Les Flâneurs

Chihuly in the Japanese Garden

2026-10-01T16:12:00.000-04:00

We returned to Meijer Gardens recently to finish off our tour of the Chihuly sculptures, this time focusing on the Japanese Garden.

new take on the old jungle gym, in the children's garden

Gamelans by the Buchans

the Great Lakes water feature in the children's garden

entrance to the Japanese Garden

Niijima Floats

boardwalk

Turquoise and Erbium fiori

Float Boat

Fiori Boat

Yellow Herons

Susie

When a peninsula is not a peninsula

2026-09-30T16:11:30.804-04:00

A momentary geographic diversion relevant to our recent trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I know many of you have asked the same question I had when looking at the map: when does a peninsula stop becoming a peninsula?

Answer: when it either becomes an island or widens so much that water is no longer distinctively surrounded on three sides.

Ah, yes, but what do is meant by "distinctively surrounded"?

I'm leaning toward the view that once you go west from Marquette, the Upper Peninsula may not in fact be a peninsula since it no longer is surrounded by water on three side. Or is it? There is significant difference of opinion on this within the family at the moment.

To continue beating a dead horse, it would also seem that the Keweenaw is not a peninsula either and may in fact actually be an an island. Note Portage lake seems to cut the Keweenaw off from the mainland and at the upper end is reportedly a short canal dug in order to connect one side of Lake Superior with the other.

We live in exciting times.

End of the Northern Road Trip

2026-09-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

September 27-28.

Well we're back at our home in Grand Rapids. The drive to Huntley, Illinois was smooth and largely devoid of traffic snarls although there was the occasional slowdown between the Wisconsin Dells and Madison, Wisconsin.

Anyway, after about 6 hours on the road we got to our hotel, checked in and appreciated a quiet bed to take a short nap before dinner.

We met up with Greg and Joyce for pizza at Lou Malnati's in Lakewood. A pizza staple of the Chicagoland area for decades, Lou Malnati's has a fun and funky vibe inside and the pizza along with the services was very good indeed.

The four of us spent a couple of hours catching up; we hadn't seen each other since earlier last year when Greg was in the hospital after a fall off a ladder at home. We shared warm and lively conversation as always, littered with plenty of laughs.

After a round of hugs and good-byes we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Monday morning we were took our time over coffee and a light breakfast in our room before packing up and heading out. We wanted to give the morning commuter traffic plenty of time to thin out before hitting the road around Chicago.

It was a relatively pain free four-hour drive home. Although (as always) the traffic along I-80/90 through south Chicago and northern Indiana was heavy it moved along, and for that we were grateful. And the roads, which were in various states of reconstruction here and there, were familiar.

The trip was short but oh so very sweet. Yes, we ended up spending some 35 hours in the car covering more than 1,900 miles on roads of varying quality behind drivers of varying intelligence. But two things of note stand out: first we got to experience truly remarkable parts of our country we had never seen before, learning one or two things in the bargain while also catching some spectacular glimpses of the coming autumn colors; second, we got to spend quality time with family. You can't ask for much more than that.

Minneapolis

2026-09-28T09:15:36.429-04:00

September 26.

The day began with rain which continued more or less most of the day. A good day to be inside. Yesterday we had learned from niece Rachel that grandniece Marlowe was going to be at a skating lesson this morning so we got the deets for the time and place and headed over to the Bloomington Ice Garden. A massive three-rink facility that caters to all skaters young and old was a short drive from our hotel, and we arrived in time for the 11 AM session.

It took just a question or two once we were inside to learn where Marlowe's class was to be held. Along the way we met a woman whose daughter was in the same class and, since she's a local, she steered us to rink three.

Between the warm conversation with Laura and watching the kids on the ice going through their movements we enjoyed ourselves very much indeed.

rink three before skating lessons

Marlowe is in the white top and blue leggings center back in the photo below.

Marlowe's group

After saying goodbye to Rachel and the kids we headed back to our hotel where we dropped off our car and called an Uber to take us into town. While we would've loved to have dropped into WJM and visited with Mary, Lou, Murray, Ted, Sue Anne and the rest of the gang, our goal today was to visit the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Like Cleveland and St. Louis this museum is also free -- Grand Rapids could learn a thing or two here -- and we enjoyed an hour or so strolling through the "European and American Art before 1900" galleries.

It wasn't so much that we had limited time as we had less inclination to spend on contemporary art, Egyptian or Ancient art.

Prairie School architecture and design

Below are a number of paintings that struck us in so many ways (how do we count the ways??).

View of Tangier from the Seashore (1856-58) by Eugene Delacroix

Portrait of Countess Maria Theresia Bucquoi neé Parr (1793) by Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun

Fishing Vessels Offshore in a Heavy Sea (1684) by Ludolph Backhuysen

(the bride) After the Reception (1887) by Douglas Volk

We were disappointed that the restaurant was closed and, since we were eager for a bite of lunch, we Ubered back to the hotel and had a light repast next door at Mallard's. Stephen Engels claimed the food was good and we weren't disappointed: Susie had a salad and I thoroughly enjoyed a small bowl of red beans and rice.

That evening we drive the four minutes to the Engels home where we got a chance to see their new space -- and of course get the tour of the kids' rooms. Marlowe kindly treated us to a few tunes on her keyboard and we were properly wowed.

The meal was based on a recipe from Stephen's mom Rita who lives in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. A braised chicken dish with mashed potatoes; we brought a loaf of cheese bread which was the weak link of an otherwise scrumptious meal.

Susie, me, Stephen with Elliott and Marlow in front, Rachel snapping the pic

Conversation was lively, lots of laughs about one thing or another, along with more down-to earth and personal talks about life. We were a bit sad to have to say goodnight. But we have another leg to go tomorrow as we head to Huntley, Illinois to visit my brother Greg and his wife Joyce. One night there and then it's home Monday,

Lake in the Clouds

2026-09-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

September 25.

We lingered over coffee and breakfast before packing the car, locking the house and headed out for the next leg of our journey. After stopping for gas in L'Anse we pulled onto Route 41 to Baraga and then turned onto Route 38 in the direction of Ontonagon and Lake Superior. Although our ultimate goal for the day was Minneapolis, we opted for a detour to Lake in the Clouds, which is sort of on the way to Minnesota.

The morning was crisp, clear and traffic surprisingly light given that the colors were beginning to pop in large swathes. We easily found the entrance to the Porcupines Wilderness State Park, home of the Lake in the Clouds, along the 107th Engineers Memorial highway out of Silver City. The drive through the park ever upwards around twisting worn beaten roads amidst the dense forest dotted every so often with trailheads was comforting and felt cozy rather than claustrophobic. The parking lot at the dead end was surprisingly packed with quite a few vehicles, so many hikers out enjoying the several trails through the "porkies" as these hills are affectionately referred to by locals.

The boardwalk up to the very overlooks provided our first glimpse of the Lake in the Clouds and the stunning views were evidence that our morning detour was well-worth the drive and time.

From the Porkies we returned to Silver City and made our way on, ever westward - Bergland, Wakefield and finally Ironwood at the state line where Michigan becomes a wholly different place altogether, called Wisconsin.

We stopped at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center just outside of Ashland, Wisconsin, to take a break, use the bathrooms and have our packed lunch of rollups and an apple.

Eventually we pushed onward to Superior, Wisconsin where we crossed the St. Louis river into Duluth, Minnesota. As we traveled over the bridge we could see several weatherbeaten freighters loading/unloading readying themselves for the next journey across that most superior of lakes.

We were now on I-35 heading south to Minneapolis. Susie spelled me at the wheel giving me a chance to appreciate this part of Minnesota as we whizzed down the highway.

After some 140 or so miles we found ourselves in the midst of an enormous traffic network during rush hour so we were truly thankful for our GPS to help guide us to our hotel.

After checking in and settling in we cleaned up, dressed and made our way to a nearby noodle bar to meet up with Steve, Rachel and the kids for dinner.

The evening passed pleasantly, catching up with the Engels family and laughing about one thing or another (that family is adept at laughing). It was a great way to end a long day of travel through the upper midwest.

Tomorrow Minneapolis calls!

My Finnish heritage

2026-09-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

September 24.

According to my DNA results, it seems that, among other ethnic groups, I am 1% Finnish. So it should come as no surprise that I was drawn to the Finnish Heritage Center in Hancock, Michigan, across the Portage river from Houghton.

After a leisurely morning of coffee, fruit and cereal, we pulled out onto Pequaming Road. Passing through L'Anse, Chassell and Houghton we pulled up in front of the Finnish Heritage Center in Hancock. Unfortunately we missed the Sami Reindeer exhibition that had closed the previous day. But there were still some photos and trinkets to be seen as the staff was dismantling the exhibit.

