San Francisco

     There are many websites that have travelers list the ten best cities in the world. Lately I have seen two where one listed Florence, Italy and the other listed Paris, France. There are others that have different opinions. New York often comes in near the top.
     London is always high on the list as are Rome and Venice.
     These are all great cities, but when the balloting is done, one city is beloved by most everyone who visits there. That place is San Francisco.
     Wherever we go, when people ask us where we live, we say near San Francisco. Some people do not like Americans. California often gets you a few points, but almost everyone wishes they could visit San Francisco - or visit again. They tell us how they envy us.
     While lost in Bolzano, Italy (in the alps - it is where the "Iceman" has his museum), we stopped for lunch and some directions. Once inside the cafe we were surprised at the "American" decor. And, right over the center of the counter was a huge picture of Goldengate Bridge. I asked about it and as best as I could understand the Italian being spoken, it was the owner's dream to go there.  He understood we lived near San Francisco and we thus took on some of SF's magic.
     It is a great city.

Baghdad by the Bay