“Pic of the Week”, February 22. 2019: Celebrating a Newborn, Rajasthan

IMG_4177

Enjoying a nice lunch in a restaurant that offered escape from the mid-day heat, we were attracted by the sound of music and a crowd gathering outside.   Everyone in our Rajasthan travel group headed out and had the opportunity to see this celebration.

Our guide explained that a child had been born in the village and this was a way of making a public announcement to that effect.  Notice in some of the photos a woman is carrying a baby’s crib on her head.  Mostly it’s a chance for people to dance and celebrate.

Any could join in the festivities and several from our group were soon taking part.  I did what I always do — watched and documented the experience with my …

Read More

Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, February 22. 2019: Celebrating a Newborn, Rajasthan

“Pic of the Week”, October 6, 2017: Traditional Irish Musical Pub Crawl, Dublin

102 Temple Bar

A fun and recommended activity for those visiting Dublin is to do the Irish Musical Pub Crawl.  Unlike the name implies, the consumption of alcohol is optional and everyone actually walked between the venues — no crawling observed!  But it is an opportunity to try a pint of Guinness (not a brew I’m very fond of, but better here than when I’ve tried it elsewhere probably due to the freshness of the product).  You do get to visit a total of 3 pubs, two in the Temple Bar area, with about a 30-40 minute set at each of the three places.

The tour features two professional Irish musicians, generally playing traditional songs on a guitar and violin.  In …

Read More

Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, October 6, 2017: Traditional Irish Musical Pub Crawl, Dublin

“Pic of the Week”: August 18, 2017. Temple Bar District, Dublin

01 Temple Bar intro

Ireland is well known for its music, food, Guinness, whiskey, and friendly engaging people, all of which (and more) can be found and enjoyed in Temple Bar District.

Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets.  Many of the pubs in the area are hundreds of years old.

Temple Bar is promoted as Dublin’s cultural quarter, being the location of many Irish cultural institutions, including the Irish Photography Centre, the Ark Children’s Cultural Centre, the Irish Film Institute, the Temple Bar Music Centre, the Gaiety School of Acting, as well as the Irish Stock Exchange …

Read More

Karl on | Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”: August 18, 2017. Temple Bar District, Dublin
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America

The John Denver Sanctuary, Aspen, Colorado

John_Denver_1973

Many of you remember folksy singer, Henry John Deutschendorf, Jrbetter known by his stage name, John Denver.  John was a talented and very successful singer, songwriter and actor who made his home in Aspen, Colorado.  John loved the town of Aspen, the state of Colorado and its Rocky Mountains, and fought to conserve them.

Mr. Denver was know for his “clean” presentation and enthusiasm for his music — and life in general.  You’d recognize many of the songs he wrote and we’ll see the lyrics for his biggest hits shortly.  The Colorado state legislature adopted his song, “Rocky Mountain High” as one of its state songs in 2007.  John was an avid pilot who died tragically in the crash of a …

Read More

Tagged , , , ,
.All Trips / Europe / Ireland

A Visit to Ireland: Part 5) the town of Dingle (An Daingean)

Dingle Town 2013-011 Harbor

Dingle (in Irish, An Daingean) is the main town on the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry, with a population of around 1500 people.  The Dingle Peninsula sits on Ireland’s west coast just north of the Ivernaugh Peninsula (Ring of Kerry), about 71 km (40 mi) west of Killarney.  Dingle is in the Gaeltrecht part of the country, where maintenance of traditional Gaelic language and culture (eg. music, hurling) is encouraged by government subsidies.  Historically it was an important trading port but today it’s a great town for tourists to visit. 

Colorful storefronts in the small town of Dingle, Ireland

Colorful storefronts in the small town of Dingle, Ireland

 Ireland has many beautiful small towns and Dingle ranks among the finest (and was my favorite of the ones we visited!)  Built along a beautiful sheltered harbor and spreading up the slopes of a mountain to the …

Read More

Tagged , , , , ,
.All Trips / Europe / Ireland

A Visit to Ireland: Part 1) An overview of the Country and its People

Ireland Overview 2013-001

I remember being in Wales several times and looking across the sea to the west, thinking that I needed to get to Ireland.  Well, I finally made it, completing this journey with my brother on our annual “getaway trip”!  It was a trip we really enjoyed.  This is the first in a series of blog posts about the Emerald Isle, focusing on some of its rich history and providing some observations on the country and its charming citizens.

Ireland’s history is a turbulent one and its people have had to endure many hardships for centuries.  Victims of a devastating famine in the 19th century (the Great Hunger), occupied for almost a thousand years by foreigners (the Vikings and then the English), …

Read More

Tagged , , , , , , ,