At last!! Finally made it to Switzerland.

Yes, I finally made it to Switzerland on my photo updates to the BLOG. Here are some of the shots from Bern, the first stop.

Yes, they really liked me in Bern, even named a store for me. Sure!

And here is further proof. Of course, they do lack a little in spelling Irish names, it seems.

Guess I'll have to go back and give a bit of instruction.

This is as close as I'll ever get to fame for my mental capacities.

I'm sitting at Einstein's desk.

A view of Bern from a hill near the botanical garden.
Yes, that's snow on the rooftops. After all, it was December.

There are a number of fountains in the streets in the town center.
This is the most far out of all. An ogre eating children.
The balance of them are much tamer.

Bern's botanical garden had only hothouse exibits while I was there.
Here are some cacti native to the US southwest.
Perhaps some of you know them personally. Ouch

Actually, this is the train I took from Venezia to Milano, first leg of the trip to Bern.

There I go again, playing the role of travel snob.

View of Bern from a bridge over the Aare river.

The Bern Bear pits.

Those poor guys really look lonely and somewhat pathetic.
All they can do is wander in circles and beg for food.

Close-up of the Zytglogge, the town clock.

Quite elaborate

Looking up Kramgasse, the main street, toward the Zytglogge.

One of the fountains in the foreground.

Where to for the next trip? Several places come to mind, but I'd rather surprise you. And I've been known to change my mind, also. But before then, Interlaken (yeahhhh!), Lucerne and Zurich still remain un-photo'd on the BLOG, so first things first.

Ahh!!! Venezia

Here are the Venezia (Venice, am I becoming a travel snob?) photos. You probably thought I'd given up, didn't you. No, just lazy, and busy with other things. Now that I'm in Mexico for a while, maybe I'll find time to get more updates done. The lazy, relaxed life style is really nice.

The Lido beach, looking at one of the huge hotels (closed when I was there).
This section of beach was almost completely covered with shells.
Notice all the cabanas between the hotel and beach. Imagine it during summer!

Secondary, or maybe tertiary street in Venice.
Probably what we'd think of as an alley.

Piazza San Marco
More pigeons than tourists, and there are a lot of tourists!

No, not a gondola.
I don't know what this is, but it really moves out!

Now these are gondolas.
My one (of many) regrets is that I didn't take a ride in one.

View of the Grand Canal at nite.
Taken from the Rialto Bridge.

Same view from the Rialto Bridge,
Obviously during the day.

Another view from the Rialto.
But from the other side of the bridge.

Homes and businesses along the Grand Canal.

From a vaporetto (water taxi), under the Accademia Bridge.
Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute

Basilica San Marco

Basilica San Marco

Harbor and Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute.
From the Bell Tower in the Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco.
From a balcony on the Basilica San Marco.
The long table-like items are temporary walkways used for foot traffic during extremely high tides. They are stored along all the major thoroughfares near the Grand Canal.

Close up of Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute.
From the Bell Tower.

Domes of Basilica San Marco.
From the Bell Tower.

Florence and Pisa

I bet you thought I'd given up, didn't you? No, but I haven't been too active on updating the blog, I have to admit. Now that I'm in Mexico, and can find a little time (between XX, Sol and Pacifica) maybe I'll do a bit better. We'll see.

Here are some from Florence and Pisa, as the title suggests.

Replica of the statue of David.
The real thing is much more impresive.

Wish I had my guide book with me. If I did, I'd tell you the name of the Cathedral in Florence.

All I can say is that it's beautiful, built with green and pink marble.

I just can't resist photos of reflections.
This is in a park in Florence.

View from a Tuscany Vineyard

Relaxing dinner after a really tough day of wine tasting.

Your's truely overlooking Florence.

View of Florence from the hill above the city.
Replica statue of Davis is located here.

Now this is really aged chianti!

Another view from the hill.

Tower of Pisa. I thought this was a neat view.

Pisa-ka-boo

View of the Pisa cathedral from the tower.

Caribineri (sp?) or Polizia (sp?) in Florence.
Patti, here's a job if you get tired of LAPD

The Cathedral in central Florence.

Downtown shopping district, early evening, as the lights are coming on.

Yes, the leaning tower of Pisa really does lean.

View from my hotel room in Florence.

Thanks to the couple from New Mexico in Athens for recommending it.

The Arno river in Florence.

How did I miss Athens?????

How in the world I managed to miss posting the photos from Athens, I'll never know, but here they are now. And more even than from Roma. Guess you can tell what my favorite city is?

A fitting farewell to Athens.

Remember the story about how the Aegean Sea got it's name?
This is where it happened.

Temple of Poseidon, near the above photo.
Southernmost tip of this part of Greece.

Syntagma Square on a rainy day.

Thession, or Temple of Hephaestus, near the Acpropolis.

The Panathenium Stadium. This was the site of the original Olympics.
(but not in the existing stadium)

And Syntagma Square on a sunny day.

The white area upper left is the Panatheneum Stadium.
Ruin in the foreground is the Temple of the Olympian Zeus.
This is taken from the Acropolis.

The Erechtheion on the Acropolis.
The statues are plaster copies, originals in the Acropolis Museum.

Stadium and Theater of Delphi

Ruins of Hadrian's Library.

Just one of the reasons I exclaimed "WOW" when I first saw Athens from this hill!
Just wish there was a way I could display the entire panorama.

One of many mosaics in Hadrian's Library

The Acropolis viewed through Hadrian's Gate

The Parthenon on the Acropolis.
Of course this had do be included.

As I said in the Roma posting, the CD with the last photos of Athens and first from Roma didn't have anything on it, so I missed a lot. From Athens, it was the trip to the island of Egina. Another reason to return.