Alnwick Castle

ena1c-0804-alnwick-castle-80Alnwick, England

Alnwick Castle was transformed into Hogwarts in ‘Harry Potter’. On our bus tour of the British Isles in 2004 we went to Alnwick Castle. It was so fun to be there and feel the Hogwarts spirit.

#ENA1c-0804

Brig O’Doon

scaw2d-0803-60Alloway, Scotland

We took a bus tour of the British Isles from July-August of 2003.  It was wonderful!  We drove thru Scotland and saw some beautiful places, including this bridge where the movie Brigadoon got it’s idea for the bridge scene.  Brigadoon was going to be filmed in Scotland, but because the weather is so unpredictable they shot it in the US in a film studio.

#SCAW2d-0803

Golden Gate Bridge

UCASF3c-0702 Golden Gate Bridge60a (B-17)San Francisco, California

The Bay Area has always been a fun area for us to visit.  Now that Craig’s parents have passed away, we don’t go there as often as we use to.  On this trip to California in 2002 we drove across the Golden Gate (a strait connecting the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean) via the Golden Gate Bridge.

#UCASF3b-0702

The Spanish Steps

itr5b-0403-a-104-1-spanish-stepsRome, Italy

When visiting Rome the Spanish Steps are a must, particularly in Springtime when the steps are covered with beautiful flowers!

Piazza Venezia

itr3a-0402Rome, Italy

Piazza Venezia is a beautiful place to get some fun, unique photos!  It is also a very busy piazza full of people. By going to a corner I was able to get this photo people free.  I like the water coming off of the fountain and the Italian flags.

#ITR3a-0402

Trevi Fountain from the Side

itr2c-0203

Rome, Italy

It’s hard to get a good photo of Trevi Fountain because there are so many people around it! Having said that, once I went there at 2 am and there were hardly any people there!

ITR2c-0203

Trevi Fountain

itr1b-0202-trevi-fountain

Rome, Italy

One of the most well known fountains in the world, Trevi Fountain, is also one of my favorites. Legend says if you throw a coin in the fountain you will return to Rome, so far it has worked for me!

#ITR1b-0202 Trevi Fountain

St. Peter’s Basilica

itr11b-0202aVatican City

The Apostle Peter was crucified upside down, because he considered himself unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus, in 64 AD.  Tradition says that it took place near an ancient Egyptian Obelisk in the Circus of Nero.  The obelisk now stands in St. Peter’s Square.  Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica was built on the burial site of Peter, now a Saint and for Catholics, their first Pope.  There have been many churches on this site, this newer one was completed in 1626.

 

Pena National Palace

+PO4c-1001.80 copySintra, Portugal

In 2001 we went on a tour of this gorgeous palace.  It sits on top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains, just outside of Lisbon.

#PO4b-1001

The Pantheon

itr12c-505-il-pantheon-original80dRome, Italy

This photo is looking past a fountain that stands in front of the Pantheon, with the front of the Pantheon in the background.  The Pantheon is a very unique building and one of my favorites in Rome because there is nothing else like it!  It was originally built as a Greek Temple about 27 B.C. but the present building was built about 126 A.D. and is now a Catholic Church.  It is a circular building with a dome that has a circular opening that allows rain to fall to the floor below.  The floor slopes just enough so that drains along the wall can catch the running water.  I have been there during a rain storm and it is pretty interesting!  The engineering from nearly 2,000 years ago is awesome!