In spite of that the Finlandia art gallery in the Center is packed with wonderful works of art by the popular Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallen. Prints of his striking artwork are scattered on the walls around the hall.

the Finnish Center community hall setting up for a dance that evening

We did however get the chance to chat with a couple of the staff members about the various events hosted and sponsored by the Center. We heard more about the 2023 closure of Finlandia University. It was a painful experience for the staff and students, as one might expect and, based on what we were hearing, very poorly handled by those in charge of the transition. Launched in 1896 as Sumi Opisto (Finnish College) and Theological Seminary it was originally connected with the Lutheran Evangelical Church in America to meet the needs of the growing number of Finns emigrating to the US. But with falling enrollment and financial challenges the school shuttered just three years ago.

We also explored the small but very evocative wartime museum on the ground floor of the Center. A stark reminder of how important the Finnish word sisu is to the Finns. Sisu loosely translated means "guts" but so much more. Resilience in the face of adversity, and "an inner reserve of strength that allows a person to keep pushing forward when they reach the absolute limits of their mental or physical capacity."

From Hancock we continued on Route 41 north to Calumet where we planned to stop for lunch. We parked on main street (which isn't called main at all but 6th Street) and popped into the Michigan House for a bite to eat. We had our minds set on soup and we both opted for the soup of the day, garlic potato, washed down with a brace of local brews. Susie opted for the Black Rock again and I went for the Keweenaw "Widowmaker," a black ale that was scrumptious. I should point out that the logo for the "Widowmaker" is a woman holding a pneumatic drill -- the very same type of drill that we were warned about the day before at the Quincy Mine, an instrument notorious for killing so many of its users due to dust inhalation.

the soup came with a large "boule" which didn't look fully baked - not the best

After lunch we strolled down a block or two to the memorial for those killed in the horrible Italian Hall fire of 1913 during a widespread strike in Copper country. Rumor has it that company thugs blocked the doors so no one could get out. We also passed the Calumet theater next to which was a statue of Anna Klobuchar Clermenc, a labor leader in the early 19th century. It is unclear, although doubtful, whether she's related to Amy Klobuchar, senator from Minnesota.

Italian Hall memorial

From Calumet we made our way to M-203 in the direction of the "big" lake and stopped at McLain State Park so Susie could put her feet in the water. The park is located along a stretch of lovely sandy beach behind a breakwater that is actually the entry into the Portage River.

these folks are serious about emergencies

And speaking of that river we cruised along the Portage all the way back to Hancock. We drove through Houghton one last time watching the students stack themselves up along the crosswalks while we whizzed by. We pushed on until we reached Arnheim road between Chassell and Baraga where we turned off in search of the Hanka Finnish Farmstead and Museum.

I had received a call back from a volunteer at the homestead earlier in the day and we knew that there would be no tours until the weekend and indeed no staff at the farm, but he said we were welcome to stroll the grounds anyway.

And so we did.

The Hanka family settled into this part of Michigan wilderness in the late 19th century, raised their family and lived a life devoted to sisu. The farmstead is located off a couple of dirt covered backroads and by the time we arrived it was late in the afternoon. The air was cool in the shade and we were the only ones to be seen.We found a map of the grounds in a nearby kiosk and just made ourselves at home, thinking the Hankas would not mind if we just walked around a bit thinking of how they struggled to make a life for themselves and their descendants in this very wild corner of the world.

l-r: blacksmith shop, sauna, milk house, root cellar and main house

milk house and root cellar with the granary in the background

sauna

While most of the buildings were locked two were open.

inside the cow barn

catalog and everything

the outhouse and the cow barn

Leaving the farm we made our way through a series of lovely backroads to Baraga and Route 41 and then home for dinner.

Tomorrow we say adieu to Copper country and head to Minneapolis to visit with family.

Houghton, Hancock and the Quincy Mine

2026-09-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

September 23.

We were in no rush to get anywhere today. Our only obligation was a 1:30 pm time for our tour of the Quincy mine so we spent a leisurely morning over coffee and breakfast before heading out to explore downtown Houghton on our way to the mine.

It was a 40-minute drive to Houghton along roads that have become like old friends. We did take a short detour down to the Portage river and could catch a glimpse from a small boat access of the eastern entry into the river. We were puzzled by the all-metal full enclosed rusting boat moored to the dock but there was no one around to inquire as to its story so we moved on.

you can see the entrance to the river at the far center

Traffic was light coming into Houghton and soon after passing through the Michigan Tech campus and along the main street we found a place to park. As ordered we intended to explore Houghton.

Houghton appears to be a nice little town with an unusually high number of small coffee shops, probably catering to the students. Although we did notice a few abandoned store fronts and some rather tired looking spaces. But parking was free and it was a lovely day to be out seeing someplace new.

The town has a lovely waterfront boardwalk and the (newish?) library faces the river with wonderful views from just about everywhere inside.

the Quincy mine above Hancock on the other side of Portage river

The lift bridge

We popped into a couple of shops and then found a cafè to grab a cup of coffee. While sipping our cups of Joe we both commented on the contrast in personalities between the two shops we visited. The first was an upscale women's clothing store manned by a very nice young woman who was friendly, eager to chat and who we learned was not a student at the university but in fact had lived in the area all her life. The other shop was run by a woman who seemed quite tired of it all and, although she knew her yarn, didn't seem terribly enthusiastic about much of anything. Were we seeing the spectrum of life from effervescence to resignation?

Oh, here's something we learned while speaking with the young woman. We had noticed when driving through campus that at all the marked crosswalks (where we've all been trained to stop for pedestrians) the students would just wave us on through. And when we stopped at Eagle River the day before one of the locals who volunteered at a museum there asked us if we experienced that phenomenon passing through Houghton. Why yes, we did. Did he know why? Nope. No idea.

So we asked the young shop woman in Houghton who explained that the students are told to give way to cars passing through. Most likely not to hold up traffic along Route 41 that passes right through the campus carrying eager tourists heading north.

After leaving downtown Houghton we crossed the river and wended our way through Hancock. Since we had plenty of time before our tour and the mine was only a few minutes away we stopped at the Finnish Heritage Center. We walked in but couldn't find anyone at the front desk so we popped into the Finnish bookstore next door.

the Finnish giant, 8 feet 3 inch-tall "Big Louis" Moilanen

We learned from a young woman manning the cash register in the book store that there was plenty to see at the Heritage Center so we plan to return tomorrow -- we also hope to try and see the Hanka Farmstead which is located about halfway to Houghton from L'Anse.

After arriving at the Quincy mine overlooking the city of Hancock we walked into the gift shop and checked in for our tour.

Note that the remains of shaft no. 2 would have been connected to the hoist house by cables that would raise and lower the men, cars and rock skips coming up from below the shaft house.

shaft no. 2

gift shop in the back and public restrooms front and center

note part of the cable scaffolding still in place

ruins of the boiler house used to power the steam hoist

our guide Kyle talking about the hoist

really a large winch designed to lifts multiple tons of rock using some two miles of cable

the hoist operator would sit at the top of this structure

The tour lasted about 2 hours 20 minutes. The first 30-40 minutes were spent watching a short dated but informative video about the mine followed by meeting our tour guide Kyle. He then led us into the hoist room where he talked at some length about the worlds largest steam hoist, the Nordberg (no relation to O. J. Simpson's character in Naked Gun). You can learn more about the hoist (which is worth your time) right here.

From the hoist house our group walked outside and over to the cog railway tram. Now, according to our guide there are only three cog railways in the US: Pike's Peak, Mt. Washington, and this one. So it's official, I have been on all three and Susie and I have together been on two (Mt. Washington and this one).

our tram awaiteth

backside of the hoist house and our group scurrying to catch up

top of the railway that will haul us down (and eventually back up) a 17% grade

From the tram we made our way to the mine entrance. Actually the tour is through an "adit" or horizontal tunnel dug at a slight slope to allow drainage from the mine, to provide ventilation and to make it easier to remove ore from the mine.

Bear in mind that this entrance is at level 7 of 92 levels or a little less than 400 feet below ground. This particular underground space has been used extensively by Michigan Tech students to hone their mining and engineering skills. The miners themselves would have been dropped down via man cars in the shaft house as far as level 92 - more than 9,000 feet below ground! And in the early years they worked using just candles, which, given the generosity of the company, the miners would have to provide themselves along with their own tools.

We walked back into the mine some 2,000 feet. It was light sort of, dark mostly, constant dripping and hey watch out for that drainage ditch! Every so often our guide would stop and talk geology or safety or how the miners actually worked underground. We learned about the Cornish miners who brought their mining skills passed down from father to son. We also got to see what it would have been like to work drilling by just candlelight and also the various tools for drilling into rock. The tour was fascinating, informative and shocking in the extreme, all at once.

Two things about this image below: first is the blueprint for the mine. The vertical yellow lines are the various mine shafts going down as far as more than 9,000 feet. The second is the hunk of "rock" below the map - a chunk of copper. Often large pieces of copper were simply left in mines since it wasn't worth the time and trouble to break them down for removal. It was cheaper and easier to remove copper from large pieces of ore. Strange but true.

This next image appears to be just a small pool of silt-ridden water, which of course it is. But it represents the highest point of the flood in the mine. That's right, all those levels below level 7 where we were standing all the way down to level 92 are completely flooded today.

