A Few Hours in Amsterdam

An overnight plane delay gave us the opportunity to take a train into Amsterdam where we had fun walking around and seeing some of the sights. We also enjoyed a light dinner on a patio overlooking one of the canals. Entertainment was provided by the many boats cruising the canals. Boats filled with people, picnics, and on one, a piano.

One boat was pulled over by the police and people along the canal watched in amusement as the driver was given a breathalyzer test. Laughter followed when the driver passed the test and a roaring cheer came from the rest of his party. That night, Amsterdam moved up on my list of places to spend more time in.

Walking Dubrovnik's City Walls

View of Old Town Dubrovnik from a tower window

Red rooftops of Old Town Dubrovnik

A highlight of visiting Dubrovnik is walking along the city walls. Following advice from other travelers, we started our walk early in the day, before the crowds arrived. After passing through Pile Gate, we climbed the steps to a ticket window. The cost was 15 euros for two of us, and they did take euros in addition to the local currency, the kuna.

It was almost 9:30 in the morning, but there were very few people around. Less than one and a half hours later when we walked back down, there was a line of people waiting to climb up. The earlier time allowed us to enjoy the views without crowds, and we stopped often to take pictures of the red rooftops of Dubrovnik.

Cliff Homes of Oia, Santorini

A puzzle for Carolyn and the other Rambling Puzzles fans...

More pictures of Santorini cliff homes:
Oia, Santorini
More from Santorini

Churches of Santorini

Anastasis Church in Oia

unknown church in Oia

Panagia of Platsani church in main square of Oia

previous posts on Santorini:
Santorini, Greece
More from Santorini
Oia, Santorini

Saint Mark's Square in Venice

Piazza San Marco in Venice

Related post:
Buddhist Monk in Piazza San Marco

A Buddhist Monk in Piazza San Marco...

Not the beginning of a joke, but the subject of one of my favorite pictures of Saint Mark's Square in Venice. I only had seconds to get my camera up and snap this shot before they moved on, but I'm very happy with the results.

Another picture with perfect timing... The bird flew across just as I snapped this picture of Saint Mark's Basilica.

Photos from our previous visit to Venice:
Rialto Bridge in Venice
View from the Bridge of Sighs
Venice, Italy

New York City Subway

Taking the train was one of my favorite parts of exploring Manhattan. I wish we lived somewhere with public transportation like this.