Amsterdam, Netherlands
rode the train in, sipped all kinds of little coffees, enjoyed the Lover’s canal boat ride, marveled at the Van Gogh Museum paintings, assisted brewing a batch of beer at the Heineken Experience,
Cologne, Germany
gazed upon all the locks on Lover’s Bridge, stood in awe of The Dom Cathedral, and devoured an entire plate of local meats - yay sausage!
Rhine River (Bacharach, Koblenz, Mayen, Mendig), Germany
explored Castles and churches along the Rhine River by train and ferry, stayed safe by finding the cop bar, stood inside the Deutsches Eck while watching the Rhine & Moselle meet, met John’s mother’s side of the family, The Krayers, visited the location of one of John's great Uncle’s painted landscapes, stood on the stoop of his great grandfather’s house where his Mom spent time while growing up
Mainz & Frankfurt, Germany
reviewed Gutenberg's printing press in Mainz, then trained over the Rhine River to enjoy the sights, spirits, and tastings of Old Town,
Munich, Germany
harkened the chimes at Marienplatz Glockenspiel clock tower, chanted in song to drink liters of beer at the original Hofbrauhaus House Brewery, partook the festivities at the Oktoberfest opening weekend and sat with Germans who rode in on the floats from the parade!
Vatican City, Rome, Italy
preplanned tickets to the Vatican Museum got us past the long lines and to the Sistine Chapel where we stood in astonishment for over an hour, sipped wine and devoured gelato, carefully stepped the spiral stairs to the very tip top of St. Peter’s Basillica, delighted in a sit-down breakfast with our international B&B neighbors
Sicily, Messina, Italy
sailed away to Sicily, climbed atop the astronomical clock bell tower for a stunning view of the city, gorged on authentic cannoli and granite – delicious!
Valletta, Malta
chartered a private boat to Comino’s Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon, Gozo, went snorkeling and Kristen was stung by jellyfish, we saw a real live octopus swimming at the bottom of the most clearest water,
Mykonos & Delos, Greece
continued cruising along, gazed upon all the white houses and beautiful blue domes, took a ferry to Delos to see the ancient ruins of the birthplace and home to God Apollo, ate the most delicious Greek lunch and gazed upon the Windmills of Kato Mili,
Santorini, Greece
took the cable car up top and rented 4-wheeler to jet-set around the island ourselves, wine tasted while looking over the edge of the island, hunted to find the postcard-pictured famous Blue Domes, and visited the Red Sand beach,
Athens, Greece
jumped a double decker bus to sight-see, hiked to the top of Acropolis, peered into the prison of Socrates, and saw the Olympic Stadium
Naples, Italy
hopped a train to Herculaneum where we visited the ancient ruins being excavated, feasted on some of the best original pizza, walked the very first street of the ancient market in Rome by going to the Underground,
Rome, Italy
proceeded on a 3-hour tour of the Palatine Hill, Roman Forum – and walked through the Gladiator’s entrance at the Colosseum on the main floor, spun in circles inside the Parthenon while being audio-guided by Rick Steves, dwelled on the day in front of the Trevi Fountain, filled our stomachs to the brim with pasta in the Treversu dining area because When In Rome!!