Geo: 41.8955, 12.4823We were out of the hotel by 7:50 to take the Metro to the Vatican Museums. When we got there, we soon learned that there had been a power outage in the Vatican, so no one was able to go inside yet, regardless of reservation time. We waited in line for maybe twenty minutes before Reid decided to switch our morning and afternoon activities. So we left the museum line and went to Piazza San Pietro to stand in line for the security check to get into St. Peter's. Walking inside is just as great as ever. And, as ever, I still can't get a good picture of the Pietà.For the first time, I was able to walk around behind the Baldacchino. I've been told this before but I still can't believe it: there ... read more

Geo: 43.7687, 11.2569Ah! Sleeping in till 7:15: what bliss!I wasn't entirely sure what I planned to do with my morning, but I walked toward the Mercato Centrale and met Sheree and Sandy just coming out. So I walked along with them through the San Lorenzo market and then over near Santa Maria Novella. We eventually decided we needed a plan, so we set off in the direction of the Ponte Vecchio. On the way we walked down the Via Calz' and had fun window shopping – nothing was open yet. Most everything was open on the Ponte Vecchio but, again, it was only window shopping because everything there is so expensive. We walked across and then walked back on the other side of the river to the next bridge. I stopped in at a pharmacy because ... read more

Geo: 45.4345, 12.3384When you think of Italians, you probably think of food ... and lots of it. Great big family dinners;lunches substantial enough to require a nap afterwards. Breakfast, however, is almost treated as an afterthought. This is my fourth time in Italy, and I'm positive I've been served the same breakfast in each hotel: something that looks like a croissant but that has an odd apricot-y sort of flavor; a plain white roll; some spreads to mask the flavor; and juice or coffee. After the meat/cheese/egg/good bread/muesli/yogurt breakfasts we've had in the Netherlands, Germanyand Austria, an Italian breakfast is quite a letdown. However, it fills the tank, and off you go.It wasn't raining when we left the hotel, but it soon started up. And then it would stop. And as soon as I could get ... read more

Geo: 50.3118, 11.7712It feels so petty complaining after having been to Dachau, but I woke up this morning and my cold was worse. It has decided to settle in my chest, which means any real exertion makes it hard to breathe. About half the group elected to hike through the foothills of the Alps and over the border into Germany to see Neuschwanstein this morning. It would have been fun todo, especially as it wasn't raining and it wasn't even particularly cold all day, but Reid said it would take about an hour and twenty minutes and he would be setting a good pace. I elected to take the bus with the other half of the group.Before getting on the bus, I wandered around a little bit. This is a working farm, so there are horses ... read more

Geo: 50.3118, 11.7712We are on the autobahn to Rothenburg, having left the hotel at 8:30. It's raining again, and I think I'm coming down with a cold. Ick.At our first rest stop (where, by the way, you can buy jewelry and a fine watch), I made sure to watch my toilet after waving my hand in front of the sensor to flush it. It's amazing. A mechanism comes out from the tank and hovers over the seat and bowl. It squirts cleaner into the bowl, while the seat spins around on top of the bowl to be cleaned by a sponge (or something) on the underside of this mechanism. It's pretty cool, and I don't mind paying the 50 or 70 eurocents to use a clean restroom at a rest stop that comprises various restaurants, coffee ... read more