Lost in Amsterdam
Today is our last day of travel in the great land of Europe. Looking back on our trip, we have met some amazing people and seen some amazing things and places. We only wish we could be lost in Amsterdam so we didn't have to come home
Bicycle Friendly
Amsterdam is known as one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world. While cities like New York struggle to get people onto bikes, Amsterdam is trying to keep its hordes of bikes under control. In a city of ~800,000, there are ~ 1 million bicycles.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam really is a beautiful and interesting city. The architecture and the canals are so nice to walk and the cultural diversity, social tolerance, and way of life here is really refreshing. There must be more bicycles here than on the entire west coast, maybe even all of the US.
Foam
We made it to Amsterdam yesterday and while on our flight discovered that Amsterdam has a photography museum called "foam". So, today we walked ourselves to the museum to see photo exhibits from "Edward Steichen - In High Fashion
City of Light
Tonight is our last night in the amazing city of light. It seems only fitting to post another photo of the iconic Eiffel Tower. We have had an amazing time here, seen so many amazing places, and met so many great people that it's very hard to leave.
lottad jossou Paris
Paris has some great little shops and lots of artists if you know where to find them or just stumble upon them while exploring the little neighborhood streets. While wandering not far from our apartment we came across this lovely little jewelry shop called Lottadjossou Paris where the designer Clément Djossou creates his designs.
Estate of Versailles
Today we visited one of the most amazing disappointing places that we've been to. We woke up early to try to get to the Estate of Versailles before the long lines. We actually specifically selected Thursday as our day to visit because it was supposed to be one of the lower-traffic days to visit the estate.
Catacombs of Paris
Today we got up early to visit the Catacombs of Paris. Believe it or not, this is a very popular attraction and you must arrive early if you want to get in. The line to get in wraps around an entire large Paris city block and beyond and they only allow 200 people at a time in the tunnels.
Curious Bike Man
Today we did some more walking in one of the many interesting neighborhoods of Paris. As we were exiting the rue des Rosiers after partaking in one of the districts famous falafels, we ran smack dap into the "curious bike man" of Le Marais.
Crossing the Pont Notre-Dame
Today we had crazy weather again in Paris. Wind, sun, and rain intermittently throughout the day. Since we'd heard about the crazy long lines at some of the more popular Paris sites we thought we'd go check out how bad they really were before we opted to actually attempt to visit.
The Boulevard of Forgotten Photography Equipment
Today we spent the day exploring the area around our apartment. We ended up walking down the Boulevard Beaumarchais and found that instead of being in Paris, we had somehow been transported to "the Boulevard of Forgotten Photography equipment" the place where all cameras go to be re-invigorated.
Paris From The Montparnasse Tower
Today we explored the Paris metro system and took ourselves to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, then walked to the Tour Montparnasse to get a view of the city. You get an amazing 360-degree view of Paris from the top of the building.
Bridges Over The Arno River
As we leave Florence it seemed most appropriate to post a photo of the sun going down and the amazing view of the bridges over the Arno (yes that's right "Arno") River from the Piazzale Michelangelo.
Beat The Heat And The Crowds
Today I was up early to beat the heat and the crowds. The light in the early morning and the evening is just so much better for enhancing the details of these intricate buildings and places and most of the wanderers are still tucked in their cozy little beds sleeping, so I can get to my desired locations without much of a struggle.
Rooftops and Antennas
Yesterday we made it to our last stop in Italy – Florence. We are here for 4 days and as our luck would have it the temperature has just reached the high 80s and will climb into the 90s before we leave. It’s a little too warm for my liking, but we are making the best of it trying to get out early in the day and in the evening.
Our Last Night In Manarola
Tonight is our last night in Manarola. This gem of a town should not be missed if you visit the Cinque Terre. It's so beautiful here and peaceful in spite of the tourism.
Colorful Manarola
Today we left Spoleto and took the train to Manarola, the second smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns on the Italian coast. I couldn’t really imagine that any place could be more beautiful than where we had come from, but low and behold “welcome to Manarola”.
Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
Today is our last day in Spoleto. While we’ve been here we’ve visited some amazing places, relaxed and met some very nice people, so it’s very hard to leave. The first historical mention of Spoletium is in 241 BC with the foundation of a colony here.
Beautiful Siena
Visiting The Piano Grande
We made it to our next stop in Italy yesterday. A place called Spoleto in Umbria. Today we rented a car so we could finally get away from the city and see some countryside.