Wednesday, February 18, 2015

My Alphabe-Thursday (5th), the letter "N" — Some places I've been starting with "N"

"N" is for some places, countries and cities starting with the letter "N" where I have traveled:

 - Countries:
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
 
 - States: (I've been to all 50) 
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New JerseyNew Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota 

 Large Cities over 100,000 population I've liked:
United States:

New York
Nashville
New Orleans
Newark
New Haven
Norman

Foreign:

Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Nantes, France
Nice, France
Naples, Italy

So, here goes: 
Norway -- We visited Oslo, Norway, as a part of our Princess cruise  (my blog link) into the Baltic capital cities.  Oslo is on the Eastern side of Norway, this summer we hope to visit the Western side with it's nice fjords.  This will include an embarkation into the city of Bergan.




 One of my favorite places in Oslo was the The Kon-Tiki Museum.  They didn't have much of the original Kon-Tiki ships but the reproductions made it all worth while. We also visited the home of the Norwegian Congress, inside were all these beautiful murals, at least one for every wall.




It seemed like a park, but the Vigeland Sculpture Park enjoys the status of a museum. All of Gustav Vigeland's sculptures are nude and life sized. And placed where one can walk around them, some even to be touched and perched on.

I was born and lived in Nebraska until I was drafted into the Army.  During my five years I was stationed at Fort Bliss Texas and afterwards my work with the Air Force took me and the family to live in New Hampshire.  Both are beautiful states.

My blog is sprinkled with blurbs (read them) about our spell in New Hampshire.  I will repeat this one from a March 27, 2007, post:

"I am reminded of the summer of 1961 when we were moving to New Hampshire. It would be a new job there at the Air Force Satellite Tracking Station, we had just arrived in Manchester where we would live for the next three years.

The July afternoon was hot and our 1951 Ford wasn't air-conditioned. So I decided to treat the kids to an ice cream cone. We pulled into the little walk-up ice cream place and I asked for six nickel ice cream cones.

People in the store were pretty rude to laugh at us. Then they said to try starting with the quarter ones. Gone were the days of cheap El Paso, Texas, living. At least for three years.
I got back to Texas as fast as I could!"


We also plan to re-visit Nice, France, again this summer.  Nice was where I saw my first topless beach.  There wasn't much pride there. (You won't see what I had written here, it wasn't appropriate for my blog.)

I will always remember our walk down from our hotel, through the pedestrian mall, and over to the Mediterranean beach that evening.  It was a just plain pleasant evening, it had cooled and everything was nice.  We ate but I don't remember where or what.

I will stop with Naples, Italy.  We were staying at Sorrento a week after our two weeks in Sicily.  One day we took the train into Naples and then road the Ferry back to our town.  I was worried about two things on the ride, the pickpockets as it was very crowded, and again the crowded train station where we got off at Naples.

Three young ladies escorted us through the long way out of the station, we must have walked with a crowd for half a mile in there.  But our escort stayed with us until we were out and on the street.  We have found the European people much more friendly and helpful than our fellow Americans in most states.

Our first Naples stop was the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (where we got senior discount admission tickets) (link 1) which was established in 1585 (link 2). 
I enjoyed most the  Pompeii exhibits most as it was brimming full of artifacts taken from Pompeii after the eruption of of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
... 
[Mt. Vesuvius behind us. From
the roof of our Sorento Hotel]


We spent the rest of the morning in the museum and then walked down through the city (Naples) to the seaport to catch our ferry. [In the Google Map of our journey, please note the large green "splotch" in the upper portion centered about two inches from the right.  That is what is left of Mt. Vesuvius that obliterated the old city of Pompeii. [You can click on it to make it a bit larger.] 
 - - - - -  -
 - Jenny is now on her tenth series of Alphabe Thursday.  With 52 weeks in a year and 26 letters in the alphabet she is now in her fifth year.  I am linked to her blog, GO HERE for more participants and their offerings.

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Comments:
You and your wife are so well traveled. You really are.

Have a fabulous day. ☺
 
My word, Jim what a traveler you are! Your posts are always fact filled and more to the point fun to read! We've visited a few places that you mentioned but haven't been to Norway yet, it's on the list, we have cruised with the Norwegian Cruise Line does that count?
 
Great post and photos from the well traveled man ~

Happy Weekend to you,
artmusedog and carol
 
You certainly do get around!
 
Interesting post! I clicked on your Vigeland Sculpture Park link -- fabulous! I wondered about the tall one -- didn't realize that it was people climbing upwards, with children -- and hope -- at the top.... I was thinking more of a vertical Dante's Inferno....
 
I enjoy reading about your travels. You've given me a few ideas of places I'd like to see one day. :-)
 
Terrific presentation as always...♪ http://lauriekazmierczak.com/neve-ne%C2%B7ve/
 
Wonderful series for the letter N!
 
You and your wife have traveled a lot! I love hearing these stories and seeing these posts. Great to see you here. Come visit soon and have a wonderful weekend.
 
I'd love to go back to Italy and see the southern part of the country. I hear it's very different from the northern. Maybe more laid back?
 
Have you traveled all the 50 states - bet you have. I love seeing where you visit.
 
What wonderful places to see!

It is too late for me to travel that much.
 
Jim you always make me laugh. When we went to Nice in 2006 my husband was taking a video and I told him to stop filming - why because I realise the woman next to us was topless. Poor hubby couldn't understand why I wanted him to stop because he hadn't even noticed her.
Love the fact that you have been to all 50 states.
 

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