Traveling Through the Alphabet part 3

As noted above, we are picking up after logical post number 3,262 and starting in the middle of this round at the letter K

When we roll over this first alphabet we will start ALPHABET number 100!!

Well we did it - or YOU did it.

Round 100 Reached on Thursday July 11, 2024 in 14 days. (Cyn with the Alto Resto - as was - in Nice, France) at post 3,284.
It has only taken us 4 Years, 1 month and 12 days to achieve this amazing milepost.

Round 101 Reached on Monday July 29, 2024 in 18 days. (Cyn with the Alsatian Museum in Strasbourg, France) at post 3,315.

Round 102 Reached on Saturday August 16th, 2024 in another 18 days. (KGC with Alzey in the Rhineland of Germany) at post 3,342.

Round 103 Reached on Wednesday August 28th, 2024 in only 12 days. (Fred with Arcis-sur-Aube near Troyes) at post 3,371, or for the nerds among us, post D2B in hexadecimal. I think D2B trips off the tongue so sweetly.

Round 104 Reached on Tuesday September 10th, 2024 in 13 days. (Fred with Altentreptow, Germany) at post 3,409; or for the nerds among us, post D51 in hexadecimal. I think D51 trips off the tongue even more sweetly than D2B.

Round 105 Reached on Saturday October 5th, 2024 (UK time, a day earlier in the Colonies) in 26 days. (Cyn with Ankor) at post 3,436; or for the nerds among us, post D6C in hexadecimal.

Round 106 Reached on Wednesday October 23th, 2024 (UK time, a day earlier in the Colonies) in 19 days. (Mona with Ammersee) at post 3,468; or D8C in hexadecimal.

Round 107 Reached on Friday November 22nd, 2024 in 31 days. (Fred with Aisne River, France) at post 3,498; or DAA in hexadecimal.

Round 108 Reached on Wednesday December 18th, 2024 in 27 days. (a TIE between Mona with Annunciation and the artist Fra Angelico and Allan with Musée d'Aquitaine or the Aquitaine Museum) at post 3,529; or DC9 in hexadecimal. (note to self - remember your last DC9 flight with the wing bolts coming off and the loose cowling).
...
for what it's worth

Nigel

this page also kept free for levels and stats

K

Kremmling, Colorado, USA. Literally called “K Town” by many residents, this is a community at a crossroads in the Colorado mountains, well west of Winter Park and well north of Vail.

The Book Cliffs rock formation north of town is a long row of cliffs that look like a shelf of books. A big fireworks display is shot off of them for the 4th of July.

K
Kennicott in Wrangell St. Elias National Park. One of the least visited National Parks and bigger than Switzerland. I just got back from 2 nights there. Visited the mines and hiked on the Root Glacier. At one time Kennicott was the largest copper mine in the country. It closed in 1938. I was there in 2002 and just got back from my second visit. The park service has done a wonderful job preserving the historic mines. Loved my visit to this wild, remote place. The McCarthy road drive to get to the park is beautiful and long!

About an hour's walk north of Cambridge campus is the little village of Landbeach,

whose main buildings were taken over by the university in the early 1700s.

http://www.landbeach.org.uk/history/a-short-history

It has a population of about 800 today, basically one road with some side streets.

M

Montecito

An hour and a half North of LA is the town of Montecito. Near Santa Barbara the enclave has been home to “famous” people since the days of Charlie Chaplin.

Presently it’s home to Prince Harry and Megan Markle, Oprah Winfrey, actor Rob Lowe, and singer Ariana Grande.

N is for Nevada

A town in central iowa not pronounced like the state.

near Madrid iowa. Which is not pronounced like the city in Spain

O for Ontario, Canada

A beautifully diverse province easily visited from the US. Toronto is an amazing, global city. And Ottawa, the Canadian capital, has a charm of it's own. The Niagara region has the falls and wine country. The St. Lawrence seaway is beautiful. And for the outdoor adventurists, there is the still wild north.

P for Paternoster Vents.

In London next to International Dispute Resolution Centre with LMAA stands this unique outdoor stainless steel sculpture by Thomas Heatherwick. Every time the Paternoster Vents seem to look differently playing with light, shadows and reflections - depending on daytime and light conditions. A must-see for sculpture fans. It won Design and Art Directions' "wood pencil" award for design in 2002.

Q is for Quai de la Loire along Le Bassin de la Villette in the 19e in Paris. This time of year it should be very lively with one of the Paris Plages spread out over a few locations around Paris.

R is for La Roche sur Foron is a French town in the Haute Savoie region that we will get to know in the next week.

S is for Savoie which is the department in France south of the Haute Savoie where we’ll be in the French Alpes.

T is for Tonon Les Bains a French town on the shore of Lake Geneva. We look forward to visiting this town with chateaus, markets and lake ferries next week.

U for Unter den Linden

A 1.5 km walk the takes you through the heart of Berlin. Begin at the Brandenburger Gate and walk west to the bridge leading to Museum Island.

I don't normally contribute to the Alphabet, leaving it to all you wonderful contributors, but I'd like to contribute one close to my heart

another "U"

Ursprung Buam are a Tirolean folk band who have been playing in and around Mayrhofen in the Zillertal in Austria for 30 years.

They are holding their Ursprung Buam Festival in Mayrhofen in Zillertal this weekend.

It isn't often that you find a three person band with both a harp and a violin (and a Styrian harmonica (accordion without piano keys)).

V

Vignemale, the very tall mountain in the French Pyrenees that towers over The Gaube Lake. We’re headed to the lake right now, with good weather. Cattle are up there, too, so I’ll watch my step in the grass surrounding the lake.

Y is for York the original name for Toronto Ontario. Established in 1793, 'York' was the capital of Upper Canada and became a strategic point during g the War of 1812. The Canadians didn't fare well during the Battle of York. It was renamed Toronto in 1834, still holding its status of Capital.
There is still a region of Toronto called York. Head out to Little Italy, or Little Portugal and you will find yourself in York.

to stay in synch may we have a "W" please

W is for the Winnie-the-Pooh-Trail near Barrington NH. As a former children’s librarian, I’d design something like this from a children’s book too if I had such beautiful wooded acreage. https://www.barringtonconcom.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pooh-Trail-Brochure.pdf

Oops. Sorry Nigel. Must have posted before full coffee quota.
Just for that, I will add "X" to get us better aligned.
X is for XivaUzbekistan. It is Xiva in Ubzbek, and Khiva in English.
The regional city is one of the main tourist stops for travelers these days, but does have a history of over 2500 years of habitation.
It was a major stop on the Silk Road, Ghengis Khan pillaged it as did other Khan's and by the 17th Century it started becoming a known slave market, eventually becoming one of the slave capitals of the world. In the first half of
the 19C, more than 30000 Persian and Russian slaves were sold in this city alone.
Uzbekistan spent much of the 20thC under Russian rule. Though most of the city was in rubble by end of 19th C, Russia saw its architectural beauty and went about reconstructing many of the old madrassahs, towers and mosques. However, like other major Uzbek cities, it is accepted that some artistic license was taken in the finishes colours and amount of mosaics compared to historical accounts.

z is for Zamora, Spain.
Zamora is a fair sized city between Salamanca and Leon in NW Spain. It is known for having the most Romanesque churches in Europe...25 to be exact. Of course it means there is also Romanesque art inside, so pace yourself.
Speaking of pace, Zamora is also on the Camino de Santiago.

A

Alto Resto had been my very favorite restaurant in Nice, France, for years. We’ll be in Nice in a week, for the finish of this year’s Tour de France bicycle race, and I had been looking forward to dining at Alto again, but sadly, I’ve discovered that it has closed. I don’t know whether it’s another casualty of the Pandemic, or for other reasons, but it will be missed.

B

Bayonne, France is the capital of French Basque Country, and our current trip included several nights there last week, starting Thursday afternoon. It turns out that the fascinating Museum of Basque Culture has free admission on Thursday nights.

It also turns out that the annual Fetes de Basque festival, which turns out to be the biggest festival in France, just started yesterday. Partially fashioned after Pamplona, Spain’s festival, it includes a running of bulls (or cows), but, apparently mostly drinking. Many pairs of open, red and green urinals had already been set up throughout the streets in the old town, to discourage peeing on the streets themselves, or up against buildings. Apparently that had been a problem in the past.

The festival is normally held in early August, but we were told that because police that are normally needed for the festival will be needed in Paris for the Olympic Games, the Festival got moved to July. The Olympics are also the reason the final stage of this year’s Tour de France got moved from Paris to Nice.

C

Cauterets, France, is a charming town deep in the Pyrenees Mountains, just a few miles from the Spanish border. We’re here now, after driving from Bayonne on Sunday. The Tour de France passed through here last year, and will be coming nearby again in a few days - maybe we can get to a spot on the roadside to cheer on the riders.

Lac du Gaube, a high mountain lake set below the high Vignemale peak (see the “V” entry above) can be reached via a strenuous hike, or a chairlift ride well above Cauterets, but it turns out that there’s NOT a trail that completely circles the lake. While most folks walked a wide trail (a very rocky road, actually) on the right side of the lake to the far side yesterday, where many yellowish cattle were also located, we tried to reach the far end by hiking along the left bank. We discovered, as did a few other folks, that the faint trail turned into lots of scrambling over boulders, and eventually dead-ended by a waterfall and an impassable section of a steep slope, thick trees, and rock faces. Trying to find a shady spot for a picnic turned into an expedition.

More hiking later this morning … hopefully less arduous.

C

China Basin

A San Francisco neighborhood which is home to Oracle Park where the San Francisco Giants baseball team plays.

In a past life when I worked in The City we loved going to lunch at The Ramp. Huge cargo ships would dock close by. The area was intriguing and gritty. The diners were a mixed bag of individuals, artists, motorcyclists, bankers, locals and KQED staff.

The proverbial hidden gem of a restaurant wasn’t truly “discovered “ until Woody Allen’s 2013 Blue Jasmin filmed there.

When I’m visiting the Bay Area I’ll still go to The Ramp for breakfast but honestly it’s now a bit too hip for me. Gentrification of the neighborhood kinda ruined the vibe. High priced condos have encroached and The Chase arena where the Golden State Warriors basketball team plays is close by.

Still has great food and the views of the huge nearby ships remain of interest.

CONGRATULATIONS

We have - you all have - reached Alphabet number 100!!

Cyn has taken us to Nice, France, to Alto Resto, her previously fav restaurant. Yet again piles of special Nauga stars with special Century embossments.

This was at post 3,284.

It has only taken us 4 Years, 1 month and 12 days to achieve this amazing milepost.

Congratulations to all contributors over the past 1,504 days. Well done.

(and thanks to Claudia for mentioning China Basin and KQED - in a former life I did some work for KQED. Good memories.)

D is for the disastrous Darwin Green housing development on the west edge of Cambridge University --

Last fall they discovered that the foundations for a bunch of new housing blocks were faulty, and dozens of almost completed new homes are being demolished.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2548v1dpyo

https://www.dwh.co.uk/new-homes/dev002495-dwh-at-darwin-green/

That's a lot of Ds

E is for the Elbe and F is for its Ferries. The two major cities associated with this river are Dresden and Hamburg, though obviously it flows through a lot more places, and each has pretty special ferries nearby

Near Dresden, in a town called Rathen, is a ferry across the Elbe. It operates entirely on cables and the current--no power needed because the power of the river does the work. Really cool! Here, the river is closer to its source and not very big--maybe 100m wide.

Near Hamburg, in a town called Glückstadt, there are big car ferries across to Wischhafen. By this time the Elbe is quite wide--2km across--and the ferries must watch for ship traffic. They are critical because beyond Hamburg, there are no tunnels or bridges across the Elbe--only these ferries.

Within Hamburg itself there are ferries for commuters that are part of the regular city public transport as well. Locals ride these to get out on the Elbe if they can't afford a boat!

F is for Fairbanks AK. 2nd city of Alaska, population of 32,000.

Home of the northern lights, midnight sun in June and my daughter, wonderful son in law and two wonderful grandgirls ages 12 and 14. Also where I was in January 14th 2012 when second granddaughter was born and it was 45 below zero!!! Left a lasting impression on this Texan, believe me. Happily heading there in 12 days for a visit with much better weather.

G is for Grand Canyon National Park, one of the crown jewels of America's national park system. The first morning of the first of 3 separate visits we've made was on 9/11, 2001.

H is for Holstein, Iowa

Which is just up the road from Schleswig, Iowa.

Both were named by German immigrants

I is for the relatively new Cambridge Institute for Technology and Humanity

https://www.ith.cam.ac.uk

Their mission statement:

The Institute for Technology and Humanity (ITH) supports world-leading research and teaching that investigates and shapes technological transformations and the opportunities and challenges they pose for our societies, our environment and our world.
The Institute is home to three University Research Centres: The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and the Centre for Human-inspired AI. By integrating cross-centre strengths, facilitating synergies, and catalysing new collaborations, the Institute combines the arts, humanities and social sciences alongside the natural, medical and technical sciences in order to address the great issues of our time.

The Director's bio blurb:

Stephen Cave is Director of the Institute for Technology and Humanity, and of the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, both at the University of Cambridge.

Stephen earned a PhD in philosophy from Cambridge. He then joined the British Foreign Office, where he served for nearly a decade as a policy advisor and diplomat before returning to writing and academia. He now holds the grade of Director of Research at the University of Cambridge (full professor equivalent).

His research is mostly in the philosophy and ethics of technology, with two strands. First, he writes about the ethics of AI and robotics. His publications on this include the co-edited volumes AI Narratives (Oxford University Press, 2020), Imagining AI (Oxford University Press, 2023), and Feminist AI (Oxford University Press, 2023).

Second, he writes about the ethics of life-extension and the philosophy of (im)mortality. His publications on this topic include Immortality (Crown, Penguin Random House, 2012), a New Scientist book of the year now available in many other languages, and Should You Choose To Live Forever? (with John Martin Fischer, Routledge, 2023).

His work has been covered in many hundreds of media outlets around the world, from The Atlantic to the Daily Mail. He has written on philosophical and scientific subjects for the Financial Times, Guardian, New York Times and others. He also regularly appears on television and radio, including the BBC and NPR

If his book on Feminist AI catches your interest I suggest you read this book first:

https://data-feminism.mitpress.mit.edu

J is for Jebil National Park in Tunisia. This is the gateway to the Sahara, with a few camping spots and the Ksar Ghilane oasis along the edge and a whole lot of sand everywhere else.

K for Kanata, which is the Huron- Iroquois word for "village" or "settlement" and is believed how Canada got its name. The first use of "Canada" as the official name came in 1791 when the Province of Quebec was divided into the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada. It wasn't the only name being considered, also in the running were Albertsland, Albionora, Borealia, Britannia, Cabotia, Colonia, Efisga, Hochelaga, Norland, Superior, Transatlantia, Tuponia, and Victorialand.

Wow, if they had picked 'Colonia' it would have made for so many more jokes besides Ontario CA vs Ontario CANADA and the Vancouvers...

