Glenda Cook

Glenda Cook

traveled in 69 countries Read more🇺🇸Asheboro

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Spandinavia
Unplanned Sea Day Off Cádiz
April 20, 2017 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 68 °F
At breakfast I was told that the port of Cadiz was closed due to the high winds. So we have a sea day today and will sail directly to Lisbon. I guess I'll have to wait for another trip to Spain to see the Alcázar palace. We spent part of the morning with Frank & Libby Justice of Charlotte. I walked for two hours on the Promenade Deck. In the evening we attended a short concert of two male vocalists in the atrium before dinner. Supper at the Chef's Table had the theme "The Spice Road." It featured some of the spices for which the Spanish explorers sailed to the new world. After supper we went to a concert by Heather Clancy, our Cruise Director, an excellent mezzo soprano.Read more
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Spandinavia
Recuerdos de la Alhambra
April 19, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Originally constructed by the Moors in 889 AD, this small fortress was built on Roman foundations. Gradually it expanded to become a sumptious palace. Our guide at the Alhambra was a brilliant man named Juan, of German and Spanish descent. He told us about the concept behind the architecture of this Moorish palace. For example there is a sort of hypostyle hall that contains 142 pillars. Muslims consider the number seven perfect. If you add up the digits in 142: 1, 4 and two equal seven. In many of the rooms there are five windows symbolizing the five duties of a good Muslim. The palace was built by king Alfonso the 13th as a permanent seat for the royalty of Spain. However, he died young, and his brother Philip the second moved the Spanish capital to Toledo. As we were boarding the bus we came upon a group of schoolchildren. I asked who wanted to speak English with me. All hands went up they began speaking English and I begin practicing Spanish. After visiting the palace we had a nice dinner a paella and roasted chicken. Finally we drove back to the ship by way of the coast road. Tonight we plan to go to the restaurant downstairs to have a meal of prime rib Yorkshire pudding and a good wine.Read more
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Spandinavia
Footprints of the Phoenecians
April 19, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
This morning we landed at Malaga and spent about two hours driving through Andalucia to the Alhambra. Our guide on the bus was a man named Angel. This palace was as beautiful as I had expected it to be. One constant theme, however, was the economic decline of the area. Jobs are few. The jobs that exist are menial. Agriculture is important in Andalucia, as is tourism. The history of this area goes back to prehistoric times. Recorded history began here with the Phoenecians and their colonists in Carthage. Of course the Romans and the Moors left their imprint on the area as well.Read more
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Spandinavia
Spanish Coast Sea Day
April 18, 2017, Iberian Sea ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
Today was a sea day, and we spent most of our time cleaning the stateroom, and enjoying the views around the beautiful Viking Sea. At 4 PM we went to the Wintergarden for afternoon tea. We went to a lecture on the Spanish explorers. That night we went to a presentation in the theater in which the captain introduced his senior staff. The singers dancers and musicians onboard gave a presentation that gave a sample of their considerable talents.Read more
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Spandinavia
Montserrat, Barcelona and Gaudí
April 17, 2017 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
Our Barcelona guide Mary (Marichell) told us that the walls around Barcelona were completed in the thirteenth century. By the middle of the nineteenth century the city had become too crowded. The walls were destroyed and the city expanded to the north. It was in this new part that Antony Gaudi built his planned community, although only three of the houses ever sold. We went to Montserrat monastery, begun in the ninth century. Local residents reported that a carving of the Virgin was found in a cave. When monks tried to move it to the cathedral, it miraculously became too heavy to move. So they built a shrine there on the mountain. A main product was a kind of cottage cheese called mató, which is now mixed with honey and eaten as a dessert. We returned to the city, drove by some other Gaudi buildings, and took a tour of Parc Guell. On the way back to the ship we did a bus tour of Montjuic (which means Mountain of the Jews), the Olympic village and the port. That night we had dinner at the chef's table. There was an Asian feast that was highlighted by Chinese dumplings. There was also an iced red chili sorbet that was creative and delicious.Read more
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Spandinavia
Trip to the Ship
April 16, 2017 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 46 °F
We have landed at Munich. With 3 hours to kill we had a huge hamburger with fries at an airport restaurant called Hans im Gluck. I'm stuffed now but won't have supper for 8 hours. Tonight Glenda is going to have scallops and vegetables for supper and I will have Barcelona tapas.

