Off On a Great Adventure

As we leave today for Spain and Portugal I am reminded of our trip to Italy in November.  The memories of walking down to the coliseum in Rome.  It was just a few blocks from the hotel.  What a thrill!  We walked the Palatine Hills, visited the Pantheon and had a delightful lunch at a sidewalk cafe.  We chose to walk back to the hotel.  It was a grand adventure.  Just crossing the streets is a thrill in Rome.  That night after dinner we walked down the street again to visit the Coliseum lit up after dark.  It was just breathtaking!  I'd go again in a heartbeat.  So now on to another Great Adventure!!!

"I think risk taking is a great adventure.  And life should be full of adventures."
                                                                                Herbie Hancock

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Cathy 

                              

Bay of Salerno

Gulf of Salerno

My goodness how time flies. I have been away for some time now and hope I'll be able to post more often. Being retired I've had little time to sit and play at the computer. I often ask myself how I managed to post daily when I was working. This photo was taken in November, 2015 on our way to Amalfi, Italy. What a joy that journey was! Perhaps there will be more to come!

I'm here to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  Should be fun!

~~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God

Cathy

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Treasures of Italy

We were in Italy for 10 days.  It was not nearly long enough to travel this beautiful country.  I'm still recuperating from jet lag.  So today, because there are literally hundreds of photos, I thought I'd show you photos of our first  introduction to Italy.  The town in called Montepulciano.  It is part of Tuscany and so we stopped here to get our first taste of Italy, no pun intended.  We had a tour of a winery.  

It was amazing!  The winery itself was once an ancient castle. And it was built over the remains of an Etruscan burial site.  It was quite an adventure.  Going down into the lower levels of the winery and seeing the artifact that have been found there. 

Largest of the wine casks

And it all begins here.

The Etruscan burial chamber

Steps to the tomb.

It was amazing to see how the remains of two thousand years of history can be maintained and continued in use at the same time.  

Oh, and did I mention the wine?  Oh, my goodness!  It was just delicious.  I also had my first taste of pecorino cheese (cheese made from sheep's milk).  It was wonderful.

When we had finished our stop in Montepulciano we were off to some serious touring. . .Florence.    I will try to share this adventure in more detail, but right now my head is still spinning!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!!

I have found a new place to play and invite you to join Mersad at Through My Lens.  It's inviting and fun!

And as an added treat perhaps stop by NC Sue's Image-in-ing.

~~Adventure Tour Express~~

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

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City on the Mississippi

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

From this magnificent old live oak tree on the campus of LSU...

to the lawns of the Old Louisiana's State Capitol  the city of Baton Rouge is a lovely place to visit and the people we met are courteous,  friendly and helpful.  The reason we visited Baton Rouge was to attend the wedding of my nephew and this allotted us the opportunity of sightseeing on a limited basis as visiting with family was such a treasured time!

The Shaw Center for the Arts is a wonderful place to visit with a wonderful view of the Mississippi River.

The view from the museum allows a perfect view of the river and it's vistas.  The barges moving up and down the river, the Louisiana Art and Science Museum and the destroyer USS Kidd in the background

. 

But I think best of all was the food!  Yest indeed!  From Chimes Restaurant and Tap Room to Raising Canes Chicken Fingers there is nothing like the "flavor of Baton Rouge" unless it's the "flavor of New Orleans."  But since New Orleans was not on the menu this visit to Louisiana I can only speak to the foods I savored in this fine city.

Chicken and Asparagus at Sarop's Cafe.

Wedding, family, food and new adventures, it doesn't get any better than that!  Wishing all a week of your own grand adventures and  all they have to offer.

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Please join now and offer one of your adventures and allow us to travel with you on your tour!

All Aboard!!!

Adventure Tour Express

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

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You've visited the city of Indianapolis for 33 years and you're still surprised by the sites to see.  That's what happened this weekend as we went to visit family.  There is so much to learn about a city.   We have family that live in Broad Ripple Village part of the city of Indianapolis.  Then this weekend we learned of another part of INDY, Irvington, Indianapolis, IN, an historic district and indeed it is a lovely place to visit.  But I think the best part of the day was Jockymo's Pizza!  Oh my goodness!!!   

I'm only sorry to report that I got no pictures of the pizza!  No, we were too busy eating to get any photos!  Maybe next time!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Please join now and offer one of your adventures and allow us to travel with you on your tour!

