Strolling Along Old Streets

 

Bienvenue à Dinan, a medieval town in Bretagne. We were immediately drawn in by the cobblestone streets and half timbered houses. It is a lively little town where the streets are busy with people shopping in small local shops and sitting in street cafés. 

One of our favorite places was Place des Merciers.

Look at these old buildings! Some of these timber framed houses date from the 13th century and look as if they're leaning toward each other. 

We enjoyed strolling along the cobblestone alleys, passageways and streets (all pedestrian zone), visiting some shops and just enjoying the bustling atmosphere of this old city. I take delight in walking in towns without the need of watching out for cars. Many European towns and cities are so enjoyable because pedestrians don't take a back seat to cars. Instead, they are walkable and inviting with local shops, restaurants and cafés.

Outdoor restaurants and cafes were waiting for the lunch crowd.

The porch of the Couvent des Cordeliers, a monastery that was established by the Franciscans or Cordeliers in 1241. The construction of the Gothic porch itself was commenced in the 15th century. The monastery was closed in 1791 during the French Revolution and subsequently declared state property. Today, all that remains of the monastery is the cloister, courtyard and the Gothic porch.

Some more of the narrow alleys.

A gourmet shop. If you look closely you can see some bottles in the shop window. This is for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday.

A notable landmark is the Tour de l'Horloge (clock tower) with its height of 40 meters (about 130 feet). It was commissioned by Queen Anne de Bretagne and housed the Maison de la Ville (town hall) until the French Revolution. Unfortunately, the tower was closed and we weren't able to climb up to the platform.

I'm not sure whether the lights in the streets were already up for Christmas or whether they are permanent decoration. We didn't stay until the evening to find out what it looks like, but my guess is that it's very beautiful and atmospheric, almost romantic.

Rain's prompt for TADD this week is "city streets" - I think this post fits the topic.

The 366 Project: December

 

This is the last month of my 366 project - yes, I did it. I took at least one photo each day of the leap year that 2024 was (hence 366 and not 365). Many days it wasn't difficult at all, especially while traveling, but on some days I struggled and sometimes even only remembered to take a photo shortly before I went to bed.  I'm glad that I kept at it, but I'm also sure that I won't do any project similar to this anytime soon.

So, here's December:

As you can see, the month started with rather familiar images like the winter lights on our home,

and fall vibes we still enjoyed in the first month of winter.

On two Saturdays I worked as a substitute teacher in my old class which was a lot of fun. And then, when we were talking about whether we want to invite friends for New Year's Eve, the Geek came up with an "alternative idea", as he called it - why not a road trip to the American Southwest like we so often did in winter years ago and haven't done since 2014? It was a crazy, spontaneous idea, and of course we went for it.

We took Highway 50 through Nevada, the "loneliest highway in the US" and into Utah where we visited beautiful national parks like stunning Bryce Canyon,

crowded Arches (first in fog that eventually gave way to sun),

beautiful Canyonlands (this is the Needles District),

enjoyed the last sunset of the year over Grand Canyon in Arizona,

and visited state parks like Cathedral Gorge, Kodachrome Basin, Gobelin Valley and Dead Horse Point as well as Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

More about this in much later posts, because I would like to continue sharing more of our trip to Europe.

But I do need a drink for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday. Can you believe that I didn't take a single shot of a drink in December? So I need to turn to the jerk - unfortunately, when you go to national parks you also can't avoid a lot of jerks. One of them we saw on the last day of the year at Grand Canyon. While most people enjoyed the sunset quietly from the viewpoint, this guy went to the top of the rim, unfolded his camping chair in front of allof us and set there for everyone to witness how he drank his can of beer and being a - well, jerk. That's my drink contribution this time - I wish it was without the jerk.

Since I was away from Blogland for more than two weeks, I didn't have the chance to wish you a happy new year. All my best wishes to you for an enjoyable and healthy 2025.

Making the Desert a Home

The desert is an interesting and fascinating but also very hostile and unforgiving environment. Living here sounds like hardship and constant fighting for survival. And yet, there are animals who call this place their home, and they not only survive, they thrive here.

What comes to mind first are all kinds of lizards and iguanas. They are made for this environment. I'm not quite sure what kinds of iguanas or lizards these are - I suspect the first and third ones are Spinytail iguanas (but I can't say for sure) and the one in the middle is a Chuckwalla.

