It had been 16 years since I had seen Alberto's family in Guadalajara. His sister Julia's children were now young adults. Jessica was 8, now 24, Fabiola was 7, now 23, Fernando the baby was 6, now 22 with three children of his own. And yet they remembered me so well. And I remembered them. What a good job Julia and her husband Jose Luis had done raising them.......

Guadalajara

Because it was April (yes....April in Paris) the banks of the Seine were thick with yellow forsythia, daffodils and tulips...

Paris

It is an astonishing thing to walk directly out of the Venice train station exit at the back, walk down the broad steps to the edge of the water and be gobsmacked instantly by 13th century palaces and villas on water canals directly in front of you. It was like tumbling down a rabbit hole or falling into a rip in the space-time continuum. There was a swarm of people coming and going about their business and getting in and out of water taxis. I felt my head start to spin a little bit.......

Venice

 The columns holding up the vaulted ceiling are bigger than redwood trees. It's bigger than a football field inside. It took centuries to complete (1386-1810). It starts out gothic at the altar and ends up Napoleonic at the front door and is the origin of the italian phrase, " It's like building a cathedral." It is a stunning example of the over-wrought "flame-like" final stage of Gothic architecture. Flamboyantly encrusted with a forest of spires on the roof, each spire has a saint on top of it. The whole cathedral exterior is stunning pink marble from Candoglia, rafted slab by slab across Lake Maggiore 60 miles away, through waterways and canals engineered by Leonardo di Vinci.......

Milan

We spent our days wallowing in gorgeous shopping, Art, beautiful sightseeing, a side trip to Pisa; ate gorgonzola cheese with marmalade and walnuts, Salad Caprese, and  enjoyed a  romantic, delicious dinner at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio, where the sweet, drunken chef came over to meet us at our table and kissed my Mom right on the lips....

Florence and Pisa

I take everyone to the famous Gelateria della Palma.

"They have almond marzipan, apple, apricot, champagne, chestnut, coconut, coffee, cognac, date, fig, Grand Marnier, hazelnut (my favorite), kiwi, lemon (another favorite), lime, mandarin, mango, melon, mint, nut, orange, papaya, peach, peanut, pear, persimmon, pineapple, pistachio, plum, prickly pear, raspberry, rice, ricotta, rum baba, rum nougat, rum raisin, sour cherry, strawberry, tangerine, torrone, watermelon, whiskey, zabaglione, and vanilla. They have chocolate-lined cones, they have shaved chocolate buried in chocolate called tartufo."

 I am holding my ground.

"I'll have vanilla," said Mom.

Rome

The vaulted ceilings and the walls are covered with exotic marbles in a delicious riot of color and texture. The size and volume of space inside is bigger than anything I have ever seen.

 I think of Disneyland. Not that it is an amusement park. It is the magic of the place. I am a little boy again that  believes in Tinkerbelle. I want to believe in everything, I want to believe in the magic.....

Vatican City

It was warm, beautiful and all the lemon trees were blooming all over the hillsides. If you have never smelled citrus trees blooming - it is one of the most intense perfumes you have ever smelled. The towns, the coastline was mythic, as if we had dropped into an, um.. Italian Riviera......and then there was my big fat Italian Wedding....

Amalfi Coast

Ka-BOOM. Your life is over. This is a sad place.

And beautiful.

And horny.

People, why did you build an Eden so close to an active volcano?

Pompeii

All the towns are built  straight up the sides of steep ravines, and are a rabbit warren of labyrinthine passageways covered in ancient worn stone steps and pavement. We had a view of the rocky coast and ocean, and the air was warm, sweet and fresh. La dolce far niente.....

Cinque  Terre

Travelers to Europe should consider other alternatives besides hotels. Hotels insulate you from the culture and the people. In Italy, renting a flat with a kitchen turned out to be one of the best parts of our 3 months in Europe....

RioMaggiore in the Cinque Terre

Here's two very different seaside towns, but typical of the northern Spanish coast... medieval whitewashed buildings surrounding a cove or small bay, ancient and venerable. Blue Mediterranean water and charming streets winding through the hills.

Coast of Spain

 All the Catalonian granola-heads and hippie farmers were there with ceramics, beads, didgeridoo's, fresh organic pastries, you name it. Even the Hare Krishna's had a tent. We could  have been in Berkeley, honestly. You might get a kick out of seeing a video of this awesomely talented drum team that played there. For some reason, the nerdy  kids who played in the high school band always turn out to be the  cutest, most interesting people a few years later..... look what happened to these kids...

Earth Day

I really wished all my talented musician brothers were able to see the concert that we saw Adolfo and Philip give at the monastery/ performing arts center. The selection of songs  included "Zolst Azoy Leben" an 18th century Yiddish folk song and "La Tarara" a traditional Spanish folk song from the 19th century. Philip accompanied him on the clarinet. ....

Adolfo Osta and Philip Cunningham in concert

Santa Maria del Mar in the Born

Clever street performer/violinist finds a unique way to supplement her income...