Here is Kyle giving us a detailed explanation of the backbreaking work performed by the trammers, those men responsible for loading the carts and then moving them to where they could be brought up to the surface. Repeating this over and over again and again for 10 hours a day, six days a week. All for a buck or so a day.

The last stop provided insight into how the miners would often use ladders to climb and drill large pieces of rock in the ceiling looking for copper. And it was driven home by our guide that because they only used candles they would never see what we are seeing today.

With the end of the tour we made our way back out of the mine, out of the darkness and into the light. Literally and metaphorically, I suppose. The tram returned us to the top of the hill, we dropped our hard hats and said thanks to Kyle for an incredible job well done.

Well worth one's time and money to be sure. We headed back home to relax with a glass of wine and a dinner of leftovers brought from home.

Tomorrow, our final day in the UP, we hope to spend more time learning about the Finns who came to this country. The question are they willing to tell us? Stay tuned!

We wish you all safe travels and be well.

Keweenaw Peninsula

2026-09-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

September 22.

A very leisurely morning in L'Anse. After breakfast, coffee and then a shower and getting dressed (important for traveling among strangers) we headed into town in search of a market. While we had planned for and were all set for food, our house's water system produces a very noticeable and somewhat unpleasant odor of rusty iron (although it doesn't taste like the old well water I remember as a kid). We soon found Pat's Foods and stocked up on water for the duration.

From Pat's Foods it was back onto Route 41 heading north. We zipped around the bottom of Keweenaw Bay then up through Baraga, Chassell and the twin cities of Houghton and Hancock. Separated by a dramatic looking lift bridge across the Portage River, Houghton is the home of Michigan Technological University and Hancock the home of Finlandia College. That's right, for those of you not in the know, this part of Michigan was settled by a lot of Finns in 19th century and it still shows in the names of villages and even people running for office today.

Leaving the twin cities we made our way up Route 41, the central artery of the Keweenaw. At Allouez we turned east in the direction of Gay and the eastern shore. Naturally we got lost. After asking directions from one of the rare human beings we passed along the way we found our way to Gay and a lovely drive up the eastern shore. We stopped at Brunette Park and Point Isabelle before turning back inland skirting Lac La Belle and back to Route 41.

Brunette Park

rocks rich in iron

Susie on the hunt for interesting stones

Susie continues the diligent search for stones

It was a short drive to Copper Harbor where we stopped for lunch at the Mariner. Copper Harbor is not quite the tip of the Keweenaw but close enough for us. And we were comforted by the fact it is the northernmost city of Michigan.

From Copper Harbor we took Route 26 heading south but quickly turned off onto the Brockway Mountain Drive. Definitely one of the high points of our day, literally and metaphorically. We enjoyed sweeping views from several turnouts.

view of Copper Harbor

colors starting to change, lots of reds abound

from West Bluff

the West Bluff overlook is the highest point on the drive

After making our way back to Route 26 we zipped into Eagle River and checked out the village's main attraction, a lighthouse. It was closed but we chatted with a couple of lovely staff folk working the nearby museum and gift shop, Peter and Amy. Worth the stop just for those conversations alone. Friendly, funny and committed to the UP way of life. The town also had a lovely spacious sandy beach.

From Eagle River we continued on Rt 26 to Eagle Harbor (another nice sandy beach) and then to route 41. Retracing our earlier ride north we headed south and home for supper and relaxing by the lake.

It had been a perfect a day for traveling up and down the Keweenaw: The sky was blue, the air crisp and clear, the water lovely to look upon just about everywhere. Wish you could've been here.

Tomorrow we hope to explore a bit of Houghton and maybe Hancock as well. We have tickets and signed waivers for the Quincy Mine tour and we're excited to see what all the fuss has been about copper!

Arrival in L'Anse

2026-09-22T09:01:09.371-04:00

September 21.

It was a gorgeous day for a road trip and for us that trip would take us to the wilds of the Upper Peninsula, to L'Anse at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula to be precise.

We packed the car with our bags and a cooler full of food and left Grand Rapids about 9:30 a.m. We stopped for our packed lunch at the welcome center just across the Mackinac bridge (not very welcoming, though, since the information portion was closed). Once we'd fueled up just outside of St. Ignace, Susie spelled me at the wheel for the next couple of legs as we pushed on westward.

The trip was pretty uneventful although Susie did experience two different eagle sightings overhead. Love that.

We pulled into L'Anse a little before 6 PM and drove along the lake shore for a few miles outside of town before finding our house for the next four days.

the bench in the center is now up against the tree on the right and there are now chairs by the firepit

After unpacking and settling in we opened a bottle of prosecco and grabbed a seat to watch the sunset.

Back inside we enjoyed a bowl of chili brought from our home larder, accompanied by a glass of Beaujolais, then settled in for the night.

Tomorrow after a leisurely morning it's off to Copper Harbor so stay tuned!

Trip to the Upper Peninsula and Beyond

2026-09-20T14:38:13.821-04:00

Monday to Monday, September 21-28.

Tomorrow we leave for L'Anse, Michigan where we will spend four nights at a house rental along the southern shore of Lake Superior. OK, if you're going to get technical, it's along the Bay of L'Anse which empties into Keweenaw Bay which empties into Lake Superior.

After exploring the Keweenaw Peninsula (the peninsula within a peninsula) we'll drive five or six hours to Minneapolis where we will visit our niece Rachel and her husband Steve. After two nights in the Twin Cities (really Bloomington) we head south to the suburbs of Chicago to meet up with my brother Greg and his wife Joyce for a night and then back to Grand Rapids.

Should be about a week altogether.

Family gathering in Manistee

2026-06-25T19:52:00.000-04:00

We hadn't been home two weeks from our trip visiting family in New England before we were back on the road again, this time catching up with the extended Bergman clan.

The Bergman family -- consisting of nieces Christina, Melissa, and Rachel and nephew Jonathan, their spouses and their various children (ages 5ish to 20ish) -- have been gathering together (along with their parents) for reunions for some years. This year they planned to gather at a VRBO rental just north of Manistee, MI thanks to dad Carl's intrepid searching for a place to accommodate all of them.

photo courtesy of Joyce Caldwell

So we grabbed our backpacks, toiletries and sundry items and headed off to Manistee. It was a nice, short (2-hour) drive up US 31 and, notwithstanding the frequently terrible roads here, we zipped right along on a gorgeous afternoon. Once we arrived in Manistee we searched for our hotel and found it right on the beach overlooking Lake Michigan.

After checking in we made our way to where the clan had settled in for the better part of the week.

It turns out that Tuesday night was taco night compliments of Jonathan and his wife Naomi. (The siblings had divvied up the cooking with each family group responsible for a night of cooking.)

We had the great privilege of joining them for dinner followed by a laugh-filled round of Bernice Game sitting outside next to the fire pit.

The next morning after a walk down the beach to the lake we checked out of our hotel and returned to the Bergman apartments for a serious round of Bingo with Prizes.

Eventually we had to say adieu and, a little after noon, we headed east to McBain in Missaukee County to catch up with Harvey Lucas and his wife Ev. Cousins of Susan's mom, we had not seen Harv and Ev for perhaps a couple of years or more and needed to spend some time sharing news and stories.

After plenty of warm conversation we said our second round of adieus to family and headed back home.

There's nothing like spending time with family: from cute kids to lovely seniors it was a truly wonderful 24 hours on the road!

Skip the John Ball Zoo

2026-06-23T01:00:00.000-04:00

June 22.

The John Ball Park Zoo in Grand Rapids has been around for a very long time, maybe too long. The space itself is actually built up a hill and although they provide a funicular to get folks to the top so they can walk down, when we were there in June it was not working and the staff members we spoke with didn't know why it wasn't functional and one person who worked at the park seemed confused by the word funicular.

The grounds are also peppered with advertising billboards. Not the kind that might highlight the name of a company or organization that donated for a particular exhibit but just straightforward billboards placed here and there along the walkway.

And the overall feel of the grounds seemed very tired -- the aquarium smelled bad and barely lived up to its name.

That said, the kids -- and there were a LOT of families about -- the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. And the otter exhibit was pretty cool it must be said.

But Susie has such fond memories of going there as a child so the tip was worth it for that alone.

word is the lanterns scattered make for a most impressive night stroll

lots of kitschy decor and not all of it made much sense but the kids loved it!

the live music stage

aquarium

Chihuly in Grand Rapids

2026-06-22T01:00:00.000-04:00

June 21.

In May of this year we popped over to Meijer Gardens to check out the latest Dale Chihuly indoor and outdoor glass exhibitions. Some years ago we had the wonderful experience of seeing an outdoor exhibition of Chihuly's fantastic glass art at Kew Gardens in London and when we learned there was to be a brand new exhibition right across the street we jumped at the chance.

While we didn't see all the outdoor work -- we hope to rectify that in the coming weeks -- what we did see outdoors was lovely. And the indoor pieces were simply incredible.

Ikebana

Example of the collections of early glass baskets:

the Persians

The Fax Room, wallpaper of Dale Chihuly faxes consisting of his sketches, ideas and drawings from the 1990s:

Rotolo

We walked outside with map in hand to track down several of the outdoor glass installations.

