Europe – Page 5

Travels with Clifford

February 23, 2024

As long-time followers of this blog may know, my youngest brother, Clifford, has both graced many photos and been behind the lens for quite a few more. Beginning with Maui in 1990, Clifford and I explored Belize in 1993, Wales with our dad in 2000, and coastal California and the Southwest US numerous times since 2007. More recently we traveled and hiked together in Tasmania and mainland Australia in 2017, Malta in 2018, Ireland in 2019, and Costa Rica in 2022. Clifford’s innate curiosity, far-reaching knowledge, boundless enthusiasm, and child-like sense of wonder for the natural world enriched my travels in so many ways. Here are some recent fond memories. . .

Posing with stringy bark eucalyptus, Franklin River Nature Trail, Tasmania, Australia, 2017

Scratching an alpha male Forester kangaroo, Tasmania

Smiling from inside a hollow eucalyptus, Notley Gorge, Tasmania

Investigating a termite mound, Bed Boyd National Park, New South Wales, Australia, 2017

Admiring the vista at Kalarranga Lookout, Finke Gorge National Park, Northern Territory, Australia, 2017

Enjoying the strata, Kings Canyon, Northern Territory

At a cliff-edge along the south coast of the island of Gozo, Malta, 2018

Admiring the cliffs from his kayak, Dwejra Bay

Looking up into the canopy from under a Dragon tree, San Diego Botanical Garden, 2022

Standing with an impressive yucca, San Diego Botanical Garden

Posing with an endangered Elephant tree at Torote Bowl, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California, 2022

Under California Fan Palms, Anza-Borrego

At the trailhead of the Domelands Loop, Coyote Mountains Wilderness, California, 2022

Making empanadas with Valerie, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, 2022

At Toroweap Overlook on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2023

Smiling with our brother, Mark (c), and me, the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland, 2019

Clifford Blizard

1970-2024

Carpe Diem!

Kent Blizard, the Vagabond Hiker

Summer in the Cities

December 4, 2023

Loyal readers of this blog will know that most of my time is spent in the mountains and deserts of the world, hiking, trekking, and climbing. On occasion, though, I crave some culture, history, and decent vegan cuisine. With bases in Italy and Britain this past summer, I was ideally situated to visit several capital cities in Europe that were new to me. Others cities served as stepping off points for mountain adventures. In all case except one, my main means of exploring each city was by walking, in every instance including a guided tour of the cities’ more historic areas.

I trust you will enjoy this change from my usual mountain and desert photos to mark the milestone of blog post #100. Rather than present the photos in chronological order, I have listed them from my least to most favorite cities visited in 2023.

#9. Islamabad

Staying in Islamabad before and after any trekking or climbing excursion to Pakistan is mandatory. Because of safety reasons we stayed in a mediocre hotel in an area of town with nothing interesting to see, no decent restaurants, and no walking possibilities except once as a group to change money. (Speaking of which, if money is no object, the hotel to stay at is La Serena). And while it was my least favorite city this past summer, there were a couple of highlights worth sharing from our guided bus tour.

At the Faisal Mosque. Named after King Faisal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (who funded it), this mosque is a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. Although Friday prayers were is session at the time we visited, the worshipers largely ignored us.

Daman-e-Koh. A park with manicured grounds and sweeping views overlooking the city, lake, and Faisal Mosque. Note a couple monkeys in the lower right. Their antics were amusing, though I am usually not a big fan.

A truck at a paint shop in an industrial area of the city. If you’ve never seen a Pakistani Bedford truck painted like this, they are truly amazing: a rolling work of art.

#8. Belgrade

As far as European capital cities go, Belgrade was one of the least interesting of all that I’ve seen over the decades. While I found a fine vegan cafe a block from my hotel, the city’s architecture was generally boring, the one park I found nearby to visit (around the historic Belgrade Fortress) was crowded and noisy (granted, it was a Saturday), and the botanical garden was closed for a private function. The biggest plus was that by visiting Serbia, there now remain only three countries in Europe that I haven’t seen! I was quite happy to leave at the end of the weekend.

Pioneer Park and the Presidential Palace. My very engaging city tour started here, the cleanest area of the Old Town.

Church of the Holy Trinity (Russian Orthodox). An absolutely gorgeous little church where a wedding reception was just concluding.

