Travel Photo Album Page

Welcome to the Texas Tortilla Factory Travel Photo Albums.

I would like to give "Special Thanks and My Appreciation" to my wife Marga ( Pictured on the right ).

if it had not been for her trip planning, and bookings of Flights and places for us to stay throughout the years, ninety-five percent of the photos would not have been taken, and therefore not available for viewing.

Thanks Marga.

I hope everyone enjoys the photographs Marga and I are sharing with you.

Mike

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The Travel Photo Albums :

FRANCE

     Bayeux

Bayeux is located in the North of France and is where stayed, whlie touring the Normandy Area.

Bayeux has the magnificent cathedral, Cathédrale Notre-Dame from 1077, and is where the Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde, is located, which recounts the story of the Norman conquest of England.
From France-for-the-visitor.com, Bayeux the Town.

    Isigny Sur Mer, Cerisy la Foret -L'Abbaye,
    and Balleroy

These are a collection of Photos which I have separated in to their own grouping, as we only took a few photos of each of them. While on our way to the Chateau de Balleroy, we stopped and ate some pizza in Isigny Sur Mer. After looking at the map we noticed that Cerisy la Foret - L'Abbaye was located near by, so we stopped and checked it out, and took some photos, before moving on down the road to Chateau de Balleroy.

Now this is interesting. Where is the world’s first Balloon Museum? It is the Forbes-owned Château de Balleroy, France in 1975. From Chateau de Balleroy .com

     Normandy: American Cemetery and Memorial

The cemetery is located on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach (one of the landing beaches of the Normandy Invasion) and the English Channel. It covers 70 ha (172 acres), and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. The graves face westward, towards the United States.

The names of 1,557 Americans who lost their lives in the conflict but could not be located and/or identified are inscribed on the walls of a semicircular garden at the east side of the memorial. From Wikipedia

     Normandy: Pointe du Hoc France

Pointe du Hoc (often spelled as its Parisian French name "Pointe du Hoe" in official Army documents) is best known for the assault made on it by the US Army Rangers during the World War II Normandy landings, June 6, 1944. The Germans had built, as part of the Atlantic Wall, six casemates to house a battery of captured French 155mm guns. With Pointe Du Hoc situated between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east, these guns threatened Allied landings on both beaches, risking heavy casualties in the landing forces. From Wikipedia.

     Paris

These are photos taken during our visits to Paris. On our Last Visit in July 2005, we met up wih my Sister Barbara and Brother-in-Law Zy.

Paris is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region ("Région parisienne"). Paris's location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes in lands of abundant agriculture had made it one of the principal cities of France by the 10th century. From Wikipedia

     Versailles: Chateau de Versailles

In English it is often referred to as the Palace of Versailles. When the château was built, Versailles was a country village, but it is now a suburb of Paris. From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the center of power in Ancien Régime France.

In 1660, royal powers from the advisors who had governed France during his minority, was casting about for a site near Paris but away from the tumults and diseases of the crowded city. He had grown up in the disorders of the civil war between rival factions of aristocrats called the Fronde and wanted a site where he could organize and completely control a government of France by absolute personal rule. He settled on the royal hunting lodge at Versailles, and over the following decades had it expanded into the largest palace in the world. Versailles is famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.

GERMANY

     Monschau

This was a weekend trip, specifically for Marga's Sister Hennie, and it was a pleasure for Marga and me, too.

"Monschau is a beautiful town located in the mountainous Eifel area of North Rhineland- Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen), in a valley 30 km south of Aachen.

The town has extraordinarily well-preserved houses that are centuries old, tucked into a peaceful, hilly landscape. The houses are half-timbered topped with high slate roofs, some of them richly colored and ornate."
From Spotlight Germany, Monschau.

THE NETHERLANDS

     Bunschoten

Bunschoten is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. It lies about 7 km north of Amersfoort. Its territory comprises the original municipality of Bunschoten (created in 1204 by the bishop of Utrecht).

