Photographer's Choice {Viking Cruise:: Venice to Athens}

Lake Como Cooking School

My wife MA making ravioli! We took the Viking Cruise pre-tour of Italy: Como and Verona. This was in Como on Lake Como. She had a great time doing this.

MA Making Ravioli

Lake Como cooking school

Verona's Roman Theater

The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in the first century. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind.

Palazzo Giardino Giusti: Verona, Italy

The Giradini Giusti is one of the most beautiful gardens in Italy. The Giusti family built the Palazzo Giusti with its beautiful surrounding gardens in the 16th century. It was a stop on our way to Venice from Verona.

Map of the Cruise

Venice Reflections

Taken on the walk to the opera in Venice

Venice Evening Time

Venice at Twilight

A Venice Canal

On a walk to the opera, I captured this reflection scene on one of Venice's many canals.

An Evening at the Opera

Our first night in Venice and aboard the Viking Star, Mary Alice and I went on a tour, "An Evening at the Opera." It began with a boat tour of the Grand Canal from the docked Viking Star. It began at sunset. The boat docked near the pedestrian bridge near the train station and we walked with our group to the Palazzo Zeno, a 16th Century palace home to the Zeno family. This was a private performance of four of Venice's opera stars. Arias and duets were performed from several of Verdi operas.

Koper Bell Tower

Koper Bell Tower: Koper, Slovenia

The Winged Lion of Venice

The Lion of Saint Mark, representing the evangelist St Mark, pictured in the form of a winged lion holding a Bible, is the symbol of the city of Venice and formerly of the Venetian Republic. The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a sovereign state and maritime republic in northeastern Italy, which existed for over a millennium between the 7th century and the 18th century from 697 AD until 1797 AD. It was based in the lagoon communities of the historically prosperous city of Venice, and was a leading European economic and trading power during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The Venetian city state was founded as a safe haven for the people escaping persecution in mainland Europe after the decline of the Roman Empire. In its early years, it prospered on the salt trade. In subsequent centuries, the city state established a thalassocracy. It dominated trade on the Mediterranean Sea, including commerce between Europe and North Africa, as well as Asia. The Venetian navy was used in the Crusades, most notably in the Fourth Crusade. Venice achieved territorial conquests along the Adriatic Sea. Venice became home to an extremely wealthy merchant class, who patronized renowned art and architecture along the city's lagoons. Venetian merchants were influential financiers in Europe. The city was also the birthplace of great European explorers, such as Marco Polo, as well as Baroque composers such as Vivaldi and Benedetto Marcello. The republic was ruled by the Doge, who was elected by members of the Great Council of Venice, the city-state's parliament. The ruling class was an oligarchy of merchants and aristocrats. Venice and other Italian maritime republics played a key role in fostering capitalism. Venetian citizens generally supported the system of governance. The city-state enforced strict laws and employed ruthless tactics in its prisons. The opening of new trade routes to the Americas and the East Indies via the Atlantic Ocean marked the beginning of Venice's decline as a powerful maritime republic. The city state suffered defeats from the navy of the Ottoman Empire. In 1797, the republic was plundered by retreating Austrian and then French forces, following an invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte, and the Republic of Venice was split into the Austrian Venetian Province, the Cisalpine Republic, a French client state, and the Ionian French departments of Greece. Venice became part of a unified Italy in the 19th century.

Solitary Walker in Koper, Slovenia

Stop for Coffee

On our morning walk around Kotor, we stopped at this outdoor cafe for morning coffee.

Kotor Courtyard Cafe

Getting to the Top of the Wall: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Dubrovnik Buckster

I captured this Dubrovnik street musician playing in front of a fountain in Dubrovnik.

Franjo Tudman Bridge: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Narrow Street in Dubrovnik

The place was crawling with tourists!

