Pisa, Italy – 2016 – iPhone
It’s always fun to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa! I tried to go up it once, but as you can see there aren’t many railings around the outside edge and when you are on the side that tips down it is a very strange feeling! I tried, failed, but tried! My stomach got the best of me!
San Marino – 2016 – iPhone
Craig had on his bucket list to visit San Marino, so we did! The fortress sits high a top a mountain top so we drove up and up, windy roads to get to it. The Republic of San Marino is a country within Italy, (like the Vatican) and claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world, founded September 3, 301. It was very enjoyable walking the little streets with their beautiful views and nice looking restaurants. I’d love to go back someday!
Predjama, Slovenia – 2016 – iPhone
What an amazing castle that we were able to visit! Inside you can go into the cave, which is impressive and the views are awesome! This castle was built in about the 13th century into a large cave, it has been added to over the years. In the 16th century, it was obtained by the Knights of Adelsberg and has remained pretty much unchanged since then. The only access to it was by those within putting a ladder out a window and down it’s face, allowing their guests to climb in. It was a very safe place from enemies and invaders!
Bagni di Lucca, Italy
We went to the city that Paola is from, Bagni di Lucca, a very quaint, pretty village nestled in the mountains. I walked across the Bridge of Chains (Ponte Delle Catene) and there was a chair waiting there for me to RELAX on. I sat down and waited, soon enough a bike came along, there is nothing like a bike, a bridge and relaxing all together!
April 2016
Taken with an iPhone 5s
Lucca, Italy – 2016 – iPhone
As we came into Lucca we saw this Ancient Roman Aqueduct from the freeway. Craig mentioned to Francesco that I’d like to take a photo of it, so he took us out to it. This aqueduct was built in 1823 so is not an Ancient Roman Aqueduct like we thought, though Francesco said there was one there before. But, it does look like the aqueducts that were built by the Ancient Romans. Anciently, it took water from the Serchio River in Lucca to Pisa, about 20 miles away. It’s amazing what the ancient Romans did!
Craig’s cousin, Francesco, took us to see his wife, Paola’s, home town. On the way we passed this bridge (Ponte Della Maddalena or Ponte Del Diavolo – “Bridge of Mary Magdalena” or “Devil’s Bridge”), which was on my list to take photos of, so it was perfect! And, the weather and lighting were so good, giving a perfect reflection in the Serchio River! This bridge was built between 1046-1111 AD.
Borgo a Mozzano, Italy
We had a beautiful drive from Zabreb, Croatia to Lucca, Italy. The snow eased up as we got closer to Italy. We didn’t have time to stop and take all the photos I wanted (it would have taken hours) so I did what I could and snapped photos from the car! Slovenia’s countryside is beautiful!
Vipava, Slovenia – 2016 – iPhone
Dresden, Germany, (CHURCH OF OUR LADY) – 2016 – iPhone
On April 3, 2016, in General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf talked about this church which was originally built in the 1700’s. During World War II it was reduced to a pile of rubble and it remained that way from 1945 until the 1990’s when reconstruction began and then it was completed in 2005. President Uchtdorf said; “Stones from the destroyed church had been stored and cataloged and, when possible, were used in the reconstruction. Today you can see these fire-blackened stones pockmarking the outer walls. These “scars” are not only a reminder of the war history of this building but also a monument to hope—a magnificent symbol of man’s ability to create new life from ashes.”
Berlin, Germany – 2016 – iPhone
We went on a wonderful tour of Berlin, our tour guide was real good! After being dropped off at a shopping mall we returned to some of the sights. So, we ended up walking around a lot of Berlin, which was fun. At one point we walked along the Landwehrkanal as we went towards the Brandenburg Gate. I was looking for a spot to RELAX and I found it here on the waters edge.
Berlin, Germany – 2016 – iPhone
We took a tour so we could see where we wanted to visit. While crossing a bridge I saw this canal and a boat coming. Luckily, the traffic was stopped long enough for me to get this photo! After our tour there were so many places we wanted to visit that we ended up walking 8 miles and saw about everything!
Frederiksholms Kanal, Copenhagen, Denmark – 2016 – Canon 50D
We had a wonderful tour on the canals. There are a lot of bridges that we went under, but this one stood out because it is so ornate and beautiful. It was designed by the 18th Century architect Nicolai Eigtved and was built at the same time as the first palace. What a great way to see Copenhagen!
Copenhagen, Denmark – 2016 – Canon 50D
As we walked along Copenhagen’s walking street, we saw a man playing with bubbles. They were so big and fun! Later as we passed by him again, children were chasing the bubbles and popping them! I wanted to get a photograph with some bikes and a bubble. I had to wait for a little bit because the children were having so much fun, but I finally got this photo!
Bled, Slovenia
