My most current blog entry:
Entries in Snackage (11)
Loei, Chiang Khan, and the Mekong River
Back in December 2020, just as COVID 19 was bursting on the international scene and choking Thailand's tourist industry, the Thai government came up with a brilliant scheme to give vouchers to Thai residents for discounts at Thai resorts and restaurants in 'tourist areas' to spur more 'in country' tourism by Thais. It worked . . . we took a road trip north to Loei, Chiang Khan, and the Mekong River.
Our route had us drive straight through to Loei from our home in a northern suburb of Bangkok.
The majority of the drive north to Loei was on modern, divided expressway. However, as we neared Loei the road reverted to a 2-lane country road. We were lured into this strawberry stand with the promise of delicious fruit.
They were growing their own strawberries here . . . but they were asking a very high price for them. We declined to purchase any strawberries here.
________________________________
LOEI
This is the old Loei I came to see . . .
Loei is a provincial market town in the north of Thailand. It is still "old Thailand" in Loei. I last visited here about 20 years ago . . . and yes, it has changed a great deal.
But there is still a lot of the old Thailand I know and love in Loei.
The street food in Loei is excellent . . . and the people friendly.
The old downtown of Loei still has locally-owned department stores and "supermarkets" like this one.
A street corner in downtown Loei. I love snooping around in these old Thai market towns.
We stopped in this hole-in-the-wall restaurant for delicious noodle soup.
A busy market town serving a large agricultural community.
The things you see in Thailand! Yes, it was Christmas season even in Loei, Thailand. They celebrate everything here!
We walked through the downtown and found the banks of the Loei River. The bridge led to a beautiful city park.
There was fun to be had in Loei.
I sat across the street in a hipster coffee shop while my wife shopped in a fine traditional Thai textile shop across the street.
Yes, the hipster cool coffee shop can be found throughout the entire planet . . . even in the remote old market town of Loei.
Always interesting old stuff to be found in old Thai village stores.
Our very good, and very cheap Au Place Hotel in Loei.
Just a half block away from the hotel on a rural street we found this stylish Vietnamese restaurant.
We spent a couple nights in Loei and would venture out into the countryside in search of interesting things to see. We found this amazing Buddhist Temple (Wat).
There were caves with Buddhas to explore at this wat.
There was this very beautiful marble temple on the wat grounds.
The marble temple was very interesting inside.
Marvelous light and reflection inside the marble wat.
We found this marvelous restaurant for our dinner on the second night in Loei.
The "elephant restaurant' interior dining area.
We had a fine meal in this old wooden room with traditional spirit masks hanging around.
Back at our hotel . . . they had the grounds lit up like a carnival!!!
The next morning we said good-bye to Loei and hit the road for then short drive north to the town of Chiang Khan along the Mekong River.
--------------------------------------------
CHIANG KHAN
We stopped at a riverside resort as soon as we arrived at the river . . . and this was out first view of the mighty Mekong River.
We quickly found our charming old wooden guest house.
Our guest house was right on a kind of 'walking street' through the riverside village. The Mekong River is directly behind the row of houses and shops to the left.
Chiang Khan is a lovely and funky old Thai town with interesting shops and bike rentals.
With both front and rear doors open, you can look right through this hostel to the river behind it.
The many shops lining the walking street had ample supplies of local handicrafts to meet the tourist demand.
A guest house with street side 'beer chairs' . . . perfect for people watching. I couldn't help but notice the Brew Dog Punk IPA bottle . . . from Aberdeen, Scotland, my former residence.
Such an interesting and photogenic little town.
Some shops hung fabric against the harsh afternoon sun.
Each shop-front seems to have its own personality, and the photographs are like portraits.
Beautiful local, high quality traditional textiles.
There were also many shops selling the usual array of souvenir 'touristwear.'
There is no shortage of restaurants and places to buy good, expensive coffee.
I love photographing these old wooden shops . . . anywhere in the world . . . but Chiang Khan had hundreds of them, and all with amazing shapes, features, colors, and textures.
A beautiful shop-front portrait. The harsh afternoon sunlight actually enhances this photo by accentuating the wood grain and colors.
Another fabulous paneled storefront with Chinese lanterns. Lovely.
Just so much to see, notice, and photograph in this sweet little riverside town.
There was also some very nice chalk public art here and there.
Sweet chalk street art.
