The Moors

September 2026
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Joe Benning

The Moors

Since our arrival in England, we have seen a great deal of the moorlands – high open country where wild ponies run and farm animals graze. We spent some time in Devon County at Dartmoor National Park, and saw the Tors (rock hills and formations) there as well. Fortunately, the weather cleared while we were in Dartmoor and it was glorious.

Driving through the lanes of Devon and Cornwall has been an adventure – there are many narrow lanes (wide enough for one car), bordered by stone walls that are covered with ivy and hedges. Thankfully our friend Michael is an expert driver, and has shown us the custom whereby drivers reverse their progress along these narrow lanes when a vehicle approaches in the opposite direction – very polite although it makes for slow progress at times.

After a few days based in the Cornish coastal town of St Ives, we have seen part of the Cornwall coast, lots of beautiful farmland, surfers galore, and lovely old small towns. The weather has been amazing – sun and rain alternating frequently each day.

Yesterday we went for a walk through some fields along the coast, on a traditional footpath. We opened a gate and walked for a while – no problems Then we came to the traditional part of the walk – a stone stile. Took a little energy to clamber up some rocks, sit on the stone wall at the top, swing legs over and descend down other rock steps. I suppose it gets easier with each try but once was enough for me to check the box on that experience.

This is dairy farm country, so cream, milk, ice cream, cheese and dairy products abound here – and are very tasty.

And, this being England, it seems nearly everyone has a dog, mostly very well behaved.

Today we take a ferry to the Scilly Isles off the southwest coast of England. Looking forward to some beautiful scenery.

MAM

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Joe Benning

Some More Time in Cornwall

Another couple of days in Cornwall, and it has been pretty busy. We started off Sunday by going to Mass (and praying for all of you:). Then it was off to breakfast in St Ives, where we missed the rain. Temporarily. The rain eventually won.

Anyway, shortly thereafter we headed out once again. This time we headed for the Tate Museum. The exhibits were mostly modern art. I should say modern Art, because there was an unmistakeable message. Which had to with the usual routine about gender (and how it really doesn’t matter), sexuality (and how it really does) and the horrors of colonialism.

That business aside, the collection was kind of interesting—and there were quite a few art students in attendance.

After the Museum visit, we went for lunch. Michael and I headed back to the house while Sally and Mary Anne went out—shopping. After a few tough hours of resting we went out to a Tapas restaurant. And had a fine dinner.

The next day—Monday (today)—we went out for a walk and then went sightseeing. Among other things , we visited a lighthouse, the Rockpool Pub, and Gurnards Head Pub where we had lunch. Surprise, Surprise, Michael and I went back to the house and Sally and Mary Anne went out shopping.

JFB

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Joe Benning

Merry Olde England

Well, here we are in Devon, England at the Mill Inn. We had to cancel the first part of our plan which was a Road Scholar trip to Wales. Mary Anne managed to salvage the second part—a visit to see our friends Sally and Michael Oxlade. We have now begun a trip with them through Devon and Cornwall. After that we plan to go to the Isles of Scilly before returning to Barton Stacey where we will spend a couple more days with Sally and Michael.

Baton Stacey is not too far from London geographically speaking. But there is a world of difference between London and and the village of Barton Stacey. I should explain—unlike the US which has big cities, suburbs and rural areas, England can better be described as having large cities and small villages.

Anyway, we are here in Devon, which is mostly a collection of villages and some larger cities.

For the most part it is countryside, and it is magnificent. When people in the States think of Britain, they think of London. This is not like London at all. There are acres and acres of rolling hills, grass and farmland. And there are plenty of sheep and some wild ponies.

We saw quite a few sheep, cows and magnificent vistas. And that was before we had lunch at one of the surfing beaches we stopped at along the way. While we were having lunch there was a torrential downpour that lasted all of 10 minutes, and then everybody was back on the beach.

Not a surprise, but everywhere we go there is a building, often a church, that is, round numbers, 500 to 1,000 years old. The buildings are in excellent shape. And they are magnificent.

Among other things on the way we also went to a surfing beaches, and to a lighthouse by the English Channel.

We finally made it to our hotel for the evening, which was of course, excellent. We bunked in for the night, had an excellent dinner and breakfast the next morning. Then it was on our way to Cornwall, where we will stay for a few days.