Of course our super survivalist, the coyote, calls the desert home just like he feels at home in so many other areas. No matter what other people say and think about coyotes, I love these animals. They preferred to escape the heat of the day by sleeping in the shade.

 Do I see a smile on this face?

Another favorite of mine, misunderstood and hated by so many, is the wolf, and I was quite surprised to learn that wolves are found in the desert as well. Mexican Gray Wolf, that is - also known as lobo. It was once native to southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, western Texas and northern Mexico. It is now the most endangered gray wolf in North America. In a collaboration between the USA and Mexico, all remaining lobos in the wild were captured to prevent them from becoming extinct. Five wild Mexican wolves were used to start a captive breeding program from which captive-bred animals were released into recovery areas in Arizona and New Mexico to recolonize them in their former historical range. By now there are about 150 Mexican wolves living wild and about 240 in captive breeding programs.

They are stunningly beautiful animals.

Any idea who this paw belongs to?

It's a mountain lion (cougar, puma - take your pick) - yes, another one of my favorites. I was actually looking forward to seeing the cougar but she wasn't in the mood to present herself. Therefore, a picture from several years back, my all-time favorite:

Cougars, of course, are not limited to the desert. They also can be found in other environments and areas. Sometimes they venture into urban areas. Just a couple weeks ago a juvenile cougar strolled around our downtown mall in the early hours of a Monday morning. Every now and then mountain lions are also spotted in or near my neighborhood. I usually don't walk alone between dusk and dawn.

Another "desert cat" is the bobcat that - like the cougar - is also found in other areas. This one was resting in its cave and therefore the photo is mediocre at best.

There's an animal that looks like a pig - its home is the Sonora-Arizona desert, but it is also found throughout Central and South America. However, it's by no means a pig (don't ever call it a pig!) but a Collared Peccary or Javelina, as they are called here. Yes, they do look like wild pigs... but they aren't. They are very social animals and often form herds. They have scent glands under each eye and on their back; they use scent to mark herd territory and each other so that they quickly recognize Javelinas from outside their herd. They have communal spaces that they share - for example, they always poop in the same space. It's like their bathroom.

Bighorn Sheep live in the desert as well, and I can easily picture them in the rocky parts, climbing easily and watching their surroundings from their high point of advantage.

Of course opportunists make their home in the desert as well. Any place where we don't find these guys?

I can't forget the birds that live in the desert, many of which, like the Gila woodpecker, I only heard but didn't see. But I saw orioles and cactus wrens who were singing their little hearts out. Their song actually reminded me of sounds I had heard in Hawai'i. They loved to hang out in the Ocotillos.

And of course the most famous of them all, the Roadrunner:

All these photos were taken in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum near Tucson. We have been visiting this place since 2002 and have always loved it. If you have never been and happen to be in that area, do yourself a favor and spend a few hours here. You won't regret it.

The California Superbloom

Last week we returned from a short road trip through Southern California into Arizona. It was spring break for me; both the Geek and I were more than ready for a change of scenery.

We left right after I came home from teaching at the German School and made it to Monterey where we stayed the night. While driving down stunning Highway 1 along the California coast we realized that this was the first sunny weekend we had in weeks and everybody was out and about.

One of our destinations was Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore, Southeast of Los Angeles, where the superbloom after all this rain was said to be spectacular. But we were getting second thoughts whether it was such a brilliant idea to go there on a Sunday afternoon - we were pretty sure more people would have the same idea. Instead, we booked a hotel in Lake Elsinore, arrived there when it was already dark and walked into Walker Canyon first thing the following morning.

Good thing we did! We heard that on that Sunday about 50,000 people tried to get to Walker Canyon and caused complete chaos - it actually made it into the national news! The trailhead in Walker Canyon is right next to the Interstate, and at some point they even had to close the exit ramps because the chaos was just too much and out of control.

However, when we arrived early on Monday morning there was still ample parking. It was already busy, but far from the chaos of the weekend before. We walked up the trail and were speechless when we saw the blooming hills - a brilliant display of green, purple and LOTS of orange.

It was spectacular.

So early in the morning the California poppies - the source of the orange - hadn't opened yet, but the higher the sun rose in the sky and it became warmer the flowers opened up and the orange color became even more intense. It was an incredibly beautiful display of nature's endless treasures.

If only people respected and treated her more responsibly.