2013 Adventure

Unlike any of the prior ones, this trip was special in many ways.  More than 20 cities in five countries in three weeks -- lots and lots of walking/hiking -- otherwise, planes, trains (long distance)/metro (local transport), automobiles, buses, Humvee vans, trams, boats, ships, cable cars - you name it.  And.. did I mention walking - like 112 hours!

Except for one day in Milan, we were always in and around water - river, bay, sea or ocean.  We were ON the water nearly half the days.  That covered Ligurian Sea near Italian Riviera, Tyrrhenian Sea near Naples, Adriatic Sea near Venice, Ionian and Aegean Seas around Greece - generically the Mediterranean Sea.  We crossed Seine river in Paris, Arno in Florence and Pisa, and Danube in Budapest.  Even our flight to and from Europe was mostly over water - North Atlantic Ocean and Hudson Bay in Canada.

A unique combination of art, architecture, science, history and geography - new and ancient, standing tall or in ruins.  Palaces, Museums, Churches, Basilicas, Cathedrals, Duomos (Dome), Castles and bridges.  Many, many naked bodies of men, women and children - all in statues, sculptures, paintings and frescoes.  Famous name artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Bellini, Raphael, Botticelli, Titian, Vasari, Lippi; scientists/philosophers such as Galileo in Pisa, Archimedes in Seracusa, Socrates and Plato in Athens; world travelers such as Marco Polo in Venice and Columbus in Genoa.  

Venus

David

Three of the world's 16 Decade Volcanoes, known for their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas, lie within a 500 mile radius - covering Southern Italy and Greece - Santorini, southmost major island of Greece in the Mediterranean Sea, Mount Vesuvius near Naples/Pompeii and Mount Etna in Sicily near Catania/Taormina, the largest active volcano in Europe - and we climbed them all just to make sure they were OK.  Santorini remained quiet and peaceful; Vesuvius barely showed life - just a slight hiss of steam escaping from one corner of its caldera; and while it remained quiet when we visited, Etna showed its fury the next day, as we were leaving Sicily.  If we didn't have an early morning flight to catch, we would actually have been right there - on Mount Etna to witness it!

Nov 1, 2013 - White washed houses mark Santorini's capital Fira

Oct 21, 2013 - Mount Vesuvius from Pompeii Excavations

Oct 21, 2013 - steaming Vesuvius

Oct 24, 2013 - Mount Etna smoking, from a distance.

Oct 25, 2013 - the quiet Etna - up close!

Oct 26, 2013 - Etna awakens - from Catania Airport

Oct 26, 2013 - Steam and ash - from airplane as we left CTA

Here are some highlights - for photos click the name of each city:

• Wed Oct 16 - leave for Paris (CDG)
• Thu Oct 17 - Sightsee Paris - Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower

  

  Eiffel Tower, Paris

• Fri Oct 18 - Sightsee Paris - d'Orsay Museum, Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral 

  

  Sacre Coeur, Paris

• Sat Oct 19 - Fly to and sightsee Pisa, train to and hike Cinque Terre (Italian Riviera), overnight in Florence

  

  Vernazza, Cinque Terre

  

  Leaning Tower of Pisa

• Sun Oct 20 - Sightsee Florence - Michelangelo in Florence, ‎Il Duomo, ‎Piazza della Signoria, ‎Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, Medici Palace, Pitti Palace

  

  Duomo, Florence

• Mon Oct 21 - Train to Naples/Pompei, Mount Vesuvius, overnight in Pompeii (Villa de Misteri) 

  

  Oct 22, 2013 - Temple of Apollo at Pompeii Scavi

• Tue Oct 22 - Sightsee Sorrento, Amalfi coast, Pompei Scavi (excavations)
  
• Wed Oct 23 - Sightsee Naples - Archaeological Museum, Catacombe di San Gennaro, Cathedral; overnight ferry to Palermo, Capital of Sicily

  

  Naples Cathedral

• Thu Oct 24 - Sicily (Palermo, Agrigento - Greek Temples, Piazza Armerina -Mosaic Castle, Mount Etna), overnight at Mount Etna

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  Teatro Politeama, Palermo, Sicily

  
  

  

  Concordia Temple, Agrigento, Sicily

  

  Archimedes Fountain, Isola Ortigia, Seracusa

  
  
  • Fri Oct 25 - Mount Etna hike, Seracusa, Catania, overnight in Catania

    

    Piazza del Duomo, Catania

  • Sat Oct 26 - Fly to and sightsee Milan - Cathedral, Galleria Vittorio, Sforza Castle, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Piazza del duomo, overnight in Naples.

    

    Naples Cathedral

  • Sun Oct 27 - Fly to and sightsee Budapest, Hungary - Buda Castle, Chain Bridge, Parliament, Heroes' Square, St Stephen's Basilica, Fisherman's Bastion, overnight in Budapest
    
  • Mon Oct 28 - Fly back to Milan and then train to Venice to board Cruise
  • Tue Oct 29 - Bari - churches

    

    Bari view

  • Wed Oct 30 - Olympia (near Katákolon) - Ancient Olympia, Archaeological Museum

    

    Entrance to Olympic Stadium

  • Thu Oct 31 - Athens - Acropolis, Parthenon, Agora, Museum, Syntagma Square, Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium

  

  Parthenon, Athens

• Fri Nov 1 - Santorini island - Akrotiri excavations, Oia views

  

  Red Sand Beach, Akrotiri, Santorini

  

  Oia, Santorini

• Sat Nov 2 - Corfu island - Palaiokastritsa Cove, Monastery

  

  Palaiokastritsa Cove, Corfu, Greece

• Sun Nov 3 - Dubrovnik, Croatia - Walls, Churches

  

  Walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia

• Mon Nov 4 - Sightsee Venice - St. Mark's Square, St Mark's Basilica, Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) and many churches

  

  View of St Mark's Square

• Tue Nov 5 - Sightsee Venice - Accademia gallery, Rialto Bridge, Murano, and many more churches
• Wed Nov 6 - return via Frankfurt 

For more, see Tidbits.