A welcoming rose. A gift from Simon Blum, found on arrival at our Zurich hotel, 6/22/07.
Simon shares the fragrance of his garden with Deborah.
Simon on his terrace with Lake of Zurich in background, 6/22/07.
Ginger looking up to Simon.
With Simon, 6/22/2007, on the same spot where I was photographed with Simon's father, Abraham, 50 years before. This picture may still exist and is being searched for.
On Bahnhofstrasse. Simon was recovering from joint replacemet surgery.
View from Bahnhofstrasse (Grossmunster & Fraumunster)
Looking from our room in Limmatblick Hotel toward the Zurich RR station before walking over to catch the train to Firenze.
View along the Limmat toward Lindenhof and St. Peterskirche ( I am told Europe's largest clock face).
On the Arno with Ponte Vecchio behind, 6/23/07.
Across the table at the Open Bar, Firenze, with the Uffizi across the Arno.
A resident of the Ponte Vecchio.
Florence street scene.
The hotel where Rebecca lived in 2006 while in Firenze, above the San Lorenzo leather market.
The much awaited return to the Twisted Jazz Shop--too, bad, closed for vacation.
What awaited us at Castello di Gargonza
Limbering up at Castello di Gargonza
Val di Chiana looking toward Siena
Borgo San Felice, a village transformed into a "hotel." Some of the rooms are in this main building.
The chapel at Borgo San Felice. Our room was in the building at the back of the chapel. The view out the window looked over the 20 or so miles toward the towers of Siena. We stayed here the first two nights of the bike trip.
Borgo San Felice
Resting at Castelnuovo Berardenga?
After the climb up Monteluco
Conquerors of Monteluco
Triumphant on Monteluco.
Arielle & Nate, our guides
Wine & oil futures
The wine tasting before dinner, our second night of the trip, near to Borgo San Felice. Fabrizio holding forth.
We sampled a chianti, a super Tuscan & a brunello
Gaiole in Chianti
Badia a Coltibuono
The courtyard at Badia a Coltibuono
Wine cellar at Badia a Coltibuono. They also make wonderful olive oil here, which is sold in US.
The picnic at Badia a Coltibuono
Radda in Chianti?
Shopping in Castellina in Chianti
A respite in Castellina
In Castellina
Getting cold and rainy in Castellina
The sag-wagon in Castellina
La Collegiata, where we stayed nights 3 & 4, just outside San Gimignano. This hotel was built in 1587 as a Franciscan convent.
Views from our room at La Collegiata
San Gimignano
Gate into San Gimignano
Dante walked here
Dinner at San Gimignano
Leaving San Gimignano
Volterra Bridge
At Volterra Bridge
Roman theater in Volterra
An amusement in Volterra
Wandering in Volterra
Heading up into Casole d'Elsa
At Osteria del Caffe Casolani on Casole d'Elsa where the world's best croissants are made and were devoured
Deb was also a croissant connoisseur in Casole d'Elsa. We shall return!
Casole d'Elsa
Mushrooms in Love
In Pievescola
Stretchers in Love
Montalcino
Approaching Castello di Velona, for our last night. Monte Amiata, Tuscany's highest peak, in background. This is a fortress from the 11th century.
Passageway to our room at Castello di Velona
View from our bedroom over Val d'Orcia from Castello di Velona
View from the shower
Getting fancy at the castle
Saying farewell to some new friends
Il Duomo, Firenze, again
On Ponte Vecchio
Boboli Gardens
Return to the lozenge
Wandering in Florence
From below Piazzale Michaelangelo--very hot!
Everpresent Medici "balls" (this time with papal keys and crown)
Arno at dusk
On Ponte Vecchio with the hardcore leftovers who stayed in Florence after the trip.
Michaelangelo's other "Pieta" (self portrait that he tried to destroy in his old age) in Museo delle Opera del Duomo
Lucca della Robbia's choir loft
Donatello's choir loft
Donatello's Mary Magdelene
One of the original panels of Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise" doors for the Baptistery
San Lorenzo market
A Florentine street sign
A spider bite on back of David's right knee
A block from our hotel (Tourville), 7th arr.
On the Champ-de-Mars
Tunnel in which Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed
Still messages, 10 years after
Atop the Arc de Triomphe
Champs-Elysees from top of Arc de Triomphe
Entering Jardin des Tuileries
In the Tuileries
Napoleon's Arch near the Louvre
The Louvre
View along the Seine
Along the Seine
Les Deux Magots in St.-Germain-des-Pres
Deb where Hemingway sat
Along Av de Tourville, a block from our hotel: Hotel des Invalides and Tour Eiffel
Where Napoleon is buried
From our hotel window
Train station clock - Musee d'Orsay
Pisarro
Cezanne
View from Musee d'Orsay
Vincent
Mom
Backside of Musee d'Orsay's street clock
Brooding weather on the Seine
Notre Dame
Aux Trois Malletz: old jazz club in St.-Germain-des-Pres. Once home to workers building Notre Dame and to French Resistance
Cave de la Huchette: Built in 1551, once a meeting place for Rosicruscians and Templars, then for Danton, Marat & Robespierre, where they held trials and executions. Paris' oldest jazz cave, popular in the post WW II jazz scene.
