Grand Tour Recap

The grand tour of Europe has been wonderful and full of amazing sights. These are some thoughts on each major city I visited.

Rome took you back in time with its classical architecture everywhere you look. Tile roofs and balconies can be found on nearly every building. The city's quaintness has a charming appeal.




Florence to me was a bustling little town full history and fabulous art. I will remember tower houses, stone paved streets and the best gelato in the world.




Venice was a beauty to behold. Again, quaint charm is found in its weathered buildings that line the streets of water. Venice is a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of life.




Paris is gorgeous. Breathtaking views are found everywhere. Stately architecture stands with dignity and poise and is what Paris is all about. Paris is the city of grey and white, a refined palate with charisma.




London. Magnificent. The play of ultra modern along with classical works well in this city. London is white and black, red brick, and slate roofs. It's prim and proper and funky fresh.




Frankfurt, like London has a flair for the modern side while staying well grounded on its traditions of the past.

Sketches

8/4
These are a few of my favorite skteches I made:

Buckingham Palace

8/4
One of the world’s most famous landmarks, Buckingham Palace is the official residence of Her Majesty the Queen. This morning we were able to walk through the State Rooms of this spectacular palace. Each of the rooms we visited were beautifully decorated.

Buckingham Palace was Buckingham House prior to King George IV. The King commissioned the architect John Nash to transform the stately house into the palace we recognize today.

I was only able to take photos outside, but the outside does hint to the grandeur found inside. Buckingham Palace is unique in that it is still a functioning royal palace.

After visiting the palace I went to get a picture of the guards and red telephone boxes.

Marksburg Castle

8/3
Want to see a real medieval castle? We made it to the Marksburg Castle. This is only castle on the Rhine that has never been destroyed. The castle remains unchanged from medieval times. As you drive up, you can see the castle from quite a distance up on a tree covered hill that rises above of the village below. It looks spectacular.

Suley and I were able to tour the inside. Interesting things we saw were sets of full body armor, the torture chamber, and striking views of the area from the castle.

Sunday Walk

8/2
Sunday was a good day to relax. We took our time getting up in the morning and left to go to church shortly before one. I stayed in the little village of Wartenberg-Rohrbach where Suley is staying. There is a US air base close where Suley and her friend work which brings many Americans to the area. Because of this, there are two English wards and so church was pretty much like normal.

After church we went on a walk and talked. It was nice to take it easy without any pressure to be anywhere trying to see something.

Frankfurt

8/1
Wow it is August already! Time to make like a tree and leave to Frankfurt. (That’s for you dad.) Frankfurt was a blast. I met my friend Suley at the airport and we went and saw the city together. We went first to Palmengarten Botanical Gardens which had fun things to see. This was nice because it was things other than an English garden.

After the gardens we drove around trying to find the Space Needle looking edifice, but our poor GPS got all confused and gave us wacky directions. So, we ended up parking the car and walking to the river where we happened on a carnival. We rode the Farris wheel, ate schwinsteak, and had a marvelous time!

Frankfurt is the largest financial center on the continent and it has many skyscrapers that create a lovely skyline. It is the most international city in Germany.

On our way to Suley’s place we took the autobahn and we drove over 100mph legally!

Chatsworth

7/31
On to Chatsworth! This house was used as Mr. Darcy’s Pemberly in Pride and Prejudice. The house and grounds are owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. The house and grounds were grand and very beautiful as you’ll see. We had a lot of fun. We wandered through the maze in the garden and found our way too the middle. In the house there were period clothes you could dress in & pretend you went back in time. The bust of Mr. Darcy from the film was on display, and we walked through the hall of statues past the great lions.