Chartreuse Icicle Tower

Walla Wallas (as in the onions)

Turquoise Reeds

Mottled Trumpet Flowers and Plum Feathers

Blue Polyvitro Crystals at the Waterfalls

Cattails and Copper Birch Reeds

Go see for yourself.

Off to Maine and more family

2026-06-12T01:00:00.000-04:00

Monday-Thursday, June 8-11.

We're back on the road again. But this time the drive was short. Boring but short.

We said adios to Dick and Dorothy and headed north for the Maine woods. Traffic was surprisingly light and we made good time on I-495 west of Boston and I-95 north through New Hampshire and on into Maine. Once we arrived close to Bangor we drove straight to nephew Jon's home where Joyce was watching her grandkids.

After spending a nice afternoon reconnecting with several of the Bergman kids and watching grandma help them with sewing projects we drove Joyce home where we caught up with Avery.

The plan was for us to check into our hotel, unpack and return to take them out for dinner.

And so we did.

Marsh Island Brewery

The four of us went to Marsh Island, a relatively recent addition to the eateries in Hampden. The service was very good, the outside semi-enclosed room quiet enough to have a decent conversation. The food was OK -- the fried cauliflower appetizer was very tasty and the girls had wedge salads which they enjoyed. Avery had fish and chips which he deemed delicious. I was the odd man out. I ordered the fried chicken plate and after a few bites thought the chicken quite "spongy" and oddly difficult to cut. Having gotten used to cooking with the superb Otto's chicken from Middleville, MI, this was a disappointment by comparison. But the local beer was tasty.

fried cauliflower

my fried chicken plate - note the beer looks like grapefruit juice

wedge salad with pulled chicken

After dropping Joyce and Avery off back at their home we returned to the hotel and tucked in for the night.

Tuesday morning opened cool and crisp. Since we had no agenda for today other than meeting up with family later this afternoon we relaxed over coffee in our room. We had brought our mini Nespresso with us on this trip -- in fact we usually bring it with us on long road trips -- so we always have pretty good coffee. Hotel coffee in places like Hampton Inn etc can often be dark but in actuality mostly brown water. Ya gotta be prepared when you travel, right?

Anyway, while Susan spent some quality time in the hotel pool, which she had all to herself, I worked on my Duolingo (I suppose I should call it my Triolingo: Spanish, Italian and German.) Early afternoon gave Susan and Joyce some time to chat and share many thoughts and feelings about life - the good and the not always so good.

Later afternoon we returned to Joyce and Avery's and, after a short visit spent with their gorgeous rhododendron, the four of us convoyed over to Bangor and Angelo's Pizzeria for dinner. There we met up with the Bergman clan: Jonathan, Naomi and their four kids, Addie, Johanna ("JoJo"), Abe and Eliza. Run by a Greek -- the tipoff were the series of (very old) photos of Athens and the Acropolis - the food was tasty and filling. I had a roast beef wrap, Susie had a custom pizza with chicken and broccoli while the group shared a variety of tasty pies.

Sisters Joyce and Susan

Susie's pie

We said our goodbyes to the Bergmans but that's only temporary. We'll see them all again later this month at the Bergman clan reunion in Manistee.

Joyce and Avery followed us back to our hotel and after parking we walked next door to Fielder's Choice for some of their delicious homemade ice cream. Apparently much of Bangor had the same idea and the place was packed, some of course playing mini golf, and the queue for the ice cream was serious.

It was a lovely evening and watching Americans lining up for food and entertainment is always fun.

The following morning we packed up, loaded the car and headed over to J&A's to say our final goodbyes (although they plan to be in Manistee as well). Susie also wanted to pick up a goat's beard plant that Joyce had split up for her -- and we were not surprised to see her in full Maine outdoor garb -- the black flies are terrible this time of year and this morning was no exception.

We were on the road by about 8:30 and made good time retracing our steps to Mass before turning due east and stopping for the night in Utica, NY. After checking in to our hotel we made our way to Ancora for dinner. Located right up Genesee Street from our hotel, we ate here in the winter of 2012 while passing through town and recalled a pleasant experience then. Although they had expanded somewhat in the intervening years we were not disappointed: Susie had a very nice chicken Caesar and I had chicken with orzo and asparagus.

The next morning we were back on the road for our final leg to Grand Rapids. Before leaving we submitted a number of complaints about the room -- it was really quite dumpy and broken -- and made our way back to the Thruway.

The drive home took us about 9.5 hours but time went by rather fast we thought and our border crossings went off without a hitch. In fact we zipped right into Canada and thanks to our Global entry passes right into the US, no waiting thank you very much.

All in all a wonderful trip; seeing family and a few friends, experiencing new places and old, all at the price of a few dollars in tolls (OK maybe more than a few), and about 2500 miles.

Not bad I'd say, not bad at all.

Oh, and we did make reservations on Air BnB for a home in the Upper Peninsula for four nights in late September. Stay tuned!

A Sunday in New England

2026-06-08T01:00:00.000-04:00

Sunday, June 7.

Another beautiful day in Massachusetts. And a good day for a drive (back) to Rhode Island.

After a leisurely breakfast (after coffee in bed for some) the four of us headed south to Providence. The plan today was pretty simple: meet up with our friends Andrea and her mom Barbara for brunch at Bayberry Garden. We had eaten there with the same crew last summer and thought the food very good; we also enjoyed the open kitchen and wonderful airy space. Parking was the singular concern this morning but fortunately we found a convenient spot just a couple of blocks from the restaurant.

It was interesting to be back in my old haunts near Davol Square (look it up) where I worked for some years for Johnson & Wales University. In fact, I used to walk to this neighborhood from our home on Westminster Street.

We enjoyed another delicious meal while catching up with each other's lives. Oh, and I had the Shakshuka again thank you very much:

A grand time was had by all.

l-r: Barbara, Dor, Susie, Dick, and Andrea and me

After saying adieu to our friends we made our way to Irregardless (not a spelling error) to pick up biscuits for tomorrow morning. (They ONLY do biscuits.) But really it was to see Joe Hafner, one of the co-owners. Joe and Susan worked together at Gracie's in Providence a lifetime ago. She was the pastry chef and he the executive chef. He hadn't changed much and was still the same ebullient, upbeat guy we had known for so many years. Gracie's was such a defining time for Susie and I suspect for him as well.

yep that's the biscuit place on the right

Susie and Joe

We made a quick stop at Whole Foods to drop an Amazon return off and then it was back to Douglas to relax until supper time.

A large part of the reason for this trip was to connect with family and friends and so far we've been hitting all cylinders. And this evening we were joined by niece Mallory and her dad Steele for dinner, another lovely home-cooked meal followed by lots of warm and lively conversation catching up with people we see far too infrequently.

Susie, Mallory, Steele, Dor, and Dick

After seeing Mallory and Steele off into the night the four of us chatted for a bit before bed.

Tomorrow it's off to Maine for us to see more family!

Douglas, MA and the family portion

2026-06-07T01:00:00.000-04:00

Friday-Saturday, June 5-6.

Family, friends and food. That pretty much sums up our time back in New England.

The trip from Gettysburg to Dick and Dorothy's home in Douglas, MA, took us about 7 hours of (mostly) interstate highway driving. The trip was uneventful -- always a plus -- and the first two or three hours took us through more stunning Pennsylvania scenery. Susan and I have driven through the Keystone State many times but I can't recall being so struck by the luscious scenery and often dramatic vistas we were treated to this time.

Anyway, we arrived late afternoon and spent a lovely evening sipping chilled sparkling wine on their patio before another of Dor's scrumptious meals (stuffed shells à la Cathy Van Halsema).

We eased into Saturday morning with coffee and a light breakfast before heading out to Rhode Island for lunch. It has become a tradition of sorts for the four of us have lunch at the Matunuck Oyster Bar. Even though they are still in the construction phase of rebuilding after their fire of over a year ago they still pack 'em in and Dick had the foresight to make reservations. Anyway, the temporary tent system works fine and is close to the water which made the air inside cool and comfortable.

temporary quarters

Susan had a salad with grilled chicken and Dor had her favorite: lobster roll

Dick had three "stuffies" - stuffed Quahog clams

I had a scrumptious clam chowder with a a glass of Alagash ale

Note in the photo above the Westminster Crackers. They're made in Rutland, VT where we lived for nearly a dozen years. Curiously enough we lived on Westminster Street in providence for eight years.

After a leisurely lunch -- leisurely as some of you have discerned from many previous posts -- is how we like to travel. I suppose that explains why even when we travel to Europe we like to be independent, on our own schedule and not at the whim of someone else.

Anyway, from Matunuck and Rhode Island we crossed over into Connecticut. Dick drove us through a number of quintessential New England villages through the countryside as we made our way to Priam Vineyards. Part of the Connecticut Wine Trail, Priam is perched on a lovely bluff and provides outdoor and indoor seating.

Dick and Dorothy choose a local chardonnay and Susie and I split a very generous four-wine flight of local whites (including one rosé) -- which we thought just OK. We sat outside enjoying the sun, interessting conversation with table "neighbors" and very nice live acoustic guitar music.

