My First Blog From Prague!

My God is Prague gorgeous!! Everywhere you look is like magic fairyland! These first three photos were taken the first night from our hotel balcony.
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The murals on top of the buildings are exquisite!
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The astronomical clock was built in the early 15th century.
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The rooftops are stunning.
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The Charles Bridge views, just lovely.
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Ahoj from beautiful Prague!

Vienna in Black & White!

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Street scenes in Vienna over the last few days.
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With a quick glance it’s Kinda hard to figure out the decade in some shots isn’t it?
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Vienna shows her classic, unchanging dignity in these shots.
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But the cars, bikes, helmets and many other clues reveal the truth.
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Jim gives away some more clues, but this tacky ad gives it up completely. Too bad, it’s 2013 and tacky ads are here to stay.
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Cheers to you from beautiful old Vienna!

Vienna in Color: Nationalbibliothek

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The National Library of Vienna is jaw droppingly beautiful.
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It’s collection houses 7.4 million items and its oldest book dates from 1368.
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Look at the ceiling……
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The library collection was started in the late 1300’s.
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The current building was constructed in 1722.
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Rather nice place to read and contemplate, n’est pas?

Street Walking Vienna!

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Vienna is a great city for street walkers!
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There is street beach volleyball. Yup. “Called Sand in the city.”
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My new wheels. Charged it. Hope Jim won’t mind……
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They even named a street after Paris Hilton!
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Statues get in the way of traffic signs.
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and birds……..
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And then there is of course the truth. Vienna streets are incredibly beautiful and full of art wherever you look.
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Lipizzaner Stallion in the yard.
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Cheers to you from stunning Vienna!

The Other Rome: Where the Romans Live!

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The views from our hotel room window.
If you have never been to Rome, you will want to stay somewhere close to the city centre and incredible Roman sites that brought you here. If however, you have been to Rome before and are after a different experience without the hordes of tourists, where Romans live, dine and shop, you might want to consider staying north of the city center, outside the city walls, near the neighborhoods around the Villa Borghese. This is what we did on this trip and had quite a different, quieter, more peaceful experience of Rome. It also has an additional benefit of offering nicer accommodations that are less expensive than city center options. Check out some photos and see what you think.
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A peaceful home’s side entrance. There are no car horns here, no taxis racing around, the only sounds are bird songs and the occasional dark barking. Pure relaxation.
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Oh, did I mention the Italians like good food……
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Someone’s porte-cochere (Car port) ceiling…..
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Some Roman homes…..
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Oh, and the only nearby tourist attraction, The Villa Borghese…….
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The headquarters of the Carbineri (Italian Military Police) are nearby. So you are, uhhhh, quite safe here……
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Ciao from peaceful Rome……we’re heading north tomorrow.

Final Shots: Cinque Terre!

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Cinque Terre Italy consists of five towns on the Ligurian coast that are connected by rugged hiking trails. Cinque Terra has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic era. Neolithic, Bronze Age and Roman remains have been found in the area.
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The black and white portions of this old church are made of marble.
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Cheers to you from Rome!

The Fabulous Fresh Food Markets of Spain!

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The fish are so fresh some are still wiggling, which is a tad disconcerting, but the taste is so superior!
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The fruit is picked fully ripe and hurried to the market. You can taste the difference!
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All the varieties of meats…….
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And fresh eggs with deep golden yolks, not filled with chemicals and stress hormones!
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The food just tastes better!!!
Cheers to you from Spain!

Ship Board Friends!

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Please note: I am still reliant on the maritime satellite and hence cannot communicate with you until early next week! I am itching to catch up with you and your blogs! Until then, check out my new ship board friends…..They seemed puzzled by the fact that I liked them and are quite curious and unafraid!
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They definitely follow the fish!
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Once when my son was about three, a seagull swooped down, and snatched a stuffed Easter Chick from his Easter Basket.
With confidence my son Matteo informed me, “He’ll bring it back.”
I explained to him there was no way he would see that stuffed chick again but he was resolute.
Hours later, after our picnic and swim, the seagull swooped back with the chick in his beak. Matteo took out running down the beach after the gull, which dropped the chick on the sand. It had pecked out the stuffing.
Matteo returned quite triumphant with his gutless chick, stating, “I told you so.”
This is a true story.
You explain it to me please.
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Cheers to you from the windy Mediterranean, waves 12 feet, wind 40 knots! It’s a bronco ride!!