A very inviting bakery . . . delicious too!
Thai aesthetics are always fascinating and gorgeous. It's all in the details. Here, a detail of the interior of our guesthouse.
When walking around such these richly aesthetic places with a camera in hand, I am prone to take these kinds of "still life" photographs: pleasing arrangements of objects in fascinating light.
Another "still life" of an old art gallery.
A very old wall revealing ancient building techniques.
Wooden wall with broom and ash tray.
Chalk graffiti on old panel shop doors . . . there is a story here.
Old panel shop doors reflected in a stainless steel table. Nice. These "still life" photo opportunities were endless in Chiang Khan.
A very nice tuk-tuk, although I never saw anybody riding in one . . . everybody walked around the little town.
We were getting tired and sore walking around the sweet town . . . deciding what to do next . . .
Massage! That's what's next!! The massage shop owner was very kind.
a 2 1/2 hour Thai massage will cure whatever ails you, that's for sure! This street side massage room was so beautiful. Just breathtaking!
We spent part of our days walking along a path next to the Mekong River.
Looking across the Mekong toward the 'wild side' of Laos.
Riverboat ferry both local people and tourists up and down the river.
Mekong River boats at the ready.
A fisherman going home. Surprisingly, I did not see very many fishermen out on the river.
The fiew upriver toward the smoky Lao hills from Chiang Khan.
When the sun set we headed to the night market street.
CHIANG KHAN by NIGHT
As the light faded, and the heat dissipated, it seemed that every Thai tourist in town left their guesthouse and headed to the main walking street.
The darker it got, the bigger the crowd under the colorful, and fading sky.
At last the sun had fully set.
Many of the shops, restaurants, and bars that were closed in the afternoon opened for the throngs that came out at night. This craft beer joint was a welcome stop for me.
The interior of the craft beer hall.
The Thai hippies who ran the craft beer hall had a fantastic collection of beers and ales to choose from.
The town became even more photogenic at night. BBQ beef street hawkers.
The many stalls set up along the night street became a 'night market' - a favorite of Thai people and visitors to Thailand. There was a wide variety of things for sale. Nuts! I love nuts!
All the night market visitors brought their appetites . . . and were rewarded with a wide variety of delicious Thai specialties to eat.
Street performers in their traditional 'hill tribe' costumes entertained the gathered crowds.
My favorite street performer was this young busker playing electrified traditional old Thai music in a homemade outfit. Cool.
We enjoyed out nights walking along the Chiang Khan night market street.
After two nights in Chiang Khan we woke up early and said good-bye to the river and headed south.
Khon Kaen
We were about 30 minutes out of Chiang Khan and decided to take a different route home to Bangkok. Neither of us had ever been to Khon Kaen . . . so why not?
We didn't do too much sightseeing . . . just drove around town . . . found a great restaurant on Google . . . and found this magnificent wat to go in . . .
We were very glad we went inside.
There are many different altars in the large inner space . . . each with a group of people paying respects.
Very special light falling on the various Buddha images.
Pots for making donations and making wishes.
Such a pretty flower memorial altar.
This hyper-realistic wax monk was too realistic . . . and creepy.
We paid our respects here and then chatted with a monk before leaving. We knew we haddn't spent enough time in Khon Kaen and vowed to return.
We left the next morning for a 7 hour drive home.
It had been a wonderful vacation in the middle of the COVID Pandemic!
Poland: Gdansk is a beautiful vacation destination!
My wife and I visited Poland (Kraków and Gdańsk) in the summer of 2014. This entry is of the three days we spent in Gdańsk, while there is another entry for Kraków HERE.
Gdańsk is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited . . . and as good luck would have it, we visited during a street festival!
The statue to Neptune.
One of many small squares in the city center. The architectural style was surprisingly . . . . Dutch.
Gdańsk is on the Motlawa River estuary.
An old city filled with wonderful architecture.
The architecture of Gdańsk tells a story: "Parts of the historic old city of Gdańsk, which had suffered large-scale destruction during the war, were rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s. The reconstruction was not tied to the city's pre-war appearance, but instead was politically motivated as a means of culturally cleansing and destroying all traces of German influence from the city. Any traces of German tradition were ignored by the communists, suppressed, or regarded as Prussian barbarism only worthy of demolition, while communist and Flemish/Dutch, Italian and French influences were used to replace the historically accurate Germanic architecture which the city was built upon since the 14th century. [Citation]
The Long Street with the old (circa 1327) City Hall towering over it.