#7. Yerevan

My main purpose of traveling to Armenia was for hiking and trekking in the Lesser Caucasus and Geghama Mountains (see my earlier post). Yerevan seemed to me very congested (partly due to a national celebration on the day we returned). Our cultural guide was very knowledgeable, and she was determined to impart as much of her knowledge as humanly possible.

History Museum at the Republic Square, the main square of the city. The turbulent history of Armenia is never far from the surface of any discussion.

The Vagabond Hiker holding onto a Spider sculpture

Mount Ararat from the Cascade Complex, the nicest part of town. I was on my belly to capture this photo with the flowers in the foreground. Although in Turkey, Mt. Ararat is sacred to all Armenians.

#6. Baku

Having some extra time in Tbilisi, Georgia (see below), I took a 40 minute flight to Baku, Azerbaijan for a one night stay. One night and one full day was about the right amount of time to see the more interesting sites of this city, the lowest capital city in the world at 92 ft below sea level.

Sabir garden and monument, named after the famous Azeri satirical poet and philosopher. Our city tour began in this calm place, just outside the walled Old Town (note the wall in the background).

Maiden Tower. An interesting and mysterious history of this famous landmark in Baku.

The Crescent Hotel (**still** under construction), reflected in the Caspian Sea. The oil slicks that covered much of the water near the shore may not be evident here.

#5. Marrakech

As it was my third time in this amazing city, I didn’t stay long, only for the two nights that book-ended a climb of Mount Toubkal. The Majorelle Gardens and numerous historic sites were outside the scope of my visit. But I got a couple of photos nonetheless. The two that follow were shown in my Toubkal climbing blog from June. Pardon the repeat.

Interior courtyard of the Riad Alida. If you visit Marrakech, for certain stay in a traditional Riad. And if you are on a budget, you could do a lot worse than this family-run establishment just outside the Medina.

Koutoubia mosque at sunset, from the terrace of our restaurant. It’s minaret was damaged three months later during the severe earthquake that struck the Atlas Mountains.

#4. Riga

The fact that I ranked this lovely capital city of Latvia outside of my top 3 gives some idea of the level of gastronomic, cultural, and urban walking experiences I enjoyed last summer.

Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral. For me a standout in a city with many interesting churches.

National Opera and Ballet, neither of which was performing in June.

Bastejkalna Park, a linear green space along the City Canal. The extensive Vērmane Garden nearby was also enjoyable, and not too crowded even on a warm(ish) Friday in June.

#3. Tbilisi

After my KE trek in Georgia was cancelled I quickly came up with some new plans (see my post from July), and based myself at a fantastic Airbnb in Old Town Tbilisi for 12 days. I was not disappointed. (The only downside was that the nightclubs seemed to go strong until 4 or 5 AM, even during the week. Bring earplugs.)

City view from above the Botanic Garden (behind me). The Old Town and surrounding areas were for the most part very clean and safe. I just wish the Botanic Garden had opened earlier; by late morning in July it was over 80 degrees and humid, so I saved it for a future visit.

Metekhi Virgin Mary Assumption Church at night, on a promontory overlooking the Kura River. This ancient Georgian-style church is the most picturesque in Tbilisi.

Tbilisi_Archive Restaurant entrance — The Restaurant Archive entrance, adjacent to the Wine Museum. This was the only fine dining experience I had in Tbilisi. The standard tourist restaurants were quite fine!

Night view of Tbilisi from my penthouse balcony at 5 Wine Rise.

#2. Luxembourg

My three nights’ stay in the upper town of this capital city of the Duchy of Luxembourg was time (and money!) well spent. With free public transport, several interesting museums, numerous parks and some good vegan cuisine, I found little to not like (other than the prices) about this ancient city. Honestly, it was a toss-up between Luxembourg and my chosen city for the top spot.

A panoramic view (at 0.5x) from the Pétrusse casemates to the lower city

A pathway along Parcs de la Pétrusse. The Alzette River joins this one a bit upstream from here. I didn’t have enough time to see all that I wanted to in the city, though I did visit an art exhibition and a local history museum.

Another view in the Parcs de la Pétrusse. A bit of the upper town, historically home to the burgesses and nobility, is seen on top of these cliffs.