Bunschoten was first named in 1294. It was located on the border between Utrecht and Guelders, and it suffered a number of times from invasions from Guelders. In 1383, the bishop of Utrecht gave Bunschoten city rights, which allowed the citizens to build an earthen wall around the town. Unfortunately, the fortifications and a part of the town were destroyed at Christmas 1427 in a war between two rival bishops, and were never rebuilt. From Wikipedia.

     Doorwerth Castle

The first mention of this castle was in 1260, its original named Dorenweerd Castle and built of wood. After being over ran and burnt to the ground it was rebuilt in 1280 and built with stone, with the walls 1.2 meters thick.

"The castle suffered heavily in 1944 when it was transformed into a cheerless ruin as a result of German destructiveness and Allied shelling. Directly after WW II a lengthy restoration followed that lasted until 1983. By then the castle was back into its 18th century state and was owned by the "Friends of the Castles of Gelderland"-foundation who now exploit the castle as a museum." ( From the History of the Doorwerth Castle site.

     Eemnes: Koninginnedag (Queen's Day)

It started as a celebration of the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1962), on August 31. After 1948 Koninginnedag moved to April 30 (the birthday of Queen Juliana). When Queen Beatrix succeeded Juliana on April 30th 1980, she decided to keep the holiday on April 30th as a tribute to her mother.

This is a typical occasion for oranjegekte (orange craze), when the colour orange is a ubiquitous sight, referring to the name of the Dutch royal family, the House of Orange. There are orange banners, orange colored foods and drinks, and extreme amounts of orange clothing and creative accessories are worn as well. Sometimes even the water in fountains is dyed orange. It is not uncommon for people to impersonate the queen, not always in a flattering manner. From Wikipedia, Koninginnedag.

     Kampen

The city of Kampen is situated along the river IJssel close to the point where it flows into the IJsselmeer (formerly the "Zuiderzee"). Kampen received city rights in 1236. Having been a member of the Hanseatic League it used to be an important port. The population of the city as of 2001 was 32,960. Kampen has one of the best preserved old town centres of the Netherlands. From Wikipedia, Kampen.

     Keukenhof Flower Garden

Keukenhof, in Dutch: Court's Kitchen, is the world's largest flower garden. Keukenhof is located in South Holland between the towns of Hillegom and Lisse, south of Haarlem and southwest of Amsterdam.

The flower garden was the idea in 1949 of the then-mayor of Lisse, a small town south of Amsterdam. The idea was to have a flower exhibit where growers from all over the Netherlands and Europe could show off their hybrids which will help Netherlands as it is the world's largest exporter of flowers.

Keukenhof has been the world's largest flower garden for over fifty years. Keukenhof is open from the last week of March to mid-May, with mid-April being the best time to visit. From Wikipedia, Keukenhof.

     Maastricht

"The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (Maas in Dutch) in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands between Belgium and Germany. The place-name is derived from... the bridge built by the Romans during the reign of Augustus Caesar."

"For years, the city has been arguing with Nijmegen as to which of them is the oldest city in the Netherlands. Nijmegen was the first city with Roman city rights in what is now the Netherlands. Maastricht was the first with Medieval city rights, a system which evolved to the current system and, thanks to the Romans, the first settlement with city allure. However, Maastricht was without a doubt the first settlement in the Netherlands."
From Wikipedia, Maastricht, also see Word 66 Travel Guide Article.

     Soest: Paleis Soestdijk

"The palace originally started as a hunting lodge that was built for Stadhouder William III between 1674 and 1678 by Maurits Post, who was also involved in building two other royal palaces, Huis ten Bosch Palace and Noordeinde Palace. William left the Netherlands in 1688 to reside in London as William III of England.

During the french invasion in 1795, the palace was seized as a spoil of war and turned into an inn for French troops. When Louis Bonaparte became king of Holland, he took possession of it and had it extended and refurbished.

It was presented to William II of the Netherlands in 1815 in recognition of his services at the Battle of Waterloo. In 1842 its contents were enriched by the addition of the neoclassical furnishings of his former palace in Brussels, today the Palais des Académies."