And here I was thinking Canada drew letters out of a hat.
C.
C, eh?
N.
N, eh?
D.
D, eh?

There you have it, the country had a name!

Back on track:
L is for Luhmühlen. This is a training center for the exciting sport of three day eventing (equestrian). Seriously, if you are unfamiliar, check this sport out--equestrian triathalon with a spectacular cross country element with people who are seriously bonkers. Located just outside of Lüneburg in northern Germany, it is also home to one of only seven top level events in the world for this sport, and it takes place in early/mid June every year. If you want to see horses and riders tackle the seemingly impossible from very close up, this is a great place to do it!

M is for Mount Kilimanjaro. The highest peak in Africa is a walk-up in terms of trail. It isn't all easy, especially as the air gets thinner, but it is not technical. There have been 10 year olds and 70+ year olds who have summited, but top athletes like Martina Navratilova did not because there is only so much predicting how the body handles altitude. Slower climbs are more likely to succeed, but the five day route is definitely doable. You'll probably spend the night preceding the climb in Moshi, and the first night is at the Mandara Huts. Horombo and Kibo huts are also on the way up, and Horombo is repeated on the way down.

Fro those wanting to challenge themselves, this is an amazing experience that can be combined with a visit to the Maswa Game Reserve (beside the Serengeti), Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park, and Tarangire National Park.

O is for Okay, Oklahoma.
As Mr. Hammerstein's lyric goes....
"We're only sayin', You're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma, Okay!"

Point Reyes Lighthouse

https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/lighthouse.htm

A gem regarding the maritime history of the California coast line. The whole area is a lovely part of Northern California.

The Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium in the Bartlam Library of Cambridges' Selwyn College was recently renovated.

https://www.audiencesystems.com/case-studies/bartlam-library-selwyn-college

It opened in 2022:

https://www.meet-cambridge.com/why-cambridge/case-studies/cs-new-auditorium-provides-perfect-space-for-training-conference/

Selwyn College is one of the newest in town:

https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/about/selwyn-history

R

Red Lion Pub

In London down the Crown Passage. A spot I found over 20 years ago.

A pleasant albeit small traditional pub to enjoy a pint.

S

Storks’ Roost, atop a chimney in Bergheim, Alsace, France. We were walking home from a significantly Italian restaurant in this small French town that seems quite German, with the vast majority of other tourists speaking German, when I looked up. Coincidentally, a stork alighted on a chimney on a house, one of the few non-half-timbered buildings in town. What a surprise! It started rapidly clicking its beak, and then was standing on one leg. Its balance is impressive.

I got home, and watched it from the balcony of our rented apartment, and then went back out on the street to get closer. Just as I started typing all this on my phone, a second stork joined it, and both started clicking. The second one’s gone now, or at least is off of the chimney and possibly on the roof below. It’s after 10pm now, and getting noticeably darker by the moment, but I can still clearly make out the stork against the eastern sky. The stork is dark at the bottom, and white on the head and back. The beak is quite long, as are its legs.

It was especially unexpected, as guidebooks have mentioned how rare the once-abundant birds in Alsace have become. Efforts to restore them have increased the population somewhat, but it sounded like that is still tenuous. What success tonight!

P.S. As I stood out in the street typing this, a woman came by, walking her large dog. I pointed up to the chimney and said, “cigone.” She said, in English for an obvious, perhaps clueless foreigner, “maybe?” I said, “oui,” and she looked and agreed that it was a stork, and that I’d not butchered the French name so much that it was unintelligible. She didn’t seem too surprised that there would be a stork in her midst (or that a tourist would also be in town, let alone standing out in a fairly quiet street), so maybe the storks are pretty common again. That’s good to learn. Bonne nuit, Gute Nacht from Bergheim.

P.P.S. This morning, from the bedroom window on a higher floor, and in broad daylight, I saw that the building has two chimneys, and each one had a perching stork. Beak clicking ensued thus morning, too.

P.P.P.S. Driving thru the countryside north of Bergheim this afternoon, coming home from an uncomfortably hot hike today in the foothills of the Voges mountains, we saw a stork flying nearby. They’re somewhat awkward-looking flyers, but still look magnificent in the air. We get some cranes at home, and lots of robins and magpies, along with a fair amount of hummingbirds, but cranes? Not so much. It’s great to come to Alsace for exceptionally different birds.

T

Thannenkirch, another town in Alsace, northwest of Bergheim. We drove into, and around Thannenkirch yesterday, and there’s a wood carver/sculptor with a gallery on a steep street above most of the town. There are also small fountains throughout town, and his sculptures adorned the tops of all of them. If you want a garden sculpture that’s 500 times more intricate, as well as much more unique than a ubiquitous garden gnome, he can provide it.

....... Around the year 1980 the stork was at the brink of extinction in Europe. Thanks to an reintroduction program there is serious increase in population. Once a few breeding pairs left in the Netherlands it is grown to a population of around 1700. In many European countries the stork is the traditional symbol for announcing the birth of children.

Never seen them where I live, but since a few decades it's a regular visitor in the region.

Mind if I join?

U is for Urumqi.

It's one of those cities in China with 3 million people (!) that few in the US have heard of. I'm not sure this would be on my first visit to China - it's in the northwest (no politics, please) - but I'm so curious about this massive nation and the various "unkown" cities.

V is for Vashon Island, a delightful island in Puget Sound in Washington State, USA. Vashon Island can be accessed by car ferries from West Seattle and Tacoma. Vashon Island is lovely year round, but especially shines in the summer with nice breezes from Puget Sound and temperatures in the 70s (Fahrenheit). Vashon is home to Oscar the Bird King, one of the trolls designed and built by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.

Wil, that’s testing that storks are being successfully brought back, in places where they’d once been plentiful, and were in danger of being lost. Hopefully they don’t go the way of the dodo.

Aside from references of storks bringing newborns in a sling carried in their beaks, my main exposure to storks until now was the cartoon character on the label of Vlasic pickles. Old commercials featured the bird holding a pickle like a cigar, and sounding like Groucho Marx.

Another French stork update: there was a lair on the roof of the town hall, clicking away. Then one suddenly tilted its neck backwards, and laid the top of its head against its back. The other one did likewise, still clicking its beak. Courting ritual?

And speaking again of Bergheim …

W

Western parking lot in Bergheim, France, the actual place to start Rick Steves’ 30-minute walking tour of the town. Rick says it’s the “southern” lot, but he describes a lot and a park just west of the High Gate, the only remaining gateway in the surviving medieval stone walls. It’s definitely on the west side of an essentially rectangular guest walled town. There’s a road that heads south from the town, called Rue Port Neuve (New Gate St.), so apparently there was once a newer gate (probably still a long time ago), but it’s long-gone.

From the parking lot that’s really on the west (I’ll submit a formal correction notice to Rick’s Website), you head east, to a square named for Dr. Walter, who was the mayor of Bergheim for 28 years, starting back in the 1960’s. That’s where the TI is located, although Rick’s book says there isn’t any. So, second correction needed.

The Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge University has a department of X-ray Astrophysics

https://cavek.ast.cam.ac.uk/research/x-ray.astrophysics

They have a library in the old Observatory building off the Madingley Road that is open for visitors, but check ahead to make sure they are open.

There are public stargazing nights but they are on hiatus until October:

https://www.public.ast.cam.ac.uk

Y is for Ynys Mon, the Welsh name for the island of Anglesey. This island is home to Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch, also called Llanfair PG. The island is also home to wonderful sites such as the town and castle of Beaumaris and was home to Prince William and Kate for a few years.

Z

Zellenberg, a town along the Wine Road in Alsace, but seemingly not highlighted in any guidebooks. We’re wrapping up our Alsace visit, and while we were in several charming towns, some swarming with tourists and some with extremely few, Zellenberg was only a scenic drive-by. That’s unfortunate, as I expect that it would’ve been interesting for even a few minutes, but we were trying to get some basic groceries before things in the area closed, and were also trying to arrive at our apartment in nearby Bergheim at the time we were expected.

It’s between Riquewihr (which Rick Steves says is the most heavily touristed town in the area - actually we were maybe the only ones, and we weren’t there long, as it doesn’t seem to have a grocery store) and Ribeauvillé (which has a pretty big supermarket a mile out of town, and was packed with tourists in town). Zellenberg sat on a hill off of the highway a half mile or so away as we drove past, and might have been a nice compromise between those other two towns, geographically and tourist avoidance-wise. Except it didn’t seem to have a grocery store, either, so we didn’t bother going in. Maybe next time.

A

Alsatian Museum, in Strasbourg, capital of Alsace (and of the EU). Finishing our last day in Alsace, I visited the museum, which will be closing for an extensive remodeling in a few weeks. Three adjoining buildings display a collection of household artifacts from the area, including old ceramic, polychrome painted furniture, typical Alsatian clothing from 120 years ago, and complete kitchens from a bit older than that. Displays of religious items told of the practicing Catholics over centuries, and of the once very large Jewish populace in Alsace.

Several rooms had large, intact ceramic room heaters (reminds me of the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria), but the most curious item was basically a jug with two small holes at the bottom. Apparently it was used to drip water onto a floor before sweeping it, to keep dust down. Isn’t wet dust just a thin film of mud, which wouldn’t sweep away well?

More Nauga Stars for Cyn for wrapping us around again, with her Alsatian Museum in Alsace where she currently is.

Now starting Round 101

Oh, and bonus points for our Webmaster with his second contribution - Urumqi.

B Brown's Brasserie started in Brighton in the '70s and became a franchise with a location in Cambridge that occupies a 19th c. building that used to be Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

They aim to have outlets in towns with historic interest.

https://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/restaurants/eastofengland/cambridge

C is for Châlons-en-Champagne, a pretty town on a crossroads southeast of Reims.

D is for Deventer Boekenmarkt, Europe’s biggest book market. Typically held on the first Sunday of August and now in its 34th year, Deventer Book Market has something for every kind of reader! From rare hardback editions offered by antiquarian bookshops to brand new bestsellers, you can find anything and everything at the market. Mainly an open air event held in the streets of the beautiful historical centre of Deventer.

E

Elfin Forest

4 hours North of the Megalopolis of LA is the Elfin Forest. Situated near Los Osos the Elfin Forest consists of pygmy oaks and scrub brush.

https://highway1roadtrip.com/things-to-do/elfin-forest/

F is for Fayetteville. No less than 13 states have a town or community bearing this name and 12 of them have a Fayette County.

Chances are there are several people on this forum who live or have lived in one of these.

G is for Vienna's Graben.

Strolling along, turning onto Kärntner Straße for a stop into Julius Meinl, grabbing a lite lunch at Trzesniewski, and window shopping at Lobmeyr. Whether a diversion or destination, absolutely love walking in this area.

G is also for "G-L-O-R-I-A ... glohreeaah ... G-L-O-R-I-A ... glohreeaah ... "

H

Holy City

A cult compound that was situated off of Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Many stories about the locale were fodder for rumors when I was growing up. My folks and I would drive past the few buildings if we took the
“ back roads “ to Santa Cruz, Aptos and Capitola.

Seems the area is now owned by Sciencetologists.

Bemused nothing has really changed.

"Iller, Lech, Isar, Inn fließen rechts zur Donau hin. Altmühl, Naab und Regen kommen links entgegen." The first sentence of the German geography teacher staple mentions three rivers beginning with our letter I and then flowing into the Danube.

....J isfor Junction

My anecdotal observation is that many states in the mid west have towns that the last half is Junction, named after an intersection of railroad lines or even roads. The largest of which is Grand Junction Colorado. Are there similarly repeated names in other countries reflecting on conjunctions??

Cambridge University's contemporary art is displayed in the gallery called Kettle's Yard

https://www.kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk

Collection Highlights

• Alfred Wallis, Five Ships – Mount’s Bay, 1928 (circa)
  
• Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Bird Swallowing a Fish, 1914
• Winifred Nicholson, Cyclamen and Primula, 1923 (circa)
• Christopher Wood, Self-Portrait, 1927
• Ben Nicholson, 1962 (Argos)

Their museum shop is known for handmade jewelry.

L is for Lindau, DE where we are staying this week in the middle of the island. We walk to the busy Lindau Hafen several times a day to watch the pleasure boats and ferries negotiate the protected harbor opening between the lion and lighthouse. Quite an acrobatic show and a lot of horn tooting.

M is for Miniatur Wunderland. This is the most visited tourist attraction in Germany--more than Neuschwanstein Castle or the museums of Berlin. This world in miniature is full of insane little details--every window of every building is filled with little scenes--from people in their offices to minions in a cave to pairs coupling in the grass (don't worry, the racy stuff is hard to spot). The easter eggs all over this place are insane, as is the technical precision. The working airport in particular is great, with takeoffs of all kinds of planes (and even the Millenium Falcon), trains, and automobiles. Every 15 minutes the lights go out so you can see it all at night with the lights, and there are myriad buttons that cause movements and lights--the roller coaster starts, the shuttle launches, the dolphins jump, etc.

Be sure to get tickets in advance, especially on weekends or school breaks.

N

NO NAME LAKE

There are a number of them in the US National Parks.

O is for Orofino, Idaho, a city along the beautiful Clearwater River, and the major city within the Nez Perce Indian Reservation; its name means "fine gold" in Spanish. Nearby is the historical "Canoe Camp," where the Lewis and Clark expedition built five new dugout canoes and embarked on October 7, 1805, downstream to the Pacific Ocean.

P is for the free Polar Museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.

https://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/museum/

It includes a lot of Ernest Shackleton memorabilia and scrimshaw carving.

They also have about 600 "objects made by the indigenous peoples of Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Sápmi in northern Europe and Siberia" to try and satisfy modern notions of conquest being less heroic and more exploitative. Performative? You decide.

Q is for Quinte West A city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is well located for summer vacations as it is tucked into a bay of the St. Lawrence Seaway and very near 2 major tourist areas...Prince Edward County (PEC) and the Trent-Severn Waterway. PEC is a penninsula in the St. Lawrence with some of Ontario's best dune beaches and vineyards. It is popular with tent campers and well-heeled tourists alike. The T-S Waterway is a 240 mile canal system connecting much of Ontario's 'Cottage Country' which draws folks from Toro to every summer weekend.

R is for Rockford, Illinois, or for the content of this post, the Rockford Peaches Women's Baseball Club made famous from the movie A League of Their Own. Rockford has a small exhibit in the local museum about the real team as does the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington.

S is for Sidi Driss (or Sidi Idriss). This hotel in Matmata, Tunisia is a troglodyte home, but it is insanely famous as the filming location of the Lars Homestead--the home of Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle in the original Star Wars. Filming there and around Tunisia in the 1970s wasn't easy--a lot of materials were transported by "Berber taxi"--a donkey. But now the main area where Luke breakfasted is still intact, complete with set pieces, and the whole thing is still a hotel. It is surprisingly inexpensive, amazingly cool in the heat of the Sahara, and comfortable for an adventurous traveler. They even serve blue milk with breakfast, and there are pictures and articles about the filming there in the 1970s (Episode IV--A New Hope) and for the prequels.

