Veterans Day Thoughts

Rochelle & I visited many historic war sites, battlefields, and cemeteries during our stay in Europe. While we've never considered ourselves to be particularly patriotic, our visits to those places were very moving.   Today's post is in honor of those who have served their country -- especially our many family members who have served (or are serving) their country. 

Some of you who followed our other blogs may recognize a few of these photos, so I'll keep the commentary short.  While some of these photos might better fit Memorial Day, I think the venues are also appropriate for Veterans Day.

There are many war cemeteries in The Netherlands, but only one honors Americans that served in the region.  The American cemetery at Margraten is the resting place for 8,301 fallen soldiers.  We also visited many of the cemeteries that honor the British and Canadian forces that fought in the battles that took place in Holland and Belgium. 



Normandy is primarily a sleepy, rural area best known for it's hard cider and soft cheese.  But there are still many reminders of the key battles that were fought along the beaches and little towns.  Let's hope that people remember the events that took place here, even after the seas eventually reclaim the remnants of the D-Day battles.

A poignant reminder of some of the victims of WWII.  From the "letters" room at the holocaust memorial in Berlin, a note from a girl in a concentration camp:  "Dear Father!  I am saying goodbye to you before I die.  We would so love to live, but they won't let us and we will die.  I am so scared of this death, because the small children are thrown alive into the pit.  Goodbye forever.  I kiss you tenderly.  Your J." 

We visited some of the German WWI and WWII cemeteries in Belgium and Luxembourg.  With their dark crosses and multiple soldiers buried at each marker, the German cemeteries seem much more somber than the American and British cemeteries.  In this photo you might think that these are visitors in silhoutte, but in fact they are statues forever watching over the graves in the German war cemetery in Langemark, Belgium.

And finally, from the memorial at the American cemetery in Lorraine, France. 

The inscription reads:
Our fellow countrymen
Enduring all and giving all
That mankind might live in freedom and in peace
They join that glorious Band of Heroes
Who have gone before

Amazing Vancouver

We've always had great luck with weather in the Pacific Northwest -- and our lucky streak continued this past July when we visited the Vancouver area.

When the weather is nice, everything is beautiful here.  The city's clean and modern, there are mountains and water everywhere, and the people seem really happy.

We stayed in the city a few days, enjoying the sights and the fantastic restaurants.  Every place we went, we were asked where we were from and what we were doing.  And restaurant staff practically tripped over themselves giving us recommendations for other places to go. 

On the ferry ride to Vancouver Island, we got our first sighting of bald eagles -- more later.  Staying in Victoria (the capital of British Columbia) for Canada Day was a trip.  Everywhere we looked we saw people in red and white -- and I do mean everywhere.  As you can see by the capital building (left), Victoria is particularly pretty at night. 

There are several botanic gardens in the area, but Butchart Gardens on the island is easily the most spectacular.  The moderate climate makes for some pretty ideal growing conditions, not only for flowers and trees but for vineyards too.  Although the main BC wine region is far inland, there are some wineries on the island and of course we made time to stop and sample the goods.

The north and west parts of the island are a bit less  populated, and are really popular with outdoor sports enthusiasts.  While we did some short hikes, our main "adventure" time was spent out on the water, looking for whales and seabirds.  We weren't disappointed -- the bald eagles, gray whales, sea otters, puffins and other sea birds were amazing.  If you look closely at the otter, you'll see she's carrying a pup.

We had such a great time that we went on another boat trip when we returned to the mainland ... and added more bald eagles and orcas to our sightings.

If you're a facebook friend there are a few more pics on my facebook page.  Keep an eye out for more adventures (better yet, subscribe to the feed and you'll be notified when new entries appear).

"There may not be a Heaven, but there is a San Francisco"

A few weeks back, Rochelle was off to San Francisco to attend a conference -- so we extended the trip and planned some time along the Central Coast.

A highlight of the trip was meeting up with my cousin Daryl and wife Lorraine for dinner. We had a great dinner and it was really nice to be able to catch up with them.


The weather was classic San Fran -- cool and foggy, as you can see by this shot of the Golden Gate bridge. But it cleared up enough for us to enjoy some time in Golden Gate park. The Japanese Garden is a nice quiet spot to relax. We rented a paddleboat and got some great views of the wildlife -- ducks, turtles, and this night heron.



While Rochelle was attending her conference meetings, I had a chance to check out the Palace of Fine Arts. Built for the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exhibition, it stands alone today, a somewhat eerie (if you go on a quiet day) reminder of the past. I also had a chance to get out of the city and see some more wildlife, like these harbor seals hanging out on the beach.



After the conference, we headed south and stayed in Paso Robles. Although I got sick during this part of the trip, we managed to hit a few of the area's wineries. And we spent a morning at the Hearst Castle, touring the gardens, guest houses and wine cellar. Here are shots of the indoor and outdoor pools, where guests from Henry Ford to Clark Gable lounged in the extravagant surroundings.



Our last stop was Pacific Grove, which sits right next to Monterey. By this time, I was really under the weather, but we still managed to hit the wharf and see some of the local residents, like this sea otter and pelican.



San Fran still remains one of our favorite places to visit ... such a mix of great sights, outstanding restaurants, and wonderful wildlife.  Pretty close to heaven, indeed!

PS -- Daryl, I hope I included enough bird pics for you (inside joke)!

Title quote by English author Ashleigh Brilliant