Although I would have preferred to stay at an old 'boutique hotel,' we instead stayed at a modern 25 story hotel. The plus side of the modern hotel were the views over the city.
Gdańsk was reduced to piles of stone and brick during WWII by Allied and Soviet bombers. Almost all of what you see here was reconstructed during the 1950s and 1960s.
As luck would have it, we arrived in Gdańsk right in the middle of the annual St. Dominic's Fair. With 750 years of successful tradition, the history of the Fair goes back to the year 1260, when it was established by the decree of Pope Alexander IV.
St. Dominic's Fair brought tourists from all over Poland, Europe, and the Far East.
Every street in the city was set up with stalls selling food and crafts. It was the biggest street food and crafts fair I have ever seen!
In addition to the street stalls, the fair attracted artists . . .
. . . buskers . . .
. . . street performers . . .
. . . morose balloon salesperson . . .
. . . historically costumed information givers . . . giving me the Evil Eye! YAR!
. . . and this guy (wearing a hat that said Crime!) who tried to entice the tourists to wager on his 'snail races.' The street fair was, in many ways, still like its medieval origins.
We enjoyed shopping at the many interesting crafts stalls.
Interesting bags . . .
. . . very cool hats . . .
. . . very cool hat and bag! There were some very unusual arts at the fair.
Many beautiful textiles on sale. We bought many things at the these stalls to take back home to Scotland with us. I bought a hat!
These street stalls were so cute: they mimicked the style of the Gdańsk buildings.
The textiles, hats, and bags were nice . . . but the variety of FOOD at the festival was incredible!!!
The breads were fantastic!
The breads were fantastic!
I was in pig heaven for sausage lovers like me!
SAUSAGE!!!!
I loved cured and smoked pork fat as a child . . . a few thin slabs on a piece of peasant bread . . . mmmmmm! But I resisted!
Cures and smoked meats . . . a very Eastern European way of eating . . . and so very tasty!
Many of the shops put their fruits and vegetables out on the street.
Temperate climate fruits are a real treat for us. These kinds of fruit in Bangkok cost a small fortune, so we went crazy living in Europe for a few years.
Lovely fruit.
Whole heads of sunflowers . . . that's the way to sell sunflower seeds!
Fresh, crispy cucumbers!
They had every kind of street food at the fair, including this actual Burrito Truck! Amazing! (I didn't buy one, and immediately regreted it!)
We bought a lot at the wooden spoon stand to take back home to our cottage in Scotland.
A dealer of art and socks . . .
A woman set up her stool and sold her own crocheted items. Sweet.
There were many buskers, but this guy was exceptionally good.
The weather varied from bright sunshine to dark clouds and sudden bursts of rain.
We found thee perfect Old Europe restaurant . . .
We were hungry for lunch and found this charming old restaurant.
Down along the river quay. A fine medieval dock crane on the far left.
River cruise ship for the tourists . . .
For me, the lure of Gdańsk was the marvelous array of fascinating architecture.
A few of the old buildings survived the carpet bombing.
Such an odd building . . . all roof and dormers . . .
Narrow alleys, cobbles streets, ancient buildings . . . the charms of old Europe.
Here and there . . . public art . . .
My love of old doors, walls and windows was satisfied in a big way in Gdańsk!
I was told by a shopkeeper that some of these grand old doors and their stone casings were pulled from the rubble after the bombings and restored and reused. Marvelous.
I marveled at these windows . . . exquisite!
Such lovely symmetry, color, shape . . .
A gate from the time of horse drawn carriages . . .
I loved the whimsical display.
So sweet.
A weathered door . . . and . . .
. . . and its context.
A fine, formal marble doorway.
High relief stonework. Nice.
Not all of Gdańsk's doors were as appreciated as I would like to have seen.
The views out over Gdańsk at night from our high rise hotel room were wonderful.
Making this photo blog about this wonderful city has made me very homesick for living in Europe . . .
I don't know if I will ever return to Gdańsk, but I know I will always have fond memories of it.
Chachoengsao: A Daytrip East of Bangkok
Although the city/region of Chachoengsao is not far from Bangkok, I had never visited this part of Thailand in the 20+ years I have lived here.
PART ONE: A RURAL ANCIENT MARKET
Our first stop, based on a roadside sign, was to the Chachoengsao Ancient Market.