Lots of day tourists stop there, but staying overnight is unbelievable. We were in the Yoda room, and we were the only guests there. There isn't much to see and do in Matmata itself, but just enjoying the hotel and its cool (literally and figuratively) courtyard is great. And then a day trip into the Sahara to Ksar Ghilane oasis . . . .

Two nights worth every penny and then some because you feel like you are actually in Star Wars. Un. Freaking. Believable.

T is for Trippstadt, a small town in the center of the Pfalzwald with numerous hiking trails. The roads are popular with motorcyclists on dry days, and the outdoor market at Christmas time is devoted to wild game and local handicrafts.

U is for Uffizi, the premier art gallery of Florence, Italy and among the greatest in the world. The existence of much of its collection is owed to the last descendant of the main line of the Medici family, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici. Under the Patto di Famiglia agreement, she entrusted the vast Medici collection to the Tuscan State under stipulation that it never be sold or otherwise taken from Tuscany, thus saving it from certain fate of being sold off piecemeal by the incoming Lorraine family of the Austrian Hapsburgs. She is buried in Basilica di San Lorenzo.
(Edited)

"V" is for Vienna - not the one in Austria, but the one in southwest Georgia, pronounced "Vy Enna".
Population +/- 3000, home of the largest and oldest barbeque cooking contest in Georgia, the Big Pig Jig.

W is for the Whipple Museum of the History of Science in Cambridge.

For curious travelers, it has one of the best displays of globes available anywhere.

https://www.whipplemuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-whipple-collections/globes

Their regular hours are in the afternoons but if you want a quiet/relaxed visit you can contact them ahead to arrange a morning time.

X is for Xhamlliku, a neighborhood in Tirana. I haven't been, but I found the name on a map! One of the things that makes this game fun is little discoveries like this.

Y is for York.another fin thing about this thread is researching common names. There are 35 places in the world names York. Most are north of the equator. Northernmost region is in Alaska, and southernmost in Western Australia.
Some places like it so much, they keep repeating themselves. USA has the highest number of names, across 23 regions.

The Zoology Club at Cambridge is for teenagers who like dead animals.

https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/learning-outreach/zoology-club

The museum is free, great if you're traveling with kids,

and their collection is big on birds and bugs, but they have plenty of skeletons too.

https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/collections-research

If there's anything that the British have been good at over the years it's killing off exotic species but saving some samples -- they're especially proud of their Tasmanian Devil and passenger pigeon holdings.

A is for Alzey, where there's been a settlement for over 1400 years. This Rhineland town was a major horse-trading center in the Middle Ages, and the schloss is spectacular, especially in a place this small. Has a nice market in the square by the Protestant church, and it's a stop on the regional train line.

B is for Barberini

Since its opening in 2017, the Barberini has established itself as one of the most popular art museums in Germany with international exhibitions and an extraordinary collection of Impressionist paintings. Located in Potsdam’s historic center, the Museum Barberini is an art museum that was initiated by Hasso Plattner, the founder of the German software company SAP and a patron of the arts.

The Barberini Palace building itself is a beauty.

Nauga Stars to KGC for starting the next Alphabet round with their mention of Alzey in the Rhineland of Germany.

As we dig into Round 102

Thanks to all.

C is for Croydon. This London suburb is home to a favourite travel memory. We were taking a group of young people on a tour of the British Isles. For most of these teens it was a first trip away from home, first time out of the state, first time on an airplane, first trip to Europe, and we were paired with another group and had guides for the bus / ferry / train portions. Our final stop was London, and our hotel was in Croydon. Together with our guide and the other group, we walked over to the train station and caught the train into the city, at which point our groups split up to enjoy different things in London. This is in the days before we had readily available Google maps. As we took our train back to Croydon in the dark after a day of sight seeing, we realised we didn't recall exactly where the hotel was, though of course we had the name.

So there we were, wandering around Croydon, trying to find anywhere--anywhere at all--that was open where someone could give us directions better than the vague (and ultimately totally incorrect) direction given us by the lone person at the Croydon station. Cue a sudden and torrential downpour. But we adults kept our spirits up, and the kids were laughing--oh, they were laughing--as we wandered around town in the dark and the rain trying to get our bearings and find the hotel. We finally found someone to give us directions to the hotel--which was only on the next corner at that point!

No good travel story ever starts with "everything went perfectly," and the laughter and high spirits of a group of teens who were so eager to experience all the things--including misadventures and being lost--makes this a highlight.

D

Donauquelle, the source of the Danube River, in the Black Forest. Three weeks ago, our first time in Germany in over two decades, we stayed at the Kolmenhof guesthouse, just up the road from the town Furtwangen. A tiny stream emerges from under a rock in their backyard, and a couple of scientists used dye to trace the water to prove that it’s the start of the Danube. A modern statue of a reclining river god, and some signs in German, French, and English are located at the site, along with a short path to the spouting rock. We’ve ridden bikes for several days along the Danube, in Austria, which is quite some distance from there, and it’s even farther to the Black Sea, where the Danube ends.

E

Espelette, France. I’d typed up a whole Espelette entry a week ago, but when I hit the Add Reply button, found that another “E” entry had already been made while I was typing up mine. So here’s a shorter (slightly quicker) version of that.

Espelette is a town in the Baque region in southwestern France. It’s now known for a special red chile pepper, the only spice with an AOC designation. The pepper originally came from México, and was the one determined in the 1980’s to be best suited to the climate and growing conditions of the area around the town. To meet the AOC requirements, plants are set a specific distance from each other, in rows a specific distance apart. We were there in early July; now in August the peppers should be turning red, and will soon be strung up, always 10 peppers on a string, and hung along the outside walls of buildings in town to dry. We saw white, half-timbered buildings with red shutters, but after harvest, the buildings apparently look red because of all the peppers dangling against their exterior walls.

The spice isn’t severely hot, but it does pack a bit of a punch. It takes a moment after you’ve taken a bite of something containing Espelette pepper, and then a tingle hits at the back of the tongue and throat. Even if it’s not the spiciest thing around (the chile - or chilly - at a Pakistani restaurant in Toulouse was the fieriest), for France, a country where I never thought hot spices were accepted, it’s relatively scorching. Note that this pepper’s only been around there since the 1980’s, and the AOC designation just since the 1990’s, so it’s not something you’ll find throughout France. The vast majority of peppers are ground to a powder, but some whole, peppers are available. Cheese and chocolate are among the things the peppers are added to in France. It’s popular throughout the Pyrenees. The powder can turn something a surprisingly bright orange.

The day we visited Espelette, it started to pour rain. The road into town was blocked off by police, so we had to join lots of cars parking along the side of the road. It turns out that a running event (Pepper half-marathon? Chile Olympics?) was starting and ending in the town, but most of the runners were getting drenched outside of Espelette. Maybe some spicy food helped warm them up after they got to the finish.

F
Franschhoek is a wine region located about 45 minutes from Cape Town, South Africa. Its one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Franschhoek was mentioned in Time magazine as one of the world’s top 50 places to visit.
We stayed in Stellenbosch, but next time we will stay in Franschhoek, I even have our accommodations already picked out.

G

Greek Theatre

Located in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park ( another G ) the Greek is an interesting venue to appreciate musical acts.

https://www.lagreektheatre.com/connect/history-of-the-greek-theatre

H

is for the Hundred Days from the time Napoleon returns from Elba to his final defeat at Waterloo.

The year 2025 marks the 210th anniversary of this event. I would be very surprised if a reenactment in Antibes does not take place on the 1st of March next year commemorating and celebrating the Emperor's momentous return from exile. These reenactments in France are well attended and received. ...bravo.

I
is for Invalidenstraße in Berlin,

This is one of the exits of Berlin Hbf, en route to the large and famous hospital Charité and the Invalidenfriedhof, the oldest Prussian-German military cemetery in Berlin. This is also the street that is a major junction point for tram and bus lines plus the U-Bahn lines.

J for the people of Jasper, Alberta who lost their homes and businesses in the devastating forest fire earlier this month. The citizens are slowly returning this week to assess the damage after being evacuated a month ago. Jasper is closed to tourists until further notice. The highway between Jasper and Lake Louise is one of the most scenic routes in the world. I've always been fascinated by Jasper for its history in the formation of Canada. The area was a strategic trading and resupply post for goods between Eastern and western Canada.

K

Kolmenhof, the German guesthouse where we stayed last month in the Black Forest, at Douauquelle (see the “D” entry a few posts above). It’s a family-run place, with a sauna (we didn’t use it in July), and lots of hiking and mountain biking trails all around. There’s also a small church across the road and up about 200 yards, Martinskapelle, that the family maintains, and opens and closes for visitors daily. They seem to get lots of German, Swiss, and a few French and Belgian clients - relatively few English speakers. The father was concerned about the American presidential election this November, and wanted to chat about that.

The breakfast and dinners are outstanding - there’s an excellent chef onsite. They even have their own fish swimming on the premises for meals. There were a lot of flies buzzing around the tables, though, which wasn’t ideal. The sky is extremely dark at night - no city lights, illuminated signs, streetlights, or traffic headlights to spoil the night sky viewing. If you’re looking for a place to snowshoe or ski in the winter (XC, but downhill’s no longer available), this would be worth considering.

L

is for Luneville in Lorraine, not too far from Nancy.

This trip I went here twice from Metz and Nancy. Good that I did the second time because on the first visit I did not find the famous chateau. The treaty ending the War of the Second Coalition in 1801 in the French Revolutionary Wars where Austria again beaten by France was signed in Luneville. That was my purpose in going there to see that site and the famous amazing Chateau de Luneville.

Napoleon's victory over the Austrians in June of 1800 was not enough to compel the Austrians to seek peace. It took another defeat six months later by a rival of Napoleon to bring the Austrians to the peace table at Luneville in 1801.

M

is for Morhange/Lorraine. This little place is the site of the German WW1 military cemetery. The town is reachable by train from Metz, ca 30 mins, which I took but getting out to the cemetery requires wheels. I couldn't get out there. No taxi in sight, nothing.

The train station is a pit stop along a rural road but historically interesting as Morhange was part of German occupied Lorraine as was Metz prior to 1914. The station has a large photo commemorating the Kaiser's visit with his retinue to Morhange in 1905. Revealing and enlightening.

O is for Obergurgl in the Tirol. A beautiful town for skiing that is off the main route.

N is for Nothing to declare - in today's times of social media when everybody posts everything a remarkable walk-through statement of silence.

Just as quick-repair to keep the alphabet completeness.

Next is "P".

P

is for Prenzlau in the Uckermark area, NW of Berlin.

Finally, on this trip I made it here as a day trip from Berlin. This town had always intrigued me so finally I made it point to get there this time.

Prenzlau was known as Garnisonstadt, a garrison and fortress town. Almost immediately as you step outside of the train station, you are reminded of what took place in 1806 (very historically focused) when the Prussians tangled with the French, they lost since they fell for the French trick, new word I learned...Kriegslist.

As I was there in May prior to the European Parliament elections , everywhere was plastered with voter campaign posters, especially that of the AfD posters this AfD country from the Elbe to the Oder as I saw in Frankfurt an der Oder. I'll have to visit Prenzlau again since I go as far as the Altstadt.

Q is for Quellental, a quiet street in an upscale neighborhood of western Hamburg. There is absolutely nothing noteworthy about it other than that it's quite green. Oh, and there is a little restaurant of the same name on the street. But it starts with a Q, and those are hard to get.

R is for Ribe

Ribe is Denmark's oldest town. It has an own character and beauty and is located on mainland Jutland, not far from the border to Germany. With its old town part which was - compared to towns such as Rothenburg - not destroyed in WWII it is somehow a must-visit for history buffs. Visitors can also participate in a Night Watchman tour.

The Danish North Sea beaches and also the islands such as Rømø or Fanø are in short travel distance.
For families Legoland in Billund is not far away.

S :: The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences is the oldest museum at Cambridge University

https://sedgwickmuseum.cam.ac.uk

Their collecting began in the 17th century. What was going on in that time period, do you imagine?

You can bring a suspected fossil or somesuch to them and they will tell you what it is:

https://sedgwickmuseum.cam.ac.uk/explore-0

MarkK, Billund also offers the Lego House and events like Lego Inside Tour (a three day experience that includes the secret museum, interaction and games with top Lego designers, and sets not sold commercially / designed and available specifically for the Inside Tour).

T is for Tornesch, a boring bedroom community outside of Hamburg. We had friends there, and we always teased them about how nothing happened. Then a few years back they came in with big news--a resident's pet python had escaped! The fact that this was the local headline for days was a source of much laughter about how nothing ever happens in Tornesch. Don't worry, Chantal was reunited with her owners after a few days and before the fire department's planned search.

U

is for Unterführung.

When you walk through an "underpass" in European cities and towns, Lüneburg, Soest/Westfalen, and Berlin-Koepenick come immediately to mind, that is an Unterführung.

W

is for Werder an der Havel.

This is a little town in Brandenburg very close of Potsdam, also on the Havel River. I stopped here this time just to get a quick glance, a look-around, of this interesting place. I had been recommended to see this little place provided I had extra time. Seeing this little place will have to wait until the next trip in the Greater Berlin and Potsdam area.

Noting that Fred with an Unterführung has made the 100th (100 emoji) post in this series 3 of the Alphabet.

By the way, may we have a V please?

V. Venice Night at Ocean City NJ. This was the 69th time and is a fabulous event. Boats and fireworks and lots to see. Since I followed the U not Fred can I get a badge too????

oops...sorry about that ..forgot the "V"

X-ray, tubes, vacuum tubes, and thermometers are displayed in the Cavendish Lab collections of historic scientific instruments at the Whipple Museum in Cambridge.

https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/history

"The Cavendish Laboratory has an extraordinary history of discovery and innovation in Physics since its opening in 1874 under the direction of James Clerk Maxwell, the University's first Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics. Up till that time, physics meant theoretical physics and was regarded as the province of the mathematicians. The outstanding experimental contributions of Isaac Newton, Thomas Young and George Gabriel Stokes were all carried out in their colleges. The need for the practical training of scientists and engineers was emphasised by the success of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the requirements of an industrial society. The foundation of the Natural Sciences Tripos in 1851 set the scene for the need to build dedicated experimental physics laboratories and this was achieved through the generosity of the Chancellor of the University, William Cavendish, the Seventh Duke of Devonshire. He provided £6,300 to meet the costs of building a physics laboratory, on condition that the Colleges provided the funding for a Professorship of Experimental Physics. This led to the appointment of Maxwell as the first Cavendish professor.

Since its foundation, the Laboratory has had great fortune in appointing Cavendish professors who, between them, have changed completely our understanding of the physical world. Maxwell did not live to see his theories of electricity, magnetism and statistical physics fully confirmed by experiment, but his practical legacy was the design and equipping of the new Laboratory. Maxwell died in 1879 at the early age of 48 and was succeeded by Lord Rayleigh, who was responsible for setting up a systematic course of instruction in experimental physics, which has remained at the core of the Laboratory's teaching programme.
"

Since the last entry was more a "C" than an "X" location.

