As with any trip, visits with friends are always the highlight. We took a cruise of the Greek Islands and had dinner with Kostas in his beautiful waterfront town, Preveza. In Italy, we spent time on the Amalfi Coast, in Rome, and in Venice. We had dinner and a walk about town in Bologna with Stefano (smazinga), Emiliano, Emiliano's wife, Michela, and Martino, their new baby boy. In Germany, we stayed with Harry and his wife, Angelika, and spent time with Hoss and his wife, Petra. Angelika was a world-class hostess! And we saw the new house that Hoss and his family are building. Not bad, considering Papa hasn't been able to help! :-) In France, we stayed with Carl, his wife Elisabeth, and their 4 children. We had a nice dinner in Colmar and then took a walk about town. Carl and I built houses together here in the US 20 years ago, and he has done a terrific job improving and finishing their home. Again, not bad considering Papa didn't help! :-) Then in Switzerland, we stayed a night with Elvis (Christian), his wife Lydia, and their 3 little girls. Christian is an accomplished musician, a world-class cook, and an all around fun guy! The view from his front window is like a picture postcard! See slideshow below...
'That's what I'm talkin' about!' was our thought as we put our feet up for a cruise to Istanbul and the Greek Cyclades. It was only a week, but we visited Istanbul and Kusadasi Turkey, and the Greek Islands of Rhodes, Crete, Mykonos, Patmos, Delos, and Santorini. The focus of the cruise was the antiquities, and we saw plenty of old rocks indeed! :-) We visited the markets in Istanbul, visited ancient Minoan ruins in Crete, and rode donkeys up to the top of Santorini for breathtaking views of the Agean sea below.
We did a walking tour of the antiquities in Athens. We visited the famous city of Delphi where the famed Oracle worked her magic thousands of years ago. And we ended our stay in Greece with a nice dinner and walk about town with Kostas. Nice country you have there, Kostas! See slideshow below...
Beauty perched on a hillside! We were weary from so much sightseeing and always being on the go, so we scheduled a couple of nights at a newly rennovated B&B in Ravello Italy, perched above the Amalfi Coast. Wow! The B&B was the least expensive accomodation we had on the trip, and was far and away the best. Of course the good price might have had something to do with the 120 steps you had go down to reach the place.
We liked it so much that we quickly scheduled a third night. We visited the ancient Pompei while there, and took a boat ride along the coast to Positano, but spent a lot of time at the B&B enjoying the fabulous view. The moonrise photos in the Enchanting Europe slideshow below were taken from our veranda. Wow!
The owner's brother had coffee with us one morning and cut us several fresh lemons from one of the lemon trees on the property. His English and our Italian were lacking, but we didn't need that many words to share the beautiful setting, a coffee, and a great glass of lemonade.
The smallest, richest country in the world, the Vatican is the seat of the Roman Catholic Religion, the official residence of the Pope, and the keeper of countless art treasures, including works by Michaelangelo, Carravagio and Da Vinci. Michaelangelo's Pieta can be seen in St Peter's Basilica and of course his famous scenes of the creation are seen on the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel.
We were awed at the sheer size of the enclave, and at the number of art treasures held at the Vatican. The line to get in was several city blocks long, but went pretty fast... the enormity of the place made it not seem crowded though once you were inside the Vatican walls.
Interestingly, undergoing final preparation while we were there, is a new exhibit at the Vatican... the ancient remains of a burial crypt uncovered while excavating for a new Vatican parking lot. The archaelogical treasure, which pre-dates Christianity, is being called 'The Necropolis of the Parking Lot.' I'm not making that up! :-) See slideshow below...
Venice Italy is a truly unique, enchanting and beautiful city. From romantic gondola rides on the canals to eclectic art galleries to world-class symphony and theater performances, Venice is a city like no other.
A Vaporetto Pass gives you unlimited rides on any of the numerous Vaporettos in Venice. A Vaporetto is basically like a city bus, only on water.
We took a Vaporetto out to Murano Island, home of the world famous glass blowing factories. And we caught a chamber music performance of Vivaldi's music in a six hundred year old church. Antonio Vivaldi was a resident of Venice. See slideshow below...
Nice Trip!