The market is on a klong system which has many old houses alongside.
This very photogenic fisherman and his dog appeared as if from nowhere . . .
My friend John Stiles went with me on this ramble . . . and took this photo of me enjoying myself and my new Fuji X-T2 camera.
82 years old and a regular betel-nut user . . . she was very glad to chat with us while she visited her friend next door.
Next door was the old woman's 'home' -- a hovel along the klong. Abject poverty.
The market is opened only on week-ends, but we were there on a Monday, and glad of it. The old wooden structures built on stilts over the klong made a picturesque environment.
Lanterns from last years' Chinese New Years still festooned the old market.
A klong boatman, Chachoengsao.
The old market looked like it had seen better days: here an old stage for ceremonies and performances.
Although the market was closed, some of the vendors live permanently at the site. This man sold lunch to the local residents.
Taking an order.
Life along the klong . . . at lunchtime.
A fisherman and his dog. We did not see him catch any fish . . . he said there weren't very many to catch, when asked.
The old weathered wood and sharp light made for some nice 'minimalist' photos.
Light, shadow, texture . . . a bridge.
There was some aquaculture along the klongs . . . frog farming.
And, as always, the ubiquitous spirit houses.
The doors of the closed market shops were in themselves things of beauty.
We walked around for several hours finding an endless number of interesting things to photograph.
Sun behind a lantern.
Signs of coordinated development: the market was lined with these very attractive street lights.
I bought a leather pouch for my sunglasses and the seller put my name on it with these old tools.
A wall in the leather shop with framed photos of the owner's wife's parents. Very touching.
The leathergoods shop had these for sale, but I could not figure out what they were for.
There were a number of empty, abandoned houses.
A lovely morning spent along the old klongs of rural Thailand.
I could have stayed all day in this peaceful place . . but we moved on up the road.
PART TWO: A RURAL WAT
We set the GPS to the town and headed up the road . . . and missed our turn and instead discovered this wonderful Wat.
This Wat was a long way from any village or town . . . a very peaceful place.
The Wat was at the beginning phase of erecting a colossal Buddha image. It was interesting to see the rebar mesh getting ready to be plastered.
A beautiful rural wat under a giant sky. We are all so small in the scheme of things . . . if there is a scheme.
PART THREE: A CHACHOENGSAO NEIGBORHOOD WAT
We got a little lost in the small lanes the GPS decided to send us on . . . until we spotted a giant Buddha up between the trees . . and followed an ally to where we thought it might be . . . it wasn't the 'right' Wat, but it was very interesting in its own right.
It was an interesting old wat that backed up to a klong . . . a klong that separated us from the giant Buddha we spotted from the road. We decided to walk and see if there was a bridge . . .
Our walk took us through a cemetery next door to a school.
The school kids found us very interesting.
My first thought was . . . this is what happens if you let your granddaughter choose your crypt color . . . you get a pink crypt!
I asked John if he thought someone had busted into these crypts . . . or busted out? He said he didn't want to think about that.
I speculated that a family had gone 'upscale' with their ancestor burials . . . meaning they came into some money, or moved from the area, and wanted to move the Dearly Departed to a new grave site. I hope I'm right.
We didn't find a bridge over to the giant Buddha, but we did find some beautiful scenes.
There was no way through the swamp to the other side.
So, John and I decided to get in my truck and see if we couldn't find the giant Buddha.
PART FOUR: CHINESE CULTURAL CENTER
At last! We found the Chinese Cultural Center . . . just opened last year . . . and brand spanking new. Beautiful!
We paid a small donation and a guide took us around to the various altars and showed us the ropes.
Gorgeous colossal statuary.
I was especially excited about this temple because I am a follower and admirer of my old buddy Ji Gong, the idiosyncratic Chinese monk who was a defender of the weak against injustice.
Ji Gong, my old buddy. (Ask me why I always say 'my old buddy' when I mention Ji Gong next time we meet.)
My old buddy, Ji Gong.
I went into the Ji Gong shrine at the base of the giant statue and paid my respects.
Showing respect to my old buddy, Ji Gong.
The guide showing John the proper ceremonial details.
I go to many Chinese religious temples in Bangkok, but this was not an old temple as I as used to . . . it was brand new!
Fascinating images inside the shrines.
Temple Buddhas.