X is for Xi Beach

Xi Beach is a unique red sandy beach in front of white chalk cliffs on Cephalonia island. Like a lot of Mediterranean beaches visitors can find sun lounger hire, restaurants and bars.

Y is for Yakima, a city in Washington State, USA, which is in the Yakima Valley

The region has long been known as one of the world's leading producers of apples. And, for beer lovers, each year about 75 percent of the nation's hop crop comes from the Yakima Valley. ""Yakima is recognized by beer brewers around the world as America's hop mecca."

Z

is for "Zur letzten Instanz"

This is the oldest restaurant in Berlin serving traditional German cuisine along with Brandenburger and Berliner Spezialitäten. You can walk it from Alexanderplatz, ca. 10-13 mins ?

I have there twice , both times for dinner. Both tourists and locals are patrons there in this famous site of Berlin history. I had no idea of this restaurant's famous reputation and existence until a local suggested that I would like it.

A ....to start another round !

is for Arcis-sur-Aube, a little town served by a bus departing from Troyes, France.

While waiting at and checking out the various schedules of the lines in the bus depot of Troyes, I found out much to my pleasant surprise that one of those bus line went out to Arcis-sur-Aube....fantastic, obviously, another reason for coming back to Troyes from Paris to catch that bus going out to Arcis. Arcis was one the last victories Napoleon inflicted on the Allies in their invasion of France in 1814.

Thanks for mentioning that restaurant, Fred!

What is the difference between klopse and Buletten ?

Also, yeech.

"Kartoffel-Petersilienstampf" ??

they'd have to pay me to eat there

Congratulations and suitable Nauga stars to Fred for taking us to Arcis-sur-Aube, a genuine settlement location never before mentioned in the Alphabet game.

Well done and thanks.

We now roll over into Round 103, onwards and upwards.

Gail, I don't understand your question, sorry.

Nigel I was kidding about Fred going out of order. No real question just having a silly moment. Hope you didn't ponder over it too much!!! Now back to our lists.

My dining experience at Zur letzten Instanz is little dated with the last and 2nd time in 2015...liked it both times. The menu offers good choices plus that Kartoffel side dish ( Beilage) with the Koenigsberger Klopse.

B

is for Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.

I first got here in 1987 taking the ferry from Folkestone. The stop in France was Boulogne, didn't stay though and took the taxi (this time to the train station (I wasn't dilly-dallying) and want to get to Paris to sleep, got into Paris Nord.

No until the mid-1990s was I in Boulogne again, this occasion with time to see the centre-ville.

Outside of Boulogne is a tall pole (I saw this 1995) which the French had set facing England as Boulogne was the preparation site for Napoleon projected invasion of England, while at the same time Britain was concluding diplomatic alignments for a concerted 4 prong invasion of France. With Napoleon's defeat in 1815, the British turned this pole towards France.

It was at Boulogne 99 years later in 1914 that the BEF landed in France to face the Germans, this was the cream of the British Army, members of crack regiments, most of them would perish before the year was out. It was these British professionals that practically wiped out Hitler's regiment in Ypres.

C

is for Chaumont, France.

This town I got to by taking the TER from Paris Est this last trip. The train ends up in Chaumont after also stopping in Troyes.

Compared to Troyes, Chaumont seemed less exciting, whatever that means, I went there as a day trip as it is featured in Napoleonic history of 1814, its treaty doomed Napoleon militarily and diplomatically if the Allied signatories adhered to their word given at Chaumont on prosecuting the war against Napoleon, come what may.

Chaumont can also be accessed from the bus depot in Troyes as a bus departs from that station to Chaumont , likewise to other famous little, and they are little, towns, ie, Brienne-le-Chateau and Arcis-sur-Aube.

D is for Dithmarschen. This is a rural county in southwest Schleswig-Holstein doesn't have big sites. It is nevertheless worth a visit, both for its natural beauty and for its cute towns.

Notable places include:
-- the town of Brunsbüttel, where the Kiel Canal meets the Elbe river, making it an important small port
-- the cute town of Büsum which also has a ferry to the island of Helgoland (not a part of Dithmarschen, but an amazing place to visit)
-- Germany's largest oil field
-- The seal station at Friedrichskoog, which is worth a visit
--The island of Trischen, which is a bird sanctuary. From March to October, a single bird researcher lives on the island. There is internet, quiet, and a weekly boat to bring supplies and remove trash. The island, like most in the region is constantly moving.
--The home of my Search and Rescue dog team, the DLRG Burg/Dithm. e.V., and of course many of our training areas. Our team is currently working to save for an underwater drone to support the work we do with our dogs.

E

is for the river , "die Etsch."

A major river in Italy , ( in Italian the Adrige), " die Etsch" flows in the region of the South Tirol.

The poem featuring the Etsch stanza became the German national anthem , that stanza "Von der Etsch bis an den Belt" has been dropped , obviously.

F is for Fisher Towers National Recreation Trail, a terrific day hike near Moab, Utah, and one we just did for the 3rd time this past spring. The trail encompasses a fascinating mix of glorious landscapes, including a wind around the enormous bases of pinnacles soaring as high as 900 ft; Titan, the highest, is the largest free standing sandstone tower in the US. Nearby Ancient Arts is a measly 400 ft. but its corkscrew summit, with its wobbly platter-sized peak, is a popular challenge for rock climbers.

https://www.visitutah.com/things-to-do/hiking/moab-hiking/fisher-towers

G

Goodge Street Underground station, on Tottenham Court Road in London. There’s a an actual Goodge St. around the corner from the station’s entrance on Tottenham Court, but there’s already a Tottenham Court Road tube station, several blocks to the south, just before Tottenham Court changes to Charing Cross Road. At Goodge Street Station, take an elevator down to the platform. If you take the stairs, you wind up in a long, long, long tiled stairway. I’m glad we didn’t have luggage on that deep descent. The station’s not open as late as some others.

H

Ha Ha Road, possibly the most amusing street in the London area? It’s in Woolwich, just east of Greenwich, and has the Queen Elizabeth hospital just beyond where it becomes Carlton Park Lane at its western end. The “Ha Ha” in its name isn’t the response to a funny joke, but refers to a shallow ditch that runs along the length of the road to the north side, with a short wall on one side of the ditch.

If you’re coming from the east to visit someone at that hospital, go Ha Ha.

Hackney

... is a borough in north east London. Where I've called home since 2008.

Hackney has a population of approximately 260,000, according to sources online, but it's probably much higher.

Inhabited since the Iron Age, on the gentle slopes of the River Lea valley, the name is first documented around the 13th century.

In the Tudor age, it was a country retreat for royalty. Sutton House, dating from 1535 is the oldest surviving structure in Hackney.

It's had its ups and downs. It had a really poor reputation through the 80's and 90's particularly. When I first visited in 1993 it seemed totally lawless and wild. Things have calmed down a lot now.

Gentrification has taken hold somewhat, many properties are now worth millions. It's still very mixed culturally, with at least 89 different languages spoken in the borough. There's a large afro-Caribbean community, a large Turkish community and many from the Indian subcontinent. Stamford Hill is the home to the largest Hasidic Jewish community in Europe, maybe only equalled in numbers by New York outside of Israel. It's gentrified, but definitely not sanitised.

There's a thriving food scene, many people pushing the boundaries with the restaurants and bars they're running. Many of the artists who lived and worked here in the 90's have been pushed out by rent rises, but there's still pockets of creative endeavour going on. There's still something of a bohemian feel, even though the average creative might have a job producing TV or managing an arts institution in Westminster these days rather than being a starving artist squatting a warehouse.

Well worth a visit, especially if you've seen the sights and want to see how people live. I think of the inner London boroughs such as Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Lambeth as the "real" London. Of course they're no more real than Westminster, just different, but that's where you're going to get a flavour of London that's not so polished for the tourist experience.

A black taxi in the UK is still known as a "Hackney Carriage" in official documents. That derives from the horses that used to pull them.

The Isleham Hoard is the largest Bronze Age hoard in England, found in 1959, in Cambridge.

Here the wikipedia entry:

The Isleham Hoard is a hoard of more than 6,500 pieces of worked and unworked bronze, dating from the Bronze Age, found in 1959 by William 'Bill' Houghton and his brother, Arthur, at Isleham, near Ely, in the English county of Cambridgeshire.

It is the largest Bronze Age hoard ever discovered in England and one of the finest. It consists in particular of swords, spear-heads, arrows, axes, palstaves, knives, daggers, armour, decorative equipment (in particular for horses) and many fragments of sheet bronze,[1] all dating from the Wilburton-Wallington Phase of the late Bronze Age (about 1000 BCE). The swords show holes where rivets or studs held the wooden hilts in place.

The greater part of these objects have been entrusted to St Edmundsbury Borough Council Heritage Service and some are on display at West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village outside Bury St Edmunds, while other items are held by the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge in Cambridge.[2]

Some of the items are on display at the archaeological museum at Cambridge University.

Isleham is not near Cambridge, it is 20 miles northeast as part of Ely but is actually much closer to Soham.

Most of the artifacts are in Bury St Edmonds in the county of Suffolk, 30 miles east of Cambridge.

Hackney ponies are unlikely to compete in the Hamburg Derby, which takes place in the (J is for) Jenischpark. Sort of.

This park in an affluent neighborhood in the Altona borough of Hamburg, and when Altona was forced to join the city of Hamburg in the 1930s, the city required the family to sell them the (already leased by Altona) park. It is absolutely lovely, and the Jenisch Haus is now an art museum.

The adjacent Derby-Park is still owned by the Jenisch family and is host to the Hamburg Derby (Deutsches Spring- und Dressur-Derby), a dressage and especially jumping competition attracting riders from around the world and attended by 90.000 people. This competition has been around since the 1920s and hosts a bank that was the inspiration for the famous Hickstead Bank. The competition takes place in early May and is tons of fun. As it's just meters from an S-Bahn station, it's also easy to access.

Both the park and the derby are worth a visit!

K

is for the famous Cafe Kranzler am K'damm close to Bahnhof Zoo.

The famous Kranzler site does not function as a Cafe at the moment but it could be coming. Currently nothing has replaced this famous site am Kurfürstendamm.

If you were in Berlin in the 1970s, then invariably you saw it. I first Cafe Kranzler and the crowd frequenting it in July of 1971 during that stifling heat wave and thought, this must be the famous "Berliner Luft" sung that song.

L

Lone Eagle Peak (formerly Lindbergh Peak - another “L”) is an extremely spiky point in the Indian Peaks Wilderness in Colorado. It’s actually the end of a long, spiny ridge, and not a mountain, but when viewed from below, it appears to be a stand-alone rock needle.

It was named almost 100 years ago by Fred Fair, a friend of Charles Lindbergh (first solo flyer across the Atlantic, who didn’t have to endure airport security or bag check lines back then), who was trying to raise money to build a tourist road to its base. There’s no road now, just a narrow, steep, 7 1/2 mile trail.

We’re spending our 25th anniversary later this week, backpacking up to Mirror Lake and Crater Lake at the base of Lone Eagle, where we’ll spend the weekend as volunteer ambassadors for the U.S. Forest Service. As the area is in a designated Wilderness, nothing motorized is allowed, the limited campsites (which require reservations in the summer, to limit the number of people) do not allow campfires, dogs must be on handheld leash at all times, and groups are limited to a maximum of 12 heartbeats (total of people and animals). A numbered, wooden post marks each of the twelve campsites, and registered campers must set up camp within 30 feet of the post.

The regulations are intended to maintain a remote, isolated, pristine atmosphere in the Wilderness, and we’ll be there to provide friendly reminders about the policies. Despite the No Campfires rule, we expect to find old fire rings from previous campers, and will need to dismantle and disperse them. An ambassador earlier this summer collected 30 lbs. of trash that was forgotten or deliberately left by campers in the area, including one dog bootie and scraps of toilet paper. Backpacking back to the trailhead with the additional load of trash was quite a task. Presumably, there won’t be a lot of cigarette butts.

Wads of TP on the ground were unfortunately seen in the mountains of France and Germany a month ago, too, so it’s not just a Colorado litter thing.

M

is for Mutzig, France.

Alsace-Lorraine is riddled with WW1 and 1870 military sites belonging to the Germans and the French. The little town of Mutzig located in Alsace is one of these sites showing the new type of WW1 fortification then previously unknown.

Just before the 20th century rolled around, the Germans decided to protect Straßburg as it was then known by constructing a new type of fortification capable of withstanding heavy bombardment by high explosive shells. The French had discounted the value of heavy artillery.

The result was Fort Kaiser Wilhelm II in the town of Mutzig, not far from Obernai and Colmar.

Seeing it can be done as a day trip from Strasbourg....very doable.

Circling back to Nigel's note regarding Isleham, thank you sir for the additional info.

Although, when you say "Isleham is not near Cambridge, it is 20 miles northeast" that hits the ear of a western American as a does-not-compute -- you must recall from your own days here that 20 miles doesn't even count as 'down the road a ways' . I'm reminded of a silicon valley officeworker who described her typical lunch hour if she doesn't pack her own, and the strip mall sandwich shop she prefers is more than 20 miles from the office.

N is for Ngorongoro Crater. Located in Tanzania, this Conservation Area boasts a caldera that is 600m deep and covers over 250 square km. It's one of the best places in the world for seeing the rare black rhino, and it's great for most major African animals (no giraffes and only male elephants inside the crater, though). When we were stopped at the bathroom--the only place in the crater where one gets out of one's vehicle--the monkeys busted into our car and stole some food. Apparently they always do this, and if they don't get some loot, they are likely to crap inside your safari vehicle.

If your trip to this part of the world doesn't include Ngorongoro, you are missing out.

M

Modesto, California.

Anyone recall and enjoy seeing a young Ron Howard and Harrison Ford in the film, American Graffiti? It was directed by George Lucas. Also starred Richard Dreyfuss.

Even though it was about car cruising in Modesto. but was primarily filmed in Petaluma, California.

While attending college in the illustrious burg of Turlock my college chums and I would take old Hwy 99 to “ Motown,” to watch the cruising.

Modesto still has an arch with lights that praises what the city is proud of: Water, Wealth, Contentment and Health.

So so many folks have NO clue what an agricultural state California is. The Central Valley supplies over half of the fruits, vegetables and nuts grown in the US. Almonds, grapes, tomatoes, prunes, peaches, lettuces, strawberries are just some of the state’s agriculture.

According to our guide it's payback for not getting food. At any rate, it was an adventure to be that close and makes for a great story!

And back to the game--O is for Ottensen. This is a district in Hamburg Altona. It's a lively place full of great food, local theatres, hipster live music venues, cafes, old world buildings with all their charming walk up apartments with weird layouts.

P

is for Plattensee.

Located in Hungary it is widely known there by that name as well. This is Lake Balaton SE of Budapest. Lake Balaton is popular, no doubt, one can expect it to be crowded.

