Christine in Munchen (Munich)

This visit I actually went around and took some pictures of the sites.  There are a couple famous structures right next to each other.  Construction of the Cathedral of Our Lady started in 1468.  It is a gothic church with two dome towers.  Of course it is under construction/rehabilitation.  I'm sure you are shocked.  But I managed to take a couple of pictures where you can't tell.  Bavaria, Germany (where Munchen is located) is a rather catholic area.  I also saw the Rathaus (town hall).

Cathedral of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) 

Inside the church

Rat House, Glockenspiel

The Glockenspiel plays for tourist at 1100, 1200, and 1700.  I did not know that.  But happened across the show at 1700.  I need a tripod for my ipod.  Really, I think that is the only way to stop it from shaking.  Unless someone has another idea.  In that case, please leave it in the comments.  Danke.

I took some of pictures from the steeple at St. Peter's church.  It was a lot of wooden steps up.  Too many in my opinion.  I was too busy moving and forgot to take any pictures.  But trust me, it was not fun.

Railing where I stood is right under the top clock.

Fest way in the background.  You can see the ferris wheel if you try hard enough.

I also visited the Munchen Residenz.  It is huge with lots of rooms to see.

I loved the treasury.  Really, who doesn't love crowns?

Crown of the English Queen, 1370 (oldest English crown known)

There is a long tour through the Residenz.  The Castle was first built in 1385, but added on to over the centuries.  It was damaged during WWII.  However, it is renovated and refurnished, but not necessarily with the same pieces.  Though much of the artwork was saved.  

Of everything, even the jewels, I wanted to to take this desk with me.

More Neptune.  Remember Athens?

  

Christine

Ps.  As you can see, when I toured some of the sites, it was typical Deutschland with dreary, rainy weather.  No sun.  The day I was outside.  Palace day, mostly inside touring, was beautiful and sunny.  Such luck.  Maybe I need to check the weather as I plan my trips...

Christine in Copenhagen, Denmark

I traveled through Copenhagen for my beach trip back to the States this summer.  I did this because I knew there is a late afternoon flight to Stuttgart, Germany from there.  So this was my chance to check out the city without actually having to pay astronomical prices for a visit.  The Scandinavian countries are not on the Euro.  And with all the oil up there, they are expensive.  But still, I wanted to see at least one.  So Denmark won out.  Because I could spend 7 hours there between flights.

There is plenty to see in 7 hours.  Well, no food.  I ate in the airport lounge.  For free.  Thank you United Gold and Star Alliance.  Plus, I figured I would be too jet lagged to remember the fancy food.  And I didn't have the chance to visit any museums, just the wonderful sites.

The shopping street:  Strøget street.  All the high end shops.  No time to browse though.

Famous Nyhavn, the old port with many colorful houses and restaurants.

Another view.  Imagine people watching from the balcony on the orange house.  

Changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace:

More of the palace and The Marble Church (background):

The church in the park (also, a great photo):

The Little Mermaid (not a great picture but the sun was not in an ideal spot).  The statue is smaller than I thought it would be.

Rosenborg Palace:

I went up The Round Tower to see the city centre view.  It is mostly ramps, until the very top.  Which are steps for one person to walk up or down at a time.  Needless to say, there was a traffic jam going up.  

One view from the top of the tower:

All of this from the self-guided walking tour in the free city map.

Christine

Christine in Seville, Spain

I love Spain!  Beautiful country.  Amazing food (love tapas).  But hot.  In July it is hot hot hot.  I understand why Spaniards take naps in the middle of the day.  Cause they would melt otherwise.

Seville is what I think of when I think Spain.  The Cathedral is the 3rd largest church in Europe but largest Gothic church anywhere.  Christopher Columbus's tomb is located within the church.  Once I again, I climbed a church tower for you.  The Giralda Tower is actually a ramp, not steps.  Originally part of a Moorish mosque, people rode horses up the ramps to call Muslims to prayers.  It became the cathedral's bell tower after the Reconquista.

The ramp up:  

View from the top:

Seville houses Alcazar, one of the loveliest palaces I have visited.  Built in the 10th century, it was for the Moorish governors.  However, it still functions as a royal palace today-the oldest in use in Europe.  The king and queen use an apartment upstairs still (which you can tour at certain times--unfortunately, I did not make it during that time frame).  The tile work within the parts of the palace is fascinating.  The Hall of the Ambassadors was King Pedro I's throne room.  I could have stared at the half dome ceiling for hours.  It is a starry heaven.  The Gardens were massive.