Until next time,

JFB

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Joe Benning

At the Fairfax County Fair

Fairfax County had its annual county fair this past weekend—and it was packed. There were about a million very young kids there, with parents of course. The makeshift parking lots were stuffed with cars, and at $10 a copy over 4 days, the fair probably did pretty well.

The fair was sponsored by a local 4-H club. It had pretty much what you would expect. There were various bands that played (mostly acoustic) instruments. There were animal shows that included competitive horse riding, and there was a pig show, but I didn’t stay for that. And there were the rides. They were a big hit. A very big hit.

On top of the rides and animal shows there were plenty of stands selling all kinds of food. None of it even pretended that it was good for you, so of course the kids had a field day. Inevitably there were corn dogs, which I have never had, but assume they’re not the best thing to have.

There were also lots of flavors of Shaved Ice. And then there were Tacos, Quesadillas, pulled pork sandwiches, BBQ, Ice Cream and lemonade. The kids had a great time and I got some photos. A good time was had by all.

JFB

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Joe Benning

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Roll Out Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer—First recorded by Nat King Cole in 1963.

So yesterday on July 4^th,in the spirit of Nat King Cole, we went to a baseball game—the visiting Boston Red Sox vs. the Washington Nationals—the home team. In a word, Boston crushed Washington. Just crushed them.

Washington DC — July 4, 2025. Crowd Forms a Line to get into the the Ball Park.

Mark Twain is reported to be the author of the remark that Wagner’s music is “better than it sounds”. Not even that type of excuse was available to the Nationals. The final score was 11–2, Boston. Boston had 16 hits—including a 2 run homer—as compared to Washington’s 2. And the Nationals had 4 pitchers by the end of the 6^th inning.

Washington DC — July 4, 2025. The Red Sox Mayer prepares to take a swing.

Washington DC — July 4, 2025. The Washington Nationals on the field. They had 4 pitchers by the end of the 6th inning.

Nevertheless we had great seats and a wonderful time. There is nothing quite like going to a major league baseball game, especially when you consider that the Nationals won the World Series in 2019 and the Red Sox won it in 2018.

Washington DC — July 4, 2025. After a disappointing game when the Nationals were shellacked by the Red Sox (11-2), the crowd heads back home via the Wash Metro.

All photos were taken with the iPhone 16 pro.

—JFB

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Joe Benning

Home Again

All good things come to an end, and so has our cruise.

We enjoyed several months of seeing interesting new places, learning a lot, and even enjoying lots of gelato.

Our ship docked in Barcelona yesterday, and we spent the afternoon at the Picasso museum.

Today we tackled Park Güell (lots of Gaudi) and got ourselves ready for departure home.

Here’s wishing all of you safe travels, health and happiness.

JFB and MAM

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Joe Benning

St. Paul de Vence, France

Our ship anchored today in the Mediterranean and we came ashore at Villefranche, France.

We took a drive through Nice and neighboring towns, on our way to the village of Saint Paul de Vence. On our drive we passed the Hotel Negresco, where we stayed for vacation about 40 years ago.

Today is the 80th anniversary of VE day, marking the end of World War II in Europe. As in so many other French towns, there were beautiful commemoration ceremonies going on in Saint Paul De Vence. One of the town squares was the location for a ceremony honoring veterans of World War II. We listened to the local brass band play patriotic songs, while caterers prepared an enormous spread of delicious food for residents attending the commemoration ceremony.

We traveled through the town with an art historian as our guide, and saw numerous galleries where many artists display their work.

Next, we stopped at a local cafe / restaurant and had lunch, consisting of a Tomato and Burrata Mozzarella Salad and a Boeuf Lasagna Maison. Very generous helpings and very delicious.

After lunch, we went to the Maeght Foundation, which houses an impressive number of works by Bonnard, Braque, Kandinsky, Chagall, Miró, Calder, Giacometti, Hepworth and others. The foundation has lovely interior rooms containing sculpture and paintings, as well as beautiful gardens and terraces where the art is showcased.