We have now boarded the Viking Sea, a loveley new ship in the Viking Ocean Cruises fleet. My supper consisted of a gespacho soup, seasoned meat balls, and a Quesada Pessoa for dessert. At the table next to us was a couple from Monroe, Louisiana named Mike and Jan. Glenda was particularly intrigued by a couple of women who were at the passengers services desk. It seems that they were friends who arranged to come on this trip together and room together. However they had had such a difficult time during their flight to Barcelona that they insisted that each be housed in a separate room.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Apache Trail
October 27, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
We got started before sunrise and drove the Apache Trail, had lunch at Anaya's, and returned to the hooch. Traffic was so congested in Phoenix that traveling took all day. Tomorrow we will go to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix for the flight back home. It has been an amazing trip with many wonderful memories.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Hiking the Beverly Canyon Trail
October 26, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
We hiked the Beverly Canyon trail the Phoenix South Mountain Recreation Area Had lunch at Oregano Pizza Bistro. After a nap the Dicksons returned for Steele Zinfandel, salami and cheese.
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Southwestern Odyssey
Lost Dutchman Mine
October 25, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F
We connected with Kathy and Gil. They took us on a hike in the Superstition Mountains at Lost Dutchman Mine State Park. We made a day of it. Gil wanted to have an early supper at Anaya's Mexican restaurant in Glendale. They came back to the hooch in the late afternoon. We talked and enjoyed each other's company for a few hours. Around suppertime, they left and we went to bed early.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
South Mountain Condo
October 24, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F
We arrived at our lovely condo adjacent to the South Mountain Recreation Area in Phoenix. The facilities and the decor are certainly above our expectations. Just out our back door is a hiking trail that goes for several miles up onto a mountain. For supper, we found an excellent Italian restaurant called Oregano's at 1475 W. Elliot Rd. Tempe, AZ. I was impressed that there is quite a bit of family tradition represented in the restaurant. There is a plaque giving the story of the current owner's grandfather, Lawrence Gibbilini, who lived on the Chicago north side in 1918. He eventually came to Phoenix and opened this wonderful restaurant. I was also impressed that as I enjoyed Oregano's Bistro Classic Pizza, they were playing a recording of Count Basie's "April in Paris," one of my favorite jazz pieces.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
The Best Tacos in the World--El Paraiso
October 24, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F
I knew we would have to stop for lunch on our leg from St. George through Las Vegas and down to Phoenix, so I checked online last night to find a place. More than one correspondent said that it would be worth getting off the beaten path to find El Paraiso Burgers and Tacos at 702 Eastern Avenue in Kingman, Arizona. A couple of people affirmed that they have the best street tacos in the world. They were right.

