Switzerland at Last

I'm in Lucerne! And am debating whether to go up Mt Titlis or Mt Pilatus. Mt Pilatus gives an awesome view of the Alps and of Lucerne, but Titlis has an ice cave! But it's also farther away... hmm....

But I WILL be going to the House of Mirrors. Whee!

In Innsbruck!

And I'm off to Switzerland today. Yay!

Now In Vienna!

Arrived here just in time for Vienna's first snowfall, too! It's 1 C here. Whee!!

Yay for Venice!

Just spent all day wandering around Venice. It is so easy to get lost there!!

And I've got some awesome stories to tell (the ferry I was on had stowaways!) but internet isn't cheap up here near Venice. So, you'll just have to wait!

Tomorrow, I shall be heading up to Vienna. Whee!

(And hopefully I'll find cheap wi-fi access up there ^_^)

In San Marino

And now I'm in San Marino (tiny country landlocked in northern Italy), up way, way on the top of the hill and just outside the walls of the original city. So cool!

Tomorrow: Venice!!!

Status Update

It's pouring rain all over here in Athens with the occasional lightning and thunder. Wish there were more of those... I mean, if I'm going to have to stay inside, why not have a concert to listen to?

^_^

And my poor coat - it's completely soaked. Tsk tsk

Speaking of Lights...

Here's Big Ben!

No, he's not leaning (that's Pisa). I was just having fun with the angles. ^_^

Ooo...Pretty Lights

When I was in Berlin, they were having a Festival of Lights at the time. So each night, they would light up certain buildings in the main part of Eastern Berlin in pretty colors or designs for several hours.

It's hard trying to capture moving lights but here are some of the better shots.

Cool, aren't they?

Athens At Last

My first view of the Acropolis with a great view of the Parthenon. Whee!!

Odd Doors in Versailles

Here's another shot of the gardens, off the right. The thing that gets me though is...(hits enter several times to get down to the next pic)







Is see this shot here? See those big doors down on that first level? Well, it's not really the first level - at least not of the palace. They go under the gardens instead (see lower pic).

Which makes me wonder: what were all those doors for? Apparently not for the King!

P.S. The pics are all crazy cause I'm too lazy to fix them. So, enjoy! ^_^

A Pretty Spot

In the Versailles Gardens. Wish I had more time to explore all of those.

This was part of the Queen's Grove where, originally, it was a hedge maze. I was hoping there would actually be a maze, but alas, it's just in the plans of being restored as such one day.

Versailles

During school, I studied Versailles (mainly the architecture and how it was influenced and affected other periods, especially the gardens) and so I was very eager to see it in person. And aAfter lovely dark halls of the Paris subways and brief stints of industrial scenery, I probably would have been happy to see anything worth noting. But I wasn't quite expecting what I got:

The pictures in my books made it look like it was surrounded with greenery and a gorgeous lake, so I was rather disappointed to see it so...concretish. (Nor did it help to see a bunch of scaffolding all over the front)

But then I got around to the backside. Now that is more like it!

Apparently all the great shots are from the back side of the house. Can't disagree. It's really pretty from the back.

From a different angle

Now in Greece!

And I just got off the ferry and now am in Greece. Whee!

Heading to Athens tomorrow. Whoohoo!

Anyone up for some Torture?

Wandering about in Carcassonne (small medieval town with lovely medievalish walls, cathedral, and castle!), I came across this lovely sign.

(It's a sign with "Torture" written on it and a hand pointing down the street)

Not exactly what I wanted, but it sure cracked me up!

When You've Got A Palace

Might as well have a Royal Cathedral!

It's built right into the Versailles palace by Louis XIV, one of his last additions to the palace.

Apparently he became very religious near the end of his life and wanted a chapel to be a part of his home as well.


The chapel is quite huge though, considering it's part of a palace/house. Consists of two floors (the royal family had the upper floor and the lesser royals and maybe some commoners could use the lower floor) and had a gorgeous organ at the end.

The pic above is from the ground floor. The pic on the right is from the upper floor and shows off the gorgeous, painted ceiling. And you get a sneak peak of the gold-decorated doors leading into the chapel.

It's the Golden Gate

Behold, the golden gate of Versailles!

(Yes, I did make it there after all)

This is taken behind the gate, looking out over the city.

Plus Side of Getting Lost

You can get some great shots!

I was lost using the trains, trying to get to Versailles, when the train crossed the river and I had this lovely view staring right at me.

I so love getting lost ^_^

No Touchie!

This tree just made me laugh. It's like it's avoiding that stump on the right hand side or something. lol!

Taken in the Lake District

Picturesque Lake District

And a random shot from a small town in the Lake District up in England. I liked how it turned out. ^_^

Monaco!

A shot of Monacco as I passed by it on the bus. At least part of it is Monacco. Not entirely sure where France and Monaco ended/started, but somewhere in that picture is Monaco. ^_^

Yeah, they weren't kidding when they said Monaco was small!

Barcelona Cathredal - Let's shake it up a bit

Back in Barcelona, I checked out the main cathedral next to the old royal palace (very plain in comparison with most other palaces I've seen, btw).

The cathedral outside wasn't all that impressive, but the inside sure was. There was just so much space! Twas so airy and seemed to be much larger than it was. This church was also built backwards. The dome was at the front of the church (it's usually in the back, over the main altar) and the organ/choir was placed smack dab in the middle (tis usually in the front of the church so that when the people are sitting -- facing the altar -- the music wafts over them from behind). But the arrangement did create a great sense of 'airiness' and lightness.

