The day I spent with 2 old farts (9/10/05)

My saviors!!! I spent the day with Mr. Andrews, Meg's dad, and Mr James, his business partner, driving around Northern Italy. We stopped in Bergamo and ate lunch there and watched some old cars racing around. Then we went to Lago di Garda and stopped in a little town named Salo (emphasis on the o) and drank some espresso. When it started to rain, we drove back past Milan to an hotel near Mortara and ate dinner there. It was easily the best food that I've had on this trip thus far. Thanks guys. Smile for the camera!

So, we got to Bergamo and it turns out that they are having this annual old car race. I tried to get a good pic of the cars, but they were actually moving pretty fast. if you look cloely at the white car, you'll see some guy holding a camera. I thought for sure that he was going to drop it.

View of the city wall for Citta Alta in Bergamo, Italy. I'm actually standing on the entry ramp into the city from the stair case leading up from the Citta Bassa. I don't have any good pics of those things though, oh well, guess I'll have to go back.

View from Citta Alta in Bergamo, Italy. The main square is the open space near the top by the dome. Good food down there, that's for sure.

Salo, Italy on Lake Garda. Hey, that's me standing on that pier. Sweet!

I took this while it was still sunny at Salo on Lake Garda

Pic from Salo' on Lake Garda

Stop over in Glasgow, Scotland (9/1/05)

Now my stop over in Glasgow, Scotland. All of the following pics are of the Glasgow School of the Arts by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, a famous Scotish architect from around the beginning of the 20th century. I chose this city just to see this building, but unfortunately arrived too late to take the tour. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go back. If nothing else, I will return for the lines of link style golf courses along the coastline between Prestwick airport and Glasgow.

Front view of the Glasgow School of the Arts as you come up the hill. (Glasgow)

Front door of the school. I thing that this building feels off balanc because it is not symmetrical, but it still works. (Glasgow)

Window details. I love these things. Mackintosh has wonderful steel shapes. These are actually functional and serve as a platform for window washers, believe it or not. (Glasgow)

Front of Art School (Glasgow)

Side of Art School (Glasgow)

Close up of side door of Art School (Glasgow) 

Stop over in Dublin, Ireland (8/31/05)

My stop over in Dublin, Ireland. Highlights of the trip include the James Joyce Bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava, the one you see behind me, seeing the Guiness Factory and drinking a Guiness, riding on a tour bus, and finally getting lots of sleep at Dr. Laefer's house.

Guiness Factory in Dublin, Ireland. Actually, this may not be part of the factory, but it said Guiness and looked pretty cool, so I took a pic of it as the tour bus drove by 

St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland 

Yet another pic of James Joyce Bridge

The Beginning

Hello everyone,

My original intention was to send emails with updates on my adventure here in Italy, but I think I like this better. I ask for your patience as I feel my way through the use of this blog. Those who know me know that I am not a computer wizz, in fact I could never get my webpages to actually work, so we'll see how this goes.

I'll keep you posted as I post pictures here.

Ciao Tutti!
Adam