FROM ELBA TO EIGER TO EIFFEL

     The great advantage of traveling alone, vis-a-vis with tour groups (which I call pods) and having flexible schedules is the opportunity to experience unanticipated and serendipitous adventures.  So it was that I found myself on the historic island of Elba, the island where Napoleon spent 100 days in exile in 1814.  Elba is now a very popular vacation spot off the west coast of Tuscany.

                                          Beach scene on Elba

     After leaving Russia on June 19, I quickly made my way through Finland (couchsurfing), Sweden

(airbnb), Germany an France and went as fast as I could to Florence, Italy (Firenzie).  There I couch surfed with a wonderful young man, Nico and his dog 

NICO AND SPINA

     

     Nico told me that his parents were vacationing on the Isle of Elba and if I wanted to, I could go with him for a weekend visit.  Of course I said yes.  So off we went to the coastal town of Piombino where we took a 12 mile ferry ride to Elba.  Nico's parents, Patrizia and Mario, were wonderful hosts and shared their apartment, food, and wine.  Here are a few scenes from Elba:

3 IMAGES FROM ELBA

      Our return to Florence provided more time in that wonderful city.  Florence is a place of great beauty, ancient history, and home of notable people.  I paid homage to Galileo at his tomb in Santa Croce and visited the house where the Medici's provided him living quarters during his house arrest by the Catholic church in 1633. Michelangelo is also buried in Santa Croce.  Here are a few scenes of Florence:

                                               SCENES OF FLORENCE, ITALY

     From Florence I made my way to Grindelwald, Switzerland and stayed in a hotel at the foot of the famous Eiger Mountain.  Grindelwald is a village surrounded by imposing mountains.  It is also a destination village for tourist from all over the world, especially from Japan.  Evidently the Japanese have a connection with Eiger because a Japanese mountain climber climbed the mountain many years ago and became famous in Japan.  I think every Japanese child knows the story of this man and wishes to go there some day. They were all there in July.  A famous attraction is the "Top of Europe," the highest railway station in Europe. A cog railroad takes tourists to the top.  Here are some images from Grindelwald:

                                                              

EIGER, MONCH, AND JUNGFRAU

   I hated to leave Grindelwald but had to move on.  My next destination was Paris.  As I always do, I went to the Eiffel Tower (not up it) and went to the plaza where Ed Clark made some of his famous photos in 1945.  Also took a guided walking tour of the Marais district, the oldest section of Paris, and saw a wall built in 1380.  The Rodin museum was another stop, but since it was under renovation some of the sculptures were not on display.  Paris: history, culture, fashion, food, wine, beauty, and, I found, friendly people. Just a couple of photos from Paris:

CATHEDRAL DE NOTRE DAME

RODIN MUSEUM

     The last stop before returning home was the BRITISH OPEN GOLF TOURNAMENT in Muirfield, Scotland.  For a golfer, it was the ultimate experience.  I saw every professional golfer of note in the world, including Tiger and Brandt.  Just a couple of pictures and I'm done with this blog:

                                   THE FOURTH AND FIFTH ON THE FIRTH OF FOURTH

BRANDT SNEDEKER

     I thank you for following my blog.  Hope it has not been too boring.  I plan to write one more soon.  It will be a summary blog of observations, reflections, and conclusions.  So long for now.