La Vie by Chagall; Calder Mobile Hanging from Ceiling

Saint Paul De Vence is one of France’s most visited towns, and we were very pleased to have an opportunity to see it on a day that is a national holiday and a very meaningful one for the French, and all of Europe.

JFB & MAM

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Joe Benning

Pisa

Our ship stopped in Livorno, Italy and many passengers opted to head into Florence or other areas of Tuscany—we decided to take a walking tour of Pisa.

Pisa is another medieval walled town, which today houses approximately 90,000 residents, and an additional 50,000 students at the three universities in Pisa. The town has huge numbers of tourists (taking selfies at strange angles to show how they are propping up the leaning tower), and a youthful vibe, with bicyclists everywhere, and many cafes, bars and restaurants.

The influence of the Medici family and other wealthy Florentines is evident in Pisa – beautiful palazzi line the Arno River, and the Medici crest appears on buildings throughout the town.

The Arno River flows through Pisa (and on to Florence, about 40 miles east) and water can be found not too far under the land in this part of Tuscany. Building large marble towers and other edifices carries risk that the land will not support the buildings over time (hence the leaning tower, and other buildings in the city that lean slightly).

Our visit in Pisa included the leaning tower, of course, as well as the neighboring Cathedral and Baptistry, which are beautiful. The Cathedral and Baptistry are slowly sinking, since they were built on the same plain as the tower, but their weight is distributed over a larger base than the tower, so they do not appear to be leaning.

In recent years, concrete has been injected into the ground to support the tower, and other safeguards have been adopted -the practice of allowing people to climb to the top of the tower has even resumed, after many years when it was not permitted for reasons of safety.

We spent some time in the neighborhood that makes up the campus of the Scuola Normale Superior, a prestigious school that has graduted Nobelists and other award winners such as Enrico Fermi. The curriculum is rigorous, but students who are accepted and earn high grades enjoy a completely free education.

Library of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa

And once again we enjoyed a gelato in the course of our trek. Another excellent day in Italy!

JFB and MAM

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Joe Benning

A Visit to Castel Gandolfo - the Apostolic Palace

Today was very special—we went to see the summer palace for Popes—Castelo Gandolfo. Opened to visitors in 2016, it has served as the summer palace for Popes since the Seventeenth Century. Castelo Gandolfo is about 28 kilometers outside of Rome. Pope Francis never spent a single night there, which is probably why it was opened to the public. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with a new Pope.

On the grounds there is a lovely, peaceful green park, overlooking Lake Albano. The palace has many rooms for formal receptions and visits, as well as many private rooms (such as the room where Pope Benedict used to watch soccer games on television).

The palace itself has beautiful gardens, mostly green without many floral areas. We had the opportunity to visit the “secret garden” of the Pope. It contained pathways of crushed white stone where the pope could walk and contemplate. The garden housed many statues and a fountain designed to reflect a grotto honoring Mary. The garden is a very peaceful place.

While touring the palace we saw the pope’s bedroom, private chapel, office, and many other rooms.

The decoration of the castle is not very ornate by castle standards. The colors chosen to decorate the rooms reflect the seaside and nature.

Notably the castle has many, many portraits of the popes. Several portraits of the most recent pontiffs are below.

Among other items of note: Pope Benedict retired to Castle Gandolfo, and Pope John Paul II spent a lot of time in contemplation at Castel Gandolfo. Pope Francis visited the castle three times but never stayed overnight.

One of the exhibits at the castle involves the uniforms worn by the Swiss guard and various other uniformed personnel, including the Carmerlengo. (The Carmerlengo administers the temporal affairs of the Holy See during a papal vacancy.) There is a picture below of the uniform the Carmerlengo wore in prior centuries.

Uniform Worn by Carmerlengo in past centuries

Castel Gandolfo is a beautiful place, and it was very meaningful to spend some time in the very rooms where various pontiffs lived when they had a chance to get away from the summer heat in Vatican City.

After we finished touring Castel Gandolfo we walked up through cobblestone streets in a very pretty town, and saw a church where a Monday morning wedding was taking place. There were lots of people in attendance with flowers and rice thrown to celebrate, and beautiful attire on all of the participants.

