Koper, Slovenia Sept. 15 2017

Koper is a port city in Slovenia, on the country's Adriatic coastline. You get off the ship and take an elevator up to it's medieval old town centering around Titov Trg, a square with Venetian-influenced landmarks such as the Praetorian Palace and a Gothic-style loggia, while nearby Da Ponte Fountain is a replica of Venice's famed Rialto Bridge. Rebuilt many times, the circa-12th-century Cathedral of the Assumption features a tall campanile with sweeping bay views.

This walking tour started at Tito Square. The style is a mixture of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque, and the structures date back to the 12th to 19th centuries. 
The white lines on the blocks, mark where the peasants were to stand behind, leaving the center for the aristocrats.

Colourful decorations leading to another shopping district.

The balconies were bowed out at the bottom to accommodate
date the Debutantes dresses pushed out by crinolines.

There are fountains and complex waterspouts everywhere. People used to get their water from these.

Venice, Italy. Sept. 14, 2017

Venice was a delight to explore.

Coming into the port along the Grand Canal was breath taking.

I took a 5 hour walking tour, including about 50 bridges over canals with ? steps?

This is the Debtor's Prisons with the Bridge of Sighs as they headed there after leaving the Courthouse.

St. Mark's Square and buildings with many pigeons around.

I saw the famous Murano Glass exhibits and original
doorbells with names, older than I could imagine.

As we left, I saw a bridal couple on the wharf. Apparantly the first floors are used for storage as the buildings flood and water even seeps up through St. Mark's Square certain times of the year.

Beautiful buildings.

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Dumbrovnik, Croatia. Sept. 14, 2017

There was pleasant day at sea and next was Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik is a city in southern Croatia fronting the Adriatic Sea. It's known for its distinctive Old Town, encircled with massive stone walls completed in the 16th century. Its well-preserved buildings range from baroque St. Blaise Church to Renaissance Sponza Palace and Gothic Rector’s Palace, now a history museum. Paved with limestone, the pedestrianized Stradun (or Placa) is lined with shops and restaurants.

The history of these old towns is astounding.

Rome, Italy. Sept. 12, 2017

We stayed at a Resort Sports Complex and rested up a bit.

It was amazing to see the Colosseum and all the history.

The paintings on Church ceilings was astounding.

Architecture and museums did not disappoint.

Lineups around Vatican City.

The Royal Tea

In honor of Meaghan and Harry's wedding, Irene invited the girls for a Royal Tea Party.

They looked good but so did we.

 I supplied the cups and saucers and it was really fun to celebrate with tea and fancy dishes for a change.

St. Ann's Academy Graduation, 60th Reunion

We spent 3 days at Harrison with our friends from high school.

Our rooms overlooked the lake and we had lovely sunshine. We ate at the Black Forest Thursday night (delicious) and the Muddy Duck Cafe for Friday's lunch. Both were great and there was lots of laughs and conversation.

 We shared many laughs with our memories.

           
The indoor pool and outdoor ones were a big hit!

So much fun. And here we are.

Isaiah's Band Concert

Had a lovely time at Isaiah's band concert tonight and surprised to see how tall he is now.

He had about 5 solos and has really progressed over the last year.

 I was really impressed with the camaradrie of all the bandmembers and their stage presence and deportment. Isaiah now has a 4 member band that practises in their rec room once a week. They looked very smart in red and black.