From the vineyard we made our way to the town of Wethersfield in Connecticut where we were to meet up with the MacDonalds at Lucky Lou's Bar and Grill. Unfortunately Glen was under the weather but we were joined by niece Christina and daughter Kiera.

I had a delicious lamb gyro with potatoes (as did Christina), Susie had a chicken gyro, Kiera pasta and Dick and Dorothy each had a salad.

The food was tasty, the beer cold, the conversation warm and lovely.

After dinner the six of us strolled around the village before saying our goodbyes. We had no sooner returned to our cars than a terrific wind, rain and thunderstorm pelted us as we left town. Whew talk about timing.

All-in-all a lovely day meandering through rolling hills, reconnecting with family, enjoying good food and fellowship.

Tomorrow we return to Providence for lunch with friends Andrea and her mom Barbara and dinner at Dick and Dorothy's tomorrow night with niece Mallory and her dad Steele.

Keep travelin'!!

Gettysburg National Battlefield Park

2026-06-05T01:00:00.000-04:00

Thursday, June 4.

Today we focused our attention on exploring the Battlefield.

According to the Gettysburg Foundation, the Park comprises nearly 6,000 acres and includes some 1,300 monuments, most of which were originally laid out by the veterans themselves. More soldiers were killed during the battle than in any other battle on American soil before or since. All this makes Gettysburg one of the most unique battlefields in the world. . .

After a mediocre breakfast at the hotel we set off for the park visitor center where we picked up a map for the park's suggested auto tour. Consisting of 15 stops along a 24-mile plan the driving tour covers the battle from July 1-3, 1863 chronologically while also providing ample opportunities for stopping and exploring specific aspects of the battle in greater detail.

I won't bore you with the details of each and every stop; as with the Flight 93 memorial I'll let the photos speak for themselves and hopefully give the folks who have never been to Gettysburg an idea of how special this place is. And for you who have been to this incredible slice of our country's history think about going back sooner than later. Life is short.

Anyway, if you want an extensive list of each Gettysburg monument, its respective photo and details you can find more information right here. You can also download a large version of the tour map as well as a short guide to the park on the NPS website right here.

entrance to the visitor center - opened in 2008

two of my favorite people

The first stop on the driving tour was Reynolds Woods where Union General John Reynolds was shot and killed in the open hours of the battle on July 1.

the view along Reynolds Avenue

The next stop was at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. Established in 1938 it commemorates the 75th reunion of the Gettysburg veterans and to "a nation united."

From the Peace Memorial it was a short drive to the Oak Ridge observation tower.

We then made our way to Barlow Knoll. Named after Union General Francis Barlow this site is located on the grounds of what was then the Gettysburg alms house complex. All that remains today is the Old Alms House cemetery, which is not part of the Park.

Francis Barlow statue

The auto tour soon lead us along the confederate lines west of town where the number of monuments is fewer than on the Union side. However some of the individual state monuments are wonderful works of art - Mississippi, North Carolina and the massive Virginia memorial to name just a few.

Mississippi

North Carolina

Virginia with General Lee atop Traveler

note the small sign warning about defacement of the monument

We stopped for a light picnic lunch in Pitzer Woods where the Longstreet Memorial is located. Although we are fervent Unionists and loathe the secessionists generally, one has to be softened somewhat by the monument to this man. Captured in mid-stride, perhaps realizing how things were not going well for the confederates, he is caught thinking about what to do next.

Susan's favorite statue

The auto tour took us past the striking monument dedicated to William Wells and the 1st Vermont Cavalry.

From the 1st Vermont Cavalry monument it was a short drive to another of the most important stops on the tour: Little Round Top. The views of the battlefield from here, especially of Devils Den, the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard beyond, are grand indeed.

the rocky outcropping is Devils Den

We left Little Round top and drove down past the Wheatfield where the 5th Michigan Infantry was heavily engaged, and skirted the Peach Orchard.

the 5th Michigan monument in the Wheatfield

monument to the 88th New York, part of the Irish Brigade

We eventually left the central portion of the battlefield and drove along the tour to Spangler's Spring and the observation tower on Culp's Hill skirting Evergreen Cemetery making our way back to the final phase of the battle: Pickett's Charge and the Copse of Trees. Also known as the High Tide of the Confederacy the war took it's final turn against the South right here. This sacred space has always been protected by an iron fence, which harks back to a much earlier time.

Copse of Trees

the 69th Pennsylvania

the Copse of trees seen from the Confederate viewpoint

After the tour we drove into downtown Gettysburg and found a handy enclosed parking garage (out of the sun was a bonus). After strolling for a short while we stopped at Lulu's for an ice cream (not the finest thank you very much). We had to pop into a nearby store called the Chocolate Market. They did indeed market lots of different chocolates and for those of you keen on such things, it's connected directly to the year-round Christmas shop right next door.

It was time for a a little down time so we made our way back to the car and back to the hotel.

After relaxing for a couple of hours we returned to the center of town and the parking garage (we think this is the only one in town), which is located behind the Hotel Gettysburg. Just outside the entrance to the garage Susan spied a couple of historical markers. It turns out the garage is on the location of the home of John Getty, yep the founder of Gettysburg. Next to the marker was a boulder memorializing the very spot where the first company of local troops were enlisted in 1775 to join Washington's fledgling army.

From the garage we walked through the Hotel Gettysburg back to the center of town and stopped briefly in a couple of shops. It was then on to find a place to eat. Unimpressed by a number of places we looked at -- the menus all seemed to favor the same sort of food it seemed to us -- we opted to return to the Sign of the Buck but this time chose the tavern side of the hotel. (The restaurant and tavern are connected to the Union Hotel.)

So we bellied up to the bar and spent a couple of wonderful hours chatting with other patrons and swapping mixology stories with the bartender. (If you go, ask for Angela.)

Our cocktails were refreshing and tasty and the food delicious -- small plates consisting of deviled eggs, house-cut fries with three different dipping sauces, followed by bowls of Tuscan bean soup.

It was a grand way to end a lovely day -- wish you had been there!

Tomorrow we head off for the family portion of our trip back East: first stop Dick and Dorothy's in Douglas, MA for three nights before heading to Maine to see Susan's sister Joyce and her husband Avery.

Stay tuned!

Return to Gettysburg

2026-06-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

Wednesday June 3.

The trip from our hotel west of Cleveland to Gettysburg would take us less than five hours and that would give us time to maybe get off the interstate and explore some of the backroads of western PA. Susan learned that just off the PA Turnpike at the Somerset exit was the Flight 93 Memorial. It was about three hours to Somerset and another 20 minutes or so to the memorial park.

What an incredible place! Words do not do justice to this small slice of our nation's history but perhaps a few photos might. You really have to be there to realize the enormity of it all.

From the entrance it's another 2.5 miles to the visitor center and crash site.

visitor center on the left and restrooms and trail head on the right

the views from atop the visitor center plateau were pretty spectacular

the walkway represents the final flight path of flight 93

visitor center entrance

Inside the visitor's center is a very moving series of news clips and timelines depicting that day on 9/11/2001 which was, at times, hard to watch for those of us who remember it so clearly. This year is the 25th anniversary too.

continuing along the flightpath

looking back toward the visitor center

the wall of names in the center and just beyond is the crash site

We drove down to the memorial plaza and walked to the crash site along the debris field to the wall of names of the 40 men and women on flight 93 (no children we were told).

tokens of remembering

a portion of the wall

a look back up to the visitor center

On the way out we stopped at the Tower of Voices. Made up of tubular wind chimes, the winds have to be up to at least 12mph for it produce sound. It was a pretty still afternoon when we were there so it remained quiet.

Across Rte 30 (the Lincoln Highway) is Patriot Park. This is a memorial to the 7,000 men and women who have died during what was referred to on the signage as the Global War on Terrorism. There is one flag planted for each person.

Returning to Rte 30 we drove to Bedford, PA where we got back on the Pike. After another 20 miles or so we got off and made our way back to Rte 30 through Chambersburg and on into Gettysburg and our hotel. The drive was lovely and leisurely and we didn't mind that a bit.

Once we were settled in and unpacked we drove to the Peach Orchard to pay our respects to the boys of the 3rd Michigan -- and their compatriots of the 3rd Maine and 2nd New Hampshire who served alongside them in the Orchard on July 2, 1863.

the 3rd Michigan monument in the Peach Orchard

small stones on the right mark the connection of the 3rd Michigan and 3rd Maine

the 3rd Maine monument

the 2nd New Hampshire monument with the 3rd Maine center and 3rd Michigan in the distance

We drove a short ways along the Confederate lines looking for the James Longstreet memorial which we could not find. We'll rectify that tomorrow.

From the park we drove back into downtown Gettysburg and parked along the street. The parking meter caused us a short few minutes of anxiety before we figured it out then off we went in search of a place to eat.

Susan was looking at the menu of a place called the Sign of the Buck when a threesome walked in and one of the guys said to her "this place is good". And so in we went. And yes the food was good and, it being Wednesday, all the wines by the glass were half price. We each had a scrumptious salad (Susie's was caesar with chicken, mine was a chopped with shrimp) washed down by Cremant de Loire. Not a bad way to end a very special day for us both.

