Coburg, Germany

The town square in Coburg.  Oh, how I LOVE Europe!

Bornholm, Denmark

Bornholm, Denmark

A typical street in Borholm, Denmark.  We were trying to catch a bus out to some family history sites.

Isn't this cute?  It was just handing on the side of a grocery store in Nyker, Denmark.

A Taste of our Baltic Cruise

Bornholm, Denmark

Gdansk, Poland

Klaipeda, Lithuania

Riga, Latvia

Helsinki, Finland

St. Petersburg, Russia

Tallinn, Estonia

Stockholm, Sweden

Delft, Netherlands

This cute little city is Delft.  We just so happened to come when there was a HUGE flea market going on.  Yup, I had to get me some Delft!  Isn't it fun?!

Tulip Festival, Netherlands

Have you ever wanted to go to the Tulip Festival in the Netherlands?  

I Have!  I still can't believe I was actually able to go!

It was a little late in the season, but we still got to see the fields of tulips and the beautiful flower exhibits that were there.  It was amazing!

For more information on the tulips, when the festival is, and the prices go here:

http://www.keukenhof.nl/

This is the River - the blue flowers represent the water of a river

Fourth Stop: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Oh My Goodness, I loved Dubrovnik!!!  How can one person fall in love with a place when you are only there for a few hours?  It is beautiful with so much charm!  I took WAY too many

Third Stop: Istanbul, Turkey

ISTANBUL, Turkey

Colorful pottery, like this, was everywhere.  It was charming with

Second Stop: Ephesus, Turkey

EPHESUS, Turkey

a.k.a. one of the seven wonders of the ancient world

This place was HUGE!!  In the Roman period it had a population of 250,000, making it one

First Stop: Bari, Italy

BARI, Italy

Here is our first stop.  We had grand plans, ways to save money on excursions by doing our own, but since it was a Sunday the train station was closed.  Instead we decided

The Beginning: Venice, Italy

I know, I am just a tiny bit behind ... just shy of a year or so.  Here goes nothing!  Wish me luck to a HUGE update that might just take me a few months give or take!

VENICE

I admit it, I LOVE Italy!!  I love everything about Italy -  the food, the atmosphere, the people, the history and the character of it all.  We began our Mediterranean Cruise in

Salzburg, Austria

WARNING: So. Many. Pictures.

We started our little tour of Salzburg at Mozart's Square.  When I asked my daughter who this man was, she yelled 'Joseph Smith'.  Those of you who

Walhalla Memoria, Germany

Along the Danube river (outside of Regensburg) up on a hilltop sits a building that looks like the Parthenon in Athens.  

For more

Small Town Nabburg, Germany

We spent the afternoon wandering around a cute little town called Nabburg.  We always see

Trier, Germany

We absolutely LOVED Trier!   It was so neat and so charming!  Like every other city in Europe, it is filled with a ton of history.

Porta Nigra
This is the only surviving gate, out of 4, of the Roman wall that was 4 miles long.  The only reason it survived is because

Wandering Around Innsbruck for only 1 hour

Innsbruck

Here we are in the Center of Innsbruck.  I think, to our right, Mozart performed in one of

A Small Part of Munich, Germany

Marienplatz in Munich, or Mary's Square!

When you come out of the subway this is what greets you, I couldn't have asked for anything better.  We were too late to hear the clock chime and see the little dancing people inside the clock so ... we'll have to come back I guess.  Isn't it a pity that I HAVE to come back? j/k

From Marienplatz we headed over to the oldest church

Dresden, Germany in the Winter

DRESDEN, GERMANY

Unfortunately, Dresden is really known for its destruction in WW II.  It was bombed on 13 February 1945 by the American and the British.  The bombing destroyed 75% of the historical center and killed 25,000 people.  It used to be considered the "Florence of the Elbe", and if you go there you can see why.  They have rebuilt almost everything but ... it is still not the original.  They didn't really begin to rebuild until recently due to Dresden being on the Soviet side of the Berlin wall after WWII.

Anyway ... onto Dresden!

When you arrive park, at the Hauptbahnhof for ease (or main train station) and take a tram (NOT a train) into the center of the town.  I believe it is either tram #8 or #9 to get to the historical center, Theaterplatz or Postplatz.

Here is Theaterplatz in all its glory!  

On the left is Katholiches Hofkirche, or Catholic Church of the Royal Court.

Kraków's Wawel Hill

This is a distant shot of Wawel Hill (pronounced VAH-vehl)

It is considered a symbol of Polish royalty and independence.  From the beginning of Poland's recorded history a castle has stood here, making this the most visited sight in

An Evening Down the Royal Way in Kraków, Poland

This is the 'Royal Way' path, where the King followed when he returned home to Kraków after a journey, or when a King was crowned or buried.

Auschwitz-Birkenaus, Poland

Between 1941 & 1945, the most notorious concentration camp for the Nazi's was here.  

Auschwitz actually has two parts: Auschwitz I, in the village of Oświęcim, and Auschwitz II, or Birkenau.   Auschwitz I is where there are indoor museum exhibits in all the former prison buildings.  Auschwitz II, or Birkenau, has no museums, it is just the concentration camp (or what remains).

Before WWII this camp was a base for the Polish army - that explains why it was here and why Hitler didn't have to build it, he just took it over.  In 1942 it became a death camp.  At the time of liberation, at least 1.1 million people had been murdered here (960,000 of those were Jews).

The saying below "Arbeit Macht Frei" translates into Work Sets you Free.  Check out the letter B and how it was welded on upside down.  It was welded on by inmates, exercising their own rebellion about what was happening to them!

Above are just some of the buildings.  Each building has