Fabulous Friday: A few Highlights from the Grand Adventure

 On a trip like this, it is hard to choose favorites, there were so many wonders that all are highlights in their own way. I will do a separate stand alone post on Notre Dame in Paris. I have been there three times, I will find some before and after photos. When it was restored, I feared that I would never see the restored cathedral. It is light and clean inside in ways it has not seen in hundreds of years. 

I had somehow missed Luxembourg Gardens in my previous trips, it is really the outdoor space of thousands of Parisians. You can rent the radio controlled boats to sail in the fountain. 

The other time I was at Versailles it was winter, very cold and windy. This trip was just to see the gardens. I was a little surprised to see admission being charged, but that meant two things, the music was playing and the fountains would be running. (When those things are off for the day, the gardens are free.) We rented an electric golf cart and enabling us to see much more than we would have been able to see on foot. And yes I am bundled up, it was in the 50s (f) with rain sprinkles on and off.  

The Cathedral at Chartres is famous for the stained glass windows.  

Vienna will need a few posts to touch on the highlights, this is the State Hall in the Library. They knew how to build a library. 

The Emperor's Palace in Vienna. SBs grandmothers were born as subjects of Franz Joseph.  

Royal tombs in Vienna. 

Treasury Museum in Vienna. 

The Cathedral in Milan, the elevator goes to the roof, the walk down is stairs, and stairs, and stairs.  

Saint Peter's in Rome. 

The hotel in Rome was selected based on location, it was a five minute walk from the Vatican in a neighborhood that predated the Popes. There were a dozen shops in the neighborhood that sold clerical clothing and church supplies. If you are suddenly appointed as a Bishop and need the outfit, you can buy it off the rack today - with a wide array of fashion choices. 

Roman Amphitheater in Cartagena, Spain. A bit of a long climb, but worth it.  

Travel says stop at this point. I downloaded 4,350 photos from my Nikon, and there are a few hundred more from my phone. This is just a sampling of the adventure.