Q is for Queensbury, NY - Queensbury is a town on Lake George at the edge of the Adirondack Mountains. I have friends who live here. When I visited, we only did a short hike, but my friends take advantage of the location and often do some of the more spectacular Adirondack hikes. On a side note, I just finished a great novel that takes place in the Adirondacks and briefly mentions Queensbury - The God of the Woods, highly recommended. Not armchair travel per se but you do get a little taste of it.

R

is for Rue Rivoli in Paris.

This street is not an ordinary street in Paris one may expect to see and walk through. It is a street where wealth can be seen in its shops, (That's plainly obvious) and the international tourists frequenting them and are showing off their wealth.

Rue Rivoli is named after the battle in northern Italy where the Austrians suffered a convincing and final defeat at the hands of Napoleon, after which decided to end the The War of the First Coalition by concluding the peace treaty with France.

S

is for Schultheiss, the well known beer producing company in Berlin.

If you like Berlin beers, you will find a varied selection of Berlin beers by Schultheiss, among these Berliner Spezialitäten "Berliner Weiße" to which you can choose to add that shot of raspberry syrup.

T

Turves is a village in the northern part of Cambridgeshire, near Peterborough.

The Hereward Way long-distance footpath from Peterborough to Ely passes through Turves, going south along March Road and Burnthouse Road and then east along Quaker's Drove.

The footpath runs through Stamford, Peterborough, March, Ely and Brandon. It also goes through Thetford Forest. It links two other long-distance footpaths: the Viking Way in the west and Peddars Way in the east.

In August 2006, the Hereward Way between Wansford and Southorpe near Peterborough was diverted under a Peterborough City Council improvement plan. The re-routing was complete with the Peterborough Local Access Forum and means that walkers do not pass alongside the A47.

U

is for the "Ulanendenkmal" in Lüneburg, ca. one hour south of Hamburg

The monument of the Ulanen , German Lancers from WW 1 is located in an open grass area in Lüneburg, explore enough of Lüneburg on foot and you'll run into this monument.

V for the villages of Cambridgshire. Can't get me enough Cambridgshire.

W

is for Washington Platz, Berlin.

This is one of the two major exits for Berlin Hbf when you are searching for the way out.

X

Where the 'spot' is

Y is for Yachtwerft Glückstadt. The little port of Glückstadt is beautiful, but it is a working port with a lot of services for sailboats, small yachts, etc. So if you are wealthy enough to own a boat and want to sail around Europe, this might be a good place to go, both for getting work done on that boat and for exploring while it is being done, as Glückstadt is an absolutely stunning and interesting town. The harbour looks a lot like Copenhagen's Nyhavn, but without the crowds and prices, while the city's layout is unique as a radial town. The church and cobbled square are interesting, and as the former seat of the duchy, there is a former palace. Great to explore while your yacht is being serviced.

X

Where the 'spot' is

I love this post sooo much right now.

Z

is for "Ice Station Zebra" if you recall that movie from the mid-1960s.

A

is for Altentreptow, Germany.

I came across this little place quite by accident while taking the regional train pre-pandemic from Berlin to Neustrelitz as a day excursion. The terminus was Stralsund.

En route I missed my stop, fell asleep, woke up realising that I must have gone too far. I had, and got off at the next stop, Altentreptow. Never heard of it, a Prussian " backwater" place. My ticket was only valid from Berlin to Neustrelitz, told the staff guy I missed my stop and would I have to buy another ticket to go from Altentreptow to Neustrelitz. Yes. I had figured as much, all very helpful. All in all, I got to Neustrelitz one hour later than would have been the case.

B

is for Bergedorf bei Hamburg.

This name was unknown to me before I had to set foot in it. Pre-pandemic the train I was on, ie, coming back from an afternoon excursion to Cuxhaven , was supposed to go all the way to Hamburg Hbf.

The announcement came that the train would only go as far as Bergedorf. We, obviously, all had to get off. Since I had no phone, I didn't know in which direct Bergedorf was from Hamburg Hbf but Bergedorf had a S-Bahn line, which logically had to go in the direction of Hamburg Hbf. That was correct.

Fred has taken us into Round 104 at post number 3,409 with Altentreptow, Germany

Many Congratulations and suitable Nauga stars!!

By the way, post number 3,409 is post number D51 in hexadecimal.

C is for Cora. This is a French supermarket, and worth planning a monthly trip to. Get your horsemeat, rabbit, seafood, cheap Burgundy or Bordeaux, and beers, and pastry, etc...I prefer the one in St Avold near the American Cemetery. Chips in flavors you've never thought of. More cheese than anywhere else I've found. Sausages! Crazy stuff you just can't find in Germany.

D

is for Duxford, England.

A good friend of mine had recommended me to see Duxford in 1987, knowing my interest in such matters, never got around to it until 2017.

Duxford is a historical site as it was a British air force base in 1940 during the time when the RAF and the Luftwaffe wrestled for air supremacy over SE England. The site is a museum of the RAF ...unlike what you'll see normally. It is indeed very interesting and revealing , the control room , the book shop, the assortment of planes on display, etc. Be prepared to do a bit of walking and it can get rather windy as I encountered.

E is for Este, a small river that flows into the Elbe just south of Hamburg. The town of Estebrügge and neighboring Jork are stunning little towns perfect for apple picking.

F

Ft McHenry

https://www.nps.gov/fomc/learn/historyculture/history-of-fort-mchenry.htm

Oh say can you see?

G is for Greetsiel on the northwest coast of Germany near the Dutch border. Part of East Frisia, this town of about 1500 people dates back almost 700 years, and it is absolutely beautiful, if a bit hard to reach. I have yet to find pictures that do this little place justice.

H is for Honningsvåg.

Honningsvåg is a town in the Norwegian municipality of Nordkapp in the province of Finnmark. The town is the administrative center of Nordkapp, has 2245 inhabitants and is located on Magerøya island. There are said to be more reindeer than people living on the island. North Cape is the nearest attraction. Before driving there to see midnight sun have a good dinner at restaurant Havly.

I is for Idstein, a small, pretty, town with old timber framed houses, and a history of witch trials.

J

is for Jever, Germany.

This little town in North Germany is also known for its beer, "Jever Pilsner. " The beer is on the menu of numerous restaurants in Germany I've come across. If you're into beers from North Germany, this one is another choice

In SF it is available too if you want a 12 pack.

L

is for Lauenburg an der Elbe.

This is one town I have yet get to when in the general area, and the word "general" is stretching it in North Germany with so many other distracting sites.

In 1945 when the British reached Hamburg and the lower Elbe, it was at Lauenburg where they crossed. The town is also connected with Prussian history.

Seems K is missing and for Karlskrona.

Swedish coastal town Karlskrona is special in two ways. Rome was erected on seven hills, and Karlskrona was originally built on more than 30 islands and islets. Second special is that Karlskrona has preserved its buildings and its layout virtually intact since its foundation. The old architecture together with the naval installations comprise the major tourist attractions of Karlskrona. Still on my list of places to visit.

M

The Mitre on St Mary’s Grove in Richmond where you will find the sweetest pub dog, Rudi.

I consider it my local.

Fancy a pint?

https://themitretw9.co.uk/

N

is for Nußdorferstraße in Vienna.

This is the location of " Kaffee Konditerei Monarchie " This is the Konditerei/patisserie is the one I go to in Wien, an establishment that harkens back to Imperial days. One sees that in the photos of the era and pictures depicted on wall paper and by the "coded " title of the establishment.

Price-wise: it's affordable, takes cc for payment if you choose to do that, accessible since the tram stops only a few minutes away..
Other than that one time I saw a British senior citizen bus group there, the customers are all locals or Austrian or German tourists

O is for all of the Ober villages in Germany. I have family in Minseln Germany and saw that there was an Oberminseln and Unterminseln just a few minutes up or down the road. When talking to relatives in Minseln I mentioned an address in Oberminseln and they said they never go to that town. They almost blend together now but maybe in the past they were 3 more distinct villages. It appears that Google Map has blended them into one town :) but I promise you there were 3 little towns with signs in 2012 when I visited them.

P

Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. It doesn’t get mentioned much on this Travel Forum, and wasn’t part of any of the Alphabet threads until now. It’s the capital city, and its name translates to “Penh’s Hill.” Just applied today for a 90-day e-visa for Cambodia, although we’ll only have a few days to visit the country in November, and probably won’t have time to visit its capital city this trip. We’ll see ancient temples farther north, but not the Royal Palace in Phenom Penh.

It was once called “The Pearl of Asia,” but the population rapidly dwindled to near zero when Pol Pot started killing Cambodians, and some tourists, too, during the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1980’s. Vietnam invaded Cambodia to end that regime, and the city is coming back. Maybe we’ll get to see it another time.

Q is for Qwamba, MN. (KWAHM-ba!)
Originally called Mud Creek, the town's name was changed to this derivative of an indigenous word for a mudhole, probably 'cause no one could spell zhashkwiimbaakmigaa, They probably couldn't pronounce it either. It is the only "Q" town in all of Minnesota,

R is for Rungholt

Rungholt, also known as the Atlantis of the North Sea, is now a historical site of the past in North Frisia, as over 600 years ago on Jan 16, 1362 parts of the land, including the legendary Rungholt, sank into the North Sea during the Grote Mandrenke flood. For decades researchers have been looking for remains and have made a find: in the Wadden Sea off the Hallig Südfall. Various exploration and digging techniques used by archaeologists uncover traces.

So, travelers could visit the location at low tides where rests of this historical place can sometimes be found but it is no official tourist offering and special allowances are needed because this part of Wadden Sea is nature protection resort. This page of German public TV ZDF provides short videos and texts of TV reports about Rungholt.

R is for Reimerswaal in the Delta Region, Zeeland in the Netherlands. MarkK – Sorry to criticize your post but sunken villages or cities of the lowlands along the North Sea coast are not that unique. In the Delta Region alone an estimated 200 villages were lost in the past due to flooding, displacement of the coast line caused by currents and tides or sometimes on purpose during wars. Nowadays 117 of them are known by name.

Reimerswaal was to medieval standards a large city and like Rungholt a wealthy trading place. Remains are stil visible during very low tide and also of interest for archaeologists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reimerswaal_(city)

S is for Sneem, a village in the Ring of Kerry, Ireland. This little spot is very pretty, with its creek and little open squares on either side of the bridge. Of course, every tour bus stops here, so it can get overrun, but Charles de Gaulle stopped there once, so they put up a statue of him. I wonder if people will ever put up a statue of me simply because I passed through.

In front the train station in Metz, ie, Metz Ville, is a large statue of De Gaulle with his quotation praising the inhabitants of Metz in overcoming their predication in the Occupation. It is a relatively recent stature.

T

is for the Thüringer Wald, Germany.

This is a large forest near or relatively so to the cities of Weimar, Jena, Naumburg an der Saale.

Historically, in 1945 the Americans beat the Soviets to these towns. In 1806 the area became a battle field area after the Prussians had declared war on Napoleon...a very unwise and fateful move.

U is for Unter insert name of German town here. See above post on Ober. I wonder how many of these small towns flanking the main town still exist as their own entity and didn’t get swallowed up into a larger Kreis?

V is for Vaxholm, Sweden
Vaxholm, Sweden is a charming town in the archipelago near Stockholm. We took a Cinderella boat cruise to Vaxholm for a day trip from Stockholm. There is a pretty harbor, an old fortress, and quaint red and white wooden Swedish cottages. We found a great cafe by the water with a cake buffet! We returned to Stockholm on the Waxholmbolaget and enjoyed seeing the islands of the archipelago. Vaxholm is worth a visit.

W

is for Wels, Austria.

This town is located in Upper Austria close to the province capital, Linz. Until I started traveling more extensively post-retirement in Austria, I had never heard of this town. This trip I had to change trains there with some time to spare using to check out station. Pretty impressive station for a small town.

X is for Xixerella, a town in Andorra. It's basically a few chalets, but the region is absolutely gorgeous. It's right along the main road, so you can easily drive through.

Y
Yucaipa

An hour and a 1/2 South of Los Angeles. Home to the largest concentration of Serrano Native Americans.

As a young child visited here often to see my grandmother who worked in nearby Redlands.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucaipa,_California

Z

Zipline, where you glide down a cable, suspended from it in a harness seat, dangling over the ground (or water) as you “zip” along. Places that offer “adventure,” or even “extreme” activities, from Colorado to more exotic locales, have them. Lonely Planet guidebooks seem to recommend the zipline as the premier attraction for any place that has one.

Well, it’s not skydiving. It’s not whitewater canoeing. It’s not even a roller coaster, although it is just you and your sling seat, rolling along the cable. Still, pretty ho-hum, relatively speaking, so I don’t plan on ziplining in Vietnam next month. It’s already going to be exotic enough there that a place with a zipline won’t be necessary.

A

Ankor, now a UNESCO site, the capitol of the Khmer Empire 600 years ago in what’s now Cambodia. After our Vietnam tour, we’re going to Siem Reap (pronounced See-em Reep), Cambodia. The huge Ankor complex of temples and palaces is just outside of Siem Reap city.

It sounds like, even in late November, it will be hot and humid. It may be overwhelmed with tourists, too. Hopefully there will be room for us, and that I won’t be troubled by crowds. Ornate temples with amazing carvings are the biggest draw. This all assumes that the Cambodian (and Vietnamese) visas we’ve applied for are granted and available in time for the trip.

B is for Boyne. From our location in Ireland we cross the Boyne River several times a week near Droheda. We visited the beautiful gardens, museum and site of the Battle of the Boyne last week. It is a very important and pivotal piece of Irish history and I’m glad we spent a few hours there.

C` is for Cong. Not having much interest in the film sites of A Quiet Man, I wasn’t sure how we’d spend some time in Cong during the off season with the museum closed for the season—See You after Easter 2025. I was pleasantly surprised by the charm of this little town that has gotten a boost for 60+ years from the film based here. There is so much to like about the little millponds flowing through the town, the unique businesses, some old pubs, the abbey ruins, etc. it was a very welcoming little town, even on a fall day.

D is for Droheda. This is our nearby train station town and so far I know it only from that chore as we snake our way through the crowded streets and across the 2 lane bridge that goes from the city center to the train station. I know it has been an important port city for the east coast of Ireland and many conflicts have happened here since Viking times. I hope to get to the Millmont for the museum and views this week. So far though it doesn’t leave me with a wish to get out and explore on foot. Some cities are like that I think.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Z y X w V

Cyn has taken us into Round 105 at post number 3,436 with Ankor. Learn something every day - I always thought it was Ankor Wat, but I guess that is a temple in Ankor. Never thought about the single name.

Many Congratulations and suitable Nauga stars!!

By the way, post number 3,436 is post number D6C in hexadecimal.

3436 has the digits which make up two thirds of a number that people of the male persuasion used to hear a lot about maybe 50 or 60 years ago (and some of the female persuasion aimed to emulate)

numbers are fun, alphabets too.