The back of a temple Buddha. John and I placed a square of gold onto several Buddhas here . . . they were included in the cost of the donation.
After showing respect at the shrines, our guide instructed us to ring the big bell . . .
. . . and bang the big drum, each three times. We duly complied.
After we completed the proper ceremonies at the giant statues, they gave us some free ice water and said we were free to explore the temple buildings on our own.
And my-o-my! The temple interiors were fantastical. Enjoy the following photos!
After wandering around for some time in these fantastic temple interiors we both realized we were hungry and decided to head into the old Chinese quarter of Chachoengsao along the river.
I paid my last respects to my old buddy Ji Gong and we were on our way again.
PART FIVE: THE OLD CHINESE QUARTER OF CHACHOENGSAO
We drove into the old Chinese quarter and looked for a place to park. The architecture reminds me a lot of Penang, Malaysia.
My current old school 'muscle car' project in mid-modification (V8, shortened, narrowed chassis, tubbed, big-braked, and custom-painted) on the streets of Chachoengsao.
We found a nice noodle shop for our first course . . . .
After a quick snack, we headed out on a walk around this fascinating old town. Here, the 100+ year old town market.
The old city market interior . . . still in use.
There were just too may photographic subjects to cover . . we were just a couple street shooters snapping on the run.
The light in the old market spaces was marvelous.
At some point in the past these old shops must have been very successful, being located next to the town market.
The oldest shops in the city.
Some of these old shops are still in use by traders.
We stopped for fresh fruit juice smoothies. I had a carrot and apple one.
There is a growing obesity problem in Thailand (pun intended). It's no wonder . . . look at the chip and snack wholesaler's shop.
These well-worn shop doors were things of beauty.
The shopkeepers here told us that this shop had been operated by their family for over 100 years.
We stopped in at this riverfront restaurant for a full Thai meal that couldn't be beat. Ate way too much, but was happy.
Your intrepid photographer out and about . . . and getting ready to have a wonderful meal.
Before our meal arrived, I took the liberty to look around the old atmospheric wooden building.
The restaurant interior was amazing . . . and very artfully done.
An interior wall at the restaurant.
The view from our diner table!
After our big late lunch we went out walking again . . . what did we see? More food!
The vendors were all busy getting ready for the evening rush.
We asked this shopkeeper how long he had been sitting there . . . he said, "62 years."
Tai street food is delicious . . . but we were already too full.
We walked around a working town . . . an iceman packing his product with help.
An old shop house in the city center of Chachoengsao, Thailand.
Chachoengsao riverfront.
Such a beautiful place . . . but time to leave this part of town . . we still have a famous Wat and Buddha to see.
PART SIX: Wat Sathorn Wararam Worawihan
Wat Sothonwararam is located near the river in another part of Chachoengsao. It is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the world, and is also possibly the largest Buddhist temple in the world. The temple has the ‘Luangpho Phuttha Sothon,’ the revered Buddha image.
One of the most beautiful, and unique Buddhist Wats I have seen in Thailand.
Many golden salas surround the Wat.
The Wat is under royal patronage. Here: a photo of the new King of Thailand.
We had come to see the famous Buddha likeness inside, but, alas, we were too late . . . it closed at 5:00pm. What to do now? Let's go see some bats!
PART SEVEN: A BAT TEMPLE
John read online that there was a Buddhist temple on the way back to Bangkok that had a mass flight of fruit bats from it's trees every evening and if we hurried we could see it. So we went on some very small rural roads and arrived just as it turned dark. A beautiful Wat . . . I took photos of the Buddhas first.
Very old and revered Buddha images.
More revered Buddha images at the bat Wat.
The trees were hung with hundreds of very large fruit bats!
The bats flew around so fast, and it was getting so dark, that it was almost impossible to photograph them . . . but I managed this one shot I like.
John and I had a wonderful day trip out of Bangkok. We left at 6:30am and returned to Bangkok at 8:30pm. What a day!
Istanbul: Things, Lots of Things, Mostly Edible
The markets, shops, and bazaars of Istanbul are full of a kaleidoscopic array of things . . . lots of things . . . like these wonderful tea sets. We bought that very purple-tasseled one right there.
Beautiful things: Turkish tea sets.
We spent seven days in Istanbul, and I believe we spent half of our time snooping in shops and market stalls.
There were myriad things to look at, buy, and of course, photograph.