From Wikipedia, Paleis Soestdijk.

     St. John's Cathedral, 's-Hertogenbosch

Originally, the cathedral was built as a parish church, but in 1559, it became the cathedral of the diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch.

Statues on the cathedral's flying buttresses. A Romanesque church used to stand on the spot where the St. John now resides. Its construction is thought to have started in 1220 and was finished in 1340. Around 1340, building began to extend the church, from which its current gothic style came. The transept and choir were finished in 1450. In 1505, the romanesque church was largely demolished, leaving only its tower. Construction of the gothic St. John was finished about the year 1525. In the year 1584, a fire broke out in the high wooden crossing tower, more majestic than the current one. Soon the whole tower was set ablaze, and it collapsed upon the cathedral itself, taking with it much of the roof up to point where the organ was situated. In 1830, another fire damaged the western tower, which was repaired by 1842.

Underneath the clock tower there is a carillon. The clockwork can be found at the top of the Romanesque tower.

From 1629 to 1810, a Protestant minority used the church, which came to be in a heavily dilapidated state. When Napoleon visited the town in 1810, he restored the building to the Catholics. From Wikipedia, St. John's Cathedral.

     Zeeland Province : Middelburg and Veere

The first mention of Middelburg was as one of three defensive points (the burg 'in the middle') erected on the island of Walcheren to guard against Viking raids. In 844 an abbey was built there, which remained in use until the Eighty Years' War, when the northern Netherlands won their independence from Spain. Middelburg was granted city rights in 1217. Wikipedia

The small city of Veere (population as of 2001: 1,520) is located on the Veerse Meer. It received city rights in 1355. Between 1541 and 1799, Veere was the staple port for Scotland. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Veere was a prosperous trading city. There were about 750 houses inside the city walls then, compared to about 300 now. From Wikipedia.

PORTUGAL

     Algrave Province

The Conii, influenced by Tartessos, were established by the sixth century BC in the region of the Algarve. The Romans in the 2nd century BC spread through the Iberian Peninsula, and many Roman ruins can still be seen in the region, notably in Lagos. In the 5th century, the Visigoths inhabited the Algarve until the beginning of the Moorish invasion in 711 and by 716 had conquered Lagos.

Due to the Moorish occupation of Iberia, the region was called "Al-Garb Al-Andalus". In the mid-12th century, the Moorish occupation ended: the "Al-Gharb" has been since then the Algarve (or Algarves). It was not until the 13th century that the Portuguese finally secured the region against subsequent Moorish attempts to recapture the area. From Wikipedia.

SPAIN

     Marbella: Luc and Elin's Wedding

We first met Luc as an International Exchange Student from Sweden, while living in Austin, Texas. He is a Great Guy and invited us to Spain for his and Elin's Wedding. We had a wonderfull time and were able to meet his Family, and Friends.

Marbella is an upmarket city in Andalusia, Spain, by the Mediterranean, situated in the region of Málaga, beneath La Concha. Marbella is an important beach resort of the Costa del Sol. The town is famous for being a playground for the famous and super-rich. Marbella is internationally recognised as a favourite destination for extremely wealthy tourists from Northern Europe, in particular the UK, Ireland, France and Germany. From Wikipedia, Marbella.

     Ronda

Although the main purpose of viiting Spain was for Luc and Elin's Wedding, we took a Day Trip to the north of Marbella, and the Costal Del Sol and the small town of Ronda. We really enjoyed visiting Ronda but there was more to Ronda than we knew at the time, i.e. "Puente Nuevo" spanning the gorge" , maybe we will be able to visit again.

Ronda is famous worldwide for its dramatic escarpments and views, and for the deep El Tajo gorge that carries the rio Guadalevín through its centre. Visitors make a beeline for the 18th century Puente Nuevo 'new' bridge, which straddles the 100m chasm below, for its unparalleled views out over the Serranía de Ronda mountains. Ronda is also famous as the birthplace of modern bullfighting. From Wikipedia, Ronda.