Sub-quiz - anybody want to take a crack at the alphabet (and number) soup at the top of this particular post??

E
El Dorado

The mythical City of Gold purported to be somewhere in “ the Americas.”

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado

I always thought it was Ankor Wat, but I guess that is a temple in Ankor. Never thought about the single name

Nigel, I’ve only recently learned this, while researching the upcoming trip. “Wat” means “temple” in the Khmer language, and Ankor was considered THE city (no real need to say the name of the city - maybe kind-of like London back in the 1600’s?) so Ankor Wat, the most prominent temple at the site, and what appears on the Cambodian flag, literally means “THE city temple.”

Then there’s Ankor Thom, a bigger temple nearby that’s surrounded by a very wide moat. It wasn’t named after some archaeologist named Thomas, but translates to “Great City.” I wonder if there was a Cambodian … er, Khmer equivalent of Christopher Wren?

F is for Fartkontrol

Fartkontrol is a road sign in Denmark (link to example picture) and informs about upcoming "speed check". Travelers are well adviced to follow the given speed limit because the country is known for its high penalties.

Coming from Germany and driving into Denmark is always a start of relaxaton because the traffic is much less aggressive and more relaxed. An exception is the Copenhagen rush hour.

G is for Györ

A charming little town about an hour away from Budapest, where I just spent the weekend. It is home to some impressive architecture, 2 cathedrals/churches of note, and the small but very interesting “Permanent exhibition on the history of tile stoves.”

I also used it as a base to ride the bus 30 minutes to visit Pannonhalma Abbey.

H is for Hamlet.

This Shakespearean character's castle Elsinore is based on Kronborg castle in Helsingor, north of Copenhagen. If you go during the summer, you can catch live performances of scenes from Hamlet throughout the castle. HIGHLY recommend this! This is how Shakespeare can best be enjoyed! The full play has been performed there frequently, with the title role going to names such as Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Christopher Plummer, Derek Jacobi, David Tennant, and Jude Law.

You can also catch the ferry to Sweden--the castle sits at the narrowest point of the Oresund, the sound separating the two countries--and end up in the city of Helsingborg.

J

is for Jackson Square, New Orleans.

This is the historic square where the statue of that despicable slave-owning president (and a lot more) A. Jackson is situated. In 2015
during my first and only visit to New Orleans I visited this site.

Jackson was however an effective military commander. The "iffy" history question is what if he had been assigned a command in the Great Lakes region.

I is for Ivenacker Eichen a nature park in the Mecklenburg Lake District of Germany with 1000 year-old oak trees. The aerial walkway wasn't there when I visited 2011. It was typical of German cultivated natural areas, with food services and deer you could feed.

K is for Kronborg

Inspired by Hamlet entry I like to highlight this very unique and impressive castle in Danish Helsingør. Kronborg Slot is listed as World Heritage since 2000. For more than 500 years, Kronborg Castle has occupied the strategically important location at the narrowest point of the Øresund to control the entrance to the Baltic Sea. "Here, the king's parties were so grand that Kronborg Castle was known as Europe's wildest nightclub. It is said that it was these parties that inspired Shakespeare to set his world-famous play Hamlet here."

L

is for Lambersart, next to Lille, France.

In one of the 2 star hotels I stay as a long time regular in Paris Nord works a French-African woman who in a revealing conversation despite my halting French told me she was born in Lille, which until this last trip I had visited last in 1999 as a day trip from another city in northern France, Arras. I told me my focus was on WW1, la Grande Guerre and asked re: the French and German military sites. She told me of the German military cemetery in the town close to Lille, Lambersart...good. The town is reachable by bus from the Gare Routiere across from Liile Flandres.

M

is for "Maison du Traité (House of the Treaty) in Luneville in Lorraine.

This was the site I was looking for this trip when I did the 2 day trips to Luneville. In the Maison du Traité the Austrians finally decided to end the war with France having suffering two consecutive grievous defeats by the French within six months. Their defeat at the hands of Napoleon at Marengo was not enough bring them to the peace table. It took another decisive defeat 6 months later , this time not by Napoleon, but by another French general to inflict a compelling defeat to bring them to sign the Peace of Luneville in 1801.

It would not last, 4 years later in 1805 they would meet with greater and more decisive disasters , this time by Napoleon himself at Austerlitz (now Slakov near Brno)

N

Ninh Binh is a region in Vietnam that we might visit on a daytrip from Hanoi. It’s less than 40 miles from the capital city, but it appears that could require a 2 or 3 hour one-way trip. Once there, a popular activity appears to be rowed boat trips (with the operator possibly rowing the oars with their feet!) down the Red River, past impressive karst rock cliffs. Destinations include temple grottos set in caves that are high above the river, reached by hundreds of rough stair steps. Sounds a bit like Skellig Michael in Ireland, and maybe even more popular - even crowded. Lots of the visitors, though, are Vietnamese making a religious voyage, not simply tourists. We’ll see if Ninh Binh gets included in our itinerary a month from now.

Cyn, report back. Right now it’s on my itinerary for March.

@Fred, if that woman was born in Lille, wouldn't that make her Afro-French rather than French African?

If a person is born in the US, do you say a Japanese-American or an American Japanese, Vietnamese-American or an American Vietnamese? Or, does it matter at all in terms of the bottom line? I go by what the individual prefers to be called or labeled.

Yes, that woman was born in Lille, grew up there and all that. The French would call her a stimie (sp ?) because of the region.

O

is for Ohlsdorf Military Cemetery in Hamburg.

This place is huge and is the WW2 military cemetery for the Allies and Germans. There is also a WW1 cemetery as part of this. I was told of this site but never got around to getting there.

P

is for the Pankow district of Berlin.

My experience in visiting this area located in eastern Berlin is limited to seeing it as a car passenger, never walked around there, it's huge.

Q is for Quai de la Gare, a metro station in Paris. Having recently spent time looking at maps of Paris, I made a note of it just for this thread. It's in the Eastern side of the city, south of but directly along the Seine.

R is for RoRo

Travelers can use RoRo and RoPax ferries allover Europe, e. g. for crossing North, Baltic or the Mediterranean Sea. Just as a heads up here: a lot of connections offer over-night passages, so travelers can sleep and travel at the same time.

Peronally I really like traveling ferry connections with my car, e. g. between Germany and Denmark. One of my favorite connections with great memories from my young years will be replaced in a few years (2029) by the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel (website | video).

S

is for Berlin-Steglitz.

Steglitz is a district in the western area of Berlin. I have only been there once, in 1997, when I took the U-Bahn from Charlottenburg to get there. It struck me then as a working class district.

The purpose for going to Steglitz was to see the house of the poet/ writer Kurt Tucholsky..... found it.

T

is for Toul, France.

This little town is located in Lorraine.

I had read about it historically but never was of sufficient priority to warrant a trip out there. This last trip I did just that. From Metz took a TER train go to Toul. No doubt no one goes there. That's plain to see as you explore from the train station to the centre-ville following the signs both directional and informational.

The historical monuments / memorials pertaining to WW1 and 1870 are big and obvious given what took place there in 1870.

U is for Uilleann Pipes. Uilleann is the Irish word for elbow and we heard this style of bagpipe played in Dingle last week.

V is for Varanger

Varanger is a Norwegian peninsula, not far from the border to Russia. This place has a lot of magic in it. I have rarely seen such amazing light conditions like in midnight summer nights of Varanger. Although the coastal Hurtigute with one daily ship stops at two ports of Varanger only a few tourists find their way so far into the North of Norway and the European mainland. The scenic route Varanger leads the driver through various parts of natural beauty, up to the Hamningberg - one end of Europe.

A fascinating place I like to travel to minimum one more time.

thanks to MarkK for taking us to the 200th post in Alphabet mk 3 (see what I did there?)

I feel welcome to Varanger even if I will never get there.

W

is for Berlin-Wedding.

Wedding is the historical working class district in Berlin that was known as red, the stronghold of the Communists.

Very interesting historically and culturally, admittedly I have not as yet been there in all the days spent in Berlin since 1971.

The street fighting and brawls that were a common feature in the last years of Weimar Republic between the Nazis and the Communists took place in the streets of "Red Wedding" when Hitler sent his SA Stormtroopers to battle the paramilitary group of the German Communist Party.

X

Xe om (pronounced “See awm), essentially a paid ride on the back of a small motorcycle, motorbike taxis that are, apparently, ubiquitous in Hanoi, Vietnam. We’ll be there in two weeks, but may not avail ourselves of what sound like fast, but borderline reckless rides. According to guidebooks, haggling is part of the experience, and there may be a dispute after a ride as to what price was agreed upon, and whether it was in Vietnamese dong or US dollars. A taxi (or even a cycle rickshaw or a tuk tuk?) could be safer, and less hassle. We’ll see. Or we’ll see awm.

Y

Yen Minh, in the northernmost part of Vietnam, mere miles from the Chinese border. It has a rugged, mountainous terrain, where Hmong farmers eke out a living growing corn in a difficult environment. Or so I’ve read. Our upcoming trip to Vietnam starts in Hanoi, and works its way south, so we won’t be seeing Yen Minh, at least not on this trip.

Z

The Zoo, but not a zoological park with animals that’s been mentioned in previous Alphabet postings, but a prison in Hanoi, Vietnam that held American POW’s during the war almost 60 years ago. Apparently, when the infamous “Hanoi Hilton,” a prison built by French to hold and torture Vietnamese decades earlier, then used by North Vietnamese to do the same to captured American military personnel filled up, the Zoo was used for the overflow. By many accounts, it was a cruel place, and the captured were considered by the captors to be “criminals,” not POW’s, and the Geneva Convention didn’t necessarily apply there. It’s not part of this upcoming trip’s itinerary, but it has stood out during pre-trip study. I anticipate much better circumstances.

A is for Ammersee We spent 5 days on Ammersee this summer and I could have spent more. There were easy bus, ferry and S8 transportation links. We enjoyed the beautiful lake, relaxing ambiance, abbeys and historic towns.

B

is for the town of Burg located in Bundesland Brandenburg, Germany.

The trip this summer I had a reoccurring train experience in Germany. Something went amiss with the regional train which required everyone to get off, the same experience I had in Germany last summer. This time the wait time was one hour before a train pulled in for us get on.

Like last summer's train this train was also a Regional Bahn train, but all the passenger were locals, all eastern Germans. I was the only foreigner, all announcements made by the DB staff present were made only in German as were the bits of info popping up on the electronic board over the platform. Everyone made the best of it, just accepted it and waited for the latest bit of news from the DB staff present. That in itself was sociologically revealing to observe.

When that "relief" regional train arrived, obviously everyone was glad just to get off that platform. That train's terminus was Magdeburg, fine for me since I could transfer to Berlin. En route it stopped at some architecturally interesting "backwater" Prussian towns, such as Burg. Seeing the landscape , the buildings, the architectural style, etc you know you're in another part of Germany...fantastic. Quite doable to visit Burg as a day trip from Berlin.

C is for Clogerhead. This small fishing village was near our house in Ireland this summer. There were great cloger=rocky headlands for walks above the cliffs. This is the only rocky coast on the eastern side of Ireland. The beautiful, large carved stones at Newgrange were brought to that site from Clogerhead.

C

is for Cambrai, France

This is city in northern France is one that ought to be seen (or its environs ), if one is deeply interested in WW1. In the late 1990s I went there only briefly as a day trip from Arras, only visiting the interesting centre-ville.

The German and British military cemeteries are outside of the city, some major ones. Depending on how far a taxi can be arranged with the Cambrai Tourist Office as to getting out there to the sites.

Logistically, it is doable to do as a day trip from Paris Nord but it's a stretch. Better to stay somewhere closer (Amiens?) , if not in the city itself.

D

Dalat, Vietnam, located in the central highland area between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll be flying there midway though our upcoming trip.

One of the options, which I very much plan on taking, is an agricultural tour that provides glimpses into the farming practices and products of nearby hill tribes, including coffee. An aspect that I’m not planning to participate in is tasting “Weasel Coffee,” apparently a hyper-expensive type of coffee, sought-after and favored by some markets in Europe. I’ve learned that coffee beans are force-fed to a Civit cat (not actually a weasel), and the animal’s digestive system starts the fermentation process of the beans. Once the beans pass through the animal, and are thoroughly cleaned, they are roasted, ground, and made into coffee. Uh, no thank you. And as coffee is not part of a civit’s normal diet, the high levels of caffeine introduced in the process severely shorten the animal’s life.

That’s not something I want to encourage, or to which I want to contribute. All I can add is that it must be the coffee used for making a “Crapuccino.”

E is for Erlangen, a university town just north of Nuremberg, known for the botanical garden. It has a large population of 20-30 year olds due to the schools, and excellent bike paths. It's not a tourist destination, but it should be.

and now we rollover again

Thanks to Mona and her stay at Ammersee this summer. Sounds wonderful.

Appropriate nauga stars...

Starting round 106

F is for Field. We discovered a delightful little service in rural eastern Ireland this month. We stopped at several establishments that had the word “field” in their name. These places were almost always on the edge of a town, included a great cafe, grocer/butcher, garden center and gift shop. They were wonderful. The two closest to us were Forge Field Farms and Strandfield. I wouldn’t plan a trip to visit these businesses but if I were in Ireland and saw a combination cafe, nursery, gift shop I’d pull in to check them out. Great local items too.

G is for Gamla Stan
Gamla Stan, a small island in Stockholm, is the Old Town area with cobbled streets and colorful historical buildings. The Storkykan cathedral and the Royal Palace are there. It is fun to wander the narrow streets and stop at a bakery or coffee shop.

H is for Harzer Wandernadel. This is less a destination and more of a quest. In the Harz there are 222 permanent boxes with stamps. These are located at viewpoints or places of interest around the Harz, and some require a fair bit of hiking while others require practically none. You can collect all 222 or go for interim goals, themed goals, etc. Once you have reached a milestone, you can get verified and buy a pin at one of the tourist info centers. They also have „special stamps,“ some of which are semi-permanent while others rotate. These don’t count towards the 222, but you can get other milestones with these.

It‘s a fun way to get people to see the best that this stunning region has to offer.

J

is for Jagdwurst.

This is one of the numerous types of sausages in Germany. When you are in the section of a food market selling the variety of Würste, chances are you'll see that the Jagdwurst is among the items. Likewise, if this sort of vendor is located in a train station, eg, in Hannover Hbf. it's likely there too.

K

is for Place Kléber in Strasbourg, France.

The few times I have been to Strasbourg with time to spare, I go over to Place Kléber and the nearby famous cathedral.

I
Looks like "i" was skipped. Just for a giggle....
Intercourse, Pennsylvania

The town's sign posts are frequently stolen.

L is for Lemgo and we’re back on track. We lived near Lemgo during the year of its 800th anniversary. It is a beautiful, half timbered, former Hanseatic League town. The architecture was very uniform in the town center with little damage during WWII.

L

is for the city Lüttich, Belgium.