This is not a fancy place. You go up to a counter to order. The menu is posted on the wall, and there are only a few tables. We sat at one outside. The tacos are magnificent. And cheap. You can pay more for a fancy restaurant, but as far as the quality of the food is concerned, this place is is one of our favorite restaurants in the world.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Virgin River Gorge
October 24, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 66 °F
I mentioned some of the remarkable rock formations we saw upon arriving in St. George, Utah. Our highway passed through some of them again on the way from St. George down to Phoenix, where we will meet our friends from North Carolina. I saw a roadsign that calls this area the Virgin River Gorge, and it is beautiful. We not only saw the rocks, but also a thunderstorm in the distance. Visually this was a very appealing morning, despite the clouds.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Snow Canyon
October 23, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
After lunch we had to work around the detour to get to Snow Canyon State Park. Its ivory cliffs were amazing. We took a number of short hikes, took many photos, and watched some rock climbers scale a cliff. We went to an observation point to try to photograph the sunset but the colors were not very exciting. Several serious rock climbers were scaling a wall, and I even ventured to scurry up a slope to perch in a little niche on the side of the cliff. The veiw from up there was wonderful. We had a cheeseburger and milk at Burger King and came home to wash our clothes and get ready to go to Phoenix tomorrow.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Red Cliffs
October 23, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F
We begin the day by going to Red Cliffs Recreational Area. This is a local park in St. George that had been mentioned to us. One woman told us that it is so beautiful that if it were larger it would be a national park. We went and found that what she said was true. There are beautiful red rocks, and we followed the trail that went to a little pool. Glenda wanted to steak and baked potatoes so we had lunch at the Outback Steakhouse.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Kolob Canyon
October 22, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
After breakfast at the condo, we went to Zion National Park. The part of the park we went to is called Kolob Canyon. We took about a 2 mile hike to a beautiful overlook. From there we could actually see the beginning of the Grand Canyon. We had lunch at the Sakura Japanese steakhouse. Then we came back to the condominium in St. George and went to bed because we were very tired. We slept for about 15 hours.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Wildfire
October 21, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Still on our little excursion in Page, Arizona, we rose at a normal time and had breakfast with Mark. We arrived at the lower Antelope Canyon tour at 9:30 AM, about an hour before our tour was scheduled to begin. The lower canyon was very crowded and there were several places where we had to use ladders to get around. I took some beautiful shots of the canyon. I will have to reduce the color saturation on those shots for which I used the settings recommended by the professional photographer that I met at Yosemite. We had a wonderful lunch at the Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant. Glenda went to buy some Aquaphor for our chapped lips and I got a haircut in page Arizona. On the way back to St. George the GPS directed us onto Highway 14. This road runs through the Dixie National Forest. It goes right over the mountain and at one point we reached a pass that was about 10,000 feet high. The scenery was spectacular. On the western side of the slope we saw a strange cloud. We couldn't tell if it was fog or smoke from the forest fire. We arrived at Cedar City, got gas, and were told that there was a forest fire. A family at the gas pump told us that they were in the process of moving here from Massachusetts. They had just met the moving van at their new house but had not even unpacked. Immediately upon their arrival at their home, the fire authorities told them they must evacuate. They emptied the moving van and simply stashed all their belongings in the garage. They said they wish the truck had arrived just an hour later. Then their stuff would at least be safe, but now it is in a fire-threatened garage. They may lose everything. So now they wait, not knowing when or whether they will be able to move into their new house, nor whether the house is in the path of the forest fire. It may be days before they learn the fate of their new dwelling. Their two children looked tired, frightened and uncomfortable, and my heart went out to them.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Slot Canyons
October 20, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Today I fulfilled a long-standing dream to photograph the slot canyons near Page, Arizona. We woke very early and went to the canyons after breakfast with Mark our host. The people in charge weren't quite sure of what their program was so we kept our sea legs about us and adjusted. Glenda's guide was Marla and my guide with her husband Lionel. We actually were in groups all by ourselves. Because of this we were able to stay together and finish our tours at approximately the same time. In several of the canyons I was the only person with Lionel. The pictures we took were utterly amazing. First I photographed Mountain Sheep Canyon, Upper Antelope Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon, and Owl Canyon. We finished at about 3:30 PM and went to a place called Big John's and had Texas style barbecue for lunch. After this late lunch we went to see Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. Finally we cleaned the car out came back home and settled in to look at our photographs.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Bryce Canyon Grandeur
October 19, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
We had breakfast at McDonald's in St. George, Utah and then drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. We arrived in the park about 12:30 pm and had quick lunch at a Subway. We spent several hours touring in photographing Bryce Canyon Afterwards we drove on to Page, Arizona.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Bass Lake to St. George, Utah
October 18, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
We spend all day driving from Bass Lake to St. George Utah. This section was the longest single leg of the trip.The drive took about eight hours plus another hour to stop for lunch. I was pleased when we went over Techachapi Pass, despite heavy traffic. My mind returned to our trip from Monterey to San Angelo, Texas in 1973 when our VW beetle barely had enough horsepower to get us over the pass. I had to plod along at about 25 miles per hour, and I had traffic backed up for a couple of miles. Lord only knows the new cuss words drivers invented to describe the idiot in the white Volkswagen. Our rental car today had plenty of power to spare. I was struck by the huge forest of windmills on the crest of the ridge. Half of them were not working. Ah! Such are the environmental joys of renewable energy. A forest of windmills! Indeed! Nothing like protecting the environment, even if you have to uglify the mountains to do so. A pine needle got caught under the windshield wiper, and when we drove up to speed it vibrated so fast that it hummed, yet every time we stopped for a break, I forgot to remove it. Finally, Glenda remembered, and took it out. She took me through Las Vegas Nevada just so I could see with the Strip looks like. The last 20 miles before arriving in St. George displayed some fantastic and awe-inspiring rock formations. The highway actually passes through some of them. Seeing them in the setting sun was truly magnificent.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Spectacular Yosemite
October 17, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 54 °F
We stayed in the condo most of the morning waiting for the rain to stop, and when it slacked off, we wandered out by a marsh adjacent to our apartment. It was a lovely patch of wedlands, and we took some photos. For lunch I had a wonderful hamburger with garlic fries at Ducey's-by-the-Lake. After lunch we went to Yosemite. I took my first photographs down in the valley, then we went to Sentinel Bridge. We got lovely photographs by the light of the late afternoon. By the time we got up to Glacier Point, however, the sun had already begun to set. A bank of clouds was casting a shadow on half dome. I was not able to get the shot that I wanted. Still I got some very good photographs of some other objects nearby.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Another Wash Out
October 16, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 54 °F
It rained hard all day so we stayed in the condo. I edited my photographs for most of the day. In the afternoon we watched a Harry Potter movie, "The Deathly Hallows" part one. We went to supper at Ducey's restaurant. I had meatloaf and vegetables and Glenda had a small steak. The food was delicious. The rain and wind continued. At night about 9 o'clock we lost power so we had to go to bed by flashlight.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Yosemite Peeps Out
October 15, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 55 °F
The rain slacked off today and we drove back into Yosemite Park to take more pictures. While we were at Glacier Point we met a professional photographer named Carlos who called himself the "Malibu Artist" on his webpage. He was shooting pictures for a Honda truck advertisement. He let me take a couple of shots with his Canon 5D Mark iv camera. I think I'm in love. Some of the girls wanted to strike an athletic pose when I photographed them, so they insisted that I shoot while they were in mid-air. I agreed. We have noticed quite a few young women, especially Chinese tourists, want to jump, to leap, or to be airborne when the shutter snaps. Quite a few of the Chinese women we saw being photographed on the Monterey Peninsula insisted on such posing. Today these girls were a safe distance away from the ledge that drops down to the canyon below, so I wasn't too concerned about taking the shot. However, one of the rangers told us that just last week a young Chinese girl doing a jumping pose for a photo stood too close to the edge. As the photo was being taken, she missed the edge and fell to her death.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
The Route to Casa Velasco
October 14, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 57 °F
After touring the park, traffic kept us on a westward course, and before we knew it, we were already at the west gate of Yosemite. I decided to take the scenic route, so we went west and south along an much less direct route just to see a part of California we had never visited. We passed through the little towns of Briceburg, Midpines, Mariposa and Mormon Bar before coming back through Oakhurst from the west. Fascinating country! Glenda was hungry for Mexican, so when we finally made it back to Bass Lake we found a wonderful Mexican restaurant, Casa Velasco. I had the works, and it was all delicious. It is a no-nonsense kind of place that thoughtfully keeps a roll of paper towels on each table in case your napkins are not sufficient. And with the excellent enchiladas, burritos and chili rellenos, chances are you'll need the towels. Returning to the apartment, we went to bed and slept like newborn puppies.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
First Foray Into Yosemite
October 14, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 41 °F
After breakfast in our apartment at WorldMark Bass Lake we drove up to the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. Near the entrance I was surprised to see so many dead trees off to our west, and I wondered whether a forest fire had killed them. We drove up to Glacier Point and took our first pictures of Half Dome. There are clouds and drizzle, so I don't think it's a great day for light and color. Even so, one of the rangers says that the park has had an extremely long dry spell. Some of the waterfalls have even stopped. Perhaps the rain will cause a little flow over them before we leave. Even without the sun, Yosemite is still a very impressive place. One couple was getting married right out there at Glacier Point. The grandeur of the mountains here is breathtaking. I got a shot of Glenda in front of El Capitan.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Monterey to Bass Lake
October 13, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Breakfast was a heavenly lemon tart at Parker-Lousseau Patisserie, a lovely little pastry shop in the building that John C. Fremont adopted as his headquarters in Monterey.