All Aboard!!!

Adventure Tour Express

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

*****

Adventures begin in many ways, but often they bring surprises.  Like the year we went to the Keller Homestead in eastern Colorado.  The horizon on the eastern plains.  The majesty of the sky and the  broad expanse of the landscape.

I remember when we went into the house and  Ron walked into the kitchen he said, "In 50 years nothing has changed."

Then it was off to Colorado Springs, The Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Broadmoor Hotel.

All this a reminder to me of the much awaited adventure home this year to Montana and Colorado.

~~~^j^~~~~

Thanks be to God!

Please join now and offer one of your adventures and allow us to travel with you on your tour! 

All Aboard!!!

Adventure Tour Express

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

I'll begin my adventure with one of my favorite destinations. Visiting our nation's capitol is an adventure that really never ends. My love affair began in 1965 when, for a graduation gift from high school, I traveled to The City at Christmas. Oh, my goodness what an adventure. Six years later, as the wife of a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant assigned for temporary duty to Ft. Belvoir, VA we had the opportunity to visit The City on a regular basis. Perhaps that's the reason our oldest child, then a year old, was so interested in art history that she now teaches art in high school for we spent every opportunity in the museums.

The National Portrait Gallery

I marvel  every time we visit this museum at the talent and skill of each an every artist whose art is exhibited here and elsewhere in the city.

This is a city where walking should be a must.  For if you get into the car and drive you miss so many wonderful attractions that may or may not be in your tour book.

Lovely skyline

The White House...and the lights are on!

One of the City's many parks

Walk about if you visit and have a chance.  There is so much more to be taken in by just traveling on foot.  I'll leave you today with a treasure to be found at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum.

The Hope Diamond

Please join in the adventure today by taking us along on one of your journeys.  I look forward to traveling to many and sundry destinations today!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks Be to God!

Please copy the button above and become one of Adventure Tour Express's tour guides and every week we will travel the world together!  We'll have a grand time!

Adventure Tour Express

It has been asked if the Adventure Tour Express would be running again this summer travel season.  I will be happy to be the tour guide for all who wish to share their adventures.  The train will run each Wednesday during the summer.  Any and all adventures are welcome, from the weekend jaunt, the day at the park, to the wonderful vacation adventure!  Please come and join the fun!  We will begin next week following this Memorial Day weekend!  Please have a safe and wonderful weekend and...

Welcome Aboard!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

~Adventure Tour Express~

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

A Colorado Vacation!

One of the reasons Family Reunions are so much fun is because of the sights one sees along the way.  In 2005 the Stubbs Reunion was in Longmont, Colorado.  Along the way though we went through Colorado Springs, Ron's hometown.  There was the visit to see old family friends and walking the grounds of the Broadmoor Hotel.  Couldn't miss taking the kids to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo or the giraffes!  But the Kellers can never leave Colorado Springs without first having the famous REDTOP hamburger!!!  It's a family staple.  Oh, what fun we had!!!

Having offered this bit of sunshine on an otherwise dreary day here, I'd like to offer you the opportunity to share with us one of  your adventures.  We can never have too many of them!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!!

Now please share your adventure, link it here so all can enjoy it with you!

~Adventure Tour Express~And a Month of Thanksgiving~

“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints” ~Wilfred Peterson

Yellowstone National Park Revisited

Lower Falls

Yellowstone River

Old Faithful Geyser

The Norris Basin...

in all its glory...

and desolation.

A Lone Bison

Rock Creek Lookout

The Bear Tooth Mountains

I am in awe of all God creations.  And I remember as I took these pictures how I  imagined what it must have been like to be the first human to have come upon this beauty with its colors, smells, and magnificent sounds.  What fear and trembling must have occurred when they first witnessed the eruption of a geyser?  What did they think when they saw the earth boil in those bubbling cauldrons?

As Mark Twain says of his travels,

"We had mighty good weather as a general 

thing, and nothing ever happened to us at all."

And Theodore Roosevelt said this, 

"There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred."

Oh!  I must go back!!!

~~~^j^~~~

Thanks be to God!

Now please share your adventure, link it here so all can enjoy it with you!

Tamara at Branch of Wisdom is offering us the opportunity to daily give thanks for the gifts given us by God.   Please stop by her blog and read more about the specifics.