The huge redwood we were gazing at in the middle of Muir Woods soared high above our heads, filtering out the sun.  The ground around it was covered with dappled images of light and shade that moved and shifted as the mighty tree swayed slightly in the breeze.

Established on January 9, 1908, as a national monument, Muir Woods is located only about 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, but this wilderness of huge trees, whispering streams, and lush greenery seems light years away from the big city. We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge in our comfortable, air-conditioned bus and made a quick stop on the other side to take some pictures of this magnificent, man-made structure, then headed into a completely different world…

One out of four flights to Paris tomorrow has been canceled as airports in the French capital and several other cities prepare for a major strike by air traffic controllers scheduled for July 3 and 4. A similar strike last year caused the cancellation of half of all flights at several airports.

The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has ordered 25% of all flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly and Paris Beauvais to be canceled, and cut flights at Nice, Bastia, Calvi and Corsica airports by 50%; flights at Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Ajaccio and Figari by 30%…