JFB and MAM

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Joe Benning

Tarquinia and Rome

Rome is a bit busy these days, so when our ship docked at the port, we decided to go to a nearby medieval town, Tarquinia. The town dates back to the ninth century BC, and sits on top of a very steep hill overlooking the Tyrrhenian sea.

The town is enclosed by medieval walls and watch towers. There are numerous churches and bell towers within the town, giving it a lovely profile.

The old cobblestone streets of Tarquinia are incredibly steep, so we were fortunate to take a trolley train (with a guide to narrate the history) through most of the old town.

Fortunately it was Sunday when we visited Tarquinia, so one of the oldest churches (Santa Maria in Castello) was open for Mass. We were able to visit the interior of the church before Mass started. It was striking in its simplicity and age.

Our tour finished with a delicious gelato, and we were back at the port in no time.

That evening we went into the city of Rome for an event sponsored by Crystal for its passengers on the world cruise.

We were treated to a delightful evening of music and dinner at the Palazzo Colonna in Rome, a private museum. The chef who prepared the dinner will be responsible for the menu at one of Crystal’s specialty restaurants. One of his restaurants has 3 Michelin stars. The event was pretty amazing – and a great way to end the day.

JFB and MAM

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Joe Benning

Last Days of Pompeii

When our ship docked in Naples, we had the opportunity to visit the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Pompeii was instantly buried beneath 30 feet of volcanic ash and cinder when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. People living in the city perished instantly when the volcanic ash poured down on the city.

Mount Vesuvius in the background of Pompeii

We had an interesting tour of the portion of the city that has been excavated. We saw streets, homes, and shops that were preserved intact as a result of the instantaneous cascade of volcanic ash that rained down on the city. Consequently it provided a glimpse of Roman life as it was 2000 years ago.

We then visited the nearby city of Herculaneum, which was a both wealthier and smaller than Pompeii.

Herculaneum in the Shadow of Mt Vesuvius

Nearby Herculaneum was destroyed by massive lava flows from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Before the volcano erupted, some of the wealthy inhabitants of the town were able to leave by ship. Others didn’t make it out. The homes that they left behind were buried in mud and are therefore well preserved. In fact, residents of the city knew how to construct walls in a way that would withstand some earthquakes, which made it even easier to see some of the structures in their original state.

It was interesting to imagine how life was in these towns 2000 years ago, and to see the contrast between the two cities in terms of the wealth of the inhabitants. Also very interesting to see the manners in which the cities were destroyed (or left intact) by natural disasters.

JFB and MAM

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Joe Benning

Erice, Sicily

As we approach the final leg of our journey we will have several stops in Italy. The first stop, which we just had, was in Erice, Sicily. It is a small town (pop 27,000) located on the top of Mount Erice. It is about 2,500 feet above sea level and overlooks the town of Trapani.

Erice is a member of an organization named “Borghi più belli d’Italia” which translates as “The most beautiful villages of Italy.” It’s hard to argue with that characterization.

We went on a walking tour of the town. Typical of medieval towns, it is walled off; there are defendable gates that lead into the city; it is loaded with churches, and it has a few castles.

We visited Chiesa Madre di Erice in piazza Matrice. The church, which featured elaborate architecture inside, is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta.

After exploring the inside of the church we headed toward the top of the town where the view of Trapani is breathtaking. Also, while taking in the view from the mountain, we spotted one of the many castles in the town.

Of course, before long the place was packed with tourists. And you can really begin to understand why a city whose current business model is built on tourism is getting a bit ambivalent about it. The population is only about 27,000 and by the summer the visitors will come close to outnumbering the residents.

Locals Observe Tourists in Erica, Sicily

Woman Tourist in Erice–Before the Deluge

Having said that, when we had some free time, like typical tourists we relaxed, had some pastry and an expresso in a local cafe and then began the ride back to the port. That entailed going through narrow winding roads with lots of hairpin turns. The best course is probably to simply suspend disbelief that doom is imminent and enjoy the sights, which are truly breathtaking.

JFB

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Category: Photo Notes

The Moors

Some More Time in Cornwall

Merry Olde England

At the Fairfax County Fair

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Home Again

St. Paul de Vence, France

Pisa

A Visit to Castel Gandolfo - the Apostolic Palace

Tarquinia and Rome

Last Days of Pompeii

Erice, Sicily

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