Tomorrow we head back into the park for the auto tour and who knows what else!

Back on the road again

2026-06-03T01:00:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, June 2.

It was a gorgeous day in west Michigan as we departed for the east coast. Having replaced our electric vehicle with a hybrid (a Honda CRV if you must know), we were eager to tackle our first major road trip in more than three years. Yes, yes we did the trip to Sault Sainte Marie Ontario and a trip to Chicago but we were keen to drive back to New England to see family. And that would have required God knows how many stops to charge yada yada yada.

But enough complaining. It was a pretty quick drive to our first stop, Cleveland. From our condo we drove right to the Cleveland Museum of Art to check out the Manet-Morisot exhibition now underway. And what a place! Located at the edge of an large oval green space close to the Botanical gardens and the Museum of Natural History this place is truly amazing.

And Grand Rapids please take note: the museum is free and ticketed exhibitions are free for military!

It was a moving experience for the both of us to revisit (once again) so many paintings of two of our favorite artists Edouard Manet and especially Berthe Morisot.

The exhibition was well laid out, easy to navigate and very well signed.

Just to give you a quick sample of Berthe's work:

A Summer's Day, 1879

And this:

Woman Sewing, c. 1879

And just one more:

Interior, 1872-73

From the exhibition hall on the lower level we moved upstairs and visited several of the galleries dedicated to Impressionism, Realism. We skipped through the Abstract Expressionism to visit the photography gallery which was dedicated to early images of France during the time of Manet and Morisot.

I was particularly taken by this image of Notre Dame taken by Charles Soulier from the early 1860s:

We made our way back down to the main floor and enjoyed a cup of coffee (our afternoon "hot beverage"in honor of Sheldon from the Big Bang) while soaking up this the incredible open space.

We were fortunate to strike up a conversation with a fellow who has long since retired from the Cleveland Symphony where he played the viola. What began as a simple "where do you live?" turned into him sharing some wonderful stories with us.

From the museum we made our way back to our car and allowed Google maps to navigate us out of the nexus of meandering streets and residential neighborhoods to our hotel in Streetsboro (SE of Cleveland proper, getting us on our way to PA). When checking in, I learned there were not a lot of options nearby for food but one recommendation was for a Mexican restaurant, Don Patron. So after settling in off we went for a meal of tacos with sides of rice and beans washed down with as tasty cerveza.

Back to the hotel we relaxed until bedtime. Tomorrow it's off to our next stop, Gettysburg National Battlefield Park. We'll spend two nights there which will give us a good full day to pay our respects, particularly to the men of the 3rd and 5th Michigan regiments who suffered terribly in the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard on July 2, 1863.

Stay tuned!

Richard and Pauline's Portugal notes

2026-05-26T21:15:36.294-04:00

[For anyone reading this journal you know that we met up with our British friends Richard and Pauline in Porto, 31 January to 6 February 2026. What you might not know is that while we had to leave on February 5 to return to Lisbon they remained in Porto for an extra day. And so, here are a few of their photos as well as Richard's detailed travel notes to finish out the trip. It's always fascinating to view your trip from the perspective of someone who was right there with you the entire time.]

Our friends Steve and Susan were keen to escape severe winter weather in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had not visited Portugal before. They flew to Lisbon on 24 January 2026 and enjoyed six days there, including one when they were entertained by [Richard and Pauline's friend] Graça. On 31 January they travelled to Porto, to join us there for five days. They had planned to make the journey by rail, but severe storms in central Portugal prevented all train services between Lisbon and Porto, so they had to come by bus, although in fact their journey time was little different.

Saturday 31 January

2. Meanwhile, in St Albans we awoke at 6am to find an email and text from TAP Air Portugal saying that our 1010 flight was postponed to 1150! so we went back to sleep until 7.15am. We left Ellis Fields in our Vauxhall Astra at 8am, and had a smooth drive on M25 and M23 to reach Gatwick airport long-stay car park by 9.15am. We had smooth passage through Security in the South Terminal although, inexplicably, both Pauline’s bags were side-lined for inspection. Our plane took off at 12.15pm, after much queuing. There was no word from the flight deck. Cabin crew announcements were garbled/unintelligible. We landed at 2pm. Porto airport is huge! A long walk to passport stamps, where we both had our finger-prints and photographs taken. We took a taxi to Hilton’s Cenica Hotel in central Porto: 35 euros, including tip.

3. While we were checking in, Steve and Susan appeared: they had recently arrived. We have adjoining rooms: 306 (us) and 307 (them). We unpacked, and then joined Steve and Susan in the bar for a welcome drink, courtesy of the hotel! At 5pm we (not Steve and Susan) went for a swim in the hotel’s very good indoor pool, with adjacent jacuzzi! At 6pm we all walked out and eventually found authentic Portuguese dinner (bacalau, francesinha) at Restaurant Salmao, where we were the only customers.

Sunday 1st February

4. Breakfast (8.45am) was excellent. A huge variety of food was constantly replenished by pleasant, friendly, efficient staff. The coffee machines were the sole weak spot, but one of the waitresses was happy to make hot chocolate for Richard! If the available bacon, sausages, scrambled egg, mushrooms and fried potato were not your fancy, a chef was on hand to cook you a boiled egg or an omelette to order! At 10.15am we walked 5 minutes (in rain) to Trindade, the hub of the Metro system, and bought tickets to Jardim de Mooro, just south of the mighty river Douro, which the train line crosses at a great height on the impressive Ponte Dom Luis. From there we made our way on foot (in rain) to the World of Wine complex where, after coffee, we toured the Cork Museum and the Pink Palace (all about rose wine): both were fascinating, and fun. Between these tours we had lunch in the WoW restaurant, with good view of Ponte Dom Luis, albeit often shrouded in cloud. For dinner we enjoyed well-cooked burgers in the hotel restaurant.

Monday 2 February

5. From Trindade we took the Metro north-west to Casa da Musica, an iconic concert hall opened in c2005. The concrete structure didn’t look its best in the rain. It turned out that unless we took a self-guided tour we couldn’t see the interior, and the restaurant wasn’t due to open for two hours. So we left the building and admired the roundabout outside, which featured an impressive monument celebrating the victory of the Portuguese and British over Spain in the Peninsular War. Next, we took an Uber to Se/the fortified Cathedral. First (because it was due to close for lunch) we toured the Bishop’s Palace, which is pleasant and spacious and has superb views across the Douro and of the bridge. The Cathedral itself is strange: mostly plain and austere, but the east end is full of bling/gold leaf. Outside we walked down 100+ steps and found lunch at an hotel near the river. We walked west to the church of Sao Francisco, where we toured the church (extraordinary, entirely decorated in fantastic carving covered in gold leaf) and then the museum and catacombs. Apparently, all burials were in churches until 1866, when the state decreed they should be in cemeteries. Back at the hotel we swam, and relaxed in the jacuzzi. We joined Steve and Susan for aperitifs, and then walked 5 minutes to O Antunes restaurant, established in the 1980s, where we had bacalau and dorade in a very pleasant ambience.

Tuesday 3 February

6. It was Richard’s 76th birthday. We celebrated at breakfast with Buck’s Fizz, whereupon the lovely staff brought a mini birthday cake with candle, and our waitress Catarina sang “Happy Birthday” in Portuguese!

What a start! We walked in rain to the Art Nouveau Majestic Cafe for coffee, then took an Uber across the Douro to Graham’s Wine Lodge, an extensive set-up, where we enjoyed a tasting of three different ports, paired with cheese, chocolate and pastel de nata. In the restaurant, Vinum, we had a tasty light lunch, with impressive view of Ponte Dom Luis and the roof-scape of Porto, in intermittent mist; and the waiter brought Richard a platter of truffles to share, inscribed with “Happy Birthday”! Returning to the hotel, we relaxed, went out for a short walk in incipient rain, and then joined Steve and Susan for aperitifs. We walked in rain to O Antunes where Richard had a sirloin steak, beautifully cooked, and the others had salmon, pork and beef. Richard’s cheesecake dessert came with a candle: a truly celebratory day.

Wednesday 4 February

7. An Uber took us to Sao Francisco, where the ancient No 1 Tram starts its 25-minute route westward. We took it to its terminus, in sight of where the Douro meets the Atlantic Ocean, and we walked and admired the sheer daunting power of the waves crashing over the sea wall. An Uber took us north to Serralves, where we had a good buffet lunch. We toured the grounds, including the impressive Tree Top walk, the parterres, and the powder-puff pink villa (closed for re-decoration). An Uber took us back to the tram terminus, and we took the tram to Sao Francisco. Another Uber returned us to the hotel for swim and jacuzzi. For dinner we repeated burgers in the hotel restaurant.

