ITALY
 Verona

 11-15-2003

  We left Munich, Germany by train. 

The snowy mountains were turning into green fields of grapes. 

 

 We arrived in Verona in the early evening.

 

The famous Arena (another Roman amphitheater) is on the left.

 The city was beginning to come alive. 

 There was a sports race planned and the drivers were preparing.

We decided to go to the other side of town and see Juliet's Balcony.

Kevin (bottom left) is trying to decide if he should climb up.

 

 

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 Venice

11-16-2003

Next stop: Venice

St. Mark's Square

Pigeons everywhere 

 

 Water everywhere 

 It was beautiful.

Boats, Gondolas and Water taxis were the main means of transportation.

But we decided to hoof it.

We bought a map and walked throughout Venice.

The paths and bridges were like a maze,

and the map really came in handy.

  I considered buying an apron for Kevin. 

 

 

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 Florence

 

 Florence was quite a treat.

The people were friendly.

The art was fantastic.

And the scenery was stellar. 

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flowers) 
is simply called the Duomo.

The original Michelangelo's David, created in 1501, is in the Accademia Gallery.
They had strict rules about no photography.  
This sculpture was a fake, but looked similar.

 The Arno River is so peaceful.

 It flows through the cities of Florence, Empoli and Pisa.

 Della Repubblica (Republic Square)
Italy has many public squares.
They are great places for meeting and socializing. 

 

 

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 Pisa

11-20-2003

The Leaning Tower of Pisa really does lean. 

 The River Arno in Pisa 

The tower is a free-standing bell-tower of the Pisa Cathedral.

 Pisa Cathedral Square

 The River Arno again. 

 Doesn't everyone, who goes to Pisa, take a picture like this?

 

 

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 Milan

 It was a rainy evening when we arrived in Milan.

 The city seemed off-kilter and gloomy. 

 The Milan Cathedral (Duomo de Milano)

It took six centuries to complete this Gothic Cathedral.

Unfortunately, it was so rainy and dark outside,

I could not get a good picture of the building. 

 

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 Rome

 

11-21-2003

St. Peter's Square

 These nuns were on a mission.

Pope John Paul was going to speak to the public.

They put out the flag and after a bit....

There he was.

He was kind of tiny to see way up there.

So they put up a video-screen for all to watch.

 The Pieta, in St. Peter's Basilica,

 is a marble sculpture of Mary holding the dead body of her son.

It was created in 1499-1500 by Michelangelo at the early age of twenty-five.  

 

 We remember standing in a long line, that was wrapped around the Vatican.

It was an especially hot day for November.

There were rats at our feet, begging for crumbs.

I was just praying that the Vatican would be worth the wait. 

We were herded through the rooms like cattle.

When we entered the Sistine Chapel, there was a hush over the crowd.
Unfortunately, Pictures were not allowed.
It was glorious.

Kevin with the Coliseum behind.

This is the largest amphitheater in the world.

 Christians and Lions.

 It felt a bit ominous to be there.   

 The Pantheon was built during the reign of Augustus (almost 2000 years ago)

as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome.

 Inside the Pantheon

The dome, inside

 The Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.  

The Mausoleum of Hadrian, Castel Sant'Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel),
was built as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian.

The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle,

and is now a museum. 

The Castel was once the tallest building in Rome.

 This was taken across the street from the Coliseum.

There was a peaceful garden to walked through. 

 At night, things appear so peaceful.

Kevin throwing three coins in the

Trevi Fountain.
 

 Note: We walked the Spanish Steps,
rested in the public squares,
ate Gelato,

and did a million other things. 

 

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SPAIN

 

Madrid

 3-10-2004

On our way to Madrid

The center of the city

 The Prado Museum (Museo del Prado):

The admission price was very reasonable (about $7 for both of us).

Maids of Honor (Las Meninas) 1656-57

by Diego Velazquez

This photo does not portray the beauty of this picture.

It was amazing.

There is so much going on in the scene.

People would gather in front of it for long periods of time.

Maybe you noticed Kevin and I in the center mirror reflection.

 Madrid was a great place to walk.

 Hotel Emperador: My father and I stayed at this hotel in 1964.

Not sure why I remembered that.

 If you wanted to dress up in the garb of the Spanish Inquisition,

there were many stores that could accommodate you.

 This is just a view of the street below, that I took hanging out of our hotel window. 

Restaurants were very posh and expensive in Madrid,

so we opted to eat at the local department store.

It was strange.

Meals were set out between women's lingerie and sport's equipment.

We could eat tapas (appetizers), while we shopped for clothes and such.

 On March 11, 2004, (one day after we arrived),

 the Madrid trains were bombed.

The explosions killed 191 people and wounded 1,800.

We e-mailed all, to let them know that we were alright.

 

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Seville

 Our first impression of Seville was that it was more colorful than Madrid.  

3-18-2004

The Giralda is a bell tower in the Cathedral of Seville.

 The architectural detail is stunning.

 Beautiful at night  

 Very interesting sites as we strolled through the neighborhoods.

 The River Guadalquivir

 This is a Bullfighting Ring, which is still a big attraction for some.

They were getting ready to re-open for the summer.

In 1964, I actually witnessed the famous matador, El Cordobes,

in a Bullfight in Madrid.

It was gruesome, to say the least, but very colorful.

In the end, El Cordobes was awarded 2 ears and a tail,

as a trophy for his exceptional fighting display. 

  

 Spanish churches are elaborately decorative and showy. 

 Another picture of the bell tower and church.

We visited the Alcazar Palace of Seville.

It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe. 

 

An alcázar is a type of castle, built by kings to live in.

The term means "fort, castle or palace".

Many cities in Spain have an alcazar.

Spain also has Moorish citadels known as alcazabas.

But the majority of castles in Spain are called castillo.

This is the building of the Captaincy General of Seville.

It opened in 1928, and is exceptionally beautiful.

It is located in the rear of the Plaza of Spain.

  

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Toledo

3-23-2004

 

 

Alcazar of Toledo

The of Alcazar Castle of Toledo located in the highest part of Toledo, Spain.
It was once used as a Roman palace in the 3rd century.
In 1521, Hernán Cortés was received by Charles I at the Alcazar,

following Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs.

During the Spanish Civil War,

Colonel José Moscardó Ituarte held the castle against overwhelming forces.
The Republicans forces took his son, Luis, hostage.
They demanded that the Alcázar be surrendered or they would kill the boy.
Luis told his father, "Surrender or they will shoot me."
His father replied,
"Then commend your soul to God, shout 'Viva Cristo Rey' and die like a hero."  

 

 

 Toledo was beautiful, but very tourist.

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