In French as well as in English this city is known as Liege located across from Aachen

On German language maps Lüttich is used since the city is located in Eupen, the German speaking region of Belgium. The city is still to be visited and explored; I've only passed through it several times on the train, the first time in July 1973.

M

is for Berlin-Moabit.

Located in the western part of the city, Moabit is a working class area, ie, Arbeiterviertel. It's well known in traditional Berlin history, mainly for its prison. I was only once in Moabit. That was 1984 for a super short visit during that trip's stay in Berlin.

Thanks, Fred, for mentioning Moabit. Interesting view of a traveler. I was surprised to reduce Moabit so much on this part of history and this one building. Actually for most travelers Moabit is the first quarter they put their feet on Berlin ground because today's main station is located in Moabit.

My view is so much more manifold and differentiated because I was growing up there, and as teenager I walked some years through all streets of Moabit to deliver flower bouquets to earn my first money.

@ Mark....If I am not entirely wrong on Moabit, (please do correct me if this is inaccurate or outdated ) , when I talked to Germans or Berliners in the past, ie, in the 1970s and the 1980s, etc, they pointed out to me that the name of Moabit is traditionally associated with the prison there similar to that of Wedding that it's "red" ie, KPD. That one can read in the history works on the city of Berlin.

@Fred: never meant or written you are wrong, I just discovered that the summaries of us in this case are very different - for some good reasons.

btw: the name Moabit was derived from the Huguenots which received parts of this very swampy island as present (late 17th century). They were confessional refugess from France and called this land "terre de Moab", a land which was mentioned in the Bible.

N

is for the German word "Nieder" when used to designate a particular geographic area and means "lower" such as in the following: 1 Niedersachsen (the state of Lower Saxony, where I've been to numerous times),

2 Niederrheingebiet (the Lower Rhine area as opposed to the Upper Rhine area or the Middle Rhine area,

3 Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria as opposed to Upper Austria) .

4 Niederschlesien (Lower Silesia when it was part of Germany prior to WW2).

O

is for the famous cafe Opernpalais am Unter den Linden in Berlin.

The last time I passed here it was closed.

This building and site are connected to Prussian-German history. If you follow the notion that historical Berlin is east of the Brandenburg Gate and Pariser Platz, the Opernpalais is one of these sites.

After the fall of the Wall I had the chance in the 1990s to walk by and check out see this famous historical and cultural site in operation.

Pittsburgh's inclines. There are two inclines , the Monogahela and the Duquesne, both giving a fantastic view of the city and the rivers. Definitely a must experience when in the city! (Hope I spelled them correctly!)

Q is for Quark. We had dinner at a friend’s house last night. She pulled out her old Dr Oetker German cookbook and showed me the recipe for Apricose Käsekuchen that she was going to make this week. She said she thought the hardest ingredient to find would be the quark but she found a vendor at our nearby farmers market on Saturday who sold quark in tubs, a soft white cheese.

R is for Rataskaevu 16,

a wonderful restaurant in Tallinn where I ate once and wish I’d had more days to go back. I highly recommend it for a place just off the main square for traditional food and drink with a slight twist. http://www.rataskaevu16.ee/en/

S is for Sinsheim, which has a fantastic Technical Museum, complete with both a French and Russian SST aircraft, a huge collection of military armor and weapons, a fantastic collection of cars, some really good, and diverse aircraft, and just about anything else mechanical (trains, musical instruments, spacecraft, etc.) stuck in the corners of 4-5 large buildings.

T

is for Berlin-Tempelhof.

Aside from the well-known role this airport played in the Soviet imposed blockade of Berlin from 1948-49, when Stalin believing that he had learned from history (so he erroneously thought) , ie, 2 examples where the air arm failed in its supply role to sustain those beleaguered by air drops, Berlin-Tempelhof was part of my first time visit experience to the city. Stalin miscalculated when the full weight of Anglo-American strategic air power would be brought to bear successfully in supplying the western zones of Berlin.

Going to Europe and Germany for the first time in the summer of 1971, (west) Berlin was naturally part and parcel of the itinerary.

Instead of taking the train from Hannover to Berlin and having to deal with that tedious commie red tape and their border staff, I avoided all that by deciding to fly from Hannover-Langenhagen to Berlin-Tempelhof, one of the air corridors agreed to between the Allies and Soviets.

Two years later doing the same route, I did not land at Tempelhof but rather Tegel; obviously, Tegel had replaced Tempelhof for civilian commercial flights

U is for Underground Atlanta, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a shopping center quasi-underground. The viaduct was built above the existing area, and it became underground. It's a really cool place!

V

Vietnam, or Viêt Nam locally. The country name rhymes with “ham,” not “calm.” We’re in Hanoi for two more nights, and just finished a visit to a small town an hour’s bus ride away, Thô Hà, where a lot of rice paper is made. Our group got to each try making a circular sheet, for use later wrapping up a nem (Northern Vietnamese spring roll), which requires 10 seconds (no more, no less) over a steam-heated surface, then transferring that to a bamboo rack for drying. The paper makes cracking sounds as it dries, sort-of like Rice Krispies, except it’s drying on a rack, rather than soaking in milk.

W is for the Wallenberg Memorial in Stockholm, Sweden

The Wallenberg memorial monuments are in a public square in Stockholm. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who protected Jews in Budapest from the Nazis during World War II, saving over 100,000 lives by giving out diplomatic passports and renting safe homes. Rauol Wallenberg was captured and imprisoned by the Soviets at the end of the war, dying in Russia.

Seeing the granite inscribed globe honoring him and the bronze holocaust sculptures was very moving.

The Olivia Newton-John movie Xanadu (1980) included outdoor scenes filmed on the Venice boardwalk and Malibu pier in Los Angeles.

People remember it only because the songs from the soundtrack were hits.

I think it was the last theatrical release movie that Gene Kelly acted in;
he did some TV spots later but not another movie.

A

is for the Aisne River, France.

This river according to one French writer , whose name I forgot to record, on Napoleonic history is one of the 4 rivers used by Napoleon in his "Strategy of the Four Rivers" in 1814 to defend France from the invading Allies. The Aisne is part of WW1 history from its outset with the German failure on the Marne to the war's conclusion.

happy to move on to A and give Fred his recognition, but can we have Y and Z first please?

OK, Nigel. Keeping the order is important. Maybe my German genes like to support it.

Y for Yosemite National Park

Never been there and not sure if I will make it ever in my lifetime. Besides all the nature beauty I would be interested especially in the nicknamed Firefall: Tucked away on the east side of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park is Horsetail Falls, a seasonal waterfall that occurs only in winter and early spring. Seeing the waterfall itself is something of a rare and precious sight– but during the second half of February, when the setting sun hits it just so, the water looks as though it has been transformed into a fiery gold spout, like a single thread of lava pouring from a primordial volcano.

Z for all Zoological Gardens and Parks

Nearly always a highlight for traveling kids are zoos in every kind. Besides their entertaining factor a lot of them put high efforts in nature and species protection which I fully support.

My hometown Berlin has two zoos - the Tierpark of the former Eastern and Zoologischer Garten for whole Berlin before the division of the city. It is also Germany's oldest remaining zoo, established in 1844. Remarkable that during the blockade of Berlin in 1948 Berliners brought some of their rare food to the zoo, so some of the animals were able to survive.

So, whereever you are, always consider a visit at the zoo or a nature park.

Gap is closed now. Next letter is B like Berlin, NH

B is for MarkK’s Berlin NH. What a remote town! Located on the north side of New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington. Interesting notes about the change of pronunciation of the town’s name during WWI. A town, New Berlin, in my home state also had the same pronunciation, New BUR-lin.

C is for Cromer UK. I hope to attend the Cromer Crabfest this summer.

oops...sorry for the oversight.

Round 107 starts thanks to Fred and his entry of Aisne River, France.

Thanks for that and although the chest with the Nauga stars is getting a bit low I've had a root around and came up with some nice ones to celebrate the achievement.

Thanks to all.

D
Dosewallips,WA
https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/dosewallips-state-park

Just a fun word to say.

On the SE side of Olympic National Park . Across Hood Canal from the Bangor Sub Base

E is for El Jem. Want to experience the Colosseum up close and without the crowds? Go to El Jem. It's cheaper, too. I liked it better than the one in Rome by far! It actually featured in the first season of The Amazing Race!

I'll let you in on a secret. F is for Freinsheim, a medieval walled town that's truly a back door to the Pfalz wine region. Small, historic, very attractive, and still retaining the walls from the 1400's, this place is not on a main road and caters to German tourists. In the spring you can watch storks building their nests on the rooftops. In summer just sit outside with a glass of wine or walk around inside the walls. In fall enjoy the smell of the crush as the harvest comes in. And they even have a Weinacht Fest.

https://www.stadt-freinsheim.de/

G for Gutshöfe (German for manor houses)

Germany has a lot of manor houses which are often hosting travelers as hotel or guests for special events or as a restaurant in a rural environment. A special annual event at a few manor houses is a Christmas Market. Those hidden places are visited by a lot of locals but you will rarely find tourists there.

I was once very positively surprised about one Christmas Market at Gut Stockseehof, a manor house in Schleswig-Holstein - really in the middle of nowhere. The quantity and quality of market stands there was remarkable. A summary of this year's manor house Christmas Markets in the North of Germany you can read in this article of public broadcaster NDR. Best translation from / to German with DeepL.

H

Holborn a neighborhood of London and where I’ve resided for nearly 6 weeks. Have liked it. My accommodation is across from Lincoln Inns Field park. Entrance to the Sir John Soanes museum is a 1/2 block away. The Ship Inn pub is the same distance as the Museum. My preference for a pub is the Seven Stars. Ambience, food and pub cat. Favored by barristers as it’s across the street from the Royal Courts of Justice. In my head I can see Judge John Deed ( aka Martin Shaw ) having a scotch there.

Holborn Underground is 5 minute walk. Central Line stop.

If you seek a spiritual respite St Ceilias Catholic Church is close.

If only seeking good coffee try Redemption Roasters or Nine Bars Coffee. Literally across the street from one another. I have no preference. There’s a Cafe Nero 2 minute walk from either of those places. Lastly, there’s a Blank Street Coffee just around the corner from Redemption Roasters. You’ll not be deprived of caffeine in this area.

There’s a mini Waitross and larger Sainsburys closeby. A Boots pharmacy as well.

For all that I’ve mentioned it’s a quite neighborhood even with the London School of Economics part of the landscape.

I

This is my first time playing so please let me know if I did it right or wrong

I is for Italy

I took a cruise this last October and went to Rome, Florence and Naples.

It was still very hot and crowded despite it being late October. In Rome, we had some downpours

I was surprised and even shocked at how beautiful Rome is or at least what i saw of Rome.

Because my cruise line cancelled my excursion without telling me, I was forced to take what I could get. I did not go inside anywhere. It was a big disappointment

But St Peter's Square was very pretty with a lot of gift shops for you shoppers and many places to eat.

Florence: Norwegian did the same thing to me with Florence and I had to take what I could get but I did go inside the Ufizzi Galleries and this is a not to be missed. Amazing. Up close and perosnal with the masters.

Naples: Took an excursion to Sorrento and Amalfi. Beautiful. Lots of shopping and lots of eating. Lots of things to do and see. Took a boat trip in Amalfi.

Taormina: I took an excursion but can not remember from what port. Hot and crowded but very very beautiful. Lots of shopping including an upscale block. Lots of eating. Lots of things to see and do. Very old.

Le Ju' is a popular/hip brunch spot in the Marais that serves relatively quick relatively American (or British) style breakfasts. Brunch has been fashionable in Paris for a couple of years already, and this place is happy to cater to both tourists and locals who think they're being cool.

It's a good way to absorb some of the Marais crowds who would otherwise be going to the actually good cafes nearby. (my own cranky opinion)

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d12915326-Reviews-Le_Ju-Paris_Ile_de_France.html#/media/12915326/?albumid=101&type=ALL_INCLUDING_RESTRICTED&category=101

K is for Kapitalsberg, which is one of the stamp stations (HWN #44) in the Harz. It's an easy hike up a hill from the town of Tanne.

L is for Lübeck

Lübeck is famous for its world heritage old town, the history of the Hanseatic League (visit the museum), Travemünde port and beach, the old sailing ship Passat, and of course for Niederegger Marzipan.

New is that Lübeck positions iself as "Christmas City of the North" with 11 Christmas Markets during Advent time. Traditionally a lot of visitors around Christmas time come from Scandinavia.

Personally I really like this town. It has so much to discover, also speaking about small specialised shops in the narrow side streets with very knowledgable staff. Looking forward to my next visit there - the town is worth more than only a day trip.

M is for Marmokirken, the Marble Church in Copenhagen, Denmark

This church has a beautiful dome and an ornate ceiling. The altar is gorgeous and the paintings and mosaics in the sanctuary are inspiring. This church is also called Frederik’s Church and is near Amalienborg Palace.

@bostonphil7

This is my first time playing so please let me know if I did it right or wrong

I is for Italy

I don't normally feedback on posts here, and we don't normally have conversations, just a flowing list through the current Alphabet.

but, yes, that's just fine. Welcome to the Good Ship Alphabet...

N is for Neuleiningen, a very small town in the Pfalz, great castle ruins, good antiques, excellent wine tasting, no tourists.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Neuleiningen,+Germany/@49.5424819,8.136496,3a,75y/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNky_XmDmdGVQODXpoWl86EmC4vQyeD7W8iA1VB!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipNky_XmDmdGVQODXpoWl86EmC4vQyeD7W8iA1VB%3Dw114-h86-k-no!7i4608!8i3456!4m16!1m8!3m7!1s0x47bd8520840a8969:0xc65d52866f876620!2sNierstein,+Germany!3b1!8m2!3d49.869463!4d8.3371906!16s%2Fm%2F02y_5xx!3m6!1s0x47963bf512012c1d:0x422d4d510db2290!8m2!3d49.5424819!4d8.136496!10e5!16s%2Fm%2F02rscty?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIwMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

O is for the Oosterschelde Stormvloedkering and the Dutch name for the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier. Famous piece of hydraulic engineering in the Netherlands to withstand extreme flooding.

But this day it’s the place for another tour de force and that is the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships or in Dutch: Nederlands Kampioenschap Tegenwindfietsen. Competitors must ride the 8.5 km course on the road on top of the barrier against the wind on upright single-speed bicycles, which are provided by the organization. The championships are announced three days before a storm is expected. This annual time trial is held if the wind force is at least 7 Beaufort and today the time has come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMinwf-kRlA

P is for Paris where, today, there are reopening ceremonies for Notre Dame. I have been able to watch both on BBC and YouTube.

And I hope to make a visit to Paris this coming Spring.

Q

is for the Quadriga on the top of Brandenburg Gate which tells the onlooker which direction of Berlin he is looking.

Seeing the faces of the horses means one is standing east of the Gate, mostly still in the area of Pariser Platz if one is that close.

