Sharing some of the experiences encountered moving to and living in London … and then moving to Amsterdam! And then, moving to Austin, Texas where Adventure Cow has taken over this blog!
Oh, no, this is not Texas. This is the three of us returning to our ship after a fun day in Funchal, Maderia, Spain.
AC’s pictures below aren’t from Texas either – well most of them aren’t.
AC had a wonderful time hanging out with us to see more of the world last year. He did things in Austin, attending events at several local venues, where he enjoyed live music and met countless new friends who shared his passion for culture and creativity. He also went to Dallas to see Aj and Aaron, indulging in delicious local foods and attending vibrant events there, like the Octoberfest, which was filled with laughter, music, and traditional foods that captured the spirit of the celebration.
In addition to the travels within the United States, we ventured to several other countries; Canada offered AC cooler weather with baseball, arts, music, and wineries, the Canary Islands provided a moon-scaped escape with picturesque beaches and amazing vineyards growing right out of the lava rocks, while Morocco mesmerized him with its rich history and vibrant souks. The adventures continued in Spain, where he explored the lively streets of Barcelona, roamed the stunning Swiss Alps, and marveled at the historical sites in Germany. Finally, he made it to the Netherlands, where he found himself enamored by the charm and beauty of Amsterdam, which we all know is the prettiest city ever, with its iconic canals, colorful tulips, and welcoming atmosphere that left an unforgettable impression on his heart. (writing expanded with AI assistance)
Note: It seems to be a difficult task to post almost a year’s worth of travel pictures. Below you will find several galleries in random groupings of 4, 40 pictures in total. You may need to use the side arrows to navigate, or you may not. It depends on how your computer/ phone presents them.
Look at the lights in Vetruvian Park, Addison, TX
I got to go to the Beyonce Bowl (AKA Ravens v Texans game)
Making friends with Hannukkah Dog!
Eclipse Day! Fredericksburg, TX, April 8, 2024
I’m ready for my camel ride! Lanzarote, Spain
Do you know the Louise Penney stories about Three Pines? Knowlton, Canada
Seeing the band Dawes, The Stable, Pearl District, San Antonio
The gardens of Joe T’s, Mexican Restaurant, Dallas
Can you see Mt. Eiger? Just behind those clouds.
Can you see the Matterhorn? Just behind those clouds.
Can you see the Lady in the Lake? Not quite in the clouds. Mummelsee, Germany
The view from Cabo Girao Skywalk, Medeira
AC is amazed by the Roman ruins, in Barcelona
Making friends, La Gomera
Shopping in Casablanca
You cannot find AC in this picture. You cannot touch the wild Bluebonnets in Texas.
Why are these adventure pals on the other side of their Amsterdam window?
Whooo, hooo, Octoberfest, Dallas
Look! I’m in the ship’s final night show!
Playing on Myrtle Beach with my fellow Adventure Cows!
Making friends with The Lone Bellow, at Paramount
Toledo Mudhens! But, no Klinger!
Making friends in Cologne, Germany
Where’s AC? Hiding in Sutton, Canada
The murals of Sherbrooke, Canada
Hello Sherbrooke
Help, I’m up in the sky. Andy, catch me.
Mmmmm, tapas in Malaga
Mmmmmm, tapas in Teguise
Medemblik Steam Train ride, Netherlands
Yikes! It is a real cow! In the Alps of Switzerland
Cadiz, Spain
Shopping in Madeira, Spain
Hiking El Torcal de Antequera, Spain
El Grifo Winery, Lanzarote
Making friends in Mansonville, Canada
AC attending the Rockabilly Riot at The Paramount
Making Friends in Low Places, Nashville
Choose any path … Billings Farm, Woodstock, VT
AC wishes you many adventures in the coming year, no matter which path you choose.
Adventure Cow has not left the state of Texas since the middle of October. But he has still had some adventures; not sure they have been Texas-sized, but he is still adventuring.
AC is a Baltimore Ravens fan (most of the time). We found Flock #512 down Lamar street in South Austin.
Here he watches the TV’s and people eating the best smashburger around.
He was in this picture – but, behind a small flag.
AC’s been to comedy shows: Ryan Hamilton at the Dallas Improv: https://youtu.be/Sn5VDdTUNyI, but of course, no pictures with the performers are allowed.
He watched the whole show, laughing so hard he almost fell off the table.
He saw Louis Black at the Dallas Majestic Theater: https://www.lewisblack.com/, but of course, no pictures with the performers are allowed.
He saw Sarah Millican at The State Theater in Austin. Sarah is a favorite of Linda and Andy from when they lived in London: https://sarahmillican.co.uk/, but of course, no pictures with the performers are allowed.
AC was very excited to be part of an audience while a comedy special was being taped. He saw Jimmy O. Yang perform his stand-up special at The Paramount Theater in Austin. https://www.jimmycomedy.com/jimmy-o-yang-videos/, but again, no pictures with the performers are allowed.
A good night to not have center seats – that’s where the cameras were.
Amazingly, the next night he saw another comedy special taped, right next door at The State. This one was Demetri Martin: https://demetrimartin.myshopify.com/, but of course, no pictures with the performers are allowed.
AC loves Demetri’s pictures of animals – you can’t see them here; again no pictures of performers.
There was actually some discussion of who would hold AC for the picture – but Alonzo won out.
He’s been to San Antonio. Linda and Andy have been to SA several times before, and mostly found it underwhelming. The Alamo; with it’s fairly conflicted story, is small and the Main River Walk is all restaurants with high prices and long lines. But, the SA airport was offering speedy appointments for Global Entry passes, (which Linda did not have) so paperwork was filled out and off we went back to San Antonio. Aj told us to go up the river to the Pearl District. This is a converted industrial area that is a much better section of the river walk. Read more about it here: https://atpearl.com/ While in San Antonio, Aj also recommended at stop at the McNay Museum. https://www.mcnayart.org/ A lovely converted Spanish style home with beautiful gardens.
AC found a lovely pool and fountain in the sculpture garden of the McNay.
AC loves going to Dallas. He gets to do fun things like seeing Ryan Hamilton, but he also went to Octoberfest, encouraged Aj and Aaron as they ran the BMW half marathon, and he celebrated his first Hannukah.
See how well AC fits in?
AC pretends to run too!
Here he gives Aj a hoof bump at about mile 9
Presents, Chocolate, Candles; all fun, but it was a first to see a dancing Hannukah dog
Because Linda and Andy need multi-entry visas for an upcoming trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, AC has also been to Houston a couple times. It is a very large city, with a Texas-sized highway system (no doubt here) and in addition to the Vietnamese Consulate it also has Space Center Houston, https://spacecenter.org/ – so the trip is still very interesting.
He is a pretty small cow next to the Space Shuttle, but that is part of what makes it fun.
He is even smaller next to a Saturn V rocket
The Space Center has a special nighttime exhibition for the holidays – Galaxy Nights.
Not far from the Space Shuttle, a shooting star shines brilliantly
A beautiful garden, (actually at Bayou Bend in Houston as I did not understand all of Aj’s recommendations) dressed for the holidays.
AC has also been out and about in Austin too. Here he finds Netherland stroopwafels at a downtown coffee shop.
And, of course, sometimes he goes out beer tasting locally. Here he is in the Mueller District, Whichcraft. https://www.whichcraft.com/
AC hopes to travel out of Texas soon; but many details are still being worked out, that is the adventure part. We will end this post where we began; AC is ready for more adventures, and we have promised him that he can go on at least a few more; but when? to where?