Another famous old St.-Germain-des-Pres jazz club: where Bud Powell played in the 50's
La Conciergerie
Walking toward the Marais district to shop
Post-rain in the Marais
Rain in the Marais
More post rain, later in the Marais
And more rain in the Marais
Checking out the Parisian fashions in the Marais
Again the Louvre
Venus de Milo
Louis XIV at home
Hall of Mirrors, Versailles
What the Sun king saw from his bed on arising each morning
Maybe Marie Antoinette's bed?
The Emperor steals the moment from the Pontiff
Dying in battle
Celebrating after battle
Ergo sum
Long day at Versailles
Boats for rent at Versailles
Back to Paris
Jardin du Luxembourg
Sacre Couer on Montmartre
Wandering Montmartre
Old jazz joint in Montmartre, popular after WW I, and in early 1920's
A Montmartre windmill, Moulin de la Gallette, now a restaurant (pictured by Renoir in painting of same name)
My date at Moulin de la Gallette
Moulin Rouge
Near hat store off Champs Elysees
With my bag from Hermes on Champs Elysees
Another bride & groom
On to Switzerland
At the train station of Glion over Lake of Geneva
Our hotel up in Glion
And some of the views from our window
Chateau Chillon from our window
And Dents du Midi from our window
Above Glion, looking toward Montreux and, around the bend, toward Geneva
On the Jazz Train up to Roches de Naye
At Roches de Naye
Mont Blanc from Roches de Naye
The marmot center
Again from the Hotel Victoria
Playing before the rain storm in Glion
Miles
B.B.
A fence along the Montreux waterfront
Chateau Chillon
On the Blues Boat
The Miles Davis Auditorium
Mr. Sax
Freddy Mercury on the waterfront, Montreux
Dr. Berger in his office, Thun
Marisa with Deb waiting for Claude outside Thun Hospital
Cold and rainy in Basel
Basler Munster
Aunt Ruth, Deborah and Aunt Dorith
The munster?
View from Munster down the Rhein, toward Mittlerheinbrucke, with Benny and Ruth's former apartment on left bank just beyond bridge
Lunch near the Munster Platz
Cousin Albert joins us
Basler Rathaus
At Dorith's apartment
A Basel memory
Claude and Marisa at home
Visiting at Claude and Marisa's in Goldiwil, above Thun
The sacred cow of Thun
Thun-Schloss
Along the raging Aare
Most exclusive old Interlaken hotel with adjoining Hooters!
Time for a drink and catching up in the hotel bar at Interlaken
View from Claude & Marisa's porch
Bern
The Aare in Bern
Bern's famous clock tower
One who learned something from the clock tower
Einstein's home in Bern, where he lived when he worked in the patent office and discovered the theories of relativity, etc.
Deb at entrance to Einstein Haus
Moses at Bern Catherdral
Back in Thun
The Monch in telephoto from the porch at Goldiwil
The farm restaurant outside of Thun
Our host
Exploring the restaurant
In Grindelwald, waiting for a train to Jungfraujoch
Leaving Grindelwald
Kleine Scheidegg (Hotel Bellevue, where Benny & Ruth used to spend their alpine getaways)
Eiger
Inside the North Face
In the Ice Palace
The Jungfrau
Getting oriented at Jungfraujoch
More of the Jungfrau (over that ridge at right, six Swiss army men perished in an avalanche on a training mission the day before)
Further toward right on Jungfrau summit. Note Sphinx observatory on right.
The news team arriving at Monch Haus to interview climbers about the tragedy
Cousins
With Aletsch Glacier (Place de la Concorde of the Mountains) in background
Aletsch Gletsch (the meeting of three glaciers and their morraines)
Amused at lunch in Monch Haus
On the Sphinx
Yessir!
Back at Goldiwil
Alpenglow at Goldiwil
The birthday girl
Thunersee from Goldiwil
Claude at marina on Thunersee
Jungfrau and Monch from the lake
Cruising on the lake
Lake of Thun
Claude and Bobby
Eiger, Monch & Jungfrau
Spiez (where my Mother's family vacationed many years ago)
Lunch at the lake on our last day
The view from lunch along Thunersee
Claude & Marisa's home from the Lake of Thun
A fire hydrant in Thun
A fire hydrant in Interlaken
