20 YEARS OF UPLOADING PHOTOS AT PBASE DOT COM SLASH ABUNDANCETREK

 + Maybe you would like to see all of the galleries I have put up at pbase.com/abundancetrek going back 20 years. That's when I began using a digital camera. As of April 22, 2022 I have uploaded nearly 2800 photos in 117 galleries. 

Since 2002 Mary and I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit England, France, Norway, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, China, Brazil and more.  Mary's job often made our overseas trips very economical.  I took advantage of these opportunities to travel and often made her jealous because I did sightseeing while she worked. 

Within the USA and Canada we have enjoyed going to many places including California, Florida, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Quebec, Ontario and, of course the great state of New York where we have lived since 1988 except for a couple of years in Western Massachusetts.  

Perhaps my posts in the future will focus on some of these trips.

JAPAN 2016 -- 2

Japan Websites

as of 7/2/16

INTERNATIONAL CONTINENCE SOCIETY

BASIC TRAVEL

·         LonelyPlanet Japan

·         TripAdvisor Japan

·         Japan Guide

·         Japan Rail Pass |Japan Rail Map

·         Japanese Guest Houses

·         LonelyPlanet Tokyo

·         TripAdvisor Tokyo

·         ExpatInfoDesk Tokyo

·         Tokyo Subway Map

·         Viator Day Trips in and around Tokyo

·         Viator Panoramic Tokyo Day Tour Includes Meiji Shrine, Asakusa Temple & Tokyo Bay Cruise

·         Hotel Monterey Ginza

·         LonelyPlanet Kyoto

·         Viator Kyoto Day Trips

·         Viator Full Day Kyoto Tour Includes Nijo Castle & Kiyomizu Temple

·         Mount Koya & Rengejo-in Temple | Rengejo-in Temple on TripAdvisor

·         Japan Alps 7 Cities > Mountain Map | Hida | Takayama | Matsumoto | Toyama | Omachi | Azumino | Shiojiri |

·         15 Hikes

·         Magome-Juku | Magome-Tsumago Trail | Nakatsugawa 1| Nakatsugawa 2

·         Samurai Tours

RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY

·         Guardian article on Decline of Zen Buddhism in Japan

·         Buddhist Temples

·         Shinto Shrines

ENGLAND AND WALES 2015 -- 1

+ This post includes entries from May 23 until a date yet to be determined. Latest entries are at the top.  If you would like to contibute, write JW in your subject line and send it to john@abundancetrek.com or make a comment on my Facebook page if you are a Facebook friend of mine.

+ updated on Friday, June 5 at 3:03pm EDT.

+ We want to do some hiking in Northumberland. I found 2 websites with some useful information: https://www.contours.co.uk/walking-holidays/coastal-castles.php and http://stcuthbertsway.info/. Rick Steves has a page as well: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/from-walls-to-islands-northern-englands-past-comes-alive

+ I am learning about Holy Island at http://www.holy-island.info/tours/ and http://www.visitnorthumberland.com/gospels/getting-here and http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g504044-Holy_Island_Northumberland_England-Vacations.html. 

+ Here is a web page for purchasing train tickets on Virgin East Coast Trains:  https://www.virgintrainseastcoast.com/special-offers/deals/cheap-tickets/. But it looks like we will be doing plenty of travel by train and, thefore, the BritRailPass will be a good deal for us. See https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/britain-rail-passes

+ Thinking about what to do this summer when we are in London for a couple of nights. I wonder what's going on in the West End? So ... http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/ 

+ Mary will be working with research colleagues in Southampton once again. In the past I have enjoyed visiting the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Winchester and the South Downs which recently became a National Park.  Mary works. I play.  Not fair. I know but she does like my company on these trips. I am blessed.

+ We will be staying at a B&B in Bristol for 2 nights.  We plan to go on a day trip to Cardiff from there. We have never set foot in Wales before.  My favorite spot in Bristol is the Clifton Suspension Bridge.  The B&B is within walking distance from that great bridge.  

+ We will be staying at a B&B in Durham for 5 nights.  Durham is in NE England and we plan to rent a car and see the countryside.  We will do a day trip to York.

JAPAN 2016 -- 1

+ This post includes entries from May 1, 2015 until a date yet to be determined. Latest entries are at the top.  If you would like to contibute, write JW in your subject line and send it to john@abundancetrek.com or make a comment on my Facebook page if you are a Facebook friend of mine.

+ Today, May 1, 2015, Mary told me that we are now planning to go to the annual meeting of the International Continence Society in Tokyo in September 2016.  So the internet exploration begins: 

+ Tokyo Wikipedia article | Tokyo Wikitravel article

RIO DE JANEIRO

+ updated Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at 3:19pm ESDT

+ My plan is that I will keep adding to this post from today, October 3, until some future date when I have collected photos and links and reflections on this trip which is now in the near future, So keep coming back!

The trip begins on October 15 and ends October 24.  Mary is participating in a conference there, the annual meeting of the International Continence Society October 20-24.

Here are some links I am finding helpful:
+ Conference Venue Website > http://www.ccsulamerica.com.br/

+ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_de_Janeiro
+ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

+ http://wikitravel.org/en/Rio_de_Janeiro
+ http://wikitravel.org/en/Brazil

+ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/rio-de-janeiro

+ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil

+ Trip Advisor Page for Rio | Trip Advisor Page for Brazil

+ Virtual Tourist Page

+ Copacabana Beach  > Photo 1 | Photo 2 | TA | Lonely Planet description

+ Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar) > TA |

+ Caipirinha > wiki | pronunciation video

+ A blog by an Expat
+ Brazil Expedition > Several tours described here
+ Metro (subway) Map

+ Tijuca Forest > Virtual Tourist page

+ Viator Rio Tours

RAIL TRAVEL IN FRANCE (1)

One of the seasoned travelers posting on the Rick Steves Helpline forum introduced me to a comprehensive Beginners Guide to Train Travel in France which has been quite helpful.

GEIRANGERFJORD

+ Mary & I have enjoyed several trips to Europe in recent years. You can find the pertinent blogs on the side bar. On the sidebar, I just posted a thumbnail of one of many photos I took of the Geirangerfjord, mostly from the bus as we descended over 11 hairpin turns. This fjord is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet and is an officially designated World Heritage Sight. Ocean vessels troll the waters of several fjords for many miles as they make their way to and from Geiranger. We got to see a ship depart from Geiranger just after we arrived at our hotel in June 2006.

Wikipedia offers a list of World Heritage Sights in Europe with many photos.

SHOULD I GO BICYCLING IN PARIS?

I met another travel blogger at a Presbyterian Seminary Support Network meeting named Dana. Check out The Traveling McMahons. I responded to a post she wrote recently: Paris on two wheels. I need to get into better shape so I can do what she did if it is offered on a day when Mary is attending a Nursing Research Conference this July.

WE'RE GOING TO FRANCE IN JULY

I am in the process of switching from one blog format to another. You can find posts and many links and photos related to this trip at http://www.abundancetrek.com/travelblog2008.