I first saw the eastern side of the Quadriga in August 1984 on a "Eastern Berlin" guided bus tour that originated on K'damm. No one was allowed to get off the bus. That only happened at the later site in eastern Berlin, obviously with more of a propaganda message attached to this salient site.

Before then I had only seen since 1971 the Gate from its western side , the spot where Reagan made his challenge on tearing down the Wall and that singular sign "You are leaving West Berlin" written in German, French, English, and Russian.

R

is for the Roon-Denkmal (Roon Monument) in Berlin.

This monument is situated in western Berlin as part of the Großer Stern along side Roon's primary fellow architects involved in the unification of Germany, Bismarck and Moltke the Elder.

It was the Prussian War Minister General A. von Roon who proposed to his sovereign, William I , then faced with an acute constitutional crisis , (the Konfliktszeit) even considering his own abdication, that Bismarck be appointed Prime Minister and brought into the government.

The mere thought of this at first repelled the King but he relented.

My first visit to (west)Berlin in July 1971 took me this historical site, bumped into the Großer Stern quite concidentally.

S

is for the Saale River in Germany.

While I cannot be certain that I have literally seen this river in the list of rivers seen on trips in the various continental European countries, I have been to 2 cities , superficially , through which they flow or close by, Naumburg an der Saale, Jena and Weimar, Weimar the most extensive.

Towns and cities located close or on the Saale are part of Germany's cultural (Kulturstädte) or science cities , such as Jena.

T

is for the Thälmann-Denkmal in Weimar, Germany.

Like so many other towns and historical/sites in Germany, the singularly famous town of Weimar I had put off, procrastinated again and again in visiting until the long 2009 trip, the 1st post-retirement trip.

Walking down from the train station, literally as one runs into slight descent, to the Zentrum, I saw this large obvious monument to E. Thälmann. You can't miss it with its big letters.

My first impulse reaction, strange, but then not so unexpected as he had put himself up as a presidential candidate to oppose Hitler.

Thälmann was the opposite Left extreme from Hitler as Weimar Germany was politically fractured by anti-democratic forces led by 2 opposite polar extremes, Nazism and Communism, overlapping in their goal to destroy German democracy.

U is for U17

U17 is a class 206A submarine that is around 48 metres long, with a draught of 4.6 metres, and displaces roughly 500 tonnes when submerged. It had a very special mission and, together with U26, was the first German submarine in American waters after the Second World War and the first submarine to enter the port of Baltimore after the last submarine anchored there in 1916.

After U17 was decommissioned, the Technology Museum Sinsheim Speyer will be the final place for U17. The story of the transport in July 2024 is documented on this website. In the near future the Museum shows the boat, a weapon from Cold War times - a travel tip for nerds of this part of history.

V

is for Viktoriapark in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

I finally went out to Kreuzberg 2007 that avant garde (at least known back then) district but my reason pertained to something utterly different, ie to get to this Viktoriapark because it was the location of the singular big Prussian monument dedicated to the wars to oust Napoleon and end the French occupation (the Befreiungskriege). Admittedly, it took some doing tracking down this big historical site, painted in Prussian black, as usual.

The list of engagements and battles against the French between 1813 and 1815 on the monument is no portrayal of balanced history, only French defeats inflicted on Napoleon's commanders or suffered by the Emperor himself are listed. In a way not really surprising.

Still, well worth the time and energy if one wants to see Prussian-German history in Berlin prior to the horrors of Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism.

W is for Weihnachtsmann

Weihnachtsmann is the German name of Santa Clause.

There are a lot of traditions about Christmas around the globe. One tradition practiced also in Germany is that children write letters with their wishes and they send them - but where to?

No problem: Deutsche Post (major German mail carrier) has the answer on this website. Children can address their letters to two addresses, one is:

Weihnachtspostfiliale
18798 Himmelpfort

Does this place exist?
Somehow, because Himmelpforten is a village in Lower Saxony close to Hamburg where this started:

The history of Santa Claus in Himmelpfort goes back to 1984. Back then, two children from Berlin and Saxony wrote to Santa Claus in Himmelpfort. A postal worker did not want to return the letters with the note “Recipient unknown”. So she answered the letters herself. The two children obviously told their friends about the reply. Because in the following season, 75 letters arrived for Santa Claus.

From 1990 onwards, more and more Christmas letters arrived in Himmelpfort, up to 2000 letters a day during the Advent season. Deutsche Post therefore hired additional helpers for the first time in 1995 to assist Santa Claus in answering the letters. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Christmas letter writing campaign in Himmelpfort.

So, fellow travelers: whenever you travel to Hamburg area with enough time, do a day trip to Altes Land (famous for delicious apples) and beyond to Himmelpforten. Maybe you can see Santa in private?

A wonderful Christmas time, a happy new year and always good journeys to all of you.

X
Xochimilco
A short way from Mexico City are these canals. They are the home of the Aoxlotl salamander, the only place in the wild where they exist (although their numbers are drastically down thanks to the pressures of humans and the introduction of carp). Ride a Trajinera (kind of like a Gondola) through the canals. We did and had a Mariachi band join us in our boat. Fun!

Y is for Yverdon-les-Bains. We spent a few weeks near this town on the SW end of Lac Neufchâtel several years ago. While we didn’t connect with the city, we did do many excursions around the lake and many other areas of the western, French speaking part of Switzerland.

Z is for Zócalo. Our favorite Sacramento area Mexican restaurant is named after the huge plaza in central Mexico City, formerly Zócalo/Tenochtitlan.

A is for Annunciation. While this is a spring event, it’s interesting to think about the 9 month before Christmas announcement by Angel Gabriel. Some of my favorite medieval artwork is by Fra Angelico of this subject.

A for Musée d'Aquitaine or the Aquitaine Museum. Well worth several hours if you're ever in Bordeaux. It covers the history of the region from Neanderthal to Romans to the hundred years war to modern Bordeaux. Bring Google Translate as a lot of the signage is French only.

Uh oh, after pressing enter for my 'A' submission, I see that Mona beat me. So, B for Bordeaux. And while you're there, visit the Aquitaine Museum. I wrote in my Trip Report that I'm surprised Bordeaux doesn't get some mention in the RS guidebooks. We only had a day to spend there in October and look forward to going back.

B

is for Belle Alliance, Belgium.

"Belle Alliance" is the name given in old German historiography and streets, eg, in pre-Nazi Berlin for the event associated with Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo.

This difference arose at the time when Wellington met up with the Prussians to offer congratulations in the aftermath of Waterloo and both allies had different names for the momentous victory over Napoleon. Wellington suggested "Waterloo," the Prussians opted for "Belle Alliance" instead.

C

is for the former well-known boulevard in western Berlin , "Charlottenburger Chausee" known ever since the events of 1953 against the Soviets as " Die Straße des 17. Juni"

The boulevard was named after Queen Sophia Charlottenburg , the wife of Frederick I, Elector (Kurfürst) of Brandenburg but only "King in Prussia "(not "of") .

It was she who was the driving force behind efforts to beautify Berlin. Her tall statue at the foot of the Gate can be seen and is one of the salient monuments of Prussian-German history in Berlin.

ladies and gentlemens, I proclaim a tie.

Rolling us over this time is a joint effort, both writing at the same time, were

Mona with

A is for Annunciation and the artwork is by Fra Angelico of this subject

and

Allan with

A for Musée d'Aquitaine or the Aquitaine Museum in Bordeaux.

Suitable Nauga stars and thanks for both.

Now onto Round 108 of the Alphabet! Onwards and Upwards! (if we don't all fry when NASA crashes a vehicle into the sun)

D is for Danube

This river, often used for cruises, is a true European and sets some records:

• The Danube is the only river in Europe that flows from East to West.
• The Danube is with a length of 2,857 kilometer the longest river in the EU and the second longest in Europe.
• The river flows through or touches ten countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) - more than any other river in the world.
• It connects four different capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade
• The Danube flows through over a dozen national parks.
• btw: the Danube Cycle Path is one of the longest and most beautiful cycle routes in Europe

So, enough for more than one journey only.

if we don't all fry when NASA crashes a vehicle into the sun

Don’t worry, Nigel. NASA has adequate insurance, and the sun isn’t litigious. And, hopefully, everybody’s using sunscreen, to be safe.

E

Everywhere Which is what Santa just did

Finistère is the westest part of France/Brittany

G for Großenbrode

A remarkable landsend at German Baltic Sea with island Fehmarn just across the Fehmarnbelt Bridge. Two beaches and a few yacht harbors offer a lot of relaxing moments. The Weststrand (west beach) is a recommended lunch break for travelers driving on E47. Close Heiligenhafen offers a lot of good hotels and restaurants. Ex-military Outlook Tower Klaustorf offers amazing views.

I spent a lot of time in this area because my parents had a small thatched vacation house there.

Worth a stop or a few days exploring this little wilder part of the German Baltic Sea coast.

H

is for Halbe, Germany.

This town is located in the Greater Berlin area, south of Berlin. If you are after WW2 sites, in particular, tracking down military sites, this poignant and salient place is certainly one of them. I've yet to get out to this place as a day trip from Berlin, be prepared to give it careful exploration.

I is for Imerovigli

Imerovigli is a village on the Greek island of Santorini. It is on the rim of the caldera and offers great views. The Cycladic whitewashed buildings are lovely.

We walked downhill on the coastal path from Imerovigli to Firostefani and to Fira. It is a spectacular hike.

There is a gorgeous blue domed church - the Chapel of Theoskepasti overlooking the caldera in Imerovigli. It makes an iconic photo!

J
Jupiter Fla.

A town that got its name through a serious of 'mistakes'

A mapmaker misunderstood the Spanish spelling Jobe of the native people name Hobe and recorded it as Jove.[10] Subsequent mapmakers further misunderstood this to be the name of the Roman god Jupiter, because the declension of the word Jupiter in Latin includes the root Jov-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter%2C_Florida

K for Kyiv

The old and manifold capital as well as the Ukraine itself is fighting for its independency against the Russian war. Although mayor Vitali Klitschko knew from his sportive past what fighting means, hopefully peace and ongoing independency will come soon for the Ukrainian people and also Kyiv. Then travelers can visit again all the culture and sight places of this beautful city and country. All the best for the future, dear Ukrainians.

L

Laos, a country in southeast Asia that has seen more than its share of war and destruction over many centuries. It’s called “Lao” by its citizens, and by neighboring Vietnamese and Cambodians - not sure how that “s” got stuck at the end of its Occidental name, but I suspect that had something to do with the French, when it was part of the French Indochina colonies. We just got back from a Vietnam and Cambodia trip, but it didn’t include Lao/Laos. Being a landlocked and mountainous country, maybe it would’ve been a bit cooler than the two sweltering countries we did visit. It’s considered to be one of the poorest countries on Earth, and tourists, respectful tourists spending some money, would likely be welcome.

M

is for Maria Theresien Platz in Vienna.

The square has the statue of the Empress Maria Theresa surrounded by her illustrious Foreign Minister , Kaunitz, the mastermind behind the diplomatic revolution of the 18th century effecting what is known in modern European diplomacy as the "reversal of the alliances" along with several of her military commanders eg, Daun and Laudon.

The Maria-Theresien Platz was one of the very first sites I went to see when I got to Vienna in Sept 1971 . A lot more spruced up now than in 1971. The National Library (Nationalbibliothek ) is within walking distance.

N

Nowhereville.

The only place still not over crowded because of over tourism . :-)

O is for Oaxaca

Oaxaca is a beautiful city in Mexico known for mezcal, its friendly people, and the amazing cuisine -- it's a UNESCO World Heritage site for its food.

-- Mike Beebe

P

is for the neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin Mitte.

Now it is a gentrified area. Prenzlauer Berg was originally a working class area in contrast to a district, say Zehlendorf or Charlottenburg.

I first saw this neighborhood in my second and last day trip to East Berlin, ie in the summer of 1989, when the commie regime was already hemorrhaging, very revealing. Ten years later I went back to this part of Berlin, well, quite a change sociologically and architecturally.

Q is for Quilitz, which looks like a town on a map but is actually part of Rankwitz on the island of Usedom. It‘s mostly reed roofed vacation rentals and is fairy tale cute. Lots of villages with cobbled streets, sea breezes, and where one goes to read, play board games, and walk in nature.

Quilitz is absolutely worth a visit.

R is for Riqueval, a hamlet north of Saint-Quentin in Northern France known for it’s 5,670 meters long canal tunnel. Once the longest in the world, it was constructed as part of the Saint-Quentin Canal between 1801 and 1810, on the orders of Napoleon. The construction was mainly, no surprise, for military but later commercial use. Much of the hard work was done by forced laborers from conquered countries like Spain and Portugal.

It’s still in use today and it’s most outstanding feature is the use of chain boats for towing vessels through the tunnel. The more than 8 km long chain resting on the bottom of the canal is pulled by electric motors on the boat. A bipolar electric 600 volt overhead wire provides the electric power. The chain boat now in use dates back from 1924 and can tow up to 30 inland vessels, needing about 2 hours traversing the whole tunnel.

Along with the Mauvages tunnel, on the Marne-Rhine Canal (France), it is one of the last locations in the world where a system of chain towing is still in operation.

S is for Sandbanks ferry. Wil’s post for R reminded me of crossing the mouth of the enormous harbour at Poole, UK on the ferry. There is a chain system that stretches across the harbor mouth and is attached to the ferry, I think. We could hear it and see it as we sat on the open air Purbeck Breezer bus for our crossing.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbanks_Ferry

T is for Thorshavn

Thorshavn (Danish) is the capital of the Faroe Islands and is located on the east coast of Streymoy. As the political, economic and intellectual center of the country, the city offers a far more extensive infrastructure than a comparably sized Central European city.

The city's best-known motto is "Tann deiliga Havn" (“The beautiful Thorshaven”), which is also the title of a song.

Entry of my bucket list.

Thanks Mona, interesting to reed that this technique is still in use at more locations, but if I understand well, despite the name chain ferry, most chains are replaced by cables over time. But in Riqueval and Mauvages they still use chains, however the technique remains basically the same.

Edited: Sorry for the misunderstanding. A closer look with google streetview shows the Sandbanks Ferry uses chains too. So the French chain boats are not that unique, the Wikipedia article tells me.

U is for Utne

A beautiful small village directly located at the Hardangerfjord in Norway. it has scenic outlook points on the mountains around, e.g. Utne-Setehaug. I enjoyed traveling there a few times because the roads around are part of the Hardanger scenic route. The both car ferry connections across the fjord are scenic breaks for the car tourists and I took a lot of photos around.

V

Valley of the Gods. https://bluffutah.org/valley-of-the-gods/

Spectacular. Great road US trip. There, Monument Valley, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, et al. in Utah.

W. Wayne Pa. A suburb of Philadelphia that has a fantastic multiple acre garden open to the public featuring numerous little spots to sit and enjoy outdoors and then you can explore the village which has many places on the National Register of Historic places including a four hundred year old.church where General " Mad. " Anthony Wayne is buried. Very easy to reach by local train from Philadelphia.