Lamps, lamps, lamps. These shops made us continually recalculate our baggage weight! Should we buy, or not. We didn't get any of these . . . this time.
There were some very interesting shops in Istanbul . . . like this quill pen shop. You don't see these too much any more.
They have nice soap in Istanbul.
Very nice, and aromatic, soap. We bought several different scented bars.
Woven and knitted things outside The Grand Bazaar.
A Turkish flag hawker hidden in his wares.
There was no shortage of trinkets at the trinket shops. These are made for tourists, although I saw plenty of Turks purchasing these trinkets too. An exploitation of cultural iconography.
Traditional Turkish blue glass 'evil eye' bobbles were everywhere in Istanbul.
The trinket shops were interesting, but the GOLD SHOPS were, well, dripping in gold like some potentate's secret treasure room!
The variety of things for sale in the bazaars was incalculable.
15th century Head Shop! Also the only merchant using white light to show his wares . . . they stood out like a fire in the night.
Need to dress your harem dancers? No problem, there's a shop for that.
We spent some time perusing the fabric shops. We brought home a nice tablecloth for the kitchen table.
I bought the Black Harley-Davidson Istanbul t-shirt here. Cool.
It was the spice shops, and The Egyptian Spice Market of Istanbul, that really had fascinating 'things' . . . .
Spice shop array.
The Egyptian Spice Market of Istanbul (Mısır Çarşısı), selling spices, nuts, potions, teas, powders, and dried everything since 1660. Amazing.
I spoke to the owner of this shop who said his family has held this exact location in The Spice Market since 1660, 355 years!
Dried fruits, some stuffed with nuts (my favorite), and mountains of nuts (my favorite) we fantastic! We brought back a niece selection of these.
Figs stuffed with walnuts . . . I cannot imagine anything better to eat on this planet . . . OK . . . maybe durian or mango and sticky rice . . . but these are right up there!
I took way too many walnut stuffed fig photos. These are but a few of the really good ones. Notice the walnut stuffed dates nearby: also yummie.
These walnut stuffed dried apricots were also marvelous. The snackage here was astonishing!
A strange twist: right in the middle of the spice market was what looked like a wedding dress shop. Complete incongruity! A strange dream.
Nuts and dried apricots, dates, and figs. Wow. Just WOW. These constitute 74% of my normal, everyday snackage.
The displays in The Spice Market were works of edible Art.
Dried whatnot . . . perhaps some kind of flower petal for tea-making.
Olives! The Olives . . . . were . . . to . . . . DIE for!
Fancy some tea? The tea stalls were fantastic and brought about thoughts of ancient ships bringing these, and the spices, to Istanbul markets for further distribution throughout Europe.
Beautiful sage tea. The color!!!
There were candies of every imaginable hue in the Bazaars, but it was the Turkish Delight shops and stalls that had the corner on satisfying the globe's sweet tooth.
Enjoy this slide show of the edible things of Istanbul!
If I take a lot of diabetes medication, I can get away with trying a little square of Turkish Delight once a day. And did.
At a Turkish Delight shop on a cloudy day in Istanbul.
Each of these different types of Delight are ridiculously delicious. The slice off a piece any size you want. Nice.
The Delight shops were every five or six shops apart . . . calling out to you to submit yourself to a diabetic collapse.
As it turns out, there are all kinds of delights in a Turkish Delight shop. Some sell good coffee and baked baklava-like things . . . crazy sweet with honey.
These will kill you with sweetness.
Every 50 meters there is a shop like this with stacks of baked and assembled and rolled, and coated delights.
Baklava-ish temptations. They know how to make desserts in Istanbul, that's for sure.
A stack of pistachio-filled baklava rolls. Oh My God!
I got a headache just looking at these.
If there wasn't enough honey IN YOUR Baklava, you could buy more and spread it on yourself! Incredible.
We were very happy when we found the fresh fruit stands and shops. Pomegranate and orange juice is very thirst quenching . . . .
. . . especially after a really good Turkish pizza(!) made with twisted cheese:
Twisted Turkish cheese. Mighty fine.
Turkish Efes beer is not too bad. Not bad at all.
Not everything im Istanbul is edible or found in the Bizaars:
Grand Bizaar door.
Of course, I have to photograph old doors and windows, as is my custom.
The toilet at the coffee shop was upstairs.
Straight ut of my camera!
