My daughter,  Katie,  read every one of his books  at least once, many of them multiple times in her younger days.  Then, while  Katie was studying abroad in Cambridge, England,  I came for a visit and together we visited the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden in April 2008.  For 36 years, Mr. Dahl lived and wrote  in this beautiful, charming, little English village.   It’s just a short ride  by train, from London. If you ever have the chance, visit    the museum, then  take the short walk to the cemetery and follow the BFG’s giant steps from the circular benches  to Mr. Dahl’s final resting place,  where forever fans frequently leave  mementos.  It will warm your heart.

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The Museum and Cafe Twit

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Have a  seat……

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Sit in Mr. Dahl’s writing  chair

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the BFG’s steps…..

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Santa Fe, New Mexico 2011

09 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

Sunday, October 9, 2011

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Next Stop after balloons – Santa Fe !!

Santa Fe is a wonderful place to be, with its adobe buildings, sagebrush vegetation, Mexican cuisine, beautiful old churches, art galleries, and shopping (especially for jewelry and southwest theme items). After the  Balloon Festival  I drove (1 hour) to Santa Fe from Albuquerque to stay for a couple of days at the tranquil (and I highly recommend)  St Francis Hotel,  conveniently located  in the heart of the Historic Plaza Square area. The Plaza area is always  a fun place to stroll.  I am  enjoying every aspect of this city and I even tried something brand new – a Blue Corn Tortilla Pancake. Yes, it was blue and it was great! I  also especially like to stroll with my camera and look for  those perfect “Santa Fe” shots….

 

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Beaautiful Old Movie Theater, now Performing Arts Building.
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Close up of the intricate work on top.
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Its good luck to hang your chilis by the door. 

Final Day at the Balloon Festival , New Mexico 2011

08 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags: ,

 

 

Saturday, October 8, 2011

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What a wonderful sight to see – hundreds of hot air balloons taking flight and  then drifting across the blue sky with New Mexico’s snow capped  Sandia  Mountains as the backdrop. Unless you were there – nothing  can begin to describe it any better than some photos…………
This afternoon, I head for Santa Fe….
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Time flies….
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2nd Day at the Balloon Festival, New Mexico

07 Oct 2011 Leave a comment

by jeannieadams in Uncategorized Tags:

Friday, October 7, 2011

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Wellllll…… evidently Albuquerque was in a severe drought until I came to visit…….. I arrived Wednesday, Thursday it sprinkled, and today, Friday, it has rained mostly all day.   Actually, in the mountains of  Albuquerque, it even snowed!  So only  for about an hour this morning , did a few  Balloons inflate and tether the field,  but none took flight.  So what did I do with the rest of my day?  I had a wonderful Mexican lunch  and then went to a wonderful,  huge  Arts and Crafts Fair, which was more like an Air Fair.  Yesterday afternoon, after a wonderful Mexican lunch, I enjoyed walking around Albuquerque’s Old Town, where it all first began in 1706. The buildings are now tourist appropriate shops and restaurants. I enjoyed every bit of it , until  it started raining , of course.  Whoever started that rumor that the desert was dry???

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This was the only sun I saw today!

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Sroom with a View

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always watching….

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