Glenda fell in love with the little box of toffee she bought at the street market in Carmel yesterday, so early this morning she wanted to make a quick run back there before we left for Bass Lake. She found the tent and had a wonderful conversation with a Mr. Osborne, who has adopted toffee-making as a hobby in his retirement. He makes it in his own kitchen, and because of health regulations cannot sell it anywhere but the farmers' market. He is certainly unable to ship his candy to us back in North Carolina. So Glenda loaded up on toffee.

A quick drive-through to see whether there were any more sea otters in Pacific Grove convinced us that the sea otters are in trouble here. We had a quick lunch at the Crown and Anchor, and then on the way out of Monterey went to Trader Joe's to buy groceries. We hit the road about 3:30 PM to go to Bass Lake.

East of Chowchilla, California we went through a high plateau with some unusual scenery. We stopped at Oakhurst to buy a few more groceries. The supermarket there is the largest grocery store I've ever seen. It has a huge grocery department as large as any Walmart, and an additional section for everything from auto parts to camping equipment. We arrived at Worldmark Bass Lake about 6 PM. We unpacked the car and had supper in our apartment.Read more
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Southwestern Odyssey
Arrival at Bass Lake
October 13, 2016 in the United States ⋅ 55 °F
Back when we were first married, we saved for almost a year so that we could spend a weekend in Yosemite National Park. However, the generator on our eleven-year-old Volkswagen bug broke, and our vacation savings went to repair the car. Today, after twenty-four years, we get our first shot at Yosemite.

We are very grateful to the generosity of a dear couple who bought more time-shares than they could possibly use. Some of them are about to expire, and they are unable to use them, so they offered them to us. So we are able to enjoy these lovely WorldMark resorts.

I think I know why this place is called Bass Lake. I walked out onto the pier and found that against the setting sunlight I saw millions of flying insects over the lake. It was not unpleasant, as though the insects were biting me. Still, they were almost thick enough to inhale. If only a fraction of these bugs die and drop into the water, then the fish in the lake will have a perpetual feast. We unpacked the car, unloaded the groceries we bought in Oakhurst and had our own little feast here in the apartment.Read more
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