Strategic Corner: Minceta Tower - Dubrovnik City Wall Fortress

Minceta Tower - Dubrovnik City Walls Minceta Tower in DubrovnikCity walls of Dubrovnik form an irregular quadrilateral ending at each corner with strong forts. Tower Minčeta is the strong fort located in the North wall ending, facing toward the land. The name derives from the name of the Menčetić family, who owned the ground the tower was built upon. Minčeta, the highest point in the Dubrovnik defence system, is a large round fort with a massive base in the form of a huge covered outer wall. The fort is topped with a great Gothic crown that spreads over the side of the fort instilling the sense of power. The gothic crown is of negligible strategic importance and is more decorative in nature. The fort was originally built in 1319 as a high reaching quadrilateral fort according the designs of local architect Ničifor Ranjina. For over 100 years this design proudly served its purpose. However, after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire (Turks) in 1453 there was much debate on reinforcing this important fort. To help with the remake of the City walls the Dubrovnik Republic called for assistance the famous architect Michelozzo di Bartolomeo of Florence. Minceta fortress - Large fort in Dubrovnik City wallsAround the earlier quadrilateral fort Michelozzo built a new round tower adapted to the new technique of warfare and joined it to the new system of low scarp walls. The walls of the new tower were full 6 meters thick and had a series of protected gun ports. The building started in 1461. After the fall of Bosnia to the Turks in 1463, the works on the City walls hastened. The abrupt ending in the cooperation between Dubrovnik government and Michelozzo happened in 1464 when Michelozzo left Dubrovnik offended as his plans for the reconstruction of the Rector's palace were not approved. Minceta tower for New yearFollowing Michelozzo-s departure the work on the City walls continued under Juraj of Dalmatia (Juraj Dalmatinac) from Zadar, who also constructed the Cathedral in Sibenik. On Tower Minčeta, Dalmatinac built the bottom of the fortress and gave it the recognizable overhead part, the crown. During his time in Dubrovnik, Juraj mostly worked on fortresses. He would have most probably left a more noticeable impact on the look of Dubrovnik if he had not ran from the City in front of the plague. In its active service Minčeta was armed with 9 guns among which was also one mighty bronze cannon, a masterpiece of Ivan Rabljanin who also made the Bell for the City Bell Tower. Panorama view of Dubrovnik from vista point of Minceta TowerToday, as it was true in the past, Minčeta stands high above rest of Dubrovnik as a symbol of the unconquerable City Dubrovnik and tells the Dubrovnik story of love for the most precious sweet liberty. The fort provides a magnificent view of Dubrovnik and it is rightfully said that one has not been in Dubrovnik unless he/she witnessed the view from atop of Minčeta.

Revelin Fortress: Dubrovnik, Croatia

On the eastern part of the City, outside Ploče City Gate, the massive fortress of Revelin is located. The initial fort was built in 1463, in the period of unmistakable Ottoman empire (Turk) threat, who have conquered Constantinople in 1453 and were about to occupy nearby Bosnia (occupied in 1463). Revelin was built as a detached fortress providing additional protection to the eastern City Gate. The name derives from rivelino (ravelin), a term in fortification architecture which refers to forts built opposite to the weakest points in the city defence system or opposite to the particular city gates with purpose of reinforcing defensive position. The first Ravelins were mound-like entrenchments which was also the case with the initial Revelin fort in Dubrovnik. However danger of Venetian attack suddenly arose during the time of First Holy League, and it was necessary to strengthen this vulnerable point in the City fortification complex. The Senate hired Antonio Ferramolino, an experienced builder of fortresses in the service of the Spanish admiral Doria who was a trusted friend of the Dubrovnik Republic. In 1538 the Senate approved Ferramolino's drawings of the new, much stronger Revelin. It took 11 years to build it, and during that time all other construction work in Dubrovnik had stopped in order to finish this fortress as soon as possible. The new Revelin became the strongest fortress of Dubrovnik, safeguarding the eastern land approach to the city. Revelin was finally completed in 1549. View of Revelin from Minceta Tower Revelin fortress has a form of an irregular quadrilateral with its Northern corner forming a sharp outward spike. The entrance to the fortress is at its Southern side where the street leading between the two fortified gates crosses over a large platform. Both the fortress and the platform are isolated from all sides, southern side steeply descends to the sea, while the City ditch surrounds the fortress in all other directions. In the thick Northern wall of Revelin fortress, at ditch level, corridors are divided into small subsections with triple embrasures which are also provided with ventilation ducts that finish at the upper floor of the fortress. These purpose of these embrasures was to attack the enemy in the ditch. Ploce gate bridge leading to Revelin from eastern suburbA bridge from the middle of the 15th century leads from Revelin, over the ditch, to the inner City gates while the outer City gates are equipped with a toll bridge that lowers down to the access bridge from the end of the 15th century that leads to the eastern suburbs. The outer bridge was a work of the master architect Paskoje Miličević while the inner Gate bridge was built by local builders according to the prototype of the old Pile bridge from the 14th century. The construction of Revelin fortress work was executed perfectly hence Revelin was not harmed by the devastating earthquake of 1667. As its interior is divided into three large vaulted rooms, Revelin became the administration centre of Republic after the earthquake. The session of the Council were held in the fortress, and the treasures of the Republic and Dubrovnik cathedral were transferred there, as well as all other wealth which was saved from the ruins and fires following the earthquake. The top of Revelin features a huge stone-paved terrace, the largest in Dubrovnik. Photo taken with an iPhone 8s phone camera.

Stradun: Main Street in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Stradun or Placa as called by residents of Dubrovnik, is the main street of the town. It stretches between the two town gates, the gate of Pile and Ploče. By walking reward remember that on that site once was the sea that separated the city into two parts. Today is paved with stone blocks, which are polished to shine a wooden floor, so it is called street-salon. All the houses were built on the Stradun after an earthquake hit the city in 1667.

Lone Fisherman: Kotor, Montenegro

"Our Lady of the Rocks" Church: Montenegro

Located in the Bay of Kotor on a tiny island, lies the Our Lady of the Rocks church. According to legend, fishermen saw Mary in the reef and began leaving a stone on the exact spot every time they sailed by and eventually an island was created. A church was built on this island dedicated to Mary. I think that's a nice legend.

Island Church