Thursday 5 February

8. Steve and Susan spent the morning packing. We walked to the restored Mercardo do Bolhau, off rua Fernandes Tomas, and admired a huge range of stalls selling, especially, high quality fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Back at Cenica hotel we chatted with Steve and Susan until 1.15pm when they took an Uber to the bus station to return to Lisbon for their flights to Grand Rapids the next day. We had lunch in the hotel restaurant. We took the Metro from Trindade to Sao Bento, where we looked inside the old railway station and admired the wall tiles there. We walked down rua dos Flores, intending to visit Palaccio de Bolsa. But this can only be done by conducted tour, and the next one in English was nearly an hour away. So Pauline took a photo of Prince Henry the Navigator, who was standing outside. We walked sown to the Douro, and along to the Ponte Dom Luis, and across it! in strong westerly wind competing with the full river swirling westward just below. On the far side we climbed up to Jardim de Mooro and took the Metro back to Trindade. Pauline’s pedometer showed that this day we had taken nearly 12,000 steps! We had a quick swim and jacuzzi, and went out to dinner at Luffa, a few doors down from O Antunes. A really tasty meal.

Friday 6 February

9. After breakfast we packed, and checked out, leaving our bags at Reception. We walked south down the length of Santa Catarina, then west to admire imposing buildings in Aliados, then north to near Trindade for coffee, and finally east to Mercardo Bolhau for lunch at Cafe de Gina’s: vegetable soup, sardines, codfish, vegetable rice, cheesecake, sangria. Back at Cenica we retrieved our bags and took the Metro from Trindade to the airport. Our tickets cost 5.8 euros! and the journey was barely 30 minutes, faster and far cheaper than the taxi. Security and passport inspection were quick and efficient. Our plane took off at 6.50pm, 30 minutes late, and landed at Gatwick a shade ahead of schedule at 8.35pm. We were back at Ellis Fields by 10.50pm. It was dry and clear, 8 degrees C.

Conclusion

10 Special words of appreciation for Steve. First, he found the Cenica hotel, and indeed we enjoyed a special rate there thanks to his Hilton Honours membership. It was a splendid hotel in every respect. Secondly, Steve was willing and adept at summoning Uber taxis for at least ten journeys in and around Porto.

11. Although the weather was often cool, cloudy and windy, and sometimes it rained, it was early February, so what d’you expect? And the only activity that we couldn’t undertake was a cruise along the river Douro - from which all craft were banned, because of its height and fast-flowing. If we return to Porto we will hope for a river cruise, and try harder to get inside Casa da Musica and Palaccio de Bolsa.

Lisbon to Porto by train

2026-02-10T01:00:00.000-05:00

I purchased tickets a couple of months earlier in hand (and on our phones) ready and waiting. Since we will only be taking two trains this trip (from Lisbon Oriente station to Porto Campanha station and back to Lisbon) we opted for point-to-point instead of rail passes.

Although the Man in Seat 61 recommends Omio we used the official Portuguese train website (cp.pt), which he also suggested. Like The Man said it was a bit clunky but worked fine. Oh, and don't try to create an account unless your a Portuguese national.

Anyway, after a few quick screens we downloaded our 1st class tickets on one of the high-speed Alfa Pendular train. As some of you know we always choose 1st class on trains; the cost is usually not much more than 2nd class and you get better access to luggage storage on board and more seating space, both of which are much appreciated by travelers in their golden years.

The trip will take less than 3 hours (each way) and costs €180 for the two of us roundtrip. Not bad.

And if you're really interested in train travel in Portugal here's a map of their rail network.

I should say that as things turned out the trains running north from Lisbon (and south from Porto) were all cancelled while we were on our trip in early February of 2026. This was due to the severe storm that blew threw the country with incredibly high winds creating a large swath of destruction and damage particularly between Coimbro and Fatima. As a result we (and many others) were forced to take the buses back and forth.

Portugal 2026

2026-02-09T01:00:00.001-05:00

Getting around: Public transport is generally good, especially in large cities like Lisbon and Porto, although we learned that some transport systems operate independently of one another so don't expect to find one card fits all. There is a Porto Card but I believe that also includes a number of (discounted) entrances to museums, etc so you will pay a premium for that.

We found that one of the best ways to get around both cities is either an Uber or Taxi; they are both inexpensive, reliable and prolific (especially Uber).

Bus services outside the cities are reputed to be reliable and inexpensive but we simply don't have any personal experience in that. We used the Rede Expressos bus from Lisbon to Porto and back and it didn't didn't take much longer than the high-speed Alfa Pendular - and it was much less expensive.

It should be pointed out that since the funicular accident in Lisbon a few months back, all the other funiculars and elevators in the city are shut down. We were informed that since they all use the same (old) cable system they will not reopen until the problem that caused the accident is discovered and the other systems repaired if necessary.

Communication: Smartphones are absolutely necessary but here the key word is "absolutely." We have been using our phones almost exclusively for transport and other tickets for several years now, but in Portugal -- so far - they still rely on lots of paper. The Porto Card seems popular for travelers but again we have no experience with that and don't know if it is available electronically.

Oh, and please learn how to say hello, goodbye, thank you, and please. Most Portuguese we encountered spoke pretty good English but hey it's their country. We should give their language a try. It goes a long way.

Accommodation: We used air BnB in Lisbon and Hilton hotels in Porto and Lisbon. Our accommodations were very nice and both centrally located, especially the apartment in Lisbon. The Cenica hotel in Porto was wonderful - we give it a big thumbs up - with an indoor pool, jacuzzi and breakfast available for an extra fee of course, unless you are a member of the Hilton Honors program. And the staff were in a word incredible. Our Hilton hotel in Lisbon, the Doubletree Fontana Park property, we give a thumbs down for reasons which I enumerated in my final travel journal entry.

Eating: We ate quite a bit of Portuguese food, which can be a bit heavy. Lots of potatoes and fish of course so you have plenty of options. Generally VERY reasonably priced too!

Sights: In winter some sights close down for refurbishment or remodeling during low season. You might want to check with the local Tourist Information office in either city before venturing off on your own.

Speaking of Tourist Offices - make sure you find yourselves inside the OFFICIAL tourist office. In Porto especially there are offices that list themselves as Tourist Services with a large "i" out front -- these offices are usually in red. These are for-profit.

People: Wonderful, friendly and always willing to help. Often the four of us would be standing on the street looking at a map or a phone and a local would come up and ask if she or he could help. I'm sure they have their share of jerks, but most everyone we met were pleasant and kind to us.

Go or not? Absolutely. If you go on your own I would recommend staying for at least a week in each city. Get to know it, the feel of it, get to know your way around it.

Day 12 in Portugal

2026-02-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

Thursday-Friday 5-6 February

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel with Richard and Pauline. While the staff of the hotel were incredibly friendly and yet very professional, we had gotten to know rather well a young woman on the breakfast staff. She was always there early every morning, always smiling, friendly, willing to help and was professional in the bargain. She even sang Happy Birthday in Portuguese to Richard! Catarina is her name so if you have breakfast at the hotel ask for her.

Afterwards our friends went out to explore parts of Porto unseen by us, while Susie and I prepared to leave for Lisbon. We were pretty much all put together last night and had to tweak a few of the packing cubes this morning. We had a midafternoon bus so we hung around the hotel and caught up with Richard and Pauline one more time before we had one more round of hugs and said our goodbyes.

The Uber to the bus station was quick and smooth and it was our first time with a female Uber driver. Anyway, we had to wait for just a short while before our bus left for Lisbon. The trip back south was uneventful except for passing through a couple of torrential rain storms, which had apparently caused one car to flip over. We saw lots of flooding in the lowlands and of course much damage to whole swaths of trees caused by the recent wind storm.

Once we got to Lisbon Oriente train station -- where we had previously picked up our bus for Porto - we grabbed a taxi to our hotel. It was rush hour and 15 minute trip took 45 with occasional drizzle (outside the car not inside).

Walking into the hotel we made our way across a black barrenness; the floor was glossy black stone and reflected the lights from the ceiling which made it appear that you were looking through glass through the floor. The lobby had no sitting furniture and it was dimly lit.

Anyway, we took the elevator to our floor and were straightaway struck by how much the hallway looked like a prison.

The room itself was goofy. The bathroom was walled off by black glass although some of the panels were clear so you could see right through from the larger portion of the room right into the bathroom! Weird.

But we enjoyed a glass of wine in the bar, and ate a light meal before turning in, having an early call Friday.

The next morning we took a taxi to the airport -- a 15-minute ride -- and began the very long process of returning to the United States.

Lisbon airport is, in a word, a mess. They are poorly organized, poorly signed and a maze of general confusion. We checked in and made our way through security -- one of seemingly a half dozen times we would go through security on this trip.

But our flight to Newark was uneventful and as usual the food nearly inedible. There was a nice and quite friendly young man sitting at the window seat in our row, next to Susan, with whom we had a long and very warm conversation. That went a long way to helping the time pass!

Arriving in Newark we had to pass through passport control, pick our bags up and then recheck them -- something that makes no sense to us although it went smoothly. But it was finding how to get to our connecting flight that was a puzzle. We finally asked a policeman and then a airport staff member for directions and then made our way through security once again for our connecting flight to Grand Rapids.

