Michelangelo's David

Look carefully at these two images of David. You will notice that he has two different expressions (fear and courage) depending upon which side of the statue his face is viewed from.

Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy

After a hike in the Boboli Gardens, we toured the Pitti Museum, ate lunch in view of the Ponte de Vecchio bridge, and toured the Galileo museum. Among the artifacts were this computer with all the cogs, and these wooden fetuses showing different angles of birth. At night, an amazing light show of lightening followed by cracks and booms of thunder lit up the city. Torrential rain and hail trailed behind the orchestra, so we sat with the window open and enjoyed the show.

Toboggan ride

What an exhilarating experience! Reminds one to never grow up, but to always laugh and scream with joy. The longest track in Switzerland -- 4646 feet long.

Top of Mt. Pilatus

On its peak, Mt. Pilatus hosts a renovated hotel which was renovated in 2010, Hotel Bellevue. As you can see, the views from the summit are breathtaking.

Lake Lucerne

We took a ferry ride for approximately one hour to the base of Mt. Pilatus where we rode on the steepest cog railway in the world to the top. The railway travels from the lake to 6801 feet with some grades of 48%!

Jesuit Church Lucerne

Built in 1534, this lovely Jesuit church sits on the edge of the river in Lucerne. Most of the marble in the Church is faux, but the technique for making this fake marble has been lost and, therefore, cannot be recreated.

Strasbourg's Cathedral

Strasbourg - Charming Tudor style homes and businesses surrounded the Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg. The first stone was laid in 1287, and the clock -- though not currently functioning -- lies inside the cathedral where it can easily be viewed. Vic and I jogged the 330 steps to the top, took in the view, sauntered through town on a jambon and fromage baguette sandwich quest, and ate the sandwich, croissant au chocolat and eclair au chocolat on the shadowy side of the cathedral.

Philosopher's Way, Heidelberg

Afterward, we ate some local fare (liver dumplings and schnitzel for lunch) at the Golden Hecht, purchased some world famous lovers chocolates, and snacked on them as we walked through Heidelberg, crossed the bridge and lumbered up Philosopher's Way to a Tower.  We climbed the steps to the top of the Bismarcksaule tower, built in 1902, enjoyed the view of the castle, and, on the way down, discovered an amazing see-saw that not only sprung up down, but also spun sideways. I haven't laughed so hard in months!  Chuckling through grape trees and blackberry bushes, we meandered down to the stone bridge over narrow cobblestone passageways and moss covered walls, pausing briefly by the river to shoot a few more pictures of the castle and the Old Heidelberg bridge built by Karl Theodore in 1742.

Heidelberg Castle

That evening we arrived in Heidelberg, a lovely town in the hills of Germany that hosts a world reknowned University. The next day, we toured the town and Heidelberg castle, built some time between the 12th and 14th century, and surrounded by trees, the crumbling maroon and burgundy stone structure rises in the hills above the Nekar River. It is known for having one of the largest barrels for wine and beer.

Cologne cathedral

On the way to Heidelberg, we stopped the bus to hike up the steps of one of the tallest cathedrals in Europe - Cologne cathedral. With lovely arches and flying buttresses, it is one of the widest and oldest cathedrals in the area, construction began in 1100, and was not finished until almost 600 years later.

Rijksmuseum

In an attempt to compete with the Louvre, the Dutch created the Rijksmuseum in 1800 to house its national treasures. Vermeer and Rembrandt, among many others, are displayed within its recently renovated walls.