Quick Stop in London

On my way home to Long Island, I had a one-day stop in London.  If it were not for the British flags everywhere, I would not have even known anything was going on where I stayed near Manor House tube station.  It was a quiet Saturday afternoon.  It felt like a kind of eye of the storm in my travels.  

My friend's garden is apparently full of frogs.  This sign has been erected to warn visitors.

The whole area is covered in blackberries!  In the afternoon, we went for a walk looking for somewhere to get a pie and a pint. 

Railway Fields via QYPE

Out of an ornate gate, a woman appeared and asked us, "Do you live in the neighborhood?  Did you know that there is a nature reserve in your neighborhood?"  She invited us in to explore.  It was a special event in which Railway Fields Nature Reserve was open to the public on a Saturday afternoon.  Inside, we found tons of blackberries, idyllic walking trails, a little seminar on beekeeping, and a little pond.

We brought home quite a bag of blackberries.  Oh how I love foraging!  We used them to make a lemon polenta blackberry upside down cake!

Yum!  While the Olympics are exciting, it was lovely to have a calm break in my travels for walking, foraging, and baking.

Now, Amy and I are relaxing in Greenport.  Amy has increased her antique hat collection and today, hopefully if the weather holds out, we'll go swimming in the bay.  I am so happy to be home.

On the Road: Liechtenstein

On our drive from Germany to Italy we took a detour that would allow us to visit the very tiny alpine country of Liechtenstein. We all set new records of having visited five different countries in one day (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Italy). It is a very small (61 square miles) German-speaking country with a population of 35,000 people. It is a constitutional monarchy headed by Prince Hans Adam II.

The border crossing was this very simple bridge with the different flags on either side separating the two nations.

Liechtenstein is the only country to have its entire area within the Alps and it shows with a beautiful mountainous landscape. Its terrain makes it a desire winter vacation destination.

I am so happy we decided to take this detour to one of the tiny countries of Europe. I have been able to visit three now (Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Monaco) and all have been delightfully charming. Even the smallest of countries have a lot to offer!

<3 Amy

On the Road in Germany: Hohentuebingen Castle

Hohentuebingen Castle

When Amy took us to her old stomping ground, Tübingen, Germany, we went up the hill to the castle which is used by the University of Tübingen for various purposes--including archery practice.  It may be difficult to see, but I am shooting at a brown, straw target.

Minerva with Her Gorgon Shield and Her Sacred Owl--The Goddess of Wisdom

It is also home to the classics department.  This is my kind of castle. 

Gutters of Freiburg, Revisited

Amy enjoying the gutters of Freiburg

Yesterday, I wrote all about the gutters of Freiburg with a pretty boring shot of the gutters.  Then Amy sent me this one, and I just had to post it.  She really, really likes these gutters.

Slovak/Hungarian Border Crossing

This weekend, we went to Budapest, Hungary!  It was a lovely trip and we will both have lots of photos to post.  While we work on editing and organizing them, I wanted to quickly post a little something.  These pictures were taken from a moving bus on a very cloudy day, so they are not the clearest I've ever taken.  

Slovak Republic

Nevertheless, they manage to capture the essence of the Slovak/Hungarian border.  As both nations are members of the Schengen Area, they essentially have open borders.  This means that their border check-points are not used for much.  When you travel through them, they seem completely abandoned with the exception of a few cars.  On neither of our journeys did we see a single person nor a light on.

Leaving Hungary

Entering Slovakia

This photo gives the best impression of what it is like to drive through.

I cannot put my finger on what makes this experience so striking.  To some extent, the dilapidation makes the borders look like something from a post-apocalyptic film--a shot used to imply a break down of government and a rise of lawlessness.  But when you think about it, this image is not the government failing, it is the government attempting progress.  This is not to imply that I think open borders are always the best policy for Europe or for anywhere else, but it is something they have chosen to work towards.  It's interesting to see what looks like decay as actually progress towards a goal.

-Colleen