Louis XIV visited this chateau in 1661, owned by the Finance Minister, and was so enraged that the royal palace was not as...palatial... he imprisoned the owner and moved on in. Lots of royal intrigue!! Jean Charles, one of the three brothers who are the current owners. They grew up in the chateau!! Holiday celebrations were in full swing when our Uniworld group visited Linda and Dave during our winter tour One of the amazingly well preserved frescoes. So old yet still so stunning!! A room in the spacious kitchen Part of the wine cellar Vivid colors!! One of the many restored carriages

Rub his beard and your wish is granted!! Colonial 20th century architect  St Francis Bronze likeness of a famous street person 16th century Basilica and Monastery de San Francisco

We traveled with some special clients to Milan and Como in early December and were totally blown away by the scope of this holiday light show extravaganza projected onto the old buildings in the main square in Como. The lake is NOT just a summertime destination!!

Walking through the 15th century Vernon, France – a stop on our Uniworld Seine cruise. Some 230 of these 15th century houses are still "standing" there. Van Gogh country!!

Upon reflection, some things I learned in Alaska was this is a land where residents still come out to wave to the train, people remind you to watch for the Northern Lights tonight, and less that one million people living in an area 1/5th the size of the lower 48 sounds pretty good sometimes!!

It's a natural phenomenon that happens every year in Alaska (and elsewhere that have salmon but we're talking Alaska right now). Young salmon make the trip down the river to get to the ocean. When they're about two years old, mature salmon leap themselves up the creeks of salmon country to spawn and die. Then it begins all over again. It's a perilous time for a salmon egg. The sea gulls know and they come up to where the eggs are and try to get some of them. Only a fraction of the eggs that are laid ever make it to become baby salmon and make the trip down the river to the sea. It's a cycle of life for these fish. The spawning part takes place from about mid-July to mid-September, so we're right at the end of the season.  So, Linda and I are on a fabulous trip to Alaska that began with an overland trek to the interior of Alaska. You may have seen some of our posts. If not, you should look at them. You'll catch some glimpses of life past and present in ...