This post will include some other sites in Rome from our Rome, Amalfi Coast, Sicily and Malta tour. The places in this section were not stops on our tour, but they are ones we saw while traveling around Rome. The first picture depicts the ruins of the Stadium of Emperor Domitian. The stadium included a running track. It is not known if the public was ever allowed on the grounds of the Stadium. The Circus Maximus would have been in…
The Pantheon was originally built as a temple to pagan gods but became a Christian church in 609AD. It is considered the best preserved ancient building of its time. The best estimate of when it was originally built is 27BC, but this is not a certain date. It suffered two fires – the present structure was built in 120AD. Looking at the building from the front, you might assume it is a rectangular building, but behind the portico, the interior…
Tauck arranged for our group to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel after hours. This had the great advantage of not needing to deal with huge crowds, estimated at 25,000 people per day. The pictures below are ones I took in the Vatican Museums. The first is the ceiling in the Gallery of Maps. The ceiling has paintings depicting the history of the Catholic Church and the lives of saints. The next two pictures are paintings found in…
We traveled with Tauck on their Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Rome Southbound tour in June of 2018. Since we opted for the southbound tour, we flew into Rome and arrived a day early. High on our list was seeing St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. These are all part of the Vatican City, a city state established in 1929 with an agreement between the Holy See and the government of Italy called the Lateran Pacts. …
Today we would visit Vaduz, Liechtenstein which is Liechtenstein’s capital. Liechtenstein is only 64 square miles making it the fourth smallest country in Europe. The residents enjoy a high standard of living. There is less than 2% unemployment. As we approached Vaduz, we saw the Vaduz Castle. It is the palace of the Prince of Liechtenstein – his official home. It was acquired by the family in the 1700’s. The latest restoration occurred in the early 1900’s. There is a…
The next morning we were on our way to Davos, Switzerland. Our first stop was near the remains of World War I battlegrounds and bunkers. Austrians and Italians fought here in the Dolomites. Despite this not being a well-known battlefield, conditions were very tough and many lost their lives. In subzero temperatures men dug miles of tunnels and caverns through glacial ice. They strung cableways up mountainsides and stitched rock faces with rope ladders to move soldiers onto the high…
Today we would leave Salzburg and head for Cortina D’Ampezzo in Italy. Our route would take us on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, reaching an elevation of about 8,200 feet. It is the highest paved road in Austria. It is named for the Grossglockner Mountain, which is Austria’s highest mountain. It was built during the depression, providing work for some of Austria’s unemployed. The road opened in 1935. Popularity brought more tourists and the road was widened in the 1950’s….
Salzburg is a beautiful city and we were able to spend three days there. Our hotel was on Getreidegasse, a pedestrian walkway and one of the most famous shopping streets in Salzburg. The shops were small with wrought iron signage that added to the street’s charm. Salzburg is the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart – he was born in 1756 in the yellow house pictured below. His home was also on Getreidegasse Street. Mozart’s musical talent emerged at a young age. …
We were next headed for Salzburg, but stopped in Innsbruck along the way. We were able to spend the morning exploring. Innsbruck is the capital of the state of Tyrol and lies beneath the Alps. It is the fifth largest city in Austria, but its history and charm are still very much part of its character. Innsbruck was home to Emperor Maximilian I in the late 1400’s and in its more recent history, hosted the Winter Olympics (both 1964 and…
On this day of our tour we would see natural beauty and an architectural wonder. We began our day by heading for Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. We first took a cogwheel train to Lake Eibsee. A cogwheel train has a third rail with “teeth” that allows the train to handle a steeper grade. When we got to Lake Eibsee, we took a cable car to the peak of Zugspitze. The first picture below is of the cogwheel train. …