Day 21 Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - We Get a late start to Cologne. The German trains continue to run late. We see the Cathedral and are very impressed. We visit the Chocolate Museum. Pam explores the Roman Museum and we both attend a multi-media presentation on the history of the Cathedral. After returning to Dusselorf, we have a restaurant adventure but still manage to get fed, and do some e-mails
Day 22: Thursday, July 29, 2004 - After slight hassles checking out and finding our train, we ride the rails to Frankfurt, arriving in the early afternoon. After lunch we visit the reconstructed Opera House, the Main Tower, "Gourmet Street" and Goethe Strasse. We have an early supper.
Day 23: Friday, July 30, 2004 - Pam and I take the train to Koblenz where we catch the KD Line boat going upriver. We look at castles, river towns and other worthy sights until we get bored. We disembark at Bacharach and Ed has a little adventure. We return to Frankfurt via Mainz. We have another early supper.
Day 25: Sunday, August 1, 2004 - Tom and I visit the Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, Piazza Navona, a couple chuches, Piazza Venezia and Trajan's Forum and Column. We also enjoy the passing scene while sitting at an outdoor cafe on the Piazza Barberini. We drink and eat too much before "lurching" back to our hotel.
Day 26: Monday, August 2, 2004 - I spend time at the Roman Forum while Tom is on a tour. In the evening, we visit the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, Augustus' Mausoleum, stroll along the Tiber River and photograph the Pallazo Giusti. We dine on the Piazza Navona and enjoy watching the passing parade of the beautiful, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Day 27: Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - Tom and I spend the day exploring Ostia Antica. I get into a small altercation with some irresponsible parents. We eat and drink responsibly and retire early.
Day 29: Thursday, August 5, 2004 - We visit The Academia and both are in awe of Michelangelo's "David." We akso visit the Museum of San Marco, a former monastery and home of both the sublime Fra Angelico and the radical Savonarola. We go to the Uffizi Gallery and are overwhelmed by the contents and underwhelmed by a couple we meet from Chicago. We accidentally discover another superb restaurant and have a ball entertaining ourselves and the other guests.
Day 30: Friday, August 6, 2004 - We discover a great coffee bar. Tom visits the Bargello Museum and I the Palazzo Vecchio. We both go to Santa Croce Church and are very impressed. We lunch on the banks of the Arno, take a long nap and spend the evening drinking wine at a ringside table on the Piazza della Republica.
Day 31: Saturday, August 7, 2004 - Tom and I visit the Opera del Duomo Museum followed by a visit to the Mercato Central and a satisfying lunch. After lunch we go to Santa Maria Novello Church and break some rules. After a nap and an internet break we celebrate happy hour with some Americans from D.C. We return to Thursday's restaurant for another great meal with interesting people.
Day 33: Monday, August 9, 2004 - We decide to skip the Basilica because of the long wait and instead enjoy the Correr Museum and the Ducal Palace. We spend an interesting evening meeting a couple from England. We draw some conclusions about the Venice paradox, beauty and greed.
Day 34: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - Tom's back goes out. I have fun doing laundry. We visit Frari Church and Accademia in the afternoon. We have a totally unsatisfying but expensive dinner. I make some critical comments about Venice and it's people.
Day 35: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - We visit Ca' Rezzonica, have a nice lunch and a leisurely walk to the train station. We panic when we discover our tickets indicate the train leaves from Mestre Station not Sta. Lucia. We get to Mestre in time and spend the night traveling to Paris in the company of a fascinating Professor and his daughter.
Day 37: Friday, August 13, 2004 - Best Friday the 13th in my life. We visit the Louvre and are overwhelmed. We stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries and are overwhelmed. We visit the Musee d'Orsay and are overwhelmed. We have dinner on the Left Bank with a Hong Kong buddy and his totally delightful girl friend. We taxi home at the end of a totally wonderful and exhausting day.
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