Natchitosis Light Festival
At 300 years old, Natchitosis is the oldest city in Louisiana. It is a popular tourist destination, with a lot of history in both the civil rights movement and the slave emancipation. At Christmas time, they have a very popular light show, enhanced by its placement on the Cane River. The combination of lights and reflections off the water makes for some very scenic sights.
The city itself is situated on the Cane River, and has a very active main street right on the river. Restaurants and specialty store all contribute to a great afternoon visiting the city. Below are a few of the sights of the Light Festival, taken at dusk as it darkened into night.
A family Christmas
The best part of the Holiday Season is family get togethers. Once again, Tanya and Shane did an excellent job of hosting a wonderful family Christmas day. The food was terrific, the entertainment was fun, but family togetherness was the best.
We had: Shane and Tanya, John and Romola, Stacy and Dallas, and John and Val. And of course all those dogs, that (thankfully) also get along together very well. But we did tire them out! Goes with our overeating, I guess. Thanks to all for your being there!
Breakfast in the making
Breakfast being eaten
Tanya, directing the dog choir. Enjoyed by Randy Quaid.
Gift opening
Shane gets a (masculine?) gift bag
John, Val and Romola
Dallas and Stacy
Shane, John, Val and Romola
Lots of wrapping paper
Puzzles are getting to be an annual event
Dallas’ prime rib roast
My plate: prime rib, roasted rib, corn casserole. green bean casserole, stuffing
Group shot
“Animals Inside” at the Perot Museum
This week, we visited the “Animals, Inside and Out” exhibit at the Perot Museum. This exhibit shows the inside function of animals (and humans), in graphic detail. It made me realize that I like the outside of an animal much better than what is inside.
Actually, this exhibit really does show how complex living organisms are, even if they do look kind of gross.
The design of the Perot has gotten both praise and scorn
Outside, a xylophone gets the attention of a young girl
Hey, you can’t do leap frog without frogs, right?
These look much better cooked and on a plate
Looks pretty nasty to me
Really? all that is under the fur?
Quite a display of intestinal fortitude
OK OK, don’t get mad about it!
Family painting session
Last week, we had a family “painting” session. Held in Grapevine, TX this is a group painting class that teaches everyone to paint a specific scene or object. We selected to paint a pair of goldfish, viewed from the top down.
These sessions are a fun family group event, and usually includes a lot of snacks, wine, and laughter. Some of our activities shown below.
Tanya, showing her work in progress
Stacy and Dallas are quite upbeat about their painting
Shane and Tanya hard at work
Romola, applying the masters touch
Dallas and Stacy in full concentration
And, our final products!
Fall in the arboretum
With the approaching winter storm, it was a great day for a fall visit to the Dallas Arboretum. And it was a great day, although the Christmas decorations were not out yet. But the arboretum is great in any weather!
Halloween leftovers
Fall colors
Broad leaves
Fountain
Statue vs. real life
Check out the bee….
These guys will get cold tomorrow
Butterfly on flower
Waterfall
Japanese maple
Oak tree in fall color
Fall flower
Children’s play area
Promenade
Decorative cabbage
Nassau, Bahamas
Our last port of call was Nassau, the Bahamas. We’ve been here many times before, so we spent very little time on shore. Just enough to take a few photos. Besides, it was hot (85F) and muggy so the air conditioned ship (with open buffet, of course) was the obvious choice.
And not to forget: there were four (4!) cruise ships in port, making for a way too busy street scene.
Just before the shopping frenzy starts
Yep, 4 ships in harbor
A side street is not too busy
OK, everyone: get your credit cards out!
Colonial traffic management
Tourists love this kind of stuff
Atlantis, across the bay
Our ship, doing life boat drills
Madeira, Portugal
Madeira is a Portugese territory, discovered in 1419 by Henry the Navigator. It is located some 700 miles south west of Lisbon, and is a popular tourist destination. It is best known for Madeira wine, but also exports bananas to the mainland. One thing you notice right away, everything is on a hill side… very little flat land in Madeira. The farmers still use old hand methods since tractors will not work well on the steep slopes.
Our cruise ship docked in Funchal, the main city of Madeira. We had a very interesting tour that included the Cliffs of Madeira (2nd highest in the world), the banana farms, a Madeira wine tasting, and a visit to downtown Funchal.
Early morning arrival
Some fine looking ships in the harbor
A fishing village
Drying sharks
Some colorful local boats
A local, contemplating fishing (?)
Everything is on a hill side
Looking down from the cliff top
The Cliffs of Madeira
Must be hard to find a place for a soccer field
Inside the Madeira winery
An artist shot of the wine tasting
What we really did at the wine tasting
Local flowers
I think this was Henry the Navigator
A local church
Downtown Funchal — lots of taxis
A downtown fountain
Funchal Harbor
Cadiz, Spain
Our first stop of our cruise was in Cadiz, Spain. This historic city is on the far west side of Spain, on the Atlantic ocean. Not only is it one of the oldest cities in Spain, it has a rich history of sending explorers to the “new world”. The city is small, with narrow streets and very walkable. Lots of parks to visit.
Early morning arrival sunrise
From the street, looking in on a courtyard
“Shopping” in the square
Lots of sea food
Some “appetizing” sea food!
More Cadiz market
Door knocker
Local fisherman
Cadiz waterfront
Church tower
Main church in Cadiz
In one of the many patks
Antonio Gaudi
Antonio Gaudi (1852- 1926) is recognized as one of the leading architects of the late 19th century. Much of his work may be found in Barcelona, including the now famous Sagrada Familia church (see separate blog). His influence can be seen throughout the city.
Below are some images of his work, notably in Park Guell (a park in the north of the city), Palau Guell (a fabulous castle and one of his early works) and other street architecture. This is our third visit to Barcelona and thoroughly enjoyed his works.
The food markets in Spain are incredible. If you can eat it (and some you shouldn’t) you can find it here. Just for fun, browsing lets you see and learn things you’ve never known before. And if you’re adventuresome, bring your wallet… Some highlights from the Barcelona and Cadiz markets.
Chocolate
Famous (and expensive!) hams
Any cut of meat
Eggs
Mushrooms!
Blood oranges (I think)
All kinds of fruit
Colorful candy
Veggies
Fish
More fish
Baby goat
Not sure how you prepare this!
Peppers
Laninga's Travel Blog 