Truth be told we were in no rush. We had (hold for it) an 8-hour layover and so we cooled our heels. We did have a light, exorbitantly priced lunch - whipped feta with cucumber and pita for Susie and roasted Brussel sprouts for me, along with a small glass of beer for each of us.

After hanging around the bar, which was comfortable I must say, we made our way to the gate. Here's where the fun began. Our boarding passes from Lisbon listed gate 72 but my United app said 111. So off to gate 111. After a while our gate changed to 81, then 80, then 86, and finally I got a text from United saying our gate was 135. Fortunately all of these were in the same terminal, and frankly we didn't mind the exercise so much. But the airline's confusion remains puzzling.

We boarded on time although the plane had to be deiced before we could depart. We usually travel in warmer months so we had never seen this before. Anyway, we both agreed it was quite fascinating to watch how they bring up two large trucks one on either side of the plane and spray the plane down. Whatever they did worked and we made it right on schedule to Grand Rapids.

Our friend and neighbor Don Trap was there to meet us, braving the late night cold and we were home by a little after midnight and in bed by 0100. We had been up for nearly 24 hours and had eaten little. On top of it somewhere along the travel line I picked up a cold or some sort of European bug, which seems to single me out. . .

Day 11 in Portugal

2026-02-04T20:00:00.001-05:00

Wednesday 4 February

Breakfast once again at the hotel of course (it's part of the deal), but really it is quite a robust buffet with a wide variety of items to choose from. The four of us then took an Uber down to the riverfront, specifically to the church of Sao Francisco where we could board the beginning of the No. 1 tram which would take us close to the Atlantic Ocean.

We waited just a few minutes before the no. 1 lumbered into view. After disgorging the few passengers on board it reversed direction and allowed a new wave of sightseers to get on - including us naturally.

trying to figure out when the next tram will arrive

Similar to the old trams (also known as trolleys) in Lisbon that have become iconic for the city, this one certainly lived up to its reputation as being vintage: nearly everything on board was old and in sore need of refurbishment. Not like some of us I suppose. (If you want to know more about these trolleys, or streetcars as they were known earlier, visit the Market Street Railway online.)

rattan seats

arriving at the terminus, the tram is quite the star it would seem

Anyway, it was a lovely ride along the river all the way to the Atlantic. The line ended at the Jardim de Passeio Alegre in the Foz de Douro district.

There were few people out along the oceanfront, the occasional runner and serious walker and a handful of tourists like us. We soon reached a point that was cordoned off undoubtedly due to the high winds and waves, the latter making quite an impression on us. And of course Portugal is still in the midst of a severe coastal warning as I write.

very nice promenade close to where the Douro empties into the ocean

looking back upriver you can see the tram at its terminus on the left in the distance

the open ocean

not many folks out and about

WCs in the park -- a handy feature

the barriers preventing access to the beach

Next to the barriers at a point where we couldn't walk on any farther was this seemingly empty and abandoned building.

The sign above the entryway reads Camara Municipal do Porto which translates as City Council of Porto.

But if you search online for that phrase you get this building: my how things have changed.

Our next objective for today was the Serralves Foundation Contemporary Art Museum and Park. The museum held little interest for us but the park sounded very nice. From the ocean front it was a bit of a hike and all uphill so we took an Uber which dropped us off right outside the main entrance.

Once we walked onto the grounds we were all struck by the very angular and cold architecture of the buildings.

the freestanding gift shop at the park entrance (left)

to the museum entrance

And inside we were equally struck by the open and empty spaces, also angular and rather cold.

interior second floor (1st floor European)

But first things first and that meant lunch. We walked upstairs to the museum restaurant which had a nice view of the park below. It had just opened for service and we were the first to arrive. The layout was simple: an open buffet for a set price and then drinks. Period. The spread had a very nice look to it and the food was delicious.

After lunch we bought tickets to the outdoor sculpture park, deciding to skip the museum inside. Here we were reminded of the Meijer sculpture gardens in Grand Rapids.

beginning of the walk around the park

Plantoir by Oldenburg and Van Bruggen

Plantoir and The Curious Vortex

The Curious Vortex by Olafur Eliasson

Unfortunately the powder puff pink Art Deco villa was closed for renovations.

The Teahouse and Tennis court, closed for the season apparently

Near the Teahouse I met Gil and his Harris Hawk named Tawny. The park hires a company to bring their hawks to discourage the seagulls. Gil told me that Tawny was in training at the moment but had great prospects. Anyway, the company he works for has seven hawks and perform their service all over the city.

A few minutes walk on and up a flight of series of stair cases found us admiring the views of the lower levels of the park - creative, imaginative and very informative with the occasional signage talking about the trees, the birds etc.

Soon we found ourselves strolling on the treetop walk.

From the treetop walk we made our way back to the entrance and ordered an Uber which returned us to the trolley terminus just in time for the next one (they run about every 20-30 minutes) heading back into the city.

Leaving the trolley we walked up to the nearby River Market. A gorgeous 19th century red metal structure, it once held an indoor market for the locals. As we soon discovered it is now a venue for casual drinks, music and the occasional artisans market which was then underway. We all thought the space a bit disappointing compared to the markets we have seen in Italy and France where they are well utilized for food, meats, produce, household goods, clothing etc.

There is a nice view of the small park that is home to a superb statue commemorating Prince Henry the Navigator.

Market building

Looking down to the statue and the river

inside the market hall

rather empty today

We walked back down the hill to the trolley stop to meet up with an Uber back to the hotel. It was time for a bit of rest and relaxation before dinner.

The four of us met back in the hotel lobby about 6:30 and walked across the street and down a half block hoping to find Monteen, our dinner venue for the evening. We found it easily but . . . it was dark and temporarily closed. Not wishing to continue strolling around looking for a place to eat we returned to the hotel for a lovely last evening meal together.

The food was delicious but, as always, it was the conversation that was both lively and warm. We didn't say our goodbyes just yet though. We will meet one last time for breakfast Thursday morning before we head for the bus station and Lisbon. Richard and Pauline will spend one more day in Porto before they fly home to England on Friday and we fly home to the US.

Day 10 in Portugal

2026-02-03T20:00:00.222-05:00

Tuesday 3 February

Today is Richard's birthday! And one couldn't hope to spend such a day of celebration in a better place than Portugal. But then that's me and I'm here. And frankly the weather notwithstanding we are enjoying ourselves immensely.

After breakfast at the hotel we walked downhill making our way to Santa Catarina street -- the pedestrianized area we experienced our first night here. Our goal this morning was to see the Majestic Cafe -- and so we did. Glorious, old and weathered, not unlike Porto itself I suppose. Still, for a brief moment one felt thrown back to a time where life moved at a different pace, although you wouldn't know it from how fast the wait staff moved delivering coffees and pastries.

Santa Catarina street

Once outside the cafe we ordered an Uber for the next and major objective of the day: one of Porto's acclaimed Port lodges. In our case it was to be Graham's lodge.

views from near Graham's restaurant

We hadn't booked a tour and the next one in English would require us to wait for some three hours so we opted to do just the tasting.

One is faced with a dizzying array of tasting choices of ports as well as prices for flights. We opted for a tasting of Graham's 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port (a Ruby port), a Graham's 1997 Single Harvest Tawny, and Graham's Quinta des Malvedos Vintage, all paired with chocolate, cheese and pasteis de nata (custard tarts).

Our guide was thorough, knowledgeable and very informative. The wines and the the accoutrements were, needless to say, excellent (but I said it anyway).

The tasting room runs along the backside of the lodge and connects with both the shop and the lodge restaurant, all with views of the city.

Vinum is the lodge restaurant and following our tasting we opted to stay here for lunch. Which, as things turned out, proved to be a very smart move. The food was superb and reasonably priced; the staff helpful and very professional. In the summer it must be wonderful to sit out on their terrace and sip port while watching the city in the distance. For us today we, like everyone else, opted to remain inside where it was warm and dry.

Below are a few views from the restuarant.

They brought a scrumptious little amuse bouche of codfish salad with a pequita pepper on top.

the bread was their own sourdough with olive oil from the company's groves

I had a fish and seafood soup that was absolutely incredible with tiny shrimps, pieces of grilled monkfish and mussels all in a luscious fish stock. Richard, the birthday boy, had roast beef with mustard, Susan had wild mushrooms with rice (also very rich), and Pauline had a variety of croquettes (very popular in Portugal) of mushroom, meat, and cheese.

Seafood soup

Richard's beef dish

Susan's wild mushroom rice dish

I ordered a glass of 30 year tawny port which we all tasted.

4.5 liter bottle of 30-year-old Tawny Port -- no we didn't drink it all

The restaurant offered a nice plate of chocolate truffles for Richard's birthday - a wonderful pairing with the port!

We took an Uber back to the hotel and planned to meet up at 6:30 in the lobby to head out for dinner.

That evening we returned to Antunes for another delightful meal.

Steve's Portuguese steak with onions and potatoes

Richard's sirloin steak

Pauline's grilled salmon

Susan's pork loin with roasted potatoes

Richard had cheesecake for dessert!

Tomorrow it's a trolley out to the Atlantic Oceam.