The most interesting thing though, I think, were the gargoyles outside. Usually, they're quite fierce and grotesque looking, but on one side of this cathedral, the depictions weren't quite...as gruesome. Can you see it in the pic? The first one to the far left is a unicorn. Then the next one, in the middle, is an elephant. And the third one, which you really can't see in this pic, is a man on a horse.

Now how'd that come to pass??

Now in Sorrento!

And now I'm pausing in the picturesque Italian town of Sorrento, just off the Bay of Naples and a short drive from Pompeii.

But most important, it's filled with pizza shops serving Napolitan pizza!! Wahoo!!!

Sono in Roma!

And now I'm in Rome, Italy, staying in a hotel just a hop and a skip from where I used to live 2 years ago.

It. Is. So. Wierd!!!

That is all I have to say.

The Slideshow!

And I have a new gadget on my blog!

See there on the lower right side? It's a slideshow of all the pics I've posted up on this blog including some that are hidden (meaning you haven't seen them yet).

Isn't that cool?


Update: Never mind. It makes this page take way too long to load, especially with the weak access I have. Sad...

To Take, or To Not Take the pic...

Okay, this is a funny story.

So, here I am, wondering lost (yet again) in central Berlin and I take a second to look up from my (not helpful) map to cross the road (you know, so I don't get hit or something).

My eyes are immediately searching for any type of road sign that would be (anything) similar to the names I have on my map when I suddenly realize what I'm staring at:

And I'm like, wow! That's a pretty building. I should take a picture...except by then, I have pretty much crossed the street, thus bringing me to the building itself and thus ruining any good shots of the building.

I debate for a second or too: Do I look like an idiot and run back or continue in a sensible fashion and forgo the shot? But..but, it's such a cool shot...and the light is still green....

Decision made, I stop just inches from the curb, startling a nice lady, and -- clutching the map while I dig for my camera -- dash back across to take that shot.

Just as I find my camera, that nice lady (hurrying over as well) comes to me and is like "Are you lost?"

I stare at her rather stupidly (my mind is focused on the building, not on where I am). She helps me out by pointing at the map still clutched in my hands and mentions how she saw me run back over to this side and was wondering if I was completely lost.

Well....techincally yes, but that wasn't the reason why I ran back across the street...

She did laugh when I told her the real reason (and even more ironically, that building was the building I was looking for. It's the post office, if you guys don't know. Don't worry. I would never have guessed either - hence why I was lost).

Down the other side of the street is this really cool church, too. ^_^

Here's a closer shot:

All in all, I'm quite glad I ran back to get that pic.

Randomness in Berlin

This was taken while I was lost (once again) somewhere in the far Eastern part of Berlin.

I was just wondering down this odd side street when I saw this windmill. And then I noticed the goats eating hay on the contrived rock hill, and I thought it was random enough to merit a pic ^_^

In hindsight, I guess it was a farm of some sort, aimed at tourists, cause that windmill sure didn't appear to do anything other than go round and round...

The Lone Tree

Just a pretty shot from the Lake District. Really liked how it turned out.

Ahhh....

This was taken randomly, in a bus, and in a frantic manner since I was trying to catch it before it went out of view. And for some reason, it came out awesome! I love how the clouds worked and how it's slightly off center. Very cool!

And if you look hard enough, you can see the reflection of the window.

(This is in Paris, right across from the plaza where the guillotine stood during the Reign of Terror)

The Sign! It's the Sign!!

Ta Da!!

I walked 4 miles for this (2 there, and 2 back) so you all better appreciate this.

And now a better angle of the sign plus Wales itself!

And, to prove I was in Wales, here's a shot of me being welcomed back into England. ^_^

The Girliness of Gretna Green

So, going back to Scotland...

It's Gretna Green!! ^_^ So, where's my hubby? j/k ;)

Here's a closer shot of the sign on the building.

And I just thought this advertisement was extremely funny.

"Shop. Marry. Stay. Visit." Try doing all those four at once ^_^

Barcelona, Spain

And now I'm in Barcelona of Espana! (pretend a spanish accent is over that 'n', k?). I also have internet access in my room! Hurray!!

So, after I go and grab something to eat, I'll see if I can post up some pics. ^_^

Paris ^_^

I'm in Paris!!!

And getting horribly lost. lol

Actually, I'm at Versailles and now trying to get back to Paris (told you I was lost, didn't I? ^_^). But the palace was gorgeous!! Man, did that king know how to waste money.

The Girlyness of Bath

I was there! Whee!!!

The city itself wasn't as cool as I was expecting...but the actual Roman Baths were cool! And the Bath Cathedral was even cooler. Last Gothic church to be built before the Baroque period settled permanently in the land.

Wales Update

I ended up walking there. ^_^

The conversation with the bus driver went something like this:

Me: How much does it cost to get to Wales and how long will it take?
The bus driver asks in a great Wales accent: well, depends on what town you want to go to.
Me: No town. Just to the border.
Bus driver looks at me wierd. "You just want to go to the border?"
Me: Yep!
Bus Driver: Not to any town?
Me: Nope. Just want a sign that says "Welcome to Wales".
Bus driver laughs: Well, first time hearing that. Well, it would probably be faster as well as cheaper if you just walked there yourself."
Me: Really? Which street do I take"
Bus driver points down the road: Just follow that due west. You'll hit Whales eventually.
45 minutes later, a very excited me takes a picture of one old sign that wearily depicts "Welcome to Wales".

I'm sure the passing cars thought there was a crazy nut on the loose as I took those pictures.

I'm sure it's like seeing some random girl hopping up and down and taking pictures of a sign that says "Welcome to Arizona" or something. lol

Still had a ton of fun doing it, though. ^_^