One of my favorite all time places and pictures.

Take a tour of a bull fighting ring if you ever have a chance.  The Spaniards say (and I agree) that bull fighting is an art.  As it is so hot, you pay extra for seats in the shade during a bull fight.  The matador actually has a team of people to help him.    (Read more on bullfighting:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish-style_bullfighting.)

If you look closely at the view from the church, you can see the bull fighting ring.

The food was amazing.  I love tapas.  You get to eat lots and lots of samples.  And you aren't stuck with just one thing.  The octopus salad is still my favorite.  And the first night I tried the local soup-salmorejo.  Best cold soup ever.  But I don't think I had one bad taste while there.  Though I admit that some were better than others.

 The first restaurant we ate at and I fell in love with the salmorejo:

Lots of wonderful sangria:  

Jamon (Spanish ham):  

Christine

Christine In St. Petersburg, Russia

My first night train experience ended well.  In that I fell asleep immediately and awoke in St. Petersburg.  Yes, I can sleep anywhere.  This skill is extremely useful.

On my first day, after grabbing a bite to eat, I toured the city a bit, with the tour group.  We stopped to take pictures and see the Winter Palace.  I also visited the Peter and Paul Fortress.  There, I visited the church and listened to a choir sing.

But this is not the reason to visit St. Petersburg.  Visit for the amazing history.  Peter the Great built Peterhof, the Summer Palace.  Some call it the Versailles of Russia.  It may be more impressive.  The German Army destroyed the palace, leaving only the walls up after World War II.  So the rooms were re-created/decorated.  The Russians managed to move 7,000 pieces from the palace, but lost 35,000.  The Russians buried the statues on the grounds and the Germans never found them.  The floors are wood mosaics.  The chandeliers are beautiful.

Peter the Great was truly a renaissance man.  He started the Russian Navy, was a sculptor, with his work on the grounds, a surgeon, and many other accomplishments.  He also had a sense of humor.  I believe the dogs will catch the ducks one day.  The Russian tour guide just looked at me when I said this.  Russians may not get my sense of humor.

The only bear I saw in Russia:

The other reason to visit-The Hermitage Museum.  It will probably be the best museum I ever visit.  And I have visited many a museums.  The collection is extensive.  But then, the communists took the artwork from private collectors once they took over the country.  So if you did this, then you too, would have an amazing collection.  The Hermitage has everyone-Di Vinci, Van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrant.  All great painters.  I could have spent days there.  Sadly, we spent 3 hours.  The Hermitage is located in the Winter Palace, another beautiful building.

The October (Bolshevik) Revolution occurred in St. Petersburg, in 1917.  Under the western calender, it occurred in November.  I visited the ship where they shot from.  Then I saw the room where the government was captured in the Winter Palace.  They stopped the clock at the time it occurred.

The Di Vinci collection is one of the largest in the world.  The museum has 2 paintings.  He is by far, the best painter I have ever saw.  It is said he painted the skeleton, then muscles, then skin, then clothes.   In my defense, it is really hard to take pictures when everyone is looking at these paintings.  And they are not huge paintings.  The glass does not help.

In March, while in DC for work, I visited the National Art Gallery to see an exhibit on Picasso drawings.  The exhibit included a sketch of Picasso's Violin and Guitar.  I looked up the location of the original and saw it was at the Hermitage, in St. Petersburg, Russia.  When would I ever visit there?  I said this is as close as I will ever get to the painting.  Well, as it turns out, I visited there.

The Hermitage also has a throne.

And a picture of the wood mosaic floors.  It is pure evil the Russian women walking in heels on the floor.

The Church of the Saviour on the Blood:

I decided to see whether my trip on the rope course cured me of my fear of heights.  I climbed the 43 meters (141 feet) to the top of St. Isaac's Cathedral.  If you look closely, you can see the steps near the column on the right side.  That's what we climbed to get to the top doom, which you can walk around.  Those steps were not cool at all.  But I survived.  Barely.

View of the Winter Palace from the top of St. Isaac's Cathedral

I visited St. Petersburg during the white nights.  Even at night, it seemed like it was the middle of the day.

Christine