2025 in Pictorial Review

 

Mirabell Palace Gardens in Salzburg

Christmas 2025

Happy Holidays from the Deep South 2025!

It has been another very busy year for us, starting with a trip to AZ in February and most recently we were in Europe for two weeks with visits to Kristin and Eric and their families along with some shorter trips in GA.

On April 13th we went to the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park. It showcases artists from all over the country who work in a variety of media. The festival debuted in 1936 and has been held annually with only a few exceptions due to war and the covid pandemic. Over the years the park has suffered from overuse, so the festival was held at Lenox Square, but now it is back at Piedmont.

Two weeks later we spent the day in Fairburn at the GA Renaissance Festival for Highland Fling weekend. There was a lot to see as well as Celtic music and bagpipe performances throughout the day. It was especially enjoyable because the weather was perfect to be outside all day. Fairburn is about 60 miles southwest of Roswell.

In mid June we traveled to Columbus, GA for a long weekend. Columbus, like Roswell, is located on the banks of the Chattahoochee River and is about 120 miles southwest of us. At that point it divides GA and AL. We went to two minor league baseball games to see the Columbus Clingstones, the Braves AA affiliate team. Their ballpark is new, so it made the guest experience very enjoyable. Our tickets for each game were behind home plate. Each day we walked a different section of the downtown area. There was also a No Kings March on Saturday morning, the 14th, which coincided with Trump's 79th birthday. We ended the weekend at Ft. Benning at the National Infantry Museum. There are numerous galleries with extensive displays that tell the story of the American infantry soldier from the Revolutionary War to the present day. The most recent gallery focuses on the Global War on Terrorism.

At the beginning of July we flew to Dulles to spend time with Eric and his family. At the end of the month we were in Rincon to visit Kristin and her family before the grandgirls started another school year.

The longest trip was the one during the last two weeks of September. We traveled with Odysseys again to the Alps in northern Italy, Switzerland, and Austria in addition to time in Liechtenstein and southeastern Germany. This time we were not so lucky with the weather. The first week was pleasant and a bit on the cool side. The second week was cold, rainy, foggy and windy for the most part. It was like our worst winter weather in mid-January! Luckily we were prepared with winter clothing.

We flew to Zurich where we transferred to Lucerne, the official starting point of the trip. We visited the Old Town and crossed the Chapel Bridge, the oldest covered bridge in Europe. After that we rode the world's steepest cogwheel train to the summit of Mt. Pilatus. Late in the day we were back in Lucerne for a ferry ride on the lake.

The following day we headed for Chur where we boarded the celebrated Glacier Express which follows the course of the Rhone River. We crossed the Oberalp Pass at almost 7000 feet above sea level, which was the highest point along the train's route. The train trip ends in Zermatt, the gateway to the Swiss Alps and in the shadow of the Matterhorn.

The next day was all about the Gornegratbahn (train) to the summit of the Gornegrat. From this rocky ridge 29 alpine peaks, each over 13,000 feet in elevation, are visible, including the Matterhorn which is nearly 15,000 feet high.

From Zermatt it was on to the Italian Alps via the Simplon Pass to Stresa, which is along the shoreline of Lake Maggiore. This was one of the most scenic areas we visited during the trip. We returned to Switzerland at Bellinzona to tour the medieval castle of Castelgrande. Later we had another view of Lake Maggiore from Ascona.

The next two days were in Lugano. We had a private half day cruise around Lake Lugano. We disembarked in Morcote for lunch. In 2016 Morcote was named Switzerland's loveliest village. It is less than a mile square with cobblestone streets, terraced gardens and Mediterranean charm. We ended the day at a local winery for a tour and wine tasting. The second day in Lugano was sightseeing closer to the town center.

The following day covered a lot of territory. We traveled to Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. We did a walking tour of the downtown area. From there it was on to Seefeld, Austria which is adjacent to Innsbruck, the host of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. We had a two hour walking tour of Innsbruck, then boarded a cable car to the Nordkette. This is the mountain at the heart of Innsbruck.

From Seefeld we drove through Tyrol, a crossroads of western Europe to Salzburg. We visited the Museum of Tyrolean Farms, an outdoor exhibit featuring dozens of preserved farmhouses dating from the 15th century. Salzburg is famous for salt mines, Hitler, Mozart and being the location where much of the Sound of Music was filmed. One evening we attended a classical music concert in the Marble Room of Mirabell Palace where we heard much of Mozart's most recognizable music. Mozart was born in Salzburg. He died in Vienna.

The next day we went on a three hour walking tour of Salzburg, starting at the 17th century Mirabell Gardens. That was followed by a visit to the Baroque Old Town, which is now a Unesco World Heritage Site. From there we walked to the Salzburg Cathedral. We ended the tour at the medieval Hohensalzburg Fortress high above the city. The fortress is about 800 years old and is still in pretty good shape despite crumbling staircases throughout. Miraculously, none of the 19 people on the tour (mostly aged 70s and early 80s) slipped, tripped or fell at any time during the trip!

The final day of the tour was very interesting. We were in the Obersalzburg area of Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest, the Nazi party's Alpine retreat. Hitler spent a lot of time there, although he and Eva Braun did not live there permanently. We were able to walk through some of the underground bunkers. Adjacent to the Eagle's Nest is a museum that gives a very in depth look of World War II and Hitler's part in it.

There were some notable weather events this year. On January 10th we had three inches of snow followed by freezing rain. A few days later the temperature dropped below freezing and stayed there for 66 hours. It is rare for us to go more than 24 hours without getting above freezing. We had a lot of rain in June and August which cut into time at the pool. July 29th was the only 100 degree day. We had an early taste of winter on November 10th with snow flurries, high wind and a high temperature hovering around 40 degrees.

There was a surprise on April 1st. We had a 5.0 earthquake at 9:04 in the morning. The epicenter was in Greenback, TN, which is about 30 miles south of Knoxville. It was no April Fool when we felt the house shake and saw lampshades swaying! On June 26th a meteorite exploded north of here in Forsyth County in the middle of the day. Even in daylight, the explosion was visible along with sonic boom sound effects. The meteorite broke apart and landed in a home in Mc Donough, GA, about 40 miles south of us. Scientists determined its age to be 4.56 billion years old, making it older than Earth. It has been officially named the Mc Donough Meteorite.

Once again we were disappointed Braves fans. This was the first time in a while that they did not make it into the postseason. I still watched almost all of the division, league and World Series games because they were carried on channels that we get. We still cannot see Braves games on our Comcast package, however, I have gotten used to following the games on the radio.

I am still driving "Old Faithful". It turned 25 ½ on October 4th with the odometer at 56204 miles.

Despite steamrollering through our 70s, each of us is still in pretty good shape. We enjoy walking; I have kept up with Silver Sneakers and Mike insists on doing home projects that require being on a ladder. I wish that I could convince him otherwise. So far I have been unsuccessful. After holiday visits with Kristin, Eric and their families, we will be in Costa Rica for two weeks at the end of February. Neither of us has been to Central America. Anyone who has been there says that it is very beautiful.

We hope you have wonderful holidays and all the best in the New Year.