I was stopped in my tracks at this art gallery displaying a two meter gold plated giant conk shell. The sayig, You don't see THAT every day," came quickly to mind. Art.
I would also be stopped by archectural detail.
A 3rd century Crusader bell.
A Bysantine inscription at the Aya Sofia. Things.
An old heatng radiator . . . brought back a strange memory of my childhood in Frankfurt, Germany in 1955.
The city was filling up with flowers . . . as the International Flower Festival was only weeks away.
The tulips were in full bloom in all the parks.
Many of the non-edible things from Istanbul . . . in a slide show:
Although we met many, many wonderful and helpful Turkish people, the one bad THING about Istanbul were the taxi's that tried to cheat us. We made this guy stop on the highway and let us out when we discovered he was adding charges every time he shifted into 3rd gear! Unfortunately, it left us with a bad feeling about Istanbul.
Dunnottar Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
About 20 minutes south from my home in Aberdeen lies the charming seaside village of Stonehaven. Stonehaven has a lot going for it, not the least is that it is the gateway to perhaps one of Scotland's most famous castles.
A couple of kilometers outside of Stonehaven is the amazing Dunnattar Castle, a truly significant place in the history of Scotland. The approach to the castle requires a walk of about a half kilometer. Read all about its history HERE.
The magnificence of the castle's location . . .
. . . dawns on you in degrees . . .
. . . until you realize . . .
. . . Dunnottar Castle sits high on a promontory of stone high above the crashing surf of the North Sea. The first mention of a castle on this location was 681.
The Aberdeenshire coast is a series of steep cliffs and jutting headlands.
I have never seen architecture positioned on the landscape in such a dramatic way as this!
We walked down the well-worn path to the castle entrance, completely taken in by the view.
The Aberdeenshire headlands.
We gawked at the great castle overhead.
The castle walls were made for battle and sieges, as this cannon port attests.
The final 50 meters still had the medieval paving.
After many, many steps, we finally arrived at the flattened top and the interior of Dunnottar Castle.
Although Dunnottar was shelled from sea many times, the structures were quite well preserved.
Dunnottar Castle is actually privately owned! This house is actually occupied periodically by the current owners.
Location, Location, Location!!!
The ruins of the Dunnottar Castle Chapel.
Dunnottar Castle Chapel interior. The original chapel was founded in the 5th century.
A view from the chapel.
We were always being surprised by the sudden views of the North Sea.
Although overtaking a castle situate this far up steep cliffs would have been nearly impossible, it was vulnerable to bombardment from ships at sea.
There was more space up on top than I thought. A whole village existed up here in the past.
We snooped around inside the buildings.
We found the medieval kitchen and its giant hearth.
Every once in a while we would see a bright passage leading up and out of the old stone structures.
The views, from the inside out, framed in stone, were beautiful.
Like a framed picture of Time itself.
Stairs to nowhere.
This row of rooms with fireplaces was reserved for knights and visiting royalty.
It must have been a very busy place to be in the year 1100.
The castle grounds were divided by a wall. On one side were the living quarters of the royal inhabitants and the knights, and on the other were the work shops, horse stables, and military battlements.
Stores, stables, and the remains of the tower.
The ruins of the old blacksmith shop. Everything had to be made on-site; from horse shoes to silverware to pots and pans.
The stables to the left and the castle tower to the right, where the soldiers would have been billeted.
Castle tower interior.
The view from a castle tower port across the roof of the gate house.
A wonderful view back to the countryside of Aberdeenshire.
Now that my dilapidated door and window fetish was fully satisfied, we left the castle to walk back down the steep path to another view spot.
Even if there was no castle near nearby, it would have been a beautiful place to spend a perfect day.
The new viewpoint was windswept and wild.
The view of Dunnottar Castle that adorns a thousand Scotland calendars.
Castle, cliff, and sea.
Before I ever set foot in Scotland I learned about The Bay in Stonehaven. Yes, it was awarded the Best Fish & Chips in Great Britain in 2013. The best in a country that prides itself on fish and chips. So, of course, we had to go and see what all the fuss was about.
What all the fuss was all about.
We ordered two box sets, with a side of Diet Coke to neutralize any fat we might accidently ingest. "The UKs No. 1 Fish & Chip Shop".
It was amazingly good fish and chips. Next time you are in Stonehaven you should stop in and have a box full!