Category Archives: Travel

365/Day 185

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Happy Birthday, America! ~~

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (from the preamble of the United States Constitution)

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Photo taken in Santa Monica, California.

365/Day 182

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The Real Thing~~

Today, against my better judgment, I went to see “Jurassic World,” the summer blockbuster that everybody’s been raving about. As far as dinosaur movies go, I had only seen the first of the three Jurassic Park movies. The original one, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel “Jurassic Park,” by Michael Crichton, who also co-wrote the screenplay. That was a pretty darn good movie. A classic. This one is not. It is poorly written and horribly acted, with an excessive amount of special effects. So, to redeem myself for spending two hours of my day watching this ridiculous movie, I’ve decided to pay homage to real dinosaurs, the ones that actually roamed the world millions of years ago. Here are some shots taken at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History.

Burgundy Region Chateaus (2)

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Château de Clos de Vougeot ~~

On our second day in Burgundy, we visited “Clos de Vougeot,” a wall-enclosed vineyard in the region. It was named after the River Vouge, which is actually just a stream separating the village Vougeot from Chambolle-Musigny. The Clos de Vougeot vineyard was created by Cistercian monks of Cîteaux Abbey. The Château de Clos de Vougeot, located inside the wall, was added in 1551 by rebuilding and enlarging a small chapel and other existing buildings at the site. Since 1945, it has served as headquarters of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an exclusive club of Burgundy wine enthusiasts. As in most chateaus, there is a museum of all things wine and an ongoing art exhibit, which seems to be something that happens this time of the year. The trip through Burgundy country provided some beautiful views of other vineyards and chateaus.

Traveling to Vougeot.
Vineyards all along the way.
Approachig Vougeot
Definitely wine country…
Approaching Clos de Vougeot.
The Chateau de Clos de Vougeot.
Courtyard.
The grounds.
The giant photograph of a monk reminds us of the origins of Clos de Vougeot.
The well.
Meeting place for the Chevaliers.
Small Clos de Vougeot museum.
Museum pieces.
Museum pieces.
Museum pieces.
Le vin.
The vineyard.
The vineyard.
The vineyard.
Leaving Vougeot. Small cemetery.
Back on the road.

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Three Items or Number Three

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I must really like the number three because I have lots of photos with three items! So, here is a “small” selection of “Threes” for Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge.

Three windows.
Three bikers.
Three birds, three wires.
Three people, three planters.
Three bathing seagulls.
Three lifeguard posts.
Three “friers”…
Three runners (yup, six feet…)

Burgundy Region Chateaus (1)

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Château Pommard~~

Located in Pommard, just outside Beaune, the Château de Pommard is the largest private vineyard in Bourgogne. Besides their grounds, museum and wine tasting, we saw two temporary art exhibits going on at the château (one of photography and one of sculptures) and a couple of permanent (I think) Salvador Dali sculptures displayed in their courtyard. The château’s grounds and museum are very pretty and the wine was very good. We regretted not having come earlier, with time for a full tour and meal. Here a slide show of photos of the road trip from Beaune to Pommard and of the château visit.

Traveling from Beaune to Pommard in Burgundy, France.
Traveling from Beaune to Pommard in Burgundy, France.
Arriving in Pommard, Burgundy.
Pommard.
Pommard.
Entering the Château.
Château de Pommard.
Château de Pommard, courtyard.
Salvador Dali’s “La Licorne” or The Unicorn.
Salvador Dali’s “St. Georges terrassant le dragon.”
Château de Pommard’s grounds.
Sculptures were part of a temporay exhibit.
Château de Pommard’s grounds and art.
Old wine barrel.
Kitchen
Kitchen.
Huge old wine presser.
Château de Pommard.
Les vins de Pommard.
Tasting their wine.
Les vins.
Les vins.
Pinot Noir.
Les vins.
Vineyards.
Going to the garden.
Wall of roses with the château in the background.
Garden.
Garden.