My two month trip to Europe has three parts, essentially, and now that the first part is over and the second part is underway, I thought I’d recap the highlights, mostly for my own memory when I look back at this trip.  These are just some of the things that I’ve done and seen during the last several weeks.

– Toured a windmill
– Been in the same attic where Anne Frank hid
– Marveled at art from many of the great masters
– Toured several castles
– Taken river boat cruises on the Rhine and the Seine
– Walked atop a medieval wall
– Stood on hallowed ground of a concentration camp
– Been inside St. Mark’s Basilica and viewed Venice from the roof
– Taken a gondola ride along the Grand Canal in Venice
– Had wine at sunset on the tallest rooftop tower in Florence
– Walked through the Coloseum and Roman Forum
– Marveled at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
– Walked through St. Peter’s Basilica
– Stood under the domed roof of the Pantheon
– Had gelato on the Spanish Steps
– Took a passenger ferry in the Cinque Terre
– Rode an alpine gondola in the Swiss Alps
– Walked through Notre-Dame Cathedral
– Walked down the Champs Elysees
– Stood on the top of  the Arc de Triomphe
– Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower

And many other wonderful things, including just enjoying a sunny afternoon in a small hill top town in Italy, or sitting on a dock on the Grand Canal in Venice, or getting soaked in the rain along the Champs Elysees in Paris.  It’s been such a wonderful time, and I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here.

I’m now in Ireland, and it’s magical.  We spent a couple days in Kilkenny, and are now south of Cork in the town of Kinsale, after an afternoon visit to Cobn today.  After here, we head to Killarney, Shannon, Galway, and then Dublin.  I should be able to get a post up with photos in the next few days!  For now, I’ll say that driving here has been an adventure.  Erin and I are both still alive, and no damage to our car or other cars, just some frayed nerves from the narrow winding roads and traffic coming at you at high speeds.  Whee!