Now we arrive at the ancient city of Rome. Of course it is a very modern city, I just like saying "ancient". We are still processing what we've seen. It is not simply a matter of describing the trip, but expressing our amazement. After all, these are places and events that helped shape our culture. Walking through Rome we would turn a corner and come up on the Pantheon, and then the Colosseum. Modern Rome is built up around these landmarks, and it sort of takes the tourist by surprise! Seeing sights we've heard so much about - the Spanish steps, or the multitudes of people sitting on the steps. Wandering through the Villa Borghese Park, people watching. Trevi fountain was a shock. So many people bunched up in the small square that dead ended into ... read more

This is for the boat lovers in our family. So here are some, I repeat, some of the boats in Venice. While wandering around (translation: being lost), we came upon a shop where some of the gondolas are made, it's called a squero. They are made of 8 types of wood, nine including the wood of the oar. ... read more

Much to our delight, Keith was to attend a meeting in the wonderful city of Istanbul. The only hitch is, that it was just ending, as his vacation starts, so our time here is cut short. This meant that he was challenged to get in as many sights as he could, of this enormous city. This visit to Turkey is the beginning of two weeks of travel. Okay, let me just say that we are tired! Some of us remember world history, and the ancient city of Constantinople, the cross roads of civilization. Founded in A.D.330. And for hundreds of years before Constantine I, it was Byzantium. This is Istanbul, the most eastern point of Europe. A modern city of approximately 15,000,000 whose boundry encompasses two continents. To say we have seen plenty of crowded ... read more

This Garden on the Left Bank of Paris, is considered one of the best parks in the world. It has areas for bocce ball, tennis, kids play, cafe, cards, chess, and many smaller settings with statues. And that wonderful pond, smack in the middle where kids rent model sailing ships to nagivate them with pokes from a stick, and all walks of people grab a chair and circle the water to snack, daydream, or fall in love. I fell in love with Paris. You could attend bee keeping school, watch a puppet theatre, ride the carousel, or listen to a concert at the band stand. There are espaliered orchards, and flower beds around hidden corners. Seems the most popular past time is napping in the chairs. The queen Marie de Medici began remodeling the palace in ... read more

view of south west Paris from La Tour Montparnasse Paris in the spring The photo above is taken from atop the Montparnasse Tower, in the area of the 6th arrondissement. You can take the elevator up to the 56th floor, where there is a spacious observation area, cafe, gift shop, film about the tower, and plenty of windows for viewing the city. With each arrondissement, is a different neighborhood, a different feeling. We have chosen to stay in a district that is known for the cafes, and the fabulous shops. These cafes have been popular for over a hundred years with the literary and artistic types whose ideas formed global movements. Whether or not the actual writers and artists really did frequent our favorites, doesn't matter too much to us, we enjoy just the thought of ... read more