#1. Vilnius

For some reason (most likely ignorance), my expectations for a two night stay in the capital of Lithuania were not high. They should have been! This city was absolutely stunning and more than deserved the European Capital of Culture designation in 2009. And the urban nature is second to none: some 46 percent of Vilnius is designated green space: parks, squares, and forests . To top it off, the fantastic restaurant, Rosehip Vegan Bistro, was a stone’s throw from my Airbnb. Whittling it down to six photos was very difficult. You’ll just have to visit Vilnius yourself!

Old Town Panorama from the Three Crosses Monument

Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania

In less than two weeks I depart California for Jordan. My time there will be divided between hiking in the Wadi Rum area in the south and enjoying some of the many cultural attractions, mostly in the north. Christmas Day will be spent exploring Petra (with about a million others I suppose). I’ll share some of the photos with you in January. Until then,

Happy Holidays!

The Vagabond Hiker

The Southwest Coast Path: Lyme Regis to Lulworth Cove, Dorset

October 19, 2023

Having a few spare days in the UK at the end of September, I took the train and bus down to Lyme Regis to pick up where I left off 15 months ago walking the Southwest Coast Path in South Devon. This latest installment covered about 50 miles over four days, walking generally west to east along what’s known as the Jurassic Coast. In 2001 the Jurassic Coast was designated a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO and it remains England’s only Natural World Heritage Site. According to UNESCO, “The cliff exposures along the Dorset and East Devon coast provide an almost continuous sequence of rock formations spanning the Mesozoic Era, or some 185 million years of the earth’s history. The area’s important fossil sites and classic coastal geomorphologic features have contributed to the study of earth sciences for over 300 years.”

Without more ado, here are some of the photo highlights from my four days’ walking.

The sea wall leaving Lyme Regis. The weather was to prove somewhat problematic

Cyclamen (*Cyclamen hederifolium*). I’ve shown these before, but in late September there weren’t many flowers blooming.

The archeologist statue. Note the rock hammer.

An artistic gate, seemingly celebrating the Vikings

Looking back on Charmouth, with Lyme in the far distance

View east towards Golden Cap, the highest point on the South Coast of England — though only 191m above sea level.

View west from Golden Cap. Brambles, along with bracken and gorse, were my frequent companions.

Wind-sculpted hawthorns on the way to West Bay, towards the end of day 1

A typical dry stone wall, seen shortly after leaving West Bay on day 2

Hive Beach. The weather was rapidly deteriorating. . .

A wind vane along Cogden Beach. Winds were from the SSW, gusting to 45 kts.

A beach poppy (*Glaucium flavum*). My last photo on day 2 as I placed my camera in a dry sack for the duration of my rain-soaked walk to Abbotsbury.

A wooded inland path on leaving Abbotsbury. With dry clothes and a mild, (mostly) sunny day, my spirits had markedly improved.

Fishing boats on the Fleet, *en route* to Weymouth. “An extensive oasis of relative calm compared with the open sea across Chesil Beach, the Fleet Lagoon is a vital shelter and feeding area for wildlife.”

Sandsfoot Castle, Weymouth. Along with Portland Castle, this artillery fort was built during the 16th Century to provide defense for the Portland Roads and harbor.

Castle Cove, Weymouth. I deviated a bit from the SWCP to walk along this beach.

Smuggler’s Inn. Built in the 13th century, the Smugglers Inn was a major landing place for smuggled goods in the 17th century. I was too early for lunch, but enjoyed a soda water and lime along with some breakfast fruit, provided gratis by the accommodating waiter.

Coastguard cottages at White Nothe. Amazingly remote (for England) and completely off grid, from a distance I thought it was an old manor house. One of the cottages was for sale the prior month at £225,000. I enjoyed a pack lunch at the WW2 pillbox on the right.

An atmospheric view east. The rains this day were thankfully brief.

Coast view towards the Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove

The Durdle Door, a popular tourist attraction

Lulworth Cove, where my 4 day walk ended and I caught the Jurassic Coaster bus to the Wool train station and the return to Englefield Green

Back at my desert home in St. George, Utah, I am enjoying the warm (and dry!) days hiking and swimming. My next overseas adventure will be during the holidays. Christmas morning will be spent exploring Petra, Jordan with Maggie and other clients on a guided KE Adventures trip. So, until the New Year, a hiatus from blogging. But not, of course, from the outdoors!