Is Florence Italy Worth The Hype?

    If I were to ask my grandchildren where they would like to go they likely would say Disneyland and not Florence. When they turned twelve they visited Scotland, Normandy, Brussels, Amsterdam, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tuscany, (and three trips included Paris). I fear that Florence is more for adults or at least my wife and me. You have to hunger for art and history. The galleries are amazing. You see art that you have only seen in books.

    Now, to the question. Is it worth the hype? Absolutely yes. And, you need to stay more than one day.

 

Prague, Vienna, or Budspest: Which one for a week?

St. Vitus, Prague Castle

    If you ask which is the better city to visit for a week: London or Paris? I would say that having done both I cannot choose. Of the three lovely cities of Central Europe I have some opinions;

    Prague is easy to get around by foot or trolley. If you have read Dan Brown's book "Secret of Secrets" you will like finding the places mentioned. Prague is an easy choice for a week. (If you read: "City of Falling Angels" you must go to Venice.)

    Vienna is a sparkling city with much to see, but more to hear. You can find music everywhere and while it not always rock, it  is wonderful. They make it easy to attend and my favorites include concerts that serve wine at intermission.

    Budapest is half on a hill overlooking the Danube. It is amazing at night with its lights. There are also many places to see and if you go to the bathes you will see more of the Hungarian people.

    Everyplace has its own unique character. 

 

Traveling Within The Cities of Europe

The cities of Europe can be seen in many ways. Above you see walking and bike riding.

 One of our favorites to introduce ourselves is the HopOHopOff bus.

We take them to get an overview and to deliver us from site to site.

In Rome, Dublin, Vienna, Paris and London we have used cabs.

In Bussels, Paris, and Gibraltar we hired a car and driver.

Generally the Metro/Underground/Tram is easy.

The trolly in Prague is great.

Do your homework.

 

Zebras: Southern Africa

    We were in Southern Africa during the annual migration of zebras. Slowly thousands gathered on the savanna in South Africa and Botswana. It was an amazing sight. I learned several things I did not know. For example, a zebra can mate with a horse and made a whole new group. Also the native peoples there pronounce it "Zeb" (like eb) "rah".
 

You saw pictures of this on TV

This is a photo of the seating inside the coliseum in Verona where

the closing of the 2026 Winter Olympics was held.

This is the permenant stage.

Here are two American visitors.

 

Giant Panda: Edinburgh Zoo

A pair of Pandas on loan to the Edinburgh Zoo.

They thought tourists were interesting.

 

Street Sign? in Botswana

So, we were in a safari vehicle in the middle of a visit to a reserve in Botswana. The gravel road was giving out and the dirt begun.The savanna loomed ahead. Then, there was this directional sign. Kasane is the location of the airport. This is near where four counties merge: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe.